Pasta, Peas & Bacon (Pasta Piselli)

Pasta Piselli...a family favorite growing up when Meatless Fridays were the norm. Yes, this recipe has bacon but not on Fridays. Lent is almost upon us, so this is perfect for this time of the liturgical year when Carnevale is observed: Carnevale means meat removed, not carnival (festival).  There are many variations of this simple dish. It can be made with diced ham, heavy cream, a bit of tomatoes. Mine has an egg scrambled into it that adds another texture to this savory fare. I use frozen peas as these are closer to fresh than canned peas. I enjoy the "snap" and brighter green of frozen peas. If you'd like a healthier meal use wheat pasta. Somehow spaghetti is the bite and mouth-feel I enjoy most in piselli, though penne or your favorite shape of pasta can be used. I always have leftover pasta after Sunday supper is finished, so a Tuesday meal of pasta piselli is a weekday delight and oh, so easy after a long work day. Don't forget to top this meal off with a sprinkle of Parmesan-Romano cheese..perfetto! Toasty garlic bread compliments this dish and a tomato salad completes the meal. Mangiare e Gustare!! Eat & Enjoy!

Pasta, Peas & Bacon
1/2 box of spaghetti reserve a scant 1/2 cup of salty pasta water
1 & 1/2 cups frozen peas
6 slices of bacon
1 small onion, sliced
1 egg, scrambled
olive oil (if needed)
Parmesan-Romano cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain and put to the side. In a skillet fry up the bacon to near crisp. Remove and set aside. In the bacon fat saute the onion until clear, then add peas and cook until done but still "crisp". Add cooked bacon to peas and onions, toss. Add 1/4 cup of hot pasta water and scrape up all the bits in skillet. Add pasta to peas/bacon/onions and toss.  Add remaining hot pasta water. Mix well but gently so as not to break the peas. Bring to a simmer and add scrambled egg. Cook through, but don't over-cook.  If it looks a bit "dry" drizzle with olive oil and toss. Serve in bowls and top with cheese. Yields: 2 servings

Remember To Make Memories At The Table

Simply...Chicken Cutlets

Cutlets served with spinach dumplings,
tomatoes and applesauce

As a food fanatic and recipe blogger, I'm always looking for something new to "create".  I have a zillion recipes in my To Try file, and a million recipes that I consider, Special. Every meal eaten out is fodder for a meal at home that will be added to or an ingredient removed to make the recipe more perfect than the original. I have an addiction...but I don't need help, I can lick it on my own (no pun intended). I can't help myself...I love food, I adore cooking, just a title of a recipe makes my heart race.
The simplest of ingredients sets the mind-wheels spinning. What can I do with this pork loin?  Hmmm, a top round roast, what unique meal can I make? So out comes the spices, the marinades concocted, vanilla beans slit, pine nuts toasted, coconut milk poured. A mad scientist has nothing over me! I see ground meat....I think Mexican. I buy lamb, I imagine Greek. Honey and pistachios, Turkish of course. And the list goes on. Yet, even with all this said, there are times, I look into a packed freezer, open up over-stuffed kitchen cabinets, and think, "I have no clue what to cook tonight". It's not much different from a clothes-aholic looking into her jammed packed closet and thinking, "I have nothing to wear."  Oh, My.

Frying cutlets in canola oil

This is when I have to chill out and get back to basics. With all the recipes to choose from, with all the meals I just have to try, I often forget...that sometimes Simple Is The Best.  There is nothing more wonderful than a fat beefy hamburger. Nothing more scrumptious than a humble bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. And nothing more comforting than a supper of breaded chicken cutlets....plain and simple. It can be served with many different sides...rice, mac & cheese, buttered noodles sprinkled with parsley, mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, whatever your heart desires.
This post is not written because I don't think you know how to fry up a good chicken cutlet. No, the reason for this post, is to remind us all of the simple foods we tend to forget--those much loved family favorites we overlook because we foodies are on a quest for the next "blue-ribbon" winner. It's the ordinary comfort foods that Grandma made, that Aunt Bess served every Wednesday eve, that we know are a hit every time, but just forgot. I'm here to remind you..and me. So dust off the top of that index box way up on that shelf, dig inside and pull out that Tried & True Treasure.  It's time to go, Simple.

Cutlets "drain" on paper towels

If you're looking for an exact recipe, you won't find it here. This is not baking, it's cooking. So I hope this is close enough.

