Everyone has those days that they come home...No, strike that, driving in the car on the way home...that's when it hits you: You have had an incredibly busy day, and you still have to cook dinner. Fabulous. I had such a day recently, and decided that spaghetti would be on the menu. I had forgotten to find a new recipe for the evening and a nice big bowl of spaghetti sounded so much better than dealing with the flurry of rushed recipe reading that was my alternative.
Now, the spaghetti sauce that I make does not come out of a jar...oh no. But it's still easy, and tasty, and yum yum yummy. This is a Kelsey original that I have been working on for the last couple of years, and it's getting pretty close to perfect. Now, I don't use measurements when I'm cooking on my own, so these are my best guesses.
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb (or 1 roll) Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz.)
1 can of tomato sauce (14.5 oz.)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. basil
2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
salt & pepper to taste
First, brown the beef and sausage, adding the sliced mushrooms when the meat is almost down. Drain the meat and then add the rest of the ingredients, blending well. I let this all simmer for at least 30 minutes. The time will help the sauce thicken and really allow the flavors to develop. I correct the seasoning as the sauce cooks down, which means, I taste the sauce and add salt/pepper as needed while it cooks.
When the sauce has about 10 minutes left to cook, I put the water on to boil for the pasta. Angel hair is my personal favorite, but this sauce is great on anything. Salt the pasta water heavily, this helps give the pasta flavor while is cooks. Also, I add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the water. This helps prevent the pasta from sticking together. Angel hair doesn't take long to cook, so watch it closely. You can choose to serve the sauce spooned over the top of the pasta after serving, or you can drain the pasta before it reaches the optimal 'al dente' and toss the pasta with the sauce while it finishes cooking. This technique allows the flavors integrate.
I serve with garlic bread and Parmesan cheese. Add a nice red wine and you are all set!
I truly hope you enjoy this sauce. I'm quite proud of it. As always, happy cooking...because I certainly am. And don't forget to take out the bay leaf!!
Bon Appetit!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Martha Stewart's Turkey Taco Salad
I decided to go with an entree salad this time around. Something light, but satisfying at the end of a hot summer day. I found this recipe on marthastewart.com. I chose the turkey version of this popular dish because I love diversity in my proteins. I used a ground turkey thigh, instead of breast, because it has a higher fat content. The fat content means more flavor, and it also helps to prevent the infamous 'drying out' that turkey is notorious for. Also, the recipe calls for Boston lettuce, but 'butter lettuce' is the same thing and the name more commonly used in the grocery stores.
I loved the quick and easy prep: dicing one small onion, one small zucchini, and one small red bell pepper. Not bad, at all.
I sauteed the onions in two tablespoons of olive oil until they were translucent, not quite browning, and then added the turkey. I let this cook, stirring often, until the turkey was just starting to brown. A cup of salsa verde and the rest of the veggies were added to the pan and then other then a few quick stirs, left to cook for about 5 minutes.
The directions say to pull the pan off the heat to let the turkey mixture cool while you prep the rest of the salad, and I chose to follow these instruction instead of prepping everything ahead of time. I did this because the turkey really should be only warm when added to the lettuce mixture. Otherwise, the lettuce can wilt, and that just doesn't look or taste very good.
The lettuce mixture was two heads of Boston/butter lettuce, a cup of halved cherry tomatoes, and crushed tortilla chips, tossed with more of the salsa verde and a touch of olive oil.
When plating, I spooned the turkey blend over the salad, and then sprinkled shredded Monterey Jack cheese over the top.
It's not the prettiest thing I've ever made. Partly just because the turkey is gray...not the most gorgeous of colors to have on a plate. But, this salad is delicious. It has all the best qualities in a good dinner for me: It's quick, easy, and tastes great.
You can also substitute the ground turkey for ground beef, or (as Martha suggests) make it vegetarian and use a can of your favorite beans.
The only modifications I would make to this recipe in the future would be to add some diced avocado and a squeeze of lime before serving. Those small additions would bring the dish from good...to amazing! Also, a pairing with a good gazpacho or a cold corn chowder would compliment this dish very well.
Until next time!
I loved the quick and easy prep: dicing one small onion, one small zucchini, and one small red bell pepper. Not bad, at all.
I sauteed the onions in two tablespoons of olive oil until they were translucent, not quite browning, and then added the turkey. I let this cook, stirring often, until the turkey was just starting to brown. A cup of salsa verde and the rest of the veggies were added to the pan and then other then a few quick stirs, left to cook for about 5 minutes.
