Crazy for the Caprese!

  
For many of you, summer is almost over. Hopefully though you still have a few remnants remaining, namely, tomatoes and fresh basil. Let’s put them to good use!

To me there is no salad more refreshing than a traditional Caprese. Italians call it “Insalata Caprese”, meaning “Salad of Capri” and it’s a simple salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, seasonal tomatoes and basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil. It was made to resemble the colors of the Italian flag: red, white, and green. In Italy, it is usually served as an antipasto (starter), not a contorno (side dish) like most salads. 

You can serve it in domino layers on a platter or make a little tower like I’ve don’t in the picture. For extra flavor, I like to drizzle it with balsamic vinegar or better yet, a balsamic glaze {made from reducing the vinegar over heat until it thickens and becomes slightly sweeter}. Mangia!

One pot wonder…

I’ve been in a funk all week. My anxiety has been extremely high and I just haven’t wanted to get out of bed or see anyone. But yesterday afternoon was so gorgeous I decided to lay on the couch on our patio, get some fresh air, and read. The air was warm with a nice breeze gently blowing, birds were chirping, the Spanish moss on the neighbors huge oak tree was swaying in the wind, and the calming sounds of Brazilian singer Joao Gilberto on his guitar (great pandora station, you should give it a try you’ll feel like you’re at a cafe in Rio or on a beach in Bali) were coming from my little Bluetooth speaker. So of course I fell asleep. I woke up to the butcher, who had just gotten home from work, gently stroking my forehead (my mom used to do this as child, he knows I love it) as he lay next to me on the couch. All of the aforementioned conditions combined with a nap must have been exactly what I needed, because I was in a much better mood. After chatting a little bit about his day, he promptly fell asleep as well. But now I was awake and hungry, and I knew he would be too when he woke up. I decided to go in and make dinner. I wanted it to be quick and was in the mood for pasta. 

We very rarely eat pasta so I wasn’t sure if I even had any but I found a box of spaghetti (yes ma, white flour, so shoot me) in the back of the cupboard. I had seen on Pinterest several “one pot” recipes where you throw a bunch of ingredients in with pasta, cook it all together, and you’ve got a meal. So I decided to give it a try. I had some grape tomatoes from the farmers market that needed to be used before they went bad as well as some spicy andouille sausage. The rest is history (see recipe below) and as I came out onto the patio with two steaming bowls of deliciousness, the butcher sat up from his nap and smiled, ready to eat. 

  

Beauty & The Bitcher’s                   One Pot Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 12 ounce package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cups halved grape tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (just a really good handful, you can never have too much basil) 
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and black pepper, just a good pinch of each 
• grated Parmesan

Instructions

• In a Dutch oven on medium high heat, combine spaghetti, sausage, onion, tomatoes, basil, garlic and 4 1/2 cups water; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan.
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• This truly was a “one pot wonder”, SO easy, and really yummy to boot! Enjoy! 
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eight years ago today…

Ok well not technically today, it was actually yesterday but let’s not split hairs. I wonder where that expression came from…I bet my dad would know. Anyway, yesterday was our 8th anniversary. I really can’t believe how quickly the years have passed. We spent the day (and by “we” I mean my father, father in law, and the butcher, while I stayed inside randomly supervising, bringing them cold drinks and sandwiches…) doing yard work. So romantic. I suppose it’s a sign of old age and the joys of home ownership? Honestly, the butcher works so much and we have so much company coming these next couple of months that I’d rather get my patio finished than go to the beach for the day. (Well not rather but you know what I mean. Plus he says he has a surprise planned for me in May so I don’t mind waiting. Well I mind but I can do it!) Throughout the day I kept saying, “Honey, this time eight years ago you were putting your tux on”…or “eight years ago today we were probably cutting our cake”, etc. So I decided to do a little blog post featuring the highlights from that very special day and bring you along for the ride. 

Every bride needs a custom made t-shirt…

 

Didn’t I have the best bridesmaids? We all wore our shirts for rehearsal the night before. Boy was Jackie mad that we forgot to tell her to wear jeans! 

