Super Simple Herb Roasted Cornish Hens

Sometimes I want to cook something that just looks...fancy. But really, on a Thursday night who has the time or energy for that? Well my friends, the answer is simple. This recipe for Cornish Game

Eat your Brussels Sprouts!!

Lets face it. Brussels sprouts get a bad rap. Many people over cook them, rendering them a soggy mushy bitter mess. Many people under-season them, resulting in a tasteless lack-luster plate of blah.

How Sweet It Is...Sweet Potatoes Two Ways

Mmmmm. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes. Not only are they delicious, but, in the grand choice of starchy sides, they are one of the healthier options out there. I like them pretty much any way, but here are two of my favorites:

Roasted Caramelized Sweet Potato Rounds with Pecans

The Ingredients

Two large sweeet potatoes, peeled

Pecan halves and slices

Light brown sugar

Honey

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

The Method

Slice the sweet potatoes into rounds, each approximately 1/8 inch thick. Slicing a small bit off of the bottom of the potatoes make them a little sturdier and reduce the risk of slicing off your finger (trust me on this one).

  

Toss your rounds in olive oil to coat, salt and pepper, then lay on a sil-pat (or parchment) lined baking sheet and drizzle with honey. Honey does burn so use it sparingly here. Then sprinkle on a small bit of brown sugar, keeping the same principle in mind. Lastly, add your pecans.

Toss the pan into a 450 degree oven for approximately half an hour, flipping the rounds halfway through. Just watch it carefully as it can burn easily. These come out slightly chewy, crunchy and super sweet! 

Whole Sliced Roasted Sweet Potatoes

The Ingredients

2 Whole Sweet Potatoes (unpeeled)

Salt and Pepper

2 Tablespoons melted butter

Sprinkling of light brown sugar

The Method

Slice your sweet potatos ALMOST all the way through, as if you were going to make the rounds as above.This can be tricky. The best way I have found is to use a large chefs knife and push it downwards through the potato until it's almost through. It takes some practice. 

Once sliced, place in a shallow roasting pan and pour over your melted butter. seasons he potatoes with salt and pepper and sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar. 

Place the potatoes in a 450 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until they are tender. These make a perfect side for a nice steak and some crispy kale chips! Enjoy!

World's Easiest Banana Bread

Thats right. This banana bread is so easy its almost a joke to call this a recipe. This comes out moist and nutty and tastes delicious warm with some butter. And its so quick that you can mix it up any time.  We happened to have some overripe bananas at home (why do I always forget to eat the bananas before we go away for a weekend?) so heres what I did.

The Ingredients

3/4 cup melted butter*

2 large overripe bananas 

3/4 cup of sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans (or nut of choice)

The Method

Prehead your oven to 350 degrees and liberally grease your bread pan. In a bowl mash up the overripe bananas with the melted butter. How mushy you make the mix will determine the texture of your bread. I like chunks of banana in mine so I didn't completely break down the bananas but you can make it as chunky or smooth as you like.

 Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add a pinch of salt and then stir in the flour and finally fold in the nuts. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and bake in the oven for 1 hour.

Allow the bread to cool, in the pan, on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then, flip the pan and extract your delicious loaf of goodness. Slice and enjoy!

*This bread was for my son, who is allerrgic to diary. For this particular recipe pictured, I used Earth Balance instead 

Oven Roasted Herbed Fingerling Potatoes

I love potatoes. Baked, mashed, fried, you name it, I'll eat it. But by far, my primo go-to-method for my favorite side is to simply roast them. It's quick, hands-off, and results in perfectly crispy morsels of starchy gold.

The Ingredients

Fingerling Potatoes. Tonight I used mixed because, frankly, that's what looked delicious at Wegman's. Any fingerlings (or even red potatoes) will work

Olive oil 

Salt

Pepper

Rosemary, marjoram, thyme, sage (or good ol' Italian seasoning--or mix it up and try herbs d'Provence)

That's it. Really. 

The Method

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Next cut up your potatoes to uniform size. I like my end result crispy so I quarter mine. The larger the pieces, the longer they will take to cook. Once cut I throw them in a bowl and toss them with the olive oil, salt, pepper and seasonings. Be generous with your seasonings--you want flavor here.

Next, spray a sheet pan with non-stick spray and lay your potatoes out on a thin layer. Pop it in the middle rack of your oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping the potatoes halfway through to prevent sticking. 

And that's it! Really one of the easiest sides to make and so satisfying. The perfect side for a nice steak, pork chop or chicken. 

