Lazy Mushroom Monday...

Last night I made GDL's Mushroom Pesto Crostini. When I ran down the ingredient list, everything was a staple in my kitchen so I just needed to run out for the mushrooms. The recipe calls for 8 ounces of white button mushrooms and just one ounce of porcini mushrooms.

At Whole Foods on Saturday, I grabbed my typical button mushrooms and scanned the shelves for whatever the heck porcini mushrooms are. Bingo! Leave it to Whole Foods to carry thirty varieties of mushrooms. Just one problem- they're $19.99 a pack and I only needed one ounce and even if I could separate the pack, no way in hell I'm paying 2 dollars for one friggin’ mushroom that probably doesn't taste all that different from all the other mushrooms anyway! Sorry Giada but maybe when I have four cookbooks and three TV shows and a line of Target products, then I'll start including these crazy expensive vegetables that still smell like dirt no matter what price tag is on them. So I eighty-sixed the porcini and went with my perfectly priced white button mushrooms.

I was feeling extraordinarily lazy last night, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the whole operation took no time at all. The mushrooms soften in hot water for 15 minutes and then get thrown into the food processor along with fresh parsley, garlic and toasted walnuts. OK I didn't toast them, I was tired... enough with the third degree!

Anyways, the mixture gets pulsed with a little olive oil and then poured into a bowl with Parmesan cheese. During this process the perfect little pieces of baguette got toasted in the oven until crispy and golden brown. A dollop of mushroom pesto on each slice and I was done! The mushroom mixture appears slightly dog-food-esque if it wasn't for the beautiful bright green parsley flakes and the shards of white Parmesan. And on the crostini it looked like a gourmet appetizer. I was quite pleased with myself.

Most importantly, it was delicious. The earthy mushrooms with the creamy parm, the fresh zing of parsley and the crunch of the baguette was a heavenly little bite. And my lazy self was able to crash on the couch for the remainder of the evening. Perfecto!

Summer Nights...

It's been hot here the last couple nights. In New England, May hits and everyone gets spring fever- puts on the sun dresses and short sleeves and then gets sick because it's still friggin' cold. But in Virginia, May started out ninety degrees and humid. I'm talking surface of the sun, sitting in a sauna, breathing through a straw, wrapped in a Snuggie- HOT!

You get my point.

So last night as the humidity dropped and the cooler breezes drifted in bringing more seasonal seventy degree days for the rest of the week, I decided to make a fresh, cool, summertime GDL dinner- Caprese Salad on a thin whole wheat crust and for dessert Grilled Pineapples with Nutella and Chopped Hazelnuts. And BONUS! For beverages I served cool sparkling water with lemon and fresh mint (thank you AeroGarden) mine with a splash of Vodka.

Caprese Salad is always delicious but I bulked up the meal by adding a whole wheat crust. Giada made this sort of Caprese Tart on an episode of Giada at Home. The crust bakes in the oven for just 15 minutes. If you prick it with a fork first the dough won't rise and bubble, it will stay nice and thin and crisp. Then I layered alternating big beefsteak tomato slices and fresh mozzarella slices on top, cut some basil (again, thank you AeroGarden) strips on top and drizzled with a mixture of lemon juice, salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil. The presentation was gorgeous and so Italiano! And most importantly, it tasted so so good.

Next up was GDL's grilled pineapple with creamy Nutella drizzled on top. My kitchen was transported to Hawaii as I chopped up a whole pineapple into perfect little rings and Kate and Sawyer ran past the palm tree jungle on LOST. As the rings sizzled on my grill pan (only three minutes on each side for beautiful golden grill marks!) I whipped together Nutella, heavy whipping cream and vanilla and microwaved for a minute. The warm mixture was poured over the pineapple slices and topped with chopped hazelnuts. It was sweet with a nice crunch and so satisfying.

All in all, a lovely summer night in Italy... errr... Hawaii... um...  VIRGINIA!

Misery Loves Company Crostini...

