Vegan Pasta Alfredo

I know, you read the title and you're already, "YOU LOST ME. DO NOT PUT THOSE WORDS TOGETHER." And writing as a vegan AND former cream and butter-lover is so funny, because I get that. Those who are vegetarian have probably tried this already, and those who are not will probably never try this. I really don't know for sure who I'm writing to any more. But I carry on. Because I love this stuff.

This alfredo sauce came out so well that I think it would fool anyone. Really. You make cashew cream, which is very easy - you need raw cashews, not roasted or salted. You soak them overnight in water. You don't have to measure the water OR the cashews. If pressed for time, you can bring them to a boil, and let them steep for an hour instead. Then, you drain them, put them in a blender and cover them with enough water to rise an inch over the cashews. Blend it up, and you have cashew cream. That's your base.

I added garlic cloves, and kept tasting it. Raw garlic can get too powerful rather quickly, so keep tasting. I added salt and pepper to taste, and a dash of nutmeg. Put a nice big puddle of that sauce in the bottom of a bowl, and add pasta that you fish out of the cooking liquid right into it (don't rinse the pasta off!) and toss it. Add your parmezano sprinkles, and some roasted or steamed broccoli if you want the total package. Fantastico.

This made a really large batch, since I, well, made a really large batch. I froze family-sized sauce portions in baby food containers, and it thawed beautifully in the fridge. If you really want a rich experience, finish the sauce with a bit of vegan butter - but I really didn't find it necessary - the sauce is very luxurious on its own.

Beef and Broccoli Rabe Penne

Here is another recipe from Clean Eating Magazine that I liked so well, I made it twice in just a couple of weeks. It is SO easy... So easy, I didn't even check the recipe the second time!

I'm really not sure that I have the right to reprint these recipes (in fact, I'm pretty sure I don't), and there isn't a page I can link to. But it's from the Jan/Feb issue, 2012, Page 47. You marinate the steak slices in a little tamari, and I whisked together some orange juice and some orange zest, and some red pepper flakes (separately). I used my zester to shave some garlic and ginger in the pan, then stir-fried the meat and red bell peppers into that. The broccoli rabe is chopped and rinsed, cooked for 1 minute in boiling salted water, then you fish it out with a spider and put your pasta in the same pot. It all comes together in the stir-fry pan after draining, then finish it with the orange glaze and some sesame oil at the end.

Does that count as "reprinting?" We'll find out.

I was always a bit timid of broccoli rabe, but boiled and drained like this and put into stir-fry, it is really delicious. I just chopped it up, leaves, stems, blossoms and all. And it is about 99 cents for a large bundle, so as a dark leafy green it is really economical. 

Chicken Meatball Pasta

Grilled veggie and chicken meatball pasta... hope the kids will eat it!

Across the Lincoln Highway: Mill Race Inn and Galena Steak House

Another exciting chapter in our journey along the Lincoln Highway awaits! Try not to piddle.

So we left off in Geneva at the Geneva Ale House. The next day, we went back to Geneva, and ate alongside the river at the Mill Race Inn, which I've already posted about, in honor of its unfortunate closing shortly after we ate there. Hope it was nothing we said.

We hung out for the better part of the day in downtown Geneva, looking in the shops and touring through the courthouse. We got back on the road towards DeKalb, stopping at a marker and gazebo at Kishwaukee College in Malta, also the site of a "seedling mile" along the road. We pushed on through DeKalb, stopping at the historic Egyptian Theatre. We got a lucky break, just as we did in Joliet at the Rialto, and saw that it was unlocked. It was open because workers were putting the haunted house together inside. We got lots of pictures of the theatre under refurbishment, and also rubber "corpses." Sneaky!

I'm skipping a lot of our touristy photos (a LOT, so be grateful, dammit), but I had to include a couple. Because nothing gets the appetite working like a deathmask/dead body theme. Welcome.

We also arrived at the Ellwood mansion, too late, sadly, to take the official tour, but we enjoyed the museum nonetheless. It's a mansion built on the fortune made by the man who invested in barbed wire, and I'd really like to return and see the whole interior one day. There was also another original Lincoln marker on the grounds. We had thought about staying in DeKalb for the night, but walking along the main drag, DeKalb started to seem... seedy. Sorry, De. It's a university town, and the feeling, for us, just wasn't great at that moment as the sun was setting. Maybe it was the haunted house that did it, but I started to feel like the tattooed vampires were about to come out, and we were in for a "Lost Boys" type of scenario. We decided to drive until we found a place a bit more charming, and a bit less scummy. This may or may not have been the best decision.

