Paddy's Italian Special

Marinara Sauce:
1 TBSP EVOO
1 cup Chopped Onion
1-2 clove of Garlic Chopped Finely
½ cup red wine (dry preferably)
1 28oz can of Crushed tomatoes (I used crushed and whole peeled tomatoes in can that I crushed in my hand for more texture) use a good quality Spanish or Italian Tomato. Look for San Marzano or Cento brand.
1 tbsp fresh or dried Parsley
1tbsp fresh chopped Basil
1 tsp of crushed red pepper flake
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil and add onion turn down to medium heat. Cook for about 15 min until onion are translucent.

Add garlic and cook for 1-2 min more

Add red wine and cook until liquid is cooked out.

Add tomatoes and red pepper flake, basil and parsley. Cook on low heat (like a simmer) for 30-45 min covered. Stir every couple min. so you don’t burn the sauce.

When sauce is done season with Salt and Pepper to taste. If the sauce is too acidic (from the tomatoes) add like a tablespoon of butter. The fat will cut the acidity.

Meatballs:
½ lbs of ground pork
½ lbs ground beef
½ lbs ground veal or lamb or just do all pork and beef for a total of 1 ½ lbs of meat
½ cup grated parm
1 egg
1 tsp dried or fresh basil
1 tsp dried or fresh parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup finely chopped onion (really fine and thinly chopped)
1tsp salt
½ tsp crushed red pepper flake
Black Pepper to taste
¼ cup Panko style Plain
Bread Crumbs (this is a Japanese larger bread crumb. All grocery stores have them so don’t fret!)

Cook a little of the mix in a sauté pan to taste for seasoning. Adjust if necessary.

Mix all ingredients by hand. Fill a bowl with a little Oil and dip your fingers in (this is so the meat doesn’t stick). Roll balls to desired shape Place in a baking pan. You can refrigerate for bake right away. Bake at 400 degrees for like 20min.

Garlic Bread:

1 stick of Butter
2-3 Garlic Cloves rough chop
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Melt all ingredients on stove top on low heat.

Slice bread and dip top of bread in mix. Top with Shave Parm and bake until light golden.

Serve with whatever pasta you desire!

Ciao!!!

My First Beef Stew

I did it! I made my first beef stew and if I can do it, so can you!

Ingredients :

-2 lbs. beef stew chunks
-1/2 cup flour
-1 1/2 cup beef broth
-1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
-1 tsp. paprika
-4-5 carrots peeled and sliced into circles
-3 red potatoes diced into chunks (with skin)
-1 large onion chopped (i used a white onion)
-1-2 stalks of celery chopped
-1 bay leaf
-3 oz. tomato paste
-1 tsp. garlic powder
-1 1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix It Up:

-Place thawed meat in crock pot.

-Mix flour, salt and pepper and sprinkle all over meat and stir.

-Add all other ingredients, stir, mixing well.

-Cook on Low 8-12 hrs.

The key is serving this with crusty Italian bread for dipping! If you prefer your stew thick, you can add more flour. I read the ingredients wrong and added 1 cup of flour more than I needed, but it still came out delicious! Don't be afraid change recipes to your taste. And ALWAYS remember to taste as you go!

Breakfast Casserole

Get ready to bite into my new favorite casserole. Even though there's cheese and tater tots, it's so worth trying! I made this as an alternate to the "normal" dinner. Kids will love this too!

Ingredients:

-(Optional) 1 1b. ground sausage, ham, bacon or I used 3-4 ground veggie burgers
-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
-1 1/4 cups milk
-8 eggs
-1 lb frozen tater tots
-1 tbsp brown mustard
-parsley
-dried onion flakes
-salt & pepper

Mix It Up :

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Spread meat or veggie burger evenly on bottom of 9 X 13 baking dish

-Spread cheese on top

-Beat eggs, milk and seasonings in a bowl. Pour over meat and cheese. (You can keep going or stop and refrigerate over night at this point.)

-Top with frozen tater tots

-Bake for 45 min.

Yum! Serve with toast and oj for the ultimate breakfast casserole!

Homemade Chicken Noodle or Veggie Noodle Soup

There's nothing like a fresh bowl of homemade soup to warm up the day or night! Aside from the chopping, this is super easy and well worth the time to make. You can also make this vegetarian style by substituting veggie stock and leaving out the chicken.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

-2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1 pkg. egg noodles
-2 32. oz. boxes of chicken or vegetable stock
-4 med. carrots
-4 med. celery stalks
-1 med. yellow onion
-1 tbsp. butter

(3-4 dashes of all seasonings)
-parsley
-garlic powder
-thyme
-basil
-sea salt
-pepper
-grated parm cheese

Method:

-Cube chicken and cook (I suggest adding some seasoning to the chicken)
-Peel and chop carrots into small chunks, chop celery, peel and dice yellow onion
-Cook veggies in your soup pot with 1 tbsp. butter on med until tender
-Add chicken and cook for 2 min.
-Add broth and all seasonings, bring to a boil and reduce heat for 10 min.
-Add egg noodles and cook on low/med for 15-20 min.

This soup should be tasted often along the way until you're happy with your seasonings. It's great with saltines or on its own!

Mediterranean Stuffed Shells

This makes about 35-40 shells...........get ready for leftovers!

Try this if your bored with Italian style stuffed shells!

Ingredients :

-1 box San Giorgio shells
-2 10oz packages of frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
-10oz feta cheese (i used the tomato/basil flavored crumbles)
-2 cups ricotta cheese
-1 jar marinara sauce
-1 teaspoon garlic powder

Method :

-Boil and drain shells
-Mix spinach, feta, ricotta and garlic powder in large bowl
-Stuff shells with mixture (You may have extra shells)
-Place shells in greased baking dishes (I used a 9X13 and a 9X9)
-Cover shells with marinara sauce
-Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes

Enjoy!

Amy's Avocado Egg Salad

I haven't tried this, but Amy's got great taste so I bet it's awesome! And how can you go wrong with avocado?

Thanks for the recipe Amy!!!!!

To all my avocado aficionados, my very favorite egg salad recipe! Super easy and delicious.

-6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

-2 avocados, peeled, pitted and cubed

-1/2 cup minced red onion

-3 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles

-1 tablespoon yellow mustard

-1/3 cup mayonnaise

-salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! If you like a creamier consistency, you can smash it up to mix msh the avocado. I prefer it a little chunkier. Season to taste.

*Best to make this fresh because the color can get a little funky otherwise.

Brooklyn and Manhattan, NY NY

Took a trip to visit my cuz Katie in Brooklyn over the weekend and had two fantastic experiences!

One was at Great Jones Cafe - www.greatjones.com - in Manhattan, Noho for brunch. Try the Eggs Tulum with home fries and cornbread. Topped off with a perfectly spiced Bloody Mary!

The second was dinner at Rye - www.ryerestaurant.com - in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Not only did I try a new favorite crisp white wine, Dom Bardo, Rias Biaxis 2008, but I also had one of my favorite dinners....ever! I started with the Endive and Pear salad. The blue cheese was my favorite addition. For my main I had the All Natural Chicken on top of sage butternut squash, pancetta risotto and swiss chard. I usually don't go for the obvious, chicken, but this was awesome!

And there is actually a third fantastic experience. The 44 oz. Grass Fed Ribeye that Mike ordered! WOW!!!!!! Apparently this is the best steak in NY!