Dinner for One

Sorry for the long absence everyone! Just been so crazy busy. Well I think that even with the busiest schedules there are those rare times where we find ourselves alone for dinner. One of my all time trusty faves for those times is a good old sandwich-but not just any sandwich,a panini. Crispy bread,yummy prosciutto & mozzarella with homemade roasted peppers-how can you go wrong? Its satisfying,easy & the best thing-hardly any cleanup! So fix this yummy sammie & relax-you've earned it :)

Prosciutto,Mozzarella & Roasted Pepper Panini
2 pieces of Ciabatta bread,thinly sliced
3 slices prosciutto
2 slices mozzarella
2 oz. roasted red peppers

Preheat a grill pan or panini press
Build your sandwich making sure everything is in even layers.
Drizzle with olive oil
If using a grill pan,weight down the panini with a heavy pan.
Brown 2-3 minutes per side until cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

Chilly Days,Warm Nights

Well Readers, if you're like me, you're getting sick & tired of all the cold & snow! On days when the weather is cold we need something nice & hot to keep us warm & satisfied. One thing comes to mind-a steaming hot bowl of soup. My favorite soup ever is Potato Leek. Many years ago, I was lucky enough to work with a wonderful chef who gave me the best recipe for this beautiful soup. I have tweaked it just a bit with the addition of one of my favorite ingredients-pancetta! Let's face it-everything's better with bacon but that's another post all together :) This potato leek soup is great served hot but can also be served room temp or even chilled. Also, if you add shredded rotisserie chicken to it its amazing! I hope you all will try & enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

POTATO LEEK SOUP

Ingredients:

4oz butter
1 Spanish onion,diced
1 bunch leeks,white & light green parts split,cleaned & sliced thin
2 quarts chicken stock
1 pint heavy cream
2 lbs. Russet potatoes,diced small
4 oz. pancetta, diced

Directions:
1)In a large pot, sautee pancetta until browned but still soft. Remove & drain on paper towel.
2)melt butter; add leeks & onions. Sautee until wilted.
3)Add chicken stock & bring to boil. Cook 15 minutes.
4) Add potatoes-cook until very tender
5) Season well with salt & pepper.
6) Stir in heavy cream & return pancetta to pot. Serve with chopped chive or fried shallots(optional garnishes)

Hope you all enjoy this recipe...don't forget to Live, Love & Eat!! :)

Tis' The Season!

Hello Dear Readers!
   I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I have been taking a bit of a hiatus lately but will be back in full swing after New Year's. As always, I do loads of holiday baking. I'd like to share with you a recipe that I adore & is always a hit with my family. It is for my famous (and easy) Jam Thumbprint Butter Cookies!
  I am so in love with these yummy things that I don't just wait for the holidays to make them. I hope you all will enjoy them as much as my family does :) I welcome all of your comments so please let me know what you think. If you have anything that you'd like to see a recipe for just let me know that as well. Have a happy & healthy New Year!

Jam Thumbprint Butter Cookies (Yield approx. 55 cookies)
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup jam (any type)
DIRECTIONS

STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg, and beat until completely combined. With mixer on low, add flour, and mix just until incorporated.
STEP 2
Shape dough into 1-inch balls (about 2 tablespoons each) & roll in sugar. Place on baking sheets, at least 3 inches apart.
STEP 3
Using the back of a 1/4tsp measuring spoon, gently press the center of each ball, making an indentation about 1/2 inch deep. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon into each indentation. Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. If storing, place in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

Holidays :)

Dear Readers,
   The Holiday season is upon us! I absolutely love cooking for holidays especially Thanksgiving! I know most people think cooking for Thanksgiving is daunting & time consuming. Yes, it does take time but if you manage that time wisely you can get all the components of your meal on the table HOT! That seems to be one of the biggest issues. Just think about the time it takes to do each thing you want to make & don't go too crazy! Have your turkey, stuffing and maybe 2 other things. That's really all you need! People tend to make way too much which is why everyone thinks it takes forever to prepare. I make my turkey(which makes its own gravy), my Mom's sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts & broccoli & of course dessert. Honestly, I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes or Brussels sprouts so that's why I make 2 extra things. I usually make a list of everything I'm making & how long it takes to do each thing. My stuffing I prepare the night before & just bake it while the turkey is resting. I do the same thing with the sweet potatoes. Trust me, getting your Thanksgiving meal on the table all at the same time & hot(& with your sanity!) is not a problem with a bit of time management. I lost my Mom in January so this is my first Thanksgiving without her & I am choosing to share her stuffing recipe with you all. It is the best & the only way I eat stuffing! It makes quite a bit so you'll have leftovers :)

Mom's Stuffing

Ingredients:
2lbs. Loose sausage meat without fennel
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
2 small bags or 1 large bag stuffing bread cubes(I used Arnold's)
Chicken broth, as needed

Directions:
1) In a large skillet, heat a 2 tablespoons of oil & brown the sausage until cooked.
2) Add celery & onion to pan & saute until soft but not brown.
3) Add bread cubes & stir. Add 1-1 1/2 cups chicken stock(more if necessary) until moistened but not mushy-keep in mind this will be baked!
4) Butter a 2 1/2qt casserole dish & place stuffing in being careful not to pack it.
*This can be made to this point the night before*
5) Bake at 350(or whatever temp you have your turkey on-I like to bake mine while my turkey is resting) until brown & crusty :)

I hope you all enjoy it & have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Quick & Easy

Hello Readers!
  Let's face it, we all have busy lives. I know when I get home from work I don't want to exhaust myself cooking! It's times like this when our handy dandy repertoire of quick, easy & tasty recipes is put to the test. The other night was just such a night for me so I decided to make a recipe I saw on the Food Network. Now, I really wanted this blog to only contain my recipes but this is definitely one to share! Its meaty,cheesy,creamy & sooo yummy! It's Ree Drummond's(The Pioneer Woman) Sour Cream Noodle Bake!! It ends up tasting like lasagna & just takes a total of 30 minutes!! I hope all of you will try it...I know you'll love it...I didn't even have leftovers!

