Lasagna for two

I made a small Lasagna tonight (in a 7x9 pan)--and it was just the thing to have ready to pop in the oven after a night of trick or treating!

I used (almost) one 1/2 pound package of fresh lasagna sheets, some leftover homemade chunky marinara sauce (about 2 cups), 1 cup of ricotta mixed with 3 Tbs. pesto and a cup of parmesan, plus about a cup of mozzarella for the layers and for the top. I also used some thinly sliced pepperoni, scattered throughout. My dinner pal said it was the best lasagna ever! And I managed to throw it together from things in the fridge...I love when that happens! Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin-Carving Picnic at the Panhandle

It was a potluck so I brought a savory Italian pie and a spinach salad with dried berries, goat cheese and sweet/spicy pecans. I had a little bit of extra crust and so used a leaf cookie cutter to create an "autumnal adornment" for the top. If you glaze the crust with egg yolk before baking, it turns the most delicious shade of brown!

Italian Pie:
crust ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 egg
1 egg white
2 Tbs. milk

filling:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion chopped
4 oz. proscuitto, chopped
4 oz. salami, chopped
1 10 oz. box spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pesto
1 egg yolk
1 cup jarred roasted red peppers

To prepare crust:
Pulse flour, salt and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix egg, egg white and milk in a small bowl. While machine is running, add milk mixture to food processor and keep it running until dough forms a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while preparing filling.

To prepare filling:
Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Saute onion, proscuitto and salami until onion is soft. Set aside.

Combine spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, pesto and egg yolk in a bowl and mix until combined. set aside.

Slice red peppers.

To assemble pie:
Preheat oven to 375.

Roll out 2/3 crust into a (rough 10"-12") circle. Place in a springform pan and let the extra go up the sides of the pan, pleating to smooth it out.

Spread 1/2 onion-meat mixture on the bottom of the crust. Add 1/2 spinach mixture followed by 1/2 roasted red pepper strips (just scatter them evenly.) Repeat.

Roll out remaining third of dough into an 8" circle. Put it on top of the pie and roll the edges of the side dough to seal the top. Cut 2-3 vents in the top of the pie. Use extra dough to make a decoration if desired. Brush crust with 1-2 beaten egg yolks.

Bake for 50 minutes. It will stay hot for a good 1-2 hours, great to bring to a picnic as it also tastes delicious at room temp.

Also--you can fill this pie with just about anything --you can easily make substitutions to make it vegetarian. Just stay away from anything too wet so the crust doesn't get soggy.

Once, More!

Ordering in, again! We were supposed to head out to dinner tonight but my dinner pal is feeling sick, so we are getting Tom Ka Gai (coconut chicken soup) and Pad Parang (Crispy tofu and vegetables with peanut sauce) and Red curry Beef from Thep Phanom--a really good thai restaurant.....

Ordering In

Pizza tonight, from Deja Vu--a good pizzeria amidst a sea of bad pizza in SF.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Spinach salad, Couscous

Back to basics! I coat a small pork tenderloin with oil, salt and pepper and grill over medium-high heat for 20 minutes or so. Sides will be a spinach salad with avocado and bacon, and couscous, cooked with chicken broth and maybe some minced sauteed vegetables --whatever I can find in the drawer. It's thursday night and the refrigerator is starting to look empty!

Chicken Korma, Brown Rice, Spinach Salad

Chicken is sauteed with onions--then dump in one 15oz. jar of TJ's Korma Simmer sauce. Add 8 Oz. water and simmer until heated through. I am serving it with brown rice, cooked in chicken broth. The spinach salad has sweet/spicy pecans, feta, edamame, and cucumber.

