Is nobody eating dinner???

Hi-

I would genuinely like to know what those of you who read my blog have for dinner. Don't worry, I won't laugh, is it PB&J? cereal?

I have an insanely busy weekend here, we are shooting a pilot for a cooking show, it's not my show, but they are going to use me cooking to pitch the show, so who knows...

I am doing a post wedding brunch Sunday morning then a wedding Sunday afternoon at which point I will probably collapse!!!

YIKES... you definitely will not be reading any blog entries for the next 3 days at least.

However, I would LOVE to read what you out there are having for dinner. Come on, I'm curious...

Anyhow, I went to an amazing concert last night in Fairfield. It was the English Beat, for those of you who were into music in the 80's, they were the band after the Specials and before General Public. It was a most incredible evening. Needless to say, I am dragging hiney a bit today.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend, enjoy your bbq's...

Braised Haddock

I have a 15 Minute Meals class today at the Christopher Peacock showroom and while I have no idea what we will be having for dinner, I wanted to share a great meal from today's class.

What are YOU making for dinner tonight?

Braised Haddock

2 tsp. unsalted butter
3 cubes frozen garlic
¼ C. white wine (optional)
1 C. chicken stock
1 C. shredded carrots
1 C. coleslaw or shredded cabbage
½ C. sliced shitake mushrooms, or sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 6 oz. piece of haddock, cod, scrod, or any firm fleshed fish
½ tsp. of Penzey’s Turkish seasoning
Squeeze of lemon


Melt butter in a pan and add frozen garlic cubes. Add carrots, coleslaw, mushrooms, wine and stock. Stir to combine ingredients. Add the fish and sprinkle with the Turkish seasoning. Cover and boil on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Remove vegetables and fish, keeping remaining liquid in the pan. Add a teaspoon of butter and boil liquid down for 1 ½ -2 minutes to create a beurre blanc. Pour sauce atop fish and vegetables and squeeze a little lemon to finish dish.

Hoisin roasted chicken thighs

Ever have those days when you just can't shake the sleepies?? Today was one of them for me!

Anyhow, we had some (borderline) old fresh artichokes which I steamed and stuffed, I made some pasta and cooked 4 chicken thighs.

Preheat the oven to 500. In a deep casserole (or brownie) pan, lay the chicken thighs (mine had bone and skin on) in the pan and add 1/2 C. of hoisin sauce, 2 tsp. of soy sauce, 1 tbs. of katsup and a large squirt of honey.

Cover with foil and roast for 15 minutes. Uncover, turn the chicken thighs over and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes.

By the time the girls ate their artichokes they weren't so hungry for chicken, so I'll save the chicken for tomorrow night.

Hoping for some serious zzzzz's tonight.

What did you make for dinner tonight?

Honey glazed chicken wings

My kids were secretly replaced with evil twins this afternoon and I spent most of the time sending them to and from time outs!!!

Anyhow, managed to throw dinner in the oven.

I preheated the oven to 450, rinsed the chicken wings and placed them in a single layer in a casserole pan. I added about 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1/4 C. of honey.

I baked the wings for about 20 minutes turning them a couple times. I would have added sesame seeds, but I knew my kids would have thrown a hissy fit. The wings browned beautifully and were sweet and tangy.

I served them with shredded carrots (dinner was VERY rushed!) and some leftover rice.

The kids loved the wings.

I would love to hear what you (out there) make for dinner. Drop me a note.

Grilled Pork Loin

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mother's reading this. I hope none of you had to make dinner tonight!! LOL

We went to the Venezuelan restaurant in Norwalk tonight and the kids loved it. They tried everything and loved the arapeas and pork and steak.

I realized I didn't put the grilled pork loin recipe in the other day so here it it.


