Ain't No Party Like a Pigs in the Blanket Party

Sometimes a little low brow snacky poof is all you need to keep your party guests happy. Proof: Pigs in the Blankie. That's how I say it. Deal with it.

Yes, mini hot dogs wrapped in some puffy pastry dipped in a yummy mustard win the hearts of young and old, rich and poor, food snob or junk food afficionado pretty much every time. I never have leftovers of this fine delicacy.

Make this for your people, and they will be happy.

This is a bit of cooking for dummies. I mean there are literally two ingredients.

But there are ways making pigs in the blanket can go haywire. I do recommend lining your baking sheets with parchment. Also, the recipe says up to 15 minutes but if your baking sheets and/or the dough are chilly willy it may take a bit longer. I have baked these for up to 18 minutes because my house and baking sheets are often arctic in temperature.

You may prepare these a few hours in advance and just bake them as your party gets started. That's how I do.

I always have to put out a bowl of ketchup with them, too, since we have a lot of kiddos in the extended fam and kiddos love their ketchup. Here's a look at the final product joined by my fab popcorn chicken.

Pigs in a Blanket
(Makes 48)
From pillsbury.com

2 cans (8oz each) Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 8-packs of hot dogs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut each hot dog into thirds.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Unroll cans of dough.

Separate dough into 16 triangles by following the perforations on the dough. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut each triangle of dough into three smaller triangles.

Place hot dog on end of dough trial. Roll up. Place onto prepared baking sheets. Repeat to get 48 rolls.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until dough is puffed up and golden. Flip the baking sheets halfway through the baking time.

Serve with mustard and ketchup or cheese dip!

Fish and Chips at Home

Bust out a Guinness and pull up a bar stool, lads and lassies. Today is all about the ultimate pub food: Fish and Chips.

With some smart planning, you can enjoy Fish and Chips right at home.  My version is baked, not fried, so it is not so heavy. I also make my dipping sauce with yogurt. So, it's not a heavy mayo-based tartar sauce. Just two tablespoons of mayo is all you need!

I advise cooking this in the order in which I am presenting the recipes. Make the cabbage slaw first. You can even make it the day ahead. It needs to marinate for at least six hours. Next, make the dipping sauce and set it in the refrigerator to chill. Third, bake the chips. Raise the temp of the oven then bake the fish. You can cover the chips with aluminum to keep them nice and warm for when it's time to eat.

I used cod, but you could also use tilapia.

My family loves this Fish and Chips, and it's so much fun to make at home. It's like you're up in the pub at your very own kitchen table.

Red Cabbage Slaw
Makes 4-6 side dish servings

1 10-14 ounce bag of red cabbage slaw
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, wine vinegar, canola oil, salt and pepper. Add red cabbage. Toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. You may toss the cabbage during the marinating time to redistribute the dressing. Serve chilled.

Dipping sauce:
1 pint greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. dijon
2 Tbsp. horseradish
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Chips:
(Makes 6 to 8 side dish servings)
4-5 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch thick wedges
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley to garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place potato wedges on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat all the wedges.

Place in hot oven for 20 minutes. Flip tray. Cook for 10-15 minutes more. Potatoes should be crispy and cooked through.

Serve with: Malt vinegar or ketchup

Fish:
(Makes 6 main dish servings)

2 pounds cod, cut into 2-inch by 5-inch sticks or as close to this as you can get, patted dry with towels
2 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
3 eggs
2 tsp. cajun seasoning
Nonstick cooking spray
Salt and pepper to taste

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line up three medium bowls. In the first bowl, add flour. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In the second bowl, add eggs.  Lightly whisk.

In the third bowl, add panko bread crumbs, cajun seasoning and salt and pepper.

Dredge each fish stick in the flour, then eggs, then panko. Line up on baking sheet. Repeat to prepare all fish sticks.

Bake for 8 minutes. Rotate pan. Bake 7 minutes more or until fish is cooked through and panko is crispy.

Please note: You may garnish your fish and chips with chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. In addition to the dipping sauce, serve with lemon wedges, malt vinegar, ketchup or hot sauce if desired.

A Little Prep Ahead

I'm all about getting her done the night before. My lists. My prep. My dinner. People are always asking me when do I do it all? When do I cook?

A nightowl by nature, I cook and meal prep off the clock for din on wackadoo hours - like 10 p.m. or 10 a.m. Then The Husband just reheats it so he and the kiddo can eat a nice plate while I'm working.

