Skillet Spaghetti and Meatballs

Who doesn't LOVE spaghetti and meatballs? But they are such a production, right? Browning the meatballs, warming the sauce, boiling the pasta...it takes every pot in the house. Right?

Nope.

This recipe makes a FABULOUS spaghetti and meatballs, but here is the beauty part...all in one skillet. And, because everything is cooking up together, the spaghetti soaks up a lot of the gorgeous sauce and meatball flavor, so instead of one sitting on top of the other, all three components are beautifully, harmoniously, delectably, delightfully intermingled. Sounds too good to be true, right? But I am here to tell you, it can be done. And without overloading your dishwasher, on top of everything else.

The basic premise is this: you sear the meatballs (which are made with that beef/pork/veal meatloaf mixture you can get in the supermarket, adding even MORE flavor) quickly just to brown the outside. Then you cook the pasta in a mixture of your favorite marinara sauce thinned with water, and when the pasta is halfway done, you nestle those happy little meatballs into the spaghetti for the second half of the pasta cooking time. 8 minutes later there you have it: perfectly cooked pasta and meatballs, imbued with tomato sauce and ready for the plate.

So if you have been longing for spaghetti and meatballs but have been exhausted by the very thought of it, this is your lucky day, because 30 minutes from now you can be sitting down to this super dish. Pass the parmesan cheese, please!

SKILLET SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

• 2 slices sandwich bread, crusts removed
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 pound meatloaf mix (the combo of ground beef/pork/veal)
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups prepared marinara sauce
• 2 cups water
• 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Tear bread into small pieces and mix with buttermilk in medium bowl until it forms a paste. Add meat, cheese, egg yolk, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and mix. Form into meatballs, using 2 tablespoons of meat mixture per meatball.

2. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Sear meatballs on one side for one minute. Turn meatballs over to cook very briefly on the other side and transfer to plate lined with paper towel. Wipe out skillet.

3. Add sauce and water to skillet, add pasta and turn heat to medium high. Cover and cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes.

4. Nestle meatballs into spaghetti, seared side up. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 4 more minutes, stirring from time to time. Uncover and cook for 4 more minutes or until spaghetti is done, stirring gently from time to time.

5. Transfer to plates and sprinkle with basil and more Parmesan cheese.

Click here for printable recipe!

BLT Salad

I should start by saying that the major item that I have in common with the dog is a deep and abiding love for bacon. I totally feel her pain when I am cooking up a skillet of bacon and then don't turn around and put it in her dish. She always looks like she can't quite believe I'm not making it all for her. In my next life I think I will invent a completely bacon-flavored kibble and make a million bucks.

In the meantime, I always pause on any recipe that has bacon in the title. And of course, if the title also has the word "salad" in it, I feel like it is a healthy bacon recipe. This is my own little fantasy world that I have created, so please don't try and talk sense into me. So when I saw BLT Salad as an entry in Mark Bittman's new book KITCHEN EXPRESS, it was only a matter of time...a very short amount of time...before it ended up on our plates. As with all dishes in this book, there is no actual recipe, so I put together my own. It's a nifty little salad with a scrumptious avocado dressing, and since the book doesn't tell you specific amounts for all the ingredients, MY version goes a little heavy on the you-know-what.

This is probably a good time to tell you that I gave the romantic Southern husband chocolate bacon truffles for Valentine's Day last year, and oh, my my. Take a look:

Bacon and Chocolate


But if you want to stick with bacon health food, try this salad.

BLT SALAD, adapted from Kitchen Express

• 4 slices thick bacon, cooked until crisp and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 lime
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 2 ripe tomatoes

1. Puree avocado, basil and garlic in food processor until smooth. Juice the lime and add to the avocado mixture.

2. With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until blended in. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Tear up lettuce and add to salad bowl. Chop tomatoes and add to bowl along with chopped bacon.

4. Add dressing and toss. I like to add the dressing gradually and taste as I go along to make sure the salad is not "over-dressed."

Click Here For Printable Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Tis the season for pumpkin - pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins. I heart pumpkin. And so whenever a new recipe for pumpkin anything comes my way I will give it a try, especially in these early fall days when the frost is on the...pumpkin.

This recipe comes via my favorite baking site, Joy The Baker, and tastes like a cross between an oatmeal cookie and a slice of really great pumpkin pie. She says you can use either butterscotch or chocolate chips on the top - I made mine with butterscotch because them seemed more pumpkin-ish to me, but since I will definitely be making these another thousand times or so, I will try them with chocolate as well. As with most bar cookies, these are best if you cut them into pretty small squares (an inch or so). Plus that way you can eat ten of them at one time and still feel like you are having just a small bite. Right?

