Prosciutto and Brie Sandie

I love the idea of a sandwich.  It really is the perfect vehicle for so many different ingredients and I think you can't go wrong with one.  It can be very basic or very up-scale.  Sandie's can do so much!  When I don't have leftovers for lunch, I will pack a turkey and Swiss on plain ol' white bread and some cheez-its and call it a day.  Sandwiches are so easy, so good, and so versatile.

With all my time at home this week, I decided to branch out some of my cooking endeavors to the lunch category.  I bought some ciabatta rolls at the store and some Prosciutto and some Brie cheese and settled to the task of making a fancy, beautiful, but oh-so-easy sandie. 

I split the ciabatta roll and very very thinly spread a mixture of mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.  The spread wasn't enough to overpower the meat and cheese ingredients but did impart some flavor.  I then put some salt and pepper on the bread to season the sandwich.

I added some soft, creamy Brie cheese and some salty Prosciutto.  I would have used arugula but I didn't have any.  And it worked just fine without it, really.  Next time, though....

I also added something else.  And you're going to have to stick with me.  Trust me.  Trust the process. 

I also spread a wee bit of hot pepper jelly between the Brie and the Prosciutto. 

I know what you're thinking: Woah, woah, woah.  What?  Who does she think she is?  (And what is hot pepper jelly?)

But fig jam is something that is pretty common on prosciutto and brie sandwiches.  Brie cheese pairs well with sweet things.  So, I had pepper jelly left over from an appetizer that I like, and I was feeling adventurous so I did it.  Watch out, world.  Hot pepper jelly!

It was really, really good.  Yes, it was a little weird.  But weird is good, I think.  And this sandwich was weird and good.  Good and weird. 

Bottom line, sandies rock.

Omelette Surprise

I have class until 9:00pm on Tuesday nights so it's always a struggle finding something to eat.  I leave class starving and exhausted and usually just pop in something frozen or make a sandwich.  But this week, I thought that instead of waiting around for the hour it takes for my tiny oven to preheat (seriously.  It takes an hour.) I could probably cook something. 

Eggs cook up quick.  Omelettes are good and easy.  Perfect for Tuesday nights after a long day of work and school.

I started by browning some chopped mushrooms and grape tomatoes.  I cooked the mushrooms for about 5 minutes before adding the tomatoes, then cooked the tomatoes for another 3 minutes.

Then I added some spinach.



And let it wilt down a little bit.  Like two minutes.

While all this was getting good and cooked, I whisked up three eggs, a little bit of milk, some salt, and some pepper.  Then I added the egg mixture to the veggie mixture and started the omelette.

So, technically that's the omelette.  Vegetables and eggs, cooked just like that, until its firm enough to flip over.  You add cheese in there when the cookings almost done so that it gets good and melty.  I used blue cheese because I had some left over. 

But here's the surprise in Omelette Surprise.  I am incapable of flipping an omelette.  So... Surprise!  Not so much of an omelette as it was a scramble.  But it had lofty omelette ideals so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and calling it an omelette, sort of.  This is also why I quit taking pictures and there's no final product.  Omelette's are gorgeous.  Scrambles are not. 

Here's what I think went wrong:

• The vegetables were too wet and the omelette didn't firm up like it should have.
• I didn't wait long enough before flipping and the omelette didn't firm up like it should have.
• Too much veggies, not enough eggs.
• My spatula is weird and curves backwards which makes it difficult to flip anything without making a mess.

Nonetheless, omelettes are delicious and easy to make.  Even if they turn into a scramble.  It's all good.  Eggs for dinner--perfect for a late night, quick fix.

Pesto Pasta

I adore pesto.  I realize that it's something that you either like or you don't, but I really like it.  My brother, for instance, would rather chew on a gym sock.  But, like I said, I crave garlic, and pesto's got it.  I like pesto on sandwiches, bruschetta, and of course, pasta.  I like pesto on anything because I like pesto!

But did you know?  The shape of the pasta matters!  For pesto, and other oily-type sauces, I prefer something short and tubular with ridges on it to catch the sauce, like penne or rigatoni, or something with texture like fussili (corkscrews) or farfalle (bowties).  For creamy pastas, like Spaghetti al Limone I prefer something long, like, well, spaghetti.  I think tomato sauce, and especially creamy tomato sauce is good on anything.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So, for this pesto pasta, I used fussili pasta.  I boiled some salted water and cooked the whole box of pasta per the package instructions.  Pesto sauce is one of the few sauces that shouldn't be cooked, so this recipe is super easy.  While the pasta was boiling I combined about a cup of prepared pesto, because I don't have a cuisin-art to make it from scratch (poor, poor me) and 1/4 cup of olive oil and whisked to combine.  I then added some halved grape tomatoes to the pesto.