Polpette and Orzo en Brodo

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
6-8 cups chicken broth
1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. pesto
½ lb. orzo
Parmesan cheese for passing

Directions:
Heat olive oil in soup pot. Saute onion until soft. Add broth and bring to a boil. Mix the turkey, egg, breadcrumbs and pesto in a bowl. Make small meatballs (nickel sized) and drop into boiling pot. Let simmer for 20 minutes. About 10 minutes before serving, bring to a boil and add orzo. (The longer the pasta is in the soup, the thicker it gets!) Garnish bowls with parmesan and pass the Frank’s red-hot!

Calzones

We are having "hawaiian" calzones made with a whole wheat crust filled with canadian bacon and pineapple and mozzarella cheese. I buy a bag of uncooked whole wheat dough (again, from trader joe's) and cut it into 3 pieces. Then stretch it out and fill with whatever ingredients you like, folding over to create a small package. Bake in a 400 oven for 20-25 minutes, until the crust sounds hard when you tap on it. Top with lots of my marinara sauce, (minus the proscuitto this time.) Yum~good comfort food that is somewhat good carb compliant!

Tagliatelle Bolognese

This was based on a recipe sent to me by a good friend, and amazing cook, Carrie (the source of Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza.) I am lazy and so I took lots of liberties--here's my version. We had a green salad and crusty olive bread to round out the meal.

Mince in food processor:
1 large carrrot, peeled.
Add and pulse:
1 small onion.
Empty into a bowl.

Chop in food processor:
1/4 lb. proscuitto.

Melt in a large stockpot:
1 1/2 Tbs. butter

Add veggies and proscuitto, saute for 5 minutes
Add:
1 1/4 cup white wine
cook until liquid almost completely reduced.
Add:
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon sugar
cook for a minute. Add:
1 1/4 lb. ground beef
stir to break up.
Add:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until liquid is almost gone.
Add :
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes.
Bring to a boil and simmer until sauce is very thick -- about 20 minutes.
Serve over cooked pasta.

Ribs, spoonbread, coleslaw

We grilled Lloyds babyback ribs, I made spoonbread and coleslaw. The spoonbread recipe comes from my family cookbook--I cut the recipe in half. The cole slaw dressing came from the back of the package...with some minor alterations.

Spoonbread:
Preheat oven to 425. Grease small souffle dish. Combine in a bowl:
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 cup cream-style canned corn
1 egg
1 package jiffy corn muffin mix

Pour into souffle dish and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 and bake 30 minutes more. Serve hot.

Coleslaw dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs. milk
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. dijon mustard
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 tsp. celery seed
whisk all together in a large bowl. Add coleslaw and toss. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

Tonight my dinner pal returns! I always want something crunchy and green after hours of flying and eating nothing but pretzels and drinking diet coke.

This hearty salad is made up of:
romaine lettuce
shredded grilled chicken
sliced kalamata olives
crumbled blue cheese
crumbled bacon
thinly sliced red onion
cubed avocado

Toss all with vinagrette. Serve with crusty bread.
Note--some people like crumbled--hard-cooked egg in a cobb salad (I shudder to think of it--I loathe the sight, smell and texture!)

Crackers and Cheese

Well, not really. But all I could manage after going on day SIX of solo parenting was to eat some leftovers --heated up the remaining onion pie and finished the green beans. Oh and a few glasses of Bear's Lair cabernet sauvignon. I will be more inspired tomorrowwhen my dinner pal is back in town!

Greek Chicken Wrap

Took the leftovers from last night and tossed cubed grilled chicken with a few tbs. of tziziki. Heated up a tortilla and filled with crunchy romaine and the chicken. Also had a side of green beans. Good single meal--it felt like the perfect combination of not blowing off dinner (oh, I'll just eat cheese and crackers) and not needing to really cook, either.