Happy autumn everyone, and bring on the pumpkin...

PUMPKIN PIE BARS, adapted from Joy The Baker

1 1/3 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

1 15oz can pumpkin

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Handful of butterscotch or chocolate chips

1. Preheat oer to 350. Line 13x9 inch pan with foil, with ends extending over sides, and grease with cooking spray.

2. Combine flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar and all the brown sugar in medium bowl. Add butter and mix with 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can also do this by pulsing in the food processor. Stir in oats and nuts

3. Reserve 1 cup of the oat mixture and press the rest into the baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.

4. Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin and spice until well blended and pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture and chips. Bake 25 minutes at 350.

5. Cool 10 minutes and use foil ends to transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely and then cut into squares.

6. Store in refrigerator.

Click here for Printable Recipe!

Israeli Couscous with Green Beans, Feta and Pistachios

There is something about the word couscous that just makes me happy. I have no idea why. Usually when you think of couscous (which I'm sure you do all the time) you are thinking of the teeny tiny pastina-like version, and I do love that kind. But this recipe calls for Israeli couscous, which is the larger, pearl-sized version. It's a bit more substantial when you are making it with other, chunkier ingredients that tend to overwhelm the regular itsy-bitsy couscous. (Let's see how many times I can say couscous in this post, shall we?)

This 15 minutes or less recipe is terrific as a side dish to grilled chicken or steak, but can also stand perfectly well on its own as a light lunch or supper. And it is healthyhealthyhealthy. And very beautiful too, with the green beans and cucumbers and the golden raisins all mixing up there with the cheese and the couscous.

This is another speedy recipe adapted from EVERYDAY FOOD magazine, which I continue to get so many great ideas from. Make sure you get some nice soft feta for this one -- it's worth going to the cheese or deli counter at your market to get the nicer feta, if you can. And of course, fresh green beans.

Happy couscous, everyone. (That's seven!)

ISRAELI COUSCOUS WITH GREEN BEANS, FETA AND PISTACHIOS

• 1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
• 1/2 pound green beans, stems removed and cut in half
• 1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Cook couscous in boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Add beans and cook an additional 2 minutes. Drain and run under cool water until cool.

2. Transfer to large bowl and toss with remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Click here for printable recipe

Chicken with Apples and Sage

Summer is slowly fading away, the evenings are getting brisk, and that always makes me think of apples and pumpkins and butternut squash...mmmmmm. Autumn comfort food, it's the best. This snazzy little recipe is another one adapted from Mark Bittman's newest book, KITCHEN EXPRESS. Which I am developing a love-hate relationship with, because as I mentioned in an earlier post, it is not a collection of recipes, but more a description of quick dishes that can be assembled in 20 minutes or less. Sometimes he gives instructions on the ingredient proportions. Sometimes not.

To which I say: AAARRRGGGHHH!

Okay, I feel better now. I forgive you, Mark, because the ideas for these quick meals are so wonderful and creative. So as a service to all humankind, I am trying out my favorites and creating the Actual Recipes that go with them. This one is a sauteed chicken with an apple and sage sauce created from chicken broth, butter and a little brown sugar, served on a bed of buttered noodles. Truly ready in less than 20 minutes, and delish.

CHICKEN WITH APPLES AND SAGE

Adapted from KITCHEN EXPRESS by Mark Bittman

Serves 4

• 
  
• 4 chicken breasts, pounded to a thickness of about 1/2 inch
• 2 apples, cored, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped sage
• Cooked buttered egg noodles

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat and brown chicken breasts on both sides, approximately four minutes per side. Set aside.

2. Add butter to skillet and heat until melted. Add apples, shallot and brown sugar and cook for three minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add chicken broth, vinegar and sage and cook until sauce reduces slightly, about 2 minutes.

4. Return chicken pan with any accumulated juices and cook until chicken is heated through and sauce is slightly more reduced, about 2-5 minutes.

5. Serve chicken and apples over buttered noodles with pan sauce poured on top.

Click here for Printable Recipe

Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Bacon and Pears

I have gotten quite a few requests lately to discuss some of my favorite cookbooks, which got me to thinking, what ARE my favorite cookbooks, anyway? The three SILVER PALATEs are definitely up there, as is every cookbook I have ever gotten from COOKS ILLUSTRATED. I do have about 200 others on my shelf. Literally. But quite honestly, I spend most of my recipe-hunting time looking through my two giant binders of recipes I have torn out of magazines, gotten online, or just plain made up. So for me to buy a new cookbook...it better be a mad good cookbook.

