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.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I got a fab recipe for a slow cooked pot roast from my friend Laura. The recipe has gotten rave reviews from everyone who makes it.

I doubled the recipe so it would serve three plus leftovers. When we got home, the house was filled with the smell of the roast. The recipe listed below represents exactly what I did, including doubled ingredients. For the original, 2 lb. roast recipe, simply halve all ingredients.

To Die For Crock Pot Roast

4 lb. roast, any kind
2 packets brown gravy mix
2 packets ranch dressing mix
1 packet Italian dressing mix
1/2 c. white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1/2 c. water
5 carrots, peeled and quartered




Mix together all packets in a small bowl. Poke the roast all over and rub packet mix all over it.
Put carrots and liquid in bottom of crock pot and place roast on top. Cook on low 8 hours.


Laura's recipe indicated to cook the roast on high 4-5 hours. I opted to cook on low for 8, since I was at work and wouldn't be there to turn the crock down. My slow cooker has an automatic warming function, so after the 8 hours were up, the roast sat in the warm pot for another 2 hours. Laura's recipe includes quartered red potatoes in the crock, but I opted to make homemade mashed potatoes instead.



The meat was falling apart - juicy, flavorful, and so delicious. It is pretty tough to photograph meat - I'm not posting the pictures I took of the sliced meat, because it looks gross, belying it's deliciousness. Andrew doesn't usually eat carrots, regardless of how I cook them, but he told me he loved these, and even reheated some when he ate the leftovers. I'll definitely make this again - and you should try it too.

Restaurant Review: Mediza

I was in Connecticut last weekend visiting my family, and somehow ended up eating my way through the state. Be on the lookout this week for my restaurant reviews - in the three days I was in town, I ate at four different restaurants, all of them new to me.

Lunch on Saturday was at Mediza, a tiny jewel just off LaSalle Street in West Hartford Center. The restaurant is small, but the food is authentic, the service prompt, and the flavors are amazing. My mom suggested we do a girls lunch and my friend Kristi suggested the place. She and I were thrilled to hang out with our moms for the afternoon.

We started with the Mediterranean Sampler, a fabulous combination of "babaganoush, hoomoos, tahini and falafel" - the babaganoush was stellar. The pita bread is homemade - light and floury, it makes the perfect dipper.

For lunch, I opted for one of the specials - a Pesto Shrimp Salad in a Lemon Truffle Vinagrette. Though I asked for the dressing on the side, it was brought already mixed in. It worked out fine, as the salad of arugula, grape tomatoes, red onion, and pesto-coated shrimp was lightly dressed. The vinagrette was a nice balance of rich and light - the truffle and lemon were well paired.

My mom and Marlies split the Fall Goat Cheese Salad and the Chicken and Avocado Panini. Kristi opted for the house soup - a Spicy Vegetarian Lentil that we found to be not at all spicy, but still rather delicious, and the Falafel. Kristi maintains that her lentil soup far surpasses Mediza's, so stay tuned for that recipe at a later date.

After lunch, we all ordered coffee and tea while Kristi and I decided to attempt dessert. We decided to split the Baklava with Fig Ice Cream. The ice cream was divine, but the baklava left something to be desired. It was served cold, and shaped into a cigar - nowhere near enough layers, nowhere near enough honey, and nowhere near the right texture.

Overall, we really liked Mediza and agreed we'd return. Their dinner menu looks just as varied and delicious, with offerings including Pan Seared Sea Scallops with butternut squash risotto and Moroccan Glazed Organic Pork Chop.

Kristi and I have been friends forever, and it's always great to see her. Here's a photo of us in Boston for my Bachelorette Party - I'm the one with the veil!

Banana Carrot Walnut Muffins

Two weeks ago, I bought bananas at the beginning of the week so they would get ripe and I could make some homemade banana nut muffins. By Saturday of the same week, there was only one banana left! Apparently Andrew likes bananas more than I thought.

I decided I still wanted to make banana muffins, but knew I would need something to bulk up the muffins. I had some large carrots left in the fridge, so I typed "banana carrot muffins" into Google and found an interesting recipe.

The carrot and banana blend nicely - the carrot is really a background flavor, while the cinnamon and banana steal the show. I really liked the addition of walnuts - they give these muffins a carrot cake type feel.

Below is my adapted recipe.


Banana Carrot Walnut Muffins

2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 large mashed ripe banana
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. Canola oil
2 eggs
1 c. finely grated carrots
2/3 c. chopped walnuts

Mix together first four ingredients in a medium size bowl, set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer, combine bananas, sugar, oil, and eggs. Beat at medium speed (#4 on a KA mixer).



Stir in dry ingredients. When fully combined, add carrots and walnuts and mix thoroughly.




Bake at 350 for 18 minutes.


The recipe says you get 2 dozen muffins - this is absolutely a lie. You will be lucky to get 18 very small muffins. If I had it to do over, I would have made just 12 muffins so that one would suffice for breakfast. As they are now, eating one isn't quite enough, but two makes me feel tubby.

Despite the miniature proportions, I love these muffins. I kept five of them on the counter for breakfast that week and froze the rest. To freeze muffins, wrap individually in plastic wrap and seal in a food storage bag in the freezer.




Don't be nervous about freezing muffins or anything else. As my Nonnie always says, "baked goods are the only thing that come out of the freezer better than when they went in." She's right - these muffins are moister and more flavorful after being frozen.