We drove into the unknown, and outside Rochelle, we pulled into a truck stop to figure out our next move. It was night by this point. There was, I'm sure, a perfectly good Holiday Inn Express in there. I tried to hop online through the truck stop's connection in the parking lot, to see if I could score anything last minute through Priceline. It was somewhere around this time that my first ever, bona fide panic attack began.

I can't say I began to scream hysterically or anything so much fun as that. And it had nothing to do with being in unfamiliar surroundings. I've been flying without a parent since I was 15 years old, including solo to Europe when I was under 21. I love adventure. And though I've parasailed, power-hanglided, repelled off of cliffs, and had drinks with strange Europeans, I was totally convinced that I had made a terrible mistake in being in central Illinois at that moment. Even with all my experiences on a farm growing up, I just hadn't banked on the God-forsaken feeling of central Illinois at night. What were we doing out here? What was I doing with our vacation time? Why were we away from our children, just to stay in some mediocre mid-scale motels with no charm, and no luxury either? What the hell was that trucker chewing on??

My husband stayed completely calm and retained his sense of humor. He suggested that we just continue driving, though I was convinced that we would somehow drop off the face of the planet, drifting in outer space with no gasoline and nothing to eat. I wanted to turn tail and run back to Geneva, but we continued on through Rochelle, where I took this picture of a marker at a really charming, preserved filling station.

I wish I could say it got better after that, but the conditions actually got worse for a while. Just a little tip for the Lincoln Highway: if you have the option of taking the official route, as opposed to the "historic route" in the middle of the night, CHOOSE THE OFFICIAL ROUTE. We ended up on a gravel road for 20 minutes, submerged in total country blackness, while I shouted on the cell phone to my mother-in-law that she could stop laughing already, and kiss my children goodbye for me, because they would find my husband and I in two days with his arm partially gnawed off, after I attempted to eat him to survive.

We made it into Dixon. It didn't seem that there would be anywhere open to eat. We found a hotel off of Bloody Gulch Road (you can't make this stuff up, folks) which I took to be a poor omen. My worst fear at this point was not that we would starve, but that we would have to settle for Pizza Hut hot wings. This was NOT the plan. I was promised experiences with charm! Okay, no one promised me that, but that was the plan! I wanted actual cooking, not the thawing of something that came out of a bag.

We consulted our list of eateries, and found the Galena Steak House. I got out of the car, and approached a man in a grey suit who had just hung up his cell phone outside the restaurant. (Okay, he may have still been on the phone, but I was in a small panic. I mean, here is Galena's website. Look at this place! I figured smoking was still very much allowed inside any place with so much exterior paneling, and I didn't feel good about the prospective cleanliness). "Is this place any good?" I asked him. "Where are you from?" he countered. I told him what suburb we live in. He barked a laugh. "No! No it isn't!" he concluded. "You'll be quite used to food that's better than this. But at this time of night (it was after 10 pm), it's probably your best shot at anything that's open." Good enough for me. Husband parked, I gave up, and we went in, getting seated near the gentleman in the suit and his party. (Remember him, he'll come up again later.)

Fortunately for everyone, the restaurant was much better (in my humble opinion) than he suggested it would be. Our waitress was named Marilyn, I believe, and she was incredibly friendly and earthy. You know, a "lifer": the best kind of server you can get. Every dinner at the Galena comes with the buffet, which has salads (and I mean, the kind with meat in them as well as vegetables), and soup.  Chris had some very good, hearty meat ravioli.

I don't know if you're familiar with my quest for the best chicken finger on the planet, but there it was in front of me, in the middle of Dixon, in the middle of the night. You will never have a better hand-cut, hand-dipped battered chicken tender than the one at Galena Steak House, which leads me to believe that it is most likely fried in beef lard. Even the dipping sauce was perfect.

My meal, because the folks at Galena want to make sure you have enough to eat, came with a baked potato with butter and sour cream. We also ordered dessert! Which was very good, with chocolate, caramel and pecans.

