Lilly Belle Barkery is in bizness!

My kid has her own Etsy shoppe! Lilly Belle Barkery makes homemade all-natural doggie treats. She is excited to be open for business, and is having a blast filling orders. 33 bags of treats sold in the first weekend. Sales will go toward her college education, and she will donate to a rescue of her choice each month.

Her first recipe is Peanut Butter & Bacon treats! Get some for your furry friends today. Be sure to "Like" her FB page here:
https://www.facebook.com/LillyBelleBarkery

And visit her Etsy shoppe here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LillyBelleBarkery

Hi, I'm Lilly Belle! I'm 7 years old and I love my dog Ace. I also love cooking with my mom in the kitchen. One day, Ace ran out of his peanut butter treats, so I asked my mom if I could make some more. Now I make homemade treats for your dogs!

My mom thanks you for helping me understand the importance of cooking for the ones you love, while using all-natural ingredients. It also helps me understand what earning money means.

A portion of these sales will go to an animal rescue of my choice (I have a few I love!) and the rest will go toward my college education. Thank you for choosing Lilly Belle Barkery for your dog!

Spaghetti with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Weekdays are hard. Violin lessons, derby, late-night-working hubby. I *almost* just called in a pizza tonight. But then I channeled little 'ol Giuseppina in Acquavella, Italy and said, "What would Giuseppina do?"

Another "pantry meal"! I know I say this a lot, but you really can get creative with whatever you have in the fridge/freezer/pantry.

I had some left over broccoli rabe from Carlino's prepared foods. You can certainly saute regular broccoli in some garlic and olive oil to substitute this.

Break it down...

• 1 lb of thick spaghetti
• small container of broccoli rabe (or saute some broccoli)
• 2 links of chicken sausage (or whatever you have)
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt
• red pepper flake
• parsley
• parmesan cheese

Start the pasta water in a large saucepan.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When hot, add the garlic, salt, red pepper flake, and sausage. Saute til sausage is done. Add the prepared broccoli rabe. Saute til heated through. If the pasta isn't done yet, turn the mixture on LOW.

When pasta is done, drain then add to broccoli rabe mixture. Toss and serve. Garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese.

Orrechiette Arrabiata with Cod

One of those "whadda we have to eat?" meals. This was another "pantry meal" made from stuff I had, plus the leftover cod from the fish taco recipe! Score. I love when stars align.

Here's what's up!

• 1 pound of Orrechiette pasta
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 can of whole Italian style plum tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 cod fillet, cut into 1-inch chunks
• Asparagus, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake
• parsley, chopped for garnish
• salt/pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese

Open the tomatoes, and blend til smooth. I use a hand blender right in the can. 

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Saute for a minute, but do not brown. Add the tomatoes, salt, and red pepper flake. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, add your asparagus.

Before your pasta is done, add the cod and parsley to the pan. The fish will cook rapidly. Stir gently or it will flake apart. When pasta is done, drain and toss gently with the sauce. Top with parmesan cheese.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

I'm not Irish by any stretch, but in my younger years, I was surrounded by them. A year never went by where I didn't play hooky from work to celebrate St. Patty's Day with my friends.

Getting an early start at Kid Sheleen's, then watching the parade, then walking over to the Logan House to dance Irish jigs. At some point hunger struck, and we ate Corned Beef and Cabbage in order to sop up the alcohol and continue the shenanigans. Those were the days! I certainly can't hang like that anymore, but I do have to have this traditional meal every year.

I love it because you throw it in the crockpot and get on with your day. So this *is* the perfect meal for those long days of drinking!

Here we go:

• 1 beef brisket (with spice packet)
• 3-4 golden potatoes
• 3-4 carrots
• 1/2 head of cabbage (or more if you can fit it)
• 1/2 onion (not chopped)
• 1 pony bottle of beer (or half a beer)
• 2 cups of water

Set crockpot on LOW.

Add the beef brisket with the packet of spices to the crockpot, plus the water and the beer. Let cook for 2 hours then add the potatoes and carrots and onions. Let cook for 2 more hours and add the cabbage in quarters. Cook for 2-3 more hours or until meat/potatoes are tender.

(You can certainly put all of this in together and leave it all day, but the potatoes will be extra soft this way, and may not maintain shape.)

