I Love Christopher Kimball

For those of you who don't know who Christopher Kimball is I will elaborate. He is the editor-in-chief of Cooks Illustrated Magazine as well as a new magazine called Cooks Country. He created the cooking show America's Test Kitchens and has a whole bunch of cookbooks too. Anyway I just went to hear him speak at the 92nd street Y and he is also very funny. The gang at Cooks Illustrated make their recipes (some new and some that are re-vamped American classics) anywhere from 40 to 140 times until they perfect it. The recipe that we get on either the show, magazine, or a cookbook is their perfected version. I have yet to make a recipe by them that isn't as tasty as they said it would be. They also test the best kitchen equipment and gadgets as well as the best brands of certain foods such as dijon mustard (Rolands), ketchup (Heinz), and mayonaise (Hellman's). I do not work for America's Test Kitchen's or Cook's Illustrated but I have learned so much from them that I thought they deserve my praise. Kudos to their team and one of my idols, Christopher Kimball!

CPR Training

Hi all, a friend of mine teaches CPR at the hospitals and is willing to teach a group of us at home at a discounted price. I will keep you posted on when and how much but thought Id check interest...

Megan O'Reilly's (Kilpatrick) Great Ideas

megan o said...
I'll tell you what is a great idea. This blog. That's what. As everyone knows I am very obsessed with all things domestic. I look forward to contributing anything useful that I can think of to your blog. Also my sister is going to have the baby today. I will let you know what she has...
November 20, 2007 7:18 AM
megan o said...
My sister had a baby boy. He was 8lbs 14 oz and his name is William Brady Buckman. That makes an even pack of 3 boys and 3 girls.His birthday is one day after his older brother Thomas who turned 6 yesterday.

Bragg - Health food store item

A favorite item of mine from the health food store is called "Bragg". It tastes just like soy sauce pretty much but isnt loaded with sodium but it is loaded with amino acids, which are good for us to say the least. We use it istead of soy sauce on rice, stir fry etc We also squirt it on edamame instead of sprinkling with salt. Makes edamame taste just as good.

Megan O'Reilly's Great Idea

1 comments:
megan o said...
Here is something that I do that I think everyone can use. I buy these little Molskine books (you can goto moleskine.com and they are cahier notebooks. I like the ones with blank pages.They are the size of a passport and they come 3 to a pack so you can have one especially for Christmas, a general idea one, a fashion one. I had one that was specifically for my wedding. Anyway I carry a little glue stick and if i see an idea in a magazine i rip it out and glue it in the book. I have fabric swatches that I staple in them as well as paint samples of my furniture, paper swatches for invitation ideas as well as gift wrapping ideas for my holiday color palette. Yes I said palette-sue me. jotted down recipes and websites, a kind of wine that i may have enjoyed and dont want to forget,etc...you get the idea. With so many bullshit (are we allowed to curse on the blog?) ideas running around in my already too crowded head I find it a useful way to organize my thoughts.
November 20, 2007 7:36 AM

This Epicurious.com recipe: Spicy Sauteed Fish With Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

You can view the complete recipe online at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/106470
SPICY SAUTEED FISH WITH OLIVES AND CHERRY TOMATOES
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds tilapia, red snapper, or orange roughy fillets
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add half of fish to skillet and sauté until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Repeat with remaining fish. Add parsley and crushed red pepper to same skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives, and garlic; sauté until tomatoes are soft and juicy, about 2 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper; spoon over fish.Bon AppétitMay 2002Want to see how other cooks rated and reviewed this recipe? Go to http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/106470
November 19, 2007 5:51 PM
stephanie said...
hey juliethis is great!! thanks!
November 19, 2007 6:04 PM

Cook book for picky toddlers

Ladies- for any of you who have a picky eater in the house- I have the cook book for you! It is called Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, the wife of Jerry) anyway- it is all about sneaking veggies into our kids diets with out them being any the wiser! Ever since the book arrived from Amazon last week my son has eaten more veggies- without his knowing -than he ever has...the whole concept is combining veggies with like color kids food- for example I added butternut sqush puree to mac and cheese and they loved it- sweet potato puree to pancakes and they were devoured- I even made rice krispie treats healthy by adding flax meal and using whole wheat ceral- it has just given me all of these little tricks to make kids food healthier and has made mealtime a lot less stressful!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 lb Jimmy Dean Pork sausage (regular) cook the sausage and drain2 - 8oz of cream cheese1 onion dicedfresh mushroomsMix the cream cheese and onion with the sausage. Take the stems off the mushrooms and stuff with the sausage mixture. Sprinkle with oregano & paprika. Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Email Recipe List – Book One - Nov 9, 2007

Julie LaForge - Marinated Flank steaks and arugala-shaved parm salad

I buy the flank steaks from Costco and keep them in the freezer. I make this once a week!

