Saturday Dinner at C&T's

On Saturday we went over to C&T's house for dinner. Just look at this fabulous standing rib roast being carved into luscious pieces:

T always puts out a huge feast and this time was no exception. Here's the salad:


... with lettuce, avocado, tomato, cucumber and carrots. In keeping with an English theme, T made pillowy-soft, light-as-air popovers:


I had at least two and could have eaten more had my stomach not rebelled. T also steamed green beans then cooked them with tons of garlic:


Boiled red potatoes:


...and roasted root vegetables (I think there's beets, carrots, parsnips, squash and red onion in there):


... silky gravy made from the roast drippings:


Here's the spread all laid out on the counter:


Another close-up of the popovers:


The side dishes:


And my plate, with a little bit of everything:


My salad didn't fit on my regular plate:


Even though dinner was fantastic, it was the dessert that had everyone swooning. T made sticky toffee pudding:


... and served it with fresh whipped cream. For some reason I didn't take a photo of my plate, but trust me when I say it was a beautiful sight. We also had two kinds of cheeses (courtesy of the S&B, the other guests). This was a stilton topped with cherries marinated in balsamic vinegar:


I'm not usually a fan of blue cheeses but this was outstanding. Nice and sharp. The other cheese was a mix of blue and cheddar cheeses. S served this with sliced pears. Yum!


Thanks again, C&T, for a fantastic dinner. You guys sure know how to throw a dinner party!

Bagel and Eggs

SP woke up early Saturday morning so he ran to the bagel shop and got some fresh bagels hot out of the oven. I had mine toasted, smeared with cream cheese, served alongside some lightly, perfectly scrambled eggs.

Pizza Friday

Another Friday, another pizza:



I remembered the success of last week and used just the teensiest bit of sauce, along with copious amounts of cheese and a longer stay in the oven. Another fantastic thin-crust pizza.

Cuban Sandwiches and Fries

In paging back through my blog recently I was reminded of the recipe for Cuban sandwiches that I got from Cook's Country. It's an incredibly easy meal to make and it tastes fantastic. I decided to pair it with fries for a yummy mid-week meal:


The recipe calls for both yellow mustard and mayo. In the past we decided we didn't like the combination of flavors with this sandwich so I left the yellow mustard off my sandwich entirely and added a little garlic to the mayo. SP, despite being an avid mayo fan, asked me to make his without mayo - just yellow mustard. I was skeptical but he loved it that way. I cooked the fries on my pizza stone and while they were crispy, they could have spent a few more minutes in the oven.


We really love the combination of flavors in this sandwich - the melty Swiss cheese, the roast pork and the ham with the pickles and banana peppers is a match made in Heaven.

Chicken, Broccoli and Ziti Casserole

My mom and I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show on Tuesday (pictures to come). We had a late lunch and I wasn't very hungry come dinner time, so SP decided to pick up some fun snacks for dinner. I wanted to make sure we had something for lunch the next day so I made a Chicken, Broccoli and Ziti casserole from the latest issue of Cook's Country:


This recipe made a mountain of food. We still have about 3/4 of it in the fridge. I loved the fresh bread crumb topping and you really can't go wrong with chicken, broccoli and pasta in a creamy sauce. Definitely a winner, although I'd cut the recipe in half next time.

Chicken, Broccoli and Ziti Casserole
Cook's Country April/May 2008
Serves 8

4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups grated Asiago cheese
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons melted
Salt and pepper
1 pound ziti
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds) cut into thin slices
12 ounces broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces

Pulse bread, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup Asiago cheese and melted butter in food processor until coarsely ground. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook ziti until al dente. Drain in colander and rinse under cold water until cool.

Melt remaining butter in the empty pot over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and whisk for 1 minute, then slowly add wine and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and broth, bring to a boil and add chicken. Simmer chicken until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and stir in remaining cheese.

Meanwhile, microwave the broccoli, covered with plastic wrap, in a large bowl until bright green and nearly tender, 2-4 minutes depending on your microwave. Add cooked broccoli and drained ziti to the pot, season with salt and pepper and transfer to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top with bread crumb mixture and bake until sauce is bubbling around the edges and crumbs are toasted, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. (Casserole can be assembled, minus the bread crumbs, 24 hours in advance. Bring to room temperature before adding bread crumbs and baking).

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Sunday breakfast needed to be quick and easy, but neither of us wanted eggs. Pancakes are our default since they require less cleanup then waffles. I decided to experiment with bigger pancakes:


... and of course I had mine with chocolate chips. SP said he loved the fluffy texture of the larger pancakes so I think I need to get a larger griddle so I can make more than one at a time.

