Cupcakes with Beer and Cheese? Who Knew?

For this month’s Taste and Create, I was paired with Stef from The Cupcake Project. Since I am not a baker, I spent a lot of time looking through her cupcake concoctions. I finally settled on the Beer Cheese cupcakes with Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese Frosting. I liked the idea of a beer cheese cupcake. One of my favorite soups is Beer Cheese Soup with Bacon, so it was an easy decision for me to make.

The cupcakes weren’t hard to make; the boys helped me some, and when they were done, they just had to dig in. The oldest ate four, while my youngest ate two plus a bite. They seemed to like them better with no frosting on them. I think part of the reason for that is that the pumpkin muffins I make don’t have frosting on them.

I really think the concept was interesting – my husband’s favorite ingredient, beer, with my favorite ingredients, cheese and bacon all wrapped up into one tasty moist morsel. These cupcakes have to be the moistest cupcakes I have ever tasted; the beer must add that special touch. I also really liked the brown sugar instead of the always present white sugar. I agree with the kids; I liked them better without the frosting, but that is because I don’t have a real big sweet tooth, and the frosting was a little sweet for my taste, but it looked very good, like frosting with little surprises hidden inside.

Beer Cheese Cupcakes with Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup beer
1 stick, plus 1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup grated cheddar
2 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the beer and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter. Add cheddar. Remove from heat, and whisk in the sugar. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold into the batter. Pour into cupcake wrappers and bake for 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean.
Makes 18 cupcakes.

Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

1 8oz package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup grated cheddar
1 cup bacon bits (I made my own, drained it, ran it through the food processor and drained it again)

Make sure cream cheese and butter are room temperature and beat them until creamy. Add grated cheddar. Slowly mix in powdered sugar. Stir in bacon bits.

If you want to try something different, try these cupcakes – they are a different take on an old classic.

Chicken Pasta Salad and a Picture

Before I get to my recipe, I just wanted to post this picture of my youngest helping in teh kitchen. He loves to help me cook and has a blast adding flavor to any dish we create! On to my chicken post.

I like to eat healthy at lunch at school, but I am tired of cottage cheese and tomatoes. I had some chicken breasts in the freezer, so I thawed them, marinated them, and roasted them in the oven. I also decided to try whole wheat pasta too. Not bad, I actually liked it!

I just finished up my pasta salad this week and I must say that I enjoyed every bite

Chicken Pasta Salad Marinade

1 sprig fresh rosemary
½ shallot chopped
2 small cloves garlic minced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup scant white wine vinegar or less
Olive oil to emulsify

Combine all ingredients except olive oil. Drizzle oil in and whisk together to make an emulsion. Pour ½ over raw chicken to marinate. Set rest aside. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, longer if you have time.

Roast marinated chicken in 425 degree oven until just done and still moist.

Chicken Pasta Salad

2 chicken breasts marinated and cooked (see above)
½ lb whole wheat pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained and cooled
1 small can artichokes, chopped
5 peppadew peppers, chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
7 sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 large spoonfuls mayonnaise
Rest of marinade
Salt and pepper to taste

After chicken and pasta have cooled a bit, slice chicken thinly and combine with pasta. Add rest of ingredients except for mayo, mustard, and marinade. After mixture is combined, stir in wet ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is also my entry for this week's Presto Pasta Nights, an event created by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast, and hosted this week by Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once. Go over and check her blog out!

My next post will be this month's Taste and Create event - I have been paired with a cupcake blogger. Wait and see what I post!!

Gringo Chicken Tortilla Soup

Some nights you want an easy recipe for a home cooked meal and fast. I am really liking my Gringo Salsa recipes – this is the second one I have posted about, but the third one I have made.

I found Gringo Salsa one day while shopping on the Hill in St. Louis. I was at Di Gregorio’s, one of the major Italian markets on the Hill. Anyway, on Saturdays, they sometimes have tastings, and I was lucky enough to try Gringo Meatloaf one time. Meatloaf isn’t one of my favorite meals, but this meatloaf and the one I blogged about recently I really liked.

Back to dinner – tonight I made Gringo Chicken Tortilla Soup. Not only was it an easy recipe, Tortilla Soup is one of my favorite soups in the whole wide world. My friend, Dottie, makes the best Tortilla Soup in the world. This recipe, though, is really easy; not as good as Dottie’s, but pretty good nonetheless. When I make this again, I will add green onions and tomatoes, for a fresher taste. The cheese really smoothes out the flavors, and the spice of the salsa really adds a kick to the soup. if you don’t have Gringo Salsa in your area – it is a local product, any black bean and corn salsa should be fine.

