Muffaletta Sandwich

This was a REAL crowd pleaser - and half of us don't particularly care for olives. This is Jeff Mauro's recipe:

 

Muffaletta Sandwich
1 large round boule or round Italian loaf bread or 4 individual ciabatta rolls

Olive Giardiniera Salad, recipe follows
1/4 pound sandwich sliced sharp provolone

1/4 pound sandwich sliced mortadella
1/4 pound sandwich sliced Genoa salami or sopresatta
1/4 pound sandwich sliced hot capicola *I used deli ham 

Olive Giardiniera Salad:
1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup drained roasted red peppers
1/2 cup hot giardiniera with oil (16 oz yields 4 helpings)
1/4 cup drained capers (a 3.5 oz bottle yields 2 batches)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 teaspoon sugar

**This Olive Giardiniera Salad makes EXACTLY enough for 1 boule or 4 individual ciabatta rolls.

Cut the loaf in half horizontally. Spread the Olive Giardiniera Salad crust to crust on both sides of the bread. Then, layer the cheese on the bottom, followed by high ribbons of the mortadella, salami and capicola. Cover with the top half of the bread and let sit 20 to 30 minutes so the salad's oil can soak into the bread. Cut into pie-shaped wedges and serve to the masses.

Olive Giardiniera Salad:
Put the olives, red peppers, giardiniera with oil, capers, vinegar, parsley and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 8 to 10 times until a coarse relish forms.

You can let this sit, in a Ziplock or Saran Wrap for a while... I've made ours 30 minutes in advance up to 3 hours in advance. 

This Mom's Lasagna

We hosted family dinner for my sons 16th birthday. I was feeding 20-30 (mainly adults and teenagers) so I had to come up with something delicious to feed a crowd AND something that's easy on my budget.

My local grocery store (Harmon's) had a 5 for $20 meat sale. I got approx. $40 worth of sausage, ground right there in the store for $20. THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!! So I started there and I ended up here. This is based on Michael Symon's recipe for "Mom's Lasagna," I tweaked the recipe around what I had and what I could budget. This Mom's Lasagna

1/2 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped *the pre diced frozen onions are SUCH a good hack!

4 garlic cloves, minced or grated

Kosher salt

2 lbs ground sweet sausage

2 lbs ground spicy sausage

32 - 48 oz of your favorite marinara sauce *depending on how wet you like it. I just like the flavor - not so wet for me.

1 lb dried lasagna noodles

2 lbs whole-milk ricotta cheese *32 oz for us layman folk

1/2 c Italian seasoning (Oregano, thyme, basil, parsley)

2 large eggs *I actually use an egg replacer bc my son is allergic to eggs

1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, grated

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese *Fresh parsley adds a nice touch right before serving

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion garlic and a three-finger pinch of salt and sweat them until they are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the sausage and continue cooking until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to get all of the browned bits into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and simmer for 2 hours over medium heat.  Skim any fat that rises to the surface. *Harmon's sausage isn't only made right in the store - it is incredibly low fat - so I didn't have to do that!!!

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add enough salt so that it tastes seasoned and allow the water to return to a boil. Add the noodles and cook 2 or 3 minutes shy of package directions. Drain well and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Italian seasoning and eggs* with a pinch of salt. I incorporated these ingredients by using a hand mixer - adds a bit of air to it - which is nice. I used Michael Symon's tip here: I put it into a gallon sized Zip Lock bag and cut the corner for easy distribution.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Ladle about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch lasagna pan. Arrange a layer of noodles over followed by a layer of ricotta mixture and then some sauce, smoothing it with a spatula to the edges of the noodles. Repeat the process until the pan is full and finishing with a final layer of noodles, sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes to brown and bubbly on top. Remove from oven and let cool before serving (he says slightly - I let it sit for about 30 minutes - think of it like a steak. If you cut into a steak right when it's done cooking - all the juices run out. Same thing with lasagna - if you cut right into it without letting it rest, you'll have a "mud slide" all the layers won't bind and they'll slide all over the place.) I served it with Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread - can you say YUMMMMM!!!

Meatballs

My daughter had her birthday this week. In our family the birthday honoree gets to choose what the family eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This year she requested Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner.

Everytime I make meatballs - I just kinda wing it - I mean how hard can it be? It's meat and you roll it into a ball!! LOL. This time, I decided to write down the recipe for my own knowledge and I'm sharing it with you!