Women's Group Dinner

Menu:
Tziziki, Hummus and Pita wedges (all from Trader Joe's)
Cheese and crackers (Goatsleap and a La Petite Creme by Rouge et Noir)

Marinated Grilled Chicken
Roasted Green Beans with red onion, feta and pine nuts
Salad with lemon vinagrette and olive bread croutons

Sorbet
chocolates


Recipes:
Chicken Marinade:
1 cup olive oil
juice 2 lemons
1/2 tsp. salt
shake pepper
shake dried italian herbs
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc bag and marinate boneless chicken breasts for a few hours (I marinated these overnight and I think the lemon juice made them tough.). Grill, slice and serve. (I like to serve a whole platter of sliced chicken--somehow, when faced with an entire chicken breast--I feel daunted. It's a bit more appetizing to slice it first.)

Salad with parmesan, croutons, and lemon vinagrette
Croutons:
slice olive or other crusty bread into 1 inch slices. Then cube. Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in a frying pan and toss bread cubes over high heat. Keep turning cubes until crusty on 2 sides. Remove to a paper towel. Can be made up to 2 hours in advance.

Lemon Vinagrette: (also found at original green bean posting but this is here for you, Rachel!)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. salt
shake pepper
shake dried italian herbs
1 big dollop (2 tbs?) dijon mustard
3/4 cup olive oil.
Combine all in a jar or whisk in a bowl until emulsified. Taste and correct seasonings.

Tortellini with peas and parmesan

I ate with the kids tonight. Cooked some fresh tortellini, tossed it with butter, parmesan and some frozen peas. Everybody ate it up!

Leftovers

A night alone, so I am being a good doobie and eating the leftovers. Actually--the white chili is one of my favorites, so I am not feeling too sorry for myself!

Potluck

Owen and Erika brought Goat's Leap Cheese and a lovely bottle of Syrah. Leslie brought a Fred's Steak and I made a savory onion pie. We had a salad of romaine, sweet/spicy pecans, goat cheese and lemon vinagrette. Erika made bread pudding with La Loo's goat's milk ice cream--delicious! A total collaboration!

Invited Up

My lovely neighbors invited me upstairs for dinner as my husband is out of town. They made a whole turkey tenderloin, marinated in something delicious--a combo of balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, worcestershire, garlic powder and cajun blackening seasoning. The key is to marinate it in a ziploc bag for 2 days! I am going to have to try this!

I brought a spinach salad with blue cheese, sweet spiced pecans and a lemon vinagrette.

Wonderful meal!

Papardelle a la Amatriciana

My marinara sauce with proscuitto to make it an Amatriciana. Originally culled from Cooking Light Magazine--but altered over the years. The key is the combo of the wine, tomato paste, sugar and salt. It winds up providing an incredible depth of flavor in only 15 minutes of simmering.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large chopped onion
¼ lb proscuitto, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried italian herbs
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup dry red wine or 3 T Balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Directions:
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, proscuitto and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes.Add herbs, sugar, paste, wine (or vinegar), salt and pepper, stir to coat onions. Add tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over cooked papardelle.

Grilled Shrimp, Roasted Green Beans, Salad

Tonight we are having shrimp--I marinate them for about 30 minutes in olive oil, lemon, garlic, salt pepper and dried italian herbs. Grill for 2 minutes each side or until opaque. Sides are--Roasted Green Beans this time made with spiced pecans, red onion and feta. And then a green salad (maybe I'll throw in an avocado that is nearly overripe, or I'll do blue cheese and green apple.) I am also heating up some penne for my husband, tossed with butter, peas and parmesan cheese.

Greek burgers with feta-garlic aoili

Tonight we are having greek burgers with feta-garlic aoili, toasted buns, frozen french fries (for my husband, I will try to restrain myself) and a green salad. Here is the burger recipe:

Burger Ingredients:1 lb ground beef
¼ cup chopped roasted red pepper
½ cup chopped spinach (I use the frozen)
Salt
Pepper
Oregano


Directions: Mix all in a bowl and form in patties. Grill.

Aoili Ingredients:
1 cup non-fat greek style yogurt (or reg. plain yogurt)
2 Tbs. light Mayonnaise (Best foods or Hellmans)
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. dried oregano
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved

Directions: Combine all in a bowl. Before serving, fish out garlic halves.

