The Hotbox Hipster

Italian stuffed pasta shells… omg delish!!

So i’ve been making these stuffed shells for maybe seven years or so… with little variance along the way. Well, yesterday i sent hubby to the market with a short list, which included ‘cream cheese’… one of the ingredients for these shells. He instead bought ricotta cheese, as he thought i wrote the wrong thing. i’m pulling my ingredients from the fridge and i say, “where’s the cream cheese?” he looks at me and says, “you meant to write ricotta, right?” i did not, but i was open to switching it up and test driving them with ricotta… no harm no foul, and i was still glad to get out of grocery shopping no matter what! Well, it ends up they were even better than they ever had been, and we adjusted the salt and pepper together as a team before stuffing all of the shells. we nailed it. i like to top the dish with a few slices of mozzarella or provolone, which i forgot to do yesterday, but they were delish all the same.

OK HERE’S WHAT YOU DO…

start a pot of water boiling to cook your jumbo shells in. cook al dente, as you will be baking them for 50 mins in oven. Place your frozen spinach in a small strainer and let some warm water drizzle over it to thaw in the sink. squeeze all water out of spinach once thawed and set aside. Dice half of an onion and add to a large skillet drizzled with olive oil. Add meat to skillet, and saute with onion until meat is browned. in the meantime, finely chop about six cloves of garlic, and add to meat. give a stir, and add your well drained spinach. stir around to combine, and remove from heat to cool a bit. my dump cook self also added a sprinkle of crushed red pepper once the meat began to brown. Pull out a large bowl and crack an egg in the bottom. add your 15oz container of ricotta, 1/4 cup of parmesan, 1.5 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, and 1/2 tsp of dried basil. combine. stir in 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella. once your meat has cooled a bit, add it to the bowl and combine. now you’re ready to stuff the shells. drizzle two pans with a bit of olive oil (see photo) and then add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of each. (i personally like to use DeFratelli italian all purpose sauce. it comes in a 28 oz can, and you’ll probably need two cans for this recipe.) Stuff your shells and top them with remaining sauce. don’t drown them… as long as you have a modest drizzle of sauce down the middle of each shell row, you’re good. Bake at 350 for 50 mins. Top with cheese near the end if desired. Enjoy with some crusty rustic bread and a big fat glass of Chianti. you’ll make these shells again and again… on that you can bet.

02/05/2012 2

a vegetarian stew… hearty enough for carnivores

so this is some delicious Moroccan chickpea stew… i know to some it may sound “yucky”… or a little too ‘fancy’ for the average home cook; but i’m here to tell you that you couldn’t be more wrong on both accounts!! this is one of the easier dishes i make on a regular basis, and it is absolutely yummy. i have to say, sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a dish without meat in it too! this recipe comes straight out of Cooking Light, the November 2007 issue. when i think about this dish, it evokes thoughts of sitting beside a cozy fire in the comfort of my own home. -but the funny thing about it is… if you serve it over the cous-cous like i always do, it’s just as yummy to have it in the spring and summer with the nice breeze blowing it’s aroma out your window and onto the patio!! bottom line… ‘ u gonna like it’.

OK HERE’S WHAT’S UP:

Add a swirl of olive oil to a nice, sturdy dutch oven. (large saucepan) Dice a large onion (small dice), set aside. Mince two or three cloves of garlic, set aside. Cut two large carrots (peeled) into small bite sized pieces, set aside. Take a jalapeno pepper (for more heat do not seed- for mild dish seed it) and finely dice it. set aside. doing all of this prep work first makes throwing this one pot meal together a piece of cake… trust me. Take three medium yukon gold potatoes, wash and dry and then cut into bite sized pieces. i never peel them, ever. set them aside. OK, turn on your heat. medium high will do. Once your oil is hot, add your onion, carrot and jalapeno. Saute for a few minutes and then add your garlic. continue to saute until onion is tender, stirring frequently. (about five mins) Take and add your potatoes, and then go ahead and turn heat down to medium. give a quick stir and then open up your 3 cans: chickpeas, canned diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. drain and rinse your chickpeas. add to pot, along with the undrained tomatoes, and the can of vegetable broth. measure and add your spices, according to ingredient list below. give it a stir, and then let it come to just a boil. cover and reduce heat to simmer. give it 15 mins like this, or until potato is tender. while it’s cooking, prepare a box of couscous, which has the same difficulty factor as making toast. 🙂 you’ll serve your stew atop a scoop of this, it’s delish and the texture is genius. take a nice rip of cilantro, chop and stir into stew when cooking complete. reserve a little to sprinkle over your bowl as well. Take out your plain yogurt, and stir to smooth out a bit. Once all of this is ready, take a nice shallow bowl, add a scoop of couscous to it. Top with a generous ladle of stew. Top with a nice dollop of yogurt, and sprinkle some cilantro over all. Eyeball the gorgeous dish you are about to consume… and be proud of yourself. Not only can you make something that looks this beautiful, you can pat yourself on the back for doing something healthy.

