Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Summertime is here and its time to make my black bean and corn salsa, a favorite in our house. It is the perfect side for anything grilled or even just over sliced avocado. It's as healthy as it is colorful and very simple to put together. This is one of Grace's absolute favorites!

Ingredients:

2 c. black beans (you can use canned which have been rinsed or dry which have been soaked and cooked)

4 ears of corn cooked, with kernels removed or 1 pkg frozen corn

1/2 red onion chopped

1/2 red bell pepper chopped

1/4 c. cilantro chipped

1T ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 fresh cracked pepper

Lime juice from 2-3 limes depending on size

Jalapeno pepper chopped (optional)

Method:

Toss all ingredients together, blend well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Spaghetti with Shrimp in my Summer Sauce

This sauce is very simple and light for the summer. I typically will wait until my tomatoes begin to come in and make this recipe, but there are times when I just want it so I will use canned. (I pick canned tomatoes with no salt added.) But one thing I won't skimp on is fresh basil and the plump shrimp tossed in at the end of cooking adds a small amout of sweetness to the sauce.

Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 T olive oil for sautéing

Two 28 1/4 oz cans of tomatoes or 8 tomatoes boiled and peeled

1 6 oz can tomato paste

4 oz of feta, crumbled

1/2 lb or more of large shrimp, peeled

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

chopped fresh basil

1 lb thin spaghetti

Method:

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil for approximately 5-7 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes and paste and simmer for 20 minutes. Sauce will thicken. At the end of the cooking time, add the feta and stir in then add the shrimp and cook only until pink. Season with sea salt and fresh pepper. Ladle over prepared pasta and top with fresh basil.

Serves 6

Broiled Tomatoes

This is one of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes. I've been making this tomato recipe for at least 20 years now and it is always a special request from my husband. The flavor of the mustard with tomato is very light, but the bread crumb topping adds a little bit of a crunch to the dish. Very simple and quick, only about 3-4 minutes in the broiler. The perfect accompaniment to any grilled beef or chicken.

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes sliced in half with stem removed

6 T Dijon style mustard

Dry oregano

Italian style bread crumbs (about 6 T.)

6 T melted butter

Parmesan cheese

Method:

Place tomatoes in over proof dish cut side up. Spread the mustard on top and then sprinkle with oregano. Top with the bread crumbs...you can y=use more that 1 T if you like...I know I do. The pour melted butter on top and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Place in broiler for about 3-4 minutes depending upon how high up the oven rack is in proximity to the broiler. Remove from broiler, top should be a little on the crunchy side and serve.

Restaraunt Review

Carmine's Family Style Italian Restaurant
200 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
(212) 221-3800

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to dine in one of New York City theatre district’s most popular restaurants Carmine's. Carmine's is an Italian family style establishment with locations also in Atlantic City and the Bahamas.

Upon entering Carmine’s you may feel as if you have been transported back to the mid twentieth century as the décor is consistent with that period. Music also compliments the feel as you hear the big band tunes playing over the sound system.  Many of the tables in the restaurant are round and able to seat up to 10, perfect for family style dining, and they were covered in traditional white linens. We had a reservation for noon but had arrived about a half hour early. This was no problem for the wait staff as we were seated when all of our party had arrived.

We decided to go with the Sunday pasta special which was a sampling of vegetarian lasagna, manicotti, bolognaise and ravioli. We had the salad which was another of the day's specials and it consisted of baby romaine lettuce and roasted vegetables, ricotta cheese and a homemade creamy Italian dressing. The salad and dressing were so good I actually would have licked the plate if I were in my own home. But what I did was dip the bread which was on the table into the leftover dressing, it really was that good. We also ordered two meat entrees, chicken Marsala and chicken Parmesan. Both chicken entrees had good flavor with the Marsala being my favorite. The meat was very tender in both dishes that you could cut it with a spoon... and we did! The pasta plate was a little overwhelming for me. I honestly only sampled the bolognaise and the ravioli. The bolognaise was excellent while the ravioli were a bit dry and lacking in flavor for my taste. It appeared that the other members of our party enjoyed the lasagna and bolognaise as well.

Service was excellent, absolutely no complaints in this department. Dishes were brought out by several servers all at the same time, water glasses were kept full and our server checked back at comfortable intervals (not absent and not too intrusive) to make sure we had everythign we needed.

As far as cost verses quality of food, well it was well reflected. Carmine’s in the theatre district of Manhattan is a great place to dine before or after a Broadway show. We were able to sit and dine for as long as we wished without being rushed and the food was very enjoyable.

Carmine's receives a solid **** out of 5 stars!!!

Goya's Classic Chick Pea Salad

Some of the best recipes come from the Goya people. This one is their Classic Chick Pea Salad. I typically eat this all summer long with a little tuna fish tossed in. Love it because it is a very light and satisfying lunch.