Marinade: 3 tablespoons each of olive oil, honey and soysauce. The equivalent of 3 tablespoons of fresh minced or chopped garlic. Marinate the steak for as long as possible, over night, 2 nights or for the day…
Throw on the grill, I think its like 8 mins per side…I just flip it a lot and keep checking it…
The steak is done!
Salad:
Baby arugala lettuce with shaved parmesan. I buy the block of fresh parm cheese and shave it with either a peeler or a knife. Dressing: olive oil, fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper – easy and delicious J

Megan Kilpatrick - This is my easiest meal off the top of my head

Let me start by saying
that as delicious as your Grandmother's sauce recipe
is, everyone should keep a large jar of Rao's Marinara
or Arrabiata sauce in their pantry. Yes it is $8 but
it is that F-In good and I have heard that even the
best chefs in nyc keep a jar on hand for emergencies.
That said...
Start by making your favorite pasta (I like shells or chiocciole-snail shape-because they catch the beans). Right before you are about to drain the pasta add an entire bag of fresh baby spinach and let it wilt down for like 30 seconds to a minute- no more than that. Drain it well then put it back into the same pot. With the heat on low add as much sauce as you like and a well rinsed can of small white beans (habichuelas) or cannelinnis if you prefer. Serve it with a couple little plops of goat cheese but if you don't like that fresh shaved parmesian is good too. I also like hot pepper flakes on mine but whatever floats your boat. And for anyone on W.W. 1 cup = 4pts if you choose whole wheat pasta.


Kristin Reilly - Butternut Squash/Bacon Pasta (Martha Stewart 2006)

Cut squash down middle and place both halves open side
down in a baking dish and microwave till soft (about
10 min or so just feel checking should feel mushy)

cook pasta 1/2 box ( any kind is good- i generally use
a whole grain)

Cook bacon 6 pieces (again I use the microwave)

scrape out squash into a big bowl add pasta, crumbled
bacon, salt/ pepper and olive oil- top w/ fresh parm-
sooo good!

Kristin Reilly - Broccoli Rabe/fig pasta

Saute broccoli rabe w/ garlic- entire bunch ( I blanch
first to soften and take out some of the bitterness
but its not necessary)

finely chop figs - about 4 or so

cook pasta - 1/2 box (penne or rontini works well)

toast pine nuts- 1/4 cup- in toaster oven

combine pasta, broccoli, pine nuts, fresh parm and
olive oil salt to taste


Amy Krebs – Crab cakes

OK - here's my favorite crab cake recipe -it's so easy and so delicious. I
usually serve on top of a mound of homemade corn salsa - now that corn is
out of season - use frozen white corn and mix with chopped red onion,
chopped jalapeño, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, s&p, olive oil and fresh
squeezed lime juice. Then I put a dollop of chipotle aioli on top of the
crab cake. You also serve them with coleslaw too. Enjoy.

p.s. - if you don't have saltines, ritz crackers work just as good and I
always use more than 5 (probably 15).

Serves 4
· 5 saltine crackers, crushed to fine crumbs
· 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage
· 1 large egg
· 2 1/2 tablespoons Homemade Mayonnaise, or prepared
· 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
· 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
· Dash hot sauce, such as Tabasco
· Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
· 3 tablespoons peanut oil
Directions
1. In a large bowl, gently mix together cracker crumbs, crabmeat, egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. The mixture will be wet. Form about 1/4 of the crab mixture for each cake.
2. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Gently slide the cakes off a spatula into the oil. Saute until the crab cakes are golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet, and drain on paper towels.