So with two iced teas, two entrees, two salad bars with soup, and dessert, here is our bill:

Yep. Just over thirty bucks. We were awash in fullness, charm, experience and gratitude, and we tipped Marilyn twenty bucks for saving our lives. I wish I had gotten her picture.

Stay tuned for our exciting final chapter, including a day in Dixon, a meal over the state line, and the return of the suited gentleman...

Chinese Cabbage, Help Me Into These Pants

So, I'm six months out from my second baby. As with the first time, after the nausea subsided, I wanted a variety of greasy meats. Here's a glimpse of the type of thing I craved during my pregnancy! Hopefully, you can keep your breakfast down.

Since you probably can't tell, that's Jaenicke's hot dog chili (from my frozen stash, since they're 2 hours away and only open in summer) on pasta,  and Cheez Whiz. And a salad. You know, for the baby. Not impressed? Okay, how about a little fire, Scarecrow?

I also made the chili into a pizza. Oh yeah, and of course, chili dogs, because I didn't need to be creative all the time, I just needed to cram it into my gigundic maw.

I couldn't even wait to take the picture for that one.

Anyway, here's the pasta remix:

I cut the extra-firm tofu in half lengthwise, wrapped it in paper towels, and pressed it under a heavy pot for over an hour. Then I cubed it, tossed it in corn starch, and fried it very lightly in just a tiny bit of oil. When it was done, I seasoned it with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Then I set it aside, and sautéed mixed mushrooms (with shiitake and oyster, but you can use regular), and cubed Chinese cabbage (bok choy). I seasoned it with a tiny bit of salt, pepper, and a LITTLE Chinese five spice blend. Then I tossed it in a whisked mixture of about a tablespoon of Hoisin sauce, a little rice wine vinegar, and about a half cup of chicken broth. I served it over buckwheat soba noodles and added the tofu back in. I have a little less than 8 pounds still to lose, and then I'm buying all new underwear for myself as my reward. I will let everyone know when I get there by announcing on facebook, "IT IS UNDERWEAR DAY AT LAST."

Oh, what the hell. Here's one more photo of Jewel's chicken fingers, cheese sticks, and various full-fat dipping sauces. Time to say, "Bon voya-gee, Sam and Stella!"

I! Have Made! Pasta! (Spinach Gnudi)

I've already admitted to the whole universe, here on this blog, that I'm not the greatest Italian in the world because I don't ALWAYS make my own sauce (that's because that world that I live in? It's the REAL one. Join me, there are babies here... Messy, but worth it!) Anyway, now I'll tell you another purulent, grotesque truth: I don't make my own pasta.

The last time I tried to make homemade pasta was when I was in grade school, with my father (who was Sicilian, and from New York, and bought his pasta from the store like most other Italian-Americans). We tried the same ravioli roller thingie that everyone else purchased during the time in the eighties when Julia Child, the Galloping Gourmet, and Jeff Smith were at the height of their popularity, and Dad sat with a pad and pencil next to our 13-inch black-and-white TV set every Sunday, trying not to miss any ingredients. (See if you can name all the technologies I pre-date with that sentence... It's fun!) We tried it once and only once. We kneaded and re-kneaded, rolled and re-rolled, cooked fillings, pressed and patted, and created a gigantic mess that culminated in the two of us declaring "Oh, eff this" and going to Arby's. Our roller thingie, along with all the other roller thingies from the eighties, ended up in a garage sale. Perhaps we aimed too high.

That's why I knew that when I saw this recipe from Giada (Yes! Yes, I AM the Everyday Italian!) it was ju-u-ust right. I had never heard of gnudi. They are a ricotta and flour dumpling that is larger than gnocchi, but smaller than... I dunno, a big meatball. I made mine smaller than hers, about the size of a Chicken McNugget (that way there is more sauce per bite). It came together so quickly, and just worked. No special knowledge or equipment needed. And it was filling yet light. It was just delicious. One thing you should know: the mixture may be kind of wet in the proportions she states... Just add a tiny bit more flour at a time until the dough is still moist and pliable, but not sticky. Then be sure to dust each in flour before dropping in the water. Simple enough to make on a weeknight.



I stored the leftovers with the sauce, and they re-heated beautifully. I printed this recipe, cut it out, and glue-stick-ed it into my recipe index file. Now with THAT commitment, you know I loved it!

