Food Shopping...

Every Sunday morning, mom and I beat the crowds and get our food shopping done early. We typically get to Market Basket by 7:30, so that we can be out before it gets crazy in there. I think the grocery store is the best place to people watch or cart watch. Sometimes I find myself making stories up about the people based on what they have in their carts. A shopping cart can say a lot about a person.

For instance, if you spot a couple pushing their shopping cart through the store, you can tell if they are hosting their first get together. The female will always have a list along with printed recipes from the food network and they both will carefully, select each ingredient to perfect these recipes. Let's not talk about what happens when they can't find the ingredients from the print outs, crisis.

There are the shoppers who can't be bothered with cooking and fill their carts with all sorts of frozen foods, deli meats, and prepared meals. Toss in some chips and cookies and get to the check out.

One of my favorite shoppers are the husbands, sent into the store with a strict list given to them from their wife. I remember this one time I was picking food out for my cat and this gentleman said to me "I am here picking up food for the cat, not sure if he'll be more mad or my wife will be if I get the wrong kind". I remember laughing with him as he carefully selected the canned food.

Then there are the dieters, especially those weight watchers people. I can say this, because I am on the weight watchers. We all have the same foods in our carts. Salad, fruit, light and fit yogurt, an occasional Smart One, chicken breast (boneless, skinless) and you have to have the Special K or Fiber One cereal. Not to mention the endless bottles of seltzer. Fun fact about Market Basket that I learned from weight watchers is that at the Chelsea location if you walk just the perimeter of the inside from beginning to end, you will have walked 1 1/2 miles. Pretty Good.

Lastly, the moms. I have fond memories of shopping with my mom when I was little. We always needed two carriages and at some point during the shopping trip, mom would pull her cart over to the side of an aisle, take out her blue coupon holder and sort through coupons. My mom never had a list, it was more a free for all and I loved it. It meant my brother and I could get the snacks we wanted! The moms today, have their lists and their reusable bags. They walk with determination to get this stuff done. Go moms!

Next time you're out shopping, look at your cart and see what kind of shopper you are. Enjoy!

Weeknight Pot Roast

Pot Roast always makes a hearty and warm weeknight meal, especially during the winter. I love making pot roast on my days off and letting it simmer in the oven until it falls apart. Pot roast is not only the perfect one pot meal, it is also super cheap to make as it uses a tough cut of meat and simple veggies. Here is my recipe for Weeknight Pot Roast.....

1 3-4 lb boneless chuck roast
2 tablespoons of both unsalted butter and olive oil
1 onion, peeled and quartered
5 carrots, peeled and rough chopped
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms, brushed clean
6 Yukon gold potatoes, washed and cut in half
3 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon herbs de provence
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set a dutch oven on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium. Put the butter and oil in the pan, once hot place the chuck roast inside. Sear the roast on all sides, this will lock in the juices and create some caramelization in the pan. Once all sides are seared, remove roast and put all the veggies in the pot. Saute for 3-5 minutes, then deglaze with the beef stock. Return the roast to the pan. Season with salt, pepper and the herb de provence. Put the lid on the dutch oven and place in the oven. Let cook for 2 1/2-3 hours. This is the kind of meal that the longer you cook it, the better it is. After 3 hours, take it out of the oven. Carefully, take the roast out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Turn the burner on to medium and bring the "sauce" to a boil. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water, then whisk into the veggies and stock. This will thicken, once it comes to the boil. Adjust the seasonings. Slice the roast and return it to the pan, along with the veggies. Enjoy!

Now that's a calzone.....

Calzones and Pizza are the typical Friday night dinner for Phil and I. I love making them for a casual dinner paired with some cold beer and a great movie makes for the perfect end to the work week.

The first calzone I ever tried was my nana's "spinach pizza", she called it. Of course, as a kid I would eat anything with the name pizza in it. When my nana cut me a slice and handed it to me, I thought it looked a little different from my Papa Gino's pizza, but I gave it a go. I remember the crust being crisp and a little sweet and the filling flavorful with spinach, ricotta, grated cheese and pepperoni. I fell in love with this "spinach pizza". Thinking back I remember visiting nana just hoping there would be a slice of "pizza" on the table for me.

As I grew and traveled, to Italy, calzone was more a small, individual meal. Walking the streets of Florence, we would find these on lunch carts and in deli's filled with various fillings, but mostly cheese and tomato. I liked them for their portability to continue to walk through the cobblestone streets of Italy and of course for their taste.

My calzone is made using my pizza dough and it is by no means an individual size. I typically make it hoping to have leftovers for a few days to fill my lunch bag for work. The fillings always change and I try to get as creative as possible. Some favorites are prosciutto, soppressata and provolone or sausage, peppers and onions or roasted assorted vegetables, with pesto and fontina cheese. For tonight's recipe I am going to share with you my recipe for Broccoli Calzone.....

