A Little Bit Selfish...

Today is my birthday!

We are going out for Italian tonight to a great spot down in Chagrin Falls - Joey's Restaurant. Perhaps a review is in store?

Happy Birthday Andrew!

Today is my husband's birthday! How lucky am I to be married to this guy?

Molten Lava Cakes

Fudgy chocolate cake. Gooey chocolate "lava" filling. The most cliched day for romance in the whole year. Doesn't this all sound like fun? On Valentine's Day, I wanted our special dessert to be Molten Lava Cakes. File this one under "misadventures" kids, it didn't come out perfectly.

My friend Kris passed on the recipe, and although she told me she baked her cakes in larger dishes than the ramekins I was planning on using, that knowledge flew right out of my head as I set the timer for 15 minutes. The cake was delicious, but molten it was not. Luckily, I have three more unbaked cakes in my fridge, so I am going to try this again later in the week.



Molten Lava Cakes

1 package Baker's unsweetened chocolate
10 tbsp. butter
1-1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
1/2 c. flour
3 whole eggs
3 yolks

Preheat oven to 425.

Melt chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl for three minutes.


Whisk until chocolate is melted.


Separating the eggs:


Add all other ingredients.



Pour into greased custard cups.




Bake 15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the edges and serve after one minute.


If I had this to do again, I would have baked just ten minutes due to the size of my ramekins. I used a vegetable peeler to shave chocolate confetti off a chocolate bar. It made a pretty plate decoration.



I doubled the recipe so I could bring Andrew's family a Valentine's Day dessert.



My ramekins have lovely plastic lids, so I transported the unbaked cakes in a tall bag.




These cakes make a sweet treat anytime. They're easy to prepare yet sinfully decadent - a chocolate lover's dream!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our Valentine's Day dinner went off without a hitch. I was really pleased with all the recipes I chose, and though I'm not usually one for making a big fuss over the table settings, I thought it looked beautiful.

I used red napkins as our placemats and set the table with our wedding china and silver. We enjoyed pink champagne in our toasting flutes and a nice Cabernet with dinner in the red wine glasses. The centerpiece is the cake topper from our wedding cake, and even the candlesticks were a shower gift from my mom. The candles I had were too slender for the holders, so I wrapped rubber bands around the bottoms to keep them in place.

I wanted to spread the meal out so we weren't stuffed, so in the afternoon, we nibbled at a cheddar cheese fondue - the original recipe is from one of our favorite restaurants - The Melting Pot. One of Andrew's only requests on our wedding registry was an electric fondue pot, and this was a great occasion to use it. The recipe I used was very vague in terms of amounts, other than their recommendation of 4 ounces of liquid. I found this made a very small amount of fondue, so my recipe is based on double the liquid.

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

adapted from The Melting Pot's recipe

8 ounces beer - I usedBass Ale
1 cup cheddar cheese

1 tsp. mustard powder

6 shakes Worchestershire sauce

10 grinds of pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

Pour the beer into the fondue pot and set pot to 5-1/2. Add the seasonings and the garlic and allow to bubble for a few moments.

Stir in the cheese in batches, whisking with your fondue fork (or a whisk!) to incorporate the cheese.

We served our cheddar fondue with green apples only - I didn't want to get too full for our dinner! The Melting Pot serves theirs with green and red apples, white and brown bread, carrots, and cauliflower.

Fondue is such an easy thing to make, and it serves well as an appetizer or even a small meal unto itself. If you didn't have a fondue pot, I'd imagine you could make this recipe using a double boiler.

Later in the evening, we moved on to our appetizer. I wanted to do seafood, and I was hoping for a tuna sashimi, but at the last minute I opted for sea scallops instead. I was happy with my choice, and thought the scallops were a good compliment to the meal that followed. The recipe was simple yet elegant, and most importantly, it was delicious.

Sea Scallops in Garlic Butter

adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

6 large sea scallops, cleaned and patted dry

1 tbsp. flour

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. minced garlic

After rinsing the scallops and drying them on a paper towel, I transferred them to my cutting board. As I was done chopping vegetables on it, I dried it and placed my tablespoon of flour on the board. I gently rolled each scallop in the flour while the olive oil and butter heated in the pan.

Add scallops to pan and cook about two minutes on each side. I added the garlic after all the scallops were in the pan.

