Spice It Up

One of the greatest decisions I have made in my kitchen is converting a drawer into a spice drawer. For decades I had followed suite as my mother had in putting my spices in a cabinet. Inevitably spices that I used more regularly would be in the front and those that I didn't would fall into the back of the cabinet and be forgotten, never used again and then they'd go bad (and yes, spices do go bad - perhaps stale is a more accurate word). The spice drawer keeps all my spices available at all times and never forgotten. This set-up also enables me to see supply levels easily!

Risotto with Zucchini and Peas

Risotto with Zucchini and Peas

I was always a bit intimidated to make risotto - it can be really great or go south very quickly - but after many years of fiddling with my recipe, I feel like it's just right. A disclaimer: It is time intensive, you must stay with it at all times, but it is worth every minute of it!

Ingredients:

2 cans (14.5 oz) chicken stock

3 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 zucchini, large, cubed

1/2 c onion, diced

salt and pepper

1 1/2 c arborio rice

3/4 c dry white wine

3/4 c frozen peas, thawed

1/2 c parmesan cheese, grated

Parmesan cheese, shaved, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the broth and 2 1/2 c water in a saucepan over low heat; keep warm.

2. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a 5 qt pot over medium heat. Add the zucchini and onions, season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently until the vegetables are golden tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a plate with a slotted spoon; set aside.

3. Keep the heat at medium and add the rice. Cook stirring until the grains are translucent on their edges. Add the wine; cook until liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes.

4. Cook the rice, adding 1/2 cup of the stock at a time. Stir the rice constantly until the liquid is just absorbed before adding more stock. Repeat the process cooking until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Stir in the vegetable mix and the peas until the peas are bright green, about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat, Stir in the parmesan cheese and serve immediately, garnishing each bowl with the shaved cheese.

Welcome

I welcome all of you to my page! It's exciting to see it all starting out. There are, I'm sure, going to be some bumps and alterations along the way as I figure this all out! LOL! I hope you enjoy the things I have to share and it brings you many happy food returns. Cheers!

Baker's Corner

When we moved into our home many years ago there was a slender cabinet that was a bit awkward and I took my time trying to figure out what would work best in it... I present my bakers cabinet- the entire family knows the vanilla, honey, and sprinkles are kept there and it's near my stand mixer (which I adore) so accessibility is prime!

Pasta with Peas and Bacon

Gemelli with Peas and Bacon

Ingredients

1 lb gemelli pasta*

6 slices bacon, chopped into 1/2" pieces

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp flour

2 cup milk*

1/4 c cream cheese

2 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed and drained

1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain and set aside. 

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until tender-crisp. Place the bacon in a large bowl  to drain on paper towels, then crumble into bite size pieces.

3. Heat oil in the same pan, add onion and garlic, sauté 7 minutes. Add the onion mixture to the bacon. Keeping pan over heat, add the flour. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk, stir with a whisk until well blended. Cook until thick, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese, stir until the cream cheese melts. Stir in the peas, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce then fold in the bacon mixture until well blended. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.

* I use gemelli pasta, as it seems to hold the sauce in the tight twists of the tube noodle. I think ribbed tube noodles, like penne or rigatoni would work just as well.

*Milk, I use 2%, so if using less fat you may need to use less to avoid sauce becoming too thin, if using whole fat milk, then use less as the sauce will thicken too greatly and potentially cease up.

Shopping Day

One of the greatest tips I can give is to have a designated shopping day. Mine are either Monday or Tuesday mornings. 

I do mine in the morning after I have dropped my 9-year old off at school. I usually have my 4-year old in tow and by now he knows that he has to help momma with the shopping. I chose the mornings because there is usually only me and senior citizens out there. Seniors are much more patient and relaxed and to be very honest I like vibe-ing off their relaxed energy! Nothing makes grocery shopping more hectic than tense people running through the aisles!!

The night before my shopping I look at my weekly and if possible bi-weekly (sometimes monthly) cooking calendar. I make sure that I have all the ingredients either stowed in a freezer or pantry and if I don't, then on to the list it goes. I also check lunch supplies - the one meal that I glean over all too often as my boys are old enough to pack their lunches. I also make sure that my  "staples" are always in stock. I will get into that list later. 

