Veal Piccata with Angel Hair and Parmigiana-Reggiano

This meal was wonderful! Despite what looks like a long preparation, it really is quite simple. All it takes is sauteeing the veal and making a pan sauce while the pasta cooks. When Holly and I made it for the four of us, we used about 1 1/2 pounds of veal and a whole pound of pasta. There was plenty to feed us plus leftovers, so I would suggest just sticking to the original recipe for four servings. Maybe add a little more pasta if you have big carb-eaters coming for dinner!

I love the fact that the pasta gets it's own highlight of oil, cheese, and spices. And then the pan sauce is your typical piccata preparation, with lemon juice, white wine, broth, and capers. Yum!

Veal Piccata with Angel Hair and Parmigiana-Reggiano
from Emeril Lagasse
Makes 4 servings

1/2 pound angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon chopped parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup all-purpose flour
8 (2 1/2 to 3-ounce) veal medallions, pounded 1/4-inch thick
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock, or canned, low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 teaspoons minced garlic

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring to separate the strands of pasta, until just al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the pot.

Add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, and the cheese and toss to coat. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, combine the flour with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the black pepper in a shallow bowl.

Lightly season both sides of each medallion with 1/8 teaspoon of the remaining salt and a pinch of the remaining pepper. One at a time, dredge the medallions in the seasoned flour, shaking to remove any excess.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the medallions in batches and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Add the wine to the juices remaining in the pan and bring to a boil, stirring to deglaze the pan, and cook until the wine is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, capers, and garlic and return to a boil, stirring, until the mixture is thickened, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon of the parsley. When the butter is melted, return all of the veal medallions to the pan and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

To serve, divide the pasta among 4 large plates and arrange 2 veal medallions on each plate. Spoon the sauce over the veal and garnish each serving with 1/4 teaspoon of the remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

Shrimp Salad in Phyllo Cups

Please excuse the unappetizing dollops of cocktail sauce on these, because it really is delicious, I promise you! This is a nice, light little appetizer that can be made in advance and if you like shrimp, you will be sure to enjoy this!

My version of this recipe calls for canned shrimp, which is not as scary as it sounds and makes your life a lot easier. I chose to serve these in phyllo cups this time, but the salad can just as easily be served in a bowl alongside some delicate crackers. You can find the phyllo cups in the frozen foods aisle along with puff pastry, phyllo sheets, and all sorts of fun things to help you jazz up your snacks.

Shrimp Salad in Phyllo Cups

adapted from several recipes

Makes 30 pieces

2 4-ounce cans tiny shrimp, drained and chopped

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh or 2 teaspoons dried dill, minced

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 packages phyllo cups (15 pieces each), thawed

cocktail sauce

Mix the mayo with the mustard, vinegar, dill, and black pepper. Add the shrimp and celery. Gently mix together and refrigerate until chilled.

Follow directions on phyllo cups package for crisping. This is usually done by baking at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes to slightly toast the cups.

Spoon the shrimp salad into each phyllo cup and top with a dollop of cocktail sauce. Serve immediately.

Hummus

I was so scared to make hummus for the longest time because of how finicky the recipe could be. But then Holly said she wanted to try it for our dinner we were cooking together, so I figured now was the time! I then of course turned to Katie in all her Lebanese wisdom to help me!

I used her recipe exactly, using the two cloves of garlic. This was REALLY good and not too tough to figure out. You will know when it's the right consistency for you and it takes no more than a few minutes to make!

Note: Holly went shopping for these ingredients and she found the tahini by the peanut butter!

Hummus

from Good Things Catered

Makes about 2 cups

1 12-ounce can chick peas

1-2 large cloves garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2+ teaspoons tahini (sesame paste)

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Drain water from the can of chick peas into a small bowl and reserve.

In a food processor (or blender), mix together the chick peas with the remaining rest of the ingredients, being careful to add second half of lemon juice and tahini slowly, stopping to taste.

Slowly add some of the reserved liquid from beans and a bit of water for correct consistency,(about 1-2 minutes) until a smooth, slightly fluid paste is formed.

Refrigerate for at least 30 mins before serving. This changes the taste of the hummus by allowing the flavors to form.

