Pork & Cheese

Ingredients:

16oz uncooked elbow macaroni

Pinch of salt

1 tsp olive oil

1lb smoked pork belly, sliced

3 TBSP flour

Salt & pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp paprika

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar

1/2 cup shredded smoke provolone 

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan 

Chopped green onion

Butter for greasing baking pan

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pinch of salt and olive oil. Boil pasta until al dente.

2. While you're cooking the pasta, pan fry pork belly until crispy. Drain on a paper towel. 

3. In a sauce pan on medium, add four TBSP of pork fat from the frying pan (if you don't have enough rendered fat, use butter to make up the difference. Wisk in flour, one tablespoon at a time, to form a smooth paste. 

4. Wisk in a pinch of salt, pepper, nutmeg,band paprika. Wisk in 1/4 cup of milk, maintaining a smooth texture. Wisk in the rest of the milk, 1/4 cup at a time, until it is all incorporated. 

5. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar and provolone.

6. Chop pork belly and mix into your béchamel (cheese sauce). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Grease baking pan with butter, add pasta & pour cheese sauce over the top. Gently stir to incorporate.

8. Bake for twenty-five minutes and top with Parmesan. Bake an additional five minutes and remove from oven. Top with green onion & serve.

Cheese Sticks

The only thing better than cheese by itself is cheese that has been breaded, fried, and serve with a sauce. If you really want to get your money's worth make your own! It is actually a very simple process and if you make the most of what you've already got and keep your eyes peeled for a sale on cheese it can also be extremely cost-efficient.

Ingredients

10oz block mozzarella 

1 cup breadcrumbs (try my homemade breadcrumb recipe)

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk 

Combine your egg and milk in one bowl. Pour your breadcrumbs in a separate bowl large enough to toss. Typically this is the point where I instruct you to season both the egg and breadcrumbs with salt and pepper, but not this time. I don't know what it is about cheese sticks but I find that aside from maybe adding dried herbs to the crumbs, if I salt and pepper the dredge it is too salty so I reserve that for after they're fried, but if you are so inclined, please do. I encourage you to add dried herbs to your breadcrumbs. Mine are homemade and do have just a small amount of Italian seasoning in them. Herbs can really change the entire experience, rosemary is one of my FAVORITE herbs to add to my crumbs.

Now it is time to cut the cheese (insert adolescent giggle here). I'm not an educated chef, so I have no technique to offer you as far as knife skills go (unless you count my free knife skills class thanks to the Craftsy app) other than the following: cut your block in half. Cut those halves into half, and so on and so forth until you've got thrity-two comparable pieces. Now, you may feel the need to make more or less if your block of cheese isn't ten ounces but this is what I've got on hand most of the time & the more inexpensive brand at the store (costs me approx. $1.75).

Next is the dredge. It is very important to keep one hand dry at all times. If you've ever dredged and caught both hands in the wet/dry crossfire then you're privy to the clumpy mess that becomes for fingertips as you're trying to get things done. If you're having a difficult time keeping one hand out of the egg, do what I do. I have the bowl of egg on the left side of my cutting board. I keep the crumbs on the right. I use my left hand to put the cheese into and take it out of the egg. My right hand carries my crumb bowl over the cutting board and I plop my cheese in with my left hand then I place my crumb bowl back down on the right side. Then I get a good grip with my right hand and toss, never once does my left hand leave the left side of my cutting board. I then remove the breaded sticks with my right hand and place them back on my chopping board. It all seems very tedious but it took me a while to figure out how to keep the crumbs in the bowl and off my fingers.

Now initially I will add all my cheese sticks to the egg bowl and toss three or four at a time in the crumbs and place them back on the board. Repeat until all are coated. You'll see the cheese through that coat and it won't really do much for you. Once it hits the oil, frozen or not, you'll soon have a fried cheese mess and empty breadcrumb shells to show for it. So you do a second breading. This time I dip one stick in the egg at a time, toss the one by itself in breadcrumbs, and then rest it back on my cutting board until they're all coated for the second time. Do you notice a huge difference?

That double coating will keep your cheese in when it is frying. Now. You can either put them on a baking sheet to freeze or use the cutting board they're sitting on. For me personally, it just depends on whether or not I want to wash an extra dish. 

Into the freezer they go. Most people forget that the freezer is a great cooking tool. Frozen bacon is easier to chop for chowder, frozen puff pastry dough can hit the oven and be ready in minutes, and freezing cheese sticks ensures the cheese will warm in the same time it takes to get the outside perfectly golden, which help prevent mozzarella sludge in your fryer. I usually make these ahead of time, but typically after three hours they're hard enough to package in a freezer bag to store. When you're ready to eat, fry them in 375 degree oil. I do this in batches of 4-6 at a time for about sixty seconds. Be sure you allow a bit of time inbetween batches for the oil to return to 375. Serve with warm marinara and a smile. 

