Knowing when to order a pizza…

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This has always been a challenge for me.

I love pizza. It always sounds like a good idea. But I also love to cook. So, I find myself staring into the eyes of two hungry children, a not so hungry husband and a sink full of dishes and arguing inside myself convincing myself over and over that there really is time to shop, defrost, prep, chop, bake, roast, broil, or slow cook…

Sometimes reason prevails…and I order the pizza. Other times my weakness for kitchen utensils takes over and I scramble to pull off something with what is on hand. Madly rummaging through the cabinets…making substitutions and chicken judgement calls.

And then there are the nights when I open a box of Mac and Cheese and become the absolute hero to the three and five year old staring back at me.

Cover-worthy Cauliflower

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I was at a birthday party at Legal Seafoods C-Bar and had an appetizer that was deliciously spicy, crispy and slightly sweet all in the same bite. They called it Kung Pao cauliflower … I just said yum! So after craving it for a few weeks I thought … Hey why don’t I try to make it? So I scoured the web, coupled a few recipes and gave it a try. The results were not totally the same but were yummy and photogenic!

Crispy Sriracha Sesame Cauliflower
One head cauliflower
2 T corn starch
1 c. Seasoned panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs or 2 egg whites/ egg beaters
3 Tbsp Canola oil
1 to 2 tsp Sriracha (depending on how spicy you like the sauce)
1/2 c lite mayo
1/2 tsp lime juice
1tsp toasted sesame oil
2 scallions sliced thinly on an angle

Heat canola oil in a skillet until a pinch of cornstarch sizzles. Break up the cauliflower florets. Dredge in cornstarch, egg then panko. Brown in small batches on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Meanwhile mix mayo, Sriracha and lime juice with a pinch of salt. Place the cauliflower in a serving dish and drizzle Sriracha sauce over cauliflower. Then drizzle sesame oil over the top and sprinkle with the scallions.

Enjoy!

Sunday Roast Sirloin

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  • 4 lb Sirloin Beef Roast
  • 1/8 c. Onion slices
  • 3 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1 Tsp ea.  Garlic Powder, Onion Salt, Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper

Sprinkle all sides of a Sirloin Roast with garlic powder, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, onion powder and if desired 1 Tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning.

Cut slits in the roast (1/2 inch by 1/2 inch) and stud the beef with small slices of sweet onion and garlic.

Place on a rack in a roasting pan.

Convection roast the beef at 325 F until a thermometer inserted in the center of the roast reads 125 F* for Medium Rare (135 F for Medium, 140-145 F for Well done).

Important!  Let the roast stand 15 minutes before carving.  The roast will continue to cook as it stands.

Note, seasoned whole potatoes rolled in butter and herbs can be roasted in the same pan with the beef if desired.

* Undercooked rare or med meat… well… you know… eat it at at your own risk.

Sunday Dinner with Mom

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Sunday dinner at our house growing up almost always involved a roast beef or a roast chicken. Both would make the house smell absolutely delicious for a day.

This Sunday to welcome my Mom home from a week long trip, we had Sunday dinner. Together we prepared a beautiful beef sirloin roast from Crocetti’s Market. I seasoned and salted and Mom added my Grandmother’s touches of sliced onion and garlic studding the roast.

In the convection oven at 325 F until it reaches an internal temp of 125 F.

The nice thing about a roast (of almost any sort) is that it is hands off until it’s done. So it was time for some fun with the kids a glass of wine and a relaxed evening to kick off the next week.

MENU
———-

4lb Sirloin Roast studded with onion and garlic slices.
Roasted Yukon gold potatoes rolled in butter and rosemary
Baby spinach with asparagus, pine nuts and sliced apples with lemon vinaigrette
Asiago focaccia

About this…

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Some of the sweetest memories in life are those that involve cooking.

I learned to love cooking and the ‘art of the meal’ while hanging out at my Aunt Joan’s kitchen table. (Usually trying very hard to be good, but not always succeeding!)

There would be the warm sweet buttery aroma of just baked Toll House cookies, so perfectly soft in the center. Often times it was coupled with the savory aroma of Sunday dinner in the oven.

The clothes dryer was also usually running (in a little closet in the kitchen) and it perfumed the air with a quiet “tick tack, tick tack” tumbling sound and the flowery scent of clean laundry.  It was a veritable sensory overload.

And we all knew something good was about to happen…

People would be laughing, cocktails and “Shirley Temples” would be served, whatever was in the oven would be carved for the table, and then of course, the cookies were waiting for us.

Years and years have gone by, but the memory of my Aunt Joan’s kitchen remains… and the many memories made in my Mom’s kitchen too, and my Grandmother’s kitchen and so on…

And now, it’s new memories created by the next generation of great cooks and mad kitchen scientists in our family.

The tradition has happily continued. Food coupled with life has been the centerpiece of a masterpiece… our American family.

This site is a collection of recipes, crafts, prose and photos where we can share together the things that warm our tummies… and our hearts.