Smooch

This is currently my favorite picture...all that is good about a lazy Sunday morning with someone you love, whether you're in the picture or taking it!

Dog-gone Good Biscuits

I cut this recipe out of a long-forgotten magazine years ago and they are always a huge hit with whatever four-legged friend I make them for. Brian and I made them for Bucca today and this is the thanks we got!

1 C whole wheat flour
1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C cornmeal
1/2 C dry powdered milk
1 T granulated sugar
1 tsp salt, optional (I never use salt in mine)
1/4 C peanut butter
1/2 C chicken stock
1 egg slightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In large bowl, combine flours, cornmeal, powerdered milk, sugar and salt.
3. With a pastry blender, cut in peanut butter until mixture is crumbly.
4. Stir in chicken stock, beaten egg, and water, one tablespoon at a time*, until dough forms a ball.
5. On lightly floured surface, knead dough for 2 - 3 minutes.
6. Roll dough out to a 1/2-inch-thick circle.
7. Using a 1 x 2 inch cookie cutter of your choice, cut out treats and place on ungreased baking sheet.
8. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden. Coll on baking sheets on wire rack.

*Sometimes it takes a tablespoon, other times upwards of a 1/4C - and I think the difference is due to how much oil is in the peanut butter. I can usually tell pretty quickly that a tablespoon won't make a difference and can eyeball how much to add. I also use more chicken stock instead of water.

Adolfo's

Brian's Auntie Deb & Uncle Gary gave me a cool dining out restaurant journal for my birthday. It will be a great way to keep note of restaurants I want to blog about and will provide a great template so all straight-up restaurant reviews looks similar. 

Adolfo's Ristorante
Worthington St., Springfield MA

Day / Date / Time: Saturday, Jan. 8, reservation for 8:00, we were seated around 8:30
Type of food: Italian
Occasion / Event: My 39th birthday!
Dined with: Sue & Kevin, Joe & Maria, and Brian
Ambiance / Entertainment: I love the family kitchen feel of the country tables and chairs they use; they make you feel as though you are a guest in some one's home. The music, while eclectic and fun, was LOUD - we were practically shouting at each other, and the waiter had to lean down in order to hear our order. There were couples, families, and what looked like a really fun girls' night out and all seemed to be having a great time. There's a nice bar with some tall bar tables, and then a dining room with booths and tables.
Wine / Cocktails:  We had a great 2009 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir - delicious!
Appetizers: We tried the fried calamari and jalapeno scallops.  The calamari was good, but nothing out of the ordinary - it was lightly fried with banana peppers and served with a chunky tomato sauce. The scallops were wrapped in jalapeno bacon and had a great spicy kick - they were excellent! The bread was steaming hot and was served with olive oil for dipping...hard not to eat too much before dinner came.
Entrees: Our table tried veal and shrimp francese dishes, chicken marsala, veal saltimbocca, and veal capicola. Besides my marsala I only tried Maria's shrimp francese - would get either again. Brian started, at the hostess's recommendation, with the twin pork chops. Sadly, they were very overdone and terribly dry. As soon as he mentioned it to our waiter, Johan - who was later deemed by the owner as "the best waiter in western Massachusetts" - that meal was whisked away and replaced at no charge with the saltimbocca.
Desserts: It being my birthday and all, I had to have dessert and went with the lemoncello mousse cake. To. Die. For. (I must confess that lemoncello is my favorite liqueur!)  Kevin ordered a chocolately concoction that looked very decadent.
Average price range: Apps are generally in the $8 -$12 range. No one in our party got pasta, but they are about $15. House specialities and entrees run about $20 - $25.  Salad isn't included with any meal as far as I can tell, but you can get a side salad for about $4.  Neither of the desserts we got are on their on-line menu, but those desserts that are, are around $6.
House favorites / Signature dishes to reorder:  With the exception of the pork chop, I think it's safe to say everyone would order their meals again...but next time I'm going to try bolognese - just to see how it compares to mine! ;-)
Final comments: My biggest dining pet peeve is when they begin to clear the table before everyone is finished eating. I had to tell three different people not to clear until we were all through. Seems like something a restaurant like this should have down...especially the "best waiter in western Mass"!

New Year's Day Brunch

The best part of New Year's Eve for me is New Year's Day.

It's like the prize you get for making it through the year and suffering through the (often forced) revelry of last night's party. Lazy morning, brunch, football...and a whole new year in front of you to do with whatever you wish.

Ahhh....!

I put this delicious (and healthy, in honor of the new year!) egg bake together while watching the ball drop, popped it in the fridge, and we chased away the cobwebs the next morning over coffee and tea while smelling it bake.

Happy New Year!