I would say that a batch of thirty-two cheese sticks costs me anywhere from $2-$3, including a side of sauce, as long as I utilize my pantry, including making homemade breadcrumbs and marinara.

Crumbs & Crusts

If you are looking for a basic bread recipes, you can find mine here. However, if you're wondering what on Earth you'll do with all of the breads you've baked after discovering that you have mad skills in the oven but not enough stomachs to consume them all, I have a solution for that! Well, more like a list of possibilities, but this post will cover two: crumbs and crusts.

Breadcrumbs are essentially tiny pieces of bread without the moisture. They are extremely versatile and I find that, at least in my kitchen, they're a HOT little item to keep on hand. I have seen a lot of bread crumb recipes and some ask for the use of stale bread, others do not. I haven't ever tried it with a stale loaf because I typically THINK about making them a day ahead but I forget to actually take them out and place them on the counter to be stale in the morning. It usually goes on my mental list that I can never seem to find… yep, that is where I put it! If only I could find it. Back to the point, they're easy to make and once you get the hang of it you'll be pulling a batch together in fifteen minutes or less (and the majority of that is oven time).

What you will need:
Oven
Baking Sheet
Wooden Spoon
Tin Foil/Parchment (optional)
Bread Knife
Bread
Food Processor
Dry Herbs (optional)
Airtight Container

Heat oven to 350.

Cube your bread and place it on your foil-lined (optional) baking sheet (DO NOT grease the sheet or foil) in a single layer. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for approximately seven minutes, stirring after about five to prevent browning on the underside. Remove from oven and place pieces in the food processor. 

Pulse for approximately thirty to forty-five seconds and return to sheet. Bake an additional five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and pulse in food processor again. Add dried herbs at this point if desired (I add 1 TBSP dried herb for every two cups of crumbs). 

Allow the breadcrumbs to cool completely before storing in airtight container. Now, if you're just itching to use some of these amazing homemade bread crumbs try Lobster Mac & Cheese or Apple Pepperjack Pork Loin, I promise they do not disappoint.

Croûte is a French word meaning "crust". Crouton stems from this word, although they aren't solely crusts (however, if your family doesn't eat the "heels" or crusts of your loaves of bread, you can always freeze them until you've got enough for a batch) it is another option! Croutons are made similarly to breadcrumbs except we ADD flavor and subtract the food processor.

What you will need:
Oven
Baking Sheet
Wooden Spoon
Tin Foil/Parchment
Bread Knife
Bread
Butter/Olive Oil (optional)
Garlic (optional)
Cheese, grated (optional)
Salt & Pepper (optional)
Dry Herbs (optional)
Airtight Container

Heat the oven to 350. Cube your bread and toss it LIGHTLY with butter, garlic, cheese, salt & pepper (these are all optional as a lot of people like plain croutons). Rule of thumb is about 2 TBSP of butter forevery four cups of cubed bread, you want just enough so topping will stick. Garlic and cheese are all relative. I love garlic & I love cheese HOWEVER they are both high in oil content and the goal is to dry out the bread, not keep it hydrated. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake approximately five minutes then begin stirring it occasionally until the cheese begins to crisp up and bread feels dry. Remove from oven and toss with dry herbs. Cool before storing. My boys will snack on them, but they're most happy atop a fresh homemade salad.

There it is, simple and supreme!

Quick Rice Pudding

😄

I am all about maximizing my savings, which means trying to waste as little food as possible. I love repurposing leftovers and stretching meals. My homemade rice pudding is not exception.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon (optional)

Mix the rice, milk, sugar, and salt together in a pot over medium heat. Slowly bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until your rice swells and has absorbed the majority of the milk (5-7 minutes) stirring occasionally. Remove from hear, stir in vanilla. Top with cinnamon if desired. 

I enjoy this pudding both hot and cold! 

High Value Foster Farms Gluten-Free Coupon

Click here to print the coupon

Pizza

I have learned a key fact about Italian cooking. It is simple, and I don't mean simple as in an easy cuisine, I mean simple as in few ingredients. However, the simplistic meals served are perfected. So much so that you'll be gobsmacked at just how delicious food truly is when you aren't trying to outdo the ingredients themselves. Keep it simple, don't overthink it, and you'll soon be cooking each ingredient to perfection.

I have tried several different pizza crusts. Some with egg and some without; some that need to rest overnight and some that don't. However, I found a small unassuming cookbook all about the history of pizza and the author really wanted to embrace the origins of pizza. It provided three simple recipes, all of which I have tried. I kept gravitating back to the first crust but made a few changes... So I guess now it is mine(?).

Pizza crust Ingredients:

500g all-purpose flour

1 packet active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/2 TBSP honey

1 TBSP olive oil

Pinch of sea salt

1. In a large bowl combine salt and flour.

2. In a separate bowl dissolve the honey into the warm water.

3. Mix the yeast into the honey/water mixture until it dissolves. Let it stand for a few minutes until it starts to bubble/froth.

