Chicken Parm and an Ice Cream Cake!

Do you have Carvel? I remember when I first moved to New Jersey in '83, this was a very special treat for us, now I think they are all over the place.




We finally got the snow I've been dreaming about....9.5 inches! woo hoo!


Snow bath... good...she's been stinky lately!


Chicken Parm today! One of the faves here.
Make a marinara sauce.
Today I made it like this:
2TBSP olive oil
1 28 oz can tomatoes, crushed
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 6 oz cans tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, left whole
1 tsp dried basil
Combine all ingredients in a large pot, and simmer for 1 hour...easy peasy.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Egg
Bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Parsley
Pound and flatten chicken breasts as thin as you can. I hate pounding the chicken, so I split them down the middle, butterfly style.

Season with salt & pepper, then dip in egg wash (egg & water), then a mixture of half bread crumbs, and half parmesan cheese. Heat some oil (vegetable or olive) in a skillet, then fry the cutlets for 4 minutes per side on med.

Place in a baking dish, top with sauce, and mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and parsley
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, till cheese and sauce are bubbly.



Serve with whatever pasta you like, I used linguine today. I also made homemade garlic bread...slice a loaf of bread in half down the middle. Mince 2 cloves of garlic, and sprinkle on both halves, spread with softened butter. Broil until golden.

Sweethearts....If It Ain't Broke...

What is up with Sweethearts?



The red bag above is the traditional bag of Sweethearts that we all know and love. The ones that taste like Necco wafers, with pink, orange, yellow, green, purple, and white hearts. I purchased that bag at the $ store. Then I went to Wally World and bought the pink bag. I noticed something different...why the pink bag? Anyway, I was looking for the large conversation hearts to put on top of cupcakes. I have Valentine's Day OCD, ok? Back to the Sweethearts...my faves are the yellow ones...or I like to put one of every color in my mouth for a tutti-frutti flavor. I am still a kid when it comes to candy, just ask my dentist.

Here's the pink bag

notice the colors
pink=strawberry, purple=grape, green=green apple, yellow=lemon, orange=orange, blue=blue raspberry.

What the heck? Did I buy the wrong kind??? I want the "normal" sweethearts, damn it!
Was it a Wal-Mart thing? So off to CVS, and all they had was the new pink bag with the new flavors. Onto the next piece of the puzzle.




Hmmm...both bags are made by the New England Confectionery Company, Revere, Mass.
Well I have a few words for them...I want the Sweethearts that taste like Necco Wafers! So just be careful when you're out buying your Valentine's Day treats...I did your homework for ya! Oh, and if anyone knows where I can buy the oh so rare chocolate sweethearts, let me know...love them too!

Just a few pics of my table...spent less than $30 on the linens, between Target and Kohl's, now I need to work on some red Fiestaware!

Tigers #1!

I better do some more catching up...the height of basketball season is my alibi this week.

Monday, January 25, 2010

We were in Vineland for both basketball games (JV & Varsity). A friend gave us the number for Martino's Pizzeria & Trattoria there. It is one of the top five pizzas I have ever eaten. I can't wait until another sporting event takes me to Vineland!



Tuesday, January 26, 2010

I should start a taxi service. I was gone for 6 hours, and didn't go more than 6 miles a trip...just sayin'. By the time I arrived back home after running errands for others, I didn't feel like making my normal "meat" on Tuesday. I'd been wanting to try Cooking with Clara's Pasta Faglioli for a few weeks, so I made it, along with crescent roll cheese dogs. The teenager wasn't impressed, but he is way too fickle. It was good stuff.




Wednesday, January 27, 2010

What a night! Both JV & Varsity games were exciting nailbiters, good times, and we won. The Tigers are #1 in the conference! I was quite organized before the 4:30PM tip-off, and made tacos for us to eat when we came in at 8:00.


Thursday, January 28, 2010

Of course it is chicken again. This is a really good go-to recipe for chicken and potatoes.
Here's what you need:
4-6 potatoes, any kind ( I used red today, no peeling)
onion (optional)
4 cloves, garlic, whole
Legs, thighs, or breasts of chicken with skin left on
Olive oil
Oregano
Lemon juice (if you have it)
Salt & pepper


Peel (if necessary) and quarter potatoes and put in a large baking dish, I used a large saute pan today. Add onion and garlic. Place chicken pieces over the top. Generously pour olive oil over all. Season with oregano, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bake covered, at 375 for 2 hours, uncover the pan the last 30 minutes to brown.