Beth Murphy - Linguine w/White clam sauce

4 Tablespoons of Butter
4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
3 cans of Doxy chopped clams (reserve 1 cup of the clam juice)
4-5 cloves of garlic ( I go heavy on the garlic)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 T oregano
Lots of chopped Italian parsley (and fresh basil if I have on hand-but not necessary) Lemon Juice (optional) Generous splash of white wine Hot pepper flakes 1 lb of Linguine (sometimes I splurge on the fresh pasta, but boxed is fine)

Melt Butter/Olive oil in a large frying pan. Add onion & garlic. Sauté about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of clam juice, oregano & salt. Bring to a boil & simmer for 10 minutes. Add chopped clams, lemon juice, white whine, pepper flakes, and some of the parsley. Bring to a boil once more and simmer for another 5 minutes. Sauce should be thick, not watery. Boil pasta, drain, and toss w/sauce. Top with more chopped parsley, and hot pepper & salt & pepper to taste. Delicious.....bon appetito!

Katie Boemecke - Chicken Pesto Pasta

In olive oil brown about a tablespoon of chopped garlic.
Add chicken breast (I usually cut into strips) and saute until cooked and tender.
Add chopped onion, quartered mushrooms, a bag of fresh spinach, and pesto sauce*
(*I buy it in the jar. We don't have Rao Sauce out here but with all the rave reviews I am going to try to google it to see if I can get it on line.)
Add pasta (any kind - I usually use penne) and mix together.
Top with halved cherry tomatoes and fresh parm.Enjoy


Heather Nolan - here is a quick pasta
(i am a total carb girl...)in 4 tbs of butter, saute 3 or 4 good size leeks (white up to lt. green and discard rest), once leeks are tender add 1 box of frozen garden peas and saute those for a couple of minutes until bright greensqueeze juice of 3 lemons and saute quickly so the peas don't lose their color (you add another lemon later if you like it really zesty and lemony)then toss with cooked pasta (i like bucatini rigati (sp?) which is the spaghetti shape, but hollow in the center so juices get all up in there...) , reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water in case you need a little more juice at the endadd 1/4 lb of proscuitto (roll each pc. and chop cross-wise), tossing so it gets all warm and salts everything up a littleserve with crushed black pepper, tons of freshly shaved parm AND of course a big pc. of crusty bread for sopping up the juices -enjoy!

Amanda Nicol – ?
Here is what I made last night ...it is good with left over rice or you can cook fresh rice ... Arborio is what I prefer but any kind will do Olive oil in a pan , add the rice let it heat up a bitBeat a couple eggs ( depending on the amount of rice and how many people, I fed two people had four eggs and a full six inch pan filled with rice )Add the eggs and let cookSlice some jersey tomatoes , and place them on top, sprinkle with some smoked paprika ( a gourmet or ethnic market should have it it really makes the dish) and fresh grated parmesan reggiano cheeseWhen it looks like it is almost completely cooked i.e. a bit runny on the top stick it ( pan and all ) under the broiler....it is deliciousAmanda Nicol - Also my favorite salmon marinade for salmon filet Lots of fresh squeezed lemonChopped garlicSoy saucePowdered wasabiDijon mustardLemon zest Beer Mix it all together put in a pan with the filet marinateBroil or grill salmon pour the rest of the marinade on to the skin side when you are done cooking the fish stick it under the broiler and the skin gets crunchy and yummy from the marinade.


Amanda Nicol - Eggplant with red sauce over fussilli

( white eggplant is the best but really hard to find get it if you can it uses less oil)

This one is kind of a pain but it is worth it

Heat olive oil a ton of it on a the larges skillet you have

Slice eggplants thin in rounds
lightly sauté each piece and set aside
I stack them on a plate with paper towel in between to soak up the oil.

Mean while in a pot sauté garlic and oil ,
add three or four big cans of crushed tomatoes and let simmer to thicken adding salt and pepper to taste and fresh basil

in another pot boil water for pasta

Serve pasta in bowl , eggplant sauce on top if you like put fresh buffalo mozzarella as well and it will melt in with the sauce and pasta

Ryan Bassaman - Chicken Fricasee

I figured I'd contribute a simple and healthy chicken. This is one of the easist ways to sneak veggies into the non-veggie eaters... its also really simple to stretch the sauce for extra servings by adding more chicken broth, veggies, etc

Pound out (or butterfly) 4-6 boneless chicken breasts pretty well. They should be about 1/4 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the chicken breasts in olive oil for a few minutes on each side. It doesn't need to be cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken from the pan but don't clean out.

Cut 1 onion, 4 carrots, 4 ribs celery into a small dice. Mince 1-2 cloves garlic. Saute the veggies in 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in the same pan as the chicken for about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 c white wine to deglaze the pan. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and reduce for 10-15 minutes. Add 1 tsp tarragon and salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken and any juice back into the pan and simmer for 5 mintutes to finish cooking the chicken.