Toast buns and top burgers with a big dollop of the Aoili. Yum!

White Chili, Popovers, Salad

My friend, Lauri made this chili for my women's group and we all went ape! The original recipe was taken from a woman named Renita, who posted it on www.recipezaar.com

Here is my adaptation--everyone says it is delicious!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
½ teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chilies
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups chicken broth or water
2 (15 1/2 ounce) pinto beans, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whipping cream

Directions Heat olive oil in soup pot. Saute onion and chicken until chicken is no longer pink. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, cayenne and green chilies and stir. Add broth or water and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add sour cream and cream and heat through. Serve. Pass the Frank’s hot sauce!!

Popovers: this recipe is a combination of my sister Rachel's recipe (dubbed "Never fail" and they are awesome but I was missing a key ingredient tonight) and the recipe from the Joy of cooking:

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk

Preheat oven to 450. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a fork. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill cups 2/3 full (this should make about 10 popovers, give or take) add water to any remaining cups so you don't burn them. Bake for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Out to dinner, tonight

On sundays we have been going to the swimming pool and then out to an early dinner at Mel's Diner. They serve kid-sized cheeseburgers in paper cars and have special cups with lids and straws for milk. They also have great salads and burgers.

Roasted Sausages, Savory Onion Pie, BLT Salad

Tonight we are having roasted parmesan-basil chicken sausages, savory onion pie with gruyere crust and a bacon-spinach and tomato salad (with avocado dressing).

Roasted Sausages: I buy the Trader Joe's chicken sausages and roast in 400 oven for 25 minutes.

Savory Onion Pie with Gruyere Crust:

Onion Topping:
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ tablespoon butter
2 large onions, (or 3-4 small onions) cut into wedges
1 teaspoon salt
Shake pepper
½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
¾ cup grated gruyere cheese

Crust:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup gruyere cheese
¾ stick butter, cut into pieces
¾ cup buttermilk
¾ teaspoon dry mustard

Directions:
Heat oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 25 minutes until onion is browned. Remove from heat, add salt pepper and sage. Cool. Add cheese. Spray bottom and sides of 9 ½ inch deep­-dish pie plate with cooking spray. Add onion mixture.

To make crust, pulse flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in food processor. Add cheese and pulse. Add butter and pulse until flour mixture becomes a coarse meal. Combine buttermilk and mustard in a bowl and drizzle into food processor. Pulse until flour mixture almost forms a ball. Dump onto a piece of plastic wrap and knead to form a ball. Wrap up sides of plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. Unwrap and put another piece of plastic wrap on top. Roll with rolling pin to make a 10” round. Remove wrap and place dough on top of pie plate, tucking edges under.
Bake in preheated 400 oven for 25 minutes. Let sit for 2 minutes then invert on a serving dish. Cut into wedges and serve warm. Awesome!

BLT salad
Baby spinach or lettuces with crumbled bacon, ripe tomatoes tossed with a dressing of:
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
Juice of 1 lime
1 small clove garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried basil
3/4 cup olive oil.

Combine all dressing ingredients except oil in food processor. Drizzle in oil while machine is running--stop before it becomes over-emulsified. Taste and correct seasonings.

Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes

I am making this recipe tonight--I read a description of it in the NYtimes Sunday magazine about a month ago and made it for my family who loved it. Yesterday I was reading a great blog and felt inspired- so this dinner is dedicated to Ellen, author of "Cherry Tomatoes."

Ingredients:
4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
½ - ¾ cup olive oil
6 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 large bunch basil, trimmed and chopped

1 pound pasta (angel hair or spaghetti is good)
Lots of good quality shredded parmesan cheese.

Directions:
Combine all but pasta and cheese in a big bowl (not metal, ceramic or plastic) and let sit at room temp. for a minimum of 4 hours, occasionally “wopsing” (perry lingo for stirring.)

