Smoky Black Bean & Bacon Chicken Chili

So I'm not gonna lie to you guys- this mom stuff is tough!

Especially when your little monkey is having digestion issues like ours.  We ended up having to take Mini Smalls to a pediatric gastroenterologist when we found out that in addition to her milk protein intolerance, she has a bad case of reflux.

The poor little muffin has not been able to get through a meal without stopping frequently and crying.  You can tell when the Tummy Gremlins are acting up - she is happily eating away when suddenly she stops, goes completely stiff & arches her back, then starts wailing.

With all the stopping & starting, it takes an hour or more for her to eat - so by the time she gets just a few ounces in her, she is usually exhausted and falls asleep.

But in addition to feeling absolutely horrible for her, I must admit I've been feeling pretty badly for myself.

As the Grinch would say "Oh the noise, noise, noise, noise, NOISE!"  All that crying can really get under your skin, especially when it is happening so frequently & there is nothing you can do to soothe the little critter.  Which is a huge contributor to my stress as well - our little girl is in pain, and as of yet there has not been a damn thing we've been able to do to stop it! Sooo frustrating.

By the time Mr. Vittles gets home from work, I've had it up to here with the crying, barfing, diaper changes, bottle-washing, and laundry.  Close to going off the deep end, cooking is usually the furthest thing from my mind.

Don't get me wrong, I knew motherhood would not be easy; but I had been imagining my maternity leave to be a bit more peaceful than it's been.  I want so badly to enjoy my time with my daughter, but in truth that's been very challenging at times - and I now go back to work in less than a month.

Ugh!

So this past week, we were having some beautiful weather & I decided to get out of the house and bring the Mini to a place that always makes me feel better - my hometown of Point Pleasant Beach.   And more specifically, the inlet (a waterway where the nearby Manasquan River meets the ocean).  Growing up I spent a lot of time hanging out there with my friends, and I would often take walks there alone to clear my head.

Luckily, this week it had the same effect on me that it had when I was a teenager.  As I pushed Mini in the stroller along the road that parallels the river (called Channel Drive) and up to the point that looks out over the inlet to the town of Manasquan, my exhaustion floated away and I felt content.

Along the way, many happy memories came flooding back.  I thought about climbing on the jetty as a middle-schooler, and writing "I love so & so" on the rocks.  We were all warned by our parents not to play on the rocks, but naturally we did it anyway.  And at the time, you had to swing out over the water around this fence to get to one part (that was always the scariest) but it never stopped us!

I also thought about the time that, right before we left for college, my best friend Lauren and I schmoozed our way to the very top of the Coast Guard station... only to be "propositioned" by a creepy officer more than twice our age.  (Almost twelve years later, the guy is still stationed there - I actually saw him!)

I thought about all the hours we spent in the car in the parking lot of the inlet, when we were home from college - we would go there after a party or bar-hopping to recap the events of the night.  "OMG, can you believe what he said about her???"  Ain't no drama like 21 year-old drama!

I also thought about when, four years ago this March, Mr. Vittles brought me out to the jetty and made me the happiest woman alive by asking me to marry him.

And then I thought that, someday, Mini will have such funny & happy memories.  (Hopefully not of creepy men trying to get in her pants, but ... yeah, probably those too.)

And I realized that my mother-in-law is so right when she says that 'this too shall pass.'  It's just a phase.  Our trip to the specialist has brought me hope that we can get these issues under control, and either way she'll eventually grow out of them as her system matures.  She won't cry & cry forever.

And someday I will wish I could return to these days, when she was tiny like this again.

When the slightest smile between those chubby little cheeks could light up my morning.

When she didn't mind that I covered her perfect face in about a million kisses every day.

When she could wear a bear hat and hold up her little fist of fury and melt my heart.

It really put things into perspective for me.

Later that day, when Mini was down for a nap, I talked to Lauren ("Hey, remember the time we...?")

We talked for almost two hours straight while I made this chili.

And all felt right with the world again :)

Smoky Black Bean & Bacon Chicken Chili

• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 lb. lean ground chicken
• 1 T. + 1 t. chili powder
• 1 t. ground cumin
• 1 3/4 t. smoked paprika
• 1 T. dried cilantro (or more, if using fresh) 
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1/4 t. salt (you can add more later to taste, but the bacon & broth are salty)
• 1 14.5-oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 C. low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 1/3 C. cooked, finely chopped or crumbled bacon
• 1 14.5-oz. can black beans (undrained)
  

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, heat oil.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 4 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute.

Increase heat to medium-high and add ground chicken; break it up with a wooden spoon and stir gently until it loses its raw color, 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir in spices and salt and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, Worcestershire, brown sugar, and bacon - bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover partially, and cook 30 minutes.

Add beans and cook 10 minutes, uncovered. Season to taste with additional salt and/or freshly ground pepper if desired. Serve warm.  Serves 4

Recipe adapted from myrecipes.com (originally Sunset Magazine, January 2007 issue)

Pasta Caprese

As you all now know, I am a reality TV junkie.

I've seen about 70% of the Bachelor/Bachelorette seasons.  Name a "Real Housewives of..." and I've probably seen it.  Actually, I've watched probably half of the shows on Bravo.

Yikes.

I'm not proud of it, but those are the facts.

