Pasta Amatriciana

We hit an eight year old benchmark this weekend. This little boy of mine was baptized. See that giant cookie shield with the CTR? CTR stands for "Choose the Right." Unless you ask my pesty brother, Roy. He'll tell you that it means "Cook the Rice." "Choose the Right" or "Cook the Rice." You can't lose. We took exactly 793.26 pictures. West with a cookie. West on the piano. West eating breakfast. West brushing his teeth. West taking out the trash. We couldn't help ourselves. I promise not to show you all of them. But, here are a few of my favorites. This is West with soon-to-be-eight years old cousin, Reeve. They look solemn, sane, and very holy in this picture. This is how they looked a few hours later. Wild, wacky, and totally normal. For eight year old, boys that is. Here's West with his Dad and my Dad. All in navy blue sportscoats. My handsome boys.Here is the Bishop with West and his neighborhood buddy, Aidan, who also got baptized that day. The Bishop is the one that made that giant cookie shield above. Needless to say, he's enormously popular with the recently-baptized crowd.

Here is one last shot of West, with those who know him best. He drives us crazy. He makes us laugh. He suprises us with his little acts of kindness. He stays up too late. He's impossible to wake up. He has a noisy voice. He goes crazy for his baby cousins. He wants to be a Jedi and a doctor when he grows up. We love him.

Now this past busy week was a true test of my fast dinner repertoire. I wanted to pick up quesadillas at Del Taco, I really did. But I also knew that next week, while we're on vacation, we'll be eating out nightly. I didn't think I could handle that for two weeks in a row, so I kicked it into gear and made dinner, chop-chop. I'm compiling a list of my favorite 30 minute dinners that don't require a trip to the grocery store. This baby is one of them. "Amatriciana" is a rich, smoky bacon and tomato sauce that is simply luscious over pasta. It's even better the next day, so plan on having leftovers for lunch. You've got time to make it for dinner tonight. Put your water on to boil before you start the sauce and you'll be eating dinner faster than you can say "Choose the Right." Or "Cook the Rice." Either way, you can' t lose.

Pasta Amatriciana

Estimated Cost: $7.00 for 6 large servings

Money Saving Tips: Check the price of bacon at the butcher counter; it might even be cheaper than bacon on sale. If you can't find a good price on bacon, the sauce is just as delicious-albeit not smoky-without it. When you do find a good price on bacon, buy a few pounds and pop them into the freezer.

1 lb. pasta (I used farfalle)

6-8 slices of bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 (14 ounce) cans of petite diced tomatoes, with juices

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

pinch of brown sugar

Optional for serving: grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley or basil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta. Cook according to package directions and keep warm. In a large skillet, cook diced bacon until cooked and crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel with a slotted spoon. To same skillet with bacon fat, add onion and cook until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for thirty seconds. Add diced tomatoes with juices, pepper flakes, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss pasta with sauce and sprinkle the bacon over the top. Serve with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, if desired.

Next Up:

Where Winter and Spring Merge Spinach Salad

Italian Tomato and Basil Steaks in the Crockpot

I was bemoaning the lack of fall in the southwest, but now I am celebrating its abundance in the northeast. Sailor, West, and I landed in Rochester, New York early Wednesday morning. I am struck, dumb-founded, twitter-painted by all the beauty. You don't have to look hard or drive far away. It is in the backyard, across the street, growing just beyond the parking lot. Today we are heading out on a packet boat for an afternoon fall foliage tour of the Erie Canal. All of this beauty has a time limit. Frost said that nothing gold can stay. I know that one violent gust of wind will steal away all of my lovely leaf friends. I'm heading outside while I can. In the meantime, here's a savory fall recipe to share on the wake of Cookie Bookie. (If you missed any Cookie Bookie, scroll down and lick your lips.) I've got a luscious, tender beef recipe in a sumptuos tomato and basil gravy. Pour it over mashed potatoes, polenta, or buttered noodles. It will warm the soul after a chilly afternoon looking at the winsome wonders of my favorite season.

Money saving tips: Use a very economical cut of steak, since it's going to get tender in the crockpot. Don't waste your money on anything for the grill. Choose skillet or braising cuts of beet.

Italian Tomato and Basil Steaks in the Slowcooker

Estimated Cost: $5.00

1 lb. steaks-any economical cut since it will be made tender in the crockpot

1/2 medium onion, finely minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 and 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons dried basil, or 1 tablespoon fresh

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1/3 cup whipping cream mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in the slowcooker, EXCEPT cream and cornstarch. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until tender. Stir in cream and cornstarch and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve over pasta, mashed potatoes, or polenta.

Try the steaks over these buttered noodles. Toss a pound of campanelle with a couple tablespoons of browned butter, chopped basil, and salt and pepper.

