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Cooking for a Crowd

February 21, 2014 //
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Last weekend we escaped the dirty snow of New York and spent several days at my parent’s new house in Vermont. It is the perfect vacation house because it has plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms, and a huge living room with two giant couches. It begs for groups. Funny enough, since I am an only child, there have only been a few nights where more than five of us have stayed there. But this weekend we packed the house – there were the five of us, two of my best friends, one of their boyfriends, and one of their daughters. Besides a lot of sledding, downhill skiing, and snowshoeing, we drank a bit too much wine and bourbon, and ate a ton of Vermont cheese.

Patrick in the snow fort he built out of 3 feet of snow.

Patrick in the snow fort he built out of 3 feet of snow.

Leading up to the weekend, my Mom and I planned the weekend’s menus. Knowing we had a lot of people to feed we tried to design meals that would be easy to prepare for a big group, be universally loved, and accommodate a variety of tastes and dietary needs. A couple of our weekend’s feasts made it to this week’s meal plan, along with two others that would also work for a large group. All of these meals can also be adjusted for as few as two people.

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

Meal # 1: Cauliflower and Sausage Casserole + Green Salad
Meal # 2: Meatloaf, Roasted Potatoes + Green Beans
Meal # 3: Shrimp “Scampi” with Linguine + Green Salad
Meal # 4: Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry + Rice

Your Grocery List, excluding the usual pantry items:

cauliflower – 1 medium (about 2 lb.)
onion – 2
scallions – 1 bunch
snap peas – 1 cup, or handful
lettuce – 1 head or bag
lemon – 1
red or yukon gold potatoes – 1 lb.
red, yellow or orange pepper – 2
zucchini and/or summer squash – 2
green beans – 1 ½ lb.
ginger – 1 small piece
whole peeled tomatoes – 1, 28-ounce can
breadcrumbs
fresh or dried thyme (if you don’t already have it)
dried basil (if you don’t already have it)
dried oregano (if you don’t already have it)
garlic powder (if you don’t already have it)
Worcestershire sauce (if you don’t already have it) – optional
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
ketchup (if you don’t already have it)
soy sauce  (if you don’t already have it)
oyster sauce (if you don’t already have it)
rice wine vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
sesame oil  (if you don’t already have it)
eggs – 2
linguine – 2-3 oz. per person
sausage – ½ lb.
ground beef – 2 lb.
chicken breast – 1 lb.
bacon – 3 strips
cheddar cheese – ¼ lb.
shrimp – 1 ½ lb.
dry white wine

 

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Categories Meal Plans

Macaroni and Cheese with Prosciutto and Green Salad

February 14, 2014 //
1

Macaroni and Cheese was one of the first meals that Patrick and I bonded over. I have to admit though that I had never really made it, except from a box, until I met him. While Patrick rarely cooks, except to make Sunday breakfast, he makes a fantastic macaroni and cheese. I found him this recipe, from Bon Appetit, when we started dating and he’s been making it for me ever since.

Macaroni and Cheese with Prosciutto

8 ounces (2 cups) small elbow macaroni
1 ½ cups (packed) grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup whipping or heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
3 TB. grated Parmesan cheese
⅛ ts. ground nutmeg

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400 degrees. Butter, or spray oil on 11×7-inch baking dish. Cook macaroni in large pot in boiling, salted water until tender, but still firm to bite. Drain well.

Whisk ½ cup of Gruyere, cream, milk, prosciutto, Parmesan and nutmeg in a large bowl to blend. Add macaroni and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Gruyere over the macaroni. Bake until cheese melts and macaroni and cheese sets, about 20 minutes.

Green Salad

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Categories Meals

Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2014 //
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On this day in 2009, Patrick proposed at Simon Pearce Restaurant in Quechee, Vermont. We were on our way to the Mad River Valley for a long weekend when he suggested we stop at one of my favorite restaurants for lunch. I was thrilled! After a leisurely meal of rich, cheddar soup, airy scones, and Vermont draught beer, Patrick suggested we visit the restaurant’s deck where you can see the adjacent waterfall. Despite what sounds like a total set-up, I had no idea what was coming. No sooner had we walked onto the deck that I turned around to see him down on one knee. Well, the rest is history –  and these days, that day feels like ancient history…

Minutes after I said yes!

