With Irene, the return to the blog

I am back! I now have two kids and that is the reason the the extended absance. We had PJ in November and the quality and quanity of my meals had delined. But now I feel that I am getting use to the new normal and have been able to return to the kitchen. Upon our return hurricane Irene paid us a visit. I realize I am posting this a few weeks after.We were so lucky the Cape did not get hit that bad, but I have many friends who lost power for a week.

 I made a slow cooker pot roast, nothing like pot roast on a humid day! I had a pot roast in freezer and wanted to make it in fear we loose our freezer. This was the last for the cow we had from Vermont Natural Beef. I made Italian Pot Roast from America Test Kitchen's Slow Cooker Revolution . Using the slow cooker help our kitchen from becoming too hot.

The day before the storm we had to get out! Sunday was going to be a long day. We went out for pizza at Siena and for dessert at Charlie Cupcakes both in Mashpee Commons. Sara said she wanted pizza for lunch, but it was  not hard to twist my arm.

PJ wanted pizza too, and I couldn't feed him fast enough!

If you cannot tell from this picture, this is the"hurricane" cupcake. It had a cookie, a cherry, M&Ms, Smarties and a gummy worm on top. Sara of course wanted that one. I let her have it and experience the tummy ache after. I did warn her. Lesson learned.

PJ playing during the big storm.  No nap = Long day!

 A  big roll of paper kept Sara busy for a few hours.

PJ playing with Dad, nothing cuter than baby feet!

Slow Cooker Italian Style Pot Roast

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen's Slow Cooker Revolution

printable version

Italian-Style Pot Roast

8 slices of bacon chopped 2 onions chopped 4 carrots cut into 1 inch chunks 6 garlic cloves minced 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons of dried 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms 2 tablespoons of tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 cup of dry red wine 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth (or homemade) 2 bay leaves 1 3-4 lb. beef shoulder (or American Test Kitchen recommends boneless chuck roast, 2 2lb. roasts tied) Salt and Pepper 1/4 cup miniced fresh parsley 1. Cook bacon in 12- inch skillet over medium heat until crisp and transfer to the slow cooker.  Drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat out of skillet. 2. Add onions, carrots, garlic, oregano, porcini mushrooms, tomato paste and red pepper flakes  to fat in skillet and cook 8-10 minutes until soft and brown. Stir in wine and scrap up brown bits and pour into slow cooker. 3. Stir in tomatoes, broth and bay leaf into slow cooker. Season beef with salt and pepper  and place in slow cooker. Set slow cooker for 9-10 hours on low or 5-7 hours on high. (my cooker runs hot so I do 9 hours on slow). 4. Once done remove roast from the slow cooker, tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes.  Let braising settle for 5 minutes then remove fat from surface with a spoon.  Remove bay leaves and discard. 5. Mix parsley into braising liquid. Slice roast and place on a platter and pour sauce over top  of roast.

Crockpot Italian Gravy

Sorry, I have not been great about taking pictures, but the way things have been going if I waited to take a picture, every time I posted I would post even less than I do now. I have been doing a farm share this summer for meat, cheese and veggies. While it has been great, I have found small servings of meat in my freezer that I am wondering what to do with. I think other night I found a solution. I found some beautiful spare ribs from the Farm Institute on Martha's Vineyard in my freezer. I was going to grill them but the portions were pretty small, and mostly bone. I remember my in-laws telling me that there mother used them for her Italian gravy. Then I went through my freeze, found some single vacaum sealed sausages, I did fill in with some stuff from Stop and Shop but created quite a good meat sauce. I found  a recipe on Food Network for crockpot gravy, but by the time I read the reviews I changed it so much that I can claim it as my own.  It was real easy and fed a lot of people. I know I am a little a obsessed with my crockpot, but  with baby number 2 on the way I am sure there will be a lot more crockpot entries. I had to use an extra step, but worth it, is browning the meat and sauteing the veggies, but you can handle it. I have a a great crockpot that I splurged on from Williams and Sonoma, an All Clad. It has a ceramic insert, but if I had held out the newest model has a cast iron insert where you can brown the meat and veggies in the same pot with less dishes to do. I have found for most crockpot recipes that browning the meat and onions before makes a difference. It is another step but worth it. This is a great dish for a crowd and you can freeze the left overs.