When the pasta had about 3 minutes left to cook, I added some chopped up broccoli to the boiling water and cooked for the remaining time.  When the pasta and broccoli had finished cooking, I removed about 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then I drained and added to the pesto mixture and tossed to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste and the extra cooking water to loosen it up a bit.  The hot pasta warms the pesto and causes the grape tomatoes to soften and semi-burst.  I threw in some Parmesan cheese, naturally, and served!



I love the contrast of the red tomatoes and the green broccoli and pesto sauce.  Beautiful and yummy.  And it took about 15 minutes to make.  Triple score. 

If you don't have time for a proper meal, you do.  Do this! 

Bruschetta/Broo-sket-uh

Bruschetta (broo-sket-uh)
-Noun
An Italian appetizer consisting of toasted bread slices drizzled with olive oil and usually topped with tomatoes and basil.

That's it.  That's all this is.  Bread, Oil, Tomatoes and Basil.  Unless you add Balsamic Vinegar.  Or left-over bacon.  Or really anything you can think of that goes on buttery, crunchy bread.  The possibilities are endless, and each is just as delicious as the last. 

Some people crave sugar, some salt, I crave garlic.  So I when I was craving garlic, like I usually am, I used some yummy bread, some butter, a little tomato, and a lot of garlic and whipped up a classic Italian snack.

First, I toasted some bread.

Then, I removed the bread and added some tomatoes, some left-over chopped up bacon, garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  I let these cook down so that the Balsamic had reduced and turned the tomatoes and garlic into a sauce.  Looking back, I would have added the bacon on top of the sauce, but it was delicious nonetheless.  So very delicious.

Then, I added the tomato, garlic, Balsamic sauce to the crunchy, buttery bread and topped with some torn basil.

Eating this as a quick snack, serving it as an appetizer, or a yummy lunch, bruschetta is versatile, savory, and really beautiful. 

And the best part is?  You can't mess it up.  Unless you burn the bread.  If you don't burn the bread, you can put anything on it and it's perfect.  Just, perfect. 

Classic Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I ask you, is there anything better than a Grilled Cheese Sandwich? 

I answer you, No.  There is not. 

Unless that grilled cheese sandwich is paired with tomato soup, then it's better, it's delicious and it's classic.  Those are two things that I really, really like.

After days of almost-Spring weather, yesterday turned windy and cold... again.  Warm soup and a comforting grilled cheese was the perfect remedy.  For the tomato soup, I started with a mirepoix, which is a fancy way of saying I sauteed carrots, celery and onions, but mirepoix is so.. French.  I love it.  Anyway, I started with sauteing vegetables then added a little bit of garlic and poured two 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes and stirred to combine.  I added 3 1/2 cups of vegetable broth, a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, thyme, and cayenne pepper for heat.  Once all the ingredients were combined, I reduced the heat and simmered, covered, for 20 minutes. 

While the soup was simmerin' away, I started the grilled cheese.  Now, this wasn't you're normal grilled cheese.  This grilled cheese had gumption.  Bacon, tomatoes, cheddar and blue cheese combined into warm, melty bliss on rustic whole wheat bread. 

Oh, and I fried bacon for the first time.  Ever.  I'm a self-proclaimed Southern Girl who believes everything is better with bacon, duh, and yesterday, at 24 years old, I fried my first batch.  So that's how the sandwich started.  I fried bacon, then assembled the sandwich by putting cheddar on both sides of the bread, then the tomatoes, then the bacon, and then the crumbly blue cheese.  I grilled it on each side like a normal grilled cheese, but since there was so much going on in there, I finished it under the broiler so that the cheese got good and melted.

I served the soup with the sandwich and a glass of Chardonnay and had a lovely, warm evening watching Grey's Anatomy Season 3, also known as the season where everything goes wrong.  Those people....

Yum.

Oh my. 

So.  Dang.  Good.

Hope your weekend was warm and cozy like mine.  I have some (much needed) time off this week and am really looking forward to cooking, eating, and enjoying myself.  Happy President's Day to you.