This makes A LOT of meatballs - but with my family of 5 (all 3 kids are under 8) there were NO leftovers...

Jen's Meatballs

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1 1/2 lbs ground italian sausage (I use mild b/c of my kids - but feel free to go crazy!)

2 c Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 T Emeril's Essence (original Bam)

2 t parsley

2 t oregano

EVOO

Fav Marinara sauce

Get your hands in there and mix all those ingredients together. Use your Tablespoon to help you eyeball your meatballs size wise. I use a generous, heaping Tablespoon full for each meatball.

Fill the bottom of a large pan - about 1/4 inch full - of EVOO. Heat the oil on medium for just a minute or two before adding your meatballs. Cook a couple of minutes on all sides (you know when one side is done - it'll be nice and brown.

Make sure your pan isn't too hot - if it is, you will end up with nice browned meatballs and all sides - but they will be raw in the middle. You want to really let those meatballs take their time to cook so that the outside and insides are cooking evenly. I have a very large pan, so I only had to do 2 batches. I poured out the oil in between batches - just out of preference. If you do swap out your oil, make sure to clean up any oil that dripped over the side/bottom of your pan. If you don't carefully check that - that oil will catch on fire. Are you scrred? Don't be - I'm just giving you a few tips to make everything easy peasy and have everything run smoothly.

Meanwhile, in another pan (large enough to include the meatballs) heat your fav marinara sauce. When all of your meatballs are finished, add them to the marinara and let simmer just a few minutes - you don't want your meatballs to get too soggy. SERVE!!

Lamb* Ragu with Rotini and Ricotta

I saw Rachael Ray make this and I was seriously drooling...
Since we don't eat lamb - I am going to substitute ground turkey - I'll let you know how it turns out!

Lamb* Ragu with Rotini and Ricotta
2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound ground lamb*
A pinch of ground cloves
Salt and pepper
1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated
1 onion, finely chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine*
1 28-ounce can Italian tomatoes and their juice or purée
1 cup whole milk
1 pound whole wheat rigatoni or other short-cut pasta, semolina or whole wheat
1 cup fresh ricotta, fresh sheep milk ricotta, crumbled feta or ricotta salata
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, a handful, finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons mint leaves, a small handful, finely chopped

Heat a heavy pot over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add lamb and brown the meat, season with cloves, salt and pepper. When lamb is brown, add carrot, onions, garlic and rosemary. Cook 7-8 minutes to soften vegetables. Stir in tomato paste 1 minute, stir in wine a minute more, then add tomatoes and crush them with wooden spoon or potato masher. Thicken sauce a couple of minutes then stir in milk. Let simmer to thicken.
Bring a pot of water to a boil for pasta. Add salt then cook pasta to al dente. Drain and toss pasta with Ragu. Serve in shallow bowls topped with cheese to mix in as you eat. Garnish with parsley and mint*.

I am so silly! Originally, I didn't post the directions - oops - sorry!

*I used ground turkey instead of lamb and beef stock instead of white wine

Basil Pesto Pizza

This picture does not do this pizza justice. I need to take photography lessons or something!

This pizza was so yum - really how can you go wrong with any of those ingredients?
For pizza night - I wanted to switch it up a bit. I looked in the fridge to see what I had on hand and what do you know? I had the makings for an amazing pizza!

Basil Pesto Pizza
Basil Pesto (Costco or whatever your fav brand)
Pizza Dough (from scratch or store bought)
Pine nuts (toasted)
Mozzerella
Red onions
tomatoes
Salt
Pepper

Pat out your pizza dough. Spread pesto in an even layer (as you would marinara), salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mozzerella, onions and pine nuts over the pesto.

My husband and I like our tomatoes fresh and raw on top - but if you don't add your tomatoes too. Bake at 425 for 12 - 15 minutes.

Pesto Presto Italian Flag Chicken

I made Rachael Ray's Pesto Presto Italian Flag Chicken the other night and as RR says - it was Yummo. I made some adjustments b/c of the ingredients I had/didn't have.

She has you make your own pesto (the first 4 ingredients listed) and I used prepared pesto (one of my favorite cheats)
The Boursin cheese comes in 6 oz. rounds - FYI
After cooking the chicken - I ended up taking out about 1/2 of the pesto cheese mixture out of the middle. Since I used prepared pesto and didn't really have a measurement to go by - this was most likely my mistake. With that said - once I removed the excess pesto mixture - it was delish!
I served this with Char's Roasted Potatoes - if you haven't made those - you gotta! They rock!