Gringo Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 cup cooked chicken cubed – I think shredded would be better
1 jar of Gringo Black Bean and Corn Salsa
1 lb Velveeta cubed
2- 15 oz. cans chicken broth – I used stock
1 15 oz. can corn – drained

Stir broth, chicken, salsa, and corn together, simmer 10 minutes. Add cubed Velveeta, stir and simmer until melted. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream, if desired. For variation – add cooked rice.

Have a great evening! Check out this link for information on Gringo Salsa!

Sauteed Chicken with Pan Sauce

I bought some chicken at the store and wanted to cook it a different way. I usually roast in the oven with salt, pepper, olive oil, and whatever seasoning I want. This time, I decided to sauté it and make a pan sauce to go with the chicken. It made for a good entrée. I served it with some buttered garlic noodles. My kids thought the chicken was wonderful! I can’t wait to make it again for them. I added Dijon to the mix – it added a fresh little zing to the sauce that enhanced the flavor of the chicken. Enjoy!






Sautéed Chicken with Pan Sauce

3 chicken breasts
3 chicken thighs
Flour for dredging
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp
2 shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine or chicken stock/broth
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp butter
1/3 cup parsley chopped

Pound chicken with meat mallet until about ¼ inch thick. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Season the flour with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, coating chicken.

Put 2 tbsp of oil in a large heated skillet – medium high heat. When oil is heated place chicken -in skillet, in two batches if necessary. Don’t crowd the chicken in the skillet. Cook until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through. Remove from pan – set aside on serving platter.

Put rest of oil in pan and sauté garlic and shallots until softened. Deglaze with wine, cook down a bit. Add butter and Dijon, stir to combine. Add parsley, stir gently to combine. Drizzle sauce over chicken, serve.

This dish is really versatile. Instead of shallots and garlic, one can use mushrooms, capers, sun-dried tomatoes; anything that works.

Next entry is a soup that uses my favorite gringo salsa! Have a great day!

Cubed Steak Stroganoff

For this week’s Presto Pasta, I decided to make my version of Beef Stroganoff. It is a pretty easy dish, that has a little kick to it. I am always looking for ways to use the beef we have in the freezer. For tonight’s dinner, I chose cubed steak – why? Because I don’t want country fried steak and I have around 7 packages of cubed steak in the freezer.

Cubed Steak Stroganoff

1 lb. cube steak diced
2 tbsp olive oil plus two turns of the pan
1 ½ tbsp steak seasoning plus 1 ½ tsp
Flour for dredging
Salt and pepper to season the flour
Olive oil – 2 turns of the pan
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole shallot, minced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 cup red wine
A scant 1 quart beef stock
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Marinate steak in a shallow dish with olive oil and 2 tbsp steak seasoning for 30 minutes. Dredge steak in flour and sauté in olive oil until browned. Remove from pan. While meat is cooking, cook noodles according to package directions. Sauté garlic, mushrooms, and onions until softened. Deglaze pan with red wine, let reduce by 1/3. Add beef stock, bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Add meat and noodles to pan. Stir to combine. Add Dijon, sour cream, and cheese. Combine. Top with parsley, stir and serve. Yummy!

This week's Presto Pasta roundup is being hosted by Joanna from Eats Well with Others. Check out the round up this weekend!

Meal Planning for the Week

I try to plan my meals, so that I am not running to the store every day. Some weeks it works, some weeks it doesn’t. This week I am trying something new for me. I have planned out each day’s menu – almost, and am going to try to cook five dinners without going to the store for extra ingredients.

On Sunday, I made several items in preparation for the week. I had been craving chicken and noodles, so I made homemade chicken stock, used the chicken and made chicken and noodles. I also made Cold Tuna Noodle Pasta Salad – an old family favorite. My little one helped peel the eggs for the salad – he likes to help in the kitchen.

Chicken Stock – I often double the recipe so I have quite a bit on hand.

1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into parts – I don’t skin the wings (I am lazy)
4 cloves garlic
3 celery stalks cut into large chunks
2 carrots cut into large chunks
1 onion chopped into quarters or 1 leek chopped in large pieces.
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary, thyme and sage
Salt and peppercorns
Place all ingredients in a large pot with a lid and fill enough to cover chicken and other ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer with lid partially on for 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Remove chicken to a pan and strain liquid. Let stock cool overnight, remove any excess fat that has floated to top of container. Place stock in containers that are freezer safe and freeze for up to three months.

Separate chicken from bones and use in a variety of dishes.

Keeping in the made from scratch mood, I also made homemade bread – see previous post – which filled the house with that wonderful yeasty smell that for some reason, always reminds me of winter. I took some of my bread to a neighbor, whose son told her that I was the best cook. That made my day.