Rehearsal dinner was a luau at the in-laws…coconut bras were a must! 

Always been a daddy’s girl…this was an emotional walk. Also I would like to say that even though I loved our wedding I hated my hair and makeup (or lack thereof, and would change everything about the way I looked if I could, even my dress)  Eight pretty maids, all in a row… 

As Abba would say, “I doooooooo, I do, I do, I do I do…..” 

The new Mr. & Mrs!  The fam…Time for a limo ride!   

I loved my bridesmaid dresses. They were ridiculously expensive and I truly regret making them pay so much for them but I was young, dumb, and they were pretty! 

This is one of my favorite wedding photos ever.  

Jumping for joy and testing out the veil the Butcher’s grandmother made. 

We took some family photos… 

Then some group shots…. 

Then we walked through the Villages town square and got cheered on by hundreds of senior citizens! Before dinner we watched the obligatory embarrassing photo slideshow…

Then we danced… 

Played Cinderella… 

Did the chicken dance…. 

And the tarantella, a traditional Neapolitan folk dance that is mandatory at Italian weddings…  

And no reception (in my opinion) is complete without a little Frank…”start spreading the news….” 

Then we cut the cake(s) mmmmm cannoli filling… 

Took some family photos… 

Danced a little more… 

And then passed out from exhaustion! Boy am I glad I wore flats! 

If I had to do it all over again…I’d do everything different (not what you thought I was going to say huh?) I mean we didn’t even have PINTEREST then! But it was our wedding day and I loved it all the same. The one thing I wouldn’t change? The man I married. 

Crazy for Caprese

For many of us, summer is almost over. Hopefully though you still have a few remnants remaining, namely, tomatoes. To me there is no salad more refreshing than a traditional Caprese. Italians call it “Insalata Caprese”, meaning “Salad of Capri” and it’s a simple salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, seasonal tomatoes and basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil. It was made to resemble the colors of the Italian flag: red, white, and green. In Italy, it is usually served as an antipasto (starter), not a contorno (side dish) like most salads. For extra flavor, I like to add some balsamic vinegar or better yet, a balsamic glaze {made from reducing the vinegar over heat until it thickens and becomes slightly sweeter}. Mangia!

Panna Cotta…not Anaconda

My panna cotta (Italian for “cooked cream”) is an Italian pudding like dessert (and gluten free-bonus!) and pretty popular in our family, especially in the summertime. It’s a sweet, light, refreshing “pudding” best served with fresh summer berries and mint. My niece was so excited Sunday when she saw that I made it she exclaimed “ooh yum, you made anaconda!” Close enough, right? No matter what you call it, it’s delicious. And best of all? SUPER easy but yet so deceivingly fancy, everyone will be impressed when you make it. Here’s the recipe.
Ingredients

1/4 cup cold water
2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (from 2 packages)
3 cups whipping cream (I prefer mine a little lighter so I use 2 cups half and half and 1 cup milk but either way is good)
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons good vanilla
A couple baskets of assorted fresh berries (I like doing a strawberry blueberry combo myself)
1/3 cup sweet white wine (such as Moscato)

Preparation

Pour 1/4 cup cold water into small custard cup. Sprinkle gelatin over and stir a little bit. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes. Bring 1 inch of water in small pot to boil. Place cup with gelatin in water. Stir until gelatin dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine cream and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat just until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Mix in vanilla and gelatin. Divide pudding mixture among 8 wineglasses. (Or 4 depending on the size of your wine glasses…for a large group like 12 or more I usually double this recipe and if it’s 20 people in triple it.) Cover and chill until set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

In a bowl combine berries with a little sugar and a few splashes of sweet wine, like moscato. Let sit an hour or two so the juices really start to form and then spoon on top of panna cotta with a sprig of mint before serving.