One of my favorites is Real Housewives of New Jersey - for the obvious reason, that NJ is my home state.  And as crazy as some of the ladies on there are, I feel like I can relate to them more than any of the other Housewives.

But it worries me sometimes that people get the wrong idea about Italian-Americans... especially ones from Jersey. 

Growing up, I never thought much about it.  But these days, between the housewives, Jersey Shore, and even The Sopranos, I wonder - does the rest of America think we're all crazy, fist-pumping 'guidos' & 'guidettes' with weird accents and an uncle in the Mafia?

I've noticed it becomes much more obvious whenever I leave (what we call around here) the "tri-state area".

I attended college in Florida, and was in for an eye-opener when I got questions like "Oh you're Italian? From Jersey??  Is your family in the mob?"

And my response was usually an extremely confused, "Huh??"  In 18 years, no one had ever asked me that question before.

Then during my senior year, I was standing outside the office of one of my Sociology professors, and she had up a map of the breakdown of most common ancestries in the US, by county.   And I saw that the only counties where Italian ancestry was dominant was a small scattering in the Northeast - mainly New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

So that kind of put things in perspective for me... but it didn't make it any less disconcerting!

My dad's not in the mob.  We don't give people cement shoes to sleep with the fishes.

We don't flip tables at dinner, or start fist-fights at christenings (ahem, Teresa Giudice?)

We don't gel our hair into sharp points, or 'GTL,' or fist-pump to awful dance beats.

At lunch a couple months ago, I was talking to my co-worker & friend Lou (@LouRinaldi) who has pondered this very same issue.  How is being Italian-American perceived by others who don't share this background?  Especially considering the way the culture is portrayed in movies and television?

And how does that affect our own sense of identity in relation to our families & traditions?

He even made what I found to be an extremely interesting mini-documentary about it (shown here courtesy of Current TV).

So naturally Lou was the first person I told when I got an email from Yummly that they were featuring my baked ziti on their blog... in a post that was entitled "The Ultimate 'Jersey Shore' Dinner (After You GTL)," in anticipation of the season premiere of Jersey Shore on MTV.

Ok.  Not that The Best Baked Ziti isn't the perfect recipe to gear up for a night of Snookie & Pauly D.  And I was both flattered & extremely excited that something on V&B was noticed by the writers of Yummly's blog.

But I guess it just caught me a liiiittle by surprise to see V&B and "The Situation" in the same post, especially in light of this recent conversation with Lou.

Then this past weekend, I went to my cousin George's wedding in Connecticut.

Lindsay & George

And let me tell you something.

My family is awesome.

my cousin's fiance, my aunt, my cousin, myself, and my grandmother

The day was filled with laughter, dancing, tons of food, and so much love.

my cousin Sandi's son Dylan

my dad & George

And you know what?  That's what it means to me to be Italian-American.

my cousins & I, May 2008

That... and fresh mozzarella.

What??  I'm just sayin'.

Pasta Caprese

• 1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 t. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 t. minced fresh garlic
• 1 1/2 lbs. grape tomatoes, halved
• 12 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut in 1/2" cubes
• 1 lb. penne or other tubular pasta (I like to use whole wheat)
• 1/4 C. chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 t. to 1 t. sugar (depending on how sweet your tomatoes are)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Whisk oil, lemon juice, garlic, 1/2 t. salt, and 1/4 t. pepper in large bowl.  Add tomatoes and gently toss to combine; set aside.  (Do not marinate tomatoes longer than 45 minutes).

While tomatoes are marinating, bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a stockpot.  Add 1 T. salt and pasta, stir to separate, and cook until al dente.  Drain well.

While pasta is cooking, place mozzarella cubes on a large plate or platter, and freeze until slightly firm (about 10 minutes).

Add sugar, partially-frozen mozzarella, and pasta to bowl with tomato mixture and gently toss to combine.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Stir in basil and sugar, and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and sugar.  Serve immediately.  Serves 4-6.

Recipe Slightly Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Mango Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

Sometimes I wonder if the best preparation for having kids isn't having a husband.

They do messy things that result in getting very dirty.

They don’t much like to pick up after themselves.  

They take great joy in pestering you.

They look at you with pleading puppy-dog eyes to fix them a sandwich because "you make is so much better, though."

And they don’t like to eat their vegetables.

Or wait... maybe this is just my husband? 

In any case, Mr. Vittles has a rather short list of acceptable veggies, especially when it comes to the cooked variety.

So for that very reason, I tried to sneak the zucchini into this dish before he got home from work.  But as luck would have it, he walked in just as I as I grating it.

Warily eyeballing the pile of vegetables, he demanded, “What’s all that green stuff?”

“Just bell peppers,” I said (knowing full well that was definitely not the green stuff he was referring to).

“No," he persisted, "the other green stuff.”

Argh!  Caught red-handed.

(Or green-handed, as it may be?)

“It’s zucchini,” I admitted, and the look on his face told me that no matter how delicious this meal might end up being, for him it would be completely tainted by the thought of this foreign ‘green’ vegetable lurking in every bite.

But during dinner, I still asked my usual - "How is it?"

And he replied, “Alright."

Then, "It tastes kind of weird though.”

(Wait for it...)

“I think the zucchini is ruining it.”

Right. 

