Rosemary-Garlic Steaks with Spinach

Cooking directions.  The ingredients list was posted yesterday.

• Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high to high.
• Rub room temperature steaks with cut garlic.  Drizzle the steaks with EVOO, rub with rosemary and season liberally with salt/pepper.  Cook steaks 4 minutes on each side for medium, let rest 5 minutes then slice.

• Drizzle EVOO in a pan, saute garlic for a few minutes (do not brown).  Add spinach and a little salt, cook until wilted (a few mintues).. Squeeze a bit of lemon over and serve.

Enjoy your meal with a fresh baked bread and a glass of your favorite wine.
Elizabeth

National Butterscotch Brownie Day

To market to market, off to the market I go.
Here's the shopping list to make Rosemary-Garlic Steaks with Spinach

From your well-stocked pantry:
- Garlic
- 1 lemon
- EVOO
- Coarse salt
- Freshly ground black pepper

From the Farmers' Market or the Grocery:
- 4 sirloin steaks, 1" thick
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
Served with a loaf of bread and a bottle of your favorite wine.

Drunken Tuscan Pasta

Pour the entire bottle of wine into a large pot. Add water and fill the pot up as you would to cook pasta. Bring the wine/water to a boil over high heat. When the liquid boils, add salt and the pasta, cook to al dente. HEADS UP: you will ladle out some of the cooking liquid for the pasta sauce before draining the pasta. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2T. of EVOO, then chop and add the pancetta or bacon. Brown the pieces until they are golden brown at the edges, transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Add the mushrooms to the EVOO in the same skillet, season with the chopped rosemary. Cook until the mushrooms are deeply golden, 6-8 minutes. Push the mushrooms to one side, add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO to the center of the skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for a minute or two, then toss with the mushrooms. Add the greens, season with salt/pepper and the nutmeg. When the greens have wilted down, add a couple of ladles of the starchy pasta cooking liquid, cook for a minute or two to reduce it a little. Add the drained pasta to the skillet. Add the pancetta/bacon and a handful of cheese to the pan. Toss the pasta, allow it to absorb the remaining liquid. Taste and adjust for seasoning, then serve. Pass the extra cheese at the table. A quick salad and a loaf of bread is all you may like to add. Serves 4

National Truffles Day

The Broadway Street Farmers' Market opens at 10:00am!!! Tomorrow I'll post a recipe for Drunken Tuscan Pasta. Here's what you should have in your "well stocked" pantry: - coarse salt - long cut pasta such as spaghetti, angel hair, fettucine - Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) - Garlic - Red pepper flakes - Black pepper - Nutmeg - Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

And pickup at the Farmers' Market or local grocer: - 1/4 lb. pancetta or 3-4 slices of bacon - 3 portobello mushroom caps or 1/3 lb. of your favorite mushrooms - fresh rosemary, 2-3 sprigs - 1 large bunch of greens such as chard, spinach or kale - 1 bottle of a red table wine - a loaf of bread This meal will serve 4 and will be on the table in 30 minutes. Happy shopping, Elizabeth

May Day for Cooking

The Broadway St. Farmers' Market opens on Thursday...time to get back to sharing my love of quick cooking. When it's with fresh ingredients, nothing could be better. Every Wednesday morning I'll post a list of ingredients you'll need to either have in your pantry or to shop for at the Farmers Market. Thursday morning I'll post the recipe. The majority of the recipes will be 30 minutes to cook. I don't know about you but cooking all day, no matter how great the results just isn't for me. Here's a short list of some of the vegetables in season for Spring: Artichokes Asparagus Beets Carrots Chard & other greens Leeks Pea greens Radishes Sweet onions Turnips

Happy cooking, Elizabeth

Belly up to the stove

It's almost the end of the week and by now I'm sick of trying to think of what to cook!!! One pot meals are always appealing... the spice/mushroom blend has a lot of spices but it's worth making. I buy my spices in bulk, it's much cheaper and it stays fresher as you buy in smaller quantities.

Simple Chicken and Rice
Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I use thighs)
¼ cup Spiced Tomato-Mushroom Blend (see recipe below)
2 T olive oil
1 cup long grain rice
1 ½ cups fresh sugar snap pea pods
Fresh parsley (optional)
Lemon wedges (optional)

Directions
1. Lightly coat chicken with 1 tablespoon of the spice blend.
2. In large skillet cook chicken in hot olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes on each side; remove from skillet. Stir remaining spice blend and rice into skillet; cook 1 minute. Add 2-1/2 cups water (for a bit more flavor, use chicken broth); return chicken to skillet. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes.
3. Add pea pods to skillet. Cover. Cook 5 minutes more or until rice is tender. Serve with parsley and lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.


Spiced Tomato-Mushroom Blend
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 cup dried tomatoes (not oil pack)
1 oz. dried mushrooms** (shiitake or morel)
½ cup dried minced onion
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
In large bowl combine all ingredients. Place the mixture, one-fourth at a time, in blender. Cover and blend 30 seconds or until tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer to storage container. Refrigerate; use seasoning blend within 1 month. Makes 8 (1/4-cup) portions.

**To remove grit from dried mushrooms, place in sieve and rinse under cold running water. Drain and pat dry. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until dry and crisp.

Happy eating,
Elizabeth

7 Maternity Fashion Tips

It can be so frustrating to shop for clothing and now that you're pregnant it maybe even more of a chore! Embrace the changes your body will go thru to bring your beautiful bundle of joy into the world and keep these fashion tips in mind.

1. Try on clothes based on your pre-pregnancy clothing size.

2. Invest in a good pair of black pants & a black skirt, they go with everything.

3. Mix brights & neutrals in your wardrobe to avoid falling into a color rut.

4. Don’t buy everything at once. As your belly expands, so may other areas of your body.

5. Try on styles and colors you ordinarily wouldn’t wear.

6. Invest in good supportive bras, but also wait to buy a few more after the baby is born as your cup size will probably change.

7. For those days that you’re tired of your wardrobe, jazz it up with accessories.

A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside...when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone ~Author Unknown