yogurt and cookies…

I don’t know who comes up with these nonsensical national days but they’re silly and fun, and who doesn’t need a little bit more of that in their life?! So I’ve decided to dedicate July to some of the silly national days this month and I’ll be featuring a couple each week starting today. Obviously it’s the second and I missed yesterday so we’ll start with that first. It was….drumroll…National Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day! If you’ve never made your own ice cream, do not be scared it’s actually extremely simple and cost-effective, even the ice cream maker itself (I recommend this one) is inexpensive! One of my favorite things to make in the summertime is Greek gyros with all the fixings like roast lamb, tomatoes, homemade tzatziki, and my Greek quinoa salad (see the recipe here). And what’s a better Greek dessert than baklava?! I do make a pretty mean baklava if I do say so myself. But with all the hungry men I feed, that measly little pastry square wasn’t going to cut it. So, for a twist on the traditional pie and ice cream, I decided to make an ice cream that would go well with the baklava and came up with…Greek yogurt ice cream!

The result was a deliciously light, fresh, and delightfully tangy summertime dessert. Here’s the recipe…

BEAUTY & THE BUTCHER GREEK YOGURT ICE CREAM

INGREDIENTS
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugaR
3 egg yolks (save the whites and make meringues!)
1 cup whole-milk Greek-style yogurt
a little pinch of salt

Combine heavy whipping cream, milk, and 1/2 cup sugar in medium saucepan. Bring mixture to simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Whisk 3 large egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in large heatproof bowl until blended. Gradually add hot cream mixture to yolk mixture and whisk until blended. (make sure you do it slowly, we’re making ice cream not scrambled eggs!) Return mixture to saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens slightly and coats back of wooden spoon, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Pour custard through strainer set over medium bowl. Place bowl with custard in larger bowl filled halfway with ice and water. (it helps to have the bowl of ice already prepared) Whisk until custard is almost cool to touch, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl with custard from ice water. Whisk yogurt and pinch of salt into custard. Refrigerate custard until well chilled. Transfer custard to ice cream maker and prepare according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer ice cream to freezer container. Cover and freeze until ice cream is firm. Can be made 3 days ahead, if you think you can last that long!

Now, onto today’s post. Normally I would have just written the greek yogurt ice cream post and called it a day. But I just could not ignore what National Day July 2nd is…National Anisette Day. Anisette is an anise-flavored liqueur that is consumed in most Mediterranean countries, mainly in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, and France. But in our family, an anisette isn’t something you drink, its something you eat. Its an Italian cookie flavored with anise seed extract and its delicious. The recipe we use was my husbands great Grandma Mary’s and if I gave it to you, I’d have to kill you. But I’m sure you can find a recipe online that will be almost as good. We haven’t done it lately because of life’s many complications but in times past, we’ve had a family cookie contest. Each female representative of the different families made their version of Grandma Mary’s cookies and we presented them for a blind taste test simply marking them “A-D”. The men and children (is there a difference haha) line up, cup of milk in hand, taste each cookie, then thoughtfully place their vote. Here’s some pictures of a quite momentous year because the winner just happened to be…me!

My favorite part about the contest (other than the actual cookies which disappear almost as quickly as they are prepared and then we start haunting each other to see who has a hidden stash of them) is the way the votes turn out. Despite it being a blind taste test, each man and child unknowingly votes for his own mother/wife’s cookie. This is just so neat to me because a) I love social experiments and b) we know what we like and there’s nothing like home cooking, especially when it’s from our own home.

Steak Pizzaiola

Steak pizzaiola, or carne alla pizzaiola (roughly translated as “meat in pizza”) is a dish derived from the Neapolitan tradition that features meat (often less expensive cuts of beef) cooked with peppers, tomatoes and olive oil, long enough to tenderize the meat. I was in the mood for Italian, had a flatiron steak in the fridge, and I ALWAYS have an array of canned tomatoes on hand so I decided to throw together my own version of a “Pizzaiola”. Here’s what I used…

Ingredients
3/4 lb flat iron steak
1 can crushed tomatoes
Garlic
Oregano
Basil
1 Red bell pepper (I had a few small sweet peppers in the fridge that I used so really any red pepper will do, even if it’s roasted in a jar)
1 onion
Crushed red pepper
Salt

