Tri Color Funday Monday Pasta

It's Funday Monday and for me that included running errands and going to the market.  I much prefer to go to the market several times a week to buy fresh produce.  I arrived home to hugs, kisses and tails wagging.  Max and Prince were sniffing all around the kitchen to see what goodies I came home with for them.    After all, they think it's always about them!  Today's treat was snap beans ~ they couldn't eat them fast enough.  Yum!

I was having some work finished in the kitchen, so tonight's dinner was going to be a simple one.  But ... what to have?  I decided on pasta ~ the perfect easy go to meal. 

               Tri Color Funday Monday Pasta

 ingredients:
pasta of choice
tri color heirloom tomatoes, halved
fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
italian parsley, lightly chopped
olive oil ~ optional

directions:
Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the box and strain.  Do not rinse.  My choice of pasta was Mostaccioli Rigati.  In a large bowl add your pasta, heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and parsley.  Mix everything together.  Drizzle with good olive oil or not ~ your choice.  Season to taste. 


Enjoy and Bon Appetit! 


** the secret ingredient is lots of love ღ

Guacamole and Chips

Next Sunday is Super Bowl XLVI ~ Giants vs Patriots, and like most people I'll be with friends to watch the big game.  I'm not much of a football fan but with all the excitement these last few weeks, I haven't missed a game.  The funny part is I have no clue what's going on ... but I'm there watching and rooting for the New York Giants!  Who will you be rooting for?

Ball games and food go together like a happy marriage.  One staple I always have on hand is Guacamole and chips.  A little chopping and mixing and you're ready to go. 

                    Guacamole and Chips

ingredients:
2 avacados
2 roma tomatoes, cored and diced
1 lime
1 jalapeno, cored, seeded and finely diced
kosher salt and pepper
1 bag of your favorite tortilla chips

directions:
With a sharp knife cut the avacado and pull apart. Scoop out the avacado from the shell.

Mash the avacados adding the juice of one lime and season to taste.  Make it as chunky or creamy as you like.  I also use the zest of the lime, but that's optional. Add the diced jalapeno and mix together.

Add the guacamole to your serving dish and top with tomatoes.  Arrange the tortilla chips around the platter.  I like to sprinkle some diced tomatoes on the chips for color.  Remember ... we eat with our eyes first!  Today I used Multi Grain Tortilla chips.

     
Next week in honor of the New York Giants I will be serving Blue Tortilla Chips.
An alternative to chips would be to serve a variety of vegetables, carrots, etc.
I'm not a fan of cilantro, which is why it's not in my recipe. If you are ~ give it
a good chop and add to your liking.  You can also substitute italian parsley instead
of cilantro.  The fun of cooking is creating a dish with ingredients you enjoy! 


Enjoy and Bon Appetit!  and Go team!


** the secret ingredient is lots of love ღ

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

On this glorious Saturday afternoon, I find myself with the windows open enjoying the strange winter weather Mother Nature is sending our way.  50 degrees in January is just odd.  I love the change of seasons, which is a perk of living in New York.  There is something so beautiful and peaceful about watching snow fall.  I'm a snow lover and cannot get enough of the white powder. 

Today I am sharing an easy recipe for roasted fingerling potatoes.  It's a great side dish for most entrees and would make a wonderful appetizer for football Sunday.  I enjoy roasting potatoes with garlic and shallots, but if you're not a fan, just leave those ingredients out. That's the beauty of cooking.  You get to be creative and adjust the recipe to your liking.  As my father used to tell say "try it ... you might like it."  My dad was a huge potato fan ~ no matter how they were prepared.

Lidia Bastianich Hand Painted Stoneware is my Bakeware of choice.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

ingredients:
fingerling potatoes, washed and scrubbed
1 large shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
kosher salt and pepper

directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a roasting pan toss the potatoes, shallots and garlic with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and any other seasoning you might enjoy.

Toss everything together and bake for 40-50 minutes, turning halfway thru the cooking process so they brown evenly.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

** the secret ingredient is lots of love ღ

Eggplant Frenzy ღ

I love to create a good dish with what i have in the refrigerator and pantry ~ especially since it's raining and disgusting ~ there is no way I would head out to the market in this weather.  I'm so excited to share this recipe with you as it came out delicious!

I'm a fan of eggplant, depending on how it's prepared.  Today I used a baby eggplant ~ which I prefer because it has less seeds.  I don't know about you, but I find the seeds sometimes make my mouth itch.  I chopped and prepared all the ingredients ~ eggplant, red, yellow and orange peppers, onion, garlic, juiced a lemon and was ready to begin cooking.

What I love most about this dish is it can be served cold as an appetizer with chips or would be a wonderful side for any entree.  If you're a vegetarian, it's a great dinner with a side salad.  The fun part of cooking is any ingredient can be substituted or omitted.

