My goodness I don’t even know how long it’s been since I’ve updated my blog! Two weeks? A year? I no longer remember.

I’ve been a busy bee thanks to a work project and some other events. However, I could no longer bear to hear my blog weeping in the corner as the days of neglect stretched into weeks. I’m back for a very quick Magazine Mondays post that perfectly captures my eating habits of late: lots of fat, lots of carbs and almost no fruits or vegetables (long workdays and even longer work nights do not make for healthy eating …).

Having said that, if I have to indulge once and awhile, I’m happy to do so with these ridiculously good chicken wings. I made them for a family dinner we had that happened to fall on Super Bowl Sunday. While lugging out the deep fryer wasn’t exactly the most enjoyable exercise (nor was cleaning it afterwards although the credit for that goes to Mamma Cream Puff), I have to say these were ridiculously good and worth every calorie and gram of fat.

Just try them. They’re worth it.

Here are some folks who have joined me in the ongoing and epic battle to control that stack of food magazines we all have:

Dawn of Doable and Delicious made Turkish Coffee Pudding from Bon Appétit and Gnocchi with Tomato, Onion and Pancetta from Gourmet.

Tina of Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor made Creamy Parmesan Polenta from Cook’s Illustrated.

Margaret of Tea and Scones made Crawfish and Chicken Étouffée from the Food Network magazine.

The Food Hunter made Veal Stew with Vegetables from La Cucina Italiana.

Wizzy of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Punch made Cornmeal Rosemary Cake with Pine Nuts and Orange Glaze from The Best of Fine Cooking (Fall 2007).

Have a great week everyone!

Ciao!

This recipe is from Sunny Anderson of The Food Network. I saw a program where she prepared chicken wings three separate ways. I made the wings with the Spicy Butter Sauce. Delicious!

As I’ve written previously, I’m just trying to keep it simple these days.

In that vein, I must tell you, there are very few simpler menu items for me, nor more comforting, than a good burger. Add a side of onion rings and I’m pretty much in a state of bliss.

This may sound odd because of course there is a certain amount of work involved. You have to peel and slice the onions and fry them (messily, in my case). And you’ve got to make the hamburger patties and grill them.

And yet, a good burger with something fried on the side just hits the spot.

Of course you can’t go wrong with Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries, and Shakes, which has been sitting, all by its lonesome, on my desk for quite some time.

I dusted it off and plunged into the joy of a good burger. Delicious, all the way around.

This is a really, really good book. Straight to the point, meaty (sorry … couldn’t resist) and just happiness-inducing (if you count looking at gorgeous food photos amont the things that make you happy).

Thanks to this worthwhile little book, I made an amazing burger and some pretty amazing onion rings. My only regret is that because I don’t own a blender, I didn’t have the chance to try any of the shakes as it has been a childhood wish of mine to have burgers and fries accompanied by a good ol’ milkshake. I continue to dream.

I must say, keepin’ it simple sure is tasty.

Ciao!

Vegetarians, look away.

In several Magazine Mondays posts I’ve mentioned what a wonderful article that appeared in the March 2009 Food & Wine issue called “How to Cook Like you Own an Italian Villa“.

I’ve tried pretty much all the recipes from that article and loved them all. I would have to say that by far, the family favourite, is the Balsamic and Rosemary-Marinated Florentine Steak. One of Tuscany’s most famous “dishes” is the Bistecca alla Fiorentina.

In North America, steak is a way of life in some parts but I know that when I’ve been in Italy, there doesn’t seem to be the same focus on barbecuing meat (at least not among my family). However, I have had many people in Italy tell me that if I’m ever in Tuscany, I should take the time to try the authentic Bistecca alla Fiorentina. My understanding is that what makes this particular steak so special is the meat, which comes from the Chianina breed of cattle.

The first time that I tried the recipe I was a bit intimidated because I’ve never cooked a steak this large (three pounds). But I gamely made the trek to my butcher and lugged my three-pound porterhouse home. After marinating it overnight, we grilled it up and finished it in the oven.

Needless to say we were in carnivore heaven! I cannot recommend this recipe highly enough!

It being another edition of Magazine Mondays, I’m happy to be joined by the following people who tackled a recipe in their magazine pile:

Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy made Watermelon Lemonade, Carrot Cheesecake with Cream Cheese Frosting and New Potatoes with Peas and Romaine Lettuce.

Margaret of Tea and Scones made Apple Blueberry Cake Cups for Two from Taste of Home.

Wandering Coyote of ReTorte made Sour Cream Ice Cream from Gourmet.

Elizabeth of Musings of The Waspy Redhead made Bulgur Salad from Cooking Light.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

It’s been a very long time since I last talked about my mother’s cooking. A very long time!