Swedish Meatballs with Egg Noodles

This was a very hectic week so my meal plans got all screwy at times. I had planned to make Rachael Ray's Swedish Meatballs and Egg Noodles from her Comfort Foods: Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals during the week, but we ended up not having them until last night.


This meal lived up to the name of the cookbook. It was tasty, hearty and comforting, but it was also simple to make. I always say I love a meal I can make using ingredients I always keep on hand, so this was perfect for that kind of cooking. SP's only complaint was that I made the meatballs too big. The recipe said bite-size, but I wasn't sure how small to really make them. SP said he would have preferred a plate with lots of tiny meatballs to the larger onces I made, so next time I'll make them much smaller.

This is one of Rachael Ray's cookbooks that I think I should turn to more frequently. Every time I open it up I see countless recipes I want to try. I was actually planning to make my usual meal from this book (beef stroganoff) but I wanted to try something different and saw the Swedish meatballs.

Here's the recipe. I reworked the directions because they were unnecessarily wordy, but I actually followed this recipe exactly (save for making the meatballs too big).

Swedish Meatballs and Egg Noodles
Comfort Foods: Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals

Meatballs
1 pound ground chuck, or ground beef, pork and veal mix
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 small onion, finely chopped (or grated on a box grater)
A few drops Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 1/2 cups beef broth
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup sour cream

1 bag wide egg noodles
1 tablespoon butter
A handful of chopped parsley

Cook egg noodles according to package directions. While waiting for the water to boil, make the meatballs and sauce.

To bake meatballs: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix ingredients for meatballs in a medium-size bowl. Form bite-size balls and place on nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.

To cook meatballs on the stovetop: preheat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Mix ingredients for meatballs in a medium-size bowl. Form bite-size balls and add directly to the pan as you roll them. Once the last ball has been rolled, give the pan a good shake and place a lid or aluminum foil over the top. Cook meatballs 10 to 12 minutes, turning them occasionally. Remove meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate, wipe out pan, and return to heat to make the sauce.

To make the sauce: melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and continuously whisk until a smooth paste is formed. Slowly add sherry while continuing to whisk sauce; cook until sherry reduces by half. Add broth in a slow stream and continue to whisk until sauce thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Turn off heat and whisk in salt, pepper, Dijon mustard and sour cream.

Once the noodles are cooked, drain them and toss with butter and parsley. Add meatballs to the sauce, stir to coat, and serve over the noodles.

Breakfast Sandwich

We were out very late on Friday so by the time we rolled out of bed on Saturday it was that weird time between breakfast and lunch where you want a hearty meal but you aren't ready for a full lunch yet. I felt like having a breakfast sandwich:


... made with Canadian bacon and scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese on a toasted English muffin. SP wanted an egg omelet with cheddar and the Canadian bacon on the side, so instead of dirtying two pans I made our eggs in the same pan. His omelet turned out picture-perfect while the eggs for my sandwich didn't quite fit on the muffin.

Tagged!

Dani over at The Average Cook tagged me for a meme. It's been awhile since I've done something like this. This is a 5 Random Things About Me meme so here goes...

1. I hate hot dogs. I try to like them, but I just don't. Every once in awhile I try a bite of SP's hoping maybe my tastes have changed, but alas.

2. I used to be a picky eater. I'm sure this isn't shocking considering most kids were picky eaters at some point, but it pains me to remember how I used to hate tomatoes. Now I can't get enough of them, but there was a time when I didn't. I credit my parents for always making me try at least a bite of something before deciding I wouldn't eat it.

3. I can't wink. I've just never been able to get the hang out of it for some reason.

4. I'm an avid reader. These days I don't have as much time to read, but I always try to read the daily newspaper before going to bed. I also read certain sections of the Sunday NY Times throughout the week while I'm getting ready for work or before bed if I have some extra time. Because I have minor OCD, I read the same 5 sections in the same order every week - magazine, Week in Review, Real Estate, New Jersey, and Style. I never deviate from this order. Don't ask me how I came up with that order in the first place, but now that's how it has to be done.

5. I would give anything to go back to England, even for a 2-week vacation. It pains me every day that we didn't go there on our honeymoon, back before the dollar tanked. Now we have to wait who knows how long to go back since we can't see spending double the vacation because of the pound vs. dollar exchange rate.

Thanks for tagging me, Dani! Now it's my turn to pass along the fun. I'm going to tag:

Melissa at Alosha's Kitchen
Katie at A Byootaful Life
Leica at Le fang, le kwatsa
Jessy at Messy Jessy's Musings

and one of my newest readers/commenters:
Priscilla at Priscilla Bakes

Enjoy ladies!

Roasted Tilapia, Asparagus and Potatoes

Another fish meal, quite reminiscent of last week's meal:


I'm really loving this whole roasting thing I've been doing lately. Saves on pots and pans and doesn't involve me standing over the stove. Throw everything in the oven and walk away. And since everything cooks at the same temperature, it's just a matter of timing everything so it comes together.