These Lemon and Herb Roasted Tenderloins are a dish I put together the night before. The marinade can be made right in the pan that is used for roasting the tenderloins. I use my good ole' Pyrex, but any type will do. I then bake it first thing in the morning so that its ready for my fam.

The marinade is great with both pork and turkey tenderloins. Pork tenderloin is easier to find in the store as turkey tenderloin is a newer item on the market. You can find them in the poultry case hanging out with the chickens if your store has them, which mine sometimes does and sometimes doesn't. A package of turkey tenderloin is usually two pieces so I buy two packs for these measurements. One package of pork tenderloin usually equals about 2.5 to 3 pounds. It is usually two pieces. So, I buy one package of pork tenderloin for these measurements.

These are great with rice or your basic baked potato. And of course some veggies! My pics today show the turkey tenderloins:

Lemon and Herb Roasted Tenderloins
(Makes four to six servings)

2.5 - 3 pounds of turkey or pork tenderloins

Marinade ingredients:
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a baking dish large enough for your tenderloins, add all of the marinade ingredients. Whisk together. Place the tenderloins in the pan and coat with the marinade. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Place prepared dish in your refrigerator. Marinate for at least 8 hours or over night.

When you are ready to cook the tenderloins, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. For turkey: cook uncovered in oven for 45-55 minutes. For pork: Cook covered for 40 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes more.

Remove from oven and cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with potatoes or rice and your favorite veggies!

Ravioli in Vodka Sauce

When The Husband and Son go out on the town for their sports and whatnot, the Jersey Girl still throws it down in the kitchen for Me, Myself and I.

These are the moments I cook something a little special but doesn't require too much cleanup. Because homegirl needs to enjoy her food while watching a trashy show or a chick flick or reading a good book. AmIright, Darling? Of course I am. No stress, please and thank you.

So here we go: Vodka Sauce but not just with any old penne. Aw, hell no. Homegirl went in big with the ravioli.

Now my package of ravioli had a quantity of 12, so the amount of the sauce made in the recipe below was a bit extra. No problemo: Into the freezer it awaits for my next night alone. Although, I do think my homeboys would groove on this. So, maybe I'll share when it defrosts.

I served my magnifico ravioli with some roasted asparagus. But it would also be fab with a little salad, maybe some baby spinach or spring greens.

I used my girl Rachael Ray's recipe from her classic book "30 Minute Meals 2." This book came out when she was first blowing up on Food Network. I think it is a very useful book, especially for beginner cooks. It is one of the first cookbooks I bought before even getting hitched. I use it all the time, 16 years later.

Rachael has a thing against measuring, but I did literally measure the vodka. I feel like the wrong quantity of that could totally jack this recipe up. Plus, who wants to waste their precious pricey vodka? Not this girl.

You-Won't-Be-Single-For-Long Vodka Cream Pasta
From "30 Minute Meals 2"
By Rachael Ray

Makes 4 servings (Make it for 2 with seconds in mind)

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (once around the pan)
1 Tbsp. butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
Crusty bread

Put large pot of salted water on to boil.

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic and shallots. Gently saute garlic and shallots, 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about a cup. Reduce vodka by half, 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble, then reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, a bit firm to the bite (cooking time should be listed on your box of pasta).

Stir cream into the vodka sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Serve immediately along with crusty bread.

Rosemary Focaccia

A day at home with no plans is blissful for me.

Now I can get up and go with the best of them, but seriously you can put me on house arrest for a good two weeks and I will be just fine. As long as I can cook, bake, read, play the piano, organize some things and watch trashy TV it's all good in the hood for the Jersey Girl.

Our culture of never-ending plans, appointments, commitments and outings kills my spirit.

So I have encountered great insane joy when I have had the time to delve into this awesome book that has found its way into my collection: "Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts)." There are so many interesting recipes, and as soon as my glistening eyes caught sight of this focaccia recipe I read it from top to bottom and then once more. I declared this focaccia must be mine.

Isn't it totally gorgeous? I've made the focaccia twice. It's a very easy bread to conquer. It just takes time to rest and get its groove on. My son  - who is obsessed with rosemary (yay) - likes to assist with putting the dimples in the dough and placing the rosemary leaves and sprinkling with a little sea salt. 

I love making this with him! The bread lasts for several days if stored in an airtight container. It's so good with pasta e fagioli and also with chicken cacciatore. 

