fabulous halloween dish

The story: Well, we've actually spend about 3 or 4 years working on this particular recipe. There were several false starts and issues of baking time but this seems to be the best version we have come up with to date. It really fills that certain void we so often feel this time of year.

The dish: Halloween perfection

1 bag of reese's peanut butter cups
1 bag of crunch bars (the hershey's kind, not the bolivian)
1 bag of butterfingers
1 bag of whoppers
1 case of mudslide
3 pounds of ice (minimum)

Find a large bowl, glass is preferable to metal or solid plastic. This allows a full view of the contents of the bowl and tends to minimize picking time. Grilling of the ingredients works for some, I like many I prefer mine raw. Empty all dry ingredients into the bowl. Place outside your door. Open the mudslide, pour over the ice. Ignore all knocks and door bells.

enjoy!

Mexican pizza, or the case of the spicy pancakes

The story: This recipe is a variation of an old stand by of mine, beans and rice. Unlike some versions of the dish, which tend to be just what it sounds like, my beans and rice tend to be a bit more complicated. I spend a couple of years cooking this every so often and by this point I think I've worked it out pretty well. This particular variation was more of a spur of the moment, saw an ingredient I liked at the store, kind of thing. The Mexican pizza variation was my first attempt at this and it's likely that I'll come back later and alter this blog with the little things that will make it a better dish.


The dish: Mexican pizza

1 can of black beans
1 medium Spanish onion
1-2 plum tomatoes
1 medium carrot
1/2 pound package of frozen spinach
3-4 dashes of red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp of fresh or powdered garlic
3-5 slices of Cheddar cheese or equal amount of shredded cheese
bottled jalapeño slices optional but good

1 package of corn tortillas
1 cup of white or yellow rice


As always the first thing to start with is the water boiling. In case you don't make rice very often its 2 cups of water to the one cup of rice. While you're waiting for the rice, heat up a good sized pan sprayed with oil. When the oil had reached a high temperature toss in the chopped up onion and let it soften and brown up. After the onion has cooked for 3-4 minutes, mix in the defrosted spinach and stir. While that is cooking, peel the carrot. Once the outer skin is peeled, continue peeling it into the pan. This will make the carrots cook quicker and be more tender. Next comes the beans. Drain most of the liquid in the can, and pour the beans into the pan. Stir the beans, and let them cook. Pour about 1/2 cup or so of water or vegetable broth as well as the vinegar. It helps to smush up some of the beans, the starch from the beans with help thicken the mixture. Lower the heat to a simmer, and let the pan sit for 5-7 minutes.

While the beans are simmering, take the corn tortillas and lightly spray them with oil. Lightly toast them in the oven or in a toaster oven. Layer the tortillas, beans, and rice. Then place the cheese on top and let it melt. A little hot sauce and a dollop of sour cream and Viola!

Eat and enjoy!

Broccoli and cheese hot pockets

The story: This one is Kourtney's brain child. She loves hot pockets and pizza rolls, but wanted to make them ourselves. Store bought pizza rolls aren't the healthiest thing, thus these beauties were born. The dough is the same as our samosa wrapper recipe. The main change is in the filling, and man what a filling it is!

The dish: Broccoli and Cheese hot pockets

the All purpose wrapper dough:
~ 2 cups of all purpose flour
~ Dash of salt
~ 10 tablespoons of water

The filling:
1 cup of sharp cheddar
1/2 of swiss or gruyere
3-4 heaping tbsp of ricotta
1/4 tsp of powdered garlic
1 cup of broccoli


Start with the dough. Mix salt and flour together then begin slowly adding water one tablespoon at a time. As you start to mix dough will look like little crumbs continue to add water until ball is formed. Wrap in plastic wrap and let set in refrigerated for one hour. This will make the dough fabulously easy to work with.

