Category: Food and Recipes

Just two days ago, on St. Patrick’s Day, many Irish as well as non-Irish people celebrated by wearing green and ate corned beef and cabbage. Well, move over St. Patrick because St. Joseph is coming through, and He is bringing cream puffs with Him. 

March 19th is the Feast of St. Joseph; The husband of Mary and the legal father of Jesus Christ. Growing up in a Catholic family, we celebrated St. Joseph’s Day, but not the way Italian Americans do. 

It wasn’t until I was in the workforce with many Italian Americans did I understand the extent of this feast day and how important it is to them. 

St. Joseph is the protector of fathers and the Patron Saint of workers; Joseph was a carpenter himself. He is also the Patron Saint of Sicily in Italy. March 19 was dedicated to Him by the 10th century. It wasn’t until the 15th century that it became a feast day.

According to Italian Americans, legend has it that in the 1600s, there was a terrible drought in Sicily, and the citizens prayed to San Giuseppe or St. Joseph as we know him for rain. They promised if he made it rain, they would name a feast day after Him and feed the hungry if their crops were saved, preventing a famine. 

Well, I am sure you can guess that St. Joseph made it rain and saved the crops. One of the crops that saved them from famine was fava beans. 

In Italy, Catholic churches set up altars of food in remembrance of St. Joseph, and people were fed. They held up their end of the bargain too. 

On the alters, which were tables covered in white or red tablecloths, were many seafood dishes since the celebration is held during lent and meat isn’t allowed. There were also pasta and bean dishes, especially fava beans. Many desserts were also found on the alters, including Zeppole di San Giuseppe.

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In our country, St. Joseph’s Day is also celebrated by Italian’s with food like in Sicily. Instead of green like the Irish wear, Italians were red and carry a lucky fava bean in their pockets. 

Seafood and pasta dishes are made for the feast day along with zeppole di San Giuseppe…cream puffs! My favorite! 

After I found out about St. Joseph’s day from my co-workers and friends, I started noticing that St. Joseph’s Day cream puffs were everywhere, in every single bakery! 

How did I, or better yet, my father not know about this whole St. Joseph’s Day cream puff thing beforehand? Jesus, my father, couldn’t walk past a bakery or dessert carousel in a diner without picking something out. My parents grew up in an Italian neighborhood, for Pete’s sake! Seriously WTF? 

Here is another interesting tidbit of information, Italians start their garden seeds on St. Joseph’s Day because he helped save the crops. Pretty damn clever on their part, I have to admit. I never knew why they chose that exact day to start their seeds until I did my research on St. Joseph. 

When we still lived in NJ, we went to a bakery for St. Joseph’s Day cream puffs; when we moved to Vermont, there were no bakeries anywhere. That’s when I tried making them myself. It took me a while to figure them out; I had many shit fits.

In 2010 when I had to go gluten-free, one of the things I missed was my cream puffs. This was a total bummer, and I sulked about it. LOL 

I figured out about 5 years ago that another baking miracle is; I can use my 20-year-old recipe for cream puffs and eclairs, just like my Irish soda bread recipe I told you about using gluten-free all-purpose flour! Saints Patrick and Joseph both had my back when baking for their feast days. 

St. Joseph’s Day cream puffs can be filled with pastry cream, whipped cream, or sometimes ice cream. I make mine with pastry cream. 😋

Last night I whipped up some pastry cream. I say whipped up because now it’s a breeze to make, but it used to stress me out. A couple of batches went into the trash when I was learning; either the cream never thickened, or I had scrambled eggs in my pastry cream because I forgot to temper my eggs. 

I just made the actual cream puffs. I got them into the oven and said a quick prayer to St. Joseph that they puff up. You can’t open the door of the oven to check, or they may collapse. I started writing this post to keep myself busy while they were baking. 

I just opened the oven when the timer went off and squealed with happiness, they came out. Now I just have to let them cool and fill them with the pastry cream. Yay! 

I just plated up my cream puffs and put them on a red platter to honor St. Joseph. I had to take a bite of one just for the photo for this post; it was excellent. Poor Marty had to eat the rest and said they were incredible. Yay! 😉

So if you didn’t know about St. Joseph and his cream puffs…well now you know.

Last night before I went to bed, I measured out and mixed the dry ingredients for a loaf of Irish soda bread. I also made the buttermilk and soaked the raisins. When I got up this morning it took me about 7 minutes to get the loaf in the preheated oven.

The recipe I use is the same one I used for years before I went gluten-free back in 2010. This rarely happens when baking with gluten-free ingredients; it must have been another case of the Irish’ luck!

This recipe is quick, and I mean quick and easy! I scribbled it down on a piece of paper 20 years ago and stuck it in my cooking folder. Every year I get it out and marvel at how simple it is.

All the ingredients you probably already have in your house, so no need to buy any fussy ingredients. I use gluten free all purpose flour in my version, the regular one calls for plain old all purpose flour.

Why have I only been making this loaf of bread once a year, I realized this morning? I rack my brain on Saturday nights, trying to think of some quick bread to make on Sunday mornings. In the summertime, we have coffee on our front porch, and this Irish soda bread would be perfect to have. There are so many options to create all different kinds of soda bread. Marty said, “It’s like a big scone!” He is 100% right; that’s Smarty, Marty for ya!

Only one bowl, a baking sheet, and regular ingredients in about 45 minutes? Yes, please! I renamed my recipe today and added “any day” to the title.