The next time you have some spare time on your hands and you want to get into in your kitchen, I hope you give this amazing recipe a try!

Focaccia
From "Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts)"
By Russell Norman

For one loaf:
25 g fresh yeast (or 2 x 7g fast-action yeast)
650 ml warm water
1 kg strong white bread flour (4 cups)
25 g fine salt (5 tsp.)
Extra virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt
1 good handful of small rosemary sprigs

In a large bowl, mix the fresh or dried yeast into the water and whisk until the yeast is dissolved. Add half of the strong white bread flour and use a hand whisk to beat till smooth. At this stage, your mixture will still be very wet, like a pancake batter. Leave, covered with clingfilm, until it has risen but keep a close eye on the 'tide line.' When the mixture starts to fall again (about 1 hour in a warm kitchen, longer in a cooler one), knead in the other 500 g of strong white bread flour and the fine salt. Work everything together until there are no lumps.

Transfer the dough to a warm, oiled, clean bowl and leave it to rise for at least another hour. Your dough will be getting full of itself by now so you need to knock it back and teach it some discipline. Repeat this step (rising and knocking back) twice more only if using fresh yeast. Now your dough is ready to use or it can be covered and refrigerated overnight.

Oil your hands and a greaseproof-paper-lined baking tray. Take the dough and manipulate into a large dome. Place on the tray, smear a generous amount of olive oil over the top, cover in clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place.

Preheat an oven to 200 degrees Celsius/Gas 6 (or 400 degrees Fahrenheit). When the dough has increased in size by one third, remove the clingfilm, oil your hands and lightly press your fingers into the dough so that you leave dimples in the surface. Scatter with sea salt and rosemary, pushing the sprigs into the dough.

Bake the dough in the preheated oven until golden brown (about 1 hour but you should check at 45 minutes). To test the bread's 'doneness', tap it on the bottom - it should sound hollow.

Potato Pancakes

Leftovers are a thing in my house with my little family of three. Especially when it comes to mashed potatoes since I overestimate the quantity pretty much always.

Mashed potatoes are a cinch to transform into super yummy Potato Pancakes. These are great for a light lunch with a salad or just a little snack. Serve with a little sour cream on the side.

My son and husband both love them. And, so do I, natch. They would be so amaze with salmon caviar.

Potato Pancakes
Makes about 12

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 egg lightly beaten
3 scallions, minced
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. vegetable oil per batch

In a bowl, combine mashed potatoes, flour, egg, scallions, cheese, salt and pepper. Mix gently with your hands or a spoon. Set aside in fridge until ready to cook.

Form potato mixture into small patties, about 2-3 Tbsp. each. In a pan over medium high heat, add oil. Once hot, add patties about 4-6 at a time. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side. They are ready to flip when they do not stick to the pan.

Serve with sour cream.

The Lowdown on Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are two types of people: Bakers and non-bakers. I am 150 percent totally a baker.

So, I bring to you with great joy the most fantastic recipe for classic chocolate chip cookies ever. Of course, it's from my girl Betty Crocker. Look how gorg:

Perfect color and texture!

Now, I was born and bred on the chocolate chip recipe right on the back of the Nestle's chocolate chips. And sometimes, the final result was awesome but more often than not, the cookies were flat, sticking to the pan and not to my level of perfection that I often reach when baking.

So, I declared in November the Nestle's recipe was officially dead to me, and it was time to move on. Afterall, I do have a reputation to protect.

I also did extensive research on how to produce desirable chocolate chip cookies. Because I go big or go home on topics of which I obsess. So it seems this fact is key: Bake one cookie sheet at a time. All of these years I was doing the top-bottom switcharoo. Of course, baking one sheet solo adds more minutes to the whole process, but I do try to bake when I'm free as a bird (ha).

Also at issue is the number of eggs. Nestle's calls for two; Betty calls for one. I use extra large eggs in baking and cooking and life, so I think that is one reason the Nestle's recipe doesn't work out for me.

The Betty Crocker cookies turned out crispy on the outside, chewy and delicious on the inside and the best part was they totally did not stick to the pan upon removal. Score!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
From "Betty Crocker's Cookbook"
Makes 4 dozen cookies

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet or dark chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts, if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In large bowl, beat sugars, butter, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart. For perfectly sized and shaped cookies, use a #70 cookie scoop.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.