    Pictured here with Tuna

 Ingredients:

1 can of Goya chick peas

½ cucumber diced

½ red bell pepper diced

½ small red onion chopped

1 T oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil and balsamic vinegar (red or white)

Tuna fish (optional)

Method:

Combine all ingredients and set aside for a half hour to allow the flavors to blend. Refrigerate leftovers.

Travel - Kazakhstan

Statue of Vladimir Lenin, Semey, Kazakhstan

In 2005 my husband Chris and I received the invitation to travel to Kazakhstan in order to adopt our two children Michael and Grace. Kazakhstan is located in central Asia with the major border countries being that of Russia, China and Uzbekistan.  Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country by land mass in the world and it is the largest land locked country in the world. Since Kazakhstan is land locked its weather consists of extreme winters and summers. We flew in November so the weather in Kazakhstan had already started to take a downward plunge. We were slated to stay in the country for four full weeks. During the four weeks the first two were spent meeting our new children and bonding with them. Then we were to have a week in which we had our court date and finalize any paperwork that needed to be completed in the region where we adopted. The final week was spent in one of the country’s major cities, Almaty, to have the children’s required physicals done and again complete more paperwork at the US embassy.

The Wishing Tree, Semey, Kazakhstan

Small pieces of material are tied to the tree's branches and a wish is to be made while doing so. We did put a piece of material on the tree and made our wish!!!

During our time in Kazakhstan we had the chance to sample some of the native cuisine. Traditional Kazakh includes mostly milk products, mutton and horse meat. Yes horse meat. The early Kazakh people were nomads who relied heavily on camel and horses for transportation as well as for food. While in Kazakhstan many of the eateries were more Western in food choices, but our wonderful translator Rashaun took us to a restaurant where traditional Kazakh dishes were served. Chris was adventurous enough to try the horse meat and said that although it was a little more gamey than what he is use to, it tasted pretty good. I sadly enough wasn’t willing to try the horse meat but I did sample a number of other Kazakh dishes.

Monument built as a tribute to all those who suffered during the above ground nuclear bomb testing from the late 40's until the late 70's. The open area is in the shape of a mushroom cloud...in the center of the cloud is an atom...at the bottom of the structure is a mother and child.

One of my favorite dishes is adopted from Russian fare and it is called Piroshki. Piroshkis are similar to Eastern Europe’s Pierogies only they are filled with ground meat and onion seasoned with garlic and herbs which give it a unique flavor. I like them sautéed in butter and served with sour cream. They are, without a doubt, my daughter’s absolute favorite dish!

Statue in Victory Park right across from our hotel in Semey, Kazakhstan

If you would like more information about our time in Kazakhstan and our adoption experience, please go to www.curranco.blogspot.com.

Grace and Michael in the orphanage in Semey Kazakhstan

Grace 3 years

Michael 15 months

Easy Peasy Coffee Trifle

This trifle is so easy to make and the taste is unbelievable given the small list of ingredients needed to make it. And this can be made low calorie by using low fat pound cake, low sugar syrup and and a sugar substitute like Stevia. If you love coffee you will love this dessert and if you are not a coffee lover, you will still love this treat!

Ingredients:

1 pound cake cut into 1 - 2 inch cubes

1 cup strong coffee (I like to use a flavored coffee)

8 oz of Neufchatel cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. chocolate syrup

1/2 c. sugar

8 oz. tub of Cool Whip minus 2 T.

3 T toasted almonds

sprinkle of powdered cocoa optional

Method:

Blend the softened cream cheese with the syrup and sugar using a hand mixer. Then gently fold in the Cool Whip by hand. Remember to keep 2 full tablespoons of Cool Whip to the side to use for topping. Place half of the cake in the bottom of a trifle dish or large bowl. Drizzle 1/2 of the coffee over top of the cake. Then add half of the Cool Whip mixture and then repeat the layer one more time. Add the dollop of whipped topping to the top and sprinkle a dusting of the cocoa powder and top with the toasted almonds. Refrigerate before serving and enjoy because this is a real crowd pleaser!

 

Simply Delicious!!!

Apple, Grape and Bacon Salad with a Strawberry Vinaigrette

The fresh fruit is coming in and now is the time to take advantage of it and start whipping up some interesting new salad combos. I first had this salad when I moved to central Jersey except it had a raspberry dressing on top. I happen to only have strawberries in the house so I decided to switch it up and make a strawberry vinaigrette. The apples with the bacon and blue cheese add a little extra punch of flavor to this salad and the sweetness of the dressing adds another flavor dimension.

Ingredients:

Spring salad mix

Red grapes

Granny smith apple sliced

Bacon cooked crisp

Blue cheese crumbled

Nuts such as pecans or walnuts

Vinaigrette:

1/2 pint of strawberries sliced in half

1/4 cup olive oil

3T white balsamic vinegar

1 level T. sugar

salt and black pepper to taste

(Yields 8 servings of dressing)

Method:

Toss the salad ingredients together and set aside. In blender or food processor blend together the ingredients to make the vinaigrette. Pour over salad, toss and serve!

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.