Note: to dress the hummus up for the table, the traditional way of serving is on a plate, with an extra drizzle of olive oil on top and a sprinkle of paprika and chopped parsley.

Chicken Poppers

This recipe was easy, delicious, and made a LOT of chicken. You would be surprised how much four chicken breasts makes. We had enough for nine people to snack on at the party, and then Chuck and I ate what was leftover for dinner last night!

I love the idea of marinating in buttermilk, and the cayenne pepper gives it just enough kick but doesn't make it too spicy. When I talked to the very wise Katie about how to make them in advance, she suggested marinating in the morning of the party, then preparing through the bread crumb stage and sticking in the freezer so that the chicken doesn't get soggy. Don't leave them in the freezer longer than a few hours though; and then just take out and pop them right in the oven, like little frozen appetizers.

Chicken Poppers
from Good Things Catered
Makes enough to feed a crowd!

4 cups low fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cayenne powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
3 bay leaves, broken into pieces

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups prepared Italian bread crumbs
4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2 - 2 inch chunks (about 2 pounds)

In large, zip top bag, placed in a bowl, combine first six ingredients and stir well to combine. Place chicken pieces into the bag and toss to coat well. Seal bag completely and place bag, in bowl, into the fridge to marinate for 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with a wire rack.

Remove bag from fridge and remove chicken from marinade, shaking to rid of excess liquid. Place chicken pieces on paper towel lined baking sheet and discard marinade. In wide, shallow bowl, combine seasoned bread crumbs, Dijon mustard, drizzle of olive oil and stir to combine.

Set chicken in breadcrumbs, sprinkle crumbs over chicken, and press to coat. Turn chicken over and repeat on other side. Gently shake off excess and place on rack.

Repeat with all chicken and place baking sheet into oven to bake until tenders reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees, about 12-15 minutes depending on size.

Remove from oven, place on serving platter and serve with barbecue sauce of choice.

Spinach Artichoke Feta Dip

Everyone has their own version of the spinach-artichoke dip. I myself have several versions; but when I was making one of my regulars I had some extra feta cheese lying around so decided to throw that in instead of cheddar cheese. It was quite tasty, this is one of the easiest dips you can make to impress a crowd.

And here is a tip for leftovers (if you have any!): reheat the dip and mix into warm orzo pasta for a delicious and creamy side dish!

Spinach Artichoke Feta Dip
adapted from several recipes
Makes an 8x8 dish

10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
8-ounce package cream chese, softened
can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients in large bowl except 1/2 cup cheese. Put mixture into 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over top.

Bakes for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with pita chips or cracker of choice!

Let's Cook Together Dinner

When my friend Holly asked if I would share some recipes with her; I offered to come cook one night in her new house with her! One of my favorite things to do is cook a big meal with a friend, so this was perfect! Plus, Chuck and Holly's husband, Adam got the benefit of showing up after work for a home-cooked meal!

Holly chose the main entree and then she and I worked at filling in the rest of the details. I think it's safe to say that the four of us enjoyed our meal immensely, with good food and good conversation!

Let's Cook Together Dinner

Appetizers

• Hummus with pita chips
• Shrimp Salad in phyllo cups

Dinner

• Veal Piccata with Angel Hair and Parmigiana-Reggiano
• Sweet baby lettuce with crimson pears, blue cheese and raspberry-walnut vinaigrette

Dessert

• Apple Cranberry Pie with Oatmeal Cookie Crust, served vanilla bean ice cream

Recipes coming soon, as always!

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

I wouldn't describe these so much as "cookies" as "cake-y morsels of goodness". Due to the pumpkin, which makes everything very moist, these cookies are like little pumpkin cakes with cream cheese frosting on them.

A word of warning though: this icing does not harden, which makes it very hard to store and transport these cookies. You basically have to keep them in a single layer, so make sure you have enough space to keep them looking pretty! The original icing recipe makes WAY too much, in my opinion, so I have halved it for you below.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies
slightly adapted from allrecipes.com
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then spread icing over top.

To Make Icing: Combine all ingredients and beat with elextric mixer. Add milk as needed, to achieve spreading consistency.