Back Peddling with Cauliflower

Yes its cauliflower

Ok so I am feeling bad about the cake. The fella is on a strict diet to make weight for work. So, he definitely isn't eating any of the cake which means I ate his portion for him. This is usually the case when he has to go on diets like this. I pick up his slack in the eating category. Alas, there is always cauliflower and a Mark Bittman recipe to help you back peddle into your Seven jeans. 

In Bittman's book How to Cook Everything he has a lovely recipe, cauliflower roman style. Its simple, its delicious, and totally satisfying. I'll be the first to admit cauliflower is not on my food shopping radar, and certainly not my go to vegetable for dinner. And I would really rather not eat it raw. I just feel better about eating green veggies. That being said this is really good (and good for you) and you all should give it a try. 

1 head cauliflower cut into florets

2 tablespoons chopped parsley 

1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 a lemon
Makes 4 servings

In a sauté pan heat up the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes

Cut up the cauliflower into florets

Chop up some parsley and half a lemon 

After steaming the cauliflower add it to the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Add the lemon juice and top it off with the parsley. 

Give it a stir to make sure every little bit is coated with flavor

Grab a fork and dig in .

This could be used as a side dish or just eaten alone, either way it is incredibly filling. Which is great (no room for dessert). The simple flavor of just the cauliflower and olive oil is absolutely delicious God, I love olive oil! I have also noticed that when it comes to all the entries I've posted it would seem that I am a vegetarian, which is the furthest thing from the truth. Where is the meat? So, for dinner tonight I am making roasted chicken, and I will have that little meat baby posted in two shakes of a lambs tail!

A Tasty Cake, From the Back of a Box

Having a broken ankle and cabin fever I am headed on a downward spiral of packing on the pounds! So why not scour the cupboard to gather the findings to make a cheap, fat filled cake. This morning I woke up with a hankering for something sweet. Unwisely, I decided to pass up the Honey Nut Cheerios and go for an entire cake. After a hunt through my supplies to see if I could whip up something quickly to satisfy my craving, I happened upon this pumpkin spice quick bread with a tasty cake recipe written on the bottom of the box. Pumpkin swirl snack cake. Boo ya! I'm in biz. Though I think it should be called pumpkin swirl fat cake. It took no time at all, one step closer to over eaters anonymous.....

Other than the contents of the box you will need:

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 water 

8oz. cream cheese 

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350

Combine bread mix, 2 eggs, water and oil mix until just combined. 

In an electric mixer comine the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla. Mix until combined and creamy.

Place heaping spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture all over the cake. Then of course lick the beater and the bowl!

Take a knife and make big swirls in the batter 

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Its done when a toothpick comes out clean. 

And there you have it. Cut yourself a nice big slice grab a fork and settle into your extra 5 pounds.  I much prefer this Krusteaz brand over say Pillsbury mixes. Yes, the ingredient list is still long but I think they have far less crap in the mix. That is, when a craving strikes so fast you don't have the time to make it from scratch. Now I have to find somebody to give this to before I eat the whole thing myself!

A Winter Salad.

When I was little I loved brussels sprouts. I would get home from school and devour those mini microwaveable boxes of brussels sprouts coated in butter. Though not my choice method of cooking them now, I still love them and would probably eat them everyday if I could get my picky fella to jump on the bandwagon. So, flipping through Food and Wine magazine I found "The Purist Salad" roasted brussels sprouts with cabbage and pine nuts. I gave it a try with a few substitutions and omissions. I had most things on hand except for Dijon mustard and unfortunately the pine nuts. Since I broke my ankle in october, running to the store to grab a few things isn't so easy on one foot. So I let the pine nuts slide, and substituted the dijon for spicy brown. So here we go!

1/2 cup pine nuts
1 pound brussels sprouts, quartered
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon pure chili powder, such as ancho
1 1/2 pounds red cabbage, very thinly sliced (6 cups)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 ounce Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese, thinly shaved

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Spread the pine nuts in a pie plate and toast for about 3 minutes, until golden brown. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the brussels sprouts with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the brussels sprouts are lightly caramelized and tender.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the honey, mustard, cayenne, and chili powder. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the toasted pine nuts and cranberries. In a small skillet, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until golden, about 1 minute. Scrape the garlic and hot oil over the cabbage. Add the brussels sprouts and toss, then add the dressing and toss again. Scatter the cheese shavings over the top and serve right away. 

 

This was a tasty change of pace from the typical salads I usually make, and the toasted garlic adds a nice depth of flavor. A nice light lunch to keep those new year resolutions in check, and you could definitely use less oil to drop the calorie count. I had it for dinner too, I think you get way more than 4 servings outta this puppy. Oh, and you all might be pleased to know that according to Food and Wine magazine, cabbage and brussels sprouts are among the top 15 fruits and vegetables with the least pesticide residue. Sounds good to me. Bring on the veggies!

Some little fella is trying to snag a bite of my lunch!

This is one of our dogs, Bo and he sure does like his mama's cooking! For dinner last night I made broiled lemon chicken, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, gravy and gorgonzola cheese bread. Most meals I make a bit extra to have left overs, usually on purpose to eat for lunch the next day. Today, Bo thought I'd heated up this tasty treat for him. To his dismay I gobbled up the whole thing myself. Though I did give him a tiny taste of chicken, the icky tendon part nobody wants to eat but a dog. Bo and Lulu (a dachshund that only reaches Bo's ankle) always get the food in the fridge thats been hanging around a day too long. I'd say they are pretty spoiled! 

You'll see much more of our dog children in the many posts to come. Yes....he is sticking his tongue out and it's like that 95% of the time. He's so cute. Stay tuned.... I am going to test out a recipe from Food and Wine magazine. Hopefully it turns out??

