Caprese Kabobs

Serve salad caprese on toothpicks for a fun, light appetizer. I liked these a lot, but would serve them with extra dressing  next time.

Caprese Kabobs

1 pt. grape tomatoes
1 8-oz. package small mozzarella balls (or cut fresh mozzarella into small cubes)
1 bunch basil
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
toothpicks

Prepare kabobs with a grape tomato, a piece of mozzarella, and a piece of basil on each one. Place them on a platter. Drizzle with olive oil and splash with balsamic. Add plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper.

If you like, offer extra oil/vinegar on the side, since the dressing tends to slide to the bottom of the platter.

Olive Garden Salad

Recreating Olive Garden's salad was the most difficult knock-off. Most recipes online include raw egg (which I'm sure OG does not use) or pectin, which sounds kind of gross for salad dressing. The recipe I went with was outstanding, but not that close to Olive Garden's dressing. However, I put the bowl and all ingredients except for lettuce and the croutons in the freezer before adding the dressing and serving, and the chilled salad captured a lot of the OG experience.

Olive Garden Salad

Dressing Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed.
2. If this is a little to tart for your own personal tastes please add a little extra sugar - mine did need sugar.
   

Salad Ingredients

1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 Romaine heart, chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 sliced cucumber
1 cup whole pepperoncini peppers
1/2 cup kalamata olives
3 roma tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 cup croutons
Romano cheese

Toss lettuces, onion, cucumbers, peppers, olives, and tomatoes in a chilled glass bowl with dressing. Top with croutons and cheese.

Zuppa Toscana

Here's another very close Olive Garden knock-off. This soup is my mom's favorite. Though it has cream, it doesn't have any flour to thicken it, so it's still very brothy. I like to add about 1/4 t. of crushed red pepper for a little heat.

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage (mild or hot)
2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onions, chopped
1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional, but really good)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped
2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Remove uncooked sausage from casings and break into small pieces.
2. Brown sausage in your soup pot. Remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Add onions and garlic to remaining fat and cook for five minutes.
4. Place chicken broth, water, onions, and potatoes in pot.
5. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
6. Add sausage and bacon.
7. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
9. Turn to low heat.
10. Add kale and cream.
11. Heat through and serve.

Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli

This recipe is extremely close to Olive Garden's version of Pasta e Fagioli, and it's very healthy! What's more, both boys loved it. Ben says it's his second favorite soup after homemade chicken noodle.

It is a very thick - more like an Italian chili. You can add more V8 juice to make it brothier, especially when reheating leftovers. Serve with OG breadsticks.

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)
3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 12-ounce can V-8 juice (add more if soup is too thick)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 pound (1/2 pkg.) ditali pasta

1. Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Drain off most of the fat.

2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

4. About 50 minutes into the simmering, cook the pasta in 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of boiling water over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or just until pasta is al dente, or slightly tough. Drain.

5. Add the pasta to the large pot of soup. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 8.

Italian Buffet for 40

I had the opportunity to cook for the wonderful teachers of First Baptist Church Preschool again recently. I decided to do an Italian buffet. Here are the recipes. Most are links to recipes on my blog, but some are links to other websites.

Caesar Salad

Focaccia Bread
I didn't make the onion/olive topping; instead, I drizzled the bread with olive oil and topped with rosemary, salt, pepper, and parmesan.

Lasagna
I made my spaghetti sauce to make a very traditional lasagna. I put sauce in the bottom of the 9x13 pan, layered four cooked lasagna noodles, then a mixture of ricotta, cottage cheese, parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper. I topped this with more sauce and mozzarella cheese. I repeated the noodles/ricotta/sauce mozzarella layer. Finally, I ended with noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and more parmesan. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350.

Gnocchi with Ricotta and Spinach

Spaghettini with Pesto

Chicken Caprese
I didn't serve this over pasta. If you cook it closer to 30-40 minutes in the oven, the sauce will thicken up. I sliced the chicken breasts in half length-wise. Today's thick chicken breasts take forever to cook through, so I like to cut them thinner and cook them faster. Because I was catering, I brined the chicken breasts for about 1/2 an hour in salty water. This gives you a margin of cooking error - it's much harder to dry them out.