Any day Irish Soda Bread with options

2 1/2 cups regular or gluten-free all-purpose flour, not baking mix.
2 Tbsp sugar 3 if you like a sweeter bread
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (I use kosher salt)
3 Tbsp room temperature butter; soft but not melted
1/2 cup raisins soaked in hot water to soften
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Combine the 3/4 milk and 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice to make homemade buttermilk.

Regular mixing method: Cut the butter into the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt using a fork or pastry blender. Blend until the mixture resembles crumbs. Stir in the raisins and slowly add the buttermilk, stirring, so dough leaves the mixing bowl’s sides.

Alternative mixing method: Place butter, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt into a standing mixer and slowly mix with the paddle attachment until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the raisins, then slowly add the buttermilk mixture until the dough leaves the bowl’s sides.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Gluten-free flour may require a bit more flour on the board, so it doesn’t stick. Shape into a round loaf about 6 inches in diameter. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Cut an X shape about 1/2 deep through the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly, then enjoy a slice with a smear of butter or your favorite jam.

*** Other add-ins or options: In place of raisins, use currants. You can also use dried cranberries and add the zest of an orange for orange cranberry soda bread. Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips….because why not? Use your imagination and create your own. I will add the zest of a lemon and a tsp of poppyseeds the next time I make one. I may even make a lemon glaze to drizzle on top. Yum, it’s all up to you!

I must have tried to make broccoli soup 50 times and never found one that I like. We made it at school one year, and it wasn’t what I wanted, and I had to serve it to 100 kids. They seemed to like it, but it wasn’t what I was going for. I always know what taste and flavor I have in my head; getting it is the experimenting part.

I came pretty close to finding a recipe a couple of years ago but have since tweaked it a few times; now it comes out perfect every time and is delicious…plus, it is easy to make!

I took everything that I liked about some recipes, took out the things I didn’t like, and voila; Broccoli Cheddar Soup.

I start with a large tight head of broccoli with no yellow or brown florets that I chop into small florets and cut the stalks into smaller pieces. Next, I chop a small onion or about 1/2 cup.

In a saucepan I add 2 Tbsp butter and the onion; sauté until soft. I add the broccoli pieces and 4 cups of broth. I use chicken but you can use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian if you wish.

I bring it to a boil and simmer with the lid on the pot for 30 minutes or until the broccoli is very soft. Next, I let it cool, then pour it into the blender and puree until it is nice and smooth. It’s safer blending cool liquids since the blender’s lid can blow off if you put scalding liquid inside. I cooked the broccoli yesterday and popped it into the fridge, then today at lunch, I blended it and finished the soup in just a few minutes.

Depending on the sodium level of the broth it can affect how you season your soup. If you used low sodium, you could add salt if you aren’t on a low sodium diet. If you used regular chicken or veggie stock, taste it after you blend it and then season with salt and pepper to taste.

I finish the soup with 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese; I used Cabot Extra Sharp. Lastly, I added 1/4 cup of cream, or you can use half and half or milk; this is up to you and how creamy or healthy you want it to be.

Today I served the soup with a Chicken Caesar Cheese Wrap, that’s right, a wrap made from parmesan cheese! Brilliant and holds together way better than gluten-free ones, and carb-friendly.

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This recipe was enough for Marty and me as part of a soup and sandwich lunch. Double the recipe for larger bowls or 4 people. My recipes are not fancy like on professional cooking blogs; mine are done, the Julzie way. 😉 I am sharing what I’ve learned so you can make it too.

I’ve tested and tweaked all of my recipes to come out correctly, so cooks can be successful when using my recipes. I have a blog post down the road about celebrity chefs and their recipes they share with the public.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1 large head of broccoli cut into florets
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp butter
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup cream, half and half or milk
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onion until soft and translucent. Add the cut-up broccoli and the stock. Bring to a boil and simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes or until the broccoli is very tender.

Remove the pan from the stove and let cool. Pour into a blender and puree until smooth. Put back into the saucepan and bring back up to a simmer. Check for seasoning; adding kosher salt and pepper to taste. Add shredded cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Add the cream, half and half, or milk. Serve hot. Top with croutons if desired and more shredded cheese. Enjoy!

Eggplant parm is one of my favorite things to eat. I could eat it a couple of times a week. When I worked in NYC, I did eat it a couple of times a week in a sub sandwich. 

I make my thin and crispy eggplant cutlets in the oven. My gluten-free ones are as good as the regular version. This is not always the case using gluten-free ingredients.

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I never liked how greasy the breaded eggplant got whenever I fried them in a pan. The key when using the baking method is how you bread the eggplant and have a super hot oven. 

I don’t salt my eggplant to remove the bitter moisture like every recipe tells you to. I pat my eggplant rounds dry with a paper towel, then dredge the eggplant rounds in flour to absorb those bitter juices. Dredging anything in flour first helps the eggs and breading stick better. My eggplant has never been bitter without salting it, and it saves a time-consuming step.

I like my eggplant peeled and sliced thinly; they get super crispy when they are cut that way. I am also not a skin on my eggplant kind of gal. I’m not picky about too many things, but that is one of them. When choosing eggplant, pick one that is firm with shiny skin without bruises or soft spots.

My version of eggplant parm stackers is a fan favorite because the eggplant stays crispy and doesn’t get mushy from the marinara sauce like in regular baked eggplant parm casserole. 

I get my dredging station set up and my oven preheating to 400 degrees before I even touch the eggplant. It turns brown quickly, so you have to move fast after you slice it. I also get my sheet pans oiled lightly and ready to go.

