Pan Roasted Cherry Tomato Marinara

This is a recipe, that I conceptualized with my buddy Jim while hanging out one evening. He made it the other evening for a date and both he and her were thoroughly impressed! He says, when he wrote down exactly what he did, to serve with favorite pasta and to invite Skip over for dinner to thank him... So if you try it and like it, just let me know and I like Hand Cut Dry Aged Rib eyes - Medium Rare... LOL!

Pan Roasted Cherry Tomato Marinara


2 pints of Cherry Tomatoes washed and drained.


Blanch and peel if a less rustic sauce is desired.


3 cloves Garlic, peeled, crushed and finely minced


2-3 medium shallots, finely minced


1 pinch Sea Salt (more if desired)


2 tbsp Rustic Tuscan Seasoning mix. (see recipe for Tuscan Seasoning Mix)


Large pinch of sugar.


Small tomato sauce (12 oz or less)


2c Semi sweet red wine. (I prefer Sangiovese or Chianti)


Red pepper flake to taste


1/2 tsp of fresh Black Pepper, coarse ground





Sweat the shallots with the sea salt in olive oil until clear and tender.

Add minced garlic and heat until fragrant.

Do not brown or burn or the garlic will be bitter.

Add tomatoes and gently heat until they burst.

Stir to break up the tomatoes.Add Tuscan Seasoning, pepper and sugar.

Add wine to De-glaze pan, let reduce by half.

Add Tomato Sauce and continue over medium heat about 20 minutes, reducing until thickened.

If to thick, thin with a little more wine.

This recipe is vegan as written, may add thinly sliced mushrooms if desired.



Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy and garnish with a Fresh Basil and freshly shaved Parmesan Cheese. (optional or use a Vegan Alternative to Parmesan) 

May also add, Chicken, Shrimp, Bacon, or Italian Sausage for additional flavors. (this is for any meat eaters who read this)

I recently added this to my Master Cook program, here is the nutrition facts: (without meat)

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 180 Calories; 5g Fat (34.3% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 2746mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 Vegetable; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Nutrition Warnings:

shallots: MasterCook assumes an average 'whole' size of this ingredient.
Tuscan seasoning mix: MasterCook uses fluid weight to scale this item. Nutritional calculation will be off to the degree that it differs in density from water.

What do you like on your Baked Potato?

What do you want on your baked potato?

When we go out to eat at a nicer style place to eat, there is usually a choice of potato. Sometimes chips, fries, wedges, seasoned fries, waffle fries, and then there is the glorious baked potato. The server usually ask, would you like butter and sour cream with that?

Yes please, is my usual response. Sometimes you can even get bacon on it, chives, or parsley. But in the restuarant you are not going to get much more of an option. I think it was a fast food place that offered baked potatos with cheese, brocolli, chili, and anything else, I am not sure. I go to one restuarant here in town that has a loaded baked potato. They claim it is a one pound monstrosity and comes loaded with cheddar cheese and Applewood-smoked bacon for an extra fee. I usually eat it when I go there because it is still less expensive than most things and filling as well! It is pure comfort, add a cup of soup and it is a very fulfilling meal. (By itself it is a meal also) The cost of a potato makes it an economical choice for any household.

When I managed the steakhouse in IL, we had baked potatos and also a special option of a baked sweet potato. Loaded with butter and brown sugar and dusted with cinnamon, I have even seen them offered with a bit of whipped cream to top them off. (HEAVENLY) I am not sure which I prefer? Leftover potatos were the reincarnated in other dishes: Cow Chips, Fried Tators, Potato Soup, stew, etc.

But the simplicity of the baked potato wins out more days than not. I can microwave one in about 5 minutes: wash it, wrap it in wax paper, and then put it in the microwave for 5 minutes, turning halfway thru cooking. My daughter aptly pointed out the other night that her mother does not wrap her potatos. I told her it was not neccesary but I prefered to wrap mine to keep the skin moister. If you have to do several for a large group you can always place them in a 400 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or so depending on their size. Wash them and then I will rub them in oil to make them shine and dust them with sea salt for added flavor. You can wrap them in foil and even cook them on the Grill outside while grilling other foods.

Now they are ready to eat, so I return to the question, What do you want on your baked potato?

Keep in mind the potential is unlimited: Butter, sour cream, chives, cheese (shredded or sauce),alfredo sauce, garlic, mushrooms, spinach, feta, tomatoes, green peppers, pizza sauce, onions (fresh or saute'd), bacon, brocolli (any veggie you like), chili, pulled pork, steak, shrimp, chicken, sausage, chopped pepperoni, ham, philly cheese steak toppings??? If you like it, you can try it!

A baked potato is the ultimate in comfort food, it can be like life at the core, simple. Simple you say! Come on do not laugh, we all are born and we all must die, how can it get any simpler than that? Sure in between birth and death, there is life to be lived, when we are younger we attend school, as we age, we have to find jobs, pay taxes and other bills, but what we add to our lives adds flavor and makes it what we enjoy! So again I ask, "What do you like on your Baked Potato?"

Responses to question:

surfergirl from California: These 3 toppings make it ideally delish for me.. Butter, sour cream, & chives RT @skipsrecipebox

CookingAsshole from Portland OR: @skipsrecipebox sour cream, cheddar cheese, chives/garlic spears, and bacon....

LJ from IL: i like...bacon..real bacon..not bacos...cheese...sour cream...and butter...salt...pepper... I like chili n cheese sometimes too… and broccoli n cheese.

joykeepin from TX: @skipsrecipebox chives, and butter :)

Add your topping choices to the comments, thanks!

I Think I Will Have Dessert!

How many times do you finish a good meal and the server or host/hostess would ask, "would you like some dessert?"

