Perry...

In the late 1980's, I had the amazing opportunity to be a backround singer for Perry Como. I worked with him for several years before he passed on and those were concerts and road trips I'll never forget. He was the same person onstage as he was off. He was calm, unassuming, connected to the audience. He still considered himself a barber and a lucky "crooner". He adored Bing Crosby and the clip I'm including here is from a concert we did with the Boston Pops, John Williams conducting. The great Nick Perito was Perry's personal conductor - I am honored to have worked with him as well.

The girls I worked with were the cream of the crop - and at various points in the show, we had 6 part harmony which was thrilling because everyone sang on pitch! (I'm the one on the far right in the burgundy dress).

I hope you enjoy the beauty and simplicity of Perry's singing. He is a classic and will always live on because of the wonderful recordings we have of his voice.

Red Pepper Roasting

Say that three times, fast. Red Pepper Roasting....Reh Pepper Roasting....Rep pepper posting....
ummm....

Anyway, I roasted a couple of red peppers the other night and wanted to post the ridiculous simplicity of how I do it. Some people put them on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven with a drizzle of oil until they are charred. That's ok....but the oven makes the house hot in the summer (at least it does in my house!) and then you have to wash the pan. I hate washing dishes so if I can eliminate doing that, I'm all for it.

My method will not work on an electric stove. If you try my method on an electric stove, and your house burns down, you can refer back to this paragraph where I plainly state you should not do this on an electric stove.

SO....you take that pepper and you put it directly on the fire. I guess to be a bit more specific, you could say that you set the pepper on the grate that sits on the top of your gas stove, but I think you know what I mean. The flame should be on medium high. Rotate the pepper so that it gets completely charred all over. When it's all blackened, take it off the flame and immediately wrap it in a paper towel. Let it steam until it's cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Run the pepper under cold water and peel the charred skin off. Then just cut it into thin slices, discarding the stem and seeds.  Add a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and a few drops of balsamic vinegar and you are in heaven!





Eat Your Vegetables! (yes mother).

Why are Americans (in general) getting so fat?  That's an easy one: too much fat, starchy carbs, sugar, not enough exercise, not enough protein and whole grains, and not enough VEGETABLES.  I can just hear people clicking away from this post because most peoples' idea of a vegetable is something that is akin to mush. The vegetables I grew up with were things like broccoli cooked within an inch of it's mushy life, tater tots, head-lettuce (almost devoid of nutrients but I admit I love it) and canned asparagus. There's only one word for canned asparagus - BLLLLLLEEEEECCCCHHHHH.  Ok two words - BLECH and UCK.  I love my mother....more than many of you will ever know, but she is an admitted bad cook which is fine because somehow or another, I managed to discover the amazing world of vegetables on my own.


So, in honor of Spring, which is almost upon us and my mother's birthday which is the first day of Spring, I'd like to share a few of my favorite vegetable recipes for you.


The first is too simple to even be called a recipe but here goes~

Grilled FRESH Asparagus

Heat Grill pan to screaming hot over medium high heat for about 5 minutes.


Break off bottom ends of asparagus where it naturally breaks (take one spear and holding each end, gently bend until it breaks. Then line it up with the rest and cut them all at that point. OR...you can break them all but I don't usually have the patience).


Put them on the grill pan. NO OIL.  Grill, turning, until grill marks appear and spears are cooked, about 8 minutes.
Put spears into dish. Drizzle with olive oil (I use about 2 TBL) and season with S&P and fresh lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice.  YUM.




This next recipe is from Ina Garten. Lee and I love this one - very easy. Thank you Ina!

Garlic and Herb Tomatoes

3 TBL Olive Oil
2 minced garlic cloves
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
2 TBL chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
2 TBL chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
2 TBL chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper


Heat the olive oil in a saute pan large enough to hold all the tomatoes in one layer. Add the garlic to the oil and cook over medium high heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, basil parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5-7 minutes, tossing occasionally until the tomatoes begin to lose their firm shape. Sprinkle with a little fresh basil and parsley and serve hot or at room temperature.