So with that in mind, please let me introduce you to KITCHEN EXPRESS, by the wonderful Mark Bittman. I do own a couple of Mark's cookbooks already, so he kind of had me at hello, but this one is so right up my alley, it's like he wrote it for me personally. It is not exactly recipes, but more a series of ideas/suggestions for meals that you can make in my golden rule time-space of 30 minutes or less.

In the case of these sandwiches, it was about 10 minutes from start to plate. I had a loaf of ciabiatta bread from Fairway, so I was already ahead of the game. I spread it with some really nice creamy goat cheese. I then cut some paper-thin slices of Bartlett pear and laid them on top of the cheese. Next came some crumbled bacon, and then I drizzled the whole thing with a tiny bit of blueberry balsamic vinegar (you could use regular balsamic, but I have this amazing blueberry kind, thanks to my wonderful mother, who is always bringing me great kitchen treats).

That, my friends, is that. The happy Southern husband and I were in sandwich heaven, as was the teenager, who opted for peanut butter and banana on Wonder Bread, because...well, I have no idea why.

So for those of you who, like me, are playing a nightly version of Beat the Clock with your suppers, take a look at KITCHEN EXPRESS. Link below.

KITCHEN EXPRESS

Peanut Butter Fudge Treats

Yes, these ARE what you think they are. Rice Krispy Treats, topped with a layer of peanut butter fudge, topped with a layer of chocolate fudge. Oh, baby. It's practically too much to wrap your mind around, right??

This recipe comes via one of my favorite websites for sinfully sweet stuff, Joy The Baker (see my blogroll), and she credits them back to a combination of the classic Rice Krispy Treat plus a peanut butter fudge recipe from Alton Brown, plus a standard recipe for chocolate fudge. As you can see, it takes a village to make something so incredibly, decadently good. They are really, really easy to make -- the hardest part, quite honestly, is waiting in between stages for the various layers to cool.

When you make these (because let's be honest, you KNOW you are going to make these), here are a few pieces of advice. Cut them into SMALL pieces. I cut mine into one inch squares. Eating a piece bigger than one inch could make all your teeth fall out at once. Second, I store mine in the fridge. There is definitely enough sugar in these to keep them perfectly fine stored on the kitchen counter, but I liked the harder consistency of the cold fudge. That's just me, though. Fudge consistency is a very personal decision, and I leave that up to you.

I think that is all I have to say about these, except that you have to make them as soon as humanly possible. You only go around once.

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE TREATS, adapted from joythebaker.com

Rice Krispy Treats

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispy Cereal (or any puffed rice cereal)

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray.

4. Cool. Make Peanut Butter Fudge.

Peanut Butter Fudge (recipe from Alton Brown)

1 cup butter

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pound confectioners (powdered) sugar

1. Microwave butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes on high.

2. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. Add vanilla and powdered sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon.

3. Pour over the Rice Krispy treats in the pan and spread evenly.

4. Let cool in the fridge while you make the Chocolate Fudge.

Easy Chocolate Fudge

2 Tbsp butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine butter, milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate, and vanilla,. Beat for about 1 minute, or until marshmallows melt and mixture is thoroughly combined.

3. Pour over peanut butter fudge, spread evenly and place in the fridge to harden and cool.

4. Cut into 1-inch pieces or smaller.

Click here for printable recipe

Mussels in Blue Cheese Sauce

Mmmmmmussels.

This may be my favorite "make it fast" dinner ever. Or at least in the top five, but that is because I love, love, love, love mussels. LOVE THEM. They are so easy to make and they are so dang delicious. The standard mussel recipe is to steam them in a little white wine and parsley and serve them up with some fresh bread to sop up the broth, and believe me, I'm not knocking that approach, it's a classic. But this one takes it a step further without a whole lot more work, and it is just heaven on a plate. If mussels go to heaven, which I sincerely hope they do.

We had this one last Friday night when the teenager (who, if you can believe it, does not LIKE mussels. I'm sure wherever she was, she had chicken fingers or pizza) was out with her posse of friends, and it was just me, the Southern husband and the hopeful dog. I had planned to make the mussel bisque from the SILVER PALATE GOOD TIMES COOKBOOK, and next time I really will...but that recipe is kinda lengthy, it was the end of a long week, I had just slogged home in the rain...I looked at that bag of mussels and thought...yes! Mussels in blue cheese, which sits on just enough pasta to soak up the world's best sauce. If I do say so myself.

So if you are a mussel lover, here is the recipe you have been waiting for all your life. And if and when I make that mussel bisque recipe, I will report back!