Mediterranean Pan Seared Chicken

In general, Chicken is one of my least favorite meats. My husband, a wrestler through high school and college, can stomach it plain, grilled with almost nothing on it. To me, however, the thought of plain grilled chicken gives me the shivers. So, when I cook it, I make sure to load on the flavor and pan sear it to make sure it stays tender, juicy, and delicious. Here is one of my favorite ways to make it:

Ingredients

1 1/4 to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (breasts or tenders will work in this recipe, but I feel the thighs have more flavor)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1/4 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup white wine of choice (for mine I used Pinot Grigio)

1/4 cup olive oil plus more for sautee

1/8 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp butter

Method

In order to achieve a juicy tender piece of chicken, I like to marinate it for several hours (up to 1 day) before I cook it. This isn't rocket science--I throw everything (except the butter) into a bowl, toss in the chicken, and stick it in the fridge. 

When I'm ready to cook, the first thing I do is get my pan, with 2 tbsp of butter and a coat of olive oil, nice and HOT. You want to hear sizzling when the chicken hits it. Remove the chicken from the marinade and put it straight into the pan, but do not crowd it--if you have to do 2 batches it's ok. This next step is important---DO NOT MESS WITH THE CHICKEN. Don't wiggle it. Don't turn it. Just. Step. Away. (Not too far away..I don't want to be responsible for you burning down your house). Depending on thickness you want to let it cook 3-4 minutes per side. For the thighs I did 3 minutes. When time is up, flip each over and again, leave it alone until it's done. 

When it is, remove it from the pan and let it rest for several minutes so all of the juices redistribute. You can serve it with a little lemon squeezed over the top if you want. 

And there you have it. A very easy, very fast, and very delicious piece of chicken. Pair it with some yummy sides (I made Pecan Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Sautéed Cabbage) and it's time to eat!

"At'sa Spicy"...You Know...

Ahhh meatballs. My absolute favorite thing to cook. I take great pride in my meatballs. You can insult my looks. You can insult my intelligence. But if you insult my meatballs we will have problems. If there is one recipe in this blog where I insist on no substitutions, it's this one. "Can I use ground turkey instead?"  No.  "Can I use Panko instead of breadcrumbs?" No. "Can I omit the cheese?" No No No! (Actually you could do any of those, just don't complain about the taste to me!)  In short, these meatballs are like a second child to me (sorry Anthony). Eat them plain. Eat them with pasta. Eat them with spaghetti squash that you are fooling yourself into thinking tastes like pasta. I don't care. Just eat them. Here's what you NEED:

The Ingredients

The Meat: ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal. One third of each, as much as you need to feed the amount of people you need (for the three of us 1/3 lb of each is plenty). I call this the Tri-fecta of deliciousness. The store calls it "meatloaf mix." Whatever you call it, don't leave out one of the holy trinity. The pork and veal add so much flavor and tenderness that you will miss out on if you go for ground beef alone.

one small chopped onion

about 2 cloves of minced garlic

salt

pepper

1 cup grated parmesean or romano cheese

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs (fresh or store bought)

2 eggs

1/4 to 1/2 cup of Marinara sauce (preferably yours, that you are cooking, as you make the meatballs)

Italian seasoning

oregano

Olive oil (if baking or frying)

The Method

Ok..let your meat rest in a bowl until its room temp (nobody wants to stick their hands into cold meat). Start by liberally seasoning the meat with salt and pepper and mix with your hands. Then mix in the garlic, onion, Italian seasoning and oregano. Next the crumbs and cheese. Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese thoroughly into the meat. This should be difficult, and at this point it may seem like the meat will not "absorb" all the crumbs. This is what you want. Keep mixing, they will incorporate. Next add the eggs and mix thoroughly. The mixture should be getting nice and moist and becoming sticky. Finally add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the marinara. The actual amount you use will depend on how dry or moist your mixture is at this point. You are aiming for the meat to stick together in a ball but not to be so wet that its sloppy or drippy. Once everything is incorporated STOP MIXING AND STEP AWAY FROM THE MEAT. Overmixing will make your meat tough. Mix only enough to get everything in.

Now you can form the meatballs.  It helps to wet your hands with water before rolling. I don't  know why this is, but my Grandmother told me to do it, and so I do. I try to make mine medium sized. Too big and they will get tough before they are cooked through, and to small, well, who wants a small meatball? Whatever size you choose, make sure they are all uniform. What you do with them next depends on how you want to cook them.