Minutes after I said yes!

Five years later, we are driving to Vermont again for the long weekend, but with a toddler in tow. However, we were fortunate to celebrate the holiday, albeit a bit early, last weekend with another delicious meal, this time in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at St. Anselm. Sitting at the bar, we split a duck rillette appetizer, a plate of roasted shoshito peppers, a side of spinach gratin and I had a juicy, hanger steak with garlic butter while Patrick dug into a bourbon-soaked pork chop. Divine. It smelled so good at the restaurant that I told our waiter I wanted to live there. I think Patrick was bit embarrassed.

As you can tell, the way to this lady’s heart is through her stomach and in honor of this day of hugs and kisses I have prepared several meals for you that bring together ingredients that I love: artichokes, macaroni and cheese, shallots, olives, kielbasa, etc. Hope you enjoy them!

xoxo, Kelly

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

Meal #1: Kale, White Bean, and Kielbasa Stew + Bread
Meal #2: Roasted Wild Striped Bass with Lemon, Olives, and Rosemary + Roasted Fennel with Artichoke Hearts
Meal #3: Macaroni and Cheese with Prosciutto + Green Salad
Meal #4: Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta + Sauteed Green Beans with Shallots

Your Grocery List, excluding the usual pantry items:
kale – 1 large bunch
lemon – 3
fennel – 2
lettuce or mixed greens – 1 head or bag
grape or cherry tomatoes – 1 pint or container
shallots – 7
rosemary – 1 bunch
green beans – 1 ½ lb.
kalamata olives – ¼ cup
Spanish olives – ½ cup (or just buy more of the kalamata olives and use those instead)
artichoke hearts – 2 cans
chicken broth – 1 small can
white beans (cannellini or navy) – 2 small cans
small elbow macaroni – 1 box
Gruyere cheese – approx. ½ lb.
whipping or heavy cream – 1 small container or 8 oz.
whole milk – 1 small container or 8 oz.
feta cheese – ¼ lb.
baguette or Italian bread
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
ground nutmeg (if you don’t already have it)
thinly sliced prosciutto – 3 oz.
wild striped bass – 1 ½ lb. fillet
bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – 8 or approx. 2 ½ lbs.
kielbasa – ½ lb.

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Categories Meal Plans

Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad

February 7, 2014 //
1

This meal may seem summery, but it totally works in the winter when you need a break from heavy dinners. Together, the shrimp and avocado salad make a nice main dish, but you could skip the shrimp and treat the salad as a side dish or serve it with chips as a dip. I found the original recipe on Apron Strings Blog through Pinterest, but I’ve changed it a tiny bit.

Grilled Shrimp

1 ½ lb. medium or large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 TB. olive oil
1/2 ts. chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Add shrimp to a hot grill pan, saute pan, or grill. Cook shrimp on both sides for 2-3 minutes until pink. Remove from heat.

Avocado Salad

1/4 cup lime juice
1 ts. lime zest
2 ts. mustard
2 TB. olive oil
1/2 ts. hot sauce
1/2 ts.  soy sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 large ripe Haas avocados, chopped
1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes, chopped (in the summer, 1 medium ripe tomato, chopped)
2 scallions, just the white parts, thinly sliced

Whisk the first six ingredients together, add salt and pepper, and set aside. Carefully mix the avocados, tomatoes, cilantro and vinaigrette together so the salad is well dressed, but remains chunky. Serve with grilled shrimp.

 

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Groundhog Day

February 7, 2014 //
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I started to pull this post together on February 2 – Groundhog Day. Don’t you love the irony of Groundhog Day? If the sun is shining, good ole Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow and we’ve got 6 more weeks of winter, but if it is cloudy, dreary, and frankly winter-like, spring is on its way! How in the world does that make sense (putting aside the fact that we are looking to a creature that we normally never think twice about to predict the weather)? Of course, for this particularly cruel winter, those of us in the New York region were teased on Groundhog Day with sunny, relatively warm weather only to wake up the next morning to a cascade of heavy, wet snow. Despite that brief reprieve, this winter has been more like the Bill Murray movie – every day feels the same – dreadful. Do you get the sense by now that I hate winter?

At least they shoveled the Brooklyn Promenade.

On the bright side, at least the Brooklyn Promenade has been shoveled.