MUSSELS IN BLUE CHEESE SAUCE

• 1 two pound bag mussels
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup white wine
• 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 4 ounces thin spaghetti (or whatever pasta you like), cooked and drained

1. Rinse mussels, discarding any with open or broken shells and pulling off any of the beards (strings coming out of the mussels
2. Melt butter in large pan and saute carrots and onions for 5 minutes over medium high heat
3. Add mussels and white wine and cover until mussels are open, about 5 minutes
4. Remove mussels with slotted spoon into bowl and set aside.
5. Add blue cheese to pan and stir until melted.
6. Divide pasta among plates (use plates with a bit of a lip to them so that you don't have spillage issues!)
7. Top pasta with mussels, and then pour sauce over all. It is going to look like a LOT, but trust me, it's the right amount. Those shells take up a lot of room. Make sure you have a bowl on the table so that folks can toss the empty shells into it as they go.

Click here to print this recipe!

Cupcake Milkshakes

There have been a few recipes floating around my favorite food blogs lately for something called a Cupcake Milkshake. Putting the words "cupcake" and "milkshake" together around me is like putting the words "bacon" and "car" together in the same sentence when talking to the dog. I practically lost my mind with excitement over the potential. So when I saw this not only on the fabulous CakeSpy blog but also on Serious Eats (check out my BlogRoll for links to both of these AMAZING sites), I knew it was only a matter of time. However, the two cupcake milkshake recipes, while both pretty simple, had significantly different ingredients. Which one to make??? Then it came to me.

CUPCAKE MILKSHAKE SMACK-DOWN.

So last weekend I assembled the ingredients, and a distinguished panel of judges. The ingredients for both recipes included, of course, a really great cupcake. Fairway had these vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting that looked like they were pleading to be made into milkshakes.

The Serious Eats version, which they call a CakeShake and credit back to Squareburger in Philadelphia, calls for blending the cupcake with vanilla ice cream. So I picked up some Ben and Jerry's, because who is better than they are? The CakeSpy version calls for blending the cupcake with an ice cream cone (sugar or wafer is fine)...

...along with 1/2 cup of heavy cream.

So I had all my ingredients at the ready. I started with the Serious Eats version -- one cupcake, about a cup of vanilla ice cream, into the blender: bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (blender sounds). It was very, very thick. I added about 1/2 cup of milk, bzzzzzzzzz. Looked like perfect milkshake consistency, so I poured it into a glass, popped it into the fridge and went on to the CakeSpy version. One cupcake, one ice cream cone, 1/2 cup heavy cream, bzzzzzzzzz. Also very thick, so added 1/2 cup of milk, bzzzzzzzzzz. This one came out a little thinner than the ice cream version, but still thick enough to look milkshake-ish. Into the glass it went.

Then I summoned my panel of distinguished judges.

Teenager #1:

Teenager #2:

Teenager #3:

Hey, wait a minute. I'm not falling for that again.

My two legitimate judges sampled both versions without knowing which one was which, and both unanimously voted for the ice cream version. In their expert opinion, it was sweeter, and more milkshake-like. The ever-helpful Southern husband, who was the back-up judge in the event of a tie, also voted for the ice cream version. Although to be totally fair to the runner-up, both milkshakes were quickly demolished after the taste-test, so I would call the other one a VERY close second-place finisher. In both versions, I was impressed that the milkshake was not at all grainy - the blender did a good job of mixing it up very smoothly. If you've ever had cake-batter flavor ice cream, that's pretty much what this tastes like. And I'm guessing that it works on any flavor ice cream/cupcake combo you want...

So there you go, I have now done all the difficult research for you, and you can now go forth and confidently make your own cupcake milkshakes. Unless of course you want to do your own taste-tests, in which case I have included both recipes below.

CAKESHAKE (adapted from Serious Eats)

• One cupcake
• One cup ice cream
• One-half cup cold milk
• Sprinkles

Place first three ingredients in blender and blend on highest setting until smooth, about one minute. Pour into glass and add sprinkles

CUPCAKE MILKSHAKE (adapted from CakeSpy)

• One cupcake
• One ice cream cone
• One half cup chilled heavy cream
• One-half cup cold milk
• Sprinkles

Place first four ingredients in blender and blend on highest setting until smooth, about one minute. Pour into glass and add sprinkles.

Click here for printable recipe

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Yes, you read that right.

I know, you are used to the savory cheese balls, the ones made out of cheddar cheese, probably rolled in nuts, served with crackers before dinner, etc. etc. etc. Me too. But then my extraordinary assistant (did I mention I have a day job and I actually DO come out of the kitchen from time to time?) told me about this chocolate chip cheese ball that she was making for a party. I have to admit, I was a skeptic. But the list of ingredients reminded me a whole lot of chocolate chip cheesecake...only in cheese ball form. And I couldn't resist.

