pasta with mushrooms and fresh ricotta cheese

super fast, i made this on a cooold coold windy night but its also great at noon in july. i threw some shallots and garlic in a pan and when they started to cook down i dropped in two pints of chopped mushrooms. gave it a stir, added salt and black pepper and about 1/2 a cup of milk. you can add heavy cream but i wouldnt unless you really wanted a heavier dish. i just wanted a little milk so pull it all together. at the same time i boiled water and thew in the pasta which was ready about the same time as the mushrooms. i drained the pasta, combined everything with a fistfull of chopped fresh parsley and parmasian and served it with big spoonfull of fresh ricotta right on top. a little crushed hot pepper or cracked black pepper and its perfect.

Muoi muoi

okay, so this is a nigerian dish thats absolutely delicious but its the ugliest thing ever... my mother always said food should look as good as it tastes and hers always does, but often times, foods from africa, india and some of the middle east just look like different colored baby diarrhea and it'll be the garnish of parsely or strategically placed olive that makes it look a bit more presentable. WELL, long story short, with palm oil (olive is okay but palm oil will bring out the true flavor of the dish), i cooked down onions, carrots and i threw in a few nuts. then i threw in a huge broccoli head (not in the traditional recipe but i had broccoli and it needed to get used up), then on top of that i put in probably about 4 or 5 cups of dried washed black eyed peas, covered it with water and let everything come to a boil. salt and hot pepper were added accordingly and when the peas were cooked and everything got like a thick stew i shut off the heat (its yummy to eat just like this) once it all cooled a bit i put it all in a blender and processed everything till it was smooth and creamy. the i made little 'bowls" out of alimunim foil and ladled in a handful or so. everything gets wrapped and when cooled you have these delicious thick "cakes" that make a great side dish or lunch as is. we picked up some sour cream and hot sauce (bringing muoi muoi into the 21st century) and its SLAMMIN.. soo good... just butt ugly.

ground turkey burritos.. well kinda

uber quick and easy and you better leave leftovers cause they're even better the second time around. coat the bottom of your pan with olive oil, sautée a chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic. when they start to become tender drop in a pack of ground turkey breast a can (or half a bag of frozen corn) and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables (mine was from trader joes- peas, lima beans, cut green beans and i think something else). add some salt, chili peppers if you like, a couple squirts of worcestershire's sauce (if you dont have that use soy sauce, theyre basically the same thing) and let it all cook till the turkey's done. NOW is the hard part... try not to eat it all before before you make your burrito.. or cut the carbs and gluten and dig in.  Warm a tortilla, add a couple spoonfuls of this + shredded cheese + sour cream wrap and devour.... OR just go at the pan with a fork and just eat it as it.. its pretty healthy (minus cheese and sour cream), packed with protein low on fat and you even get a handful of vitamins from the veggies. MMMMM mmmm.

italian potato salad

i cant think of a much more creative name for this. its just that simple. my parents would make this all the time for snacks, sides or even a light meal. boil the potatoes peeled (or unpeeled and then after they cool the skin slides right off).. you know they're done when a fork will slide into them as easy as a fork would to a stick of cold butter. let them cool, cut them into bite sized pieces, throw in a generous amount of fresh parsley, chopped garlic, cracked pepper, good olive oil and salt to taste. its delicious, light and fresh. give it a try.

steak and cheese, california grill

sorry, cameraphone... steak and cheese has saved me in the past and im hoping it will again this morning.... all i have to say is that it was delicious! from california grill (1090 Vermont Ave NW) (SOOO WORTH IT) underneath barbara boggs. mmmmmm!

jonah crab claws @ the ebbit

i love the old ebbit grill and basically everything inside it. a classic and historic landmark in the district serving lines of regal washingtonians from ulysses s. grant to tanya rodousakis. pick your favorite cut of meat or choose from the many seafood delights because there's something for everyone on this menu- and youre sure to love it as time and tradition molded these dishes to perfection.
one of my favorite little treats are the steamed jonah crab claws... i believe you can find them there any time of year but these are a delicious snack or starter plucked from the atlantic coast- delicate and delicious. not terribly expensive the jonah crabs are a sustainable option to go for if you're thinking about whats better on an ocean menu.

