In the KitchenwithBella

by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Posted: 07/10/08 at 07:30 PM

Everyone’s feeling the pinch these days, trying to stretch their money a little further as gas and food prices climb. I’ve been trying to only go to the store once a week and to plan meals and to use up all the leftovers because I hate, hate, hate it when I have to throw away food that has gone bad in the fridge. Last night’s dinner and today’s lunch were both creative and tasty ways to stretch the leftover dribs and drabs into two more meals. And we didn’t sacrifice taste, either.

I’ve written before about how one of our favorite practices is to grill or roast a whole chicken and then use the leftover meat for enchiladas. One batch of enchiladas is usually good for a dinner and a couple of lunches. This week, for example, we had enchiladas on Sunday and then Dom and I both had them for lunch on Monday. On Wednesday night I was beat and didn’t feel like cooking. I looked at the leftovers and they didn’t look like much. There were the three enchiladas, a small container (about half a cup) of taco meat, a small container of refried beans and a pile of tortillas. Not enough taco meat or enchiladas to make a complete meal of either one, but combined and creatively supplements, it was enough for a feast. We each had some enchiladas and then we rounded out the meal with burritos. Dom was dubious when I told him of my plan, but the half cup of taco meat yielded two burritos each when combined with a spoonful of refried beans, some cheese, salsa, tomatoes, avocados and the shredded remains that I salvaged from an ancient head of romaine.

And then today Dom worked from home so I had to scavenge lunch for both of us too. So out came the pitiful remains of the beans, avocado, tomato and cheese. I spread the remaining quarter bag of tortilla chips on a baking sheet, sprinkled on the cheese and beans and a bunch of pickled jalapenos and stuck it in the oven. Once the cheese was melted, I added the tomatoes and avocado. The best nachos I’ve ever had!

Trying to stick to a grocery budget definitely makes me more creative. I have to admit it was much harder when I was pregnant and always short on energy. Now that I’m getting regular sleep it just seems like a fun challenge.

by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Posted: 07/2/08 at 01:22 PM

The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

I’m not doing too bad. I frequently eat about seven of the foods on this list, though it’s been a long while since I made chard.

I always have a bag of frozen wild blueberries on hand. My favorite breakfast is oatmeal (cooked with milk instead of water to add extra protein and calcium) with blueberries and sometimes a sprinkling of almonds.

We haven’t had beets since last summer, but my favorite way to prepare them is in a dip with goat cheese and chives.

We actually eat turmeric quite often because turmeric is a primary spice in Indian cuisine and we eat lots of Indian food. And my Indian cookbooks give me three different yummy ways to prepare cabbage. The nice thing about cabbage is that it doesn’t need to be used right away. I can buy a head and let it sit for about a week while I use up the more fragile greens first. Or I can cook half a head and then use the other half a few days later in a different recipe.

The Best Way to Cook Vegetables

“There is a misperception that raw foods are always going to be better,” says Steven K. Clinton, a nutrition researcher and professor of internal medicine in the medical oncology division at Ohio State University. “For fruits and vegetables, a lot of times a little bit of cooking and a little bit of processing actually can be helpful.”

When I was teaching at Salem State I had one student who told me that she and her boyfriend were raw foodists. They try to eat no cooked food. According to those who practice raw foodism, it’s supposed to be a healthier way to live. But those raw foodists are not always maximizing the nutrients they get from their food.

Because nutrient content and taste can vary so widely depending on the cooking method and how a vegetable is prepared, the main lesson is to eat a variety of vegetables prepared in a variety of ways.

And did you know this? You’re much better off with a full-fat salad dressing and slices of avocado than with a fat free version. And it tastes better too.

What accompanies the vegetables can also be important. Studies at Ohio State measured blood levels of subjects who ate servings of salsa and salads. When the salsa or salad was served with fat-rich avocados or full-fat salad dressing, the diners absorbed as much as 4 times more lycopene, 7 times more lutein and 18 times the beta carotene than those who had their vegetables plain or with low-fat dressing.

I think many people get so paranoid about their fat intake that they forget that we do need fats to be healthy, especially mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. I had a roommate who loved avocados but avoided them “because they are so fatty”. Really, she’d have been better off adding them to a big leafy salad. Approximately 63% of the fat in avocados is monounsaturated, 20% is polyunsaturated and 17% is saturated. Avocados also have no cholesterol.

But even small doses of saturated fats can still be ok if they get you to eat more vegetables that you’d otherwise skip. My mom had the right idea when we were growing up: bring on the broccoli with hollandaise sauce! Broccoli was the one food we’d be sure to fight over, never any leftovers at our house as long as she served it with our favorite condiment. And hey if a little butter and sugar is what it takes to get those sweet potatoes down or a little glazing on carrots, isn’t it worth it? It’s still healthier than ice cream or cake.

by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Posted: 06/23/08 at 03:59 PM

Mmm… broccoli, sausage, mushrooms and pasta in a rich creamy sauce!

