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 I'm off work this week and i've spent some of my free time experimenting with Italian foods. It all started the day before Easter standing in a long check out line at the produce market. An old Italian man behind me in line commented on how many people "were buying out the whole store." He pointed out some Feng Shui brand rice crackers and recalled a random story with me about how a prospective buyer wouldn't buy a house he was selling because it didn't have the proper Feng Shui. He was buying two cans of Escarole soup and a ball of cheese. Could canned soup be good enough to stand in such a long line? I had to find out. Needless to say, I made a pot of escarole soup today. I love making soup, I love how you can not use a recipe and just go with your senses and it usually works. My escarole soup was basically a head of leafy escarole, one potato, some chicken thighs and the other typical brothy soup ingredients: bay leaves, water, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, parsley. I boiled the heck out of it and the broth was a rich brown color and fantastic! My next Italian food was some pasta sauce. At the produce store I found some tomatoes in the discount bin: 10 luscious reds for $1.26. I added some hot pancetta, fresh basil, jalapeno, onion, and garlic to make some chunky Arrabiatta sauce. A few years ago my friend M and I went to a cooking class at Pina's Culinary Experience in Roselle. M later went to a sauces class offered there and had a pasta party making this recipe. It's a great sauce that i've made several times since. Served over Pina's favorite noodle: Buccatini (very thick spaghetti noodle with a whole running vertically through the middle) delish! I'll freeze the sauce to save it for a quick weekday meal. The star of my Italian cooking experiences this week has been the Panini Sandwiches! All the comfort of a grilled cheese sandwich but with more sophisticated flavors. I tried to make some Rustic white bread...didn't turn out so well. My breads never turn out quite right (does anyone have any suggestions?) so I settled for store bought Turano bread which is a tried and true panini basic. Here are some combos I tried: - Brie, honey, pecans, raisins, and apple slices
- Gruyere cheese, arrabiatta sauce, basil leaves, and hot pancetta
- Cheddar, turkey, pecans, and cranberry sauce
- Brie, dark chocolate, and basil leaves
Giada, of Food Network fame, made chocolate, brie., and basil panini's on the Oprah show over the holidays. I was reminded of the recipe when I stumbled upon it once again while searching for panini combination ideas on the food network website. There is something sexy about this odd combination that received a 5 star online rating. Cheese and chocolate are sexy foods, Giada is a sexy lady, just had to try it. C and I agreed it was fantastico! Rich flavors of the brie cheese and Lindt Semi sweet chocolate blended well while the fresh taste of the basil cut the sweetness of the chocolate. I have to admit, by the end of today I reached my cooking limit, I washed enough dishes today, tomorrow I think i'll take a break. (Picture of Panini with Chocolate and Basil complements of foodtv.com I've been trying to use more pictures of foods I actually made but C didn't have his camera with him today and I lost mine but regardless hopefully you'll bee seeing more authentic pictures from here on out.)