Cook up 1 pound of pasta and toss with tomatoes. Add lots of good shredded parmesan and serve hot. Ridiculously simple and SO good!

Tri-Tip, Potato Skins and Roasted Green Beans

I cheat and use the pre-marinated Tri Tip from Trader Joe's. Just throw it on the grill and let it cook. Sides tonight are Potato Skins and Roasted Green Beans. Probably a salad, too.

Roasted Green Beans
1 big bunch petite green beans, trimmed (I like trader joes haricot verts in the produce section)
½ small red onion, cut into thin vertical strips
½ cup nuts (pecans are nice, pine nuts, too)
1-2 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper

Dressing (Lemon Vinagrette)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. salt
shake pepper
shake dried italian herbs
1 big dollop (2 tbs?) dijon mustard
3/4 cup olive oil.

½ cup crumbled Feta Cheese.

Directions
Combine beans, onion, nuts, olive oil and salt and pepper in baking dish and toss. Roast for 20-25 minutes in 425F oven. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake, or whisk in a bowl until emulsified. Toss roasted beans with ¼ cup dressing and feta cheese. Serve hot.


Potato Skins
4 Russett Potatoes
1/2 bunch scallions, chopped
1 cup shredded cheese (Monterey jack is good)

Preheat oven to 425. Wash potatoes and prick all over with a fork. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven and wearing oven mitt, slice each in half lengthwise. Scoop out flesh and either reserve for a soup, make into mashed potatoes or toss. Place skins on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and scallions. At this point, skins can sit for a while before the final baking. Reset oven to 350. About 20 minutes before eating, put skins in the oven. Remove when cheese is bubbly. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Mashed Potatoes
4 russet potatoes
½ stick butter
¼ cup whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Wash and prick the potatoes with a fork. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Wearing an oven mitt, slice each potato lengthwise. Scoop out flesh. Reserve skins for Baked Potato Skins or discard. Mash potatoes with the rest of the ingredient. Serve immediately, or keep covered and warm in a low oven until serving.

Guacamole
4 ripe avocadoes
¼ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup best foods/Hellmanns mayo (I use the light version)
½ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
½ tsp. salt
Several shakes Franks Hot Sauce
Juice of 1 lemon.

Combine all in a bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Ribollita (Tuscan reboiled soup)

I am going out tonight and so this is what's for everyone else!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large chopped onion
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
¼ pound thinly sliced proscuitto, diced (optional)
3 big handfuls fresh spinach, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (14.5 oz) cans white beans, drained
6-8 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I like knorr cubes in yellow box)
1 3” hunk Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and proscuitto and saute 15 minutes. Add spinach and tomatoes, stir until spinach is wilted. Add broth and beans; bring to a boil. (If using knorr cubes, drop in enough for six-eight cups and pour in water, cubes will dissolve in soup.) Reduce heat, add hunk of parmesan and simmer for 1 hour or more, stirring occasionally. Soup will get thicker the longer it simmers and will get thicker if refrigerated and reheated the next day.

You can add pasta or tortellini near the end of the cooking and make a delicious Pasta Fagioli--I find that it's best to do this when you plan to eat it all up, otherwise the pasta just takes over all the liquid in the pot and it resembles stew, rather than soup!

Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza

A recipe from our dear friend Carrie, one of the best cooks I know!
Ingredients:
12 oz. boneless chicken
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup shredded monterey jack
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 Boboli Thin Crust

Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces. In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup green onions, garlic, vinegar, soy, 1 tablespooon olive oil, and red pepper. Add chicken and marinate 30 minutes. Heat remaining oil in a skillet. Add chicken (reserving marinade) and cook until no longer pink, 3 minutes or so. Stir cornstarch into marinade and pour into skillet. Stir until sauce is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken onto crust, sprinkle with cheeses. Bake in 400 oven for 12 minutes. Top with the rest of green onions and pinenuts and bake 2-3 minutes more. Done!