This easy dish was so delicious. The garlic was soft and buttery, the scallops were perfectly cooked, and I think Andrew and I would have been happy to each eat a giant plateful of the scallops and call it a night.

Kalyn recommended garnishing with fresh parsley - I used dried tarragon instead. It provided a nice aromatic without adding any intense flavor to the dish. I would recommend this recipe to anyone who has never worked with scallops before - it's a simple recipe that will definitely impress any seafood lover.

The main event involved two new recipes - I know people always say not to try out new recipes on a special occasion, but I figured since it was just Andrew and I, there would be plenty of time, no pressure, and I'd be able to focus on following the recipe. I made the Broccoli Gratin that afternoon and took it out of the fridge when I served the scallops so it could come up to room temperature in time to serve with dinner.

Beef Medallions in Red Wine Sauce

Cook's Recipes has a fantastic recipe for beef medallions. After a simple Google search, I found exactly what I was looking for. I'm not going to recreate the recipe here, becauseI followed it exactly. Feel free to check out the website for the full recipe.

I had my butcher cut the filet mignon that was on sale into a beautiful loin shape. After I told him what I was looking for, he happily went into the back, retrieved a huge piece of filet, and trimmed all the fat for me. See how pretty:

Despite the expense of the meat, I still used my bootleg meat tenderizer - my Chicago Cutlery knife sharpener wrapped in plastic. In the background, you can see the meat after I cut it crosswise into 1" thick medallions.





Here's a photo of the medallions post-pounding:








While I was working with the meat, I let the butter and onions do their thing, then added the flour to create a lovely roux.

I can't believe I didn't get a picture after I added the red wine and beef broth. The sauce was much too thin for my liking, so I whisked in some more flour. I felt like a dunce when I first added the flour, because rather than whisking the flour into a spoonful of broth in a little dish, I just dumped it in.

Amazingly enough, it worked out fine - all the flour dissolved with some vigorous whisking, the sauce thickened, and everything was perfect. I will definitely make this recipe again - albeit most likely with a cheaper cut of meat!

Broccoli Gratin

adapted from A Taste of France

Our yummy side dish was basically a grown up version of broccoli covered in cheese.

2 medium heads broccoli, cut into florets
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 c. milk
4 tbsp. heavy cream
nutmeg, salt, pepper
3/4 c. mozzarella cheese

To start, blanch the broccoli by steaming until al dente, then plunge into ice water.

While the broccoli steams and cools, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for about 1 minute, forming a roux. Pour in the milk "all in one go" as the recipe instructs and whisk continuously over medium high heat.

Remove from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, salt, pepper, cream, and half the cheese.

Add the broccoli to the saucepan and stir to coat. Transfer to an oven safe baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

One of my biggest concerns when I'm preparing a special meal is making sure that food is ready at the right time. In order to ensure my timing is perfect, I usually set myself to a loose schedule. I think about my tasks ahead of time - which pans I'll need, what the oven temperature needs to be for which dish, whether certain things can sit if necessary.

By prepping the Broccoli Gratin earlier in the day, my stovetop and my time were free to make the scallops. At the same time the scallops were sauteeing, I browned my beef. I let the scallops rest for about three minutes in their pan - this gave me time to prepare the red wine sauce for the Beef Medallions. While we ate the scallops, the sauce simmered away and the broccoli baked in the oven. By the time we had cleared the plates, our dinner was ready. For dessert, I served Molten Lava Cakes. I will update with the recipe and photos as soon as I can.

I hope your Valentine's Day was sweet!

RealSimple - Valentine's Day Tips & Tricks

If you're still looking for some sweet Valentine's Day ideas, check out RealSimple magazine's V-Day page. It's a great resource for dessert recipes, cocktails, and menu ideas.

I'm planning a top-secret menu, including delectable dessert. I'm pretty sure Andrew doesn't check my blog, so here's the menu as of today:


Cheese Fondue
Sauteed Scallops in Garlic Butter

Beef Medallions
Broccoli & Cauliflower Gratin

Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes


I'll post recipes and photos later! Enjoy your holiday preparations :)

Lasagne

Since I had the sauce left over from our Italian Feast the other night, I decided to make a lasagne. But Amy, you're thinking, I thought you didn't like sauce on pasta. You're right, dear reader, I don't. This lasagne will be cut up and frozen in individual portions so Andrew can reheat them in the toaster oven for dinner if I'm not home. I like making lasagne, I just don't like to eat it.

