Leftover Meatballs, make delicious pizza!

Part 2 of our first supper was this amazing Meatball Pizza.

About a week before our move I made these delicious Meatball Subs.  Well I made my own version of them, with my go to meatball recipe.  Regardless of that I had a bunch of meatballs and sauce leftover.  We did spaghetti and meatballs one night, and then they sat in the fridge until the move, just getting more and more delicious with each passing day.  

Our First Supper, Pizza Bianca

It seems fitting that our last supper in our old place was the same as our first meal in our new place.

Here's the difference and why it's pretty perfect.

Our last supper in a house neither of us loved, but we did our best to make home, was take-out.  It was fine, but so not special and something I quickly ordered because the Boy had been in meetings all day and hadn't eaten AND we still had a ridiculous amount of packing to do.

The only similarity between our last supper and our first supper were that both were pizza.

Meatless Monday: Ramp & Arugula Pesto

Have you ever foraged for food before?  Picked wild raspberries off of a bush you found in the forrest or on the edge of your property when you were a child?  I vaguely remember picking berries with my grandfather when he would take my brother, cousins and I to find the creek, or "crick" as he called it,that was set deep in the farmland behind their house in Westmoreland, NY.  The few times we did it, I remember those wild berries tasting so sweet, maybe it was that we were on an adventure with Grandpa, maybe it was the sweetness of  sun-kissed berries in the heat of summer, I think it was a combination of these and many other factors.

Last Minute Easter Dessert: Tiramisu

Portions of this article first published as Easter Dessert: The Perfect Tiramisu on Blogcritics.

I first learned how to make Tiramisu during my semester in Florence in college.  I remember almost every recipe I learned in that class, but the class where we learned tiramisu sticks out like no other.  See the class was divided between two tables, each held 8 people. My table was the foodie table, we were excited to play with the beautiful ingredients and to enjoy the fruits of our labor, all while sipping on a glass of wine. The other table was a bunch of kids who just wanted an easy class, guys with too much hair gel and emaciated girls who winced every time the teacher add more than a drop of olive oil to the pan.  What's better than a class that encourages wine consumption, in small amounts anyway.

On this day, each table made their own 11"x17" dish of tiramisu.  My table finished first, of course, and the professor had us make another full batch but this time we folded chocolate shavings into the mascarpone mixture, making a kind of straciatella tiramisu.  This all sounds faboulous I'm sure.  We then let all of the tiramisu sit in the fridge for as long as we could wait before diving in.  Here's where it all went awry. Once we were encouraged to try our dessert, my table dove into our first batch and finished it in short order. We then couldn't help but pull out the straciatella version and without even thinking polished that one off too.  It was just so damn good we couldn't help ourselves.  Later that evening we paid, oh did we pay with tummy aches from the large amounts of sugar, cheese and eggs. Now it wasn't food poisoning from the eggs, as I'm sure many of you think, I promise you that.  It was that kind of tummy ache you get from eating too many sweets, which we absolutely did.   I swore I'd never eat tiramisu again and I actually didn't for the rest of the semester, partly because of my tummy ache, but mostly because I didn't have a mixer in my teeny tiny studio apartment kitchen to beat the egg whites.

Blood Orange Cardamom Crostata for an early Pi Day

It never fails, blood oranges always transport me back to Florence, Italy 1998. It was then and there that I first had a blood orange.  That I first saw it's gorgeous purplish-red flesh.  It's because of that semester abroad that I have a minor obsession with blood oranges.  Peeling them, eating them, cooking with them reminds me of such a specific time in my life.  A time I long to relive or even just to share with the Boy, who has never been to La Bella Italia, as I so fondly think of it.

It was a time of alot of firsts.  The first time I went to a foreign country where I didn't speak the language, the first time I had even been so far from my family, the first time I was required to cook for myself everyday, the first time I actually enjoyed red wine, my first cooking class and so many more.  It was such an amazing time, to live in and learn about a place, people and culture and to completely fall head over heels in love with everything about it. From the people, to the food, to the landscape, even the random and annoying transit strikes, it all holds a special place in my heart.  Because of the memories this simple piece of fruit (am many other Italian ingredients and dishes) evoke I can't help but snatch them up whenever I see them.