Lastly, he threw in "And I don't like mango."

Ok, ok!  I get it.  I'm waving the white flag,  'Don't ever make this again,' is what you're really trying to say.

Which is a shame, because I rather liked it.

To his credit, he did eat it that night, and also for lunch the next day… but quite begrudgingly.

Thankfully, however, the recipe is easily adaptable.  So if any of your family members don't like certain ingredients, or if you prefer a more 'standard' enchilada sauce, then by all means - do some experimenting.

But I bet that as long as they don't see that 'green stuff' go in, they will never even know it's there :)

Mango Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

• 1 1/3 C. enchilada sauce (see recipe below for Mango Enchilada sauce)
• 1 lb. thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 medium zucchini, grated
• 1/2 C. diced bell pepper (whatever color you choose)
• 14 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 10 oz. can diced tomatoes & chiles, drained
• 1 C. corn, frozen (thawed) or fresh
• 1/4 t. ground cumin
• 1/4 t. salt
• 8 8” whole wheat tortillas, cut in 1” strips
• 1 1/2 C. shredded Mexican cheese

Prepare Mango Enchilada sauce, if using.  Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Slice a stack of 4 tortillas in half, then 3 slices the other way (to create 8 strips).  Peel them apart then repeat with remaining 4 tortillas.  Keep piles separate from each other.  

Slice chicken into 1” strips and toss with 1/3 C. enchilada sauce.  Place mixture in a large, nonstick frying pan over medium heat and cook until chicken is no longer pink (about 3-5 minutes, depending on how small your chicken pieces are).   Remove chicken from pan & set aside.

Return pan to stove (you can wipe clean with a paper towel first) and add grated zucchini, bell pepper, black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cumin, and salt.  Stir to combine, and cook 3-5 minutes over medium heat until mixture is heated through.  Set aside.

Grease a 9x13” casserole dish, and scatter half of tortilla strips to loosely cover bottom of pan.  Scatter half the vegetable mixture over tortillas, then half the chicken, then half the remaining enchilada sauce, then half the cheese.  Repeat the same 4 layers, ending with cheese, and bake in preheated oven 10 minutes.  Serve immediately.  Serves 8-10.

Recipe Adapted from Eating Well

Mango Enchilada Sauce

• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 large tomato, quartered
• 1 t. canola oil
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 1/8 t. dried chile flakes
• 1/2 C. water
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1/4 t. cumin
• 1/4  C. cilantro leaves
• 1/2 t. kosher salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 mango, diced
• squeeze of lime

Place large, nonstick fry pan over medium to medium-high heat and add quartered tomato & onion, cut sides down.  As the vegetables brown, turn to other cut side.  Once each is roasted, add to a blender and blend about 30 seconds until fairly smooth.

Briefly clean & dry pan, then return to stove over medium-low heat.  Add canola oil, then garlic & chile flakes and sauté about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Then add blender mixture back into your pan, along with water, chili powder, cumin, cilantro leaves, kosher salt, and diced mango.  Bring to a gentle simmer, increasing heat if necessary, and cook 3-5 minutes until mango is soft.

Pour the entire mixture back into the blender and blend until smooth.  Strain through a sieve to catch any large solids.  Return to the pan, add in the lime, and stir to combine.  Use immediately or refrigerate up to 2 days.

Recipe Adapted from Fat & Happy

Smoky Restaurant-Style Salsa

In addition to being a brownie snob, I'm also kind of a salsa snob. 

I rarely eat salsa out of a jar, and when I do it's only IN recipes, and only certain brands.

To be honest, I didn't even really eat salsa until I was older because I had only had the likes of Pace and Tostitos.  I'm sorry to knock those brands but... ugh!  Not good.

Then in high school my mom started making her own salsa and oh my - I can remember Lauren Vittles and I coming back to my house after a night out and devouring a huge bowl of it.

Like... 3 to 4 times a week.

For a month straight.

Yeah.  It was that addicting.

Although come to think of it,  we actually had to take a breather from it for a while because we ate so much of it we could barely stand the sight of it.

That is... until a few weeks later, when we were back off the wagon again.  Ha!

Anyway, I know I already shared with you a recipe for fresh pico de gallo & salsa verde.  But I realized on my blogoversary last week that I never shared a basic restaurant-style recipe!

I have been on a kick of using fire-roasted tomatoes in recipes though, so I decided to change things up a bit and use those in place of whole canned tomatoes.  I also used a touch of chipotle to add to the smoky flavor.

Considering all the ingredients just get thrown into the food processor, there is no excuse not to make your own delicious, fresh salsa at home.

The beauty of a salsa like this is that you can change anything to your taste.

Don't like your salsa to be spicy?  Use less jalapeno.  (The recipe below makes what I would consider a medium salsa, in regard to the level of heat).

Can't fathom the thought of using tomatoes out of a can?  Use fresh ones (and if you're really feeling frisky, you can oven-roast them yourself first.)

Love chipotle?  Double the amount below, or to taste.

You get the idea.  You're a smart cookie.

Now make it happen :)

Smoky Restaurant Style Salsa

• 1 can (14.5 Ounce) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced tomatoes And green chilies)
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, chopped
• 1/8 t. Sugar
• 1/8 t. Salt
• 1/8 t. chipotle chili powder
• 1/4 C. cilantro (more to taste)
• 2 t. lime juice

Combine roasted tomatoes, Rotel, red onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, chipotle, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.  Let sit in refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.  Serves 6.

