Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion Dip with Home Cook’s Pantry Za’atar

December 20, 2016 by Mary 7 Comments

Open this little packet of Home Cook’s Pantry Za’atar and get ready for a huge fragrant explosion of deliciousness! Sumac, sesame seeds and other herbs make this a terrific combination to use on ANYTHING.

Really.

Combine it with some olive oil and dip a piece of good bread into it and I guarantee, you’ll be hooked.

For the most part, I like to use fresh herbs in my cooking. But some flavors you just can’t get fresh, like sumac. And when you can get a dried spice mix that’s carefully blended and super fresh, well, let me tell you, it’s nothing like the McCormick supermarket dried spices.

Use this za’atar on vegetables, meats, chicken or fish. I particularly loved it in this warm butternut squash dip – both in the dip and sprinkled on top to finish it. This is a great dip to serve for holiday entertaining. It’s different, totally delicious and even healthy!

There are different spice blends that fall under the name za’atar, a typical Middle Eastern staple in cooking. They can be predominantly green or red in color. Recipes for such spice mixtures were often kept secret, and not even shared with daughters and other relatives. Can you imagine? This za’atar contains pepper, cumin, oregano, salt, sesame seeds, ground sumac and thyme.

Home Cook’s Pantry buys fresh whole spices and grinds them when you order. They stock over 90 unique spices to make their blends. Each mix has a shelf life of one year and they never use MSG, artificial coloring, or anti-caking agents in any of their seasoning blends.

They can also customize your blend – more heat, less sweet, omit for allergens – whatever your needs, they can accommodate. They are really special!

On to the recipe:
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND RED ONION DIP WITH HOME COOK’S PANTRY ZA’ATAR – serves 8 – 10

1 large butternut squash (2 1/4 lb. in total), cut in half lengthwise with seeds scraped out
2 medium red onions, cut into 1 1/4-inch wedges
4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
3 1/2 Tbs. light tahini paste
1 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. water
1 small clove garlic, crushed
Maldon sea salt or Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbs. Home Cook’s Pantry za’atar, plus more to sprinkle on top
3 1/2 Tbs. walnuts
1 Tbs. coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rub the cut sides of the squash with ½ Tbs. of olive oil and fill a baking dish with ¼” of water. Place squash cut side down in the water. Meanwhile in another baking dish, toss the red onion with 2 Tbs. of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place both pans in the oven and roast for 25 – 30 minutes, until the onions have taken on some color and are tender. Remove the onions and leave to cool. Turn the squash right side up and roast for 10 – 15 more minutes until it is very tender when pierced with a fork.
When squash is done, remove from the oven to cool. When squash is cool enough to handle, scrap the squash from the skin and place in a food processor along with the onions and all of the juices from the onion pan. Add 1 Tbs. of olive oil and the other ingredients, except for the walnuts and parsley.

Process this mixture into a smooth puree.

Pour the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil into a small frying pan and place over medium-low heat. Add the walnuts along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the nuts are golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer the nuts and oil to a small bowl to stop the cooking.

To serve, spread the warm dip out in a low shallow bowl. Sprinkle the walnuts and their oil on top, followed by more za’atar and parsley.

Serve with baked pita chips and a variety of dipping vegetables – celery, carrot and fennel strips are nice along with breakfast radishes.

This is a super healthy appetizer recipe to have on hand in the midst of all of the rich food of the season. Make and serve with LOVE!

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Eggplant, Fresh Zucchini, Capers & Italian Tuna

October 24, 2016 by Mary 24 Comments

With an over abundance of vegetables in my fridge, and being banned from using acids, peppers and garlic, due to my husband having a bout with acid reflux again, take a look at this Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Eggplant, Fresh Zucchini, Capers & Italian Tuna dish that I created. My husband was smirking while I was making it. “Whaaat are you doing?” he asked.

No matter – I pressed on with my roasting, chopping and draining.

Well he had seconds, the last little bit for lunch the next day and woke up the next morning saying how good it was.

So there!