And you know what? It. Was. Amazing. Whenever the dog and the adventurous Southern husband are both highly interested in licking the mixing bowl, I am pretty sure I have a bonafide hit on my hands. This cheese ball is definitely an after-dinner event, unless you are more of a risk-taker than I am when it comes to appetizers. It is sweet, sweet, sweet, and very rich. I served it up at our Labor Day weekend lake house fest with a selection of graham crackers, gingersnaps and pretzels to spread the cheese on. The pretzels seemed to be the favorite accessory, probably because there are few things in this world that are better than sweet-and-salty.

Once you have the basic cheese/butter/sugar base for this, you can pretty much customize it to your hearts content. I rolled mine in coconut in addition to the mini chocolate chips, and used chopped walnuts instead of pecans. But go crazy and improvise! We only go around once, right?

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Yield: 8-12 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Refrigerate: 2 hours

• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
• ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup miniature chocolate morsels
• ¾ cup finely chopped pecans, divided
• Graham crackers, butter cookies or pretzels

1. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, butter, brown sugar and vanilla, beating with an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and ½ cup of pecans. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. (I was in a hurry and found 1 hour in the freezer was just as good.)

2. Once chilled, shape mixture into a ball and roll in remaining ¼ cup pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. Serve with graham crackers, butter cookies or pretzels.

Click Here For Printable Recipe

Blackened Scallops with Mango Tomato Couscous and Chili Aioli

As you may know, I live out in the wilds of northern New Jersey. I love our little town for so many reasons, and one of the main things I love about it is that we have a rocking great library. In addition to doing all the things you would expect from a library (books, movies, CDs, book clubs, etc) they also have so many events it would make your head spin. Yoga classes? Got it. Meet the Author events? Got it. Classes on How to Understand What Your Dog is Saying? I missed this particular one, but I am pretty sure it is "Feed me more bacon!! Right now!!"

Anyway, they are now hosting what is officially my favorite library event of all time: their "Meet the Chef" series. At these events they bring in a chef from one of the area's great restaurants, and the chef cooks a meal in front of our very eyes and then answers all our questions. And then...here is the beauty part...we get to EAT what the chef has just cooked.

This week was the kick-off event with Executive Chef Chris Calcagno from Restaurant L in Allendale, New Jersey. And lucky girl that I am, the library asked me if I would be willing to photograph both Chef Calcagno and the event.

Why yes, I think I could do that. Hi there, Chef Calcagno.

The night of the event, 70 lucky people crowded into the library meeting room to see Chef C (do you mind if I call you Chef C?) work his magic with some scallops. He was calm, cool, collected and EXTREMELY organized. Here is his line-up of ingredients, which is pretty much how my own kitchen counter looks before I start cooking. Not.

He started by making the couscous. It was the large Israeli couscous variety, which he was making with mango and chopped tomato.

He put the pre-cooked couscous (I love that word) into a frying pan and ladled the mango and tomato on top, and tossed it all with butter. Because even I know that everything is better with butter.

He was very seriously concentrating as he worked, despite the fact that 70 people were drooling right in front of him.

I was extremely gratified to see that he stopped to taste things as he went along. I just knew that was the right thing to do. I tasted the peanut butter fudge cookies I made last weekend about 25 times as I went along, purely in the name of science. We chefs must do things like that.

Next came the scallops. He used those gigantic ones, and man did they look good.

He covered them with blackening spices (Paul Prudomme's variety)....

And then seared them in a little olive oil. And by the way, he made 140 of them, right before my eyes, like it was nothing. 140. I am humbled.

Yep, looks pretty good to me.

Then came the dramatic part. The Plating of the Food. I love this part.

First he packed the couscous into a small bowl and inverted it onto a dinner plate. When he lifted off the bowl, it held together perfectly into a beautiful little round shape of couscous wonderfulness.

Then he surrounded the couscous with the gorgeous blackened scallops...

Then he put just a drop of chili aioli on the top of each scallop. I need to get me one of those squirt bottles.

Oh my. Oh, my, my, my.

And to top it all off, he made little plates of the couscous and two scallops for each and every one of us.

We were all, um, just a little happy. Because as good as it looks, it tasted even better. Not kidding.

So if you are lucky enough to live in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, and are a member of the best library in the world, check out their Meet the Chefs series at the website below:

The Upper Saddle River Library

And if you want to see a slideshow of this fun event, click here:

Meet The Chefs!

And if you live anywhere in the Bergen County, New Jersey area, you might want to stop by Restaurant L, where Chef Calcagno is cooking lunch and dinner every day:

Restaurant L

And for those of you who aren't in the area, I am so, so sorry...but feel better, because the recipe for this spectacular dish is below.

