Chicken Tetrazzini

Growing up, my mother would make this on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and use the last of the turkey, so for years I thought it was called “Turkey Tetrazzini”.  I’ve had it with wine, no wine, peas, diced jalapeno peppers, french fried onions on top, monterey jack cheese instead of cheddar…it’s a versatile dish.  Add or subtract as you’d like, because it’s a very basic recipe.  As a rule in life (unless you’re talking about birthday presents), I believe less is more--tetrazzini included.  They say that simplicity is the very form of elegance…and quite obviously, deliciousness  :)

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 pound (1 box) spaghetti noodles

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 can cream of  mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1   8 ounce container sour cream

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup dry white wine

dry sherry

butter

In sauté pan, sauté mushrooms and garlic until nicely browned.  Scrape up the brown bits and deglaze pan with a little water.  Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and place back in pan.  Toss with chicken broth.

On top of pasta, add chicken and next 5 ingredients.  Add sautéed mushrooms.  Add wine and 2 or 3 capfuls of sherry (what I mean by this is:  sherry usually comes in a wine bottle with a screw top.  Fill up the cap twice. Maybe three times...heehee)  Mix all together.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Toss well.

Spoon mixture into lightly greased 11"x17" baking dish.  Sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake 10 minutes more, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Orrecchiette with Italian Sausage and Kale

Orrecchiette gets its name from its shape.  It means “little ear” in Italian, named so because it resembles just that.  Unless you’re my kids and then the conversation in our think tank of a house goes something like this:

Me:  Orrecchiette got its name because it looks like a body part. Do you know which one?

Jake:  knee cap?

Me:  ummm…no. Ora…Oral…Orator…really??

J:  Right, I told you.  Knee cap.

Me:  again…NO.  But what IS the real name for the knee cap?

J:  Cranium?

Me:  Ok, really?  And you’re the smart one?? No. ...Morgan, do you know?

Morgan:  How come I’m not the smart one? 

Me:  You’re the pretty one

M:  Phew!!...Belly Button?

Me:  That’s tortellini

M:  Oh…do we HAVE tortellini?? :)

Me:  No, but we have wine and I’m about to get another glass.  Someone please answer one of my questions…

J:  What were the questions again?

Me:  Named for what body part…and what’s the real name of a knee cap?

J:  Finger tip…and clavical

M:  OMG, stop.  EAR…and PATELLA.  I’m the pretty one AND the smart one…HA!

J:  Whatever.  It really looks more like a knee cap

 

Aye yaye yaye...

Traditionally, this dish is served with broccoli rabe, but not everyone likes it because it's so bitter.  Though I love it.  Kale is the perfect substitute because it still has a little bit of a bite and it holds its integrity while you sauté it and doesn't become completely wilted.  Feel free to use either.

This recipe is good because it makes as much as you want.  If you have more people, add more of everything or just what you like the most.  Swear to God, it's that easy.

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WHAT TO BUY:
This recipe serves 4

1 pound box of Orrecchiette pasta
2 bunches fresh kale or broccoli rabe
Hot or mild Italian sausage, whichever you prefer (at lease 1 link for each person, casings removed and broken into large pieces)
red pepper flakes
chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
parmesan cheese


To begin, start making pasta according to package directions.  While it's cooking:

(If using broccoli rabe, blanch in boiling water for a few minutes and chop into large pieces. Then proceed as below)

Heat 3 tbs olive oil in dutch oven and sauté garlic and kale.  Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and continue sautéing until softened.  Remove from pan and set aside.

In some more oil, sauté pieces of sausage until browned.  Often you won't have enough grease to drain but if you do, go ahead now

Add kale back into the pan with the sausage, and cook together briefly to bring the flavors together.  Add some chicken broth to scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan and to make some juice for your dish.  If pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the rest.  Add pasta to pan and stir all.  If it's too dry and you need more liquid, add some of the reserved pasta water and/or more chicken broth. 

Cook a few minutes more until all the flavors come together, taste for salt and pepper.  Place on plate or in large bowls, topping with parmesan cheese.  Serve while hot.

