Pesto Pasta with Mini Meatballs

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It's kind of funny...I couldn't wait to get to Italy and cook all these great dishes that I haven't been able to cook in Saudi, but I come to find that I can't get everything I want in Italy either!  I couldn't wait to eat kale...but couldn't find it anywhere, no matter how hard I searched.  Broccoli too...seems to have just disappeared from the Como area! 
And just a little note about Lake Como....I'm in love.  Just in love.  We stayed in a town called Menaggio...in my opinion, the best one on the lake...and it's just a short ferry ride to Bellagio and Varenna.  Menaggio (pronounced Men-A-jo) has a beautiful piazza and then you walk (uphill) all the way to our house.  We stayed where the old castle used to be in a 500 year old house.  It was so lovely and we made friends with the neighbors.  I was even lucky enough to be invited over for dinner!  It was great fun trying to talk Italian with them.  The food was wonderful.  (and yes, they even had the traditional Italian red and white table cloth)  :)

So, the next night I had to cook for myself and the girls.  No broccoli to be found, but at least they had cauliflower.  We'd already feasted on different tomato based sauces, so I wanted something different.  And keeping with the fact that I wanted to enjoy pork as much as possible, I figured some yummy meatballs would do the trick topped with a nice pesto sauce.  Had I been in my regular kitchen I would have made my own pesto, but with the serious lack of kitchen staples in my rented house, I went with the jarred kind.  Turned out wonderful and the girls really liked it as well.  Score one for mom!

Oma's Egg Rolls

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My mother-in-law is in town and the first thing my husband had to say was..."will you make me egg rolls??"  20 plus years ago she took an oriental cooking class and made the rolls for the family.  She received rave reviews.  Shortly after, my husband decided that he wanted those egg rolls every year on his birthday and it became a tradition.  (however, his two other brothers were never so lucky...Matt's the baby of the family) 

As I'm typing this post...the meat for the rolls is cooking in the background.  My goodness, my house smells amazing!!!  The process is a bit time consuming (chopping up all the veggies and what not), but so worth it.  Another part to note is that the meat freezes well, so you can make the amount listed and if you find you have extra meat...pop it in the freezer till next time!  :)

Monday: Staci's Orecchiette with Fresh Tomatoes and Sausage

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To indulge my inner Italian, I'm declaring this week...ITALIAN WEEK!  (it makes me excited just to type that)  I've searched for some fun new dishes and I'm cooking up one of my personal faves.  

I know that Italian food sometimes gets a bad rap because of the high carb content.  However; I've been to Italy (yes, lucky me) and let me tell you, they aren't all obese!  The reason?  They don't eat a vat of pasta for each meal.  A typical Italian dinner will include at least three courses eaten over the span of a couple of hours (or more).  You'd start with an Antipasti (appetizer), followed by il primo (first dish that is usually pasta...about one cup worth), il secondo (usually meat or fish), and a contorno (a side dish of veggies).  Also there is bread and wine of course.  And usually espresso with dessert if ordered.

Now, as much as I'd like to sit for two hours and enjoy my dinner, my kids aren't going to go for that.  So, I'm forced to just enjoy the il primo course or il secondo.  I have prepared a true Italian meal once for a family party at my home, but that was pre-kiddos.

So, keep in mind, when preparing Italian food, keep your portions smaller and you won't have to worry so much about the carb count.  And best of all, just enjoy the deliciousness that makes Italian food so damn good.

For today, I'm making my fave pasta.  It started as a recipe I found in a cookbook and then I've tweaked it from there.  I love this dish.  Mostly because of the gorgeous and sweet tasting cherry tomatoes.  I don't bother seeding or removing skins...takes too much time and actually I like both.  Cherry tomatoes can be pricey, so I don't make this often.  Orecchiette is a pasta that gets it's name comes from its shape, which reminds one of a small ear. In Italian orecchio means ear, and the suffix 'etto' means 'small'.  It's a dome shaped pasta that is starting to show up more and more in regular grocery stores.  If you can't find any, use small shells instead.  

Hope you enjoy my fave pasta dish!  Happy cooking!

Wednesday: Thin Cut Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom Sauce over Wild Rice

Pin It Now! Last week I had a recipe for Maple Glazed Pork Chops.  Went to the store and picked up the chops.  Didn't really give them a good look.  Opened up the package to get dinner started and saw that they were cut really thin...too thin for what the recipe called for.  Giving into my perfectionist self...I packed up the girls in the car and ran to the store to get some thick chops. 


Of course, that meant I had 2lbs of pork left over.  Sigh.  Started surfing to find out a good way to prepare these thin little things.  Ran into a response to a question on Chow.com and decided it sounded too good to pass up.  I even emailed the poster to get clarifications on a few things.  Looking forward to getting these out of my freezer...and lesson learned...check my chops before leaving the butcher block.

Thursday: Maple Glazed Pork Chops and Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Pin It Now! One of the grocery stores has pork chops wicked cheap this week.  Thought I'd give this recipe a try.  I think the girls will love the sweet taste of the maple glaze.  However, I have to omit the pecans because the hubby can't stand them.  (well, maybe I'll just sprinkle it on everyone's but his)  
I wanted a good side to go with this and since the hubby and I both love Brussels sprouts, I thought this would pair well.  Most people just flat out hate these little veggie gems, but I find that if you cook them the right way, the flavors are amazing.  Do my girls love these...not really, but they'll have to eat at least one.  I'll probably make sure to have an additional veggie side for them just in case.  (see, I don't cook a different meal, I just make sure they have options)

Thursday: Cantaloupe, Prosciutto and Arugula Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Pin It Now! Cantaloupe, along with all the other melons are crazy cheap right now.  Tis' the season and all that.  Well, I for one am always trying to pick out a great melon only to get it home and have it taste horrible.  Did some research and found this great video on picking out cantaloupe.  This time I'm at the store I'm going to score!


