Mangia!

Like making my husband a beautiful breakfast for his birthday!

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Raspberry-filled papaya

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Blueberry Pancakes

And then throwing him a party!

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Ina's Lemon Fusilli (I made mine with sundried tomatoes and spinach!)

Other menu items: pepperoni bread, broccoli and cheese stromboli, sunflower cupcakes and lots o' beer. :)

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Happy Birthday, Anthony!!! I love you more than I could ever say! Cheers!

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YAY! I made these sunflower cupcakes because I saw it on Katie's blog. Ugh. I wish I could take the credit for these cutie cuppy cakes, but my guilt complex prevents me from doing so!

Haha, this one looks like a freaky Van Gogh sunflower. Eh well...it was my first try!

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I made these for my last day at work! Woo-hoo! They were devil's food cake topped with cocoa puffs and a M&M ladybug! The cocoa puffs adhere to double fudgey frosting! Mmmm!

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I almost murdered my hubs for almost knocking them down when I tried to bring them out to my car. Word of warning: after watching your wife design cupcakes until 1 a.m. the previous morning, be ever-so-gentle when helping her transport them! :)

The one person who will miss me most, Professor Laura Zucconi. She was always a hungry and eager recipient of my many treats I would bring to the office. Here she has a "tearful" goodbye munch.

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For every fabulous dinner, there should be an equally fabulous side dish. But some sides were not meant to sing back up. Some sides need their own spotlight, their own mic and their own blog entry. And between you and me, this side was one wicked diva. Seriously, if this dish had hands, it would've smacked the glasses off of Elton John's face. Just sayin'....

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Moroccan Couscous

Ingredients

2 Tblsp olive oil

½ red onion, finely diced

¼ c. chopped almonds

¼ c. dried apricots, roughly chopped

1 c. couscous

1.5 c. chicken broth

1 scallion, chopped

A handful each of cilantro and mint, chopped

Directions

Sauté red onion in olive oil. Add almonds and apricots. Add couscous and chicken brother. Mix with a fork. Top with lid and remove from heat. After about five minutes, stir with a fork and add scallions and herbs. Mix well and enjoy!

And of course no dinner would be completely without a cool and sweet treat to end the night. A scoop each of coconut, mango and raspberry sorbet was the most perfect fit!

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Not too shabby for a Thursday night dinner...

happy feet; full bellies

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When the hot haze of a summer heat wave hits, it’s easy to fall into a dinner rut. The last thing anyone wants to do when they come home from work or play is to make dinner over a hot stove. I’ve personally given into the notion of making plenty of cold dinner salads over the past few weeks. But sometimes, the only way to get yourself out of a rut is to force yourself out. The best trick, I find, is to use my imagination to transport me from the thick humidity of a typical Jersey summer to a world more exotic. With the lift of a window, I allowed the balmy breezes push through the tree leaves and into my kitchen where I came up with the inspiration to cook up a delicious Moroccan feast in only one hour.  

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic. Yes, you read right…that’s 40 cloves of garlic in that title and yes, I still kissed my husband after dinner. The 40 cloves of garlic (or three bulbs) in this dish are not as scary as they may sound.  During the cooking process, the cloves turn into a lovely mush and mostly disappear into the sauce and transform into a sweet and luscious concoction. A touch of good cognac and a little bit of cream and you will be in garlic heaven…minus the bad breathe!

As if this dinner didn’t have enough zing, the added Cognac brings to the dish a whole other level of “wow”! If you don’t have cognac on hand, don’t run out to the liquor store and buy a big bottle. Instead, purchase a top quality brand in a miniature size. I always love purchasing those little liquors and brandies for recipes; they’re the perfect quantity for cooking and you don’t have to spend a fortune on something you’ll only use sparingly.

A couple of tips for making this dish: 1) use a good quality cognac and white wine. Never cook with any alcohol you wouldn’t be proud to serve. 2) Drench the fresh garlic cloves in boiling water before peeling. This allows the paper to slip right off. 3) Feel free to use 3 lbs of various chicken parts. A good mixture of white and dark meats will only add to the dish’s complexity and wondrous flavor.

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

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Ingredients

About 3 lbs chicken breasts, cut into large chunks

3 bulbs of fresh garlic, peeled

Salt and pepper

1 Tblsp unsalted butter

2 Tblsp olive oil

3 Tblsp good-quality Cognac, divided

1.5 c. white wine

1 Tblsp fresh thyme

2 Tblsp flour

2 Tblsp heavy cream

Directions

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, sauté the chicken in the fat until nicely browned on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to sauté all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Ok, here's why I love making crostata:

1) It's tasty

2) It's easy to make

3) It's my most successful "from scratch" baked good I ever made (yes this includes cookies)

4) Just saying "crrrrrostata" makes me feel worldly

5) It tastes kind of breakfast-y so I don't feel guilty eating it for breakfast!

crostata

Forgive the fuzzy pic...still no internet in our new home so my photos' details are getting lost in translation. :(

Summer Fruit Crostata

Ina Garten

Ingredients

For the pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) ice water

For the filling: 

1 pound firm ripe peaches, peeled 

 1/2 pound firm ripe black plums, unpeeled 

 1/2 pint fresh blueberries 

 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided 

 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided 

 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest 

 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 

 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Pastry directions: Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly (and carefully!) with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll it into a ball, cut in half, and form into 2 flat disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If you only need 1 disk of dough, the other disk of dough can be frozen.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to the baking sheet.