Serve with Irish Soda Bread! I got this beauty from Big Sky Bread Co.

Fish Tacos

"These are UH-MAZING!!", says my 7-year old picky eater. Is that proof enough for you?

These were simple, inexpensive, and delicious! Definitely making these again.

Chipotle Drizzle:

1/2 cup of sour cream

1/8 cup of milk

1 TB juice of lemon

1 TB juice of lime

1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt

1-2 TB chipotle adobo sauce (any mexican grocery)

Mix the above with a whisk and set aside.

Tacos:

1 lb cod fillet (cut into 2-inch chunks)

Canola Oil

1 cup of tempura batter mix (in the seafood department)

1/2 cup beer

1/4 water

1 cup of flour (season with salt and pepper)

corn tortillas

green cabbage (shredded thin)

lime wedge for garnish

In a cast iron pan, pour the oil until it's almost an inch deep. Heat over medium heat. (When fish is frying it should bubble nicely.)

In a large bowl, mix the tempura, water, and beer until the batter is smooth and creamy. If it's still too thick, add a little more of beer & water. 

In a smaller bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper.

When the oil is hot, dredge the fish chunks in the flour, then into the batter. Place battered fish into the hot oil and make sure the oil is bubbling on contact. Let cook about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Cook in batches, do not overcrowd the pan.

Assemble the fish on warm tortillas, drizzle the chipotle sauce and top with the cabbage shreds.

Squeeze a bit of lime for extra zing!

Salami and Mozz Panini

Another homage to my beloved Italy...the panini! The panini is a small and thin sandwich, maybe one or two slices of meat, cheese and a vegetable, usually on a ciabatta. This is an actually shot of paninis we had in Florence:

And as usual, I use this to get those lovely grill marks!

The Griddler by Cuisinart!

Today's panini was simply:

• Trader Joe's Tuscan Pane bread 
• sliced genoa salami
• Basil
• fresh mozzerella cheese
• Basil leaves
• olive oil
  

Drizzle the inside of the bread with the oil, then stack the ingredients. Grill til melted. Lunch!

Sunday Sauce

I've been making this for a few years now, and I think I've perfected it enough that I can share it on my blog. It is a mixture of family recipes I've tried along the way, but I've added my own methods as well. I am so proud of this sauce! My family demands it. I make it for my roller derby league the night before a bout for the perfect "carb-load"! This time, I made it for an Italian Mafia Pajama Party. Everyone loves it, and I hope you do too!


I used to squeeze my tomatoes by hand, which is a very valiant effort, but there is an easier way. Buy a food mill. It will cut your prep time in half.


To start, you'll need the food mill, 3 cans of whole tomatoes (get a good brand), and a large bowl to catch the juice. I found the italian style tomatoes render much more juice than the regular. Use the finest blade.

Sauce:

• 3 (28-ounce) cans whole plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 onion, chopped
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• couple cranks of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (the good stuff)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 can tomato paste (6 oz.)
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned
  • 1 pound of italian link sausage (sweet)

Meatballs:
1 lb of meatloaf mix (ground pork, veal, beef)
2 eggs
1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup milk
3 garlic cloves (pressed)
2 pinches of kosher salt
couple cranks of freshly ground pepper

Using the food mill, extract the juice from the 3 cans of tomatoes. Your pulp can be discarded. Set all the juice aside.


Start your sauce! In a large dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the garlic and onion, then saute til soft. Add the red pepper and black pepper and salt. Add in the tomato juice, red wine, water, Parmesan. (Don't add the tomato paste yet!)


Go make your meatballs. Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (if you have it). Wetting your fingers, roll the mixture into 2-inch balls. Add them to the cookie sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. 


As soon as your meatballs are done, add them to your sauce. Cut up the sausage links into 2-inch pieces and add them straight into the sauce (uncooked). This is the secret to extremely tender sausage! Finally, add your tomato paste. Your meatballs will float. And don't forget your wooden spoon! Every Italian cooks with a wooden spoon!



Stir occasionally, uncovered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours over low heat. You want a steady bubble, but not too rapid. 


It will reduce into a delicious silky sauce, with the most tender meat you can imagine. (You can also add a pork rib at the garlic/onion stage if desired.) Now add your basil!

Serve over your favorite pasta. As you can see, this isn't a lot of hassle for a really delicious result.

Mangia!