Here's the link if you'd like to look at Ina's recipe directly:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/garlic-and-herb-tomatoes-recipe/index.html



 I know this will sound like an Ina-fest, but here's another one of her recipes that I have made countless times. In fact, Lee says that if this were the only way I ever cooked potatoes again, he'd be happy with that. It's SO easy.

Ina's Dill Fingerling Potatoes

2 TBL unsalted butter
1 1/4 lbs fingerling potatoes, rinsed but not peeled
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 TBL chopped fresh dill

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the whole potatoes, salt and pepper, and toss well. Cover the pot tightly and cook over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender when tested with a small knife. From time to time, shake the pot without removing the lid to prevent the bottom potatoes from burning. Turn off the heat and allow the potatoes to steam for another 5 minutes. Don't overcook. Toss with the dill, and serve hot.



http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/dill-fingerling-potatoes-recipe/index.html


Now.....for one more. I dare you to try this recipe for Brussels Sprouts. This one comes from Martha's Everyday Food Magazine.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with bacon

1. Trim 1 lb brussels sprouts (slice off bottom end and peel off hard, outer leaves); shred in a food processor fitted with a slicing blade. Set aside.
2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook 3 slices bacon until crisp, 4-5 minutes; transfer to paper towels to drain.
3. Discard all but 1 TBL rendered fat from skillet. Add brussels sprouts and 1 cup water; season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, until sprouts are tender, 20-25 minutes (add more water if pan becomes dry).
4. To serve, crumble bacon over sprouts, drizzle with just a bit of cider vinegar, if desired.

(I don't have a link for this one....)

Lace Cookies (other people call them Florentines)

I know I should be writing about music a bit more.....but for now I want to talk about these cookies. I have had this recipe for at least 10 years and have no idea where it came from (a recurring theme here, but it's true).

My husband has been traveling for the last week and I wanted to bake some cookies to welcome him home. My first thought was Chocolate Chip Cookies...because they are just so yummy. Then I remembered this recipe and thought, "Well now I have a great excuse to make these again"!

I posted a picture of my creation on Facebook and was so happy when my friend Kellie (see the Immersion Blender blogs....) thought I had brought them home from the store.  hee hee......!

The recipe is super simple to put together  - but trust me on this one point: You MUST use either a Silpat (with butter) or foil slathered in butter or the cookies will cement themselves to your baking sheet and you will probably end up throwing it away. Seriously. I think parchment may work too, but I haven't tried it - I can only vouch for the two previous methods.

So here's the fabulous recipe for Lace Cookies (otherwise known as Florentines)

1/2 C butter (1 stick)
1 C regular oats
3/4 C sugar
1 beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 TBS flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Line cookie sheets with silpats or foil and lightly butter.

In large saucepan, melt butter. Remove pan from heat and stir in oats, sugar, egg and vanilla. Then add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. The dough with be VERY runny and loose.

Use a measuring teaspoon to spoon mixture onto prepared baking sheet, several inches apart (the cookies will spread!), 9 to a sheet.

Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool on sheet, on a wire rack for another 10 minutes (til cookies are set).

Peel CAREFULLY from foil or silpat.

If desired, dip edges in melted chocolate and roll in chopped almonds.

To melt chocolate, chop 1/2 bar of good quality baking chocolate and put in a glass bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted.



The Immersion Blender

This is for Kellie......


Here is my Braun Immersion Hand Blender. There are many different brands on the market, but as I said in an earlier post, this one was given to me so I had no choice. And it has been a task master! I've used it countless times and it's still going strong.


Here are 2 pictures for you:

I never thought I would use this as much as I have - you'll be surprised if you get one. The ONLY caution I have is to be careful because if you don't keep it down in the pan when it's on, it WILL splatter....and hot liquid splattering all over you is not fun.

Instead of potatoes.....

I know...the title of this post will probably make you think I don't like potatoes. I love potatoes and have a few potato recipes I intend to post for you that I think you will enjoy. The potato, when eaten plain, is high in fiber and low in fat which is very good for you.  BUT.....who eats a plain potato??!! I know I don't! Give me potatoes fried, scalloped, au gratin, slathered in butter, with cheese, sour cream or gravy. Come ON!

