Kitchen Dreams & Wishes


All about books, cookbooks that is:
Amazon’s book description: She’s taught us every facet of Italian cooking–from traditional and regional to seasonal and contemporary. She even made us fall in love with pasta again by opening us up to lighter, healthier versions that don’t weigh us down. Now the Food Network star and bestselling author of Everyday Pasta, Giada De Laurentiis, takes us down a new path, sharing her love of food with clean, vibrant, simple flavors and bursts of bright colors that look as beautiful on the plate as they are delicious.

Yes, you will still find those fabulous recipes she remembers so fondly from family meals, but you’ll also find updated twists on classic trattoria favorites–California-inflected, hearty but not overwhelming, and with the perfect balance of healthfulness and terrific flavor. Wouldn’t you love a faster, lighter take on osso buco (here made with turkey instead of veal), a salad with real substance (like one of cantaloupe, red onion, and walnuts), and fish that gets an Italian makeover by way of lots of fresh veggies and accents such as fennel and grapefruit salsa? And let’s not forget dessert. After all, what’s not to adore about little doughnuts dipped in chocolate sauce?

Ranging from soups and snacks to easy entres and elegant dinner-party fare, Giada’s recipes are perfect for any day of the week. And for the first time, she includes a full section of dishes that the little ones will love making as much as they love eating (like mini chicken meatballs). With something to please everyone at your table, Giada’s Kitchen deliciously demonstrates why Giada De Laurentiis has become America’s best-loved Italian cook.

Italy meets California in Giada De Laurentiis’s collection of 100 new recipes. She focuses on fresh ingredients, simple preparation, and bright flavors. Anyone who wants to indulge in the pleasures of Italian food without feeling weighed down will find inspiration for delicious, hearty yet healthy weekday meals. Giada’s recipes satisfy both our desire to eat with gusto and to feel good about what we eat.

Amazon’s book description: Slow-roasted meats, marinated vegetables, surprising flavor combinations, this is not your mother’s sandwich.

With acclaimed restaurants located across the United States, and a high-profile job as head judge of the hit show Top Chef, Tom Colicchio is one of the best-known chefs and personalities in the culinary world today. His popular chain of ’wichcraft sandwich shops is known for crafting sandwiches with high-quality fresh ingredients prepared to Colicchio’s exacting standards. And since the first ’wichcraft opened in 2003, diners can’t seem to get enough.

In ’wichcraft, Colicchio shares the shops’ secrets with step-by-step recipes for all their best-loved offerings.

Amazon’s product description: Anyone who has visited Carmine’s flagship Times Square restaurant knows that Carmine’s food is the best of classic Italian cuisine—each dish prepared simply to bring out the most vibrant flavor and make anyone who tastes it smile and reach for seconds.

Carmine’s Family-Style Cookbook reveals the simple secret of Carmine’s longtime success—hearty, rich Italian food, just right for sharing, and perfect for cooking at home!

Carmine’s Family-Style Cookbook’s perfect Italian recipes include:
–Appetizers, Soups and Salads: from Chicken Wings Scarpariello-Style to Carmine’s Famous Caesar Salad
–Carmine’s Heroes: from classic Cold Italian Hero sandwiches to Italian Cheesesteak Heroes
–Pasta: from Country-style Rigatoni to Pasta Marinara
–Fish and Seafood Main Courses: from Salmon Puttanesca to Shrimp Fra Diavolo
–Meat and Poultry Main Courses: from Porterhouse Steak Contadina to Veal Parmigiana
–Side Dishes: from Spinach with Garlic and Oil to Creamy Polenta
–Carmine’s Desserts: from Chocolate Bread Pudding to the world-famous Titanic Ice Cream Sundae

Carmine’s restaurant packs them in every night in its four bustling locations, including its warm, festive Times Square flagship where over a million people from all across the country come every year to share meatballs, chicken parmigiana, linguini with clam sauce, and fried calamari. Carmine’s flavors are the tastes Americans love to cook and eat at home—fresh garlic, bubbling tomato sauce, and pasta boiled just to the perfect al dente. Try any of the recipes in Carmine’s Family-Style Cookbook and bring home that classic Italian flavor to your family.

Almost Meatless by Joy Manning

excerpt from Amazon’s review: Despite its title, almost every recipe in this book uses meat, fish or eggs. A collaboration between Manning, a former vegan, and Desmond, an unabashed meat lover, the aim is to help Americans, who they believe eat far more meat than is healthy or good for agricultural sustainability, compose meals that are both tasty and filling without having a slab of meat as the overbearing star ingredient. Instead, meat appears in smaller quantities supplemented by layers of flavor in the form of additional savory ingredients that should keep people who usually expect lots of meat from noticing the difference.

Kitchen Wishes


My kitchen dreams are brought to this week by Williams-Sonoma

Most of you know that I have had to pack up my magnificent kitchen and all its toys to be put in storage while we help my elderly in-laws. While I saved out 1 basket of irreplaceable kitchen tools and all the rest are in storage very nearby, FIL isn’t fond of the few pieces I do have here and can’t find a need for anything other than what he has on hand. While most of it is serviceable, it is not desirable, prompting my BIG dreams this week for the copper core stainless cookware set above.

My spices are currently in my bedroom closet, but I dream of the day that I can have this awesome drawer.

I also love this spice infuser and expandable cutlery drawer insert.

Kitchen Wishes

Despite packing up my kitchen and most of it heading for storage for a time being, I still see things and think, “Wow I’d like that”. Here’s a few more things to add to that someday list.

I love this completely impractical pumpkin soup tureen and this absolutely adorable cake plate!

