A collection of appetizers so YUM they are worthy of an entire meal!

This Corona pandemic has been a scary and diffucult time in our lives. I don’t think anyone can ever prepare for what a person goes through mentally and physically when a “shelter-in-place” goes into effect. The loneliness and uncertainty that glooms can be exhausting yet so many people have found ways to stay together showing kindness and love through different mediums, it brings tears to my eyes! Seeing all the cooking and baking you all are doing during this “stay at home” quarantine just warms my heart! “It all starts with the food”, brings people together from all over the world.

With all this cooking going on during the pandemic I want thank followers and friends for the support you’ve given me over the last 7 years and am thrilled that I’ve finally figured out a way to give back with my first paperback cookbook, YUM! Ever since I was encouraged to design a food website 7 years ago where people could access my written recipes there was an even bigger push for me to make a cookbook available! Being able to feature Yum on Amazon has been very exciting. Although, the formatting can be difficult at times it’s made your request for getting the website and YouTube recipes down on paper achievable.

Some days the work was almost grueling working 12-18 hours between food & design prep for demos and live tv, cooking, catering, blogging, fixing IT issues, book formatting and being a single mom to 2 amazing teens, I just kept reminding myself I am doing what I love.

It’s been incredible taping cooking shows with amazing chefs and home cooks over these last 7 years for my YouTube channel and Public Access TV aired 47 towns in Connecticut. I have also been very fortunate to be cooking on live TV over the last 3 years on “CT Style” at WTNH Channel 8 with Teresa Dufour, Ryan Kristafer, Sarah Cody, Scott McDonnell, Laura Hutchinson, Jocelyn Maminta and Kat Cosley. Working with all these professionals has been a privilege! . The live TV platform is a passion that truly drives me.

CLICK HERE to buy my appetizers cookbook, Yum, featuring recipes from my website, YouTube channel, Page Hardware & Appliance demos and CT Style live tv cooking segments (shown to the left). You’ll have them all right at your finger tips in your own kitchen!

Just to let you guys know, I am already working on my next paperback cookbook called “Feast, dinners and sides”! Authentic family favorites all in one cookbook for Sunday dinners or your next soiree! There will be quick and easy reicpes like cold cucumber soup with seared sea scallops, Napolitan manicotti crepes (my secret family’s recipe revealed) to pulled pork while you sleep, sides, salads & sauces to boot! Your go to dinner planner!

Please stay safe and healthy during this difficult time and know there is always someone there to talk to. A huge thank you to all the amazing healthcare workers, first responders and all the people who are working in the public eye selflessly putting themselves out there making our lives easier!

And thank you for supporting The Traveling Epicirean through you purchase of Yum! xo

 

 

 

Yellow Split Pea Soup

There’s nothing comforting than your house filling with aromas of a sweet and smoky ham simmering in chicken stock with sautéed veggies on a cold rainy day! The prep for this pea soup is done in mere minutes! The only real work involved with this recipe is cutting up the veggies and now that I think of it you could always just grate them.

After a holiday we are usually left with either a turkey carcass or a ham bone and the ham bone is what brings this yellow split pea soup to a new level of flavor. If you haven’t ever tried developing a soup base this way you need to give it a try.

We all have a little extra time on our hands with this Corona Virus pandemic so making a comforting dish that is healthy and soothing will help to put you on the right track with all your home projects.

There’s always a sweet tooth in the house so don’t for get about Chocolate Meringue Pie, Crepes with Fruit & Whipped Cream, Girl Scout Thin Mint Chocolate Mousse Pie, Berries in a Dreamy Fluff & Cream Cheese Sauce or Eileen’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies! Wow…Enjoy! Please be safe and stay well!