---> yeast can be temperamental. If the water is too hot it will die. If the water is too cold it will take forever to activate. So, I just make sure the water is warm to the touch and not too hot across my wrist. If you're a parent, you know the hot bottle test, where you put a few drops of water on the vein on your wrist and if it isn't too hot it is fine. Same thing. I do the yeast separate from my flour because if my yeast doesn't activate I can try again and not waste my flour.<---

4. Combine yeast, olive oil, and flour until a dough ball forms. If the dough is too wet, add a sprinkle of flour until it firms up. If it is too dry, try adding a couple teaspoons of water.

5. Flour your hands and work surface lightly and knead dough into a ball.

6. Divide dough in half (or more for mini pizzas) and form into balls.

7. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in the bowls for your dough to rise, rubbing it around the sides.

8. Place each ball of dough in a bowl and cover with a dish towel to double (for about an hour; cut the rising time in half by doubling your yeast in the ingredients list).

9. While your dough rises, light your wood for your brick oven... Oh, don't have one of those? Then heat your oven to 475 

Look. Unless you've got a sweet pizza oven, I highly suggest you invest in a pizza stone. I long for the day when I will have one, but for now I have a pizza stone from Emile Henry. Pizza stones come several different sizes from several different companies but they're far superior to a baking sheet because of their ability to maintain high heat. This heat allows that crisp crust to form on the bottom of your pizza.

With that said, preheat your stone, for at least fifteen minutes. This will allow the stone to get to that crust crisping temperature you want. While your pizza stone preheats you can prepare your toppings & pizza sauce. Our go-to pepperoni (salame picante here in Italy) consists of a simple tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, pepperoni (salame picante), and Parmesan cheese.

Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

Tomato purée

Pinch of sea salt

Step one: mix them together.

Remember I said simplicity? Well, here  is a great example of that. I've tried several pizza sauce recipes but none have ever lived up to this simple recipe. I'm not making spaghetti, I'm making pizza and believe it or not, the unmuddled flavor of simple tomato and salt is divine.

Now, if your stone is almost done preheating and your dough has doubled, roll out one ball of dough large enough to fit your pizza stone. Pull your pizza stone out of the oven & sprinkle a bit of flour on it. Transfer your dough to the stone, spread on a layer of pizza sauce, and pop it back in the oven for five minutes.

Remove stone. Add toppings. Return to oven for 8-10 minutes until crust is golden. Serve.

Apple Pepperjack Pork Loin

I'm getting down to the bitter end of my referigerator staples, which means improvising. I had the crazy idea to watch the latest episode of Maste Chef, which involved an abundant amount of apples and absolutely no deserts! Then I saw that I had one lowly apple left in my crisper drawer. Eureka.

I had no bacon but I had pancetta! 

I had one tiny brick of Pepperjack left!

Then everything else fell into place...

Main dish Ingredients:

1lb pork loin, boneless & about 1/8 inch thick (which I had in my freezer)

1/4lb pancetta, diced

1 apple, preferably a sweet variety

4oz Pepperjack cheese, shredded

Breadcrumbs

Salt & pepper to taste

Jalapeño olive oil (plain will work but this jalapeño olive oil gives it a delicious kick)

Dijon mustard

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 TBSP butter

1/2 cup apple juice (or white wine; however the apple juice really ties in the apple flavor from inside the pork)

Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 475. Skin & core the apple then finely dice.

2. Mix apple and 1/2 the grated cheese together in a bowl.

3. Generously salt and pepper pork on both sides. 

4. Slather a layer of the cheese and apple mixture on one side of the loin, pushing gently.

5. Roll the loin and secure with a toothpick (diagonally so that both ends barely pertrude).

6. Repeat until all pieces are rolled and secured.

7. Sautée pancetta until crispy and drain on paper towels.

8. Add 1 TBSP of jalapeño olive oil to the same pan over medium.

9. When pan is very hot, add loins and cook 45-60 seconds on each side. Remove from heat and immediately baste in Dijon mustard.

10. Quickly chop half the pancetta and toss with remaing cheese and equal parts bread crumbs.

11. Roll loin in breadcrumb mixture and place on greased baking sheet.

12. Bake ten minutes, turning tray halfway through (I steamed my brocolli at the same time).

13. While loin cooks add onion and butter to the pan you cooked the loin and pancetta in. Coat onion in the butter/olive oil. Cook until translucent. Add apple juice and gently scrape bits of pancetta and pork off the pan to incorporate into your pan sauce. Allow to simmer over medium low until only about half the liquid remains. Toss in the rest of the pancetta.

14. Gently remove toothpicks. Serve.

& if you're interested in a quick and easy desert like this:

Try this Lemon Soufflé Pudding recipe!

Potato Rolls

Ingredients

1 cup milk, warm

2 TBSP sugar (or honey)

1 envelope active dry yeast

1 cup mashed potatoes

1 TBSP + 2 TBSP butter, melted

3-4 cups flour

Pinch of salt

Oil

Combine milk, sugar,and yeast in mixing bowl. Let stand ten minutes until frothy (this ensures your yeast has "activated" and will cause your dough to rise; no froth, dump and start over).