The recipe for this salad sounds lovely.  If you've never tried cantaloupe and procuitto, you're missing out.  We first had it during a trip to Italy.  I kinda balked at the melon with what looked like uncooked bacon wrapped around it...but oh my, my mouth said "More Please!!"  Great blend of salty and sweet.

I'm going to make this as a side dish to some delicious Chicken Picatta

Here's the link to that recipe:    Chicken Picatta

View the whole recipe and find a video on how to pick out the pefect cantaloupe.  Just click: Read More

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Sweet & Sour Tomato Sacue

Pin It Now! Sorry for the delay this week...long weekend, with great friends and mass amounts of food had me in a relaxed bliss.  Didn't realize until last night that I hadn't even begun to plan the menu for this week and it was a mad scramble this morning to get my ingredient list and get to the stores in the few hours the kids are in school.  Managed to get all accomplished and looking forward to a great week of recipes. 


Asked the hubby what he wanted for dinner tonight and he said, "Something with cabbage."  Oki doki...stuffed cabbage rolls it is!  My grandmother makes a killer stuffed cabbage that I'm going to have to get the recipe for...so, for now, I'll give these a whirl.  These are very simple to make, but a bit time consuming.  You could always make the sauce a day before and have it ready to go when you start the rest of the recipe.  As they say in Polish: "CIESZYĆ SIĘ!"  (enjoy!) 

  

Tuesday: Oktoberfest Stoup

Pin It Now! This just flat out sounded awesome!  I don't care if it's the end of March...I'm making this!  Our one bad meal of the week.  I'm going almost all Rachel Ray this week...(I was perusing her cookbook that I pilfered from my mom)  Hoping this tastes as good as it sounds!

Wednesday: Lemon Roast Pork Tenderloin with Warm Beets, Chicory, and Goat cheese

Pin It Now! Rachel Ray again....I LOVE beets, so I just had to give this a try.  (and pork is on sale)  Never used Chicory before (don't even know what it looks like) but Rachel says it trumps regular ol' lettuce.  We'll see.
*update:  use Endive if you can't find Chicory.

Breakfast Bliss

Pin It Now! A friend reminded me that I forgot to post this yummy recipe!  I can't take the credit...I got it from the lady working the sample counter at Trader Joe's.  No way is this a healthy breakfast, but for those days when a cup of oatmeal just won't do...whip these up.


I have no idea what to call these...so if you have a creative name, I'd love to hear it!

Menu for Feb. 28 - March 3 - Monday: Caramel Pork

Pin It Now! Short week this week since I'm not cooking Fri night.  :)  Trying some more new dishes this week and one I've made before.  My girls really enjoy soup, so I try to find fun variations for them.  I'd love to hear from you about your cooking experiences!  Happy cooking!


Monday:  this was in the new issue of Cooking Light and it sounded really good and very easy to make.  I'm making a slaw to go with it.  (see recipe below)

Thursday: Cider Roasted Pork Loin & Savory Beet Soup

Pin It Now! I love beets..so when I saw this, I just had to try it.  I know my kids will eat it just because of the color!  I'm taking another reviewers tip and I'm making the cider pork to go with the soup.  Should be a great meal!

Menu for Feb 15-18.. Tuesday: Pan-Grilled Sausages w/Sauerkraut

Pin It Now! Since most people would be out for dinner for Valentine's, I started the menu on Tuesday this week. A little more budget friendly this time around.  Kept the recipes simple as well.  Enjoy!


I had some sausage in the fridge I needed to use up...so came up with this one.  I grew up eating sauerkraut and for as long as I can remember, I've loved it.  Hoping to get my girls on the bandwagon too.  This is a very simple dish to make, easy on the wallet too.  Happy cooking!

Wednesday: Sweet Potato, Ham and Leek Soup

Pin It Now! Soups on!  Who'd have thought a soup this simple would be so yummy!  The flavors are lovely and my girls devour their bowls.  A nice side salad rounds it out.  Make sure to cook the potatoes till they are very soft, they blend better that way.

Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce

Pin It Now! Another week...another batch of fun dishes.  Had some meat in the freezer, so using up some of that.  Again, let me know if you cook any of these and how they turn out!  :)  And please, share your recipes with me!


I've made this dish before and the flavors are amazing!  And, the wasabi paste gives a great taste without the spice.  My girls really like this.  I'm going to make it with the cucumbers on the side.  (Maybe some rice for the girls)

Ahhh....soup: Pasta e Fagioli

Pin It Now! I truly think I should have been born Italian.  I love all things Italian...trying to get the hubby to move me there...girl can dream can't she?  
Anyway, here's a delicious Italian soup.  Simple, easy.  You can't go wrong here.  Throw in some crusty garlic bread and you're set. 

We had company over totaling 4 adults and 4 kids eating.  I doubled the recipe, but there were NO leftovers!  I'm going to have to triple it next time.  Best part is that it's a very inexpensive dish to make and very little prep.  I did what other reviewers recommended and created the "broth" first.  I let all the juices simmer for a couple of hours, then I added the beans for another hour, then right before eating I added the shells.  I forgot to top with the parsley but did add the parm cheese.  This will be made often!