I am a Cook

I don’t  pretend to be something I am not. I am not a chef. I am a mom who loves to cook. Cooking is to me, what yoga is to others. It is my Zen. It is my private place where I can decompress (most often with a glass of wine in hand) and create delicious dishes for my family and friends to eat. It makes me happy to feed people. Consider it my love language.

I love to try new recipes and make them my own, adding, substituting, or removing ingredients as I see fit. I don’t claim to have a chef’s pallet, but after 30+ years of sampling many types of foods and restaurants, I can say with a straight face that I know a little something about food.

That being said, I am excited to share with you my love of food and recipes. Please feel free to share my posts, comment and contribute some of your own recipes. Mangia, Mangia! Xoxo

Bananas for Banana Bread

My kids love banana bread. My kids love banana muffins. They love banana bread in any form. I personally like to make muffins because they can be frozen individually and taken out in the morning for a quick breakfast before school. This past week I made banana bread. I should have made two loaves. I also should have taken a picture before my family attacked the pan.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips then transfer to prepared bread pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup chocolate over the top and bake at 350˚F for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let banana bread rest 10 min before transferring to a wire rack to cool.  *Note, if you are making muffins instead of bread, pour the full cup of chocolate chips in the batter. Bake the muffins for 20-30 minutes. After 20 minutes insert a toothpick to see if they are done*

Weeknight Salmon

Pasta Sunday – A Labor of Love

Sundays are my favorite day in the whole world (except with the fact that it is followed by Monday). Sundays are for family. Sundays are for pasta, wine, and charcuterie with family. Seriously, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your family stuff their faces with your pasta. I love feeding people – can you tell?

It is not Pasta Sunday unless your kitchen is a disaster

1. Caesar salad – I do not claim to have my own amazing caesar salad recipe. But, I can send you over to The Pioneer Woman. I use her recipe every time and each time I make it my family is fighting over the last bowl of Caesar salad. The Pioneer Woman Caesar Salad

2. Sunday sauce with short ribs and sausage (During the winter months I make this sauce. I will be following up soon with my lighter Spring/Summer recipe.)

Here is what you need. Feel free to ad-lib too. That’s what cooking is all about – making it your own! You’ll notice for many of my measurements I say approximately. I leave a lot open to interpretation and personal taste.

• About 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 lbs boneless ribs
• Mild Italian sausage (Honestly how much you make depends on how large of a crew you’re serving that day)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• About 14oz (give or take) of chopped onions
• 20 whole cloves of garlic
• 12 ounces tomato pasta
• 4 cups water
• 6 cans (28 oz each) coarse ground tomatoes
• Fresh basil (or dried if that is your preference)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a Dutch Oven on MED-HIGH. (Click on the My Favorite Things page to read about my Dutch Oven obsession. I cannot live without mine) Season the ribs with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the ribs, turning to brown all sides (You want a really nice sear to get all that flavor). This takes about 3-5 minutes on each side. Transfer the ribs to a large stockpot. My husband always grills our Italian sausage and I add it to the sauce after it is simmering.
2. Reduce the heat on the Dutch Oven to LOW. Add onions and garlic to; cook, stirring, about 10 min, until soft but not, I repeat not browned. Raise heat to MED. Add tomato paste; cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes until the paste begins to brown. Add the water; bring to a simmer, stirring to loosen browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
3. Transfer the liquid mixture to the stockpot. Add your canned tomatoes and basil (if using dried); stir to combine. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to LOW. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for a full 5 hours. Add your cooked meatballs and sausage stirring occasionally, 1 hour. If you are using fresh basil, wait until about a half an hour to stir it into the sauce.
4. Carefully transfer meats to clean serving platter; and carve away. Transfer your sauce to a serving bowl.

Meatballs

Not to toot my own horn but my meatballs are on point. At least that’s what my family tells me. So we’re just going to go with that.

For my meatballs, you’ll need the following:

• Between 3.5 and 4lbs of meatball mix. You can usually find this at your local grocery store. It’s a combination of beef, pork and veal. I think this combination makes the tastiest meatballs.
• 6 cloves Garlic. I use a garlic presser but you can certainly mince it if you don’t have one.
• 2 cups Italian bread crumbs. I use store bought but if you are feeling extra you can certainly make your own.
• 4 whole Eggs
• Two cups Freshly Grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper
•  A healthy Splash of Milk

Directions
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. First, beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Then combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and a splash of milk in a large mixing bowl. Mix together well with your hands. Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. The size of your meatballs is completely up to you. I tend to make my meatballs large but when feeding a crowd I make them more human size. Place them in the oven for about 20 minutes or approximately 25 if they are on the larger size.

Charcuterie board

There are fancy rules about what to include on a Charcuterie board. You can find them on Pinterest. But, when it comes down to it I just pick a few meats and cheeses that I’m in the mood for, breadsticks, mini toasts, olives, roasted red peppers, and, a must have for me, stuffed peppers. Add a few bottles of your favorite wine and voila- a beautiful charcuterie.

Dessert (something pre-bought because baking is not my forte)