I served this with pasta with garlic and oil, ( I know, too much starch, but we like it...everything in moderation) and green beans seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice.


For dessert I made Oatmeal Scotchies, recipe on the back of the butterscotch chips bag. I don't know why they fell apart today, but they are good anyway.

Catching Up!

Let's just say last week was a wash...but here's what we had anyway...time to move on.
Tuesday
a small roast beef tenderloin, bearnaise sauce (Knorr), mashed potaoes, corn, Bisquick cheddar garlic biscuits.

and for dessert this:

icebox "cake"
layers of graham crackers, vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding, whipped topping, and frosted with chocolate frosting (back of the Hershey's cocoa box)

Wednesday, January 20, another basketball game warranted homemade subs.

Thursday, January 21, Sirloin Stir Fry with white rice.


The frozen veggies and sauce are from the warehouse club. I also added frozen chopped spinach and an onion.

Just a few drops of this hot sesame oil and some soy sauce gives more authentic flavor.



I also made a romaine salad with sliced oranges and toasted walnuts.

Off the cuff honey orange dressing:
Grated orange peel, orange juice, honey, ginger, rice wine vinegar, poppy seed, vegetable oil.


Friday, January 22
another basketball game, but early in the day I made bread/pizza dough, so we had pizza and fried dough. (deep fried cubes of bread dough, dusted with powdered sugar, a big hit!)

Saturday, January 23
Cheeseburgers and fries.

Sunday, January 24
Am I caught up? I hope so, wheww, that was fast...
No pasta Sunday! Our friends own a commercial scallop boat, and this morning, they brought us a huge bag of sea scallops. Normally they are much larger, but this time of year they tend to be about half the size of a golf ball. Since our house is only three people today, I had to freeze 2/3 of the bag for later. I'm not a big seafood fan, but I like my share of fish sticks, tuna, shrimp, and lobster. When I came to Cape May, I had only eaten scallops in a seafood pasta dish, and I wasn't impressed. Those scallops were tiny bay scallops, as opposed to the large sea scallops we have here. Cape May scallops are sweet as sugar, and larger than a golf ball most of the time. I like them broiled or deep fried, but most of all I like them wrapped in bacon. The next time someone says they don't like seafood, have them try these, they are awesome.
Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel about 24 sea scallops.
Cut 12 strips of bacon in half, wrap around scallop, secure with a toothpick.
I had 36 scallops, so some of the bacon is cut in fourths.
Sprinkle liberally with McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning.
Bake at 425 for 20-30 minutes, turning once.
" />
The rest of the story, which I will blog about tomorrow. We will be away for dinner, so some of it will be leftovers...

My Favorite Lunch

We had leftovers (ham, pasta, meatballs) tonight...busy day of basketball games and a back to college trip. I think I'm busier now than when they were babies!
But I thought I'd share my favorite lunch...I seriously can eat the whole thing, but limit myself to one bowl with a few sneaky bites if there's anything leftover.
My favorite lunch is the simplest thing ever...tuna, shells, & peas...only I used elbows today.




1/2 pound box macaroni, cooked al dente, rinsed with cold water.






drain and flake 1 can tuna, mix with 1/4 or less chopped onion and 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed.






add cooked macaroni and 1 cup mayo, salt and pepper, and mix.





dreamy.

Meatballs & Marinara 101 cause I've got a date

Tonight I have to scoot to Springsteen country to pick up my son from a ski trip. Maybe I'll see Bruce's bad assed, tanned self somewhere along Route 9. Hey, it's happened before...


To feed the masses before I go...

A quick marinara sauce:
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 6 oz. cans tomato paste
1 small onion, chopped (not pictured)
4 cloves, garlic, minced
1 TBSP sugar
2 tsp. salt
pepper
1 tsp. basil leaves
olive oil
Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a large saucepot, add onion and garlic, heat on medium-low just till softened, about 5 minutes (be careful not to burn the garlic).
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, basil, salt & pepper. Rinse the cans out with water and add to the sauce. Simmer, covered, on med-low for 30 minutes. That's it, good by itself for just a quick sauce over pasta, or you can use it for pizza or other recipes.


For quick meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
2 eggs
a palmful of Parmesan cheese
a palmful of breadcrumbs
splash of milk
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tsp. salt
dash of parsley
Mix well and form into balls with wet hands(I keep the faucet running low,wet my hands after every 3 balls). I made 8 extra large balls today, because I'm rushing, and I wanted to change things up a bit.




