Savory Berries

Last week berries were on sale (3 for 5) and I went a little crazy :) I cannot wait to pick your own once they are in season here!! Some quick searching revealed some savory ways to use the berries, and I couldn't wait to give them a shot.

Kevin's Quinoa w/Balsamic Roasted Asparagus & Strawberries was the first of the dishes I tried. I really wanted to add goat cheese, but I didn't have any in my apartment!! This is probably the only time it's every happenned :) I didn't have feta, either, so I used some of the gruyere instead and grated that into the quinoa while still warm. I did add some chopped pistachios after the picture, oops! I was a little short on juice, I should've made a little more, but this made for a fantastic lunch!

Quinoa w/Balsamic Roasted Asparagus & Strawberries

I got a chance to use my baby crockpot to make some Chipotle Blackberry Pulled Pork. I used 1/2lb piece of pork tenderloin and adjusted the amount of sauce (1/4 w/extra blackberries), subbing ketchup for the chili sauce and fresh grated ginger for the preserves. Yummy! I love a good (lean) pulled pork, and this was so tender! The sauce was great, a little kick and very flavorful-- I'll definitely be repeating this!

Chipotle Blackberry Pulled Pork

The warmer weather we had also lent itself to the desire to grill, even if it was indoors. I used this recipe for Strawberry BBQ sauce to grill up some chicken (although it would go with any meat or tofu). I topped it with a quick 'salsa' if you can call it that! I simply chopped up some strawberries and mango, added a little bit of Daregal Fresh Frozen Cilantro, and called it dinner :)

Grilled Chix w/Strawberry BBQ Sauce & Strawberry-Mango Salsa

The side dish hiding in the background will come in another post, I need to get to bed and there's already lots of good food here!

Almond Cake

I baked a cake this afternoon. A moist, densely packed almond cake from my well-worn copy of Baking with Julia. I didn't really have a reason to bake. But I wanted to try this one, which is an element of the cookbook's intense Wedding Cake recipe, because I am the designated pastry chef for a friend's wedding late this summer. And I'm nervous. So I'm practicing. Every single cake I bake, I tell myself, will make the finished product just that much better. I have over three months. That's a lot of cakes.

This one is nice. It came out of the oven golden brown and buttery. Almost too buttery, I thought as I sneaked a little sliver to eat with my late-afternoon coffee. But perhaps that will go well later on with layers of lemon curd or blueberry jam, swiss or simple vanilla buttercream. I haven't yet worked out the details. But I know that there will be no fondant. Definitely no fondant. Though lovely on its own, I have a different idea for this particular cake. I'm having friends over for dinner tomorrow and I plan to use it, cut into small disks, as the base for a fleet of individual Baked Alaskas. We'll see how that goes.*

I don't know a whole lot about the science of baking, despite the fact that I love to make and eat cakes of all kinds. I certainly don't know much about the architecture of wedding cakes. But if the testing and tweaking involved in the creation of this one offers me the opportunity to spend more afternoons like today's, procrastinating on thoughts of the real world in my warm apartment, which smelled of almonds and butter, I'm happy to learn.



*Update: They went well. A little too much cake to ice cream ratio. But what beats miniature rounds of almond sweet, topped with strawberry ice cream and a cloud of oven-brown meringue? In my mind, not much.


Dense Almond Cake
Adapted from Baking with Julia

I adapted this recipe a bit, mainly due to ingredient and equipment restraints. Instead of going to the store to buy the extra 2.5 ounces of almond paste, I just used the 7 that I had. Instead of cake flour, I used all purpose. I didn't have a working food processor, and used a hand-held mixer to beat in the eggs rather than a paddle attachment on a standing one. In retrospect, there isn't much I did do exactly according to the directions. This is most likely the reason for my only complaint: the almost too-moist texture of my end result. But either way, I imagine, it's nice. Julia's original recipe is below.

9.5 ounces, or 1 packed cup, almond paste
2.25 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup cake flour, sifted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a baking pan -- I used a single 9" circular cake pan, while Julia's instructions are for a number of different sizes for the construction of a wedding cake -- and then place a sheet of parchment paper, cut to fit, within. Dust with flour, tap out the excess, and put aside.