Mud Pie
This recipe was requested by the wonderful preschool director - it fit the retreat's theme of a coffee shop. I made it in springform pans, but you can easily make it in a 9x13 pan.

1 package Oreos, ground into crumbs in a food processor
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 jar hot fudge
1 half-gallon coffee ice cream
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip, thawed
chocolate bar shavings for garnish (optional)

Mix together ground Oreos and melted butter and press into bottom of pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool.

Slightly soften ice cream and spread in pan. Refreeze.

Slightly warm hot fudge and spread over ice cream. Freeze.

Spread Cool Whip on top and shave a chocolate bar over the Cool Whip, if using.

Freeze until ready to serve.

The. Bread.

This is another Pioneer Woman technique. She says that anytime she goes to a family get-together, everyone asks, "Are you going to bring The Bread?". It's just bread and butter, but the technique of baking then broiling browns the butter and makes the bread unbelievably flavorful and irresistible. People usually think there is something else in the bread, like garlic, but it's just bread and butter.

The. Bread.

One loaf of French bread, split
2 sticks of salted butter, softened (you won't need to use all of it unless your bread is huge)

Spread about 3/4 of a stick of butter on each piece of bread. Place side by side on a baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes on 350. Turn the oven off and the broiler on. Watch the bread as it browns and slightly blackens. Don't be afraid of the blackening; just a little bit won't make it taste burned. Steel your nerves and remove from oven when golden, brown, and spotty black.

Jersey Mike's #13 Sub

The Jersey Mike's sandwich shop in our town closed years ago, but I remember it fondly, mostly for their #13 sub. It's an Italian sub with five kinds of meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato with lots of oil and vinegar. Sometimes I make it at home with Boar's Head meat from Publix. It's a great thing to have with friends when you don't have time to cook. The following is not really a recipe so much as it is a list of ingredients - set out the meat and cheese and let your guests make their own.

#13 Sub

deli ham, thinly sliced

deli pepperoni, thinly sliced

deli capicola, thinly sliced

deli prosciutto, thinly sliced

deli hard salami, thinly sliced

deli provolone, thinly sliced

shredded lettuce

sliced tomato

diced onions

mustard

olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano (or Boar's Head Deli Dressing)

crusty sandwich roll

Pan-fried Gnocchi with Golden Tomato Sauce

I found some beautiful yellow tomatoes at the farmers' market on Saturday. They taste a little more delicate than regular red ones, but you can use them interchangeably. I took the idea for this meal from one of my favorite vegetarian websites, 101cookbooks. It's a simple sauce - you don't need to peel the tomatoes. This recipe depends on fresh tomatoes, so I'd recommend making it soon before they go out of season.

We all loved this: fresh, bright sauce, crispy, crunchy gnocchi, and fragrant basil made for a great late summer supper!

Pan-fried Gnocchi with Golden Tomato Sauce

1 16 oz. package gnocchi, cooked according to package instructions

5 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 lbs. yellow (or any good red) tomatoes - cored, seeded, and diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. crushed red pepper

Fresh basil, cut into ribbons

Parmesan cheese

Pan fry gnocchi in two batches, using 1 T. of olive oil for each batch. Stir occasionally until gnocchi is golden brown. Set aside.

Put remaining three tablespoons of oil in a pan with garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper. Heat over medium heat, stirring as needed, until garlic starts to turn golden - about 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes to the pan and simmer a few minutes, until tomatoes start to break down.

To serve, ladle some sauce onto plate. Top with gnocchi, grated parmesan, and basil.

Serves 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Pollo al Mattone (Chicken under a Brick)

Pollo al Mattone has a lot of potential - the bricks on top of the chicken flatten it, which makes it cook faster, and force it to come in contact with the very hot pan, which makes it crispy. I tried chicken breasts under a brick a few weeks ago and they were a disaster. I don't think they were totally thawed, so parts of them were undercooked while others were burnt. But I didn't want to give up, so I tried Mark Bittman's recipe which starts on the stove and finishes in the oven. A cast iron frying pan is great for this meal. The chicken turned out juicy and crisp - incredibly flavorful. It cooks very quickly, too. However, if you are not excited about getting your hands all up in the chicken's business, and if it bothers you to cut through bone with kitchen shears, this is not the dish for you. Otherwise, I highly recommend it!