Pesto Presto Italian Flag Chicken
3 tablespoons pine nuts
8-10 leaves basil, about a half a cup
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, a handful
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls
1 5.4 ounce round of Boursin garlic and herb soft cheese
4 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 slices 1/2 inch thick of vine ripe tomato, 3 medium tomatoes

Preheat oven to 450ºF. In a small pan over medium heat lightly toast the nuts then cool.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, parsley, pine nuts, Boursin cheese, 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano (about a handful), some salt and pepper. Process into a smooth paste. Reserve.
Butterfly each of the chicken breasts and pound them out lightly in a plastic bag with a dash of water using a skillet or meat mallet. Season both sides of the chicken and divide the herb-cheese mixture between the four breasts, placing a scoop on one half of each breast. Fold the flap over to enclose the cheese mixture.
Transfer the chicken pockets to a baking sheet and shingle 3 slices of tomato over each breast. Season with some salt and pepper, drizzle with about 2 tablespoons EVOO and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano (about a handful).
Bake the chicken pockets until cooked through and light golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Linguine with Shrimp and Creamy Roasted Tomatoes

I saw this recipe on MSN's food page. It was super delish!!

Linguine with Shrimp and Creamy Roasted Tomatoes
1 1/2 cup(s) grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon(s) thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 pound(s) linguine (I used whole grain rotini)
1 cup(s) heavy cream
3/4 pound(s) large shrimp, shelled, deveined and halved lengthwise (I used precooked small shrimp - it's just what I had)
2 teaspoon(s) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon(s) finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon(s) coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large ovenproof skillet, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for about 25 minutes, until starting to brown and their skins split.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguine until al dente; drain.
Add the cream to the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderate heat, gently crushing the tomatoes, until the cream thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer over moderate heat until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the linguine to the skillet along with the lemon juice and toss over low heat until the pasta is coated, about 1 minute. Add the lemon zest and parsley and toss. Transfer the pasta to warm bowls and serve at once.

*I added shredded Mizithra cheese - because I had it on hand after making Mizithra Cheese & Browned Butter Pasta . You could also add parm:) Yum!

Artichoke Heart & Asiago Cheese Pasta

"Mom's Artichoke Heart & Asiago Cheese Pasta Sauce" and is to DIE FOR! Just saying the name makes my mouth water...
Once I had that jar of sauce in my hand I just couldn't help myself! We ate dinner at 4:30p.m.

It was so delicious - it was like eating a gourmet meal - only it didn't take slaving over the stove all day - it just took the time to cook the pasta... you can't beat that!!

I served it with garlic bread - I used the Italian Bread I made yesterday, slathered it with butter, sprinkled it with a little garlic salt and grated Mozzerella and baked it to perfection (remember this only took the time to cook the pasta!!!)

Baked Pasta with Sausage

I made this super delish recipe tonight for dinner. After eating his first helping - my husband announced "alright...this is my new favorite dinner" - that is saying a lot since at first glance, I thought it was just another take on lasagna - b/c let's face it - most Italian food is made up of the same basic ingredients (same with Mexican food now that I think of it...)
Anyway - I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's site and it tastes just like eating at Romano's Macaroni Grill - or your fav Italian place...
AND you can give yourself a big ol' pat on the back for sneaking in all that spinach! I just read about how spinach is a "documented Super Food" it goes on to say that "with most Super Foods, there are one or two nutrients in particular that push an individual food to best in category. With spinach, the list is so long and impressive that the wide range of individual nutrients coupled with the unmatched synergy of those nutrients make it a top Super Food."
The fact that all 3 of my kiddos macked this down, spinach and all, was most excellent (am I chanelling Bill & Ted? TOTALLY!)
You can make this in a 9"x13" casserole or you can split it into 2 8"x8" pans (one of my favorite tricks) serve one tonight, and keep the other in the freezer for up to three months. To freeze, prepare the dish up until you stick it in the oven; let cool completely before covering tightly with plastic wrap and put in the freezer. If you freeze this dish, do not thaw before baking (awesome!) Remove plastic wrap, and cover with foil. Cook until heated through, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Remove foil, then top with cheeses and bake 20 - 30 minutes at 400.

