If at first you don't succeed... order pizza.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

A disaster-free week! :)

I have been counting down the days until Sunday so I could post about all the yummy dinners we had this week! I am so excited to share the recipes so that other people can enjoy them too :)

On Monday we enjoyed a spin on the classic greek food: the gyro. Traditionally, this sandwich consists of a pita, thinly sliced seasoned lamb rotisserie, tomatoes, onions and a yogurt-based cucumber sauce called tzatziki. They are one of my favorite foods to treat myself to when I am in Rochester because there are two great restaurants that make them!

Making the actual lamb at home, however, is a little overwhelming to me. For one, I am not a fan of lamb prepared in any other way. And two, this lamb is ground, specially seasoned, put on a rotisserie and constantly shaved with a special tool as the outside cooks--making it crusty and brown on one side and nice and juicy on the other.

I saw Ina Garten make a marinated lamb kabob on Food Network and the marinade looked really yummy so I thought I would try it with chicken and make our own little chicken gyros instead. The only thing I did different from the recipe is to add a few cloves of chopped garlic.

I also couldn't find the really yummy, soft pitas so I used some Naan instead that I found at Trader Joes and it actually worked quite well. Just stick it on the grill with the kebabs for the last few minutes to toast up and warm each side!



I also made the tzatziki sauce from scratch for this meal and it was surprisingly simple! I have always wanted to try making it because I douse my gyros with it typically and it is so fresh and refreshing tasting! (I had tons leftover and I have been dipping my carrots and celery in it- fabulous!!) The base for the sauce is Greek yogurt which is basically plain yogurt that has been drained so it is really thick. You can find it at most stores but if, for some reason, you can't find it, just take plain yogurt, place it is a strainer lined with cheese cloth and let it sit in the fridge over night. All the liquid will drain out and you will be ready to go!

Tzatziki Sauce:
16 oz. Plain Greek yogurt
1/2 english cucumber, shredded with all liquid squeezed out
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 Tbl. red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic pasted (chop garlic, sprinkle with salt, use the flat part of your knife to grind the garlic against the cutting board making a paste)
1/2 tsp salt
Mix all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl (not metal) and chill for a few hours.
Serve with gyro, vegetables, warmed or toasted pita


Oh yeah, for a side we had my favorite Greek salad :)

On Tuesday, Alex came home from work early and we had a nice picnic outside! I had planned on him having practice this night, so I made my mom's chicken curry salad the day before so he could have dinner on his way to practice. Well, he ended up not having practice and I had dinner already prepared! :)

My mom has made this salad for a long time and it is always a summer staple. It is simple to prepare and so, so delicious. Filled with juicy chicken meat, sliced green grapes, raisins, celery and walnuts, this salad is dressed with a small amount of mayo, lemon juice and curry powder and eaten on yummy croissants. I also tried eating it on a wrap and it was equally delicious!


Curry Chicken Salad
4 chicken breasts cooked, chopped into small pieces
2 C green grapes, sliced
1/4 C chopped Walnuts
3 stalks celery chopped finely
3/4 C raisins
Sauce: mix together.
1/2 C mayo
2 Tb. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
dash pepper

On Wednesday, we grilled :) We had simple steaks rubbed with our favorite Weber Grind and Grill Chicago Steak seasoning, grilled and then topped with a small piece of Black Truffle Butter. This butter can be a little expensive and I just had some left over from a different recipe. It is not necessary but adds a really luxurious taste to the steak :) For sides we had simple sauteed mushrooms seasoned with a little garlic salt and onion powder, asparagus on the grill and sliced red potatoes seasoned with rosemary, wrapped in tin foil and cooked on the grill.


I really love being able to grill in the summer because you can take a bunch of simple things that are easy to prepare and put them together making a really delicious seemingly non-simple dinner :) Pay attention later on for a quick idea for using up these leftover simple sides!

