FIRST KITCHEN BLOGS

Still don’t have a dish to bring to your New Year’s Party? Well look no further because this recipe is SO good! I created it about a year ago using some leftover ingredients in my fridge but since then it’s been a staple to bring to parties, make for a simple dinner or even toss with pasta and ground beef for a hearty meal.  It is one of those dishes where you can be creative and improvise so, if you don’t have one of the ingredients I list, its ok- substitute something else (I will say, garlic, onion and tomato are essential!!)

Using olive oil and an array of veggies makes this dish not only delicious but healthy too!!

Italian Bruchetta

Serves 6-8(more if used as appetizer)

Prep Time: 20 minutes *chop chop chop

Cook Time: 40 minutes

You will need:

2 lbs fresh tomatoes, diced (with juices)

1 lb mushrooms, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 medium onions (I use yellow), chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (use more if desired)

½ cup celery, chopped

1 can of artichoke hearts, chopped

¼ cup capers

½ cup green olives (use more if desired)

½ cup olive oil

¼ to ½  cup dry red wine (white is ok if you don’t have red, just make sure dry)

½ to ¾ tsp salt

2 tsp dried oregano

Dash cayenne peppers

2 loaves French bread, sliced

Olive oil for drizzle over bread

Directions:

Sauté the onions, celery, peppers in olive oil over medium heat until soft (about 3 minutes). Add garlic and cook a few minutes (don’t let the garlic burn!) Add in mushrooms and let soften (about 2 minutes). Add tomatoes and artichokes as well as seasonings and let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add wine, capers, olives. Cover and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and allow simmering for at least ½ hour to let the wine cook down.

Meanwhile, slice French bread into thin (1/4 inch or so) slices. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until golden brown and a little crunchy.

Serve alongside the bruschetta (can use as a dip or pre-make the bruschetta by putting about 1-2 spoonful’s on each piece of bread).

What are y'all making to ring in the New Year? 

ENJOY and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
STAY SAFE

I am like a proud mommy all over again. After 3 months of daily watering, weeding and watching I finally birthed my first tomato harvest! Granted, only one of the two plants that I started off with survived (hail storm in July…) but still, I am happy! The tomatoes are big beefy “mortgage lifter” heirloom tomatoes. Supposedly they got that name when the man who first bred them used the profits to pay off his mortgage…I have a looooong way to go until my gardening is that profitable ;-).

For now I am enjoying the fruits of the harvest, literally. The mortgage lifters are sweet and earthy tasting. Supposedly they are good cooking/roasting tomatoes. Since I had about 10 in my first harvest I decided to eat a few and cook a few so nothing would go to waste.

I made a fresh tomato sauce that is easy to freeze and take out as an alternative to canned sauces. It is a good recipe to make on a Sunday or a day that you don’t have to rush out of the house, as it takes a few hours to simmer. Here’s the scoop:

Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce

Makes about 3-4 cups

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time 2-3 hours

You will need:

5-6 large tomatoes , chopped (I used my heirloom tomatoes but any beefy variety will be fine, could also use double the amount of Roma tomatoes as they are much smaller)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped (*optional…could substitute a number of different vegetables such as green pepper, red pepper, mushrooms, etc)

¼ cup olive oil

1-2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 large handful of fresh basil, stems removed

Directions:

Chop all ingredients, set aside.

In large and deep saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until transparent (~2 minutes). Add zucchini and garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt. Bring ingredients to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cover. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring every so often. 

After about an hour, add brown sugar and basil (mixture will be more sauce like now as the tomatoes will have cooked down and formed a liquid). Cover and simmer another 1 hour.

Remove

from heat and let cool for ½ hour. Place sauce in Tupperware and put in freezer.

May also use right away with pasta. You could add ground turkey or beef to make a classic meat sauce or pour it over roasted/pan seared chicken as an alternative or eat simply with noodles and parmesan cheese.

That's amore!