Shrimp Aperitivo

In Italy they have a wonderful take on Happy Hour.  In addition to discounted drinks, if you buy one or two, depending on the place, you get free, endless trips to the Aperitivo.  This, essentially, is an appetizer buffet.  Sometimes it was cheese and crackers.  Sometimes there was an Antipasto plate thrown in.  And sometimes there were full blown tapas-style appetizers substantial enough to count as dinner.  For free! 

I took this idea and scaled it back. First, I didn't charge anyone for drinks.  Second, I only made one, not a buffet.  However, instead of doing my old stand-by chips and salsa, or an antipasto plate for an occasion, I made a warm appetizer of Italian-style sauteed shrimp to serve with cocktails and it was a hit.

Because I used cooked, frozen shrimp, these darlings were whipped up in less than 5 minutes.  Saute de-thawed shrimp in olive oil, red pepper flakes, and thyme or oregano.  Add one clove of minced garlic close to the end so it doesn't burn.  Cook just until the shrimp are heated through and the garlic is fragrant.  I served in a bowl because the moisture of the shrimp and the olive oil make this wonderful scampi-like broth that you can dip bread into.  Yes, please.

These shrimp were perfect to snack on while waiting to eat our meal.  We drank red wine because it's what we bought for our meal, but I think they would have been delicious with Champagne or, if you're sticking with the Italian theme, as you should, a cold flute of Prosecco. 

Enjoy your weekend, folks!  It's cold, but not freezing, so I'm going outside!

Let Them Eat (Chocolate) Cake

As promised in my last post, I'm dedicating an entire post to the Chocolate Cake I made last Sunday. 

I'm not much of a baker.  Too many details that matter too much.  I can make a pretty mean batch of Nestle Toll House ("Nest-ley Toulllouussee... You American's butcher the French language..." anyone?  anyone?) but considering that recipe comes on the back of the chocolate chips and is pretty much fool proof, I don't call that a victory.  So when I found this recipe for chocolate cupcakes I figured I'd try it, but with the lowest of expectations. 

I originally was going to do this exact recipe, from The Pioneer Woman's Blog, but I forgot to buy cupcake papers, and I couldn't find my muffin tin, and cupcakes are messy and I don't really get the appeal, so long story short I made cupcakes into a cake using this recipe, topped it off with ganache-from-Above from the cupcake recipe, and stuck in some Hershey's kisses for good measure.  Let's call it a Frankenstein of a cake.  Or let's call it heavenly.  Your choice.

I put a little bit of cinnamon in the batter because I like a little bit a cinnamon in my chocolate.  I really think this put it over the top. 



I only put Hershey's kisses on half of the cake because I had absolutely no idea how it would turn out.  Turns out, it turned out awesome.

This is before I put the icing on it.  And THAT is my thumbprint.  Oops.

Warm, gooey, silky Ganache.  Yum.  Yum Yum.



Would you look at that?  Is there anything better than that? 

This is the good part....

This is the ugly part.  And the part that I had to clean up before I could make steaks.  I HATE dishes, if you didn't know this about me.

And finally, devour.  It's moist (sorry, KB), chocolate-y, silky, YUMMY.  And the cinnamon, if I do say so myself, was the secret ingredient. 

Dreaming of chocolate now?  Good.  Go bake this now.

Full of Love... and Steak

I realize that it's fairly cliche for a young 20-something woman to hate Valentine's day.  Stupid Cupid pub crawls, anti-Valentine's day cards, and pledges to wear all black as a sign of solidarity to all those that share your sentiments are pretty common place.  But, nevertheless, I really dislike it.  I'm not bitter, or alone, I just don't like big, hyped up holidays that make you feel pressured into being sweet and romantic to the one that you're probably already being sweet and romantic to.  And if you're not, then you should be sweet and romantic every day, not just this day.  And another thing!  It's so expensive to go out in the city anyway, much less a night when they are charging triple the cost for the same meal that you would get on, say, February 15.  For this very reason, I told K not to get me anything, that this was not a trap or a test, and that we would stay in. 

And, because I was being sweet and romantic, and because the one I was being sweet and romantic to loves steak, I pledged to try my hand at a steak dinner.  We never really had steak growing up and my memories of steak at restaurants are rubbery, fatty, bleeding or burnt.  Not appetizing.  But I think I can't call myself a cook until I can make a steak, so I did it.  I made steak.  Beefy, decadent steak.