So.....for those times that I reeeeeeeeeally want some mashed potatoes, but am feeling a bit "fluffy" (as my mom would say), I choose to make Mashed Cauliflower.  Do NOT snub your nose at this until you've tried it.  In fact, if you try this and hate it, I will make a public apology to you.

I have a great memory of my friend Suzi when we were in grade school. I would go next door to her house, wanting to play, and her mother wouldn't let her leave the dinner table until she ate all of her dinner (which included vegetables). So I would eat her food and we'd go play!  I remember asking Suzi to try something (who knows what it was - probably a vegetable). She would refuse, and I would say, "But you don't KNOW if you don't like it until you TRY it. Just TRY it and then if you hate it, I'll stop asking you to try it". She was as stubborn as I was. Even though she wouldn't budge, I still loved her. We are still very good friends ....although I think she needs to eat more vegetables.

Tonight I cooked a piece of "White Ruffy" (you can get it from Trader Joes - it's the only frozen fish I'll eat because it is always very moist!) in Martha Wrap with some tiny tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, garlic, parsley, lemon and olive oil. I served it over mashed cauliflower. YUM!

Just for grins, here are the pictures I took: the first is before the fish went into the oven. The second is the fish in Martha Wrap. The last is my dinner....you really can't see the delineation of the fish from the mash....but oooooohhh  it was yummy. Also, that's an iced tea....not Bourbon on the rocks.

This recipe happens to be another original. Go ahead. I dare you.

Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cut into flowerettes

2 cloves garlic, minced,

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 C 1/2 & 1/2

1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the cauliflower until soft then drain in a colander.

In the same pot, melt the butter and add the garlic. Cook over low heat til soft - don't burn the garlic!

Add cooked cauliflower back to the butter/garlic mixture.

Add the 1/2 & 1/2 (you can use heavy cream if you like) and the Parmesan and S&P.

Cook on low until heated through, about 2-3 minutes.

Get out your immersion blender and blend until creamy but not liquefied. Let it cook for a few more minutes to get thick.

Enjoy!





Marinara me....

My husband, Lee, if he could, would eat angel hair pasta with marinara every night of his life, and be happy about it. He LOVES pasta. He REALLY loves pasta when he comes home at 1 or 2 am after a gig. It's the epitome of comfort food for him. Before I was married to Lee, I didn't eat much pasta because I always try to keep my carbs at a minimum. But when your husband loves pasta....well....whatcha gonna do?!

So, for the last 5 years (of our marriage) I've been trying different recipes for marinara. None of them really satisfied him. He preferred to buy Rao's (which is the BEST jarred sauce you will EVER buy....trust me on this one. Do a google search on Rao's and you will see that NOBODY can make a reservation - the food is so good that people have tables in their names and never give them up. The closest you will ever get to Rao's is the one in Vegas. I encourage you to go there. It is an EXACT replica of the one in New York, down to the very pictures on the walls, not to mention the recipes).

Anyway.....after many attempts, one night I made a sauce that Lee lost his mind over and insisted I write down because he wanted me to make gallons of it and put it in the freezer so he could eat it at will (I have yet to do that....).

Here's Lee's Favorite Marinara~

1/4 C olive oil
2 small yellow onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2-3 small squeezes of anchovy paste (from a tube)
10 leaves of fresh basil, minced
1 can of Cento (no substitutes!) tomatoes, squished by hand into pan
1/8 tsp sugar
swirl of olive oil

In a large pan, over medium heat, cook the onions in olive oil until translucent and soft, about 5-8 minutes.  Add garlic and turn heat to low.  Season with salt and pepper, add red pepper, anchovy paste and basil leaves.
Cook about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and sugar.
Continue cooking on low for about 20 minutes. Add a swirl of olive oil to finish (If desired. Personally, I LOVE olive oil).

At this point, you can leave it a bit "chunky" or you can whip out your handy dandy immersion blender and make it smooth. It's up to you. Either way, the flavor is divine.

Serve over your favorite pasta. Enjoy!

mmmmm......the marinara!