It is always so satisfying if they’re still talking about your dinner from the night before as the first words out of their mouth in the morning. My good friend Linda agrees. She is a self-proclaimed “ok cook”. Then she made a coconut shrimp dish with Blue Apron and experienced that type of compliment. She loved it!

It gives me such pleasure to make people happy. To know that know that my guests really enjoy my cooking – that is what I aim for and it is so appreciated when they tell me.

I’ll admit I often do something that drives my boys nuts and that is, after everyone is sitting down, has their plates full and has taken a few bites, I say, “Ok, are we happy?”

I recognize now that they hate it, so I have refrained, but I really just want to know if they’re happy and like the food!

For instance, a few weeks ago, I made a huge dish of paella – for the first time, and I did not do a good job of getting the rice crispy. And then I noticed that our new daughter-in-law, was not digging in with her usual gusto, so I asked what was wrong and she said she really didn’t like paella. Ahhh!

Had I known, I never would have made it, because my husband is not a fan either!

So there you go – I did a lot of work to create a mediocre dish that didn’t make people happy…

However, if you make this dish, you will make people happy!

Cook with love and enjoy!!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT, FRESH ZUCCHINI, CAPERS & ITALIAN TUNA – serves 2 – 3

3 Tbs. olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 smallish spaghetti squash
1 smallish eggplant
2 heaping Tbs. of drained capers, chopped
½ of a zucchini, julienned
1 jar of Italian tuna, drained of olive oil
2 cups of mixed greens – baby kale, arugula and radicchio, washed, air dried and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut eggplant into good-sized chunks and toss with 2 Tbs. olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Roast for about 30 – 40 minutes until lightly browned and fork tender.

At the same time, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scrap out seeds and pulp and discard. Take 1 Tbs. of olive oil and coat the edges and inside of each squash half, spreading it around with your fingers. Put 1/4” of water in a baking pan and place squash cut side down in the pan of water. Roast for 40 minutes in this position, then turn the squash over and roast for 10 – 15 minutes more, until squash is very tender, testing with a fork.

While eggplant and squash are roasting, drain and chop the capers. Drain the tuna and flake. Wash, air dry and coarsely chop the greens.

When squash is done, remove from the shell, using a fork to create the “spaghetti” and toss with the eggplant, the zucchini, capers, tuna and greens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle on some drops of sherry vinegar.

Serve with LOVE and enjoy!!

I liked the contrast of the crunch of the raw zucchini and raw sturdy greens with the warm squash and eggplant. This is a very nice combination and the sherry vinegar drops at the end add the necessary acid to make it all “work” so nicely. I thought it might need a grating of Parmigiano cheese, which is why you see it in the photos, but no, it did not need it.

Asparagus with Maple Sugar & Sea Salt SUPERSEEDZ & Fresh Basil

October 13, 2016 by Mary 7 Comments

Let it be known, if you don’t already know, I ADORE pumpkin seeds. First of all, pumpkins mean a lot to me, to us. My husband and I were married on Halloween!! It’s engraved in our wedding rings. And just to note, Tiffany’s spelled it wrong the first time. Holloween. Can you believe it?

But I digress. Truly I love pumpkin seeds. I always use fresh pumpkin for my pies for Thanksgiving and then I roast the seeds. However, they always have a little bit of stringy stuff on them – annoying. So these seeds from Superseedz are amazing! Perfectly toasted, no strings of course, and this new flavor of maple sugar and sea salt is oh so sweet and oh so savory, all at the same time!! They’re super crunchy and DELICIOUS!!!

You can use these Superseedz Maple Sugar and Sea Salt flavor on really ANYTHING!! I love them by the handful, on salads, in soup, on yogurt, you name it. But as an asparagus or fish topping – it’s a super simple way to take your dish up a notch!!
ASPARAGUS WITH MAPLE SUGAR & SEA SALT SUPERSEEDZ & FRESH BASIL – serves 3 – 4

1 bunch of asparagus
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. chopped Maple Sugar & Sea Salt Superseedz Pumpkin Seeds
1 Tbs chopped basil

Melt the butter and set aside. Chop the seeds and basil and set aside

Wash asparagus. Holding both ends, bend and break the asparagus stalk at the tender point and discard the end. Spread out stalks in a large skillet and fill skillet with ¼ inch of water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 4 – 5 minutes until crisp tender. Remove asparagus and dry with a clean linen or cotton towel.