 This Easter I made lemon sandwich cookies (my cookies shown right. Martha Stewart website picture shown left) and packaged them as Easter treats to give to friends and family. These cookies are so buttery they melt in your mouth. There's a punch of lemon in each bite. I picked up a microplane grater and a 2" round cookie cutter at Sur La Table to zest lemons and to cut the dough into miniature circles. These cookies are worth it but very time consuming; I wouldn't suggest this recipe to a baking novice. A few years ago if I tried this recipe I would've struggled with rolling out the dough, given up and settled by rolling the dough into balls before baking. Not before giving the recipe a poor online rating. Knowing what I now know from my baking experiences, I knew some tricks to make the recipe work: chilling the dough to prevent sticky, fragile dough; letting the refrigerated dough slightly warm back up outside of the refrigerator before rolling it out to prevent crumbling; to ensure dough didn't stick to the rolling pin I rolled out the dough between sheets of parchment paper; picking up the cut dough circulars using a metal spatula to place on the cookie sheets; placing parchment paper on the cookie sheets to prevent sticking to the cookie sheets and overly browned bottoms; and finally taking the cookies out of the oven when they still look blonde and slightly doughy to prevent overly crispy cookies. Parchment paper is a baker's best friend, it prevents so many potential baking mishaps! It saved this recipe. Parchment paper is not to be confused with wax paper. While wax paper looks similar and is cheaper, wax paper burns in the oven and there will be a waxy residue left on your baked goods. Spend the money on a roll of parchment, it will save your cookies and will make clean up easy! Each batch didn't make many cookies (claims to make 3 dozen but since they are bite sized cookies, 3 dozen doesn't go a long way) so I doubled the recipe. I bought a large bag of 5-6 lemons from Trader Joe's but still needed more zest so I improvised. I made a batch of dough without lemon zest and instead of adding lemon flavor to the cream filling I added strawberry jam. A funny thing happened to the strawberry sandwich cookies, they flattened out in the oven (see two stacked cookies outside of the bag shown to the right in the picture.) They tasted heavenly but I was surprised that such a small tweak to the recipe such as excluding lemon zest could change the composition of the dough. And who said baking wasn't a science? I'd love to experiment with the dough in the future and make the strawberry sandwich cookies my own signature recipe. Lemon Cookie Recipe can be found on Martha Stewart's website. 
Makes 3 dozen - 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (I used 2 lemons to get 1 T. zest)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for sprinkling
- Creamy Lemon Filling
- 1 package (4 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (I used 2 lemons to get 1 T. zest)
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Creamy Lemon Filling Directions - In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and zest until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup confectioners' sugar, mixing until smooth. Mix in remaining sugar as necessary to create a firm but spreadable filling.
Lemon Sandwich Cookie Directions - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add flour (dough will still be stiff); finish mixing with a wooden spoon.
- Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour (and up to 3 days).
- Unwrap dough; place on a lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough about 1/8 inch thick (if dough cracks, let it warm up slightly).
- Cut out cookies with a 1 1/2-inch round cutter (reroll scraps once, chilling of too soft). Place 1 inch apart on two baking sheets; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until barely beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Form sandwiches: Place about 1 teaspoon Creamy Lemon Filling between two cookies, sugared sides facing out; squeeze gently.
 Looking to get your 5 a day? Guacamole is where it's at. Filled with the healthy omega fats in avocadoes and the cancer fighting lycopenes in tomatoes, this dip does the body good. I've noticed that even those that don't ordinarily like veggies seem to love the fresh flavors in guacamole as well. If you don't like guacamole, it might be because you've only tried the store bought varieties; consistency of green baby food, filled with sourcream to keep the price down. Storebought guac contains so little avocado that one woman has sued Kraft foods challenging the right to even consider their dip guacamole but instead suggest it should be called, " Guacamole flavored dip." Guacamole is the perfect summer food. I know a bowl of tortilla chips, guacamole, and a good margarita on the back patio is a sure fire way to make my Mom happy on hot summer days. To make this dip all you need to know how to do is chop veggies, no cooking involved. If you own a food processor you don't even need to know how to chop. Cuisinart and Kitchen Aid food processors are the two highest rated brands according to America's Test Kitchen. I would recommend getting one no smaller than 7-cup capacity. A word of advice, make guacamole no more than an hour or so before serving to ensure the avocadoes keep their bright green color and to ensure the juices from the tomatoes don't run. To ensure ripe avocadoes, buy them when they are hard and ripen on your counter about 2 days until flesh is slightly soft when pressed. At this point if you aren't going to use the avocado right away, store in your refrigerator to preserve firmness and taste for up to a week before use. Serves 6 (generously) 4 avocadoes, (Cut in half, scoop out pit. With a knife cut a grid of small squares through the flesh of the avocado. Scoop out the flesh.)