You'll need to start with a whole 3-4 lb. chicken that you butterfly (cut the backbone out). I've given instructions in the first step here. If you want to get really fancy, you can do what I did this time and spatchcock your chicken. Yeah, that's right. You'll cut out the backbone and the breastbone, and your chicken will lie very flat and be easy to carve.

Prep the chicken ahead of time so you can marinate it (the recipe below will go into detail). Take some bricks, or a heavy tile, or another cast iron pan to weigh down the chicken. Wrap your bricks in aluminum foil. Once the chicken is in the pan and the bricks are on top, it will look like this:

Ingredients

1 whole 3- to 4-pound chicken, trimmed of excess fat, rinsed, dried and split, backbone removed
1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon peeled and coarsely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, optional
1 lemon, cut into quarters

1. Place the chicken on a cutting board, skin side down, and using your hands, press down hard to make it as flat as possible. Mix together the rosemary leaves, salt, pepper, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and rub this all over the chicken. Tuck some of the mixture under the skin as well. If time permits, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for up to a day (even 20 minutes of marinating boosts the flavor).

2. When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Preheat an ovenproof 12-inch skillet (preferably cast iron; nonstick usually is safe to 450) over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Press rosemary sprigs, if using, into the skin side of the chicken. Put remaining olive oil in the pan and wait about 30 seconds for it to heat up.

3. Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, along with any remaining pieces of rosemary and garlic; weight it with another skillet or with one or two bricks or rocks, wrapped in aluminum foil. The idea is to flatten the chicken by applying weight evenly over its surface.

4. Cook over medium-high to high heat for 5 minutes, then transfer to the oven. Roast for 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and remove the weights; turn the chicken over (it will now be skin side up) and roast 10 minutes more, or until done (large chickens may take an additional 10 minutes or so; cook the breast to 160 or the legs to 165). Serve hot or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.

Chicago-Style Stuffed Pizza

Oh, my. I wanted to make a Valentine's dinner for the family. I've had this cute little heart-shaped springform pan for years, so I decided to try to make stuffed pizza in it. If you've never had Chicago-style pizza (like Gino's East or Nancy's), you are missing something great. It's a deep dish pizza with a biscuit-like, yeasty crust layered with cheese, toppings, and sauce, in that order. The cheese is sliced, not shredded, and it's about as thick as the crust. The sauce is thick and rich, too.

I decided to aim for a Gino's East type of pizza, since I figured there would be some copycat recipes online. I ended up combining a few purportedly authentic recipes, though I did leave out the yellow food coloring that gives Gino's pizza its distinctive color. The secret ingredient is cream of tartar, the additive that gives snickerdoodles cookies their unusual texture.

The verdict? Success on the first attempt (she said humbly). The crust was not as greasy as the restaurant version because I just sprayed the pan instead of coating it with oil or butter. If you want the full effect, have at it.

I had leftover dough because my springform pan was smaller than a 10-inch round, so I just discarded it (it wasn't enough to make another pizza).

Chicago-Style Stuffed Pizza
1 cup water
1 package active dry yeast
1/3 cup corn oil mixed with a 1/2 T. olive oil (just pour a little olive oil in the bottom of your 1/3 measuring cup, then top off with corn oil) I used vegetable oil, but use corn if you can
1 T sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups bread flour
Toppings: vegetables, pepperoni, cooked and crumbled sausage

Cheese: 8-10 ounces of mozzarella, preferably sliced

Sauce:
14 oz. crushed tomatoes (usually come in 28 oz. cans - use half, or double recipe and freeze extra sauce for next time)
1/2 t. olive oil
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. salt
Parmesan/Romano cheese, grated