Heat some olive oil in a pan. Season the steak with a little salt and put into pan just enough to sear on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Add garlic, chopped onion, and diced bell pepper to pan and sauté about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt, basil, (obviously fresh herbs are always better but dried are perfectly acceptable. Forgive me for not giving measurements but you got this, just eyeball it) crushed red pepper, and about 1/2 cup water to the pan. Bring to a boil then let simmer, the sauce will begin to thicken. Cook for about 10-15 minutes (the longer the better for the flavors to really meld together but if you’re starving and can’t wait then I’d say at least 7 minutes!) Place the steak back into the pan and nestle it into the sauce. (Before doing that if you want to slice it you can, we like to keep ours whole in this house) Let the steak cook a little in the sauce and then you’re done! You can enjoy this over pasta, or by itself with a nice hunk of toasted Italian bread drizzled with olive oil (you’re totally drooling now aren’t you?) and a side salad. Mangia Mangia!

“X” is for…wait for it…(dad will be proud)…XENIAL!

Of course you know what that word means so I shouldn’t have to explain…right? Ha, it’s ok I didn’t either, but I have to say I was pretty excited that when looking for words starting with “x”, I found one that suits me pretty well.
Xenial adj. (ZEE-nee-uhl) : hospitable, especially to visitors.
There are definitely many things I wish I was more (or less) of. But I really do pride myself in being hospitable, or, xenial. So today’s example of my “xeniality” (yup that’s a word too!) is a small anniversary dinner we had for our best friends. I don’t believe that you have to wait for a “landmark” anniversary year like 10 or 15 to have a little party, any and every year that someone stays married (especially in this day and age) is something to celebrate! So our dear friends Stuart and Angela were celebrating their 12th anniversary and I decided to help them! I love a good dinner party and seriously have so much fun setting the table, decorating, making invitations, and planning the menu.
My first step was the invitations. Obviously I have an inside track to a good greeting card and invitation source (wink wink shameless plug to my etsy site www.paperlaundry.etsy.com) but I decided to mix it up and try this cool new app I got called “Makr” where you create a lovely invitation (along with coordinating place cards, menus, etc. if you’re interested) and can order a hard copy or for a super low price, buy the PDF and print it yourself. Here was my result…

Nice huh? Since yellow and grey is one of Angela’s favorite color combos I decided to make that the color scheme for the party. As far as dishes and table linens, I already had everything I needed from my growing dish collection. A few folding tables, candles, a cake from my favorite local cake lady, a delicious Italian meal (with much assistance from the butcher), and 10 of their favorite people, voila, we had a party! Check it out!

yummy caprese skewers with balsamic glaze for an appetizer

 

the curtains doubled as a backdrop for my little dessert table complete with white chocolate truffle pops, chocolate covered oreos, assorted candies in yellow and silver, lemon meringue cookies, mini panna cottas, and of course their delicious cannoli filled cake!

 

The lovely couple posing before they cut their cake.They don’t look old enough to be celebrating their 12th anniversary right?!

 

This was a little bit of last minute decorating to fill the empty table space, a cardboard letter covered in silver scrapbook paper, a small vase of fresh flowers, and a matching frame with some cute pictures of the couple all on top of a yellow chevron scrap of fabric I had that worked as a makeshift table runner.

 

I set the table with my vintage yellow tablecloth and contrasted it with a velour metallic runner from tj maxx. Little mercury glass votive holders scattered around the table added to the ambiance and each table setting had a silver charger, white plate, napkin “bow”, personalized candy favor, and a striped straw/placecard.

 

I found a cake I liked on pinterest, gave the picture to my local cake lady and she created this, so much easier than making my own, even though I could, but with everything else going on it was a big help.

 

the table!

 

Each guest received a little favor of either lemonheads or Hershey’s kisses with a little photo sticker of Stu and Ang.

Stay tuned for my next act of xeniality coming in May!

that’s a spicy meat-a-ball

So an old high school friend and reader sent me a message requesting a meatball recipe. So sweet of her to think of me! It’s been a crazy weekend so hopefully this isn’t too late for her intended meal. This is going to be a rough estimate recipe since I don’t really have a recipe, I just kind of make them. The trick to a good meatball is moisture and not over mixing! Here’s Beauty and the Butcher’s meatballs just for you Amanda!