Recipe Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Penne and Vodka Sauce

I know I haven't posted in a while but the last 7 days have been a little crazy!

For one, I went back to work.  After sitting around the house with my feet up for almost a month and a half after my foot surgery, it was a little tough to get back in the swing of things.

I also started physical therapy, which I expected to be painful - but no one said I was going to be gripping the side of the table, gritting my teeth, and stifling a moan while the therapist "worked" my big toes like the stick shift of a BMW.

I know, it has to be done, but it's not exactly pleasant.

Thirdly we are moving to another place in 2 weeks.  So on top of going back to work & going to therapy, I've been packing & moving boxes.

Like 99% of the population, I despise moving.  The end result is usually great, but the packing, carrying, and unpacking are all pretty brutal.

However, this weekend has been busy in a good way.  My best friend Lauren Vittles is staying with us, along with her awesome hubby Tyler and their ADORABLE 3 month-old Holt.

You remember Holt, from my visit to see them in South Carolina in December?

They arrived Friday evening and are staying until tomorrow.  Even though probably 60% of our house has already been moved or at the very least packed, I wanted to make them a nice dinner their first night here.

I decided on penne and vodka sauce (one of my personal faves) with garlic bread & salad.  Easy but delicious.

I find that 'penne & vodka' rarely turns out as well at home as it does in a restaurant, but I have to say this one is pretty awesome.

Penne and Vodka Sauce

• 4 T. (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 C. heavy cream (I used a mixture of heavy cream and half &half)
• 1/4 C. tomato paste
• 1/3 C. plus 2 Tbs. vodka
• 2 T. slivered fresh basil
• Pinch of red pepper flakes 
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1/2 t. plus 2 Tbs. salt
• 1 lb. penne or other tubular pasta
• 1/2 C. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the 2 Tbs. salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.  Place drained penne in large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the cream. In a small bowl, dissolve the tomato paste in the vodka. Stir into the cream mixture. Add the basil and red pepper flakes. Season with the garlic powder & salt.

Cook until most of the alcohol has evaporated and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5-7 minutes.  When ready to serve, remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.  Add as much of the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce.  Pour over penne in bowl, mix to combine, and serve. Serves 4.

Recipe Adapted from Williams-Sonoma 

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

So the good news is my surgery went fine and I have not had any complications.

The bad news is, I am already going crazy and I still have weeks left to go!

I had a double bunionectomy, to remove the bones on the sides my feet ... you may have already noticed this problem on the post about Greek Panzanella Salad when I showed you the tattoo Mr. V gave me?

I knew that the surgery was going to be painful and that recovery was going to be a very slow process.   And it will totally be worth it in the end when I am walking around pain-free.

But right now is pretty miserable.

As anything in life, though, it has its good & bad points.  Let's review the pros & cons:

These are my feet right now, and it's NOT cool.

AHH.

Food-wise it actually hasn't been bad so far, because my dad & mother-in-law were kind enough to make us some home-cooked meals.  But now that we're getting down to pizza, tacos, and frozen foods things should get interesting.  Maybe Mr. Vittles will be more appreciative of the things I do now that he has to take care of me!

But since you are presumably not hampered by mummified feet & velcro boat shoes, I think you should make this chicken parm & enjoy it in my honor!  I picked a light recipe in anticipation of some New Year's resolutions you may have  :)

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

• 1 1/2 C. panko bread crumbs
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
• 1/2 C. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 T. water
• cooking spray
• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz. each), trimmed of excess fat & sliced into cutlets
• 2 C. tomato sauce, warmed 
• 3 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 T. minced fresh basil

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.

In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top, and spray the rack with vegetable oil spray.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg whites, and finally coat with the bread crumbs.  Press on the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack.

Spray the tops of the chicken with vegetable oil spray. Bake until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce onto the center of each cutlet and top the sauce with 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella. Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve, passing the remaining sauce and Parmesan separately.

Makes 6 1-piece servings.  Cal 310; Fat 8 g; Sat fat 2.5 g; Chol 75 mg; Carb 20 g; Protein 38 g; Fiber 1 g; Sodium 790 mg

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated

Skillet Pizza

The other night, I had a craving for homemade pizza... but I didn't have any dough.

Which is usually enough to dissuade me from making pizza, because I hate making my own dough.

I don't know about you, but yeast and I have never gotten along real well.  I pretty much avoid it at all costs.

Plus, it takes too long to let the dough rise.  After a long day at work, I don't have time for those shenanigans. 

Recently I signed up for a year's subscription to Cook's Country online, so I checked their website for any homemade pizza recipes that didn't take all night to make.

There I found this recipe that uses a very interesting ingredient - beer.  Apparently, it gives the taste of a yeast bread, but without all the work.

I was definitely on board for that.  Not to mention the fact that it was made in a skillet, which was very intriguing (apparently, I'm on a roll lately with the skillet dinners?)

I must say, the result was pretty awesome.  Mr. V and I both enjoyed the twist on traditional pizza, as without the yeast the dough is very thin and cracker-like.