Next, brown the balls in a non-stick skillet with a good amount of olive oil on med-low heat, turning frequently to keep their round shape...don't walk away expecting to turn them only once, or you will have meatsquares.



Next, I baked off 2 Italian sausages, 1 mild and 1 hot, in a 375 degree oven. Actually you can do this while you are frying the meatballs, but I wasn't that organized.


Add the meatballs and the sausage to the sauce, and cook on low for at least 30 minutes, if you're in a hurry. Mine's been cooking an hour and a half because I'm on here...the longer the better, but it's not necessary, I'm just a freak when it comes to raw meat, especially the ground kind.


Now you can handle the rest, cause I've got a date with the man below...
Before you get your panties all in a bunch, the hubby is coming with me, but, I might add, he likes him just as much as I do. I am proud to be a Jersey Girl!

Bruce Springsteen looks better in a bathing suit than I thought

Easy Saturday

A busy Saturday with a few more people in the house. I wanted something quick and easy, because we were gone most of the day at basketball games. My plan was ham cooked in the slow-cooker, and sandwiches on these potato rolls. I covered the ham with a mixture of brown sugar and mustard, and cooked it all day on low in the slow cooker. My mouth has been watering for these potato rolls, they're really popular in this area.



Later in the day, I noticed I had a jar of Crosse & Blackwell ham glaze leftover from Christmas. After I had added it to the slow-cooker during the last half hour, I decided the ham looked too pretty for just sandwiches, so I made some sides for a more formal dinner. Back to the pantry for some canned sweet potatoes, candied and marshmallowed, and a few roasted red potatoes in olive oil, along with some veggies. We can have the sandwiches tomorrow.

Recession Special

The best deal in town...2 large pizzas, 24 wings, 2! 2liters of Pepsi...$25 with tax...
Mom is a tired ass crab today...musta been the 3:30 am phone call...never mind.


Thank you Erma Deli...now could you stay open past 9pm? You'd get a lot of business, really, from the sports crowd coming back into town from the away games. We really do live in Hooterville.

"Moonstruck" Steak, M&M Brownies,Mac & Cheese, Revisited

None of us are feeling up to par, everyone has varying stages of sniffles, stuffy noses, and coughs. It's no wonder, with all of the running around and late nights we've been having. Comfort food to the rescue! Today I made pan fried steak, "Moonstruck style". "You'll eat it bloody to feed your blood," Loretta retorted to Ronny when he said he liked his steak well done. You can use any cut of steak (I used a T-Bone and a few tenderloins) seasoned, pan fried in a skillet, with butter and olive oil, as rare as you can stand it. For the last twenty-something years, every time I pan-fry a steak I think of "Moonstruck", one of my favorite movies of all time. I can watch it over and over, devouring every scene. On my last visit to my son in Brooklyn, he just happened to show me the "Moonstruck mansion" as we drove through the neighborhood. I had no idea he lived so close, only a few blocks! The house sits at 19 Cranberry Street, Brooklyn Heights, to be exact. If you're ever in New York, head on over to Brooklyn, it is quite charming. Take a walk down any of the "fruit streets", Cranberry, Pineapple, and Orange, then down Montague, and onto the Brooklyn Promenade, it's also where they film the opening credits for "Law & Order" with great views of the Manhattan skyline.
the house a few blocks away...
The New York home made famous by CHER Pic 5176487 - * CHER & CAGE'S...


A side of red sauce pasta would be nice, but that will have to be the next time.
I'm going way off my healthy diet today and breaking out the FryDaddyBaby for:
Sweet potato fries
Regular french fries (for the traditionalist)
Fried mac & cheese...yes, you heard me. I saw it on the menu at the Cheesecake Factory. So easy and an "unbelievable" thumbs up taste test!(leftover mac & cheese, cut in squares, then dipped in flour, egg wash, and bread crumbs, and then fried, deep fried!!! So good!!!
The Prep:

The Final Product:

The one at 2 o'clock looks a little pale in comparison to the dark brown flavorful crust of the others with the gooey cheese filling...truly sinful, but oh so comforting.


M&M Brownies
my version of the Hershey's Best Brownies---I couldn't find a link, so I took a pic of the recipe.

I use 1 cup cocoa, and double the baking powder.


I also add M&M's after I pour the batter in the pan, that way they don't sink to the bottom, and I like my M&M's on top. Yes these are leftover Halloween M&M's, but I'm calling them Mardi Gras M&M's...frugality reinvented. To top them off, I make a small batch of frosting for the top.

again I need a link.
I've spent many years perfecting these...thinking of selling them in convenience stores.