peace and love, yo.

shopping list

large onion

yukon gold potatoes

large carrots

1 jalapeno pepper

2 or 3 cloves of garlic

28oz can diced tomatoes

15oz can vegetable broth

15oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans)

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground tumeric

1/4 tsp salt

box of plain couscous

fresh cilantro

1 small container of plain yogurt (not greek, it’s too thick)

01/28/2012 0

super easy biscotti

so i finally threw together a little video tutorial on one of my family’s favorite cookies… the Biscotti. it was super fun to make, and now that i’ve gotten the initial nervousness out of the way- i’m ready for more. there are certain cooking/baking techniques that are just too difficult to explain with words in print, so these are the ones i’d love to video blog about. my hope is that as much fun as i find in making the videos, others will find them equally as helpful to navigate through the recipe with greater ease!

here’s the BISCOTTI scoop:

6 large eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp of salt

4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp of anise extract

1/2 tsp of vanilla

(add whatever else you think would make a tasty biscotti. i generally roll with almost a cup of chopped dried cranberries, and a cup of chocolate chips.)

Enjoy!! store in an airtight container for up to a week. i can almost guarantee they will NEVER make it that long without getting eaten. Two days is the max for our house.

01/26/2012 0

spag balls 101

i’m sharing my recipe for a tray of delicious, mouth watering meatballs… this recipe was adapted from ‘the ultimate meatballs’ by my lust man Tyler Florence.

OK HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

you’ll need:

1 large onion (red or sweet onion)
flat leaf parsley (fresh)
seven cloves of garlic
sandwich bread (six to eight slices)
milk
parmesan cheese
one egg
1 lb (or over) of ground pork and 1 lb(or over) of ground round or sirloin
salt/pepper
two 28oz cans of De Fratelli all purpose italian sauce
olive oil for cooking.

get out a med sized bowl and place your white bread in it- (cut the crust off) pour milk overtop to saturate a bit (maybe 3/4 cup or so.) set aside. in the largest frying pan you’ve got (non stick)- add a few tablespoons of olive oil. chop up the onion into very small diced pieces. set aside. mince your garlic and set aside as well. take a big rip of your fresh parsley, (very large handful) chop up and set aside. hit the pan with some heat. md/high should do. once the oil is warmed, add your onion and parsley -saute til soft, about five to ten minutes, adding garlic around last two minutes. turn off heat/set pan aside to cool. in a large bowl, add your ground meats. mix a lil to combine. squeeze out the excess milk from your bread (will be like a handful of mush) and add squeezed bread to meat. spread it around over top to seperate a bit. add the egg/ 1/2cup of parmesan cheese/ 1.5 t salt/1 t pepper (generous) and the onion mixture. dig in and combine. Using same skillet you sauteed onions in, add more olive oil (generous- coat the bottom well), don’t turn on heat yet. you gotta roll the balls. get a big piece of wax paper, or just your clean counter will do. roll them out, bigger than golfball size/ but smaller than a tennis ball. heat your pan/oil, and add enough balls to have room to turn them and play with them a bit. you will likely do this in two, maybe three batches. in the meantime, get out a big lasagna pan, biggest you’ve got- and add your cans of sauce to it. brown your balls on both sides, (careful not to burn- it makes them taste awful) and add them to the sauce bath as they’re done. best way to turn a ball is with one of your dinner forks or bigger soup spoons. get it under there gently and flip it. Bake all the balls in the sauce bath in a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes. not covered. when they’re nearly done, take and top them with slices of mozzarella cheese or provolone slices. (i like the prov better) enjoy with lasagna/ or spaghetti/ or whatever you like. they are killer the next day sliced in half and on a sandwich. you will love these balls. you’ll long for them. don’t say i didn’t warn you. spags.

