Go Big or Go Home...

As you can see, August has been a slow cooking month. I've been totally consumed with our September cruise and all the preparation leading up to it- swimsuit shopping, boot camp fitness classes to make sure I can fit in the swimsuit, etc. I figured if I was only going to cook one GDL meal this month I better go balls to the walls and tackle a challenging one.

When I hear Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli I think Buitoni in boiling water for 8 minutes, sauce from a jar, voila! But Giada has a different plan. The idea of making my own ravioli from scratch sounded like a daunting task but GDL says it's easy when you use frozen spinach, pre-sliced mushrooms and egg roll wrappers as your pasta noodles. Sure! No sweat!

The mushrooms get sautéed in olive oil until the liquid has evaporated. The thawed and dried frozen spinach gets added to the pan and heated through. This smells delicious and I had high hopes especially after the mushrooms and spinach get chopped in the food processor and combined with mascarpone and Parmesan cheese. But then my egg roll wrappers started curling up on me and refused to stick together with my egg wash mixture. And maybe I should have looked harder for egg roll wrappers rather than spring roll wrappers because the see-through factor kinda through me for a loop.

I warned Jared we might be eating mushroom spinach slop with floating spring roll pieces, said a quick prayer to the pasta gods, and threw about 12 "ravioli" in my big pot of boiling water. The result? Basically mushroom spinach slop with floating spring roll pieces. The ones that did stay together had a slimy texture that I could not stomach. Not sure if it was Jared's unwavering love for me or if the man truly will eat anything but he managed to devour not only his bowl but my practically untouched bowl as well. God bless him.

So while Jared seemed satisfied, I was truly disappointed. This recipe was a lot of work, a lot of dirty pots, pans and utensils, an unpleasant presentation and in my opinion overall kinda nasty. But I plan to redeem myself and attack the most impressive GDL dessert - homemade Tiramisu.

The Quest Concludes Victoriously...

I knew Whole Foods couldn't let me down! Just 3 feet from the entrance, what do I see but an iced barrel full of mascarpone cheese on sale! It's as if the Whole Foods gods looked down at me from their tree-huggin' temples and threw me a bone. I got some odd stares from my overly excited reaction to this cheese. I even saw one woman walk over to it after I moved on to inspect what was so arousing. Needless to say, she wasn't as impressed.

So with my genuine mascarpone cheese in hand I can finally make some GDL fruity desserts including Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cheese.

It's a beautiful presentation for such a simple preparation. You start by juicing a lemon and combining it with sugar and brandy. In another bowl, the coveted mascarpone cheese gets mixed with a hint of vanilla. These get set aside while you brush a grill or grill pan with olive oil. Pitted and quartered peaches are grilled until golden with obvious grill marks. Add the peaches to the lemon mixture to coat. White wine is poured over the sweet lemony peaches and topped with a dollop of the mascarpone topping.

The textures of this dessert are so sensual you could melt. It's creamy coolness over soft warm fleshy peaches with a slight tingly buzz from the alcohol... mmmmm. I feel like I'm writing a harlequin romance novel. But seriously, it's that good. Enjoy it with someone you love! Bow chick-a bow-wow.

The Quest for Mascarpone Cheese...

Richmond has quickly become one of my favorite places. As a big-little city, it offers quiet quirky neighborhoods with all the conveniences of a large metropolis. One thing it doesn't have... Mascarpone Cheese!!

What is wrong with this city? How can you deprive yourself of this cool creamy sweet cheese? It's not right and to be honest, I'm a little pissed off. Yeah, I'm talking to you Richmond! You're on my list!

It all started with my decision to make GDL's Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cheese. Sugar, check. Lemon juice and vanilla, check check. White wine, please- it's a staple in my kitchen. So out I go for the remaining ingredients- fresh peaches and mascarpone cheese.

My first attempt was the little market behind my apartment building creatively called The Market. No go. Mealy peaches and not a hint of mascarpone to be found. Bummer. A short car ride and I'm at my favorite Kroger that is the most "gourmet" and "organic" of all the Kroger's in Richmond. Trust me, I've been to them all. As loyal readers know, I'm quite particular about my supermarkets and the right store can make grocery shopping an absolute thrill for me (see Organic Heaven post from February).

But alas, no mascarpone cheese. I even go so far as to ask the bakery if they have some in the back that maybe they could just package up for me. But you would think I asked for them for the oven itself and they shooed the crazy cheese lady away. At least they had nice peaches.

Check.

OK, Whole Foods has never let me down. I drive across town to the one and only Whole Foods in Richmond. I walk out of the 100-degree heat and through the glass doors. A cool fruity breeze greets me and I get a burst of confidence- I will find my mascarpone here! I fly past the rows of colorful organic produce and round the corner to the dairy/soy case. Vegan cheeses, organic varieties, tofu this and soy that but no go on the mascarpone.

Over to the deli/bakery/prepared foods area that has the big refrigerated case with the most expensive and most pungent cheeses in the store. I look and look, sniff and sniff, debate just buying brie for dinner to make me feel better after this cheese debacle but eventually walk out empty handed with a growling tummy.

No Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cheese tonight. Maybe not ever while in Richmond. But one silver lining came today. Googling 'Mascarpone Cheese' generated a mere 364,000 results one of which led me to a mascarpone substitute! It sounds a little heavy and I'm sure it won't compare to the cool silky smoothness of mascarpone but I'm giving it a whirl.

This weekend, I will whip up one 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese with a quarter cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons softened butter. You will get my full report next week. Stay tuned.

Biscotti Calling...

Last weekend on a rainy Saturday afternoon I suddenly got ‘all about Italy.’ Roman Holiday was on and I was making GDL’s Citrus Biscotti. Biscotti meaning, “twice baked” were popular long before individually packaged ones were sold near every Starbucks register. Their dry consistency means they can easily be stored for long periods of time. Biscotti came in handy during long journeys and wars and were a staple food of the Roman Legions.

My grandmother makes biscotti at Christmas and though nothing compares to Mimi’s baking, I’d say that Giada’s citrus biscotti come in a close second as the best biscotti I’ve ever tasted. Made with orange zest and lemon juice the dough is baked in two long loaves, cut into finger long cookies and baked again. And when dunked in coffee, they are absolutely delicious. But don’t take my word for it- my best review came when I found Jared in my kitchen after work one day this week making coffee saying he was craving my biscotti all day.

That same night I made GDL’s Pasta Primavera. I had fresh summer squash from a friend’s garden and though I usually prefer raw crispy vegetables, these fresh veggies baked in olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper were so melt-in-your-mouth-fantastic. Added to bowtie pasta it was a delightful summertime meal.

Now if you’ll excuse me, my biscotti are calling me.

Americano Italiano...

These last two weeks were full of summer fun with good friends. Between my good friend Jamie coming to visit from Boston and Fourth of July weekend with Jared and Virginia friends, I had many opportunities to cook, eat, drink and be merry.

My girls weekend with Jamie had much on the agenda. From a mani pedi to a wine tasting to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, we managed to do it all and fit in some great meals. One sandwich shop fueled my obsession with panini- Baker's Crust is basically a step up from Panera Bread but the sandwich and salad I got were so decadent that I've recreated them for lunches in the past week. The salad they called "Wine Country" and had greens paired with strawberries, grapes, pears, candied pecans with raspberry vinaigrette and topped with a goat cheese crustino. Thankfully we were headed to a vineyard later that day because the salad beckoned the vino. My sandwich crammed mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, grilled squash and goat cheese into a grilled sourdough slices. Heaven between rustic bread!

But my Italian panini took a back-seat on Fourth of July weekend and mostly ate veggie burgers while my meat-eating loved ones downed steaks and barbeque chicken legs and bratwurst. Although one GDL recipe did make a reappearance Saturday night when I served Orzo with Parsley and Tomatoes at my courtyard July 3rd dinner. Perfectly fresh and cool on a 100 degree evening.

With entertaining and the holiday weekend behind me, I promise that new GDL recipes are in store! Overdue in fact. So stay tuned!

The Greatest Thing Since Stuffed Peppers…

Stuffed Tomatoes! Stuffed Tomatoes! Please, do yourself a favor and stuff a tomato tonight! Why have I gone twenty something years thinking peppers were the only stuff-worthy vegetable. Not so. Tomatoes!

So it starts with my nemesis, good ol’ rice. But once that’s cooked and cooled, it’s easy peasy. Just cut off the top of the tomato and scoop out the innards. The hollowed tomatoes get placed on an oiled baking dish. The cooled rice gets combined with the tomato innards, basil, parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese. The mixture gets stuffed into the tomatoes and their lids get popped back on. The stuffed tomatoes bake in a 350 degree oven for just twenty minutes and can be served hot or cold or room temperature.

Somehow the whole thing doesn’t fall apart into a delicious mess on your plate when you cut into it. Perhaps that’s thanks to the cheese (cheese, is there anything you can’t do?). Instead you get perfect little bites of tomato chunks and flavorful rice and it’s all so light while at the same time filling.

This is a new staple in the Julie recipe repertoire. Sorry peppers but you can’t hold a candle to these GDL stuffed tomatoes!

Light & Fresh...

My most favorite adjectives are fresh, crisp, light, clean– and all of them can be used to describe the meals I made last week. It is all a part of my quest for bikini glory on my September Caribbean Cruise with Jared. That’s right, kiss the Fettuccini Alfredo goodbye because we’re on the fast track to a better bod by the boat!

First up was GDL’s Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs along with a Steak Salad and Cantaloupe, Strawberries and Grapes with White Wine and Mint for dessert. The Steak Salad was a cinch. Romaine lettuce and arugula, cherry tomatoes and red onion, all topped with Gorgonzola cheese, steak (or Morning Star Farms Meal Starters) and a red wine vinaigrette. The flavors combined beautifully and was much more filling than one would think.

The Farro Salad was the big shock of the night. Unable to find Farro in my local supermarket, I opted for Orzo, which is similar in size, shape and texture. The Orzo gets cooked and then combined with mashed garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Once combined, chopped tomatoes, sweet onion, chives, and parsley are added. I’m in love with this dish. It’s perfect for summer and will accompany me to any summer barbecues or picnics I happen to be invited to.

To end the evening, balled cantaloupe, strawberries and halved green grapes are served with mint leaves and sweetened white wine. A perfect cool sweet thin-dulgence!