For the dredging station, I use one bowl or pie plate for flour, one for an egg wash, and another with seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. 

When I used to watch Emeril Lagasse talk about his dredging station on his Emeril Live TV show, he would say, “I don’t know where you get your eggs from, but mine don’t come seasoned.” He said the same thing about the flour and the breadcrumbs. 

Right away, people think, oh, that’s going to be too salty or too whatever since he is seasoning everything. He was trying to teach people how to layer flavor during the cooking process. Adding salt only at the end would be salty on the outside, but the food would be bland inside. You absolutely have to season as you go if you want to become a better cook. 

I add a pinch of kosher salt, black pepper, a little Italian seasoning, and garlic powder into my flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs.

When I start the dredging and breading process, I also keep more eggs, seasoning, flour, and breadcrumbs handy because I always need more. Always! 🤦🏻‍♀️

The eggplant first gets covered in flour completely; next dipped into the egg covering it completely, shaking off excess egg before putting it into the breadcrumbs. The trick is to have one dry hand and one wet hand, so you don’t end up with monster breadcrumb fingers. I keep a roll of paper towels handy if I need to wipe my hands during the process. 

I place the breaded eggplant slices on the oiled baking sheet. I always need two of them, so now I have the second one ready to go. After all the eggplant is breaded, I drizzle just a touch of oil on the tops of them. Next, I throw the trays into the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes. 

After the 20 minutes are up on the first side, flip them over and put them back into the oven for 10 more minutes. You want them golden and crispy. If you sliced your eggplant thick, they might take longer; that’s cooking with your eyes and touch,  not relying on a recipe exclusively. 

When the eggplant is done, let it cool, then it can be stored in a storage container or wrapped in foil. I make a lot and freeze some in a container, then one night, I can pull it out and make eggplant parm stackers in a hurry. I usually have small containers of marinara sauce in the freezer for this purpose as well. 

I will not be a cooking snob; I won’t tell you that you have to use homemade marinara sauce. Using your favorite jarred sauce is fine. As far as cheese is concerned, I would rather use smaller amounts of whole milk mozzarella than low-fat; it melts and tastes better.  

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If you don’t want to buy a whole block of mozzarella because it’s only two of you or just you, you can get a couple of slices of thinly sliced mozzarella at the deli counter. I do that with cold cuts that I need for a recipe that calls for a slice or two, like in chicken cordon bleu. I don’t care if the deli clerk thinks I am a pain in the ass because I want two slices of ham and two slices of swiss. 

I suggest always shredding your own cheeses and stay away from the pre-shredded ones. Why? Pre-shredded cheeses are covered in cellulose. Here’s what I found out about it in a Wall Street Journal article about food additives. 

“In packaged shredded cheese, cellulose is used to coat the pieces of cheese, blocking out the moisture that causes them to clump. But that is just the beginning; cellulose is also used to replace fat and give a creamier feel to foods like low-fat ice cream, to thicken and stabilize, and to boost fiber content.”

Fiber content, my ass, cellulose is made from wood pulp! Yes indeed. They don’t tell you that on the package of cheese or your low-fat ice cream. I don’t want wood pulp on my eggplant parm, pizza, or tacos. Do you? Anytime I have used pre-shredded cheese, I’ve kicked myself.

I know, I know you don’t have time to shred your own cheese, but I will always say you should be doing your mise en place anyway. I ride people constantly about prepping ahead, especially when they complain they don’t have time. Just taking a few minutes here and there to get it done.  Lastly, shredding cheese yourself also saves money. 

Wow! I didn’t think I had so much to say about eggplant parm stackers, but I guess when I am super passionate about a recipe, it happens. I hope you will try my recipe and love it as much as I do. 

Eggplant Parm Stackers

1 medium eggplant peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
3 eggs whisked
3 Tbsp water
1/2-3/4 cup regular or gluten-free flour
1 1/2-2 cups seasoned regular or gluten-free breadcrumbs
1/3-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp kosher salt or to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Olive oil or pan spray to baking sheets

2-3 cups of marinara sauce or a 24 oz jar of marinara sauce
1 lb mozzarella cheese thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves torn or thinly sliced
Pan spray or olive oil to lightly coat a baking sheet or Pyrex dish

For the breaded eggplant:

Preheat oven to 400-degrees F and lightly coat baking sheet(s) with olive oil or pan spray.

For the dredging station, set up three bowls or pie plates. Add the flour to one; in another, whisk the eggs and water to make an egg wash; for the last one, mix breadcrumbs & parmesan cheese. Divide the kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder & Italian seasoning between the egg wash, flour, and breadcrumbs; mix each well.

Prepare the eggplant by peeling and slicing—Bread the eggplant. Dip eggplant rounds into the flour coating completely. Next, dip the eggplant into the egg wash again, coating completely. Place the eggplant into the breadcrumb mixture using light pressure, so breadcrumbs adhere on both sides. Repeat using all eggplant rounds and adding more flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, or parmesans cheese as necessary.

Place each of the breaded eggplant rounds on the prepared baking sheets as you go, arranging in a single layer. Lightly spray or drizzle a small amount of olive oil to the tops of the breaded eggplant rounds.

Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the eggplant and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool and set aside.

