Chicken Cacciatore

Major yumminess in a pan: Chicken Cacciatore.

So what do you do when you have a boatload of bell peppers and leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving?

You make Chicken Cacciatore, of course.

Well, maybe you don’t actually do this, but I do.

The Jersey Girl shakes her groove thang while cooking. And

yes, those are hot pink velour hoodie and pants that you see.

The Jersey Girl did not realize she would be part of the photo op.

Most people would probably just throw out the leftovers, but I try my darnedest to not ditch uneaten food. It makes me cringe. Tossing out eats brings on my Catholic guilt – big time.

Chicken Cacciatore is way fab. Also known as Hunter Style Chicken, it is made with a whole chicken cut into parts. It also includes onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, white wine and often mushrooms. But Mr. Jersey Girl in the Kitchen does not groove on mushrooms, so mine is sans shrooms. My dish includes tons of basil and crushed red pepper, because we like it spicy in my house.

Woo-hoo!

Chicken Cacciatore originated in central Italy. It has many variations. Lidia Bastianich has one in which she makes it with rabbit (I'm pronouncing this as "wabbit" in my head right now.)

You may serve Chicken Cacciatore with your fav rice or pasta. But, I served it with an amazingly awesome
baked mashed potato dish from Giada De Laurentiis. I make it for Turkey Day every year. We were a light crowd this year, so there were plenty of leftovers.

Chicken Cacciatore
Four to Six Servings

1 whole chicken, cut into parts with skin, or 1 lb. of your favorite chicken parts. (You may use all breasts or thighs. Make sure the meat is still on the bone)
2 cups sliced red or green bell peppers, or a mix. (I like to use both)
1 large onion, sliced
3 big cloves garlic, sliced
¾ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ cup white wine
1 28 ounce can Cento chef’s cut tomatoes
¾ chicken stock
2 Tbsp. capers, drained and rinsed
1 cup fresh basil, torn
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Lightly brown chicken parts on both sides for about five minutes per side. You may need to do this in batches if all the chicken does not fit.

Remove chicken from pan.

Return pan to heat. Saute peppers and onions for five to six minutes. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and oregano. Add garlic slices. Saute for two or three more minutes. Peppers and onions should be soft and glistening.

Add white wine. Deglaze the pan by scraping up the bits on the bottom with a flat-edge wooden spoon. Once wine reduces, add tomatoes and broth. Bring sauce up to a simmer. Add capers and basil.

Return chicken to pan. Cover with lid and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Rollin' With My Homies

Where my girls at? Sarah, Susan, Lauren and Jen are in the house. Yay!

Holy eating and drinking, Batman.

So, yeah. I’ve totally been MIA on the Internets for a week. That’s because Mark and I had a Thanksgiving Eve soiree and then Thanksgiving Part I with my family on Thursday and Thanksgiving Part II with Mark’s family on Friday.

Plus, this Saturday was my class reunion, and I of course, am on the reunion planning committee.

So the past week has just been one big party. Or preparing for a party. And cooking for a party. And cleaning for the party. And cleaning after the party. And helping my aunt and mom and mother-in-law and everybody else with their parties.

And shopping. It’s not Thanksgiving weekend without shopping.

Thanksgiving Eve is so one of my most fav days of the year. Since being hitched, Mark and I have hosted a Thanksgiving Eve soiree complete with booze and appies and good friends and good tunes. Really, what more do you need?

Among those in attendance were my three best girls from my grammar, middle and high school days. I've known Lauren since kindergarten. Sarah and I met in third grade when we both made Enrichment. Lauren is still bitter that she did not make Enrichment until like fifth grade and was then asked to not come back until some point in middle school. Lauren was the salutatorian of my class and went on to Princeton for undergrad and Johns Hopkins for her graduate degree. So, I think she overcame the Enrichment hurdle because she is majorly stacked with brains.

Girlfriend can't spell to save her life though.

Lauren works for the U.N. in NYC. She's also a baby mamma to Dylan and has a new baby on the way. Super fantastic awesome!!!! I love it so much when she and her hubs Brian come to H'town.

Sarah is an uber kick ass lawyer. She was the Numero Uno valedictorian of my high school class. Sarah has lived everywhere that is awesome and fabulous. New  York, Los Angeles, all over Italy, London. For several years, she's been back in glamourous Atlantic County, New Jersey. For selfish purposes, I am so very thrilled about this. Me and Sarah and the husbands love to hang. Sarah is also my shopping partner in crime, when she isn't working. Because Sarah truly is ALWAYS working. Sarah is married to Colin and has two super cute doggies, Truman Capote and Harper Lee.

Can you tell my people are bookish?

Then, we have Jen. Jen is made of awesome. Do you know how over-the-top thrilled we were when Jenny walked through my door on Wednesday night? OMG. So very much. Jen is having a really rough go. Her mom is very, very, gravely ill. Jen took a leave of absence from her teaching and coaching job in Chicago to come back home and help care for her mother. If you need anything, Jen will help you. Always. No questions asked.

We didn't meet Jen until freshman year of high school. That's because Jenny grew up in Folsom, a suburb of Hammonton. So, she went to a different elementary and middle school. Upon arrival in high school, Jen was in all of our classes. Jen is an amazing athlete. She was a tennis and basketball star extraordinaire back in our day. She just had the competitive drive that made her want to win and win big. I love me some Jen.

Many of my guests commented that they were getting a  Martha Stewart-on-crack/Stepford Wife vibe since I get my blitzed-out Christmas tree up in time for Thanksgiving Eve.

I also cooked a lot of eats. And my friends brought a bunch of goodies, too.

I thought I would share with you my mom’s world-famous Pepperoni Bread since most of my friends assured me the Pepperoni Bread is really the only thing that keeps them coming back year after year.

(Sarcasm is a common trait amongst my hometown friends.)

And being Italian.

And Catholic.

And really smart and good-looking.

Ha ha.

The Pepperoni Bread is probably one of the easiest things you could ever make. Seriously. And yet, people will think you are a culinary mastermind if you bust this out at your next gathering. This recipe comes from my mom. She always made it for parties, so now I follow in her footsteps.

Brian and Colin talk it out.

Tucker and Suzie

Will, Frank, Cenzo and Larry

Mark and John

Me and Mark

Mark and the star of the show, Pepperoni Bread

Pepperoni Bread
(Makes four loaves)

2 1-lb bags of pizza dough
1.25 lbs. sliced pepperoni
1.25 lbs. sliced hot pepper cheese
Drizzle of olive oil

Drizzle olive oil on two baking sheets. Rub all over baking sheets with paper towels.

Divide each 1 lb. ball of pizza dough in half so that you have four balls of dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball of pizza dough. The dough should measure about 8 inches by 12 inches.

Cover dough with a layer hot pepper cheese. Cover hot pepper cheese with a layer of pepperoni.

Starting at the end closet toward you, tightly roll the dough into a cylinder. Seal the ends by pinching the dough. Place roll on baking sheet.

Repeat with three other balls of dough and remaining pepperoni and cheese.

You may place two rolls side by side, facing vertically, on the baking sheet.

Cover with a clean dish towel until ready to bake.

Note: You may prepare the rolls well before you bake them.

Bake at 375 degrees for 17 to 21 minutes. Rolls should be golden brown.

Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Chiara, Suzie and Sophia take a break

from their very busy day.

Mark and I are uncle and aunt to eight nieces and nephews, ranging in age from 10 years old to 4 weeks old.

Holy cannoli, that’s a lot of kids.

We love the children of our siblings so very much. They rock our world, quite honestly. We are so lucky to have them in our lives, and we really enjoy those moments when we get to hang with the youngins'.

This weekend was made of awesome, since we had a very special Chiara, Sophia, Aunt Suzie and Uncle Mark day.

On the agenda: Christmas tree decorating, Peppermint Bark creating, Bach piano playing, grilled cheese panini building, “real deal” hot chocolate drinking, chocolate chip cake eating and mucho chit chatting. Sophia, Chiara and Uncle Mark also partook in a heated game of Go Fish while Aunt Suzie tidied up the kitchen.

Chiara and Sophia are the two eldest of our nieces and nephews. They hang quite a bit with Aunt Suzie aka Me. Firstly, I’m their piano teacher so I see them weekly, and we make awesome music together. So much fun! Sophia’s Brahm’s “Lullaby” is fabulous. Her baby sisters, Mia and Lucia, love it! And, Chiara’s “Musette in D Major” by J.S. Bach rocks. She’s hoping to have that perfected in time for Concert Day at school.

The three of us have been known to have tons of fun together playing Beauty Salon or organizing an amazing Barbie Fashion Show complete with tunes, a runway and celebrity front row. We also play many a game – Monopoly, Sorry, Old Maid, Bananagrams (which is kind of like a tripped out version of Scrabble with no board and no rules. OK . You got me. There are rules, but they’re completely nonsensical.)

We also get all wild and crazy in the kitchen, natch. We’ve made delish homemade ice cream and homemade caramel sauce (yummy), amazing cookies and a fondue that is “the best dessert I’ve ever had in my whole, entire life,” according to Sophia, then at age 4.

Chiara and Sophia helped me with my latest culinary experiment, Peppermint Bark. I’m hoping to give this as a gift this Ho Ho Season.

Peppermint bark is layers of chocolate – sometimes dark, sometimes white, sometimes both - flavored with peppermint and topped with crushed candy canes. You can purchase it for a bazillion dollars at fine cooking stores such as Williams Sonoma or Crate and Barrel or Harry and David and be told in all-caps mean writing, that “this product may contain traces of nuts” or “this product was processed in a facility that processes nuts.”

Translation: I look really pretty and fabulous but eat at your own risk and don’t sue us if anything shady happens.

(Raises fist to God and leaves store empty-handed.)

So, homemade peppermint bark it is.

Since this was an experiment, I will let you know my observations. That’s always part of science lab, right?

For one thing, we decided to whack the bejesus out of two dozen candy canes. You put them in a zipperbag and have at it with a French rolling pin (no knobs) or a baseball bat. I went this route because it was suggested on the Internets, and I thought Chiara and Sophia would love to get out their aggression on candy canes. You know how angsty 10- and 7-year-olds get.

However, I’ve concluded that when I make the next batch, my Cuisinart food processor will be crushing my candy canes, thank you very much.

This is because it will be easier, less messy, easier and quicker and easier. Oh, and the candy canes will be crushed into tiny millions of evenly sized bits – essential for peppermint bark success. And the millions of candy cane bits will be in the bowl of the food processor and nowhere else such as shoes, countertops, floors, bathrooms, rugs, doorknobs, clothing, chairs, my dreams.

Have fun with your peppermint bark. And, I hope when you make it you have two amazing helpers, like I did!

Layered Peppermint Bark
From allrecipes.com

20 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided
30 peppermint candies (I used 12 candy canes), crushed, divided
10 ounces dark chocolate (I used bittersweet), coarsely chopped
6 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 tsp. peppermint extract

In a food processor, crush your candy canes with a few pulses.

Line a 9x12 inch baking pan with aluminum, parchment or wax paper. (I used wax paper.)

Melt half the white chocolate in a double-boiler, or the microwave. (I used the microwave.) Spread the white chocolate in the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the peppermint pieces all over the chocolate. Chill in the refrigerator until firm. (I did so for about 20 minutes.)

In a double boiler, bring water to a simmer. Place a heat-resistant bowl over the double boiler. Gently melt the dark chocolate with the cream and peppermint extract in the bowl. Stir until smooth and shiny. Be sure the bottom of your bowl DOES NOT touch the simmering water.

Remove tray from refrigerator.

Once dark chocolate is melted, remove from heat. Quickly spread chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet.

Place in the refrigerator. Chill for 30 minutes.

Melt the remaining white chocolate in microwave or using a double boiler.

Remove tray from refrigerator.

Pour melted white chocolate over cooled dark chocolate. Spread with a spatula. Sprinkle with remaining peppermint pieces.

Place tray back in refrigerator for at least 20 more minutes. (I let it set for at least an hour)

Break into pieces and serve.

Translation

OMG. So I feel like a huge dork.

The reason?

Italian Wedding Soup and what it means.

Last night, while watching Sarah Palin do the Sean Hannity interview and the Top Chefs do the Top Chef thang, I said to The Husband, “I must know why Italian wedding soup is called Italian wedding soup. It’s not like they’ve ever served it at the 5 billion Italian weddings we’ve attended.” I was bundled up in a blankie and surrounded by six cookbooks and the new fab J. Crew catalogue, none of which were giving me answers.

The Husband grasped at some straws. “Maybe they served it at weddings a long, long time ago?” he offered, turning back to his newspaper and Sean.

I kept researching, because when I need to know something, I NEED TO KNOW!

Yeah, I’m a bit obsessive.

But, behold the trusty Internets came to the rescue.

So according to a few food Web sites, Italian wedding soup is just a dumb American mistranslation of the Italian phrase, “minestra maritata.” Minestra is the Italian word for soup; maritata stands for married. But the “married” bit refers to the yummy, fantabulous union of greens such as escarole or chard or spinach and meat, which are featured in the delish soup.

The name has absolutely nothing to do with vows and receptions and chicken dances and bridesmaid dresses from hell.

Who knew?

Well, I’m sure really smart foodie people knew.

But little ole’ me had no idear.

Anyways, I wanted to know this info because I was prepping to make my Suzie version of minestra maritata, which I like saying way more than Italian wedding soup.

So from now on, minestra maritata stands.

Yeah, I’m sure the pronunciation is being botched by yours truly.

See what one year of high school Italian, three years of high school French and four years of college Italian get ya?

Absolutely no skill at all in pronouncing foreign words.

Yay! This is really helpful on all my world travels. They LOVED me in Paris and my deer-in-headlights response, “Parlez vous anglais? Me dumb American.”

Truth be told it’s probably my fault: I’m quasi deaf from genetics and constant piano playing and blaring Bon Jovi and U2 and Pearl Jam in my Mustang as a teen and dancing to Duran Duran and Madonna with the volume turned ALL THE WAY UP when MTV actually played videos as a kiddie. And, I can barely pronounce words in English. When people talk foreign to me it’s as if Charlie Brown’s teachers have descended into real life right before my eyes….. or really bad ears.

So….

Yeah.

On to the soup…

I put tortellini in my soup to make it more substantial. Usually, you use acini di pepi, which are super tiny pasta. I brought a huge vat of the soup in question over to my sister Michele’s for her fam. Hope they dig it!

Be sure to thoroughly wash your greens.

Escarole and Meatball Soup aka Minestra Maritata

For the meatballs:
1 lb. ground chuck or sirloin
2 extra-large eggs
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper

For the soup:
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large or 2 small bay leaves
1 head escarole, cleaned and shredded
½ pound tortellini or ¾ cup fav soup pasta
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Fill a large bowl or a clean sink with water. Place escarole leaves in water. Wait five minutes. Drain and repeat. Shred into 1/2 inch strips.

Make the meatball mixture:
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl with your hands. Don’t overmix! Let mixture sit for about 15-20 minutes.

For the soup:
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion, carrots, celery and bay leaf for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add broth and water. Bring to a boil.

Lower heat to medium so that soup simmers. Cook veggies for about 20 minutes.

Roll meatballs with a 3/4 inch circumference.

Add meatballs into soup pot. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add escarole. Cover pot with lid. Cook for 15 minutes.

Add tortellini. Cook for 20 minutes.

Serve with parmesan cheese and Italian bread.

Makes about 10 to 12 servings.

Pucker Up

My husband’s fam is all about the citrus desserts.


They can’t get enough of Key Lime Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Pound Cake, Orange Chocolate Chip Cake, Lemon Sorbet ….

And on and on the list goes.

So of course when having Mark’s parents over recently, The Husband requested his ultimate fav, Lemon Meringue Pie.

I love my husband with all my heart, but I was so NOT making Lemon Meringue Pie that day.

For one thing, it was raining. It was really, seriously pouring and meringue and precipation are not friends. They sit on opposite sides of the cafeteria, actually.

That’s because for meringue to be meringue the egg whites need to dry out. Damp days don’t help the meringue cause.

The other reason I was not groovin’ on Lemon Meringue Pie is because well, it takes like three hours to make. The zesting, the juicing, the beating. It just never ends.

So, as the case may be in many marriages, a compromise was made: Lemon Bars.

The Husband was pleased.

These cookies are fab. They’re pretty much shortbread with a custardy lemon filling. A dusting of powdered sugar makes them look super pretty.

The recipe is from the Williams-Sonoma Collection Series book, "Cookies".

I highly recommend this book. The recipes are simple, and the photos are gorgeous. It has all the classic cookies recipes that you want.

Lemon Bars
From “Cookies,” Williams Sonoma Collection Series

For the crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the filling:
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
½ cup fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have ready a 13 ¾-by-4 ¼-inch oblong tart pan with a removable bottom or an 8-inch square baking pan with bottom and sides lined with aluminum and generously greased.

To make the crust, sift the flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt together into a bowl and transfer to a food processor. Add the lemon zest and pulse to blend. Add the butter a few pieces at a time, processing just until the mixture is crumbly. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and sides to form the crust.

Bake until the crust is just golden at the edges, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large measuring cup or pitcher, whisk together the flour and lemon juice. Add the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon zest and salt, and whisk until smooth. When the crust is baked, carefully pull out the oven rack and pour the filling into the crust. Close the oven door and reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Bake until the center is springy to the touch, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. If using a tart pan with a removable bottom, place the pan on your outstretched palm and let the rim fall away or, using the sides of the foil as handles, carefully lift the cookie from the pan and place it on a cutting board. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the cookie generously with confectioners’ sugar. To make a striped pattern, lay strips of waxed paper across the cookie before dusting, and after dusting carefully remove the paper strips.

With a thin, sharp knife, cut crosswise into thin bars ¾-1 inch wide. Using a small, offset spatula, carefully remove the bars from the foil.

Product Review: Kuhn Rikon Paring Knife

Why I love it: This tiny, colorful steel-blade knife is heaven sent when cutting ingredients that tend to stick to your knife. Great for slicing butter, cream cheese, goat cheese, mozzarella and hard-boiled eggs. It really works. Nothing sticks to it! The knife comes with a cute blade cover so it’s protected when you store it.

Pros: Many fab colors to choose from, easy to store, many uses. Great stocking stuffers for the cooks in your fam.

Cons: Kind of pricey, but I’ve seen them at discount retailers – like HomeGoods. Yay, HomeGoods.

Where to Buy: Amazon , Sur la Table , Williams-Sonoma

Price: $9.95 each or $29.85 for a three-piece set from Williams-Sonoma.

Be Our Guest

This weekend, my in-laws came over for dinner. This may stress many of you out.

But, you need to meet my in-laws.

They are fabulous, amazing, super cool. The best people ever.

Yes, Paul and Nancy rock my world.

I’m sorry. I know this declaration sounds way braggy, and I’m not a braggy kind of gal.

But for reals, so many of my entourage have major in-law envy.

Fortunately, Mom and Dad (as I call them, so I have two Moms and Dads), welcome all with open arms. So if you want to imagine them as your in-laws, go for it.

Yay!

To dazzle them, I made a delish appie: Goat Cheese and Grape Tomato Bruschetta.

My father-in-law RAVED about it.

He also wanted to know where the recipe came from.

“My head,” I told him.

Aren’t I witty?

He wanted me to tell all y’all that the bruschetta was a big win.

If you can’t find grape tomatoes, which are tiny tomatoes shaped like grapes, you can totally rock this out with cherry tomatoes.

You can make the topping ahead, and toast the bread and assemble before your guests arrive.

I always like to have one special appie, because cheese and crackers are often the “B” word: Boring. So is music with no expression. That’s what I tell my piano students.

Goat Cheese and Grape Tomato Bruschetta

4 ounces soft, spreadable goat cheese, at room temp.
1 pint, grape tomatoes, quartered
2 cloves garlic, 1 finely chopped, 1 whole (for toasts)
10 basil leaves, finely chopped
¼ tsp. to ½ tsp. crushed red pepper.
¼ tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
2 to 3 Tbsp. olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1 French baguette, sliced

In a medium bowl, gently stir tomatoes, chopped garlic, basil, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper and olive oil. Set aside.

Preheat broiler to high.

Place sliced bread on baking sheet and toast on both sides. Remove from oven.

Spread toast with goat cheese. Top with tomato mixture.

Place on serving tray. Top with lemon zest.

Enjoy with friends and wine.