Chicken and Noodles

Shredded chicken from whole chicken – 3-4 cups
2 quarts chicken stock
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 lb pasta – your choice
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper
¾ cup Parmesan cheese shredded

Bring stock to a low boil. Add poultry seasoning While stock is heating up, make a blonde roux with the butter and flour. Melt butter and add flour to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes to cook flour taste out of the roux. When stock boils, slowly add roux and whisk into mixture. Stock should start to thicken. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add chicken to thickening stock and warm through. Season with salt and pepper

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions, leaving pasta al dente. After pasta is cooked, add to chicken mixture, stir in parsley, and pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of chicken and noodles and heat in 400 degree oven until cheese is melted and browned. Let stand for about 5 minutes and serve with warm bread and salad. Makes a great meal!`

Monday was a leftover kind of night. Hubby worked late and we had leftover White Castle –that’s right, White Castle. My oldest went with his dad to watch the Rams lose at the football game, and they brought home White Castle. I will admit that I do like the chicken ring sandwiches every once in a while. We also had leftover noodles from Saturday’s dinner and I made a green bean casserole, just because.

Tuesday, Hubby is cooking ribs that we bought from the local fire department – that is our dinner, along with grilled corn and potatoes. He is using a dry rub we bought in Memphis from the Rendezvous restaurant we ate at a couple of years ago on a trip to Memphis. They are famous for their dry rub ribs. We are not making dry rub ribs, but we are putting the rub on the ribs, grilling them for a while and letting them finish off in a low temp oven soaked in bbq sauce. Hubby loves bbq sauce.

Wednesday we had linguini with clam sauce, garlic bread, and spinach. This is one of my favorite meals – I just love the combination of pasta and seafood. Sometimes I add shrimp or crabmeat. Today I am adding crabmeat to the pasta.

Linguini with Clam Sauce

2-3 tbsp olive oil
4 anchovy filets
1 tsp basil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, diced small
1 ½ cup white wine
2 cans clam in juice – not drained
1 cup crab meat
Salt and pepper
1 pound linguini cooked according to package directions
1 scoop pasta water
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cups chopped fresh spinach

Bring pasta water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Lower heat to medium and sauté anchovy filets until they melt into oil. Add garlic, pepper flakes, and basil. Heat for 2 – 3 minutes. Don’t burn garlic. Deglaze pan with white wine; bring to boil and reduce heat. Cook down by 1/3. Add clams and crab with juice. Warm through. Add one scoop pasta water, cooked pasta, parsley, and spinach. Cover and allow steam to cook spinach. Stir to combine and serve with garlic bread and salad or vegetable for a great dinner!

Thursday will be leftover day. Since the boys have football practice at 6:00, it is hard to have a hot meal ready before 8:15 or so. I have tried since school started to have enough food in the house to have a meal of leftovers.

I don’t know about Friday yet as I don’t know exactly what our plans are.

I am also trying to use ingredients that are already in the house. The ribs, for instance, have been in the freezer for a while – thank goodness for the food saver! The clams, chicken, tuna, and ingredients for the bread are always on hand.

Enjoy the recipes! I am going to try this again next week! See ya!

Family Recipes and Homemade Bread

Again, I don’t have a specific recipe for this month’s Family Recipes. I do however have another story about food and family. Family Recipes is an event that is hosted this month by HoneyB over at The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch.

As a child, we would go to Toledo almost every Sunday for dinner with my dad’s parents. Grandma was the best cook. I have no idea how she would do it, but she could walk around her kitchen one time – it seemed – and have dinner ready on the table. I walk around the kitchen one time, and I still don’t know what to make for dinner. Anyway, I used to love to watch and help her cook. This month I decided to make homemade bread. I love to make bread as it reminds me of happy times with my family. It also gives me new memories with my boys - they love butter bread.

One of my fondest memories of my childhood was the homemade bread Grandma used to make. It was always warm, fluffy, yeasty, and just the most wonderful tasting bread I ever ate. She always made it for us.

When I was about 13, I tried to recreate the bread that my grandma used to make. I also tried to do all on my own. I kicked my family out of the kitchen for the day and sat down with the Betty Furness cookbook that my mom had on top of the fridge. I do have to add that this cookbook was not written for beginners, so that is my excuse for the story that follows. Had the cookbook had more specific instructions, my bread would have turned out great. I just ordered the cookbook from Amazon – I will have to update on the recipe when I get it. it is supposed to ship within the next day or so.

Back to the story. I gathered my ingredients and started cooking. The recipe called for lukewarm milk. Not knowing what lukewarm really was, I went and asked my dad – wrong choice. He said that the milk would be fine if I just let it set out for about 15 minutes. Yeast doesn’t really rise very well in cold milk.

The recipe called for, I think, 12 cups of flour. I was making bread for an army. I ran out and asked my parents to get me some more flour. They quickly figured out what I was doing, walked into the kitchen, and totally wigged out. The kitchen was a disaster area. There was flour and wet bread dough everywhere. I even managed to get some on the ceiling. Needless to say my mom wasn’t too terribly impressed with me.

