This homemade cucumber salad is my version of tzatziki sauce which is a Greek cucumber yogurt dip except I use 1/2 Greek yogurt and 1/2 sour cream. My mother has been making this dish since I was little although mine is a somewhat different version. You can have it as a side with lunch or dinner or even jazz up chicken and steak sandwiches or vegetarian dishes with humus and mango salsaand or guacamole…YUM! . It’s really refreshing and bright on your palate. The Vadalia onion, which is the sweetest, is a wonderful addition to a Tzatziki sauce and fresh dill is always best. The cucumber and onion can be grated instead of sliced to make it more of a sauce then a side dish.
I use thinly sliced cucumbers instead of grating here, garlic, onion and cumin granules in this gourmet sauce which really develop nicely in flavor as you let them sit for a bit. This homemade cucumber salad is certainly not for summer only! I promise you will be delighted with my cucumber salad recipe…let me know what you think. Enjoy.
Ingredients:
2 cucumbers peeled with thin stripes left on them (only 3 – 1/4 ” stripes) AND sliced PAPER thin on Mandolin or carefully with a knife
1 lg Vadalia onion sliced paper thin with mandolin or sharp knife
1/2 c. Greek yugurt
1/2 c. sour cream
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp onion granules
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt to release water from cucumbers and onions
s&p to taste at the end
Directions:
Put sliced cucumbers and onion into a lg Ziploc with 1/2 tsp salt and let sit for 1-2 hrs. or over night
Gently squeeze cucumber-onion mixture and drain liquid from Ziploc
Put into a lg mixing bowl with the next 8 ingredients like in photos
Mix with spatula
Add desired s&p
Can chill and serve or serve immediately …mangia mangia
My homemade, light and fluffy gnocchi recipe is a dish you really have to make just once in order to see how darn easy it is to create your own. These potato gnocchi are something that will exceed your expectations to the point that you will never want to go back to store bought again. You’ll be hooked and you’ll never settle for less than these “melt-a-way gnocchi” which is exactly how one of my students described these little bundles of love. I want you to know how easily you can master this so make sure to watch my VIDEO that goes with this recipe where I take you step-by-step on how to make them including a Gorganzola Dolce Cream Sauce.
Yes, it does take some motivation but you only need about an hour after you bake the potatoes to make them. Once you start rolling out the potato ropes, cutting and then rolling them off a fork to make the little impressions …it’s a breeze! Not to mention when making the gnocchi you will end up with ample supply so you will be able to flash freeze the rest of what you don’t use for future dinners. You will be thrilled that all the hard work has already been done and now you just take them from the freezer to the boiling water, and then to the sauce. Enjoy! Make sure to watch my YouTube cooking show above that goes with this recipe and don’t forget to subscribe on my YouTube channel so that you can receive my latest cooking show releases!
Ingredients:
4.5 lbs. Russet Baking Potatoes (approx. 5-7 lg potatoes) use scale in produce dept.
Bake potatoes for 1 hr. on middle rack until fork tender
Cool slightly so you can handle them, 20-30 min.
Slice potatoes in half and scoop potato flesh into potato ricer
Rice two halves at a time into ex-lg bowl
Repeat, ricing all the potatoes
Make a well in the middle of the potatoes then add in flour, salt and nutmeg into the well
Add in 2 whisked eggs
With a spatula mix just to incorporate ingredients
Turn out onto counter and kneading for 1 minute until ball forms…Do Not Over Knead
Cut ball into 8 wedges, take one section at a time rolling out into a long rope
Slice rope into 1/2″ pieces, roll each potato piece off a fork to form indentations
Continue to do this until you go through all the potato dough
Bring large pot of salted water to a low boil
Add in gnocchi continuously, a few at a time, into boiling water
Using a slotted spoon gently give a swirl to help them not to stick to the bottom
NOTE: the boiling water should not be a full rapid boil but a low one
As soon as they float to the top remove with a slotted spoon and add to your sauce
Place the gnocchi you are not cooking right away onto cookie trays covered in parchment and flash freeze until solid, approx. 2 hrs.