Next add mashed potatoes (I usually do this with leftovers or quickly prepare an instant variety), pinch of salt, and 1 TBSP melted butter.

Mix in flour, 1/3 cup at a time to form a soft dough. It may only take three cups. You don't want it to be sticky BUT you want it to not keep form. If you make bread, you don't want a stiff dough. 

Scrape bottom of bowl and mix five minutes. Put into oiled bowl and let rise for an hour until doubled.

Heat oven to 350F. Lightly dust your surface and hands in flour and fold out dough. Knead just enough to get air out of the dough, about a minute.

Using a dough cutter, cut dough in half, and each half into 8-10 pieces. Gently knead each piece into a ball pinch ends underneath. Place each ball of dough into a greased pie pan and gently butter the sides of each ball using the remaining 2 TBSP melted butter as you add it to the pan. I spaced mine out about 1/4 of an inch. Repeat with second half of dough.

Cover and let rise about 15 minutes. Butter the tops of the rolls and bake thirty minutes until golden. Remove from oven and immediate butter the tops*.

*Instead of using this dough strictly for rolls, I used the second half of my dough to make a bread loaf. Simply put it in the loaf pan and allow it to rise 15-30 minutes until about an inch about the loaf pan at its highest peak, then bake 30-45 minutes.

Hummus

I love hummus, but it is so pricey, and here in Italy it is hard to find at my grocer. We have a few brands of each product on the shelf. Most "ethnic" foods are few and far between. So in order to indulge, you have to make your own.

In order to make this hummus recipes, I used the homemade tahini I made here. You don't have to use tahini, but it gives it the underlying nutty and more authentic flavor or hummus that I crave. I made roasted red bell pepper hummus BUT hummus is like a blank canvas, if you know how to make the plain version, adding to it has limitless possibilities.

Basic Hummus Ingredients

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (approx one large lemon)

2 cloves garlic, minced

15-16 oz can chickpeas, rinsed (or you can use dried*)

2-3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Paprika

Black pepper

Salt

Add lemon juice. Tahini, garlic, and chickpeas to food processor. Drizzle in olive oil, one TBSP at a time until smooth. Season to taste with sale and pepper. Sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with a bit of olive oil to serve.

For the roasted red bell pepper hummus, the only thing that changed was the fact that I added ingredients, upped my garlic, included paprika in my mixture, and used a bit more olive oil, salt, and pepper to season.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus Ingredients

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (approx one large lemon)

1/2 bulb garlic, minced

6oz roasted red bell pepper (or 1 small roasted red bell pepper)

2 TBSP jalapeño slices (or 1 jalapeño, diced, seeds removed)

1 TBSP celery green pesto (or 1 handful parsley or cilantro**, chopped)

15-16 oz can chickpeas, rinsed (or you can use dried*)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/2 TBSP Paprika, plus more for serving

Black pepper

Salt

Combine tahini, lemon juice, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeño slices, pesto, chickpeas, and paprika in food processor. Drizzle in olive oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika and a drizzle of olive oil.

*if using dried garbanzo beans! be sure to soak overnight, boil until tender, and then add to food processor.

**celery greens resemble parsley. If you prefer cilantro to parsley you can substitute.

Tahini

Tahini is used in hummus recipes, but if you're like me and prefer a more natural nut butter, no added sugars, etc., this is for you! 

Ingredients:

1 cup sesame seeds

3-4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt to taste (optional)

Heat oven to 350. On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread seeds out and bake 4-6 minutes until seeds are fragrant. Remove from oven, stir, and place back in the oven 6-8 minutes until golden.

I bought pre-roasted sesame seeds so I skipped this step:

Crush sesame seeds in food processor (or blender) approx. one minute.

Drizzle in olive oil while processor is on to form a paste. 

Add in salt (I personally don't, I add salt when I use it to my liking).

Store in fridge up to three months.

Sausage rolls

If you made the homemade "better than bisquik" copycat recipe I posted here, you've got a basic ingredient in several delicious recipes, including this one. If you haven't made it, no worries, it takes only a few minutes. You can also use the Bisquik mix in your pantry.

Ingredients

1lb ground sausage (I use Jimmy Dean, regular)

1 cup copycat bisquik mix

1 cup grated cheese

2 TBSP milk

2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix thoroughly.

Make 1 to 1-1/2 inch sausage meatballs and place them on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for thirty minutes until cooked through.

I serve this with a creamy side, like fettuccine Alfredo or, my husband's favorite, cheesy broccoli casserole.

Stuffed zucchini blossom

If you're growing an edible garden this year or frequent farmer's markets, tap into something a little more exotic & keep an eye out for Zucchini blossoms. They're edible delights with a mild aromatic charm. 

If you're growing your own zucchini, be sure to harvest your male blossoms. They open just one time in the early morning so that bees can help to pollinate your female blooms for fruiting. If you're like me and don't have many bees in your area, you may have to self-pollinate early in the morning when they're still open, which is the perfect time to harvest! 