I absolutely love this easy pasta dish which cooks all in one pot—less dishes to do! I make it about once a week and Dom never complains.

Originally from Cook’s Country magazine, though presented here with a few of my own revisions. The original recipe doesn’t have mushrooms, but I thought they were a good addition. I also doubled the amount of pasta. The original recipe only called for 8 oz. but I accidentally put in the whole box and found it came out fine and that way it goes a little further.

I use a big, deep skillet with a lid. You could probably also make it in a dutch oven.

by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Posted: 06/22/08 at 04:41 PM

Taboule is a great summer treat, cool and refreshing. I used to make it from a box before I realized how easy it is to do from scratch. Also more economical as the box always made more than I could eat and thus eventually had to be thrown out.

I was all geared up to make this on Saturday when I realized I’d forgotten to buy parsley. There was none to be had at the farmer’s market, so I substituted cilantro. It worked surprisingly well. I think I may actually prefer the cilantro with its slightly sweeter, less bitter taste. I also added cucumbers for extra crunch.

by Domenico Bettinelli | Posted: 02/9/08 at 12:20 PM

Fridays in Lent usually mean fish, and this first Friday of Lent was no different. Melanie had picked up a nice piece of salmon that she was going to rub with her chili-spice rub and then broil. She also planned a salad and sweet potato, but I was hankering for something a little more. I was feeling hungry and thought another side would be needed. We’d had rice several times this week, so I thought, why not pasta?

Since it’s pretty cold out, we thought a nice, earthy mushroom and tomato sauce pasta would be tasty and warming and filling. I started by perusing some recipes in “The Silver Spoon” and then jumped off from there.

Porcinis are wonderful mushrooms with a hearty flavor and a deep scent reminiscent of a dark oak forest. Unfortunately, they are difficult to find fresh in the US and very expensive when you do find them. And still somewhat expensive per pound when you buy them dried, at $2.99 for 3/4 ounce. Happily a little goes a long way, as far as flavor goes, but for substance, the addition of some regular button mushrooms soaked in the porcinis’ rehydrating liquid does the trick.

This isn’t a tomato-heavy sauce, but a couple of cups go a long way, and since tomatoes’ best flavors are alcohol soluble, the red wine punches things up.

The result is a deep, hearty flavorful completely vegetarian dish that’s filling and gives a measure of comfort on a cold, Lenten Friday evening.

Note: Because of Melanie’s garlic intolerance, there is none in the dish, but a clove or two sliced up and sauteed with the onions would be a nice addition. Also, if you have access to chanterelles or morels or other more exotic mushrooms, by all means use them instead of the buttons or criminis.

by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Posted: 01/26/08 at 09:33 PM

Dom leaves the house by 6:30 most weekday mornings. Now I love him dearly; but I’m not a morning person. Not only do I not get up to make him breakfast, I usually only grunt and roll over when he comes in to kiss me goodbye. (Yes, he always comes in to kiss me goodbye before he goes. Such a good husband, he doesn’t even mind my surliness. Or at least he does such a good job of pretending that I haven’t yet caught on.)

Anyway, this means that most days Dom is grabbing a couple of nutrigrain bars on the run or a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast when he gets to work. He’s not stopping at Dunkin Donuts anymore cause that’s just too pricey. I’ve recently got pretty good about packing his lunch for him, usually leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. But not so good about the whole breakfast thing.

Then recently while perusing a copy of Cook’s Country magazine (a great publication by the same people who brought us Cook’s Illustrated Magazine and America’s Test Kitchen) he saw a recipe for sausage and cheese muffins that was a runner-up in their recent muffin contest.“That sounds good,” he pointedly said. And since he doesn’t ask for much very often, I made a note of the recipe and determined to try it out soon.

On Thursday I planned to have leftovers for dinner and so had some free time in the late afternoon for some creative baking and I threw together the muffins. I wish I could share the recipe; but you’ll have to get a subscription.

I have to confess the idea didn’t appeal to me when I first saw it. I was imagining chunks of sausage and cheese. But the final product was quite tasty. You pulverize the meat and the cheese along with some red bell pepper and onion in the food processor so it’s not chunky at all. I can’t think of exactly what they remind me of it’s somehow familiar but I can’t put my finger on it… Dom says it’s maybe a little like stuffing, though that’s not quite it either.