Once completely frozen place gnocchi into Ziploc baggies and place back into freezer
When you are ready cook flash frozen gnocchi go directly from the freezer to the boiling water, give a couple of stirs so as not to clump at the bottom. NEVER thaw first or leave on counter too longer especially marble or granite because they will thaw quickly
My Chicken Piccata-Easy Gourmet recipe really is an uncomplicated dish that will knock your socks off! The chicken cutlets are so tender that they are almost falling apart in it’s delicate wine-shallot sauce with capers, paper thin Baby Bella mushrooms and fresh squeezed lemon is truly amazing. It has a delicate zing from the capers, and a brightness from that fresh squeezed lemon at the end. I serve up this chicken piccata with fresh sautéed spinach and mashed potatoes that just seems to pull it all together almost making it a comfort food with the mouth watering wine gravy and mashed potatoes. It is a dish that you may just start to crave! It only takes about 30 minutes to make so it should definitely be part of your cooking repertoire considering how incredible it tastes!
Even my kids love it although I do put aside several pieces for them at the point right after I deg-laze with wine and before I add the mushrooms and capers because that’s just not their thing …yet! -This way everyone is happy.
I don’t use too much butter in this recipe. I don’t think there is a big need for that with all these amazing layered flavors from the chicken, shallots, mushrooms, capers, white wine, chicken broth and lemon juice. The light flour coating on the chicken when dredging it to sauté helps to thicken the sauce right there. I see many recipes adding a ton of butter “to thicken” it and it’s just not necessary. Enjoy making this tasty dish and be sure to watch it on my Chicken Piccata cooking show video either posted right here (listed under “videos” tab above) or on my YouTube channel.
Ingredients: Serves 4-6 people if served with mashed potatoes and fresh sautéed spinach
3 lg chicken breasts or 4 med. sliced into 3 and pounded thinly
3 tbsp lg capers (or sm if you prefer…they’re all good)
3 tbsp. finely chopped shallots
2 cups white wine (approx. 1/2 cup for each chicken deglazing and 1/3 c. for mushrooms and approx another 1/2 cup at the end to simmer…NOTE in my video I did say 1/4 cup at each stage but oops I used a little more than that : )
1/3-1/2 cup chicken broth
6 lg BABY BELLA mushrooms sliced PAPER thin
1 wedge of lemon for the end
6 lg garlic cloves just smashed to sauté and flavor olive oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper for flavoring flour
1 recipe mashed potatoes (can leave out red onion)
Directions: Approx. 30-40 minute to prep and cook
Either buy chicken breasts pounded out at your local butcher or cut each breast into 3 horizontally and pound out each one gently to 1/4″ thickness
Put flour into shallow dish and season with s & p
Dredge pounded chicken breasts in flour and leave in flour dish ready to sauté
Heat large, shallow pan on med/high
Add 3 tbsp-1/4 cup olive oil to pan while heating
Add 3 garlic clove to olive oil and sauté til golden to flavor pan
Remove garlic cloves and begin to sauté chicken breasts filling entire pan (this will be done in 2 batches)
Make sure the pan stays hot enough on med/high heat while cooking breasts
Cook chicken approx. 2 1/2 minutes on each side
Add 1/4 white wine and deglaze, place cover over for 1 minute
Remove cover and remove first batch of chicken to baking dish using a spatula to scrap out all of the gravy and bits
Put pan back on med/high heat and repeat #5-#11.