Chicken Cutlets with mac & cheese
creamed spinach & cranberry sauce

Breaded Chicken Cutlets

2 1/4 (approx.) lbs. boneless/skinless chicken breasts
remove any fat and pound chicken breasts thin
Seasoned bread crumbs
AP flour
2 eggs
splash of milk
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
canola oil
Trim and pound chicken cutlets and set aside.
Put canola oil in a wide skillet and heat. The oil must be hot so the cutlets don't absorb the oil and become greasy. When a few drops of water flicked into the oil begin to "dance", the oil is hot.
In a flat dish, mix together bread crumbs (2 cups to start), a hefty tablespoon of flour, salt, onion & garlic powders to taste. In a bowl, mix the two eggs and milk. Dip one cutlet into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture shaking off any excess. Place in hot oil. Repeat with a few more cutlets, but don't over crowd the skillet. Brown for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. If the cutlets were pounded thin enough, it won't take long to cook through. Don't over-fry or the chicken will be dry. When fried to your liking, remove and place on paper towels. Cover with foil to keep warm.
That's it! Serve with any side dishes that please your family. Add tomatoes, lettuce and a swipe of mayonnaise to the leftovers for a great sandwich, put together a chicken parmigiana sandwich or dig out a recipe that you've wanted to try that calls for breaded cutlets. How simple can it get!

Remember To Make Memories At The Table

Shrimp & Bok Choy

Shrimp & Bok Choy ready to devour!

Mushrooms, Garlic & Onions sauteed



Bok Choy in skillet

Bok Choy cooked. White of Bok Choy darkens
due to mushrooms & soy sauce

Bacon Spaghetti Pie

Bacon Spaghetti Pie In Skillet

Remember To Make Memories At The Table







Go West, Young Woman: Beef Taco O'Brien

The Summer of 1969.  I was young, sassy in the era of sex, drugs & rock n roll.  Flower Power ruled and I'd just graduated from High School. Life held immense possibilities. I was flying high.....no, not on pot. My dad had given me permission to spend that summer with my aunt and cousins in Phoenix, Arizona.

It was a big deal, a very big deal. Unlike the youth today who travel Europe, Asia and have been on 13 cruises before the age of 21, kids in my generation didn't stray far from home unless it was on their honeymoon.

 

Me at 17 in the yellow bathing suit
 with my best HS friend, Linda

My dad was strict. I asked permission to join the Peace Corp, dreaming of helping those in a Third World Country. I was unafraid of the dangers, the separation from family and unfamiliar cultures. Dad refused to sign the paperwork. Young women, he said, did not go tramping around a foreign country...good intentions or not! Then I wanted to be a flight attendant, a stewardess in those days. Dad called them flying floozies and " no daughter of mine will be flying willy-nilly around the world" Sigh. So getting his permission to spend a whole summer in another state was, well, so groovy.

I couldn't afford a plane ticket, so I boarded a bus and travelled 3 days to Phoenix. BTW, Dad made sure I was seated next to a "mature" woman who would keep an eye on me....and she did.
The first thing I noticed when I exited the bus terminal was that the sky was a brilliant blue and how darn hot it was. I immediately felt at home at Aunt Mim's and though I hadn't seen my cousins (all 6 of them) in years, we bonded as family in an instant. I had a wonderful time visiting the desert, local attractions, camping on the banks of the Colorado River. Met a blond, blue-eyed boy cute enough to be on Surf Magazine-my first & only "Southwestern boyfriend". We went dancing, mini-golf, to parties and swimming..just what teens should do. No matter where I went this was said, "You're from New York, I can tell by your accent. Say coffee". Okay, so you can take the girl out of the Bronx, but can't take the Bronx out of the girl. Ha, as if they didn't have an accent, too.
So my visit was exciting and adventurous...the only mishaps--being caught in a "gully-washer" flash flood and nearly drowning in the street and going down the Colorado river in a huge inner-tube that flipped over. All four of us, again, nearly drowned, but made it to a dock of sorts, then had to walk through a desert area, scorpions and all! back to our campsite. We were late by hours and was my Aunt ticked off at us! We were exhausted, sun-burned (badly), dehydrated, starving and slept for 13 hours! Ironic, two mishaps and both by water....in a desert state, go figure?
And the Food! Aunt Mim was/is a good cook, after all, she was taught by the same persons who taught my mom to cook, Great Grandma Eugenia & Nonna. But this was a totally different cuisine. Tex-Mex was not popular at that time, so this was an exciting culinary experience for a kid from the Bronx. I had the best fried chicken, enchiladas, burritos, mac & cheese, and tacos. Of course, pasta and red "gravy" was still served on Sunday.