CCC: Italian Stracciatella

It's been almost two years since I last participated in a FoodNetwork.ca Cooking Club Challenge.  I figured with the New Year I'd start to get into it again, I love the community over at FoodNetwork.ca, they've given me pic of the week twice in the last few months and I felt that taking part in the challenge was another way to participate and support it.  It didn't hurt that January's recipe was a delicious sounding Italian soup, I mean we all know how much I love Italian food.  Stracciatella comes from the Italian word stracciato which means "torn apart."  The name references the eggs, which have been torn apart in the soup.  Nadia G also had us add some mini meatballs and tortellini to the soup.

As it's often difficult for me to follow a recipe exactly below is how I did it.  Nadia recommended making her liquid gold, but I had some of my own personal chicken stock made so I went with that.  For my standard chicken stock I use the carcass from a 5 lb roaster, two celery stalks, two onions, two carrots, a tsp whole black peppercorns, 3 whole cloves, 3 sprigs of parsley, 2 bay leaves.  I cover the whole thing with water bring to a boil then cover to simmer for about 5 hours.  Strain the stock a few times and then reduce down to 3/4 to 2/3.  You can either freeze it in 1 cup measures or in ice cub trays or use immediately.  Those are the veggies I generally have on hand but I'll also throw in some fennel or parsnips if I have them when I make stock.

Homemade Tortellini

Oops forgot to fold up the bottom point, but aren't they still pretty?!  

I know I did a stuffed pasta last week, but I made fresh cheese tortellinis for the January Cooking Club Challenge over on Food Network Canada's site (stay tuned for that post tomorrow) and since they were so easy and tasty that I had to share how I did it.  I alos wanted to direct you to a great tortellini filling and folding tutorial that Mama Shack did.  The great thing about these and last weeks ravioli is that they freeze beautifully!  So if you spend a few hours on your weekend making and filling pasta and then freeze it, you could potentially have a ton of easy meals on the go in your freezer.  You shouldn't eat pasta every day, but once I see no problem in it once a week. Especially if you make a veggie rich sauce to go with these deliciously cheesy morsels, you'll have quite a nice complete meal.

Restaurant Review: Queen Margherita Pizza

panna cotta

This past Saturday night I finally convinced the Boy to check out Queen Margherita Pizza with me.  I had gone a few months ago with my book club and loved it and I just knew the boy would too.  With the holidays and all of the craziness that that entails we didn't get there, but were finally able to this past weekend.

We didn't make a reservation and got there around 7:30ish on Saturday night.  It was busy, but they luckily had two spots at the bar that couldn't have been more perfect for us.  We got to feel like we're in the thick of it and there was a TV with the football game on.

The deal at QMP (as they cheekily have printed on the staff t-shirts) is they do a $25 prix fixe which includes a choice of appetizer, any pizza or dessert all for the low price of $25 per person.  A pretty great deal if you ask me, especially since it's what they always do, not like a special Sunday or Monday thing like so many other restaurants.

Meatless Monday: Pumpkin Mascarpone Ravioli

As I've written about before, I was lucky enough to receive the pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid  as a wedding gift.  I haven't used it as much as I should mainly because of poor planning.  While homemade pasta doesn't take long to make, it is more time consuming that throwing a box of pasta in boiling water.  Of course that extra time is soooooo worth it.  As is proven by my pesto with homemade fettucine!

Something I've been dying to tackle with the pasta maker is homemade ravioli, since Thanksgiving when I roasted and pureed pumpkin for pumpkin pie I have wanted to make a Pumpkin Mascarpone Ravioli.  Lucky for me pureed pumpkin keeps beautifully in the freezer so I was able to pull some out to make these little beauties.  Boy am I glad that I did!

Love 4 Lasagna: Short Rib Lasagna

Well here we are, my inaugural Love 4 Lasagna post.  This is, in fact, the lasagna that gave me the idea to start this little project.  It's different from the traditional lasagna that I grew up on and is what inspired me to get creative with lasagna. I first saw the recipe in the September 2010 issue of Bon Appetit and knew I had to try it.  First because the boy loves lasagna but also because I make a short rib ragu that I think is pretty awesome and wanted to use it the recipe.  It also seemed the perfect time because the bite of fall was upon us, a time when stew and lasagnas and other hearty stick-to-your-bones food starts to be in the forefront of my mind. 

I came up with the idea to do a lasagna challenge for November because it seems there are so many different combinations and ways you can play around with cheese, sauce and pasta, especially because if you get creative you don't even need to use actual pasta as long as you have something that serves the purpose of pasta in a traditional lasagna.  I've got a few other bloggers who have signed on to join in and we'll all be posting our recipes on each Sunday in Novemebr and I'll do a round-up of all of the posts every Monday, so stay tuned.

