Maple Wasabi Chicken

This simple chicken dish was a nice change from the herb rubs and marinades we've been using this summer. Sweetness from the maple, heat from the wasabi and red pepper, and delicious pan-seared flavor made this marinade something to remember. I started with a bottled marinade made by World Harbors - you can find their products at Christmas Tree Shops or on their website.


Maple Wasabi Chicken

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c. World Harbors Maple Wasabi Marinade
1/4 c. maple syrup
red pepper flakes
salt
pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food storage container. Marinate at least 4 hours (I marinated overnight), flipping chicken at least once.

Bring a large pan to medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and all marinade to the pan. Allow chicken to cook about 5 minutes, then flip. Stir marinade in pan to prevent burning. Cook chicken about 5 minutes on the second side, flip again, and cover the pan.

I kept my pan covered for several minutes, until the chicken was cooked through. The steam from the pan will drip more liquid into the pan, creating a sauce.

Serve chicken with sauce drizzled on top. We made a meal of it with corn on the cob and Nonnie's Cheesy Zucchini & Onions.

Corn Chowder with Kielbasa

This is Andrew's favorite soup in my arsenal. His family loves it too, which always makes me feel so flattered. I make it often, just so I can get the compliments! The corn and kielbasa may seem like an odd combination, but the sweet crunch of the corn and the tangy spice of the kielbasa meld beautifully.

A lot of this recipe is based on what I have on hand, how many people I need to feed, and how hungry those people will be. If I am making dinner for Andrew, I bulk up the amount of kielbasa, because I know he likes it and appreciates the protein. If I want some of the bacon for breakfast the next morning, I use half of it. If I don't have any on hand, I skip it. This is a forgiving recipe, so feel free to substitute, add, subtract, mess around with the herbs, and make it your own.

Corn Chowder with Kielbasa

1 medium onion, diced

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

2-4 cloves garlic, minced2 tbsp. butter

1 lb. bacon

2 bags frozen corn

4 c. chicken broth

3 c. milk/cream (your choice - I usually do a mix)

1-2 pkg. kielbasa

Salt

Pepper

Ground Sage

Additional Herbs/Spices (I suggest red pepper flakes, tarragon, and fresh parsley)

Cut the bacon into chunks - I like to take half a pound at a time and cut it crosswise into pieces about an inch long.

In a large stockpot, cook the bacon until it is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces. If you do the whole pound, you may want to do two batches. Drain the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels. Discard the all or at least the majority of the bacon grease.

Add butter, potatoes, and onions to the stockpot. Salt and pepper liberally. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add chicken broth to pot. If you feel this will not be enough soup (make sure to account for the milk you'll be adding), add 1-2 cups of water. Add the frozen corn, ground sage, and any other dried herbs you wish and bring to a simmer. Allow soup to simmer for 10-15 minutes, then drop the heat back to low.

While the soup is simmering, cut the kielbasa into bite-size chunks. I like to cut it on an angle so I have funny little pieces instead of perfect coins, but I'll leave that up to you. Toss all the kielbasa into a pan over medium-high heat and cook as desired. I like my kielbasa to have a nice char to it, so I cook it until the edges are blackened and it's crispy. Drain the grease and set aside.

Use an immersion blender to puree about half the soup. If you don't have one, you can dump half the pot into your regular blender. Just be careful to cool it a bit before blending so you don't end up with a boiling hot mess.

Stir in milk/cream (fat free half and half works too) and add the bacon back into the pot. If you're going to eat the soup right away, heat to desired temperature over medium-low heat.

To serve, ladle out bowls of corn chowder and have everyone top their soup with chunks of kielbasa. To store, I like to keep the soup and meat separate unless I'm going to put them in small containers for lunches, in which case I combine them.

This chowder is easy to make, hearty, and delicious. It's a great meal to eat while you're cuddled up on the couch watching TV!

What I like best about it is that it's tough to mess it up. My measurements are all based on what we like. If I have onions I need to use, I'll chop up a second one. If I have a couple ears of leftover corn on the cob (which I did this time), I cut the corn off and toss that in. Sometimes I want it to be spicy, so I'll add some red pepper flakes to the onion/potato sauté and then hot sauce to the finished soup. It's all about what makes you happy. And I promise, this soup will definitely do the trick.

Garbage Bag Caesar Salad

My step-mother-in-law, Ann, has several signature dishes. One that Andrew and I both adore is her garbage bag Caesar salad. It's a simple recipe that always comes out yummy, and the um, unconventional method is a great conversation starter!


Ann's Garbage Bag Caesar Salad

1 large head romaine lettuce (or 2 hearts of romaine)
5-8 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
Caesar salad dressing (Ann likes Wishbone!)
croutons
1 clean garbage bag

Wash lettuce and lay leaves on paper towels, pat dry. Tear or cut leaves into bite-size pieces. Place lettuce and cheese in garbage bag, add dressing to taste. Knot garbage bag, shake salad to mix, and store in fridge about 30 minutes. When you're ready to serve, empty bag into serving bowl and toss with croutons.



Andrew and I were trying to save money, so we made ours in a Giant Eagle grocery store bag, but hey, it worked! We did double up the bag for the tossing of the salad, just in case. I definitely recommend using shredded cheese rather than grated - the larger pieces of cheese stand up to the dressing better.

A co-worker of ours once attempted the salad but couldn't figure out why it smelled and tasted sort of...off. Ann quizzed her on the brands of cheese and salad dressing, whether she washed the lettuce, etc. Somehow, Ann was able to figure out that our friend had made quite the mistake - she had tossed the salad in a scented garbage bag! No wonder her salad had an interesting aftertaste of lavender and chemicals!