I thought these dishes were fun and lively too.


Kitchen Wishes at tHe KrAzY KiTcHeN

While living here in the middle of nowhere one of my go to places is King Arthur Baking for specialty foods and dreaming. Have I mentioned I can’t wait to get back amongst the real world? Soon, very soon! In the meantime here are a few more items I dream about. Everything here today is from King Arthur Baking except the Cast Iron Cobbler pans which are from Gooseberry Patch.

This will be a dream for pie baking. Push apple through cutter to make eight 1” slices (good for snacking). Click to adjust cutter to make sixteen ½” slices (perfect for baking: pie, cobbler, crisp).

These individual cast iron cobbler pans from Gooseberry Patch will make good use of those thin slices also.

This Glazed Ceramic Pie Plate will make some great looking pies with those apples. I also want to use those pieces to make some individual caramel apples like these.


And these bake and takes will be awesome for the upcoming Bread Round Up and Gift giving this holiday season.

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Wednesday wish list

I love to dream and wish. This also creates a great list for family and friends for gift ideas. Want to play along?

I love this Cuisinart combination food processor and blender from Overstock.com.

Cooking Enthusiast has some fun items. This stainless steel extra large scoop and mesh flavor infuser would both be so helpful.

With the summer season upon us I want to be grilling more, but also grilling healthy so this stainless steel grid for the grill form Sur la Table would be sooooooooooooo helpful.

Williams Sonoma is also one of my most favorite cooking stores. I found this electric griddle over there and I really need a new one. Mine is a hand me down from my grandmother that has been on its last legs for years!

Pineapple Cider Brine Pork Chops w/ Root Beer Pineapple BBQ sauce, Broccoli Green Bean Almond Saute & StrawBlackberry topping for Magazine Monday

Magazine Mondays is hosted by Ivonne over at Cream Puffs in Venice. All 3 of these recipes are loosely based on recipes from magazines, but the main ingredients have been changed to protect my family. No seriously, the main ingredients were changed to make my family happy as the original recipes had ingredients that my family just won’t eat! Also Healthy Helpings is debuting over at ThE KraZy KitcHen tomorrow. Stop by and join in.
When I do ‘recipe experiment’ night I try to do EVERY part of the meal as a new recipe. Some times I get lucky and they ALL are worth sharing. I’m a ‘no measure’ cook, well at least a no exact measure cook so when I invent a new recipe, it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. But, today worked!

PINEAPPLE CIDER BRINE PORK CHOPS
1 1/2 cup water
8 ounce can crushed pineapple
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sea salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
4 thick pork chops

  • In a large sauce pan whisk together water, cider vinegar, sea salt and brown sugar together until salt and sugar are dissolved.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Add seasonings and blend well.
  • Slow simmer 10 minutes.
  • Cool.
  • Immerse pork chops and soak 12-24 hours. I used my 8 cup pampered chef batter bowl so the chops had plenty of room to ‘swim’.
  • Drain chops.
  • Grill or broil 5-6 minutes on each side.
  • Heat enough Root Beer Pineapple BBQ sauce to cover the chops.
  • Brush each side of chops with BBQ sauce for the last few minutes.

ROOT BEER PINEAPPLE BBQ SAUCE

12 ounce MUG root beer
8 ounce can crushed pineapple
4 tablespoons butter
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
4 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sun dried tomato pesto
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon Frank’s hot sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • Melt butter in a large saucepan.
  • Add onions and garlic, Saute’ until tender.
  • Add other ingredients, except cornstarch, and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
  • Remove 1 cup of sauce and whisk cornstarch into it.
  • Return mixture to the sauce pan and simmer 15 minutes.
  • Cool 15 minutes.
  • Refrigerate,
  • Makes 4 cups.

BROCCOLI GREEN BEAN ALMOND SAUTE’

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons White Balsamic Vinegar
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/3 pound green beans, trimmed
1 broccoli crown, chopped small
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

  • Heat olive oil in large skillet.
  • Add vegetables and saute’ until tender.
  • Add soy sauce and white balsamic vinegar.
  • Sprinkle with sea salt and white pepper.
  • Add almonds, blend well and heat through.
  • This dish is good hot OR cold!

STRAWBLACKBERRY SHORTCAKE TOPPING

1 pint blackberries, washed and sliced in thirds
1/2 pint strawberries, washed and chopped small
1/4 cup brown sugar

  • Toss Together and marinate several hours.
  • Serve over shortcake.

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Wednesday Kitchen Wishes

I love to dream and wish. This also creates a great list for family and friends for gift ideas. Want to play along?

These great items from Williams Sonoma and Villaware are on my covet list this week. From top to bottom: angled potato ricer, hand crank pasta machine, brushed stainless steel soup/stock pot, avocado pitter & slicer and Cuisinart Popcorn popper. Of course I can live without all of them, but would really rather not some day!


Parsnip Puree Potato Skins

Did you know that parsnips are from the carrot family? This vegetarian diet hubby requested is giving me room to try some new recipes and I’m losing weight though he says he isn’t.

PARSNIP PUREE POTATO SKINS
1 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled & cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium potatoes, baked & scooped out
1 green onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons sour cream
3-4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter, melted
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add parsnips and boil 20-25 minutes until extremely tender.
  • Bake potatoes in oven or microwave. Halve them and scoop out the insides.
  • Puree the cooled parsnips and potato insides until smooth.
  • Add butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and heavy cream and blend well.
  • Fill potato shells with puree. This makes enough to also fill 2 compotes for another meal later in the week.
  • Top with grated cheese and green onion
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Increase to broil and brown tops for a minute or so.
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