Put the almond paste, butter, and sugar in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process for one minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture should be mainly smooth, with a bit of a grainy edge.

Scrape this mixture into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs and beat at medium speed until the batter is smooth. This should take about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides, again, as needed. Turn the mixer up to high in the final 15 seconds.

Remove the bowl and fold in the flour, a little at a time, with a rubber spatula. Spread into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 1.5 to 1.75 hours, until the top is golden, the edges begin to spring away from the pan and the top is springy to the touch. For me, this took only one hour.

Transfer to a cooling rack and let sit at least 25 minutes, then invert, remove the parchment paper, and enjoy.

Training for My First Tri

Here's a peek at the month before my frist sprint tri (which was Aug 5), click to enlarge. Prior to this, I had been swimming, biking, and running; there wasn't much rhyme or reason to anything but my runs. Just to post the links again, I used training plans from Runner's World and Women's Health to guide me. They have excellent tips for starting from scratch and 8week plans if you're interested!



**Disclaimer: This was only what I did the month before my first tri, this is not a training plan for everyone! It's just meant to provide an example, a starting point that you might adjust to your own needs.**

Swimming
I'm not a great swimmer, I blame the tube they "accidentally" left in my ear until college. When I first got into the pool I was used to keeping my head above water. See, aren't you feeling better already? It took me a few times to finally get back into keeping my head in the water, and when I first started I couldn't do more than a lap or two without stopping to catch my breath. The more I swam, the more comfortable I felt, and the longer I was able to swim without feeling completely winded. Bilateral breathing is something that I'm still working on. The two workouts I aimed for the following:
1- 200m warm up, 800m straight, 200m cooldown
2- 200m warm up, 3x50m as fast as I could 30sec rest, 100m, 200m [optional], 3x50m as fast as I could 30sec rest
I have two speeds (that I can tell), my normal pace, and then what I perceive as alot of effort for the 50m sprints. The faster pace is one that I cannot keep for 100m, despite my efforts. I have started to incorporate some kicking laps, as I noticed my legs are lazy when I'm just going at a normal pace for awhile. Maybe that's ok since I'd like to save some energy for the bike and run? I really need to take some lessons to improve my form!

In the water

Biking
When shown in minutes, this was a spinning class. When marked in miles, I was able to get out for a ride on my bike. I have a tendency to push myself more in a spinning class, as I'm still getting used to a road bike and now clipless pedals. I actually haven't done a tri with the pedals yet, so no, you don't need them!

Look at those sneaks ;)

Running
It was strange to run so little, but you don't really need to be running every day. Apparently my runs consisted of tempo runs (in orange, I just tried to keep a challenging pace for 2-3mi with a .75mi warmup and cooldown) and brick workouts. More on bricks in a second. I did my tempo runs at the track with a watch.

T2: are my legs moving??

Bricks
Wait, what are we building? This term is actually used to describe the transition between the bike and the run (T2). As in, your legs feel like bricks. I'd say it's essential to try this at least once beforehand so you know what to expect. Hop off your bike, put on your running shoes, and go. No really, move! :) It really feels like you're going nowhere! Does it get easier? MMmm, I don't know if I have a good answer to that one yet!

A Few More Notes
I like to strength train, and you can see I didn't give that up. What I tried to do is complement the workouts I was already giving my legs and shoulders. You'll also notice PT on my calander, this just refers to exercises I learned going to physical therapy, aimed to strengthen my knees/thighs/hips and prevent injuries. This is serving as a great reminder to be better about these :)

Another thing I noticed is that I didn't have many true rest days. However, my strength training wasn't intense, and most workouts were under 45min in duration. Do you need to work out every day? Definitely not! And I don't know if I'll be able to follow such a schedule this summer. While I'm going to try to swim, bike and run 2x/week, there will be days I have no time, and days when I have more. My approach will be to try and double up-- maybe a spinning class in the morning before work and a 30min swim at lunch time or after work. Or follow up a run on a hot day with a jump in the pool (wouldn't that feel nice?). Hopefully I will also have time for my new love--Body Pump (called Group Power in my current gym), which is weight lifting in class form. But we'll see how it all shakes out!