Browning Potatoes O'Brien

What separated my Aunt's tacos from others...I'm not sure if I ever had a taco before this vacation, was the addition of potatoes. Yes, fried-up potatoes, kind of like hash browns. She diced potatoes into tiny cubes, added onions and peppers, then added this to the ground beef. In a huge cast-iron skillet she fried the flat tortilla in lard!, bending it into a taco shape with a pair of tongs. It was a fantastic tasting meal, grease dripping down the arm and all!
So why the potatoes? First, how can any dish go wrong with fried potatoes and beef? And second, Mexican families needed to stretch the meal to feed the whole family. Meat is costly, so little is used. Potatoes are cheaper and act as a "filler". But what a scrumptious filler. The crunch of that lard fried corn shell, the spiced beef and salty potatoes, melted Longhorn cheese, lettuce and diced tomatoes had my taste buds dancing the Jarabe Tapatio!

Ground Beef & Potatoes O'Brien

Today, I still make the tacos the same way, sort of. My nephew, Geej, asks for this meal each time he visits from Florida...I make between 36 & 48 of them!  The boys inhale them and never a leftover. Those kids make me proud!!
Thank you Aunt Mim and Arizona Cousins for the wonderful memories and for my first Tex-Mex culinary pleasure. Love y'all.
Aunt Mim's Tacos My Way: Oreida  makes Potatoes O'Brien which is a combination of diced potatoes, onions and red/green peppers.  I brown the Potatoes O'Brien in a skillet. I don't fry in lard, but fill the taco shells with the beef and potato mixture, sprinkle with my favorite cheese then bake them until the cheese melts. I use salsa instead of plain, diced tomato as one of the toppings. Make this dish as spicy or as mild as you like.

Beef Taco O'Brien

1 lb of ground beef
1/2 bag Potatoes O'Brien
1 box of Taco Shells (12)
8 oz (2 cups) shredded cheese (Cheddar, Longhorn, Monerey Jack)
oil (canola or olive)
salt
garlic powder
onion powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
chili powder
additional spicy ingredient for heat (optional)
salsa and/or ketchup

Topped with Cheese

lettuce, bite-size pieces

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Add oil to a large skillet. Heat, then add the Potatoes O'Brien. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix well. When almost brown and crispy add parsley. Add ground beef and mix with potato. Re-season with a bit more salt, garlic and onion powders. When meat is half way cooked, add any additional spices (i.e. chili powder) depending on your taste and heat tolerance. Cook beef until no longer pink. Don't overcook as this will go into the oven for a bit. Stand taco shells in a large baking pan and spoon beef/potato mixture into shells. Top each filled shell with your favorite cheese. Bake in hot oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. At the table, top with chili powder, salsa/ketchup, lettuce. Serve with corn. Also great with refried beans and Spanish rice.
*you can use ground turkey, chicken or pork

Remember To Make Memories At The Table

Curry Crab Melt

This is a delicious twist on the classic Tuna Melt. It's perfect for those hectic nights when spending an hour at the stove is out of the question. Need something different for company brunch or a ladies luncheon? Pair it with a tasty soup, a crisp salad and delight your guests. The hint of curry powder gives this meal a unique and memorable flavor.

8oz. crab, carefully picked through
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon onion, chopped
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 Teaspoon curry powder (more or less to your taste)
1 cup mild cheese, shredded (your favorite)
2 English Muffins, sliced and lightly toasted

Carefully pick through the crab for any shells. In a bowl,  mix together the crap, mayonnaise, onion, garlic powder and curry powder. Blend well.

Crab topped with cheese

Toast English Muffins. Top muffins with crab mixture and cheese. Place on broiler pan. Put muffins under broiler until cheese is golden brown. Serve warm. 2 servings
* Double or Triple recipe

Remember To Make Memories At The Table

Christmas Candy For The Christ Child

It was a first. Ladies Night 2010 with the Cerabona sisters and Mom was celebrated on a Saturday this year. This was our 26th year. This celebration had always been on a Sunday, but Joan sister #4, was having a Sunday Graduation party for her son, Vincent. Paula, the baby of the family, began this tradition because the women of our family ran themselves ragged shopping, wrapping, cooking, & baking during the Christmas season. We didn't take time to relax and appreciate the beauty of the Sacred Season. Paula decided to set one afternoon aside for the ladies to gather and chat, sip wine and share the blessings bestowed on us throughout the year gone by. It's kept simple. An antipasto platter consisting of salami, ham, prosciutto & provolone, a dish of ricotta salata and fresh mozzarella, a variety of olives, marinated artichoke hearts, lupini beans, crusty Italian bread, bread sticks and one special dish....maybe grilled Italian sausage or Escarole pie. Home-baked Christmas cookies and Struffoli (Italian honey balls) with coffee and cordials completes the meal.

