Fab Foodie Mama

Last Saturday evening, Ron and I were going through the exercise we often do while deciding where to go out to dinner.  Living in such a small town, we are limited in our restaurant choices.  While we often go to Gemignani's for lunch, I don't know that I have ever had dinner there.  We arrived at about 6:00, which is earlier than normal for us.  The place was busy, there was pleasant music playing to set the ambiance:  some Sinatra, some big band, and it was loud enough to create a good mood. 2009 Mirassou Pinot Noir We sat in a booth near the window and ordered a bottle of Mirassou Pinot Noir, 2009 ($19).  We were still undecided on our meal choices so figured a Pinot Noir is light enough for a pasta dish and also works with a heavier dish.  Mirassou makes a decent wine, from central California.  It's also very reasonably priced.  Their Chardonnay is also very good. I decided on the Smoked Salmon Linguine ($15) and Ron chose the...

Will always loves and always asks for my Mom's spaghetti sauce.   He likes it even more then the Bolognese sauce I make (but today I found out only because it is so much quicker - when he is hungry, he doesn't want to wait 2 hours).  I make her version sometimes.  It is very good and super quick and easy (20 mins) where mine takes a full 2 hours.  I had misplaced the recipe for it so Will called Grandma tonight to get it. He wrote it all down and then handed me the recipe.  I said "Ok, Will why don't you make it for us tonight?" Will prepared the entire meal:  cooking the pasta sauce, including taste testing for perfect spices, the boiling of the pasta, getting the dishes ready etc  -  all  with good timing. While he was cooking he was so excited and kept saying that he was so glad he would never starve (or be stuck eating Ramen noodles and mac and cheese) now that he can make the sauce.  He also said, "This is so easy.  All...

This is the dish that the hubby requests the most, seriously, at least twice a month.  It is a spicy, healthy veggie dish that is so satisfying.  Who says real men don't eat tofu? Foodie Mama's Spicy Tofu and Veggie Lo Mein: 1 - 14 oz package Extra Firm Tofu, trained 1 - 16 oz package Lo Mein Noodles 2 T Dark Sesame Oil 4 Cloves Garlic, minced 1/4 t Salt 2 heads Baby Bok Choy, cut like celery stalks, against the grain 1 Bag Baby Spinach Leaves 1 T Sugar 3 T Sambal Oelek (chile paste) 2 T Lemon Juice 2 T Sweet Bean Sauce 2 T Soy Sauce (low sodium preferred) Wrap the tofu with paper towel and weight with a can or heavy dish to extract water, about 20 mins.  Cut tofu into the size desired.  I prefer larger pieces, 2 inces by 3/4 x 3/4 inches or so. Cook Lo Mein noodles according to instructions on package.  Drain and reserve cooking liquid. Heat sesame oil in pan over medium heat.  Add garlic to pan, cook 30 seconds. Add bok choy...

No one in my family likes mushrooms except for me, so when I make this dish it lasts me several days.  Yummy! Mushroom & Garlic Bowtie Pasta: 12 oz package Bowtie Pasta (Use whole wheat for a healthy version) 2 T Butter 8 oz (or more) Mushrooms (I used Crimini, but any will work), stemmed and sliced 4 cloves Garlic, minced 3 T Flour 2 C Milk 1 T Dijon Mustard (I used moutarde avec herbs de Provence) see figure 2 - only because I love it. 1/2 t Salt 1 - 15 oz can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed 1 C finely shredded Parmesan Cheese Black Pepper Preheat oven to 375 degrees Cook pasta according to package instructions In a large pan, melt 1 T of the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes until mushrooms begin to soften.  Add the garlic and cook another minute, stirring to combine with mushrooms.  (see figure 1) Transfer mixture to a bowl. Place the remaining 1 T of butter in the pan and melt over medium-low ...

My Grandma and Grandpa always hosted Christmas Eve Dinner at their house for as long as I can remember.  I am the oldest of 9 Grandchildren and I fondly remember every Christmas Eve spent at my Grandparents' house for a great Italian dinner with all the aunts, uncles and cousins. I know it is already February but it took me a while to get to this blog. When we moved back here in 2004, I started having the traditional Christmas Eve dinner here at our house.  My Grandma's health was not the best and it was harder for her to host the 30 plus people and do all the cooking.  I definitely had some big shoes to fill.  She was a wonderful cook.  This past Christmas was the first one without Grandma P.  She died in January of 2010.  I usually always make most of her recipes anyway, but this year I decided to make everything that was perfected by her, from the appetizers to the dessert. A lot of these recipes can be made ahead to save time in the kitchen d...

I found a recipe for cabbage rolls in an issue of Martha Stewart Living about a year ago and just loved them.  I probably have made them at least a half dozen times since and have modified the recipe to make it my own.  These are simply fantastic, one of my very favorite.  They are topped with my Marinara Sauce featured in a previous blog The link is here.--->>> Foodie Mama's Marinara Sauce. The sauce recipe can be cut in half. The majority of my recipes are very easy to prepare.  And I would not say this is difficult, just a bit time consuming.  Give yourself at least two hours to make this delicious dish.  It can be prepped the night before and baked the following day as well.  A lower fat version can be made by using all lean ground beef, skipping the ground pork. Keep it yummy, Foodie Mama Cabbage Rolls: 1 qt Marinara Sauce (see link to Foodie Mama's Marinara Sauce above) 1 Large Head Cabbage, 2 - 3 lb (I used Savoy but any wil...

Beef Stew is a favorite of my family and it is so easy and comforting on a mid-winter day.  It is so simple to make with the exception of chopping the veggies, but it is well worth it.  This is another recipe that seems to get tweaked a little every time I make it.  I used to like it with more flour, now, I prefer to make it with a more clear broth.  I often make this the night before and then put it in the slow cooker the next day (low for 1 hour and then warm all day) to further tenderize the meat. Foodie Mama's Beef Stew: 1.5 - 2 lb Stew Meat (I used pre-tenderized meat from the supermarket) 2.5 lb Potatoes, cubed  (I used red potatoes with the skin left on; any potato, peeled or unpeeled will work) 5-6 Carrots, chopped (I used a half bag of baby carrots to save the chopping!) 1 Rutabaga (about 1 lb) peeled and chopped 1 C Beef Broth 2 T Dehydrated Onion, minced 2 t Salt 2 t Pepper 1 t Garlic Powder 2 T Flour for thickening  (I used Wond...