Truth be told, I could talk about Mama Cream Puff’s cooking everyday. So today, allow me to tell you about my mother’s cannelloni.

What are cannelloni you ask? In our family, cannelloni are plump bundles of meat and ricotta-stuffed crepes. Traditionally, cannelloni are made by filling a pasta sheet and then rolling it into a tube that’s then baked (usually with sauce). In our family, however, we prefer the lighter crepe version.

As with all treasured family food, the emotions evoked by this dish run deep. In fact, I most closely associate cannelloni with my maternal grandmother whose cannelloni were things of beauty. They were somehow both light and substantial and they were perfect every time. In fact, she knew that her cannelloni were my very favourite dish and would often make them just for me. The joys of being the first grandchild!

In the years since my grandmother’s passing, my mother’s cannelloni have taken on a new significance and are as dear to me as my grandmother’s. I’ve always said that my mother is a crepe master. I don’t know anybody that makes a crepe as perfectly as she does.

Her filling is my very favourite one: veal and ricotta. You can fill cannelloni with a multitude of different fillings but that combination is my favourite. Annointed with beatifully red sauce the cannelloni go into the oven to be baked through and come out perfect every time.

And when I eat them, I have the same reaction every time. There is pure satisfaction over the food. More importantly, there is pure comfort because of the memories.

Ciao!

Cannelloni

Note: Once you’re ready to make the filling, it’s good to have a pot of tomato sauce ready to go as you will need it for the filling. You can use your favourite tomato sauce or you can use a family favourite of ours. You can make your cannelloni the day before and refrigerate them or you can make them and freeze them (unbaked) for as long as a month.

For the crepes:

3 large eggs
1 cup milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a bowl whisk eggs. Add milk and mix. Gradually add flour and blend until the batter is smooth.

Heat a non-stick frying pan (about 6 inches in diameter) on medium heat. Lightly grease the pan with butter and pour in about ¼ cup batter. Tilt the plan in a circular motion so that batter spreads evenly across the surface of the pan.

Cook for one minute and then flip the crepe over to cook on the other side. Cook for about half a minute longer. Remove the crepe to kitchen towel spread on the counter or a piece of waxed paper spread on the counter.

Once cooled, cooked crepes can be stacked one on top of the other. Crepes can be made the day before and kept well-wrapped.

For the filling:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon minced onion
1 pound ground veal
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1 ½ to 2 teaspoons salt
Pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup ricotta
¾ cup shredded mozzarella
¾ cup Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese
¼ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
¼ cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ground veal and brown for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally.

Add the tomato sauce, black pepper and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Cook for another five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Once meat mixture is cool, add ricotta, mozzarella, Parmiggiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano and bread crumbs, mixing lightly after each addition. Add egg and mix well.

The filling should have a soft consistency so that it can spread easily. Add more bread crumbs if it’s too soft or a little water if it’s too dry. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Place one heaping tablespoon of filling on a crepe. On half the crepe, spread the filling to within an inch of the border. On the other half of the crepe, spread the filling to the edge. The part of the crepe that has the filling spread to the edge will end up as the centre of your crepe.

In other words, when you roll the crepe, begin by rolling the half of the crepe that has filling spread all the way to the edge. As you roll, that part of the crepe will form the centre.

Once all your cannelloni have been rolled, prepare your pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large roasting pan or baking pan (approximately 12 inches x 14 inches), add about 2 cups of tomato sauce. The tomato sauce should not be too thick. Place cannelloni side by side in the pan leaving a tiny space between each cannelloni. Cover with additional tomato sauce (about 1 ½ cups to 2 cups).

Bake the cannelloni for about 1 ½ hours.

Let the cannelloni stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

When I announced at the beginning of February that I would attempt to make every post this month about chocolate, a number of people left comments asking if I would attempt a savoury chocolate recipe.

Well here you have it! For today’s Magazine Mondays post, I decided to finally try a recipe for Braised Short Ribs with Chocolate and Rosemary from the January 2006 issue of Bon Appétit magazine.

I love short ribs and recently had them at a friend’s house. She slow-cooked them in the oven and then served them with polenta. They were so good that I was dreaming about them for days.

While looking for a savoury recipe with chocolate, I came across this lovely dish and thought, “Why not?!”

I halved the recipe, for starters, and I must admit that when it came time to add the chocolate and cocoa to the sauce, I wimped out slightly and added just a bit less than what was called for. Still, though, the end result was delicious.

It’s hard to put into words how the chocolate and cocoa enhanced the sauce but suffice to say there was a distinct huskiness to this sauce. The flavour was very deep and the sauce was a dark, rich colour as well.

This was perfect for a slow Sunday lunch. I hope you’ll give it a try.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

For the recipe, click here.

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