My philosophy is not to stress if you miss a workout-- I plan in enough variety and quality workouts, that I will be prepared :) Training for a sprint tri is completely do-able with a busy schedule. I really don't know if I'd be able to manage training for an olympic distance tri, though. Maybe some day!!

Ok, next up I'll compile some tips and answer all your questions. Let me know if you have any others since my first post! I was a bit on the fence about adding these pictures, as I haven't been as good with my eating of late and don't quite look like that right now ;) I'm hoping that they provide me the motivation to get back on track and re-focused on enjoying life!

Tito's Burritos - Morristown

Every week I look forward to reading about the new featured restaurant in our local newspaper. A couple of weeks ago I read about a new Mexican place called Tito's Burritos that just opened in Morristown. I didn't know of this one before, but there is also one just minutes from my office in Summit. Now that I've been here, this news is very exciting - I could have my Tito's fix for lunch or for dinner!










Tito's cuisine may be Mexican or Tex-Mex, but the atmosphere is one of a Hawaiian or Californian surf shop. There are two flat screen TV's - which were showing a skateboarding video, a huge marlin on the wall, as well as surfboards. These are just some of the fun items that adorn the restaurant. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed and the friendly staff illustrates that. Everyone seemed to really enjoy working there. There is something for everyone at Tito’s and it appeals to people of all ages. The night I was at Tito's, there were families with young children, teenagers and adults of all ages.

The menu is extensive and very unique. They serve burritos, tacos, quesadillas and salads - they even have fries and wings! Any burrito can be made without a tortilla, with a low carb tortilla, or as is. They can be made "wet" which means special sauce and cheese added, or "green" which means added guacamole. There really is a burrito and taco to satisfy every palate, the most unique being the Blackened Salmon Burrito. I ordered a San Quentin which is a ground beef burrito with a choice of black or pinto beans, cheese, yellow rice and pico de gallo. It was very tasty, not an obscene amount of cilantro and very neat. I thought I would have to use a fork and knife but all the fillings stayed neatly inside the tortilla so it was not messy at all. My boyfriend ordered The Big Easy. This was our favorite out of the two we ordered. It's a blackened chicken burrito with yellow rice, cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo and ranch dressing. I think this was the most popular burrito that night because I heard it ordered over and over. We also tried the guacamole and the salsas from the salsa bar. All of them were very good. The pico de gallo was my favorite, very tasty with just the right amount of salt. I think the most surprising thing we tasted were the fries. Who orders fries at a Tex-Mex restaurant you ask? We do when they are covered in cheese and served with a chipotle dipping sauce. If you ask me, that sauce should be on everything! I think it would have been perfect in my burrito. So Tito, maybe you should add that to your menu with all the other add-ons!








Tito's does not serve alcohol but they are a BYOT - Bring Your Own Tequila and will gladly make you a frozen Margarita. If alcohol isn't your thing try a Mexican soda or some refreshing lemon or limeade.

Tito's Motto is "It's all good!" and everything that we tasted was certainly better than good. I plan on becoming a regular at the Morristown location and I hope to see you there!


My review is also posted on Jersey Bites! Click here to check it out! Jersey Bites is a great website for recipes, NJ restaurant reviews, blogging events and more. Make sure you stop by!

The root of my desire?

Katie's New Food Challenge strikes again! This time I picked up this funky looking root...


What is it? Yuca, or cassava. The cassava plant is a woody shrub with inedible leaves (they can make cyanide!) and a long thick root. Yuca does need to be cooked before consumption, so don't try it raw. It's a starch, similar to potato, that is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin C. And here's a fun fact- tapioca is actually the starch extracted from yuca!

I picked a smaller piece, as I had NO idea how to get at the edible part and wasn't sure what I'd be able to do with it. Turns out you are supposed to peel the brown waxy rind... my peeler wasn't quite able to do that (too thick), so I just cut it away to reveal the white root underneath.


Ok, now what? After some contemplation and recipe searching, I decided to use my mandoline and thinly slice the yuca.


I then used this method to make yuca chips in the microwave! I could've done it in my oven, but it was already being used, and this was incredibly easy. I sprinkled them with a little bit of kosher salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper, tossed them around in a sprayed pie plate, and after 2-3 min, voila!