Breakfast Sandwich

Breakfast on Sunday, made for you by someone you love.  Heaven.  This breakfast sandwich is everything you want it to be: salty from the Canadian bacon, crunchy from the toasted English muffin, and unctuous and sexy from the runny yolk of the fried egg.   Pair it with anything you have in the refrigerator or pantry--sauteed mushrooms, roasted potatoes, fresh fruit, sliced tomatoes, a bottle of prosecco, some bloody mary’s…the possibilities are endless.  All I can do is show you how to make it—what happens from there is up to you :)

To make 1 sandwich:

1 English Muffin

2 pieces Canadian bacon

1 egg

Your favorite cheese ( I like deli American or swiss...or both!)

Salt/pepper

Butter

Hot sauce (I like Crystal)

First, fry your Canadian bacon in a pan.  It’s likely already cooked, so you only need to brown it.  Set aside. 

Toast your English Muffin, set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the same pan you used for the bacon.  Fry egg.  Add salt and pepper to egg while it cooks.  I like my yolk runny (like sunny side up), but my daughter likes her yolk hard.  They’re both good.  Set egg aside.

Place Canadian bacon on bottom half of muffin, add egg.  Add a few drops of hot sauce on top of egg. Place 1 piece of cheese on top and melt for a few seconds in the microwave.  Top with other half of English Muffin.

Ham and Bleu Cheese Sandwich with Tomato on Marbled Rye

When I was in the 8^th grade, my mom managed a shopping mall.  One day, I refused to ride home from school with my carpool because the girl whos mom picked up kept getting lice and their car smelled like sour milk.  Ick.  So I got in the “walkers” line and walked to my moms office.   She put me to work the second I got there, but I did it every day after that, until the end of the school year.

The mall had a deli on the first floor, owned by a guy from Brooklyn named Sammy.  I loved it in there because he had all the stuff I thought a “real” deli should have:  gigantic Boars Head pickled cucumbers in a barrel, Dr. Browns black cherry and cream sodas, chopped liver with hard boiled egg, and a ham sandwich that has since become one of my favorite snacks.  To get me out of her hair, my mom would hand me $6 (expensive for a sandwich back in 1983) and tell me to go down to Sammy’s and get us something.  I always got the same thing—a ham and bleu cheese sandwich with tomato on marbled rye.

This sandwich has very few ingredients so they should be the best you can find.  It’s a decadent treat for sure, so don’t skimp—use lots of mayonnaise and bleu cheese.  I go all out and eat it with kettle chips, olives, and an ice cold coke with lemon.  You only live once…better enjoy it :)

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

deli ham, sliced thin (I use Boar's Head Tavern Ham)

1 loaf marbled rye bread

1 ripe tomato, sliced

mayonnaise (I use Hellman's)

bleu cheese (I use Danish Blue)

cracked pepper

 

Toast bread.  Spread mayonnaise liberally on both slices of toast.  Now make your sandwich--add 4 or 5 pieces of ham, crumbled bleu cheese, and slices of tomato.  Add cracked pepper over all. 

 

Top with other piece of toast.  Cut in half, eat the cheese crumbles that fell on your plate, lick the mayonnaise off the knife and put it in the dishwasher, enjoy. (heehee)

One-Hit Wonders

Today is One-Hit Wonder Day.  Fun!  Some articles say that to be considered, an artist has to have reached the Top 40 on the Billboard 100, and then never again.  Some say it has to be number 1.  I SAY if I heard a song by someone...and then never heard from them again...it can be on my list.

Sorry David Gates if you had more hits as the lead singer of Bread, but as a solo artist, I've never heard you on my radio unless you're singing "Goodbye Girl".  You should have made the list but I knocked you off for Deee-Lite.  Maybe next year.

SO:  here's Christine's list of One-Hit Wonders (my favorite, plus 10 more), in order by date because I can't play favorites with these gems.  I'm sure you know all of them, and I hope they make you smile as much as I did while I was compiling the list.  And no worries, if "What Might Have Been" makes your mascara run, just move on to "Hot Child in the City"...it makes everything better :)

Me and Mrs. Jones (Billy Paul) 1972

Hot Child in the City (Nick Gilder) 1978

Rappers Delight (The Sugar Hill Gang)  1979

Tempted by the fruit of another (Squeeze)  1981

Come On, Eileen (Dexy's Midnight Runners)  1982

Let the Music Play (Shannon)  1984

I Touch Myself (Divinyls)  1990

Groove is in the Heart (Deee-Lite)  1990

What Might Have Been (Little Texas)  1993

Naked Eye (Luscious Jackson)  1996

And my favorite One-Hit Wonder:  Lips of an Angel (Hinder)  2005

Peel 'n Eat Shrimp

Summer’s over, and what better way to say goodbye than with some peel  ‘n eat shrimp?  Just like the season:   it’s unpretentious, laid back, and easy.  And the recipe can easily be doubled (or tripled!) depending on how many people you decide to share it with.