In a bowl, put water (lukewarm), then yeast, oil, cream of tartar, salt, and sugar. Mix by hand until yeast dissolves. Then, pour in bread flour a little at a time. Mix with by hand or with a dough hook on a stand mixer. Knead it until it gets firm. Add more flour if needed. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Then, roll it into a ball, and put it in a bowl with oil brushed in the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. You can let it rise all day if you want, or put it in the refrigerator overnight for a slower rise.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Mist or brush a 10-inch springform pan or a round cake pan with olive oil or butter. Put dough into pan and press it up the sides of the pan. You'll have to press it up a few times because it will want to slide back down.
Mix sauce ingredients together.
Lay slices of cheese on crust. Layer toppings over cheese. Spread sauce over toppings, not quite reaching the edge of the crust. Sprinkle parmesan or romano cheese on sauce, if desired.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Finish at 425 for 5 minutes to thicken sauce and brown crust. Let pizza rest for a few minutes before removing springform pan sides and cutting.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

The before pasta, pasta salad. Why put pasta off into the future when you can have it now? I've posted this recipe before on the blog, but it was combined with another recipe, so I'm posting it here to make it more convenient. One of these days I need to take a picture of it! It's really one of my very favorite things in the whole world.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

2 16 oz. packages of cheese tortellini cooked, drained, and cooled
16 oz. diced mozzarella (fresh or not)
4 oz. prosciutto (can also substitute pepperoni - a stick, chopped up, is best, but sliced is ok)
pepperoncini peppers, stems cut off
kalamata olives
red onion, diced
sun-dried tomatoes or halved grape tomatoes
sliced roasted red peppers
artichoke hearts

Mix the above together.

Add dressing. Mix gently and chill.

Dressing:

1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried orégano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Whisk dressing until emulsified. The dressing will be opaque, and there will not be a separation of the oil and vinegar. Pour over all other ingredients mixed in large bowl. This keeps for several days.

Lasagna Soup

I found this recipe in Family Fun magazine, in an article featuring soups from 300 Sensational Soups. It sounds like a great cookbook: one of the other recipes was tomato soup with wee grilled cheese croutons floating about.

This soup is great! Unfortunately, I took a picture of the leftovers, so the pasta had absorbed a lot of the broth and made it more stew-like. The pasta is cooked in the broth, which makes it incredibly flavorful. The soup tastes just like lasagna with a lighter profile and a lot less prep time. Best of all, both boys loved it!

Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (bulk or with casings removed) I used 20 oz turkey Italian sausage
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
6 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
8 ounces fusilli pasta (or rotini or penne)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
8 ounces ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and sauté, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess fat from the pot. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and sauté until the paste turns a rusty brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the broth, and the bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium-high and boil the soup until the pasta is tender to the bite, following the time recommendations on the pasta package. Discard the bay leaves, then stir in the basil. If desired, season with salt and black pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, the Parmesan, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the pinch of pepper. To serve, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in each bowl, sprinkle with some of the mozzarella, and ladle the soup on top. Makes about 13 cups. We didn't get 13 cups out of the recipe because so much broth soaked into the pasta/evaporated, but it does make a large amount.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving (1 cup):
Calories 264
Total Fat 11 g (17% DV)
Saturated Fat 5g (26% DV)
Cholesterol 38 mg (13% DV)
Sodium 1162 mg (48% DV)
Total Carbohydrate 22 g (7% DV)
Fiber 1g (6% DV)
Sugars 5g
Protein 19 g (39% DV)
Vitamin C 14 mg (23% DV)
Calcium 259 mg (26% DV)

Spaghetti Sauce

I love spaghetti. I love the thin, flavorful kind restaurants serve that I can't recreate at home. I love the thick, rich sauce my mom makes and the fine ground beef and basil kind my sister-in-law makes. Marinara, bolognese, red sauce - I won't turn it down.

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And here is my current favorite way to make spaghetti. It comes from a prolific poster on Recipezaar whimsically named "Jo Mama." Here's her original recipe. I haven't really changed it, but it is easy to make substitutions based on what you have in the house. This recipe make a ton - you'll have enough for probably 3 lbs. of spaghetti, but it freezes very well.

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The whole family - even Ben! - loves this sauce. I hope you will, too!