Crockpot Italian Gravy
printable recipe
inspired by the Food Network Kitchens
Olive Oil
2-4 lbs of meat (whatever you like, ie. Italian sausage, meatballs, spareribs cut into pieces, beef shins)
1 onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tbs of tomato paste (if you look around at your grocery store you can find tomato paste in a tube rather than a can, more expensive but worth it because you can refrigerate the leftovers for less waste)
1/2 cup of red wine
2 28oz. cans of tomato sauce (you could crush whole tomatoes, but I like mine a little soupy)
1 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes ( I try to buy them in a box when I can find them)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Suggested pasta: rigatoni or ziti

1.  Using a stock pot or a dutch oven heat oil (about 1 tbs.) on medium high. Once hot, sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and brown meat in batches so that it browns rather than steams. After browning put meat in crock pot.
2. Add an additional tbs. of oil and cook onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds then add tomato paste. Cook for about 1 minute. You want to take to the crunch out of the vegetables.
3. You are going to use the wine to deglaze the pan, letting it steam and scrap up brown bits, about a minute.  Once finished add mixture to the crook pot.
4. Add sauce and tomatoes to crook pot along with bay leave. Add a little sauce and pepper.
5. Cook on low for 8 hours, check on it if you can you want meat tender and you may have to adjust time depending on your crook pot. Some run hotter than others.
6. Once finished skim any fat off the top and adjust seasoning.

A Very Belated 4th of July Cake and Ice Cream

I have had this picture on my computer since the 4th, but life happens and not until now was I able to write a post. This is the Barefoot Contessa flag cake and it was so good! It also look beautiful. As much as I love making cupcakes, I am now thinking a sheet cake is the way to go to feed a crowd. This recipe is pretty easy and Ina does it as a flag, but you could easily decorate it for the occasion. The fresh fruit on top tasted great with the cream cheese frosting. I like cakes that use cream cheese frosting because it is really easy and doesn't melt as easily as butter-cream, which can be temperamental in the hot weather. I don't bake a lot because I have a really serious sweet tooth, so cream cheese frosting is much easier for me to make. The cake feeds a lot of people, so consider it for you next party.

Because I am too lazy to type out the whole recipe for you here is the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/flag-cake-recipe/index.html

Master Chef? Probably Not. Omelet Part 2

So last night I watched "Master Chef", it is Gordan Ramsey's newest show where he turns an amateur cook into a master chef. I love food competition shows, especially "Top Chef". Most of the "Top Chef" challenges I know I would fail miserably, but I thought with "Master Chef" I would probably have more of a chance. The first challenge was to slice and dice onions, OK I can do that and I have to admit that I am pretty good at it. So I think I would make it through the first round. The second round was to make the perfect egg and they only got one egg. This is where I would have Gordan yelling in my face reducing me to tears, telling me it was "f-ing disgusting". Eggs are surprisingly hard. I thought there would be many contestants out on this one, but I was wrong. These so called amateur chefs came up with some pretty sophisticated dishes. I mean most people can scramble or fry an egg and it is pretty edible, even good, but to make it look and taste like a professional is something else entirely. As you have seen in previous post I have attempted a french omelet and the result would have defiantly have me handing in my apron.

After last nights' show and my desire to get back to my blogging, I attempted Julia Child's scrambled omelet. The easier option, opposed to her folded omelet. The picture above speaks for itself. I think that is what it is suppose look like, but who knows. I have to admit it tasted pretty good and I think I got that right. It was lightly browned on the inside and creamy in the middle, although a little undercooked. I only used 3 eggs, some chopped parsley and salt and pepper. No cheese or cream, I felt the creaminess in the center from the technique made there no need for cheese but I am sure you could add it if you wanted. It also helped that Julia provided me with pictures, (I am a visual person).

Basically, you turn your pan up very high and melted a tbs. of butter in the pan. Once pan is hot and butter is melted swirl it around and to coat the pan and then add eggs. Take the handle and tilt it upward while moving the eggs around with a fork around in a circular motion, the eggs should be custard like in 3-4 second. Then keeping the pan tilted, push the eggs with the fork toward the bottom half of the pan folding it over the eggs that are there and then bang the pan a few times to loosen. If you have "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and want to try this, follow Julia's description and not mine. Julia says this takes a lot of practice. So imagine if you were one of these poor contestants on "Master Chef" and you only had 1 egg. No wonder way, as creative as the dishes were, there were no omelets.

