"Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Melts

A hot Monday today but still not humid enough to keep me out of the kitchen. Now, you may already know how much I dislike waste when it comes to food or that I like to get the most out of the fresh foods that I prepare. Maybe you remember my post about three different meals that I made with my roaster chicken? Or the one about leftovers? Well, tonight's dinner was derived from the veggies I had left from last night's creations. My newest test kitchen creation is called "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Melts.

The idea behind these is that I used what I had, plus some other things in my fridge and freezer, basically pulling together a taste that was unlike any recipe I had ever made before, and completely unexpected. The items I had left were Baby Bella mushroom slices, cherry tomatoes and fried zucchini sticks. I found over a pound of ground turkey in the freezer among other items in the refrigerator. Here they are:

• Approx. 1 lb. of ground turkey
• Half container of sliced mushrooms- Baby Bella; chopped
• Quarter container of cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup of shredded mild cheddar
• 6 zucchini sticks (bread crumbs and all); chopped
• 3 pats of butter
• 4 slices of American cheese
• Sourdough bread; 8 slices
• Zesty lemon flavored hummus
• Salt
• Fresh ground pepper

First, I sauteed the chopped mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini sticks in a pan with butter. When softened, I prepared the ground turkey in a large bowl and combined the sautee, folding in. I then added the shredded cheddar, salt and pepper and formed into 4 flat/square patties (in the shape of the bread slices). I lightly toasted the bread while I heated a skillet for the patties, then grilling them. I placed the cheese slices on top to melt when the turkey was browned on the outside and cooked through. Before placing patties on the toast, I lightly spreaded zesty lemon hummus on the top slice. Finally, I built my melty sandwich and served with kettle cooked potato chips.

Tonight's dinner was absolutely mouth-watering and as I said before- unexpected. I enjoy coming up with ways to utilize all of my food in the fridge for a meal. Everything but the kitchen sink!

Our Garden to Table Meal

Cook it and blog about it. That's the best way to tell you about my creations. I just finished cleaning up after a delicious and very special meal - our Garden to Table dinner.

It was nice to get back to cooking today. The heat wave had broken and it was a gorgeous warm but less humid day in North Fork, New York. Plus, there was nothing to cook or bake for...just my test kitchen, which I love on days like these.

Finally, I was able to fry up some of our very own zucchini in sticks just as my grandfather always did. Wow did they bring back memories when I tasted them! I put together our meal - from starters to main course- using as many of our garden's bounty as possible. Actually, the "Martin Farm" veggies were the inspiration for the recipe.

As our appetizer, the zucchini sticks came first. Those I battered in egg wash, flour and Italian bread crumbs. Using vegetable oil, I fried each one. The key to these are cutting the sticks very thin so they lose their toughness. It was a walk down memory lane with each bite. The other starters included zucchini/squash flowers and thinly sliced yellow squash rounds, dipped in a special batter and fried. The batter consisted of: 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsps. baking powder, 1 tsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 eggs and milk. Blend these together so it is a liquid consistency (able to drip) and dip the flowers (or other veggies) then place in pan. Add salt to taste. The flowers are incredibly rich and mild in flavor. It is a garden experience not to be missed. It's the consistency that's so intriguing.

I sipped on the 2009 First Label Sauvignon Blanc from Raphael, while I cooked and while I ate. It was a perfect complement to the summer fare.

For our main course, I combined some interesting ingredients to create an orzo al fresca with lots of color and flavorful elements.

• First, boil the orzo pasta as directed. In the meantime, start with a large, deep skillet and extra virgin garlic and herb infused olive oil in the bottom. When hot, put in thinly sliced yellow squash and sliced Baby Bella mushrooms. These ingredients need to soften and soak up the flavors.
• Then add onion powder, red pepper flakes sald and pepper to taste (be careful not to add too much as the oil has seasonings already). Cover while these are heating. Then add sundried tomato flavored chicken sausage (sliced) into the skillet. Heat well.
• In the last 4 minutes of the orzo's cooktime, add to your skillet the following: cherry tomatoes cut in half, sliced black olives and fresh basil leaves. Stir in and cover, turning the heat to low.
• When pasta is ready, blend with all ingredients in the skillet into a large pasta bowl and serve hot with grated parmesean cheese on top.

This recipe, like those I've stumbled upon in my test kitchen, packs alot of flavor with its Italian flair but is a great summer dish for its olive oil sauce with super fresca ingredients from our own yard such as the zucchini, squash and basil. I recommend you try it. These items can be purchased from your local farm stand or grocery - and even there you can find the freshest of herbs and vegetables. Just be selective...and creative!