To make the stackers:

Lightly coat a sheet pan or pyrex dish with pan spray or olive oil. Divide the eggplant rounds into threes; this will be the number of stackers you will have. You should have between 4-6, depending on how thin the rounds are. Arrange the largest 4-6 rounds on the baking sheet. Top each with two tablespoons of sauce, 1 slice of mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of basil leaves. Repeat with two more layers, medium-size slices for the middle and smallest ones for the top, ending with sauce and cheese. Do not add basil leaves to the top layer, it will burn.

Bake for 20 minutes at 375-degrees or until the stackers are hot and the cheese is melted between all the layers. Remove from the oven and top each stacker with fresh basil leaves. Serve hot.

Breaded eggplant cutlets can be made a day or two in advance and stored wrapped in foil or a covered container. Double the batch and freeze some in a container. Defrost and assemble.

Eggplant parm stackers can be assembled early and refrigerated. 20 minutes before dinner, bake for 20 minutes or until done. Enjoy! Serve with pasta, roasted potatoes, or a salad.

I never had cauliflower growing up. Not once, not even frozen. I really don’t remember when I started liking it; I think I had it at an Indian restaurant and liked it. 

I looked in my 1950-s Betty Crocker cookbook and there it was…Cauliflower Au Gratin or curried cauliflower au gratin.  I made it for lunch one day along with some white rice. It was so creamy, exotic from the curry spices, and delicious. It didn’t taste like the cauliflower I heard about people hating. It was satisfying as well. 

Since I follow a gluten-free diet there are lots of gluten-free recipes and videos that pop up on my FB and Instagram newsfeeds. There are also a lot of Keto and low carb recipes that get lumped together with gluten-free. All showcasing cauliflower recipes. 

The debut of the cauliflower pizza crust took the country by storm. People were like, WTF? Everyone, including me, was skeptical. All of the celebrity chefs were on their TV shows making a version. I made my own cauliflower pizza crust, and it was good. 

Commercial cauliflower pizza crusts have gotten better over the last few years. We always have a case of them in our freezer. We get ours from Restaurant Depot, and it is better than any commercial gluten-free crust out there. I make my own GF pizza dough, but it takes some planning ahead; it takes at least 24 hours to proof in the refrigerator. The cauliflower crust is the quickest dinner I can throw together for lunch or dinner on production and farmer’s market days.

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Back in 2014, I started experimenting with some of the recipes I saw on my newsfeed only because I was intrigued. I made tater tots, mashed “potatoes” and hash browns from cauliflower. They were really good. So delicious you could fool people with the tater tots, they were that good. 

I also tried making cauliflower rice. This was before Trader Joe’s started selling frozen cauliflower rice. Then everyone did. I made fried rice and Indian spices rice with cauliflower and I have to say they were fantastic. They even held up for lunch the next day. 

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One night I made General Tso’s “chicken” with cauliflower. Noah was away at school I’m not sure if he would have tried it, but Sam was a good eater and I didn’t give it a second thought. He took one bite and put his fork down. “Don’t ever try to fool me with this cauliflower business again.” Ooopppps! He’s my food texture kid and he was expecting to bite into a piece of chicken; this was softer than chicken. He ate only the rice for dinner. Thank goodness I didn’t make cauliflower rice too! 😂

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a recipe for buffalos chicken cauliflower. I’ve seen these recipes posted all the time, but this one looked better than the others. I read through the recipe and made it that night. I always have a cauliflower head in my refrigerator as one of my staple veggies to have on hand.

The recipe called for making a batter which I used all-purpose gluten-free flour. I added hot sauce to the batter to layer a little more flavor. I baked them on a baking tray and turned them halfway through. Brushed them with homemade Buffalo sauce and put them back in the oven just like the recipe said. 

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I made a homemade bleu cheese dressing because I am that asshole who can’t eat the bottled stuff when I can make my own in 5 minutes. I always have some bleu cheese in my cheese drawer. When I put them on the platter, they looked like fucking buffalo wings! The way I cut them, leaving part of the stalk, looked like drum sticks! 

When we tried them Marty and I were like, “Holy shit these are so good!” Marty said if he couldn’t have chicken again he would be happy with these; they were that good. We even reheated the rest the next day for lunch and they were just as good. Would Sam like them? Out of principle, he wouldn’t. 

One of my favorite memes last year was something like this. “If potatoes can be vodka and cauliflower can be pizza & buffalo wings, you can be whatever you want to be!” When you think about it, it’s true!

Here are some boring facts about cauliflower I thought I would share since it is categorized as a superfood. I think it’s a superhero, personally. These are some pretty good reasons to eat or try it, though.

From Inspiring Health Solutions: 

▪ Cauliflower is rich in healthy vitamins and minerals, including beta-carotene, lutein, and vitamins C, E, and K; and folate.

▪ One serving of cauliflower contains 75 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C.

▪ Cauliflower is a good source of choline, a B vitamin that aids in brain development and may improve cognitive abilities and prevent against age-related memory loss.

▪ Importantly, cauliflower is a cancer-fighting food. It contains sulfur-containing chemicals called glucosinolates. During digestion, glucosinolates form the compounds indoles and isothiocyanates. According to the National Cancer Institute, indoles and isothiocyanates (in laboratory tests) have been found to inhibit the development of cancer, including breast, colon, lung, stomach, and bladder cancer.

▪ These compounds also have antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. 

▪ Cauliflower is a great source of good fiber – aiding digestion and helping you feel fuller, longer.

Now I know some people are still going to hate cauliflower. I hated jumping on the bandwagon with everyone else at first, but I have to give cauliflower the recognition it deserves. 