Save for the rare error in garbage bag selection, this salad is easy to put together, a guaranteed hit, and just as fitting for weeknight meals as it is for fancier weekend dinners.

+Raw Diet: Day 3-4+

So this was a tough weekend. I attended three cookouts, which meant I had to be on my best behavior around the delicious smells of hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. I also avoided macaroni salad, chips, cheese, birthday cake, cake truffles (that I made!), and my favorite Italian cookies. Not only that, but I also went to the movies and for the first time EVER did not get popcorn, and I went to my favorite restaurant, Brio, as they have opened a location here in CT.

I was SO good all weekend long - my only cheat was a pretty small one, I had coleslaw with very light dressing at my grandma's house today because I was so hungry, and it seemed the least of all evils. For the most part, I have not been hungry. Though I gaze longingly at certain foods, it hasn't been torturous.

Saturday
Breakfast - cubed cantaloupe
Lunch - Brio Restaurant - field greens salad with pine nuts and walnuts (from my purse) with a side of fresh fruit
Afternoon Snack 1 - apple
Afternoon Snack 2 - strawberry honey banana smoothie
Dinner - Kristi's house - quinoa with spinach, 1 raw macaroon

Sunday
Breakfast - blackberries
Lunch - 1-1/2 c. watermelon, coleslaw
Dinner - quinoa with spinach (recipe below)
Evening Snack - tea with honey, apple



Quinoa with Spinach

8 oz. spinach, steamed
1 c. quinoa
2 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press
small piece of onion, grated
1/4 c. raw red pepper, chopped into very small pieces
sea salt

Cook quinoa according to directions on box. To water, add garlic and onion. When quinoa is completely cooked, stir in spinach, red pepper, and sea salt.

This recipe is simple to make and extremely satisfying. I would definitely make this as an entree or side dish. It's colorful and healthy - it would be a great dish to entertain with.

**I've got to apologize for the photos on the blog lately - I've been taking pictures with my phone and posting them, due to lack of camera lately. I'll try to get better pics ASAP!**

+Raw Diet: Day 1+

Okay, so I promised to chronicle my adventures in raw food, and today was my semi-Day 1. Here's what I ate, and I'm sure you'll see why I say "semi" in front of "Day 1."

Breakfast - cubed cantaloupe
Morning Snack - ~1/4 c. dried fruit: cranberries, 2 prunes, 2 pcs. pineapple
Iced Coffee from Dunkin Donuts
Lunch - spinach salad with broccoli, edamame, green peas, shredded carrots, cucumbers, and walnuts with 1 tsp. EVOO, 1 tsp. vinegar (I don't like dressing, what can I say?)
Afternoon Snack - red grapes
Dinner - steamed spinach & garlic with EVOO, large red apple

I drank ~68 oz. of water today, so that's a little more than the recommended eight 8 oz. servings. Unfortunately, I flubbed with the iced coffee, but it was a gift from a friend, and I really wanted it. I'll do better, I promise. The zero tolerance caffeine policy is going to be a killer.

After Day 1, I feel good. I sort of expected to start off with a bang - on the first day of any new venture, you're always gung-ho and wanting it to work out fantastically. I was a little hungry, but I just drank a nice glass of water before bed and finished up my burpees. I packed my lunch for tomorrow and put it in the fridge. This is something I do anyway, but especially on a diet like this, planning is key to making sure I'm not left short of food while away from the house.

*********************************************************************************

Went to the grocery store tonight after a trip to Trader Joe's earlier in the week, and I have to say, the produce aisle is quiet at 8 pm. My mom and I stocked up - between tonight's trip and the TJ trip on Tuesday, we've got two huge bags of apples, a sack of oranges, 3 quarts of strawberries, 3 pints of blackberries, a pineapple, bananas, kiwis, Chinese cabbage, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper, zucchini, bean sprouts, green leaf lettuce, carrots, edamame, dried chickpeas, kidney beans, packets of raw almonds and walnuts, flax oil, and a bottle of pomegranate acai juice. *whew* I've definitely got variety on my side!

Here's to tomorrow and another day of eating raw!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hope your St. Patrick's Day was fantastic! I haven't been able to post in a while due to some changes in my personal life, but I thought this would be a great meal to share with you.

I love the Americanized version of St. Paddy's Day fare - corned beef, boiled potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Tonight, I put together a delicious dinner that didn't require much effort at all.

I cooked the corned beef last night, following the directions on the package. The meat came with a spice packet, which I used when I boiled it. I thought it imparted nice flavor and saved me some time and effort. My mom and I wrapped it in foil and stored it in the fridge overnight. We sliced it while it was cold and then heated up the slices. I made all the side dishes tonight, and that was definitely the way to do it.


Parsley Dill Potatoes

3 large baking potatoes, peeled
2 tsp. butter
1 tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. dill seeds
salt & pepper to taste

Halve potatoes lengthwise, then halve each piece lengthwise again. Chop the potatoes into chunks - I got 5-6 pieces from each quarter. Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes until fork tender. Strain potatoes and move to a bowl. Toss with butter, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper.

For the buttery carrots, I boiled six handfuls of carrots in an inch of water. I strained them, then added a pat of butter and a little salt. I cored a head of cabbage, then chopped it into ten pieces. I placed them in a steamer basket and boiled water under it for steamed cabbage. Lastly, I made sauteed onions by slicing onions into 0.5" wide half moons and sauteeing in cooking spray.

My mom opted for a St. Patrick's Day sandwich - American cheese, corned beef, sauteed onions, and steamed cabbage piled high on wheat bread. Yum!

It's a lucky day, so I'm reflecting on my good fortune, and I feel so lucky for all I have. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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.

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!