I tweaked the original recipe by using my own short rib ragu, which doesn't call for mushrooms and I used Fontina instead of just Parmigiano Reggiano.  I do plan on trying the recipe as written since it sounds delicious and I was beyond happy with how my version of it turned out.  I'm going to ahead and say you should just go out now and buy the ingredients for this one, don't bother adding it to a list to try, just make it.  I swear you won't regret it.  It's rich and a total indulgence but you can eat some and freeze the rest for another day or feed a crowd.   It's so an indulgence worth taking. 

Meatless Monday: Backyard Pesto with Homemade Fettucine

With summer truly ending I thought I should take advantage of the beautiful and numerous basil plants the boy planted for me this summer.  I also have a brand new and shiny KitchenAid Mixer with pasta attachment, that we got as a wedding gift, that I was dying to try out.  Pesto is one of my favorite sauces, since it's no-cook and packed with fresh flavor it makes for a tasty and simple dinner and ine that is perfect for Meatless Monday.

When I studied in Florence in college I learned how to make and serve basil pesto the way they make it in Genoa which includes cooking cubed potatoes and string beans with your pasta to be tossed with the pesto.  I'm calling this Backyard Pesto because the basil literally came from my backyard and the potatoes and beans came from my local farmer's market which living in the city is close enough to my backyard for things like beans and potatoes.  I'd love to grow my own beans and potatoes but we just don't have the space, someday my dream farmhouse will though.  Until then I'll happily make do with the fabulous locally grown produce we get at our farmers market.

T&C: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

For this month's Taste & Create I was paired up with Rachelle at Mommy, I'm Hungry. Not only is she my T&C partner, but she also adopted my bloggie friend Tania over at Love Big Bake Often. Please check out both of their blogs for delicious treats.

Moving on to the food...last weekend my best friend and college roommate flew up to Toronto from Boston for a weekend filled with baseball, beer and bonding. We have a full weekend with a fab dinner on Friday night, baseball game and bar crawl on Saturday and a baby shower on Sunday. Knowing we'd be wiped by Sunday night I had planned ahead to cook dinner on Sunday night so we could relax on the patio with some wine. I found just the perfect thing to make on Rachelle's blog in her Buffalo Chicken Pizza. We lived on Archie Moore's Buffalo wings in college and since the boy was going to eating with us too, he's a fan of all things Buffalo Chicken. For all the things I've made from scratch I couldn't believe I had never made my own pizza dough and this would give me the perfect opportunity to try. I decided to do grilled pizzas, lucky for me Rachelle had a delicious sounding Buffalo Style Chicken Pizza recipe on her blog. I tweaked the crust to make it whole wheat and even though I'm one for using my own tomato sauce for everything, I decided to try her Pizza Sauce as is.


Grilled Buffalo Chicken Pizza
adapted from Mommy, I'm Hungry

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - shredded
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (2 ounce) bottle hot sauce (I used 3 TBL)3/4 cup blue cheese dressing
1/2 cup pizza sauce (see recipe below)
1 prepared pizza crust (see recipe below)
6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
6 oz shredded smoked cheddar cheese

1. Preheat grill to medium low. In a medium bowl combine the shredded chicken, melted butter and hot sauce. Mix well. Mix together pizza sauce and blue cheese dressing.
2. Oil heated grill and place one of the pizza dough rounds on it. Let grill until light grill marks begin to appear and the bottom side is cooked, approx 5-10 minutes.
3. Flip crust and top with Blue cheese pizza sauce mixture. Shredded chicken & hot sauce and equal amounts of the cheeses. Let cook until bottom is cooked through and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
4. Remove to a cutting board and let cool for 5 minutes before cutting.
5. Repeat with other dough round and the rest of the ingredients.

Pizza Dough
adapted from Mommy, I'm Hungry

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose + 1/2 cup more for kneading
1 1/4 cup organic Red Fife whole wheat +1/2 cup more for kneading

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 1 1/4 cup all purpose and 1 1/4 cup Red Fife.
Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour.
Divide dough in 2 even pieces. Punch down the dough, and form each into a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.

Pizza Sauce
adapted from Mommy, I'm Hungry

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
salt to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water, Parmesan cheese, garlic, honey, onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt.
2. Mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese.
3. Sauce should sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors; spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.