Well overall the results were tasty and there was very little egg stuck to the pan, so I guess it was a success. I will give myself the benefit of the doubt that it was a scrambled omelet, it was more scramble eggy than omelety. When I moved the eggs with the fork, they did not come off in on solid piece and I think that what it is suppose to do.

Last night I had a thought about "would I try out for Master Chef?" Never say never, but I do not think I could hack it. But, at least at home, if nobody likes my food they are nice about it. No one screams in my face and spit it out.

Who put seltzer in my waffle?

My wonderful aunt gave me a subscription to "Cook's Illustrated" for Christmas, which I love. It gives you recipes which tell you exactly how to do something so it comes out perfect. I am all for being creative in the kitchen, but I am a self taught cook so exact instructions are very helpful to me. My last pregnancy I loved any kind of breakfast carb, pancakes and waffles. This time is no different. My brother and his wife stayed with us this weekend and I made "Buttermilk Waffles". The recipe had some interesting ingredients, but it came out perfect and was so easy. It included buttermilk powder, which may be my new find, I am always buying buttermilk just to use a little and it sits and goes bad in the fridge. It also includes unflavored seltzer, which is alway in my fridge. The waffles had a crisp outside and soft inside, with a nice vanilla scent. The seltzer acts as whipped egg whites would. I have made waffles with whipped egg whites and it is time consuming  and I could never get it right. These were perfect and I am sure I will be making them all the time.

Buttermilk Waffles

adapted from "Cook's Illustrated" June 2010
printable recipe

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbs. sugar

3/4 teaspoon table salt

1/2 cup dried buttermilk powder (in the baking section at Stop and Shop)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 unflavored seltzer water (just open is perferrable)

1. Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 250.

2. Heat up waffle iron.

3. Whisk the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside.

4. In separate bowl whisk together sour cream, eggs, vanilla and oil. Then gently stir in seltzer using a rubber spatula.

5. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture and slowly add wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

6. Spray waffle maker lightly with cooking spray and add about 1/3 a cup of batter for each waffle. Adjust amount according to your waffle maker.

7. Cook until golden brown, keep each batch in the oven until you are ready to eat, up to 10 minutes.

*They reheat well in toasted in a toaster oven

Happy Memorial Day! Here's an app to have with your wine! (Bruschetta 3 Ways)

*I had great pictures to go with this, but I think I erased them. Typical pregnancy brain!
Sorry to my few readers about my very long absence. We are very excited expecting our 2nd baby in November, but I have been very nauseous so I have been keeping the cooking to a minimum. Expect a lot of desserts and "safe" food, nothing to crazy. But I have hit my 2nd trimester, she I have had some inspiration.

Happy Memorial Day! Make this app, watch the Cape Cod sunset and have a glass of wine for me (since I cannot have one). . Bruschetta is the old stand by appetizer, but I have to say it is my favorite, when done well. I have had a lot bad Bruschetta, soggy bread, grainy tomatoes. But when it is done right it is perfect. Although this is an app, it makes a very filling meal with a salad and the use of whole grain bread. Especially if you are ambitious and do all three. Now the tomatoes this time of year of not that good, but I posted the classic bruschetta anyway. You can either save the recipe for summer or if you find a semi-decent tomato, a lot of olive oil and vinegar will improve it greatly. The mushroom bruschetta recipe was inspired by some bruschetta I had at Mario Batali's "Lupa".  They use some pretty fancy mushrooms with sheep's milk ricotta, which I couldn't find at Stop and Shop.  I used some pretty nice cow's milk ricotta and it was great, but not the same.  If you can find real sheep's milk ricotta, give it a shot. The third recipe, white bean and goat cheese, was inspired by stuff I found in my pantry and fridge. Enjoy!


printable recipes

Classic Bruschetta
1 baguette sliced
1 minced clove of garlic
about 1 tsp. salts
2 large tomatoes or 4 plum tomatoes chopped
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat broiler on low to preheat. Place baguette slices on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven, flipping once.
Watch very carefully, it should only take a few minutes.
2. Mix garlic and salt on a cutting board, smashing with a knife to make a paste. I find it cuts down on the raw garlic taste, but still only kiss people who have shared this dish with you.
3. Mix salt, garlic, tomatoes,  balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. Top bread with tomato mixture and serve.
(If serving later keep bread and topping separate until ready to serve)