Whether it is a family dinner, date, church or community social there seems to always be plenty of desserts on hand. There is cake, pie, candy, brownies, and fresh fruit. We like the sweet things in life.

Fresh fruit seems to be one of those things that we can not wait til summer for. I can remember as a kid growing up on the farm in Illinois and my father and I would go out to the "40 acre" wood and he would show me all kinds of things to be found there.

There was asparagus, mushrooms, and the glorious beautiful ripe blackberries! Unlike the asparagus and mushrooms the blackberries could be picked and consumed right off the vine. But beware!!! Beware there were briars and stickers and they were not easy to claim but oh so sweet when you popped one into your mouth.

I think we would eat more than we claimed and placed into our buckets???

Once picked we would take them back to the house, gently rinse them, and we could do many different things with them: Freeze for later use, bake a blackberry cobbler, blackberry pie, blackberry wine, and blackberry jam.

But my favorite was once they were washed to place a lil' sugar on them let them rest on the kitchen counter and produce juice. Then after dinner get out the the ice cream freezer (if we were lucky) or go to the 'fridge and get the store bought ice cream out and serve heaping bowls of ice cream smothered in those beautiful sweet delicious berries....

Seems life is like that...

As a person we head out into the wild woods (world) and like '40 acres' to a young kid it seems pretty large. There are many things there to find: adventures, rabbits, pheasants, trees to climb, creeks to play in, hills to climb, turtles, and snakes!

There was treasure to be found, countries to conquer, food to be foraged, and there were the briars, thorns, & stickers and how they hurt while trying to achieve the act of capturing the sweet berries. They would get you every time but you had to suffer them to get the fruit of your labors!

As a young man I set out to conquer the world, explore my surroundings and find my sweet sweet berries. Of course there were the briars, thorns, & stickers....

I have encountered my far share of the rough briar patch in this life... But, I will continue on in this place, my '40 acre' wood, continue looking for the berries, fruit, the sweet sweet beautiful berries!

Cause, I want dessert!

Randomness...

Somethings to think about.....

1. Practice random acts of kindness and sensless acts of barbecue. -- Adair Lara

2. I really liked her alot... alot... She was very special, I was inspired by her! Check out her blog: http://thevixnsdiaries.blogspot.com/

3. Food & Work are all that remain... No taste for food and have the day off from work!

4."...in 1693 Dom Perignon discovered the process for making champagne. "Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!"

5. "I am sure you will find better things, you have a bright future ahead..."

6. I hate having to work so hard at getting a gals interest. I like a relationship and intimacy. There are friendships but there is no intimacy.

7.What toppings do u love on your Baked Potato?

8. Do not really want to say this... but... NEXT!

Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

Prep:15m Cook:30m Servings:20

Ingredients

3 cups cooked, cubed chicken (Grilled Chicken or boil in Chicken Broth)
1 cup buffalo wing sauce (mild, medium or hot)
2 (8 oz.) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 cup blue cheese dressing
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or Cabot (white cheese)

Directions

1. Heat chicken and buffalo wing sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through.
2. Stir in cream cheese and blue cheese dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm.
3. Mix in 1 cup of the shredded cheese and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker.
4. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the top, cover, and cook on low for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
5. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

I made this last December for a party at D'vine Wines, it was a hit loved by all!

Mexican Gumbo w/Chicken

Mexican Gumbo w/ Chicken

By: Kelli Venezia & Skip Graden

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat and diced (Grill Chicken for additional flavor, any other meats such as Steak, Chorizo, or season Ground Beef may be added or substituted)

3 cups frozen bell pepper and onion mix (about 10 ounces) (1 pkg Southwest Blend of Fajita Veggies) or Grilled/Roast Fresh

1 tablespoon ground cumin (less if desired, 1 teaspoon for mild, 2 for medium)

2 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably with green chiles
1 15-ounce can Black Beans drained

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons lime juice (prefer fresh Lime)

1 cup Instant Rice
1 cup V-8 Juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (add some just before boiling, reserve the rest for garnish)

3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Sour Cream & Chips for garnish

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. (Unless you have previously Grilled the chicken and veggies) Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.

Add pepper-onion mix and cumin to the pot, still complete this step if previously grilled roasted the veggies. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned, or if previously Grilled warmed through, about 4 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, black beans, pepper and lime juice; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes more.

Return the chicken and any accumulated juice, add the rice & V-8 Juice, at this time to the pot and bring to a low boil then reduce heat to a simmer, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in cilantro. Garnish with Chips, Cheese, Cilantro, & Sour Cream.

EDIT 9/20/15: As I read this over after completion of becoming Certified Culinarian (actual chef), I am seeing some changes that I would use that I think may elevate a great soup. I would add a small dice of carrots and celery to the peppers and onions. (snd if threre is time to fire roast them before sauteing that would be optimal.) I may also add some minced jalapeno, maybe 1/2 of one? Dependant of how much heat you desire??? Lastly instead of rice, Quinoa could be used.  It adds to the protien punch as Quinoa has 8 of the 9 essential amino acids needed to consider it a perfect protien!

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

(serves 20)
From: Tony Dinon of Destino’s Pizza

2# Ground Beef
1# Italian Sausage
1Lg Onion
1Lg Green Pepper
32 oz Tomato Paste
16 oz Crushed or Stewed Tomatoes
1 TB Brown Sugar
1 TB Salt
1 TB Pepper
1 TB Oregano
1 TB Garlic (minced)
1 TB Basil
60 oz of Long Spaghetti (3oz each)

Fresh Ground Parm for Garnish

Brown and drain meat, chop veggies, add veggies to meat and sauté for 3 minutes. Add Tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 2-3 hours. May add Sliced Mushrooms while browning the meat.