Treasures

Trying to get organized at home ... Found a bag of 'paper'. Most could be shredded, but there were some pictures of the kids, some things from my folks ... and this recipe from Ellen's mom! It's a good one ... a great way to start the day.

Fruity Couscous Salad - adapted from a USA Today recipe

1 1/3 cup dry couscous (I prefer the larger size 'Israeli'?)
2/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup packed dried apricots, chopped
2/3 cup Craisins microwaved in 1 cup water (I think Harriet used orange juice) for 1 minute
1 tsp cumin
3 scallions, thinly sliced with greens
1 pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Prepare couscous according to package directions. Combine all ingredients; toss. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Yields 8 servings

10 common mistakes and stereotypes !

We put together the 10 most common mistakes and stereotypes about Italian Cooking abroad...so you can avoid them!  Share this note with your friends  :)

1- You shall not sip cappuccino during a meal!

Coffee and cappuccino are the pride of Italy in the world; but if the first is usually consumed at the end of the meal, the second, more substantial, is sipped at breakfast, usually accompanied by some pastry. You can ask for a cappuccino at the end of a meal, just know that most Italians don’t.

2- Risotto and pasta are NOT a side dish

The organization of courses in the Italian dining is unique and requires pasta and – most of the time –risotto to be served by themselves (apart from specific recipes such as Ossobuco milanese-style). The presentation of pasta as a side dish to others is widespread in several countries, but in Italy is seen almost as a sacrilege.

3- You shall not add oil to pasta water!

Oil should not be added to pasta cooking water! Pasta dressing (and oil too) must be added only after you have drained it from its cooking water. Find out how to cook pasta like an Italian here.

4- Ketchup on pasta: please, don’t

This is one of the combinations that most shocks Italians; although ketchup may have some similarities to tomato sauce, pouring ketchup over pasta in the “Bel Paese” is considered a real gourmet crime. Keep ketchup for your french fries or hot dogs, please!

5- Spaghetti Bolognese? No way, it’s Tagliatelle!

While probably being the world’s most popular Italian recipe, you will not find any restaurant in Bologna to eat it. That’s because the original Italian recipe is “Tagliatelle Bolognese” (not spaghetti).

Although this may seem a minor detail, in real Italian cuisine the pairing of the right kind of pasta with the right sauce is considered almost sacred.

6- Chicken Pasta: not in Italy

Speaking with American friends, one of the most frequent requests is the advice for a typical Italian recipe for pasta with chicken. It’s always rather embarrassing to point out that in Italy there are no hot dishes featuring pasta and chicken.

7- “Caesar salad”

This salad, which bears the name of its supposed creator, Caesar Cardini, is a part of the long list of recipes devised by chefs of Italian origin, but in fact is almost unknown in Italy.

8- The red and white checkered tablecloth is only a stereotype !

For some strange reason, these tablecloths are universally associated with our food and with the stereotype of the "spaghetti-eater", and abroad almost all the restaurants that want to play typical Italian use them. Probably, tourists who come to visit Italy remain somewhat disappointed when they discover that the checkered tablecloths are almost never used (only restaurants for tourists do!)

9- “Fettuccine Alfredo” are popular only overseas

This is perhaps the most curious in this top ten. The fettuccine Alfredo is both the most famous “Italian” food in the United States and the least known dish in Italy.

These noodles, seasoned with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano, are in fact actually been invented in the “Bel Paese”, specifically by Alfredo Di Lelio, the owner of a restaurant in Rome, but in Italy have never been imposed as a traditional dish. Overseas, however, have become increasingly popular and in time became a symbol of the good life in Rome.

For this reason legions of American tourists coming to Italy hoping to enjoy the fettuccine Alfredo at every restaurant on the peninsula remain very disappointed.

10 - You shall respect tradition and what Italian mamma says.

She knows from her mamma, who knew from her mamma who knew from her mamma and so on. It's been tried and tested. And what a mother teaches at her daughter while they are cooking? that love is the center of all. We must share Italian food with your loved ones. It is what life, love and family are all about.

Sweet and Sour Slaw

Tried this over the weekend. Thinking of Jean, figured she'd say ... 'blog it'! :)
Adapted from Allrecipes. We had it with grilled chicken, and also betting it would be great on top of fish tacos!

1 bag cole slaw mix (cabbage and carrots), finely shredded, not chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, slivered
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 cup frozen corn (straight from the bag!)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 packets Splenda (i will try without the next time)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
drizzle of sesame oil. (because I had to, recipe does not call for oil)

Mix together. Refrigerate at least two hours. Serve!