We bought two New York Strips because they were fairly priced and looked pretty good, and I did an inordinate amount of research on how to cook steaks, and then set myself to the task.  I made a Divine, delicious, would-eat-it-on-shoe-leather onion and blue cheese sauce that I found on http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ to accompany the steak, and some very simple green beans dressed with olive oil, salt, and pepper.



I can't really say enough about the sauce.  Because I'm still speechless.  It was the best, most flavorful, rich, oh-my-gosh sauce ever and if you don't follow that link up there and make it immediately, I don't think we can be friends anymore.

To make the steaks I let them come to room temperature, a tip that my friend J.R. gave me.  Then I melted 1/2 a stick of butter in a large, hot skillet, seasoned each side of the steak with salt and pepper, and seared until both sides got a nice brown color.  Then, because my pan wasn't oven proof and therefore could not be broiled, I lowered the heat and cooked the steaks a little bit more, because I prefer my beef to not moo at me.  I took them off the heat way before my instincts told me to and let them rest for a couple of minutes. 

I served the steaks on a cloud of the-best-sauce-ever and served green beans on the side.  The beans were blanched, then sauteed in a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  They were simple and the perfect side for such a rich dish.

The point of this post is not to talk about steak.  Or Valentine's day even.  I guess my point is, friends, I was wrong.  And I hate, hate, HATE being wrong.  But we had a lovely dinner! We listened to some sappy music, drank some delicious Italian wine, and talked and talked.  The experience changed my mind not only on the merits of Valentine's Day, but now, I like steak!  I think the latter is the most impressive.  I really hated steak.

And look at my pretty white plates! 

For dessert I made a chocolate cake, but it was so delicious and so sinful that it deserves it's own dedicated post.  Stay tuned.

Happy Valentine's Day loves.  Go hug someone!

New Goodies!

A couple of nights ago I decided to get rid of this monstrosity that Tyson, the co-dependant kitten, ripped to shreds. 

I wanted to add a coffee table since I don't really have room for a dinner table, because I live in a shoe box.  So off to Ikea we went, where I got this beauty!

But the best part about a trip to Ikea is that they have an extensive kitchen section.  And I love kitchen goodies.  Dishes, appliances, storage containers... ahh.  It's all so good.

After picking out the coffee table I made my way to the kitchen section and got down to business.



I got a new plant, which doesn't actually belong in the kitchen but it's lovely to look at.

Some new wine glasses, because I'm down to my last two.

A salad spinner!

A fancy new sharp knife

A cutting board for said new fancy sharp knife

A roasting pan for future roast chicken endeavors

And my favorite!  I got some pretty, clean white dishes so that in my pictures of food, the food won't blend into the yellow color of my old dishes.  Not appealing.

The trip to Ikea did yield me a new coffee table, which K so cleverly put together.  But the best part of the trip?  New toys.  Definitely new toys.

Spaghetti with Lemon Cream Sauce

As promised, this week is all about pasta.  I started it off with this and ended it with a fresh, zesty lemon pasta that was delicious and only took one pot to make.  Bonus.

My mom sent me the recipe that she found and adapted from Cook's Illustrated.  Spaghetti Al Limone was creamy, lemony and hearty without being too heavy.  It was the perfect Thursday night dinner to end a week of cranky kids in the After School Program, long hours with Grad homework, and a particularly long night of Wednesday night Trivia that ended up at The Rattlesnake.  You don't know what that is, I know, but trust me... it's never a good idea.

The recipe starts by boiling thin spaghetti. 

That's it. 

Don't start heating oil, sauteing onions, or opening cans.  Don't do anything.  Just boil pasta for 8 minutes, or until al dente.

Well, actually while the pasta is boiling you can dice up a shallot and a clove of garlic.  But really, that's it.

When the pasta is done, reserve 1 3/4 cups of the starchy pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander, and set aside.  In the pot that is now empty, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the chopped shallot and some salt and saute for about 2 minutes.  Then add the garlic, 1 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and 1 cup of heavy cream.  Simmer this for about 2 minutes, or until it's thickened a bit, and add the cooked pasta, tossing to coat.  Next, zest 3 lemons and add that to the pot.  Then add the juice of those three lemons.  Then add a whole mess of Parmesan cheese.  Let the pasta sit for a minute or two, so the sauce firms up, and if it gets too gloppy, add more of the cooking liquid to thin it out.

