In the Kitchen Pt. 5

It has been a little while since my last "In the Kitchen" addition, and all I can say is I'm sorry. I really have been cooking and baking up a storm these past couple of weeks, and I even took pictures of the food, but... There have been a couple of events that kind of took my mind off of posting. Things including the Phillies winning the World Series, which of course being a suburbanite of Philadelphia, you know I was down there partying it up at this place the night they won, joining in the crowds on Broad St. afterwards, and then traveling downtown once more on Friday to take part in the amazing parade. And then there was the Election and of course the stresses of preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. Finally, after my evening run with Metayo, I found some quite time to sit down in front of the computer and share a few of my cooking ventures with you. I now present you with an amazing cheesecake recipe by the incredibly talented and always dependable Dorie Greenspan. Being the first cheesecake I have ever made, I was quite proud at how it turned out, and so was everyone who tasted it. Since it is not a recipe of my own, I thought I'd take another photo of a Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Penne I conjured up for my sister, who always asks me to whip something up for her on Tuesdays. The recipe for the Penne dish is as follows, but you can find the cheesecake recipe here, and I do suggest that you try it immediately!!

Roasted Garlic & Butternut Squash Penne
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed.
5-6 whole garlic cloves
1 shallot, chopped or diced
6 sages leaves, julienned.
1 tbsp. E.V. Olive Oil
3 tbsp. butter + 1 tsp. E.V. Olive Oil
1/8 tsp. Anchovy paste (Incredibly subtle, nutty NOT fishy flavor)
Red Pepper Flake to taste
Pinch of Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper
1 Box whole wheat Penne


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine 1 tbsp. oil with butternut squash, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour onto baking sheet and place in oven, mid rack for 10-15minutes until golden. If needed, you can broil them for a few minutes to get the tops nice and brown. Take out and and allow to cool. In a saute pan, add butter and 1 tsp. oil, anchovy paste and shallots. Allow butter to brown slightly, and add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste, and sage leaves. Cook whole wheat penne until al dente, and add into saute pan, along with a splash or two of pasta water or white wine. Slice roasted garlic into thin or thick slivers, and add that and butternut squash to pan. Heat through and serve. (* This is the perfect dish for fall; nutty and comforting. You could also try adding a green such as broccoli rab or spinach as well!)










*Sorry for the not-top quality cheesecake photos, darkness had fallen by the time it chilled and I don't like using the flash.

In the Kitchen Pt. 4

Come the middle of October I am completely enthralled with cooking; baking especially. I conjure up ideas in my head, gather the ingredients, and make tasty comfort food for my family, friends, and loved ones. I DVR all of my favorite cooking shows, watch them when I get the chance, and then use their recipes as the inspirations for my own creations. Seasonal magazines are also a must in my kitchen, such as Country Living, Martha Stewart Living, and Gourmet. The pictures alone get my creative kitchen juices flowing and I often times find myself jotting recipes on anything within reach, such as receipts, junk mail, etc. Just yesterday I felt like baking, so I made an apple crisp pie. Using, ehem.. store bought crust and store bought apple crumble, I used up all of my past-their-prime Macintosh's, added some pumpkin spice and cinnamon, and piled up the ingredients. There is nothing like compiling a recipe on a whim, simply based on whatever is stocking the kitchen shelves. I try not to waste food, so if a few apples begin to go bad I'll make apple sauce or if the tomatoes have reached their peak, "sun dried" tomatoes. Last night I brined some pork chops, and made a roux out of white wine, butter and flour, tossed in some thyme, dried cranberries and sauteed onions, and voila! Parmesan thyme risotto accompanied the dinner along with steamed broccoli florets, and dinner was served in no time. The chill in the air makes people crave those feel good foods that not only make your house smell amazing, but they taste amazing as well. Here's to using simple accessible ingredients to serve up delicious comfort foods!

Apple Crumble Pie:
1 store bought pie crust (or homemade if you're so inclined ;)
1 box T. Marzetti Apple Crumble Mix w/ 5 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 pound sliced Macintosh apples (or whatever you have on hand) about 2.5 cups
2 Tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. pumpkin spice or all spice
1 Tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tsp. Lemon Juice (to preserve apples)
1 Tbsp. flour
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay pie crust in round pie pan, poking the sides and bottom with a fork as well as creasing the edges. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes until crust is golden. As crust bakes, cube 5 tbsp. cold butter and incorporate into Apple Crumble mix (or use a food processor.) Place in fridge. Mix apples, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, flour, salt and vanilla and fill pie crust. Top with chilled crumble topping and drizzle with maple syrup. Brush an egg-wash onto the crust prior to placing in oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes until apples are tender and crumble topping is golden. Let slightly cool and enjoy!

Ps: Sorry no post-baking photo, my camera fell in Metayo's water bowl and I was frantically trying to save it ;) But it still works thankfully!