sausage and couscous.. lunch in 15 minutes

apologies for the camera phone and tupperware, i wasnt planning on blogging my lunch but its just so good.. we bought sausage at eastern market on sunday and i wanted to use it up today so this morning (at 6 am) I put the sausage in a pan with loosely chopped onions and tomatoes, a little vinegar, olive oil and black pepper.. i let that cook and when the sausage was almost done i cut it into bite size pieces. then i dumped in a can of chick peas and let it all cook on low for a few more minutes.

at the same time i steamed a pan of couscous.

when that was done i combined the sausage with onions and tomatoes to the couscous, added half a finely chopped raw red onion and half a fined chopped raw red pepper and mixed it all together. if i had fresh parsley that would have been perfect but it was great just like this.

i threw it all into two tupperware containers and it turned out to be SUCH a good lunch.. i almost finished eating it though.... and its only 8:45am....uh oh. soooooo goooood.

this be a pitaya

i might have seen them before but never tried it. i bought this beaut at la boqueria in barcelona. it was delicious. its a type of cactus fruit- i can imagine finding them at whole foods... i believe it's of the species Hylocereus polyrhizus, H. undulatus, or Stenocereus queretaroensis. difinately pick one up if you happen to come across it in the produce aisle. slice it and half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. lemme know what you think! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya

have you ever seen anything fresher or more delicious?

tomato salads make a perfect meal, salad or snack. mix and match varieties for added flavor... add a little salt, cracked pepper and a few drops of vinegar- red wine or otherwise... throw in some basil, a red onion or even a sliced bell pepper if you like but let your tomatoes dominate the bowl. fill a tupperware and call it your lunch or cleanse your palate after a heavy dinner. they're ridiculously healthy, taste great and are [at least for me] a happy food.

the fishphone

so some of you may or may not be familiar with the "fish card" ... there are a number of different versions put out by various organizations [ http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/mobile/sfw/ ] where you print out a card that you stick in your wallet that has a list of the safer more sustainable fish to eat and the unhealthy and endangered fish that one should try to avoid [rated in categories of green, yellow or red] ... well that was a great idea but now theres something even better, the Fishphone."FishPhone can be accessed... via your mobile phone simply by texting 30644 with the message "FISH," followed by the name of the fish in question. You'll soon receive a response text with the makers of the service, Blue Ocean Institute's, assessment. And if your seafood of choice ends up being of dubious quality or harmful to the environment, they'll offer some better alternatives." http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2008/10/fishphone.php

this is a great resource and extremely helpful if youre undecided in a restaurant or a grocery store. every little bit helps, especially when it comes to overfishing.

i <3 air france

i absolutely love air france for a number of reasons... most importantly (just after safety) is the food and booze. you get full healthy meals with a variety to snack on including fresh bread and cheese and no charge for wine.. then there's continental. which blows... densely processed meats with a mediocre ranch dressing salad and a diabetically sweet dessert. all plus 5 USD / bottle of wine.

fried potatoes

takes just a couple minutes to do and makes a great side for any meat or fish. either wash the outsides of the potato very well or peel - then cut into slices- be sure theyre all about the same width so they the cooking time wont vary. in a pot or saucepan heat an inch or so of vegetable oil and just when it starts to sizzle add a layer of the potatoes. after a 2-3 minutes turn them till each side is golden brown. remove from the oil and let them sit on paper towels to absorb excess oil. sprinkle with salt or crushed garlic and parsley for added flavor.

tip: try frying hot peppers first then the potatoes in the same oil for a spicier dish.