I have varied levels of OCD with how I run my house and specifically my kitchen - however one of the most intense is my grocery list. It has become second nature in me to create the list in order of how my stores are stocked. Example in my bulk- items store (a certain Wal-Mart affiliate) I know the first items I run into will be cleaners, then snacks, meats, deli, produce, etc. At my regular grocery store I know I do produce first and toiletries last. This is how my list is based. I make two columns one for the bulk store and the other for the regular one. I use to make two separate lists, but then started running into an issue of too many lists, and inevitably losing one of them in during my outings. It may seem like too much work - but it really isn't.

So why build lists like this? Isn't that going beyond OCD? Perhaps - but one of my greatest daily challenges is "getting it all done - each day". The saying "Time is of the Essence" has never been more true than since I have become a mom. These hyper-organized lists keep me from weaving in and out of aisles, having to back track and I build these lists thoroughly so I don't have to guess at what else I need (or pick up junk food that would never make it on my list!)

If you don't have a shopping day, I challenge you to try it. Start with planning a week's meals - even if you just do dinners, then build your shopping list and give it a whirl!

Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
4 (6-8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
3 cups sliced mushrooms (I use Cremini)
3/4 c Marsala Cooking Wine
1 cup chicken stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped chives, for garnish

Directions:
1. In a shallow bowl or plate, combine the flour and following 7 spices - and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove excess flour.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly thickened.

4. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes more. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add the salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Welcome to My Corner!

Welcome to my new blog! It's been a long time coming and I am very excited to start sharing my cooking world with all of you!

I began my life in the kitchen when I was about four years old, just old enough to stand on a chair and "help" my mom bake cookies for Christmas. It was our family's annual tradition and I loved every minute of it... but I also loved the process of it.

When I was twelve years old my parents work schedules changed and we went from having daily family dinners to eating together only once or twice a week. I was a latch-key kid and many evenings I fended for myself in the kitchen with items that my mom had prepped before she left for the night shift as a Pediatric nurse at our town's hospital. This is when I remember falling in love with cooking. I think it was due mostly to my feeling that I had free range of the kitchen. Mistakes were sometimes made, but I always tried my best to operate and produce an end product that was worthy of coming from my mom's kitchen! 

By the time was finishing high school I was determined to make most of the family meals. I was also going through an odd phase where I wanted everything to come from fresh produce and everything had to be homemade - even our pasta... in today's world I would be able to use the word sustainable or organic. 

Before I left for college to pursue a dream to become an artist (ugh) I gave great thought to going to culinary school. To this day I still think of it, and to that I say, I am still young - you never know!! LOL! But I followed my heart and not my stomach and cooking was something that took a place on the back burner (pun intended) - because as a starving art student ones creativity with ramen noodles can only go so far! 

As a mom now, my love for being creative in the kitchen also has a great desire to feed and nourish my family - and that's right, I'm not just talking about food! We are a busy, hectic, loud, boisterous and energetic bunch, just like most American families. I have four active boys, need I say more? At times it seems that everyone has their peaks and valleys of likes and dislikes and as a busy mom I pray that I can put something on the table that will charm everyone's palates.  

What some of you may not know is that I also try my best to plate dishes that are not just yummy and pretty but that are healthy and most especially kind to the heart. We had cholesterol scares with two of our boys and that scare paved a new direction for me in my kitchen. I revamped the way I thought of food and it reaffirmed my love for bringing out the best flavors in anything I made. 

I am a little crazy about food - in case it hasn't shown, but I am totally bonkers about my family. This is really all about them and all the other families out there - putting food on the table that tastes good, is good for our bodies and that give us the chance to eat as a family at a table that is filled with love and great conversation.  

So that's me in a nutshell. I'm here to share some things I've learned, some recipes that we love and to just have fun. Cooking isn't something that has to be a chore or time intensive... I promise it can be great and even if ya think you can't cook - just give it a try and keep a good attitude. Your kitchen might surprise you!... You might surprise you! Cheers!