This was a perfect summer night dinner, especially on a hot summer night since very little was cooked inside, keeping my little hot box of a kitchen cool. I roasted my chicken breasts before shredding, but you could easily use leftover chicken or grille it. The pizza sauce needs no cooking and is delicious! Aside from all the ease in putting this together, it was so very tasty and enjoyed by the boy and the college roomie, both very tough critics when it comes to all things Buffalo Style. Thanks Rachelle for such a tasty recipe! Don't forget to check out the other Taste & Create entries here. Enjoy!

Orechiette con Pomodori

One of my favorite things about food is that it can be as tied to time and place as anything else. Specific foods or flavors of scents of cooking always remind me of people or places. I loved cooking my grandmother's rolladen because it just brings me back to the smell of her kitchen and being young and playing with my grandfather. I can't smell a burger being grilled without remembering how delicious a burger tastes at our lake house. This dish is one of those too. I first learned to make it when I studied in Florence, Italy during my undergrad years. It was the first dish we learned in my regional Italian cooking class and I have remembered it ever since. I don't have it written down and honestly am not completely sure I even make it the way I was taught. It has become one of my signature dishes with my family and something I love to make the second the weather starts to warm up, which it has finally started to do.

I most recently made it for a Sunday supper when I had my fabulous friend/co-worker over for dinner. She's here from London and working like crazy with little down time. In an effort to get the boy to help me take the house from bachelor pad to dinner party appropriate (ie chairs for our dining room table among other things) I invited her over for a much needed home-cooked meal. Not only did we have a fabulous evening but I feel so much better knowing that I can go back to having the dinner parties I became so accustomed to while I was living in LA. I often serve this pasta as a main course but on this night is accompanied a delicious grilled steak to be posted soon.

Orechiette con Pomodori
serves 6

4 pints of cherry tomatoes
200 grams of pecorino romano cheese - finely grated
6-10 cippoline onions - how many you use depends on how big they are, the larger ones you should only need 6
2-3 ribs of celery - again determined by how big they are
1/2 tsp or more crushed red pepper
1 small bunch of arugula - washed, dried and sliced into ribbons
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt

1. Wash the celery ribs and using a knife peel the outer string from each rib. To do this, tuck the blade of the knife just under the very top of the skin (you can usually see the string at the top) and just peel down. Repeat this on both ribs. Roughly chop the celery. Peel the skin from the cippoline and roughly chop. Combine the chopped celery with the chopped onions, add in the crushed red pepper and finely mince everything together.
2. In a large saute pan heat olive oil over medium heat. When heated add in celery, onion and red pepper mixture and salt. Saute until onions become translucent and everything is soft but not browned, lower heat if necessary.
3. While the other vegetables are sauteing wash and remove stems from cherry tomatoes. Cut the cleaned tomatoes in half, quarter the larger ones to ensure that the pieces are all roughly the same size.
4. Add tomatoes to the saute pan cook for 5 minutes uncovered at medium heat. Cover pan and lower heat to low and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Tomatoes are done when they have softened and can be gently smooshed using the back end of a wooden spoon. Taste at this point and adjust salt.
5. While the tomatoes are cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook orechiette according to directions for al dente.
6. Toss cooked pasta with tomato sauce and pecorino cheese. Toss in the arugula just before serving.



I truly love everything about this dish from doing the prep work to the simplicity of the flavors and the ingredients to the fabulously fresh flavor. I should have waited a bit to make this until tomatoes were in season but I had a craving and decided to give in. I don't regret it, it's one of those dishes that always takes me back to that January in Florence when I first learned to make it and I remember that two days later I cooked it for some of my friends from school. I remember sitting in my tiny one room apartment and eating this with a fabulous bottle of $3 Chianti and my new friends. It was my time in Florence that really cultivated my love of cooking and being in the kitchen, which is funny, because my tiny one room apartment barely had a proper kitchen. Two gas burners, a tiny dorm sized fridge and no oven, but it worked and I think made me the cook I am today. Enjoy!

Fettuccine Bolognese a la THE APARTMENT

I love movies, from indies to blockbuster to classics, there are few things I like more than getting lost in a movie. Clearly I love food as well, as this blog is a testament to. Well what could be better than when food and film come together, as they do in Billy Wilder's THE APARTMENT. There are just those moments where you remember what the characters where eating as much as what they were saying, doing or feeling. Think of the thinly shaved garlic for the gravy in GOODFELLAS or the armadillo-shaped red velvet cake in STEEL MAGNOLIAS to Bridget Jones' blue soup for her birthday dinner in BRIDGET JONES' DIARY. Throughout film there are these moments and my most recent viewing of THE APARTMENT reminded me of them and inspired me.