2 large tomatoes, chopped
Handful of cilantro, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped (If you don't like intense onion flavor, soak chopped onion in water for about 30 minutes to subtle the flavor)
1-2 limes, juiced
Kosher or Sea Salt, to taste about 1 tsp. Ground pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes or 1/4-1/2 jalapeno, to taste Mix ingredients together in a bowl, I prefer to keep the avocado nice looking by keeping it in little cubes instead of smashing into green paste. Serve with tortilla chips. Here's a little song to help you remember the basic recipe for..... Guacamole! Hey!(Picture provided by 3 zesty lemons blog)
 Today my family got together to celebrate my Mom's birthday. My big sister prepared a Mediterranean meal inspired by the cuisine she encountered living in Istanbul: cucumber, tomato, and onion salad, eggplant stuffed with feta and lamb, and Turkish rice. I was bringing dessert. I needed to make something quick because I was going to be spending my day helping Christopher paint his living room before the celebration. One of my Mom's favorite life philosophies is "keep it simple." She truly feels many of the best things in life are the simplest and she lives by these words. Given the time crunch I was under, I borrowed this concept when choosing a dessert. If there are two desserts that are almost as simple as making a boxed cake mix they are cheesecake and flourless chocolate cake. Labor intensive sweet treats are no competition for either of these one bowl classics. Trust me i've tried, and these classics always win. Flourless chocolate cake is the all time most requested recipe on Bon Appetit magazine's website and is one step easier than cheesecake since there's no graham cracker crust to be made. The recipe is only 4 ingredients long, one of which is optional which makes this recipe easy on the wallet which is something everyone is conscious of these days. If don't know your way around the kitchen and want to bring something to a party that everyone will rave about, flourless chocolate cake is the recipe for you. If you only learn to make one dessert, this should be the one. In fact it's so easy I memorized the recipe, there's nothing to it. The following recipe is for America's test Kitchen Ultimate Flourless Chocolate cake (I forgot to take a picture but I borrowed one from another site.) 1 pound semi sweet chocolate 2 sticks unsalted butter 1/4 c. strongly brewed coffee 8 eggs -Preheat oven, to 325 degrees. Adjust rack to lower middle position. -Crack 8 eggs and place them in a electric mixer. Mix at medium speed for 5 minutes until mixture becomes very frothy. -Take two 8 oz boxes of semi sweet (sweetened) chocolate, unwrap the squares and break them apart and put them into a microwaveable bowl. Microwave the squares in 20 second increments stirring in between until almost melted. Add two sticks of butter cut into 1" pieces and continue microwaving process until melted. Add 1/4 c. strongly brewed coffee (I have instant granules in my pantry so I can quickly add coffee to recipes,) stir. Coffee is an optional ingredient but adds depth to the chocolaty taste in most recipes. Slowly fold in egg mixture until throughly combined. -Put mixture into an 8" springform pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and has parchment paper lining the bottom. Cover the entire outside of the pan with foil and place 8" pan into a larger leak proof pan. -Microwave about 2 cups of water until boiling and pour into the sides of the larger pan half way up the sides (exactly half way is key!) being careful not to get the 8" cake pan filled with batter wet. -Bake 22-25 minutes until the middle of the cake registers at 140 degrees and the edges of the cake have a brownie like consistency (middle will look undercooked but will firm up during cooling process.) -Let cake cool. For best results refrigerate overnight. Unmold cake, sprinkle with cocoa powder or powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit garnish.