So after I'm done self-pollinating any open female blossoms I snip off the males and store them on a paper towl covered plate in my fridge, away from any vents, this keeps them from getting too cold before I'm ready to eat them. 

There are several ways to eat them. Frequently they're thrown in quesadillas with cheese or in soups. These little flowers pack an interestingly delicious fragrant flavor. Once you've had them for the first time, you'll be craving them every harvest season.

I personally LOVE anything fried. I know, some people think ANY fried food is cheating as almost any fried food is delicious, but the juxtaposition of the thinly crisp outside with the tender gooey filling inside is phenomenal! Zucchini blossoms are delicate so the fried exterior is surprisingly light.

Now, I don't do measurements when I'm making these, but I'll guess that for each blossom I use about 1/2 TBSP of filling. My go to is cheese PLUS herbs. For a bit of a kick, try grated pepper jack. Maybe for something more subtle try a grated provolone or to keep it traditional try Oaxaca. So measure your cheese at about 1/2 TBSP per blossom and generously add some of your fresh herbs to them.

Before you stuff, make sure you gently rinse your blossoms. Don't dry them though, the water will help when we bread them for frying. Side note: when I clip the blossoms I leave part of the stem intact, this helps me handle them while stuffing so I'm not damaging the blossom.

Now, this time around I used cream cheese. If you use shredded cheese, simply hold your blossom upright, spoon it in just below where the petals begin to separate, gather your petals up around your stuffing and gently twist the ends closed.

Once you've got them all stuffed, trim the stems and sepal.

Now bread them lightly in flour and fry in hot oil for a few minutes on both sides until lightly golden and crisp.

Remove them from the oil and place on paper towels, sprinkling with a pinch of salt immediately. Eat as is or serve with a dipping sauce. My husband loves them with marinara.

Better than Bisquik copycat

My husband LOVES pancakes. But you know what, boxed pancake mix is expensive, especially when I can go through an entire box for two breakfasts. Look, even with coupons, to me pancake mix is pricey. When it comes down to it, shopping smart (especially during the Fall season when baked goods are at their lowest) can keep you hopped up on homemade pancake mix that is better than what comes in the box. FOUR simple ingredients and you're on your way to fluffy pancakes.

Ingredients:

6 cups flour

4 TBSP baking powder

1 TBSP salt

1 cup vegetable shortening (or solid coconut oil or frozen butter)

Now, you can do this in a stand mixer (I use my Kitchen Aid), you can use a large bowl with a hand mixer, you can even use a pastry cutter or the back of a fork. 

Now, combine flour, baking powder, and salt thoroughly. Next, cut in the vegetable shortening. How I do this is I cut my shortening into small chunks and on medium speed I slowly add them, one at a time, to incorporate them into the dry ingredients. This gives the flour a clumpy sand-like texture. You can do the same with the hand mixer. Or simply smash the shortening into the flour mixture with your pastry cutter or fork to do the same. 

If you're using coconut oil, you'll want it in its solid form. If you're using butter, grate it and stir in. It is easier than hoping it won't melt while you're trying to form your mixture.

Now store it in an airtight container in the fridge and you're golden! Any time you want to make pancakes or have any recipes that call for bisquik (like my Sausage Balls) you can just use this homemade mix.

Now. To make pancakes I use 1 egg and 1 cup of milk for every cup of mix. So it looks like this:

2 cups mix

2 eggs

2 cups milk

Approx. yield: 10-12 fluffy pancakes when using approx. 1/3 cup mix per cake.

Enjoy! 

Cheesy vegetable orzo & chicken

Orzo. Seems very exotic and difficult, but it is simply pasta that resembles a long-grain rice. You can find it at your grocer with the pasta (go figure) but if you're like me and kind of have blinders on in the store and can't see what isn't typically on your grocery list.... You mat have to look a little.

Ingredients:

2lbs chicken thighs (bone-in)

1lb orzo (uncooked)

2 shallots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup celery, thinly chopped

1 cup fresh green beans, chopped

1 cup carrots, grated

4 cups homemade chicken stock (or store bought, low sodium)

2 cups shredded cheddar

1 TBSP adobo seasoning

Black pepper

Salt

Olive oil 

Heat your oven to 450.

Heat an oven safe sautée pan (I used a cast iron skillet). Toss chicken with black pepper and adobo seasoning. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in your pan (I didn't with my cast iron skillet) and put chicken in skin side down. Crisp 5-6 minutes. Flip and pop into the oven for thirty minutes.

While chicken is cooking, heat olive oil in pan. Add shallots and sautée until tender. Add garlic, celery, and green beans. Sautée until you can smell the garlic through your kitchen (about two minutes).

Add the stock and bring to. A boil. Add orzo and boil 10-15 minutes until orzo is tender and stock is fully incorporated. Remove from heat and stir in carrots and cheddar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove chicken from oven and serve.

