The Best Lunch Ever!

This Sunday lunch was so fantastic mainly because I didn't have to make it. My husband said he'd make the lunch and he actually did (with the help of an artist friend.) We started with mushroom risotto. Then we had grilled mushrooms, hard boiled eggs, mozzarella, and salad. The combination of flavors was scrumptious!!!

Saturday's Dinner

Pasta with the best parmegan cheese and homemade tomato sauce and zucchini made a lovely Saturday dinner.

Arthur Avenue

This is mushroom risotto as a first course and grilled meat and lettuce as a second.

I sent my husband to the shops on Arthur Avenue today. It's an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx. The food there is authentic and out of this world! Last time I sent him there I said, "I need eggplant." I meant one but he bought a whole big bag. What am I going to do with a whole big bag of eggplants? That's why I give him visual lists now.

Thanksgiving Dinner!

Here is my plate. As I said before, this year's meal was on paper plates but the food was spectacular. Then we topped off the dinner with apple pie and tea!

There is always a great variety of vegetables on Thanksgiving. Of course the Mozzarella and tomato dish was for my husband who cares nothing for turkey and stuffing. My sister in law brought lamb because she's allergic to turkey. Who knew so many people would be opposed to our friend, the turkey. Ben Franklin wanted to make the turkey our national bird instead of the eagle.

I love Thanksgiving. My Mom works so hard every year putting the whole thing together. Unfortunately, this year she put all the good china in storage because she thought she and my father were moving. So the presentation isn't quite as fantastic as usual. Her gravy is the best! My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the mashed potatoes and gravy. It's just soooo good.

Thanksgiving Day Lunch

I made stuffed mushrooms for the Thanksgiving party at my Mom's. On the morning of Thanksgiving, my Italian husband asked me if I would make bruschetta and bring it to the Thanksgiving party. I said, "No way, man! Bruschetta doesn't go with turkey! But I'll tell you what, I'll make you bruschetta for lunch and we'll eat it here before we go." So at 12 noon, we sat down to eat. I ate two small ones and he proceeded to eat the rest. I couldn't believe it. He must really love bruschetta. Oh and by the way, this is how the Northern Italians like them: tomato sauce, mozzarella, olives and artichoke hearts all baked togetrher like a pizza.

Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

On the night before Thanksgiving, we had yummy chicken soup, stuffed mushrooms and green lettuce. I made a whole bunch of stuffed mushrooms as my contribution for Thanksgiving so we ate some for dinner the night before.

Dinosaur Soup

"Is this dinosaur soup?" My husband asked as he sat down to eat. "No my dear, it is lamb soup again." He was referring to the large bone sticking out of his bowl.

There was a delicious second course of chicken and spinach but the photos came out dark because I thought I might stop using the flash. Silly of me wasn't it? Anyway, I can't say enough good things about the wonders of soup.

I Made Dinner !

Each dinner is a solid achievement! It's a grand performance including timing, showmanship, and skill. I see dinner as a grand finale of each day. It's hard work! Notice the squirrel gathering acorns. It's a full time job! So much goes into a dinner: food shopping, organizing the food in the refrigerator, planning the actual meal, making the meal, preheating the oven, cutting the vegetables, cleaning and spicing the meat, timing the rice or pasta, finding ways to make full use out of the food available.

What you see here is lamb soup. You may have noticed that we had lamb the night before. Well, the left overs made a healthy and delicious soup. For the second course, I was at a loss until I realized that hard boiled eggs in a salad could be the perfect solution to my quandry. You see, I had no meat for a second course and I couldn't really serve just soup for dinner. I try to always have eggs in the refrigerator. So when I'm at a loss, I make eggs. They are rich in protein and have a lot to offer in many ways. I make them no more than once a week because of the cholesterol hazard. I particularly like the way they look in a salad. They are like eyes staring at you.

For dessert, we had oatmeal cookies. They make a great snack during the day too.

Sunday Dinner and Dessert

We often go to my parent's house on Sundays. My mother made lamb, baked potatoes, spinach, and tomato salad. The dinner was great for a number of reasons. It was very nutritious, delicious, and I didn't have to cook. For dessert we had chocolate ice cream and cookies. Lido cookies are the best of all Pepperidge Farm cookies. I don't know why they aren't more popular. It seems like everybody goes for Milano but Lidos are so much better. They have a perfect chocolate/cookie ratio which gives them a delightful texture. Then I photographed the fruit bowl just for color.

Sunday Lunch

For lunch on Sunday, we had this spaghetti with tomatoes, spinach, and fresh mozzarella. After our pasta, we had cheese, bread, and grapes. Then we each took a nap.

Some Like Their Polenta Hot

I didn't Have to cook at all on Saturday. Thank God! This meal was made by my mother's friend and real estate agent. What an incredible guy and he's so talented too. He sings opera professionally and as you can see: he can cook! What you and Tony Curtis see here is a polenta dish served with chicken and sausage in a rich tomato sauce It was very good. It reminded me of the cuisine of northern Italy where polenta is very popular. Polenta if you are wondering is made from corn meal. Smothered under the tomato sauce, the polenta can not quite be seen. We ate it while watching "Some Like It Hot". Unfortunately it was cold. My husband is one of those people who likes his food hot. He refused to eat it and I had to eat it all! Too bad for him.

Bruschetta Is Fun!

Bruschetta epitomizes Italian fun food. I learned to make it back in Southern Italy when I joined a workcamp to help restore a monastery through Servizio Civile Internazionale. On August 15th, high holiday in Italia as it's the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, the entire village of Sicignano gathered for Mass at the monastery. After Mass we prayed the Rosary and then had a party. I wasn't religious back then but I was so inspired by these people and the beauty of that moment. It was then and there in the mountains of the province of Salerno that I learned to make bruschetta. Toasted bread, chopped up tomatoes, oregano, and olive oil come together in this delicious and very basic first course.

The second course was tilapia fish and spinach. Both were right out of the freezer. The fish had been in there for months. I was a little scared to eat it but it was fine and the spinach was in one of those little boxes. Overall, I have to say that this dinner was a big success!

Mmmmm Chicken Soup!

The key to good soup is knowing that you've maximized the potential of your leftovers and aging vegetables. This is chicken soup with carrots, celery, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, and potatoes. I can't tell you how delicious and nutritious it was. I used last nights chicken and whatever vegetable I could find in the fridge.

Our second course was sort of a mousaka: tomatoes and eggplant. It wasn't good but it was as my father used to say about a lousy meal: "edible." It was kind of bland. Maybe it would have been better if I had sauteed it with garlic. Oh well.

We were playing in the park yesterday when my mother called me on my cell phone. She said she had something for me. "I'll come to the park and give it to you!" "Super" I said. It was this chicken! God bless her. My mother is so good to me. Sometimes she goes to the store and buys me food. I love her and she knows that I love chicken. We had it almost every night growing up. "What's for dinner?" "Chicken again." "Oh good!" Chicken's great. It's too bad we have this weird bird plague from Asia that will eventually affect us (God forbid!)

I surrounded the whole chicken with potatoes and tomatos. So I wouldn't have to make a first course. My friend from the playground Diane told me to do that. Here is the result: delicious!

Back to Normal

Here is a very typical meal: chicken, rice, and asparagus. What could be wrong with that? This is my plate. I like my rice served with my other food. Not so with my husband. He likes the rice to be a "first course" on its own plate. I feel that it's just another dish to wash but hey, if an extra dish makes him happy, then it's just fine by me. The rice is "Uncle Ben's" brand. "Uncle Ben's" rice doesn't stick together. Sometimes I wish it did.

Monday's Dinner

I'm starting to think that my dinners are pathetic. You should have seen the dinners last year. We used to eat salmon and fillet mignon. I don't know what happened, I don't know what went wrong. I suppose I've become more frugal. In addition, it's harder for me to go to the store now with the two babies in the enormous double stroller. I walk everywhere! And I simply can't carry all that much. I'll try to make a better dinner tomorrow night. Eating pasta every night can't be good. I'll see what I can do.

Sunday Afternoon

It was a late lunch. We had penne pasta with a homemade meat ragu sauce-- not "Ragu" the store brand. I grew up having "Ragu" on spaghetti. I thought it was normal and good to have tomato sauce from a jar. I never knew that there were people out there making homemade sauces. It never occurred to me. My mother, of Irish descent, made her own gravy for the meat or poultry we were having. I suppose that some people would find that to be impressive and I suspect that those same people probably think that gravy comes out of a jar. When I was 16, I begged my mother to switch to "Prego" because of its better taste. Hmmff. I've come a long way from my jarred sauce eating days. Now I'm married to an Italian and I therefore make my own sauce. Of course!!!!!

The second course was Birdseye French Cut String Beans and some cheese. My husband upon seeing the plate asked, "What is this vegetable. Why did you cut them that way?" I replied by saying, "No, honey, they came that way. Those are Birdseye French cut String Beans and they're delicious!" What he should have asked about was the cheese next to the string beans: three pieces of Asiago with capers on top. He didn't think twice about that as he wolfed it down, each and every caper too as if they belonged there! So weird.

For dessert, we had crostata. It's like a raspberry tart. I made it myself. I used Polaner raspberry Jam but I did make the dough. We were so full after this late lunch that we didn't eat dinner. We just had some warm milk and biscotti at 7:30pm (no photo).