The directions say to pull the pan off the heat to let the turkey mixture cool while you prep the rest of the salad, and I chose to follow these instruction instead of prepping everything ahead of time. I did this because the turkey really should be only warm when added to the lettuce mixture. Otherwise, the lettuce can wilt, and that just doesn't look or taste very good.
The lettuce mixture was two heads of Boston/butter lettuce, a cup of halved cherry tomatoes, and crushed tortilla chips, tossed with more of the salsa verde and a touch of olive oil.
When plating, I spooned the turkey blend over the salad, and then sprinkled shredded Monterey Jack cheese over the top.
It's not the prettiest thing I've ever made. Partly just because the turkey is gray...not the most gorgeous of colors to have on a plate. But, this salad is delicious. It has all the best qualities in a good dinner for me: It's quick, easy, and tastes great.
You can also substitute the ground turkey for ground beef, or (as Martha suggests) make it vegetarian and use a can of your favorite beans.
The only modifications I would make to this recipe in the future would be to add some diced avocado and a squeeze of lime before serving. Those small additions would bring the dish from good...to amazing! Also, a pairing with a good gazpacho or a cold corn chowder would compliment this dish very well.
Until next time!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Happy Chocolate Birthday Cake, Mom!
I have been remiss, and must now reminisce about a cake I baked and ate last Friday...oh darn.
It was a birthday cake for my mother. As I got the information for her surprise dinner party, I thought...what a great opportunity to give her something special from my heart...AND I'd already promised you a dessert. Win-Win.
I made a deliciously moist chocolate cake with a whipped cream cheese icing, and fresh, sugared strawberries. Be jealous.
I decided not to experiment on my mom...at least not on her birthday, so I used recipes that have given me fabulous results in the past.
This chocolate cake is my 'go-to' cake for everything. This is, hands down, the best chocolate cake you will ever eat. I cannot take credit for the recipe, just the time I spent testing recipes to find this gem. It is so simple, but I will never tell you where I got the recipe because..well, I want to make a better chocolate cake than you.
After I got the cake working, I sliced two boxes of fresh strawberries and poured about a 1/4 cup of sugar over the top. I mixed lightly, just to blend the sugar with the berries, and then let them set to macerate while I made the icing.
Maceration is a fabulous process that releases the juices and softens the berries until they melt in your mouth. I like this option better then a glaze because you still have the beautiful natural flavor of the fruit, not the mediocre taste of processed food.
I actually made two icings. First, I made a chocolate frosting that I had never tried before. I got the recipe off the back of the Hershey's Cocoa Powder box. Very easy, but VERY sugary. It calls for 3 cups of powdered sugar, which is not unusual for a frosting of this nature (a buttercream knock off), but man...if the consistency had been right with only 2 cups, I would have left it at that. I had planned on using the chocolate frosting to ice the outside of the cake, while only using the whipped cream cheese icing as a filling with the strawberries. But, as you can see, it was so beautiful with the fruit peeking out from between that chocolate heaven. I couldn't bear to cover it up. Not to mention the super sugar-fest that I referred to earlier.
My whipped cream cheese icing recipe is from allrecipes.com. It is light, and creamy with just the right amount of sugar. It stands up to room temperature very well, and is absolutely divine.
For presentation, I started with my base chocolate cake layer. Then piped on a thick layer of the icing. Do not waste money on icing bags. I have happily used Ziploc bags for over a year now, they are cheap, you can use any piping tips you have, and it's the easiest clean up in the world, aka: the trash can.
I spooned on the strawberries, taking care not to let too much of the juices make it onto the icing. I didn't want it to run and make the second layer less stable. Lather, rinse, repeat, add a pretty boarder to the top layer to cradle the strawberries, and you're done!
Make sure that you level the cake layers before decoration. Cakes dome when they bake, and even a slight incline can make a topple MUCH easier, and no one should have to cry over spilt cake. I use a good bread knife. It's very easy, and completely worth it.
Needless to say, my mom loved the cake, and I had the pleasure of being rude by oohing and aahing over my own dish.
Tomorrow, I will tell you a story of a Taco Salad, and how it graced our table last night.
It was a birthday cake for my mother. As I got the information for her surprise dinner party, I thought...what a great opportunity to give her something special from my heart...AND I'd already promised you a dessert. Win-Win.
I made a deliciously moist chocolate cake with a whipped cream cheese icing, and fresh, sugared strawberries. Be jealous.
I decided not to experiment on my mom...at least not on her birthday, so I used recipes that have given me fabulous results in the past.
