frousins ±

Despite living hundreds of miles away from my homeland, I have had a bang-up run of frousin visits in the past six months.  I am so lucky! 

First I got to see the lovely and inimitable Sara Butler (#65/66 of the Flatley cousins) for a very brief hug at her capital hill office in September.

Then I got  to see her sister, my cousin Meghan Butler (#63),  when she visited Chicago and Northwestern in October.  We have very similar jobs so we even got to call this a work visit.

Then, last week, I had the lovely Callie T. and her adorable boyfriend Rob Tepe over for dinner.  Cal is the youngest of the four superstars born to my cousin Patti Pomer (#5) and her greatly-missed-late-husband, Mike T.  Cal went to school in Dayton and (wisely) chose to move to Chicago after she graduated, so we have her come up to Etown for dinner semi-regularly. 

(If you're interested, I am #33/66 of the Flatley cousins (SUCH a middle child), Cal is #20/137 in generation number three and my kids are #s 47, 58 & 77! Thanks to Ellie Corey (#19) for keeping track!)

My cousin Patti is one of my favorite people on earth

so it's such a treat to get to know Cal. 

She is a sparkling gem, so funny and grounded and adorable and real.

 

(we all sort of have the same face, don't we? hers is way younger and way cuter, but still)

It was a cold winter night so I went with good old-fashioned homemade spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread and a big green salad.  Not my fanciest offering ever, but it was yummy and homey and they at least politely pretended they liked it.

The evening took a dramatic turn when, during dinner, we all suddenly realized that the garlic bread was, quite literally, on fire!  Callie had inadvertently set the basket and its cloth napkin too close to the votive candle and suddenly there were flames.  Rob articulated what we all experienced:
"I looked up and thought, wow, that garlic bread is HOT!  It's smoking!  Wait, it's ON FIRE!"  Fortunately, a quick removal and douse in the sink ensured safety for all and a great story forever.

Next time we'll omit the table candles.  

Can't wait to see these cuties again!

Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs 

loosely adapted from Rachael Ray's  Food Network recipe

 

Finely chop 1 large onion 

Mix it with 2-1/2 lbs ground sirloin, 4 tsp Worcestershire, 3-4 cloves chopped garlic, 1 beaten egg, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, salt & pepper

When you, in panic and disbelief, realize you have no parmesan, call  your next door neighbors who break off a chunk from the giant wheel they have in their fridge.

Thanks Ann & Chuck - that's their kitchen window, directly opposite mine.

Roll the mixture into good-sized meatballs - 2 inches or so?  and arrange on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 for about 12 minutes, until firm and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, heat some water and cook up and drain your pasta.  I did 2 lbs for 7 of us.

And get the sauce going.

In a large saucepan heat up a couple TBSP olive oil and sautee:

1 finely chopped large onion & lots of chopped garlic - until onions are translucent

Add 

2 lg cans crushed tomatoes

1-1/2 (ish) cups beef stock

couple handfuls chopped parsley

about 20 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

salt & pepper

Bring to a simmer and cook about 1/2 hour.  

When you take the meatballs out of the oven, add them to the sauce and simmer it all together a bit.

voila!

Another super delicious meal I made this week was Korean Grilled Chicken Breasts.

I've been obsessed with Korean food lately and am determined to learn how to make more of it.  

This was a good starter.  it came from Skinnytaste.com and was really easy and delish.

Korean Grilled Chicken Breasts

• 1 pound (2) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, plus more for topping
• 2 thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts

Place the chicken breasts, 1 at a time, in a Ziploc bag. Pound the chicken breast to an even thickness, about ½ inch thick, being careful not to puncture the bag.

Combine the soy sauce, apple sauce, onion, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, if using and sesame seeds.  Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade and transfer the remainder to the Ziploc bag with the chicken. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour.

Over medium-high heat, grill the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn the chicken, spoon the reserved ¼ cup of marinade over each breast and grill an addition 2 to 3 minutes.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions. 

Enjoy!!

Roasts and Resolutions

Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a happy holiday and is ready for 2016 in all its smashing goodness.

We had a lovely, long, lazy break around here.  Lots of family time, movies, reading, drinking and eating.

We had most of the Vasko gang over for new year's day and talked about resolutions.  I get sort of defeatist about resolutions:  a year is SUCH a long time to stay resolved, you know?  But, on the other hand, it's good to make goals.  On previous years I've lined up a physical, intellectual and spiritual goal. This year?  a vague desire to spend less time on Facebook.  So far.  But as we discussed at dinner, goals need to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time dependent).

Sooooo, let's see.....

I resolve to get on Facebook or other social media no more than twice a day.
I resolve to read four works of non-fiction.
I resolve to do one race (tri or half marathon) or one CF competition this year.
I resolve to drink more rosé.  (not SMART, by any definition, but i like rosé and one has to have some fun, doesn't one?)

There.  I've done it.  What are your goals?

Meanwhile, a couple winter treats to get this snow fest started.  Happy 2016, friends!

Ina's Chipotle Rosemary Roasted Nuts

 Brush a sheet pan with cooking oil, then 

3 cups raw unsalted cashews

2 cups whole walnut halves

2 cups whole pecan halves

1/2 cup whole almonds, raw

 Combine 

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

and 2 tsp chipotle chili sauce

  and add to the nuts on the sheet pan. Toss to coat the nuts evenly. 

 Add 2 tablespoons of the rosemary and 2 teaspoons of salt and toss again.

 Roast in a heated 350 oven for 25 minutes, stirring with a spatula once.  Take out and add 2 more tsp salt and 2 more tsp chopped fresh rosemary. Let cool, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.  Store in airtight container.

 On New Year's Day, when we had the Vasko gang over,  I served a yummy winter meal:  Melissa D'Arabian's braised pork.  It's basically pot roast made with pork instead of beef and it is delicious and your house will smell so good you will want to eat it.

Succulent Pot Roast-style pork shoulder

Cut a 2-lb boneless pork shoulder into 6 pieces (I doubled it. Duh) Pat it dry, salt & pepper it and then sear it in a large heavy pot in 2 Tbsp hot olive oil.  Brown on all sides, about 10 min.

Transfer to a plate and set aside.

 Add 2 finely chopped celery stalks, 1 finely chopped onion and 1 large diced carrot to the pot and cook, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in 2 Tbsp tomato paste and cook about 3 minutes.

  Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp flour and cook another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

 we call this polka dot wine.  it's really good. 

 Whisk in 1 cup dry red wine and simmer until it's reduced by half, about 3-4 minutes.

 Return the pork to the pot and stir in 1-1/2 cups beef broth. 

 Add 2 bay leaves

 Add a bunch of flat leaf parsley stems, tied with kitchen twine.  If you don't have kitchen twine (ahem), macgyver some sort of system with the long, soft stems.  

 If the liquid in the pot doesn't cover the pork, add enough water to just rise above the top of the pork.  Bring the liquid to a simmer, turn off the heat, cover and place the pot in the oven for about 3 hours, until pork shreds easily with a fork.  Your house will smell incredible. 

You can serve the pork on a platter with the sauce on the side or the whole shebang over rice.

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

And don't forget the delicious sangria!!  My favorite recipe:

Sangria

2. 2 bottles chilled dry red wine
3. 1 cup cognac
4. 1/2 cup Triple Sec or Cointreau
5. 1/3 cup superfine granulated sugar, or to taste
6. 1 orange, sliced thin
7. 1 lemon, sliced thin
8. 2 cups chilled seltzer or club soda
9. 
   
   1. In a bowl, combine wine, cognac, Triple Sec and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the orange and lemon slices and chill for 1 hour. Transfer to a punch bowl, stir in seltzer, and add a block of ice or ice cubes.