Very Easy and Quick Pasta Salad

The nice weather is now here and it's time to move outside for picnics and barbecues. This pasta salad is my dad's easy recipe but I added Parmesan cheese and olives to the finished product. It can be made in literally 15 minutes!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. tri-colored spiral pasta

1/2 cucumber cubed

1/2 pt grape tomatoes halved or quartered

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 pkg. Good Seasons zesty Italian dressing

1 small bottle of your favorite Italian dressing

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

*olives optional

Method:

Boil pasta until it is cooked al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. Toss in the vegetables and mix in salad dressings. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and mix all ingredients together. Chill for 2 hours. 

My Own Mac-N-Cheese

This recipe I started making when I was in the 6th grade. I like the idea of homemade mac-n-cheese better than the boxed version even as a kid. This recipe calls for sauteed celery and onion and then I make a white sauce and add the cheese. Typically I will use American cheese, but if it is available I will use a combo of American and Swiss or cheddar or a combination of all three!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion chopped

2-3 stalks of celery chopped

2 T butter

2 T. flour

2 1/2 c. milk

5-6 slices of American cheese

4 oz. cheddar cheese

10 oz elbow pasta cooked al deante and drained

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c.seasoned bread crumbs

2 T melted butter

Method:

Melt butter in sausepan and saute the onion and celery until onion is transparent and the celery is soft. Add the flour to make a roux, then add the milk and stir continually until the liquid become thick and bubbly. Add your cheese and melt, season with salt and pepper. Pour in the pasta and mix, then pour mixture into a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs and sprinkle onto of the pasta. Bake in oven set at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Peppery Seared Salmon with a Cucumber Dill Sauce

Salmon is one of my favorite fishes and this dish is very simple to execute. The salmon is seasoned with Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning then seared in a cast iron skillet and baked in the oven. The cool dill sauce is a great contrast to the peppery seasoning of the salmon. Remember, you will know when the salmon is done if when you poke a fork into the fish and then touch it to your lip, the fork should be just warm.

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets

2-3 T olive oil for searing

Grill Mate's Montreal Steak seasoning

Half of one cucumber, peeled and seeded

1/2 c sour cream

2 T mayonnaise

1/2c fresh dill chopped

season with salt and pepper



Method:

The dill sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Put the cucumber, sour cream, mayonnaise, dill salt and pepper in blender and blend until mixture is smooth. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Season fillets and sear in 2-3 T olive oil. Sear fish for 2-3 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of each piece. Place fish in baking dish and then place in preheated oven of 350 degrees. Bake the salmon for about 5 minutes. Remove and serve with the chilled cucumber sauce.

Enjoy!!

A Wrap for All Seasons...Flavorful Vegetable Wrap

I made this wrap for breakfast today but you can have it anytime. I simply sauteed leftover vegetable's I had in my frig with a little Lowry's seasoned salt and placed them on my Flatout which I had spread hummus on. Then I added fresh basil, some sliced avocado and a little bit of blue cheese crumbles and it came out delicious!!! Very easy and quick to make and it is very low calories because I sauteed the vegetables in a cooking spray.and the Flatouts are only 90 calories each. In this wrap I used eggplant and red onion but you can use any combination of veggies like asparagus, red pepper, mushrooms and so on

Restaraunt Review

55 Main
55 Main Street
Flemington, NJ 08822-1489
(908) 284-1551

Open Mon-Tue 11:30am-3pm; Wed-Fri 11:30am-3pm, 5pm-9pm;Sat 5pm-10pm

This past Saturday evening my husband and I were joined for dinner by a couple we have been friends with since Grace and Michael came home from Kazakhstan. We had dinner at a contemporary restaurant in downtown Flemington NJ. Its street address is actually the name of the establishment, 55 Main.

I had made a dinner reservation for 6:30 and had absolutely no problem in getting in at that time. When we arrived there were only a handful of people dining so I began to get a little nervous over my choice of dining spots for the evening. Upon entering, our dinner companions were very impressed with the decor of the restaurant for it is very sleek in style with low lighting. The restaurant itself is long and narrow with booth seating along the walls in the back part of the space. Up front there are smaller tables scattered about the wider area of the restaurant.  We were met by our server and promptly asking if we had brought wine, and if so was it red or white so she could bring the proper glasses to the table. I didn’t realize it was a B.Y.O.B establishment but luckily enough we had a bottle of Smoking Loon Cabernet in the car.

