And that's all she wrote

I have decided to put this blog to rest, if not permanently, for the long-term.  I appreciate all of the positive feedback I've received, and I'm glad to have inspired some people to try a few of my favorite recipes in their own kitchens.  Please continue to enjoy the recipes and stories I've already shared.
I am not entirely done with cooking and writing.  If you live in town, I will be contributing to the local paper on a monthly basis, so keep your eyes out!
I leave you with one last photo, a tomato from my mom's garden from this past summer.

THANK YOU!

Greek(ish) Spaghetti(ish)

The olives, feta cheese and tomatoes make this a delicious, Greek-inspired vegetarian option that will certainly help you get your daily value of vegetables.

I was battling a cold for most of last week.  I did not feel like cooking much, so we ordered out quite a bit.  One night, we ordered Thai food.  Pete ordered a dish that had a ton of vegetables in it, and he said to me, "I can't remember the last time I had so many vegetables in one sitting."  And he was right, we usually just stick to one vegetable a night, we hardly ever have a variety.  This dish was my change in the routine.
Pete called from work and asked me what was for dinner, and he thought I was kidding when "vegetables" was my response.  He is not the type to appreciate my meatless Mondays efforts.  In fact, they make him a little cranky.  I gently reminded him that it was not wise to bite the hand who prepares food for him, and he grumbled something about heating up some hot dogs and hung up the phone.
However, his tune changed.  He really enjoyed this dish, and it made enough to satiate him without having to stick a hot dog in the microwave when he was done.


Greek(ish) Spaghetti(ish)
Serves 2

1/2 of a large spaghetti squash
2T olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pint of grape tomatoes, chopped
1 small bunch of broccoli, separated and chopped
1/3C Feta cheese
1/3C Kalamata olives, sliced
2T chopped fresh herbs (I used basil, oregano and chives)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place squash in a baking dish, cut-side down, with 1.5 cups of water.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the squash can be easily pierced with a knife.  Remove it from the oven and begin scraping the inside of it with a fork, to form "spaghetti strands."  Set aside.
2.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat and saute the onions until they are very soft and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.   Additionally, steam the broccoli, until tender, about 5-10 minutes.  Set the broccoli aside when tender.
3.  Add the garlic to the onions and saute for a couple of minutes.  Then add the tomatoes and the squash, and cook until heated through.
5.  Add the herbs, olives and cheese, toss and serve.

Chili

This chili has the perfect amount of heat, beans and beef to make it my favorite chili recipe around.

When I was growing up, I hated chili.  I don't know what happened, but I love it now.  This is my favorite chili recipe, I can get my kids to eat it, and it's another staple on football Sundays in our house.  Makes a ton, so invite some friends over when you make it, or have plenty of leftovers.

Chili
Serves 8

2T vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
1/2t cayenne pepper
2 6 oz. cans tomato paste
2t salt
2 lbs ground beef (I use 90% lean, and I have also used ground turkey, also good)
2 cans of beans, your choice, rinsed and drained (I used small black beans and small white beans, so I can tell the difference between bean and meat, and I like smaller beans)
2C beef broth
1 28oz can petite diced tomatoes and their juices
3 cloves garlic, minced
1T chili powder
2t ground cumin
2t dried oregano
1/2t red pepper flakes

1.  In a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions, cayenne and one teaspoon of salt, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2.  Meanwhile, season the meat with the other teaspoon of salt.  Add to the pot and mix with the onions, and cook until brown.  Add one can of tomato paste and stir.  Let cook for two minutes.
3.  Add beans, broth, tomatoes, garlic and dried herbs and spices.  Stir until combined, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for one hour, uncovered.
4.  After the chili has simmered for an hour, add more tomato paste, to thicken the chili a bit.  Don't add the whole can at once, sometimes only a half of a can seems to do the trick.  Continue to simmer for another hour.
5.  Season with salt, if necessary

Scallop and Bacon Sandwiches

This is, perhaps, my favorite sandwich ever.

This sandwich is on the menu of one of my favorite restaurants on Cape Cod.  The restaurant is the Impudent Oyster.  So good.  If you are a bacon and scallop lover, which I know most of you are, because one of the most common ways people get to my blog via a google search is by looking for recipes with bacon and scallops, this sandwich will be heaven in your mouth.  

I made this sandwich for dinner last night for Pete and myself.  We both enjoyed them just as much as the first time we had them.  

Scallop and Bacon Sandwiches

Serves 2

2T Olive oil

6-8 dry sea scallops, depending on size.  3 per sandwich is plenty if they're really big

Breadcrumbs

4 pieces of bacon, cooked (more if you're Peter)

Monterey Jack cheese, sliced

2 sub rolls (what do you call them?  torpedos?  hoagies?)

1T tartar sauce

1.  Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat.
2.  Lightly coat the scallops with the breadcrumbs, and add to the pan.  When they're browned on the bottom, flip them over and continue to cook until opaque.
3.  Meanwhile, preheat the broiler, slice the sub rolls open, place the the Monterey Jack cheese on the cut sides of the rolls, and broil until melted.  Remove from oven
4.  Place the bacon and scallops on the rolls, and then spread tartar sauce on sandwich.  Enjoy!

Gingersnaps

A family favorite.