Spaghetti Sauce

2 lbs Italian sausage, casings removed (mild or hot or combination)
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes*
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 cups water (for a long period of simmering for flavors to meld. If you don't want to simmer it as long, add 1 cup)
3 teaspoons dried basil (if you are using fresh, add 1/4 cup chopped before serving)
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine
1 lb thin spaghetti
1 T. butter
parmesan cheese

1.In large, heavy stockpot, brown Italian sausage, breaking up as you stir.
2.Add onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened.
3.Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
4.Add basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper.
5.Stir well and barely bring to a boil.
6.Stir in red wine.
7.Simmer on low, stirring frequently for at least an hour. A longer simmer makes for a better sauce, just be careful not to let it burn! If the sauce is thick and you would like to continue simmering it, add another 1/2 cup of water.
8.Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Toss with butter.
9.Add sauce to drained spaghetti noodles and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

*Note: you do not need to be too careful about which tomato products you use, as long as you are using tomatoes packed in sauce, not juice. For example, the last time I made this sauce I only had crushed tomatoes, so I used 70 oz. (the equivalent of all three tomato items in the recipe).

Baked Tortellini

In our town there is a restaurant called Giorgio's that we order from occasionally. It's a typical red-sauce neighborhood place with yummy food and family owners. I actually had the owner in one of my English classes a few years ago: I asked her if she ever shared the recipe for their marinara and she said no! I always say I should have asked have asked her before I turned in her final grade.

Our favorite meal from Giorgio's is their tortellini marinara. It's cheese tortellini in a very light, delicate marinara topped with mozzarella cheese. I keep all the ingredients on hand to make it because it's relatively quick and we love it. I usually make a quick marinara, but jarred sauce is fine, too.

Baked Tortellini

1 package frozen cheese tortellini - 16 oz.
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (I usually use Muir Glen, but Hunt's are not as thick - they make
a sauce actually more like the restaurant one)
1-2 T. olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
basil (optional)
8 oz. mozzarella or mix of Italian cheeses, shredded (whole milk mozzarella gives it the
restaurant taste, but I usually have part-skim)

Cook tortellini according to package instructions; drain.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil with the salt, pepper, red pepper, and garlic just until the garlic becomes golden. Take pan off heat and add tomatoes (to avoid splattering). Simmer 5-10 minutes, adding chopped basil at the end if desired.

Mix tortellini with sauce and pour into casserole pan. Top with cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350. Turn on broiler and let cheese bubble and brown just a bit - watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Remove from oven and serve.

Pasta with Meatballs

Usually when I make meatballs I make a lot so I can freeze them raw. You can add them to sauce, pan-fry them, or bake them when they are frozen. They can top pizza, fill a sandwich, or make a great pasta sauce. They're so versatile! I don't have the perfect recipe yet: I've made Mark Bittman's and Kittencal's on Recipezaar and both are good. Once I find my ideal, I'll post it.

Anyway, we were in the mood for pasta last night, and I had frozen meatballs in the freezer. We were out of parmesan (!), so I added some mozzarella cheese to the sauce. We were also low on spaghetti, so I used Barilla Plus penne. The end result was thick, not very saucy - almost like baked pasta from a skillet. It was delicious!

Pasta with Meatballs

1 lb. meatballs (homemade or store-bought)

1 T. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 T. red wine vinegar or 1/4 cup red wine

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup basil or parsley, chopped

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

12 oz. pasta - penne, spaghetti, etc.

Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain.

Brown meatballs in olive oil in a large skillet. Once browned on each side, remove meatballs to a dish - they don't need to be cooked through. Saute the onion in the remaining oil for 8-10 minutes, until golden. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add vinegar to pan and stir until it evaporates (if you like a sweeter sauce, add 1 t. sugar as well).

Pour in crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, and return meatballs to pan. Simmer, covered, until meatballs are cooked through - probably 20-30 minutes. Before serving, stir in salt, pepper, basil, and mozzarella cheese.

Stir pasta into sauce, and serve with parmesan cheese - if you have any!

Gratineed Gnocchi with Spinach and Ricotta

Nice picture, huh? Well, everyone including Martha Stewart shows the dirty pans in their food photography now, so I guess it's okay!

Unsurprisingly, I love this recipe. It follows my formula and is pure comfort food: creamy, cheesy, starchy. The spinach is delicous; remember that a little bit of nutmeg always makes spinach shine. It's amazing how this huge amount of spinach wilts down in the hot cream. This dish reheats well, too: the leftovers were great for lunch.