In the Kitchen Pt. 3

Line up my fellow blog readers, In the Kitchen with your host Genevieve is back for another segment!! This time we are focusing on the fruits of summer, which in a few weeks will no longer be at their prime "tastiness!" This recipe is simple, easy to clean up, and of course ohh so delicious!! You can substitute the fruits I used for the ones that you prefer such as strawberries, cherries, raspberries, etc, etc. I just chose to use what I always have in the fruit bowl and refrigerator. Whenever you come into my kitchen, you will see a beautiful glass fruit bowl overflowing with plums, juicy peaches, sweet nectarines, and crunchy apples. Not to forget about the fridge, as soon as you feel that cool blast as you open the door, you are greeted with all sorts of fresh berries, awaiting to be used in a delicious summer dish!
That is why, today my friends, I decided to use up some of this fruit including plums, peaches, nectarines, and blueberries, to create a simple Summer Crostata!! I followed no exact recipe, but I will share the steps with you so you as well can enjoy this tasty dish!! Start with fruits of your choice, in this case plums, nectarines, peaches and blueberries. Make sure you rinse them all off, and cut them into small slices (exclude berries.) In a bowl, mix fruit along with 1/4 cup of sugar. (* Please note, many crostata recipes call for more sugar, but I think that the juices from the fruit act just as well!) I also add a little dusting of flour to help thicken the juice that will be released as the fruit heats up. Now I know the next step is not very "Martha-esque" but since we all don’t have the time to whip up some homemade pie crust, I must admit I.... I used a pre-made crust!! That is what makes this dish soo easy, of course along with the cleanup as well!! Next, butter your cookie tray or pie plate, place the crust down and pile on the fruity goodness!! Pleat the crust into standard crostata form and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until fruit is bubbling, and crust is golden brown! I am soo excited to try this dish, since as I type this, it is still cookin’ away in the oven. As soon as it's done, I'll take a picture of it and load them up!! Well, that’s all for today, hope you ladies enjoy the recipe and pictures, and I hope you find the time to make one for your family!!

In the Kitchen Pt. 2

Hello again dear blog, how has everyones weekend gone by so far? I hope all is well, and I hope that you enjoy this post. As you can see, it's yet another session of "In the Kitchen" with your host: Gigi. You are probably going to think I am Martha Stewart obsessed (which I kind of am) but today I am showing you yet another Martha recipe aside from my Hazelnut blondies. This recipe was also in the July 2007 issue of Living, and Man Oh Man was it Gooooood!!! For a little summer kick, I added some light and colorful brown rice salad from this show, and enjoyed dinner. I was so happy with how they turned out, that I gave some to everyone I know, and bragged about them to those who didn't get the chance to try them.
Okay, Okay, so your probably just thinking to yourself "Get on with the recipe WOMAN!!" So I will... ;) If you did not recieve the July issue of Living , go here for the recipe. They are Eggplant Parmesan Stacks which are so easy to make that it's just amazing how quick they took and how great they tasted. Two of them is enough to fill you up completely, and they are not that bad for you either!! I started by cutting the pieces of fresh eggplant into 1/4" slices, seasoned with salt, and added to a pan with 1 cup canola oil. (The only thing with these is you must keep adding oil, I know, I know, and you must absorb as much as possible after with paper towels!) Let cook for 1 minute on each side and cool. While cooking the eggplant, also start the simple sauce by dicing one large fresh tomato, and adding, 1 teaspoon olive oil as well as diced garlic, along with some julienned basil from the garden. Add a sprinkle of parsley, onion powder and about 1-2 cups of canned crushed tomatoe's and simmer. This is my own recipe for a quick and simple sauce, which is not too overpowering for this type of recipe. Once sauce is simmering, and all eggplant is cooked, pat try slices and put large pieces on bottom of lined baking sheet. Then follow with some sauce, sprinkles of fresh mozzarella cheese, and some grated parmigiano reggiano. Repeat layering twice (3 pieces of eggplant) and bake in oven for about 12 minutes (* After 8 minutes on mid shelf, switch to top shelf to melt the cheese.) Serve up on a nice plate, and voila!! As for the brown rice salad, get the recipe here, its very simple and switch out the dressings for different tastes with different foods! Hope you all get to try this, you and your family will all be raving about how good it was!! Until next time my friends, wishing you fresh summer produce and no growling stomachs!!

In the Kitchen Pt.1

Hello again dear blog, how is everyone doing this Monday? I hope all is good in blogland as well as real life with all of my readers! Anyways, I decided that around once or twice a month I am going to do a post on different dishes I make, and or find pretty. So today, having in mind that I wanted to do this post, I decided to make a fresh garden salad for lunch after I watched this show, and saw a delicious looking fresh and light dressing. I just love her show, whenever I find time to catch it I always feel like inviting people over and making some delicious Italian dinner. I myself love to entertain, and I believe I received that "gene" from my grandmother, who is an amazing cook as well as a lovely entertainer.
...duh.... I almost forgot, sorry for this quick topic change, but I just remembered how I was going to tell you about the graduation party on Saturday. It was hectic, like I had said, but everyone enjoyed themselves, and enjoyed the food. I myself only had to prepare the chicken, which I browned about 50 pieces in a pan with some white wine, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper as well as EVOO, and then put it in pans to bake in the oven. It turned out delicious, and while that was cooking, I assembled the fruit kabobs, which had watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, pineapples, and grapes. I also had time to make my hazelnut blondies, which were also a hit, and whose picture you can see at the end of the post. Okay, now back to my salad which I named L'Insalata di Estate semplice (Simple Summer Salad in Italian.) I started with a few leaves of basil, some EVOO, salt, pepper, thyme, Dijon mustard, and lemon peel for the dressing which I blended and put in the fridge. I then cut up a head of romaine, green peppers, onions, and tomatoes and added some pre-grilled chicken. Finally I assembled it all in a really pretty white bowl I have, chilled the salad for a few minutes as well as the dressing & then enjoyed it with a nice cup of cherry selzter. Yummmo!!! It was so light and delicious, that I highly recommend you try it! It’s very simple too, and easy to clean up, so even if you can’t cook (which I am sure you can!!) it will turn out beautifully! Okay, just wanted to do a quick post today, I'll tell you more about the party on Wednesday or Thursday. Until next time, wishing you some enjoyable time whipping up L'Insalata di Estate semplice!

Lemon Basil Dressing


Preparing the Salad


Hazelnut Blondies