 

 

 

Split Pea Soup Ingredients:

• 1 bag of yellow OR green dried split peas = 2 cups
• 1 left over bone in holiday ham (preferably, with at least 1/4 of meat left on bone)
• 8 cups chicken broth, low sodium (2 boxes)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion
• 1 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped shallots
• 3 lg garlic cloves put thru garlic press
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin oil oil (evoo)
• 1 tbsp. butter
• Salt and pepper to taste at the end

Soup Directions:

1. Rinse dried peas in a fine mesh strainer while removing any odd color peas
2. Add evoo, butter and all of veggies to large soup pan
3. Sauté until translucent and softened ONLY
4. Add in left over ham, broth and water
5. Liquid level should be up 3/4 to the top of the ham, add more water if need be
6. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours
7. Remove ham bone while still simmering peas and broth
8. Take all ham of bone, cut up into bite size pieces and return meat only to pot
9. Simmer 1/2 more to desired consistency
10. Serve with a dollop of butter, a drizzle of hot sauce and a slice of crusty baguette

 

 

Don’t forget to BUY my “appetizers” paperback called YUM, available on AMAZON!!

This collection of recipes is worthy of an entire meal!

Click HERE!!!

New England Clam Chowder on “CT Style” with Teresa Dufour!

Every month I look forward to cooking on CT Style! I get the opportunity to do live cooking segments with Teresa Dufour, show you all how much fun cooking can be, and gather together with my WTNH friends to eat and catch up afterwards. You see “it all starts with the food”, gatherings and friendships that last a life time, not to be cliché, but it’s priceless.

Yesterday, I featured my New England Clam Chowder recipe highlighting a couple of secret ingredients, Amontillado Medium Cream Sherry and Wondra Quick Desolving Flour. It’s a chowder packed full of flavor that you can make 12 month of the year.

It was so nice to have my friends, Carolyn, Chris and their son, Jonathan, as guests in the channel 8 studio. Teresa, sweetheart that she is, asked if I wanted to invite Jonathan on camera for the last 20 seconds of the cooking segment and Jonathan jumped at the chance. He did a great job up there, he was a natural!

There’s actually three important ingredients I can’t live with out in my in my New England chowder, the Amontillado Sherry, Wondra Quick Dissolve Flour and a bouquet garni. Adding the sherry goes without saying bringing in tons of beautiful, subtle flavor. The Wondra Quick Dissolve Flour creates a silky texture with out making the chowder glumpy or pasty. I sprinkle in 3 tbsp of Wondra right when the cream begins to simmer. I use this Wondra flour in stead of making a roux at the beginning letting you control the consistency better. The bouquet garni consists of sprigs of rosemary and thyme tied up with string for easy removal when it’s done infusing all that lovely flavor into the soup!

This New England Clam Chowder is perfect during thsese cold winter days! Here are some other comfort foods you may want try like Eggplant Balls, Guiness Braised Short Ribs, Oysters in Pernod Sauce, Pasta Fagioli or maybe a Chocolate Pecan Pie for dessert!

 

 

 

       

   

Ingredients (NOTE- Quantities can easily be halfed OR quartered …it’s still delicious!):

• 6 cans “Snows” clams – 5 “chopped” clams & 1 “minced”
• 5 Bottles “Snows Clam Broth = 6 cups broth (5 cups bottle + 1 cup comes from the cans after you drain the clams)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup half and half
• 3/4 cup good dry cream sherry -(the pink one) Spanish Dry Sherry “Amontillado” is one of my favorites (1/4 cup to de-glaze onion/celery and 1/2 cup to simmer with broth base)
• 2 slices minced bacon (smokey flavor ONLY not maple)
• 3 extra lg potatoes or 4 small diced to 1/2″ size
• 2 celery stalk finely diced
• 1 whole sweet onion finely diced
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary & thyme tied with string … just a flavor bundle – to be removed
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp finely ground pepper
• 3 tbsp of “Wondra-Quick Dissolving Flour”

Directions:

1. Finely chop 1 whole onion
2. Finely chop 2 celery stalks
3. Slice 3 slice of smoked bacon, then dice that
4. Add diced bacon to large pot and begin to sauté on low, just want the bacon to become slightly crispy
5. Add in chopped onion and celery and sauté until lightly golden
6. De-glaze with 1/4 cup dry cream sherry
7. In 1 minute add in diced Yukon potatoes and all the clam broth from cans and bottles and 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp salt
8. Bring to a simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender but FIRM because the potatoes will continue to cook even after you take them off the heat
9. Tie off a bundle of fresh rosemary with cotton string
10. At the 5 minute mark of simmering the potatoes ADD in the rosemary bundle and 1/2 cup of dry cream sherry and bring back to a low simmer
11. At the last 2 minutes of simmering the potatoes ADD in 3 cups of heavy cream, 1/4 tsp finely ground blk pepper and possibly 1 tsp more of salt (you need to taste here to see if your chowder needs this addition of salt) and bring back to a low simmer
12. Take the New England Clam Chowder base off the heat and gently stir in all the clams
13. Remove the the rosemary bundle and the bay leaves and serve with Tabasco and oyster crackers
14. If this is for the following day cool chowder completely at room temp allowing space with the cover for the soup to evaporate, place in frig
15. When re-heat the soup watch carefully not to bring to a boil …just heat thru…mmm! Enjoy!

Wow, what a spectacular holiday show at WTNH, Channel 8 on CT Style last Friday! I can’t even begin to tell you how special it was doing my cooking segment with this talented crew at Channel 8. Not to mention, Santa was there making the rounds!

I was excited to show you how easy it is to make this vodka sauce for your holiday cooking. In my recipe I add in coconut cream along with heavy cream giving this vodka sauce that extra special something. You can make this with rice noodles and omit the heavy cream all together if you prefer. On CT Style I did both coconut cream and heavy cream giving it a nice balance. Like everything in life finding a balance is important.

This Vodka Sauce with Coconut Cream would make a perfect party dish because it can totally be made the night before. Then you add in the raw shrimp on the day of the party right as you are re-heating the sauce while your pasta is cooking, minutes before you serve it!

I love tradition so I made my homemade potato gnocchi again this year for the CT Style cooking segment. Last year I showed you how to make my bolognese sauce which I served up with the homemade gnocchi. 

Other festive salads you may want to serve up for your holiday celebration might be a nice Caesar Salad, a Roasted Beet, Feta & Mint Salad or even a Candied Bacon, Iceberg Lettuce & Roasted Blue Cheese Dressing Salad!

Enjoy, be safe and have a Happy New Year!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 28 oz.cans of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
• 1/2 large onion finely chopped
• 2-3 large garlic cloves
• 1 c. heavy cream  OR 1 c. coconut cream
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. finely ground Italian seasonings
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 c. red wine (1/4 to deglaze/ 1/4 for sauce)
• 1/4 c. vodka
• 1/4 c. extra dry vermouth or white wine
• 1/4 c. of Reggiano Parmesan
• 1 lb. favorite pasta
• OPTIONAL: 1 lb. raw, peel and de-veined extra large shrimp
• OPTIONAL: 5 dashes of Siracha OR 1/2 tsp Red Pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Sauté onions and garlic in evoo (extra virgin olive oil) until lightly golden on edges in medium pan
2. Deglaze pan with 1/4 c. red wine and simmer on low until wine evaporates
3. Add this to a food processor with 1 can whole peeled tomatoes and purée until smooth
4. Add this puree back to same pan, puree the other can slightly chunkier, add to pan also
5. Add in red wine, white wine, vodka, cream, Italian seasonings, sugar, s & p, bay leaf and fresh basil and bring to a simmer
6. Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour on low
7. If adding in shrimp add now and keep simmering for 5 minutes more
8. Take of heat and add in 1/2 c. fresh grated Reggiano parmesan
9. Remove bay leaf and fresh basil, serve with favorite pasta and garnish with julienned basil and more grated parmesan

I love preparing for my live cooking segments and being a part of this incredible “CT Style” family on WTNH Channel 8! It’s wonderful cooking with Teresa Dufour and Sarah Cody, so natural and as always we are full of giggles and everything seems to fall into place. All my spooky food decorations from the ghost face on the lasagna, bloody almond sugar cookie fingers, spiderweb Boston Cream Pie top, and the homemade guacamole coming out of the carved pumkin came together with the smoky dry ice effect.

Having a holiday to base my theme on totally helps you to get creative with the food. I wanted to show you how to serve some healthy dishes for this holiday on CT Style and still keep a spooky allure to it. Zucchini lasagna came to mind! I used a gluten-free flour to make the bechamel and substituted the pasta sheets with zucchini strips. The most important task here is to extract as much moisture out of the zucchini as possible so it’s not watery in the end. You can see how I do this in the written recipe below. Hope you enjoy the show and have a Happy Halloween!