We got more flour and tried to fix the recipe, to no avail. Mom decided to put the dough in a paper bag and set it beside the garbage after she learned about the cold milk. Hours – and I mean about 3-4, the bread rose – really! I screamed for my mom and showed her the risen dough. I was so excited. The dough rose!

Mom decided to try and make the bread. Rescuing it from the near garbage, she kneaded and kneaded working her cooking magic on the bread. It didn’t rise too much the second time, but we baked anyway. We ended up with three small loaves of very tasty, very, very heavy bread. It was suggested that the army might want in on my secret so they could use the bread as bombs. Did I say that it was heavy? Dense too. I have never had bread so dense since – it really was good, and it stayed with you for quite a while.

While I don’t have a ton of recipes that my mom used to make, I do vividly remember the bread incident. To this day, the smell of freshly made bread reminds me not only of my grandma baking away in her house, but also of my mom trying to rescue a 13-year-old’s bread mishap.

Ok, here is the recipe - and I was right, pretty close - it calls for 13 cups.

White Bread - Straight dough method From the Betty Furness Cookbook

Tin or aluminium bread pans......Preheat oven to 375 F.

2 cakes quick-acting yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

5 tbsp sugar

4 cups lukewarm milk

5 tsp salt

About 13 cups all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring

5 tsp shortening

Place lukewarm milk in bowl in which you expect to mix dough. To the milk, add the remaining sugar and salt. Add dissolved yeast to milk mixture. Next, add all but 1 cup of the flour and the shortening. Start mixing with a spoon, but as the four and liquid become blended, you will need to finish the mixing with your hand Add remaining cup of flour, but only if needed. Bread dough that is too stiff never makes quite such good bread.

When all ingredients have been mixed, and the dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl, turn dough out on lightly floured board.

Knead until dough becomes elastic and does not stick to board. Place in greased bowl, cover, allow to rise until double in bulk, then punch down. Allow to rise a second time until double in bulk. Remove dough from bowl, punch down and cut into four equalized loaves. Recipe makes approximately 4 1 1/2 lb. loaves. Shape and allow to stand 20 minutes. Then flatten out each loaf and again reshape.

Place in greased pans. Allow to rise until double in bulk, or until imprint does not disappear when pressed with a finger. Just before placing in oven, sprinkle a little cold water over raised dough. Bake. Remove from pans as soon as baked. Cool on wire cake rack.

Pesto for the Winter

I went to the local farmer’s market the other day before football practice and bought all the basil I could find. My friend’s mother gave me more basil and away I went. I made three big batches of pesto for this winter – I spent a total of 3.00 on pesto. Buying basil in the winter almost bankrupts me, but since my oldest loves pesto, I always buy it. Now, with my stash in the freezer, I am ready!

I made the pesto and put it in a zip lock bag. I then used the Foodsaver to vacuum seal it. It should stay fresh for a while. Here is the recipe I used.

Pesto Sauce from Food Network

5 big handfuls basil leaves (about 2 hefty bunches)
1/2 cup pine nuts or 3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Kosher salt
About 20 grinds freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients with 1/2 cup of the oil in a blender and blend. Gradually drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup of oil until pesto is thick and smooth.

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Melt-In-Your-Mouth-Meatloaf

A couple of weeks ago, one of my friends gave me a recipe for “Melt in Your Mouth Meatloaf.” I finally got a chance to try it. It is very easy to prepare, and I love any recipe that utilizes my crock pot.

Here is the recipe from Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 5 Hrs 15 Min
Ready In: 5 Hrs 30 Min
Yields: 6 servings






INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. allegro marinade (or to taste) I used liquid smoke - a suggestion from my friend. It worked out really well.

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well (mixture will be moist.) Shape into a round loaf; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, marinade or liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon over the meat loaf. Cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Ok, so I served the meatloaf to the boys, and man, did they eat. They loved it!!! Like my friend’s daughter, they cleaned their plate. My little one said that I need to make the meatloaf for dinner tomorrow. Little did the little guy know, that was the plan – I made a double batch!

I also made roasted potatoes with garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil and fresh green beans.

I loved the flavors – it had an Italian twist; I used Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Sage is also a favorite seasoning of mine; I could taste a hint of it in the meatloaf – now I have another use for it besides the holidays!! Anyway, this is a great main course to serve. If your crock pot cooks quickly like mine does, it might cook a little faster than the recipe says.

School tomorrow! Have a great evening! Talk to you soon.

Zucchini Cookies, er Muffins I mean.

So, I was all ready to make zucchini cookies from a recipe that one of my high school friends sent me. I gathered my ingredients, and started measuring the shortening……as I was measuring I noticed that it expired in 2008 – not a good thing. I scrapped that idea and started looking for a recipe for my zucchini that my boys could eat for breakfast. My blog dashboard was pulled up and I noticed that Honey B over at The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch had baked chocolate banana zucchini muffins – I was saved!!! Go over to Honey B’s blog! She has tons of neat recipes and giveaways!!