Next Up:

Mini Freeform Meatloaves

Farewell to Summer with Easy Pasta Pommodoro

I'm frantically racing through the day with a kajillion things to do (what's new?), but I had to take a minute to post. Did you know that tonight is the Harvest Moon and also the Autumn Equinox? Don't miss it! The moon should be golden ball of butter tonight, melting away with the last of summer. Good-bye ice cream cone days. Hello pumpkin pie evenings. I've got a perfect recipe to share for this last night of summer: Easy Pasta Pommodoro. I found this little gem on the back of an Albertson's pasta box. It took me about 20 minutes to pull off the whole dish-perfect for busy nights. If you use the last of your garden tomatoes and basil, it'll cost you almost nothing. And it's marvelous. Just like tonight's sky. I'll be gazing at the moon in my little corner of the world. And it the moon is really made out of cheese, I hope it's parmesan because it'll go great with your pasta.

Money Saving Tips:

Use your bumpy, irregular tomatoes for this recipe. Just chop them up and throw them in; no one will ever know. Sub in 1 teaspoon of dried basil if you don't have fresh.

Easy Pasta Pommodoro

Estimated Cost: $5.00 for 6-8 servings

16 ounces angel hair pasta

1/4 cup olive oil (or use half oil, half butter)

4 cups chopped tomatoes (unpeeled)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 and 1/2 tablespoons garlic

1 and 1/2 cups tomato juice

1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

parmesan cheese, for serving

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a separate skillet, heat olive oil. Add tomatoes, basil, and garlic; cook for five minutes. Add tomato juice and simmer for five minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over hot pasta with parmesan cheese.

Up Next:

Fall Kick-Off Dinner

Stay Tuned for Cookie Bookie Week in early October

PS Hey Miguel, it's Friday! Where's my comment?

Late Summer Garden Harvest Dinner

Did you have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend? We spent the weekend with my youngest sister Mary Kate, her husband Adam, and their five children. Also present were my parents, and my sister Heidi and husband Mikey, with their four children. All in all, there were 8 adults and 11 kids. The little girls spent the weekend putting on a production of the musical, Annie. They all took turns playing the part of Annie, in democratic style. By the way, I was cast as Miss Lily St. Regis with my Quiet Man as Rooster Hannigan. He surprised me by hamming it up more than just a little bit. And me, well, I didn't take three years of high school acting for nothin'. Thanks, Mr. Byers, you taught me everything I know.

As for the little boys, they spent the weekend collecting sticks and rocks, wrestling, and trying to heckle the Annie actresses.

Ah, it was a great weekend. I think I could put on a play every weekend, provided I was just given Monday off. Pretty please. A looong break makes the week much easier to face.

Speaking of long breaks, our garden is just about to take a hiatus until next spring. I'm going to miss my backyard bounty, especially those juicy red tomatoes, the golden corn, and the crisp green beans. Last week, I fixed a dinner of all of my favorite summer garden vegetables. It's not a farewell, not quite yet, but you can tell it's coming. Here's what we had:

Avocado and Tomato Salad with Lime Drizzle

Buttered Corn on the Cob

Green Beans and Red Potatoes in Cream

Roasted Tomatoes with Breadcrumbs and Olive Oil

If you're feeling really ambitious, a nice crisp or cobbler would be ideal for dessert. Especially with your last batch of homemade ice cream.

Money Saving Tips: Use what you've got from the garden, or hit up the farmer's market. You can use any variety of tomatoes, even cherry or grape. Just shorten the cooking time. Use other thin skinned potatoes, if red are expensive this week.

Tomato and Avocado Salad with Lime Drizzle

Estimated Cost: $3.50 for four servings

1 small avocado, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

juice of one lime

2 teaspoons olive oil

Layer avocado, tomato, and cilantro on plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lime juice and olive oil.

Grandma Darland's Red Potatoes and Green Beans

Estimated Cost: $3.00 for 4 servings

2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 lb. green beans, cut into one inch pieces

1/2-3/4 cup cream of half and half

Place potatoes in cold water in a large pot. Salt water. Bring to a boil. Cook for about eight minutes, or until potatoes are almost tender. Add green beans and cook until just tender and bright green. Drain well. Return to pot. Add cream, mashing a few potatoes with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roasted Tomatoes with Bread Crumbs and Olive Oil

Estimated Cost: $3.00 for 4 servings

4 red ripe tomatoes, halved

olive oil, for drizzling

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (made from 1-2 pieces of bread)

1 clove minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 4000 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 25 minutes. In a small bowl, combine crumbs, garlic, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake an additional ten minutees, or until crumbs are toasted.