Beyond Easy Vodka Cream Sauce

I'm committed to making things easily, with as few steps as possible. But honestly, I felt guilty about posting this. And then I realized it was two steps beyond simply opening a jar, which I do all the time. With one little rationalization, I went from feeling a little dirty to being one fancy lady!



Last week Ruby had nasty virus, which made her very uncomfortable, and for lack of a better term, "scream-y." All day and evening, even with children's Motrin. On a day like that, jokes aside, I truly don't feel guilty about shortcuts. I warmed a brick of low-fat cream cheese in a skillet until melty. Then I added a jar of Barilla marinara (Bertoli is also good), and two shots of vodka. Then I let it all warm through, and I added some pre-made sun-dried tomato meatballs from Costco. Is that how vodka cream sauce is supposed to be made? I seriously doubt it. And I seriously didn't care. Also, only one of the shots of vodka actually ended up in the sauce, and the other one may have fallen in my mouth.



I served it all over Costco mushroom ravioli. I wasn't a huge fan of the meatballs, but the sauce was very good. I think I will try in the future to make and freeze little meatballs of my own, and save them up for nights like this when I'm really beat. (And by the way, Ruby has made a complete recovery, so don't worry! She is all smiles once again.)

Artichoke Cream Pasta

Chris recently brought a regular sale to my notice through Amazon.com. You can get subscriptions to lots of magazines, many times, for $6-$10 for the whole year (or sometimes two years.) I treated myself recently to a dirt-cheap subscription to Cooking Light. I really like it. I've read many foodie periodicals over the years, starting with my father's old addiction to Gourmet magazine. Cooking Light is one part lifestyle mag (like Gourmet), and the second half has most of the recipes. I've already tried several, and they've all turned out well.

This one is an artichoke, lemon zest and pea pasta that is based on a recipe that they had. Of course I took my usual cursory look at the recipe, but I put onion and garlic in a liberal amount of oil first. Then I added drained and rinsed artichoke hearts, and peas, a little white wine and the zest of a whole lemon. Then I seasoned the mix. Lastly, you add cooked pasta and about a half-cup of ricotta cheese, and just stir until mixed.



It was good, but I must say, I have never eaten a dish that so BEGGED for bacon. I think if I had started the mix with a little diced pancetta, it would have been so much better. As it was, it tasted a little flat. Either that, or leave out the ricotta, and I think the zippier flavors (like the lemon) may have come through more. Quick way to make a cream pasta, though!

Turkey Chili Mac

This was super quick and easy, and I even made it a "deluxe" way. It was sort of a cross between a bolognese sauce (which has carrot in it), and regular chili mac. A bit of extra work to just pulse up the mirepoix (carrot, celery, and onion - in this case, I also added garlic) in the food processor, yes, but I doubled the mix of the four veggies, stuck half of it in the fridge, and then threw it into the Crockpot for "Easy Galumpki Bake" the next day. So you're saving time!



Ingredients:
2 carrot, peeled and cut into big chunks
2 celery sticks with leaves, cleaned and "chunked"
1 onion
2 clove garlic
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 glass red wine
1 cup frozen peas
1 large can chopped tomatoes
mexican seasoning
salt and pepper
shredded cheddar
whole wheat pasta

Pulse the first four ingredients in the food processor until finely chopped (note: if you're only making the chili mac and not the Galumpki Bake, cut the amount for the first four veggies in half). Sweat the veggies until they are just translucent. Add the ground turkey and brown it, then add your seasonings, then the wine and tomatoes. Add the peas at the last moment just to warm them through. Serve over pasta with lots of cheddar!

Country Steak and Beef Stroganoff

I saw Alton Brown make country-style cube steak, and I had to get me some of that.



I altered his recipe a little. What I was really in the mood for were some mushrooms. Also, I don't yet have a dutch oven (but I have an Amazon rewards coupon currently burning a hole in my pocket). I sautéed some onions, celery and a package of baby portobello mushrooms (also known as cremini mushrooms). I set that to the side, and then continued with Alton's instructions in the same pan. (I was using my big oven-proof sauté pan, and that seemed to work just fine.)

