Lobster Mac and Cheese

This summer lobster mac and cheese has been all the rave on the food shows M and I have been watching on the Food Network and Travel Channel.  So....we finally made lobster mac and cheese Barefoot Contessa style.

You can't go wrong with butter, cheese, and lobster tails all in one dish.  Personally the nutmeg was a perfect addition to this side dish, which we cut in half, baked in one dish (opposed to Ina's suggestion of individual ramekins), and ate all week.  I highly, highly recommend you try this dish!

Marinara Sauce with Pappardelle

 

In memory of James Gandolfini - homemade marinara sauce with homemade meatballs and pappardelle. M used this recipe for a starting point.  We purchased the pappardelle at Trader Joe's.

Caprese Salad Bites

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to the summer. Yesterday we attended a holiday potluck party by the bay and these Caprese Salad Bites were easy to assemble at home and then consume in an outdoor setting.  Plus they were fresh and delicious and only add to our Italian food obsession. (I wonder what T and friends would think.)

There are several recipes on Pinterest for this appetizer; I found one here.  This recipe makes 24 bites. 
 
Ingredients: 
24 sugar plum tomatoes, cut in half
12 mini-mozzarella balls, sliced in half and patted dry
24 pieces of fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
24 sword picks
a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar 

To assemble:
1. Salt and pepper the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. 

2. Place one piece of tomato, mozzarella, basil, and then another tomato on each sword.

3. Repeat Step 1, twenty-four times.

4. When ready to serve, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  

Buno appetito!

Biscotti Dipped in Chocolate

M and I are watching "The Sopranos."  We are only on season 2, but we've had a hankering for all foods Italian lately - from sfogliatelle (pronounced shfooyadell - our new favorite Italian word and dessert) to cannoli to homemade biscotti dipped in chocolate for my Mom for Mother's Day. 

I found the biscotti recipe in The Sopranos Family Cookbook I checked out of the library. It was easy to follow and the anise cookies tasted and looked like mini store-bought biscotti.  They were a bit softer than your traditional biscotti and could be eaten without dunking in tea or coffee. I added milk chocolate for my Mom, but will dip them in dark chocolate - my favorite - next time. 

Then I packaged them in a Ziploc bag with scrapbook paper and ribbon - a gift wrapping idea I found on Pinterest. My Mom truly thought I bought them. 

Aduki Bean Burgers

I had some leftover aduki beans from my smoothie, so tonight I made Aduki Bean Burgers.  We had enough for dinner and my lunch later on this week.  These vegetarian patties are a combination of a Weight Watchers recipe my Mom gave me years ago and this aduki bean recipe. Makes 4 patties. 

You'll need:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 cloves of garlic, minced 
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup aduki beans
3" piece of soft tofu
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup tomato sauce
palmful fresh chopped cilantro
palmful fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray 

Directions:
1. Over medium heat, add the oil to a sauté pan. Then add the onions, celery, and garlic.  Cook until the veggies are soft and the moisture has evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let cool.

2. In a bowl, mash the tofu.  Blend in the beans, bread crumbs, and tomato sauce.  Add the cooled veggies.  Mix thoroughly.

3. Shape into 4 balls*, cover, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

4. Cook on a George Foreman Grill. Making sure to use cooking spray first so the patties do not stick. 

NOTE - the tofu package stated that one serving of tofu is a 1" piece; I figured a 3" for 4 servings with all the other ingredients seemed accurate.

The veggie balls* will flatten into patties on the Foreman Grill.  The cooked patties are very delicate, not like store-bought veggie burgers, so handle with care.  :)

Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp and Sauce

My Dad retired this fall and has been cooking up a storm.  When we were visiting this spring he made many tasty dishes including this one. For my Dad's spaghetti squash with shrimp and homemade sauce you'll need:

1 spaghetti squash
1 16 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1/2 lb raw shrimp, cleaned and de-veined 
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
dash of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon oregano
4 ounces of mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter or oil to sauté mushrooms, onions, and garlic

Serves 4.  

Directions:
1. Cut squash in half and discard seeds.  Cook the squash face down in a 13x9 pan with about 1/4 inch of water. Bake for approximately 45 minutes at 425°F.  ( I have also cooked my squash in vegetable and chicken broth and those both work well.) 
2. Let the cooked squash cool. Then use a fork and scrape the "spaghetti" into a serving dish.
3. In a frying pan, melt the butter or oil.  Add mushrooms and pepper flakes. After about 2-3 minutes add onions, garlic, salt and pepper, and oregano.  
4. When the onions and garlic are translucent, add tomatoes. Simmer for at least 5 minutes. 
5. Add the raw shrimp.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.  Do not overcook the shrimp, or you'll have rubbery shrimp.  
6. Serve on top of squash. Enjoy!

NOTE - I like to use more garlic, like 3-4 cloves, but I wanted to share the recipe my Dad gave me.  Also, M and I usually don't buy raw shrimp.  Instead, we purchase already cooked shrimp from the fish counter, but still only warm up the cooked shrimp in the last few minutes of cooking.  I cannot stress enough NOT to overcook the shrimp.  

Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan

Martha Stewart has a recipe for Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan, but I made a simpler version for dinner with three Japanese eggplant. 

For this recipe you'll need:
3 Japanese eggplant
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped 
handful of fresh basil, chopped 
at least 1 cup favorite tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste 
about 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 
olive oil
mozzarella cheese
 
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  On a cookie sheet roast eggplant for about 45 minutes, or until soft.  Rotating the eggplant every 15 minutes.

2. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, make a length-wise slit in the eggplant and scoop out the insides. Chop into bite-size pieces.   

3. In a sauté pan, add olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until soft.  Then add eggplant, basil, sauce, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for about 10 minutes. 

4. Stuff the eggplant with the above mixture.   Cover with mozzarella cheese and bake in a glass baking dish until the cheese is melted and brown about 20-30 minutes. 

Italian Sub

Look at this ginormous Italian sub!  Last night M made this grinder with all Boarshead products including: roast beef, Genoa salami, hot capicola, mortadella, and provolone cheese on a soft, fresh French loaf.  He also added olive oil and balsamic vinegar, thinly sliced onions, leaf lettuce, and tomatoes lightly salt and peppered.  We had enough for dinner and lunch.  It was even better today because the flavors had more time to develop. 

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pasta

For this dish you'll need:

1/4 box of pasta
olive oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 cup cream
1 and 1/2 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cream cheese
Salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
1 can peas
2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped 
4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
handful of fresh chopped basil

Directions:

1. Boil your choice of pasta in salted water.  We used angel hair.  Drain and lightly toss is olive oil.

2. Saute 2 cups of sliced mushrooms and onions.  Set aside. 

2. In a separate sauce pan, melt a 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat.  Whisk in cream, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and cream cheese.  Add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.  Add a can of peas, cooked chicken, mushrooms and onions. 

3. Add cooked noodles to the sauce pan and toss to coat.

4. Plate and add crispy, chopped bacon and basil. 

Cooking note - The Parmesan cheese was challenging to melt.  Next time we might use a cheese that melts easier, like Provolone, an Asiago blend, or Gruyere.