If you like french bread and you would like to know how to make it, pay close attention now... I have found the best recipe. I have made homemade french bread before and used a few different recipes and I won't look for new recipes anymore. This recipe makes two french baguettes and they are soft and chewy and sweet and salty and, well, amazing.
Looks amazing, right? ;) Let me tell you, this bread makes your home smell so warm and inviting. I am going to be making it every chance I get. (And what makes it even better is it costs less than a dollar to make!) Eat it plain with butter, slice it thinly and make it into crostini for dips or bruschetta, or use it to make your favorite sub sandwiches!

I did make a few changes to the recipe because some of the steps didn't really fit. My breadmaker's dough function mixes the dough, kneads the dough and than lets the dough rise. In the recipe, there is a step that directs you to place the dough in a bowl and let it rise before punching it down and rolling it out. I just skipped this step and went straight to punching it down and rolling it out.

I also used an entire egg for the egg wash instead of just an egg yolk (as the recipe calls for) and, after I applied the egg wash, I sprinkled the tops of the loaves with some regular old table salt. I think this salt adds like three levels of deliciousness to the finished product! I am not sure why but it really reminds me of bread that you would get at a pizzeria or something. It actually reminds me of the breadsticks I used to order at Sabarro in high school :)


Ok, enough about the bread. Although I could have eaten this bread alone and been happy, we did actually eat it with a meal :) I made a creamy tomato pasta that was quick and easy and incredibly delicious.

To start, I sauteed some pancetta (italian bacon- you could sub bacon if you like) in a small amount of olive oil with a large clove of chopped garlic. After the pancetta had started to crisp I added a few chopped mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes, add your favorite jar of spaghetti sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes on low heat. Meanwhile, cook any cut of pasta (we used bow ties) until al dente.

After the sauce has simmered and the pasta has cooked, melt in half a container of marscapone cheese and stir until smooth. Mix sauce and pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.


The marscapone cheese adds a completely creamy mouth-feel to the sauce but doesn't make it taste any cheesier. It just makes the sauce feel like velvet and taste completely rich. The pancetta and mushrooms add enough meatiness that you don't miss having any ground beef or anything in the actual spaghetti sauce.

Finally! A quick recipe we had for breakfast on Saturday that used up some of our simple grilled sides from earlier in the week. Usually I try to plan enough for dinner so that Alex can take leftovers for lunch the next day. However, he decided to eat all the steak and dinnertime, leaving me with a bunch of leftover potatoes, mushrooms and asparagus.

Perfect ingredients to make a fritatta!!


A fritatta could be compared to either an omelet or a quiche. The only difference between these two things is you don't have to make several omelets and spend your whole morning flipping them at the stove and there is no crust.

To make this fritatta, I simply heated a tablespoon of butter in a medium non-stick frying pan and sauteed my leftover veggies until they were heated through. If you are starting from scratch, just saute any combination of vegetable (or even meats!) long enough to cook them. Meanwhile, beat 6 eggs with a tablespoon of cream (or milk) and a small amount of salt, pepper and hot sauce (if you like it). Once the veggies are warm, add the egg mixture.

With the pan or medium, medium-high heat, let the egg mixture cook on the bottom without stirring it. When you can see the eggs firming up on the sides, use a rubber spatula and lightly push away the eggs from the sides, letting the raw egg mixture run into the sides to cook.

Heat your broiler to low with the rack at the top of the oven. When the egg mixture looks almost completely done except for the middle, place the pan in the oven under the broiler. (I leave the oven door slightly open with the handle sticking out so that it is sure not to melt!)

Watch the fritatta closely becauce cooking times vary. When the egg mixture is firm, sprinkle the top with the cheese of your choice and return it to the oven to melt. Slice into wedges and serve :)


Wow, this was a long post... let me know if you try any of the recipes!! :)

3 comments:

  1. Tina, I just discovered your blog! I love it! You are such a creative cook and have inspired me to try some new and old recipes of my own and some of yours as well! (Although I have to be watchful of calories so even though I have the ingredients for caramel I won't be making that!)Thanks for posting it on your face book! Cyndi

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  2. I would make the caramel, eat one piece, freeze a few and give the rest away! Trust me, no one will refuse a piece of homemade caramel :)

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  3. YUM!! Now I'm hungry, thanks a lot :-)

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