Lay asparagus out on a platter. Drizzle butter evenly on top. Distribute the chopped Maple Sugar & Sea Salt Superseedz Pumpkin Seeds in a line in the center of the asparagus. Garnish with the chopped basil on top of the seeds. Serve with LOVE and enjoy!!

Take a look at my oven roasted tilapia last night, topped with Maple Sugar & Sea Salt Superseedz Pumpkin Seeds on a bed of sautéed broccoli rabe. Delish!

There are a few fall boxes left where you can
get your own bag of Maple Sugar & Sea Salt Superseedz.

And your purchase helps us support Feed The Children.

Halloumi with Griddled Vegetables

September 27, 2016 by Mary 8 Comments

Today we’re spreading the LOVE with a guest post from Rachel Stinson. She reached out to me with a post about halloumi, a cheese with which I was unfamiliar with and excited to learn about. Halloumi /həˈluːmi/ or hellim is a Cypriot semi-hard, unripened brined cheese made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk, and sometimes also cow’s milk. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled. (Wikipedia)

Rachel Stinson has always had a knack for writing, food, fashion, and places. Blogging has combined all four for her with an added bonus of enthusiastic audiences. She expertly analyzes real estates and restaurants with respect to pricing and people involved and can express her opinions in an unhesitant, engaging manner.

Without further ado, here is her recipe!

I’m going to start with a rant, a cheese-o-phile’s rant. It resulted from my last trip to the supermarket. I strolled my way through lofty racks stacked up to the brim with tempting confectioneries and gloriously tinned food. As I approached the cheese section, my heart skipped a beat. I was almost tempted to grab four to five of those yellow cheese blocks wrapped in flashy packaging and toss them in my cart.

But, I didn’t. I felt a sadness descend me as I realized the disturbing monotony wrapped in the name of ‘cheese’. I had tasted all of these brands and they all tasted the same to me. I needed something purer, cruder, and closer to unique hand-crafted cheese. I needed something like the splendid cheese I had once tasted at Operation Falafel, Dubai. That’s when I found Halloumi.

It was love at first bite and now I am addicted to this Cypriot cheese for life. It’s still largely saved from adulteration and carries the true taste and essence of the ‘cooked curd’ cheese category. For this very reason, I use Halloumi in lots of my cheese recipes. My favorite one I’ll share with you:

HALLOUMI WITH GRIDDLED VEGETABLES

225 g Halloumi cheese
2 shallots
100 g frozen broad beans
2 courgettes (zucchini)
1 small bunch of asparagus
1 Tbs. capers
½ bunch of flat leaf parsley
200 g ripe cherry tomatoes
½ bunch of sweet marjoram or oregano
2 Tbs. olive oiL

Shake together all the dressing ingredients in a clean, dry jar. Once thoroughly mixed, put the jar aside.

Boil the broad beans for 5 minutes or until soft. Drain out the boiled water and pass beans under cold water to cool them off. Once you can comfortably touch then, peel off the beans’ white outer skin.

Cut the Halloumi into slices a width and shape of your choice. Trim off unnecessary asparagus leaves. Slice together asparagus and the courgettes longitudinally. And let loose some olive oil over the three.

Get your griddle pan warmed up over high heat. Toss in the Halloumi, asparagus, and courgettes drenched in olive oil. Cook until they are nicely charred and emanating a tantalizing aroma. Then, set them aside in the same pan.

It’s time to cut the shallots into rings and halve the tomatoes. Then pick a flat platter and layer by layer add the shallots, the tomatoes, and the griddled mixture of Halloumi, asparagus, and courgettes.

Fine chop the fresh herbs to sprinkle with the luscious dressing.

