Provolone, Avocado Grilled Cheese and Chicken Barley Soup

Been a long day... Contemplated what I was going to do for dinner and not feeling really energetic, I opted for something quick, flavorful and easy.

I always have something in my pantry to whip together.  I always keep avocado's on hand.  Figured that I would create something to warm me inside and out.  I used two avocado's, one for each sandwich in between two piece of whole wheat bread with two slices of provolone, on the bottom and two on the top and pressed.  I simmered some Chicken Barley soup thanks to Progresso... I usually make my own soup, but did not have any in the freezer...

Tomorrow night I will be preparing for the annual Thanksgiving feast.  Although there will not be the usual crowd as some are going in different directions, our smaller table will be quite intimate and very laid back.

Sorry for the short post, but I got home later than expected.

I will have some really good recipes over the next couple of days... Stay tuned!

Shrimp, Vegetables and Pasta

I have been working at an amazing trade show all weekend!  Sorry that I have been away for a few days.  It was an amazing experience!  

My husband has taken advantage of all of the left overs available to him in my absence.  He decided last night to take me out to a local eatery since I got home later than expected and did not want me to cook.  So I am making up for it tonight by making one of his favorites!

This is a great dish for the summer months because it is a hot weather meal with the lightness of the shrimp in a garlic and wine aioli, but it is also great for a lighter meal the rest of the year!  Seeing as today was much warmer than usual, it made sense to take advantage of the timing!  It is simple, healthy and good for you.  You can substitute whole wheat pasta if you choose.  This will make a big meal and will serve 4 generously.  You will still have some to store for another quick meal.

SHRIMP, VEGETABLES AND PASTA

2 Lbs. Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tsp. Oregano, Dried
3 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 Cup White Wine
1 Zucchini, Sliced 1/4" (you can use yellow squash if you prefer)
1/2 Lb. Mushrooms, Sliced
1/2 Lemon, Freshly Squeezed
1 Tsp. Parsley
1/2 Lb. Angel Hair Pasta

Prep the shrimp by removing the outer shells and tails.  Rinse thoroughly.  Prepare vegetables and rinse well.

In a large sautee pan, heat the olive oil, garlic, oregano, butter until melted.  
 
Splash the white wine and let it heat up.  Add the zucchini and mushrooms and cook until vegetables are soft.  Add shrimp and continue cooking until the shrimp are pink.  Do not over cook the shrimp as they will be tough.

While you sautee the vegetables, in a medium stock pot cook the pasta al dente.  Drain and put into a large serving dish.  When shrimp and vegetable mixture is done, pour over the pasta.  Squeeze lemon juice and add parsley.  Toss and serve with fresh grated Pecorino Parmesean cheese.

This is one fabulous meal!

Late Work Nights...

I travel daily and can tack on between 100-300 miles in a day.  

Yesterday and into last night I worked and attended a Ford Truck Club Meeting in Feasterville and was one of those 300 mile days.  Between the local clients, bridges, Jersey and working my way back into PA, it was tough!  I would like to post pictures of the buffet but after a long day on the road, I left my car charger in my car in Old Bridge, NJ when I picked up the newest demo at the store and rely on my home charging for the day... Was glad to say that my usage outweighed my battery life in a good way... No pictures to share from last night... and that would be a good thing because the buffet consisted of salad, (good salad but the dressing choice was ranch or italian, neither of which work for me so I enjoyed it plain) vegetables, (good herb buttered mixed veggies with zucchini, squash, green beans and carrots).  They had  ravioli in a sauce, (not sure which kind but had an orange tint to it and avoided it).  There was roasted chicken breast in a sauce (again, not sure but limited it). Thin sliced beef in what appeared to be an au jus and some oven roasted red new potatoes with herbs, (always a favorite!)... Rolls and butter, (which I avoid like the plague)...The rest was a ritualistic buffet blur... however, after getting through half of my dinner, I decided to split a slice of carrot cake with a friend... The cheesecake looked dry and the triple chocolate was a dose of diabetic culture shock!  The carrot cake with a combination of the coffee-urned dose of caffeine gave me just the right boost to make the last leg of 58 miles to get home! Nothing like a good caffeine and sugar induced frenzy with a LOT of loud music on the turnpike to get me through!

The glass half full part of this post is that in my absence, my husband enjoyed a rather large section of that lasagna I prepared the other night.  Just to show, we do take advantage of "Just A Little Pinch"!