It was also nice to have two personal pizzas so I could put some different toppings on mine... like feta cheese & roasted red peppers.  Mmm :)

Skillet Pizza

Dough

• 1 C. flour
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/3 C. beer (rich, brown ale is recommended but I used Yuengling)
• 1 T. olive oil (plus 4 T. more, for cooking)

Toppings

• 1/2 C. tomato sauce
• 1 C. mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 T. parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• any toppings of your choice - pepperoni, olives, roasted red peppers, cooked sausage, spinach, etc.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar & salt in food processor.  With processor running, slowly add beer and 1 T. olive oil.  Process until dough pulls away from sides & shaggy ball forms, about 1 minute.  Using floured hands, form dough into tight ball & cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Let rest 10 minutes.  (Dough can also be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 1 week).

Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll each half into very thin 9-inch round. Heat 2 T. olive oil in 10" nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Transfer one dough round to skillet and cook, poking any air bubbles that form with fork, until bottom is deep golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.

Flip dough and cover with 1/4 C. of sauce and half of cheeses/toppings. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until second side is crisp and cheeses have melted, about 5 minutes. Transfer pizza to cutting board. Wipe out pan and repeat with remaining oil, dough, and toppings. Slice into wedges. Serve.

Makes two 9" pizzas. 

Recipe Adapted from Cook's Country

Taco Mac & Cheese Bake

Ok so I'm a little bit conflicted about sharing this recipe with you.

It's one largely of my own creation (very loosely based on the same Cooks' Illustrated recipe I used to craft Mr. Vittles favorite Pepperjack Bacon Mac & Cheese) and while the general idea was a good one, I'm not so sure the execution was top notch.

Not that it's inedible or anything.  It's just a little weird.

As I was stirring the meat into the pasta & cheese (one of the final steps of the recipe) a lightbulb went off in my head - this is like a made-from-scratch Hamburger Helper.

Not that I really know what Hamburger Helper even is.  Momma Vittles strictly forbade the helping of any hamburgers in her household, so I've only seen it in commercials. But this is what I imagine it to be like.

So like any self-respecting cook, when I had this epiphany, I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at my creation in horror.

What had I done?  

Surely this was a culinary abomination.  I was perhaps the Dr. Frankenstein of cooking. 

But I had come this far, and it was too late to turn back.  So I slapped the mixture in a dish, sprinkled some tortilla chip crumbs over the top, and sent it into the oven with my fingers crossed.

All in all, it was not so bad.  FYI- I think it would be a little more substantial if you used an entire pound of macaroni instead of 8 ounces.

But the only reason I even considered posting the recipe is because Mr. V gave it a solid thumbs up.

I asked him again, before I typed this post, just to make sure. "What did you really think about that taco thing the other night?"

"It was good," he said.

"You really liked it?" I asked, just for good measure.  "I'm a little conflicted about posting it."

"I LIKED IT."

Well then.  I guess he liked it. 

You'll have to decide for yourself.

Taco Mac & Cheese Bake 

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 T. canola or olive oil
• 1 t. garlic, minced
• 1 lb. lean (93%) ground beef or turkey
• 1 10-oz. can Rotel diced tomato & chiles, undrained
• 1 packet (or 1/4 C.) taco seasoning
• 8 oz. elbow or other small macaroni (I used radiatore, what I had in the house)
• 3 T. butter
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 3 T. flour
• 1/4 t. chili powder
• 2 1/2 C. milk
• 1/2 t. salt
• 8 oz. grated Mexican cheese (I used Pepperjack for you-know-who!)
• 1 C. crushed tortilla chips

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water until tender (just past al dente stage).  While macaroni is cooking, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion & cook 2-3 minutes until softened.  Then add garlic and saute 30 seconds more.

Add ground beef to the pan and cook until no longer pink.  Drain fat (being careful not to drain out the garlic & onion in the pan.)  Add can of Rotel and taco seasoning, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Set aside.

Preheat broiler and adjust rack to mid-low position.  

When macaroni is cooked to tender, drain and reserve in colander.  Return now-empty pot to stove over medium heat & melt butter until foaming.

Add flour, garlic & chili powders and whisk mixture constantly for 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in milk, then bring mixture to a boil while whisking constantly, to thicken.  Reduce heat to med-low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until consistency becomes that of heavy cream (3-5 minutes).

Remove pot from heat, and whisk in cheese and salt.  Add drained pasta and beef mixture, and return pot to med-low burner.  Stir occasionally until heated through, another 3-5 minutes. 

Transfer to greased 13x9 baking dish, and sprinkle crushed chips over top.  Place in broiler for 3-5 minutes until tortilla chips are browned.  Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe very loosely based on Cooks' Illustrated Classic Mac & Cheese

Turkey Chili

Every year, as soon as Labor Day is over, I usually find myself in full-fledged Fall mode... regardless of whether or not Mother Nature is cooperating.

But while it's only a week after the holiday, I will say she has not disappointed me yet.

The god-awful temperatures we have experienced for most of the summer seem to have subsided, at least for now - and I could not be happier to turn off the air conditioning and open the windows!

(Especially since my AC doesn't get the house below 78 degrees.)

With this gorgeous weather, I can crank the oven freely without fear of spontaneous combustion or turning my home into Hades.

