Stuffed Shells and Fresh Bread

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Since most of dinner, tonight, came out of the freezer, I had plenty of time to bake a loaf of bread. I have a few go-to recipes for bread but one of my all-time favorites is from James Beard. I actually have this recipe memorized. It is no-fail every time. It also lends itself to experimentation. I've switched out some of the flour for rye, buckwheat, or whole wheat, and have topped it with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, and coarse salt.

It works no matter what.

Tonight was a basic white loaf with sesame seeds.

James Beard's French-Style Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 cup warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 egg, mixed with water
  • sesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp cornmeal

Directions

Combine the yeast with sugar and warm water in a large bowl and allow to proof. Mix the salt with the flour and add to the yeast mixture, a cup at a time, until you have a stiff dough. Remove to a lightly floured board and knead until no longer sticky, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat the surface with butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1½ to 2 hours.

Punch down the dough. Turn out on a floured board and shape into a long, French bread-style loaf. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with the cornmeal but not buttered. Brush loaf with egg wash and then liberally sprinkle with sesame seeds. Slash the tops of the loaf diagonally in three or four places. Place in a cold oven, set the temperature at 400° and bake 35 minutes or until well browned and hollow sounding when the top is rapped.

And then the freezer-meal. I had sauce, meatballs, and stuffed shells all done up from a while back. Those meatballs are finally running low - only one more container. I did use up the last container of sauce, so maybe I'll make a new batch of that tomorrow... The shells were actually store-bought. I need to make up a batch of them, too.

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Nonna ate two shells and a meatball and skipped the bread. Her appetite has definitely improved since moving in. Unfortunately, so has mine - I didn't skip the bread. Or the butter.

Oh well. It all came out great and there's leftovers for lunch tomorrow...

And more cake, tonight!


Chicken Marsala and Potato Pancakes

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Leftover smashed potatoes are a good thing. Especially when Victor has a plan...

His plan was potato pancakes. I loves me some potato pancakes! They really are the perfect way to use up leftover potatoes. And using up leftover potatoes is the only time I ever think to make them. They probably wouldn't come out as good if I cooked the potatoes and did them on purpose. Some things are just like that.

The potato pancakes are pretty basic - an egg, some flour, herbs and spices, as desired. He took them one step farther tonight, though - he breaded them with breadcrumbs. Brilliant.

The chicken marsala was another quick throw-together.

I sliced two chicken breasts width-wise and then lightly pounded them. I dredged them in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and a bit of sage.

I sauteed mushrooms and then sauteed the chicken in a bit of olive oil and butter. I added a good splash of marsala and let it cook down. Next went some chicken broth and I let it simmer a bit and then thickened it with a bit of cornstarch.

Frozen chopped spinach finished the plate.

This one had it all. Fork-tender chicken scallops, creamy-crunchy potatoes, and Popeye's favorite vegetable.

And there's more of that yummy cake  coming up later...


Birthday Brochettes

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It's a birthday cake. baked in our own, newly-fixed oven. Yes. newly-fixed, not new.

We started talking last night and by this morning we had decided that we just couldn't justify all new stainless steel appliances. The clincher really was the refrigerator. It works. It works really well. And it wouldn't fit downstairs. We couldn't just throw it away and trying to sell it was more hassle than we wanted to deal with.  I was even channeling my inner-hillbilly and trying to figure out how it would fit on the back deck, the shed, the powder room...  It wasn't going to work.

I went online at 8:00am and in two hours time we had a very nice guy come out and replace the $96.00 element. We then went online and ordered a new upper dishwasher basket to replace the broken and rusted one that is currently there.I broke out some soap and water  and for less money than we were going to spend in DC this weekend - a lot less, in fact - we have fixed, clean, and looking-new appliances.

It was fun dreaming about brand-spankin'-new kitchen stuff, but even we have to put a foot into reality once in a while. Besides... we're awaiting a bid on new doors, storm doors, insulation, and a new front window from our friends at Sharpe Builders. The money press downstairs just hasn't been producing and when ya borrow money, the bastards want it back. With interest.

So... we're happy with our decision and happy we have a working oven, again - a perfectly-calibrated oven, I might add.

The Birthday cake is a recipe Victor came up with for my birthday. It's based on Tyler Florence’s Chocolate Cracked Earth Cake.

Victor’s Flourless Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 stick butter
  • 9 large eggs, separated
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 pt raspberries, mashed with a fork
  • 1/4 cup strong espresso coffee

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Melt chocolate and butter together.