Cubano Hot Dogs

When I first saw the post on http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/ for the Cubano Hot Dog, it was all over. How could I not love this? How could anyone not love this? The recipe originally came from Rachel Ray. It is so perfect in its simplicity, and makes for a quick weeknight dinner, or would knock the socks of your guests at a cookout! Hmm...maybe when the new deck is unveiled these might be on the menu. 

The cast of characters: pork or beef hot dogs, hot dog rolls, yellow mustard (Bob had to have spicy mustard because he is a mustard snob-whatever), diced green chilies (we used yellow banana pepper rings) deli ham, Swiss cheese, and pickle spears. Heads up! Your taste buds are going to thank you for this :-)

Preheat your broiler. Heat a griddle pan or skillet. Split your dogs and open them up like a book. You're going to grill them on both sides until they get nice and crispy! Oh...I can barely wait!

Load the mustard on the buns! I'm talkin' lots of mustard!!!

Top with deli ham,

Swiss cheese,

peppers (okay, peppers should really go on before the ham and cheese-but when have I ever done things in the right order?). I got a little ahead of myself and had to go back and add the peppers. And even though I rarely eat these hot yellow pepper rings, they are a must on these sandwiches. I am absolutely telling you the truth on this...trust me!

Put those bad boys on a baking sheet and slide them under the broiler. You want the cheese to get gooey and melty (is that even a word? Apparently not. My spell check just highlighted it bright yellow. Well, I like it and it's staying!)

Looks like the dogs are ready! Pull the buns out of the oven and assemble the sanwiches. Put the dogs on the bed of melty cheese and place a pickle spear down the middle.

Behold the Cubano Hot Dogs! I sincerely hope you enjoy them as much as Bob and I did - and will again soon! Thanks Deb for posting this great recipe!

Cubano Hot Dogs
http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/2011/06/saturdays-with-rachael-ray-cubano-hot-dogs/
Serves 8  Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

8 pork or beef hot dogs
8 good quality hot dog rolls, split
yellow mustard
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies, drained
8 slices mild deli ham
8 thin slices good quality Swiss cheese
8 pickle spears

Directions:

Preheat the broiler. Heat a griddle pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the hot dogs open lengthwise and open them up like a book. Grill them until crispy on both sides.

Arrange the hot dog buns on a baking sheet. Top the rolls with lots of mustard, the green chilies, ham and cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted.

Put the hot dogs on top of the melted cheese and fill the crevice with a pickle spear.

Hot Stuff!!!!

OK, it's not spicy, but cooking on one of the hottest days of the year probably not all that smart. Went to a delightful graduation party yesterday, and everything was 'ethnic'. Here's my version of something I found to be absolutely delightful. I hope you enjoy. My version of Spanakopita Meatballs.

Spanakopita Meatballs - No measuring - eyeball: 18 oz ground turkey (bet it's wonderful w/ground lamb too), frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry, 1 chopped smallish onion, chopped garlic (can never have too much), 5 oz pkg feta crumbles, Cavendars Greek seasoning. Add as much spinach as the mixture will hold. Spray a large frying pan with Pam. Squish the meat mixture together and shape into walnut sized meatballs. It's not pretty. Pan fry until golden. Sigh with rapture. I made 36 meatballs.

Piada - Welcome to Gahanna!

Today was a big day for Piada fans. The Gahanna Piada opened at Stoneridge Center at the corner of Morse and Hamilton Roads. Hooray! Many of us have been anticipating this day ever since we had our first taste of Piada's deliciousness at the Lane Avenue location.

For those individuals that are not familiar with Piada, you are in for a treat! The ordering setup is quite easy. (And no, I refuse to go the "just like Chipotle" route again.) Let's say it is quick, easy and fun! The staff is happy to help walk you through the process.

Choose a piada (wrap), pasta or salad. Add your protein,

sauce,

and toppings.
 

Behind the front line - meats, pasta and grilled veggies are constantly being cooked up fresh for a line of hungry customers that moves amazingly fast!
 

Additional choices include soups, side salads, spinach artichoke dip, a variety of piada sticks, and cannoli chips & cream for dessert.
 

Add a drink (the Italian peach tea is my personal favorite) ranging from teas and sodas to beer, wine and peach bellinis!

All of that makes for happy customers ... like Jane!

Welcome Piada! We sure are glad you're here!!!

Thai Beef with Chilies and Basil over Coconut Rice

Each afternoon I get a text from Everyday Food with a suggestion for dinner. Yesterday's suggestion grabbed ahold of me and just didn't let go. I checked the pantry & fridge to make sure I had all of the needed ingredients. As always, I was one ingredient short. When I told Bob, he volunteered to run to the store. 'Cause who has red jalepenos just laying around? I sure don't. And I really wanted to make this dish.

Bob got home with the needed chilies and we were set to go! First thing we did was to get the rice going. This was the first time I made coconut rice and I was really excited. I did use lite coconut milk to save a few bazillion fat grams.