Homemade cannelloni "shells"

 

So, as many of you have realized. I'm FRUGAL, in the sense that, I'll make something from scratch, even if it takes a bit of work, to make it happen before I'll spend the extra penny. Literally. I do a lot of baking, so I'm always buying flour, and quite honestly I go through about five pounds of flour per week (holy carb central). This is because I can buy one five pound bag of flour for 2.25 (after coupons) and make about 6 loaves of bread from it... One loaf costs nearly $3 here in Italy. So, I go cheap and bake it myself.

I got a lump of fresh cow's milk ricotta at an organic farmer's market they hold annually for THE CHEAP. I'm talking, €2 for just blissfully indulgent fresh ricotta. I don't want to drop $5 for the tub stuff here at the commissary. Well, I love ricotta in so many dishes, but my favorite is manicotti. But alas, then I'd have to pay for pasta tubes.

Well, obviously I decided to look up all these recipes from all these Nonnas (Italian grandmothers) who do it from scratch. I decided I could do it too. Simple enough, in my opinion. Some may say that they aren't really "pasta", they're bread. But what is pasta made out of? Flour. As are these. And let me tell you, they're way easier to stuff because you roll them. They're also more tender and you can add fresh herbs to the batter if you're so inclined.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

3 cups water

3 cups flour

3 tsp salt 

Chopped fresh herbs (optional) 

I whisked these ingredients (minus the herbs) together like my life depended on it to keep it from lumping. Take the easy way out and just throw it in your blender. Easy peasy. 

Next we cook! They're essentially like making crêpes but slightly thicker.

Now heat a small skillet on low. Do a light spritz of non stick cooking spray (I didn't use any, I have a nonstick Rachael Ray set that MEANS nonstick. Thanks Rachael. I love you.). Add about 1/4 cup of the mixture to the center of the pan and quickly rotate it (off the flame) to cover the bottom. Cook about one minute until top looks dry and flip. Cook an additional thirty seconds and remove from pan. 

You'll start to notice the edges will separate from the pan when it is time to flip so feel it out.

Repeat for the rest of your batter. Yield: 24-30 "shells". 

When you're done, place your fillings down the center, roll, and put in your dish seam down to bake. You can make them a day ahead, just cover and refrigerate, or they can be frozen, simply divide each shell with wax paper and freeze. 

Strawberry Syrup

If you've got overly ripe strawberries and are trying to figure out how to use them, here is an option.

Ingredients:

2 pounds strawberries, hulled & quartered

1 quart (4 cups) water

2 cups sugar

Add strawberries to large pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. You'll notice the color leaving your berries.

Strain the liquid using a fine mesh strainer and return to pot. Stir in sugar and bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Cool. Store in fridge for a few weeks

You can also can the syrup for longer storage.

I add this to various meals and recipes, even lemonade. Or you can return it to the stove and allow it to simmer and thicken for pancakes or waffles.

Braised Pork Ribs

Pork is actually one of the leanest cuts of red meat you can buy. Currently, most pig farmers breed their pigs to be more lean. This is why cooking pork can be a little tough, literally. Cook it too long and you risk a dry, tough piece of meat. Fat content helps give a bit of room for error when cooking because the fat keeps the meat juicy. 

Because of this, unless I have time to babysit pork during cooking, a lot of the recipes I prefer include either brining or, in this case, braising to help maintain moisture and keep the meat tender. Now for those of you who have ever eaten collard or mustard greens, braising also helps soften these hearty leafy vegetables, which is why I cooked my radish greens with my pork. Please keep in mind, when you braise, almost any liquid can be used. I've used beer, wine, and even broth or stock. The only thing that you'll probably change (based on liquid) is your marinade or accompanying produce. I usually do an apple sautée to accompany my pork but I decided to give apple juice a try.

Ingredients (require no specific measurements)

Apple juice (braising liquid)

Pork ribs

Salt & pepper

Olive oil 

Marinade (optional)

Couple sprigs of fresh herbs (I used sage & rosemary)

Radish greens, stems removed

1 medium onion, sliced

Two cloves garlic, chopped

Barbecue sauce

Directions:

Generously salt and pepper your ribs. If also marinating, do so now. Marinate overnight if desired. I used a dry marinade so I mixed it with a bit of olive oil to form a paste and slathered it on the ribs.

Heat a heavy sautée pan on medium with a generous drizzle of olive oil in it. When the pan is nice and hot (if you're unsure, add a few drops of water. If they sizzle and dissapate within a few seconds, you're ready, be sure not to smoke the pan).

Heat oven to 350.

Sear your ribs on both sides, for about two minutes on each side to brown. Then put the ribs in an oven safe dish. I used my deep roasting pan, usually for turkey. 

Toss your greens with the garlic and onion and add in a corner of the roasting pan.

Pour in your apple juice until the tops of your ribs are just barely submerged. Toss in your fresh herbs and cover with foil. Bake 2 hours. 

