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I have been craving red velvet cake. Perhaps I'm too lazy to go to a store to purchase it in cupcake form, but I had another idea in which to get my fix. Red Velvet Pancakes! In the December 2012 issue of Southern Living Magazine they gave recipes for some really fabulous pancakes such as German Chocolate, Carrot Cake, Caramel Cake, Hummingbird, Red Velvet and Italian Cream. The Red Velvet are to die for!
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As I previously mentioned, I have some London broil leftover. So this evening my husband will get his cheese steak sandwich for supper. I was feeling ambitious, so I decided to make a small batch of potato salad to go along with it.

Using a friend's recipe, I modified it for just the two of us. Recipe after the jump.
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One of my favorite New York City events is their semi annual Restaurant Week. This summer, Restaurant Week is July 25th to August 19th. At participating restaurants you can have a three course lunch ($29) and/or dinner ($42) at some of the best eateries in Manhattan. 

This year I've book Park Avenue Summer, which I have been to twice before. I was there with my husband in the fall and we had an enjoyable brunch. This year we are booked a weekday for lunch. Some of the restaurants that I have been to are A Voce Madison, Ai Fiori, Quality Meats (not on this year's list), Blue Smoke (Gramercy/Flat Iron), Becco and David Burke Kitchen to name a few. 

One of the best ways to book a table is through a website called Open Table. It's free to enroll and the beauty of this website is that you earn 100 points for each reservation that you book and honor your reservation. After you earn 2000 points you can redeem them for a $20 dining certificate. This service is not only for Manhattan, but cities across our country and around the world. However, check out their website for specific details. 

By the way, American Express has a special promotion going on during restaurant week. Read how you can get $5 back on a single transaction of $35 or more when using your enrolled AMEX card. 
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Since I didn't make the London broil on Monday, I thought today would be a good day to do this and have few friends over to share the meal.

This morning before heading out the door, I prepared my marinade for the Grilled Marinated London Broil, from the May 1996 issue of Gourmet Magazine. It didn't take too long to peel a few cloves of garlic and place everything in a small container to have the blender do all the work. To go along with this, I was also making  Ina Garten's Confetti Corn, which I had seen her prepare on one of her Food Network episodes. Jersey corn is coming in now and I thought this would be a good addition to the meal.  I had some russet and yams in the basement, so roasted potato wedges would round out the meal.
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Last evening I gathered a group of former colleagues of mine for a get together. Based on my son and his girlfriend's recommendation, we tried a new restaurant in Belmar called Twisted Tapas. The restaurant is open just 12 days, as one of the owners, Carey Martin, mentioned to us, and I hope it goes for 12 years and more! Twisted Tapas in is the former Tulipano space on Main Street. What a delightful space. The tables are well spaced and as added bonus, they take reservations, a must during the summer at the Jersey shore, and it's BYOB.
 
​When we arrived, the first couple in our group was already there. One of the owners, Carey Martin, was showing them their outdoor patio behind the restaurant. I had heard that Tulipano's had a garden, but I didn't realize how big it was and the beautiful tree in the center, which cools off the patio. Our server, Brian, was most congenial and promptly set us up with wine glasses, a water pitcher and soft drinks for those of not drinking wine.
 
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I mentioned in my previous post that had my daughter and son-in-law not left early on July 4th, I already had a dinner in mind. However, I was left with a dilemma as to what to make for my husband and I. Off to Wegmans I went and I picked up a bag of fresh mussels (2 lbs. for $6.99) and a jar of their smooth marinara sauce.

I must admit, this was the lazy man's out, however, in the past when I have done this it was great. However, it's all about the sauce. Before their demise, A&P use to sell jar tomato sauce made with New Jersey tomatoes that was seasoned just right. However, now that they are gone, I tried Wegmans sauce. It was too thick and lacked the type of seasoning I would prefer on mussels, a touch of spice. I was going to use my homemade fresh tomato sauce, but I thought it would have been too thin, but in hindsight, I should have gone with my gut on this one.

The preparation for this couldn't have been easier. Place a bag of mussels in a 10-12"diameter shallow sauté  pan, pour tomato sauce over it, cover and simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until the mussels open. Perhaps the next time I might try one of Lidia's recipes, Mussel Brodetto, which has a cooking time of just 10 minutes. 
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My daughter and son-in-law left before dinner on July 4th, but had they stayed, I brought out an old recipe that I haven't done in awhile.

​While glancing through the weekly food flyers, I noticed that Foodtown of Wall had London Broil on sale. I switched from cooking London Broil to flank steak, but even the price of flank steak has risen. Therefore, I thought I would try cooking a London Broil again. The recipe I dug up was from Gourmet, May 1996 for Grilled Marinated London Broil. This particular recipe was part of a menu that included Grilled Red Onions with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary and Yellow Pepper Orzo Gratin.
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I apologize for the delay, but here is the recipe for the pasta salad. I purchase Barilla tricolored fusilli, which comes in 12 oz.  boxes. For this weekend, I've made a double batch. Also, I roast my own peppers. Now you can either roast the peppers over the gas flame of your stove or under the broiler, but I prefer to roast them outside on my gas grill.
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I recently received a comment from reader that they made the tomato sauce and added the 1 tablespoon of salt that the recipe calls for. After tasting the sauce, they found it too salty. My reader went on to say that they added a can of tomato sauce to dilute the saltiness. Placing a piece of raw potato in something such as soup, and perhaps tomato sauce, will absorb the salt. 

Please note, that the recipe I posted was as it was written in "Naples at Table." In the future, I will make note of any adjustment I've made to a recipe which I think you may find helpful. When I make fresh tomato sauce, I use 1 teaspoon of salt; then adjust accordingly. 


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I am working today through Sunday and with daughter and husband coming for the weekend, I need to do a little of prepping.

First on the list was more cookies. Of all the cookies I've baked, peanut butter cookies are not my favorite. However, my husband and son-in-law can devour them. Using a recipe from the King Arthur Flour website, I made a batch of Classic Peanut Butter Cookies. I also made Toll House Chocolate Chip batter, which I will bake off tomorrow. ​


​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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