If you've never seen it, THE APARTMENT is a great film from 1960 starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. It was on Turner Classic Movies a few weeks ago and will air again January 29th, see it if you haven't. The quick logline is: An aspiring executive (Lemmon) rents his apartment to his bosses for thier trysts with their mistresses to then end up falling for the top boss' mistress (MacLaine). For me one of the most memorable scenes is when Fran (MacLaine) shows up at C.C.'s (Lemmon) apartment and C.C. is cooking spaghetti with meat sauce and using his tennis racket to drain the spaghetti. It just stuck with me, from the food to the fact that it was also a turning point in the movie. As a result, I decided to make a pasta with meat sauce in honor of the film. I jazzed mine up a bit from striaght spaghetti and meat sauce to Fettuccine Bolognese.

Fettuccine Bolognese

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 carrot - peeled and chopped
1 small onion - chopped
3 cloves of garlic - minced
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb lean ground pork
1 can tomato paste
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
salt & pepper
pinch of sugar
1 lb of whole wheat fettuccine - cooked to al dente
fresh grated parmigiano

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the saucepan is heated saute garlic, onions, carrots and crushed red pepper until onions are translucent and carrots have softened. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
2. Push vegetables to the edges of the pan and add in the ground beef and pork to brown. Once meat has browned add in tomato paste, basil, oregano, slat & pepper. stir to combine and simmer on medium low for 5 minutes.
3. Add red wine and crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine and saute over medium low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste and sugar a pinch at a time to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
4. Serve over cooked fettuccine, topped with parmigiano and fresh cracked pepper.

This sauce was so thick (almost a ragu) and rich and full of tomato flavor, which was exactly what I was going for. the carrots add a nice element of sweetness that counter balances the spice or the red pepper and the acidity of the tomato nicely. I added a pinch more of sugar, but it all depends on taste. I'm happy with this movie inspired dish. Stay tuned as I have one more APARTMENT inspired dish coming later in the week. Enjoy!

Classic Italian-American Feast!

One of my all time favorite Italian-American meals is Spaghetti & Meatballs. It is just so heart-warming and some serious comfort food. It snowed here in Toronto most of Saturday so when I finished my Christmas shopping and was trying to think of what to make for dinner, Spaghetti & Meatballs seemed perfect. I wasn't sure when the boy would be done work, which was perfect because the longer the sauce cooks the better AND we already had some ground turkey that needed to be used. I also remembered that we had some Italian sausages in the freezer that would round out my sauce perfectly. It couldn't have worked out better if I had actually planned it. Be advised the measurements are not exact, so just use them as a guide and trust your own personal taste.

Spaghetti Sauce with Turkey Meatballs & Sausage

3 cloves of garlic - minced
1 small onion - roughly chopped
2 tsp or more crushed red pepper flake
2 large cans of tomato puree (using one can of puree and one diced makes for a nice chunky sauce)
1/2 cup red wine
1 lb ground turkey
1/4-1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmigiano
1/4 cup or more dried oregano (separated)
1/4 cup or more dried basil (separated)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 egg
3-4 mild Italian sausage
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper & sugar to taste

