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​Several weeks ago, I was watching Cook’s Country on a public broadcasting channel where they prepared shrimp burgers. The recipe was easy to prepare and they looked absolutely delicious. It’s always interesting to find new ways to prepare seafood besides frying, broiling or cooking en papillote (in parchment paper pouch). 
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Putting together a meal is all about planning, organization and execution. Here in New Jersey, food flyers arrive in the mail on Thursday for sales starting on Friday or Monday. Whole Foods sales are uploaded on their website or app Wednesday morning and go through the following Tuesday. You look what’s on sale, find a recipe that can be done in under 45 minutes, purchase the ingredients and you’ll have a quick, nutritious meal. There are many websites that can provide you with quick and easy recipes and I find The NY Times Cooking app and epicurious.com very good resources. You also need to have pantry staples in which to make this process easier too. 
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The first time I had been to Lincoln Center was at a performance at the Metropolitan Opera House during Christmastime. Our son was visiting from Florida, where was working at the time, and we took he and his sister to see Hansel and Gretel.  The opera house is impressive in its grandeur and elegant chandeliers. On the back of the seats there is a digital screen that provides translation in several languages of the opera. Since then, my husband and I have seen Madame Butterfly, La Boheme and La Traviata to name a few. This past spring, we saw Rigoletto. This version was updated taking place in Las Vegas in 1960’s.  It had colorful staging with lots of neon lights, costumes and even colorful characters.

We have also been to Lincoln Center Theater. The theater is designed so that the seating is almost in the round. The stage doesn’t seem as high as other theaters, so the audience feels closer to the performance. We have seen War Horse, South Pacific and recently the revival of My Fair Lady starring Laura Benanti and Harry Hadden-Paton. Following the Sunday matinee show, we went to Bar Boulud for dinner. Bar Boulud is a short walk from Lincoln Center at Broadway and 64th Street. We had previously had lunch there in late winter prior to seeing Rigoletto. 
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Our local food store, ShopRite, has on special again this week, wild, live caught lobsters (1 to 1-1/4 pounds) for $8.99/lb., or $6.99/lb. if you have a PricePlus card. I purchased these lobsters a few weeks ago and made lobster mac’n cheese. This time, I wanted to try making a lobster roll. The only lobster roll I’ve ever had was made by Luke’s Lobster when my daughter brought me to their first shop in the East Village of New York. Luke’s Lobster works with the lobstermen bringing the highest quality seafood they find to their seafood company and then shipping directly to their “shacks.”
 
I just so happened to be doing an internet search for Luke’s recipe. I found the recipe on the Today Show, Oprah and Martha Stewart websites. I was so happy I was able to find it. Luke’s is different as the lobster meat isn’t mixed with mayonnaise, which makes it light and delicious.
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While straightening out my freezer, I came across a piece of pork tenderloin that I purchased a month or two ago. This was a good start for dinner. I also had two yams that were in my basement for a couple of weeks so they too needed to be eaten.
 
I searched the Williams-Sonoma website’s recipe link for the ingredients I had. I found one for molasses-glazed pork roast and sweet potatoes. Fortunate for me, I keep molasses, red pepper flakes, Dijon mustard, olive oil, shallots and Williams-Sonoma concentrate chicken stock in the house. I also needed fresh rosemary, which is in my garden. 
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I would have never thought of it, but poultry and pork work nicely together. I was at a loss as to what to prepare for supper last night. I wasn’t getting any inspiration from the weekly circulars, so I did an internet research for chicken recipes. I found recipes for roasted chicken, chicken Parmesan and a recipe for chicken and sausage bites with apple cider vinegar sauce. Hmm, the last one sounded interesting. A visit to my local Pastosa and a chat with Giovanni, where I picked up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and Italian pork sausage links with fennel. Also, needed for the recipe was garlic, onion, extra-virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes and, of course, apple cider vinegar. I had only a small amount left, but I love De Nigris Premium Aged Apple Vinegar from Modena. It’s so smooth tasting. 
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It’s been just over a week since my last blog post. I’ve cooked two new dishes and prepared some old favorites. First I prepared a delicious fish entree using locally caught striped bass that a neighbor shared with me. Using my Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen cookbook I prepared Lidia’s Fillet of Fresh Cod with Lemon-Parsley Sauce, swapping out the cod for striped bass. Next, my son-law-law makes a mean Lobster Mac’n Cheese using a recipe from Ina Garten. Last week and again this week, my local ShopRite has wild caught live lobsters on sale for $10.99/lb., or with a Price Plus card, $6.99/lb. I couldn’t resist not trying the recipe myself. And finally, I also made seared sea scallops. The price of local sea scallops is remaining low at $14.99/lb. My son alerted me to a one day special on Memorial Day at Wegmans where the scallops were just $9.99/lb.! Lucky for me I was headed there. ​
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I find cooking relaxing and I love to share the food I prepare with my family.  I am really enjoying Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen cookbook. Lidia Bastianich wrote this book back in 2001. I have now prepared several chicken recipes from this book and they were all wonderful.
 
The recipes from this book are a bit lighter on the palate and not as heavy as some other Italian dishes. Chicken Breast Valdostano has simple, but delicious ingredients and is quite easy to prepare. Besides the chicken breast you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup of dry white wine (Pinot Grigio is suggested), chicken stock, 1/2 cup of seeded and crushed canned Italian tomatoes (San Marzano suggested), Italian prosciutto, Italian fontina cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. 


​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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