Princess Party Cakes

My adorable niece, Makayla, just turned one on Wednesday. Today is her princess birthday party fully equipped with a tent, rented tables and chairs and sternos of delicious foods. My sister went all out. As the aunt, my job was to (of course) bring the wine and even more importantly, make the cake...or should I say cakes. I found an idea with a mold that I wanted to try so my sister assigned me the baking of three jumbo cupcakes and four dozen regular-sized cupcakes.

I don't consider myself a baker at all. I think it's because I can't conform to the necessary amounts in the recipes. That's the part I have fun with when cooking - altering the recipes! You just can't do that when you bake. Therefore, baking has always been strained for me. The decorating, I like. So, this particular job was fun.

The Princess Party Cakes consisted of yellow cake with sprinkles in the batter, French Vanilla pudding as filling and vanilla icing with food coloring to make some beautiful princess pastels. The cakes were decorated to fit the theme on Makayla's invitation and some of her other decor that would fill the tent. Makayla is definitely a girly-girl and absolutely loves colors, jewels and fancy things. A true princess to me!

After approximately four hours, my end result of the cakes is in the above photo. I was more than pleased with them. The molds worked out well but with each cake, I became a bit more comfortable. You can find the mold at stores like Stop & Shop and Bed, Bath & Beyond. It's called Big Top Cupcake and is a no-brainer. I also owe my success to my Kitchen Aid mixer (Thanks, Mom Martin). Without the ease of that, this project would've taken me about six hours, I think.

Happy Birthday, Makayla!

What's for breakfast?

There is absolutely nothing like the aroma of bacon in the morning as you sleepily stumble down the stairs. What is even better than the smell and the crackle coming from the griddle, is the feeling you get when you realize your husband is whipping up a surprise breakfast!

This morning Roger anxiously wanted to try our freshly harvested zucchini. He couldn't wait for me to cook it tomorrow so he created the most delicious breakfast frittata. The frittata featured crispy bacon, sliced zucchini, 5 scrambled eggs and some fresh seasonings. It was golden on top and the flavor coming from those fresh green veggies was amazing. We had marble rye toast on the side and some Caribou Coffee. What a truly inspiring way to start the day!

I must tell you about our dinner last night as well. It was easy to prepare in about 45 minutes and a great summer dish...even though it did not involve our barbecue. I realized this week that I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer and wanted to do something with it. I like to change-up our menus often so we don't get bored. I figured this was a good chance to do just that.

Pouring some chicken broth into the bottom of a long glass baking dish, I started to prep the pork. I also added cut chunks of onion and placed them in the broth at the bottom of the dish. I then put in my long strip of tenderloin (fat side up) and cut cross-marks in the top of the entire length of the meat. Then it was time to whip up a sauce that will bake into the top. I mixed up about a 1/4 cup of spicy brown mustard with a 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce. Then I poured whole peppercorns in and stirred together well. I brushed the mix on top of the pork and baked in the oven for approximately 40 minutes on 375 degrees. While that was cooking in the last 10 minutes, I roasted asparagus with olive oil and balsamic brushed on top and boiled some quick-cook couscous with parmesean seasoning. The result was tender, juicy pork with a kick to it. It was a great summer fix when you have a million things to do. Very little prep comes in handy sometimes.

Today will be a great food day. I'm attending a birthday bash and assisting the hostess with the menu. I'll be making my spicy turkey sliders, bleu cheese beef sliders and smoked salmon stuffed cucumbers (all previously posted recipes). Time to finish prepping now.

Happy July 4th to my readers. I hope your creativity will strike over a hot grill this weekend!

Weekend Test Kitchen: Spicy Sausage & Cappanelle

Breakaway from the ordinary. That is my goal. Especially on a relaxing Sunday when I can be creative. Yesterday was perfect for catching up on the necessary R&R. When it came to dinner, the heat and humidity prevented any truly exotic cooking. The grill is always good for that but we had a craving for pasta. The heat was my inspiration for this one.

I created a pasta dish with Cappannelle pasta (small cone shapes) that was anything but the usual Italian. I think it bordered on South American with the underlying heat that crept up and got you after you swallowed a huge forkful.

Spicy Sausage & Cappanelle

• Package of 8 Italian sausages-sweet; each link cut into 1/4 chunks
• 1 pound Cappanelle rolled pasta
• 1 tomato-diced
• 1 Jalepeno pepper-diced
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup shredded mild cheddar
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheddar
• Pinch crushed red pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper powder
• Pinch garlic salt
• Sea salt to taste
• Swiss chard- enough for color and flavoring after reducing
• Olive oil for pan

Boil the pasta as usual. In the meantime, start saute in large, deep pan by starting olive oil, crushed red pepper, tomato, Jalepeno pepper. When hot enough for meat, put in sausage chunks and rest of all seasonings. Saute until the sausages are cooked through. Add swiss chard until reduced to a moist green leaf. When pasta is ready and drained, mix in a large pasta bowl with all contents in pan. Then begin blending in cheese a little at a time. Reserve a bit of cheese to sprinkle on top. Serve and be ready for an incredibly spicy pasta!