Blackened Day Boat Scallops with Mango Tomato Couscous and Chili Aioli

From Restaurant L and Chef Chris Calcagno

Serves 4

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Chinese chili sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Splash of red wine vinegar

20 large scallops, washed and cleaned

4 cups Israeli couscous
2 tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 fresh mangos, peeled and cut into 1/4 inc cubes
Blackening spices (such as Paul Prudhomme)

1. Prepare aioli by grinding garlic in food processor until fine. Add egg yolk and process until egg has tripled in volume. Combine oils and add slowly to garlic mixture and process until emulsified. Add lemon juice and chili sauce and process for 10 more seconds. Season to taste and set aside.

2. Boil 8 cups of water and add a pinch of salt. Add couscous and cook until al dente, and then drain. Place in saute pan with tomatoes and mango and saute for 3-5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside.

3. Heat a non-stick or cast iron skillet and add a small amount of olive oil when hot. Dust scallops with blackening seasoning and add to pan, searing for two minutes on each side.

4. To assemble, mound couscous in center of plate and surround with 5 scallops. Place a drop of aioli on each scallop and serve immediately.

Click Here for Printable Recipe

Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars

Last week when we were at our friends' lake house, the teenager NEEDED to use the internet, and asked for the password to get online. I don't remember the whole thing, but part of the password involved the word "cake." Which is just perfect, because my dear friend and I always have a very important meeting before our annual Labor Day trip to her beautiful house, during which we map out pretty much each and every thing we are planning to cook, from the moment we walk in the door to the moment we leave. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert -- we cover the waterfront. The grilled pizza is essential (see earlier post for details). There are always pancakes and waffles on the breakfast menu, and there are always s'mores around the campfire.
But once those basics are covered, we can get creative, and as you might expect from her password, DESSERT is always an extremely important agenda item at our planning meeting. We originally discussed brownies for one of the desserts, but then I remembered this recipe for these babies, which are kind of a cross between brownies and oatmeal cookies. A soft layer of caramel and chocolate is held between two layers of oatmeal cookie dough, and the whole thing is cut into brownie-like squares. Rich and sweet and decadent, and you can still convince yourself that the oatmeal makes this a health food. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, and my Cake-Loving Friend will back me up on this. Because that's the kind of friends we are -- the devoted, loyal, dessert-enabling, kind. Right, C-L-F?

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL OATMEAL BARS, from Everyday Food

• Cooking spray
• 48 soft caramel-candy cubes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13- inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line with a 9-by-21-inch sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each short side.

2. Put caramels and cream in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

3. Stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and the salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a fork or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal; press half of mixture onto bottom of lined pan.

4. Bake until just set and starting to color around edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes.

5. Sprinkle crust with chocolate chips; drizzle with caramel mixture. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake until pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

Click here for Printable Recipe

Cold Corn and Shrimp Soup

So, my goal during the week is to get in the door and go from walking into the kitchen to dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. It's a personal challenge for me (and I have to admit I cut corners a little bit by leaving the recipe out in the mornings, because most days the adorable Southern husband gets out the ingredients and stacks them on the counter for me. Did I mention he also cleans up the kitchen afterwords? Yes, I do know how very, very good I have it.)

Anyway, most days I make it in under the wire, and on some evenings -- like tonight -- I sail in with 15 minutes to spare. This great, healthy, de-licious cold soup doesn't even involve the stove if you pre-cook the shrimp. And even if you do cook the shrimp while you are prepping the rest, it still goes from walk in the door to table in about 15 minutes. And just look at it. I mean, anything that is that colorful just HAS to be incredibly good for you, right?

So make this great chilled soup while we still have a hint of summer in the air, because pretty soon it will be frosty outside and all we will want is beef stew and hot cocoa.

COLD CORN AND SHRIMP SOUP, adapted from Everyday Food

Serves 4.

• 4 packages (10 ounces each) frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup low-fat yogurt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 or 3 limes)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pound cooked shrimp, roughly chopped, reserving 4 whole shrimp
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced

1. In a blender, working in two batches, puree corn, yogurt, milk, lime juice, coriander, and cayenne. Stir in chopped shrimp, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Serve garnished with tomatoes, avocado, and reserved whole shrimp.

Click here for Printable Recipe

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

How many of you out there own the SILVER PALATE COOKBOOK? How many of you have a version that is splattered and dog-eared and slightly falling apart because you have used it so much? If you have this book and it doesn't look like it has been through the wars, well then, you are missing out, because this book (along with its brethren, the SILVER PALATE GOOD TIMES COOKBOOK and SILVER PALATE NEW BASICS) are packed with some of the best, most creative recipes you will find anywhere. There is a reason this book has sold millions of copies -- it is a dang good cookbook. A classic.

