I love to cook. Like I REALLY love to cook.
Today was a particularly hard day at work. I was reamed out by a customer who I thought liked me. She kinda lost her mind, She made me cry. Work in general has been tough lately. Thank god for my kitchen.
I knew I was coming home to an empty house (one kid is in Quebec for the summer, one with her dad for the night, and the dear hubby is working extra late) so I decided I would spend a few hours in the kitchen and create a feast. I knew it would make me feel better. It did.
I made Grilled (I seared and roasted) Veal Chops with a Rosemary Dijon Cream (thank you Food & Drink magazine), Cheesy Spaghetti Pie (thank you Marc Murphy), roasted asparagus (my normal go-to side, as you know), and Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Spicy Wafer Crust (thank you Anne Burrell).
Mmmmmmm....
Grilled Veal Chops With Rosemary Dijon Cream
4 bone-in veal chops (I used 2, and 2 steaks...thought I'd shake things up a bit)
2 T EVOO
1 T rosemary
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp mustard powder (had none, so used grainy Dijon, about 1 T)
1 tsp black pepper and salt (each)
Rosemary Dijon Cream:
1/3c mascarpone
1/3c sour cream (had none, so I used plain yogurt)
1 T grainy Dijon
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp Worcestershire
salt & pepper
Pat the chops dry. Stir together the first 5 ingredients and rub on the chops. Marinate in the fridge for 8 hours (I did about 2 hours). One hour before cooking, remove from fridge. BBQ the chops (I didn't, I seared both chops and steaks on top of the stove for about 5 minutes per side on med-hi, then stuck them in the oven on 400 for about 15 minutes - with the asparagus alongside to save time). Let meat rest 10 minutes before eating. While resting, stir together cream ingredients. Serve chops with a dollop of cream. Yum.
Cheesy Spaghetti Pie
1 lb cooked spaghetti (cooled)
1/2c grated Parmesan
1/2c grated pecorino
1/2c grated Swiss (I used old cheddar - feel free to use any 3 cheeses you want, but preferably salty, mild, and sweet varieties)
4 eggs
salt and pepper
2 T EVOO
4 cheese slices (like Kraft, black diamond)
Mix the cooled spaghetti with the grated cheeses and eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add oil to a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add half of the spaghetti and pat down. Place the 4 cheese slices on top, then the remaining spaghetti. Pat down again. Let cook 5 minutes. Here's where it gets tricky - you have to flip it. I put mine in the oven for a couple of minutes to solidify it a little more, then I used a pot lid to help me with the flip. I flipped it onto the lid, then slid it back into the pan. It isn't easy. Cook for 5 minutes more. When you slice into this delicious "pie", the gooey goodness of the processed cheese in the middle comes spilling out. So fabulous.
Goat Cheese Cheesecake
Crust:
6 T melted butter
2c Nilla wafers (I couldn't find these at No Frills, so I used graham crackers)
1/4c sugar
1/2 tsp each cinnamon and ginger (had no dry ginger, so used extra cinnamon)
2 grates of nutmeg (I just used dry nutmeg)
Filling:
2 packages of cream cheese @ room temperature
1 12oz log of goat cheese (the secret!)
1 1/2c sour cream
4 eggs
1 1/2c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
For the crust, mix ingredients together and pat into the bottom and sides of a buttered 9" spring form pan. For the filling, preheat the oven to 350. Beat the cheeses together in a large bowl (easier with an electric mixer) until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and continue beating until combined. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Pour filling into crust, and bake 30 minutes, turn, then bake 30 more minutes. Best if left in the fridge over night...but I'm not waiting that long!!
So after 2 and a half hours in the kitchen, I feel great. Much better than I did on my way home from work. Now I'm going to sit down on my fabulous sofa and watch my beloved reality TV. When hubby comes home, he will be pleasantly surprised with the meal awaiting him.
Cheers!
Today was a particularly hard day at work. I was reamed out by a customer who I thought liked me. She kinda lost her mind, She made me cry. Work in general has been tough lately. Thank god for my kitchen.
I knew I was coming home to an empty house (one kid is in Quebec for the summer, one with her dad for the night, and the dear hubby is working extra late) so I decided I would spend a few hours in the kitchen and create a feast. I knew it would make me feel better. It did.
I made Grilled (I seared and roasted) Veal Chops with a Rosemary Dijon Cream (thank you Food & Drink magazine), Cheesy Spaghetti Pie (thank you Marc Murphy), roasted asparagus (my normal go-to side, as you know), and Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Spicy Wafer Crust (thank you Anne Burrell).
Mmmmmmm....
Grilled Veal Chops With Rosemary Dijon Cream
4 bone-in veal chops (I used 2, and 2 steaks...thought I'd shake things up a bit)
2 T EVOO
1 T rosemary
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp mustard powder (had none, so used grainy Dijon, about 1 T)
1 tsp black pepper and salt (each)
Rosemary Dijon Cream:
1/3c mascarpone
1/3c sour cream (had none, so I used plain yogurt)
1 T grainy Dijon
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp Worcestershire
salt & pepper
Pat the chops dry. Stir together the first 5 ingredients and rub on the chops. Marinate in the fridge for 8 hours (I did about 2 hours). One hour before cooking, remove from fridge. BBQ the chops (I didn't, I seared both chops and steaks on top of the stove for about 5 minutes per side on med-hi, then stuck them in the oven on 400 for about 15 minutes - with the asparagus alongside to save time). Let meat rest 10 minutes before eating. While resting, stir together cream ingredients. Serve chops with a dollop of cream. Yum.
Cheesy Spaghetti Pie
1 lb cooked spaghetti (cooled)
1/2c grated Parmesan
1/2c grated pecorino
1/2c grated Swiss (I used old cheddar - feel free to use any 3 cheeses you want, but preferably salty, mild, and sweet varieties)
4 eggs
salt and pepper
2 T EVOO
4 cheese slices (like Kraft, black diamond)
Mix the cooled spaghetti with the grated cheeses and eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add oil to a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add half of the spaghetti and pat down. Place the 4 cheese slices on top, then the remaining spaghetti. Pat down again. Let cook 5 minutes. Here's where it gets tricky - you have to flip it. I put mine in the oven for a couple of minutes to solidify it a little more, then I used a pot lid to help me with the flip. I flipped it onto the lid, then slid it back into the pan. It isn't easy. Cook for 5 minutes more. When you slice into this delicious "pie", the gooey goodness of the processed cheese in the middle comes spilling out. So fabulous.
Goat Cheese Cheesecake
Crust:
6 T melted butter
2c Nilla wafers (I couldn't find these at No Frills, so I used graham crackers)
1/4c sugar
1/2 tsp each cinnamon and ginger (had no dry ginger, so used extra cinnamon)
2 grates of nutmeg (I just used dry nutmeg)
Filling:
2 packages of cream cheese @ room temperature
1 12oz log of goat cheese (the secret!)
1 1/2c sour cream
4 eggs
1 1/2c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
For the crust, mix ingredients together and pat into the bottom and sides of a buttered 9" spring form pan. For the filling, preheat the oven to 350. Beat the cheeses together in a large bowl (easier with an electric mixer) until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and continue beating until combined. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Pour filling into crust, and bake 30 minutes, turn, then bake 30 more minutes. Best if left in the fridge over night...but I'm not waiting that long!!
So after 2 and a half hours in the kitchen, I feel great. Much better than I did on my way home from work. Now I'm going to sit down on my fabulous sofa and watch my beloved reality TV. When hubby comes home, he will be pleasantly surprised with the meal awaiting him.
Cheers!
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