sautéed green beans

quickly sauté a handful of green beans with some olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt until tender. let them cool and add to any salad for a great taste, extra nutrients and a whole other level of texture and presentation.

look at those leggs. mmm... roasting a bird.

so last weekend when that hurricane was blowing through and everyone was all locked inside, we decided it was perfect weather for roasting a bird (this is after an hour and a half of floating around wholefoods) , so steve picks up a chicken and we go back to my place. this is really much easier than it looks, its enough to stuff 4-6 people and leftovers are delicious. get the bird take out the gizzards and neck- if they gross you out throw them away, if not mix them with the potatoes. cut off any excess fat that'll usually be around the ass (the big hole). brine your bird- give it a good rinse and if you can let it soak in water with some salt for a couple minutes- always brine becasue it'll better clean the chicken and also take out some of the "wild" taste if its free range. while thats sitting, cut up some potatos, carrots, celery, onions any root veggies or tougher greens. season them with salt, pepper, oil, and whatever blows your skirt up (i put black olives this last time.. SOOO GOOD). then toss them all in a pan under a roasting rack with a cup or 2 of water, orange juice or white wine. take the chicken out of the water, rub salt oil and whatever spices you want on the outside, give a little sprinkle on the inside and set it breastside up on the rack. i usually quarter a lemon, orange, or lime and use that to stuff the chicken with garlic so the meat is infused with the fresh essence of citrus. THEN here's the trick my mom taught me. around the asshole there's a flap of skin that kind hangs there. if you cut a slit on each side you can slip the end of the leg into each to close the hole so the bird doest dry out (check the photo above- you can see here that one leg is still in the "slit" but the other leg popped out). then throw it in the oven - i usually put it in for 3 hours on 375-400. and ill turn it over at least once to make sure its crispy all around. take it out, let it cool a bit and for me my favorite way to serve it is to pull off all the meat and toss it loosely all mixed together in a bowl with a fistfull of chopped parsley. and to accompany you have a side dish of roasted veggies. white rice would go well too and maybe a salad or fresh fruit to clean your palate when your done.
GREAT for a rainy day. Perfect when you want to sit home vege out and watch movies OR to prep the day before and serve cold pulled chicken which tastes delicious.

DRINK: prosecco with kiwi

again, the title says it all.. we got a little creative and had a kiwi to use up. turned out to not be half bad. a nice dry prosecco with the sweet tart kiwi sliced inside. let it sit a little while so the the kiwi flavor will have time to infuse the sparkling wine.

steve's watermellon and tomato salad with red onions and goat cheese crumbles

well, the title says it all, this is steve's watermellon and tomato salad with red onions and goat cheese crumbles.. olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. thats it- sweet, savory, healthy, fresh, PERFECT on a hot summer day and the leftovers are great too.

slammin fried zucchini

This might be my favorite side dish ever.  My mom, along with anyone else from her town in Italy would make this every summer when whatever zucchini in the garden were in ripe. This comes well passed the days of fried zucchini flowers or zucchini flower frittate. Unfortunately for you, I forgot to photograph the final product but I'm sure I'll be making this again soon and can update with some sexy yummy pics. So, get a couple zucchini, long and thin is key.  The thicker they are the larger the seeds.  Slice them into thin discs (think potato chips) then drop them into a pot with a finger or two of hot oil.  Stir occasionally and fry them till golden brown, remove with a fork or slotted spoon, let drain, and leave them on a few stacked paper towels to absorb the rest of the oil.  After they've cooled (you'll notice they crispen) transfer them to your serving dish and toss with a generous amount of fresh chopped garlic, fresh parsley, some salt, and balsamic vinegar. Serve a few minutes or few hours later. DELICIOUS... I've never made this and not had everyone go crazy.  There will not be leftovers. 

frittata? scrambled eggs?..... who cares if you don't remember their name when you wake up in the morning.