Today after getting in late last night, was actually another very busy day!  Meetings all early morning, lunch with a huge potential client for a 2 hour meeting, and more meetings this afternoon!  When I got in my husband said, "You are not cooking and decided to make me some pizza... I like to make them, but will always be grateful for someone paying it forward... I am so grateful for a wonderful man!  Love you <3

MEATLOAF MASTERPIECE

A little bit of history about meatloaf...

It's minced meat with a combination of ingredients formed into loaves or patties.. It is of European origin and throughout time, it's preparation has evolved.  The meat grinder revolutionized the process of mixing the meat together taking out a lot of the laborious work dating back to medieval times.  During the depression, meatloaf was a way to stretch out a meal by incorporating different ingredients such as oats, breadcrumbs, etc.  It has remained a mainstay to many of us baby boomers.  It is an adaptable main course by adding a variety of topped condiments, however, I prefer to again bring the out the culmination of ingredients used to bring this masterpiece to life and NOT covering it up!

The beauty of this is you can also use this mixture for your meatballs (excluding the Worcestershire Sauce) as well.  So you are getting a DOUBLE BONUS for today!  Again, you can stretch out the number of meals from making this recipe.  With any left overs, I suggest some individual slices for an awesome sandwich for lunch or individual slices for a quick dinner to reheat on busy days!  It freezes well.  Oh, and by the way, the perfect accompaniment would be a great cup of hot tea, especially on a cold night like tonight.  I think an Earl Grey tea is in order since it was VERY cold and BLUSTERY day on the road today... brrrr!

MEATLOAF MASTERPIECE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2-1/2 Lbs. Meat loaf Mix (Ground Beef, Pork and Veal)
1/2 Cup Onion, Finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Egg
8 Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp. Basil, Dried
2 Cups Breadcrumbs, Italian Seasoned
1/2 Cup Pecorino Reggiano Cheese, Grated

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients.  Mixture should not be too wet, but moist.

In a medium baking dish (no coating required), form the meatloaf into an oblong loaf and bake for 1-1/2 hours, uncovered.  Serve with mashed potatoes and peas for a good old fashioned taste of Motherly cooking.  I often times will serve with homemade macaroni and cheese (which is another recipe I will share with you some other day).

Mmmmmm!

Quick Mac and Beef

Today was a challenging day to be on the road...  With my full time job, I call on commercial contractors to supply them with commercial vehicles specific to their trade.  I woke up to what was very gloomy and very wet... Days like these (I found out later from my boss), are designed to research, do heavy follow up, and look for new prospects to fill my calendar from the comfort of my home where it is dry, warm and accessible to some hot chamomile tea whenever I choose.  Instead, I found myself caught in 5 torrential downpours.  Each of which completely soaked me with the exception of my new work jacket.  It was cold, wet but had some great contacts that I will do all of the above with and close.  At times, it was dangerous because you could not see where you were going and a lot of the streets were gushing with water.  You know it's wet when you comb your hair and the water runs down your back in a steady stream... Love having a brand new demo that cranks the heat up in no time flat!

When time affords me to do so, I usually take the time to create something a little more involved but on days like these... I snap into action!  So instead of starting from scratch this evening, I pulled out some 92% lean ground beef and a box of macaroni and cheese with a little help from Manwich!  This is a good stick to your ribs in a hurry mixture.  So the recipe is really quite simple...

QUICK MAC AND BEEF

1 Can Manwich
1 Lb. Lean Ground Beef (I prefer the leaner)
1 Box Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (not the powder)

In a large skillet, cooked the ground beef.  Drain and add to a small saucepan.  Add the Manwich and simmer over low-medium heat covered and stirring frequently.

Prepare the macaroni and cheese according to the instructions, drain.  Add cheese and mix well.  Add the meat mixture and mix well.  Takes about 20 minutes and is good, warm and filling on a quick night when it is cold and wet. 

Enjoy!

Lasagna with Sage Sausage

 

I loved to watch these two Italian women from Delaware County cook old world Italian food.  You know, the one's who would hand roll gnocchi and then press with a fork ever so gently... simmering gravy (some say sauce) all day with meatballs prepared from scratch and carefully baked and sausage... to die for!  The best was when they would cook veal cutlets!  Anyway, I could on about them... I had the good fortune of recalling how they did it all.  These were recipes handed down through generations.

I love, love, love making this meal!  It does take some time to assemble but worth every bit of time and effort... My family, their friends, my friends could die for it.  It will feed easily 8 people!  If you don't have that many?  There are always left overs and is this awesome for a quick dinner?