It’s a seasoned, spicy boil, so your fingers will be messy and your lips tingly by the time you’re done.  So, put some Coronas on ice, call your friends, and get cooking.  Before you know it the days will be shorter, the nights cooler, sweater weather will be upon us, and summer will be a distant memory.  This is the perfect way to hold on to it just a little bit longer 

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

crab and shrimp boil (I use BOTH McCormacks packets and Old Bay Seasoning)
   --you will need both for this recipe
2 lbs unpeeled shrimp (16/20 count), rinsed
4 lemons, sliced in half
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
for dipping:  cocktail sauce or butter

Fill large pot with water and bring to rolling boil.  To water, add 2 packets McCormack shrimp boil, 1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning, garlic cloves, cayenne pepper, and onion.  Squeeze juice from 2 1/2 lemons into water and drop in.  Boil all, stirring occasionally, approx. 20 minutes.  Add shrimp.  Let boil approx. 4 or 5 minutes, or until shrimp turn pink (not too long, or they will be rubbery).

ingred added, now stir

Drain in colander.  Sprinkle with a little more Old Bay. 

Serve with cocktail sauce or warm drawn butter.  Cut the remainder of the lemons into 1/8ths and serve alongside.

The way we eat in my house, this recipe serves 2

NOTE:
This boil is spicy so I like to serve it with a cool tomato salad:
variety of tomatoes (here I used beefsteak and cherry), fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with course salt and fresh cracked pepper

Tuna & Tuscan White Bean Salad

 

I was having lunch with my good friend Chris Payson a few years ago, at Aqua-- a then very trendy restaurant in the Waterside Shoppes.   It was summer…and hot…so I ordered something cool and light—mixed greens with tuna salad on top.  Halfway through eating when we finally took a minute out from talking (he loved himself more than I do ME), he asked me how my lunch was.  “Not sure” I told him…”I can’t tell if it’s tuna or chicken!”  It was tasteless, and I learned then and there to stick to the quiche because at least that has bacon in it…lol.

This Mediterranean tuna salad has vibrant flavor, and its fresh, cool ingredients are perfect for hot summer lunches.  I make it for me and my mom on weekends when we want to relax and catch up, my daughter loves to take a container to school in her Vera Bradley lunchbox, and after golf it's THE BEST.

It takes 5 minutes to make and then it chills in the refrigerator while you go about your day.  Bacon or not, there’s no quiche in the world easier than THAT!

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 can good quality albacore tuna in water, drained
1  16-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
olive oil
1 lemon
I bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley, washed
cracked pepper/salt/cayenne pepper
crackers  (I use saltines) or loaf of crusty bread


Drain and place tuna in bowl, breaking up gently with fork, though I like mine to have some texture.

Drain and rinse beans in colander.  In colander, sprinkle beans lightly with salt and pepper, and mix.  Taste beans, they should be flavorful but not too salty.    Add to bowl with tuna. 

Sprinkle cayenne pepper and cracked pepper (to taste)  over all and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Squeeze 1/2 lemon over and add approx. 1 handful rougly chopped parsley.

Mix all gently, being careful not to break it up too much or it will become mushy.  Adjust  seasonings and lemon if needed and chill in refrigerator til ready to use. 



Serve with crackers or break up some crusty bread.

Burrata and Broiled Tomatoes

Burrata is a cross between a very creamy mozzarella and cottage cheese.  And it’s delicious.  It’s airy and fresh, and perfect for the hot summer nights we’ve been having down here in Naples. 

This dish is inspired by one I had at Flemings Prime Steakhouse.  I have no idea how they make it, but this is my version.  I usually serve it as an appetizer, but I’ve discovered that if you open a good bottle of merlot and light some candles, it does double duty as a light romantic supper on date night.  It’s easy--the work is done ahead of time so it affords you hours of uninterrupted intimate conversation and smiles with someone special.  That alone is reason to try it, dontcha think??