Today is the birthday of an old friend.  She is beautiful.  She visited me at school when we were freshmen in college, and the boys were still talking about her when we were seniors.  "Hey Sue, remember that friend of yours?  The tall one with the long, blonde hair?  The one who asked for extra cheese on her steak and cheese?  How's she doing?"  She made a lasting imprint on the brains of dozens of URI coeds in less than 24 hours.  But there is more to her than beauty.  She is fun.  We got into our share trouble growing up.  And what else is great about her is how well she rolls with the punches.  She's moved to three different big cities since we've graduated from college, meeting new people and establishing great relationships at every point.  I think it takes a special kind of person, to move around so independently and make it work everywhere.
She has a blog of her own, hers is all about the things that inspire her, whether it's fashion, eating, travel, or design.  It's a pretty blog, and its web address is www.wherethesidewalkbegins.blogspot.com.  I have asked her a dozen questions since I started my own blog about what the heck I am supposed to do and she has gotten back to me so quickly, regardless of her own busy life.  She listed a few pieces of advice, and the last one was to include this recipe.  Back when we were growing up, I would make these cookies for her from time to time, because she liked them so much.  If I remember right, I made them for her birthday one year.  I was tickled that she remembered them so well and wants the recipe for herself.  This recipe is my grandma's.  We love them.  And happy birthday, dear Sarah!

Gingersnaps
Makes about 30 cookies


3/4C shortening
1C sugar, plus some more for rolling
1 egg
1/4C molasses
2C flour
1T ginger
1t cinnamon
2t baking soda
1/4t salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Beat the shortening with the sugar.  Add the egg and molasses and beat until fully combined.
3.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
4.  In batches, incorporate the flour mixture into the shortening mixture.  Mix well.
5.  Take about one tablespoon of dough and form it into a ball.  It should be about an inch big.  Roll the ball in sugar and place on baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
6.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

The ultimate in football food.

I have mentioned before that it took me a while to make a good circle of friends here in town.  And it was especially hard for me because I left an amazing circle of friends behind in New York.  But the first friend I made here in town remains one of my closest, and I feel very lucky to have her in my life.  I trust her with my children, I respect her opinion, she's easy to talk to, and we have the same definition of a good time.  And to top it all off, our kids love each other and our husbands get along great.  She opens up her house to friends all the time, and we are always excited for the invitation.  I don't even feel the need to ring her doorbell anymore.  We just barge in like the house is ours, and I think (and hope!) that she likes it that way.
The first time she invited my family over was during the first fall season we were in town.  Along with a few others, she asked us to come over for a Patriots game.  In her and her husband's classic fashion, there was SO MUCH FOOD!  Enough food to feed 50 probably, and there was really only eight of us...  12 if you count the under one crowd.
They have a lovely finished basement with a bar and a big-screen TV, and lots of room for little ones to move around, so that's where we watched the game.  Pete sat at the bar in front of a pinkish, creamy, cheesy dip.  It didn't look very appealing to me, but Pete tried it, and then ate the rest of it, almost singlehandedly.  He suggested I try it but there was so much other food there that looked so wonderful, I figured I'd let him continue it on his own.  I asked my friend what it was called, and she told me it was buffalo chicken dip.
On the way home, I said to Pete, "Now that was so fun, wasn't it?"  His response, "Yes.  You have to get that recipe for the buffalo chicken dip."  He didn't stop talking about it for days.  He promised if I made it I would love it just as much.  So I made it, and I loved it.  I loved it!  I then made it for my parents.  I could tell when I put it down that my mom was thinking, "Ew.  What's grosser than gross?"  But she loved it and then went home and made it for my brother when he visited, and for her school party (she's a principal), and it was a huge hit on both occasions.
This was five years ago, and I had never heard of buffalo chicken dip before.  It's all over the place now.  For me, this recipe is the ultimate and the original.  And thank you, to my dear friend, for sharing the recipe with me, and for letting me share it with all of you.  This recipe can easily be halved, if you want to make it for a smaller crowd.  Are you ready for some football?

Buffalo Chicken Dip
Serves 10

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
16 oz of cream cheese (2 blocks)
16 oz of Ranch dressing
12 oz of Franks Red Hot Sauce
2C of shredded cheddar.

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Shred the chicken, place in a bowl and mix with the hot sauce.  Put aside.
3.  Place the cream cheese and the Ranch dressing in a medium-sized pot at medium temperature, and stir until the cream cheese is melts and the Ranch is all mixed in.
4.  Stir the chicken into the cheese mixture, and pour into a casserole dish.  A 9X13 Pyrex works perfectly.
5.  Sprinkle with the cheese and cook for 15 minutes, or until bubbling.
6.  This is where it gets hard:  allow it to cool for 10 minutes before eating.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Peanut Butter Bars

These remind me of a peanut butter cup.  They're just as addicting.

Over Labor Day weekend, my family went to a barbecue at a friend's house, and one of their other guests brought these lovely treats.  After one bite, I was instantly brought back to my youth, as they remind me of some peanut butter balls that a handful of my neighbors would make during the holiday season.  It was easy for me to find the recipe online, I found it here:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/peanut-butter-bars-i/detail.aspx.  I didn't change the recipe one bit; I didn't need to.  Yum!

Peanut Butter Bars

Makes 24

1C butter, melted

1C creamy peanut butter

2C powdered sugar

2C graham cracker crumbs

1.5C chocolate chips

4T peanut butter

1.  Combine the 1C of peanut butter with the butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs and mix until fully combined.  Press mixture into an ungreased 9X13 baking dish.

2.  Melt the chocolate chips, and mix in the 4T of peanut butter, and continue mixing until blended.  Spread the chocolate over the peanut butter, and refrigerate for at least an hour before cutting into bars.