so i got up at 530 this morning and after a bit of exercise and coffee i realized i had time to cook a little something to eat. i decided to use what was sitting around and make scrambled eggs- tho some people will say this is more of a frittata, as my mother and she's probably say its none of the above... i'm just callin git delicious. i got whatever leftover vegetables i had- a little garlic, half an onion, couple tomatoes, and half a pepper (eggplants, chives, asparagus whatever you want will work)... i satuteed them all in a frying pan with a little butter and olive oil- when they got tender i pured in about a cup of milk then lowered the heat and cracked in 6 eggs. stirring constantly the eggs cook, but with the milk they wont dry out and remain fluffy and soft. a hand full of chopped parsley, and some grated cheddar all served over a crispy slice of toast. mmmmmmmm mmmmm. start to end- 10, 15 minutes? so worth it (just use eggwhites if you wanna sit on the healthier side).

eat brunch naked

it literally takes 15 minutes or less. in a frying pan just put a little olive oil a couple links of sausage and some sliced onions. adding 1/2 a cup of dry white wine will only make this even more delicious but you dont have to. let that all cook and when the onions have fully caramelized and the sausage has started to brown youre done. remove all that, add a little more oil or butter, crack a couple eggs switch to low heat cover and remove them whenever- depending on how runny you want them. throw in a slice of swiss, or not, serve them with something fresh and atop a whole wheat pita so you wont feel so fat... or go all the way, add cheddar and fry up some bacon... all I'm saying is you can brunch naked in 15 minutes five feet from your bed, for a quarter of the price of a restaurant... just be sure to leave room for mimosas.

dont forget teaism

if youre in dupont, penn quarter or by the white house and are looking for something to eat dont forget teaism ( www.teaism.com ). people forget about it all the time but the food comes out fast and its much healthier than most of the other options out there for pseudo fast food. the menu is not enormous but there's something for everyone. my scrambled eggs were 5 bucks (pictured above) and their sweet green tea is slammin. you have to try it. whether its brunch lunch or dinner, teaism always has something that hits the spot.

spicy breaded chicken with yellow rice, fried lemmon, and cubanelle peppers.

a fast delicious dinner that you can have on the table in 30 minutes, 45 max. my mom and dad would make similarfirst thingi put on a pot of water for my yellow rice. i added some olive oil, saffron, parsley, pepper, garlic and salt. once it comes to boil i added the prewashed white rice, shut off the heat and let it sit. at the same time i pulled out two thinly filleted chicken breasts, put them beteween two sheet of wax paper and pounded them a bit with a wine bottle (the wide round shape of a wine bottle id great for pounding meat). Then i coated the chicken breasts with flour, then dipped them in eggs beated with hot pepper flakes, and then dipped them in bread crumbs. in a shallow pan i coated the bottom with oil (you can use butter as well) and cooked the chicken breasts just a few minutes on each side till golden brown. after they were done. i added a bit more oil, dropped in slice of a floured lemon into the pan and a few cubanelle peppers with the seeds removed. on medium to low heat, covered, i cooked the lemon till it started to brown and the peppers stil they started to slightly char. thats it. this is a great medium spicy dish with, fragrant rice and sweet and hot peppers as a side. the fried lemon is also edible and goes great to clean your palate at the end.

string beans all summer long.

well, growing up this was always a seasonal dish but i guess today you can find anything anytime. this is great, refreshing and fulfilling. all you do is quickly boil however many stringbeans you want- till tender and no longer crisp. drain, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and add minced garlic (preferably not the store bought minced garlic in the jar). mix and serve. you can eat these warm or prepare them in advance and eat them cold out of the fridge. it makes a great side dish or even as your main meal if you want to stuff yourself on something healthy and delicious.

