Wine and Cheese '07: Annual 'Seis' Fest!

Wine and Cheese '07......The annual "Post-Thanksgiving Feast!" As if Thanksgiving wasn't enough food to hold us over until the following year! Anyway, the get-together that the "seis" soooo excitedly anticipates was a certain success this year. The theme was to, conveniently, cook with either wine or cheese...and, plenty of cheese was present at this festivity.

The dishes featured were Jeni's Stromboli, Jax's Parmesan-cupped salads, Ally's Italian Panini, Dena's Butternut Squash Ravioli, Kaylin's Raspberry and Brie Croissants, My Three-cheese Baked Gnocchi, and Mappy's (Jax's fantastic mother) MUCH-REQUESTED Baked Macaroni and Cheese.

Of course the seis always welcomes a good photo-op...as seen at the beginning of this post...and it must be done for tradition's sake as well.

To stay with the tradition, we always convene at Jax's lovely and cozy home in Port Jefferson on Long Island. Mappy, the wonderful mother, is one of the most terrific hostesses and Jax certainly follows in her mother's footsteps. Us girls always have a wonderful time at Jax's house because, when at their home, it is certain that good food will be had...not mention the even better company. Let's just say that the seis knows how to have a good time....often, TOO good of a time, but a little partying never hurt anyone right?!

If there are any particular requests for recipes, please let me know! At this point, not all of the recipes are stored in my brain and/or computer...but they can be accessed! Hope you enjoyed the after effects of what was a delicious and filling Wine and Cheese Fesitivity!

Thanksgiving

And there you have Thanksgiving! Due to technological inadequacy, some of the desserts are shown before the meal but no one said you couldn't have Aunt Kim's ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL Apple Crisp and Pumpkin Cheesecake before dinner.

Our Thanksgiving was small and quiet. We went to Boston where my mother's brother (Uncle Dave) lives. It was a wonderful, yet ephemeral, trip but as always, amazing food was created. No short overnight trip will stop this family from under-indulging on Thanksgiving.

As you can tell by the selected photos, we had a pretty traditional meal. You got your turkey, your stuffing, brussel sprouts and bacon, freshly made dinner rolls. Unfortunately we were so excited to stuff our faces that not all of the dishes were captured by photo. That's what happens when you travel for 4 hours on an empty belly. However, my aunt does a phenomenal job playing "Susie Homemaker" and satisfying the masses with her delicious cooking and baking.

I must comment, after not only Thanksgiving festivities but "Wine and Cheese" and my sister's recent engagement, that a four day food-fest was certainly had, enjoyed, and over!!! Thankfully, we will be getting back into the routine of normal-sized portions and healthier choices but it was certainly FUN while it lasted.

Photos to come featuring "Wine and Cheese!"

Holiday Food Anticipation

Annnnnnd, the holiday food daydreaming begins....rightfully so being that Thanksgiving is in T-one week! As you all might remember from so avidly checking in on my blogging, my reliable digital camera decided to unreliably not work...to my utter dismay. Therefore, personal "foodie" photos will take a backseat until sister old snaps a buxom montage over the holidays with her own camera.

Anyhow, I am taking this opportunity to rant and rave about my favorite (and I'm sure shared) foods/gatherings for the holidays! I love the turkey, but I must say (and quite obviously from my chosen photo), the sweet potato pie is SOOOO the underdog and it is SOOOO amazing. Therefore, I am dedicating my first "fave thought" towards the magnificence and simplicity behind the candied sweet potatoes which my mother makes (recipe courtesy of one of my best friend's stepfather's.....that would be Kaylin, the tall blonde on the right on the aforementioned "seis post" with respective photo op). I think sweet potatoes, while unique and not typically enjoyed universally, have received a not-so-keen reputation because they haven't been known to be doused in brown sugar, butter, and chopped pecans. Yeah, let's face it, the holidays are certainly the times when you can kiss your stellar diet goodbye. It's definitely time to FEAST!

Anyhow, while this blog post may not be in my traditional "photo/recipe/AMAZING ANECDOTE" fashion, the next few posts will surely make up for it....because....well, two things:

1. Thanksgiving----which means I will take many photos of the INCREDIBLE meal my aunt always makes in Boston....AND
2. Wine and Cheese party- (aka 'wine and chee' spoken in my friends' sweet ebonic language) Wine and Cheese is the traditional post-Thanksgiving food and drink get together that me and my best friends, the seis, create every year! Here, we usually pick a theme and all make one dish to bring to the party. We also customarily choose "Secret Santas" for the Christmas season....ahem, and Chanukkah season....(props to being the token Jew!).

As far as this post lacking, you can see that over the next week, the floodgates will open with foodie faves and splurges running the gamut from my aunt's gourmet stuffing and cranberries on Thanksgiving to Italian panini's and my much anticipated "three-cheese baked gnocchi with bacon" at our Wine and Cheese party. Worry no more!!!! Because...............there is food to be made and, therefore, food to be had.....and don't you worry, food will be had so long as my family and the seis have anything to do with it.

