Stuffed Eggplant & Pepper

The other day i walked over to my Nanny and PopPop's house to visit them and while i was there, my Nanny was cooking some stuffed eggplant, and i am not gonna lie it smelled and looked really good. She had an extra, large eggplant and told me i should make it this week. This is a staple in my nanny's house, i learned how to make it from her and now i am passing it down to you....Your Welcome ;)

Stuffed Eggplant & Pepper

• 1 Large Eggplant
• Red Pepper
• Tomato sauce
• 1 pound of Ground Meat
• Fresh Mozzorella
• Parsley
• Breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• Basil

Cut the tip off the eggplant and then cut the eggplant down the middle, so you have two eggplant boats.  Then very carefully scoop out the meat or pulp of the eggplant using a small knife and a spoon.  This part takes a little practice.Take the pepper and cut the top off and scoop out the seeds and clean it really good. Once all of the eggplant pulp is scooped out, cut into chunks and saute it with a little bit of olive oil in a pan for about 5 minutes, or just until it gets soft.  Then in another bowl, put your ground meat, egg, breadcrumbs, grated cheese parley, salt and pepper. Then cut up small chunks fresh mozzarella, and add that to the meat, then add the eggplant pulp and mix well. Put the eggplant and peppers in a baking pan, make sure the baking pan is coated with a little olive oil.  Grab the meat with your hand and stuff the eggplant and peppers. Then take your tomato sauce and pour over the eggplant and peppers, make sure there is enough sauce on the bottom of the pan just to cover.  Garnish with fresh basil and parsley.  Bake uncovered for an hour. When you take it out of the oven let it cool for 15 minutes.

What are some of the staples at your Grandparents house?

Pizza Frita (FRIED PIZZA) w/ my Nanny

When i was a little girl and used to visit my Nanny and PopPop's house she would always make pizza frita (fried pizza) for us for dessert, and she use to show us how to make them too.  It was always fun to make and really yummy to eat.  It's one of my sister's favorite things we used to do growing up so since she was coming down with her kids, she asked my Nanny if we can make them and teach her kids how to make them too.  If you've never heard of pizza frita, all it is pizza dough, fried in oil, and then when it comes out of the oil it gets coated with cinnamon sugar.  Here's to my Nanny and one her greatest creations and one of our favorite memories!

my niece Gianna

Gia, Zac and Dave

pizza frita

Dave and Zac

Me, Gia and Dave

Me, my sister and my Nanny

Steph, and Gia

Gia

What are some things that you remember doing with your grandparents when you we're little?

MY Italian Meatball and Braciole Recipe

I can honestly say i have mastered the art of a perfect meatball. I put a lot of love into everything i cook, but i LOVE meatballs and have gotten the recipe down perfectly. Tonight i made a pot of sauce with meatballs and Braciole.  I made mine with Barilla whole wheat linguine, just to make it a little healthier. Let's be honest though, there really isn't anything healthy about a good Italian meal, but who cares sometimes you need some comfort food.  I hope you enjoy my recipe!

Niki's Meatballs

• 1 1/2 pounds of ground sirloin
• 2 handfuls of breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 handfuls of grated cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic
• a lot of fresh parsley
• splash of milk
• salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix until combined.  Get a pan medium hot with oil.  Make the meatballs into golf size balls and put them on the hot oil.  Now this part is important, don't move them until they are brown.  When they get brown on one side take a fork and very gently turn them over to get brown on the other side. Keep doing that until there are browned on all sides.  Have a pot of sauce ready and transfer the meat right to the sauce and simmer for 2 hours.

Braciole 

• package of thin sliced London broil
• 3 cloves of  garlic
• fresh parsley
• grated cheese
• round toothpicks
• salt and pepper

Lay out your meat on a cutting board season with salt and pepper.  In the center of the meat, put your garlic and fresh parley and cheese.  Roll your meat up and put 2 round toothpick in the meat to hold it together.  Get your pan hot with oil and brown your meat for a couple minutes on each side.  Throw in your pot of gravy and simmer for 2 hours.

I am gonna let you in on a little secret.  I have been married for almost 7 years.  But i still haven't cooked a meal yet for my husband's family.  I've grown up with Italian food my whole life, and my husband's family is Scandinavian. So they don't make homemade meatballs or know what a good pot of sauce tastes like.  So 3 weeks from now i am going to cook them an authentic Italian meal served the way i always had it, on the table.  I am very excited about this.

For you Italians, if you can help me come up with an antipasto dish to serve with it, i would appreciate your help. 

Chicken Braciole (my last minute supper idea)

Tonight for dinner, i defrosted thin sliced chicken breast, i was going to make just a quick healthy grilled chicken dinner with lemon.  But i wanted to make something a little fancier, and was in the mood to have tomato sauce, big surprise.  I thought it would be really cool if i could make chicken braciole.  Kinda like beef braciole, only with chicken and a little healthier.  The only thing that was holding me back from making it was that i didn't have toothpicks to hold the chicken together.  So i called my Nanny and asked her what else i could use, and she said if i had sewing thread i could use that, but i didn't have that either.  At this point, i was disappointed because i really got excited to make it and thought it would be a nice surprise for Dave.  My nanny also told me it wouldn't work without a toothpick or thread, the filling would come right out.  But i decided to try it.  And guess what...it was delicious.  There is nothing like the sound of hearing my husband go "Mmmmm" while eating his dinner, the dinner i very lovingly prepared for him.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Chicken Braciole

• 1 package of thin sliced chicken breast
• 1 can peeled plum shaped tomatoes (drained) 
• Frozen onion and peppers
• 5 cloves of garlic
• fresh parsley
• oregano
• basil
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Wash and dry the chicken breasts, lay them out on a dish and liberally salt and pepper them.
On a cutting board chop 5-6 cloves of garlic, and a handful of fresh parsley. 
In the middle of the chicken take about a 1/2 a teaspoon of the garlic, parsley.  Fill each breast with the mixture.  Then roll the breasts real tight. 
In a large heavy bottom saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, and add the chicken to the pan fold side down.  Make sure when you add the chicken, the pan is nice and hot, then lower the heat to medium and let cook approximately 8 minutes on each side.  Don't move them around too much in the pan, or they will come apart.  All your really looking for is the chicken to get a nice crust on it, and a little brown for flavor.  Then remove the chicken from the pan on a clean dish and add your tomatoes to the same pan as the chicken.  Use your potato masher and gently break the tomatoes up, add a dash of oregano, and simmer.  Now add the chicken back in your pan with the sauce and let simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  About 10 minutes before you want to serve it throw in your onions and peppers and cover.  This will help the sauce to thicken and give it a richer taste.  Last minute throw in a 1/2 teaspoon of fresh basil.  When you serve it, spoon the peppers onions and sauce over the chicken and enjoy!

Thank you to all the sweet people who commented on my other posts.  You are a big part of why i continue to post recipes and enjoy doing this.

What's one dish you make that your loved one goes crazy for?

Shrimp Scampi

I made Shrimp Scampi for dinner tonight.  I really never thought i would be saying this, but i made and ate, Shrimp Scampi, okay well i ate everything but the Shrimp, lol.
I don't like any seafood.  The smell of fish makes my stomach turn.  But i'm married to a man who happens to love seafood, ironic, huh...  So i have been contemplating making him a seafood dish, but something i wouldn't mind eating either.  And if macaroni's involved, then i usually love it.  I have always wondered where the Scandinavian side of me will ever come out .  I am 1/2 Scandinavian and 1/2 Italian (Sicilian)  I love everything Italian, the food, the music, the language.  But the part of me that's Scandinavian, the part that should love seafood is not there at all.  I love and respect each part of who i am.  Just an interesting note, my husband is Scandinavian, German, and Irish...no Italian, but I've never met another person that has no absolutely no Italian in them at all, but loves garlic as much if not more than me....i'm such a proud wife :)

Shrimp Scampi

• 1 pound of linguine
• about 15 -20 shrimp 
• 5 - 6 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 fresh lemons
• Pecorino Romano cheese
• red pepper flakes
• fresh parsley
• salt and pepper

In a large stockpot or pasta pot cook 1 pound of linguine.
And in a large heavy pan, melt butter and oil.  Once that is melted, throw in your garlic, let cook for 2 minutes.  Then throw in your shrimp (cooked peeled de-veined) season with salt and pepper.  Cook the shrimp for about 3 minutes on each side.  Then, and this is an important step, move pan off the heat, you don't want to overcook your shrimp.  Put cooked macaroni in heavy pan with the shrimp, and toss.  At this point, you can zest 2 lemons and squeeze the juice of 2 lemons in with the pasta and shrimp.  Add your red pepper flakes, and fresh parsley.  And of course the cheese, then toss until everything is combined and coated.  And if you want to be super fancy use another lemon and put slices on plate. Serve and enjoy!!

Which part of your heritage defines you more?
And what part would you like to learn more about?

How to Make Chopped Meat in the Food Processor

How to Make Chopped Meat in the Food Processor

Becoming your own butcher:
When you see London broil for sale buy it, freeze half for pot roast for another night
First wash the meat, safety first. Then take a sharp knife and cut any fat off the meat. Take the other half and cut up into cubes and throw into your food processor using the metal blade, only do a little bit at a time. Pulse until it comes together and looks like chopped meat. The more you pulse the meat the finer it will be. Keep adding the meat until you’re all finished. Put chopped meat back in bowl and remove any silver skin or connective tissue that remains. This might be a tedious part, but you don’t want to bite into connective tissue later on, trust me. Now at this time you can freeze it and use it at another time or you can make meatballs in the same food processor.

How to make Meatballs in the food processor
Put the meat back in the processor and add 2 eggs, a bunch of fresh parsley, a piece of wet bread (either soaked in milk or water) salt, pepper and of course Parmigiano Reggiano. Pulse it again until it’s mixed. Then you have meatballs! Then half of the meat I use and make meatballs for sauce and then the other half I roll into small balls and freeze for when I make escarole soup.

Story behind the recipe
For five months last year me and my husband moved into my Nanny and PopPop’s house. Living there helped us save money to get our own place, and at the same time live with two of the greatest people on earth. I have been very fortunate to learn to cook from an authentic Italian woman. While living there I learned more from my Nanny who raised six sons on one salary, about how to save money, cook delicious Italian food, and love unconditionally. My PopPop was one of the founding members of Foodtown. He worked there until he retired. My Nanny had to learn how to save money and making her own chopped meat helped stretch her food bill.

Food made with love always tastes a lot better.

Salut!!

What are your favorite recipe websites?

Hey guys, i know i haven't blogged in a while...i have been pretty busy. I promise to start putting more stuff up soon, you can hold me to that.
Anyway i love looking through recipes on the Internet, and i have a couple favorites like:

Jersey Girl Cooks
Proud Italian cook
My Italian Grandmother

What are some of your favorites food blogs?

Have a great Easter weekend!!