These past two months in Richmond have been fabulous. Really fabulous. I've had actual moments of euphoria thinking- how did I get this lucky? But I swear that sometimes the universe decides you're just too damn happy so it brings you down a dark alley and beats the shit out of you.

OK, maybe it's not that bad but this week has been filled with so many little annoyances that I would really love to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head and not come out until Friday... evening. From traffic being rerouted around my apartment so my 10 minute commute takes 40 minutes to adapting to the bass ackwards processes at work to having to take the elevator back up to my apartment every morning because I forgot my lunch, my ID badge, my cell phone, my freakin' mind!!

And then there was Monday when I rushed home to make Jared and me GDL's Sweet Red Pepper Crostini only to skim down the recipe and see - "Let peppers marinate in oil and garlic for at least 5 hours or preferably one day." Not really wanting to eat at midnight, we moved Tuesday Subway Night up to Monday and had the time-consuming crostini last night.

For being in such a crappy pessimistic mood, I do have to say they were really really tasty. I've said it before and I'll say it again- crunchy, toasty, crusty bread is one of my most favorite things on the face of this earth. No exaggeration. If someone came out with a new diet that included cibatta bread and Magnolia Bakery cupcakes, I would pay anything to go on that!

So that's the last recipe of April. I'm sorry to say that there's been only six posts this month and will definitely have to step things up to get through the rest of the book. With 84 recipes to go and 35 weeks left in the year this one recipe a week thing cannot last and the seafood and veal recipes are looming. Wish me luck! I need it.

Holy Garlic Overload Batman...

Back away from your computer screen! Please, back away! I fear my garlic aura might be so strong that it has permeated cyberspace and you could possibly faint from my stench. While I fear for those deep breathers around me, I have to admit- it was totally worth it!

Welcome to the week of sauces! I've been pounding out GDL sauces all week. It all started when the basil in my Aero Garden was about ready to get up and walk away- it was huge. Big, beautiful basil leaves just begging to be pesto-tized!

GDL's Basil Pesto was a simple recipe I've used before. Basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan get combined and slathered over pasta. In my case I used some gorgeous ravioli from Whole Foods and the pesto diluted with a spoonful of pasta water was absolutely divine.

I woke up in the middle of the night with garlic still on my palate but since I was sleeping alone that night, I wasn't offending anyone. And I could only hope those double tooth brushings and five Listerine gargles would keep my coworkers from scattering.

The next day I basically repeated the pesto-process but this time with arugula leaves creating GDL's Arugula Pesto. Picture the same process but with crispy arugula leaves rather than basil. Another garlic fest but this time with an interesting tangy-ness to it. An interesting alternative when you happen to be sans basil leaves.

And then last night GDL's Spicy Tomato Sauce was on the agenda. Another simple recipe involving canned crushed tomatoes, onions, capers, garlic (less potent this time) and red pepper flakes. I doubled (maybe tripled) the amount of pepper flakes fearing my spicy connoisseur aka Jared. I brace myself whenever I serve him anything that Giada deems "spicy" just waiting for the inevitable response of "it's not spicy, did you use the wussy organic red pepper flakes?"

Anyways, I think it's kinda spicy but the critic has yet to sample.

Six Degrees of Giada de Laurentiis...

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you should know that Giada de Laurentiis has been popping up everywhere! She launched a product line for Target (yes, I own several pieces including a cast iron pot, silver serving spoons, a large heavy bamboo cutting board and even the official GDL apron!), a new cookbook (Giada at Home) and she’s been touring the country signing books and greeting fans. All fans except me, that is.

I could not be more disappointed to have missed out on the book tour. And my disappointment accelerated into devastation when I learned that Giada herself was at my neighborhood Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk, Connecticut on March 19th. March 19th! Eleven days after my move from less than a mile from Stew’s to about 450 miles away! Oh the terrible timing of it all!

To think that all those eager soccer moms were waiting in line, wanting nothing more than a brief brush with celebrity when I who have basically spent four months bonding with the woman was miles away, unaware. It’s a tragedy.

Perhaps a new GDL whisk or wooden spoon or espresso maker will ease the pain!