1. In a large sauce pot or Dutch Oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once it's hot add the minced garlic, onions and red pepper flake. Saute until onions become translucent and soft, being careful not to brown the garlic.
2. Add the canned tomatoes and lower heat to medium low. Bring sauce to a simmer and add 2 Tbsp oregano, 2 Tbsp basil, fresh cracked pepper (approx 5 turns of the pepper mill) and a bit of salt. Mix in and bring back up to a simmer, add red wine and lower heat to low allowing to simmer while you make the meatballs. Remember to stir is occasionally so it doesn't burn.
3. In a large bowl add turkey, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1/4 cup parmigiano, 2 Tbsp oregano, 2 Tbsp basil, garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper (4-5 turns of the pepper mill), salt and the egg. Mix ingredients together with your hands until well combined, but being careful not to overwork. Mixture should be a bit sticky and form a ball easily, but not be too slippery or wet. If it's too wet add the remaining parmigiano first and if necessary add more breadcrumbs. If you go overboard adding the dry ingredients and it's too dry, add another egg.
4. Form balls with the meat mixture. I make mine about the size of an apricot or a small plum. 1 lb of meat will make 8 meatballs at this size. Transfer the balls onto a plate or cookie sheet and put in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to allow them to set.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once heated add the sausages and brown to a golden brown on each side. If the skillet is hot enough approx 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from skillet to a cutting board and cut sausage into 3 pieces. Transfer the sausage pieces to the pot with the sauce.
6. Once the meatballs have set, heat the skillet over medium high heat (if you are using nonstick you shouldn't need any oil, but if you aren't add a Tbsp of olive oil). Transfer the meatballs to the hot skillet, making sure you have room to turn them. Brown meatballs on all sides (approx 1-2 mins per side) and transfer the browned meatballs to the simmering sauce.
7. Raise the heat to medium low to finish cooking the sausages and meatballs, stirring occasionally, approx 15 mins. Taste the sauce and adjust spicing as necessary. I usually add some more oregano and basil here. Then add sugar a teaspoon at a time to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes, not to sweeten it. It's ready to serve after 5-10 more mins on medium low or lower the heat to low and let simmer until you are ready to serve with spaghetti or the pasta of your choosing (I like whole wheat spaghetti).


I recommend letting this sauce cook as long as possible, the longer the meatballs and sausage simmer in the sauce the better it gets. And always taste the sauce as you go so you can adjust the spices to what you like. You can used seasoned breadcrumbs in the meatballs and cut out all the other spices. I generally keep the plain ones in the house so I can spice them according to whatever recipe I am making.

This was a great meal for the boy to come home to after a long day of working on set outside in the snow. It was even better last night for dinner again! When you make this be sure to make enough for leftovers because it's even better the second time. It freezes well too, which is what I am going to do tonight with the rest of our leftovers. Enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore (Hunter's Chicken)

Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. Most of you know my affinity for Italian cuisine and my growing love for my slow cooker. Well, I had a ton of tomato sauce leftover from last week's eggplant parm and 3 huge bone in chicken breasts in my freezer. With the insanely hot weather we are having in LA this week, I figured this was the best time to break out the slow cooker and use some stuff we already had. Even though I've been baking alot more recently, I still try to keep most of our dinners low-carb if I can, so that was one goal here, the second was to truly make it a one pot meal. Traditional cacciatore's have tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and occasionally peppers. Those are all great veggies that are of course in mine, but I wanted to add something else and decided on zucchini because the sis loves it and I felt it would be able to hold up in the slow cooker. See my recipe below:

Chicken Cacciatore
serves 4-6

3 large bone-in chicken breasts (approx 2 lbs, I'm not sure of the weight I used, but you can use bone in or boneless and I would say approx 2 lbs of chicken would be good)
1 large onion thinly sliced
3 cups Simple Tomato Sauce (you can also use canned tomatoes)
8 oz sliced Baby Bella mushroom
1 large green bell pepper cut into 1 inch chunks
2-3 zucchini cut into 1/2 thick slices
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp or more dried oregano (is you use canned tomatoes I would up the oregano to a tbsp)
2 tsps or more dried thyme
1 tsp crushed red pepper (I didn't do this, but the sis and I both agreed it could use some heat)
salt & pepper to taste

1. Line the bottom of you slow cooker with the onions.
2. Layer the chicken breasts on top of the onions.
3. In a large bowl mix all the other ingredients and pour on top of the chicken.
4. Set slow cooker to cook on low for 7 hours. My chicken fell off the bone into big chunks making it easy to serve and eat. Just try to pull the bones before serving.

If you go the route of using canned tomatoes, I would first cut back the tomatoes to 2 1/2 cups and add 1 cup of red wine. Then mix 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic into the tomato-veggie mixture. I skipped these steps since there is garlic and wine already in my sauce.

