Quick and simple cream sauce...

I love it when dinner takes 20 minutes to cook and you can cut down to one pot or two. This is one of Phil's favorite dishes and hopefully you'll add it to your collection. Here is my really easy recipe for tortellini with pancetta and peas tossed in a cream sauce.


Serves 2
1 lb of your favorite brand tortellini, either meat or cheese filled
1/4 cup chopped pancetta
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup peas
salt and pepper
pinch grated nutmeg

Get a large pot on to boil for the pasta, be sure to salt the water. When the water comes to a rapid boil, toss in the tortellini and cook until al dente about 8-10 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, in a medium size saute pan, render the pancetta until crisp and the fat is drawn out. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the heavy cream, whisking in the flour and pancetta mix. Season with salt and pepper (go light on the salt as the pancetta is very salty) Allow cream to come to a slight simmer and thicken, then add the peas and stir. Add a pinch of grated nutmeg and adjust seasoning. When the pasta is cooked, strain and toss with cream sauce allowing in the saute pan ensuring the pasta is coated. Grate some fresh Parmesan on top and enjoy!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Can I tell you a secret? One of my guilty pleasures is a hot bowl of broccoli cheddar soup from Panera. It is so good with it's creamy texture and bits of broccoli florets. It's something I know isn't good for me, but when I go to Panera I simply have to have it and sometimes I even treat myself to having it in a bread bowl.

Tonight, I wanted to cut out a little of the bad stuff and make a light broccoli cheddar soup. This bowl of soup still packs a creamy texture and is full of flavor without going overboard in the calorie department. Here is my recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Soup.....

Serves 4

3 cups of broccoli florets and stems, cut florets, clean stems and rough chop
1 shallot, diced 1/2 inch
2 carrots, peeled and rough chopped
1 yukon gold potato, washed and cut 1/2 inch cubes
4 cups good quality vegetable stock, either homemade or store bought. When I don't have the time to make my own I prefer Kitchen Basics brand, no salt added
1/4 teaspoon allspice
salt and pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar
Oyster crackers for serving

In a large saucepan, combine broccoli, carrots, shallot, potato and the broth. Add the allspice and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and let cook until the vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning. Strain the vegetables from the stock, reserving the stock. Add vegetables to a food processor and pulse, adding a ladle of stock in at a time until you get a creamy consistency. Add the puree back to the pan and bring up to a simmer. Add the heavy cream and the shredded cheddar. Taste the soup again and adjust. Serve with some crispy oyster crackers and enjoy!

*This soup could stand on it's own without the cream or cheese if you want to keep vegan.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there and a special happy father's day to my dad! It looks like it's going to be a perfect day for a family barbecue!

What can I say about my dad? He has always been the best daddy and dad a kid could have! I can remember the time my dad and I biked from East Boston to the Stoneham Zoo!! I was probably four years old, strapped into a child bike seat, watching as the trees passed by and listening to my dad curse because he couldn't figure out the way home. We finally made it home and it was one of my favorite adventures. Dare I mention our drive down to Disney that took way too long due to traffic? As we were driving on the highway, finally in Orlando my dad managed to lock the windows open and he couldn't figure out how to unlock them so that we could shut them. Then of course there was the morning my dad pulled the shower curtain and rod down while he was trying to shower! I think the exact quote he said to Frankie was "Frank my son, life sucks!". Those are just a few funny memories and of course there are plenty more! I will always remember our camping trips to Jellystone Park to see Yogi and Booboo, our date to the movies when we went to see The Three Amigos, our trips up to Old Orchard Beach listening to your "Smooth 60's" tapes, breakfast at Dennys and then shopping at the BX and one of my favorite memories, the day you brought us Colombo (our dog).

I said it in my Mother's Day post and I will say it again, Frankie and I are two lucky kids with great parents. Parents who support, push when necessary and have always given us endless amounts of love. Happy Father's Day Dad! Hope you enjoy your day and mom doesn't make you vacuum the porch! Love you!!!

Strawberries and an iPhone.....

Today was quite a day. We hit the road early with mom and dad and headed up to Amesbury to pick strawberries at Cider Hill Farm. I had actually never been strawberry picking before and was excited to take part in what I hope to be a yearly ritual from now on. Cider Hill as always was the perfect setting for this activity. We filled a few containers as well as a tray of ripe and red strawberries. Then of course visited the the Farm store to indulge in cider donuts and some farm fresh milk. This time we purchased eggs hatched from Cider Hill's very own chickens, which mom had to feed! Now what to do with these strawberries!