Calling a Truce...

The war is over! As many of you know, I've had a long-standing battle with rice. It's been an all out war really.

I think it all started in college when I attempted to make instant rice only to learn a minute later that it wasn't meant to be instant. My microwave was covered with rock hard black bits of rice like an army of tiny charred ants attacking my Kenmore from the inside out. And the smell haunted my roommates and me for a good four days.

Then there was the Rice Pilaf Massacre of 2004 when the Zatarain's that was supposed to just steam up plump and moist in the covered pan, instead stuck to every inch of it forming a coating that looked like those beaded seat covers that taxi cab drivers and 80-year-old men sit on.

I know that rice isn't supposed to be challenging. Hell, the first season of Survivor had nothing but rice and managed to make that over a fire on a beach. And still every attempt made by yours truly has been absolute pasty mush or charred black rocks that ruin my Calphalon and my appetite. So try to understand how it took me about a week to gain the confidence to attack GDL's Mushroom Risotto with Peas.

I came home from work on Friday ready for battle. With an auxiliary frozen pizza standing by, I had low expectations for this dish or shall I say, my ability to complete this dish successfully.

While chopping an onion and garlic cloves, the mushrooms get softened in simmering veggie broth. They then come out and you dice the soft mushrooms and deliver all choppings into a large pot with melted butter on the bottom. When your boyfriend says it smells good and looks hopeful for a good meal, it's time to man up and add the rice!

After a swig (or seven) of white wine, a cup of it gets added to the pot. All the liquid gets absorbed or burned off fairly quickly and visions of burnt rice start dancing in my head causing a quick panic followed by more wine gulps. Veggie broth to the rescue! Adding a cup every ten minutes or so, a half hour later I was left with… (pause for dramatic effect)... creamy, fluffy risotto!

It was a glorious day for rice and me. And as the Uncle Ben Gods smiled down on me, I ate my Mushroom Risotto with Peas slowly, enjoying and savoring each victorious bite.

I have concurred rice. The war is over. And the villagers celebrated with root beer, more wine and reruns of Weeds.

Herb-tastic!

Sorry, I know it's been a while but I needed some recovery time after that Easter dinner. I promise I'm cooking tonight but in the interim I thought I would regale you with the tale of my housewarming gift from Jared.

About a week after I got here Jared presented me with a large box the size of a microwave. The photo on the box looked like some kind of a bright white kitchen appliance with plants growing out of it. Yes, my boyfriend had given me the Aero Garden.

Now, though I admittingly love watching infomercials, I have never purchased one of those products that promises to cure something that wasn't so hard to do in the first place (like keep a blanket on your lap while you talk on the phone - snuggie). I was skeptical of this glowing R2D2 garden. I had two cute tin window containers growing herbs in my kitchen (slowly, but growing nonetheless)  and I didn't think the Aero Garden was really for me.

But the smile on Jared's face and the thoughtfulness of it melted my cynical heart. He knew that because of this cooking project I was buying herbs often and wanted to grow my own. He also knows that I'm not much of a green thumb and the Aero Garden is pretty brown-thumb proof.

Here's how it works. There is a tub with six holes where the seed pods go. I'm growing basil, oregano, thyme, mint, dill and chives. You fill the base of the tub with water every two weeks or whenever the light in the front goes off to tell you to (see, idiot proof!). There's an arm in the back which can be raised as the herbs grow and it holds a cover with two florescent light bulbs that act as simulated sunlight for the herbs 16 hours a day.

It only took a day to start to see progress. It's been about 24 days now and I have big beautiful basil leaves, tall, thin dill and chives and the rest are chugging along just fine. And those aforementioned herbs in the tin tubs have actually started perking up and leaning towards the Aero Garden!

I'm holding off on the pesto chapter in Everyday Italian until I'm ready to pick my basil leaves. Jared bought himself one and hopes to grow tomatoes and other veggies in his. I cannot wait to make a homegrown Caprese Salad! Well half home grown unless we plan to start growing and pressing olives for oil and milking cows for mozzarella.