The only part of this recipe that has a non-traditional approach is using oven ready lasagna.  Beautiful thing as you don't have to par boil the pasta!  I always have gravy/sauce on hand in the freezer so I can use it for any kind of dish I prepare.

The key to a perfect section of lasagna is to let the whole pan sit for 15 minutes when you remove it from the oven.  The cheese sets and when you make a cut, there is absolutely no slipping!

LASAGNA WITH SAGE SAUSAGE

16 Sections oven ready lasagna

3 Lbs. whole milk ricotta cheese

1 Lb. whole milk mozzarella, shredded

5 Oz. parmesean cheese, shredded

1 Egg

1 Tbsp. Basil, Dried

1 Tbsp. Oregano, Dried

1 "Just A Little Pinch" of Sugar

1 Lb. Sage Sausage (Bob Evans)

4-1/2 Cups of Gravy/Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium skillet, cook the sausage.  When you are done browning it, make sure that you break it up really well.  Drain and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl (and I mean large), combine all of the cheese ingredients, egg, herbs and sugar and mix well to a smooth consistency.

In a 9 x 13 pan, line the bottom with a thin layer of the gravy/sauce.  Lay 4 sections width wise...

Take large scoops of the cheese mixture and spread so that it reaches almost to the edges of the pasta sections, smooth it out.  Sprinkle over the cheese with the cooked sausage.  Top with 4 more sections of pasta until finished.  

Cover all of the pasta with the remaining gravy/sauce.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.  When finished, uncover and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.  It will remain piping hot!

Bon appettit!

I know that I said that with a red sauce you want to go with a red wine... However, in this case the lighter, flavorful Moscato should be used!

So now, it comes time to store the left overs!

It's been a good day!  Until next time...

Milanese Osso Buco Pasta

First of all, always decide what you are going to pair your food with.

A good dry, red wine is always a favorite with any dish with red sauce.  Good fact!

However, with veal most people choose the white.   I will over-step the boundary here... if you want a lighter touch go white, more robust and bring out the veal/lamb go red... I have chosen the Yellow Tail Merlot as a perfect match!

This dish (Osso Buco) is from the Lombardy region of Italy.  The first time I cooked this was about 31 years ago. It was not until about 2 weeks ago when I had the opportunity to purchase some rather beautiful lamp chops. They were thick cut, which I am not proficient with.  However, after our meal I decided that I was going to make Osso Buco.  It is traditionally done with veal shanks.  Do you know how hard it is to get them?  Impossible unless I was willing to drive down to the Italian Market in Philly or special order them.  Not a chance!  The end result was I cooked the left over lamp chops in the prepared Osso Buco sauce.  It was out out of this world!  My husband told me to save the remainder of the sauce and remaining chops to use over pasta.  Voila! An adapted version of Osso Buco topped over some fine Mezze Penne!

I have recreated it today with veal chops that I was able to get locally.  So here we are at my beginning...

MILANESE OSSO BUCO PASTA

6 1-1/4" thick veal shanks, if available (you can substitute chops of either veal or lamb)
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour for dredging
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 cups of finely chopped onion (about 2 medium), I prefer red onion for their sweetness
1 cup of finely diced celery (about 2 stalks), slice lengthwise, then finely dice
3/4 cup finely diced carrots (about 2)
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
3/4 cup of dry white wine if you will...(other recipes advise white, but the red brings out the fullness of flavor in the meat)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (I prefer the paste with Italian herbs)
1 28 oz. can Italian plum tomatoes (I squeeze them by hand until they are completely broken up)
3/4 cup of chicken broth
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 large sprig of thyme (2 Tbsp dried)
2 bay leaves

I eliminate the gremolata, and is considered optional, only because with the combination of the veal, sauce and pasta, it can be a lot of flavors that can deter from the veal.

If you have the veal shanks, tie them around the middle with kitchen string and season with the sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  With the flour in a dish, lightly dredge the meat in flour and shaking off any excess.

In a large skillet, heat 3 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat.  Allow the oil to heat adequately.  Only do 3 pieces at a shot cooking them for 2-3 minutes per side.  When they are browned on both sides.  Set aside.

In a slow cooker, add the tomatoes, remaining oil, paste, seasonings, vegetables, herbs and liquids.  Add the meat and simmer over low heat for 4-6 hours.

Cook Mezze Penne al dente.  Remove bones from the meat (it should already fall off the bone) and replace into the sauce.  Serve over cooked Mezze Penne.

Mangiere!

Footnote:  Take all meat and extra sauce and freeze for a quick meal during your busy week!  You will thank yourself!