I started gathering ingredients…..now I was out of cardamom!!! I quick facebooked Honey B and she said that cinnamon should be a good substitute. Great I was saved….until I grabbed my cinnamon and saw that it was empty. No worries, I had another jar in the pantry.

Hubby walked in and I told him what I was making – he thought the combination of bananas, chocolate, and zucchini didn’t sound good; until he tried them. They were great! The boys ate two each and we have breakfast for a few days. Since they are so moist they should last – I am keeping them in an airtight container to ensure their freshness. What follows is Honey B’s adaptation from the original at Allrecipes.

Chocolate Banana Zucchini Muffins

3 eggs

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup oil

2 mashed bananas

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins.In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar, oil and banana. Add the cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.

Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. Mix until just moist. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool.

Back again soon with more recipes! I have meat thawing for meatloaf and a chicken dish. See ya soon!!

Paul Mineo's and Friends

I went, with my friends the other night, to a restaurant owned by Paul Mineo. When I was in college, I used to work for him at a restaurant named Willoughby’s. I gained about seven pounds working there – I loved the food. I was so excited to hear at the end of the school year last year that he had opened another restaurant in Westport Plaza. My in-laws dine there quite often and had recommended it to Hubby and me. I didn’t get up there in time to see Paul, though. He passed away from cancer during the summer. Going to his restaurant was bittersweet for me. On the one hand, I was so impressed by what he and his wife created – it was so grown up, elegant and wonderful, on the other hand, I was saddened by the loss of someone I had really respected and disappointed that I didn’t get to tell him how nice I thought his restaurant was.

Every few months, my friends and I go out to eat at a restaurant that one of us picks out. We started doing this a couple of years ago, and it has become an evening that I look forward to each time. We all get along very well - it is just so nice to be able to have friends who accept you for who you are no matter what.

Paul Mineo’s Trattoria is an Italian restaurant that serves Southern Sicilian Cuisine. While it is more formal than Willoughby’s was, there is still an air of casualness about the place. It is comfortable yet elegant. We had, I think, the best time at Paul Mineo’s. It was by far the best food and service of all the restaurants we have gone to as a group. In my opinion, the only restaurant that comes close is Sidney Street Café.

For starters we all tried an appetizer, I ordered the lobster ravioli; and my friends ordered calamari fritti; eggplant parmigiano; and Carciofini Alla Lea, which is artichoke hearts prosciutto and cream cheese – yum! We sampled each other’s apps and they were all very good. I have to say that I was surprised by the eggplant. I have never been a huge fan, but the eggplant was very good – I am going to have to make some. The calamari was perfectly cooked, and the marinara was a perfect compliment, not too spicy, not too bland. Heather thought the lobster ravioli was the best – she loved the cream sauce with the sherry and saffron. We also each had a salad and then it was on to the main course!

My friends ordered Bucatini Ala Arabiata, a spicy tomato sauce with capers and mushrooms; Linguini Mare Monti, seafood pasta with mushrooms in a garlic butter white wine sauce; and Chicken Spiendini. I have since talked to one of my dinner companions, and she did the same thing I did – she took her leftovers to school, just like I did. I usually give my leftovers to my husband – not this time! The seafood pasta had lots of meat and the sauce was light and flavorful, allowing the seafood to be the star, the mushrooms added a freshness that always adds to a dish. The only down side to the entrees would have to be the bucatini – it was a bit spicy for my friend. She really liked the flavor, but for her it was too much heat. While I didn’t get to try everybody’s dish, they all looked great.

Dessert was a complete surprise – we were treated to a sampling of three of Paul Mineo’s desserts; cheesecake, a cannoli, and tiramisu. Since I am a big fan of cheesecake, that was the best for me. The tiramisu and the cannoli were also very good, but I just can’t pass up cheesecake.

Christoff, our waiter, was fabulous – he is in our picture. The service was probably the highlight of our meal. We really enjoy a waiter who tries to make our dining experience something special. He paid attention to us, without suffocating us, and just did what he could to ensure that our dinner an event. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants a special night out without totally breaking the bank. They also cater almost any event one might want; from wine events to wedding receptions, they can make any event a total celebration.

Mexican Rub - Very Very Tasty!!!

Last night, even though it was too cool to swim, it wasn’t too cool to grill. We grilled chicken wings and beef and shrimp kabobs. This is the second time I have used the rub I am going to share with you. It is out of the Weber Grilling cookbook – a favorite summertime cookbook of mine.

