Coffee

Like many people, I'm not interested in starting my day without a piping hot delicious cup of coffee. I've been drinking coffee since I was 15 or 16 years old. Towering in at 5'2", I'm concerned that I may have had another growth spurt waiting in the wings that I ruined with my premature caffeine intake. I'd blame my parents for not keeping a better eye on me, but in their defense, I could be a real B in the mornings at that age. They probably would have given me Irish coffee to improve their quality of life had it been legal. Also as a senior, I was in my Dad's second period biology class, and I probably would have been napping by then if it weren't for the coffee.  (You're off the hook, mom and dad!)

Anyway.... my husband and I recently purchased a new coffee maker, made by Cuisinart, which has been quite lovely. My favorite part of this new coffee maker is the coffee gauge - how cool, right?

We also have a Keurig for when you only need one cup. I like the Starbucks K-Cup the best, as I found that others taste like plastic.

When it comes to kinds of coffee, I enjoy buying freshly roasted coffee in the strip district at Allegheny Coffee and Tea Exchange (formerly known as Fortunes). My current favorite is Southern Pecan, and then I sprinkle 2-3 dashes of Penzey's ground cinnamon into the coffee filter before brewing.  Cinnamon pecan coffee but not in the fake flavor kind of way. Deeeelightful.  

Trader Joe's also offers a good selection, and I also buy Starbucks or Seattle's Best (level 5 bold) when I'm in the grocery store. I think when you have really good quality coffee, you'd be foolish to ruin it with tons sugar or fake sugar or those flavored creamers that are full of chemicals. I like my coffee with just a touch of half and half.

How great is coffee, am I right?  It's presence can make or break your day in the morning,  it can warm you to the core in the bitter cold weather, and it can be the perfect companion to your after dinner sweet indulgence.  You're craving a good cup right now, aren't you?

Giovanni Rana Pasta

I was recently contacted by a representative for Giovanni Rana pastas and sauces, asking if I'd be so kind to sample their product and write about it.  Are you kidding me??? "Sign me up!" I replied.

About Giovanni Rana Pastas and Sauces

Founded in Verona, Italy in 1962 by Giovanni Rana, Giovanni Rana Pastas and Sauces is a purveyor of refrigerated filled pastas, cut pastas and sauces.  In 2012, Giovanni Rana Pastas and Sauces opened its first United States pasta-making facility in Bartlett, Illinois, expanding for the first time beyond Europe while preserving its deep commitment to the Italian culinary tradition.  Giovanni Rana also operates restaurants around the world, including Giovanni RanaPastificio & Cucina in Chelsea Market in Manhattan, New York.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the gigantic cooler that arrived via FedEx filled, and I mean filled with various pastas and sauces.  Everything was still fresh and not frozen, so given the volume of food that arrived, I had no choice but to freeze most of it.  I also figured this would be a good test for how well the product would hold up, and I am pleased to report that the pasta was just as good after it had been frozen.

So here is a breakdown of what I received:

PASTAS:

Mushroom ravioli, artichoke ravioli, spaghetti, spinach ricotta ravioli, prosciutto tortellini, cheese ravioli "forte", and other cheese raviolis, including a family size bag.

SAUCES:

Bolognese, basil pesto, marinara

For as much as I love to cook and promote the benefits of going the extra mile with your preparation and ingredients, sometimes we all have a night (or several) when the freezer food is your best friend.    It's easy, the taste is decent, and most importantly, it fills your belly.  

That said, I am pleased to report that Giovanni Rana Pasta and Sauces have raised the bar for frozen Italian cuisine.  

What impressed me the most what the quality of the actual pasta.  Even after being frozen, the thin sheets of pasta were delicate yet sturdy enough to hold their shape and filling.  The texture was better than other frozen pastas, and even better than dried pasta that you cook yourself. 

The cheese fillings were by far my favorite, with the spinach ricotta a close second.  But that is just my personal preference. The other flavors (mushroom, artichoke, prosciutto) were combined with cheese, and I liked that the main ingredient was not overpowering.

The marinara sauce really caught me off guard.  I wasn't expecting much when I first tasted it- just your average red sauce.  Much to my surprise, Giovanni Rana marinara sauce was filled with chunks of real tomatoes, and burst of fresh flavor that I didn't think was possible with mass produced sauces.  I was not as wild about the bolognese, though it was still good (I just don't love meat sauce all that much).  The basil pesto was also surprisingly fresh and full of basil.  You know how sometimes you'll buy a jar of pesto sauce and it's just green liquid?  Not the case here.  With this basil pesto, you could see and smell the basil and olive oil.

So here is the good news for you: this fifty-year-old beloved Italian-born refrigerated pasta-making company Giovanni Rana has launched in the United States, unveiling a state-of-the-art Chicago factory and a line of unique, finely crafted pastas and sauces that will be available everywhere from artisanal Italian megastore Eataly in New York City to Costco locations on the west coast and now to your local Pittsburgh Giant Eagle!

Picture taken at Water Works Giant Eagle in Fox Chapel

I invite you to visit their website for more information, www.giovanniranausa.com, and of course look for Giovanni Rana during your next Giant Eagle visit!

Help me order

Hi friends! Long time no blog. My wrist is in the mend but still kind of sucks - thank you for asking.

I have to travel to Philadelphia next week for business, and I'm looking for good restaurants recommendations. I will be staying in the city center area for your reference.