Now add 1 tbsp butter, finely chopped shallots and paper thin sliced Baby Bella’s to the pan and sauté til water renders out of mushrooms and they are a light golden
OPTIONAL: you can finely chop the golden sautéed garlic cloves and add them back in at this point or not
Deglaze mushroom and shallots with 1/4 cup wine and cover for 30 seconds
Remove cover and add all the chicken breasts back into pan
Add 1/4 cup wine and 1/4 cup chicken broth to pan and turn down to med/low
Simmer 5 minutes ONLY …don’t want too much of the sauce to evoporate
Either serve immediately or put into frig until your guests arrive and then PRE-HEAT oven to 325º and warm for approx. 30 minutes with pan COVERED-if too much of the sauce evaporates you can add a splash of white wine and chicken broth
Add s & p to taste
Right before serving squeeze a wedge of lemon on chicken breasts ( about 1 tbsp) and serve over mashed potatoes and fresh sauteed spinach
Homemade gourmet pasta sauce isn’t quick and easy when you spend hours sautéing sausages and simmering for 3 hours. We don’t always have the time for that especially around the busy holidays. Yet, you always seem to have unexpected family or friends dropping in. So here is a quick and easy homemade tomato-basil pasta sauce that you are going to love! Yes, a tomato basil pasta sauce that only takes about 30 minutes to make and stills fills your kitchen with those comforting aromas of tomatoes, garlic and basil that make you want to rip off a piece of crusty bread and dunk it right in.
The whole point of this recipe is quick and delicious…no chopping, just grating and only using one pan. We are still getting layers of gourmet flavors with the carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes, red wine, dried and fresh herbs! This sauce also comes out with a thick consistency. If you want a chunkier sauce you would just puree the first can with the sauteed vegetables until smooth, and with the other can of tomatoes you would pulse only a couple of times in the food processor keeping the tomatoes chunky then adding into the pan. Make it this way also if you like a chunkierVODKA SAUCE! If you are using it for making pizza just puree everything and you are ready to go… you don’t even need to simmer the sauce at all just spread the raw sauce onto the raw dough and into the oven (the carrots, onions, and garlic were sauteed of course before you pureed them with the tomatoes. This homemade gourmet tomato basil pasta sauce will definitely help make your life a little easier while getting you rave reviews! Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
2 – 28.oz cans whole peeled tomatoes – NOTE: If you want a chunkier sauce puree til smooth ONLY 1 can with the sauteed vegetables and then other can pulse only a couple of times. Make It this way also if you like a chunkierVODKA SAUCE!
1 carrot peeled
1/2 lg onion grated
2 lg garlic cloves thru garlic press
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp finely ground Italian seasonings
1 tbsp sugar
4-6 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup of red wine, cabernet, pinot noir what ever you are drinking 🙂
DIRECTIONS:
Peel and the grated 1 carrot in sauce pan
Cut lg onion in 1/2 peel and grate into same sauce pan
Smash 2 lg clove of garlic and put thru garlic press and into same sauce pan
Add 2 tbsp olive oil and put on med./low heat and begin to sauté
Sauté for about 10 minutes on med/low til soften (you don’t want it to brown or burn)
Deglaze by adding in 1/4 cup red wine (or white if you don’t have red)
Simmer for 2 minutes and then add to food processor with 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
Puree til a smooth consistency and then add to same pan.
Puree the other can of whole peeled and add to pan as well…..NOTE: If you want a chunkier sauce puree til smooth ONLY 1 can with the sauteed vegetables and then other can pulse only a couple of times. Make It this way also if you like a chunkierVODKA SAUCE!
Add 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp finely ground Italian seasonings, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste and 5 fresh basil leaves
Simmer for 20 minutes and serve with you favorite pasta, or chicken cutlet or ciabatta bread and sprinkle with some freshly grated Reggiano Parmeseano or Pecorino Romano and mangia!
Wow, lemon bars are one of those special treats that you always remember having! Maybe it’s the tart yet sweet tang you get from the fresh squeezed lemon juice and zest in the custard or the rich flakiness you get from the crust that almost reminds you of lemon meringue pie…of course with out the meringue. All and all I think making lemon bars are a lot easier than making pie. If fact, until you try this great recipe you’ll never believe how easy it is to whip up and all your friends will think you are an incredible baker!