This dish is great with rice or pasta. The sauce can be thickened up a bit by adding an extra tbsp of butter and sprinkling a tbsp flour over the veggies. I've also done it a more low-fat way and just lessened the amount of oil and butter. You can also substitute chicken stock for the wine if you don't have any... Enjoy!

Courtenay Clancy - great recipe and you can toss it all in a slow cooker
(aka- crockpot to the trailer folk or the elderly) it really is delicious and you can use turkey in lieu of chicken -for that leftover turkey coming soon! 3 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons flour
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen or fresh broccoli cuts, about 1 1/2 to 2 cups
1/2 tsp. curry powder, or to taste
1 tbsp. lemon juice
hot buttered noodles
PREPARATION: In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except noodles, stirring to mix well. Pour into lightly greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours. Serve over hot buttered noodles. This recipe can be doubled. If too thick, add a little chicken broth. Serves 6 to 8.

Amanda Nicol - kick ass cookie recipe that is a breeze as I can not bake to save my life....
Pepperidge farm pastry dough in the freezer case...let it thaw so you can unfold it but not so that it is sticky. Sprinkle a “healthy” amount of sugar on it :) roll either end so they meet in the middle , cut them so the shape looks like to ears, or angles wings and bake at 350 I forget how long I thin k 20 mins just look at them you will see when they are done. Easy and yummy .

Marianne Stoll - Thai chicken meatballs

One package ground chicken, 1/2 c. panko, 1/2 tsp. chili garlic sc., 1 Tbs. soy/tamari, 1 egg, one or two chopped scallions.
Mix it all up form into balls, brown in large skillet. When all is brown, add 1 Tbs. sugar and cook till nice and melty, add1 Tbs flour,
cook about one minute and add 1 cup chicken stock or a mix of stock and coconut milk or just coconut milk and simmer
about 10-15 minutes.
Taste for seasoning..alittle soy, a little more sugar???
Serve with rice!
*you can also stir a Tbs of chunky peanut butter if you like a peanut sauce...yum!

Michelle Moran – Meatballs

I have a good meatball recipe, it's basically Barefoot's recipe but I use lots of garlic where she does not.

Mix 1/2 LB ground veal, 1/2 LB ground pork, 1 pound of ground beef (I might switch to ground turkey since thsi meat recall thing), 1 cup resh white bread crumbs (4 slice, crusts removed), 1 /4 seasones dry bread crumbs, 1/2 cup grated parm, 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 egg, 3/4 cup of warm water and 7 cloves of garlic diced, salt and pepper. Mix it very lightly, almost folding everything in.
Than heat olive oil in a pan with some garlic. Put the meatballs in the pan and brown them on all sides. Once brown on all sides, put them on a plate with a papertowel underneath to absorb any extra oil.

In the same pan, add new olive oil. Add 1 yellow onion (chopped) about ten minutes until translucent, add 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Than add 1/ cup of red wine-cook on high heat and scrape up all brown bits until the wine has evaporated. Than stir in 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, salt & pepper.

Put meatballs back in sauce covered for 30 minutes. Grate some fresh parm on top and they are ready to eat.

This post goes with Lisa'as porkchops which are on the email, not on here...I always use boneless center cut (thick and I trim the fat) and I use low sodium soy sauce.
If you are feeling really ambitious, you can use a pork loin and throw it in your crock pot and double the sauce recipe. Cook as long as possible, either recipe, the pork falls apart and there is no fat. I served it with Asian coleslaw (soy, rice vinegar, ginger, olive oil, garlic for the dressing) and polenta.