open faced tacos

so i catered tanya and shannon's birthday a while ago and i made a variation of something i learned in michigan a year or two ago at a restaurant called eve. i don't know what she called them but these are my open faces tacos. i got a couple packs of wontons (you find them with in produce). either get the large eggroll size ones and cut them in quarters or they make smaller 2x2 inch ones.
so i quickly fried the wontons in vegetable oil fo my shell- it works better than a chip or tortilla since it wont get soggy and its crispier. these can be fried a day in advance. then all you do is arrange them on a platter and add a tini spoon of guacamole or a sliver of avocado, just a bit of salsa or pico de gaillo, a drop of sour cream and maybe sprincle some chopped cilantro. you can also put a few kernals of corn or a little bit of cook ground meat but leave that to your creativity. just remember less is more. it should be simple pretty and you should find everything you love about a taco in one bite.

thumbs down. big time

omg, dont ask my why i decided to try this- but ugh. vomit. this shit's nasty.

i should of known when the neon cheeseproduct has zero cholesterol that its probably not going to taste like cheese.

i didnt even finish eating it and i was like, "damn i gotta blog about this crapola" well, there you have it. i warned you. stay away.

great summer chops

so this is a great fresh summertime dinner- but really i dont see why you cant eat it all year long. its ridiculous how easy this complicated looking meal is..... sooooo i picked up two pork chops, gave them a quick rinse (always a good idea) and put them in a bowl and each side got a coating of garlic powder, cumin and a few drops of soy sauce. i set that down for a minute and loosely chopped an onion or two and a few tomatoes. then i put my large frying pan on the stove with barely a coatin gof olive oil, when it got hot I quickly lowered the pork chops in with a pair of tongs, braised one side, flipped them over to braise the other side(braising immediately flash cooks just the outer layer of the meat so it locks in all the juices and prevents it from drying out). I lowered the heat to just a simmer, filled the rest of the frying pan with the onions and tomatoes, covered it and let it sit. now after about 5-10 minutes i turned the pork chops over, but the easiest thing about this dish is when you see the onions are cooked down and slightly translucent, then the meat is done. cut a little side near the bone to double check if youre not sure but really its a fool proof way of preparing these. its great becasue like this you have the main course of the pork chop with a side of stewed tomatos and onions, and at the same time i made a side of plain white rice with olive oil (butter tastes better but obv not as healthy) and a fair amount of fresh parsley; corn on the cobb (which boils PERFECTLY in an asparagus steamer.. ill write about that another time); and a salad of tomatos onions and cucumber. this if great because you've got a lean meat dish, plenty of fresh in season produce, and its easy quick healthy and full of flavor.

pasta with chicken and dried tomatoes with parmiggiano in a cream sauce

a PERFECT last minute dinner thats soo yummy very impressive, a cinch to throw together and probably takes twenty minutes to make. just go easy on it if you have cholesterol issues. hi, yeah. so, put on your pot of water to boil your pasta (for a cream sauce i prefer rigatoni) by the time the pasta's cooked and you drain the water the sauce should be done- at the same time in a bit of olive oil sautee some chopped onions with a bit of salt, add 2 or 3 (depending how large) chicken breasts cut into small bit-sized pieces. give it a good stir, add some pepper and let it cook.. after a minute or two add a good two handfuls of chopped dried tomatoes (much easier to just go at them with kitchen scissors). after the chicken is cooked (if you cant tell by the look and feel, cut one of the pieces in half and just make sure it's not pink) pour in a pint of heavy cream (table cream or whipping cream work well too). lower the heat to a simmer and let that all cook together until the pasta is drained- aldente. put the pasta back in the pot, add the chicken and cream sauce, then raise the heat uner the pot to high- stir it all quickly so it wont burn or stick and to lock in all the flavors. add a generous amount of grated parmasian cheese, fresh parsley stir and serve.
its quick and easy, so great and will warm you up on any day.

such and easy paella and SOOO good.