The filling is easy to do, just toss all the cheese and the garlic into the bowl and mix it. The ricotta will act as a sort of binder, letting the cheese be more workable. Roll out the dough to your desired thickness. Like the samosa, cut the dough into about a 4 square inch peice, and then roll it out a little more. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the cheese mixture onto the dough, and then place 3-5 pieces of broccoli on top, depending on how much can fit and still close well. Again, like the samosa, make sure the seems are well sealed. You're not gonna fry it, but leaking cheese tends to lead to burning. When you've run out of wrapper or filling, place them all on a greased pan. Spray the top of the rolls too, and then shake a small amount of Parmesan onto them. It creates a great crust. Put into the oven at a 375 degree heat till the top starts to crisp. Flip them and let them in the over till the bottom crisps up to a golden brown.

When done take them off the pan and let them sit and cool for about ten minutes.

Then eat and enjoy!

Classic gnocchi (for us)

The story: I don't really know if there is much of a story behind this particular dish. We just love gnocchi and have played around with all kinds of sauces for it. Our blue cheese white sauce is a particular favorite, though not one you should have every day. Spectacular in taste but also spectacular in the unhealthiness of it. This is a more "healthy" and simple version of one of our gnocchi dishes.

Classic Gnocchi: (serves about 4)

1 packet of Gnocchi (its about a pound in size)
2 large heads of broccoli
1/2 medium Spanish onion
1-2 good sized plum tomatoes
1/2 cup of white mushrooms
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/3 cup of olive oil
6 or 7 large fresh basil leaves
cheese to taste

Start a pot of water for the gnocchi. You don't need a whole lot of water for this, the gnocchi isn't in there long. In the mean time, spray a pan with oil and bring it up to a high heat. When the pan is hot, toss in the onion, which should be cut into thin slices. Let that brown up a bit. If the pan was properly hot it should not take long at all. Next toss in the mushrooms, cut to what ever size you like. You want to let the mushrooms cook down a bit before you toss in the broccoli and the oil, otherwise the mushrooms will just taste of grease. When they have cooked, toss in the broccoli first and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. After that, pour in the oil and flavor with the garlic powder. At this point, just lower to temperature to simmer, and let it sit. By this point, hopefully the water will be boiling, so add the gnocchi. When the gnocchi floats at the top of the water, its done. Like I said it won't take long to cook. When its all floating, use a large slotted spoon to mix the gnocchi with the veggies. Toss in the chopped tomato and basil, stirring for another minute or two. You don't want the tomatoes or the basil to cook much. The raw flavor is much more powerful. Just grab a plate or bowl, toss on a little cheese like Parmesan, and you're done.

Eat and enjoy!!

Samosa! Home made street food!

A bit of background- I grew up in West Virginia where exposure to ethnic food was practically non-existent. Americanized Chinese food, "Italian" dishes were the norm for something exotic, Mexican especially was tempered for our American pallets. Now to the samosa! Indian cuisine is simply amazing! The flavors of this yummy cuisine with the deep fried flavor that a country girl loves!

If you click here you can learn far more about this dish than I could tell you.

Samosa Filling
~1 teaspoon of the following
~Coriander
~Cumin
~Curry
~2 teaspoons of garam masala
~Dash of salt and pepper
~Ginger and Onion (this really is to suit ones own taste I would however recommend a least one teaspoon of grated ginger)
~Half cup of peas (frozen work best)
~Potatoes (roughly 8 baby red potatoes)
~ oil (to mix in the filling for binding)

Samosa Wrapper
~ 2 cups of all purpose flour
~ Dash of salt
~ 10 tablespoons of water

This dough is a great recipe and we make great use of it as you will see in recipes to come

Start with the dough. Mix salt and flour together then begin slowly adding water one tablespoon at a time. As you start to mix dough will look like little crumbs continue to add water until ball is formed. Wrap in plastic wrap and let set in refrigerated for one hour. This will make the dough fabulously easy to work with.

Onto the filling!
Microwave potatoes until they can be easily mashed. Mash the potatoes then add all spices. We recommend grating the onion as well this gives the filling a smooth consistency. Mix well. Thaw peas if needed and add to potatoes stir until well mixed.

Once dough has set for one hour roll out dough to desired thickness, we recommend the thinner the better, cut dough into 4 inch squares. Place two heaping tablespoons in center of square and fold over into triangle, square or whatever your heart desires but make sure the seams are well sealed.