Beat egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl until light yellow in color. Stir in a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs then mix in the rest of the chocolate mixture.  Stir in coffee and raspberries and mix well.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold into the chocolate mixture.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is set, the top starts to crack and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan.

But that's dessert. Dinner was really good, too!

It included a really good Brussels Sprouts and Rice Casserole that Victor got from his friend, Jenni.

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There were actually several steps involved - several things needed to be cooked before being combined and cooked - but it really was a good dish and I know I'll be making it, again.

Brussels Sprouts and Rice Casserole

  • 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen brussels sprouts
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • cooking spray
  • 1 cup cooked long-grain rice (or any rice you have - must be cooked)
  • 1 oz thinly-sliced prosciutto or ham, cut into strips
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (or other hard cheese)

Preheat oven to 375°.

In pan, combine brussels sprouts and water, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook another minute, then drain.

In saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour and whisk until incorporated, gradually adding the milk. Bring to a boil and cook about 3 minutes until thick. Add salt and pepper (add any other seasonings as you like) and set aside.

Spray a medium-sized baking dish with cooking spray, pat the rice into the bottom of the dish, arrange the sprouts on top of the rice, sprinkle the ham/prosciutto over the sprouts, and pour the sauce over the ham. Combine the breadcrumbs and the cheese and sprinkle over the sauce and then bake and enjoy.

Bake and enjoy, I did! This was a bit of a surprise hit. I knew it would be good because Jenni always sends good recipes. But it was really good.

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The brochettes were filet tip roasts from the grocery store that had a bbq sauce on them. I cut them into chunks and then skewered them with onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Since the meat was already sauced, I didn't add anything else.

A great birthday dinner - and cake is coming up!


Pork Chops, Potatoes, and Tomatoes

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Nonna really likes tomatoes. Back when I did her shopping, I'd pick up three or four of them every week for her. She's just cut them up and make simple tomato salads. I really like tomatoes, too, but I would seldom actually buy one. I like to wait until summer when our garden is in full swing and enjoy them right off the vine - before the critters get to them.

But since Nonna is here, now, and summer is a long ways off, I've had to resort to the grocery store... Ya know... It's not easy being pigheaded and opinionated about certain foods, but a boy has to do what a boy has to do. I'm at least getting organic and making sure they don't come from Florida.

They really aren't as good as the ones out of our back yard, but Nonna is cleaning her plate and that really does take priority over my political opinions.

So chopped tomatoes, really good olive oil, fresh mozzarella, some fresh parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper were all it took to make a tasty side dish.

The pork chops were marinated in the same olive oil, a bit sage, garlic, and red wine vinegar - and then grilled to perfection. The potatoes were mashed with parsley, Boursin cheese, butter, salt, & pepper. Not exactly health-food, but they definitely hit the spot.

There are strawberries macerating in a bit of Cointreau for strawberry shortcakes later. And in another case of putting pigheadedness aside, the shortcakes are store-bought.

Expect to see pigs flying in the full moon, tonight.

 


Hamburger Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

04-23-13-beef-and-mushrooms

We've survived 48 hours without an oven, but not having that clock is driving me nuts. I can't believe how often I looked at that clock - it seems like it must have been every time I walked into the kitchen. Note to self: make sure new oven has a clock.

We've been doing our online looking, but we'll have to actually walk into the store to see what we finally get. It's funny, but I've been doing online comparisons and will put 4 similar items on the screen and then call Victor over to pick out the one he likes best. Every time, he has picked the one I like best, as well. What a shock, eh?!? It never ceases to amaze me at how similar our tastes are - at least for the important stuff.

I also think it's funny that 12 years ago we were adamant that we didn't want granite and stainless steel in the kitchen. And now we're going to have granite and stainless steel in the kitchen! What a difference a decade makes.

So our stove-top dinner tonight started out on the grill. I made simple hamburger steaks - salt, pepper, garlic powder - and grilled them. I made a simple mushroom gravy by sauteing baby bella mushrooms in a bit of butter, and after they were browned added about a cup of coffee. Coffee was my mom's secret ingredient in stews and soups and gravies and the like. Then went a couple cups of beef broth and then I thickened it with flour and water. Rich and silky-smooth. Not that I really worry about lumps in the gravy, but it's always nice when they don't appear. I put the steaks into the gravy and let it all simmer for about 20 minutes.

Simple white rice and overcooked broccoli finished the plate. I really do have to start cooking two sets of vegetables - or just start buying frozen and not worry about it.

Three more days and we get to go shopping for some new appliances.

Happy Birthday, indeed!


Malloreddus, Focaccia, and a Broken Oven

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I worked a rare Sunday shift, yesterday, and came home to fresh, homemade pasta and a focaccia just ready to go into the oven. How sweet it is.

