Proud Italian Cook

Summer in the City!

August 4, 2011 by Marie 12 Comments

Recently we had family visiting us from Florida, we decided to spend the day in the city acting like tourists. We walked up and down Michigan Ave. ending at Millennium Park. The sky’s were blue and the weather was perfect, we lucked out with no extreme heat that day!

Along the way we even saw Marilyn, all 26ft. of her in her most famous pose.
Very awesome!

Visited the Observatory in the John Hancock building. I might be partial but I have to say Chicago is such a beautiful city!

Looking down the Chicago River and gazing up at Trump Chicago

Al Fresco dining was everywhere

Horse drawn carriage rides

People watching and taking in the sights

There’s always some kind of running event going on in the city of Chicago but Girls on the Run was special to me this year because my granddaughter and her best friend participated in their first 5K.

Here they are warming up before the run.

Girls on the Run is a life changing experience for girls ages 8 to 13, their goal is to encourage positive, emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development. Here’s the metal she received.

You didn’t think I’d leave without showing you some of the food we’ve been partaking in now did you? Not in one day of course.

Hope you’re enjoying your summer!

12 Comments Filed Under: Chicago Tagged: Chicago, Girls on the Run, Mag Mile, Marilyn Monroe sculpture, Michigan Ave

Harvest Time! Our First Meal from the Garden

July 27, 2011 by Marie 33 Comments

All the heat and rain we’ve been having this summer is doing wonders for our garden! Every day we’re out there picking something new. Kale and swiss chard are growing by leaps and bounds, tomatoes turning red, zucchini, romaine, eggplant, fresh herbs, it’s a beautiful thing!

We picked all of this and more over the weekend, we had so much kale that I decided to clean, cut and blanch it for a few minutes, drained it, and after it cooled down stuck it in the freezer. The kale keeps growing all summer long and into the fall, so if you have any good kale recipes, I’m all ears!

See that cute little round zucchini? That’s the first time we ever grew them, my friend Linda sent me the seeds after I admired the crop from her garden last year. I have another one almost ready to pick and then I’m going to stuff them both.

So I decided to make use of our first bounty and created a salad using romaine, zucchini, fresh basil and our sweet little cherry tomatoes all from the garden tossed together with a little leftover pasta and diced fresh mozzarella dressed in a light vinaigrette.

For the eggplant I kept them whole and in tact cutting slices and fanning them out, drizzling all over with olive oil, salt and pepper and then roasting in a 400F. oven until tender, after which I brushed each section with basil pesto and tucked slices of fresh mozzarella and juicy tomatoes inside placing them back into the oven just until the cheese melts. Oh so good!

Dinner is served!

Buon Appetito!

33 Comments Filed Under: Salads, Seasonal, Vegetables Tagged: harvest time, stuffed eggplant, summer garden, zucchini salad

Balsamic, Reduced to Perfection!

July 22, 2011 by Marie 34 Comments

A long time ago I tried reducing down a bottle of balsamic vinegar, everything was going good, I was about 35 minutes into it, stirring constantly and watching it slowly thicken up, I turned away for a brief minute and when I came back it was at the point of no return, completely caramelized and stuck to my pan plus I was left with a horrible smell of burnt vinegar lingering in my house, that was the last time I did that! Since then I’ve been buying bottled balsamic glaze already reduced and ready for me to use on the spur of the moment. You’ll always find a bottle or two stocked in my pantry.

Recently I was asked if I wanted to do a product review for Mandarano Balsamic Glaze & Sauce, the company produces and bottles entirely out of Modena, Italy using authentic regional grapes along with an award winning 400-year old family recipe, of course I said yes, and I’m so glad I did! The intense thick, rich, sweet yet sour flavor that comes through enhances everything you use it on, and I mean everything! I would highly recommend it!

Check out their website they’re running a promo, with an additional discount at checkout using the letters,PIC

Wonderful on meats of all kinds, vegetables, grilled and roasted (to die for!) I love roasting those mini red, yellow and orange peppers in olive oil and then to finish them off I gently drizzle balsamic glaze all over and toss, add some crumbled goat cheese and it becomes a beautiful side dish, what flavor!

Go easy and taste as you go, you don’t need to use so much. Try it on potatoes, eggs, caprese salads, cheese, fruits, I could go on and on, and because its already in a squeeze bottle its a convenient way to garnish your plates just like the Chefs do!

I like to use my glaze as a finishing sauce as I did in this chicken recipe. I marinated the chicken breasts in a zip lock bag for a couple of hours using an everyday balsamic vinegar that I have, ( I would never use my glaze to marinate) along with olive oil and some crushed garlic.
Grill up your chicken and when its done place fresh mozzarella on top along with basil leaves and either a garden fresh tomato slice, or as I did, a roasted red pepper. Garnish and drizzle with that rich and dreamy balsamic glaze! Perfection in each bite!

Like I mentioned above balsamic glaze enhances fruit, think strawberries, pears and apples etc. If you peeked into my fridge right now you would see 3 containers of grilled stone fruits, apricots, peaches and plums. I grill them ahead of time and use them for all sorts of things, like this quick salad above. Simply toss some greens with your favorite vinaigrette, add crumbled goat cheese, ( check out the one below) toasted walnuts and top it with a grilled peach drizzled with balsamic glaze, so simple but it tastes like a million dollars!

OK, my other new obsession, ( thanks to my friend Mary-Alice) is honey goat cheese, have you tried it? Oh my, it’s out of this world! Where have I been? She got it from Costco and I’ve since bought it there and I recently discovered Trader Joes has it, a different brand but it tastes exactly the same. If you don’t shop at any of those stores check out your local cheesemonger I’m sure they know all about it, but FYI, my Whole Foods didn’t carry it either.

It’s creamy, tangy and slightly sweet with a touch of honey, its the perfect balance, everyone that has tried it falls in love at first bite, if you love goat cheese, you’ll love this!

Have a nice weekend and Buon Appetito!