i cheated a little on this but its so so so good and so so so easy. Unfortunately, no true Spaniard would ever call this a paella but for American standards and that yellow rice and seafood craving this will do the trick ;)
i got my large deep pan, quickly toasted some pine nuts in olive oil then toasted my washed rice (2-3 cups) for a few seconds. then i poured in probably 2 cups of white wine. now is when you add your saffron stamen, or goya seasoning packet- whatever.. salt papper. make sure the rice is just covered with water and as it continues to absorb it add more water. at this point i put in a handfull of peas and a diced tomato or two. stir occasionally and taste test the rice when its done.
about 10, 15 minutes into this, i sautéed d 1/2 a pound of peeled shrimp with 1/2 a pound of sea scallops in garlic and olive oil (the shrimp cook faster than the scallops so make sure you remove them). in a sauce pan with 1/4 inch of water i steamed about a dozen little neck clams.
the seafood is done around the same time as the rice and when its all finished i added the scallops, clams and shrimp, juices and all to the rice. a goof handfull of fresh parsley and i was done.
DELICIOUS!!!
so so good. obviously there are infinite varieties whether you want to use chicken or chorizo or octopus-- whatever floats your boat- it just so easy to cook whatever you want separately and add it to a flavorful fluffy yellow rice with plenty of fresh herbs.

got crabs?

i have not posted in a bit... and i really dont have time to start now. just wanted to let you know about the steamed crabs at the dupont farmers market. they're slammin. go to the fish lady at the north end of the parking lot. get there early cause the crabs go fast. theyre a dollar each and make a great lunch. you will never find chesapeake blue crabs in dc at this price. ask for them with the seasoning. my mouth is watering. mmm.

bistecca fiorentina

so this is something i heard i've been meaning to pass on for a bit. when i was in italy a few weeks ago our extremely knowledgeable server/butcher/chef was talking to us about meat. specifically a bistecca fiorentina which is basically a porterhouse steak but here is where quality comes into play.

in most all beef, but especially this cut, the meat should come from a female cow between 7 -1o months old. a calf will stop drinking its mother's milk around 7 months which start the transition process between veal and beef. two very distinct colors, textures and flavors. now in the range of 7-10 months, as the cow starts to eat grass and other solid greens, the muscle begins to transform but still reattains much of the fat and tenderness from the previous months.

generally, people will often prefer meat from a female- a cow, as opposed to a bull because due to the sheer difference in body size a bull is designed to carry much more weight so the nerves and tendons are thicker and more prominent.

so according to our master butcher/chef, a steak from a 7 - 10 month old cow is gaurnateed to be tender and flavorful. i believe it.

saffron

some advice and a tip to pass on. it's an email from James (he's on the short list)... so start from the bottom....




yeah, you can find it much easier in the middle east. but it's not always as good. you can also find it in some latin bodega's here- but still not as good. for true color and flavor, for real saffron, you
need to pay for it. $8 for only a few stamen. i've bought it a whole foods before. it came in a black plastic bag inside the standard wholefoods glass spice jar. i'm sure harris teeter woul dhave it too.

they also sell sunflower saffron, which gives a great color, but lacks in flavor.
what i usually use if im in a rush or on a strict budget, is sazon goya they sell it in most international sections of grocery stores. it has saffron and a few other spices (a few too many honestly), but it dissolves quickly and is great for a yellow rice, rissotto, marinade or sauce.

- Hide quoted text -

On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 10:51 AM, James <> wrote:
> wow. well, PB&J is a tough act to follow. you did valliantly.
>
> I had a saffron emergency yesterday. I couldn't find it anywhere, and still
> haven't. I called you while I was at the store. you called back while I
> was frantically sautéeing and deglazing.
>
> do I need to order saffron online? in the middle east, they sell saffron by
> the bucketful, but I think it may be other stamen stewed with saffron (à la
> imitation crab meat).

Windows Catering

Windows is probably among the best catering you're going to find in the District. Bite-sized pieces of heaven and professional service make all the difference when planning an event- from corporate lunches to weddings.
They catered a photography opening I had last night sponsored by the 1869 Society of the Corcoran Gallery of Art at CUSP in Georgetown and the food was simple but delicious. A spinach quiche, seared tuna with sesame seeds and pickled rashish with a raspberry vinaigrette reduction, and mini lemon meringue pies. The cocktails we exceptional as well.
Great job.