Victor and I were standing in the kitchen talking right after the focaccia went into the oven when we both noticed a bright light in the oven. Little fires, flames, and flare-ups are not totally unusual in our ovens because we use them all the time and don't always clean them as often as we should.

But this wasn't a little flare-up. It was a bright white arc of heat on the element.It was immediately apparent that something was amiss, so I turned on the bottom oven to heat while we turned off the top. We have an arcing oven, but we also have a sheet of fresh focaccia that we are not letting go to waste. We have our priorities!

The nice thing about ovens is they are reasonably solid and insulated. A small flame inside of one is not going to burn down the house. The secret is to keep the flame inside. In this case there was no flame - just an arc of intense heat moving long the electric element like a lit fuse. Very bizarre.

I opened the oven door slowly - the ol' introduction of oxygen to a fire precaution - and moved the focaccia to the bottom oven, all the while fascinated by the glowing element. It had broken clean through and right past the break the arc was moving along the element just like a fuse. While it had a way to go before reaching the end of the element - and the electrical wires in back of the oven - it didn't really look like it would go out on its own. It needed a bit of help.

No, I do not have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Guilty as charged. But I do have a level head in emergencies, so I did what any son of a fireman would do. I used a sopping wet rag and tongs. It took a few minutes of gingerly playing with it - while Victor was across the room with the phone and 9-1 dialed - but I was able to cool it and put it out in just a couple of minutes. The focaccia came out of the bottom oven and we let everything cool completely. And then we made sure the circuits were off downstairs.

We then sat down to a fabulous dinner - homemade Malleddorus, homemade focaccia, and homemade meatballs and sauce. Victor added Boursin cheese to the sauce I had made and frozen. It came out great

04-21-13-malloreddus

Malloreddus are like a gnocci - just slightly-different ingredients, but they're similarly formed. Victor first got the recipe from la Cucina Italiana. It really is good.

Malloreddus

  • Sea Salt
  • 1 ¼ cups semolina flour
  • ¾ cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • Extra virgin olive oil

Gnocchi board or a table fork

Dissolve 1 tsp salt in ¾ cup warm water. In a large bowl whisk together semolina and all purpose flour; mound and form a well in the center.

Add water mixture and 2 tsp olive oil to the well. Using your hand or a fork, slowly incorporate flour from inside the rim of the well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead in bowl until dough forms a complete mass (dough will be slightly sticky).

Transfer dough to a well floured work surface and knead, dusting with a bit more flour as needed just to keep dough from sticking to your hands, for 5 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Break off about 1/8 of the dough; tightly rewrap remaining dough. Roll dough into ½ inch cylinder, and cut into ¼ inch thick pieces. Pressing with your thumb, roll each piece on a gnocchi board (or down the back of a fork) to give it the characteristic ridges, and put on a floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.

To cook fresh Malloreddus, bring a large pot of salted water to a bill. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 6 minutes after water returns to a boil. Drain, transfer to a large serving bowl and immediately toss with sauce and serve.

And then there was the focaccia that started all of this.

04-21-13-focaccia

Focaccia

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 pkg yeast dissolved in
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup black olives, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped

Knead all ingredients until smooth - about 10 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch down dough and spread out on lightly-greased baking sheet. Let rise again, about 30 minutes. Dimple top of dough with knuckles and place into a 425° oven oven about 20 minutes or until nicely-browned.

So after dinner, we were surveying the damage and decided we could go out and buy a new element, or we could go out and buy a new stainless steel oven. The new oven seems to be winning out. We need a new dishwasher, soon - the current one is rusting, the cook-top is a mess, and the handle to the over-the-stove microwave is super-glued in place.

The upside of using our kitchen every day is we eat some pretty awesome food. The downside is a lot of home appliances are not made to be used like commercial appliances. On the other hand, we have gotten 12 years of use out of the current stuff.

Last year, Victor got new granite counter tops for his birthday. It looks like this year, he's getting all new stainless steel appliances. His birthday is Friday. Perfect timing. We're going shopping.

 


BBQ Chicken and Chipotle Baked Beans

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I picked up some bone-in chicken breasts last week that are huge. One of them could do dinner for the three of us. I cooked two.

Good ol' bone-in breasts. They really do taste so much better than the boneless/skinless things I usually buy. And I buy good boneless/skinless things. I remember when chicken was actually more expensive than beef and when all chicken had bones in it. They didn't need to be labeled "free range" because they all were. That was before the factory-farming of today.  So much for progress.