Baked Pasta with Sausage
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (if you are lazy like me - I use the prepared minced garlic in a jar - which would be 2 t)
1/4 cup vodka (I eliminated this)
28 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lb rigatoni (or whatever you have on hand - I like rigatoni or penne because the sauce fills up the inside of the pasta and sticks to the ribbing on the outside of the pasta)
10 oz fresh baby spinach
12 oz ground sausage (Martha uses pre cooked thickly sliced chicken sausage - you know me - I just use what's around!)
6 ounces fontina cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 2 ounces coarsely grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (I rarely salt my pasta - it seems that most of the time salt is naturally added with other components - and as a last resort - you can always add more salt per your preference - but I am giving you the Martha recipe... mostly). Put it in your biggest, deepest skillet without any oil over medium heat. If your sausage isn't precooked, take it out of the casings, break it up and cook it until no longer pink. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Remove from heat; add vodka (if desired). Return to heat; cook until almost evaporated, 1 minute (this step is only necessary if you use vodka - like I said - I didn't and it turned out great!)

Stir in tomatoes and oregano; cook until tomatoes are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Before you drain the pasta - Add spinach, and cook just until wilted. Then drain and return contents to pot.

Add tomato & sausage mixture, and cubed fontina to pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Put into your choice of casserole(s) dishes. Top with grated Fontina and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

*You can substitute Mozzerella for Fontina. I have never used Fontina cheese before and can I just say that I am an instant fan. It costs about $5 for 6 oz. but so does fresh mozz. Fontina is very mild - but it melts like that is it's purpose in life. It gets all melty and gooey and lovely. Big fan.

**Also - you can substitute milk for heavy cream. I used heavy cream in this recipe - but it's not something I usually have on hand. I've got it stuck in my head that I can't keep anything dairy in my fridge unless it will serve a specific purpose in the next couple of days. I have realized that just isn't true! I bought heavy cream 2 weeks ago - and the expiration date on the bottle is the end of December. I have also realized that this is true with a few other items - like shredded parmesan cheese - which I will go into more detail in my next post... stay tuned!

Ode to Macaroni

This is my personal fav mac n' cheese - I think I got this recipe from Picky Palate http://picky-palate.com/ over a year ago - she is a great cook - and has a TON of ideas.

Jack Mac n' Cheese

1 lb dry elbow pasta noodles
2 T EVOO
1/2 c white onion, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1 T jalapeno, diced seeds and membrane removed
2 c cooked shredded rotisserie chicken
3 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 c butter
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/2 call purpose flour
14 oz can tomatoes with green chilis, milk
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
5 c whole milk
2 1/2 c shredded cheddar
2 1/2 c shredded Monterey Jack
1/2 c cream cheese, softened
2 T melted butter
1 c plain Panko bread crumbs

Cook pasta for about 10 min or until al dente, drain and reserve. preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat EVOO in a skillet over medium high heat. add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno saute until tender add chicken, cilantro, salt, cumin, pepper and tomatoes; saute for 3 or 4o more min, remove from het and set aside. in a separate large pot over med heat, melt butter. remove from heat and whisk in flou, salt and pepper until sooth. place back on med-high heat, slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boile while continuously whisking. reduce heat and stire in Cheddar, Monterey Jack and cheddar until melted and smooth. stir in cooked pasta and chicken mix. Pour mac and cheese mix into a greased 3 qt. casserole. in a med bowl, combine butter and panko. toss to coat and sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the M&C. bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crumbs are browned.

My kids don't like baked macaroni - their little palates are pretty unrefined- this is the recipe my kiddos request the most...

Mac For My Peeps
1/2 block of Velveeta
Milk
Salt & Pepper
Pasta

I use whatever pasta I have on hand - whatever is requested - my kids like the funny shapes. Split the loaf of Velveeta in half and then into cubes. Add milk, salt and pepper to taste. I usually melt the Velveeta in the micro and add the milk, salt and pepper in for the last round. It's easy to tell what effect the milk has on the cheese. Just add 1/4 c at a time until you find the consistency you like. Pour over hot pasta and serve. EASY. Plus, you can always add in according to your tastes, I've added bacon, onion, and ground beef or chicken to make it more of a one pot meal etc. Velveeta also sells "Pepper Jack" and "Mexican Mild" to add a little more kick.