Most beloved piece of cookware...

What is it?

What is my most versatile, favorite, admirable, adaptable, multi-faceted, functional piece of cookware? Oh... did I say favorite?! By far, it's this piece: Lodge cast iron square grill pan

I'm easy to please... just give me the cast iron grill pan and I'm set. THANK YOU!

I've used it weekly since I bought it... sometimes several meals in a row.

You want proof?! Here's how: grilled stuffed portobellos, grilled veggies, paninis, grilled toast.

And while I've got your attention, let me ask you a question: have you ever shopped at cooking.com ? It's a one-stop-shopping spot for everything cooking inspired! Check it out! I especially love reading other people's reviews of products before I buy them.

Also, Cooking.com can be easily found on both Facebook and Twitter... so there's no excuses to not check them out today! In fact, become a fan of theirs! I dare you!

advertising disclaimer: i have pledged, to the benefit of my 3 faithful readers, that if I ever receive compensation from a company about any corporate reviews, any of their products, etc that I will fully disclose that fact. this post is in response to a gift certificate offer to spend on their website. i've always been more than glad to provide my feedback, whether it's positive or negative... it's just how I work. and hey, if I'm going to get a gift certificate to spend more money at their store - SHOOT! no question about it... there, now it's disclosed. thank you for your faithful reading...



enjoy your time in the kitchen...

Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs...

So, my hero-of-a-hubby has decided to join me in the attempt to eat healthier, make better food choices and take the overall step to be healthier and lose some unnecessary weight.

We're taking small steps... by introducing ourselves to healthier alternatives. Tonight we did ground turkey meatballs, instead of ground beef. And we also did spaghetti squash instead of pasta noodles.

We know this is going to be an acquired taste... because it isn't truly an easy change to make.

However, we ate everything in front of us...


So, here we have it... a spaghetti squash.



It's easy enough to prepare... in fact, the roasted instructions can fit on the small label slapped on the face of this puppy. See?



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F... and then cut the squash in half, length-wise. (Get the BIG knife. Trust me.)



Then scoop out the seeds and other "goop" from inside. (Yes, that's the technical term.)







Sprinkle a little salt inside and roast it up... flat side down, for about 45 minutes.



And for the sauce... I used part roasted tomatoes (I had one more scrumptious container in the freezer) and part leftover sauce from a Halloween party (thanks Dawn!).


And I made my "Go To Meatballs" to give it all some heft. (My hero-of-a-hubby requires heft!) (See recipe below.) But like I said, tonight I used ground turkey instead of ground beef.


These meatballs are baked, and not fried. Another healthier choice!








When the 45 mins is up, turn the squash over and roast it for another 15 or 20 mins (or until the flesh is tender, a fork slides in and out of it easily). I added a small pat of butter and some more salt/pepper for some additional taste.





And here comes the fun part...

And like I said, it's all pretty easy. Take a fork, and pull the fork towards you, pulling the flesh of the squash through the tines. And have fun while you're doing it...



Scrape out all of the meat of the squash, down to the outer skin of the squash.





Stir it up well to combine the seasonings and butter... and dish up like you would spaghetti.



Top the squash with sauce and meatballs... top with a little freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve up to a happy home. It really is good...

But my hero-of-a-hubby said it might still take some time to get used to it. However, let it be known (here I am - sending it out into the blog universe and sharing it with the whole world) he ate it all and he said it was better than he expected.



I think we may have a winner here...


So here is the recipe for the yummy meatballs, like I promised...


Lori Jean's "Go To" Meatballs

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)
½ medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 egg
½ tablespoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
pinch ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ cup heavy cream
1 ½ cups Panko bread crumbs

Instructions
In a large bowl combine beef, onion, egg, allspice, nutmeg, salt/pepper and heavy cream. Mix until well combined. With wet hand, shape mixture into 1" balls. Roll balls in panko bread crumbs & place side by side in a shallow baking pan; cover & chill for at least 2 hours. You should have about 20-25 meatballs.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 min., or until brown - turn the meatballs after 15 min.


enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: Grilled Stuffed Portobello

It's Sunday... and you know what that means! I'm playing in the kitchen!

Turn on the grill and get ready for a REALLY yummy lunch (or dinner)...



This is where I started... my special garlic infused olive oil, parsley and basil from my garden, an heirloom tomato, a lemon, soy sauce and a few other things...

But first let me show you some of the bounty of my garden: italian flat-leaf parsley and african blue basil.



The basil is so fancy that it deserves a fancy chiffonade...



It's so fancy we're going to make confetti out of it...







Set it aside... we'll use it later.

Next we mix together the goods that are gonna go inside the grilled portobello: cheese, tomato, black pepper and some of that yummy oil.



Prep that portobello...



Take out the stem, scoop out the gills and clean it up...







And then it gets some great flavor ...







To the grill we go (or, in this case, the panini pan... the most versatile tool in my kitchen)...



Stem side down to start with... then give her a flip... and fill her up...





Sprinkle with basil and cover for the last couple of minutes grilling. This will help the cheese melt faster and partly steam the tomatoes... mmm...



Serving it up with bread is a must... because the mushroom will leave behind some amazing juices that you'll want to sop up. Just trust me on this one...




But trust me soon... because you want to make one within the week. Especially while the GOOD tomatoes are still in season.






Grilled Stuffed Portobello
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
2 portobello mushrooms
1 medium heirloom tomato, diced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon garlic-infused olive oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Juice from one lemon
Fresh parsley, chiffonade
Fresh basil, chiffonade

Instructions
Prepare the grill. Combine cheese, tomatoes, black pepper and ½ teaspoon of oil. Remove stems and gills from inside of Portobello. Mix together soy sauce, other ½ teaspoon of olive oil and juice from one lemon. Brush both sides of Portobello with soy mixture. Place Portobello on hot grill, stem side down. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes and turn over. Once turned over, fill each Portobello with tomato and cheese mixture. Sprinkle basil on top. Cover with domed lid and allow to cook for another 3 – 5 minutes. After cooking, sprinkle with parsley. Serve with bread, to sop up the juices that run off the Portobello.




enjoy your time in the kitchen...

RECIPE: Saffron Risotto and sauteed Mahi Mahi with anchovy dressing

Well, I wasn't sure I could get my hubby to eat this dish. I was going out on the ledge with so many vegetables! And I simply didn't think he would be OK with the anchovy dressing.

But eat it he did! AND he enjoyed it...


Confession time: I may or may not have told him what the sauce was called before he ate it. OK, I did tell him... and he wasn't as weirded out by it as I thought he'd be. Then I broke it to him that there are anchovies in a classic caesar salad dressing.





Starting with the risotto... thank you Mario Batali for giving me a recipe to start with. I'll be tweaking it a little in the future. Hope you don't mind...

I've been waiting to make this risotto ever since I bought saffron. And I'd been waiting to buy saffron ever since I ate at CinCin! in Poway, California. It was there that we enjoyed an appetizer that was my inspiration.

So come with me on a journey... and every journey begins with the first step.

Here is the first step... sweating the onions.

Then I added the saffron to the hot chicken stock so it would infuse the flavor nicely.



Next add the arborio rice to the onion and oil, stirring well to make sure all of the grains are coated with oil. Let the rice toast up for several minutes...





... add a little wine, a good dry white wine. The wine will evaporate pretty quickly but leave behind a really great flavor.

Then the process of ladling starts. And get ready for some stirring...



Look at that color! I can't wait to eat this!

Keep ladling... one ladle at a time...

Yes, just keep stirring...



To break up the monotony a little I'll take a break and get the veggies started. Tonight I'm grilling these in my panini pan. But first I tossed them in a little bit of olive oil and kosher salt.





AAAANNNNND... we're back to ladling and stirring...





And more ladling and stirring... I know that my persistence will eventually pay off! I just know it...



In the meantime, it was time to start the mahi mahi. I sauteed it in just a little bit of oil and butter, seasoned with some kosher salt.



After checking the risotto, giving it a taste and checking for doneness, I put the final touches on the risotto (nothing like a lil' butter and parmesan to top it all off!).

Still stirring... but almost done.



...and then it was ready!



And this is where the anchovy dressing comes into the picture. It will get ladled over the fish once it's all plated up.



Can I have another piece of mahi mahi now?! That dressing is so darn GOOD!!!

Saffron Risotto aka Risotto Milanese
Recipe courtesy Mario Batali

Ingredients
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, cut into ¼” dice
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
2 cups chicken stock, hot
1 cups arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for sprinkling

Instructions
In a 12-14" skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile add the saffron to the stock, stirring to infuse. Once the onions are translucent add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until toasted and opaque, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the wine to the toasting rice, and then add a 4-6 ounce ladle of the saffron-infused stock and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed. Continue adding the stock a ladle at a time, waiting until the liquid is absorbed before adding more. Cook until the rice is tender and creamy and yet still a little al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir in the butter and cheese until well mixed. Serve as desired... makes two "healthy" portions.

enjoy your time in the kitchen...