More importantly, I can dust off my fall recipe collection, as well as the cans of pumpkin puree that I've been hoarding in my cabinet since last year (alongside the seventeen cans of diced tomatoes I was unknowingly amassing).

Hey. Canned goods last a long time, people.  My Great Aunt Joyce had a stockpiling of enough nonperishables to outlast World War III and I can assure you no one ever died from eating them.

But ... before we get to my latest pumpkin creation (pumpkin whoopie pies, mind you!) I would like to share with you my tried & true recipe for chili.  With the start of regular-season football this past week, I thought it would be appropriate.

And if you're really good, I'll share a recipe for cornbread, too.

(And by 'really good', I mean if you're rooting for the NY Giants to make it to the Superbowl.)

Just throwing that out there.

Turkey Chili

• 1 to 1 1/3 lbs. ground turkey (lean ground beef is fine too) 
• 1 1/2 T. canola oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 T. garlic, minced
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (can also use one with chiles), undrained
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar
• 2 t. brown sugar
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper (use more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. dried oregano 
• 1/2 t. dried basil
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
  

In large pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions & cook until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add turkey & cook until no longer pink (this is why I like to use lean meat - otherwise you may want to drain the fat here, being careful not to lose the onions & garlic).

Add diced tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar & spices along with 3/4 C. of water.  Bring to a boil , then reduce heat to low & simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally & adding more water if necessary to reach desired consistency.

Add kidney beans & simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes longer.  Serve with grated cheddar cheese and/or cornbread.

Original Recipe

Black Bean Tostadas

Do you ever have one of those days where you just want to run around screaming like a maniac, out of sheer frustration with the world?

To say that I "woke up on the wrong side of the bed" today is a definite understatement.

First of all, I'm pretty sure that in order to wake up, it is first necessary to fall asleep.

After a whole night of listening to Mr. Vittles snore away happily, I did finally manage to do this around 5 AM this morning...

...until I woke up in a panic at 6:54 AM thinking for some reason that it was 9:54 AM and that I was horribly late to pick my partner up for work.

I'm not entirely sure why it was so difficult for me to fall asleep last night, but the longer it went on the more frustrated I got... and the more frustrated I got, the more awake I felt.

And the more awake I felt, the more I thought about how silly it was for me to devote 3 hours of my life to watching Bachelorette Ali give away her final rose to Roberto and talk about how 'in looove' they are, even though only 2 out of like 700 couples have actually stayed together.

And the more I thought about how my neighbor, who only speaks to me when he has a proverbial 'bone to pick,' is undoubtedly Beelzebub disguised as a crotchety old man and his minions are the chipmunks and squirrels that like to take big bites out of my garden tomatoes as soon as they turn ripe enough to eat.

And the more I thought about how odd it was that our bird was banging around in her cage and munching her seed in the middle of the night, when I finally decided to get up and investigate and realized it was actually a mouse doing the nibbling.

And the more I thought about how bad it would have sucked if I really did catch my pointer finger in one of the mouse traps I decided to set at 3:15AM and almost detonated on myself because I was so @#^$ tired.

And the more I thought about how great it would be if I could only fall asleep and stop watching the minutes on the clock tick by.

Argh.

As you can probably guess, an hour and 50-some-odd minutes of sleep is really not enough to sustain a person through the entire day.

And so I have been lumbering my way through it like some flesh-hungry zombie since The 6:54 AM Panic - or at least I was until I bent down to pick something up and cracked the side of my cranium on the pointy edge of a wooden table and decided enough was enough.

Ok, Life, you win.  Maggie - 0,  Beelzebub - 1.

On days like this, I turn to my old friend The Black Bean Tostada.

He is simple and wise.  He knows that some days we do not have the time nor the energy to 'whip up' Panzanella salads and sweet & sour chicken, but we still deserve a delicious meal that we don't have to order from a Chinese restaurant or pizza parlor.

He knows that some days we can only use our outstretched zombie arms to open a can of refried black beans and a jar of salsa.

And that's ok.  He loves us anyway.

Black Bean Tostadas

*Note: this is more of a meal suggestion than a recipe, so use your discretion as to how much of each ingredient you want to use- if you even want to use it at all!  (But I would definitely do, at the bare minimum: beans, cheese, salsa & lettuce.)  Mr. V usually eats 3 tostadas with "the works" and I usually eat 2.

• Sleeve of store-bought tostadas**
• 15-oz can of refried black beans
• Shredded lettuce
• Cheddar or Mexican Cheese
• Store-bought salsa (or if you're feeling bold - try a recipe for pico de gallo, or salsa verde)
• Diced tomatoes
• Store-bought Guacamole (or if you're feeling extra bold - try this recipe for a fresh version)
• Sour Cream

Lay out the tostadas on a microwave-safe dish (or dishes).  Spread each one with a layer of refried beans, then sprinkle with cheese.  Microwave 10-20 seconds until warm and cheese is melted.  Drizzle with salsa, and sprinkle with lettuce and diced tomatoes.  Add a few dollops of sour cream and/or guacamole, or whatever ingredients you prefer to taste.  Serve.

**You can also make your own tostadas using corn tortillas- brush each side lightly with canola oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and bake in 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes (flip halfway through).