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 container fresh burrata cheese, kept cold until ready to use

1 container cherry tomatoes

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

1 ball Burrata cheese

Dijon mustard

1 baguette

1 bunch arugula, chilled

Salt/cracked pepper

1 bottle of your favorite wine

<<  If you have red wine, uncork it now and let it breathe on the counter >>

First make the crostini:  cut baguette into rounds and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake at 350 degrees until crusty, approx 6-8 minutes.  Cool slightly.

Make a vinaigrette.  This will be used on the tomatoes as well as to dress the arugula.  The classic vinaigrette is 3 parts oil and 1 part acid, but I like to reverse it because I’d rather it tasted like vinegar than oil.  SO:  in measuring cup, whisk until emulsifed 3 parts vinegar, 1 part oil, and just a tiny bit of Dijon mustard.   

Wash tomatoes and place in pan. Toss with some of the vinaigrette, salt and pepper

 

 

Place under the broiler just until the tomatoes start to blacken a little and burst open.  This takes maybe 10 min.  Keep an eye on them—then remove from oven and set aside.

Cut open the ball of Burrata slightly and place in serving container.  Once in container, mix up gently with fork until the cheese has curds.  Drizzle olive oil, pinch of salt, and cracked pepper on top.  Set aside.

 

In large bowl, place as much arugula as you’d like and drizzle vinaigrette over.  Toss.

Now assemble your platter:

Place serving container of burrata, crostini, some of the  dressed arugula, and the tomatoes on the platter (see picture above).  Pour your wine and ENJOY :)

 

 individual plate

 

Kohlrabi

 

 

Have you had these beauties??   German for “cabbage turnip,” kohlrabi is a member of the extensive cabbage family (which also includes broccoli, cauliflower, kale and mustard greens).  They have the texture of an apple, the bite of a radish, and the smell of cooked broccoli.  But trust me when I say, they’re delicious.

I’ve been eating kohlrabi my whole life, but I’ve never had them cooked.  When I was little, my mom used to peel and cut these up raw right from the refrigerator, like an apple, and we’d eat them for a snack sprinkled with salt.  Still my favorite snack ever—

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What to buy:

As many kohlrabi’s as you want

Salt



Buy Kohlrabi's and refrigerate until ready to use (use within 2 days). 

Cut stems and leaves off the bulbs, and then cut the tops and bottoms off.  They will look like this:

Quickly rinse under cool water to remove all dirt and dry with a cloth.  Peel like an orange with a large knife, from top to bottom, and then cut into cubes.

Salt will make the kohlrabi's watery if they sit too long, so only sprinkle with kosher salt if you are going to eat all of them.  Otherwise, place a few on a plate with salt and dip as you go.  Like this:

 

Summer Songs

Summer Songs

The songs of summer.   There are 2 kinds:  the ones that actually revel in the season and all of it’s magical goodness…and the ones that don’t mention summer at all but that you listened to over and over again for the 9 weeks you were out of school while you were experiencing the magical goodness.  Not everyone lives at the beach, so let’s talk mostly about the first kind.

Here’s a list of some of the very best summer songs of all time…yes they are too, don’t say no! You won’t find anything by the Beach Boys or Jan & Dean here because com’on, they’re a given.  These are the unexpected ones…you’ll see what I mean.  I can’t imagine you don’t know them but just in case, here’s the link so you can sing along with me :)  And I hope they make you smile.

https://www.youtube.com/feed/music

In order by date, they are:

·        Wipeout – The Safari’s (1962)

(not the one by the Fat Boys from 1987 but shhhhh…ya, that one too…lol)

·        Summerwind – Frank Sinatra (1966)

“and guess who sighs his lullaby, through nights that never end…”

·        Time of the Season – The Zombies (1968)

“what’s your name…who’s your daddy…”

·        Cruel Summer – Bananarama (1983)

“The city is crowded, my friends are away, and I’m on my own”

·        Summertime – DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (1991)

“Summer summer summer time" lol

·        Summertime – Kenney Chesney (2005)

“cheap shades and a tattoo and a yoohoo bottle rolling on the floorboard”

·        Summertime – New Kids on the Block (2008)

“Been a few years and I can’t deny, the thought of you still makes me crazy”

·        Summer Nights – Rascall Flats (2009)

“let that igloo cooler mark your piece of paradise”

·        Cruise – Florida Georgia Line (2013)

“we were sippin’ on Southern and singing Marshall Tucker, we were falling in love in the sweet heart of summer”

