Tasty Business

Chicken stuffed with prosciutto, provolone, and basil

2009-08-04T16:39:00.001-04:00

Somebody I know doesn't care for the recent dose of tofu dishes on this site. So for that person, who shall remain nameless, here's a non-vegetarian, non-soy based recipe for you.Many thanks to the model in this picture. She did a great job, don't you think?Chicken stuffed with prosciutto, provolone, and basil(sorry, no measurements for this one)Skinless, boneless chicken breastsThinly sliced

Honey sesame glazed tofu

2009-07-30T21:03:00.002-04:00

I've been eating a lot of tofu lately. It's tasty, quick to cook, and filling. As much as I love tofu steaks, I need to change it up sometimes. Instead of making steaks, I fried tofu triangles in a bit of grapeseed oil until they were golden brown. Then I added a sesame honey glaze to the pan and allowed it to cook down until it was mostly gone and the tofu triangles were full of

Chocolate mint cupcakes

2009-07-09T16:58:00.001-04:00

To me, chocolate and mint is a perfect combination. These cupcakes were outstanding. If you also like minty-chocolaty-goodness, try 'em out. You won't be disappointed. You can find the recipe here at Simply Recipes. I topped off my cupcakes with the buttercream frosting.

Baked cod and vegetables

2009-07-08T16:34:00.000-04:00

I love fish, but it seems I'm always preparing it the same way -- pan fried or broiled. I found this recipe and immediately wanted to try it. mise en place It combines fish and loads of vegetables, and the method was very straightforward. fish is rinsed, patted dry, and ready to go The recipe did not disappoint. I added whatever vegetables I had on hand (I added half a head of shredded

Tofu steaks with mango salsa

2009-06-04T16:24:00.000-04:00

I like tofu a lot but always end up making stir fry with it. Wanting to spice things up, I turned to Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and discovered baked tofu. Fabulous! Baking the tofu changes its texture so that it becomes wonderfully chewy and meaty; delicious eaten hot or cold. You can vary the seasoning depending on the dish you are creating.For this dish, I drained a

Quick and easy salads for Memorial Day picnics

2009-05-22T09:20:00.001-04:00

A long weekend and the weather is beautiful! I am off to MD/PA to visit some friends and a new baby. Memorial Day weekend is prime time for picnics, drinks, friends, family, and fun. As I've mentioned, I don't have much BBQ advice for you, but I can help with creating some fresh and tasty salads. BYO drinks, friends, family, and fun.Both the salads I've shared with you below are super easy,

Pork tenderloin with spicy carrot fries

2009-05-21T09:21:00.001-04:00

There's been too much sweet stuff on this blog lately. I don't want to give you the wrong idea -- I like cooking much better than baking. So today it's back to the savory business.I adapted this recipe from one I saw in Bon Appetit magazine; the original recipe called for baby carrots and jalapeno, neither of which I had. Instead, I used regular old carrots, skipped the jalapeno, and added

Baby shower favors

2009-05-20T09:27:00.001-04:00

Edible party favors are easy and cheap to make. For this baby shower, I made some sugar cookies topped with cinnamon and sugar (just like a brown bear, but much safer) and wrapped them up in plastic bags tied with a ribbon. That's it!The worst part for me was cutting and tying the ribbon. I don't like scissors. Luckily, bf helped with that part.Looking for a no-fail, simple sugar cookie

Baby shower cake

2009-05-19T09:32:00.001-04:00

I've been holding on to this recipe for a couple of months, waiting for a baby to be born. I didn't want to jinx anything. Normally, I don't believe in that kind of thing, but you never know. I don't like to take chances when it comes to other people's babies. Anyway, the baby finally made its grand appearance last week, and baby and mama are healthy and happy. The time has come to blog about

Easter Bread

2009-04-15T11:27:00.006-04:00

This Easter bread is a family tradition that I'm sure many other Italian-American families share. My grandmother, who immigrated to the US from Calabria in the 1930s, made these breads every Easter for our family while she was still able. Nobody continued the tradition after she passed; that is, until a few years ago when I started making them.make the dough, let it risewhile the dough is

Roast beef sliders

2009-04-13T13:51:00.000-04:00

Having a party? Can't decide what to make? Roast beef sliders are the answer. They are easy to make and can be prepared before your guests arrive. For this batch, I cooked up the beef according to this recipe from Simply Recipes. It came out perfectly rare in the middle. I cooked up the beef, slowly caramelized some onions, and made the blue cheese mayonnaise the night before the party.