I didn't use the bacon fat he called for (not something I have lying around), I just fried them suckers up, cleaned up most of the oil, and returned everything to the pan. I was also puzzled by the instruction to cut the steaks "with the grain." I couldn't get this to make sense in my head. so I cut against it. The steaks came out very tender, so I think I did right. Also, when they were all cooked, I tempered some sour cream and added that at the end into the sauce.

(Also, those are some sweet potato oven fries that I made. Toss them in oil and seasoning, place them all flat in a 400-425 degree oven, turn after 20 minutes, and cook for another 20. I added some BBQ sauce to some Hellman's Light mayo and served that to dip them in. Going up the country, good eatin' there.)

I got a lot of steaks rather cheaply out of this recipe, and let's face it: times is hard all over, baby. So that was great. Since it is just the two of us (there are three, but one of us is still eating oatmeal and formula), I broke up the leftovers, and served them over noodles as stroganoff.



I added frozen peas to make it a complete (and completely different) meal. I think this dish will turn out even better when I get my cast-iron dutch oven. Can't wait!

Grilled Vegetable Lasagna

I'm not doing a low-carb throwback to 2001 here, but a good veggie lasagna can be made without the noodles. It's kind of fun, and you can have big pieces of vegetables without grinding them into the sauce or the filling... I just use them instead of the noodles.

I cut the vegetables lengthwise and grill and season them first (I use a grill pan). Then, importantly, you have to pat them very, very dry with paper towels. Otherwise they will cook down further in the pan, and you'll have a soggy lasagna (which is still pretty good, actually, you just have to drain it somewhat.) Then you put a bit of sauce in your pan, and lay the veggies down as you would the noodles.



You can use any veggie you like: eggplant (which you don't have to salt and drain if you grill them), zucchini, yellow squash, even potatoes, which have starch and actually help thicken things up a bit. (I know, I should have cut these eggplant lengthwise, but I forgot. Still pretty good. Doesn't matter, really, as long as they are sliced thinly.)



You alternate the layers with the filling: a mixture of one medium tub of ricotta (again, drained very well), one egg, one cup of mozzarella cheese, a half cup to one cup of parmesan, a couple tablespoons of diced flat parsley,  a little salt and pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Don't use too much filling, or you'll have the water problem again.

I top mine with smoked gouda or mozzarella, some more parmesan, and bake it at about 375 degrees for 45 minutes.



You can also add ground turkey meat or ground sausage to the sauce, or simply add tomato paste to the drained ground meat, and use that as a layer (which again helps it to stay undiluted). Or, go on your merry veggie way and skip the meat.



The smoky flavor adds a little interest to it. Just steer clear of Trader Joe's Light Smoked Gouda. Terrible. I'll never go the way of light cheese again. Remember the Friends episode where one of the guys compares how much he hates something to Monica's feelings on light mayonnaise? (She says, "IT'S NOT MAYONNAISE!!") Well, that's how I feel about light cheese. Plastic doesn't melt, folks. If you wanna go light, I say eat real food and try portion control instead.



Or not... It IS veggies, after all.

Gorgonzola Pappardelle

The weather outside at the moment is what my husband calls, "ass cold." So I've been looking for warm dishes that "stick" a little bit. This gorgonzola pasta is a nice option, and easy to make.



I just started with a tablespoon or so of light butter, then added a tablespoon or two of flour, until it balls up (I start a lot of sauces this way). Then you slowly start adding cold milk, and whisking until it is heated through and creamy, then adding a little more (don't add the full cup or two of milk at once, or the flour lumps will never come out). Add a bit of salt, pepper, and I like just a teeny pinch of nutmeg. Then whisk in a few ounces of gorgonzola cheese. I recommend a silicon-coated whisk for this job, so you don't ruin your pan surface, particularly if it is non-stick.

Then I added frozen peas at the last moment and warmed them through, and added the sauce to some nice broadly-shaped pappardelle. I garnished it with parsley, and felt sorry for any poor bastards who have to be outside in this weather!

Italian Quickie

...And no, I'm not talking about the night that resulted in our baby girl. Oh man, I am KILLING with these jokes lately. Hello? Is this thing on?

The last week of my pregnancy, I wanted three things: meat, cheese, and not to do any work. But I wanted to do something that might convince my husband I was someone resembling the woman he married, so I made one last big meal before the hospital stay.

When he walked in the door, I had created little parcel-like appetizers by wrapping buffalo mozzarella slices, tomato slices, and fresh basil in prosciutto. I found the prosciutto at HALF PRICE at my new favorite store, Valli produce in Arlington Heights.