·        Beat This Summer -  Brad Paisley (2013)

“as long as I live, whatever I do…I ain’t ever gonna beat this summer with you”

·        19 You and Me – Dan & Shay (2014)

“like the tears we cried that day we had to leave, it was everything we wanted it to be”

Now, about those OTHER kinds of songs.  The ones that remind you of your favorite summers from times past, though they don't mention the season at all... 

a big part of one of my favorite summers:

·        True – Spandau Ballet (1983)

“Listening to Marvin all night long…”

When driving in a jeep with your boyfriend, the top down and the radio up, the wind in your hair,  singing as loud as you could and laughing even harder, on a beautiful August day was all there was in the world, and thinking it didn’t get any better than that :)

I hope I have you thinking about your favorite summers and the soundtrack of YOUR life.  There’s only 6 weeks left…get goin' on some memories. Enjoy!

Mother's Day



Gigga, at the shooting range 1979

I hope you all had a Happy Mothers Day, filled with love and wine and kisses from your babies :)

I’ve decided to do a post about MY mom.  You’ve been introduced to her briefly over the months as Gigga (my daughters name for her because she couldn’t pronounce “grama”).  Her actual name is Beverly, but I just call her awesome.

Most moms bake cookies and play tennis.  Not  mine.  Mine shoots guns.  From 1978-1981, she was on a women’s shooting team called “the Beachnuts” (after their Coach’s favorite brand of chewing tobacco), they kept their bullets in spittoons, her romantic “date night” with my dad (who was an investigator at the State Attorney’s Office) was at the shooting range, and in 1980 she came home from a match in Gainesville with a trophy, declaring her the #1 female marksman in the state.  Swear!

Here’s a little yuletide story about our Gigga and just one example of how she continues to come through for me when I need her:

 PICTURE IT:  Christmas Eve, 1992

The mall is PACKED.  But I’m leaving the next day for Louisville to spend 10 days with my boyfriends parents and I need/mostly want an outfit for the plane.  First impressions and all that.  So we’re driving around the parking lot for at least 25 minutes, in gridlocked traffic.  We’re stuck…can’t go forward, back, or around…stuck...and then it happened.  A car wants to back out of a space but it can’t, no one can go anywhere.  He starts yelling at us.  STUCK in this ridiculous traffic, Gigga driving…shrugs her shoulders and starts laughing.  Punky gets out of the passenger side and starts approaching our car.  My aunt Annie starts panicking and...I think...crying.  She’s yelling “looock the doooors”, grabs her purse like a bowling bag, and crouches down in the back seat.   I, on the other hand, need a goddamn outfit for the plane and gotta get myself to The Limited…quick…so I start giving him the finger.  Gigga of course…still shrugging and laughing.  Punky is PISSED OFF at the 2 senior citizens and the bitch giving him the finger and throws his soda on the hood of our car.  Gigga, feathers very UNruffled,  picks up the car phone (1992!) and acts like she’s  dialing the police.  Madder, he pulls on the waistband of his punky pants and shows us the butt of his gun.  >>>  Ok now…Annie has shit her pants in the backseat, and I’m not gonna lie I was feeling the heat and thinking the finger might notta been such a good idea <<<

But then…STILL SHRUGGING AND LAUGHING...Gigga reaches under the seat and pulls out HER gun (a .38 snubnose) and holds it up in the windshield…not pointed at him, just like “oh ya, I bet my guns better!!”  They stared at each other for like 5 minutes, Gigga still holding up her gun...and Annie and I wanted to duck and get the hell out.  But punky backed down, got in the car, and somehow pulled out in traffic.  Gone.   Gigga put her gun back under the seat, we took their space and I was in The Limited 20 minutes later.  All in a days work for Gigga…and I found a sweet little sweater set.   Annie never got out of the car…lol

My mother:  all my life she worked 12+ hours a day;  made meat, potatoes, and a vegetable every night;  kept me in Catholic school even though we had no money;  came to all my sporting events;  sent me to college;  and she’s STILL listening to all my bullshit even today.  See why I say she's awesome??

Thanks, Gigga!!!  I love you more than the big box of Rocher and anything with bacon.  So much that when you’re in the home, I promise to get you a pedicure every week and spring for a room with a window!!  Maybe even a sponge bath from the orderly with the muscles...wink wink...I gotcha covered...lol