A Freezing Sunday Calls for a Warm Winter Meal

I'm not sure what temperatures you all have had to deal with recently but up in my neck of the woods it's absolutely freezing. Or should I say much below freezing -3 to be exact, with a balmy low of -22! On days I can't feel my toes I love to curl up with a nice big bowl (or three) of something filling and cozy. This recipe doesn't require too much hands on time, so you can get back under the warmth of your blanket with a hot, tasty meal in no time.

 All you need is:
1 Butternut squash peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 Can chickpeas
3 Tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsely
Olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Brave the kitchen and peel and chop the butternut squash. Throw it onto a cookie sheet then give it a douse of olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Yes, garlic powder, not the real thing. It seems like a cheap short cut but I love the stuff. It has great flavor and works wonders on just about anything. Make sure all the squash is coated and bake it in the oven on 375 for about 30-40 minutes. You'll know when they're done when you can pierce them easily with a fork, like potatoes.
Hop back under your blanket for the next twenty minutes and let those babies cook. When you have about 10 minutes before the squash is done drain your chickpeas and heat them in a sauté pan with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, just till they are heated through. Of course add salt and pepper to them. Chop up some parsley and pull your squash out of the oven.  Grab a big bowl and combine all of your hot, toasty ingredients.

FYI..... And a very simple tomato sauce

Before throwing my food ideas out into the internet world I asked around for some feed back for the name I chose. Lets just say I did not get rave reviews and often times a misunderstanding of the word gastronomic. No, it has nothing to do with gastrointestinal.  So, being totally unwilling to compromise the name I found to be perfect, I just wanted to take a moment and clear a few things up before I repel people with such an unpleasant sounding word.
Gastronomic: noun The practice or art of choosing, cooking, and eating good food.
 And just to define for you one of the words that describes me best...
Glutton: noun An excessively greedy eater. A person who is excessively fond of or always eager for something.
OK! Now that I've cleared that up, lets get on with the food portion of this post! I may make people a slight bit peeved at my next comment, but I'm just gonna go ahead and say it..... I despise jarred pasta sauce. Ragu, Prego, Bertolli these premixed, prepackaged concoctions are mediocre at best. Don't get me wrong I know this is a crazy world we live in. People are too busy to eat let alone spend an hour making dinner for their families. Before, you mark this blog as "do not read ever again," let me make my point. Cooking doesn't have to be an episode of Top Chef. Most people these days are eating pre-packaged pre-cooked meals, and it doesn't need to be that way. Simple, healthful dinners can be only steps away.  Take a gander at this 3 ingredient sauce that takes as much time to make as it does to heat up a jar of Ragu!

 For this recipe you will only need:
1- 28oz can of crushed tomatoes. I usually use Cento or any Italian tomatoes like the ones pictures above (they just taste better.)
5 cloves of garlic minced
Extra virgin olive oil and of course salt and pepper and red pepper flakes, if you feel so inclined.
To save time, if you need to, start by boiling your water and make sure you salt it till it tastes like the ocean. Turn your burner to just about medium and heat up some oil and throw in your garlic. You don't want to brown the garlic, just soften it and infuse the oil, so keep the heat gentle.

 Next, add in the tomatoes and add a good pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper, and the red pepper flakes if you like it spicy, about 2 teaspoons. Bump up the heat now to medium, medium-high and let that baby cook down and lose the raw tomato taste. Of course the longer it cooks the better it will be, but a good 15 minutes will make it fabulous.

 Toss in your cooked pasta and stir it up. Depending on the pasta shape you use you might need to add a bit more olive oil to keep it from sticking together and it always makes it taste better. And there you go, bada bing bada boom dinner! Plate it up and of course don't forget the parmesan cheese!!

PIZZA PIZZA!

I love pizza who doesn't? But, for me, pizza is on the list of things I rarely let myself eat. Unless of course I happen to find myself at one of Boston's best pizza joints.....Regina Pizzeria! Other than being in Italy this is some of the best pizza I have ever had. The fella and I were lucky enough to join the in-laws for dinner before going to a Bruins game around Christmas. Going to Regina's is somewhat like visiting the soup nazi. There is no fooling around or leisurely chit chatting while enjoying your food, you eat and get out, and no drinking at the bar unless your beer is accompanied by a pie. There is often a line of freezing patrons bearing the cold under the insufficient heat lamps, and you better hope your entire party is there when you get to the front, otherwise you'll continue to freeze until everyone is ready to be seated.

Once luckily enough to get inside get ready to suck in your gut and side shuffle through the old Boston landmark to the tiny table or booth you feel like winning the lottery for having scored. Its a good idea to have read the menu while waiting in line outside. While friendly, the waitresses are not there to make friends and pretty much expect your entire food and drink order by the time you hit the seat.

While your dining experience may feel a bit rushed, it certainly isn't hard to take down a whole pizza single handedly. And as you can see from these pics thats exactly what I did. While looking at these pictures you may also be thinking why in the hell would she order a pizza with all the green vegetables. Well, in my crazy mind eating a pizza covered in vegetables and fat as opposed to double fat, is my justification for eating the whole thing. But, never fear the fella and his parents both enjoyed a large double pepperoni.

Let the Eating Begin!........

Here you will find my life in food. What I eat, make, and discover in the culinary world. I wouldn’t say I’m a health nut, but I love using whole, seasonal, organic (most of the time) ingredients. I love trying new recipes of all different sorts, and making them from scratch, though Italian food is a major focus in this kitchen. I’ve been in love with food my whole life, and I would love to share the knowledge, tips, tricks, thoughts, recipes and especially the passion I have picked up along the way. Enjoy!