Lisa McGreevey – Lasagna
(I use turkey sausage a lot, try to get fresh ricotta cheese and the ready to bake noodles work)
the problem is I don't measure anything...but here it goes:

sweet Italian sausage - about a lb
olive oil
3-4 garlic finely chopped
3-4 shallots finely chopped
2 large cans of muir glenn fire roasted diced tomatoes
large handful of fresh basil finely chopped
ricotta cheese - large container
1 egg
buffalo mozerella cheese (2 balls)
pecorino cheese - 1 C finely grated
lasagna noodles

saute olive oil with garlic and shallots, add sausage, saute until cooked through...drain excess oil with a spoon, add cans of tomatoes, let cook through for about 30 minutes (add salt and pepper to taste)
in a bowel, stirr ricotta cheese, 1 egg, about a cup of pecorino cheese, salt & pepper and fresh basil
cook lasagna noodles

for the pan:

put sauce in the bottom of the pan (cover well)
add layer of lasagna noodles
add layer of ricotta mixture and slices of buffalo
add layer of noodles
add layer of sauce
add layer of noodles
add layer of ricotta mixture and slices of buffalo
you get the drill
don't add cheese to top layer

cover with foil and cook in oven on 275 for about 30 minutes - take foil off and put final layer of cheese on top and turn oven up to 450 to cook (watch so it does not burn)

let the lasagna stand for about 10 minutes before cutting...enjoy!

Lisa McGreevey – Billy’s cupcakes

preheat oven to 325

in mixer bowl combine
1 3/4 cup cake flour (non-rising kind)
2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons baking powder (martha thought this was the tricky ingredient)
mix all of this together

add slowly 1 cup of softened unsalted butter

then add 4 large eggs - one at a time

add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to 1 cup of whole milk.
add 1/3 of mixture then mix for a minute
add 1/3 of mixture then mix for a minute
add last 1/3 of mixture and mix

put in cupcake pan with an ice cream scoop.

bake for 17-20 minutes.

icing

in bowl mix 2 sticks of unsalted butter until soft
add 6 cups of confectioners sugar
add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 cup whole milk

icing will be white. add food coloring if you want a color.

Jodi Kinney – quiche - My favorite is spinach, rosemary with asiago cheese

I use whole wheat pie shell
4 eggs, half cup of milk (rice milk works also, but I usually use 5 eggs with rice milk), half cup grated cheese (really of your choice but I use asiago, or mozz.)
Saute a bunch of spinach (I don’t usually measure, but use a lot because it really cooks down) with garlic, butter and salt and pepper, and then add chopped rosemary at the end.
Beat eggs, milk cheese together, then add sauté stuff, fold it in, and dump it into the pie shell. Put a little cheese on top and bake 30 min on 375. Awesome breakfast, even Nayla, my 13 month old eats it.

Email Recipe List – Book Two - Nov 19, 2007

Erin O’Hearn – Beef Stroganoff
2 lbs. round steak cubed or ground beef
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1-2 cans of mushrooms
garlic salt

Brown meat. I usually use the round steak. I shake it with flour and brown it with a little oil and 1 small onion. Drain the meat and sprinkle with garlic salt. Combine everything in covered casserole dish. Bake for 2 1/2 hours at 300. Serve over egg noodles.

Erin O’Hearn - Meatball & Escarole Soup:
2 large cans chicken broth
2 heads of escarole (washed and chopped)
1 onion
1/2 box Orso

Sautee onion in a little oil. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Add escarole and let simmer. Meanwhile, make the meatballs (see below). Bring broth back to a boil and add meatballs and pasta. Simmer for about an hour. 1/2 lb. hamburger, 2 garlic cloves finely chopped, 1 egg, parmesan cheese. Combine all ingredients, roll into small meatballs, and cook.

Marita Cammarano – Fish and veggies
Preheat the oven to 375 or 400. Take a shallow baking dish - ceramic or glass work best - and grease it with a little olive oil. Place some sliced potatoes - I like to use yukon gold or white or red potatoes, but whatever you have around works great - in the dish and coat potatoes with some of the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. After you've roasted the potato slices for approximately 15 or 20 minutes (or until they're starting to soften), add sliced onion (I like to use red onion for the color, but anything works) on top of the potato and sprinke/spray a little more oil and salt and pepper on top of the onion. After you've roasted the onions and potatoes for another 15 minutes or so, add asparagus (or any other veggie that you like...zukes and summer squash work great) to the pile of veggies you've got going, another spritz of oil (just enough to coat the veggies) and roast for another 10 minutes or so, until the veggies are starting to soften. After you've roasted all of these together and the veggies are just about done cooking, place flounder - or any other white, flaky fish - on top of everything else, having sprayed the fish with a little more oil and a final sprinkle of salt and pepper and...if you're up for it, a little butter. If I have a lemon around, I also squeeze fresh lemon juice on top.Cook until the fish is done and serve! In addition to being tasty, this recipe is great because (1) it contains the mess to one dish for easy cleanup, (2) you don't have to be constantly monitoring and (3) it's is really flexible because you can use any veggies that you have around and any fish that you like. I've made a variation of this recipe using just grape tomatoes and scallops, which is delicious and really really quick. The only real drawback is that it's not particularly quick...it takes a little bit of time to cook the veggies in layers, but you kind of have to because each of the different vegetables take different lengths of time to cook. But, if you omit the potatoes, it will take a lot less time. If you leave out the potatoes, serve with couscous or rice.

