A Package Deal

Any recipe that calls for assembly line prep, make-ahead possibilities, and easy cleanup gets me every time.

Salmon Baked in Foil has all of those attributes. I've made this on a few occasions and it is always a hit with my family of three. I love how dinner is cooked all nice and neat in a packet of foil. Order in a world of chaos is always a fab thing, no?

I prefer fresh tomatoes but the option of canned is awesome if you are in a pinch. Both times I made this dish recently I have used a regular ole onion as opposed to the fancier pancier shallot. And it worked out totally fab. Just sayin', as they say. Here's a peek at the topping:

Don't the herbs look scrumptious?

I've made salmon 100 different ways throughout the years, and this recipe is definitely in my top three for preparing the super food. They say salmon has lots of nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids (whatever that means) so eat more of it, dear readers!

I served this dish with basmati rice and a salad on the side. But I feel like string beans or asparagus would be a nice veg to go with the fish.

Here ya go:

Salmon Baked in Foil
From "Everyday Italian"
By Giada DeLaurentiis
4 main course servings

3 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice drained
2 shallots, chopped
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano or 3/4 tsp. dried
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 tsp. dried
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 salmon fillets (about 5 ounces each)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 Tbsp. of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

In the center of each of four large sheets of aluminum foil, spoon 1/2 tsp. of oil.

Place 1 salmon fillet atop each sheet of foil and turn to coat with the oil. Sprinkle the salmon fillets with the remaining 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper.

Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon.

Fold the sides of the toil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely, and seal the packets closed.

Place the foil packets on a large, heavy baking sheet. (The salmon packets can be prepared up this point 6 hours ahead. Refrigerate until ready to bake.)

Bake until salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve. (You may want to unwrap and plate the fish in the kitchen before serving.)

Please note: The Jersey girl used one medium yellow onion instead of shallots.

Rigatoni All'Amatriciana

You can never have too many pasta recipes. Do you feel me?

Rigatoni All'Amatriciana was a hit in my house. Pancetta sizzles up in a pan, followed by onions, red pepper and garlic. Add tomatoes and simmer for about 20 minutes and dinner is basically done.

Sometimes a big bowl of pasta is just right. In my opinion, that's all the time!

Traditionally, amatriciana sauce is served with bucatini - thick spaghetti with a hole in the middle. But my little man requested rigatoni - one of his fave pasta shapes - and the sauce worked really well with it.

I finished my dish with grated cheese, which is traditional for amatriciana. But, I also added a handful of fresh chopped parsley for some brightness. This add is non-traditional, but I thought it was a fab touch.

You could totally double this recipe and freeze a batch for use at a later time.

If you are unfamiliar with pancetta, it is an Italian bacon.

It is less fatty than American bacon. I always keep some sliced on hand in my freezer and just pull it out when I need to use some and pop the remaining slices back in the freezer for use later on.

Rigatoni All'Amatriciana
(4 servings)

3/4 pound rigatoni

4 slices of pancetta, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp. grated parmigiano cheese, plus more to serve
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, I like Cento

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook rigatoni as per the instructions on the box.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Brown pancetta, about 5 to 8 minutes. Pancetta should be crispy and fragrant.

Add onion and cook for five minutes longer. Onion should be soft and glistening in the oil.

Add red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook for another minute or two.

Add crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

Partially cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes over low heat. You want a calm bubble. Stir occasionally.

Add three tablespoons of parmigiano cheese. Stir.

In a serving bowl, add two ladles of sauce. Using a spider strainer, add the pasta directly from the cooking water into the serving bowl. Ladle in about two to three more cups of sauce. Ladle in a cup or so of pasta cooking water. Toss to coat the pasta. Top with fresh parsley and serve with extra sauce and grated cheese.

The Classic Sour Cream Pound Cake

Baking is so therapeutic. At least that's how I see it. While bingewatching a trashy show or drowning my sorrows in booze or compulsively orders shoes online sounds enticing, I find making something to share with others is the best way to go.

Sour Cream Pound Cake can be made all year long. It's perfect with whipped cream and berries or ice cream or cut up for a fab fondue party. Of course you can buy it in a store, but homemade is always so much better.

Even the most amateur of bakers can get this one out.

I use the recipe from Better Homes and Garden. Tried and true. We usually like to eat our pound cake with some strawberries and fresh whipped cream. My recipe for whipped cream is also below. It's so easy. Just be sure to stick your bowl and beaters in the freezer ahead of time - like an hour ahead - and you are good to go.

