Even though today is 50 degrees and beautiful, the forecast calls for a little snow and cold weather for the remainder of the week. I don't know about you, but when I hear cold weather I immediately think of soup.
Vegetable Bean Soup
ingedients:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
snap beans, diced
carrots, diced
celery, diced
chick peas
cannellini beans
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 14 ounce can diced or stewed tomatoes
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
italian parsley
kosher salt and pepper
olive oil
directions:
In a dutch oven pour a tablespoon or two of good olive oil ~ add your onions and garlic and saute until tender ~ but not browned. Add all your vegetables and sweat for about 5 minutes or so.
Add 3-4 cups of water (you could also substitue vegetable or chicken stock), beans, tomatoes and tomato paste.
Mix everything together ~ add your parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer on low for 2 hours. Serve with a piece of crusted bread.
Everyone likes different vegetables. Choose the ones you and your family enjoy. That's the fun part of cooking ~ there are no rules! Be creative and have fun with it. I love herbs so I use a ton of italian parsley. If I had spinach or any other green in the house, I would have included it. Today I used what was in my vegetable bin and pantry. If you are a fan of parmesan cheese, use your vegetable peeler and top your bowl of soup with a few strips.
Enjoy and Bon Appetit!
** the secret ingredient is lots of love
ღ
Happy Tuesday Boozday friends. What a beautiful weather day to celebrate the New York Giants Super Bowl Parade of Champions in Manhattan. Congratulations Big Blue!
Yesterday my morning started off with a dental emergency, which is never fun. My tooth cracked and I was in the dentist chair before you could blink your eye. After a little over an hour, I was on my way home ... temporary tooth and all. So for now, I'm cooking soft food to avoid any additional problems.
Now to the kitchen ... what to cook? Time to check out the refrigerator to see what we have to work with.
Asian Stuffed Peppers
ingredients:
2 baby orange peppers, tops cut, seeded and cored
napa cabbage, sliced thin
bean sprouts, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
italian parsley, chopped
plum sauce
soy sauce
olive oil
directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a saute pan on medium to low heat add your olive oil and saute the shallots and garlic until tender, but not browned. Add your cabbage and bean sprouts, frequently stirring.
Add red cabbage and parsley and continue stirring.
Add soy sauce and plum sauce to taste. Cook until your vegetables mixture is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a small roasting pan, add some of the mixture to the bottom of the pan.
Stuff your peppers with the vegetable mixture and place in the roasting pan, including the tops of the peppers. Why waste them, right! Cook for 20-30 minutes.
I've always enjoyed creating a dish with what i have in the refrigerator and pantry. Sometimes, you just don't feel like making a trip to the market ... so use what you have! But remember, you eat with your eyes first ... so make it colorful and inviting. It will taste so much better! Use the vegetables and seasoning that you like and make this recipe your own.
Enjoy and Bon Appetit!
** the secret ingredient is lots of love
ღ
Super Bowl is no big thing ... it's GIANT! The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots 21-17 to win Super Bowl XLVI. WOW what a game! Congratulations to the New York Giants Super Bowl Champions and to the Patriots for a well played game.
I spent the morning running from store to store gathering everything I needed for a fun yet delicious football party. As I've said in the past, I'm not much of a football fan but this game was different. It was the Super Bowl and The New York Giants were in it. My friends Lisa and Lauren spent the night trying to explain the game and what was going on ... and I mean all night! Oh boy did we laugh and have a blast. The dancing that was going on during halftime was hilarious! I had such a good time cooking up a storm, setting the table with all the decorations and getting the house party ready. I don't sweat the small stuff or freak out over entertaining. To me it comes naturally. Always remember ... everything works out in the end. It's about the fun and the memories! Life without friendship is like the sky without sun.
We were a small party ... but there were times during the game I think people in New Jersey and possibly even Florida that could hear us screaming and cheering! Nothing beats spending a fun evening with friends. Lots of wonderful memories made last night!
Friendship is not a big thing, it's a million of little things. I consider myself very blessed. To me ... a friend is the little prize in the cereal box of life. I hope you enjoyed your night as much as we did. Live ~ Love ~ Laugh always think positive!
** the secret ingredient is lots of love ღ
Good morning and Happy Super Bowl Sunday! What's everyone doing for the big game ... will you be hosting a party or attending one? What's on your menu? I have the pleasure of having some friends at my home to cheer on BIG Blue ~ Lets Go Giants!
I'm a huge tomato fan and one of my favorite recipes is Slow Roasted Oven Tomatoes. It's a dish that can be served as a side to most entrees and makes for a great Hors d'oeuvre on a piece of crusty bread or by itself.. I recently served these at a party and it was a HUGE hit! It melts on your mouth and oddly enough tastes like pizza, depending on the seasoning you choose. In the summer, I go to the farm and buy vine tomatoes by the case. In the winter, I use Roma tomatoes but I've also made it with cherry tomatoes. Terrific dish for the vegetarian in your life. This is one recipe you must try ... if you love tomatoes as much as I do, you're going to love this recipe.
Slow Roasted Oven Tomatoes
ingredients:
tomatoes
1 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
italian seasoning
sugar
olive oil
aged balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and pepper
directions:
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Cut tomatoes in half, seed and dry. Arrange tomatoes in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with a good amount of salt, pepper and italian seasoning. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar to each tomato (optional.) Top with shallots and garlic. To each tomato drizzle good olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.
Place in the oven and cook for 3-4 hours. Remember, if there are ingredients you are not a fan of, leave them out. The key to this dish is the 25 year aged balsamic vinegar ... it makes all the difference. Serve hot or at room temperature. Make this recipe yours! Buon Appetito!
Enjoy and Bon Appetit! and Go
Team!
** the secret ingredient is lots of love
ღ