Along with a quick Mango-Avocado Salsa, my yuca chips made a great snack! If I had gotten a bigger root, they'd be perfect chip alternative at a bigger gathering :)

Mango Avocado Salsa
Recipe by Shannon

1/2c-3/4c diced mango
1/2 avocado, diced
1 small shallot, minced
1/2T-1T Daregal fresh frozen cilantro (or fresh cilantro, chopped)
juice of 1/2 lime

Combine all ingredients. Sit at room temp for a bit to let flavors come together before serving.

Roasted Veggie and Orzo Salad

Last summer my friend Catherine and her hubby invited Steve and I over for a barbeque. Everything was fabulous but it was her orzo salad that I was thinking about for days. It was a mixture of perfectly roasted veggies, salty kalamata olives and pieces of soft and creamy fresh mozzarella. She doesn't really have a recipe for it and she makes variations all the time. Any veggies or herbs can be used and I think you could even grill the veggies and then cut them up and mix them with the orzo. This recipe makes a ton so if you don't like leftovers (although this is great leftover) cut this recipe in half.

This is what I did but feel free to mix it up any way you like.

Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini, cut into approx 1 inch pieces
2 small yellow squash, cut into approx 1 inch pieces
1 bunch of thin asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into approx 1 inch pieces
1 package of mixed baby peppers, cut into approx 1 inch pieces
1 red onion, diced
6 cloves garlic left in their skins
1 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
1 carton of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 8 oz ball of fresh mozzarella, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound of orzo
1 small bunch basil, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Distribute zucchini, squash, asparagus, peppers, onion and garlic between two baking pans. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 15 minutes or until tender, tuning them when they are halfway through cooking.

3. Meanwhile, cook orzo in salted water, drain and put in a large bowl. Toss with oil to prevent sticking.

4. When veggies are cooked, let cool for a few minutes and remove garlic and set aside. Add cooled veggies to cooled but still warm orzo. Add olives, tomatoes and mozzarella.

5. In a small bowl squeeze garic from their skins, add a tsp of salt, some pepper and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Smash to form a paste adding more oil as needed. Add garlic paste and basil to veggie orzo mixture and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Thanks Catherine for a great recipe!!!

News

As many of you know, I’ve been writing about the sense of smell since 2005. It was then, in the crack of my skull against the windshield of a quickly-moving car, that my olfactory neurons were damaged and I lost the ability to detect the scent of brewing coffee, freshly baked bread, or a ripe bag of garbage. For a while, I lost the ability to smell anything at all.

I began this blog before that, however, when I could think of little more than the kitchen, sauté pans and paring knives. While scent was important to me as the gateway to flavor, it hardly crossed my mind that without a working nose a sip of coffee was simply hot and bitter and that a bite of chicken similar to one of cardboard. I had wanted to be a chef, and I began this blog to write about my work prepping and washing dishes in an upscale Boston restaurant. I had hoped the job would be the first step in many on my way to the professional culinary world. I wanted to chronicle the journey.

Without smell, however, my ability to perceive the world around me changed and, with that, so did my plans. I’ve written about it all along the way.

My fascination with scent began out of necessity. After the accident I suddenly realized that its absence sapped the texture from both physical experience and memory. It implied the power of what was once there. In the last four years my sense of smell, as I’ve written here, has slowly returned. While it is not completely restored—skunk sometimes smells of almond biscotti and I often can’t tell the difference between sage and thyme—I’ve watched the details painstakingly crawl back into my sensory landscape. Throughout this process, my interest in smell has grown far deeper.

And now I’m very happy to announce my current project, which I’ve been working on for quite some time but that only recently became official. I’m writing a book.

“In Search of Smell,” an olfactory memoir exploring the neuroscience, psychology, and social history of smell through the lens of my own story of loss and regain, will be published by the HarperCollins imprint Ecco. I’ll be reporting and writing for a little less than the next year. I’m very excited.

I’m not sure how this will change ‘My Madeleine.’ I plan to keep writing as I have been—about food, about smell, and about how they intersect. But perhaps now that my days are filled with research and interviews on scent, this blog will veer more towards food. Perhaps not. I just wanted to let you all know what I’m up to. And if you have any ideas or any stories to share with me, please let me know. I’m looking forward to learning so much more.