And yeah, the mozzarella was pre-sliced. Think that's lazy? Oh wait, it gets better.



When I had crammed about four of those into my maw, I decided to make dinner. I used JAR spaghetti sauce, and JAR bechamel or alfredo sauce. And before you have that thought, do me one favor: strap a fifty-pound weight to your stomach. Then cinch it up so that it presses on your heart. Then get someone to kick it up into your ribcage every fifteen seconds. Climb the stairs a few times, go to work for the day, and THEN you judge me.



I alternated the layers of ricotta, egg, parsely and mozzarella mixture with layers of tomato sauce and layers of the alfredo sauce. It was also my first outing with the no-bake lasagna noodles. I'd always feared them in the past, but desperate times...



The result was nothing like homemade or from scratch, but it definitely scratched the itch, if you know what I mean. It was rich, warm, and right on time!

Salad Week: Chop Salad

Some folks call this one "garbage salad," but... ucchh. I can't cope with that. Let's never speak of the un-tasty name again. It's too pretty!



The great thing about a chop salad is that you can alter the ingredients easily according to what you have. Change the type of berry, add some cold pasta (like rotini or farfalle) to stretch your lettuce out (seriously), add croutons, use any kind of cheese, switch to beef, whatever. Check out the good stuff in this guy:

chopped Romaine
chopped turkey bacon
green onions
diced breaded chicken
diced avocado
pecans
strawberries
feta cheese

I just whisked up some balsamic vinaigrette (1 part vinegar to four parts olive oil) with lemon juice, Italian seasoning, pinch of salt & pepper and a little sugar to taste, but this would go with lots of different kinds of dressing.

Chop your heart out! (Eyw, that's worse than the other phrase...)

Marinara Sauce from Scratch

I have some friends who, since the advent in recent years of competitive cooking shows, have flattered me by saying that I should try out for one of those shows. The truth is, I am really just someone who likes to eat, and experiment at home. I have no clue as to certain types of cooking technique. There are areas I just haven't ventured into yet (see the following), and areas I never intend to venture into (why would I try and make great Chicago-style pizza at home when Lou Malnati's makes the perfect pie?) I would be sure to make a total ass of myself on national television. Want a for instance? Here is my shame: until last summer, I never ever made marinara sauce from scratch - meaning, from real, whole, fresh tomatoes.

But you can't say that about me now!



I have friends, blog-reading friends, and adamant strangers tell me that (especially as an Italian) I should be loaded into a cannon and shot straight into hell for not making my sauce from scratch every week. Maybe they're right. But how do you sustain this 100% of the time? Humbly and truly, I just do not get it. The sauce I was taught to make comes from canned tomatoes. That's not really "from scratch." (Maybe that's what some of these people mean, as opposed to jar sauce. Well, if that's what they mean, then THEY'RE not making sauce from scratch, either.) Anyway, that's all I've ever done: either dad's sauce or marinara from canned tomatoes, or a good jar sauce when in a hurry, sick, or hung-over. (I know, I know. But don't throw your tomatoes. Save them for sauce!)



Here's what happened. Ma came to visit, and brought (sorry Ma) a SHIT-ton of beautiful, fresh tomatoes and a lorry-load of okra. What I usually do with tomatoes from her garden is grab a salt shaker, slice, and eat. But this was more than we could have gotten through before the fully ripe beauties went bad. We ate our fill (she, Chris and I) at every meal, and I still had a ton left when she left. So I called my brother and said, "How the hell do I do this?" He said to wash up the tomatoes (natch) and to dip them for a minute or two in boiling water. Then you could peel off the skin, and seed them. These garden tomatoes were so ripe, I just had to run them under hot tap water. I peeled off the skin, split them open in my hands, and scooped out the seeds with my fingers. I set them all aside in a bowl.

I heated a deep skillet with some olive oil, then heated some garlic in it. I finely diced as much onion as I wanted in it, then heated that. I added some "baby bellos," (small portobello mushrooms), and sweated those. Then I added the tomatoes, as much fresh oregano and basil as I thought proper, and some red wine. I kept letting it cook down, adding salt, pepper and about a bit of sugar as I went (it cuts the acid). I just kept tasting it, and soon it was definitely sauce. Whoopee! The bellos are optional, and I like to add a bit of red pepper flakes, but if you don't care for a spicier sauce, you could leave that out, too. You could add green pepper but... guh. Not for this kid.

