Game Day Eats

Turkey burgers are ready to be served.

World Series Game 1.

Phillies beat down Yankies, natch.

To help my main man Mark stay calm, I feed him my magical Spicy Turkey Burgers and Broccoli Soup.

Broccoli is known to help those with high blood pressure. My calm-on-the-outside but bursting-with-emotion-on-the-inside husband totally has the high blood pressure.

And, my medical guess is it goes sky high during these World Series games. For a person who LOVES baseball with all of his being, I don’t comprehend the anxiety he feels at every waking moment during the post season. But, I guess his jaw clenching, pursed brow and nervous energy are all part of his passion.

I of course, with glass of wine in hand, declare to the husband the Phillies are totally going to kick New York’s ass minutes before the first pitch is thrown. This boastful moment, I assure you, was most likely interspersed with various words not suitable for publication because I am part-trucker. But at least, I got the husband to crack a smile. Even Utley’s two homeruns and Lee's behind-the-back catch didn’t soothe Mark’s nerves.

Now, for those of you who are haters of broccoli and would rather eat the beef burger as opposed to a leaner turkey burger: All I’m saying is give the menu a chance.

My husband is no fan of broccoli. No sir.

But he totally loves the broccoli soup. He houses it. Which is awesome because it’s pretty much just a big bowl of pureed vegetables. There is some butter and a teeny bit of half-half in the mix, but whatevs. The soup is uber yummy.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a health nut who's all anti-this and against that. If you want butter, eat some damn butter.

My turkey burgers are way spicy. That’s how we roll here. Fresh jalapeno and hot sauce are a big part of my burger. And, I top it with pepper jack cheese. But you certainly can cut back on the hot factor if you can’t handle it. The burger is loaded up with fresh red bell pepper, garlic, parsley and thyme so that it has lots of taste. You don’t need ketchup to jazz up this burger.

It’s definitely not boring.

Just like the World Series.

Go Phils!

Broccoli Soup is on the table.

Broccoli Soup
Broccoli florets from 4 to 5 big stalks, chopped
Two carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
4 cups chicken broth, I like Swanson
1 cup water
¼ half-and-half
Salt and pepper
Grated cheddar cheese, to serve

The vegetables cook up.

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add broccoli, carrots and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes. Once the vegetables are tender, add flour. Stir and cook for a minute.

Add chicken broth and water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes. Add half and half. Stir.

Pureeing soup is easy with

an immersion blender. You can

use a standard blender if that's what you have.

To puree: Place an immersion blender into the pot until the mixture is smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can ladle the mixture into a standard blender and pulse until smooth.

To serve, top with fresh black pepper and your favorite grated cheddar cheese.

Spicy Turkey Burgers
(Makes four)

1 pound ground turkey
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ red onion, finely chopped
½ small red pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
2 to 3 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 crusty Kaiser rolls
Olive oil

Mix the first nine ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for at least 30 minutes. You can do this several hours ahead and cover with plastic wrap.

Form four burgers by dividing the meat mixture and shaping into round patties. Brush each burger with olive oil.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place burgers on hot pan and cook for 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Once both sides are cooked, place a piece of cheese on each burger for the last minute of cooking.

Serve on rolls.

Bearing Baked Ziti

A dish of baked ziti before being baked. This is a great dish

to make ahead of time.

It’s been a big week for my fam.

My sister Michele had a baby. Lucia joins sisters Chiara, Mia and Sophia.

Yes, dear readers, four girls.

My family is full of GIRL POWER.

So, the event totally calls for the cooking prowess of me and the fellow familia cooking goddesses – Mom and Aunt Lorraine – since my sister is kind of busy welcoming her beautiful bundle of joy into her bustling home and being Super Mom to all the girls.

So, baked ziti it is.

“That is SO Carmella Soprano of you.”

Of course those are the words of my sister Monica. I hadn’t yet had my coffee when she exclaimed this on Monday morning before our weekly panel discussion of “Mad Men.”

“Really?!? I don’t remember Carmella always whipping up ziti,” I say, fumbling for the Krups.

Heavy gold jewelry, striking bitch face (Tony deserved it, OK), gossiping with the wimmins, and the ability to drop a bundle of coin on a fabulously gaudy New Jersey home. These facets of Carmella I CLEARLY remember.

I could try to confirm Monica’s ziti claims by rewatching past epis on Comcast On Demand, or as my mom says, In Demand, but chances are I won’t.

Love “The Sopranos,” but that show gave me major anxiety. Especially when Little Steven put a million bullets through the heart of Adriana in the woods off the Turnpike. May she rest in peace. I’m still bitter about her death. And it’s been how many years?

Anyway, they say that new moms welcome home-cooked food with open arms.

And my niece Chiara totally digs on baked ziti.