Missy Corbet - Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Basil
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Ready In: 35 Minutes
Yields: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:1/4 cup olive oil,
divided1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 pound large shrimp - peeled and deveined
2 (28 ounce) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons freshly gratedParmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Place pasta in a colander, and give it a quick rinse with cold water.2. Heat remaining olive oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring constantly, until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Do not let the garlic burn. Add shrimp, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from the skillet, and set aside.3. Stir tomatoes, wine, parsley, and basil into the skillet. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, 8 to 12 minutes. Add shrimp, and continue cooking until the shrimp are heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve the shrimp mixture over the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Jen Burlington - MEATLOAF
1 LB ground beef
1 egg
1cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup salsa (I use Pace mild salsa but you can use medium or hot if you like a kick to it)

Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl. Then place in shallow pan in oven for 55 minutes @ 350. Take out of oven & sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top & put back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Aileen Fahy - Chicken Bolognese
serves 4
8 medium cutlets pounded thin
butter and small amt. of olive oil
Marsala wine (can use sweet vermouth)
8 slices of Prosciutto
8 slices of Gruyere cheese

Heat frying pan and add oil and butter till melted. Add cutlets but do not crown pan. Saute in batches till all have been browned on both sids, adding butter as needed (Megan don't tell me how many points this is). Remove cutlets to cookie sheet. Put approximately 8 pats of butter in pan and melt, scraping bits of cooked chicken pieces. Pour in 3/4 - 1 cup of wine and let it reduce to a syrup. Spoon syrup on each cutlet, then place prosciutto and slice of cheese on top. Place under broiler til cheese is melted and serve immediately.Angel hair with garlic and oil and a green veg are good accompaniments.

Tara Iglay - Beef Stew in Crock Pot
2 packages seitan( vegetarian wheat gluten...blue package in refrigerated section of nature's corner. i think 3.99 each package) or equal amount of beef
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups broth
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
5 carrots
1 onion
5 stalks celery
1 potato.....i usually use sweet potatoes
put gluten/beef in crock pot. mix w/ flour, salt, and pepper until all of the gluten/beef is coated. chop and add remaining ingredients to crock pot. stir all ingredients together.cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10. i usually serve w/ rice and corn muffins. this is really easy and even the kids eat it! happy cooking!

Tara Iglay - Hearty Minestrone Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
4 celery stalks
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups water
2 cans broth
1 large can chopped tomatoes w/ juice
2 medium potatoes
1/2 cup any small tube shaped pasta
1 can kidney beans
2 cups frozen vegetables
Parmesan cheese to top

heat oil in large sauce pot over med. heat. add onion and celery cook until tender about 6-8 minutes. stir in thyme, basil, oregano, garlic and pepper. add water, broth and tomatoes w/ juice. bring to a boil over med-high heat. stir in potatoes and pasta. reduce heat to low. simmer uncovered for 15 mins. stir in vegetables and beans. simmer 10 more minutes!! top each serving w/ Parmesan cheese and enjoy!!!

Beth Murphy - Butternut Squash Soup
2 large butternut squash, cut in half, roasted
5-6 cloves of garlic, roasted in there skins
4 leeks, chopped
butter
chicken stock

drizzle squash & garlic with olive oil & roast at 425. Roast for a little over an hour. Set aside until coolmeanwhile, wash leeks thoroughly, and sauté in olive oil & butter w/Salt & pepper until translucentadd chicken stock...about 4-5 cups add roasted squash/garlic. simmer for about 25 minutes. Blend w/hand blender in the pot...it comes out like velvet.....add a little milk as you blend....Garnish w/chopped chives, sour cream, and crumbled bacon....fantabulous