I was so sad to hear that one of the authors (and founders of the original Silver Palate store in New York City) just passed away. Sheila Lukins was not only one of the geniuses behind the Silver Palate, but also took over from Julia Child as the food columnist for Parade Magazine. She knew her food, and luckily for all of us, she shared it.

This recipe is a slightly modified version of her delightful Mediterranean Chicken Salad -- modified only in that she gives fool-proof directions for poaching a chicken breast to use in the recipe and I used a grilled chicken breast, so I am giving you my version, with a deep bow and heartfelt thanks to Sheila Lukins. If you don't yet have her cookbooks, run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore. If you do, go get it off your shelf and browse through those classic pages. It is a treasure trove.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN SALAD

Serves 4-6

• 4 chicken breasts, grilled and torn into bite sized pieces
• 1/4 really good olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 pound cooked green beans
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Combine chicken in large bowl with oil and oregano. Cover and marinate for one hour.
2. Add remaining ingredients, toss and season to taste with salt and pepper
3. Serve with fresh bread -- I usually also put some goat cheese on the table to have with the bread. Adds to the Mediterranean ambiance!

Click here for Printable Recipe

Egg and Toast Mix-Ups

Much as I love to cook, every once in a while I have one of those days where I just plain run out of ideas of what to make. I walk into the kitchen and my mind becomes a total blank. Out of gas. Sold out. No dogs allowed. Out of business. Etc. I gaze into the open refrigerator, hoping for divine inspiration, or at least some leftover pizza. Ever have one of those days?

This recipe is tailor-made for the culinary version of brain-freeze, because you (and I) very probably have everything you need for a pretty decent and tasty meal, even if your refrigerator is suggesting that you really should start dialing for take-out. Not that there is anything wrong with take-out. Nothing at all. However, if you don't want to give up without a fight, follow along with me here. Got eggs? Got bread? Then we are in business. Because working with one piece of bread and one egg, these great open-faced sandwiches can then be dressed up with pretty much any combo of the other bits and pieces of stuff you probably have in there too. You need one kind of cheese -- any kind -- and from there on in it is dealer's choice.

On this particular day I had some ham left over from my Ethan Allen sandwiches (see earlier post, yum yum yum), a somewhat aging tomato and the end of my Vermont cheddar (ditto on the Ethan Allen post). But if you have leftover Swiss, or Jack cheese, or pretty much anything meltable, that will do too. After that, it's whatever catches your fancy or is leftover in your fridge. Chopped cooked bacon. Pieces of leftover asparagus or broccoli. Diced leftover chicken. You get my drift.

Anyway, the basic premise is this: you butter the bread and put it butter side down on a cookie sheet -- I line mine with non-stick foil. Make a little dent in the center of the bread and very gently break an egg into the dent. The white will spill over the side -- do not worry. Just make sure the yolk is sitting right there in the middle. Now scatter your cheese and whatever else you have on hand over the top. Grind a little pepper on top. Pop into a preheated 450 degree oven and bake those puppies until the yolk is set -- about 15 minutes.

And there you go. A lovely lunch or light supper that looks like you had it planned out for weeks in advance. Listen, perception is reality, that's my motto. One important note about this phenomenon: it never seems to happen with dessert. I always have plenty of ideas in that area. Amazing how that works out, isn't it?!

Garlic Toasts with Farmer's Market Vegetables

Summer, summer, where have you gone?

If you are asking yourself the same question, here is a nice end of summer dish that takes advantage of all those great fresh summer vegetables before the farm markets fold their tents and disappear for the long cold long dark long winter. (Have I depressed you yet?). Anyway, this one calls for a few pieces of bread sauteed until they are golden and crispy in olive oil and garlic. You top them with fresh vegetables, some chopped mozzarella, a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil, some parsley, and if you have it on hand you can toss in some protein as well. I had some leftover grilled chicken, but chopped cooked shrimp would be delicious, I think.

This comes from Mark Bittman's BITTEN blog, and definitely helps ease the pain of the end of summer. That, and the thrill of buying school supplies at Staples, which I secretly LOVE.

Here's the link.

Don't Cook, Toast.

Grilled Pizza

Last weekend I set my Facebook status to read "once more to the lake" (thank you E.B.White!) and we packed up the car for one of my favorite traditions: Labor Day weekend with our dear friends at their beautiful Connecticut lake house. We've been coming out for this weekend ever since they bought this peaceful place, and over the years we have amassed quite a few traditions that we revisit faithfully every year. We always kick off by going to the Goshen State Fair, where we traditionally watch the log chopping contest, check out the prize cows and chickens and sheep, and the teenager goes on the Avalanche ride and climbs the rock wall. I would have taken pictures but my hands were totally full of deep-fried food.