                   Eggplant Frenzy Friday

ingredients:
1 baby eggplant, cubed
4 tbs. olive oil
1 small red pepper, cored and diced
1 small orange pepper, cored and diced
1 small yellow pepper, cored and diced
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
5 green olives, chopped
kosher salt and pepper

directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat add  2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add cubed eggplant and saute constantly stirring until golden brown, about 5 minutes or so. Remove eggplant to a plate.  Add the remaining olive oil with onions and garlic and saute until tender and slightly golden.  Add your peppers and saute until tender, constantly stirring.  Add tomatoes, juices and all, and cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens.

Add the eggplant and olives and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy hot or cold. Bon Appetit!


** the secret ingredient is lots of love ღ

Introducing my boyz, Max & Prince

Good morning and Happy Friday. I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to the two loves of my life ... my boyz, Max and Prince.  Max is a golden collie who just celebrated his 12th birthday in November.  Prince is a Bichon and he celebrated his 9th birthday in January.  These two sweeties bring so much love and joy to everyday of my life ~ I couldn't imagine life without them.  They are always in the kitchen while i'm cooking in hopes something will fall on the floor.  They love to snack on vegetables, so I'm constantly giving them carrots, snow peas, broccoli, green beans or whatever vegetables I have on hand.  You can't beat a great healthy snack!  We're on our way to the kitchen to figure out what will be on today's menu. Wishing you a great day filled with laughter and love. ღ



Minestrone

Woke up this morning to a rainy dreary weather day.  I don't know about you, but when it's cold and nasty weather, I want comfort food, and today the soupe du jour is Minestrone.

What I love about Minestrone is you add or delete whatever you like or dislike.  My recipe includes an onion, yukon gold potato, celery (tops included), carrots, zucchini, diced tomatoes, chick peas, black beans and cannellini beans. You could always add  pasta and meat if that's your preference.  Le Creuset Dutch Oven is my pot of choice.

My problem is I cook enough for an army ~ if you can call that a problem. That's always been an issue for me.  The funny thing about cooking is you add a little of this and a little of that and before you know it, you have a huge pot of soup.  As much as I love the cooking, I've never been one for leftovers.  After a day or two, I'm over it and ready for something new. Lucky for me, my dinner date  will  be going home with a care package.  ღ      

ingredients:

2 tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks (with tops), diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 (14 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
1 yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
1 red/orange pepper, seeded and diced
1 bunch of italian parsley, coarsely chopped
1 (14 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 ounce) can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 (14 ounce) can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbs. tomato paste
kosher salt and pepper
4-6 cups of water or stock (depending on your pot size)

directions:

Heat olive oil in your dutch oven. On medium heat add your onion. Cook until translucent without browning. Add garlic and all your veggies. Stir together and add water (or stock) tomato paste, diced tomatoes, beans, salt and pepper and chopped parsley. Simmer for 2 hours. Check seasoning. Serve with slice of toasted bread and fresh parmesan cheese, if desired.

** the secret ingredient is lots of love ღ

They say "Patience is the greatest of all virtues."  The new refrigerator has finally arrived and I love it.  It's spacious with a sleek inside and the freezer is huge. Who knew?  What I'm most thankful for is just having a refrigerator back in my kitchen.  It's the little things in life that we take for granted.  Of course I had to go right to the market and pick up a few things to fill it up with. Welcome home my refrigerator, welcome home. ღ

Two must haves ...

Two must haves for any kitchen ...
Oliver 25 year Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Olio Santo extra virgin Olive Oil

williams-sonoma.com  ღ

Well, it finally happened. My refrigerator went to refrigerator heaven overnight. RIP! 
The new one is being delivered tomorrow so all is good. I'm not cooking tonight, but if
I was pasta, mozzarella and tomatoes would hit the spot. A girl can dream. ღ

Crudite Basket

A crudite basket is always enjoyed at a party .....

Cheese Platter

No party is ever complete without a cheese platter .....

With my refrigerator about to go to refrigerator heaven I decided it was time to do some cooking.  There is nothing worse than having to throw away food.  I set my cutting board in place, got my favorite knife, gathered a bunch of vegetables and starting chopping away. Who knew I would come up with such a delicious dish. ღ


         Vegetable Medley with Plum Sauce

ingredients:
1 napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, cut in half sliced on an angle
1 red pepper, cored and sliced thin
snow peas, sliced
snap beans
1 large shallot, diced
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 tbs. plum sauce
1 tbs. olive oil
kosher salt and pepper

directions:
In a large skillet on medium to low heat add olive oil, shallots and garlic until the shallots are transpararent but not browned. Add cabbage, a little water or white wine constantly stirring for about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and continue stirring. Add plum sauce. Mix together, season to taste. 

Enjoy hot or cold. Bon Appetit!

** the secret ingredient is lots of love ღ