This was a great hearty meal that would be good served over pasta or with potatoes or even with a nice crusty piece of bread. We actually enjoyed it solo with a bit of parmesan sprinkled on top. Using the slow cooker makes it something easy to have ready when you come home from work, but also good in the heat when you don't feel like cooking. If you try it let me know how you tweak the ingredients to suit your needs. Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmigiano

Since I started this blog I have yet to cook one of my tasty Italian feasts that many of my readers are so used to me making. Our house guest requested Italian for dinner tonight and I took the opportunity to make my tasty eggplant parmigiano and chicken cutlets. It's not the ideal weeknight meal as it takes some time, but I was quite impressed that I pulled it off in 90 minutes. The eggplant is one of the first recipes I learned in the cooking class I took while I studied in Florence. Check out the recipe below:

Eggplant Parmigiano
serves 4

2 large eggplants - sliced lengthwise (you can leave the skin on or peel it, I've done it both ways)
fresh mozzarella - cut into strips
grated parmigiano reggiano
basic tomato sauce (recipe below)
vegetable oil
salt & pepper

1. Put a layer of paper towels on large cookie sheet or cutting board. Place the eggplant slices on the the paper towels. Sprinkle liberally with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes to a hour. This will bring the eggplants bitter juices out. Once the time has passed, take paper towels and blot up the liquid. You can also gently wring out the eggplant slices over the sink, they are durable enough to handle this. I skipped this step tonight, but find that the eggplant is that much better when I am able to take the time to do this and I highly recommend it.
2. Fill a large saute pan half way with vegetable oil. It seems like alot of oil but very little of it is absorbed by the eggplant. Heat the oil over medium high heat.
3. Once the eggplant is dry and the oil is heated place slices of eggplant into the oil, make sure they don't overlap. Fry all of the eggplant slices to a very light golden brown, remove from oil to drain on paper towels.
4. Lightly oil an 8x8 casserole dish. Cover the bottom of the pan with one layer of eggplant slices. Top with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of parmigianao and 4-5 strips of mozzarella. Repeat the layering until all the eggplant is gone. Putting extra cheese on the top layer.
5. Put the dish in an oven heated to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Until heated through and bubbly.

NOTE: This is not an eggplant parm that you can cut a neat little square and serve all pretty. It's easiest to just serve with a spoon and while not pretty, it is so fabulously tasty that's all that really matters!


Simple Tomato Sauce

2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
3 garlic cloves - chopped
1 small onion - chopped
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbsps fresh basil - hand torn
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup red wine
2 pinches of sugar
salt & pepper

1. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a medium sauce pan. Add chopped onions to the heated pan. Saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and saute until the onions become translucent, being careful not to let the garlic brown, approx 5 more minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes to the pan. Let cook over medium heat until begins to bubble. Add oregano and basil. Simmer over medium stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add red wine and simmer for 5 more minutes.
3. Taste sauce, add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 more minutes and then add sugar, to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
4. Continue to simmer sauce over low heat until ready to use and/or eat.


Chicken cutlets
serves 4

4 boneless chicken breasts thinly pounded out
1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg - beaten
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Dredge the chicken breast through flour, then dip in egg and then dredge in bread crumbs. Put coated cutlets on a plate and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Place two cutlets into the heated oil and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through, approx 5 minutes per side.
3. Remove from pan to a plate and cook remaining two cutlets.
4. Serve. I like chicken cutlets topped with a little bit of sauce and a sprinkling of parmigiano.

While I was taking a picture of my plate there was not a word spoken by my sis or our guest. That's always the true sign of a great meal, silence and full mouths. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Chicken Piccata

Well I'm back from all my traveling, for a bit anyway. Despite my being jet-lagged from 2 trips back east in 11 days we needed dinner last night. When the sis and I are both exhausted, dinner always becomes a fruitless discussion, neither of us cares and neither wants to decide what we'll have. Even though I cooked a bit this past weekend, mostly breakfasts for the boyfriend's big birthday weekend, I was itching to get back into my fabulous kitchen. I was going to go for an old faithful, Pesto Chicken (which I promise to post sometime soon, it's really great and easy) but we eat that all the time I felt I should do something different. So to switch it up I decided on Chicken Piccata, something that used to be a standby for me, but I haven't made in awhile. Giada De Laurentiis is one of my top cooks on the Food Network, mostly because she uses such simple and classic Italian flavors. Her Chicken Piccata recipe is great! Take a look:

Chicken Piccata

from Giada DeLaurentiis on the Food Network

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (I like to squeeze my own lemons and it usually takes 2-3)
1/2 cup chicken stock (if I don't have chicken stock I have subbed white wine for this and it makes a really great and tangy sauce)
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped (I forgot to pick-up parsley so I left this out) 1/2 lemon thinly sliced (this I my own addition)

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes.
3. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.

4. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.
5. Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers and lemon slices. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning.
6. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter.
7. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

I usually serve this dish with a nice green vegetable like oven roasted asparagus or garlicky green beans, but last night the easiest thing was a caprese salad with fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!