I had plenty of sauce left over for pizza and pasta throughout the week, so perhaps if I ever get a deep freeze and the garden going next year, I can make enough over a summer to ALWAYS make my sauce from scratch (or at least defrost it that way).

Hello Again Paula, You're Looking Fine

Guess what I did yesterday? I asked my husband this very question, and he said, "Went for a walk?" I said no. He said, "Put up the new chandelier?" I said, uh, no. I watched Paula Deen! A whole show! I'm not sure he got the significance of that. But after being unable to look at a print ad of food, let alone sit through a single television commercial (I hate you more than ever, Quizno's) for the last two months, watching a WHOLE cooking show is a momentous occasion.

And are you ready for this? I even shopped for, and cooked one of the items she made (beefy mac, though of course I didn't actually consult her recipe at all. Not EVERYthing has changed around here). There just may be hope for me yet. (Okay, I'm still too preoccupied to post a picture quite yet, but soon. Soon...)

Pasta Regina Margherita

A lot of you are probably familiar with the basic pizza margherita, named after Queen Margherita of Italy. The colors of the neopolitan pizza are in honor of the Italian flag: the green of the basil, the white of the mozzarella, and the red of the tomato sauce. This cold pasta salad is my version of those same basic colors and flavors, and unlike a whole pizza, you can toss it in the air and catch it in your mouth, even if you're not a Border Collie.



one box of whole-wheat farfalle, or whatever pasta you like
a couple handfuls of the basil and scallions, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 small bag of sun-dried tomatoes, cubed
1 drained container of ovoline, the pearl-shaped fresh mozzarella
1 large handful of pignoli, or pine nuts, toasted and tossed in a skillet first

Cook the pasta, rinse it and drain it. Combine all the other ingredients, then dress it: combine 1 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, the juice of one lemon, at least a tablespoon of salt, some pepper to taste, and about a tablespoon of sugar. Whisk that in a Pyrex or shake it in a container. Toss the pasta in it, and taste it. Add salt or pepper, or red pepper flakes, as I like to do. You can chill this a little, or serve it at room temperature, which I think is better.



I brought this to a housewarming party some time ago, and I think everyone liked it. The sun-dried tomatoes and the pignolis keep it from being bland (and the red pepper, if you add it.) It was pretty cost-effective, and you could have fed an army with the amount it made.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I find it is a bit intimidating to use new spices, but my curiosity about food tends to drive me over that fear. And I'm always pleasantly surprised to find that most dishes, the world over, contain plenty of familiar ingredients. The "base" for this dish could be the same as any number of Mexican or Italian dishes you may have made before. The only thing that may be new to you about it is the garam masala spice, which is available in most grocery stores now.

Give it a shot -- if you like warm, medium-heat dishes like chili with seasoning that is a bit more complex in flavor, you'll like tikka masala. I've changed and simplified a few things from the recipe I have, and the following recipe reflects my changes.

Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt


• 2 T. lemon juice


• 2 tsp. mediterranean seasoning, or just 2 tsp. cumin, and 2 tsp. cinnamon


• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes


• 1 tsp. salt


• 1 tsp. ginger


• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into strips or large cubes

Sauce

• 1 T. butter


• 2 T. flour


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 jalapeño chili, minced


• 2 tsp. ground coriander


• 1 tsp. each: ground cumin, paprika, garam masala spice


• ½ tsp. salt


• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce


• 1 ½ cups fat-free half-and-half


• ½ cups chopped cilantro

Combine everything on the "marinade" list, including the chicken. Marinate in a plastic Ziploc gallon bag in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is better.)

If you have a grill pan like I do, you can just grill the chicken on it directly. If you have a charcoal grill, thread the chicken onto skewers first (tastes better is you got the coals). My recommendation, either way, is to only partially cook the chicken. It goes into the sauce and will cook the rest of the way. If you thoroughly cook the chicken first, you will probably find it a bit dry after it goes in the sauce. I know it is a little creepy purposefully undercooking chicken, but trust me, it will fully cook in about a minute in the sauce.

