DECEMBER 7 2011
DECEMBER! OH CRAP! I was already stressing about getting everything done before the gluttony of Thanksgiving and a lovely trip to Cali delayed me even more. But, rest assured, it was totally worth it. I mean, I love Thanksgiving leftovers more than just about anything so no way I'm cooking anything else. And seeing my little sis graduate from grad school was just about the best thing ever and fully worth any delays (love ya, sis!).
But that leaves me with less than a month and, after today, 27 recipes. EEEP! We can eat nothing but Frankies from now on! I am reserving 9 of them for the Grand Finale Sunday Sauce Party, so will not worry about them right now. (Yep, I am already planning Sunday Sauce. Even got a schedule...)
Today I picked a quick and easy pasta dish I could toss together after work with little stress. This clam pasta can supposedly be made in the time it takes to cook the pasta.
Maybe, I thought, I should try to make all the recipes in this cookbook. Yes!!
Saturday
SIXTY-SEVEN : ESCAROLE & CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP
NOVEMBER 26 2011
Why am I so bad at dried beans? I leapt out of bed at 8am realizing I was supposed to soak the damn beans for 8 hours before starting the soup (which then had to simmer for 2 hours). But I only had 4-1/2 hours before the Civil War & soup eating started. Dang, dang, dang. I let them soak in hot water for about 2 hours, then put them in a pot to simmer for about an hour before starting the soup.
The soup itself is pretty basic. Saute the holy trinity of carrot, onion and celery until softened. Add the beans along with veggie broth and a bay leaf then simmer 2 hours (or in my case, however long it takes for the beans to be done). So where does the escarole come into this equation? Well, that is the pain in the ass part of this recipe; the escarole has to be cooked separately then added to the soup.
Why am I so bad at dried beans? I leapt out of bed at 8am realizing I was supposed to soak the damn beans for 8 hours before starting the soup (which then had to simmer for 2 hours). But I only had 4-1/2 hours before the Civil War & soup eating started. Dang, dang, dang. I let them soak in hot water for about 2 hours, then put them in a pot to simmer for about an hour before starting the soup.
The soup itself is pretty basic. Saute the holy trinity of carrot, onion and celery until softened. Add the beans along with veggie broth and a bay leaf then simmer 2 hours (or in my case, however long it takes for the beans to be done). So where does the escarole come into this equation? Well, that is the pain in the ass part of this recipe; the escarole has to be cooked separately then added to the soup.
 |
| Add caption |
Sunday
SIXTY-SIX : ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
NOVEMBER 20 2011
If it seems like my posts are coming fast and furious these days, it's because they are. Last week I thought I would make a fun little list of the recipes I have left to complete before The Sunday Sauce Event at the end of the year - and when I was done, I got pretty darn worried. Even taking out the ones I am saving for TSSE, I realized I need to step up my game.
I also discovered that my math skills apparently suck during the lazy days of summer because, per my current count, there are 94 recipes total, not 89 as previously stated (how did I miss 5 whole recipes!). So I kicked my butt into gear and since then have crossed 4 recipes off that list, including the butternut squash soup we had tonight.
Here we have another super simple recipe.
If it seems like my posts are coming fast and furious these days, it's because they are. Last week I thought I would make a fun little list of the recipes I have left to complete before The Sunday Sauce Event at the end of the year - and when I was done, I got pretty darn worried. Even taking out the ones I am saving for TSSE, I realized I need to step up my game.
I also discovered that my math skills apparently suck during the lazy days of summer because, per my current count, there are 94 recipes total, not 89 as previously stated (how did I miss 5 whole recipes!). So I kicked my butt into gear and since then have crossed 4 recipes off that list, including the butternut squash soup we had tonight.
Here we have another super simple recipe.
Saturday
SIXTY-FIVE : EGGPLANT MARINARA W/ MOZZARELLA SANDWICH
NOVEMBER 19 2011
It's probably so predictable that once I spend most of the afternoon baking a big dish of eggplant marinara from page 137, I will then take the leftovers and make the eggplant marinara sandwiches on page 58. Duh! Especially since there were only two of us taking on 6 huge servings so we had tons of leftovers.
Per my amazing plan, after watching multiple hours of football (the Beavs actually won!), I refueled us with a couple big, hot, delicious sandwiches. So easy too! Just chop up a cup of marinara per sandwich and warm it in a skillet. Once it's "too hot to the touch", it's heaped onto the ciabatta rolls and the whole hot mess is covered with a thick topping of fresh mozzarella. That's it. Eat it!
It's probably so predictable that once I spend most of the afternoon baking a big dish of eggplant marinara from page 137, I will then take the leftovers and make the eggplant marinara sandwiches on page 58. Duh! Especially since there were only two of us taking on 6 huge servings so we had tons of leftovers.
Per my amazing plan, after watching multiple hours of football (the Beavs actually won!), I refueled us with a couple big, hot, delicious sandwiches. So easy too! Just chop up a cup of marinara per sandwich and warm it in a skillet. Once it's "too hot to the touch", it's heaped onto the ciabatta rolls and the whole hot mess is covered with a thick topping of fresh mozzarella. That's it. Eat it!
Friday
SIXTY-FOUR : EGGPLANT MARINARA
NOVEMBER 18 2011
I know what you're thinking... "didn't you already make eggplant marinara?" It's true, I did. But that was the shortcut version for losers who can't plan 8 hours in advance for dinner. THIS is the REAL DEAL. Thankfully, I already had the 3 cups of tomato sauce waiting in the freezer, so dinner tonight only took a completely reasonable 4 hours.
Not much changes, really, from the shortcut version except this one bakes for an entirely rational 3-1/2 hours instead of one sad, paltry hour. Plus the sauce is the full recipe instead of a quickie made by poor planners who are willing to accept a sub-par meal.
I know what you're thinking... "didn't you already make eggplant marinara?" It's true, I did. But that was the shortcut version for losers who can't plan 8 hours in advance for dinner. THIS is the REAL DEAL. Thankfully, I already had the 3 cups of tomato sauce waiting in the freezer, so dinner tonight only took a completely reasonable 4 hours.
 |
| thank you, Past Day, for making me this sauce |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
