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Food, Savory

Philly Cheesesteak Stromboli

Every night is another cooking battle. What do I make? Another pasta dish? Tacos because they’re easy? Or do I attempt something new? Well, the other night was not one of those nights. But I did create something I haven’t done in a long time, and that’s make a stromboli. Now bear with me, I don’t make them like everyone else. It really ends up becoming what one of my friends called as “a big Hot Pocket.”

I don’t put mozzarella in it, and I don’t place cold cuts in the stromboli. I kind of make a Philly cheesesteak, stuff it inside, and call it a day. So if you’re up for something fairly easy, and kind of Italian, kind of an upgrade to your frozen food section, here ya go:

Philly Cheesesteak Stromboli

Gather:
Whole wheat pizza dough (A ball of dough you can roll out.)
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 pound of strip steak
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/4 onion, diced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of black pepper
1/2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of cumin

For topping:
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons of butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon of garlic powder

Preheat oven to 500. Cut dough in half. Flour and roll each half to a quarter to a half inch thickness. Place each on a cooking sheet. In center of dough place cheese (1/4 cup on each piece.)

In a skillet, add olive oil, onions, green peppers, and red peppers. Saute until onion is carmelized. Cut steak strip into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces and add to skillet. Add spices and cook meat all the way through.

Pour meat and veggies on top of cheese in the middle of the dough, placing half on each section of dough. Fold in sides of dough toward the middle, then do the same with the other two sides to enclose the meat, veggies and cheese inside. Flip over so that the fold is on the cooking sheet side.

Mix melted butter and garlic powder. Spread evenly over both strombolis. Top with Parmesan cheese. Cut three slits in the top of each stromboli. Place in oven and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until dough is golden brown, crispy, and cheese has melted. Let cool for 5-8 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

March 19, 2014 by Roni

Food, Savory

Chicken Carbonara a la Roni

When you’ve got a cup of heavy cream left in the fridge, sometimes you’ve just got to make some pasta.

For the longest time I thought making a cream sauce was hard work. It was this unattainable meal that I just didn’t know how to recreate. So I would buy it in a can for years, until one day I found the basics in an easy recipe: heavy cream, water (or chicken broth), egg yolk, and garlic. Cook it up and bam. Cream sauce. Who knew?? Add some spices to alter the taste and it can be anything you want, even chicken carbonara… which I think I’m going to try to put on a pizza soon…. But for now, it’s going in pasta.

Chicken Carbonara

Gather:
1 pound of chicken, cubed
1 cup of frozen peas
3 strips of bacon, diced
1 cup of heavy cream
1/3 cup of water
1 egg yolk
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 box of linguini, cooked and drained

In a large saucepan cook minced garlic and diced bacon until bacon is crispy. Add chicken and cook until browned.

In a bowl, mix water, heavy cream, and egg yolk. Add to sauce pan with frozen peas and black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, or until sauce has started to thicken.

Add pasta and parmesan cheese. Stir and cook until sauce is no longer runny and pasta has absorbed the sauce. Serve and enjoy.

March 16, 2014 by Roni

Food, Sweet

Chocolate Peanut Butter Croissants

chocolate peanut butter croissants

I’ve been stressed lately. Taxes are due, there’s a lot going on at work and in my personal life, and it’s very clear that my workout regimen has slowly been deteriorating. I’m working on fixing it, all of it. Slowly.

And I’ve found in life, that most of the time, simplifying things makes me feel better. A quick cup of hot cocoa, hiding under the covers in bed pretending I don’t have anything on my To-Do List, or even just a simple snack, preferably carb-filled.

When I lived in Grenoble, I used to go to Monoprix, the supermarket, and get a bag of ready-to-eat chocolate stuffed brioche and croissants. They were next to the bagged bread, not exactly as fresh as the French bakery had, but I could keep them for a few days. Nibble on a few here, have a snack with my lunch. And they calmed me. Might have been the carbs, might have been the chocolate, or possibly because they reminded me of all the packaged food we have here in the US. Either way, they were super simple, nothing fancy.

So it got me thinking, why not make my own and put a twist on it. So I grabbed a tube of Pillsbury croissant rolls, a spoonful of peanut butter and some chocolate chips. Just 8 minutes in the oven, a minute to cool, and I had 8 pretty perfect, slightly sweet treats.

Simple. Calming. Yum.

February 18, 2014 by Roni

Food, Savory

Broccoli Sausage Pasta

Seems I’ve been so busy this summer that I’ve let my blog go for far, far too long. I apologize to those who actually read my blog and have been looking for recipes. My greatest apologies, I’ll bake some cookies once I get the chance to make it up for you. Fresh from the oven to you. But until then, I’ll give you a quick update on my summer festivities.

I just spent a week with friends up at a cabin in Moosehead, Maine. I have to say, it was fabulous. We saw moose (even if it was from aboard slightly sinking and very old pontoon boat), I took my first spin on a jet ski (very unsuccessful I might add), and willingly jumped into a lake (I always avoid the fish, they’re creepy!). And to top it all off, our group of a dozen of us fit into a cabin that was more than enough room for us. What a find!!

Now that I’m back home, I figured out I need to cook for myself, not a slew of 12 people. So I opted for a “big” meal that was (shocker!) pasta based

Broccoli Sausage Pasta

1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup green peppers, diced
1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
olive oil
1/2 pound of ground Italian sweet sausage
1 tablespoon butter
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
&
1/2 box of linguine, cooked and drained

In a medium sauce pan, heat enough olive oil to slightly coat the pan. Add onions and pepper, cooking on medium-heat until onions are translucent or about 6 to 8 minutes. Add chopped broccoli and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Add sweet sausage and another tablespoon of olive oil and cook through and until browned. Once meat is browned, add the butter and then toss in the pasta. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes, or until butter is melted and pasta is thoroughly coated and has soaked up the sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

August 6, 2013 by Roni

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