Halloumi with Griddled Vegetables tastes even better with friends. So, as much as you want to savor the entire platter all by yourself, call over some cheese lovers and have a grand Halloumi party. Thank me later.

(Photo credits: Shutterstock)

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce and My Italian Dinner

September 3, 2016 by Mary 17 Comments

We are still basking in the memories of our European trip and this post is about the Italian part. Our friends in Italy are so generous. They are generous with their time, their attention and their gifts. Tiziana so graciously took me to buy the best cheeses in all of Italy – award-winning Pecorino’s in many different “flavors.” I bought two different kinds (now I wish I would have bought more…) plus some Parmigiano. I bought 3 large wedges but ended up giving two away to each of my kids. Why was I feeling so generous at that moment???

Tiziana was so gracious in equipping me with an insulated bag with a cold pack plus another suitcase that I could put all the cheeses in and check the bag for flying. And did I tell you about the olive oil? Every guest at the wedding got this can of olive oil pressed from olives from the olive trees in their yard!

This is THE BEST olive oil – so fruity, so pure, so DELICIOUS!! I wish to never run out of this but that is really wishful thinking since I only have two cans.

On Sunday night of that amazing weekend in Italy, if you can imagine, Andrea and Tiziana had yet another dinner party. These are the parents of the bride who held a party in their home for 50 people on Friday night, hosted the wedding on Saturday, which started at 5 pm and ended at 5:30 am and then had about 20 people for dinner on Sunday night, with Tiziana making yet another pasta dish – pici with her mother’s pomarola sauce – so delicious!! Not yet knowing how to make that, I came home and immediately made this pasta with fresh tomato sauce – twice already!

Super quick and easy Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce.

My Italian Dinner - bowl of fresh sunny gold pasta sauce

You can also use sunny gold tomatoes – super sweet and delicious.

The tomatoes are so abundant, fresh and flavorful this time of year, perfect to make this dish. It’s so darn easy and quick too. I didn’t have any basil in the city so I substituted sorrel in the first picture.

Parsley would have worked too – the little bit of green is nice.

Here is this very simple recipe to make a perfect and satisfying meatless meal:

PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE – serves 6 as a main course

1 lb. dried pasta – I used spaghetti
Coarse sea salt or Kosher salt to salt the pasta water

SAUCE:
2 lbs. fresh tomatoes – preferably heirloom or sunny gold, washed, dried, cored and chopped
¼ cup of olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, grated
Salt to taste – preferably French Grey
Black pepper – fresh ground to taste
Pinch of red chili flakes

Torn basil leaves or sorrel or flat leaf parsley for garnish

Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a large shallow bowl.

Cook the pasta in ample boiling water, salted to taste like the ocean. Start testing the pasta 2 minutes before the lesser time on the instructions. You must have the pasta al dente. No one likes overcooked pasta. Before draining, save some pasta water.

Immediately place drained pasta in the bowl with the sauce ingredients, adding 1 – 2 Tbs. of pasta water, to make the sauce adhere to the pasta better and toss all to combine. Garnish with torn basil leaves or sorrel or parsley. Serve immediately.

That same Sunday night in Italy, Cristina, Tiziana’s best friend and my sweet Prada buddy (she took me to the Prada store) came to dinner with a jar of her favorite Tuscan meat sauce – she said Tiziana knows cheese but she knows meat!! She brought the best bresaola I have ever tasted. And she brought her favorite Tuscan cookbook for me that is thankfully in English and Italian! I don’t know how she even found the time to go get these gifts in between the Prada trip and dinner that night. Everybody was so SWEET!! Cristina asked if I had room in my suitcase. Heck I’d find room come hell or highwater.

Just take a look at this book – beautiful and I want to make about 99.9% of the recipes…

Tuscan cookbook open to bean soup recipe.

I cannot wait for the weather to get a little cooler to make this soup!

Tuscan cookbook open to Pici pasta recipe.

This pasta dish sounds amazing too!!! Don’t worry, I will share!