This chocolate cake is my 'go-to' cake for everything. This is, hands down, the best chocolate cake you will ever eat. I cannot take credit for the recipe, just the time I spent testing recipes to find this gem. It is so simple, but I will never tell you where I got the recipe because..well, I want to make a better chocolate cake than you.
After I got the cake working, I sliced two boxes of fresh strawberries and poured about a 1/4 cup of sugar over the top. I mixed lightly, just to blend the sugar with the berries, and then let them set to macerate while I made the icing.
Maceration is a fabulous process that releases the juices and softens the berries until they melt in your mouth. I like this option better then a glaze because you still have the beautiful natural flavor of the fruit, not the mediocre taste of processed food.
I actually made two icings. First, I made a chocolate frosting that I had never tried before. I got the recipe off the back of the Hershey's Cocoa Powder box. Very easy, but VERY sugary. It calls for 3 cups of powdered sugar, which is not unusual for a frosting of this nature (a buttercream knock off), but man...if the consistency had been right with only 2 cups, I would have left it at that. I had planned on using the chocolate frosting to ice the outside of the cake, while only using the whipped cream cheese icing as a filling with the strawberries. But, as you can see, it was so beautiful with the fruit peeking out from between that chocolate heaven. I couldn't bear to cover it up. Not to mention the super sugar-fest that I referred to earlier.
My whipped cream cheese icing recipe is from allrecipes.com. It is light, and creamy with just the right amount of sugar. It stands up to room temperature very well, and is absolutely divine.
For presentation, I started with my base chocolate cake layer. Then piped on a thick layer of the icing. Do not waste money on icing bags. I have happily used Ziploc bags for over a year now, they are cheap, you can use any piping tips you have, and it's the easiest clean up in the world, aka: the trash can.
I spooned on the strawberries, taking care not to let too much of the juices make it onto the icing. I didn't want it to run and make the second layer less stable. Lather, rinse, repeat, add a pretty boarder to the top layer to cradle the strawberries, and you're done!
Make sure that you level the cake layers before decoration. Cakes dome when they bake, and even a slight incline can make a topple MUCH easier, and no one should have to cry over spilt cake. I use a good bread knife. It's very easy, and completely worth it.
Needless to say, my mom loved the cake, and I had the pleasure of being rude by oohing and aahing over my own dish.
Tomorrow, I will tell you a story of a Taco Salad, and how it graced our table last night.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Southern Living's Chicken Amandine
Last night I tackled a truly delightful recipe. As silly and cliche as that sounds...it's true.
Let me elaborate:
After spending a ridiculous amount of time looking through this book,
I decided that Chicken Amandine looked delicious, simple, but something I could dress up on a plate and be proud of. It turned out to be incredibly easy and very tasty.
First off, if you've had a frustrating day, this is the dish for you! I got to pound to heck out of four chicken breasts, which was easy AND a stress reliever! I did this to the wonderful smell of sliced almonds browning in butter. YUM!
After removing and the almonds, I coated the chicken lightly with a blend of flour, salt, and pepper, then browned them in the remaining butter. After browning I added 1/2 cup of white wine, (which I would substitute chicken stock for, if you don't like cooking with alcohol) and simmered the chicken for 15 minutes.
These 15 minutes gave me plenty of time to whip up some sauteed green beans and carrots. I think fresh veggies are a perfect addition to this dish, and they look beautiful on the plate.
The sauce was a quick reduction with the remaining wine/juices and the almonds browned earlier. A tip: in the future I will make sure to get a white wine that is not quite so tart. It did not cook off in the sauce and was mildly distracting from the flavor. Vanilla tones would really bring out the almond much better.
Here's a picture for you to drool over...
Be prepared...I think next time I'll do a dessert.
Let me elaborate:
After spending a ridiculous amount of time looking through this book,
I decided that Chicken Amandine looked delicious, simple, but something I could dress up on a plate and be proud of. It turned out to be incredibly easy and very tasty.
First off, if you've had a frustrating day, this is the dish for you! I got to pound to heck out of four chicken breasts, which was easy AND a stress reliever! I did this to the wonderful smell of sliced almonds browning in butter. YUM!
After removing and the almonds, I coated the chicken lightly with a blend of flour, salt, and pepper, then browned them in the remaining butter. After browning I added 1/2 cup of white wine, (which I would substitute chicken stock for, if you don't like cooking with alcohol) and simmered the chicken for 15 minutes.
These 15 minutes gave me plenty of time to whip up some sauteed green beans and carrots. I think fresh veggies are a perfect addition to this dish, and they look beautiful on the plate.