I have recently been researching preserves and jams and wanted to test out a recipe from I book I just purchased called Canning For a New Generation by Liana Krissoff. The book is really well put together with great detail on how to get started, helpful tips, assorted recipes and even labels for your completed goods. I especially like that the recipes are different from your typical jam recipes, Krissoff takes various herbs and spices and adds them to things that maybe you wouldn't have put together. For example, the Strawberry jam with Thai Herbs combines fresh strawberries with cilantro, mint and Thai basil. There is also a great recipe for pickled fennel with orange and mint that sounds like it would be delicious over a bed of dandelion greens. My first recipe that I am going to try this week using all my strawberries with be the Strawberry Jam recipe. I will fill you all in on how my first jamming session goes (Malissa jamming 101 at my place!).

The day didn't stop there. We went to the Apple store where my parents stepped into modern time and got themselves iPhones. Mom was so excited to have a phone she could play bejeweled on! Good Luck with the new phones mom and dad!

Stuffed Artichokes

Early Sunday morning mom and I went to Market Basket, which has become our weekly date. As we were winding our way through the produce section, I noticed the artichokes were a good price and looked tight, green and healthy. Mom and I chose some good ones and anticipated our Tuesday night meal, which these lovely artichokes would now be part of.

Artichoke harvesting is at its peak in the spring. They continue to be harvested throughout the summer and have another peak period in mid autumn. Artichokes are not only delicious to eat, but their flower makes for a beautiful decoration. For us, we were stuffing them and eating them. Artichokes can be prepared many different ways. You can clean them, boil them and serve them with a lemon aioli or hollandaise. Or you can clean them right down to the hearts and then saute those with pasta or you could marinate the hearts in oil and hot pepper flakes. In Rome, they take the whole artichoke, place it in a deep fryer and serve it crispy. This is called a Jewish-style artichoke and is something you should sample when in Rome. Mom and I had a plan for stuffed artichokes, slow cooked in the oven and oozing with goodness.

Here is our recipe for stuffed artichokes

Makes 6

6 whole artichokes stems removed and scales cleaned free of their thorns
4 cups unseasoned breadcrumb
2 whole garlic gloves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup water
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Rub the cut part of the artichoke with lemon as this will keep it from browning. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon zest and water. Over the bowl grate the garlic and then season with salt and pepper. Mix together and begin to drizzle in some olive oil. You are looking for a semi wet feel to the stuffing. Be sure to taste and adjust seasoning before you stuff the artichokes. Pour a 1/4 cup cold water in the bottom of a dutch oven and now begin stuffing. Carefully, pull the artichoke leaves away from the center without tearing them off. Stuff the leaves individually and then stuff the top part and place in the pan. When all the artichokes are done, drizzle each with some olive oil, cover with the lid and place in the oven, Let the artichokes cook for at least 1 hour and a half before you check them. The way to tell if they are cooked is their leaves will pull away without struggle. The breadcrumbs should be golden and the artichokes tender. Enjoy!

Magnolia Bakery...

Over the weekend Phil and I hopped on a bus down to NYC. It was a very last minute idea and we had no plans aside from just having fun. We strolled through the Central Park Zoo and down Fifth Ave for the first part of our day, stopping into different shops along the way and then decided we need to find some lunch.

We popped into Bouchon Bakery hoping to find a quick and delicious bite. I had visited the Time Warner location in the Fall and had a great experience, so I expected this location to be just as good. Unfortunately, the service was less than desirable and the sandwiches, though tasty, left Phil and I a little hungry, which meant dessert time. Since Magnolia Bakery was just around the corner we stopped in there to check out the treats.

My first visit to Magnolia Bakery was probably about 7 or 8 years ago. My friend Luke and I decided to do a food tour of NYC, stopping at Pastis, Marie Belle, Chelsea Food Market and of course the first Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village. The exact Magnolia Bakery that Carrie and Miranda sat outside of in Sex in the City enjoying vanilla cupcakes with pink frosting and chatting about their boy problems. I remember Luke and I had to wait in a pretty long line outside of the bakery to just get in. When we did finally make it inside I fell in love with this place. There were glass cases filled with colorful treats and cake stands decorated the tops of the cases. On the side wall was what I like to call cupcake heaven, a table lined with all sorts of brightly frosted cupcakes. There were vanilla cupcakes with assorted pastel colors, chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting and of course red velvet cupcakes. Luke and I chose our cupcakes and went on our merry way. I loved that day and my first experience at Magnolia.

My Magnolia visit over the weekend was just as exceptional. The staff was very friendly making recommendations and being very attentive to all the guests. Phil and I chose our treats, we decided on a Magic Bar, Swan Lake Cupcake and one of my favorite desserts from Magnolia, Banana Pudding. We enjoyed our treats as we strolled down Fifth Ave through the market that was going on that day. These treats made up for a weak lunch. Thank You Magnolia Bakery for being the sweetest place around.

If it's not part of your collection you should check out the More From Magnolia cookbook written by the owner herself, Allysa Torey. Enjoy!