Baked ziti totally stands the test of time. Plus it travels well. Plus it can feed a whole bunch of people, especially a house full of Little Women and my brother-in-law Bob.

What’s not to love?!

The recipe is from the side of a box. Aren’t those the best recipes? I have to admit though, it’s from San Giorgio, and for this batch I used Barilla. But make it with your fav brand. Also, I prefer penne to ziti. Penne has the lines. You could also use rigatoni or shells.

Baked Ziti
Recipe from the side of a box of San Giorgio brand ziti

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
6 cups (16 oz.) ziti or your favorite short-cut pasta, uncooked
3 cups marinara sauce, divided
1-3/4 cups (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 egg
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat oven to 375°F.

Cook pasta according to package directions for 9 minutes; drain.

In large bowl, stir together hot pasta, 1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parsley, egg, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

In 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish, spoon pasta mixture; top with remaining 1-1/2 cups sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 10 servings (1 cup each).

MAKE-AHEAD DIRECTIONS: Prepare recipe as directed, but do not bake. Cover with plastic wrap, then foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours or freeze up to 2 months. Thaw frozen version in refrigerator overnight. Remove plastic wrap; replace foil. Bake as directed, adding about 10 minutes to baking time.

Gourmet, You Will Be Missed

I’m in mourning, dear readers.

Actually, I’m kind of ticked off.

I’ve recently learned that this will be the first Christmas since being hitched that I will not receive a copy of Gourmet magazine’s amazing cookie edition.

In case you haven’t heard, the suits at Conde Nast have kicked Gourmet to the curb.

Curses!!!!!!!!

Being the news junkie that I am, I learned of the demise of Gourmet as soon as it was announced earlier this month.

But I thought to myself, “At least there’s the holiday issue. They can’t take the holiday issue from me.”

But, they did.

Bastards.

This also means that I received my last Gourmet magazine just last week. The Thanksgiving turkey mocked me from the cover.

I know what you’re thinking: “Who reads magazines anymore?”

I do, dear readers. I DO!!

Books, too. Lots and lots and lots of books and the newspaper. And I use…..a dictionary when I need to know the meaning of a word. I use the ones that are bound and have a hard cover and have that awesome old-book smell that I breathe in when I visit the library.

I’m also very anti-text, and I rarely answer my cell when I remember to turn it on.

GASP!

I know, right? It’s not like I look and/or act like I’m 100 years old. Hello, I just got carded last week. Honest. Ask the husband.

I guess there’s a bit of old-fashioned inside of me.

Or I’m just fabulous and stuck in the wrong time period. Although, watching the women do their thang on “Mad Men” makes me appreciate all gals of a certain age.

Anyway, Gourmet’s been around for 70 years.

Not too shabby.

But my delusional self always thought I’d be reading Gourmet for 70 years. Whenever I make something from the mag I feel so accomplished. And I so enjoyed reading the articles about food trends, politics, techniques, ingredients while blocking out Comcast SportsNet and enjoying a bottle of wine. The photography was gorgeous. The tips were fantastic.

Le sigh. Fortunately, many recipes will live on at Epicurious.com.

One of my favorite recipes, Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Icing , has a fond place in my Jersey Girl heart. I made this for my inlaws for Thanksgiving 2005. It was AWESOME. I hope you are able to give it a try.

And fortunately, I saved the Christmas editions of Gourmet from years past. So, I guess I’ll be digging into my archives for this year’s baking.

My Current Wishlist

I often imagine what my Dream Kitchen would look like. Six-burner stove in an amazing shade of red. A walk-in pantry. Two ovens. Two refrigerators. Copper pots. Le Creuset everything. Many wooden implements.

Le sigh.

A girl can dream, can't she?

So, feeding my dreams is this month's Williams-Sonoma catalogue.

On my wishlist:

Le Creuset Heritage Oval Cocotte, 4-Qt. This had me at hello when I opened my mailbox. Love it! I don't own any Le Creuset in Flame, so I think I'm about due.  This item is so fabulous, I think it's about all I want.

Product Review: Le Creuset Silicone Spatulas

Why I love them: These colorful cooking tools are made of awesome. They come in a variety of colors: red, green, yellow, white, sparkly (my fav) and sizes. They are very durable and clean up beautifully.

The back story: After ditching my el cheapo spatulas that I received from my bridal shower and/or purchased as a newlywed, I started doling out bigger bucks for a fabulous Le Creuset spatula. My original spatulas were fraying and bending. Ick Nast! As an avid baker, I knew it was high time to up the ante on this important tool for awesome treats. Unfortunately, the cheap spatulas lasted about a year or so. My Le Creuset spatulas are five years strong and still going.

Uses: Depending on your size and shape, the spatulas are great for folding and stirring ingredients, removing batter from bowls, getting condiments out of jars and bottles, smoothing batter out in a pan.

Pros: Durable, heat resistant, colorful, many different shapes and sizes for different needs, versatile, pretty.

Cons: Pricey.

Cost: $9-$14

Where to buy: Sur la Table

Monica: Queen of the Roaster

Mark, Suzie, Monica and Jason doing what we do best: Drinking and

eating on a cruise during a hurricane. Good times.

My little sister is not happy with me.

“Why haven’t you written about ME on your blog, Suzie?”

(Silence)

(Mumbling)

I got nothin.’

The pressure, Monica, the pressure!

So, yeah. I totally shoulda, coulda, woulda written about my little sis and her majorly delish roasted chicken when I finally, FINALLY made one this summer after watching “Julie and Julia” with Aunt Lorraine.

I told Mark the roasted chicken was so in honor of Monica and Julia and all things chickeny and roasted, but I did not write about it, dear readers. Nor, did I or Husband shoot any photos. Truth is I was anticipating a major fail.

But……

The chicken rocked.

As Monica says, “Roast chicken is a no-brainer.”

So true, Mon. So true.

Monica thinks it's funny how so many people fear roasting. She will tell you straight up that roasting your dinner makes life a lot easier and the world a better place. Well, maybe I exaggerate. But if you have kiddies in your realm, Monica encourages you to totally roast away.

Last spring, after her baby Jackson was birthed and joined the fam, Mark and I made our annual spring visit to see Monica, husband Jason and baby Jackson, aka Team Kemp, who live outside D.C. After Mark headed back to work, I mean home, I stayed on for some sisterly bonding.

My mission for the week was to cook and clean and fold laundry and be a goddess aunt and sister. (I may have also played a lot of Guitar Hero, sunbathed at the pool, read a novel or two and watched vintage footage of “General Hospital” on YouTube while drinking red wine with my brother-in-law. Isn’t that what Mary Poppins would do?)

One night, Monica rocked out her roasted chicken and gave me a fabulous tutorial. She’s a good teach! She’s also your go-to-gal if you need to organize your closet, your shoes, your life, or if you need input on a fabulous ensemble, or if you must know how to analyze data relating to politics and television. Monica has previously worked as a mac daddy political survey guru. Now, she works for Nielson Media, which is fitting because girlfriend lurves to watch her TV.

We are known to talk on a daily basis about riveting topics such as: celebrity gossip, really good sales, what we’re wearing, work, going out, cooking, and much more.

So, check out Monica’s Amazing Roast Chicken. And just so you know, Monica is a fellow goddess in the kitchen. I will be sharing many more of her recipes and tidbits!

And seriously, Monica, we need some good current pics of us.

Monica’s Roast Chicken
1 whole chicken (3.5 to 4 lbs.)
2 lemons
3-4 sprigs of rosemary
Salt and pepper
1 white onion
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse chicken and pat dry inside and out.

Place chicken in pan breast side up.

Season inside cavity with salt and pepper.

Dice up a white onion and scatter it throughout the pan.

Drizzle olive oil and juice from two lemons on the chicken and onions.

Place squeezed lemon halves and rosemary sprigs inside the chicken cavity.

Cover and place in oven.

Remove cover after 30-45 minutes.

Roast for a total of 90 minutes.

Let rest for 5 minutes or so before slicing and serving. Serve with your favorite potatoes, stuffing and vegetables. And don't forget a salad!

Product Review: Harney and Sons Fine Tea

Why I love it: This delish tea by Harney and Sons is amazing. It comes in gorgeous silk bags in a variety of flavas. It truly puts other teas to shame. The Paris flavor is my fav.

The back story: I first came across Harney and Sons Tea as a gift from my mother-in-law, natch. She bought me the Le Creuset tea pot in Sonoma green from Williams-Sonoma. So, with it she included some fabulous tea that smelled intoxicating and came wrapped in silk. No joke. The flavor was Hot Cinnamon Spice. We both came across Harney and Sons Tea while out at dinner in Stone Harbor a few years ago. It was there, at Jays on Third, when Harney’s Paris flavor was bestowed upon me. It’s been love ever since. It had me at first sip. Mark/Santa filled my stocking with a tin of the Harney and Sons Paris variety in 2008. It is my absolute favorite, and I’m hoping for a repeat in 2009. Fortunately, I found the Paris flavor at the Marlton, N.J., Williams-Sonoma store this past spring a few weeks before our trip to Paris. I bought three containers. It tastes heavenly. It’s a black tea that is as mesmerizing as the city.

Pros: Tasty, cute tins, great flavors, aromatic, silk satchels.

Cons: Expensive, hard-to-find.

Where to Buy: Harney and Sons

Prices: $8 for 20 tea satchels. Harney also sells loose teas and tea in teabags, so prices vary. They often offer free shipping when your purchase is more than a certain dollar amount.