01/21/2012 0

snappy space saver… in seconds!

hotbox clipster — get it up and keep it clean!

tight space? i’ve got answers. if you love cooking from all of your favorite food magazines, but dislike the drips and spatters the production leaves behind on the pages, you’re gonna love this idea. if you’re anything like me, you can tell your favorite recipe chocked mags from their sad appearance alone. the humble way they are holding together the lovely warped pages, wet from who knows what or when! improve your cooking area lickety split with this snappy hotbox idea. Take a skirt hanger with some sturdy clips and attach your magazine (or paper recipe for that matter) ensuring a firm hold. Hang from a cabinet knob or handle in the general prep work area. Get cooking! Not only have you saved your magazine or recipe from walking away with an olive oil facial, you’ve now freed up at least a foot of counter space for you to work on! L O V E – I T……. (sing songy sassy voice)

01/21/2012 2

chicken piccata… meant for two

no leftovers — Bright beautiful flavors take the sting out of an icy winter day

Chicken Piccata. every bite is like a summer breeze. it’s prominent flavors are lemon and capers (which are like eensy tiny mellow baby olives)- both so very bright and fun one can’t help smile while noshing on this dish. This recipe makes enough for two hungry people, adjust accordingly. i caught myself thinking about licking the plate… no joke.

OK HERE’S WHAT YOU DO…

take four thinly sliced chicken breasts and generously salt and pepper them. Place about a 1/3 cup of flour on a shallow plate and place next to your stove. Prep your shallots and garlic. Thinly slice two shallots and four cloves of garlic. set aside. grate a little lemon peel, and slice lemon in half, setting aside. Add two T of butter and a T of olive oil to a large non stick skillet. Heat over md high heat. dredge the chicken in the flour, and shake excess- adding to the skillet. cook over md-high heat for a few mins per side. remove to a clean plate. to the already hot skillet, add the shallots. saute over medium for two mins. add the garlic. saute for a minute, and add 3/4 cup of your favorite white wine. (i used pinot grigio) scrape up the brown bits and let bubble for a minute while stirring. Proceed to add 3/4 cup of chicken broth, and a tsp of corn starch dissolved in a splash of water. Stir with a whisk until smooth over md heat. (maybe a minute or so) cut the heat, and add a heaping T of capers, the juice from your lemon, another pat of butter and about two T of chopped fresh parsley. I like to serve this over a half a box of cooked thin spaghetti. (i find angel hair a bit too light, and spaghetti too heavy) Arrange your chicken over your cooked pasta, and drizzle the lovely sauce all over the top. if you’ve grated any of your lemon zest, sprinkle this over the top as a grand finale. try to serve this as soon as you can after cooking.

01/14/2012 1

thank me later

it’s meatloaf. mister loaf. the mac daddy of all the comfort foods. the guy who even manages to steal the show sandwiched between a couple of delicious bread slices on day two. maybe you loved your mom’s meatloaf… maybe you hated it. mine happens to be an adapted version of my mom’s already near perfect recipe. like everything i make, it has evolved over the years. play around with it, yank it around and make it your own. tonight my husband made it and he added a 1/4 cup of yellow mustard to the mix. it’s something i never would have considered doing, but hot dog was it delish!! he served it up with some Betty Crocker augratin potatoes and peas, and it made our thursday pretty solid. hats off to meatloaf lovers across the board.

OK, HERE’S WHAT YOU DO…

lightly combine a pound of pork and a pound of 92-ish% lean ground beef in a big bowl. (tonight i used two pounds of lean ground beef and a little more than a pound of ground pork… it was a grand loaf!!)

pour a little milk over top to moisten. (maybe a 1/3 cup) -give a few minutes to soak in while you’re prepping other ingredients.

add generous squirt of Heinz ketchup. (maybe 1/4 cup if had to guess)

six or so generous shakes of worcheshire sauce

little puddle of steak sauce if you have it (maybe a Tablespoon??) if don’t have, no sweat.