Our Newest Addition

It's been quite a saga for us as pet owners these last couple months. One of our cats, Bogey, ran away, and our attempts to find him were both hilarious and heart-breaking. Though Bogey never came back, we did come across a sweet little stray. Our other cat Evin is Bogey's brother, and we knew he was lonely, so we did the only thing we could - we adopted the stray we found.

I'd like to introduce you to Juliet:

As you can see, in her free time, she enjoys surfing the net and hanging out on the couch.

Below you can see the original "kamikaze night owls" as Andrew liked to call them. Bogey is in front, Evin is in back. We miss our sweet boy.

Of course, I've posted pictures of Finn in the past, but here's another one, just because he's so darn cute and this is a pet post:

Happy Thursday everyone!

Guest Chef: Andrew Makes Dinner

It's always a treat when Andrew offers to make dinner. I had planned a Spicy Peanut Pork for dinner tonight, but with scant stir fry veggies on hand and Andrew's declaration that he "doesn't really like peanut butter in dinner food," I took him up on his offer to create a special pork dinner.

Andrew put together an excellent meal of Pork with Garlic & Apples, Green Beans with Fried Garlic and Scallions, and a little help from the store with a seasoned rice packet. He did a great job with his "secret recipes" - everything was seasoned and cooked to perfection. The good news? He forgot about the "secret" part and told me everything he put in our dinner!

Pork with Garlic & Apples

2 bone-in pork chops

1 Gala apple, sliced thin

5 cloves garlic, sliced thin

2 tbsp. butter

Saute apples in 1/2 tbsp. butter until juices coat bottom of pan. Add garlic, pork, and remaining butter - cover and let cook 10-15 minutes, or until juices run clear when pork is sliced.

Green Beans with Fried Garlic & Scallions

3 c. fresh green beans, washed and snapped

2 tbsp. butter

5 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1/4 c. scallions (white & light green), chopped

Saute all ingredients in a covered pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. If desired, stir in 1/2 c. breadcrumbs. Turn heat to medium-high and saute until greens are cooked al dente and still bright green and breadcrumbs are slightly charred.

The garlic and scallions are coated with buttery breadcrumbs and fry up beautifully in the high heat of the pan. This may not be the healthiest way to get your veggies, but the crispy fried bits are so delicious, it will definitely be your favorite way to eat them.

Happy Inauguration Day, Mr. President!

If you're curious about the food that was served at the inaugural luncheon yesterday, you can find the menu pretty much anywhere on the internet. But how cool is it that you can also download the recipes? Check them out here. And call me if you make that Seafood Stew, it sounds amazing!

Crab-Stuffed Salmon Pinwheels with Green Lentil Ragout

I received the Williams-Sonoma cookbook Essentials of Healthful Cooking as a gift, and had yet to make anything in the book. I have so many cookbooks, yet I keep requesting them as gifts and buying them for myself. I sat down and flagged a bunch of recipes in this one, then decided to add one to my menu plan for the week.


I edited the recipe when I found beautiful crab-stuffed salmon pinwheels with a Manager's Special tag on them during my grocery run. I've reproduced the green lentil ragout recipe below.

1 c. dry French (green) lentils
2 c. reduced-sodium, fat-free broth
1/3 c. finely chopped onion
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 boiling potato, peeled and cubed
garlic salt, pepper, powdered Adobo

*A good way to cut large carrots is to halve them first, then cut them into equal sized pieces. I cut the halved carrot vertically to about the point where the width of the small end is almost the same as the width of the halves. Then I can cut crosswise all the way down the carrot without having to then cut each of the half moons in half again.


Rinse the lentils in a fine mesh seive, picking through to remove any that may be misshapen. Place into a saucepan with 3 cups of water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat to medium-low and cover. The recipe says to cook 45-50 minutes, but this is WAY too long. Cook them for 30 minutes tops or they will be mush!


In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Allow to boil until broth is reduced to 1-1/2 cups and remove from the heat.

In a nonstick frying pan, warm 1/2 cup of the reduced stock until it bubbles, then add onion, carrot, and potato. Cook until liquid has almost evaporated (3-4 minutes).



At this point, I packaged the vegetables and the lentils separately. I cooked this ahead of time on Sunday for a meal I was planning for Monday. Obviously, if you wanted to cook this all at once, you could skip this part.


*Since I refrigerated both the lentils and the veggies, I took them out of the fridge about 20 minutes before I wanted to cook dinner so they could start to come to room temperature. Then I added the veggies to the frying pan and caught up with the recipe here:

Pour in the remaining stock and add the cooked lentils. Simmer over medium heat until liquid is mostly absorbed. Stir in salt, pepper, and at least a teaspoon of Adobo. The lentil-veggie mixture will be relatively bland, so season liberally.

I baked the salmon pinwheels in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes, until the fish was flaky and the stuffing heated through. I spooned the lentil mixture onto plates, topped with the pinwheels, and garnished with fresh parsley.

The lentil mixture left something to be desired. If I hadn't added garlic salt and Adobo, there would have been no flavor! Andrew didn't love the lentils, and neither did I. I'm glad I learned the method, but I don't know that I would do this again. The pinwheels were fantastic, and I will probably try to recreate them using a homemade stuffing and salmon fillets.


There are still recipes I want to try out of the Wills cookbook, but lentil ragout only got half a thumbs up from us.