Now that we had the rice going, Bob set to work chopping.

Red chilies were seeded and sliced into 2 inch matchsticks (note the gloves). As you can see, we used the red jalepenos. I can pretty much handle their heat. Sometimes. If they are seeded and deveined. And cooked so they lose some of their power. Yeah, I can pretty much handle red jalepenos.

Next the garlic was chopped. Please, please do not look at my sorry cutting board. I keep swearing that I'm going to get new ones but I never seem to get around to it. I like to just pretend that there's so much character from all the meals cooked with love and tenderness reflected on that board that ... oh what the hell am I saying??? I just haven't gotten around to buying some new ones.

When the rice was almost ready, I mixed the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar.

I got the wok screaming hot, put in the oil and quickly added the garlic and half the chiles. Gave that about 15 seconds and added the beef. While it cooked, I broke up the beef and mixed the garlic and chiles well into it.

When the beef was browned, I added the soy sauce mixture. I cooked this for about 30 seconds. Smelling good!

Add the rest of the chiles and the torn basil. Isn't it gorgeous?

Now, I only used 2 chiles. Next time I will definitely use all three. And we were a bit short on basil, so we added some while cooking the beef and had a bowl of torn fresh basil to add to the dish on the table.

I served the Thai Beef over the coconut rice (which by the way is like, totally awesome!) I'm not sure how I'm ever going to make regular rice again! I also served optional toppings: chopped green onion, sliced radishes, the torn basil leaves, and grape tomatoes just because I like them. Oh! And soy sauce and Thai sweet chili sauce.

Okay, now here is where I confess to being a tad scatterbrained. I forgot the lime wedges. We kept thinking that this was really good but it was just kind of missing a little something. Yeah Jean ... maybe a little something green? That would have been perfect. (Guess that's why it's in the recipe, huh?)

Bob and I agreed this is a definite do-over. Overall, this was absolutely delicious. And it took almost no time to put together. Next time I will use all three chilies and probably more garlic. And I will NOT forget the limes!

Thai Beef with Chiles and Basil Over Coconut Rice - Everyday Food

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups jasmine rice
• 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk {used light coconut milk}
• Coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped {used 4}
• 3 long hot peppers or red jalapeno chiles, seeded and sliced into 2-inch matchsticks {used red jalapeños}
• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin
• 1 cup loosely packed torn fresh basil leaves
• Lime wedges, for serving

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, 3/4 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes.

2. When rice is almost done, combine fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl; set aside. Heat a cast-iron skillet or wok over high. Add oil and heat; add garlic and half the chiles. Cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until completely browned, about 4 minutes. Add soy mixture and cook 30 seconds. Add basil and remaining chiles and stir to combine. Serve beef over coconut rice with lime wedges.

Broccolini Pasta with Goat Cheese

Here is a dish that is simple and delicious ... simply delicious! I know. Sometimes I just amaze myself with how cleverly I can turn a phrase! But seriously, this really is darn good.

I had something similar to this at California Pizza Kitchen and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Thus was the inspiration for this one dish dinner.

The first time I made it I used rotini pasta. I didn't have rotini this time so I used orecchiette. Orecchiette means "small ears", just in case you come upon an Italian food trivia game. There was lively discussion about this in our house. I swore it meant "lambs ears". I have no idea whatsoever where I got that idea, but I was so cocksure of myself. Lord, I hate when I'm wrong. I had to man up to it when I looked it up because I knew Bob would google it for himself if I didn't come clean. But I digress.

There really isn't a recipe. I just eyeballed amounts for as big a batch as I wanted. We like it warm the first night and the leftovers we'll eat cold, or with just a few minutes in the microwave to knock the chill off. And you can really use any protein you like, or even none at all. The first time I made it I sauteed shrimp. The next time I added cubed ham. The version I had at the restaurant had grilled chicken. It is so versatile that just about any protein tastes good.

I will say that I think the goat cheese is definitely a must have in this dish. It takes it to a whole new level. Be generous with it! And to add earrings on the elephant (one of Bob's phrases that just cracks me up!), I toasted pine nuts and sprinkled those on top. Oh - YUM!!!

Broccolini Pasta with Goat Cheese
Pasta - such as rotini, shells, orecchiette - cooked according to directions & drained
Broccolini - blanch in pasta water the last 2 minutes of cooking time for pasta, then chop into 1/2 inch pieces
Sundried Tomatoes - chopped (I use copious amounts because as far as I am concerned they are like crack - uh, let me clarify that I have no real knowledge of what crack is like, but if I imagined what it could be compared to, it would probably be chocolate or sundried tomatoes - just not together)
Garlic - chopped and sauteed in olive oil
Olive Oil - enough to cook garlic and enough to moisten ingredients when tossed together
Shrimp, Grilled Chicken, Ham or your choice of protein
Goat Cheese - my favorite is the goat cheese with a touch of honey in it
Toasted Pine Nuts
Salt & Pepper - to taste

Mix all ingredients and toss well. Serve with a green salad and you will just not believe how good this tastes!!!