This recipe is pretty simple - I didn't get it from anywhere, it's just a mish-mash of recipes I've read, my mom's method, and what sounds good to me. Of course, you can tweak it based on what you like best.

Lasagne

1.5 lb. ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, minced
26-30 oz. tomato sauce (a large jar, if you're using jarred sauce)
1 lb. shredded mozzarella
10 oz. ricotta cheese
3 handfuls grated pecorino romano
2 eggs
2 splashes milk (maybe 1/4 cup)
1 lb. lasagne noodles
salt & pepper
dried basil, Italian seasonings, parsley, red pepper flakes, garlic powder




In a large skillet, brown ground beef until mostly cooked through. Add onions and stir to combine. Cook beef and onions until beef is fully cooked. Drain in a fine strainer so you don't lose the little pieces of onion. Return beef and onions to skillet, add tomato sauce.



At this point, I also added garlic powder, red pepper flakes, dried parsley, and Italian seasonings. Simmer until the pasta is done cooking, then turn the heat off under the sauce.



In the meantime, fill a tea kettle with water and bring to a boil on the stove. Lay lasagne noodles out in a 13" x 9" pan - I laid three noodles lengthwise, two on a diagonal, two going the other diagonal, and then started over. I wanted to be sure they wouldn't stick together too much.



When water is boiling, pour over the noodles in the pan and let stand for 8-10 minutes, until noodles are tender but still extremely al dente.


I think this is much simpler than trying to boil lasagne noodles in a stock pot. I am too nervous to attempt not cooking the noodles at all, so this is a happy medium for me.

While the noodles soak, prepare your cheese filling. Combine half of the mozzarella, the ricotta, and a handful of pecorino romano. Add two eggs, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.


Mix ingredients until cheeses are fully incorporated.



At this point, you may want to add another 5 oz. of ricotta. Andrew doesn't care for ricotta as much, so I opted to add two glugs of milk instead - this successfully thinned the mixture to the consistency I desired.

Now you're ready to begin building your lasagne. I set up an assembly line, because that seemed easiest to me. The pan on the left in the picture contains the soaked and drained lasagne noodles. The skillet has the ground meat/sauce mixture, and the bowl in the foreground is the cheese mixture. The 13" x 9" between the meat pan and the cheese bowl is my lasagne pan.


Spoon a small amount of the sauce (without beef in it) into the bottom of a 13" x 9" pan. This will prevent your noodles from sticking. Layer noodles across the bottom of the pan, making sure to overlap so that your fillings don't all smush together. I used five noodles horizontally and two noodles vertically for each layer, and used every single noodle in the box with none left over.


Onto your noodle layer, spoon a third of the meat mixture onto the pasta and spread it as evenly as possible.



Onto the meat mixture, spoon one half of the cheese mixture. Spread as evenly as possible.




At this point, you have done one layer of pasta, one of meat, and one of cheese. The layers should continue as follows: pasta, meat, cheese, pasta, meat.

Now, you're short a layer of cheese, right? Fear not, this is the cheesiest part of the recipe! Add the other half of the mozzarella to the top of the lasagne. Sprinkle the other two handfuls of pecorino romano over the top. I sprinkled mine with Italian seasoning as well.



Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. If you place the rack in the center of the oven, you should be able to bake covered with foil for the first 40 minutes, then remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to allow the cheese to brown and bubble.

Though there are many steps, this recipe is so easy to put together. I had all my ingredients available and all pans ready to go when I got home from work tonight. It took me less than an hour to put together the lasagne, and I made our dinner at the same time. Enjoy this delicious lasagne any night of the week, or freeze in individual portions for baking in the toaster oven anytime.

Cute Baking Stuff!

Fellow baker Kris sent me the link to The Lakeside Collection today. They have tons of cute baking stuff at great prices.

In case you're trying to come up with a birthday present for me (hint: it's just 11 days away!), I am coveting this cupcake carrier:



Enjoy the sale!

Italian Feast

Your most basic Italian feast - pasta, sauce, garlic bread, and salad - is one of my favorite suppers ever. I make a pot of sauce on the weekend and let it simmer for at least two nights, then serve pasta for dinner on the third night. I freeze the sauce that's left over, and when thawed, it becomes the simplest base for dinner any night of the week.

Use the sauce to make chicken or eggplant parmesan, spice it up and add seafood for a fra diavolo, add lots of ground meat for a bolognese, or combine with a little alfredo for a rose sauce - whatever you like best, this sauce is versatile enough to make it happen.