Egg Rolls

After having jicama a few times, I had thought about using to make egg rolls. Why? I'm not really sure, as they're not something I've eaten more than a handful of times. Paired with some broccoli slaw from the store and baked tofu, I really liked my rendition! To boost the protein content, I made an avocado dip that turned out amazing, if I do say so myself ;)

Sauteed Broccoli Slaw & Jicama

Egg Rolls w/Tofu, Jicama & Broccoli Slaw
Recipe by Shannon
Yield: 9 rolls



1 block of tofu, sliced and pressed
9 egg roll wrappers
~1c jicama, cut into matchsticks
1/2-3/4 pkg broccoli slaw
2 scallions, sliced
1/4c water
1-2T soy sauce (I used a scant 1T)
1T cornstarch

Marinate tofu in your favorite marinade (I used a honey balsamic one, overnight in the fridge). Bake at 425 ~15min/side until nicely browned. (I'd try not to get it super crispy like I did!) When cool, cut each slice into 3-4 lengthwise (to resemble matchsticks). This can be done ahead, just refrigerate until assembling the egg rolls.

Heat ~1T canola oil in pan over med-high heat. Add Broccoli slaw, cook down a few minutes until starts to wilt (but still has a slight crunch). Combine water and soy sauce, stir in cornstarch. Add sauce, 3/4 jicama, and scallions to slaw. Stir to coat and let heat through. Remove from heat and add the rest of the jicama (I did this to make sure some stayed crunchy, but in the end I couldn't tell which was which. So I guess I'd add it all in at once next time!). This can also be done ahead of time as well.

Preheat oven to 400deg. To begin assembling egg rolls, lay out the wrappers. Add 3 slices tofu then top with ~2T slaw. Roll up like an egg roll (or try to!). Spray pan with cooking spray, add egg rolls, seam side down, and spray the top of the rolls. Bake 8-10 min. Flip over and bake an additional 5-7min. They should be nice and crispy! Let cool, then serve with an avocado dip (see below) or your favorite dipping sauce!


Avocado Dip


1/2 avocado
1/3c cottage cheese or greek yogurt
juice of 1/2 lime
~1t Daregal fresh frozen cilantro (or fresh)
dash hot sauce (to taste)
s/p to taste

Blend all ingredients using your device of choice-- I picked my hand blender, but a small food processor would work too! Serve alongside egg rolls or your favorite chips.

Mom's Chicken Soup with Cavatelli

A couple of days ago I posted about the chicken and potatoes I made in the oven. In the package of chicken that I bought had a whole chicken that was cut up. I used part of it in my roasted chicken dish (enough to feed two) and the rest of the chicken I used to make this soup. I had a large chicken breast, two wings and a thigh and just to make sure I had enough meat I added an extra chicken breast that I had. I should have listened to my mother and not used so much water because since I didn't have a whole chicken the broth was a little light and bland. No big deal, I threw in a few chicken bouillon cubes. I'm not going to give you an exact recipe for this but I think you'll get the idea.

Add chicken (with bone and skin) to pot with enough cold water to cover. Leave the skin on but if there is a lot of excess skin or fat just trim that off. To the pot add whatever veggies you like and you don't have to get particular about dicing. I cut them into large chunks. I just used two tomatoes, carrots, onion and celery but you can use leeks, mushrooms, garlic, whatever you like. I added bay leaves but you can add parsley or thyme also if you like it. Let it come to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let it cook until chicken is cooked through (approx 1 hour, depending on amount of chicken). Remove chicken to a dish and let cool. Taste soup for seasoning. Add salt, pepper and if you think it needs a richer taste add bouillon (before you add the salt). When chicken is cool enough to handle shred with two forks (or your fingers) or dice into small pieces. I prefer it shredded because that's how my mother always did it. I used my immersion (stick) blender and blended all the veggies (except for one lone carrot...oops!) but you don't have to do that. You could have cut your veggies smaller and left them whole. Add shredded chicken to the pot. In separate pot cook pasta or rice. I used cavatelli (we pronounce it gah-vah-deel - don't ask, we just do!) and that can be found in the frozen section with the ravioli and tortellini. I've heard this suggested somewhere and called "Italian chicken and Dumpling soup". I wouldn't call this that because it wasn't thick enough for that but you could certainly make a roux and thicken it up. Anyway, I'm getting distracted. If you are only making a small amount of soup you could cook the pasta or rice right in the pot with the soup. I made a large amount so I could freeze it and I didn't want the pasta to get mushy.