Enjoy!

Ever have "one of those days"?

Yeah, you know the ones I'm talking about.

Bob's out of town. I've been sick. Today was the first day a cup of coffee sounded really good. And considering that it is March 31st and there is snow on the ground, it sounded really really good. I made my way to the kitchen to make a pot.

I rinsed out the pot. I decided to make a full pot so I could have some iced coffee tomorrow, so I filled it up with 12 cups of water. I got out a filter. I measured the beans. I ground the beans (much to the cat's dismay). I put it all together and turned the pot on.

I sat down at the computer and started looking at email. Oh the aroma! My mouth was singing in anticipation! I could barely wait.

I walked into the kitchen and literally screamed in horror! Coffee and grounds covered the entire counter! Gross. And I mean the entire counter. Under the microwave, under the pots of rosemary and marjoram, under the coffee pot & grinder & jars of beans and most distressing ... under 24 wine glasses that I had not put away yet from the party on Saturday. Did I mention they were clean wine glasses?

This is precisely what went through my mind and out my mouth:

-(*&%$^)*^*^%$&^%&&$##^*^^

Yeah, I said that and a whole bunch more!

Now that I've cleaned up that disgusting mess, I think I'll head out to Caribou.

*sigh*

Reuben Casserole

First of all, let me apologize for no pictures. I forgot! I am ashamed to admit that. However, I am not going to let that stop me from sharing this recipe with you.

I made this to use up the leftover corned beef after St. Patrick's day. First time I have ever made a corned beef. I certainly will be doing that more often. But even if it's not after St Patrick's day, you could always get some corned beef at the deli. Have them slice it thick and then you can cube it from there.

I got this recipe from the Bob Evans website. Bob and I both absolutely loved it!

Reuben Casserole – Bob Evans

The classic flavors of a Reuben sandwich – corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese – baked in a casserole.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 package Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes (24 oz)
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1/3 pound thickly sliced corned beef, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 can sauerkraut, drained (4 oz)
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.

2. In large bowl, stir together potatoes, eggs and milk until well combined.
3. Stir in corned beef, sauerkraut and mustard.
4. Set aside 2 tablespoons of cheese. Stir remaining cheese into potato mixture.
5. Pour into a greased 8x8 inch oval baking pan.
6. Top with reserved 2 tablespoons cheese.
7. Bake 15-20 minutes or until top is golden.

Dine Originals Week March 7-13

Dine Originals Week is upon us once again! Boy howdy do I love this time of year!!! The menus are absolutely phenomenal!

I can't wait!!!!

http://www.dineoriginalscolumbus.com/dine-originals-columbus-week/

Happy eating!

Whit's is open, Gahanna!!!!

Photo courtesy of Whit's FB

It seemed like forever that my favorite dessert was unavailable. I know. It was only, like six weeks. But every time I would pass by that darkened building my inner self wept.

But weep no longer! Whit's doors are open once again. And even though there is snow on the ground and it is freezing, that custard is oh-so-good!

As the nirvana that is espresso chip passes by my lips and I smile like a gleeful child, I think how good it is to see my friends, Chip, Annie & Jeff. ('specially Jeff...he messages me when they make my beloved espresso chip:-)

Whit's is doing some really cool new stuff. They have expanded their menu and it's pretty darn good eatin'! We already know the coney dogs are really good; now you can have a slaw dog, too! Or have the works! The slaw is rough cut with a hint of sweetness. Just the perfect compliment. I also had the pleasure of tasting some of the chicken filling for the chicken quesidilla and man was it good! One new item I haven't tried yet is the new chicken salad. But I love this idea .. a "chicken salad boat"! It's the banana boat dish with a scoop of chicken salad in the middle, slaw or cottage cheese and crackers. How fun is that? And today I found out that they are serving soups with bread from Creekside's Bread Basket. Soups will include chili, broccoli cheese, chicken noodle and French onion. I can't wait to try those!

I think we're going to see some fun things happening at Whit's this summer. Plans are in the making for events to be held on the green at the back of the parking area. Ideas are just percolating.

And did you know Whit's caters? With all of this good stuff popping up at Whit's, an event catered by them would be a great idea! Good food, great people, incredible custard and your family and friends. Does it get any better than that?

Simply put, Whit's totally rocks! I know it, you know it ... so get over there and start your summer right now!