If you decide to try some of the amazing recipes out there, look for a firm and white cauliflower. Avoid ones with yellow or brown spots. Don’t try to use frozen cauliflower florets instead of fresh; it just doesn’t work. I tried…

Whether you are gluten-free, following a Keto diet, or are trying to get more veggies either into yourself or your family, you should look up a few cauliflower recipes and make one. Everyone won’t like it because they hate cauliflower, or haters gonna hate no matter what.

Cauliflower is a superhero and comes to the rescue for lunch or dinner. In 2017 Time Magazine actually declared cauliflower the new “It” vegetable. It is extraordinarily good; wonderful. By the way that is the definition of the real word su-per-ca-li-fra-gil-is-tic-ex-pi-a-li-do-cious means the same thing extraordinarily good; wonderful. The thing that I can’t believe is there isn’t a cauliflower emoji, dammit!

I usually make Marty and me breakfast and lunch, but today we decided we would fend for ourselves. Marty made his breakfast while I was busy and it smelled delicious.

I wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing and finally asked him what he made. With a smirk, he said bacon, egg, and cheese on waffles. Sounds like a delicious breakfast. I had some honey greek yogurt and a piece of my homemade peanut butter protein bars. 

For lunch, he made leftover chicken tenders sautéed in from what I could smell, hoisin sauce, and he added a tiny bit of spätzle we had leftover as well. I made some seafood salad and had it on a rice cake. 

Marty’s style of cooking I call mish-mosh. There is nothing wrong with mish-mosh cooking, and it actually impresses the hell out of me. It’s like taking a mystery basket on the TV show Chopped and turning it into a gourmet meal. 

Marty cooks by the seat of his pants; the problem for me is that you can never duplicate what you made with that style of cooking. For him that doesn’t matter. 

When you are cooking for the public or like I did for kids at school, people expect the dishes you make to taste the same way every time they order them. That is why there are standardized recipes. 

I have to give Marty credit that when he has to replicate food, he can and does it well. For 17 years, he cooked a Harvest Buffet Dinner as a fundraiser for the Arlington Rescue Squad. He had the help of a couple of friends that were on the rescue squad with him. I was in the kitchen to do what they asked me to do, and I was the dishwasher or better known as the dish bitch.

Their dinner was Slow Roasted Prime Rib with Horseradish Sauce, Roasted Turkey with Mango Chutney, Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, Maple Glazed Baby Carrots, and the showstopper Marty’s Famous Autumn Bisque. Desserts and rolls were made and dropped off by local businesses and community members. 

People came every year and raved about everything, but the Autumn Bisque was always a home run. It was a savory butternut squash soup with warming spices and a bit of heat from pepper. It was topped off on the buffet line with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Ice cream in soup? That was what made his butternut squash soup a bisque, it was the cream in the bisque. When it hit the hot soup it immediately started to melt. When people stirred it looked like a soup latte. 

He made a gigantic vat of the soup and was able to duplicate the taste every year. At the end of the cook, he would ask me what it needed and he would readjust his seasonings. It tasted the same year after year which is what people loved and looked forward to all year.

Marty is a great cook when he needs to be but prefers being a mish-mosh cook at home, especially when cooking for himself. I can put together a meal with things that I find in the fridge too, but I give way too much thought about what flavors go together and what compliments what to be a mish-mosh cook. 

Does this go back to the banana etiquette piece I wrote about back in January? Does it have anything to do with being right or left-hand thinkers?  How about our personality types? This may be since I am a planner and like things organized, and he flies by the seat of his pants and doesn’t stress about stuff. 

Whatever we are doing we must balance each other out. We have been together since 1985 and married for almost 32 years. We rarely fight, but squabble about stupid things when one of us is being stubborn. 

In our spätzle production kitchen, there is no squabbling. We each have specific jobs, and we work together like a well-oiled machine. We can work in close quarters and not bump into each other. We have a rhythm that flows. When we used to do catering, we had the same kind of workflow. Each of us is good at different things and has separate jobs, getting everything done well and efficiently. 

I love that is Marty mish-mosh cook. I love seeing the things he comes up with. He loves my cooking and knows exactly what to expect when I say I am making such and such. We balance each other out and are a good match. 

Many people say this time of year, “I don’t like corned beef and cabbage.” Others say, “New England boil dinners are disgusting.” The same people love ordering a Rueben Sandwich at their favorite deli or restaurant.

I grew up eating boiled corned beef and cabbage. My adopted mother is Irish, and this was her biggie every year. I liked it and looked forward to it. I put a shitload of butter on the waterlogged potatoes and cabbage that I smashed with my fork. Even though the corned beef is salty, the potatoes and cabbage were bland and needed salt and pepper. The beef always fell apart, and we ended up with fatty chunks of meat. I’ve had boiled corned beef out, and it is basically served the same way.

A few years ago, I upped my corned beef and cabbage game. Instead of the typical boil dinner, I now roast my corned beef and make either colcannon or other delicious dishes with cabbage, potatoes, and onions. 

The meat is the easiest thing to make in the world!!! Just rinse off your corned beef and pat it dry. Top the fatty side with pickling spice and a couple of cloves of minced garlic. The little packet of pickling spice they give you with your corned beef is not enough and, most times, not very fresh. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful store called the Market Wagon in Bennington, VT. They sell dried herbs and spices in bulk. I can promise you their spices and herbs are very fresh; they have the date they weighed and packed it on. Bulk herbs and spices are available at many health food stores and online, which are much better than dollar store spices.