It turned out delicious. I definitely recommend using the cavatelli but they are larger than most pasta that I would normally use and so one package was just enough but I would have liked a little more. Maybe we just have big appetites!

Fiddleheads - Freaky or Fabulous?

What are fiddleheads? I know you're all wondering because until 2 weeks ago I never heard of them before. I first saw them on a blog and thought they looked strange but kinda cool. Never thought I'd come across them but to my surprise one of my local supermarkets had them. I bought a small bunch just to see what they were like but they intimidated me and sat in my fridge for three days.



Finally last night I decided that I would just suck it up and try them. If they didn't taste good no one was going to force me to eat them! Steve already said he wasn't going to eat them. This was his face when I showed them to him.



I can't say I blame him. That was probably my face when I first saw them!

After doing some researching and speaking to some friends on bakespace I found out that I should remove the brown papery skin and rinse them really well. There wasn't any papery skin on them and so I was a little confused. There was a fuzzy flowery type of stuff (for lack of a better word) inside the coiled part. I think that's what freaked me out because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to take that off or not. Everytime I tried to uncoil it and wipe that off the fiddlehead broke. It kind of snapped like a string bean. Hmmm...so, I just washed them, left that part alone and cut off the ends of each one like I normally do for the stems of broccoli rabe. I boiled them for two minutes and then sauteed them in garlic and oil and sprinkled them with a little salt.




They tasted good. I was surprised. They weren't as bitter as I thought they would be. They did taste similar to the stems of broccoli rabe but milder like a string bean. I know, two totally different things but I don't know how else to describe them. The problem for me was that they looked really weird. I kept getting these images of them turning into worms or coming to life and freaky and snake-like. So, I couldn't eat them. They just looked like something so foreign and I couldn't trust it.

I still think you should try them for yourself but you don't have a lot of time. They are only around for a short amount of time and I think that window is closing. If you do try them let me know what you think. Are they fabulous or do you agree with me, they are just too damn freaky to eat?

Tomato Goat Cheese Strata

Before the strata, I just wanted to say thanks for all of your amazing comments on my last post!! I will be answering all of your questions soon, but first-- more food, since you need to be well-fueled for any day ;)

Walking through the store the other day, I came across a loaf of day (or two)-old Iggy's bread for $1. After hearing Dawn sing its praise, I knew this loaf was destined for a strata and quickly put it into my basket :) I perused some of my bookmarked strata recipes, and picked this Tomato Goat Cheese Strata as I also had a chunk of goat cheese that REALLY needed to be used!


I followed the recipe, using Whole Wheat Sourdough and a can of Fire-Roasted Whole tomatoes that I just broke apart in the pan. I added 1T of Daregal fresh frozen Italian blend to the tomato mixture (my tomatoes didn't have any spices, I also left out the sage), and ended up baking it in a 9"square pan. It was stuffed to the brim, and I may have had to sneak a few chunks of bread to make it all fit :)


While the recipe supposedly made 4 servings with an 8oz loaf of bread (which I thought mine was), it looked immense! I cut it into 6 servings and enjoyed it for breakfast all week long with a green smoothie. A great way to start the day!!


One more thing, remember that Italian Grilled cheese I posted about using Daregal Fresh Frozen Herbs (which I did see at my Shaws!!!)? Go RATE my recipe in their contest if you can spare a click :) This was so good, it blew my mind!