So, speak soon and start stretching your stomachs for the Tuuuuuuuuuuuurkey...I already have! HAHA

Parmesan Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

I have a thrilling new way to even make a salad exciting. Well, Giada de Laurentiis does! Last night I made this salad as a side and I was inspired to do so because, while we didn't wish to eat something heavy like a potato dish, we wanted more than plain iceburg. So, Giada hooked us up and I will be happy to eat the rest of this in a few short hours with my dinner tonight.

This salad was definitely a little bit more time consuming than I had planned but well worth the process being that it was so well received by my family and my self. Of course, as far as the 'svelte' issue goes, frying up Parmesan coated veggies isn't perhaps the most healthful way of donning fresh spinach with other veggies, but at least they aren't beer-battered and deep-fried right? RIGHT! And, the light dressing certainly adds to the healthful factor being that it isn't a cream-saturated mess.....

So, here is the recipe for this fantastic salad....

Parmesan Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad:

2 1/2 cups bite-sized broccoli florets

2 1/2 cups bite-sized cauliflower florets

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 to 1 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 cups lightly packed fresh spinach leaves

1/2 lemon, zested

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method: Place the broccoli and cauliflower in a large bowl. Toss with the beaten eggs to coat evenly. Place the Parmesan in a large tray or baking dish and dredge the vegetables in the cheese, pressing to coat evenly.
Pour olive oil in a large heavy skillet until the olive oil is 1/4-inch deep, about 1/2 cup depending on the size of your skillet. Warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the Parmesan-coated vegetables. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches, if necessary. Let the vegetables cook until a crust forms, about 3 minutes per side. Turn the vegetables only when they easily release from the bottom of the pan. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
Place the spinach in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the spinach with the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Add the Parmesan coated vegetables. Toss and serve.

And there you have this awesome new way to enjoy spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower.

**Side note: Unfortunately my technologically reliable digital camera just randomly decided to not work anymore, so I accredit this photo from the Food Network's site! However, my salad did in fact resemble this photo near exactly! :P

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pancakes

I am dedicating this blog post to my intense, almost borderline unhealthy, love for all-things peanut butter. I was browsing the web this morning and came across "Posie's Place," a food blog in the same vain as my very own. When I saw this stack of pancakes with peanut butter oozing out, I nearly had a coronary! I knew that, while I hadn't created this recipe, it was well worth the acknowledgment and accreditation on my own page.

I know, you might be saying, "Geez Robin, this certainly is not one of your more 'svelte' recipes...," however, I plan on a very good explanation so hear me out. Like I said, every once in a while, it is absolutely necessary to give in to certain cravings. For me, it seems as if peanut butter is one that cannot be ignored for less than a few days. So, I try to incorporate the relative nutritional value of peanut butter into my diet and lifestyle. While peanut butter certainly contains an arguable amount of fat, the fat content can often (when ambitiously going out of ones way to purchase all-natural peanut butter as opposed to commercial peanut butters like "Jif," "Skippy," etc.) be beneficial in regards to satiety and "good" fats. Unfortunately the commercial brands, while scrumptuously tasty, often go through a process of converting the existing oils into saturated fat, which is certainly not the kind of fat you want to make a habit of ingesting. However, natural peanut butter will contain fat that is healthful, especially if you're an athlete.

One of the perks of eating peanut butter is its amazing ability to fill up the belly with only a small amount. One of my favorite snacks (photos to come in due time) before/after training for intense/vigorous cardiovascular workouts is my specialty of "Peanut Butter & Banana Toast." It's the absolute perfect and rewarding snack for before or after a vigorous workout such as training for marathons and/or triathlons. My sister, who inspired me to train for the marathon, has also given me some great and healthy (while still ultimately rewarding in regard to taste) ideas for snacks and meals during training. This was one of them. It's a pretty self-explanatory snack:

whole wheat toast/wrap-chopped banana-all natural peanut butter!!!!

Anyway, I absolutely adore peanut butter and can/will find any way to incorporate it into any sweet or savory dish. One of my absolute favorite, and quite possibly addictive, takes on peanut butter is frshly ground honey roasted peanut-butter. I get this sinful treat at a wonderful Italian market called Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace on Long Island, but I understand that this decadent treat can be purchased at Whole Foods (more readily accessible to metropolitan New Yorkers) as well. If so, it's a must try!!!!!!!

Well, I know that this was a short post, but sometimes the very BEST things don't need much discussing! Peanut Butter...it's a beautiful thing.

ENJOY!

Brown Rice Salad

And we meet again! However, for this week's escapades, I unite my love for 'all things rice' with 'all things bacon!' The dish I plan on sharing today, while slightly more involved, is one that I got from Alton Brown. He is superb!