GIACOMO'S PIZZA

GIACOMO'S PIZZA... the base recipe.. thre's a million varieties

1. dump more-or-less one cup semolina and 3 cups all purpose flour in a bowl.

2. melt one packet of yeast in a glass of warm H20. stick your finger under the tap- if your finger is burning its too hot and itll kill the yeast, if its warm, then youre cool.

3. crack an egg over the flour.

4. add a couple spoons of sugar and some salt.

5. add the H20 with yeast and start to massage it all together.

6. add water and/or flour till you get the right consistency.

7. let rise- 1/2 hour to an hour.

8. drop in buttered AND oiled [deep] [and clean] cookie sheet.

9. start to flatten it out, then turn over (to transfer oil) and finish flattening (like youre playing the piano).

10. add one layer of slices of mozzarella or cheap american cheese or provolone or...(stay away from the crust).

11. add diced tomatos, oregano, peppers, onion, garlic, salt, sliced ham, olives, anchovies, eggs, PROSCIUTTO, whatever.

12. let rise another 1/2 hour- 1hour.

13. throw in the oven for about 20 minutes @ 375. or until the crust is golden-brown and the pizza lifts easy from the cookie sheet. the UNDERSIDE of the pizza should also be golden.
14. Let cool for a few minutes and easiest cut with kitchen scissors

carmalized cipollini onions

it's an email, START FROM THE BOTTOM.. just thought i'd share the wealth to you too....
its the easiest thing Diana! Peel the onions and if they're small enough leave them whole, if not slice them up to whatever manageable size. Then get a regular sautee pan or even a larger pot, coat the bottom with olive oil (you can use palm oil too but just don't put too much if youre using palm oil). Add the onions and sprinkle salt over all of them (add some fine ground black pepper too) and put the heat on the LOWEST possible. if the burner cant get low enough, double up
the grills over the flame and still keep it on low heat. if the heat gets too high then the onions will brown before the carmalize. scrape the bottom with a wooden spon every once and a while so they dont stick but its okay it little brown marks stick to the bottom. once the onions become clear you can raise the heat till they start to brown. at the very end once they ve started to brown (not too much!) you can add just a little bit of white wine to sizzle on the bottom and
"deglaze" the pan- the white wine will pull off all the brown parts that stuck to the bottom and add flavor to the rest.
MMMM my mouth is watering now! i miss you tons and hope youre doing something extra fun for your birthday sunday!!!!!
big kiss.

- Hide quoted text -

On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 10:50 PM, Diana R <> wrote:

Hey sweetie!
Ur gonna laugh at me sooo hard but... my mom was trying out this recipe the other day with carmelized onions and I kept getting flashbacks of walking into ur apartment in the berks and peeking through your fork curtain at these little onions that you would cook! sooo good... and now I have this terrible craving... its like Im pregnant or something (no chance in hell! dont worry you will be made aware if I make u an uncle... ) anyways I need ur recipe.. I remember u cook very randomly and with little to no guidance but you must have an idea of how u used to make these... they were little onions about the size of a golf ball or smaller which you would cook for hours and they got super sweet and yummy... pleeeease Im giving you my toothiest smile here... at least some pointers...
un besote,
Diana

broiled asparagus

one of the fastest easiest side dishes you can ever imagine.
buy a bunch of asparagus- the thinner the better.

wash them, snap off the cut end to where the stalk becomes tender.
lay them in a cookie sheet covered with foil.
drizzle olive oil, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder.

let them broil for about 5 minutes or untill they start to crisp and brown, turn them over with tongs and broil for just a few more minutes on the other side.

if you dont have garlic powder, no worries, just use salt.
if you want a sweeter taste drizzle balsamic vinegar