The Quartet

One of the greatest quartets ever is not a musical group from England or New Jersey. It is, in fact, fig, prosciutto, goat cheese, and arugula. This fabulous foursome tastes great in a sandwich, on a pizza or any other medium you want to use to enjoy its deliciousness!

Sláinte!

So from what I hear corned beef and cabbage is an Irish American tradition has nothing to do with real Irish traditions. Oh well, I'm Polish and Italian so even an attempt at Irish food has to count for something.

Thanks to a little St. Patty's day food poisoning, this dish was consumed on the 18th. Looking forward to the corned beef sandwiches on the 19th even more!

ROLLing Along

Below is my first attempt at sushi. Not too bad. I'm not easily intimidated in the kitchen unless you say the "b" word (bake) but I have to admit sushi is something I thought I'd prefer as take out until a few nights ago.

As a Valentine's gift for my Dad (a fellow sushi lover), I bought him (and me) a sushi cooking lesson. The chef easily admitted that sushi isn't his specialty either and that made me even more nervous. However, after a little practice and some team work I rolled my first sushi roll.

Trust me, it needs work...less rice, tighter roll etc but I'm excited that I took on this new culinary adventure. I even went to the Asian Food mart yesterday to buy more sushi making supplies. Last night I began by making my own spicy mayo. And the adventure continues...

It must be Spring!

Meals like this make me think Spring must be close by. The weather was warm yesterday, a summery drink was in hand and hot dogs were on the menu. These are my jalapeño popper dogs with "fried" okra. Happy Spring!

Meat and Potatoes

While I like exotic dishes, some times there's nothing like a good meat and potatoes dish. Tonight it was a crock-pot pot roast with a red wine and sun-dried tomato au jus. Accompanied by a side of mashed sweet potatoes and green beans.

Hint: Add a little Laughing Cow cheese to the green beans for a tasty, creamy sauce!

Why I Heart Trader Joes

In last week's episode of Smash, Leo said this about his mom's cooking skills, "she thinks cooking is heating up a bunch of stuff from Trader Joe's."

And sometimes Leo, that's ok. Some nights you don't have to reinvent the wheel in the kitchen. It's ok to take some things from the store and make them your own.

On this night, I took some veggie egg rolls and chicken gyoza from Trader Joe's, made my own dipping sauce and violá as Rachael Ray would say MYOTO (make your own take out for non fans.)

To top it off, I even made my own vegetable fried rice with the help of quick cooking brown rice, an egg, a frozen Asian veggie blend and some spices. And dinner is served...

The Real Meaning of Comfort Food

Sometimes a home cooked meal can be the best medicine. Tonight, Dana, Charles and I cooked a nice meal for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Camden. These families are facing some tough times ahead with their children receiving treatment at Cooper and CHOP but hopefully the meal we made them tonight made their day just a little brighter. On the menu: pasta fagioli, fresh rolls and butter, garden salad, iced tea and cookies.