I have plans on Friday evening with my friend Katie who lives in the city. We are going to Barbuzzo which I have heard nothing but rave reviews about. Help me order, blog friends! I want to hear your recommendations from wine, to salad, to dessert, and everything in between.

http://barbuzzo.com/barbuzzo/

I promise to take pictures and tell you all the juicy details about my meal. Below, I have provided some pictures from the Barbuzzo website for you to gush over.

Cheers!

Right Handed Pepper Mill

My husband and I spent the weekend in Buffalo, NY, visiting my best friend and college roommate, Erin and her husband Brian. We had the best time filled with laughter and reminiscing. We of course stopped at Anchor Bar, which is the home of the buffalo wing, and it was deeelicious. Here is a look at our spread...



While doing some shopping on Saturday afternoon I bought the coolest pepper mill of all time. A HAND! It is a right hand which couldn't be more fitting for me these days. Look how great this is....

Speaking of hands, you may have noticed my absence from the blogosphere and kitchen recently. I had to have another operation on my right wrist and recovery has been tremendously painful, though I have been feeling much better lately. This was my 3rd surgery on my arm since the car accident I was in 9 months ago. I have to wear a cast again for 6 weeks total, and as of right now I have 3 weeks to go. Naturally, this doesn't leave me with a whole lot of options for cooking. It's been a pretty rough year as you can probably imagine but have no fear, I will return. Until then, I will be peppering everything and making obscene gestures with my new pepper mill.

New Year's Detox

Happy New Year, everyone!  Today was my first day back to work after a blissful and relaxing 11 days off.   Like many of you I’m sure, I did a lot of good eating and drinking over the holiday season.  Like, a LOT a lot.  By the time the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve, I could feel my arteries clogging and my liver freaking the F out.  So I ditched my usual pork and sauerkraut mashed potato mountain tradition on New Year’s Day (a Grampy Boswell classic) and opted for a day of detox.

I started my day with a mixed berry smoothie which was full of antioxidants.  In my food processor, I combined frozen strawberries, raspberries, carrot orange juice, and some Greek lemon yogurt. 

Next I took down all of the Christmas decoration.  Not a part of my diet, but cleansing nonetheless.  I also had some green tea with lemon.

For lunch I roasted and acorn squash and added just a small pat of butter and cinnamon for flavor at the end. 

Then I watched a movie and had a Christmas cookie.  I consider the cookie part of the Christmas décor, so it had to go. 

More green tea with lemon.

For dinner, I roasted some beets for the first time.  A simple process really – just wrap in a foil packed and place in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Let them cool peel, dice, serve.  I served the beets on a bed of mixed greens tossed with some olive oil and lemon juice, and topped with a bit of goat cheese and walnuts.

Isn’t it lovely?

Best Stuffing Ever

I've had some requests for my kick ass stuffing recipe, so here it is.

My mom Annette, and my mother in-law Nancy, both have delicious and unique stuffing recipes.   Annette’s stuffing uses cornbread rather than plain white bread, and Nancy’s stuffing has sage sausage in it.  The first Thanksgiving I spent with Ross’s family, I had some reservations about sausage in the stuffing despite the rave reviews I had heard.  The reviews proved to be true and it was awesome.

So how do I top not one, but two family favorites?  I combined them and added my own personal touch as well.  

*These measurements are guesses.  Sorry.

• 3 cups cornbread croutons
• 1-2 cups white or wheat bread coupons
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cans vegetables stock – it taste better than chicken or turkey stock!
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tube sage sausage (also known as breakfast sausage)
• ½ cup dried cranberries (Molly added value)
• 1/3  cup of bourbon (Molly added value)
• ½ cup chopped and toasted pecans
• parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
• salt and pepper

So for the regular croutons, you can just buy them.  For the cornbread croutons, I recommend making your own.  I used a box of Jiffy, but spread the batter on a cookie sheet so that it would be thin.  The batter will not spread out to fill the entire baking sheet, so just make a blob in the middle.  When the bread is golden brown, remove from the oven, and cut into cubes.  Toss the cubes around the baking sheet and bake again so that they harden.  Then, let the croutons sit out overnight so that they become stale.  We don’t want any moisture in the bread; otherwise your stuffing will be too mushy. 

Brown the sausage and remove and excess fat and set aside.  Sauté the onion and celery until translucent, but not mushy.  Season with herbs and salt and pepper.   Soak the cranberries in some bourbon for 15 minutes or so, and then add to the skillet and cook out the alcohol.  Toss the sausage, vegetables, and cranberries, pecans and bread together in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine eggs and vegetable stock together before adding to the stuffing.  Finally, bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes covered.  You may remove the cover for the last 10 minutes so that you get a nice golden brown crust on top.  

My apologies for no pictures.  It was so good that everyone inhaled it at Thanksgiving before I could take a picture.  (I'm lying... I just forgot).

Happy Holidays food lovers!!!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

My first experience with Mexican hot chocolate was when I was spending a summer living in San Diego while in college. I was being a ballerina and living on the beach - life was good. One morning I was enjoying a short stack of strawberry banana pancakes from my favorite spot called Mission, appropriately located on Mission Beach. Long story short, I ordered the Mexican hot chocolate and fell in love.

You will need milk, 2 tablespoons hot chocolate mix, a generous pinch of cinnamon, and a teensy pinch of cayenne pepper. Yes, cayenne pepper. It will blow your mind.

In a sauce pan, heat the milk, and whisk in the other ingredients until simmering. If it is too hot to sip at first, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to cool it. Why the hell not.