A one pot meal is always a good thing in my book.

Things have been shaping up nicely around here and my parents' 50th wedding anniversary party preparations are in full swing.  I still have the cake and a few last minute things to handle, but I'm started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I really enjoyed working on all the decorations, especially the cake stand; a tire rim in honor of my dad the car guy.  I have to keep all the party talk hush-hush around my dad because he was scoffing about us not doing too much.  As if I would do such a thing, crazy talk I tell you.

Between work, trying to get in some exercise, and working on the party decorations I haven't had much time for anything else, especially cooking complicated meals.  Several nights last week I was lucky if I had a hot meal at all.  So tonight I went with a perennial favorite; the one pot meal.

This was so quick and easy to make it actually left me with a few minutes left to write the recipe down.

2 teaspoons olive or canola oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled, and finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin (use 1/2 teaspoon if you don't like a lot of spice)

2-4 pork chops (depending on how many you want to feed)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup basmati rice

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved

3 baby bok choy bunches, cut in large pieces

2 1/2 - 3 cups vegetable stock

In a large deep-sided skillet add the olive oil, onion, carrots, and celery and cook on medium heat for a few minutes until the veggies are starting to become translucent.  Add the garlic and stir for a few minutes.  Add the cumin and stir.  Push the veggies to the sides of the pan and add the pork chops. Salt and pepper the chops and add more salt and pepper to the pan.  Add the rice to the sides of the chops.  Place the tomatoes and bok choy on top of the rice and pork chops, cover the whole thing with vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to medium and cook with the lid on for 25-30 minutes, until the rice is tender.

You could easily sub out chicken or whatever protein you'd like.  I like how spicy the cumin makes the rice, if you don't like spice at all; sub in some Italian seasoning.  

Enjoy,

Gina

"Italian" Macaroni and Cheese

Thank you for the e-mails concerning my status and I can assure you I am alive and marginally well.  I did have my doubts though and was so concerned this morning when I drifted into consciousness I asked Hot Dog Dude if he could place a mirror in front of my mouth just to be sure.

He wasn't in the mood to humor me, like I was totally in the mood to humor him today when he requested I redo the same invoices I've done three times in a row now. Oh how far we fall some days.  Some days just call for comfort in the way of a hot cheesy, casserole.

Italian Macaroni and Cheese (For the record there is absolutely nothing Italian about this, but my cousin calls it that and I think that is sweet.)

1 pound dried rigatoni noodles

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

6 cups milk

8 ounces cheddar cheese, cut in thin slices

Salt

Pepper

Pinch ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place a large pot of water on to boil and add a few teaspoons salt, once it's boiling vigorously add the rigatoni noodles.  Cook about 10 minutes or until al dente.

Place the butter in a medium saucepan and turn on medium heat and let the butter melt.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth, cook one minute and add the milk, a little salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.  Simmer on low heat until ready to assemble the casserole. 

Drain the noodles.  Spray a casserole dish about an 11" x 13" sized one with no-stick spray and place half of the noodles on the bottom.  Add half of the cheese slices over that, sprinkle with a little S&P and pour half of the milk mixture over that.  Add the other half of the noodles, other half of the cheese, and the rest of the milk.  

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the tops of the noodles are getting brown and crispy.

Enjoy,

Gina



Chicken, Kale, Mushroom, and Cheese French Bread Sandwich

Do you ever just want something easy to make for dinner to compensate for lack of easy in your life?  I have my hand raised over here.  My weeks have been passing at warp speed, yet I still like to fix something for dinner I know we can sit down and enjoy together.  That is always a challenging task I might add considering my families diet seems to change on a daily basis.  

My normal self would say why not a six hour braised rack of something, but the saner version of me said, "How about just throwing everything into one delicious package!"  I kind of like her, I should probably listen to her more often.  I'm thinking she has a lot going on in the common sense department.

My mom always made a stuffed French bread sandwich for us with a ground, beef, spinach, and bread stuffing. My daughter really likes that version, but my husband insisted on grilling some steaks this weekend and he can only have so much beef (that is a seriously long story) so I decided to re-vamp the sandwich in a healthier way.

I was trying to sneak the mushrooms past my daughter, but she saw one and it was over.  I'm telling you, I'm thinking I'm just going to walk out to the curb and start giving away dinner to passer-byers instead of the rough regular customers I have.  If you share the same mushroom aversion as my daughter, feel free to leave them out.    

Chicken, Kale, Mushroom, and Cheese French Bread Sandwich
3 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small package baby portabella mushrooms or about 8, sliced
1 bunch kale, leaves only, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, diced 1/2"
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons brown mustard
1 loaf ciabatta bread or a regular French loaf

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  Add 1/2 the oil to a large skillet and heat on medium-high heat for a minute or so and add the chopped onions. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until onions are starting to look translucent.  Add the garlic, stir and cook for an additional minute.  Add the mushroom, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the kale and stir and cook until the kale is wilted.  Stir in the salt, pepper, and thyme and place the whole mixture on a plate.