My wine pairing recommendation is a Cabernet Franc to complement the spice.

Left over test: This dish is great cold the next day for lunch too. The flavor of the sausage really came through and it still tasted hot when it was chilled.

Defining Delicious

This morning, as I sort through and rinse my freshly cut spinach and swiss chard from our garden, my mind wanders off first to the question of: "What can I make with this and some of the other veggies that I have sitting on my window sill?" Our lettuce greens have grown beautifully and we have more than we can eat daily. I love it! Our other vegetables are coming around but a bit late due to the shade and growing conditions in our planted lot. I look forward to the zucchini, which will be ready in a day or two. I plan on making it the exact same way my grandfather did in his garden years ago. (More to come on that subject.)

The second topic I think of is how absolutely delicious my meal was at Emilio's in Greenport. Yesterday was my cousin Sarah's graduation celebration, hosted at Emilio's Restaurant. We gathered in their dining room, which was set up beautifully for the party. Dining with Emilio and his family at the helm, you always feel like you are visiting a good friend's home. We sat at an "L" shaped table with a wine/beer bar and buffet table across from us. We had the whole room to ourselves. My family has been long-time fans and followers of Emilio Trotta - from St. James to Wading River and now to Greenport. So, of course I absolutely knew we would enjoy our meal. However, I don't think I ever expected our graduation buffet to completely leave me on a Foodie's Cloud 9, speechless with how delicious each dish tasted.

We started with a fresh, crisp salad and then moved on to the choices of a buttery fettuccini, baked stuffed shells and ravioli, chicken francais and veal parmesan. These classic Italian courses are always a favorite of mine. I can state confidently today that these, in particular, were more tender, flavorful and mouth-watering than any other that I have had before. The fettuccini was not too oily and had just the right amount of seasoning and flavor with an al dente style. The chicken was tender and not overloaded with its francais namesake. The tomato sauce on the baked, cheesy dishes possessed the exact nuances of goodness that make us think of a traditional Italian kitchen, where the sauce simmers all day and the aromas fill the house, making sure that everyone is taunted by it. My favorite (hands down) was the melt-in-your-mouth, veal parmesean. I'm stumped on how to describe the combination of the layers of the best veal, cooked to perfection and topped with just the appropriate amount of sauce and cheese.

The best meals, sometimes, are the unexpected. The Modugno and Appio families have come to know that we can always find the best pizza at Emilio's places. Now, we are sure that we can find the perfect Italian cuisine from his kitchen as well. Thank you, Emil for defining delicious at your hidden treasure in Greenport.

To my local followers, you can find Emilio's Pizza, Cafe and Italian Restaurant at 400 Main Street, Greenport; (631) 477-2828. I promise you one of the best experiences from a world-class Italian kitchen.

Favorite Things of Father's Day

My favorite things...

It all began with a slow Sunday morning on our front porch. I read the latest issue of Edible East End while enjoying not one, not two, but three cups of Newman's Organics, extra bold coffee. Roger sat next to me and researched our vacation plans for Mt. Desert Island, Maine in October. We relaxed and enjoyed each other's company and then did some chores around the house (including gathering vegetables for a fresh salsa).

Later we joined my parents, sister and her family for a Father's Day celebration in Greenport. We dined at Claudio's Restaurant, which was perfect for its classy yet comfortable atmosphere, fabulous food and excellent service.

There were seven of us with my 11-month-old niece and our server made us all feel like we were right at home. The beautifully decorated, nautical-styled dining area of the restaurant was adorned with stained glass, paintings of ships and comfortable cushions on captain's chairs and in the booths. We were so impressed with everything we ordered.

My choices began with a glass of Raphael's 2008 Rose of Merlot and a starter of Country Salad. On this bed of arugula and other mixed greens, was crumbled goat cheese, fresh figs, yellow tomatoes and a dressing of truffle oil vinaigrette. It was absolutely amazing! We also enjoyed the special touch of the seasoned olive oil for dipping with the warm bread varieties in baskets on the table.

For the main course, we ordered a bottle of Jamesport Vineyard's 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve as it paired well with all of our seafood dishes. My selection was Claudio's Seafood Tureen, which consisted of lobster meat, scallops, jumbo shrimp and Chesapeake Blue Claw lump crab meat with a Beurre Blanc sauce over tricolor fettucini.

Claudio's Restaurant was the best choice for our Father's Day and we were all very pleased. I would recommend Claudio's to anyone and everyone!

To conclude my wonderful day, after dinner, we took my niece for her very first carousel ride on the Greenport Village Carousel. We were all smiles and laughs. It was perfect.

...and these are a few of my favorite things.