Oven Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

Yum, Yum, Yum! This chicken was so tasty and the sauce was perfect for dipping bread in. There isn't much of a recipe for this. Once again, I just threw in what I had and it turned out perfect! I bought a whole chicken cut up and split it up so that we would have two meals. I don't like the taste of reheated chicken so I didn't want leftovers. I made this for two but you can use as much chicken as you want just increase the amount of liquid if you want some juice (which I highly recommend!) I left some of the skin on the chicken because I didn't want it to get try but you can do this without the skin if you like.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, (all pieces have bone in & trimmed of extra skin and all fat)
2 chicken legs
2 chicken thighs
a couple of sprigs fresh oregano (you can use dried, I just threw it in)
a few shakes of dried italian seasoning
Mrs. Dash Table Blend
salt and pepper
dry white wine
chicken broth
1 large sweet potato, cut into large pieces
handful of baby carrots
4 -6 yukon gold potatoes, cut into large pieces
1 onion, cut into large pieces
handful of chopped leeks (threw them in only because I had them)
8-10 cloves garlic cloves in peel
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season skin side of chicken with salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash. Heat a large oven safe frying pan, drizzle in some oil and place chicken in the pan skin side down. Don't touch it. Leave it there for about 5 minutes or until chicken starts to brown. Meanwhile, add in garlic, and potatoes, carrots and onions around the chicken. Season them with salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash. Turn chicken and potatoes and season the second side. When chicken is browned turn over again and add wine ane chicken broth. Add enough so that the liquid is about halfway up the chicken. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes until some of the liquid is reduced. Add pan to hot oven and cook for about 40 minutes or until juices run clear. Cooking time depends on how big your chicken pieces are and how much chicken you have.

Teeny Tubitini with Veggies

10 years ago I started asking family and friends for recipes. I wanted to create a cookbook with recipes from people who are special to me. You'd be surprised how many people couldn't be bothered. I was very disappointed that despite the letter I mailed many people in my family (distant relatives as well as close ones) I only got a few recipes and those were from the ones that I pestered. Since it was so difficult to get recipes from family, whenever I tasted something I liked, I got in the habit of asking people right then and there to tell me how to make it and I wrote it down. This was one of the first recipes I got my hands on. It was given to me by a neighbor and very close friend of the family, Joanne. I remember the day she made it. I stopped by her house and this is what she was making for lunch. She invited me to join her and her family and I graciously accepted. It was delicious!

Oh, one more thing. I know that canned vegetables are not as good as frozen and for the most part I agree. I can hear you all now, tsk tsk, but listen, in my humble opinion, baby peas in a can have so much more flavor than frozen peas. I prefer Le Sueuer peas and only use these for this dish and also when I make macaroni and peas (recipe to come in the future). The frozen ones just don't work here but be my guest and use whatever you feel comfortable with.


Ingredients:

1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
olive oil
salt and pepper
Mrs. Dash table blend
1 can of peas
1 cup chicken broth
1 small zucchini
1 package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb tubitini or any other small pasta

Saute garlic and onion in oil.

Add zucchini, mushrooms, salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash to pot. Let cook until zucchini is soft.

Add whole can of peas with juice and chicken broth. Let cook for a few minutes until it’s heated through.

In seperate pot cook pasta, drain (leave some water) and combine with vegetables. (shouldn’t have the same amount of liquid as soup but should be wet)

Say it with Vases

A few months ago I read about Say it with Vases in a Magazine. They are neat little plastic vases that fold up when you don't need them. Living in a condo with limited space I thought that this was a great idea. Jill from Virtual Mom Blog and owner of Say it with Vases sent me one to try. Thanks Jill! This past weekend I opened up my package and read the instructions. I have to admit, I had no idea how this was going to work. It was after all, completely flat. To my surprise, all I had to do was fill it with water and it opens up and stands upright. Very cool! I put my flowers in and that's it. It's a vase!

I think that this is a great hostess gift or as her website suggests, an addition to flowers so your hostess doesn't have to go searching for a vase. My only disappointment is that the mouth of the vase is not very large and can't hold a large bouquet. My solution to that is buy two of these and split up a bouquet between two vases. Breaking up a bouquet and spreading them out throughout your home gives a great impression, makes you feel good and it's affordable. Here's what I did with mine, give them a shot and let me know how you use yours.

Homemade Pasta in honor of my 100th Post!