The sauce was a quick reduction with the remaining wine/juices and the almonds browned earlier. A tip: in the future I will make sure to get a white wine that is not quite so tart. It did not cook off in the sauce and was mildly distracting from the flavor. Vanilla tones would really bring out the almond much better.
Here's a picture for you to drool over...
Be prepared...I think next time I'll do a dessert.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Rocco's Pork Chops with Potatoes
I have started this project with a recipe from this book:
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Looking at the cover, I thought, "There's Rocco, looking yummy, standing in a doorway, with a bag of groceries in one arm. If he looks that delicious, the recipes must be divine."
So I cracked it open and decided "Pork Chops with Potatoes" was a good place to start. There are minimal ingredients. A total cook/prep time of less than 30 minutes. What could be easier? Well, Mr. Dispirito...I am not an award winning chef (at least to my knowledge) and I cannot prep two green bell peppers and 4 Idaho potatoes as quickly as your projection stated. Maybe after a month or so of recipe scavenging...but not today.
After about 20 minutes of prep, then came the cooking part. I was meant to cook the pork chops about 2 minutes on either side before transferring to a rimmed baking sheet while the peppers and potatoes cooked in the chops' juices. I let the veggies cook for about 3 minutes (as directed) until just soft, then returned the chops back to the pan to finish up the cooking in a 500 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
30 minutes later my potatoes were still not done, and mine and my son's patience were gone. Thankfully, when I realized that those darn taters were taking so long, I removed the pork chops before they dried out. I added them again toward the last few minutes to warm them back up before serving.
All in all, the flavors were wonderful. The fresh rosemary really ties it all together. BUT next time that I allow the Charm o' Rocco to persuade me, I'll make sure I have a larger block of time to guarantee raw potatoes aren't on the menu.
Looking at the cover, I thought, "There's Rocco, looking yummy, standing in a doorway, with a bag of groceries in one arm. If he looks that delicious, the recipes must be divine."
So I cracked it open and decided "Pork Chops with Potatoes" was a good place to start. There are minimal ingredients. A total cook/prep time of less than 30 minutes. What could be easier? Well, Mr. Dispirito...I am not an award winning chef (at least to my knowledge) and I cannot prep two green bell peppers and 4 Idaho potatoes as quickly as your projection stated. Maybe after a month or so of recipe scavenging...but not today.
After about 20 minutes of prep, then came the cooking part. I was meant to cook the pork chops about 2 minutes on either side before transferring to a rimmed baking sheet while the peppers and potatoes cooked in the chops' juices. I let the veggies cook for about 3 minutes (as directed) until just soft, then returned the chops back to the pan to finish up the cooking in a 500 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
30 minutes later my potatoes were still not done, and mine and my son's patience were gone. Thankfully, when I realized that those darn taters were taking so long, I removed the pork chops before they dried out. I added them again toward the last few minutes to warm them back up before serving.
All in all, the flavors were wonderful. The fresh rosemary really ties it all together. BUT next time that I allow the Charm o' Rocco to persuade me, I'll make sure I have a larger block of time to guarantee raw potatoes aren't on the menu.
Friday, August 5, 2011
The Beginning
When I first decided to start this blog, I set out to completely rip off Julie Powell and cook my way through a Rocco Dispirito cookbook. However, after thinking more about my love for cooking (and for writing), I realized that I wanted an even more long term commitment. Of course, it helped that, due to Rocco's fondness for baby animals and beets, I had to eliminate almost a chapter's worth of recipes. Be warned, I don't cook baby animals. You can point and laugh all you want, but I can't do it. You can't make me! Beets are out due to an allergy, but I won't deny you the fresh pineapple and figs that I am also allergic to. I have guinea pigs lined up, and they can try the recipes that look too good to not try because of a silly swollen tongue.
Tonight, I begin this self-inflicted adventure. I will start with Rocco's Pork Chops and Potatoes, and then begin on a journey of finding the best of the best recipes via the masters: celebrity chefs, family, friends, and hopefully some readers will pass along their favorites for us to explore together too. Chefs all around the world make the best dishes because they love it. They love their food. All cooks have a treasure of a recipe in their pocket. I'm here to discover what those are.
Tonight, I begin this self-inflicted adventure. I will start with Rocco's Pork Chops and Potatoes, and then begin on a journey of finding the best of the best recipes via the masters: celebrity chefs, family, friends, and hopefully some readers will pass along their favorites for us to explore together too. Chefs all around the world make the best dishes because they love it. They love their food. All cooks have a treasure of a recipe in their pocket. I'm here to discover what those are.
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