Over the weekend I hosted my sister’s “Vintage Circus” themed baby shower. She is having a little boy (Leonardo or “Leo”) at the end of September!  A vintage circus was the perfect theme for a baby named Leo (the Lion!).  Again, the theme guided the party planning but I did not go overboard. I found some vintage clowns at a thrift store; a toy carousal that I spray painted and I used popcorn holders as a vase for flowers. I also set up a tent outside and decorated with draping fabric and ribbons. I spent about $50 on all of the decorations…not bad!  Instead of getting to carnival-y on the food I went for fresh and summery. I also didn’t do anything too heavy because my Aunt Lin made beautiful and decadent circus cupcakes for desert!

Here was the menu:

Caprese Salad and baguette

Fresh Spinach Dip and veggies

Torta di Riso (My grandmother’s Italian recipe)

Fresh Fruit

Pesto Green Beans**

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

The menu was the hit of the party. The combination went well together and left people satisfied but not overly full. I will share the pesto green beans recipe. This was a hit and I used the pesto that I made last week and picked up green beans at the farmer’s market the day before.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures while I was making this dish, but it is very simple so I think just following the recipe you will do just fine!

Pest Green Beans:

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 2 minutes

You will need:

2 lb green beans, stemmed

1/2 recipe Presto Pesto

1 cup fresh parmesean cheese, grated

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

This past weekend I threw my friends a 'couple's shower' for their upcoming wedding in August.

A couple's shower is a fun alternative to a bridal shower, as it involves both the bride and groom. We still played shower games and had delicious food but it was fun to get the 'men' involved!

Whenever I throw a party, I like to have a theme in mind. I try not to get too crazy or obsessed with the theme but it is a nice way to stay focused throughout the party planning. I decided on a "retro barbque" theme for the party. My friend is having some vintage elements to her wedding,  so I thought it would be a nice tie-in to the big day. Also, since it was a couple's shower and both men and women were attending, it was fun to play with the male/female roles, especially of that time period (let's just say I wore an apron!).

When I went shopping for the party, I hit up a few consignment/thrift stores in the area and that is where the theme exploded! I was able to get all of the prizes for the games (vintage cook books, old schwin bike tire, aprons etc) as well as fun serving dishes and trinkets for decorating from that era. All together, I spent just over $75 for all of the prizes and decorations! There were almost 30 people at the shower, so that was a bargain.

The food was a classic spread from a 1960's back yard barbque. I found a recipe box  (which I later painted and refurbished as my gift to the bride) with classic recipe cards from the 1960's. Jack pot! I was able to use the recipe cards as decoration for the table as well as used some of the recipes to make.

For appetizers:

Bacon wraped waterchestnuts

Deviled eggs

Hawiian meatballs

The spread:

Beer brats and burgers on the grill

Grandma Dot's Potato salad

Colslaw with kiwi

Calico beans

Tuna with noodles

Jello salad suprise

Dessert:

Pineapple upsidedown cake

Classic coconut creme cake

Ice cream

Drinks:

Classic coke and diet coke (in retro bottles with straws)

Fruit punch (served in a punch bowl!)

Iced tea

Coffee

The shower was a success and people really enjoyed the food and their retro gifts! In my next post I will share some of the fun recipes...any in particular you'd like me to share?

Have a great weekend!

Summer Dill Rice Salad

It has been a looong, busy week and I have yet to do one productive thing around my house, including grocery shop! Here’s the problem: when I don’t go grocery shopping I spend money eating out. When I spend money on eating out, I usually over spend my calorie limit and my pocket book. SO, my challenge to myself today is to create a meal by using what I already have in my pantry. YIKES. Putting aside my thought to pick up the phone and speed dial a pepperoni pizza to arrive at my door in 20 minutes, I will make something in that same amount of time from the odds and ends that I ALREADY have in my kitchen. Time to get creative!

Here’s what I have: Minute brown rice, butter, can corn, lemon juice, garlic, fresh dill, peapods, green onion (all from farmer’s market last week), celery and salt. HMMMM.