To survive the winter doldrums I try to remember that we are only a few months away from flowers peeking up through the ground, longer days, and the first bunch of asparagus at the farmers market. We may still be in the season of stews and braises, but there are a bunch of seasonal, yet light dishes that remind us that winter will not last forever.

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

Meal #1: Grilled Shrimp + Avocado Salad
Meal #2: Pasta Carbonara with Leeks and Lemon
Meal #3: Spicy Peanut Chicken and Broccoli + Rice
Meal #4: Mustard Crusted Branzino + Sauteed Spinach

Your Grocery List, excluding the usual pantry items:

limes – 2
lemon – 1
cilantro – 1 bunch
parsley – 1 bunch (optional)
avocados – 2
grape or cherry tomatoes – 1 container
scallions – 1 bunch
broccoli – 2 heads
leeks – 4
spinach – 2 bags or bunches
short pasta (ex. penne) – 1 box
breadcrumbs
eggs – 2
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
peanut butter (if you don’t already have it)
sesame oil (if you don’t already have it)
soy sauce (if you don’t already have it)
sambal oelek aka Sriracha (if you don’t already have it)
rice vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
whole grain mustard (if you don’t already have it)
bacon – 6 strips
boneless, skinless chicken thighs – 4, approx. 1 ½ lb. total
shrimp – 1 ½ lb.
whole branzino or trout, butterflied – 2 (1 ½ – 2 lb. each) OR thin, white fish fillet – 1 ½ lb.

 

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Categories Meal Plans

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes and a Green Salad

January 24, 2014 //
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One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes

A carb with a ton of flavor that I don’t have to feel guilty about eating? Sign me up! I was intimidated by farro for a long time, imagining that it was one of those ingredients that you had to soak and cook for hours upon hours. So it was a wonderful surprise when I discovered that it takes about the same amount of time to cook as rice, but, in my opinion, is much hardier.

Many of you will recognize the origins of this recipe – the one-pan pasta that was all over Pinterest a few months ago. Before I got around to trying it, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, my favorite food blog, took it on and then improved it with farro. I am eternally grateful to her.

Green Salad

 

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Homemade = Healthy

January 24, 2014 //
2

We’re deep into winter, with another snowstorm under our belts here in the Northeast. By now, the holidays feel far away, but just over three weeks ago many of us were making resolutions to eat healthier in 2014. Pursuing a healthy lifestyle is always a good idea, but that doesn’t have to mean a pantry full of rice cakes. I am a firm believer that homemade dinners, when made with fresh ingredients, are healthier than most restaurant or take-out meals, no matter what you prepare. Apparently, I am in good company:  YouTube Preview Image

So, for this week I’m suggesting four dinners that manage to be both healthy and satisfying.

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

Meal #1: One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes + Green Salad
Meal #2: White Fish Braised in Lemon with Red Peppers and Tomatoes + Roasted Green Beans and Red Onion
Meal #3: Skirt Steak with Arugula + Roasted Cauliflower
Meal #4: Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes and White Beans + Garlic Bread

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

farro – 1 bag (you’ll need just 1 cup, but it will keep)
yellow onion – 3
red onion – 1
red peppers – 2
grape or cherry tomatoes – 3 containers (wow, I had no idea I was using so many this week)
lemon – 1
green beans – 1 ½ lb.
lettuce, or whatever greens you like for a salad – 1 head or bag
arugula – 1 bunch or bag
cauliflower – 1 head
basil – 1 bunch (optional, I wouldn’t go out of my way for this)
parsley – 1 bunch (optional)
baguette – 1
white beans (such as, cannellini) – 1 can (about 19 oz.)
chicken broth or stock – 1 small can (you’ll need ¾ cup, but you can always freeze the rest in an ice cube tray and use later)
skirt steak – about 6 oz. per person
white fish (flounder or tilapia) – about 6 oz. per person
shrimp, shelled and deveined – 1 lb.