Spinach and Artichoke Overnight Breakfast Bake

1 pint liquid egg substitute
3 cups fat free milk
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)*
1 (16 ounce) loaf whole wheat French bread, cut into 16 slices
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 (10 ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese (divided use)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, and salt and pepper (if using). Place half the bread slices in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, saute the mushrooms and onion over medium heat until tender, about 4 - 5 minutes. Add the spinach, artichokes, and flour, stirring to mix well.
3. Spread the mixture over the bread and sprinkle with 1 cup cheese. Top with the remaining bread and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the casserole and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
4. If using a glass baking dish, place it in a cold oven and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until puffed and golden. If using a metal dish, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake 40 - 50 minutes.

*I usually don't add the salt called for in most recipes, but for this, I would use some next time. It was missing something without it, and I ended up sprinkling salt at the table, which is even more unusual.  Add a 1/2 teaspoon to the custard mixture and I think it would be perfect!

Source: Trim & Terrific Diabetic Cookbook

Ask yourself this...

...are you ready for a throw down?!?

At our annual Christmas celebration at The Fort, my friend Gwen and I realized we each have a bolognese recipe we love. Within  minutes, Brian had organized a throw down that Bobby Flay himself would have been proud of and last week we put our recipes to the test.

Gwen's recipe comes from Carmine's Family Style Cookbook, from the famous restaurant in New York. Mine is a compilation of recipes I've found online and on the Food Network.

I thought that Gwen's sauce was excellent, and our judges agreed....she won the first of what I hope are many friendly and delicious throw downs!! Next up, she and Jay will challenge Russ and Hil...can't wait to see what they come up with!

So, it's not a truly winning recipe, but it's pretty scrumptious. Here's my take on a (slightly less) traditional bolognese sauce!

Jen's Bolognese

1 T extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. pancetta, diced
1 large onion
2 large carrots
3 celery ribs
4 cloves garlic
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried oregano
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
2 lb meatloaf mix (ground beef, veal, and pork)
2 T tomato paste
1 C red wine
2 (14 1/2 oz) can crushed tomatoes and their juice
1 (14 1/2 oz) can tomato sauce
1 C beef broth
2 t sugar
1/4 C heavy cream
2 T butter
3 T chopped parsley
1 lb pasta
1 C freshly grated Parmesan

1. In a food processor, puree vegetables in batches into a course paste.
2. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and fat is rendered, 4 - 5 minutes.
3. Add the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
4. Bring the pan to a medium high heat and cook until the water evaporates and they become nice and brown, stirring frequently. This will take any where from 20 - 30 minutes or more, depending on how much water are in the vegetables.
5. Add the seasonings and stir for 30 seconds.
6. Add the tomato paste, stir and cook until brown, about 2 minutes.
7. Add the ground meat and brown; again this will take anywhere from 20 - 30 minutes.
8. Add the wine and cook, stirring to deglaze the pan and remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and until half the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes.
9. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the tomato sauce, beef broth, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking, until the sauce is thickened and flavorful, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
10. Add the cream, butter, and parsley; stir well. Simmer for two minutes. Discard the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
11. Toss cooked pasta with a few ladles full of sauce, ladle more on top, and serve with cheese.

Now, mark your calendar for January 4, 2012. We may have missed National Spaghetti Day 2010, but there's always next year. And, what better way to celebrate than with a big, steaming bowl of spaghetti bolognese?!

Mangia!

Lunch for Two for $10.25?!

I first learned about Ba'nh Mi', Vietnamese "street food" sandwiches, on the Food Network show "The Great Food Truck Race" last year. They're a delicious blend of super fresh vegetables, hot peppers, meat, and cilantro with a little bit of mayo to hold it all together.

I've investigated how to make the sandwiches at home, but for something so seemingly simple, the recipes are pretty complicated - time consuming at least. You have to finely julienne the veggies, marinate them (in a marinade you make), create the sauce, marinate and grill the meat, and - perhaps most difficult - find the perfect Vietnamese baguette to put it all on.

The good thing about being "foodies," though, is that many of our friends and family share our same passion for interesting, new food. Enter Brian's cousin, Pete. He told B about Can Tho' Fast Foods, at the corner of Dickinson and Wilmont Streets in Springfield.

Although the woman working didn't speak English very fluently, she seemed happy to see us and worked hard to answer all of our questions. The menu was handwritten on a white board and was entirely in Vietnamese, but there was Ba'nh Mi', taking up half the menu! Apparently they are as popular as we were led to believe. We couldn't tell what each variety was, but learned the sandwiches are made with either ham, meatball, barbecue pork, and a combination.

We each started with a barbecue pork sandwich and we split a baked dumpling. It was one of the best sandwiches ever!  The bread was amazing and fresh cilantro is one of my favorite flavors.  Bri then went for ham - I didn't love the meat, but the veggies and bread were equally delish. We also tried a spring roll-like concoction, although that's not what she called it. Throw in a bottle of water and we spent a whopping $10.25 for lunch. For both of us. Three good-size sandwiches, two "sides," and a bottle of water. $10.25.

When was the last time you spent $10.25 on lunch?

If only food trucks serving fresh, ethnic "street food" at low prices were popular in New England... Until then, at least we have Can Tho'!