Since the potatoes take the longest to cook I put them in the 400 degree oven first. I cut the potatoes into large pieces, tossed them with oil, salt and pepper, and let the oven do all the work. SP said the potatoes were perfect.

I seasoned the fish with salt and pepper and put it in the oven 10 minutes before the potatoes were done. It was perfectly flaky and moist, especially topped with a little lemon juice and some parsley and caper butter. The asparagus, seasoned with oil, salt and pepper, roasted alongside the fish, also for 10 minutes. Simple, tasty, healthy and yummy.

Spicy Chicken, Cheesy Orzo and Roasted Green Beans

This is one of those meals that looks fantastic on the plate (just look at all those pretty colors!) but the flavors just weren't there. To be fair, I took this recipe and completely butchered it in an attempt to make it using ingredients we had on hand.


Our first complaint was that the main dish wasn't spicy at all. The original recipe calls for shrimp and chorizo - I used only chicken. I'm sure the chorizo would have added some much-needed spice and overall flavor. It ended up being very mild, almost bland, and too watery:


I figured the cheesy orzo would be a winner, but unfortunately it didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. For starters, the name is cheesy orzo but the recipe didn't actually say to add the cheese to the orzo. I figured that's where it went because of the name, but I didn't feel like buying manchego cheese so I subbed plain old cheddar. It was fine, but it didn't wow either of us:


The roasted green beans were really the highlight of the meal. Like all roasted veggies, this couldn't have been simpler - just trim the beans and toss them with oil, salt and pepper and roast them at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes:


All in all this was not a winner, but I can't really blame the recipe since I made so many changes.

Pork Chops and Mashed Cauliflower

This was Monday's dinner - breaded pork chops and mashed cauliflower:


It doesn't look like much on the plate, but it was really tasty and easy to prepare (a huge plus since we had to run to the supermarket after we finished eating). I was going to do my pork chops the way I always do, but then I remembered I was out of eggs. I had to improvise, so I pounded the chops, seasoned them with salt and pepper on both sides and then spread them with a very thin layer of mayo before coating them with breadcrumbs. This made them taste slightly richer, but mayo is mostly eggs anyway so this worked out rather well.

For the cauliflower I cut the head into small pieces and boiled it in salted water with a few cloves of crushed garlic for about 15 minutes. Once the cauliflower was nice and tender it went into the food processor with a tablespoon of cream cheese, a splash of milk, 2 tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper. I pureed it until it was nice and smooth and adjusted the seasonings. It was smooth and creamy with just the right amount of garlic flavor to make it interesting. I think this is a great way to eat cauliflower.

Pasta Puttanesca

Sunday was a strange day and we hadn't really planned anything for dinner, but we had capers and anchovies leftover from two meals earlier this week so I thought Pasta Puttanesca sounded like a great way to use up the ingredients. A quick trip to the store for black and green olives was all we needed to put this meal together.


SP has never been a huge fan of puttanesca, but he liked this version because the olives I bought weren't overpowering. They really blended well with the other ingredients, adding a nice sharp, salty bite. Between the anchovies, capers, olives and red pepper flakes, this was a meal that really packed a flavor punch. What I really like, besides the flavor, is that the meal is so simple to make. All it takes is some time to prep the minimal ingredients since the sauce comes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. I used penne rigatte since that's what we had on hand, but spaghetti would also work well.

Pizza Friday

Another Friday, another pizza. We had a few leftover mushrooms and black olives and I bought a new stick of pepperoni at the store this week so they all made appearances as toppings:


Even after 18 months of making pizza once a week I'm still learning and perfecting the method. We had some leftover tomatoes that I used to make the sauce, but after it reduced there wasn't much to spread on the pizza. Surprisingly, it turned out that less was more.


I put down a layer of cheese first, then dabbed the sauce around, added the toppings and finished with more cheese. I also baked the pizza longer than usual and the crust was even crispier and held up better. But the real triumph was that the pizza wasn't soggy because of too much sauce. Despite the small amount I put on the pizza, you could really taste the tomato flavor.

Cod Fillets with Caper Butter

In the final installment (at least for now) of our foray into the March 2008 issue of Everyday Food, we have Cod Fillets with Caper Butter:


Of course these are actually tilapia fillets, but the method is the same. This was an incredibly easy meal to prepare. When I got home I scrubbed two baking potatoes, dried them thoroughly, rubbed them with olive oil, salt and pepper and put them in a 400-degree oven to cook for an hour. While they were working I trimmed the asparagus and tossed that with more olive oil, salt and pepper and laid them out on a baking sheet. They went into the oven 10 minutes before the potatoes were done.