Then we are back to the lake house for our weekend of traditions. We traditionally hang out in and around their pool, which is always full of fun pool toys.

Fun for kids of all ages.

We traditionally reach a point late on Saturday where the women start singing along with the stereo at the top of their lungs into wooden spoon "microphones." (This year we performed "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, otherwise known as the theme song for "Glee.") This is the point at which the men suddenly feel the need to flee the house and build a campfire outside. Which works out beautifully because we traditionally all eat many, many s'mores.

We traditionally have a variety of outdoor fun-in-the-sun activities. This year we had archery...

Relentless picture-taking does not usually count as an outdoor activity, but my Nikon and I are a bad influence, and it was contagious.

And there was an ongoing badminton battle throughout the weekend. Which taught the teenagers valuable life lessons.

Such as the thrill of victory....

And the agony of defeat.

And even though one would think we wouldn't be hungry for the rest of the weekend after eating our way through the State Fair, we do have one more beloved tradition and that is The Making Of The Grilled Pizzas. These are nifty personal size pizzas that involve making a simple thin crust dough which is cooked on the grill, then topped with fresh chopped tomatoes, a mix of fontina and parmesan cheese and topped with fresh chopped basil. We make one pizza per person, and so have a little assembly line going, because while these pizzas are pretty easy to make, they go fast at the end. But once they are done, and we are once again gathered around the table...well, let's just say life doesn't get any better.

GRILLED PIZZA, adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Dough
2	tablespoons olive oil
1	cup water (8 ounces), room temperature
2	cups bread flour (11 ounces), plus more for work surface
2	teaspoons sugar
1	teaspoon salt
	1 teaspoon instant yeast
Topping 5-6 large tomatoes, chopped
3/4	teaspoon salt
6	ounces fontina cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 1/2	ounces Parmesan cheese , finely grated (about 3/4 cup)
1	recipe Spicy Garlic Oil (see recipe below)
1/2	cup chopped fresh basil
Salt

1. FOR THE CRUST: Combine oil and water in liquid measuring cup. In food processor fitted with plastic dough blade or metal blade, process bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast until combined, about 5 seconds. With machine running, slowly add liquid through feed tube; continue to process until dough forms tacky, elastic ball that clears sides of workbowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. If dough ball does not form, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time and process until dough ball forms. Spray medium bowl lightly with nonstick cooking spray or rub lightly with oil. Transfer dough to bowl and press down to flatten surface; cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in draft-free spot until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

2. When dough has doubled, press down gently to deflate; turn dough out onto work surface and divide into 4 equal-sized pieces. With cupped palm, form each piece into smooth, tight ball. Set dough balls on well-floured work surface. Press dough rounds with hand to flatten; cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. FOR THE TOPPING: Meanwhile, toss tomatoes and table salt in medium bowl; transfer to colander and drain 30 minutes (wipe out and reserve bowl). Shake colander to drain off excess liquid; transfer tomatoes to now-empty bowl and set aside. Combine cheeses in second medium bowl and set aside.

4. Gently stretch dough rounds into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Working one piece at a time and keeping the rest covered, roll out each disk to 1/8-inch thickness, 9 to 10 inches in diameter, on well-floured sheet of parchment or wax paper, dusting with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. (If dough shrinks when rolled out, cover with plastic wrap and let rest until relaxed, 10 to 15 minutes.) Dust surface of rolled dough with flour and set aside. Repeat with remaining dough, stacking sheets of rolled dough on top of each other (with parchment in between) and covering stack with plastic wrap; set aside until grill is ready.

5. TO GRILL: Light all burners and turn to medium high heat, cover grill, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes; scrape cooking grate clean with grill brush.

6. Carefully slide dough round onto hot side of grill. Immediately repeat with another dough round. Cook (with grill lid down) until tops are covered with bubbles (pierce larger bubbles with paring knife) and bottoms are grill marked and charred in spots, 2 to 3 minutes; while rounds cook, check undersides and slide to cool area of grill if browning too quickly. Transfer crusts to cutting board browned sides up. Repeat with 2 remaining dough rounds.

7. Brush 2 crusts generously with Spicy Garlic Oil; top each evenly with one-quarter of cheese mixture and one-quarter of tomatoes. Return pizzas to grill and cover grill with lid; cook until bottoms are well browned and cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes, checking bottoms frequently to prevent burning. Transfer pizzas to cutting board; repeat with remaining 2 crusts. Sprinkle pizzas with basil and coarse salt to taste; cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Spicy Garlic Oil

4	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (4 teaspoons)
1/2	teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3	cup olive oil

Cook all ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic starts to sizzle, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to small bowl.