I’m so glad to finally be able to offer my husband a healthy, homemade alternative for breakfast, something that will fill him up and keep him going until lunch. The only problem may be keeping a stash of them on hand. They’re so tasty it’s tempting to have one for a snack. And Isabella likes them too!

by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Posted: 01/14/08 at 05:33 PM

I’ve got nothing against the blue box Kraft mac-n-cheese. I used to eat it all the time and I still have a box on hand in the pantry for emergencies. But now that I’m a mom I find I’m a bit pickier about what I feed Bella than I am about what I feed myself. I was excited to discover this recipe, which really doesn’t take any longer to prepare than the box mac-n-cheese and not much additional work; but doesn’t contain any of the artificial ingredients. I can do most of the extra prep while waiting for the water to boil and then for the pasta to cook. Since Bella doesn’t drink milk, it’s hard to get enough calcium into her and this recipe definitely fits the bill.

I like to serve this mac and cheese with a cup or two of frozen mixed veggies thawed in the microwave and stirred in. (Bella tends to pick them out, though. She prefers to eat her frozen peas and corn right out of the freezer.) You could probably also throw in a can of tuna for an extra protein punch.

This recipe was inspired by Alton Brown’s Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese but I’ve made a couple of slight modifications. I use a little less mustard than he calls for and substitute the four cheese Mexican blend for cheddar cheese.

Please note, moms, that though it calls for mustard and Tabasco sauce it is a totally kid-friendly recipe. Even the most sensitive taste buds can’t taste either ingredient in the finished product. And the one time I left them out, I felt that the taste really suffered, almost as much as if I’d left out the salt.

by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Posted: 12/18/07 at 07:57 AM

I found this recipe at The Common Room blog. I’d never made potato pancakes before, but they sounded really good. I cooked up a batch on Sunday night and served them with our leftover Indian-style black eyed peas and rice. Both Dom and Bella ate them with relish. Bella ate almost two good-sized pancakes, and this after her regular dinner!

I reheated the last two potato pancakes in the toaster oven this morning and served them with cheesy scrambled eggs. They reheated well, nice and crispy, and were a wonderful side.

by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Posted: 12/7/07 at 08:27 PM

Bella’s mixing up something good.

Dom and I haven’t been very good recently about posting new recipes to this here cooking blog.

But I had a little brainstorm the other day: what if we added a Twitter feed and I posted each day’s dinner menu? It’s not as much work as a full blog entry; but gives the blog a little more frequent attention than what I’ve been managing of late. It will help me keep track of what we have when and maybe posting on it regularly will inspire me to add more recipes. Anyway, I don’t know if anyone but me will be interested in this new feature; but I thought I’d point it out, just in case.

If you look in the upper right-hand corner, you’ll see the feed, labeled “What’s for dinner?”

by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Posted: 11/30/07 at 01:05 PM

My current favorite breakfast treat. Quick and easy and very healthy, pretty much a well-balanced meal in one dish. Especially if you have a glass of orange juice on the side for that vitamin C.

Bella really likes it too, though I dish her a small portion before I add the almonds because I’m a little suspicious about her being sensitive to nuts.

by Domenico Bettinelli | Posted: 11/1/07 at 09:25 PM

Thai curries are not as complicated and exotic as you might think, especially this one. While there are a couple of specialized ingredients, it’s a fairly quick and very scrumptious recipe otherwise and the results are well worth it. So pick up a small jar of Thai curry paste and some fish sauce and stash them in your cupboard. I think after you make this once, you’ll be using them on a regular basis.

by Domenico Bettinelli | Posted: 10/10/07 at 06:54 PM

If clam chowder is the shellfish stew of the working man, lobster bisque has the aura of wealth and decadence. But does it have to be that way? I set about finding out.

by Domenico Bettinelli | Posted: 10/8/07 at 09:08 AM

Here’s something new. It’s a recipe in photos. I think this will work well for the sort of recipes that don’t need precise measurements and directions. This is for a Leftover Soup that we made a few weeks ago, that used as its basis leftover gravy from a recipe on the Cook’s Country web site  for Country-Style Ppot Roast with Gravy. It’s a for-pay site, but you can get a free trial. The first recipe includes red wine, onions, tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, spices, and of course the juice from the meat. To that we added a bunch of stuff we had sitting around, both leftover and fresh, and it resulted in a nice soup. Click through to see the recipe.

by Domenico Bettinelli | Posted: 10/7/07 at 07:08 PM
A sunny autumn Sunday is a perfect time to take stock. Or to make some. Read more...

by Domenico Bettinelli | Posted: 10/7/07 at 06:02 PM
Our long summer of non-blogging has come to an end. Frankly, I just had to recognize that blogging new recipes wasn't going to work, mainly because at this point we don't have the time for elaborate recipes. Instead, we'll try to focus on the rhythm and flow of cooking, finding interesting things to say about what we're buying at the market, cooking in the kitchen, or eating out. Hope you enjoy it. Read more...