Original 'Recipe'

Greek Panzanella Salad

Tonight we we had taco salads, and Mr. Vittles' always ends up being a serious creation.  So I make my tiny salad first, and then he piles whatever is left into a giant mixing bowl for himself.

This can take a while, so usually I walk away while the V Man crafts his masterpiece.  But this evening I forgot the salsa so I went back in time to see him brushing tortilla crumbs off his hands over the counter.

I gave him a sideways look, and he replied "What? I was gonna do it over the floor, but then I figured I better not..."

[wait for it] 

...since you're standing right here."

Sweet.  No wonder I feel like I could vacuum every single day in this house and it still wouldn't be enough.

But, I can't complain because he did fix a giant dent in the rear bumper of my car this evening (from an unknown source - The Perp is still at large!)  So I guess I'll keep him :)

Anyway, I also made this recipe tonight, because I've been dying to try it ever since I saw a picture of it on Alisa Burke's blog.  The recipe is originally from Food Network's Ina Garten, and every single review I read gave it 5 stars.

Yeah yeah, I know it has absolutely nothing to do with tacos.  But I was cutting up tomatoes and onions for pico de gallo & decided I may as well kill two birds with one stone.

So I kept on chopping away, toasted up some bread, and whipped up a vinaigrette - doesn't it all sound so easy?

After dinner, I noticed Mr. V still had a few rogue olive bits in his bowl so I asked if he liked the Panzanella.

"Yeah, it was good," he replied.  "I could have done without the olives though.  I don't mind olives.  But I don't really like them."

Hmm.  Do you not like them, or not mind them?

I'm gonna go with 'don't like them.'

FYI - this is an uncharacteristically female response on his part.  We women are always worried about hurting people's feelings, but usually men aren't so careful.  Maybe he was feeling badly about the crumbs.

...

Nah.

Ok, so maybe he was feeling badly about the other night when he decided to draw on my foot with permanent marker because... I refused to drop what I was doing and scratch his back.

This is what happens when two very stubborn people fall in love and get married. 

At least it's kinda cute.

In any case ... I did not follow Ina's recipe as closely as I would have liked, since I was working with whatever I had in the house.  I only had some green peppers from the garden, feta crumbles (not block), a regular cucumber, and white onions rather than red.  So I will post the original recipe's ingredients, since they are probably better than mine.  The only change I made to the directions was toasting the bread in the oven rather than pan-frying it. 

Greek Panzanella Salad

• 2-3 T. good olive oil
• 1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
• Kosher salt
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, large diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted 

Vinaigrette:
nocoupons

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup good olive oil

Preheat oven 400 degrees.  Place bread cubes in a bowl and drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil.  Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.  Bake 7-9 minutes, until nicely toasted. Add more olive oil as needed.

Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables.

Add the feta, olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

*For those of you unfamiliar with hothouse cucumbers, they are the really long ones you may have seen at the grocery store that come usually individually wrapped.  They have less seeds and if wrapped, the peel is not waxed.

Recipe Barely Adapted from Food Network, by Ina Garten

Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas

I was lucky enough to spend this past Father's Day with two amazing dads - stepdad Chris Vittles, and father-in-law Douggy Vittles.

And let me tell you - what a day it was.  It involved milkshakes and go karts and arcade games and mechanical bull riding.... just to name a few.

But my own dad was on a trip to Las Vegas, as Candi Vittles was participating in her second annual World Series of Poker event (yay!).

So while I know it's a little late for a Father's Day post, I figure I should get a pass since my celebration with Pappy Vittles will be a bit late as well.

Not to mention the fact that my internet has been broken at home since Friday morning, and I am actually posting this at work.  (Shhh...)

So... let's just pretend it's last Sunday.  Isn't time travel fun?

So now that it's Father's Day again, my first order of business is to wish my dad a very happy day - he is truly one in a million, and I'd hardly be the person I am today if it wasn't for him.

Like... I might gamble, or forget to be careful, or not take my vitamins. 

I might be bashful at the dinner table and starve.

I might forget to "do the right thing," or "go easy" (whatever that means.)

Heck, I might not even sleep tight, or worse - let The Zipperumpazoos bite!

Me, Pappy Vittles, and Chocolate The Bunny in 1986

Flexing his Dad Muscles for Mr. Vittles in 2008

Now as I've already explained, my father does the cooking at his house - and what usually comes with that territory is the grocery shopping.

(Like, as much as I would love to pass on the dreaded grocery duties to Mr. Vittles, it would be silly to have him buying the food when I'm the one planning and executing the meals.)

But before grocery shopping became the chore it is today, I used to love accompanying my dad to the store.

This was for a couple of reasons.

One was the obvious: father-daughter bonding time.  Yep, always was Daddy's Little Girl!

And there was a ritual - first, the reading of circular flyers, as well as the clipping and organizing of coupons before departure.  Then the excursion itself, followed by the post-trip celebration of how much money we saved. 

But to be honest, the "bonding" during shop time was few & far between, leading to my second reason for taking these trips with him - to get a laugh.

My dad was so focused on the products and the prices- on getting not only the right thing but the best deal - that I could literally tell him I was abducted by aliens the night before and his only response would be "Uh huh."

Not to mention, we always had a running joke that you could look in his cabinet at any given time and find at least 5-6 cans of baked beans.  Random, but I guess this was an item frequently on sale- and Lord knows the Vittles family cannot resist a good sale!

