Thankful...Italian Weddings (well, at least the soup...)

I didn't know what to make for dinner tonight, so I tried something off-the-cuff and it turned out pretty darn good. I made Italian Wedding soup sans recipe. It was pretty easy, if you want to give it a shot. Here's what I did. (I never measure, so these are just an estimate.)

For the meatballs:

I took one pound of 80% lean ground beef and mixed it with one egg, a shot of half and half, a dash of salt and pepper, and about half a cup of Italian breadcrumbs. I placed these on a greased cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

For the soup:

I poured 12 cups of water into my French oven, added 12 chicken bullion cubes and the core of one red onion. I took a frozen package of spinach, cooked in the the microwave and drained out all the water. Then I removed the onion from the stock, added a dash of kosher salt and turned it up to a boil. Once boiling, I added one package of rotini style pasta. When the pasta was cooked, I added the spinach and meatballs.

That's all it took!

Cioppino, according to Jo-Ann

My mom has the yummiest and healthiest cioppino recipe out there so pay attention! If you look at a lot of recipes for this dish you'll notice it calls for a lot of butter and other yummy, artery-clogging ingredients, but not this recipe. And let me tell you, you won't miss a thing, for this cioppino is bursting with flavor. I used all frozen seafood because I don't happen to keep fresh seafood on hand, but go on ahead if you dare. And, add other things as you wish...these are guidelines people!

Ingredients for four servings

One large can of diced tomatoes
One can of chopped clams in the juice
1/2 pound of frozen shrimp
1/2 pound of frozen scallops
1 frozen tilapia fillet
1/4 of a red onion
1/3 cup white cooking wine
Three fresh garlic cloves
One bay leaf
Dash of basil

Start of by combining the diced tomatoes, onions, and clam juice (hold back on the clams for now) in your soup pot or french oven and stir it all up.

Add bay leaf, dash of basil and crush three cloves in fresh garlic into the mix.

Add white cooking wine. (A little for the cioppino, a little for Jenny.)

Let all these flavors mesh for about 30 minutes.

Okay, enough meshing. Now, add all your frozen seafood and the clams and let cook until the scallops are white and the shrimp are pink.

Dish it on out and gulp it on up.

Quesadillas for all!

For as much as I love to cook, there are some days when I come home after a draining 8 hours hours followed by a one-and-a-half hour drive and just feel too tired to create a meal. This is why I have recently become such a great fan of the quesadilla.

And, these delightful dinners can be quite healthy. I only use Lo-Carb Wrap Itz and Wegmans 2% Cheddar Cheese in mine. Both taste fantastic and are guilt-free choices.

And the best part is you can fill them up with yummy things you have on hand: mushrooms, onions, peppers, black beans, spinach, etc.

So, it's not exactly cooking, but it's fast, filling and decidedly healthy.

The verdict? Delicious.

Just One More Reason to Love Sunday Mornings...

Yummy, Easy and Healthy Breakfast!

Lowfat Aunt Jemina Waffles
Wegmans Frozen Strawberry, Blueberry and Raspberry Mix
Arrowhead Mills Organic Golden Flax Seeds
Wegmans Sugar-Free Syrup

Veggie pizza and French Ovens -- updates from my kitchen

Are you ever guilty of seeing all kinds of delicious, fresh vegetables in the supermarket and then sort of forgetting you bought them? Wegmans always seduces me into buying too much produce.

So there I am, thinking of what to do with these veggies and it hits me -- pizza!

I chopped up asparagus, broccoli crowns, red onion and tomatoes on the vine. Tossed them with salt, pepper and Tastefully Simple brand Garlic Pesto seasoning and roasted them for about 7 minutes. Then I rolled out a Pillsbury (I know...I didn't make the dough myself, but this is a quick and easy way) pizza crust, spread on a cup of gravy, the veggies and mozzarella and baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Result = yummy!



In other kitchen news, I made a purchase of a lifetime this weekend. Please meet my 7 1/4 quart French Oven by Le Creuset. I purchased mine in their oldest color, Flame. That's orange to you and me. This is the big time, my friends.

Bruschetta

What You'll Need...

Tomatoes on the Vine

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Coarse Salt

Fresh Basil Leaves

Garlic Clove

Fresh, crusty bread loaf

What You'll Do...

Coat pan with extra virgin olive oil. Turn up the heat!

Slice loaf and place pieces of bread in the hot olive oil, browning both sides.

Chop tomatoes. You may want to de-seed to avoid mushiness.

Dice fresh basil leaves.

Combine tomatoes, basil, a pinch of coarse salt and a tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl.

Place fried slices of bread on a lovely plate and dress each with the tomato mixture.

Eat, eat and eat!

Visions of Beef Wellington Danced in My Head

Among other glorious gifts, I received Julie and Julia for Christmas from my darling brother and sister-in-law.

I must say, the movie was an instantaneous favorite when I saw it the theatre this past summer.

And, I must also say, it makes me want to cook up a freaking storm!

