Eating Dinner With My Family

I had a get together, and  most were repeat recipes, but the one new one was a big hit.  I took little pieces of fresh mozzarella and grape tomatoes and put them on a skewer to make a caprese of sorts.  I personally don't like all the leafy bits of basil in the traditional caprese, so I made a garlic and basil infused oil to drizzle over the top.  Now WARNING!!!!  Garlic infused oils have an affinity for Botulism!!!  For a bit more on it, click here .  I will still sum up.  Make sure that all water is evaporated from the oil,  refrigerate and use within a week.  (I would half that just because I'm a little crazy about germs:)  I made the oil while I was prepping the rest of the menu and put it in the fridge to chill it a bit before using.  I also made a balsamic reduction.  The original recipe I used it for is my Steak Salad , and it is an all time family favorite! However I use this reduction in any recipe that...

Since Monday was Christmas, we didn't go meatless.  I decided to make up that say today.  We love cilantro, and expected to love this.  It was pretty good, not the wow we thought it would be, but good. They didn't carry Cavatappi at my store, so I went with another tube shape rather than a macaroni.  I have been really lazy lately about the blog.  I blame the hectic schedules of the holidays and utter exhaustion.  I haven't even really wanted to cook much!  So, that means short post.  Hope you all are having a great holiday season! Cavatappi With Cilantro-Pistachio Pesto Kosher salt 1/2 large head cauliflower,cut into small (1/2- to 3/4 inch) florets 3  medium carrots,halved lengthwise and then cut on the diagonal 7 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 c  lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves 1/2 c  unsalted shelled pistachios 3   medium cloves garlic,peeled 1   Tbs. fresh lemo...

This recipe was full of snafus.  Lets start with the fact my husband thought it sounded awful and kept suggesting we go out to eat on the evenings I planned to make it.  I of course took him up on those offers;).  Well he is working tonight and I have the stuff to make it, so here it is.  I had some problems when cooking this.  Lets start with the fact that the leftover feta I was planning on using up in this recipe was off.  It smelled pretty bad, so in to the garbage with it.  Now this is me: Me: "its late, and I'm not going out just for feta." ME: "it won't be right" Me: "surely one of the many cheeses in the fridge will work!" ME:  "Probably only the goat cheese you have for another recipe" Me: "I can get more tomorrow" ME: "go to the store, if it's not right (read good) you can't tell your husband I told you so!" Me: (thinking) That's a good point! (out loud) "let's have a glass of  win...

Tonight, for my darling husband, I made the French Fries With Bulgogi And Caramelized Kimchi  that he loved so much, but we tried the "restaurant" method of a two temperature fry.  Much like Jack Sprat and his wife, my husband seem to disagree on a lot of food items.  For example, I love the frosting on cake, in fact cake is a vehicle for frosting, he scrapes it off.  (what a weirdo, I know;)  I could go on, but how it applies to this recipe is that I liked these better and he preferred the start in cold oil ones we make last time.  We agreed, however, that this method cooked them much faster.  I can only assume that's because we had less in the pan at a time.  We didn't have peanut oil, we used canola.  It is interesting to note, that I was told by an allergist that peanut oil does not affect people with peanut allergies.  (at least heat pressed oil and any oil heated) I would check with your doctor first of course, but our brush with a...

We do our big dinner on Christmas eve and graze on leftovers all day on Christmas.  We had my husband's side of the family in town for tonight and my MIL brought a beautiful prime rib for me to cook.  As it is a special occasion, we had a lot of dishes.  The menu tonight: Grilled Antipasto With Garlicky Bean Dip   Grilled Romaine With Blue Cheese-Bacon Vinaigrette Prime Rib Roast For A Small Crowd        Horseradish Sauce Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Coconut Cream Pie      As there are so many dishes, I figured I would write the post around them.  We started with the grilled antipasto.  It was the first time I had made it, and really loved it. It was a bit of work in that there were a bunch of veggies to be sliced, (I did the peppers and zucchini ahead of time as well as the bean dip), and the veggies took up a lot of space on the grill.  I pretty much had to do one type at a time....

I liked this one so much I gave it it's own post :) Grilled Antipasto With Garlicky Bean Dip 1    nineteen-ounce can cannellini beans,drained and rinsed 2    small garlic cloves,minced 2 T  fresh lemon juice 2 T  extra-virgin olive oil,plus more for brushing 1/2 c  chopped basil Salt and freshly ground pepper 6    small Italian frying peppers or Cubanelle peppers 4    medium zucchini,sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick 2    one-pound eggplants,sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick 24  anchovy fillets 24  marinated bocconcini (about 3/4 pound) 2    large beefsteak tomatoes (1 pound each),sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick Grilled country bread,for serving 1.In a food processor, combine the beans with the garlic, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Process until smooth, then scrape into a bowl. Fold in the basil and season with salt and pepper. 2....

I have family coming in town.  I don't like to make guinea pigs of them on special occasions, so I made the ever popular chicken and 40 cloves, but I did make a new recipe, this cheese soup.  It was wonderful!  Everyone really liked it, including the most picky eater I know, my nephew!  Since I have family here, that's it for the post, but I will say it was tasty as it is not photogenic;! Cheese Soup 2 T  unsalted butter 5    ounces small diced onion (approximately 1 cup) 5    ounces small diced carrot (approximately 1 cup) 5    ounces small diced celery (approximately 1 cup) 1/2 t  salt for sweating vegetables,plus more if needed at end of cooking 3 T  all-purpose flour 1 qt chicken broth,heated to a simmer 1 T  minced garlic 1    bay leaf 1 c  heavy cream 10    ounces Fontina,shredded 1 t  Marsala wine 1 t  Worcestershire sauce 1/2 t...