The inspiration came from my neighbor Julie who is one of those amazing homemaker’s who could give Martha Stewart a run for her money! Julie is always creating little treats for people and when she delivered these lemon bar wedges in a pretty little tin I knew was going to have to blog about them. These really do make a lovely gift especially now around the holidays and you can divide one batch into several gifts with ornate tins that you can find every where lining them with parchment paper so the lemon bars don’t bounce around too much in the tin.
You can cut them into squares or wedges and you don’t have to worry about little imperfections that happen naturally when you slice them because the confectioners sugar that you sprinkle on top makes the whole process a lot more forgiving then you anticipated. The recipe Julie follows is from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. So of course I went through several recipes and I found hers to be the most straight forward without any nonsense. For example, one recipe had you putting down foil under the crust for ease of removal later after the custard is baked and cooled. The BIG problem here is when you pull up the edges of the aluminum foil and remove it out all in one piece it destroys the entire smoothness of the custard and that confectioners sugar can be only so forgiving. So forget the foil! What helps when cutting the lemon bars is keeping a very sharp knife in a glass of very hot water, wipe off excess water drips and then cut thru for a cleaner edge.
There were where several other recipes that use confectioners sugar in the dough mixture for the crust, but as Julie put’s it they are already sweet enough we don’t need to over do it. I know you will enjoy these lemon bars as much as I do and now with the holidays upon us you have a great excuse to eat them too!
INGREDIENTS FOR CRUST – PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 350º
2 c. flour
2 sticks of unsalted butter-ROOM TEMPERATURE
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
DIRECTIONS FOR CRUST:
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy with mixer.
Sift flour and salt and add to butter mixture on low until just mixed
Turn dough out onto well floured board and form into a ball
Flatten out ball in 9″ X 13″ X 2″ baking pan like shown in photo and then chill 20 minutes
Bake crust for 15-20 minutes til very light brown. Let cool on wire rack and keep oven going
Once the crust is cooled the begin to mix custard…DO NOT MAKE CUSTARD BEFORE MAKING CRUST (you don’t want the custard mixture laying around while you wait for crust to cool)
INGREDIENTS FOR CUSTARD:
6 extra-lg eggs
3 c. sugar
1 c. flour
2 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest (4-6 lemons)
1 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (from zested lemons)
1/2 c. confectioners sugar for dusting the top
DIRECTIONS FOR CUSTARD:
Whisk the eggs, sugar, and flour
Then whisk in lemon zest and lemon juice
Pour over the cooled crust and bake for 30-35 minutes until the filling is set
NOTE: it may look a little giggly but will firm more as it cools
Let it cool a little
Put into frigerator for 2 hours
When cutting the lemon bars keep the sharp knife in a glass of very hot water, wipe off excess water drips and the cut thru for a cleaner edge
Cut them into wedges or squares and sprinkle with confectioners sugar
Here are some other dishes you may want to take a peak at….enjoy : )
Eggplant RollatiniTurkey Stuffed PeppersRoasted Beet, Feta, Mint SaladBest Guacamole Ever!
There’s a nice little surprise in these yummy Italian beef meatballs… mozzarella! I serve these with a bowl of marinara and a sprinkle of Reggiano Parmesano…they fly off the plate. The best thing about this appetizer is making them ahead of time when you are making your normal style meatballs (see my “authentic Italian Meatballs”post) for pasta sauce. Just take 1/3 of the meatball mixture and stuff them with the mozzarella and then freeze for a later date, thaw and bake briefly to heat thru. There nothing more comforting then gooey mozzarella oozing from mouth watering meatballs dunked in homemade tomato and basil marinara! Try them… you’ll love them and so will your friends.