Pizza at Home

Well, I was remiss in taking a picture of last night's pizza. Partially because, unbeknownst to me, my camera battery was dead, but mostly because I was just plain famished by the time this was ready to eat and while I love all of you that check out my blog, putting food in my tummy was way more important! I decided to make pizza because I was craving it, mostly due to the fact that the boy made an AMAZING pizza on Sunday night, chock full of tasty cheeses, sausage, onions and I don't even know what else. But I was also inspired by this post over at It's Melissa's Kitchen. Not only do the veggies from her CSA box look tasty and make me want to join one myself, but the pizza had to be made based on the photo alone.

I looked at her recipe and followed alot of it, but made my own tweaks along the way. See what I did below:

Pizza

1 package Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough
1/2 cup Trader Joe's Fat Free Pizza Sauce
1/4-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I didn't measure this so it's a really rough measurement)
Heirloom Tomatoes (if in season) sliced
Fresh Mozzarella - I used a ball and a half of the Ovaline size
Fresh basil
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

1. Remove pizza dough from package and let rise on the counter for 20 minutes
2. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Once dough has risen, either roll or hand stretch to fit a lightly oiled baking sheet. I used a 15 inch cookie sheet (no round pans in my house yet) and I hand stretched, more fun that way.
4. Brush the crust with olive oil. Spread a very thin layer of Pizza sauce over the crust. The amount depends on taste and you can even omit this, I just like I little sauce on my crust even if I'm topping with tomatoes.
5. Sprinkle a small amount of shredded mozzarella over the crust. The bulk of the cheese on this is from the fresh mozzarella, but in my opinion you can never have enough cheese and I think this little bit helps for extra coverage.
6. Arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella over the pizza. Chiffonade the basil sprinkle all over
7. In true Italian fashion, top with a drizzling of extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes until crust looks golden and pizza looks tasty.
9. Remove from over and let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting.


I feel like the one time I tried to make pizza at home it was a disaster, albeit so long ago I can't exactly remember when. This was so very tasty and easy. I highly recommend it. My sis, who is cutting back on carbs and made her own dinner last night, commented on how good it smelled and I could tell a part of her wanted some.

Fagioli all'Uccelletto con Salsiccie

I'm so glad my sister requested I make this last night. Fagioli all'Uccelletto is a classic Tuscan dish of cannellini beans, sage and tomatoes. It's often made "con salsiccie" which means with sausage. The best fagioli all'uccelletto I've ever had was in Siena at Antica Trattoria Papei, if you ever find yourself in Siena I highly recommend this restaurant the food and staff make it a truly memorable experience. And you must have a shot of grappa with your waiter at the end of your meal.

About the recipe, I originally used a recipe that was surprisingly Debi Mazar's from People Magazine. I lost the recipe and am not sure I memorized but I threw it together from what I know the flavors to be and what I like, recipe is below:

Fagioli All'Uccelletto co Salsiccie
serves 4

6 sweet Italian Turkey Sausages (we used Hots last night and you can use traditional pork sausage too, whatever your preference)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 28oz can of chopped or diced (not crushed) tomatoes in their own juice (I like Cento or Pastene tomatoes the best)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 15 oz cans of cannellini beans or white kidney beans (drained)
a handful of fresh sage leaves
salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once the oven it heated put the sausages in a baking dish and baked for approx 30 mins. Turning halfway thorough the cook time. Cook until they are browned and cooked all the way through.
2. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions. Saute until the onions become translucent and you can smell the garlic & onion cooking. Don't let the garlic brown.
3. Add the canned tomatoes, bay leaf and Italian seasoning. Cook on medium heat until it begins to bubble. Reduce heat to low, add sage, cover and let cook for 10mins , stirring occasionally. You don't want the juice to reduce too much which is why it's important to keep it covered. If you find all your juices evaporating add a small amount of canned tomato sauce. Be careful you want the mixture to be thick, not too saucy
4. Add white beans to tomato mixture, continue to cook on low heat covered until the Sausages come out of the oven.
5. Cut the sausages into quarters and add to the saute pan. Raise heat to medium and let the whole mixture simmer for approximately 5 mins.
6. Serve and enjoy with crusty Italian bread.

This is a great quick & easy meal that is quite filling. If you don't serve it with bread (which is not necessary just a nice added bonus) it's also low-carb! You can also try to remove the sausage from the casing and brown in saute pan, my sister suggested this and I may try it next time. Buono appetito!