 

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Categories Meal Plans

Pork Chops with Peppers and Capers, Green Salad

January 17, 2014 //
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This recipe comes from Mario Batali’s cookbook Molto Italiano. Does anybody remember Mario’s old show on the Food Network (back when the network was actually about cooking)? I have many cooking “mentors” from television and Mario is one of them. I learned so much about the regional nature of Italian cooking from him; and I grew up on the south shore of  Long Island where it seemed like everyone, but me, was Italian. Over the years, he has opened a lot of restaurants, which usually makes me leery, but man, are his good. To speed this recipe up I tweaked the ingredients a bit and skipped the brining process, which I’m sure makes the chops amazing, but it isn’t necessary.

4 bone-in pork chops
salt and pepper
3 TB. olive oil
3 peppers (1 each red, green and yellow), cored, seeded and cut into thin strips*
1 large red onion, sliced*
¼ cup black olives, pitted and chopped*
1 TB. red pepper flakes
1 TB. capers
1 cup dry white wine

* ingredients that can be prepped several days ahead.

Season pork chop with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Add chops to the pan (don’t crowd the pan – you can do 2 chops at a time if you need to) and cook until dark golden brown on the first side, about 7 minutes. Turn over and cook until browned on the second side, about 4 minutes, then transfer to a plate.

Add the peppers, onion, olives, red pepper flakes, and capers and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, place the chops in the pepper mixture, and simmer for 10 minutes (the pork should be cooked to 135 degrees F).

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Green Saladlettuce

A basic salad of your favorite greens will nicely complement the pork chops.

 

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One-Dish Meals

January 17, 2014 //
0

Okay, so I didn’t exactly just serve one dish per meal this week, but I could have! Each of the main dishes offer a combo of proteins with veggies and/or carbs. I love these types of dishes; especially for weeknights. I didn’t grow up eating casseroles, so you won’t see too many on this site, but I do like a dish that can serve as not only the main event, but the only event.

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

IMG_3517

Meal #1: Chicken Thighs, Fennel and Artichoke Fricassee with Noodles
Meal #2: Pork Chops with Peppers and Capers, Green Salad
Meal #3: Salmon, Red Cabbage and New Potatoes
Meals #4: Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice

Your Grocery List, excluding the usual pantry items:

bell peppers – 1 each green and yellow, 3 red
large red onion – 2
ginger – 1 piece (you can freeze or refrigerate the rest)
zucchini – 2
bunch of scallions
small red cabbage – 1
new potatoes – 10
lemon – 1
fennel bulb – 1
lettuce, or whatever greens you like for a salad – 1 head or bag
parsley – 1 small bunch
artichoke hearts – 1 can
chicken stock – 1 can (you’ll need 1 cup, but you can always freeze the rest in an ice cube tray and use later)
water chestnuts – 1 can
horseradish – 1 bottle (it’ll keep, or you could make bloody marys!)
egg noodles – 1 bag
bone-in chicken thighs – 8
bone-in pork chops – 4
skinless salmon fillet – 1 1/2 lb.
chicken cutlets – ¾ lb.
dry white wine

 

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Categories Meal Plans

Baked Fish with Tomatoes and Olives, Kale Caesar Salad

January 10, 2014 //
1

Baked Fish with Tomatoes and Olives

I’ve made this recipe with flounder, tilapia and even basa. You can use whatever flaky, white fish you want, but I would stick to something relatively thin. Don’t let the mayonnaise and cheese freak you out – it sounds weird with fish, but it helps protect the fish from the heat of the oven and keeps it very moist.

white fish fillets – 6 ounces per person
8 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
12 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Zest of a lemon
salt and pepper
olive oil
4 ts. mayonnaise
4 TB. Parmesan cheese, grated
Juice of a lemon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In an ovenproof skillet or baking dish, arrange tomatoes in overlapping circles. Scatter olives and lemon zest over the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper; drizzle with olive oil.

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, Parmesan and lemon juice. Place fish on top of tomatoes in skillet. Season fish with salt and pepper. Spread mayonnaise mixture on top.

Bake until fish is opaque throughout and topping is golden brown in spots, about 20 minutes.

Kale Caesar Salad

The first time I had this salad was at the now closed Alias restaurant on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. I was blown away that you could eat raw kale! So, I was super happy when Melissa Clark published a variation of this salad’s recipe in the New York Times a few years ago. Her version was inspired by the Brooklyn restaurant Franny’s. As you can probably tell, this salad is now ubiquitous, but I don’t care. It is super yummy and easy to make at home. (I never make this with the breadcrumbs, but I’m sure it is good.)

 

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