Staci Vitale - CHICKEN MEATBALL PARM SUBS
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 large egg
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
Handful of chopped parsley leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus, plus 3 tablespoons
2 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin and split
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a healthy couple of pinches
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper
8 to 10 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded
4 (6 to 8-inch) crusty sub rolls (I use the mini rolls for the kids)
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.Place chicken in a bowl and season with grill seasoning. Add egg, half of the grated cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and a serious drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to the bowl. Mix the meat and form 12 large meatballs. Squish the balls to flatten them a bit like mini oval meatloaves. Be careful not to form the balls wider than your bread. The flattened balls will stay put on your sub, no roll-aways! Bake the meatballs 15 minutes until golden and firm. Switch the broiler on.While the meatballs bake, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and cook 5 minutes then remove the cloves. Add crushed red pepper flakes then tomatoes and stir in the chicken stock. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and simmer 10 minutes, adjust seasonings and stir in the basil. Reserve extra sauce for dipping on dinner table.Remove the meat from oven and loosen with a thin spatula. Turn meat balls in sauce.Cut sub rolls making the bottom a little deeper than the top. Hollow out a little bread and lightly toast the sub rolls under broiler. Fill the bottoms of the breads with flattened balls and sauce. Combine the provolone and remaining Parmigiano. Cover the subs with cheese and return to broiler to melt the cheese until golden.

Staci Vitale - CHICKEN AND GRAPES OVER COUS COUS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, eyeball it
2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 cup white wine, eyeball it
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (available on soup aisle in paper boxes), divided
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grainy, stone-ground mustard
1 1/2 cups, about 1/2 pound, seedless red grapes, halved
2 cups couscous ( I use the Parmesan)

Heat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat; add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, and 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. Place flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper then dredge the tenders in flour and add it to the pan. Cook chicken 7 to 8 minutes until browned. Add wine and scrape up browned bits as wine cooks down and bubbles, 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup stock to skillet. Combine cream and mustard and add to stock. Add grapes to the pan and turn chicken and grapes to coat and combine with the sauce. Simmer 5 minutes over low heat.Bring remaining 2 cups chicken stock to a boil in a small pot. Add couscous. Put a tight fitting lid on pot and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Serve tenders and grapes on couscous.

Amy Krebs - Spicy Garlic Shrimp and Tomato Spaghetti
TOTAL TIME: 25 MIN
SERVES: 4
Ingredients
made this last night - really good and quick too. Minor additions were thatI added white wine to deglaze the pan and also added about a cup of tomatosauce (raos, of course).
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound spaghetti
1/2 pound shelled and deveined medium shrimp, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 pint small yellow pear or red grape tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced rosemary
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a small skillet, cook the bread crumbs in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bread crumbs onto a plate. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until just barely al dente. Drain the spaghetti, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil with the shrimp, tomatoes, garlic, rosemary and crushed red pepper. Add the spaghetti and the reserved cooking water to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, tossing the pasta and lightly crushing the tomatoes, until the sauce is slightly thickened and the shrimp are cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer the spaghetti to bowls, sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and serve.

Lisa McGreevey – Salad Dressing
1 clove of garlic
2-3 shallots (diced)
prosciutto (trim the fat off and diced)
lemon (2-3 T)
olive oil
white wine (1/4 cup)
pecorino cheese (freshly grate so that it is chunky)
fresh parsley(couple T chopped)
salt and pepper

I sauté shallots and garlic in olive unless translucent, add prosciutto, then add white wine, turn off heat add fresh lemon juice to taste. Add parsley, salt and pepper.When you toss your salad throw in the pecorino.

Lisa McGreevey - another good sauce recipe:

shallots, olive oil, chicken broth, tarragon, lemon juice, white wine, salt and pepper. same drill as above but it needs more time to cook down, you can add some butter in to thicken. I usually make this with tortellini (1 pack of spinach cheese and 1 pack of chicken prosciutto), steamed asparagus and fresh pecorino cheese - I have added rotisserie chicken shredded too. It is even good in the summer at room temperature as a side.

Peggy Reilly – Stuffed Mushrooms:
1 head of broccoli
2-3 carrots
1 onion
2-3 stalks of celery
1 red or green pepper
Any other veggie you have on hand (frozen spinach, etc.)
1/2 cup Grated cheese
juice of 1-2 lemons
Garlic,
salt, pepper
Butter 1/2 stick

Chop the garlic and veggies finely and saute in the melted butter until slightly tender but al dente. Season and then squeeze the lemon juice over them. Take off the heat and add grated cheese. Taste the mixture and add whatever to your liking (lemon, seasonings, cheese). Stuff the mushrooms and bake at around 375 for 20minutes.