There were a few specials that evening and one of the choices was a butter fish served in a crab and lobster risotto served on top of a butter sauce. I had the butter fish and Chris ordered the yellow fin tuna with wasabi on sticky ginger rice and Asian vegetable sauté topped with wasabi aioli. Our dinner companions also ordered the butter fish and a sweet sausage and pasta dish with peas and tomatoes and a touch of cream and Parmesan cheese. Both of which they enjoyed very much. The butter fish had a fantastic flavor and it was seasoned perfectly. To be honest I really didn’t even need the risotto and it was a bit bland in comparison to the fish. I also had a salad of dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and crumbled goat cheese on a bed of mixed greens, tomato and red onion with honey truffle oil vinaigrette. This was very enjoyable although I did have to ask for more of the dressing to accompany my salad.

Service was excellent, the price was a bit on the higher side but it did reflect well the quality of the food and service. And the fact that the restaurant doesn’t have a liquor license actually brings down the cost of dining at 55 Main. So for two soups and two salads, an excellent set of entrees and 3 desserts with one cappuccino, including any tax and tip, our cost for a night out with friends totaled $90 per couple. I think this is a very reasonable amount and we all agreed that it is a spot in which we would definitely dine again.

Oh and by the way, from the time we were seated for our 6:30 reservation to the time we departed at 8:45 the restaurant was buzzing with activity and diners. So my recommendation would be the 6:30 time slot on a Saturday evening at 55 Main!

Rating...****1/2 out of 5!

Spanakopita - Spinach Pie

I love this dish made with fresh spinach, dill and parsley all tossed with  feta cheese and nestled between layers and layers of crisp filo dough. The trick to working with the filo is to keep it moist and cover it completely with olive oil after each layer is placed. This dish also has a bit of an earthy flavor because of the hint of nutmeg in the spinach mixture. Make sure your dough is completely thawed before using.

 

Ingredients:

2 lbs of fresh spinach

4 cloves of garlic chopped

1/2 c. onion chopped

2 T olive oil for sauteing

6 scallions sliced

1/2 c.  fresh dill chopped

1 c. fresh flat leafed parsley chopped

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups of crumbled feta cheese

Filo dough thawed

olive oil for spreading on the filo dough during the layering process

 

In a large pot sauté the garlic and onion in the 2 T of olive oil until soft and onion is transparent. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted. Place the wilted spinach in a colander and press out any excess liquid. Once all the spinach is wilted toss with the parsley dill and scallions then go ahead and add the egg and seasonings and toss again. (It may actually be easier to use your hands to toss.) Finally add the cheese and mix again, set aside.

In a 13 X9 inch glass baking dish, spread olive oil on the bottom to cover and lay down your first sheet of filo dough. While working with the dough dampen a paper towel and lay over the top of the open dough to prevent drying. Spread olive oil on the top of the sheet and then place another sheet on top and spread on olive oil. Repeat 5-6 more times. Then spread the spinach mixture on top. Make sure to again squeeze out any water which may have accumulated in the bottom of the bowl while it was sitting. This will prevent the bottom of the pie from becoming soggy when cooking. Then go on and repeat the filo dough layering process 7-8 more times. Cover the top sheet with olive oil and place into a hot oven heated to 375 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes until the top of the pie is a golden brown. Then remove from the oven and let the spinach pie cool slightly before slicing.

Enjoy this dish with grilled chicken legs and thighs which were marinated in a combination of Miracle Whip and Greek salad dressing. (I prefer Gazebo Room Greek Dressing & Marinade) Whisk the two together and marinate the chicken for 2 hours. (You can also par boil the chicken before marinating to cut down on the grilling time.)

Menu for Grace’s First Holy Communion Party

 Entrees

Lemony Chicken Piccata

Chicken breast lightly floured and sautéed and then baked in a lemon,, white wine and butter sauce with capers and fresh flat leaf parsley.

Homemade Lasagna

Lasagna made with a creamy white sauce in the center, 3  kinds of cheese and a meaty tomato sauce.