So he would buy a can or two, and before you knew it, he had enough baked beans stockpiled to survive for a week in a blizzard.

Well.  You know what they say.

The nut doesn't fall far from the tree.

First of all, the Celebration of Savings is alive & well in my household and can take one of two forms - either "Guess How Much I Saved On The Bill" (most grocery stores are kind enough to print this on the receipt for your enjoyment):

....or the equally popular "Guess How Little I Paid For This Normally Expensive Item".

(I'm not sure which game Mr. Vittles likes more.  Probably neither.)

Secondly, as I am pretty jam-packed into our apartment kitchen, I tend to have things stored in odd places.  Well, between three different cabinets, I recently discovered my own stockpiling of 7 cans of diced tomatoes.

Which would have actually been nine cans, if I hadn't just made a double batch of black bean enchiladas for Mr. Vittles and my brothers-in-law.

Yikes.  Apparently... Pappy V's baked bean is my diced tomato.

Just goes to show that we all forget to "go easy" every now and again!

And FYI - your parents' OCD is not quite as funny when you're looking in the mirror.
 
But oh well.  The more diced tomatoes I have on hand the more black bean enchiladas I can make!

Love you, Dad :)

Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 t. garlic
• 1 15.5 oz. can black beans, undrained
• 1 10.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with chiles (Rotel)
• 1 t. chili powder (I like to use chipotle chili powder to give them a smokey flavor, but regular is fine)
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1 T. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 t. dried oregano
• 1 C. cooked rice
• 1/2 C. enchilada sauce or your favorite salsa
• 8 flour tortillas
• 3/4 C. cheddar, jack or any kind of Mexican shredded cheese

In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onions until tender.  Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds until fragrant. Add black beans, diced tomatoes/chiles, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, and oregano.  Stir and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to med-low and simmer gently until thickened, about 7-8 minutes.  Add rice and stir until heated through, 1-2 minutes more.  Remove skillet from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and coat a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In 10-15 second increments, heat flour tortillas in microwave (this makes them more pliable).  Spoon 1/3 C. of bean & rice mixture down the center of each tortilla, then fold in the sides and roll to form an enchilada.

Place each enchilada in baking dish, seam side down, and spoon sauce/enchilada over the top.  Cover pan tightly with foil and bake 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, uncover, and top with cheese.  Bake an additional 7 minutes, or until cheese is melted to your liking.

Recipe Source Unknown
**I remember finding a recipe somewhere online, and I adapted it into the above - but I never wrote the source down.  If you recognize this recipe, leave me a comment or email me and I will be happy to give credit!

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Italian-Americans do not mess around when it comes to tomato sauce.

Or food in general, really.

My family is no different.  So before we get to the "vittles," here's a "bit" for you.

Shortly before our wedding, my grandmother Yaya Vittles had an unfortunate accident where she broke her hip... and within a matter of days, her body went into complete shut-down mode.

Things were looking pretty grim, so all her close family members were called to say their goodbyes.  Mr. V and I drove the three hours to see her in the hospital, and I was beside myself to see her slipping in and out of consciousness. 

However, while my dad and stepmom were visiting, she managed to bring some comic relief to an otherwise dreadful situation.

She was having a 'dream' where she was apparently home in her kitchen, making Sunday supper, and she barked out orders to my grandfather in her sleep.

"Pop, get the tomatoes!" she exclaimed.

Then, "I'm making the meatballs!" as she massaged the air with her hands, mixing the imaginary beef and bread crumbs.

Now that's what I like to call dedication.

Thankfully, she was right when she told me that "they can't kill an old horse."  Over eight months later, she is still going strong.  And... still pumping out the meatballs and sauce. 

But despite following her "recipe," mine never comes out as good as hers :( 

So I took the best elements from her sauce, as well as the best from another one of my favorites (Pappy V's) and merged them into my own glorious creation.

My dad makes a quick, spicy sauce where my grandmother makes a slow, mild sauce.

I ... make a slow, spicy sauce.

And not to toot my own horn or anything....

But it's awesome.

Mr. Vittles, who does not even really like pasta and sauce, also happens to think it's awesome.

Toot toot.

Let's hope you agree.

Spicy Tomato Sauce

• 3 T. olive oil
• 3-4 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 t. crushed red pepper*
• 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1/2 C. red wine
• 1 C. water
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 T. dried parsley
• 1 T. dried basil
• 2 heaping t. black pepper
• 1 heaping t. salt
• 1/2 t. onion powder
• 1/4 t. garlic powder

In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium-low.  Add garlic and crushed red pepper.  Oil should be hot enough for garlic to sizzle a bit, but not too hot that it burns.  Brown garlic slightly until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add water, wine, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste and stir until heated thoroughly.  Add parsley, basil, salt, pepper, garlic & onion powders, and crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine.  Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

Simmer on low for about an hour, stirring occasionally.  Serve with pasta, or use in place of jarred sauce in your favorite recipes.  Makes about 2 quarts.

*Note: Depending on how spicy you like it, you can use more or less red pepper.  The one teaspoon here gives it a pretty good kick, so I'd try that first before using more.  However, I would not recommend omitting it altogether unless you are adding meat to the sauce, which will give it some extra flavor. 

Original Recipe