Meaghan O’Day – Stuffed Mushrooms:
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh mushrooms, approximately 35-40
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
2 tbs. onion, finely chopped
3 tbs. red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 pd. crab claw meat
1/4 cup green pepper
2 cups oyster crackers, crushed
1 tbs. crushed garlic
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup water
6 white cheddar cheese slices

Directions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Sauti celery, onion, and pepper in butter for 2 minutes, transfer to a plate and cool in the refrigerator.While vegetables cool, wash mushrooms and remove stems.Set caps to the side and finely chop half of the stems. Discard the other half of the stems or use elsewhere.Combine the sautied vegetables, chopped mushroom stems, and all other ingredients (except cheese slices) and mix well.Place mushroom caps in individual buttered casseroles or baking dishes (about 6 caps each).Spoon 1 teaspoon of stuffing into each mushroom.Cover with sliced cheese.Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes until cheese is lightly browned.Serves 6

Meaghan O’Day – Stuffed Mushrooms #2:
Ingredients:
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs minced celery
1 Tbs minced onion
1 Tbs minced red bell pepper
2 lbs mushrooms
1 cup oyster crackers - crushed
6 oz. cooked lobster meat - chopped
4 oz. cooked crab meat - picked over and shredded
1/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1 egg
2 Tbs water
1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 Tbs olive oil
2/3 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

Directions:
Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add minced celery, onion, and red bell pepper. Cook 2 minutes, until tender, then cool. Remove stems from mushrooms and finely chop 3/4 cup of stems. Set mushroom caps aside.In large bowl combine vegetable mixture, chopped stems, crushed oyster crackers, lobster meat, crab meat, 1/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese, egg, water, Old Bay Seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.Grease two large jelly-roll pans. Brush mushroom caps with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and stuff with lobster-crab mixture. Arrange caps in prepared pans. Top with remaining 2/3 cup shredded white cheddar cheese.Bake 12 minutes - until lightly browned.Makes about 50 mushrooms.

Megan Kilpatrick - Stuffed Mushroom Caps:
1 stick of lightly salted butter
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup grated carrot (about 2 carrots)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (just use the press)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 10 oz bag fresh spinach, cooked untilwilted,chopped
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves (or 1 tsp fresh)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup dry seasoned breadcrumbs
32 mushrooms, stems removed
1/4 lb cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a bakingsheet.Melt butter in a large skillet. Stir in celery andonions and cooked until softened, about 10 minutes.Add carrots, garlic and wine. Cook, stirring for 5minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in spinach,Parmesan, walnuts, parsley, salt, thyme and pepper.Add breadcrumbs and mix well.Arrange mushroom caps on the prepared baking sheet.Fill each cavity with the spinach mixture and sprinklewith cheddar cheese. Bake the mushrooms until thecheddar is browned and bubbly. 15 to 20 minutes.

Jen Burlington - CORNED BEEF DIP:
16oz sour cream
16oz mayo
3 tsp parsely
2 tsp beau monde seasoning
2 tsp dill weed
3 tbl minced onion
3 pkgs of Hillshire Farms corned beef (in hotdog section, hanging up in red box)
Buy an unsliced loaf of marble rye (or pumpernickle or regular rye will do) from the bakery. Cut around the top edge of the bread & hallow out the inside by cutting into bite size pieces. Mix all ingredients above (chop up corned beef into small pieces). Refrigerate until ready to serve, then pour dip into rye loaf. Serve on a platter w/ bite size rye pieces around the outside of the dip. Enjoy!

Heather Nolan - chicken and corn mexican chowder:
2 onions1 red pepper diced and sauteed until translucent in olive oil with some cumin (2 tsps), cayenne pepper (1/2tsp) and garlic powder (2 tsps)then add:
3 carrots chopped
2 celery chopped
2 small cans of green chilis
sautee for another couple of minutes...then add
1 can of corn kernels (drained) (or frozen box or shaved from an ear or 2 in the summer)
1 (28oz) can whole peeled tomatoes (i like san marzano)
2 (14oz) cans of chicken stock
3 cups of rotisserie chicken chopped add kosher salt and cracked pepper and let simmer for atleast 30mins until it thickens up (longer the better)serve with any or all of the below:sliced avocado crushed hint of lime tostitosshredded jackdollop of sour cream