Gnocchi with Spinach and Ricotta

1 (1-lb) package potato gnocchi

2/3 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)

1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 (5-oz) packages baby spinach

1/2 cup whole-milk or part-skim ricotta (I used part-skim)

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat broiler.

Cook gnocchi in a 5-quart pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions (gnocchi will float to surface when done). Drain in a colander.

Whisk together cream, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet, then bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking. Continue to boil, whisking frequently, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add spinach in handfuls, tossing with tongs, and cook until wilted, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in gnocchi. Spoon ricotta over gnocchi in 5 large dollops and sprinkle with mozzarella. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until cheese is browned and bubbling in spots, about 2 minutes. Season with pepper.

Greek Layered Dip

This is a great, great recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens. It's my favorite kind of food: fresh ingredients, reasonably healthy, definitely indulgent. It's party food with Mediterranean flavors. Think of a Mexican layered dip with Greek ingredients.

I added some Greek salad toppings. Be warned: this is garlicky!

Greek Layered Dip

8 ounce package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

3 cloves garlic, minced

1½ cups prepared hummus (or enough to cover cream cheese)

1 cup chopped cucumber

1 cup chopped tomato

½ cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives

½ cup crumbled feta cheese (reduced fat is fine, but I used more than 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers

1/3 cup sliced green onions or diced red onions

pita chips or tortilla chips

1. In medium mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and garlic with rubber spatula until smooth and well-combined.
2. Spread cream cheese mixture into deep 9-inch pie plate or oval platter. Spread hummus on top of cream cheese layer. Sprinkle on cucumber, then tomato, olives, feta, peppers, and onions.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. Serve with pita chips or tortilla chips.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups of dip

What We're Eating - Week of 2/23/09

I skipped a week with our menu planning because we were out of town last week for a long weekend. Here's what I have planned for this week.

Monday

Spaghetti Marinara

This is one of my last-minute meals. While the spaghetti is boiling, put 1-2 T. of olive oil in a 10-12 inch pan. Add salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and 4-5 minced garlic cloves. Stir for about a minute until garlic starts to brown. Add one 28-oz can crushed tomatoes (Muir Glen are my favorite). Let simmer until spaghetti is cooked; then add fresh basil to taste. Serve with Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Tuesday

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Whole Wheat Popovers

I have a lot of fresh broccoli I got on sale, and I don't want it to go to waste. I'm not sure what recipe I'll use, but if it's good, I'll post it.

Wednesday

Giant White Beans with Chipotle

We never ended up having this a few weeks ago. I soaked the beans, though, and put them in the freezer, so this should come together easily.

Thursday

Beef tenderloin, red bell pepper, and sweet onions on the grill
Crash Hot Potatoes (recipe on this site under "Sides")

Friday

Fish tacos

Mixed Antipasto

I've been making this recipe for years - it's another one that is great for a crowd. I also like it because whatever diet or eating plan your guests are following, they will almost certainly be able to find something in it that they can eat. I often mix the leftovers with pasta or bake it into a lasagna. The original idea came from www.epicurious.com, but I've lightened the marinade and changed the ingredients somewhat.

Mixed Antipasto

Marinade

1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried orégano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients except olive oil in a bowl. Pour in olive oil slowly, whisking until emusified (mixture should be translucent, not separated). Set aside.

Ingredients
Fresh broccoli florets and baby carrots, blanched (boiled for a minute or so, then plunged into cold water)
Roasted red peppers
Sun dried tomatoes
Chunks of mozzarella cheese
Chuncks of provolone cheese (buy unsliced from the deli)
Stick pepperoni, cut into small chunks
marinated mushrooms
pepperoncini peppers or banana peppers
olives
artichoke hearts

Chop all ingredients into bite-sized chunks and put in large serving dish. Re-whisk marinade and pour over ingredients; toss gently. Chill for several hours. Can serve cold or at room temperature. Set out toothpicks for guests to make their own combinations. Obviously, if you use large quantities of all the ingredients, you will need to make additional marinade.