A Tasty Addition Homemade Croutons

 What's a good addition to a hot steamy soup or cool and creamy salad? Croutons! Yes you can buy them but homemade are so much better. They're buttery, zingy and flavorful and have that fun familiar crunch.

I thought they would be a good addition to Lidl's pea soup. The soup is 

a tough  can be a tough one to make hence the canned version.Yet it did need something homemade to elevate it. Homemade air fryer croutons would do the trick. It starts with three slices of sourdough bread.

This was Lidl's brand and I cut it into cubes. Slicing three slices at once does  the trick.However once sliced  it's then cubed.

Its then melting two heaping tablespoons of I Cna;t Believe It's Not Butter in the microwave for a minute(you can use any plant or dairy based butter,Just have enough to soak the bred cubes)

You can leave this plain but I like flavor so I added freshly ground pepper and garlic powder. You can add oregano flakes or onion powder too.

Let the bread soak two or three minutes, stick the cubes around in the bowl to absorb all the melted butter.

As for the cooking.air fry for seven minutes for extra crunch at 400 degrees Farenheit.

These are the crisped version

Then there's them and the soup.

They are so much better than the sore bought ones and easy to make. I plan on making them for my next salad too. It may be a vegan Caesar which scream for croutons. The garlic flavor added a nice extra oomph to them too.

Don't buy already made croutons. Homemade ones are tastiers and crisper. They're a snap to make and fun to add to soups and salads

Letting Gnocchi Shine

 Usually gnocchi are drenched in sauce. Pesto or tomato cover them, almost making their unique  flavor. Yet they can shine on their own with just veggies and mushrooms in a very light sauce.The dense flavor and testure works well with the fresh greenness the others impart.

I had wanted to make a different gnocchi recipe like this for a long time. I had two packs of them Lidl.

I have to admit they are delicious on their own but I still love their taste without any sauce drenching them.A few days before I sauteed sliced baby Bella's for a  risotto dish and I love the taste. If you are sauteing mushrooms, this  should be your trinity of ingredients for a good and flavorful saute.

Cover the pan 's bottom with olive oil (I use Lidl's" and a good tablespoon or two of Country Crock plant butter. I used a good pinch of garlic powder also from Lidl. Keep in mind  that this can be used for any saute, from tomatoes to broccoli along with mushrooms/

It only takes ten minutes to cook up , brown golden and delicious.  I wanted veggies with this and I had a package of microwavable baby carrots ,yellow and green beans from Lidl's Peak Harvest brand. 

This was a quick six minutes in the microwave and an easy blend with the baby Bellas.

This is a great gnocchi dish. All the ingredients complimented each other and the gnocchi's flavor was highlighted by the mushrooms, carrots and green and yellow beans. I will be making this again , possibly with the slightest , tiniest bit of pesto - just to see what it would taste like.

Gnocchi shouldn't be drenched in sauce. They should be allowed to shine and complement veggies. This dish is proof that they can be the highlight of a tecip

A Taste Of Kindness

 November is the month where there should be kindnesses big and little committed,It could be feeding  those who need it or providing a flavor of one's home to them. Food will always be the tie that binds us together.

I wanted to provide a taste of home for my schools women's volleyba;; team. One  star player is near where my great-grandfahter, my bisnonno came from outside of Torino. Two other players come from the beautiful Veneto area of Northenr Italy where rice is king. I wanted to give these girls a taste of home, sort of like our comforting Thanksgiving food. Mushroom risotto is dish that provides that being loved from the Italian Alps to the Dolomite Mountains. It's an easy cook.It's just sauteing sliced baby Bella's in a mix of plant based butter and Lidl olive oil. I add the tiniest pinch of garlic powder to liven up the mushrooms' flavor

They do have to be rinsed first before cooking.

Each batch  - and there were four!!!! batches has to be sauteed for ten minutes. This draws the water out for the gills (any kind of mushroom acts as a kind of sponge for water).

The rice was from Lidl, a mix of mushroom and truffle flavors. This took three boxes.

It takes a roiling boil and then the arborio  and flavorings  is added to seven cups of water

It takes about twenty minutes to get the rice to be a tender al dente texture.

The end result is a mushroom rich dish that I'm sure the volleyball team will love. It's a warming taste of home, much needed during this point in the semester/

It's November and a time for kindnesses. This pot of risotto al funghi will remind homesick girls of homes. It's the perfect comfort food for this season.

A Family Classic Pumpkin Soup

 This is the season for pumpkin and soup. Why not combine them in  a comforting  dish that symbolizes what autumn is all about. Nothing beats a creamy, flavorful soup,

I made my bisnonna's or great grandmother's Piedmontese pumpkin soup. It was just a perfect dish fora cold, rainy day. It's a pretty easy cook. You do need two sixteen ounce cans of Libby's pumpkin puree(DO NOT get the one that's meant exclusively for pie filling.It's loaded with pumpkin pie spice)along with half a white onion, and veggie stock.

The onion is halved and then cut into little pieces. It's sauteed with a mi of olive oil and Country Crock plant butter.

Saute the onion pieces until they;re translucent (about five to ten minutes)

I like a rich, buttery flavor so I put two large tablespoons of Country Crock plant butter/

It was then adding the pumpkin and then briskly stirring it into the onions. This needs to be thinned out.I used two cups of Lidl's Veggie stock (Which is excellent and I'll be using it in other  homemade soups too)

For creaminess I added a quarter of a cup of almond milk(whole cream is usually added in the nin vegan version) This gave the soup a lovely light caramel color.

Pumpkin can be bland tasting hence the reason for highly spicing it. I added two or three dashes of salt and freshly ground pepper along with a sprinkle of garlic powder.

Rice is also important in Piedmontese pumpkin soup. I used Lidl's instant rice which only takes two minutes to cook.

This was the most amazing soup. It was creamy and rich in flavor. The onion and pumpkin were the perfect marriage together ,creating a smooth texture with some crunch to it.

It's fall.It;s pumpkin season. Make this delicious soup to celebrate the two . It's a wonderful way to welcome in  a chilly season with a hot bowl of goodness.

An Easy Cannellini Bean Dish

 It's summer and that means two things - easy cooking and easy eating. A hearty bean dip is one of these. Yet this has an Italian spin to it and is a lighter one in way . Cannellini beans, olive oil  basil, and oregano. make it a different kind of dip or hummus. 

This cannellini dip came in my email .It looked like the perfect dosh for a different Fourth of July.

It just too two regular cans of cannellini beans (everything was bought during a Lidl shopping trip) .

I used a good three tablespoons of olive oil to create a smoothness. 

it was then adding dashes of oregano and garlic powder along with salt and freshly ground pepper. These can be adjusted to taste. I like a garlicky .slightly peppery flavor so I add more garlic powder and pepper./Basil can be added as well for a fresh ,green taste too but go easy with it.

I used my trusty immersion blender but I used it sparingly. Too much blending and it becomes soupy. Too little and you still have bean chunks. It should look like a slightly knobby paste. The dark green is the  fresh basil I added.

What went with this? I bought a fresh loaf (It was steaming hot in the store!!!) of Lidly' rosemary walnut bread. 

This was a great supper for the Fourth. A big hunk of delicious bread drizzled with olive oil and then dipped 

in the bean dip. You can also use pits chips along with potato chips and Italian bread.

Cannellini bean dip is one of those easy summer recipes.It's easy to make.It's easy to eat. Make a bowl of it for a summer time treat.

An Easy Winter's Night Meal

 This should be the month for no fuss cooking.Recipes should be simple but filling. One way is to do this is using polenta.It's a great way to add to any meal, especially if it's paired with a simple saute.

I had this in mind (after being influenced by David' Tanis' recipes in Wednesday 's New York Times food section. A polenta log can be sliced and tastes the best fried on a griddle.

I fried them in Melt plant butter for flavor and crispness. You could make polenta the old fashioned way, in a big pot but this is constantly storring it. It could stick and even burn. Buying the logs is a better way of preparing it without all that fuss.. You can also slice and fry up the polenta the next day too.

As for the saute, I've had enough of the traditional tomato  sauce that usually goes with it. A nice spinach and mushrroom sauce would work with this. It had the added bonus of kale in the mix. I used about two to three cups of the combined greens , about  sixteen ounces and about four cups of already cut baby bella mushrooms.It was cooking the mushrooms in a mix of olive oil and Melt plant butter. Halfway through I added about a cup of veggie stock for a kind of gravy and generous lashings of garlic powder ,salt and pepper. After the Baby Bellas were cooked for about fifteen minutes the spinach and kale were added.

This  was cooked for about ten minutes until soft and  turned a deep emerald green.

The end result was an amazing dinner. full of good for you ingredients and flavor.

It rreally was the perfect meal , so easy to create and just right for a frosty evening. You can vary it with a pinch of red pepper or cayenne. Add vegan sausages or any kind of meat for a heartier dinner. Better yet it was great for a hot lunch the next day.

This is the month for simple cooking and eating. Try this tasty saute with polenta rounds for a filling and easy dinner.It's a delicious way to kick back in the kitchen.

A Summer Veggie Treat Zucchini Boats

 Zucchini is one of those versatile summer vegatables.It can be cut into coins and sauted in oil and garlic. It can even be put into breads, cakes and muffins. The best way of having it is in stuffed boats. These are just delicious with a simple stuffing. Best of all they're relatively easy to make

Zucchini boats can have any stuffing you want. I chose just a simple one of breadcrumbs, oil, scooped out zucchini flesh and cherry tomatoes.Melt plant butter is slathered on the zucchini to make the stuffing stiick. It also gives the boats more flavor.

It's then slicing them in half lengthwise and scopping out the flesh witha melon baller. Save the flesh.

Keep in mind zucchini flesh is really solid and and at times tough. Yet a melon baller is your best bet in hollowing it out

It's then chopped into little pieces and adding  chopped grape tomatoes to them.

Mix these with  about a quarter of a cup of  olive oil and a cup of bread crumbs.

Then it was time for the seasoning. I used oregano and garlic powder but you can use anything, from coriander to cumin or even chili powder for some zing and flavor.

Mux all thix together in a large bowl.The  veggies should be moist from the oil and nicely coated with crumbs.

Unfortunately these were too big for my air fryer so they were cut in half.

Cook first for 360 degrees F for four minutes. Check on them, The zucchini flesh should be a green white halfway through.

Cook for four more minutes at the same temperature 360 degrees Farenheit. The skins should be a bright vibrant green and the breadcrumbs a nice golden brown.

These tasted so good. The tomatoes and zucchini worked well together , especially with the spices. I loved these and plan on making it again , maybe with vegan pepperoni or bacon.They're also good as appetizers for barbecues and pool parties too.

Zucchini boats are a treat during this squash season. Jump aboard and enjoy them. They're a great dinner or even party appetizer.

Add Fire To Your Barbecue

It's summer and it's barbecue time. By now many have gone to their grills, enjoying everything form grilled steak to chicken to veggies. Yet it's still the same flavors that need to be livened up. add some spice and fire to your barbecue for some tasty and exciting eating.

One of the most interesting spice blends is the berbere, a common ingredient in Ethiopian cuisine. I've just discovered it as it's one of the main seasonings in Ethiopian lentil stew.It can be found on Amazon but you can make it in your kitchen. It's a mix of paprika, dried New Mexico chilies,cayenne pepper, and dried ginger. fenugreek, cumin coriander and cinnamon are also added along with nutmeg, allspice , cloves and garlic and onion powders. Just gently whisk together. Use it as a rub for rib eye or flank steaks. Add it to hamburgers for some sweet, spicy zing. You can also use the spice as a rib for chicken legs and wings for a different kind of grill and it also works well with veggies such as eggplant. Jamaican cuisine is also tongue tingling . Add a jerk rub to any of your barbecue. Jerk is usually a mix of  powdered garlic and onion along with cumin, allspice, nutmeg, smoked paprika and cinnamon. Brown sugar is always for sweetness to cool down the fire a bit. Sometimes parsley and thyme are also thrown into the mix. Jerk can be used on any meat, mostly with chicken but you can also use it on fish such a snapper.

If you want' a different kind of spice mix is the North African harissa. This is a Tunisian hot chili paste which starts off with tomato paste as its' base. A blackened red pepper that's been skinned and seeded is added as are  toasted and ground coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds.Sauteed red onions  garlic  and chilies are mixed and then blended together to form A smooth , ketchup like paste. a squirt of lemon juice is added. Harissa can be used on chicken as a marinade. Just add some olive oil and let the pieces marinate for two to four hours or overnight.  You can also use it on summer grilled veggies too.It's a great way of using zucchini and eggplant from the garden.It's also good on grilled bell peppers, adding zing and fire.Of course there is the Buffalo hot wing sauce which can be used on other meats too. Start with Frank's red hot pepper sauce and  butter cooked with white vinegar and Worcester sauce.Cayenne pepper is added for bite and fire along with garlic powder and a pinch of sea salt. The sauce is then cooled and can be used as a marinade for wings and drums.  Reserve some for dipping later. Keep in mind that hot wing sauce can be used on steak too.

Add some fire to your grilling. A spicy rub or sauce is just the thing for giving meats and veggies much needed zest. Try them for a different spin on barbecuing.

My Big Focaccia Adventure

What do you do with a box of pancake mix?Turn it into a centuries old recipe. That's exactly what I did with my box of Trader Joe's Baking Mix.Pancakes aren't really our thing so I looked on the box , poring over the different recipes. Most called for flour  which I didn't want. One stood out - the focaccia .it looked easy enough and didn't have too many ingredients. What the hey - I decided to give it a shot.

First thing  - get a big bowl.I use the one, my Mom's  - the once I use to mix my frostings.

This was the perfect bowl to mix all of the below

Trader Joe's focaccia recipe calls for two cups of the mix, teaspoons of garlic powder and freshly cut rosemary along with yeast and olive oil. It does ask for basil which I omitted.Fresh basil can have a medicinal taste which can permeate bread.

This is the chopped rosemary

mixed with the garlic powder.

Added to  them is the mix and the yeast.

The wet ingredients are 3/4 cup of warm water and three tablespoons of good olive oil.

Using a wooden spoon, beat one hundred strokes.

The dough is really sticky and gooey.. 

Now it's time to rub olive oil in a cake pan which was too small.

Using the wooden spoon, spoon the dough into a nine inch (I used an eight and a half ) sized one and wrap in plastic wrap. The dough has to rise for half an hour in a warm place.  I used my range..

Except there was a slight problem. The dough threatened to rise over the edges. Quick change to a deep dish pie pan

Before baking I sprinkled more rosemary sprigs on top of the focaccia.

It was then baked for twenty minutes in a 425 degree F oven.

The beautiful finished product.

How was the texture and taste? The tetxure was very crumbly but the flavor was rich and redolent with rosemary.

I paired a slice with salami for a tasty and easy Saturday night dinner

Would I make it again? Maybe - but I'd cut down on the oil. and possibly add sliced olives.

It was a fun experiment , especially since I 've always wanted to make this classic Italian bread.Try it. It's a gateway recipe for more complex loaves.