You have three options. Firstly, you can drop your freshly rolled meatballs, raw, right into your pot of bubbling sauce. They will cook for hours, and both the sauce and the meat will taste delicious. I honestly never use this method. I am too impatient to eat my meatballs.

Next, you can fry them in a pan on your stovetop. These come out delicious but beware--this method can be messy--especially if you do not have a splatter shield. Plus you have to stand there babysitting them. Heat a frying pan with about an inch full of olive oil. When its nice and hot pop your meatballs in and then leave them alone. If you start fiddling with them they will fall apart. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes, then carefully flip them and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until they have a delicious golden brown crust on the outside. Remove from oil, cool and consume (or put into sauce for later enjoyment).

Your final option is my personal favorite. Heat your oven to 350 degrees and coat a baking sheet with a generous layer of olive oil. Line your meatballs up on the tray, about an inch apart and pop them into the oven. Go do something else. After 15 minutes gently flip each meatball to ensure even cooking and then cook an additional 15 minutes while you relax and laugh at the person standing over the stove frying meatballs. Remove from oven and enjoy. Again, you can plop these into your sauce for finishing but I like mine hot straight out of the oven. 

I could eat these every night. Mmmmmmmmmmm

Here Piggy Piggy

Pork Chops. Growing up I dreaded hearing that's what my mother was preparing for dinner. They were dry. They were tough. And they were tasteless (sorry mom).  Now that I am the Mama I realize that "the other white meat" can be my friend. So here is how I like to cook my pork chops. They are juicy. They are tender. And they are very tasty.

A quick note on meat. When possible we try to use organic or all natural meats. It's not that we are enviro-conscious--I've had some health issues that make me fearful of eating added hormones. That being said, I have found since switching that much of the organic meat does tend to be juicier and have more flavor. Since I only cook for 3 people nightly, it is affordable for us to buy the pricier meats. But I realize that for many people, organic is not an option and neither my mother nor grandmother ever thought of using it in their cooking. So any of my dishes can be cooked with whatever type of meat you can find or afford--but if you can swing for the natural meats I do suggest you give them a try. OK enough of that...

I start by dipping my boneless pork chops into some beaten egg with milk, salt, and pepper. My son has a dairy allergy, so if he was having these I would substitute either rice milk or water in the egg, and you can too. Once the chops are coated in the egg, they go straight into a bowl filled with seasoned bread crumbs. You can use homemade or store bought here--I won't tell :)

Liberally coat the whole pork chop with the crumbs on the top, bottom and sides and then place them in a buttered baking dish. The butter is important here--it not only keeps the chops moist, but helps create a delicious crispy crust on the outside. Then straight onto the center rack of a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chop), flipping the chops halfway through cooking. Here's the thing--DO NOT OVERCOOK YOUR PORK. Olde time lore taught us that you had to basically dry out your pork for it be safe, and this is simply not true. Over cooking is what causes tough rubbery chops so just don't do it. Ever.

And here is what you end up with. Delicious and tender pork chops. They are ready to eat like this, but I prefer mine with a little but of cayenne white gravy on top (we will discuss sauces in a future post). Add a couple of sides (again come back soon for more on these...) and dinner is served. 

Embrace the pig! 

Cook, Eat, Repeat

Welcome! I'm glad you found my tiny corner of the web, especially if, like me, you enjoy cooking and eating delicious food. In this fast-paced health-conscious and time-constrained world, the simple art of preparing and enjoying a home-made meal around the dinner table is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Just last week I overheard a trainer at my gym telling a client that she should think of food "only as a means of survival." What a recipe for unhappiness! Since when did food become the enemy? Let me let you in on a secret---I LOVE food. All the food groups. And it doesn't have to be terribly unhealthy to taste good (though hey, sometimes it is--and that's OK too in moderation).

 To me, food is so much more than the nutritional value it provides. Growing up in my Italian family, my mother put a full meal on the dinner table EVERY night of the week. If we didn't eat at home, we ate at my grandmother's house, where there was more food than space on the table. Feeding people is what we do--it's what I grew up with and what I want my son to experience. Simply put, food is what helps bring us together. It is about creating something that brings joy to others. It's about sharing a meal with family or friends. It's about trying something new and realizing you like it. It doesn't have to be fancy. It doesn't have to be made entirely from "scratch." It doesn't even need to take all day to make. 

Here I hope to share with you some of my favorite things to cook. Not all of my recipes will be exact and not all will be my own brain child. But I promise you each food I talk about will be something I've cooked and shared with my family and I hope that you will too. 

Enjoy!