Next Up:

Peanut Butter and Honey Popcorn

The Essence of Summer Sandwiches

Post Edit: I made one of these for my little sister Heidi-and she says it's her new favorite food in the world. How's that for an endorsement? When it is hot and the days are long....

When it is hot and the days are long and the kids are bored and sweaty....

When it is hot and the days are long and the kids are bored and sweaty, and the air is so heavy that even my brain is working on slow motion.....I don't feel much like cooking.

Except I always want this...

And this..

And this, too.

It's easy-it's got to be or I wouldn't make it right now.

It's delicious-it's got to be or I wouldn't make it right now.

It's fast-it's got to be or I wouldn't make it right now.

It's cheap (about $5 for the whole thing; cheaper if you've got a garden)-or I wouldn't make it ever. (Well, maybe once in a while.)

You should make it too, since it tastes like the long, hot summer. (In the best kind of way.)
Make some basil mayonnaise by chopping up handfulls of fresh basil and combining it with mayo (or Greek yogurt) and minced garlic. Spread it on wheat French bread.

Top it with sliced garden tomatoes, mozzarella (fresh-if it's on sale), and baby greens. (Add a little ham if you have those kind of people around who don't believe that it can be dinner without it. I married one of those people, but he hasn't suffered. Much.) Put it on a plate (paper, please!) and go sit on the patio. When you get hot, come back in and make another sandwich. The end. Next Up:

Cubed Steak Parmesan from Food on the Table

Zucchini Pancakes with Tomato-Onion Salad

We're leaving on vacation tomorrow. I'm grading term papers, packing suitcases, making phonecalls, running loads of laundry, supervising violin practices, and generally trying to wrap up a couple of week's worth of responsibilities in advance. I am still in my running clothes. I have not run, but I think I should get a little credit just for my hopefulness, don't you? Just putting on a sportsbra should be worth a couple of hundred calories.

My sister, in the middle of a move to California, rolled into to town last night. She'll be housesitting for us while her husband is househunting for her. It's a convenient arrangement, except for I don't feel like leaving when my sister is here. Across the street, at my parent's house, I have two other sisters and their families. Suddenly, staying home sounds very enticing. I don't want to miss out on any of the laughs. I'll bet there will be a few laughs where we're headed-more info on that to come.

I haven't done any grocery shopping this week, in anticipation of leaving. We're using up what we've got and living off pantry staples and our vegetable garden. These are ideal conditions for my very favorite zucchini recipe. This is it. I love the cakes, the cookies, the breads, the terrines, the gratines, the quesadillas-but this is my favorite.

Zucchini pancakes are a summer variation on potato latkes, really. There's just a hint of zucchini flavor, so even people like the Quiet Man, who really don't care for zucchini will clamor for seconds. On a summer night, with perfect salad of lemon, red onion and tomato, zucchini pancakes are just the ticket. And speaking of tickets, I'd better get packing for our trip.

Zucchini Pancakes

Estimated Cost: $3.00 for four servings with tomato salad-or almost free, if you've got a garden.

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/4 cup grated onion

1/2 cup flour, plus more if needed

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

pinch of cayenne, if desired

butter, for the fry pan

Combine all ingredients. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Cook pancakes in melted butter until browned on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with sour cream and tomato salad.

Tomato-Onion Salad

1 large red ripe tomato

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

S and P, to taste

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and serve with zucchini pancakes.

Next Up:

Banana Cake Lots of Ways

Food, Fun, and Family in Italy

Last year, on this very day, I was here.

Italy. The mother country. And I was with my best peeps. My Dad generously planned a trip for all of my 10 siblings and spouses through Europe. I missed the charges terribly, but I was in Italy, for pete's sake, so I tried not to weep....often. Especially since I was having the time of my life. I plan to make it up to the charges by taking them to Europe, just as soon as I become fabulously wealthy. Still waiting. It might be a long time.

But back to Italy. The first day just happened to be my little brother Roy's birthday. Roy is two years younger than me, is a succesful businessman and has a lovely home, a beautiful wife and five smart children. He is intelligent, thoughtful, and respected wherever he goes. It's all true. But to those of us who know him well, he's a doggone snarky little pest. Once he glued my sister's make-up to the counter, just for fun. He also hid a mannequin under the covers of an unsuspecting sister's bed. And once when I was taking a nap by the pool, he put a pot over my head and rang it with a ladle. He would do it again, if he was ever lucky enough to catch me napping. Despite his inner peskiness, on the surface he is rather shy, which sometimes gives people the mistaken idea that he is saintly. Don't be lured in, or you could be the next victim.