It is a Mexican rub that, according to the cookbook, is ok on all types of meat. I decided to put the rub on the shrimp and the beef – turned out very well. The cumin adds a great flavor without the heat, and the coriander adds that something special that leaves one wondering – what is that?

Served with a salad, green beans, and roasted potatoes, dinner was great! I just love sharing meals with my family. There is nothing better, except maybe family and friends.

Mexican Rub – from Weber Grilling Cookbook

Makes about ¼ cup

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pasilla or chili powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried oregano

Mix together and rub onto red meat, pork, poultry, seafood, or vegetables. Grill how you want.

See ya soon! Thawing meat for meatloaf and getting ready for chicken bouillabaisse.

Zucchini Bread Times Two

So, on Friday or Saturday morning I posted on my Facebook that I was going to make zucchini bread and zucchini pie. I made the bread but didn’t get to the pie. Saturday night, I made zucchini bread with nuts from a new recipe. I was surprised by how small the loaves were. Even though the recipe said that it made two loaves, I think it should have just been one loaf. Anyway, this morning my oldest ate a slice for breakfast and didn’t like it. I think it was the nuts. I thought it was good – small, but good. The bread to me, has great texture, which you can see in the picture. I might try this recipe again, but without the nuts and only one loaf. I will take those loaves to school tomorrow for anyone there who might like some bread.

So today, I tried again with a different recipe – I made chocolate zucchini bread with no nuts, and boy, was that a hit. They loved it! I have some zucchini left, so hopefully I will be able to make the pie tomorrow. The bread was very moist and chocolaty, but not too much.

On my cooking list: blueberry muffins, crock pot meatloaf, and chicken bouillabaisse. Talk to you later!

Summertime Pasta - Light and Tasty

Once school starts, it is sometimes hard to put good food on the table. With the boys getting older, they are getting more involved in activities. Since they can’t drive, we have to take them. This week we had cub scouts, school orientation, and football. Yesterday, we didn’t have any activities, so I had time to cook. Problem is I didn’t have much in the fridge. After pondering for what seemed like forever, I finally settled on a summer time pasta.

Since I posted PPN last week, I have been craving a Caprese pasta. I had the pasta, cheese, tomatoes…..and no basil. I substituted spinach and made dinner, adding chicken to make it more sustaining, for lack of a better word for my husband. For some reason, he thinks if there is no meat at dinner, then he is hungry for the rest of the evening. The fresh tomatoes added a pinkish hue to the sauce. While there were quite a few ingredients in the dish, it was light and tasty, and not filling at all.

I am entering this for PPN this week. Presto Pasta Night is an event created by Ruth from Once Upon a Feast and is hosted this week by Helen from Fuss Free Flavors. Head over there and check out the round up once it is posted.

Caprese Pasta (sort of) with Chicken

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3 chicken breasts – cooked your way, cut into small pieces. I grilled mine with Emeril’s Essence
1 small can artichoke hearts, quartered
1 medium ball fresh mozzarella cheese
4 large handfuls fresh spinach
2 cups tomatoes, diced
1 lb pasta, your choice, cooked al dente
1 ½ cup chicken stock
¾ to 1 cup white wine
1 cup pasta water – if needed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, sauté garlic in olive oil in large skillet for two minutes. Add chicken and Italian seasoning, and warm through for 2 to 3 minutes. Add stock and white wine, bring to boil and reduce by about 1/3. When pasta is finished cooking, reserve some of the cooking liquid and add pasta to sauce. Add rest of ingredients, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Add pasta water if needed, serve immediately.

We are coming to the end of a busy week, talk to you soon!

Presenting Presto Pasta 127!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Presenting……….The latest installment of Presto Pasta!!!!!!! Yipee!! Here it is, Presto Pasta Number 127 and does it look fabulous! Presto Pasta was created by Ruth from Once upon a Feast. For those of us who love pasta, this is a great event to not only participate in, but to also host. I do apologize for posting this roundup late – it is my first week back at work, and I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off! Anyway on with the show.

For our first entry - Gay from A Scientist in the Kitchen has sent Octopus and Fettuccine Orientale, which is quite exciting! I will have to try this as I actually have an octopus in my freezer! Thanks Gay and it looks terriffic.

Deb from Kahakai Kitchen has blogged about a Healthy Tuna Casserole that has whole wheat pasta. She says that sometimes you just need comfort food, and I couldn't agree more! It looks so good and decadent. Noone has to know that it is healthy.

Joanne from Eats will with Others shared her Caprese Pasta Salad, one of my favorite things, to the roundup. What a perfect summeritme treat - all the flavors of summer rolled up into one pasta dish!

Eat the Right Stuff's creator, Abby, submitted Mushroom and Rosemary Mafaldine pasta and oh my gosh, this looks just so great! With fresh and bright flavors, I can't wait to try this dish!