Cheese Ravioli in a Pink Vodka Sauce

Cheese ravioli bathing in a creamy pink sauce of fresh basil,, tomatoes, vodka and a heavy cream along with parmesan cheese.

Accompaniments

Antipasti

Roasted eggplant and red peppers,, sautéed asparagus and fresh mozzarella.

Spinach Salad

Fresh spinach tossed with strawberries,, scallions, toasted sliced almonds, goat cheese with a white balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing.

"Kiss Me" Kates

I love chocolate covered strawberries so this is my rendition of them cupcake style. These cuppy cakes are flavored with real strawberries and have a little surprise inside. A milk chocolate Hershey Kiss is hidden in each one of these little cakes.

"Kiss Me" Kates are named after my sweet little 5 year old niece Kate.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. butter softened

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. all-purpose flour

2T baking powder

1/4tsp salt

1/3 c. fresh or frozen strawberries pureed

1/4 c. milk

1/2 pkg. sugar-free strawberry jello

2 tsp. vanilla extract

12 Hershey Kisses

For Frosting:

1/2 c. butter softened

2 tsp. vanilla

3 1/2 c. confectioner's sugar

1/2 pkg. sugar-free strawberry jello

3 T milk

chocolate morsels for trim

Method:

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy then add each eggs mixing well after each addition. Then mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix the pureed strawberry, milk, vanilla and dry jello in a separate small bowl and set aside. Beginning with the dry ingredients, add to the butter and egg mixture and blend well. Alternating with the wet mixture, blend all ingredients together. In muffin tin lined with paper, fill each cup with batter 1/3 of the way full. Then place the candy in each cup point end down, then fill cup until 2/3rds full with remainder of the batter. Bake in preheated oven set at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven when time is up and let cool for about 10 minutes. Once warm remove them from the tin and let cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

To make Frosting:

Beat softened butter and add the vanilla and dry jello. Add the sugar in batches alternating with the milk until the desired consistency is obtained. Frost cooled cakes and trim with the morsels.

Lemony Chicken Piccata

I just made this dish for my daughter's first Holy Communion party this past Sunday and it came out wonderful. I actually took a low calorie recipe and beefed it up by putting the butter back into it. I also added fresh parsley along with the traditional capers. This recipe serves four but since I was serving a large amount of people I decided to cut each of the chicken breast into thirds after pounding out the meat. Try to get the chicken as even as possible when pounding, this will help to insure that all the meat will cook evenly.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

 (rinsed, patted dry and pounded out into 1/4 - 1/2 in thickness)

1/4 c/ all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper

olive oil for sautéing

2 T butter

2 T all-purpose flour

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c juice from fresh lemons

1/4 c. dry white wine

2 T capers

1 T. chopped flat leaf parsley

Method:

Heat oil in pan and dredge the chicken in the flour and place in pan. Sautee both sides of the chicken until it is a light golden color, about 2-4 minutes on each side depending on how hot your oil is. Remove from pan and place in baking dish. Add butter to pan and let melt. Then add the 2 T. of flour and make a rough. Add the broth and let thicken a little then add the lemon juice and the wine and let mixture to continue to thicken. If you prefer a thinner sauce add more broth to the mixture. Once it is heated through, add the capers and parsley and pour over the chicken, bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes. You may want to add more parsley for garnish. 

Pork Roast with a Honey-Mustard Glaze

I have been making this pork roast for almost 20 years. The glaze is soooo good on the pork but it will also work well on the other white meat known as chicken. The glaze has a melding of both sweet and spicy flavors and is simply delicious when grilled. You definitely can file this one under the category of Quick and Easy!

Ingredients:

1/3 c. honey

1/3 c. orange juice

1/4 c. Grey Poupon Harvest coarse ground mustard

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. red pepper

3 - 4 lb pork roast

Method:

In a Small bowl whisk together the first 6 ingredients and set aside. Prepare your grill to medium heat. Place roast on the rack and then apply the glaze at the beginning of cooking and every ten minutes there after. Roast will be done when the internal temp. reaches 165 - 170 degrees. Remove from grill and let the roast stand for 10 minutes before carving.