From homemade bruschetta to the infamous Bouef Bourguingnon (Beef Burgundy to you and me)...I want to make it all. And, I am totally jonesing for my own 6 3/4 quart French oven from Le Creuset. But, since it runs over $250, I don't think I'll be dishing out an delicious gems from one anytime soon.

I have decided, however, to finally make something I've wanted to try to create for years...Beef Wellington.

So, if your looking for a good film, rent Julia and Julia.

If you're interested in trying Beef Wellington, come on over and have a seat at my table.

And finally, if you have a spare $250, I would like my French oven in the traditional orange please.

"Chips, dips, chains, whips."

So maybe I am blogging about food for two days in a row, but that's what's going on.

Tomorrow is Pot Luck Day at work and I am bringing home made meatballs and gravy - no chips and dips here. You seriously need to come over right now and smell the air...it's an Italian scented heaven.

Although I will never divulge all my secrets, here are a few tips to make your home made meatballs and gravy r-o-c-k in the USA.

Tip #1 You don't have to go expensive. I always begin my gravy with whatever crushed tomatoes happen to be on sale.

Did you ever think to yourself, "Hmmm, my gravy tastes a bit on the sweet side. I wonder why?"

Tip #2 It's because you didn't add a bay leaf or two. This little herb will gently cut the sweetness and leave you with an amazingly perfect blend of flavor.

Okay, okay, I realize that frying foods has fallen out of favor, but...

Tip #3 It will add so much flavor to your meatballs if you give them a quick fry in some extra virgin olive oil. You don't even have to cook them all the way through. Just brown both sides. Let the meatballs then cook in the gravy on your stove top.

Tip #4 Let an independent third party take an objective taste and report on your culinary skills. Constructive criticism is a must in the kitchen.

Happy cooking, my friends!

My title is from Weird Science.

"You should see the toast; I couldn't even get it through the door!"

Tonight was breakfast for dinner night at the old Tomlin house -- fried eggs over easy, turkey bacon and the yummiest toast by Arnold's. Seriously one of my favorite kinds of dinners.

While Saffron was going through her problems, my eating habits became horrific and sporadic to say the least. I rarely cooked and usually ate something like a bowl of cereal, standing up, late at night. I don't live like that. I cook. And I sit down to eat.

We are getting back into the swing of things and embracing our old ways again. Comforting food fragrances once again fill the air. This week I have conjured up chicken fajitas and a meatloaf, and found THE MOST delicious way to prepare white potatoes!

I guess you could say I am back in the cooking saddle. Tomorrow night I will be preparing 3 pounds of homemade meatballs and gravy for Pot Luck Day at work on Friday. Stop by and take a sniff...yummy.

My white potato recipe

1. Combine 3 or so tablespoons of olive oil, a few shakes of salt and pepper, 4 pressed cloves of fresh garlic and a few shakes a parsley flakes in a bowl.
2. Chop peeled potatoes into bite size pieces.
3. Coat each potato bite with mixture with a baking brush.
4. Bake at 350-375 for about 45 minutes in a sprayed pan.
5. Thank me because the potatoes are delicious.

My title is from Uncle Buck.

See Ann Boil Water -- Burgers and French Fries

Burgers and French fries...yummy.

Okay, so they are delicious, but we all know they are not great for us. So if you are in the mood for a healthy alternative, I highly recommend chicken burgers with fat free cheese on a toasted light English muffin.

And to go with them???

Sweet potato French fries!

Delicious, say I!

Here's what to do, my friends:

1. Slice up some sweet potatoes and heat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Take a plastic baggie and fill it with the following: a pinch of salt and pepper; a few cloves of pressed fresh garlic; parsley and extra virgin olive oil.
3. Drop all your sweet potato slices in the baggie and cover all with the mixture.
4. Place the coated potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

You may now enjoy a freaking delicious and healthy version of French fries.

You may also thank me.

Happy eating!

See Ann Boil Water

The process of cooking can be very therapeutic. You take completely unrelated objects and mesh them together in a manner so precise that they are no longer separate; they morph into a new whole.

Plus, if you do it properly, you have a treat when you're finished.

Evidently cooking is in my blood (according to my mother). My grandmother, Ann, ran a restaurant. My mother, Jo-Ann, cooks like a Food Network host. So, I guess it stands to reason this Ann - Jennifer Ann, that is - can handle a ladle as well.

Tonight I made the yummiest accidental meal. Accidental meals are when you root through the fridge and cabinets, without a clue as to what you're going to make, grab a bit of this and that, and end up with a yummy dish.

So if you have the following:

• A bit of pasta in this shape and that shape, but not enough of one to make something that matches!
• Ricotta cheese; about 3 tablespoons
• Mozzarella cheese; about two handfuls
• 1/2 jar of gravy (Did I say jar? Don't tell!)
• A few garlic cloves or garlic powder
• Red pepper flakes
• Parsley

Cook all the pastas. Pour gravy (that's red sauce for my non-Italians) and mix. Mix in ricotta cheese. Stir in grated garlic (or a bit of powder) and a few shakes of red pepper flakes. Spread in a an oven-friendly pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella and finish off with a few shakes of chopped parsley. Put in 375 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Eat like you mean it!