 On Friday Christopher and I got together with some friends to cook an Eastern Indian feast and to watch Slum Dog Millionaire for the first time. We made two types of Naan, Samosas, Chicken Tikka Masala, Indian Spiced Rice Pilaf with Dates and Parsley, and Mango Lassis. I used recipes from the Spring Entertaining edition of Cook's Illustrated Magazine. The flavors were fantastic but the food was Americanized in many ways. For example the Samosas had a beef filling. Due to the sacred status of cows to many Hindus, a more traditional filling would've been lamb or potato and peas. Also Cook's Illustrated noted that Tikka Masala is the most popular Indian dish at Indian restaurants in America (the spaghetti of Indian food if you will) but is not traditionally served in India. Every recipe, except the rice, contained yogurt; a common ingredient in Indian dishes. With the rise of Eastern Indians moving to the U.S., I wonder if Indian cuisine will ever catch on and be adapted to the American palate as much as Mexican food has been. In the International Foods aisle at Meijer food stores there is a "Hispanic" section filled with authentic items and a "Mexican" section filled with Taco Bell and Old El Paso items. Who knows, in the next few years perhaps Pillsbury will sell canned Naan next to canned croissants and Stouffer's will sell a frozen family sized Tikka Masala next to lasagna. The verdict is still out as to whether or not that would be a good or bad thing: sacrificing quality and flavor to bring a less exotic cuisine version of this cuisine to the palate of the American masses. To be honest, I've only eaten Indian food a handful of times and this was my first time making Indian food from scratch. Feel free to leave a comment naming your favorite dish to order at an Indian restaurant. You don't need to create an account to leave a comment either, that's the great thing about blogger.com!
 Friday nights are perfect for pizza; such a comforting food after a long week....with a glass of wine. Here are some of my favorite pizzas: Best Value: Little Caesar's $7 Large 1-topping Pan pizza deal! At the end of a long week, this value pizza makes the world right. Best Frozen Pizza: Palmero's Primo Thin, Supreme. Palermo's packs a lot of taste into each cardboard box. Low calorie compared to other frozen brands. Best way to cook a pizza: Making a frozen pizza on a Presto Pizza Pizzaz can make an ordinary frozen pizza extraordinary (this gadget is no gimmick). If I'm making homemade pizza baking on a hot pizza stone makes the crust amazingly crisp. Best Homemade Pizza toppings: Blanco (spinach and goat cheese) Pizza Fantasy: Visiting the Original Home Run Inn Restaurant (Yes, the frozen Home Run Inn pizza is double the calories of your average pizza), but if their frozen pizza is that good, I can only fantasize about how good the pizza is at the actual Home Run Inn restaurant! Someday I will go there, field trip anyone?
 Since my last post i've made some great recipes: Cooking Light's Spinach artichoke dip, Irish soda bread muffins, zucchini fritters, blackened fish sandwiches on homemade buttermilk biscuits with cilantro lime mayo, chocolate peanut butter pie, and experimented with two sugar cookie recipes to make one similar to the Loft house brand at the grocery store (without the chemical taste). Lately i've been craving a favorite recipe called Bops from the America's Best Lost Recipes cookbook. Bops date back to the 1800's and are as simple to make as pancake but waaaaay more memorable for your taste buds. A bop is the texture of a crepe with the thickness of a pancake, the picture doesn't do this breakfast food justice. You will need 3 pie plates since they're baked however don't let that deter you from the recipe since you can get some aluminum pie plates at the dollar store and wash and reuse. Bops are perfect for Saturday mornings and since they contain 3 eggs, they also contain plenty of protein to start your day. Bops Recipe: serves 4 3 large eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups milk 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 tsp salt 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1.) Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease three 9-inch pie plates. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat the eggs in a large bowl until pale and thick, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and mix on the lowest speed until just combined. Add the milk, oil, and salt and mix until incorporated (the batter will be thin). 2.) Add 1 cup batter to each of the prepared pie plates and bake, switching the plate positions halfway through baking, until puffed and browned, about 25 minutes. 3.) Cool the pancakes until warm (they will collapse as they cool). Place one pancake on a serving plate and spread with 1 tablespoon of the softened butter. Spread the remaining two pancakes with the remaining butter in the same manner, then stack the pancakes, butter-side up, on top of one another. C ut into wedges. Serve with lots of maple syrup!
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