But this isn't supposed to be a political rant on the sorry state of our food supply. It's actually a victory post! Nonna ate spicy tonight!

I knew all day long that I was grilling these big ol' chicken breasts - and that I was going to make my sister's chipotle baked beans to go along with them. These are seriously the only baked beans I ever make. They totally rock.

When I started making them, Victor came in and asked if I was going to make them less spicy for Nonna. I said "Nope." They really can be a spicy dish, but I figured if she didn't like them, there were other things to fill up on. I put a goodly amount on her plate along with tomato salad, fries, and the aforementioned chicken.

She took her first bite and said "these are hot."  I mischievously asked "temperature or spice?" She said "spicy" and continued eating them. She said they were spicy another two times - all the while eating them. She ate every one and cleaned her plate!

So we now know that Nonna likes spicy. Or, at least, she likes Phoebe's Spicy Baked Beans!

Phoebe's Baked Beans

  • 1/2  cup minced shallots
  • 1  tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1  tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/2  cup tomato puree
  • 1  tablespoon canola oil
  • 1/4  cup honey
  • 1/4  cup cider vinegar
  • 2  tablespoons molasses
  • 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4  teaspoon salt
  • 2  chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, chopped
  • 2  (28-ounce) cans baked beans

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 4 minutes or until golden. Add cumin and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and oil, and cook for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients (except beans.). Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine beans and shallot mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until thick and bubbly.

First change I make is I always use a small can of tomato paste because on the rare occasion that I have tomato puree in the house - it's in a 28oz can. The recipe can be halved or doubled - or tripled or whatever.

And they really are that good!

The rest of the dinner worked, as well. A simple tomato salad - Nonna really does like [red] tomatoes - with a bit of fresh basil, red wine vinegar, and olive oil, and some fries.

I wonder how she would react to some really good andouille sausage...?!?

 

 


Ravioli

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When Nonna sat down and looked at her plate last night, the first thing out of her mouth was "Who's going to eat all those ravioli?"

Would you believe she did? She started slowly, but kept going and literally cleaned her plate. She doesn't ask for or eat a lot during the day but always seems to enjoy - and finish - any little treats or things we bring out to her during the day. Cybil got most of the meatball - what a surprise there. That dog is going to weigh 400 pounds.

The sauce was from the big batch I made Sunday. I have several containers in the freezer - because we all know my opinion of jarred sauce. And it was just a simple cheese ravioli with a bit more cheese on top.

And just because, I made a loaf of beer bread. Actually, I have quite a few bottles of beer in the 'fridge that need to be used for something. Time to figure out some fun recipes...

Beer bread really is the easiest thing in the world to make. I usually make it with self-rising flour, but I haven't bought any, lately, so I improvised...

 

Beer Bread

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 12oz bottle beer
  • 2 oz melted butter

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir in beer. Place batter in buttered loaf pan. Pour melted butter over top.

Place in preheated oven and bake about 1 hour.

The bread is great and can be tweaked to suit your meal or your ingredients at home. Add any beer - each one will impart its own flavor. Add herbs or spices. Top with caraway seeds or sesame... poppy seeds, cumin seeds... Add chipotle peppers. You get the drift...


Burgers and Tater Tots

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I am fond of saying an organic Pop Tart is still a nutritionally-unsound Pop Tart.

And an all-natural tater tot is still an over-processed potato product. Tonight, Nonna and I had burgers and over-processed potato product. And fresh tomatoes with mozzarella and basil. And organic catsup.

I'm still working on Nonna's likes-and-dislikes, and tater tots are pretty inoffensive. I actually think my problem is that I'm over-thinking menus and meals. I used to just go into the kitchen and make things - and never had a problem. I just kinda figured that whatever I did would work. Lately, I've been spending more time wondering whether she would like something or not and second-guessing myself with the yeah-or-nay thoughts. I think I probably just need to start cooking again and not think about it. Of course, that's easier said, than done.

The reality is, she's eaten everything I've made with the exception of the asparagus. Time to get creative, again.

In the meantime, I've found out that she likes hot dogs almost as much as I do.

We're getting along just fine...


Oatmeal Cookies

 

Victor is in Dallas, so Nonna and I need cookies.

Oatmeal cookies are one of my favorites. Actually, any cookie I'm eating is one of my favorites, so these are just my current favorite. I usually like to add lots of stuff - nuts, raisins, and the like - but I thought this time I'd go simple and basic. It was a wise decision and they came out great in all their simplicity

These are a softer cookie rather than a crisp cookie. I also like both, but thought Nonna would appreciate a softer variety.