For the filling: Cut the peaches and plums in wedges and place them in a bowl with the blueberries. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the orange zest, and the orange juice. Place the mixed fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.

Combine the 1/4 cup flour, the 1/4 cup sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts to hold together. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Gently fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge.

Bake the crostata for 25 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Let the crostata cool for 5 minutes, then use two large spatulas to transfer it to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

At least that's the battle between me and my friend, Katie.

Katie offered a great suggestion for leftover goat cheese (which happens frequently after a trip to Costco. How can one turn down an economy-size log of goat cheese?)

no recipe needed here, just simply dip your sliced rounds of goat cheese in smoe beatn egg and then in some Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs. Fry them up in some olive oil and once they turn golden brown, you're good to go! Top any salad with these delicious golden medallions or eat them solo. Just make sure you eat them fresh out of the frying pan, because nobody wants a soggy medallion.

Goat Cheese Medallion like YUM

Enjoy!

July 1st. A whole new beginning. A whole new teacup of the month!

July 1st, to me, means the end of our state's fiscal year, my best friend's birthday (Happy Birthday Kathryn E. Dzwonar!) and I hear it's also Canada Day which is my favorite country. Ok, ok...second favorite. Whatever.

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So what better teacup to show off this month than my cute little Canadian Pride teacup. I believe it's either a Royal Albert or Royal Derby and it was given to me by my very good good friend, Ashlee. Ashlee and I have been nestie friends for quite some time now after stalking each other's food blogs (this girl has some seroiusly yummy eats on her blog!) and also happen to both have the exact same wedding anniversary.

Ashlee was kind enough to send me this lovely little teacup for my birthday, obviously keeping in mind all the times I raved about how much I loved vacationing in Canada with my husband and how I can't wait to get back there. Again, I know...I dream big.

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This lovely little teacup has a ton of super cute details with flowers representing each territory and a Canadian flag in teh center. The sweet pink ribbon floats throughout, swirling and connecting each of the flowers.

I just love it! And the handle is so pretty too!

Hope you enjoy this Teacup of the Month as much as I do!

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Ok, so I didn't make up the recipe...but I did decorate these cutie cupcakes!!

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2 comments

They're Barefoot Contessa's Carrot Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. So they're healthy for you, right?

Ok, maybe not...but they're super delicious and I think they came out super cute!

Enjoy!

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For something a bit more elegant and something that is sure to impress, a Blueberry Semifreddo is definitely the perfect choice. A semifreddo literally translates to “half-frozen” and is a wonderful custard  that can be made days in advance and the blueberry sauce that tops it takes literally seconds to make. The semifreddo in this dessert is lemon-flavored which is the perfect counterpart to blueberries. Blueberries and lemons are like peanut butter and jelly…so very happy together!

Blueberry Semifreddo

Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

1/2 c. sliced almonds, toasted
1 3/4 c. chilled heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp sugar
7 large egg yolks
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp salt

For the blueberry sauce

1 ½ c. blueberries

2 tsp. sugar

Line 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving generous overhang.
Sprinkle almonds evenly over bottom of pan.
Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream in large bowl until soft peaks form.
Refrigerate whipped cream while making custard.
Whisk 1 1/4 c. sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in large metal bowl to blend.
Set bowl over large saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until yolk mixture is thick and fluffy and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 170 degrees, about 4 minutes.
Remove bowl from over simmering water.

Nothing is more delicious or comforting after a great summer BBQ than a slice of homemade blueberry pie. Blueberry pie is one of those recipes that's so simple and easy to make, there's hardly a need for a recipe. But if you'd like this one...go ahead!

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Fresh Blueberry Pie

Ingredients

3 pints blueberries

1 cup granulated sugar

Juice from half a lemon

½ tsp of lemon zest

About 3 tablespoons of cornstarch

2 pie crusts (the ready-made roll out works just fine!)

Egg wash (egg and water, blended)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl, pour in your cleaned blueberries (wash and stemmed). To the blueberries add the lemon juice, sugar and zest. Toss well with your hands. Line a 9” pie pan with one crust and pour in blueberry mixture. Top with whatever pie crust design you prefer. Top crusts with egg wash. Bake for 1 hour or until crust is golden brown. TIP: after baking the pie for 45 minutes, cover the edges with either tin foil or one of those handy pie crust covers available at any home goods store.