As for the fish, all that I had to do was line a baking sheet with foil and lay the fillets down, seasoned on both sides with salt and pepper. They went into the oven at the same time as the asparagus. The fish was served with a caper butter, which was softened butter mixed with 1 tablespoon finely chopped capers, 2 tablespoons minced parsley, salt and pepper. I cut up some lemon to squeeze over the fish once it was cooked and dinner was served. Quick, easy, and delicious.

Fresh Angel-Hair Pasta with Bacon and Peas

Tonight's meal also came from the March 2008 issue of Everyday Food. I'm still in awe over how easy this one was to make. Fresh Angel-Hair Pasta with Bacon and Peas has just 6 ingredients (one of which is salt and pepper, which I don't consider an ingredient) yet it made a fantastic, satisfying, simple meal.


The recipe says this is their take on spaghetti carbonara, but being the carbonara aficionado that I am, I don't see how this is anything like that dish. That doesn't mean it wasn't fantastic, though. I love meals I can make with ingredients I always have on hand (pasta, bacon, frozen peas, half-and-half) that takes less than 30 minutes to put together, including prep time. I subbed one pound of dry spaghetti for the fresh angel hair, but that's the only change I made.

Chicken Caesar Salad with Hard-Cooked Eggs

Whenever I get a new issue of one of my cooking magazines in the mail I spend a few days going through it and marking which recipes I want to try. Sometimes I never get around to making any of them, so this month I decided to make a concerted effort to cook from each of the magazines I subscribe to. This week is all about the March 2008 issue of Everyday Food. I wrote down a few recipes and asked SP to pick which ones he wanted for dinner this week. His first choice was Caesar Salad with Hard-Cooked Eggs, but he asked that I add some chicken to make it more substantial.


This was a very easy, very tasty salad. I especially loved the dressing, which was easy to make in the food processor and tasted worlds better then the bottled stuff. I baked the chicken on a baking sheet in the oven (set at 350 degrees) for 30 minutes. For the last 15 I added the bread slices to make the croutons. While the chicken and bread baked the hardboiled eggs were working on the stove. The rest of the meal was just chopping and assembling.

Black Bean Stoup and Southwestern Monte Cristo Sandwiches

This was another meal I saw Rachael Ray make on 30 Minute Meals last week. SP is always asking me to make soup and he's been jonesing for a Monte Cristo recently, so Black Bean Stoup and Southwestern Monte Cristo Sandwiches seemed like a good idea.


While we liked both of the components of the meal, we agreed they didn't go very well together. The flavors in the soup were great, but it was quite spicy so next time I'll cut down on the Tabasco sauce. This soup would go great with a simple cheese quesadilla.

The Southwestern Monte Cristo was also excellent, with a nice sweetness from the honey ham tempered by the spice of the pepper jelly:


... but would have worked better with French fries or even regular tortilla chips. It really needed to stand on its own. All in all the soup and sandwich were both winners, but, in our opinion, make a better meal when served separately.

Cat: A Pictorial

When I came upstairs to update my blog I saw the cat sleeping on the big chair in our bedroom. The chair has been one of his favorite places to sleep ever since we won it at a silent auction a few years ago. I love capturing him sleeping in adorable positions so since I had the camera with me I was able to snap a few photos before he woke up. This is how he looked as I crept quietly into the room:


Despite the squeaking floorboard I stepped on, he didn't wake up right away and I was able to stand in front of the chair in order to capture a different angle:


Then I moved around to the other side of the chair. I love it when he sleeps with one arm completely outstretched:


Miraculously he was still sound asleep. I love that his little pink tongue is sticking out in this photo:


Uh oh...he's on to me! His eyes suddenly opened, the arm came down and he woke up.


After a quick stretch he followed me into the office, where he proceeded to stretch out on the floor for another quick nap.

Macaroni & Cheese

I love shopping at Wegman's. It's an amazing store and while we never make a trip there without spending more than we'd planned to, we always find something fun. In case you hadn't noticed by now, we love cheese. They were doing cheese tastings this weekend so we stopped to try what was on offer. I'm not usually a fan of Gruyere, but I tried a piece and it was amazing - nutty tasting, with a good bite to it, but without that stinkiness that turns me off from most cheeses in the Swiss family. We bought a small tub of the grated cheese to add to last night's mac & cheese dinner:


... that I served with crusty bread (also bought at Wegman's) and a salad:


... made with arugula and baby spinach tossed with salt, pepper and grated Pecorino. I had mine with red wine vinegar and oil. For the mac & cheese I made my usual recipe, but instead of just cheddar I added the Gruyere, as well 6 slices of bacon cooked in the oven until they were just crispy:


I also made my own bread crumbs using 2 slices of white bread pulsed in the food processor. They toasted up beautifully in the oven.