3.  Place the skillet back on the heat, add the remainder of the oil and the chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 4-5 minutes, you could also sprinkle the chicken with a little more salt and pepper at this point.  You don't need to cook the chicken through since you are going to cook it longer in the oven. Add the vegetables back to the skillet and add the cheese, stir until all the ingredients are combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.

4.  Cut the top off of the bread and remove the insides.  (I just set it aside for my daughter, turned out to be a good call).  In a small bowl combine butter and mustard and spread this mixture on the inside of the bread including the inside of the top piece.  Fill the bread with the chicken mixture.  Don't add all the liquid in the pan or the bread might get soggy.  Place the top piece of bread back on the sandwich.

5.  Wrap the whole sandwich in foil and place directly on the oven rack and bake for 40-45 minutes.

6.  Unwrap the sandwich and slice with a serrated knife.

You can easily get 4 good sized sandwiches.

I thought it was better than the original and healthier for sure; you will have to be the judge and let me know.

Enjoy,

Gina

Braciole - Maybe-Maybe Not!

I've been thinking about recreating a braciole I remember from childhood it was stuffed rolled beef cooked in tomato sauce. I was going to use one of my mom's recipes, but she won't let me take any liberties with hers. I wish I was kidding, she was in the hospital a few months ago, I was sitting there keeping her company and I was telling her about this butterscotch cannoli recipe, she doesn't even speak Italian; but I'm pretty sure she was cursing in it! But since when do I do what I'm told, I decided to use a pork loin and get a little pork crazy with the stuffing. Besides I love pork and I'm the one making it, and what my mom doesn't know won't hurt her and since we are all friends now; I know none of you are going to tell her - are you?

Pork Braciole
(1) - 2 lb. pork loin
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage (or links with casings removed)
6 thin slices provolone cheese
6 thin slices prosciutto
8-10 basil leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4-5 cups Brandywine Marinara (or Marinara sauce of your choice)
1 cup red wine

Take the pork loin and cut off any silver skin and place it long ways on your cutting board. Use a sharp knife and start cutting 1/2" or so from the bottom of the loin. Cut into the loin about an inch at a time. Think of it as something you are unfolding, cut, unfold a little, cut another 1", and unfold a little, till your loin is flat like the picture below.

Next put plastic wrap on your counter, place the pork loin on it and cover it in wrap again. Then use a meat mallet or heavy pan and flatten the loin till even. No need to go crazy on the poor pork loin, what did he do to you? Oh, maybe he forgot your birthday; sorry about that got off track for a second!

On top of the loin place half of the basil leaves along the center and half more about 2" above that, and then cover the loin with a layer of provolone cheese. Add a layer of prosciutto, and on top of that add the Italian sausage.

Now all you have to do is roll it up. Start at the end nearest you and roll it away from you. Then you are going to tie it up with some butcher's twine. Add a little salt and pepper on the outside now.

Heat a skillet on medium heat; add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and put the loin in and keep turning till browned on all sides.

Place the loin in a large ovenproof pot and put the sauce in and a cup of red wine. Put a lid on the pot and put it in a 350 degree F oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Don't forget to make some pasta for all that beautiful sauce you are going to end up with and cut the strings off the loin before slicing. I'll write an eggplant and green bean recipe for you soon; I've gotta at least get in a few minutes by the pool today!

Enjoy,

Gina

Pork and Sausage Stew

I'm tired of the fog that has been hanging around here lately and figured a nice hearty stew was in order.  Pork & Sausage Stew is this recipe I've had, well let's just say forever.  I remember buying my first cookbook from a door-to-door salesman, while working at my first job.  Can you imagine that happening these days?

I can't even remember the name of the book, but there was this one recipe that I had to make, it was called pork and sausage stew.  Even way back then, I couldn't leave recipes well enough alone. Or maybe I just have a problem following directions.  So I changed it to suit my needs.

Ingredients:

2 medium onions, sliced

4 tbsp. vegetable oil

4 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add oil, then onions.  Cook for 5 minutes then add flour and cook an additional 5 minutes.

1-pound thin cut pork chops

1-pound pork breakfast sausages

Add pork chops and sausages to skillet.

3 cups low-sodium chicken stock (I know the picture shows 4; just ignore the lady who went off memory!)

6 oz. tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

To the skillet add the chicken stock, tomato paste, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes.  

It's such a simple dish, but it's so tasty.  I like to serve it over egg noodles, but feel free to try it with rice or whatever you have on hand.

Enjoy,

Gina