Easter Dinner Prep!!

I am playing hostess to Easter this year and I thought it would be fun to toss out the roast and have an indoor picnic! I love cooking comforts food as much as I love cooking foods I remember as a child and this year's Easter dinner is full of comfort foods. Here's what I have planned....

We are going to start with Mom's Pizza Cheina because it's not Easter unless you have that on the table and of course Pastierra because again sometimes traditions shouldn't be broken. Mom is also making a baked Brie with hot pepper jelly.

Our first course is my cream Mac and Cheese with extra sharp cheddar, shell shaped pasta and crunchy breadcrumb topping.

For the main course we are going to get a bit messy with some maple roasted Chicken and Ribs. I am marinating the meats now, with apple cider, maple syrup, whole grain mustard, star anise and cinnamon stick. Tomorrow I am going to splash them with a bit of balsamic vinegar and let the oven do the rest of the work. For the sides, I am going to make smashed sweet potatoes kept simple by just roasting them whole in the oven skins on until tender. Then I will take the skins off, smash them with a little butter and salt and serve. I also am making my version of a succotash with some zucchini, bell pepper and my favorite brand frozen white corn from Trader Joes! One of the more time consuming sides I have tomorrow is my homemade baked beans. I cooked the kidney beans today and tomorrow morning I will make the base and let those beans bake for about six hours in the oven. For the base I will cook together ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Chinese chili paste, grated fresh ginger and then mix that with the liquid I cooked the beans in and then add bacon and an onion. This base smothers the beans and reduces down as the beans bake in the oven. To soak up all the baked bean goodness, I am going to make some really simple buttermilk drop biscuits just before dinner and to serve them I have a sea salt and honey butter. For something cold and crisp, I have a basic American salad with some golden tomatoes, English cucumbers, fresh radish and homemade Blue Cheese dressing.

Clearly, after that we will have to take a break and watch the kids to the Easter egg hunt! For dessert, I took the easy way out and made a Mocha Icebox Cake, which required no baking at all and is setting up in the fridge right now. Mom is making Monkey Bread and of course Dad's famous Pizzelles! I think this year he is making orange and chocolate flavor. He makes the best!!

Tomorrow I will be sure to snap some photos ( I am taking your advice Erica!!!) and post them for all to see my indoor Easter Picnic!! Enjoy!

Not much time for dinner?

Sometimes when I have to work a little later than normal I rely on really simple pantry dinners that include ingredients I typically always have on hand. Tonight I am throwing together Naan pizza since I don't have time to wait for dough to rise.

Naan is an Indian flatbread and can be found in most grocery stores. It's perfect for open faced sandwiches, for dipping and for making pizza.

Be as creative as you like with your toppings. I like to keep it simple and here is my recipe for Naan Pizza

Serves 2
I pkg of Naan
1 can tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt
Pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons pitted and chopped oil cured olives
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brush oil on a sheet pan and then lay the Naan out. In a small bowl combine the paste and oregano and stir. Season with salt and pepper, then spread onto the Naan. Divide the cheese among the two breads and do the same thing with the olives. Drizzle with olive oil and bake 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Mid Morning snack....

About a month ago I went down to my favorite city, NYC, to see the Nate Berkus show and it will finally air tomorrow, April 15th, at 10a on channel 5! So, I thought why not a recipe for a mid morning snack to watch the Nate Berkus show and maybe spot me on television! Here is my recipe for greek yogurt parfait...

Serves 2
2 cups of plain Greek yogurt
1 cup dried apricots, macerated in 1/2 cup boiling water until plump
1/4 cup good quality honey
1/4 cup toasted, slivered almonds

In a small mixing bowl, place the honey. Drain the macerated apricots and slice into 1/4 inch strips. Mix with the honey and set aside. Using a 10 oz glass or dessert bowl, place 1/2 cup of the the greek yogurt in each glass. Then place the apricot and honey mix and a couple almonds. Then repeat, using the remaining ingredients, ending with the almonds. Be sure to turn your television to channel 5 tomorrow morning at 10a and enjoy!

Caponata...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of catering a baby shower for a friend. The menu was all cold foods as to make it easy for the hostess and one of the choices was an antipasto platter. Though I love a platter full of meat and cheese, I also like to make sure I add assorted vegetable options to my antipasto platter. For the baby shower I added roasted beets, marinated artichoke hearts and as the heart of the platter, Caponata.

Caponata is a saute of eggplant, peppers and onions and has that perfect balance between sweet and sour. The first time I made Caponata was when I worked as a line cook at Via Matta. Luis Morales, my chef, taught us the secret to a good Caponata and the secret, though slightly time consuming, is worth it. What set his recipe apart from others, was the way he cooked the eggplant. We cut the eggplant into cubes, brought a saute pan to a high temp and then put a drop of oil in the pan. When the oil began to smoke, in small batches we would cook the eggplant. He told us "when it begins to smell like popcorn, the eggplant is done". Now when I cook this dish, I think of Luis and making Caponata. I tweaked the recipe a little, by not adding anchovies or garlic and I use balsamic instead of red wine vinegar. Here is my recipe for Caponata..

1 eggplant, washed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus approximately 2 more tablespoons to cook eggplant
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 red bell pepper, washed, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium size red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon each of chopped fresh basil and flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper

Heat a saute pan, until very hot. Drop a pea size amount of oil in pan and spread out. When the oil is hot, begin to saute eggplant in batches. Let eggplant cook and char on all sides and again like Luis said, it will almost smell like popcorn when it is one. Continue to cook eggplant in batches until all is cooked, then set aside. In another saute pan, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil, add the red pepper flake, then the onion and pepper. Salt and pepper the vegetables and cook for about ten minutes. Add the eggplant and continue cooking for ten more minutes. Add the capers, honey and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings. Let cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the vinegar is absorbed and the vegetables are tender. Add the herbs at the end and fold in. Serve as a side, on bread, tossed with pasta or on its own. Enjoy!

Thanks Lori for a fun day of catering and thanks to Luis Morales for an inspired recipe!

Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!

In honor of getting to meet Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks, I thought it would be appropriate to share a coffee themed recipe.

Coffee can add another level of flavor when added to a recipe. I always add a teaspoon of ground espresso to my chocolate cake recipe. I think that it makes the chocolate rich but not sweet. Ground coffee can also be mixed with various spices and used as a dry rub for steaks or chops. I love that coffee can be used for both savory and sweet cooking, as well as just plain brewing a cup and drinking it! So, in honor of all my coffee friends at Starbucks, here is my recipe for Coffee Granita with foam and cinnamon.....

Serves 6, 6oz cups

1/2 cup sugar
4 cups hot brewed coffee, preferably a dark coffee like an Italian Roast
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cinnamon stick

In a shallow metal pan,mix the coffee and sugar together. Make the sure the sugar is completely melted. Place in the fridge and chill. When chilled, place into freezer and let sit for 1/2 hour. Using a fork, stir the granita and repeat this every 1/2 hour, until mixture set, but not frozen solid.

For the foam, using a countertop espresso machine or milk frother, foam the milk, ensuring to get enough air in the milk, to create foam. Set out 6, 6oz cups and using an ice cream scoop, divide the granita among the cups. Top each, with a bit of foam and then using a microplane, grate the cinnamon stick on top of each. Enjoy!

To all my Starbucks friends, past and present thanks for all the fun years and to Howard Schultz, it was a pleasure to meet you.