Grilled Pork

serves 4

2 lbs. boneless pork loin,
cut into 11⁄4-inch cubes
2 bay leaves, finely crumbled
with your fingers
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1⁄2 tsp. ground black pepper

Piri Piri Chile Pepper Sauce for serving

Fresh, crusty bread for serving

In a large bowl, combine pork, bay
leaves, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and
toss to combine. Marinate for at least an
hour, or preferably overnight.
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for very
hot cooking, or preheat the broiler. Thread
pork onto 8 metal skewers and cook, turning
often, until pork is browned and cooked
through but still slightly pink and moist at
the center, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve the skewers,
passing the Chile Pepper Sauce and chunks
of bread on the side.

This is a delicious and simple way to make pork and the Piri Piri sauce is available at Whole Foods, it tastes similar to a Tabasco sauce but with much more flavor.

Enjoy!!

Stuffed artichokes and grilled pork loin

It's a lousy rainy day here and the girls are playing with modeling clay downstairs. I am watching a little trashy TV (The Millionaire Matchmakers- ugh...) and wanted to share the recipes for our dinner tonight.

I bought 2 beautiful artichokes yesterday after my cooking demo and book signing at Whole Foods. It was a great success and I'm looking forward to returning next month.

I steamed the artichokes in a little water for about 35 minutes. One daughter likes them plain and the other one likes them stuffed. The recipe is very easy. Once the artichokes are steamed, make a mix of 1/2 C. of Italian bread crumbs, a tablespoon of olive oil, 2 cubes of frozen garlic and a good pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Stir to combine and stuff a little bit inside each leaf of the artichoke.

Bake in a casserole pan at 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Also I made the pork loin from yesterday's blog entry, it was delicious and very tender. Give it a try!

Happy mother's day! My hope is to lay in bed with a coffee!!!

Time to Eat! at Whole Foods in Norwalk

Sorry for the late post, I will be at Whole Foods Market in Norwalk tomorrow Thursday, May 8th from 11-12:30 p.m. doing a cooking demonstration and book signing.

Here are the recipes I'll be making. It's a Portuguese themed demo for tomorrow.

Hope to see you there!

Favas com Coentro
 (Fava Beans with Cilantro)

Serves 4



4 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound shelled fresh or thawed frozen fava beans
salt and pepper
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro



1. Cook the bacon in a heavy saucepan until the fat runs. Stir in the onion and cook until softened. Boil 2 C. of water and add beans, simmer until they are tender, 5 to 10 minutes depending on the age of the beans; or cook according to the directions on the package if using frozen beans.

2. Strain the beans and return to the pan. Stir in the seasoning and tomatoes, cover and heat gently, shaking pan occasionally for a few minutes to warm the tomatoes. Stir in the cilantro and serve.



Portugese sardines with sherry vinegar and parsley with grilled garlic bread


1 tin of Bela Olhao lightly smoked sardines in olive oil
1 lemon for zesting
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley
sherry vinegar
kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 tbs. olive oil
thickly sliced ciabbatta bread


Preheat grill to medium high heat. Mix chopped garlic and olive oil in a bowl, add a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Brush 1 side of bread with olive oil mixture and grill for 3 minutes per side.

Open sardines and add to a bowl. Zest 1 lemon into bowl, a drizzle of sherry vinegar and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Add a handful of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley and stir just to combine. Add a forkful to piece of bread and enjoy!

BBQ'ued ribs, rice and green beans

We had a good ol' Southern dinner tonight. One of the many memorable meals I remember my grandmother making was her BBQ'ued pork ribs. She made a very simple sauce for them, it was basically equal parts Ketchup, yellow mustard and bbq sauce with a good sprinkling of garlic salt and pepper. She rubbed the sauce all over the ribs and stuck them on a hot grill.

I haven't changed much, but I don't cook them entirely through on the grill. I have found that finishing them off in a hot 450 degree oven keeps them much moister. I grill the slabs for about 6-7 minutes per side, then bring them inside, and cut them into individual ribs and put them in a deep roasting pan and cover them with foil and cook them for another 25-30 minutes. They retain all the flavor of the grill, but are tender and juicy.

I made some plain white rice to which I added some butter and salt, and finally I steamed some green beans.

The kids loved the meal and we had some honeydew for dessert.

I am wiped out today and am heading downstairs to make their lunches for tomorrow.