Sour Cream Pound Cake
From “The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook”

½ cup butter (1 stick)
3 eggs
½ cup dairy sour cream
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
½ tsp. vanilla

Allow butter, eggs and sour cream to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and lightly flour an 8x4x2-inch or 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, beating about 10 minutes or until very light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition and scraping bowl frequently. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream to butter mixture, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined.

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in a 325-degree oven for 60 to 75 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

 Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.

Serve with sliced fruit or berries. And whipped cream! Recipe below:

Whipped Cream
(Makes 4 to 6 servings)

1 cup heavy whipping cream, super cold

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Place a glass bowl and the beaters from a hand mixer in the freezer. Do this at least 2 hours before you make whipped cream.

Remove bowl from freezer. Place cream and sugar in bowl. Beat on high with your hand mixer for about 2-3 minutes until soft peaks form. Serve.

It’s not hard, see?!

Be sure to not overbeat your whipped cream, because then it turns into butta. Just, taste it after a minute or so. If it looks like whipped cream and smells like whipped cream and tastes like whipped cream, then it’s whipped cream.

Keeping your bowl and beaters and cream super cold is key to the success of whipped cream!

Holding onto Summer

Fall is my jam.

Tis the season of my fav colors, celebrations, fashion and food.

But this dish - this one is for all y'all who just can't get enough of summer.

For reals - Chicken Caprese  is summer on a plate: Paper thin chicken, fresh grape tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, shreds of basil and a drizzle of balsamic. Not only is it all fresh and pretty but it is mad quick. So, while perfect for lazy summer nights it is also a winner on overscheduled school nights when you think there is zero time for homemade din dins.

Truth is I made this back in July. But as long as you can get your hands on some fresh basil, you can make it any time. Grape tomatoes are always up in the hood at my grocery store.

Serve with a salad and some fresh bread and you are good to go in less than 30.

Chicken Caprese
(Makes 4 servings)

8 thin-cut chicken cutlets, probably about a 1.5 lbs
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, torn into bite size pieces
12 basil leaves, chiffonade (thinly sliced)
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. really good balsamic vinegar

In a small bowl, combine garlic powder with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. fresh pepper. Stir with a spoon.

On a baking tray, line up chicken cutlets. Season both sides with the garlic powder mixture.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Cook the chicken cutlets on both sides. About 4 minutes per side. Cook in batches. I usually can fit 3 to 4 cutlets in my pan at one time. If they are really big, you may need to do 2 at a time. Add another Tbsp. olive oil before cooking the second batch if you need it. And repeat a third time if you need to.

Remove chicken from heat onto serving platter or onto dinner plates, 2 per plate. You may cover with aluminum to keep warm.

When ready to serve, remove foil. Top cutlets evenly with grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil chiffonade, salt and pepper to taste and a drizzle of really good balsamic vinegar.

Grilled Eggplant Parm

Eggplant Parmesan is one of my fave dishes. Vegetarian. Comforting. I love it.

Oftentimes when ordering the dish out on the restaurant scene, the eggplant is breaded and fried. My way cuts all of that out. The eggplant is brushed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled on my trusty grill pan.

Because the eggplant is prepared in this way, the true flavor of the vegetable shines through the layers of marinara and cheese. In the traditional way, the breading and frying can mask the texture and the yumminess of the star of the show.

I'm pretty certain grilling the eggplants and eliminating the egg wash and breading cuts calories in some fashion. I'm no nutritionist, but I mean common sense, right?

My recipe for marinara is listed below as well. I served my eggplant parm with some cavatelli in marinara. A perfect duo.

Warning to all of my cooking friends who are looking for a rush job on this: It takes time. From making the sauce, to grilling the eggplant and waiting for things to cool. Bank on a few hours when all is said and done. But it is worth it!

Grilled Eggplant Parm
Makes 8 servings

2 large eggplants, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (16-20)
48 ounces marinara, warmed (recipe below)
2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Drizzle olive oil into a 13 by 9 Pyrex glass baking dish. Coat the bottom and sides with the oil using a paper towel.

Line up eggplant slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper on both sides. You will need to do this in batches or use multiple baking sheets.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over high heat. Grill eggplant on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side, in batches. Don't overcrowd the pan. Four to five fit on my pan at a time.

 Remove from grill pan and let cool on another baking sheet.

Spread about a cup of marinara sauce over the bottom of the glass baking dish. Layer half of the eggplant slices on top.

Spread about another cup or so of sauce on top. Sprinkle evenly with a cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Layer the remaining eggplant on top of the cheese, followed by more sauce and the remaining cheese.

Cover the entire pan with aluminum foil. Poke about 8 to 10 slits throughout the foil to ventilate the dish while it is in the oven.

Bake covered dish in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven. Cover with foil again and let set for about 20 minutes.

Serve with your favorite pasta and remaining marinara.

Here's my traditional marinara recipe:

Susan's Marinara
2 Tbsp. olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 can Cento pureed tomatoes (28. oz)
1 can Cento crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
A little bit of water – probably half a cup
20 fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, onion and red pepper flakes. Cook for about five minutes, until fragrant.

Add the pureed and crushed tomatoes. Use a little bit of water to rinse off the tomato on the sides of the cans and pour into pot.The water should measure to a half cup.

Add salt and pepper to taste. I did 20 grinds of my pepper mill and a scant 1/4 tsp. salt.

Snip basil leaves into pot with cooking shears.

Turn your heat down to low. Simmer partially covered for 45 minutes. Make sure you stir every 5 to 10 minutes.

Pasta Dinner Total Winner

Every momma needs some crowd-pleasing dinner plans up her sleeve that can be whipped up ahead and heated when need be.

That's how I feel about this one: Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs.

This is made with ingredients I pretty  much always have lingering around: A box of pasta chilling in the cupboard, a package of ground chicken waiting it out in the freezer, a pint of grape tomatoes hanging out, and a pot of basil adorning my windowsill. The other players are all pantry staples, except for a container of fresh bocconcini (small mozzarella balls, for those of you not fluid in culinary Italian lingo). And those bad boys, I just throw on my grocery list and all is good in the hood. This dish with a bit of fresh bread and a fresh salad - my boys are happy.

For working mommas - you can mix up the meatballs the night before so that the meat is all ready to roll when you get home from work. You can also halve your tomatoes and mozzarella so that your cooking time can happen in a snap. I'm a big fan of prepping. It's how I manage to stay sane while running a business, a house, a child and a husband.

I add garlic to the meatballs, because I just love garlic in meatballs. That's that. Ha. 

I find that getting any small task done the night before is always sooooo helpful when you are down to the wire trying to get din on the table.

Due to my work schedule, I actually prepare the whole dish ahead in the morning and my husband just heats up a bowl for himself and one for my son when he gets home from work. I also prep a salad and make a salad dressing so that my guys have a veg component with din. I often don't eat my own din until well after 9:30 on weeknights because piano students come to me all hours of the day once school is out. It sounds insane, but I'm used to it!

So many moms and dads work weird hours, and I hope this recipe helps you get a good meal on your table rather than ordering takeout or fast food out of desperation.

This recipe is by Giada DeLaurentiis, and it is from her book "Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites." I hope it will become one of your family favorites!

Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs
From "Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites"
By Giada DeLaurentiis

1 pound orecchiette pasta
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. whole milk
1 Tbsp. ketchup
3/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella ball, halved)
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and combine well. Using a melon baller or a teaspoon measure to scoop of the mixture, roll the seasoned chicken into 3/4-inch mini meatballs.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs and brown the tops, about 2 minutes longer. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the tomatoes are soft and the meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl and add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Toss to coat the orecchiette lightly, adding some of the reserved pasta water to help make a sauce. Add the meatball mixture, bocconcini, and 1/2 cup of the basil and combine. Garnish with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan and the remaining basil.

Please note: The Jersey Girl used Italian style bread crumbs instead of plain and a parmesan-romano blended grated cheese. She also adds three cloves garlic, minced, to the meatball mixture.

Grilled Peach Bruschetta

Sometimes the most unusual combinations make the most delightful dishes. That's how I feel about my Grilled Peach Bruschetta. 

The rosemary olive oil, goat cheese, basil and balsamic bring out earthy qualities of a peach that are magnificent to discover. It's a combinations you should most definitely try.

Topped on toasted baguette, this a dish that will impress your guests during your next summer get together. 

Grilled Peach Bruschetta

(Makes 10-12 servings)

By Susan Watson Leiser

1 large ripe but firm peach, halved and pitted

¼ cup rosemary olive oil

10-12 slices French baguette

4 ounces goat cheese, softened

10 large basil leaves, chiffonade

Balsamic vinegar to drizzle over finished bruschetta

Brush both sides of baguette with rosemary olive oil.

Preheat grill pan over medium-high heat. Place prepared baguettes on grill pan. Grill on each side for about 5 minutes to lightly grill. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, brush halved peach with rosemary olive oil on both sides. On the same heated grill pan, place both peach halves on the grill, cut side down. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board to cool.

Once peaches are cool, cut into thin slices. You should get about 20 to 24 slices.

Spread goat cheese onto each toasted baguette. Top each with two peach slices. Top each with basil chiffonade and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.