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Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees. Next, wrap the corned beef tightly in aluminum foil and place it in a Pyrex dish—Bake at 350-degrees an hour for every pound of your beef. Mine was 3 lbs, so I baked for 3 hours. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely!!! Do not unwrap. I like to make mine ahead and will throw it into the refrigerator for a day or two.

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When you are ready to use your corned beef, unwrap and trim off the fat cap and pickling spice on top. I always save the juices that are in the pyrex dish after I unwrap the corned beef. Slice it against the grain they tell you. If you aren’t comfortable slicing meat, slicing the corned beef when it is cool makes it very easy to learn how to slice properly.

Since the meat is cool, you can actually pick it up and see which way the grain or the beef lines are going. You are going to slice in the opposite direction or against the grain. Having a sharp carving knife is also key to slicing any meat. I like my corned beef sliced thinly on an angle. Please don’t be afraid or intimidated; I take my time when I am slicing up a piece of meat that I cooked and cooled longingly.

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Now you can have your corned beef as part of a St. Patrick’s Day meal or just for Rueben Sandwiches. They sell corned beef all year, and it doesn’t have to be eaten only once a year or at a deli. After the corned beef is sliced, it’s time to reheat it. This is what all Jewish delicatessens do with their corned beef and pastrami. Basically, you are steaming the meat by slowly heating it in the braising liquid. Just put your sliced beef into a saute pan and add the juices to the pan. Cover with a lid and simmer gently until the beef is hot. If you forget and throw away the braising liquid, use water or low sodium beef broth.

Colcannon is something I never heard of until a few years ago. What can I say, except this is a big game-changer? The best part of boiled corned beef and cabbage was the leftovers the next day, fried up in a cast iron pan. So why eat the flavorless boiled stuff, to begin with? Why wait until the next day to have the cabbage and potatoes the way you like them?

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To make colcannon I start by making a batch of homemade mashed potatoes. Next, I slice up some onions and cabbage. I start with the onions cooking them slowly in a little bit of butter in a cast-iron pan until they are soft and translucent.

Next, add the sliced cabbage to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the onions and cabbage are caramelized and golden brown. Remove from the pan and mix with the mashed potatoes. The last time I made colcannon, I spread it out in a Pyrex dish, topped it with sharp cheddar, and baked it until the cheese was melted and golden brown. Holy Mother of Jesus was that good! Do that last line with an Irish accent!!! 😆☘️

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Some other side dishes that I have made with my corned beef dinner are Parsnip Puree, Carmalized Onions and Cabbage, Cornmeal Crust Three Cheese Onion Tart, Shaved, and Caramelized Brussel Sprouts. All of them were delicious and there are many more recipes I want to try making with my corned beef.

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Before you throw your corned beef into a stockpot or crockpot, please consider roasting it. If you still want boiled potatoes and cabbage, you can do that separately. If you want to try something new, go for it. Remember there aren’t any rules, you can make whatever you want or like.

If you aren’t Irish and don’t give a rats ass about St. Patrick’s Day, then roast up some corned beef and make yourself a delicious Rueben Sandwich, Ruben Eggrolls, Ruben Casserole, or have a little corned beef on rye with a schmear of mustard.

I have loved spaghetti and meatballs for as long as I can remember. I knew early off what kind of meatballs I liked. I didn’t like Mema’s because hers were too dry and she put way too much oregano in hers. I didn’t like my mother’s because they were flavorless and hard. Why were hers flavorless and hard?

I used to watch my mother when she made meatballs and sauce, when I was learning how to make my own meatballs I figured it out. She would take the time to add seasoning to her meat along with eggs and breadcrumbs, but she would drop them into a pot of rapidly boiling water and cook them to death. She pulled the now meat golfballs out of the water and put them in her spaghetti sauce. She boiled all of the flavors and fat out of her meatballs. The breadcrumbs with just eggs made them hard.

My meatballs are soft and fluffy. Sounds more like the perfect pillow right? A perfect pillow of meaty goodness in a bath of spaghetti sauce or gravy like some people say. I also bake my meatballs instead of frying them in a frying pan like most people. You still get a nice browned crust on them, but they don’t fall apart in the frying pan and end up with meat sauce.

At my cooking class, I told them that I would teach them how to make my soft and fluffy meatballs. My sauce takes a few hours to simmer, so I had a pot all ready to go since we only had a two-hour class. People don’t know what I mean when I describe them as soft and fluffy. People who have had my meatballs taste them and love them, but they don’t know why.

I feel very strongly about the type of tomatoes that are used in the sauce. I only use San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. The letters DOP on the can means they are legit and are the real deal and have been certified by the tomato people in Italy. Yes, it’s a real thing.

San Marzano tomatoes are sweeter, less acidy, and come canned as whole tomatoes sometimes with basil or not. They cost a little bit more than store-brand whole tomatoes, but the difference is huge. I have made pots of sauce using both just to see if there was a difference and wow is there ever. I buy a case of # 10 cans at Restaurant Depot but you can find them in 28 oz cans at your local supermarket.

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It takes more time to either puree or crush them, but a it’s a step worth taking and should be taken if you want to become a better cook. I like my sauce smooth and velvety as opposed to having crushed tomato chunks in my sauce. The choice is totally up to you. I use a blender or a food processor to puree the tomatoes. People use their hands to crush the tomatoes between their fingers.