When I started this blog I really didn't think that far ahead. I never thought of my 100th blog but now that I'm here I'm really excited! I wanted to make something special and decided homemade pasta would be perfect. I've tried making homemade pasta on my own in the past and was semi-happy with the results but that was a long time ago. I cannot begin to tell you how I felt trying it again this time. I don't know if it was that I felt more confidant this time, or if I was just thinking a lot about Nanny but I was really overcome with emotion. Once the dough was made I was constantly reminded of how it felt when I made it with Nanny. The smell of the took me back to that place about 20 years ago when I kneeled on her dining room chair and got my hands in the dough. When I asked Steve to smell it he couldn't really smell much but for me it was very familiar. I have to say I was filled with regret at never really having the patience to learn everything that Nanny knew about cooking. I watched and touched and tasted but never tried to do it on my own when she was around to help me and guide me. If you have someone in your life who you admire and want to learn from, whether it's cooking or baking or anything else, do it now. It may be hard to imagine but there will be a time when you wish you could ask a question or need their opinion and it's too late. Ask everything while they are still around.

Okay, now that I depressed you all (sorry!) let's get to the recipe and my results. I had a lot of fun making this and probably got a little carried away with making sure it was thin enough. When Nanny rolled it by hand and when I got impatient and wanted to cut it she always said it wasn't thin enough. So I think I made the pasta too thin. I used my pasta attachment for my kitchen aid mixer and put the pasta through twice through each setting 1-6 and then once through 7. I put it through twice because I remember watching Mario Batali doing that but the directions of the recipe I followed said NOT to do that. I loved using the attachment, it's so much quicker and easier than rolling it out by hand. However, if you can knead it and roll it out by hand go ahead and do it, I'm sure it's a very cathartic experience. You can also make the dough in a food processor.

Pasta Dough

Recipe from Biba's Taste of Italy

(makes a little over 1 lb of fettuccine)

Ingredients:

5 eggs
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt (I added this on my own - not sure if it makes a difference)


Directions:

In bowl of stand mixer beat eggs and salt. Attach dough hook and flour a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase the speed and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, until smooth, soft and pliable.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured wooden board of other work surface. Flour your hands lightly and knead the dough for a minute or two. If the dough seems too firm, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then knead the dough again for about a minute.

Biba's tip: Making the dough with a machine requires a little less flour than making it by hand. Reserve 1/2 cup or so of the flour called for in the recipe. After the dough has been kneaded, touch it. If it is silky and slightly moist, it is ready; if it is too sticky, work in the reserved flour.

This tip was great. I did not need to use the 1/2 cup reserved flour. If I used it the dough would have been too dry.

To roll out the dough with pasta attachment:

Set the rollers of the pasta machine at their widest setting (1 - for Kitchen Aid) Cut off a piece of dough about the size of a large egg and flatter in under the palm of your hand. Keep the rest of the dough wrapped in plastic wrap. Dust the flattened piece of dough lightly with flour and run it once through the machine. Fold the dough in half, pressing down on it with your fingertips, and run it through the machine again. Repeat this step four to five times, dusting the dough lightly with flour if needed, until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky; the dough will become firmer since the machine is actually kneading the dough. Do not skimp on this step, or, as you think the pasta, it may stick to the rollers.

Adjust the rollers to the next setting and run the dough through once; do not fold the dough again. Adjust the rollers to the next setting and run the rollers once; continue to adjust the rollers and roll the pasta through the machine until it reaches desired thinness.

If you are making stuffed pasta, cut and stuff the dough immediately, before rolling out another piece. For string pasta or ribbon noodles, roll out the remaining dough and allow the sheets to dry before cutting them into noodles.

Biba's Tip: If the sheet of dough sticks to the pasta machine, dust it lightly with flour. Be sure to run the sheet of dough once through each setting; don't skip a setting or the dough may tear.






To cut pasta using attachment:

Spread a clean tablecloth on a large work surface and lay out the rolled-out sheets of pasta on it. Let dry for 8-10 minutes, depending on the temperature of the room, until the sheets of pasta are no longer sticky and are beginning to curl up slightly at the edges.

Run the sheets of pasta through the widest setting for tagliatelle or the narrow setting for tagliolini. Arrange the noodles in bundles on a wooden board or tablecloth. They can be cooked immediately or allowed to dry, uncovered and cooked later; they an be kept at room temperature uncovered for several days.