Amy's Spaghetti Sauce

1 medium onion, diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
3 large cans tomato puree (I use Contadina brand)
1 package spicy Italian sausage (6 large sausages)
1 large stick hard pepperoni
18+ meatballs (see recipe below)
Dried Herbs: Italian seasoning, parsley, oregano, basil leaves, garlic powder
Fresh Herbs: Italian flat-leaf parsley, basil (optional)
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper


In a large stock pot, saute onions in a couple glugs of olive oil. Don't worry about measuring - you need enough to just coat the bottom of the pan. Salt the onions right away so they can begin to soften. When onions are translucent, add garlic and saute.

While onions and garlic are working, cut each sausage into 2-4 pieces. Add to pan and cook - don't worry if sausage is not 100% cooked, you will be simmering the sauce long enough that it will fully cook with no worries. Add tomato puree and bring to a very low simmer.

In the meantime, remove casing from pepperoni and chop into chunks. I like to cut the pepperoni on the diagonal - it looks nice, and it allows maximum pepperoni flavor to permeate the sauce. Also, it makes it easy for husbands to tell which pieces are pepperoni and which are sausage.

Add pepperoni and all herbs to the sauce. Allow to simmer for up to 3 days. At night, remove pot from stove and store in refrigerator (or, for you fellow cold weather friends, put it in your garage) with the lid on.



Meatballs
1-2 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1 heaping handful parmesan cheese
1 small handful Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
salt & pepper
chopped onion (maybe 1/3 cup)
minced garlic (~3 cloves)

I really make my meatballs by eye, and they come out differently every time. I've added everything from Worchestershire sauce to milk to fresh parsley, and they're always good. It's kind of hard to mess up a meatball!

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Take off your rings, rub a glug of olive oil onto your hands, and mix with your hands! It's messy, but it's fun. Form meat mixture into balls and place in a 13"x9" pan. I used a meatloaf pan this time, because I only had 18 tiny meatballs, so just use whatever you've got. Don't bother adding any liquid to the pan - as the fat drains out of the meat, it will provide plenty of juices for the meatballs to cook in.

Cook at 350 for 15 minutes or so. This is also totally by eye - just break one open when you think they're done. If they're a little pink inside don't worry! Again, they're going to cook in the sauce long enough that the meat will absolutely be fully cooked through.

Gently add the meatballs to your sauce and stir to combine.




When you're ready for a pasta dinner, simply cook your pasta, assemble your salad, and make your garlic bread.



Garlic Bread

1 loaf Italian bread
spreadable butter/margarine
garlic salt
garlic powder
dried parsley
Italian seasoning

Slice your loaf of Italian bread as if it were a giant grinder roll. Open the bread so you have two flat halves facing up (as in the picture above). Spread bread with margarine, and top with seasonings.

Bake at 375 for five minutes, get impatient, move the bread to the top rack, and flip on the broiler. Watch it, or you will be crying because it's black (and believe it or not, you might not learn your lesson the first time!), I'd say it takes another 3-5 minutes under the broiler.

If you do accidentally burn the bread, scrape the black off (no matter how much there is), sprinkle with garlic salt, and serve. I've done this, and the entire loaf of bread still got eaten.

On a rare evening when the planets align, the fates are smiling on me, and kismet decides my bread should be exactly the way my Italian grandmother intended, I will bake it perfectly:




Serve your fabulous feast with some good wine and enjoy!

Adopt a US Soldier

Even though this post is only somewhat food-related, it's probably the most important one I've ever written. I recently found out about a website called Adopt a US Soldier - they connect soldiers in need with civilians willing to support them.

I signed up right away. The registration process was simple, and I got the name and contact information for "my" soldier right away. I emailed him immediately, thinking it might be some time before I heard back (if I heard anything at all), and was so pleasantly surprised to get an email from him the next morning.

I've started putting together a Valentine's themed package for my soldier...I'm really looking forward to mailing it out this weekend! I don't want to give away anything I'm putting in it, because I'm also sending one to a friend of mine serving abroad (and she might see this post), so I'll post an update once I've sent it.

I would really encourage you to check out the website here. You can easily make a huge difference to a soldier who may not have the support of family or friends at home. Emails, letters, and even the occasional package mean the world to our servicemen and women. Please consider signing up.