Here are some other dishes you could make for halloween like my Spooky Chocolate Cake, Eilieen’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chic Pea Guacamole, My Guacamole (featured on CT Style), Or My Homemade Salsa 101!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 9 x 13 x 3 baking dish
• 4 lg zucchini sliced 1/4″ thick
• 1/2 c. Emmental cheese shredded
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella
• 8 oz. ground turkey
• 8 oz. ground Italian fennel sausage
• 2 lb. whole milk ricotta, “Fina Style” from Liuzzi Cheese
• 1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (I like Cento)
• 3/4 c. finely diced sweet onions (1/2 c. for the meat sauce, 1/4 c. for the béchamel sauce)
• 2 lg garlic cloves, grated
• 1/4 red wine
• 1 tsp ground Italian seasonings
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt (1/2 for meat sauce and 1/2 for béchamel sauce)
• 1/2 tsp finely ground pepper (1/4 for meat sauce and 1/4 for béchamel)
• 1 c. fresh basil, 1/2 c. julienne for 1 lasagna layer, and 4 whole leaves for meat sauce
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp. rice flour
• pinch nutmeg

Directions:

1. Slice Zucchini lengthwise on a mandolin to 3/16″ thick
2. Lay zucchini strips on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper
3. Lightly salt zucchini strips and let sit for 30 minutes
4. Pat dry with paper towels all the water that renders out of the zucchini strips
5. Put zucchini into a 375º oven for 10 minutes, take out to pat dry and flip over, then bake 10 minutes more, take out and pat dry again
6. Then move zucchini strips to a platter lined with paper towels and let cool
7. Make the meat sauce: add turkey, sausage and 1/2 c. chopped onion to sauté pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil and cooked until browned
8. Add in grated garlic cloves and de-glaze with 1/4 cup red wine
9. Add 1 can of chopped up whole peeled tomatoes, 4 fresh basil leaves (remove this after simmering) Italian seasonings, salt/pepper and sugar and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes
10. Make the Béchamel Sauce: Start with a Roux…Melt 3 tbsp. butter in a sauté pan on medium heat and add in 3 tbsp. Rice flour, keep whisking to get a smooth consistency
11. While whisking, heat thru to cook out raw flour taste 2 minutes, but do not brown roux
12. Add in 1/4 c milk to start while continuously whisking so as to not develop lumps
13. Then add in another 1/2 cup of  milk while whisking and lastly whisk in the final 1 1/2 cups of milk
14. Simmer this mixture for 15 minutes making sure to keep whisking every few minutes so as not to get a thick coating that could burn on the bottom of the pan
15. You want a very thick consistency thru out when done, set aside and let cool to get thicker
16. Begin to layer the lasagna adding approx 3/4 c. meat sauce to the bottom of the bake dish
17. Lay down strips of zucchini going all the way across the dish
18. Next layer, add spoonful’s of ricotta every couple of inches onto top of zucchini strips
19. Add spoonful’s of béchamel every few inches in between ricotta
20. Next, sprinkle on 1/2 c. mozzarella, 1/4 c. Swiss and julienned basil (basil for this layer only)
21. Next, spoon 3/4  c. meat sauce
22. Then add zucchini strips again and 2x repeat steps 17-20
23. The last, top layer add ricotta, béchamel, meat sauce and save the mozzarella for the top
24. Place baking dish on cookie tray and bake on 375º for approx. 50 minutes, if the top get too brown cover with foil
25. Take out zucchini lasagna and let sit for 30 minutes for moisture to evaporate, slice and garnish with grated cheese and basil…mmm!

 

 

What fun on the CT Style set today with Teresa Dufour and Scott McDonnell making an Italian family favorite, Pasta Fagioli! Plus, it was our beloved producer, Joyce Ogirri’s birthday, so I made her a celebratory key lime pie.  After the live segment we had a cheerful get together eating and catching up, my favorite part! It was so nice to have Gil joining in on the festivities too.

Pasta Fagioli is a traditional Italian soup where the recipe differs from family to family and region to region, gourmet couldn’t get any easier. My favorite part of the soup is dunking the crusty Italian bread…mmmm!