Now to the yummy deep frying!
If you have a deep fryer use it. If not try this method. Choose a small pot that holds no more then 4 cups. Fill with pot with enough oil to half or less, making sure samosa is half way immersed in oil. Raise oil to high heat, test oil using ones own method. Gently lower one samosa into oil quickly spooning oil on top while bottom cooks in oil. This makes the process goes much quicker and gives it an even crust. Allow to cool and drain. Yogurt dill sauce always good with this great snack or meal.

baby bella mushroom ravioli in a champagne cream sauce

The story: Over the summer I, that being Gabe, was living with my relatives in New Jersey, and taking a class over in Manhattan. It was during that time that I took to cooking nearly every night, and on occasion felt the need to expand my repertoire. This dish comes from one of those nights. My cousin mentioned that she really loved this particular dish from a restaurant and she asked if I could recreate it for her. And thus a series of food shopping trips ensued, including a trip to the local liquor store, and a recipe was found. This recipe is not quite the same; in this case, Kourtney and I created the ravioli from scratch instead of using store-bought ones. Store bought works just as well though, and if you're pressed for time, it less clean up and a lot quicker.

The dish: Baby bella mushroom ravioli in a champagne cream sauce

Ravioli: (makes 6-8 large ravioli)
2-2 1/2 cups of Baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 pack of eggroll wrappers
1 egg

Sauce:
1 cup of white or button mushrooms
2-3 large shallots
1/2 cup of cream
1/2 cup of champagne ( A cheap bottle works just fine, just mind the cork)
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
3-4 whole scallions
2 tbsp of butter or margerine
1 tsp of mixed Italian herbs
1/2 tsp of powdered garlic
1/4 tsp of coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of plain flour mixed with 1/4 cup of water

To begin, put up a pot of water to boil the ravioli in. Then clean and chop up the bella mushroom. . Quickly saute the mushrooms in a pan sprayed with a little oil on a high heat. When cooked, toss into a blender with olive oil. Blend until a creamy paste. Remove the paste from the blender. Nows the time to make the ravioli. Take the eggroll wrapper and place it on a plate. Take a good tablespoon or two of the mushroom paste and place in the center. Now its time for a quick egg wash. Give the egg a quick beating and LIGHTLY spread the wash on all the edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper, and use a fork to crinkle the edges together so it can be boiled. Repeat the steps till you've used up all the mushroom paste. You're gonna have a number of wrappers left over, so just bag them and use them another day.

Nows the time to begin the sauce. Melt the butter in the pan on a high heat. Thinly slice the shallots and add to butter when it begins to bubble and brown. Let the shallots sit for a bit and let them brown, stirring only ocationally. When they look done, toss in the white mushrooms and toss them with the shallots to coat them in the remaining butter. Add the spices. Lower the temperature to a medium heat, and let the mushrooms cook for 3-5 minutes. After add the champagne, and then the cream two minutes after that. Add the scallions, and then lower the heat to simmer. Once the temperature has reduced, add the Parmesan cheese. Stir it in and then leave the temperature as low as possible.

By this point the water should have come to a rolling boiling. Ease only one or two ravioli in the pot at a time. They cook very quickly, staying in water only for 1 1/2-2 a piece. When done, take them out of the water and plate immediately, as they tend to get sticky. Pour the sauce over, and enjoy!!

Reasons to marry my fiance

He's handsome
He's smart
He takes care of me


and the food....oh the food!

It's amazing!

Quick throw together pasta that fills that void inside you

The story: After a long day of going around town, going to the beach among other places, we were dead tired and felt like making something simple. Now I will admit that our version of simple cooking is really not what others might consider it. My father often says that I can never leave anything alone and just eat it, but then what foodie can? Simple in this case was that we used some easily obtained, semi-premade foods and jazzed them up a bit. The night previous to us making this dish we had seen one of those bobby flay cooking throw downs and it really put us in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs. As I am a vegetarian, its not quite the same but we made do.
A quick side note effected our desire for this dish. It was a cool day out, peaking in the low fifties, and quite windy. As it might in others, it creating a desire for something hot and filling, reminding us of our childhoods.