Nice texture and flavor. probably could have used a bit more cinnamon, but otherwise, they came out pretty good.

Oatmeal Cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1 stick butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Mix together the rolled oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice.

Cream butter with the two sugars until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until light and well blended. Add the oat mixture and the milk, beating until well combined. Use a 1 tbsp scoop and drop about 2" apart onto parchment-lined (or lightly-greased) cookie sheets. Press the tops gently to flatten very slightly.

Bake until the edges are brown and the centers are still soft and puffy, about 12 to 14 minutes.

 

 


Pulled Pork and Pickles

04-13-13-pulled-pork-sandwich

 

I actually don't remember when I first had a BBQ pork sandwich with pickles. It definitely wasn't something I had as a kid - and probably not something I had before I turned 50. It may have been a sandwich we briefly sold at work quite a few years ago. While I may not be sure where I first had one, seeing it a few days ago reminded me of it.

I don't need an excuse to make sandwiches - I have always been a sandwich-kinda-guy. A few years back on Food network, they had a guy win the Next Star program who specialized in sandwiches. I think I could have done better.

But while I'm always ready to take a sandwich one step over the top, tonight I decided to make it pretty basic.

I had picked up a couple of bone-in pork roasts on Monday, and one went right into the freezer and the other went into a pot. I added water, garlic, onion, and some Mojo Chipotle marinade and let it simmer for almost 4 hours. I took it out of the simmering liquid and let it cool for about an hour. I pulled the meat off the bones with a fork and it chunked and shredded perfectly. Into the 'fridge it went.

For dinner, I merely added some bottled BBQ sauce and made it hot. Yes. Bottled. It wasn't a national brand and it didn't have any garbage in it.

I served them on mini-rolls with - pickles. Victor looked at me like I had three heads, but I told him to trust me on this one. He did and was amazed at just how well they went together.

On the other side of the plate were scalloped potatoes.

These aren't something I make that often, but I do like them a lot and I thought Nonna would appreciate them with her sandwich. She definitely did. We all reached the "Oh, I'm stuffed, I can't eat any more. Just one more bite." A few times.

First, I made a thin white sauce with butter, flour, and milk. I added some shredded cheeses (fontina, cheddar, and monterey jack) and then a splash of worcestershire sauce, a few dashes of Tabasco, garlic powder, sat & pepper. I thinly-sliced the potatoes on my trusty mandoline and layered them in a baking dish with the cheese sauce. I covered the dish and put it into a 375° oven for about an hour, taking the foil off for the last 15 minutes.

Yum.


Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

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Tonight's dinner is brought to you by my lovely sister-in-law, Debbie.

I've taken to planning meals a bit more, nowadays, and the first place I start is right here on this website. There are so many recipes here, it's almost scary. Besides the almost 8 years of blog posts, there are 5 cook books and two other recipe collections - well over 3000 recipes, with more to come. Lots of yumminess.

I started looking through the first family reunion book and there was a recipe from Debbie for a ricotta-stuffed chicken breast that I actually hadn't made before! Debbie is such a good cook and I've made many of her recipes in the past - one of my favorites being Zucchini Parmesan Chicken. Totally yum and really easy to do. I really miss just living a few blocks away from them. The good ol' days...

What's fun, though, is finding one of these recipes and remembering the fun we've shared. And trust me... we have shared some fun times! While I'm sure the statute of limitations has probably run out on most of them, let's just leave it at we've shared some fun times...

And meals. It really was fun just living a few blocks from them for much of the '90s. By that point we had all gotten reasonable respectable and shared season tickets to the Giants as well as meals. Fun.

I made a couple of tweaks because I only did three breasts, but here's Debbie's recipe. It really is good - Nonna ate all of hers. Speaking of... I found out tonight that Nonna doesn't like asparagus. Cybil was pleased. Actually, Cybil was pleased and we really don't know how much Nonna actually eats because as soon as she sits down, she starts feeding Cybil under the table. We mention it, she ignores us, so we're just cutting back on the food we feed her. Otherwise, we'll have a 400 pound dog in no time...

Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1-10 oz, package chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 6-8 chicken breasts, boned, but skins intact

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Carefully pound chicken breasts. Separate skin from chicken and stuff with cheese mixture. Secure with toothpick. Dot with butter. Bake with skin side up at 350 for about 45-50 minutes. Baste 2-3 times while baking.

I didn't use an egg because I made such a minuscule amount of filling, and, obviously from the picture, didn't use a skin-on chicken breast. I rubbed them with olive oil. They came out great.

My stomach is smiling. And so am I...