This Key Lime Pie is super easy in effort and time, you just can’t go wrong here! I forgot how much I love this dessert, it’s back to being one of my favorites. You can view the recipe below.

In addition to all the cooking segment excitement,  Mark Deaton from Madison Lyrics Stage Company was there talking about his up and coming show, Hansel & Gretel! This is one of the most engaging venues I have ever been to. It’s an immersive opera that takes place at the Deacon John Grave House right here in Madison, CT. We are so fortunate to have such a display of talent in our own back yard. You should really check this out and seats are limited so don’t wait to purchase your tickets!

Here are some other comforts food you may want to try like my Turkey Chili, Pulled Pork While You Sleep, Homemade Baked Beans, or Ricotta Gnocchi! …Enjoy

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS For Pasta Fagioli:

• 2 cans cannellini beans
• 1/2 -3/4 cup ditalini pasta ( 1/2 if you want it looser soup-like consistency …remember it just keeps getting thicker even after you take it off the stove as the liquid evaporates)
• 1 qt. (4 cups) chicken stock
• 1 cup white wine-pinot grigio or what ever you are drinking -(1/2 to deglaze pancetta and veggies and 1/2 when you add stock
• 1/3 cup each diced carrots, celery and onion
• 3 tbsp garlic put thru a garlic press
• 2 cups whole peeled tomatoes with some juice, broken up with your hands – NOTE: USE 3 cups if you are not using a cup of “leftover pork & sauce”
• 1 cup pork in tomato sauce OR 1 lb. sausage taken out of the casing ready to sauté OR omit all together
• 2 1/4″ sliced of pancetta diced up or bacon
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary and 2 of fresh thyme tied in up with string
• Fresh basil -julienne to add at the end
• grated Reggiano Parmigiano and some to shave for decoration
• good olive oil to drizzle at the end
• 1/2 tsp salt -add 1/4 tsp at the addition of sauteing veggies and 1/4 tsp when you add beans and broth
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes if you like a pinch of HEAT

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add diced pancetta to a large pan and begin to sauté for 8 minutes on med heat
2. Add in broken up sausage to brown with the pancetta If you do not have “pork in sauce”
3. On med/low heat add diced carrots, onion, celery and garlic with 1/4 tsp salt (along with 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes if you want a little heat) to the same pot with 1 tbsp olive oil extra – sauté til veggies are tender 10 minutes
4. De-glaze with 1/2 cup white wine and simmer 5 minutes
5. Add in beans, pork-sauce, whole peeled tomatoes, herb bouquet, chicken stock, 1/4 salt, 1/4 pepper and simmer for 30 minutes
6. Remove herb bouquet from soup
7. Take 4-5 ladles of beans out of the soup to puree for a little creamier then adding back in
8. Simmer 5 minutes and add in 1/2 cup ditalini pasta
9. Cook til pasta is cooked – approx 7 minutes
10. Plate up and drizzle olive oil, sprinkle parmigiano cheese and fresh basil and mangia mangia!

Ingredients for Key Lime Pie:

-Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients:

• 11 graham crackers
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 tbsp melted butter

-Directions for Crust:

1. Put graham crackers into food processor and pulse til a fine crumb
2. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl, add sugar and melted butter and stir until well combined
3. Press crumbs into a 9″ deep dish pie plate going up the sides as well
4. Bake on 350 for 10 minutes, take out and let cool

-Filling Ingredients:

• 1 cup lime juice (you’ll need about 25 key limes or 20 key limes and 3 regular limes OR 8 regular limes
• 2 14 oz. cans of condensed milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 2 heaping tsp lime zest
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream and 2 tbsp sugar for topping

-Directions for Filling:

1. Beat egg yolks with condensed milk for 5 minutes til pale and thickened on med/high
2. The briefly beat in lime juice and lime zest on low speed so as not to splatter
3. Pour into pre-baked and cooled graham cracker crust and bake 20 minutes
4. Remove from oven and let cool completely, then cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 2 days
5. Whisk heavy cream with 2 tbsp sugar until stiff peaks and pipe onto refrigerated-cooled pie, garnish with a little lime zest