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Recently www.nj.com did a ranking of the best Italian food in the state. There was an array of pasta dishes, seafood, assorted meat entrees and the number one dish was “Stretch’s Chicken Savoy” from the Belmont Tavern on Bloomfield Avenue,.  in the Silver Lake section of Belleville, adjacent to Newark’s North Ward. The Belmont Tavern has been around since 1967.
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​Every family should have at its disposal nutritious, easy to prepare meals. Here are two that my husband and I recently enjoyed. We both could eat pasta every night of the week. Recently  I found on the NYT Cooking website, a recipe for  Butternut Squash Pasta with Bacon and Parmesan. The recipe serves 4 to 6; for us it became a quick encore meal.
 
For the recipe you’ll need butternut squash, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, red onion, thick sliced bacon, short twisty pasta (campanelle or cavatappi), Parmesan cheese, fresh chives and fresh parsley. For my preparation I changed the bacon to finely diced pancetta I purchased at my local food store.  
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​I’m delighted to report that I was the recipient of the “Big Game Giveaway” by Alexian Pates. I won a set of beer car glasses and 4 packages of pâtés. The first package I opened was Truffle Mousse made with pork, turkey and chicken liver, sherry, truffles, wild mushrooms and spices. This delicious pâté was delightful on its own, served with cornichons and oil cured olives. I also served it atop a succulent New York strip steak for a decadent Valentine’s Day dinner. For breakfast one morning, I made two scrambled eggs for my husband with two patties formed from Alexian’s Duck Rillette. I have two other packages remaining,  Pheasant & Rosemary and Duck Liver Mousse with Cognac. I have a pamphlet with serving suggestions that I can’t wait to try. 
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​Because of work or family obligations, I’m finding sheet pan meals are a quick option for me and, hopefully, those people short on time. With some planning, you can still prepare a home cooked meal with minimal time and effort. You’ll need handful of recipes for the week, a  shopping list with all ingredients needed; then either shop in person or online.
 
This past Sunday, the At Home section of “The New York Times” had two terrific recipes. Spicy Sheet-Pan Sausage and Squash and Sheet-Pan Chicken with Potatoes, Scallions and Capers. The first recipe took 30 minutes and the latter 40. 
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​I feel like the queen of sheet pan meals. I got started cooking this way last year, when the New York Times prepared a supplement called, “One Pot |Pan| Skillet, 24 Brilliant  Recipes for Everyone Who Hates Doing the Dishes.” This time, Lidey Heuck has created a recipe called Sheet-Pan Sausages with Caramelized Shallots and Apples. 
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I finally found a chocolate chip cookie that comes out of the oven crisp! In a recent episode of America’s Test Kitchen, they were demonstrating Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies. The difference between this recipe and traditional Toll House is the use of cake flour, melted butter, egg yolks and a bit of milk. Since this was the first time, I was making these cookies, I decided to make my own cake flour by swapping out 2 tablespoons of flour for cornstarch. I debated purchasing mini chips, but opted to chopped regular chips. I didn’t want to purchase new ingredients for just one recipe that I may not prepare again. However, the cookies came out as the name said, crisp. I did find them not as sweet as Toll House. My husband likened these to a Chips Ahoy Cookie. I’m still debating whether to make this recipe again
​Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
From the TV show “America’s Test Kitchen” on public TV
Season 13 – Never Enough Chocolate
   
Thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies are a classic, but their thin, crunchy, butterscotch-y cousins deserve a spot in the cookie jar, too.
 
SERVES Makes 16 cookies
 
TIME: 1 hour, plus 20 minutes cooling
 
INGREDIENTS
1 ¼ cups (5 ounces) cake flour
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces) granulated sugar
⅓ cup packed (2⅓ ounces) dark brown sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 ½ tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup (4 1/2 ounces) mini semisweet chocolate chips
 
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Note that this recipe calls for cake flour and mini (not full-size) chocolate chips.
 
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in bowl.
 
 
  1. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on low speed until fully combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is lightened in color, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low; add egg yolks, milk, and vanilla; and mix until combined. Slowly add flour mixture and mix until just combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Using rubber spatula, stir in chocolate chips.
 
  1. Using greased 1-tablespoon measure, divide dough into 16 heaping-tablespoon portions on prepared sheets, 8 portions per sheet. Divide any remaining dough evenly among portions. Using your moistened fingers, press dough portions to ½-inch thickness. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until deep golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheet for 20 minutes. Serve. (Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
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​A wonderful, hearty wintertime meal to prepare are short ribs. Balsamic Braised Short Ribs requires 30 minutes of  hands-on prep time and has minimal ingredients that add a tremendous amount of flavor. Besides the short ribs you’ll need, salt and pepper, olive oil, shallots, balsamic vinegar, red wine, light brown sugar and beef or chicken stock. Once you have all the ingredients prepped and, in the pan, the meat braises for 2 hours. 
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​Scones are a delightful little snack to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee or just alone. Depending on the recipe, scones can be cakey and sweet or lightly sweet with a firm crumb. Personally, I prefer a lightly sweet with a bit of chew.

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It’s February 1st and I’ve been feeling inspired since the year began. With today’s storm, it’s a good time for me to catch up on all the delicious things I’ve been making.
 
First of all, with Valentine’s Day coming up, I’ve been searching my files for some tempting chocolate indulgences and  I came across a recipe for Double Chocolate Scones that appeared in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine back in April1997. ​
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​It’s a new year, but I’m finding recipes in my box that I can’t believe I haven’t shared with you!
 
Many, many years ago I received a recipe card from The New York Times/Margrace Corp. for Chicken with Tarragon, a 60-Minute Gourmet recipe. Since it’s labeled 60-Minute Gourmet and from The New York Times, I’ll assume it’s a Pierre Franey recipe.
 
For the recipe you’ll need a split whole chicken (I used bone-in chicken breasts), salt, pepper, butter, shallots, fresh or dried tarragon, dry white wine and water (I used chicken stock to reinforce the chicken flavor). This recipe comes together in about 30 minutes. The chicken came out moist and delicious and the accompanying sauce was light and flavorful from the infusion of the shallots and tarragon. My husband enjoyed the preparation very much.


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

​If you have questions or comments, click on the envelope icon above to contact me directly. 

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