Carefully remove pan from oven. Uncover, place ribs on foil lined baking sheet. Strain liquid and place your greens on your serving dish. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Baste ribs in barbecue sauce and bake fifteen to twenty minutes (you can disregard this step and serve the ribs as is). 

You can also make a quick gravy using the braising liquid. 

Ingredients:

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP flour

2 cups braising liquid

Directions:

Melt butter in sauce pan over low heat.

Whisk in one TBSP of flour at time vigorously to create a smooth paste. 

Whisk in 1/3 cup braising liquid until smooth. Whisk in an additional third cup until smooth. Whisk in about 2/3 cups braising liquid until smooth and then whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup. Bring to a light boil, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and serve.

Crab Ragoon

Ingredients

8oz Imitation crab, chopped

1 large carrot, grated (julienne is fine but I prefer grated)

1/2 cup bok choy (or celery), finely chopped

1/2 cup onion, diced (I used purple because that is what I had)

1 jalapeño, seeds removed, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp white pepper

2 tsp zesty lemon

1 tsp teriyaki

6oz cream cheese, softened

pinch of salt

wonton wrappers

1 egg, whisked

Olive oil or melted butter 

Heat oven to 425. Combine crab, carrots, bok choy, onion, jalapeño, garlic. pepper, zesty lemon, teriyaki, cream cheese, and salt. 

Spoon mixture into wonton wrapper and seal with egg wash. Cover baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Arrange ragoon on the sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden.

#checkout51 casserole

Ingredients:

8oz imitation crab, chopped (snag some this week and get a rebate from the checkout51 app!)

1 cup cooked rice

2 cups chopped steamed veggies of your choice (I used what I had on hand).

1 cup shredded cheese

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 TBSP butter

1 TBSP flour

1 tsp paprika

Juice of one lemon

Salt & pepper

1. Heat oven to 350.

2. Put one cup steamed rice on the bottom of your baking dish (I cooked mine in chicken stock to give it a bit more flavor).

3. Cover rice layer with chopped steamed veggies (make sure they've been seasoned; I used: broccoli, carrot, mushrooms, celery).

4. Cover veggie layer with cheese.

5. In a saucepan melt ONLY two TBSP of butter. Reduce heat to medium low. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook until your kitchen is filled with the smell (about one minute). Add remaining butter to melt. Whisk in flour, lemon, and paprika. 

6. Stir in crab and raise slightly to bring to a bubble. Remove from heat. Salt & pepper to taste. Spread a thin layer of crab mixture over top of cheese. 

7. Bake thirty minutes or until cheese bubbles.

Side note: this is like a "kitchen sink" casserole. I literally put anything I had on the counter to cook with and made it work. Just named it after the Checkout 51 app because I wouldn't have bought the crab without their great deal! Here's my counter before the cooking started (I didn't use everything):

Pork Belly Roast

Ingredients:

2 1/2-3lb pork belly roast

2 TBSP favorite dried herb (my grandmother uses fennel seeds)

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 large russet potato, cubed

2 medium carrots, scrubbed vigorously

1 celery stalk, chopped

2-4 cups beef or chicken stock

Salt and pepper

1. Heat your oven to a high temperature. I'm cooking with gas so my range says "Max" and that is what I use, it is approximately 550 degrees.

2. Slice the pork belly (skin side) just down to the meat, cutting through the fat, about 1 inch apart in both directions to create a grid effect. Generously salt and pepper underside (meat) portion. Now back on the skin side, sprinkle only 1 TBSP of the herbs on the skin side. Then drizzle one TBSP of olive oil. Gently rub the herbs into the crevices. Repeat for second TBSP of both the herbs and the olive oil.

3. Drizzle some olive oil into the bottom of your baking dish. Add all the vegetables and generously salt and pepper (the veggies are to keep your roast off the bottom so that it doesn't burn and will also be used for a gravy).

4. Set the pork loin on top of your veggies and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes until you notice the skin bubble and crisp. Then reduce the heat to 325 and continue to bake 1 1/2 hours.

5. Remove roast from oven, place meat on your cutting board (to rest, don't cut it yet! Let the juices get sucked back into the meat first).

6. Put the veggies in a large sauce pan on medium and mash. Add just enough beef (or chicken stock) to make a paste. Now whisk in enough stock to form a gravy. Strain with a mesh strainer to remove any large pieces of veggie (this is how I trick my boys into eating vegetables... I do leave a bit untrained as I love the chunky veggie gravy).

7. Slice cracklings off the roast (keep it for your own enjoyment). Slice roast and serve with veggie gravy. 

Not your sMOTHERed's grilled cheese

My mother's favorite lunch was a grilled cheese sandwich (with tons of ketchup for dipping) and a bowl of tomato soup. I can vividly remember having it for lunch on both Saturday and Sunday when we were all home together. My mother honestly didn't do a lot of "from scratch" cooking, and even most of her beloved grilled cheese ingredients were store bought & processed.   