1 egg

1/2 tsp of black pepper

1 tsp of salt

heaping teaspoon of dried parsley

few generous shakes of garlic powder

1 heaping tsp of dried thyme if you have it (if not, no worries). actually… get some thyme. everyone should have some. use it on all sorts of meats and roasts and in soups and stews and spaghetti sauce. i go through it like crazy.

dried bread crumbs

Add all of these ingredients to the meat bowl. Add bread crumbs by feel, start with maybe a 1/4 cup- which may be enough actually, and mix by hand to desired consistency and then shape like a loaf. You’re kind of going back and forth between two hands over the bowl with the whole thing, patting it into shape. Place it in a round glass pyrex dish with a lid. This helps lock in the moisture. Add 1/4 cup of water around loaf. i like to sprinkle the top with salt and pepper. Tonight i did a drizzle of Carolina BBQ sauce over top and rubbed it in with my hands before popping it into oven. it soaked into the meat and gave it a delicious salty tang!! some folks like to do this with ketchup on the top. you do you! fine with neither to be honest. Cover and bake for one hour and 20 mins at 350 degrees…. or you could do 325 for two hours. Time it out to best suit what you have going on. Drain some fat/ juices out of the dish a couple of times during cooking. At end, take the lid off and let it rest 20 mins in the bowl you cooked it in, and then remove it to a cutting board or serving platter. Slice and enjoy! YAY MEATLOAF!!

01/11/2012 0

once upon a bowl of chili

this is my ‘go to’ chili recipe and i’ve been pleasing palates with it for exactly 9 years now, since my nanny days in Fox Chapel, PA. i’ve tweaked it a dozen times, from switching out the beans to reworking the entire way it’s prepped. i used to cook the meat separately, and add it to the chili pot… which seems completely crazy now that i think back. i was missing out on all those yummy browned bits and oily beefy juices that seep from the cooked meat. if you use 85 (ground round) or leaner… grease will never be an issue the way i prep it. feel free to switch out the beans based on what you’re in the mood for. i usually go with dark red kidney beans and navy beans, and the end product ends up being red, white and green. For Steeler season i use black beans and chick peas and a yellow bell pepper. As long as you stick fairly close to the recipe ~ it will always be great. It’s gourmet, without being overly fussy. It has a realistic 1 hour start to finish going for it. My tots devour it served over brown rice, and for the grown ups… cornbread muffins and an ice cold beer round out the menu with simplistic perfection.

Ze ingredients

2 T olive oil

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

large chopped onion

two cloves of minced fresh garlic

large bell pepper (u pick the color) -if you love peppers, use two!

2 cans of beans- drained and rinsed

1- 28oz. can tomato sauce

1- 28oz. can seasoned diced tomatoes

1 pound of lean ground beef

1 T chili powder

1 T ground cumin

1 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

i usually do a shake or two of dried basil, garlic powder, and coriander as well. (totally optional)

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh chopped parsley or cilantro to be stirred in at end (again optional, but truly brings this to life!)

OK- here’s what you do.

in a large pot, add olive oil. Heat over md/high heat. Add the red pepper flakes, and once you see them begin to sweat and move in the oil, time to add the onions and pepper. Do so. Stir. Saute for three minutes, and then add ground beef and garlic. Cook until browned and cooked through. Add all spices. stir to combine. saute another minute or so to bring out flavors in the dried herbs and spices. Add sauce and tomatoes. Add drained and rinsed beans. stir. cover and reduce heat to md/low. cook for 15 mins. remove lid at 15 mins and stir well once. cook 15 mins longer, leaving a gap in the lid. Prepare brown rice or elbow mac or whatever you like to serve your chili over. Stir in the fresh parsley or cilantro at the end. the chili is ready to eat at this point, but if your family is not… just leave it on the smallest simmer for a bit, and it will be fine. Serve up a delicious bowl with a generous showering of yellow or white cheddar cheese… ohhh yeahhh…. it’s healthy comfort food at it’s best.

01/08/2012 0

nifty prep trick for tiny tomatoes!!!

so you’re making a salad… a big one… and you are on to the part where you’re set to tediously slice thirty little unruly grape or cherry tomatoes in half. Ughh… what a boring little four minutes you’re about to have. oops, there goes one onto the floor and rollll…. right under your fridge along with the dust bunnies and the random chocolate chip and cheerio.

Let’s make some fun out of this task why don’t we….

Step 1: lay a dishtowel down for anti- slide properties.

Step 2: lay a large dinner plate bottom side up on the dishtowel. Load it with tomatoes in the center part until they are all touching, but still an even layer.

Step 3: place a matching plate on top of tomatoes, right side up.

Step 4: pressing down on top plate with moderate pressure with non dominant hand, cut (with a mighty sharp knife) directly through all of the tomatoes until you feel/see your knife come out the other side.

Enjoy your preparation genius, and impress someone with this, for goodness sakes!!! i think it’s my favorite prep move so far… bible!!

01/07/2012 3

Hotbox Hipster

a pittsburgh hippie chick's unbridled love for all things food related

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