Serve with basil and salt and pepper and enjoy!  This was creamy without being too heavy, lemony without overwhelming me with citrus, and oh-so-comforting.  I curled up on my couch, turned on NBC Thursday shows and tucked in.  It was a perfect end to a hectic week.

And I have enough leftovers to last me through the weekend.

In fact, I think I'll go warm up a bowl right now....  Happy Friday, folks!

Bowties with Tomatoes, Sausage and Cream

Enough already!  I've really been trying to branch out and try new things, i.e. not cook pasta for every meal.  I have!  Look here, and here, and especially here.  See?  Rice!  I'm trying.

But friends, if pasta is wrong, I don't want to be right.  This week I'm going back to my roots, meaning:

I'm cooking something I love!

I'm cooking something I'm good at!

I'm cooking something that is full of carbs!

Look at this little darling that I like to call Sausage, Tomato and Cream, All Dressed Up (I just thought of that, but I like it.  Deal with it.)

So.  Very.  Delicious.

Here's the recipe:

1 pound bow tie pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage

1 Small onion, diced

2 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 (28 ounce) can San Marzano Tomatoes, whole or diced (really, San Marzano is the only way to go.  And I'm not being a snob.  It just is.)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used Light Cream, which probably isn't as delicious, but it's also not as sinful.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Chopped Basil for garnish

Put a large pot of salted water on and bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet and add onion, cooking for about 3 minutes.  When the onion is fragrant and a little translucent, add the ground Italian sausage and garlic.  Cook the sausage until it is crumbled and evenly brown.  Add the can of San Marzano Tomatoes, the cream, and some salt.  Let this simmer until sauce has thickened a bit, about 8-10 minutes (or until the pasta is cooked).  The sauce will be a lovely orange-y red color. 

When the Pasta is done cooking, drain and return to the cooking pot.  Add the sauce and toss to combine then serve immediately with Parmesan Cheese and chopped basil as a garnish.  Then, as you're eating, try to think of ways you could eat this every single meal without provoking scorn from your loved ones.  If you come up with any promising ideas, please, let me know.

Oh, and here's the deal with San Marzano Tomatoes.  They come from Italy, where most good things come from, and you can find them in most Super Markets.  I like the brands Cento or Pastine, but that's because they're available at my local Stop and Shop.  I was skeptical at first, because canned tomatoes are canned tomatoes, right?  Wrong.  They really are sweeter, more colorful, and, just better.  I always keep some around just in case I want to throw together a pasta dish. 

Stay tuned for All About Me, Part Deux, where I will take you on yet another carb-filled journey.  This time... lemons.

Chicken Wings and Super Bowls

The Super Bowl always makes me a little sad.  I love football and while the Super Bowl is an exciting game, especially if you care about the teams (which I didn't), it marks the end of the season and that makes me sad.  However, what a perfect excuse to eat like a p-i-g pig for hours and hours.

We started off the night with chips and dip, obviously.  Spinach dip and crunchy, salty potato chips, with some celery and carrots for good measure, were munched on pre-game.  As the game kicked off, I prepared an antipasto plate.  I love antipasto.  Everything is salty, oily, cheesy, yummy.  I got some olives, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzerella, pepperoni, mushrooms, and peppers and arranged them on a plate.

Salty goodness

Cheesy Goodness

The 1st Half Spread

The second half I served Chicken Dingers (chicken wings if you are conventional...I'm not) and home-made blue cheese dressing.  I baked the chicken wings, following the recipe I found here.  I followed this pretty much to the T, because I was nervous I'd mess something up, and soggy chicken wings sound disgusting.  Luckily, they worked out perfectly and were crispy and spicy, just as Buffalo wings should be.

The blue cheese dressing was to die for.  I twittered that I was licking the whisk after I made it, and I'm not ashamed to say that this is the truth.  Speaking of, I'm on Twitter!  Follow me!  @hatshaley

Blue Cheese Dressing

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

A couple of turns of the ol' pepper grinder

Whisk together the buttermilk, mayonnaise and spices until smooth.  As you are whisking, add the blue cheese crumbles.  Combine to your desired smoothness.  Use on salad, as a dip, or eat with a spoon.  Don't worry, I won't judge.

Now I have another 6 months to anticipate Saturday and Sunday football games, and in the mean time, I'll cook, I'll eat, and I'll blog.

What did you make for the Super Bowl?