Why I Love Farfalle!

Guys like juicy food and why not juicy pasta. This recipe is the juiciest by far. I love the farfalle pasta. Why? Because, the juice stays in the crevices. Take one pound of ground pork and one pound of ground breakfast sausage. I buy it at the meat counter, freshly mixed, not packaged in a tube. Mix these meats, save 1 pound for another meal. Take the mixed one pound and set aside while you chop a whole onion and chop as well as one large clove of garlic.

In a covered skillet, drizzle in 3 tbs of olive oil, turn the flame to med. and add your onion and garlic. Saute til edges are brown. Add your ground meat ~ 1 pound of the mixture saving the other pound. I also had a few slices of left over bacon that I diced and added. My wife's nonna would do that, whatever was leftover and she thought could be added so as not to waste, she just put it in. Stir, breaking up the ground meat. Now add your can of roasted diced tomatoes and stir, cover and simmer for 20 min. If you like it extra juicy, you may want to add another can of tomatoes. And, don't forget any amount of dried herb seasoning *rosemary, mint, oregano or basil.

Boil water for the pasta. Once it rolls, add the farfalle, stirring occasionally. Once it is tender, drain and pour onto to large platter, pour your juicy sauce on top, grate some parmesan and yowsa!... which only means Mmmm Whew!

Sunday Brunch on the Terrace~ Brie and Rasberry Jam!

Incredibly impressive and yet so brainy and frugal...

All you need is one cylinder of refrigerated croissant dough and two Brie rounds. This will feed 2-4 people; four if you serve them in halves. Otherwise, plan on one whole Brie per person; and thus, if serving 4 you will need two dough cylinders and 4 Brie rounds.

Heat the oven to 425. Open the cylinder and containers of Brie. Wrap each Brie round with dough slices and place on a pizza pan with foil. 

 Bake for 25 min or until Brie rounds are brown and crusty.

Serve with toast and jam!

~ Tutti a Tavola

Focaccia Bread the Brainy Way!

What? Yes, focaccia bread can be made in a very quick and brainy way. How? Using pizza dough, that's how. You can either make the dough homemade or buy pre-made in the frozen section at the supermarket. Opting for the pre-made, just thaw it out and plop it down on a greased baking sheet. Let it rise if the directions call for prior to baking. After it has risen, top with half a package of onion soup mix, drizzle with olive oil and fresh dried herbs.

Meat and Potatoes ~ Satisfy!

Swiss Steak with mashed potatoes satisfies a meat and potato man like myself. For this dish, I like to use good quality round steak with little marbling as possible. Prior to cooking, marinate with olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar and a several sprinkles of meat tenderizer. When you are ready to cook, get out a large stove top pot with lid. Then cut your round steak into about palm sized pieces. Pour some olive oil in your pot and set on med heat. Toss in one whole chopped onion, saute until browned. Lay in your steak, brown on both sides.

Next, pour over the steak 1 and 1/2 cup of beef stock and add 1 small can of Red Gold tomato paste. This amount of liquid and paste provides a thick gravy. Cover and simmer on the stove for about 45-50 min on low heat. In the meantime, boil potatoes to mash. If you like, prepare a green veggie side or salad. And... Bob's your uncle or maybe he is not; just a saying I remember hearing from my aunt who was a great meat and potato cook in her own right.

A Hearty Sandwich is always the Best Guy Meal!

Today, thought I would a skillet grilled chicken, bacon and Asiago cheese sandwich on toasted ciabatta bread. Its simple, hearty and so so tasty.

Begin by searing chicken breasts (halved horizontally) on high heat in a little olive oil and coconut oil along with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt and dried herbs: rosemary, basil and oregano. Once seared, cover and let simmer for 6-8 min on med. heat. Toast your ciabatta bread, both sides. Set out your desired condiments: mayo, or sriracha sauce, giardiniera relish, or whatever you prefer on your grilled sandwich. You can change up the cheese and use a slice of buffalo mozzarella with fresh red tomato.

After the 8 min. remove chicken breasts and set aside. Top with a few shaved slices of Asiago cheese. In the same skillet, cook your bacon. For this sandwich, I like to use a maple cured bacon.Why? Because, there is an added sweetness that just goes right with the hot condiments.

Put it all together and Dig in!

Cookin with the Grandkids!

Every guy is a kid inside and what better way to celebrate being a kid 'again' than cooking with the grand-kids. They like what I like ...burgers with mac and cheese. And, I mean mac and cheese on the burger. To make this kid and 'weight watcher' as in grandpa friendly, use good quality ground turkey for the burger meat. I like to simmer mine with dried herbs so that a tasty au jus develops; which of course, makes for a great dipping sauce.

Cook your pasta, drain when tender add a dollop of butter and then 1/4 cup of heavy cream along with 1/2 cup sour cream and as much grated cheddar as you possibly can, stir. When the burgers are done, serve on toasted rolls. Let everyone seated at the table put on their own amount of mac and cheese to top their burger. Kids also like to have their own dipping cup with au jus. So.. to each his/her own.

Enjoy!

Pierogi and Smoked Sausage!

Guys let me tell you that if you ever have to cook for yourself, the simplest and most delicious hearty guy food is a plate of pierogi and smoked sausages. All you have to do is boil some water for the pierogi. The sausages, (bought fully cooked from your favorite Polish deli) just need to be warmed in the microwave. There is no need to fry them as you will lose flavor and juices from the meat.

10-12 Pierogi need about 8 min. in a rolling boil, water salted to taste.

Sour cream and bacon bits on the side are a must...

Enjoy! I sure did, and...a nice glass of
beet root juice to cleanse; my after dinner drink!