Ingredients – Makes 21 Small Meatballs:
1 lb. Angus beef
1 extra-large egg
3/4 cup after soaked in milk – (1/2 loaf of 2 day old Italian bread soaked in 1 cup milk)
1/2 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese
1 lg. garlic clove put thru garlic press
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp ground black pepper
1 cup milk
1 16 oz. mozzarella block cut into 1/2″ squares
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 400º
Break up a 1/2 loaf of 2 day old Italian bread and place into a large bowl as shown in photo
Pour 1 cup milk over bread and let it absorb for 10 minutes
Wash, spin, dry and finely chop parsley, set aside
Discard outer crusts from soaking Italian bread
Begin to break soaking bread pieces apart with your fingers…if you feel any gooey pieces throw those away (if it sat out for a couple of days it won’t get gooey)…the bread should just fall apart easily
Take 3/4’s cup of this soaking bread and add to a large mixing bowl
To this bowl add in Parmesan, chopped parsley, garlic clove thru garlic press, salt and pepper and 1 egg
Whisk til just combined
Add in 1 lb. of Angus beef and begin to mix gently with your hands…DON’T over work the meatballs you don’t want it to look fully combined like a meatloaf
Using a cookie scooper begin to shape and roll mixture with your hands – they will be small about 1 1/2″…have a small bowl of water to the side to keep hands damp not wet (this makes it easier to rolls meatballs)
Cut up 1/2″ squares of the mozzarella block
Press thumb into middle of the round meatball, place in cheese square & pull the sides of the meat back over the cheese to seal it up
Spray cookie tray with Pam canola oil
Place 21 shaped & stuffed meatballs onto the cookie tray and spray the tops of the meatballs
Place them into the oven for 15 minutes, take out flip meatballs over and bake for another 10 minutes…mangia mangia : )
This Thai quinoa salad with a ginger peanut dressing is out of this world and so good for you! The salad was introduced to me by my good friend Kathy who brought it to one of our other friends house for a graduation party. It was so addictive I found that many people, including myself, were going back for seconds and thirds. Come to find out that Kathy had acquired it from a food blog called ambitiouskitchen.com where you must go for a visit for some yummy, and healthy recipes. As always I have tweaked the recipe slightly but you can find the original at ambitiouskitchens.com under “crunchy cashew Thai quinoa salad with ginger peanut dressing”.
This is a perfect salad for summer especially if you need to bring a dish to the beach or to a BBQ because it holds up great and it’s not your run of the mill picnic salad, everyone will be asking you for the recipe! The flavors are much like my Thai cole slaw with the peanut butter, ginger, soy, sesame oil combo but here you have the delicious soft yet slightly chewy quinoa. You are just going to love this salad!
Ingredients for the Salad – Serves 12-15 side dish proportions:
2 1/4 cups cooked quinoa (follow quinoa directions …usually 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa) but that will make more than 2 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 cups finely shredded red cabbage
3/4 cup diced red pepper
3/4 cup diced purple onion
1 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup green onions diced (about 3 green onions)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup cashew halves or whole …which ever you prefer
1 cup chick peas
Directions for Salad:
Add all of the above ingredients to a large mixing bowl
When the dressing is made add to bowl and combine all of the ingredients gently til mixed and enjoy!
Ingredients for the Ginger Peanut Dressing:
1/4 cup all natural peanut butter (I love Teddies Peanut Butter)
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
3 Tbsp reduced sodium soy
1 Tbsp Honey (I use Lavender Honey)
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1Tbsp rice wine vinegar (seasoned)
1 tsp sesame oil
juice for 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
A few dashes of Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce (OPTIONAL)
Directions for Salad and Dressing:
Add all of the above ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk til combined
Pour over quinoa salad and mix
This salad would be great with some of my favorites like:
Grilled-Marinated Steak on SkewersJumbo Crab CakesAsian SalmonSauteed Chicken
The first time I had pistou I was at my friend Joanne’s house for dinner and she made this incredible soup and had this pistou to the side so you could add it in if you so desired to enhance the flavor of her soup. Pistou is considered the french cousin of pesto. The ingredients are very similar to pesto except there is an addition of tomato paste to the recipe. This simple Provencal cold sauce transforms any soup or stew and is made pretty much with these same ingredients across the board varying in amounts of each ingredient to the chefs liking. This particular recipe originates from Barefoot Contessa.
