Chocolate Cheater

Every day at 1:30 PM I get a sugar craving. In an effort to keep my waistline in check, I constantly search for tasty treat alternatives. My answer for a chocolate craving: Trader Joe's Mocha flavored European Style Low Fat Yogurt. It is a combination of a smooth chocolately flavor, calcium for my bones and 130 Calories. Need I say more?

Meaty Pasta

Last night, before leaving work, I asked my husband the same question I ask him every night, "What do you want for dinner?" This time he said "meaty pasta." I like requests open to interpretation. Here is what I came up with after a visit to the store.

Meaty Pasta….

Jennie-O Turkey Sweet Lean Italian Sausage

Fresh Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

 I put some olive oil in a sauté pan with low heat. I took the sausage out of the skin and added it to the pan. I seasoned the meat with fresh ground pepper and black truffle salt. After the meat was cooked, I added the pasta sauce, a cub of frozen garlic and a handful of fresh oregano, basil and thyme. If you really like chunky sauce, add some stewed diced tomatoes and frozen spinach. Let the sauce simmer at a lower heat while you cook the pasta.

I chose spinach ravioli but this meat sauce would go well with cheese tortellini and spaghetti.


When everything was cooked, I layered a plate with ravioli and covered it with a meat sauce. I added a little fresh basil and parmesan to garnish the top. Enjoy!

10 Essentials in the Kitchen

1. Casina Rossa Black Truffle Salt
It adds great flavor to just about everything.  I use this instead of standard salt to flavor my food.  It can be hard to find and is generally pricey.  The higher the price means the more truffle flavor in the salt so you generally want the more expensive salt.  I get mine at Julienne’s in San Marino, CA.  This is a great gift idea.
http://www.juliennetogo.com/

2. Fresh Herbs
Go to Trader Joe’s and pick up a trio of potted fresh Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano. Replant them in a ceramic pot and place them outside. Every now and then, sprinkle them with organic fertilizer. As needed, finally chop a handful of the herbs and add to flavor.  The combination is great with everything from Mac and Cheese to Strata.

3. All-Clad Copper Core cookware. 
This cookware will change your entire cooking experience.

4. Barkeeper’s Friend
This cleaner has an amazing ability to clean dirty pots.  You simple max a paste out of the powder and apply it to dirty cookware.  This way, you can use cookware without a non-stick surface.  It requires little to no elbow grease and keeps the cookware looking brand new.

5. Petrini’s Classic Italian Salad Dressing
This dressing is wonderful on any type of salad.  Sometimes, I even use it on pasta and sandwiches.  Try it once and you will know why I am hooked.

6. Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter
Sometime you need to cook with butter.  My philosophy is, you better get great taste with all those calories.  Kerrygold is easy to find and adds great flavor.  I also use this for baking.

7. KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer
These mixers are big and bulky but once you have one, you will wonder how you survived life without one.

8. Olive Oil
When cooking, you can get away with a less expensive olive oil.  If you plan on making you own salad dressing, or using the oil as a topping, you need to buy a higher grade than what you cook with. I recommend Laudemio or Olio Santo.  Laudemio makes a great gift.

9. Better than Bouyon
I buy all three flavors because you never know when you will need chicken, beef or vegetable stock. It come in a paste forms and dissolves easily into water. I also recommend the chicken or vegetable stock for sore throats.

10. Dorot crushed, frozen garlic
This garlic has the great taste of fresh garlic but lasts so much longer.

The Secret to Mashed Potatoes

My mother is the foundation for my love of cooking.  I recently helped her in the kitchen for one of her famous dinner parties.  While working on the mashed potatoes, one of my cooking inspirations told me a secret.  When you are "mashing" your potatoes in a stand mixer, the last ingredient should be two egg yolks.  Just make sure your potatoes are not too hot, you don't want to cook the yolk.  Trust me, the yolks seal the deal.

2 Minute Chocolate Delight

I LOVE chocolate.

Last night, I decided brownies would hit the spot. Since V-day is around the corner, I thought this recipe would make a great first post.

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix

3 tablespoons whole milk/cream (instead of 2 tablespoons of water)

2 eggs

1/2 vegtable oil

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

3 tablespoons chocolate syrup

chocolate chip (at will)

walnuts (optional)

Mix it all together and place it in the oven at 350.

If you serve them warm, add a scoop of Trader Joe's French Vanilla Ice Cream.

Or, use a mixer to whip some sugar into creme fraiche. You can place the mixture into the corner of a Ziploc bag and cut off the tip of the corner. This will allow for a more controlled and artistic application of the creme fraiche mixture. The bitterness of the creme fraiche is a nice complement to the sweet chocolate flavor.