Mushroom Ricotta
1 baguette sliced
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 -4 oz package of mixed mushrooms
1/4 cup of white wine
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 small container of ricotta cheese
truffle oil (optional)
1. Heat broiler on low to preheat. Place baguette slices on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven, flipping once.
Watch very carefully, it should only take a few minutes.
2. Adding salt and pepper, saute mushrooms on medium-high heat in olive oil and butter until mushroom are browned and remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add wine and thyme to pan and reduce by about half. Add mushroom mixture, lower heat and set aside.
4. Mix ricotta with salt and pepper and top each slice with about a tbs. of ricotta and some of the mushroom mixture.
5. Drizzle with truffle oil and serve.

White Bean and Goat Cheese
1 baguette sliced
olive oil
1 cup of white beans cooked
1/4 cup of goat cheese crumbled
1/2 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup walnuts
1. Heat broiler on low to preheat. Place baguette slices on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven, flipping once.
Watch very carefully, it should only take a few minutes.
2. Add olive oil  to a saute pan on medium heat. Add beans to pan and warm through smashing beans as you go.
3. Remove from heat and mix in goat cheese, rosemary, salt and pepper, set aside.
4. In a dry pan, heat and lightly toast walnuts.
5. Top each baguette sliced with bean mixture and walnuts,then serve.

"Don't you just love a bargain"..Great Cookbooks at the Christmas Tree Shop

Like most people who like to cook, I love cookbooks! I have a huge collection and just when I think that I have enough, I find just one more that will change my life, its a problem. For a while HomeGoods was my stop for cookbooks. I would see a book I wanted at Williams and Sonoma and wait a few weeks and then find it on sale at HomeGoods. Now I have seen great cookbooks at Christmas Tree Shop and even cheaper than HomeGoods! I got the newest Martha Stewart's Cooking School book for a 3rd of the price of Williams and Sonoma. Just $10!
I recently found a great recipe for one of my bargain finds, "Vineyard Harvest" by Tina Miller with Christie Matheson and photos by Alison Shaw. I think it was $6.99. I love Martha's Vineyard, they have some great farms and this book highlights that with great seasonal menus. Some of the recipes are intermediate to difficult, but some are very easy. I made a pizza recipe from book and I loved it! Below is my adaptation of it. If you come across this book, its worth the $6.99 especially if you are from the Cape. I was a little sad that such a beautiful, thoughtful, cookbook was only so inexpensive.
One of my favorite recipes from the book was the spinach and goat cheese pizza. The flavors went together very well, especially the rosemary. Just use very little because it can be over powering.  I got some truffle oil at HomeGoods, I drizzled it on the pizza, it was delicious. Always the bargain shopper!

Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

Adapted from Tina Miller

Printable Recipe

1 red onion cut into eighths

Olive oil as necessary (recipe calls for 6 tbs. I used less)

1 bag of spinach washed and stems picked off

A pinch of salt and pepper

Dough for 1 8in pizza (I buy Trader Joe's, they even have whole wheat)

cornmeal as needed

1 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary (maximum!)

1 tsp. parsley

1 clove of garlic minced

1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

optional: truffle oil (I found some at HomeGoods)

1. Heat oven to 350.  Toss onions with olive oil to completely coated.and spread onto a cookie sheet.  Roast onions for about 15-20 minutes, until onions are lightly browned and soft.  Set aside. Turn the oven up to 500. If using a pizza stone put it on the bottom rack now.

2. While oven is heating up, heat some oil on medium-high , about a tbs., in a saute pan.  Add spinach, salt and pepper to pan and saute until wilted. Set aside.

3. Stretch out the pizza dough, then roll out onto a floured surface until thin. This part is a little tricky. If you do not have a pizza stone place dough on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.  Or put the cornmeal and dough on a pizza paddle. I do not have one of those pizza paddles, so I very carefully slide the rack with the stone out and sprinkle cornmeal on stone. Place dough on the stone.

4.Drizzle olive oil, sprinkle on rosemary, salt, pepper and parsley on dough. Top with spinach, onions and goat cheese. If you have a paddle slide it onto the stone.

5. Bake for about 10 minutes or until crust is brown and cheese is soft.

6. If you have truffle oil drizzle with truffle oil and serve.