Bleu cheese omelette

2009-04-01T14:32:00.000-04:00

This omelette started out as an exercise in cleaning out the refrigerator and ended up a super delicious breakfast. I love it when that happens! I scrambled some eggs, added a bit of milk and a threw in a handful of chopped chives. I poured the egg mixture into a hot, buttered pan, cooked the eggs until almost set, and then threw in some crumbled bleu cheese. I folded the omelette and dropped

A feast for the eyes

2009-03-27T11:27:00.004-04:00

west village, new york

Chocolate covered strawberries

2009-03-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

Perfect for spring. Easy to make; easy way to impress your guests. Directions: melt chocolate, dip strawberries, allow to cool. Optional: melt white chocolate, drizzle over chocolate-dipped berries. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

St. Paddy's Day dinner

2009-03-20T11:32:00.007-04:00

drinksIrish cheddar colcannon Irish "car bomb" cupcakes she's not Irish, but she's got green eyes

Braised short ribs

2009-03-16T13:53:00.002-04:00

I've been dreaming about making braised short ribs for a long time. I'm glad I did. While they were serious tasty business (the sauce was outstanding!), in the end, the ribs were just a little too fatty for me. I will make this again with a less fatty cut of meat.Regardless, if you are a fan of short ribs - and I know many of you are - I highly suggest you try this recipe. Mario Batali's

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

2009-03-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Chocolate chip cookies bore me. I know, I know; everybody loves chocolate chip cookies. Don't get me wrong - if you hand me a chocolate chip cookie, I'm going to eat it. I may even love it. But when I take the time to bake cookies from scratch, chocolate chip cookies seem too commonplace to be worth the effort. That's why I knew I had to make these these peanut butter chocolate chip

Salmon with mustard dill sauce

2009-02-26T15:49:00.001-05:00

I love salmon. It's healthy, easy to make, cooks up fast, and you can prepare it a million different ways (at least). Pair up a piece of salmon with some steamed vegetables to make the perfect mid-week meal. Mustard Dill Sauce(adapted from a chow life)1/2 cup course-ground mustard1/4 cup water1/2 cup heavy cream1/4 cup olive oil4 teaspoons sugar1/2 cup chopped, fresh dillMix all ingredients

Roasted beet and blood orange salad

2009-02-23T16:57:00.006-05:00

I'm tired of winter; it just keeps dragging on and on. I'm tired of cold, drab days, heavy coats and snow boots. I'm sick of icy sidewalks and the dirty piles of snow that refuse to melt. I'm even getting a little tired of heavy, meaty comfort foods that seem to fill up winter menus. I long for warmth and sunshine. I long to ride my bike. Most of all, I long for the array of colorful and

Mark Bittman saved my cabbage

2009-02-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

I made this dish a while ago, but it was so tasty and easy, I must tell you about it. At the time, I had half a head of both red and green cabbage leftover from making cole slaw. I don't like to waste food and try my best not to let things rot in the back of the refrigerator. Usually I can think of a dish or find a recipe suited to the leftovers I have on hand. But these cabbages were

Pineapple salad

2009-02-06T11:10:00.000-05:00

Some very nice people gave me a subscription to Gourmet Magazine for Christmas and I've been awaiting its arrival. I was so excited when I finally got my first edition. Reading through, I marked many recipes I want to try; this was the first and it didn't disappoint.I love salads that mix in fruit; I love the sweetness and tartness that fruit adds. This salad was a great mixture of taste and

Happy World Nutella Day!

2009-02-05T10:15:00.002-05:00

To Nutella: Nutella, I love you. And I am so happy to celebrate this very special day with you. I enjoyed you this morning as you should be enjoyed -- simply spread on a piece of toast so I could taste all of your chocolately, hazelnutty goodness.To the others: Today is World Nutella Day! Eat some. You know you want to. Check out what others are doing with Nutella today at Ms Adventures in

Spiced molasses cookies

2009-02-04T11:58:00.002-05:00

Out of nowhere, I had an intense craving for a gingersnap cookie. I wanted something sweet and spicy. However, I don't love crisp cookies, and wanted something softer and chewier. These Spiced Molasses Cookies from Dorie Greenspan hit the spot. They had a bit of crunch on the outside, were chewy on the inside, and sufficiently sweet and spicy. If, all of a sudden, you are craving gingersnap

Beef braciole

2009-02-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Beef braciole is easy, tasty and makes the whole house smell so good. The most time consuming part is rolling and tying the meet, but it's well worth it. Nonni would be so proud. I have no recipe, but the procedure is easy: first, cut and pound out some boneless beef. Stuff, roll and tie up the beef (I made a stuffing with some breadcrumbs, fresh chopped parsley, minced garlic and olive oil)

Black bean chili with butternut squash and swiss chard

2009-01-12T11:07:00.005-05:00

Looking for a hearty, healthy, tasty vegetarian meal? This is it. I served this chili at a dinner party and it was a hit. Easy to make, too. I topped off the bowls with a dollop of plain yogurt, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing.