Daddy Knows Less: SundaySupper

Showing posts with label SundaySupper. Show all posts

Showing posts with label SundaySupper. Show all posts

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Salvage-Your-Vegetables Frittata for #SundaySupper

Usually for my #SundaySupper posts, I share a meal I've made well ahead of time. To make this one authentic, really true to the title, I waited until yesterday to make it. Frittata is an Italian open-faced omelette that requires some patience and - might I say - skill to execute. I've ruined many a frittata before getting it right.

Once again, my mom blazed the trail. Her tradition is a broccoli rabe and salami frittata for Easter. (She also pronounces it "freh-TAHD" because she's a New Jersey Italian.) But I figure, why wait for Easter to have it? I make these almost every weekend, all year long. And, as the title of this post suggests, I use whatever vegetables I have left in the fridge at the end of the week. I don't like to waste food or money. So what better way to save both? Theoretically, this meal costs nothing. (Wink.) Most of the time I use garlic, red pepper, and maybe some cheese or onion. Yesterday, however, I hit the veggie motherload...

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Bacon & Egg Spring Salad for #SundaySupper

This salad was born out of necessity, and now has evolved into something of a delicacy in our house. Just ask my mom. I made it for lunch yesterday for my extended family: sisters, brother-in-law, niece and nephews. My mom, food matriarch who taught me everything I know, proclaimed, "This might be the best salad I've ever tasted." That was pretty cool to hear.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Sweet and Tender Brisket for #SundaySupper

For a long time I had thought about how to incorporate my recipes into Daddy Knows Less. Then the #SundaySupper crew came along and the rest, as they say, is in this blog. This week marks the one year anniversary of this wonderful movement that has given me a platform to share my love of cooking, and the family stories that go with it, with my regular readers and beyond. While I only participate once or twice a month, I am always overwhelmed with all of the support these wonderful food bloggers have shown little-old-dad-blogger me. They have welcomed me with open arms because at the end of the day, we all love to cook for our families. With every new recipe post, they bombard me with comments, compliments, and encouragement.

Tender, Juicy, and Delicious.

So along with the rest of the #SundeySupper team, I am celebrating its first birthday with my experience cooking someone else's recipe: Sweet & Tender Brisket from Juanita's Cocina. I'd wanted to make brisket for years, but was afraid. Afraid that it takes so long I wouldn't have the patience to pull it off; afraid that brisket is expensive and I'd ruin it. But Juanita's simple crock pot recipe eased my mind and inspired me. So here's what I did one football Sunday last fall:

Sunday, December 23, 2012

#SundaySupper Christmas Eve Crab Cakes

Crab cakes with dip, shrimp salad,
scungilli salad, stuffed mushrooms

Christmas Eve is the big tradition in our family. It's more important than any other holiday, even Christmas itself. We do a modernized version of the Italian feast of the seven fishes. My family - my mom, my siblings, and I - are a rare breed: full-blooded Italian-Americans. None of my first cousins can make that claim. So Christmas Eve - our tradition - is a big deal.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Mulled Wine: Spiked and Steamy for Christmas #SundaySupper

For several years, we made this glogg ("mulled wine" for easier reference) for our families' Christmas Eve and Christmas celebrations. It's warm, festive, strong, and delicious. Always a crowd favorite. We first had it at a friend's Christmas party and loved it. We haven't made since Peanut arrived. But this week's #SundaySupper theme reminded us of it, and we'll be sure to make it for our Christmas Eve celebration this year. It's really simple, and a lot of fun.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Homemade Chicken Soup for #SundaySupper and #Sandy Relief

This week's #SundaySupper event is very special to me and my family. I am Jersey born and bred. My hometown, which is on the shore, has been battered, bruised, and in parts, broken. This week, as the #SundaySupper team helps raise money for Sandy relief, I thought it would be appropriate to share a recipe that evokes a sense of warmth and healing: my mom's homemade chicken soup,

This soup is a staple in my house this time of year, up until spring comes. I especially make it when one of us is sick. My mom would do the same. She still does. In fact, she included a tupperware full of it in the first care package she sent to me in college. Chicken soup makes you feel good. It warms your body and soul. It soothes your throat and your mind. It gently fills your stomach. It is healthy comfort food.

Please enjoy this recipe that means so much to my family, and follow the links below help those families who need it after Sandy:

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Pumpkin Chili, Pumpkin Dip, and Wicked Witch's Brew for #Halloween Party #SundaySupper

DKL's Pumpkin Chili

Hurricane Sandy or as I like to call her, "Sandygeddon," can't stop Halloween. Not in our house, anyway. I ventured to the grocery store because I needed festive cups in which to serve my pumpkin chili. As hoards of people were stocking up on bottled water and medical supplies, I was looking for serving dishes.

These are my priorities when it comes to Halloween and the party we throw for Peanut and her friends. After all, with Sandygeddon coming, this may be the only Halloween they get.

My pumpkin chili was a huge hit, among the adults AND the kids.

So in the true DKL Halloween spirit, I am sharing three quick, easy, and fun recipes that our guests have enjoyed over the years for this great #SundaySupper theme. An entree, a sweet appetizer or snack, and a drink. All of them are sure to make your party extra spicy and spooktacular. Enjoy:

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Savory, Slow-Cooked Pork Stew for #SundaySupper

When I think of comfort food, I think of rich flavors. Sauces. I think of intoxicating smells that conjure fond memories of growing up. I think of coming home from college and eating my mom's home-cooked meals. And I think of something I can put in a pot or a crockpot and let cook all day while we lay around in our pajamas and watch movies all day. I do NOT, for once, think healthy. (Although, this recipe is not unhealthy.)

After years of practice, I am proud to say I have mastered the art of the stew. And after a long internal struggle, I have finally learned to embrace the warm glow of the crockpot. I used to consider the crockpot to be lazy cooking. I considered the people who used them to be a sellout. But nothing can cook something slowly and bring out the flavors in certain recipes better.

Wow, am I glad I got over myself because this meal is just amazing. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. The family loved it. And it makes for great leftovers too. It takes a little bit of preparation the day before, but I included substitutions to make it even easier.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Baked Tilapia Apple Crisp for #SundaySupper

I am sure some of you read the title of this post twice. Maybe even three times. And even after that, I am sure some of you said, "Really?" I am here to tell you, yes. Really.

I like to make fish at least once a week. Mondays are my day since I do my food shopping on Sunday and I buy my fish fresh that day. Since I have a five year-old, I am always looking for new ways to make it interesting, exciting, and most important, edible. With that in mind, this recipe was born. It's amazing what the mind will do when faced with the challenge of getting a pre-schooler to eat fish that is not breaded, frozen, and fried. (I do make my own "fish sticks" now and then, but I bake them.)

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Tailgating with Grandpa Sal's Sausage and Peppers for #SundaySupper

This recipe reminds me of one of my favorite people ever: My Grandpa Sal. He and my Grandma Sylvia lived in the house right behind ours. Our backyards connected. As a little boy, it was great to have my grandparents live so close. (I'm sure my dad thought otherwise of having his in-laws 100 yards away.)

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Easy Chicken Ravioli with Peas and Bacon for #SundaySupper

There are a couple of recipes I keep in my back pocket for days where I'm tired, late, or just don't feel like cooking something complicated. Since school starts in a week and a half, those days will be upon us more often than not. This is a great quick meal I keep in my arsenal for hectic days where I have no other choice. It's simple, quick, delicious, and Peanut will eat it without even a hint of complaint. It's also great for leftovers.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Every Day is #SundaySupper, Especially with Perfectly-Grilled Pork Chops

Some of my most vivid, vibrant, and most cherished memories of childhood are of the six of us - mom, dad, my two sisters, my brother, and me - sitting around the table, saying grace and eating dinner. This nightly tradition was rarely missed. My mom made sure of it. And her meals were always fabulous. None more than most Sundays, when the aroma of the sauteed garlic and braised beef and pork for the gravy for that day's pasta dinner would fill the house from early in the morning. It's something I do every few months. Make a big pot, and freeze portions for later meals:

It's called "gravy" when you add meat to it

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Cantaloupe and Prosciutto Salad with Perfectly Grilled Chicken and Potatoes for #SundaySupper

In my ongoing search for delicious and nutritious recipes to try and - if they're successful - add to my arsenal, sometimes I hit the jackpot. That's what I did with this salad. It is a re-imagined version of the old Italian prosciutto and melon appetizer. I have already made it twice this summer for backyard get-togethers. And it's a hit. It'll be a hit for your July 4th party:

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Cooking with Less: Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli for #SundaySupper

I know I've hit a home run with a meal when as we're eating it both My Director and Peanut say they want to take it for lunch the next day. This is one of those meals. It fills all of my prerequisites: quick, easy, healthy (relatively), and inexpensive. It also fills another important criteria: it passes on a tradition. This is my updated, healthier version of my mom's cavatelli and broccoli. I've made this for her as well, and she also approves. I love that three generations of Italians in my family (and my lovely WASP wife) can sit at my table and enjoy this meal together.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Cooking with Less: Grilling a Perfect Pork Tenderloiin

There are a few things you need to know about me and grilling. First, I love it. Unless the weather doesn't allow me to, I'm at my grill as many days as possible, any season. Second, while I enjoy both, grilling and cooking are two entirely different things. You must recognize that and respect them both individually. Just like cooking and baking are two different things. I don't bake, I cook. I also grill. Third, while my mom taught me to cook, I am a self-taught griller. (My dad didn't do any meal preparation. He worked his a$$ off providing for four children instead.)

And let me tell you: grilling isn't easy. I've overcooked and undercooked a lot of pork tenderloins and other lovely cuts of meat, pork, fish, and chicken in my day. That's why I am here to help you. For spring has sprung and the grill will be perpetually fired up from now until Thanksgiving. (And beyond in my yard, weather permitting.) And some things, like pork tenderloin, are best on the grill.

Real men eat off of
ladybug plates

Ingredients:

-1 Pork Tenderloin (about 1 lb.)
-6 oz. Caribbean Jerk marinade (I laugh every time I say or see "Caribbean Jerk." Every time.)

Tools (other than yourself):

-Your grill
-Tongs

Preparation:

1. Marinate the pork tenderloin for at least 30 minutes. For this one, I started marinating it at 11:30am, and grilled it around 5:15pm. I also find a Mojo Criollo marinade is good with pork tenderloin. Anything with some acidity that will form a nice crispy char from the grill.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Cooking with Less: Chicken & Sausage Stew

I'm big on leftovers. I hardly ever buy my lunch at work. Neither does My Director. So most Sundays I like to cook a meal that'll cover at least two dinners in addition to a lunch or two. If Peanut likes it enough to ask for it for lunch, bonus. Weekends give me time to cook dinners that take longer to make than I have time for during the week. So I like to make them last.

This recipe was delicious and lasted all week. My Director and I finished it just last night. (I didn't have time to cook because we spent the day packing for Disney.) Peanut ate some other leftovers. (I'm also big on not wasting food.)

Another successful meal inspired by
Cooking Light

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped celery

4 ounces diced chicken sausage (I used a yummy apple sausage - more flavor)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped green onions

3 cups hot cooked brown rice

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Cooking with Less: One-Pot Chicken with Rice & Mushrooms

If a recipe is relatively good for you, is going to taste good, and I know the Peanut will eat it, I'm all in. If I can do it in one pot/pan, minimizing the mess and subsequent cleanup, it also has me at hello.

So I often turn to Cooking Light to see which recipes meet the above criteria, especially when I get tired of my staple meals. It pretty much always comes through for me. So this is how I DKLified a healthy, delicious, one-pot meal that Peanut loved.

Thanks for the picture, Cooking Light

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Cooking with Less: "Quick" Turkey Meatloaf

As many of you know, I am the cook in our home. I try very hard to make my meals healthy, delicious and Peanut-friendly. She has no food allergies, and we feed her what we eat. She has no excuses not to eat her dinner. My dad's classic line, "You don't have to like it, you have to eat it" definitely applies. Still, I like dinner to go as smoothly as possible.

FYI: I am NOT a food photographer

When Peanut learned I was making this recipe tonight I heard her say, "Yes! I was hoping daddy would make that." So this one is tested and approved:

I have taken some liberties with the original Cooking Light recipe, which you can find here. They call it "quick." But it takes longer than they say, probably because I use turkey instead of ground sirloin since I don't eat red meat often. When I do, I want to make it count (like a nice juicy steak or a good bread-sopping stew.) To me, meatloaf isn't worth it. But this quick and easy recipe is definitely tasty and worth it:

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