Ree Drummond's Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Total Time: 30 minutes
Prep:10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds ground chuck
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups small curd cottage cheese (I used Ricotta)
Pinch red pepper flakes (didn't use)
1/2 cup sliced green onions (less to taste)
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
Crusty French bread, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Brown the ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain the fat, and then add the tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, and then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.
Cook the egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Add to the noodles and stir. Add the green onions and stir.
To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, and then sprinkle on half the grated Cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat and then a final layer of cheese. Bake until all the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Serve with crusty French bread.

Autumn

Hello All! So sorry for my absence lately but have been battling some wicked sinuses! Well, my favorite season is upon us...I LOVE Autumn! Cool, crisp air, beautiful scenery & yummy food! Time to open our ovens and fill our homes with wonderful smells and flavors. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I am a bonafide apple junkie! That is the food I most look forward to every fall season. You might be expecting a fabulous apple pie recipe but I am going to take you to the savory side of the apple with this delicious stuffed pork loin. Its filled with tart apples & sweet prunes and apricots. For those of you prune haters out there, I was one of you once! They give such a wonderful depth of flavor to anything. Please send me some feedback & let me know how you like it! Enjoy!


Stuffed Pork Loin with Apples, Prunes & Apricots

Extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into lardons
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Kosher salt
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup prunes, quartered
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped, divided
1/2 cup brandy or Calvados
1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin
1 cup chicken stock

Directions
Coat a large saute pan lightly with olive oil. Add the bacon and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the bacon is crispy and has released a lot of fat, add the onions and season with salt. Cook the onions until they are soft and aromatic, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the apples, prunes, apricots, and half the chopped rosemary. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat and add the brandy. Return to the fire and flambe, or let the alcohol just burn off. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Lay out a length of plastic wrap about 2-feet in length. Spoon the apple mixture onto the plastic and make a log down the center that is about the same length as the pork loin. Roll the plastic tightly around the apple mixture and twist at the ends to secure. The log should be about 1- inch in diameter. Place the log in the freezer and let it freeze solid. This can and should be done ahead of time.

To stuff the pork: Insert a long, thin knife into the center of one end of the pork loin; repeat this process at the other end. Wiggle the knife back and forth to create a place big enough to accommodate your frozen stuffing log. After cutting with the knife, you can use the handle of a long wooden spoon to make sure the incision goes all the way through the pork loin.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Get the stuffing log from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Slide the stuffing log through the pork loin - it might need a little encouragement but it should go the length of the loin. Season the outside of the pork generously with salt and sprinkle it with the remaining chopped rosemary.

Coat a roasting pan with olive oil and bring the pan to a high heat. Add the pork to the pan and sear it on all sides until it is brown.

Remove the pork to a plate and discard the fat in the roasting pan. Add the pork back to the pan pour in the chicken stock. Place it in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, depending on how you like your pork. (I remove it from the oven when a meat thermometer reaches 135-140). Turn it over halfway through the cooking time. Remove it from the oven, cover it with foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.

September 11

As I sit here at the close of my day, I recall what my day was like 12 years ago. A beautiful Tuesday morning, I worked the early shift (7am-11am) at the assisted living facility I waitressed at. About 2 hours into my shift, my manager comes up to me & frantically tells me a plane hit the World Trade Center. I calmly walked out into the lobby to see if there was anything on the news about it and all I saw was black and then a burning building. I figured a plane lost control and crashed. I went back into the dining room and continued working. Then we hear over the kitchen radio that another plane hit the other tower. Now we know this is no coincidence. I thought immediately of my Uncle who works around the corner from WTC & my best friend who went to school near there and prayed they were safe. I finished out my shift and got in the car with my Mom to go home. She asked if I heard what happened. I told her I heard 2 planes crashed into the WTC. She stopped me and said "No, they fell. They're gone." I told her she must've been mistaken-those towers couldn't fall. We pulled up to our house & I ran in & flipped on CNN. The first image I saw was a falling tower. That image is seared in my brain. I fell onto my couch with my face in my hands, frozen except for the tears streaming down my face. Then, another falling tower. My first thought was that this was just a repeat showing of the same tower until they showed a bigger picture. I was completely horrified. How the hell could this be happening???!!! I wondered. I then found out that 2 other planes had also suffered as part of this unholy attack. I prayed for the souls of those whose lives were lost, for those still missing & for their families.
I have a tattoo that says " Never Surrender" reminding me, like that day always will, that no matter what happens in this world, don't ever let anything destroy your strength! I know I will Never Forget...