After we did the demo of the meatballs and sauce I served them the ones that I brought with me that simmered at home the day before. Sauce ALWAYS tastes better the next day anyway or a couple of days for that matter. This is why it’s perfect to make on a Sunday and eat it on Tuesday night.

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When the class tried the meatballs and sauce they all said, “Wow, these really are soft and fluffy.” They got what I meant! Yay! They liked the sauce as well. I really tried to drive home the San Marzano tomato thing like a crazy person to them. They were used to it because I am crazy when I get started talking about food.

I am sharing my recipe with you guys so you can try them too. Love and time are important ingredients when making a pot of sauce. I usually add some sweet and or spicy browned Italian sausage to my sauce and if I am feeling really into it, I add either pork necks or country-style pork ribs. Again, it’s all up to you and what you and your family like.

Bon Appetito!

Soft and Fluffy Meatballs and Sauce

3 slices white sandwich bread with the crust cut off *Use gluten-free bread for GF meatballs
1/2 cup milk
1 lb ground beef or meatball mix
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley if available or 1 Tbsp dried parsley
2 cloves fresh garlic minced
1/4 parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp kosher salt or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper
Olive oil or pan spray

In a large bowl tear the bread into pieces, cover with milk and leave to soak. Mince the garlic and parsley together. If there is too much milk that wasn’t absorbed by the bread, pour out the excess milk. Add the garlic and parsley to the bread milk mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Mix well with your hands, using your fingers like a rake or tiller being careful to not over mix the meatball mixture.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shape into golf ball size meatballs and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and turn meatballs over being careful not to break the meatballs up. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Sauce with or without Meatballs

3 Tbsp olive oil or enough to just cover the bottom of the pan
2 cloves garlic minced
1 onion chopped
2 28 oz cans of tomato puree or crushed tomatoes preferably San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 can water
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil or 4 or 5 fresh basil leaves torn
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
*** Meatballs if using

In a dutch oven or large pot on medium-low heat add the olive oil. After the oil is warm add the onions and saute until soft for about 5 minutes. The onions should be translucent and not brown. Add minced garlic and saute until the garlic is fragrant for about 30 seconds.  Add the canned tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a low simmer, add meatballs if using. Simmer on low for 30 – 40 minutes for just sauce or at least 60 minutes or 3-4 hours with meatballs and other meats. Stir gently often making sure the sauce doesn’t stick to the pot and scorch. Serve with your favorite pasta dish.

Out to lunch, that’s how I’ve been feeling all week during this gluten reaction. Today I am happy to report that I am over it. On Wednesday we had to deliver to one of our wholesale customers in the Wilmington Mount Snow area. I have never stopped to eat in downtown Wilmington so I was pleasantly surprised when Marty made a suggestion for lunch.

We normally go on our phones to the app Find Me Gluten Free and search, but we didn’t have to do that this time. Marty said, “I stopped at this cafe last year and got a sandwich. They have a dedicated fryer and make gluten-free poutine.” Are you serious? We’ve been through this little town a ton of times, but today must have been the day we were supposed to stop. 

The town is charming and the sun was shining. The cafe is called The Village Roost and it’s everything you think about when you think about a Vermont cafe. It was very Vermonty as a matter of fact. Their menu didn’t have just the regular cafe items you normally would find, they had lots of ethnic choices, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and pastries. They offered all kinds of different coffees, teas, and drinks everything is organic. You can get any of the sandwiches on a roll, a wrap, or as a salad. They had gluten-free rolls and wraps too. I knew it was going to be a great experience as soon as we walked in. It had a good vibe.

There was a young man behind the counter and gave us a genuine smile behind his mask. We asked a few questions about the dedicated fryer and if the poutine was still gluten-free. His customer service was fantastic and was he knowledgeable about their menu. We wanted to try a few things, so he suggested getting our sandwiches as salads and we would have room for the poutine and curry fries. 

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When Marty paid he pressed the 20% tip button on the IPad. The counter guy immediately said, “Oh thank you very much” with that big smile again. This kid had me at hello. We sat down at a table by the sunny window. The service was fast and the girl in the kitchen was kicking some major ass by herself. It was in an open kitchen, I always watch them cook because I like to see how they are preparing things. 

When he brought our food out everything looked so fresh and smelled delicious. We both had a Vietnamese beef salad that had a flavorful lemongrass dressing, grated carrots, greens, cilantro, and lime. It was so flavorful and seasoned perfectly.

The meat was cooked perfectly with a kick that hit you after the third bite. It was delicious and it was hot. Temperature hot. It stayed hot even in the salad for a long time. The marinade that the beef was in and the lemongrass dressing were made with love. Someone put in a lot of time and effort, and you could taste it.

Now the fries. I am a french fry freak. I wanted to try a side of their curry fries which I never had before but immediately thought why haven’t I thought of this? They were served with a yogurt mint dipping sauce. Marty got the poutine which was delicious! We shared both and came home with some. The poutine was burn your tongue hot from the gravy that was melting the cheese curds on top of the hand-cut fries. OMG! 

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Everything was local and organic, but not over the top healthy like in a health food place. I complimented the gal in the kitchen on how delicious the food was and told her how much I appreciated that the food was hot. Hot food that is hot is my big pet peeve right now. I call myself out on it all the time. I hate lukewarm food unless it’s supposed to be that way.