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes blogged about Leftowver Chicken Pasta - looks fresh, not leftover to me! Cooking with leftovers requires great recipes - try this one if you have some chicken!

Daphne from More than Words sent us Easy Peasy Chorizo Pasta. Pasta, chorizo, beans - yummy! Daphne is new to chorizo - looks like she did a great job! Thanks!

Mansi, from Twist to the Taste, is new to Presto Pasta. Welcome!! She is submitting Tomato Pasta, cooked with Whole wheat noodles and without Cheese, a Healthy twist to our regular pasta. Sounds good to me.

Eating Pleasure submitted Stir Fried Vermicelli with Tomato Sauce. Her recipe has been passed down from her grandma in law. Those are the best - old family recipes!!!

And last, bugt not least my entry. I prepared Braised Short Ribs with Penne. This is a hearty easy pasta that fills you up without being a heavy pasta.

My thanks to all who submitted - what a great round up! I can't wait until next week. Thanks so much, Ruth, for letting me host!

Presto Pasta and Short Ribs!

This is my entry for Presto Pasta nights, an event created by Ruth over at Once Upon a Feast – go check out her blog! It is full of great stories and recipes. I have the honor of hosting this week – very excited to see what everyone has come up with! Look for the roundup next entry!!

This is a pasta dish that I made a few weeks ago and never had the chance to blog about. As you all know, we get a side a beef every year, and sometimes I wonder what I am going to cook with some of my beef. I get beef short ribs as part of my beef and the first time I tried to cook them, I failed miserably. It was a total catastrophe that my husband still teases me about to this day. Needless to say, I have been hesitant to try them again, that is until I saw Giada cook Penne with Braised Short Ribs. I didn't have any penne, so I just used what I had on hand.

The ribs were braised and the sauce included two of my favorite ingredients – red wine and Dijon mustard. The combination made for a great hearty dish that really filled you up without being too heavy It was a fabulous pasta! Not only was it easy to cook, I got to use my immersion blender, my coolest kitchen tool. I know the recipe called for putting the sauce in a food processor, but I found the blender worked just great.

Try this pasta – even if you have to go buy some short ribs. They are full of flavor, not expensive and they are actually very versatile. I have some more in the freezer, and I plan on trying to make more short rib dishes! I hope they are as successful as this one.

Talk to you real soon! Have a great day!!

Presto Pasta Night 127

I am lucky! I get to host Presto Pasta Night this week!!! This is an event that I have often participated in. Ruth over at Once Upon a Feast is the brainchild of this terriffic event. As most of you know, pasta is one of my favorite food groups!!

If you want to enter, feel free to sign up here and click here if you want to host. Send your entries to sprange (at) hometel (dot) com by Thursday night if you would like to participate this week. I am sorry for the late notice, but this is my first week back at school, and I am going nuts.

I will have my pasta entry tomorrow! Have a great day!!!

Very Berry Cheesecake

I took the kids to our time share near Herman Mo. the other day, while a friend of mine took her daughter to their family farm not too far away from our time share. Hubby met us up there later in the day. Since Hubby and I got sick, we couldn’t go on the kid portion of our vacation. This trip was trying to make up for it.

We had quite an adventure getting to our destination. There was tons of traffic and we were stuck in traffic for more than one hour. We finally arrived, and the boys and I checked in and drove to the farm.

What a cool place – it is really a place for hunters to hang out, but it is still very nice. They have three different gardens with tons of great produce. I got to sample the zucchini, tomatoes, and blackberries. I have to say, it is a toss-up between the blackberries and tomatoes. I was very fortunate in that I got to take some of both home, so we have been enjoying them for the past few days.

I decided to make blackberry cheesecakes with some of my blackberries – berry good!! The recipe is from Ina Garten. She made a raspberry cheesecake, so I just substituted blackberries for raspberries. The cheesecake was very easy to make, and it turned out great. My oldest helped me with the baking – he loves desserts! We made two cheesecakes, and delivered to three of our friends. As the boys said, it was a good day!

Pancakes and Family Recipes

This is a new blogging event for me that I hope to get the chance to post again. Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch is hosting a blogging event called Family Recipes. I told her I would be more than happy to submit a post as I had tons of family recipes. I don’t know, however, what happened to me this month. I had all kinds of plans for great recipes and stories to tell, but, well life gets in the way. What I do have is a story and memories surrounded by food that was made with love.

I know I have talked about my granddad’s pancakes before, but I made pancakes this morning for the kids, and this has become a special time in our family as well. We did have to argue about what flavor pancakes we made – we settled on regular pancakes as I had just made blue cornmeal pancakes the last time I made pancakes. Actually cooking and eating as a family has become special for us; the boys like to be involved in the decision making for meal and have their favorites they like us to make. In fact, last night over a great dinner of pasta with roasted tomato pesto and fish from Bob’s Seafood Company, we started talking about The Next FoodNetwork Star’s finale show tonight. My little one said that we should make our favorite foods to celebrate this occasion. If we were to do that, we would be eating Pasta with Pesto, spaghetti, fries, baked beans, shrimp on the grill, cooked spinach, pork steak, and mashed potatoes. We don’t have enough time in one day to cook all that, but the thought is cool.