And I know a secret about Roy. He hates to have happy birthday sung to him. He squirms and blushes with a brittle smile plastered on his face. That's precisely why I LOVE to sing Happy Birthday to him. You can't imagine how eager I was to spend Roy's birthday with the whole gang. That evening, we gathered at an amazing restaurant (Ambasciata d'Abruzzo) and ate our way through roasted eggplant, prosciutto, fresh ricotta cheese, pasta, and more. After dinner, the head waiter brought out a blackberry jam tart for Roy. Finally the big moment had arrived. As we sang Happy Birthday, Roy put on his painfully pleasant smile. We all giggled and enjoyed his discomfort. Roy was a good sport, but he was clearly glad to get this birthday business over with. But then, just as the song was ending, some Scandinavian revelers from another party caught wind of our singing. They were soused, completely drunk and having a gay old time. They came over and surrounded Roy, singing and dancing, with their arms draped around him. The men toussled his hair and the women kissed him on the cheeks with their warm garlic and alcohol breath. Roy was in beet-red agony, but he kept his frozen smile. And I sat in the corner doubled over, with tears streaming down my cheek, unable to even snap a photograph.

Ha, Ha, Ha Roy. And Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Roy. Happy Birthday to you. And many, many more.

And here's my favorite sausage and tomato pasta sauce to share a little bit of Italy with all of my dear readers. And when you make it, please think of my brother Roy and wish him a happy birthday in your heart. A very loud and cheery happy birthday, just to make him blush.

Italian Tomato and Sausage sauce

Estimated Cost: $6.00 for about 6 cups

1 lb. Italian sausage, (a combo of hot and sweet is best)

1 large onion, minced

3 cloves minced garlic

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley, optional

In a large pot, cook sausage over medium heat breaking up with back of spoon, until almost cooked through. Add onion to pan and cook for five minutes longer, or until onion is softened and sausage is cooked. Stir in tomatoes, flakes, and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least twenty minutes, and up to an hour. (It's even better if you make it a day or two ahead.) Remove from heat and stir in basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with pasta and lots of parm, of course.

Next Up:

Golden Delicious Apple Crisp

Make Your Own Marinara...plus what to do with it

Help! I'm falling victim to the annual attack of the killer tomatoes. And more are coming by the minute. There's only one way out of this overabundanance that I've created: namely, elbow grease. Roll up your sleeves and let's make some marinara. And this is the real stuff, kiddos, like you get in Italy. The ingredients are very simple to let the taste of the summer tomatoes shine through.

First of all, you'll need to peel the tomatoes, a simple but slightly messy procedure. Slice a small X into the bottom of your tomatoes.Drop them in boiling water for about thirty seconds. When cool enough to handle peel back the skin. Easy enough.

For marinara, I'll use any variety of tomatoes. Obviously, some less juicy tomatoes are better for cooking, but don't let that stop you. After you peel the tomatoes, if they are extremely seedy and juicy, just squeeze them over the sink to get out as much of the juice as you can.

Simple Marinara

(makes about 2 quarts)

1/4 cup good quality olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 large cloves garlic, minced

6 lbs. peeled tomato, about 20 tomatoes

generous pinch red pepper flakes

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

2-5 oregano leaves

1-2 teaspoons brown sugar

about 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper

6 ounce can tomato paste, optional

Heat oil in large heavy pot. Add onion and saute for about five minutes, until softened. Add garlic and saute for thirty secons. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, basil, and oregano. Mash down tomatoes with potato masher. Simmer for about one hour, or until tomatoes are broken down and not too juicy. (If needed, cook longer to get rid of more juices.) I use my immersion blender at this point to make a smooth sauce. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can transfer the sauce in batches to a blender. (If the sauce is not thick enough at this point, add in some or all of the tomato paste.) Taste and adjust the sauce for sweetness and add the brown sugar, salt and pepper. At this point you can process your sauce for canning OR freeze it in heavy duty zip top bags.
Now cook up some pasta and some sausage and you've got a nice dinner.

In a couple of nights you can make some garden vegetable soup. Click here for my recipe. (Use 1 and 1/2 cup marinara instead of the canned diced tomatoes.)

Or, if you've had another attack from your garden, you can make Summer Squash Parmigiano, which I absolutely adore. (You can use chicken cutlets instead of squash, but where's the fun is that?)

Dredge sliced squash in flour.

Dip in egg thinned with a little water.

Roll in breadcrumbs mixed with a little parmesan and dried basil. (If you can let it sit for about 30 minutes; the crumbs will adhere better. Even still, I almost never wait. Too busy.)

Lightly fry in some olive oil.

Place in a 9 by 13 dish with some of your yummy marinara.

Cover with basil, parmesan, mozzarella, and bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly, and utterly irresistible. Oh, yummy. Now get to work.

Be back tomorrow with Whole Wheat Banana Muffins