The cook said she was happy we liked everything, she was gluten-free herself. She also shared how happy she was that they have such great offerings for gluten-free people. I wanted to jump over the counter and kiss her, but there is that damn covid thing! What a great experience! It was a bit pricey, but we are more than willing to pay for high-quality, fresh, local food cooked from scratch and made with love. ❤️

The cafe also had a gift shop with Vermont things including a Bernie t-shirt complete with those mittens. I kept walking and found a big room in the back of the building to eat in. When we were leaving the cute counter guy wished us a good day and thanked us for coming in. Wow! I was really impressed.

I am not sure what the service and food are like on weekends when Wilmington is jam-packed with tourists in the summer and skiers from Mount Snow in the winter. Having worked with tourists for so many years I know that they can be difficult, impatient, rude, and sometimes just plain assholes, but in the service industry that thrives on tourism it doesn’t matter how they are, we need them and you need to be nice to them.

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In the service industry, you have to come into work no matter what is going on in your personal life with a smile and a good attitude. If you don’t people will feed off of it, you may as well punch out and go home. I can always snap people out of their bad moods with a little humor, a couple of smiles, and treating them like they are guests. Sometimes I can even make them laugh at themselves. It works 80% of the time and the people leave in a better mood. The other 20% are the plain old assholes who would treat Mother Theresa poorly. 

We have found that when we go away for a quick getaway or to restaurants and bars we are genuinely nice to the staff and we always get great service. We treat them like we like to be treated when working with the public. We treat everyone the same from the pool boy, the housekeepers ( which I’ve done) to the wait staff and concierge. 

We’ve both been in the service industry our whole lives. We get it. When we like something I tell people. When I don’t like something I tell people. On Wednesday we were lucky enough to have The Village Roost practically to ourselves. If you are in Wilmington, Vt, and looking for a cup of coffee, tea, pastry, breakfast, or lunch I recommend The Village Roost.

Last week I cut into a picture-perfect eggplant and the inside was all brown and rotten. I savaged the dinner and ended up making lasagna that was the best one I ever made. 

Last night I was going to try making individual beef wellingtons. I wanted to feature it in my series of old-school favorite dishes. I got all the ingredients I needed, including gluten-free puff pastry, I wasn’t sure if it would even work.

The mistake that I made was being a cheapskate and buying low-end filet mignons or what I thought was a filet mignon. I didn’t want to spend a lot on the steak just in case the puff pastry failed. 

Beef Wellington is a filet mignon covered in mushroom duxelles, wrapped in parma ham or prosciutto then wrapped in puff pastry and baked until the pastry is golden brown and the filet is medium-rare.

The actual making of the beef wellington was much easier than I expected. I was also making fondant potatoes, another dish I wanted to feature in a different blog post, and a bleu cheese & bacon salad. Fondant potatoes intimated me until I made them for the first time, they are easier than mashed potatoes to make.

I put the individual beef wellingtons in the oven and watched them carefully taking their temperature making sure they weren’t raw in the middle. You can’t see or press on the meat to tell if it’s done.

When they came out I was so pleased with how great they looked. They looked perfect. I plated up our food, when I cut into it the meat didn’t look right. It was tough to cut. It wasn’t the color of any degree of doneness for a steak. I finally wrestled a piece into my mouth, gnawed on it, and spit it out. I said to Marty this must be hippopotamus meat. Yuck. Marty’s piece was the same way and he spit his out as well.

Needless to say, I was pissed. I spent all this time and effort and wound up with some shitty ass steak that ruined the dish. I wanted to scrape everything into the garbage but didn’t. We unwrapped the steaks and ate the puff pastry and the mushroom duxelles. The fondant potatoes were good, so was the salad. Now my featured dish would be scrapped and I’ll have to do it again. At least next time I will know that all the other components would work. 

I deleted all the demo and plated photos off my phone (Which I was able to recover for this blog post.) That was that. This morning I started to think about how that rotten eggplant and beef wellington were like life. Last night my dinner looked amazing, but the inside was bad. Isn’t that how get ourselves into trouble when we view people like that? They look great on the outside but are rotten inside. Or the opposite saying you can’t judge a book by its cover.

I kept thinking about this metaphor and how I thought the entire plate of food was ruined and wanted to trash it. The pastry, potatoes, mushrooms, and salad were still good. Sometimes we have to unwrap the good parts of ourselves to get rid of the rotten parts. We have to look at other strengths and things that are amazing and not think everything on our plate or life is shit. Unwrapping for me is like peeling away all from all the hurt and disappointment to salvage a new stronger me. A healed me. A true me.

Finally, I thought about how I wanted this dish to be a lesson for myself, to challenge myself and try something new. While it appeared to be picture perfect it wasn’t, but at least I knew what went wrong and how to correct it next time. In life when you skimp or cheat yourself of things you deserve like good meat, respect, or honesty you know it like I knew when I bought that disgusting hippopotamus meat. You know what you could have done to have a different outcome, but you didn’t do it and failed.

The whole thing taught me more than if the dish did come out perfect. It showed me that you can always salvage something even after you think you totally fucked up. If the beef was perfect would the potatoes have even been noticed or important? Not getting something that you think want or need may be a good thing sometimes, it will help you notice other things we didn’t think were important but are. 

I believe we are all here to learn some life lessons. We can’t move forward until we learn these lessons. If we continue to fail, we are presented with the same lesson over and over just with different people and circumstances. I know I keep failing at my current lesson of expecting things from people and end up disappointed and/or hurt. Two very wise and important people in my life always tell me to go into everything with zero expectations then I won’t be disappointed. I have to learn this lesson so I can move on. I also have to not be a cheapskate buy good quality meat!