The dish: Spaghetti and "meat"balls with romaine salad and spiced croûtons
*note: several of the items that will be listed are pre-made brand name items. (not routine for us, but like I said, we were hungry)

Spaghetti and "Meat"balls
1/2 pound of angel hair pasta
18 oz. of DiNicola spicy marina sauce
1/4 cup of Bartunura Moscato wine
1/4 cup of part skim ricotta cheese
~2 tsp of garlic powder
3/4-1 cup of morningstar farm veggie ground
4-5 morningstar farm sausage links
3 dashes of grated Parmesan

Romaine salad
1 head of fresh romaine lettuce
1 med. carrot
1/2 -1 cup of red cabbage

Spiced croûtons
1/2 a large loaf of fresh baked Italian bread (ours was 4-5 days old, so already a bit hard)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp of Za'atar (an Israeli/Med. spice mix containing hyssop)
1 tsp of mixed Italian herbs
1/4-1/3 cup of virgin olive oil

As usual, start the water for the pasta. While you're waiting for the water to boil, nows a good time to start on the croûtons. Before starting the bread, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice up the bread and cut up the slices into smaller pieces. I find that the optimum size for them seems to be roughly about half again the size of a die (lol, singular for dice). When all the bread is cut up, toss them into a bowl. Pour the olive oil on top, and then quickly start tossing the bread to help the oil spread evenly. Then simply toss in all the spices and toss again, coating the bread. Foil up a pan and lightly spray with oil. Dump the bread crumbs onto the pan and put in the oven. Hopefully the water is boiling by this point, so add the pasta.

Onto the sauce. Take a sauce pan, and heat up a little oil in it, spray oil works just fine. Toss in the frozen veggie ground and let it heat up in the pan at a high flame. When defrosted add the wine and stir, lowering the heat a bit. Now is the time to add the tomato sauce. Let the sauce heat up a bit, and then mix in the ricotta. Microwave the sausage links for about a minute or so, chop roughly and then add to the sauce. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer.

Nows a good time to check to see if the pasta is done. When the pasta has reached the texture that you like, drain the pasta. When the pasta is properly drained, put the pasta in the pan with the sauce and mix liberally. Plate the salad and the pasta, dash lightly with Parmesan cheese, and Viola, a fine meal after long chilly day!

Mac and cheese with a green flair

Dinner: Mac and cheese with a green flare.
1/2 box of pasta, we used shells, though anything similar would work
1/3- 1/2 pound of fresh string beans. canned just won't have the same crunch to them.
1/3 pound of peas. these do not need to be fresh, frozen works just as well.
2-3 large shallots
~1/2 cup of milk. we used skim and it worked great
1/2 cup of shredded mild cheddar cheese
~ 1/2 of gruyere cheese
black pepper,garlic powder to taste
2-3 shakes of tabasco sauce (to taste)
enough bread crumbs to cover the surface of it.

Cook the pasta. I don't think that really needs instructions. In the meantime start another pot of water. You don't need a lot, you just need enough to cover the green beans to blance them. Once the water is boiling toss in the green beans and let them cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Fill a bowl that can hold the beans with some ice water. This will shock the beans so they will stop cooking. While you are waiting for that, its a good time to start on the shallots. In pan heat some oil or butter and toss the thinly cut shallots in. Let them cook and brown. Once browned, toss in the cooked green beans (cut into thirds) and the defrosted peas. Add a table spoon or so more of oil to help coat everything. Now its time to add the pasta. (We ended up cooking this in the pan, but you can just as easily put it in a dish for baking it in the oven.) If you are doing it in the pan add the pasta first, if not then just create the cheese sauce first. Mix the pasta in the pan, tossing it with the vegtables. Lower the heat to low, and slowly add the milk. Continue to stir it, while adding in the cheeses, allowing them to melt and coat the veggies and the pasta. When the cheese is finally melted and evenly coated, its time to coat the top with breadcrumbs for that nice crunchy crust. When coated then either let it sit on the stove for another few minutes on the low heat, or place it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 for a really nice crunch.

Eat and Enjoy!