Anyway, back to this post. What I remember most about growing up is the fact that both sets of grandparents always tried to make the foods we loved. One of my favorites was my grandma’s fried potatoes and pumpkin pie. Another favorite was my granddad’s pancakes. I loved watching him cook them every Saturday for me. He did this for years, and I can still see him mixing and stirring and talking about the benefits of buckwheat – his pancakes were always made from scratch. So this entry is dedicated to those in my family who fostered my love for food and family togetherness. I will never forget sitting at the table picking at scraps of food left on the platters, eating holiday leftovers, planning menus with Grandma – both of them, getting excited about going somewhere not only because of the family members I would see, but also – and maybe more importantly, depending on my age, what food was going to be served. Food and family are so intertwined in my life – I hope it is the same for my kids.

Pancakes from the Betty Crocker Cookbook

1 large egg
1 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat flour
¾ cup milk
1 tbsp granulated or packed brown sugar – I use brown
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Margarine or shortening

Beat egg in medium bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients except margarine until just smooth. For thinner pancakes, stir in additional 1 to 2 tablespoons milk.

Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat or to 375 degrees. Grease griddle with margarine if necessary. For each pancake, pour in slightly less than ¼ cup batter. Cook pancakes until puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook on other side until golden brown.

Turkey, Turkey, and More Turkey

If you watch Robin Miller, she tries to take one meat and make it into more than one meal. I was able to do that this past week with turkey breast tenderloins. I had seen them at the grocery store and got a great idea for pasta. I thought that turkey bacon club pasta sounded good, so I bought some tenderloins. If you have never bought turkey breast tenderloins, I am here to tell you that they are very large.

I came home, marinated them in a rosemary lemon Dijon marinade, and roasted them in the oven. After making my pasta I had a lot left over, so I put it away and thought about what to make with the rest of the turkey.

In addition to the turkey I had left over, I had also been mulling over trying very hard to be much better about using everything in my fridge. I had tried this one time before, but I got sick, so I am trying again to just use what I have one hand for a while.

Back to the turkey. I made my Turkey Bacon Club Pasta, had a bunch left over, made a salad with the turkey and bacon that I cooked, and then made a different version of turkey and noodles. All in all, I think the food turned out really well, and I was impressed with myself that I didn’t go buy a bunch of new ingredients to make the other two dishes.

The Turkey Bacon Club Pasta is my entry for this week’s Presto Pasta, and event created by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast. This week Amy from Very Culinary is hosting.

Turkey Bacon Club Pasta

Marinade

1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large sprigs rosemary
¼ cup or less red wine vinegar
¾ cup olive oil
Sugar – to taste if bitter

Mix all ingredients together and drizzle olive oil in to create an emulsion.

Marinate turkey tenderloins in marinade for 2-3 hours. I cut my turkey into long strips to make it cook more quickly.

Cook turkey in a 425 degree oven until just underdone, or grill over medium high heat until just underdone.

Pasta

One lb. pasta your choice – just undercooked
Olive oil – 3 turns around a large skillet
4 cloves garlic, minced
¾ - 1 lb cooked turkey breast tenderloin – diced or shredded
½ ¾ cup white wine
1 ½ cup chicken stock
2 tsp poultry seasoning
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 slices cooked bacon, diced
2 ½ oz baby arugula
6-8 sundried tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup sour cream
½ cup mizithra cheese, grated

Cook pasta according to package directions, but leave undercooked to finish in sauce. while pasta is cooking, sauté garlic in olive oil until softened. Add poultry seasoning, wine, and stock, bring to a boil and reduce by about a quarter. While at a simmer, add sour cream and mustard, stir to combine. Add turkey and pasta stir. Keep heat on low and allow mixture to thicken. As pasta dish thickens, add bacon, tomatoes, and arugula. Sauce will thicken upon standing. Sprinkle with grated mizithra cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Tukey Noodle Casserole

1 lb cooked turkey breast tenderloin – cooked and drained
8-9 oz spaghetti noodles, cooked
1 quart chicken or turkey stock
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp butter, melted
Grated mizithra cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring stock to a boil, add noodles and cook. After noodles are cooked, slowly add roux mixture and thicken to desired consistency. Add turkey and mix. Pour into pan – grease if necessary. Sprinkle cheese on top and heat in oven until cheese melts and mixture boils at edges and is heated through, about 20 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes and serve.

All dishes were yummy!!!! Back with more soon! Have a great day!