Ingredients
olive oil
1 large onion diced
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
Pinch crushed red pepper
About 2 lbs ground beef
2 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmigiano
1/4 cup parsley (fresh herbs are ways best obviously but dried is ok too)
Large pinch of basil and oregano
1 cup breadcrumbs (I prefer Panko)
1/2 cup water
Fresh mozzarella (this is for an extra step that I only do on special occasions)

Directions
Coat a large pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be clear and smell delicious. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, herbs, and bread crumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands but not too much! Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more. Add the water and do 1 final really good squish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Shape into desired size.
(Now is the time you’d use the fresh mozzarella; after shaping each meatball, tear off a small piece of mozzarella, poke a hole into meatball with your finger, place mozzarella in the little hold and cover with meat reshaping ball if necessary. This extra step is time consuming but when you take a bite of your meatball and there’s an ooey gooey cheesy surprise inside, you’ll be glad you took the time)
Some people like ’em big some people like ’em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Coat a large pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. (If making a large batch you can skip the pan frying and go straight to the oven) Add them to your big pot of sauce and serve whenever, once they’re in the sauce they’ll only get better. If you’re lucky enough to have any left over, get some nice fresh rolls and make meatball subs!

vegetarian delight

 

looks like heaven right? it is. and SOME people think that you have to have meat to make a meal complete. (I am such a poet) and you may think that I’m one of those people seeing as how you are sitting here reading a blog called beauty and THE BUTCHER. but I don’t always have to support my husbands profession to make a delicious meal. and the lovely eggplant is one of those vegetables that just feels “meaty”. I suppose you could even make this vegan if you used vegan ricotta cheese. so I know your mouth is watering at this point so let’s get this recipe started. here’s what you’ll need…

1 eggplant (try to get one that’s roughly the same size all the way down-more like a man less like a woman!)

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs (this is a very important step and if you’ve never used panko before they are Japanese breadcrumbs that are larger crumbs and much crispier, I like this brand-they are available at most grocery stores alongside the other bread crumbs. I like to use seasoned bread crumbs because they have a nice assortment of Italian seasoning in them but if you use plain just be sure to sprinkle some parsley, oregano, and basil into the mixture.

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

olive oil

2 eggs beaten

whole milk ricotta cheese

marinara sauce

Peel eggplant and slice into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Place bread crumbs, parmesan, and a little S&P into one bowl and set aside. Next to that set the bowl of eggs and then a dry plate for your breaded eggplant. Dredge a slice at a time into the eggs letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Then with your other hand (this is CRUCIAL always keep one hand dry and egg free and once you place the eggplant into the breadcrumbs try not to touch it but rather scoop the crumbs over it until its coated and no longer wet) dip it into the breadcrumbs making sure its covered well. Transfer to empty plate and repeat until all slices are breaded. You may need more bread crumbs and eggs depending on the size of the eggplant or you may be like me and get tired of doing it halfway through so you decide you have enough and the rest of the eggplant can be used for something else! Heat olive oil in skillet on medium high heat, you’ll need a good amount to cover the pan but not enough for the eggplant to be fully submerged, you will be flipping them. To test the oil I always throw in a single breadcrumb and if it sizzles and rises to the top then you’re, as the butcher says, G2G (good to go). Fry several at a time depending on the size of the rounds but be careful no to overcrowd the pan as this will cool down the temp of the oil too much and you will get soggy eggplant! When eggplant is golden brown flip and repeat on the other side then transfer to a cooling rack over a baking sheet. This will keep the eggplant crispy and allow air to circulate all the way around. Meanwhile heat up some of your favorite marinara in a small saucepan for dipping. To assemble, place a slice of eggplant on the plate, spread a thin layer of ricotta on top, spoon some hot marinara over the cheese and top with another eggplant. The butcher likes to repeat this step several times and make a huge leaning tower of eggplant but that’s up to you, I say why NOT play with your food!