Set the lightly grilled chicken aside on a plate (don't re-use the plate, just wash it later), and make the sauce. Melt the butter and flour in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and jalapeño, and stir for a minute. Stir in the seasonings, and salt. Combine the tomato sauce, and stir for one minute. Add the fat-free half-and-half, and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Add the chicken to the sauce (remove it from the skewers if you did this) and let simmer for a couple of moments. If you want to be sure that it is cooked, just take one of the thicker pieces out and cut into it. Don't overcook it.

I like to serve this over egg noodles with the cilantro over the top, but I think it would also be good with potatoes and peas. With the fat-free half-and-half instead of cream, it is really a healthy dish, and if you do the marinade the night before, it is also pretty quick. I served it with avocado slices with lemon, salt and pepper once -- and now I consider this to be a must-have accompaniment!

Manzanita Seafood and Chowder House

When Katie was off work on Saturday, she was good enough to take me on the long, winding road out to the coast so I could see the ocean, and soak up some sun. And see some surfers.



We arrived in what she calls "the Four-Door Sports Car," her well-used vehicle that has an exhaust leak too costly to bother fixing. It gives a satisfying roar as you cruise along, getting a lot of surprised looks from the hippies -- but hey -- it still passes the emissions tests. Katie has done some surfing herself, and she knew just where to stop the car to follow a beautiful trail that led out to the beach. To me, it was like a fairy tale.



The beach itself was magnificent! Perfect, warm weather (but not too hot), and the soft, smooth sand was like walking around in your own living room. If it was wetter on your toes.



After strolling up and down the beach a bit, we decided to move on up the road. Twiddling your toes in the sand can make you really hungry. That's a bit of a joke... But seriously folks, any contact with water makes me ravenous. Always has. It doesn't matter if I've been strenuously swimming or skiing in the waves, or if I just got out of the bath for a soak. (Cue Seinfeld: "What... Is the deal... With THAT?")

We pulled off the road just about ten minutes later in the little town of Manzanita. Katie said, "Let's eat somewhere by the water," but as soon as we passed the Manzanita Seafood and Chowder House, I knew I wanted to park and give it a shot. You gotta have seafood on the coast!



As soon as we went in, I thought of an adaptation of the Visa commercial: "But if you're going to this little coastal restaurant in the town of Manzanita, bring your appetite. And bring your CASH, because they don't take American Express. They don't take Visa, either!" Luckily, there was an ATM across the street. I was back in a flash.



All of the seafood looked good. I felt that I should get crab, at first, but none of the offerings were really calling out to me. Katie wanted fried fish, and I decided to join her. Why not see if it was better along the coast, eh? Truth be told, that's what I really wanted anyway. I got the cod (I was hoping it would be a Pacific cod, and therefore would be really fresh), and Katie got the halibut. Excellent.

My first shock came as I ordered, of course, an iced tea and took it back to the table to drink it. It was the foulest liquid I have ever had the misfortune to drink. Either something had gone wrong with the batch (very, very wrong), or these people just don't know how to make iced tea. I usually say you can judge a place by their iced tea, and so this did not bode well at all. In addition, because I always save a few calories by not getting the fries, I had ordered the lightly dressed pasta salad, and they were all out. I ended up with a double order of cole slaw. Lastly, there was no malt vinegar on the tables, and someone had to get a few bottles from the back. That's no problem, but I think it shows a bit of carelessness. Needless, bro, I was not stoked.

My misgivings were pushed aside, however, when my meal arrived. What a beautiful platter of fried fish, alongside a mountain of cole slaw. It truly was the best fried cod I have ever had. The fish had such a firm texture, I really want to compare it to the food that one is never to compare food to (like chicken, there, I spelled it out). It had NO fish taste at all, just clean and lovely.



Katie was equally pleased with her halibut. I gave her my tartar sauce, and soaked mine in malt vinegar.



We then scooted out to the beach, where Katie lay down to sunbathe, and I braved the excruciating cold on my feet to gawk more in the surf (the day was warm, the water was not). I've been in the ocean on either coast several times, but this one was crazy cold. Katie said the warning was generally that hypothermia sets in after about 30 seconds. I'm surprised it was that long.

After lying about in the sun for awhile (and yes, I always wear a strong sunscreen), we drove back, showered (no Chris, not together) and went out for... what else? More eating! And for that, I'll see you next time.