Dill to me is summer. I love its distinctive flavor and I think it goes well with citrus.  If you don’t like dill, you could substitute any fresh herb such as basil, thyme or parsley.  I enjoy a cold rice salad when the weather is warm, however this dish could be eaten hot if you don’t want to wait for it to cool.

You will need: 

(makes about 4 servings)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes                 

 ½ cup onions, chopped (yellow, white, or green)

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 Tablespoon butter

1 cup *instant brown rice (*cook time will be longer if you use regular brown rice)

2 Tablespoon lemon juice (or ½ medium lemon squeezed)

2 cups water

1 cup pea pods or snow peas, chopped

1 cup corn (frozen or canned)

2 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped fine

Salt to taste  

Sauté onions, celery and butter for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté another 2 minutes. Add rice and lightly brown the rice. Add lemon juice and water, bring to simmer. Add corn, peapods and dill. Turn heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.

This is a great side dish for grilled fish or eaten plain for a light meal.

Please share your creative meals that you’ve cooked using the bare minimum left in your kitchen, meanwhile, I’m going to the grocery store!

PSSST: lots of tips to stock your cupboards in the FK DVD, also available to upload to ipod at the FK store!

So what do you do with that pumpkin left over from your Halloween party?  Or the apples you used for bobbing for apples  (Okay you didn’t bob for apples!)

How about making pumpkin soup to serve on these chilly fall days.  If you actually don’t have a pumpkin, Butternut or Hubbard squash will work just as well.

There are many variations and recipes for this kind of soup, but I have combined several recipes to  come up with a very simple version.  The only thing that I don’t find fun is peeling and chopping the pumpkin or squash. 

Added benefits to this recipe - it is so good for you and easy on your budget!

 Pumpkin and Apple Soup

About 6 servings

2 cups peeled, chopped pumpkin (or Butternut or Hubbard squash)

3 cups apples peeled, cored and chopped

1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups chicken broth

Salt

Pepper

Place all ingredients in a large pot or Dutch oven and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer about 30 minutes or until pumpkin is soft.  Place mixture in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  (Note: You may have to do this in batches if it is too much for the blender at one time.)   Return mixture to the pot and reheat as necessary.  Add salt and pepper to taste.   Serve with any variety of garnishes: A dollop of sour cream, chopped walnuts or toasted pumpkin seeds or combination.

I hate to say this but summer is officially over.  As the weather starts to cool, I start thinking about what to cook for dinner that doesn’t go on the grill.

I ran across a roasted chicken recipe in this month’s Bon appetit that I modified to make it simpler, but still very tasty and healthy.  This version uses not only vegetables of the season, but also a lot of fresh herbs.  (Those herbs that we’re still growing, but will soon be nipped by the frost- at least in our part of the country.)

While this recipe takes a bit longer to make than putting something on the grill, it is easy to make. Using whole chicken is quite inexpensive and you will most likely have chicken left over for sandwiches or salads.  Now that’s a real budget stretcher! 

Roasted Chicken and Seasonal Vegetables

1 whole chicken (approximately 3 pounds)

Lemon pepper

3-4 cups seasonal vegetables, peeled and cut into small chunks or wedges, such as:

     Hubbard or acorn squash

     Small yellow beets

     Parsnips

Fresh sage leaves plus 1 tablespoon chopped sage (divided)

Fresh thyme sprigs plus 2 teaspoons chopped thyme (divided)

Fresh rosemary sprigs plus 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary (divided)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt |

Pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Place a couple fresh sage leaves and thyme and rosemary sprigs under the skin of each chicken breast half and some of each in the chicken cavity; sprinkle chicken with lemon pepper.

Place cut up vegetables in the baking pan and toss with chopped herbs and olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place chicken in pan and surround with the vegetables.

Bake chicken and vegetables about 20 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake another 50 minutes, turning vegetables occasionally. 

(Note: Chicken is done when the thigh temperature reached 165 degrees. The easiest way to check is to use an instant read thermometer.)

Adapted from Roast Chicken recipe October, 2010 Bon Appétit