And wow is all I have to say! No wonder it’s an amazing flavor booster to soups and stews it’s made up of basil, garlic, Parmesan, tomato paste and olive oil…what’s not to love?! So I was thinking what would go great with this sensational creation and that was simple …the nutty crunchiness of a crostini and the creaminess of fresh mozzarella topped with a dollop of this pistou and voilà you have yourself a yummy little appetizer. Don’t forget to add this to your next batch of beef stew or chicken soup!
Ingredients:
24 large basil leaves
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 large garlic cloves put thru a garlic press
1/2 cup Reggiano Parmesan
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 -1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce (I use Tabasco)
Place the basil, tomato paste, garlic thru press, and Parmesan into food processor
Begin to purée and while it’s running drizzle in the olive oil
Purée just til smooth about 1 minute
Place a slice of fresh mozzarella onto the crostiniand add a dollop of fresh pistou and mangia!
If you don’t use it right away, just like the pesto, drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top so as to stop the oxidation, cover with saran wrap and pop it into the frig or freezer
Penne alla vodka con gamberetti or in english translation penne in vodka sauce with shrimp is a dish I first had in Urbino, Italy where I studied for a summer and a semester back in college. This became my very favorite pasta dish to eat there. I am a huge fan of sauces and you really can’t beat all the big flavors of a thick red sauce, cream and vodka (I also add in white wine or extra dry vermouth in my recipe) that all come together to create this wonderful creation called vodka sauce which is exactly how it’s made here in Madison, CT at Elizabeth’s Cafe. Adding in the shrimp just makes makes it that much more amazing and Elizabeth’s Cafe hits it right on the nose really bringing back those memories from Italy!
Every time I have eaten at Elizabeth’s Cafe they out do themselves in executing fine sauces and flavors in their dishes. When my friend Wendy and I met there for our celebratory birthday lunch just recently they originally stated that they were making the vodka sauce and shrimp dish with rigatoni which wasn’t a problem for us, but since we had ordered saying “penne alla vodka sauce” when the plates arrived to our surprise they had specially made it with penne pasta for us. What a lovely thing to do, so simple yet going the extra mile for the customer! I highly recommend going to Elizabeth’s Cafe for the finer things in culinary cuisine. You can access their web site at perfectparties.com.
If you would like to make vodka sauce yourself I have two versions, one with cream and one with coconut cream for gluten-free:
This Gorganzola Dolce cream sauce with fresh thyme couldn’t get any easier and your dinner guests will think you secretly went to culinary school and became a saucier! Gorganzola Dolce cheese originated in Northern Italy, and is made from cows milk. It’s a mild, creamy, and sweet cheese great for spreading on baguette slices or even crackers. It’s moister than Stilton and definitely more buttery than Roquefort. It’s decadent really, one of my very favorite cheeses of all times along side of Taleggio…another amazing Italian cheese!
I came up with this recipe because I serve it on my homemade gnocchi (potato pasta) with truffle oil and fresh thyme. You won’t believe how easy this is to make. You can make it to go over any kind of pasta you like and pair it up with grilled steaks or sautéed chicken along side.
Ingredients: Makes enough for 1 lb. pasta
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp of Gorganzola Dolce Cheese
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup extra dry vermouth or white wine
1 bunch fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Reggiano Parmeggiano to sprinkle on top at the end
Truffle oil
Directions:
Pour heavy cream into a medium sauce pan on the stove over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Add in the gorganzola dolce cheese and whisk just to combine.
Add in the vermouth and simmer for 5 minutes on low
Turn off and stir in 1 Tbsp of fresh thyme leaves..set aside til pasta is ready
Cook 1 lb. of your favorite tubular, shaped pasta, or gnocchi and pour sauce over
Serve with a sprinkle of Reggiano cheese, a drizzle of truffle oil and more fresh thyme leaves sprinkled on top
You may want to serve some appetizers with this dinner like:
