Delightful Dinner

Sometimes, a light meal is all you need.

Especially, if you want your 10:30 p.m. fix of a bowl of ice cream while watching the DVR version of “General Hospital” following that night’s Phillies game.

These Lamb Chops with Mint and Mustard Dipping Sauce along with Grilled Vegetables with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette are the perfect combo of healthiness.

The chops are a Rachael Ray recipe from the first cookbook of hers that I ever purchased, “30 Minute Meals 2.” This was Rachael Ray before she really hit the big time. Before she was Oprah-fied and uber famous with a talk show. Before she had pots and pans in her name and hosted 20 different Food Network programs. I like this Rachael Ray. Honestly, if you are a beginning cook, I strongly recommend the cookbook. It has some great, easy recipes.

The sauce can be made ahead, and the lamb chops cook in just a few minutes. This is a fantastic recipe for a dinner party because it’s easy, breezy but comes off super special. My motto is: The less stress for the hostess; the better the party.

With the chops, I served a fabulous array of grilled veggies and a simple lemon parsley vinaigrette.

Because we are currently grill-less in my household, I grilled my zucchini, red bell peppers and scallions on my Le Creuset grill pan. This forced me to cook the veggies in batches which is fine because different vegetables require different cooking times.

The vegetables can totally be served at room temp, so no worries. This recipe comes from yours truly, but it’s really just a guide. You can shake up your vegetables, or change up the herbs in the vinaigrette. Basil or mint would totally rock in it.

I must advise all of you fabulous readers to try grilled scallions, because they really are heavenly. In its raw state, a scallion is just an onion; but after grilling it for a few minutes it is SO much more.

Lamb Chops with Mint and Mustard Dipping Sauce
From “30 Minutes Meals 2”
By Rachael Ray

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it

2 cloves smashed garlic
12 loin lamb chops, 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick each
Salt and pepper
3 rounded tablespoons prepared grain mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 2 splashes
1 tablespoon honey, a good drizzle
1/4 cup mint leaves, a couple of handfuls of sprigs, reserve 4 leaves for garnish
4 leaves radicchio lettuce

Preheat broiler to high. Place garlic in a small saucepan and add 2/3 cup oil, to cover. Heat oil and garlic over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove oil from heat. Arrange lamb chops on broiler pan. Drizzle 3 teaspoonfuls of the garlic oil over the lamb and spread the oil over the chops with a brush to coat evenly. Season chops with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.


To a food processor or blender, add mustard, vinegar, honey. Turn processor or blender on and stream in remaining garlic and oil. Turn the processor or blender off and add mint to the container. Pulse and grind the dipping sauce to incorporate the leaves.

Broil chops 3 minutes on each side, then let them rest up to 10 minutes for the juices to distribute. The lamb will be cooked to medium. Serve 3 chops per person with dipping sauce portioned in radicchio leaves along side the chops. Garnish with sprigs of mint.

Please note: The raddicchio leaves are optional. The Jersey Girl does not use them.

Grilled Vegetables with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette
(Makes 4 servings)

1 red bell pepper, in ½ inch slices
1 large zucchini, in ½ inch vertical slices
1 bunch of scallions (6-10), ends trimmed
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus a drizzle for grill pan
Salt and pepper

Toss each type of vegetable with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Using a paper towel, lightly grease grill pan with a drizzle of olive oil

In batches, grill vegetables in a grill pan over medium heat. Grill bell peppers for about 10 to 12 minutes; zucchini for about 7 to 10 minutes and scallions for about 5 minutes. Flip vegetables halfway through so that both sides are grilled. Remove vegetables from pan and place on serving platter. Top with lemon-parsley vinaigrette. (Recipe is below.)

Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together. Pour over grilled vegetables.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cookie Time

A cookie makes the moment so much better.

And if you make these Chocolate Thumbprints, you will have many happy times.

The recipe comes from “Martha Stewart’s Cookies” Cookbook.

In theory, Martha Stewart scares me. Her prim and proper way. Her perfect enunciation. Her navy blue wardrobe. She’s not exactly warm and cuddly.

But, I’ve grown to appreciate her fabulousness. My Dad always sweated Martha. Back when she had her first program on PBS, he would watch her religiously and compare all of my Mom’s cooking techniques to those of Martha.

“Martha would do it this way,” he would say, while carving my Mom’s roast.

I remember Dad marveling over an episode during which Martha was out back in her vast New England garden collecting leaves and greenery for Thanksgiving dinner. My unimpressed full-time working mother of three with no staff exclaimed, “Give me a break,” while shaking her head. There were probably some explicative peppering this outburst.

Although dried leafery did not make it onto our holiday table, the meal of course rocked.

I totally get my Mom’s point regarding Martha. Who can really live up to that level of perfection? It seems so daunting. Perhaps this is why my cooking idols, I mean the ones who are close to my soul, are more along the lines of Nigella Lawson and Lydia Bastianich and my Mommom Sacco, who has never had her own TV program, but probably should.

Anyways, I’ve made a few recipes from Martha’s cookbook. And they’ve all been stellar. My father-in-law raved about the Chocolate Thumbprints while eating a bundle. The cookie merges simple shortbread with a dark chocolate filling. The rich chocolate melts into the tender shortbread. It’s a glorious thing.

They go perfectly with a tall glass of milk.

And they surely will impress those with whom you are sharing.

Chocolate Thumbprints
From “Martha Stewart’s Cookies”
By Martha Stewart
Makes 4 1/2 dozen
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, the confectioners’ sugar, salt and vanilla on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium until combined.

Form balls using 2 tsp. of dough for each; place balls 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven, and press thumb into cookies to make deep, wide indentations. Rotate pan, and return to oven; bake until light brown on the edges, 7 to 9 minutes more. (If the indentations begin to lose definition, remove cookies from oven and press again.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Combine chocolate, the remaining 3 Tbsp. butter, and the corn syrup in a small heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water; stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Allow to cool a bit until slightly thickened. Fill thumbprints with the chocolate mixture, and set aside to firm up. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Please note: It is recommended to have a bowl of ice water ready to cool off your thumb while pressing into the hot dough to make thumbprints.

Dream a Little Dream

I had a nightmare this week. In it, I consumed McDonald’s.

Gah!!!!

I don’t discredit the success of McDonald’s and the world’s love of it, but oh dear readers, McDonald’s goes against all I believe in. And I don’t eat it. Ever. Not even while prego. Not even while starving and prego. Not even while starving and prego and it’s the only option for food.  This is all hypothetical, of course.

I have consumed the McCrack as a child, but I gave up fast food for Lent my junior year of college, and well, I’ve been grease and drive-thru free ever since.

Earlier in my pregnancy, my little sister Monica offered some words of wisdom, “Eat what your body wants. If you crave a Big Mac, just eat it, Susan.”

She didn’t say I would dream about the Golden Arches. Although my girl did warn me that dreams about old boyfriends will haunt me at some point during the nine months. That happened in July.

So, in my fast food dream, I was housing some Chicken McNuggets.

Gag.

And family members were telling me I was getting really, really fat and this obviously caused me super major dismay. I immediately woke up surrounded by my fortress of pregnancy pillows in a cold sweat, headed straight to the bathroom because that’s what prego ladies do – we empty our bladders a lot – and then proceeded to toss and turn for a good hour before falling asleep for another crackhead dream.

Seriously, my night visions are so trippy. And I obsessively try to figure out what they mean.
Recent conclusion: You are a lunatic pregnant woman.

I often relay my psycho dream tales to The Husband, who just laughs and shakes his head.

Last week, all my sleepcapades were about TV.

I was a cast member of the "Jersey Shore," cooking with the Situation.

Later that evening, Dr. Patrick Drake of "General Hospital" fame and his Fatal Attraction-esque stalker Lisa were hanging out with me in my great room, which was in Port Charles.

I promptly decided during one of my late-night bathroom breaks that it was time for a good book.

Anyway, I don’t crave anything with “Mc” before it. But I recently really wanted some Sausage and Peppers.

I made mine with turkey sausage instead of regular pork sausage.

As The Husband noted, “You can’t even tell the difference.”

Sausage and pepper sandwiches evoke memories of street fairs and summer. Yay!

And the bell peppers are super delish this time of year.

Turkey Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches
(Makes 6 servings)

6 Italian turkey sausage links
1 large red bell pepper, in ¼-inch slices
1 large green bell pepper, in ¼-inch slices
½ large onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
¼ tsp. or more to taste crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
½ cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
6 torpedo rolls

Using the tines of a fork, poke holes on each side of the sausage links.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once heated, add sausage. Brown on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes total.

Remove sausage from pan. Set aside.

Add bell pepper slices and onion. Saute for about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes more.

Add water. Bring to a gentle bubble. Return sausage to pan. Cover with the lid and cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Serve sausage and peppers on rolls.

Summer Pasta Salad

I live in a great place. Especially in the summer. That’s because fresh, affordable produce is right here everywhere I turn.

Yes, Hammonton is chockfull of farms and farm markets.

Two of New Jersey’s greatest summer products – tomatoes and corn – are featured in my pasta salad shown here. I call it Grape Tomato and Corn Pasta Salad.

Riveting title, I know.

The dish is pretty basic. It doesn’t have too much going on, so the name is pretty simple too.

The sweetness of the corn and grape tomatoes are offset by the tartness of the lemon and the zip of the scallions.

It’s a refreshing side to whatever you’re serving and it would definitely rock at a picnic or barbecue. And the colors are pure summer.

Grape Tomato and Corn Pasta Salad
(Makes 4 side dish servings)

1 cup ditalini
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 ears of corn, cooked, kernels cut from cob
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
15 basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook ditalini according to package instructions. Once cooked, strain in a colander. Cool for a few minutes

Combine the tomatoes, corn, scallions, lemon juice and zest in a bowl. Add pasta. Toss. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and basil leaves. Toss again. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Something Savory

When I popped these babies out of the oven, it was clear that they were made of awesomeness.

My Onion and Shallot Muffins accompanied a summer salad that I rocked out for dinner, but I envision me and The Husband enjoying them with a wonderful, warm chowder or soup when the weather gets chilly willy.

I love the fall. I can’t wait to cook for the fall. Yes, I’m crazy like that.

So, the recipe comes from “The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book.” If you love to bake, I so highly recommend it. The pictures are gorgeous, and all the recipes I’ve made so far are fab.

The key to successful muffin making is to not overmix. You don’t need to touch your KitchenAid mixer or hand-held beaters. All you need is a wooden spoon, and a light touch. As soon as the wet ingredients moisten the dry ingredients, you are finito.

Onion and Shallot Muffins
From the “Williams-Sonoma Baking Book”
Makes 11 muffins

5 Tbsp. (3 fl. oz/80 mil) olive oil
¼ cup (1 ½ oz/45 g) finely chopped red onion
1 medium to large shallot, minced
3 cups (15 oz/ 470 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 1/3 cups (5 ½ oz/170 g) grated Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese
3 Tbsp. minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
4 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. crumbled dried oregano or marjoram
½ tsp. celery seed
2 large eggs
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Grease 11 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cup one-third full with water to prevent warping.

In a frying pan over medium heat, heat 3 Tbsp. of the oil. Add the onion and shallot and sauté until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) of the cheese, the parsley, baking powder, salt, oregano and celery seed.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, remaining 2 Tbsp. oil and milk until blended. Add the cooled onions, along with any oil left in the pan. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and stir in the onion mixture just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim. Sprinkle each muffin with some of the remaining 1/3 cup (1 ½ oz/45 g) cheese.

Bake the muffins until golden, dry and springy to the touch, 25-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Please note: The Jersey Girl bakes with extra large eggs.

I Scream for Ice Cream

One bowl of Double Chocolate Chip Ice Cream coming up.

This whole pregnancy situation has my eating habits turned upside down.

Among the crazy things going on with my food cravings is the insatiable desire for yummy frozen treats.

This is where my awesome Kitchen Aid attachment ice cream maker comes in super handy. Yes, it was a total non-necessity and I love it.

Let’s be real, I’d much rather eat my homemade ice cream than the stuff bought at the store.

But, truth be told, making ice cream takes up a good chunk of your day. After all the stirring, there is a whole lot of waiting going on. And sometimes, a girl just needs her ice cream fix and she needs her ice cream fix NOW.

Consequently, I have been financially supporting Breyer’s and Turkey Hill when times get a bit desperate or I don’t have enough hours in my day to make a batch of chocolate chip or in today’s case, double chocolate chip.

I still can’t believe I made something that tastes this amazingly AWESOME. Haagen-Dazs, step off!

OK, girl. Enough patting yourself on the back.

My first try at chocolate ice cream was not a success. But, I learned from that experience to produce the creamy straight-from-heaven concoction that I am sharing with you below.

I basically took the recipe from “The Joy of Cooking” for chocolate chip ice cream and added some mini chocolate chips. Cocoa is key to chocolate ice cream, in my opinion. The first recipe I tried just called for melted baking chocolate and it didn’t work at all. For one thing, the chocolate flavor was whimpy. That’s no fun. And, there were flecks of chocolate all throughout my ice cream. Straining the mixture is also very important. Again, lesson learned.

Double Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
5 cups
Based on the Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe from "The Joy of Cooking"

Combine in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar:
2 cups whole milk
½ cup sugar

Combine and whisk in a medium bowl:
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar

Whisk in:
1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

Slowly pour about half the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175 degrees Fahrenheit on a thermometer and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Refrigerate until cold. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze as directed.

Transfer ice cream to a container. Stir in 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips before placing in the freezer to firm up.

Dinner 1, 2, 3

So, we all have those go-to dinners that we make when there isn’t enough time in the day to put a ton of thought or pressure into the cooking.
This is one of those instances.

I’m presenting to you Pork and Lemon Orzotto from Giada De Laurentiis’ cookbook, “Everyday Pasta.”

I have so much love for this recipe. You can make the sauce ahead and it needs no heating up. So, there aren’t too many pots and pans to wash up when finished. Love that.

Lemon, basil and parsley are the stars of the vinaigrette. The flavors blend together fabulously, and the pork chops are a blank canvas so that the bright green and golden sauce is front and center.

I often like to use the thin-cut pork chops for this, but the recipe calls for a much thicker cut. If you use thin, or scallopine-style pork chops, just cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

The orzotto is really yummy. The dish uses orzo pasta, but it is cooked in the same way that risotto is prepared. I often make Rachael Ray’s Cheesy Orzo recipe to go with the pork chops instead, because it is less time consuming. In addition, the orzotto recipe makes a huge amount of pasta, and when cooking for two, it isn’t necessary. I am listing the orzotto recipe below, but click here if you would like the Cheesy Orzo recipe.

Pork and Lemon Orzotto
(4 to 6 servings)
From “Everyday Pasta”
By Giada De Laurentiis

Orzotto
3 ½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup finely chopped onion (about 1 onion)
1 pound orzo pasta
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Herb Vinaigrette
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pork Chops
3 Tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless pork loin chops, about 2 inches thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

For the orzotto, in a medium saucepan, bring the 3 ½ cups of broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add ½ cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the pasta, adding the broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar or tight-sealing plastic container. Shake well and set aside.

For the pork, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, carefully place the pork chops in the skillet. Sear the pork until a golden crust begins to form, turning once, about 8 minutes per side. Remove the pork from the pan and cover loosely with foil to rest. Pour off the excess oil from the pan and return it to medium heat. Pour the ½ cup of chicken broth into the skillet and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat.

To finish the orzotto, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the broth from the pork skillet, the Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter and the salt and the pepper.

Spoon the orzotto onto a serving platter (or onto individual plates.) slice each chop into ½-thick strips and arrange the meat on top of the orzotto. Drizzle with the herb vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Please note: The Jersey Girl likes to make this dish with scallopine thin-cut pork chops. The thin-cut chops needs to brown on each side for 3-4 minutes. She also likes to serve the chops and vinaigrette with Cheesy Orzo. For the recipe, click here.