For the dough
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon olive, plus more for the bowl
pinch kosher salt

Filling
3 cups broccoli florets, blanched
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup diced pepperoni
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 egg
pinch pepper


For the dough
In a bowl combine the yeast and water to let the yeast bloom. Once the yeast is bubbly add the flour, oil and pinch of salt. Using your hand as a whisk, bring the dough together to form a soft dough. Coat the bowl with oil and cover with plastic. Allow dough to rise for at least an hour in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by brushing oil all over the pan.

For the filling, very simply combine the ingredients in a bowl and carefully mix everything together. Be sure not to break apart the florets. Punch down the dough and take it out of the bowl. Using your fingers, spread the dough over the pan. If it keeps bouncing back, be patient with it and do not overwork it. Once you get the dough spread, using your finger tips punch holes all over the dough to create pockets. This will allow the filling to get right into those pockets. With the pan horizontal to you, fill the dough halfway up and all the way across. Once all spread, fold the dough over and secure the edges by rolling them over each other. Cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to allow the steam the come out. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes without opening the oven, After 20 minutes, check the calzone for color. The dough will be golden and crisp and the filling will bubble through the holes. Overall baking time is 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before slicing. Slice calzone into pieces and pair with your favorite beer! Enjoy!

Jam Thumbprints

All great kitchens should have a variety of small gadgets to make cooking and baking easier. Microplanes, peelers, mandolins, offset spatulas and ice cream scoops in all sizes. Ice cream scoops are not just for the cold stuff, they make portioning out muffins and cupcakes simple and medium size ice cream scoops come in handy when making cookies. The scoop can be used for all sorts of drop cookies and rolled cookies. I use my scoop for my Jam Thumbprints and they come out perfectly round and all the same size.

Now let's talk Jam Thumbprints. These cookies are butter perfection, coated in coconut and filled with your favorite jam. I typically use raspberry and apricot jam to fill them. Lemon curd is also a good choice, it's tartness goes with with the butter cookie. These are the kind of cookies, you can stack, slide into a cello bag and tie with a ribbon because they make a beautiful gift. My cousin Gene loves these cookies, so I am dedicating this blog to him and here is my recipe for Jam Thumbprints...

3 sticks unsalted butter at room temp
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
pinch salt
1 egg
5 oz flaked coconut
your favorite jam (blackberry, raspberry, apricot, cherry, lemon curd)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar using the paddle attachment. Then add the almond extract until incorporated. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Slowly, mix the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. A soft dough will form. Using a medium ice cream scoop, portion out the dough and set on prepared pans. Keep 1-2" between each cookie. When all cookies are portioned out, refrigerate for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take the cookies out of the fridge. Set up an egg wash in one bowl and the coconut in another. Roll the cookies in the egg wash first and then the coconut. When all the cookies are coated with coconut, using your thumb, press an indentation into the top of each cookie. Do this carefully, as you don't want the cookie to break apart. Fill each cookie with 1/4 teaspoon of your favorite jam. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. When done, cool on a rack. These can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for 3-5 days. Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers

Growing up we always had a "second dish". Meaning that first dish would be soup, or macaroni, or beans and pasta and it would be followed by some kind of second dish. Stuffed peppers were one of those second dishes.

I know we have all seen the colorful bell peppers with their tops cut off, stuffed with rice, yeah, we don't do those kind of stuffed peppers. Our peppers are made using cubanelle peppers, which have a much thinner flesh than bell peppers and are typically yellowish-green in color. My rule is when you are at the market and the cubanelles look good, put stuffed peppers on your weeknight menu. Not only are stuffed peppers are quick meal, you get another meal by reserving the tops for peppers and eggs.

I remember over the summer at our 4th of July barbecue, mom made stuffed peppers and someone asked "what are they stuffed with?" and my cousin simply answered "they're stuffed peppers, you'll like them". And so will you and here is our recipe for stuffed peppers....

Makes 8 peppers

8 small/medium size cubanelle washed, tops cut off and seeded
1 lb ground beef (I use the 93% lean)
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
1/4 cup plain breadcrumb
1 egg
salt and pepper
oil for cooking

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking dish with a brush of olive oil. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except the garlic clove. Using a microplane, grate the garlic over the mixture ensuring to tap an excess that remains on the microplane. Season with salt and pepper. Mix ingredients until all ingredients are incorporated. Don't over mix the meat as it will get tough. Now the fun begins, fill the peppers by carefully stuffing each one with the ground beef mixture. Don't over fill them, as the meat will come out during the baking process. Place the peppers into the prepared dish and drizzle oil on top. Cook covered with tin foil for 40 minutes, then remove the tinfoil and cook for 20 more minutes. The flesh of the peppers with brown and be tender. Serve these with crusty bread for soaking up all the goodness left in the pan. Enjoy!