And how sweet this is because every time I see the book, read or use a recipe, I think of Cristina and Tiziana and our amazing time in Italy. All the wonderful memories come flooding back – the scenes, the conversations, the sunsets, the lavender, the cypress trees, the food, the wine, our four kids all dressed up and bouncing around in an open jeep, hair flying, not caring, and the most beautiful wedding.

We all have been continuing the conversation via email, discussing our kids and recipes. Soon I’ll share with you Tiziana’s mother’s recipe for the Pomarola Sauce. I made it once already last weekend, but not the way Nonna makes hers so I want to make her recipe exactly and share that with you.

But for now, let me share with you a little dinner party we hosted for our good friends, Margaret and Wayne, the first Saturday we were back. My appetizers were the two different kinds of Pecorino along with some bruschetta with truffles that I bought at the airport. Super delish!

Then I served my gazpacho soup garnished with avocado.

Then I made some pici pasta I picked up at the Pisa airport and served it with Cristina’s sauce and OMG – it was sooooo good!! A garnish of basil was all that was needed. Dinner served!!

Then I served a salad of greens from my garden – lettuce, sorrel and basil with tomatoes, radishes and chives – tossed with a champagne vinaigrette. A good light clean palette cleanser,

and then we finished up with this strawberry rhubarb crisp with a little vanilla ice cream.

So don’t “labor” this weekend! Make this pasta with fresh tomato sauce, with LOVE, so super easy, and kick back and relax!

Steamed Broccoli with a Dijon Butter Sauce & Carrie Mae’s Kitchen Chia Seeds Crunchy Strips

July 23, 2016 by Mary 6 Comments

Inspired by her grandmother, Carrie Mae started making Crunchy Strips in her kitchen with all natural ingredients. While she makes several flavors, we chose the Chia Seeds to include in our MARY’s secret ingredients summer box. Chia seeds are so darn good for you! They are a “whole grain” food, and are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. Loaded with fiber, protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and various micronutrients, these crackers are a delightful little crunch of goodness.

All crackers are handmade with tender loving care; hence the company’s slogan – Made from the heart to feed your soul. I know that Carrie Mae herself hand made each one of these crunchy strips with a lot of LOVE and then actually drove them up from North Carolina to our warehouse in NJ, to make the delivery date for the box. This woman is determined and dedicated to her delicious and healthy craft, she’s bound to become a huge success.

I love using these crunchy strips as a topping to soups, salads and to this yummy steamed broccoli dish I made up. Think of them as croutons, but better because they’s light and thin. Using the strips on top adds another layer of texture, that crunch we all crave.

For those of you with little ones, I’ll bet this could be a great way to get your kids to eat their vegetables. Crush and sprinkle these little crackers on top to add a chia seed nutritious delight to anything.

Additionally, broccoli has huge health benefits. Check out this link http://www.well-beingsecrets.com/health-benefits-of-broccoli/ Broccoli is rich in vitamins, minerals, nutrients and compounds, promoting good heart health and known even to prevent cancer. So eat your broccoli and it’s even better this way, with our Carrie Mae’s Kitchen Chia Seed Crunchy strips!

STEAMED BROCCOLI WITH A DIJON BUTTER SAUCE & CARRIE MAE’S KITCHEN CHIA SEEDS CRUNCHY STRIPS – serves 4

One large head of broccoli, washed, trimmed, stems peeled and stalks cut in half or quartered
3 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. lemon juice
1.25 oz. Carrie Mae’s Kitchen Chia Seeds Crunchy Strips

Steam the broccoli until crisp tender.

Melt the butter and whisk in the mustard and lemon juice.

Remove the broccoli from the steamer, pat dry with a clean linen towel and lay out on a platter. Drizzle the sauce all over the broccoli. Top with crushed Carrie Mae’s Kitchen Chia Seeds Crunchy Strips.

Serve with LOVE and enjoy!!

Carrie Mae's Kitchen Chia Seeds Crunchy Strips on a salad.

Use Carrie Mae’s Kitchen Chia Seed Crunchy Strips to top a salad!

Carrie Mae's Kitchen Chia Seeds Crunchy Strips on chicken noodle soup.

Or garnish a soup!