However, since my anecdotes are assumingly so well-received and requested at that, I will share another brief one. Ever since I was a little kid, I have adored rice- white, fried, brown, you name it. Unfortunately... (and here comes the portion of my blog where I give a brief nutritional 411 and borderline share too much information while doing so...), rice, along with most other carbohydrates, are known to bind the gastro-intestinal tract- in other words, "sit like 'glue' in your intestines"- or, in fewer words, CONSTIPATE! yes, I said it! It's a fact of life (not the stellar television program!) people, and a very important part being that it regards one's relative comfort. Anyhow, I have digressed from my amazing story about my love for rice...so, since I was little I loved rice (particularly white rice out of convenience and accessibility) but I, more often than not, ran into the ungodly trouble of the aforementioned problema!!! So, as I became older and wiser, I learned that brown rice, which is basically white rice in it's more natural state, contains more fiber. Thus, the GI tract is given some RELIEF from influx of bagels and bread and pasta and, well you get the point....

So, in my whirwind of a journey towards more healthful food choices, I always make a conscious effort to choose brown rice when given the choice, so as not to fall into a "bound" situation.

I was pleasantly delighted to stumble upon Alton Brown's extremely tasty take on brown rice, since I usually just enjoy it plainly. So, check it out...it has bacon...it can, therefore, undeniably be great! Sorry vegetarians, sit this one out!

Brown Rice Salad:
6 slices bacon
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Baked Brown Rice, recipe follows
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

In a 10-inch saute pan over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.
Add the red onion to the pan and cook until translucent, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the vinegar, chicken broth, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper to the pan and stir to combine. Add the bacon back to the pan along with the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the dill. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Baked Brown Rice:
1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately

And there you have it. I was initially turned onto this recipe (other than the bacon and rice, obviously) due to the use of dijon mustard. Now, I think it says a lot being that I am one who would NEVER (and anyone who knows my food habits can vouch for me) use mustard as a normal condiment on anything! However, this dish used just enough to 'kick it up a notch' without overpowering the overall flavor with mustard. So, don't be "scurrrrred" by the "mustuuuurd!"

Enjoy it!

Spinach Pie

For this week's recipe extravaganza, I have decided to discuss one of my favorite and oldest recipes. The recipe that I plan on sharing with you guys is one that I love so much, largely in part of its anecdotal importance and largely in part of its supreme deliciousness. It is none other than Spinach Pie, often referred to as "Spinach Squares" by my best friends and myself. So, I guess this is where I share the much desired anecdote...

Before, when I said this is one of my oldest recipes, I lied! It is definitely not a recipe reminiscent of childhood, rather the close-knit friendship I have with a group of five other girls I call my best friends...or including myself..."the seis" (meaning 'six' in Spanish...our self-proclamation so juvenile-ly mandated nine years ago). I've enclosed a photo of the six of us just to give you a more intimate look into this story...


Anyhow... one night looooooong, long ago, when the holidays were sneaking up on every high schooler in the America, the 'seis' frequented their favorite bar in Port Jefferson, Long Island. To their complete surprise, they had all drank one too many cocktails and, upon arriving home, found themselves in Jeni's (end top left) basement with insatiable hunger. Luckily, Jeni's mother was prepared for the post-Christmas/pre-NewYear's festivities and mistakenly left her famously delicious Spinach Pie uneaten. To the seis' extreme delight, they discovered this untouched gold, if you will, in the upstairs refrigerator along with all other kinds of holiday foods synonymous with late night binging (or as we 'seis' LOVE to refer to as, "drunk-eating!"). The seis was filled with all kinds of glee as they sank their teeth into Mrs. G's famous Spinach Pie. And so, that night began the many years of decadently over-the-top "drunk-eating" for the 'seis' and "Spinach Pie requests" upon Mrs. G!!!!

To this day, I can't eat/recreate this recipe without a moment's thought in the seis' direction! I love that I always think of these girls when I eat Spinach Pie and will most likely continue to do so for as long as this story remains with me. So, here is the recipe for Mrs. G's insanely good Spinach Pie...

Spinach Pie
2 Pkg. Frozen Spinach (you can use fresh spinach but the frozen honestly comes out great, too!)
1 Cup Bisquick
1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 Cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
Dash of pepper
1 clove finely chopped garlic
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
4 eggs slightly beaten
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese


Method: Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease rectangular pan (13x9x2). Mix ALL ingredients and spread in pan. Bake approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown.

The relative health/nutritional value of this dish is definitely something I forgot to discuss previously. Of course, spinach is great for you with all of its iron and cheese can and should be enjoyed in moderation. However, this recipe is one that is synonymous with celebrations and holidays for me...often a time of splurging. So, if you are trying to watch your relative fat/calorie intake, this might not be one of those dishes to leave around when you return home from a night of partying with insatiable drunk hunger.

But, I say, do it up! Enjoy

Robin