Now, before you boycott and rant about that last sentence, I love my mother's "cooking" and we don't all have the time to cook from scratch. She went from being a single mother working full time at a law firm to being married, then pregnant, and working full time to then being laid off when her firm moved, which in itself was truly a blessing because she then became a stay at home mother to my brother (who would later be diagnosed with a form of autism) and a loving foster parent to several children over many years. At one time we had twelve mouths to feed after days of parental visitation, psych therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, all after being up each night with a screaming baby (who happened to be withdrawing from whichever cocktail of illegal drugs his mother was on while pregnant). Can you see where I'm going with this? Prepackaged, frozen, and even boxed meals are better than no meal. If you chose to neglect your children and they ended up at my house because you chose malnutrition over a boxed meal, we might have some problems.

All I'm saying is that for my family, I am fortunate enough to have the time and means (and energy) to prepare home cooked meals from scratch. Now when I say "from scratch" that is a loose term because I can't make certain things like cheese. I will attempt it one day though! You heard it here first. And until my household goods arrive, I'm buying my breads. I have yet to feel the need to make my own mayo or mustard. But trust, it is on my mind (and I'm putting a pin in it). 

What you will need for a smothered grilled cheese:

Onion (sliced)

Some other favorite vegetable, sliced (I chose mushrooms; go crazy, pick two)

An herb, torn. chose basil. Thyme is also a favorite! 

Olive oil, or butter (and we are smothering so don't be stingy)

Cheese (now I'm a fan of nearly EVERY cheese that has come my way but I chose Camembert).

Salt and pepper (you must season everything... That is a LAW to a good meal)

A fresh loaf of bread (I bought a loaf of freshly baked white bread but I'm thinking next time I'll try ciabatta).

Mayo (or garlic aioli, I had some leftover from my artichokes)

Sautée your onions in olive oil until they're translucent. Add vegetable(s) and sautée until soft. Smear mayo (or aioli) on both slices of bread. Top each slice with cheese, add sautéed vegetables and torn herb. Drizzle a bit more oil in the pan and cook on medium until golden on each side and cheese is melted. Serve with a bit more aioli for dipping. There you have it! 

Birthday Lobster Mac & Cheese

When my mother came to visit after I had my third child we made sure to stop at Crockett's Public House. It's a restaurant featured on Diner's Drive-Ins & Dives so we knew it would be delicious. That was the first time I had ever tried Lobster Mac & Cheese. I've made my own homemade macaroni and cheese for years so when my father told me he wished he'd come with her and got to try it I knew I'd attempt to make him Lobster Mac & Cheese for his birthday. Bare with this recipe as I made it for 14 (6 adults & 8 children; I have a large family).

Ingredients

4 Cooked Lobsters, meat and shells separated (minus the heads and guts; you can add more if you want more)

2lbs uncooked cavatelli pasta, boiled in salted water until al dente & drained

1qt heavy whipping cream (32 oz)

1 cup apple or pear juice (8 oz) (you can sub for white wine but we don't drink so I used fruit juice)

2 cups chicken stock (16 oz)

4 cups shredded white cheddar

2 cups + 1/4 cup shredded smoked gruyere

2 cups + 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano

5 slices white bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (for breadcrumbs; use plain if store bought)

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp paprika (use 1 tsp if you don't use SMOKED gruyere)

Salt

Pepper

4 shallots, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 TBSP + 4 TBSP unsalted butter

7 TBSP flour 

Olive oil

Chives (or green onion), chopped

STEEP the lobster SHELLS in the cream + juice + chicken stock over low heat. Wait until the cream mixture begins steaming and reduce heat to maintain steam. DO NOT BOIL. Steep at least thirty minutes until you begin to smell the lobster (it took me nearly an hour from when I turned on the heat to when it was done, you don't want to burn the cream). Drain the cream into a bowl and dump lobster shells.

HEAT oven to 400 and bake white bread until dry (6-10 minutes). Crush in food processor with blade attachment and mix with 4 TBSP melted unsalted butter. Stir in 1/4 cup gruyere and 1/2 cup Romano. Set aside.

OVER MEDIUM LOW drizzle some olive oil in a pot. Sautée shallots until translucent and add garlic. Cook until you can smell the garlic (about two minutes). Add 8 TBSP of butter and melt. Wisk in flour vigorously to form smooth paste.

VIGOROUSLY wisk in the cream mixture, one cup at a time, to maintain a smooth béchamel. Stir in nutmeg & paprika. Salt and pepper as needed. Slightly raise the heat to medium and stir frequently until mixture begins to boil and thicken. Then remove from heat and stir in the 4 cups cheddar, 2 cups gruyere, and 2 cups Romano until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as necessary. Stir in lobster meat.

POUR pasta into buttered baking dish and pour béchamel over. Stir into pasta. Top with breadcrumb mixture and bake on 400 for 10-12 minutes until bread crumbs begin to brown and béchamel begins to bubble.

TOP with chives and serve (I served with homemade garlic bread, steamed artichokes, and garden salad).