Then there are the gifts! The first year, artsy Paula decorated a simple wooden candle with ribbon and placed a red stick candle in the center..each female received one at her place setting. And so another tradition was born. Each woman buys 6 similar gifts, wraps it prettily and places it on the table. What fun to open each present amidst oohs and ahhhs without a child needing attention, a phone to be answered, a problem to be solved...no children, no husbands, just the gals. The atmosphere is always perfect...Christmas music in the background, wine sparkling in crystal goblets, candles glowing, laughter, chatter and a tear or two as we reminisce.


Struffoli made in Florida shown via Skype

Ladies Night changed over the years, four
sisters (Terry, Judey, Joan, Kaz) and Mom moved to Florida. But the tradition continued. Judey hosts it in Florida with the same food, gifts on the table (mailed early), on the same day at the same time.

Antipasto Platter similar to Ladies' Night
(tuna & celery in center)



Now we Skype. Modern technology allows us to share the day as if we were in the same room. We blow kisses, wave, laugh and talk over each other just like we have always done. This makes it less lonely for the two New York sisters and we look forward to the day we can celebrate Ladies Night together and make more memories that will fill our hearts to overflow.

This year, Paula and I took a break and attended 5 PM Mass, then went back to her house for dessert and coffee. The Sunday forecast was for drenching rain, a perfect day to stay in and make my Christmas candy. It's an all day affair and then some. I try something different each year, but there's always....my fudge. Silky not too sweet chocolate...raspberry and pistachio, orange and walnut, Mexican fudge with a hint of cinnamon and cayenne pepper, white chocolate (the real deal) with cranberries and peppermint flavoring, and my husband's favorite fudge-packed with mini-marshmallows. Brittle gives me the shivers, but there's nothing like its buttery taste....I skip the peanuts and go with pecans or pistachio. Brittle isn't difficult to make, but the hot bubbling sugar mixture needs undivided attention. Things can get very messy and a careful eye is needed not to burn the nuts.

Nothing is easier than chocolate bark flavored with banana, lemon, rum or sprinkled with coconut. One year, I was on a three chocolate covered marshmallows on a stick kick, another year-chocolate covered pretzels and this year....chocolate covered coconut balls topped with slivers of almonds.

Presents!

I consider myself a "cook" rather than a baker or candy maker. But Christmas isn't Christmas without platters of traditional cookies, mini-paper cups of fudge, stacks of brittle and other sweet confections. I stop what I'm doing at 3 PM, which is considered the "Holy Hour", and say my rosary, the chaplet of the Divine Mercy and read an Advent reflection. It is a time to pause and remember what the Reason for the Season is....the Birth of Jesus. I count my blessings and wonder what new ones Abba will give me in the year ahead. I pray for all those I love and that no one will be missing from our Ladies Night tables next year. I ponder the gifts the Magi brought to the New Born King....and I see myself among the shepherds, the Blessed Mother & St. Joseph, humbled to be in the presence of the Holy Babe and bearing my gift....Christmas Candy For The Christ Child.

Chocolate Coconut Balls With Almonds

2 1/2 cups of Unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar

2 1/2 Tablespoons of butter cold and cut thin

1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

12 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped

Slivers of almond

Prepare a baking sheet with wax paper or release foil. Mix coconut, sugar, butter and corn syrup with a standing or hand mixer. Pinch off a good size piece and roll into a ball. Place on baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes.

In a double boiler, melt about 3/4 of the chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate is smooth. Remove insert and add the remaining chocolate, stirring until all is melted. Be careful not to get any drops of water in the chocolate or it can seize.

Working with a fork, drop one coconut ball into the chocolate, shake off excess and place on prepared pan. Place a few almond slivers on top. Continue until all the coconut balls are coated. Let sit until chocolate is set. Makes about 2 dozen

Remember To Make Memories At The Table.    

Merry Christmas     Buon Natale