When I gave a bridal shower for my daughter Randi in May of 2006, of course I went all out. Randi is the sweetest, most wonderful daughter to me, and as far as I’m concerned, nothing I can ever do for her is enough. I held the shower at my boyfriend Jim’s house in Bricktown, New Jersey. We had about 40 people as guests. Anyway, it was a wonderful day. The weather was beautiful, and the guests were able to sit out by the pool. I had worked hard for weeks before doing as much as possible in advance. Most of my preparations, though took place during the week of the shower, which was a little difficult since I didn’t take one day off from work. The food spread was incredible! Here is the menu: macaroni and cheese casserole, french toast bread pudding, noodle kugel, mushroom, spinach, and Gruyere egg casserole, a strata (which I really didn’t like), lime jello mold, tossed salad with vinaigrette, tuna salad and egg salad, sliced cheeses, bagels and assorted cream cheeses, and finally, incredible smoked fish platters from the amazing Jerry and Harvey’s Delicatessen in Marlboro, NJ (their appetizing stuff is the best!). Luckily, I did get a little help. My Aunt Sally Hindes made the egg salad, and my mother, Shirley Fried, made her lime jello mold. But you have to understand, that I’m not complaining. I loved making everything for the shower. I live for these family milestones, and I love every second of the preparations involved. Of course, we had dessert, and everything was homemade (by me). I baked cheesecake, carrot cake, my vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate chip cookies, jam diagonals, oatmeal cookies, and rugeluch. The food was wonderful, but the real reason the shower was so outstanding was because of how sweet and incredible Randi is. How lucky I am to be blessed with Randi as a daughter.

for the vinaigrette:

• juice from 1 large lemon (about ¼ cup)
• ½ cup olive oil (I use a combination of light and extra virgin)
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

For this particular party, I made a huge salad so I doubled the recipe for the vinaigrette as follows:

• ½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
• 1 cup olive oil (combination of light and extra virgin)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, whisk the lemon juice, the oregano, the salt, the pepper, and the garlic. Then add the oil slowly as you continue to whisk. You can make this earlier in the day, and put it in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Then when you are ready to use it, give it a few good shakes, and pour it over the salad right before you serve the salad.

for a really big salad:

a combination of romaine and green leaf lettuce

2 English cucumbers, sliced lengthwise and then cut in half

2 pints of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 red onion, sliced thinly

2 large red bell peppers, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 large green bell pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces

Note: Possible additions to the salad include black or green olives, radishes, 4-8 ounces of feta cheese crumbled, good croutons

for the chicken: 

• 1 pound of thin sliced chicken cutlets
• kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced  
• about 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves (if you have both fresh thyme and fresh oregano, use a combination of the two)
• olive oil (I use light)

for the tomatoes and shallots:

• 6-7 plum tomatoes, cut into chunks (each chunk should be about 1/2 the size of a cherry tomato)
• 4-6 shallots, small dice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• about 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• olive oil

to pull it all together:

• 1 cup of chicken broth or stock
• 1 can (15 oz.) of white beans, drained
• a little more fresh thyme (or fresh thyme and oregano)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On half sheet pan, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Then place tomato chunks on pan along with chopped shallots.  Sprinkle with minced garlic, thyme leaves, kosher salt, and some cracked black pepper.  Toss to coat with the olive oil.  Cook for about  45 min. to 1 hour or until tomatoes start to shrink and shallots are beginning to carmelize.

Right after you put the tomatoes and shallots in the oven, prepare your chicken.  Place the cutlets on a sheet pan which you have drizzled with olive oil.  Season the cutlets with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the cutlets with the minced garlic and the thyme (or the thyme and oregano).  Put in the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes until cooked through, depending on the thickness of the chicken.  Let cool for a few minutes, and then cut into bite sized pieces. 

In a large skillet, pour about 1 cup of chicken stock, add the drained beans, the cut up chicken, and the roasted tomatoes and shallots.  Sprinkle with about 1 more teaspoon of fresh thyme or a combination of fresh thyme and oregano. Mix gently, and heat together over a medium flame for about 3-4 minutes until beans are heated through.  Reseason if necessary with salt and pepper.  Serve.

 Notes:  You can substitute 1 pint of cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes cut in half for the plum tomatoes.  I used canneloni beans, but you can substitute any type of canned white beans.

If you buy fresh oregano or fresh thyme, you can store it in a ziploc bag covered with a damp paper towel, and it will keep for a few weeks.

for the marinara sauce:

about 1/3 cup olive oil ( I use light)

2 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes (preferably Sclafani brand; these crushed tomatoes are so delicious, you could eat them right out of the can!)

1 medium onion, medium dice

3 large garlic cloves, grated

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 to 1/2 cup water

for the lasagna rolls:

about 1 pound uncooked lasagna noodles (do not use the no-boil noodles)

1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese (either whole milk or part skim)

1 10 oz. box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 large egg

1 pound of grated mozzarella cheese, divided (I usually use whole milk)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I prefer thyme)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

light sprinkling of red pepper flakes

some freshly cracked black pepper

for the sauce:

In large deep skillet or saucepan, pour the live oil.  Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and the diced onion.  Saute for about 4 minutes over medium flame until onion is translucent.  Grate in the garlic, and saute 1 more minute.  Pour in the crushed tomatoes, sprinkle in the salt and the freshly cracked pepper.  Cover and simmer over lowest flame for about 20 minutes.  Sprinkle in the fresh thyme leaves and stir.  Add about 1/4 cup water if sauce is really thick.  You may even need another 1/4 cup of water.  This will make about 2 quarts of sauce.  You will need about 1 quart of sauce for this recipe. You can freeze the leftover sauce.

for the lasagna rolls:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, the spinach, one cup of the Parmesan or Romano cheese, salt, red pepper flakes, freshly ground pepper, 1 large egg, 1 cup of grated mozzarella, the fresh thyme leaves or the freshly chopped basil, and about 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water.  Set aside.

Boil lasagna noodles until cooked, reserving some pasta water.  Rinse under cold water, and lay noodles out on sheet pan. 

Spoon some marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13 oval or rectangular baking dish (sauce should be about 1/8 inch high in pan).  Take one lasagna noodle, and spoon about 3 tablespoons of the spinach cheese mixture on the noodle. Then with a knife or rubber spatula, smooth the mixture evenly on the entire noodle.  Roll the noodle up, and place seem side down in the dish.  Repeat with each lasagna noodle.  You should have enough filling for about 17 noodles.  Then spoon some marinara sauce on top of each lasagna roll.  Sprinkle lightly with the 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan or Romano.  Then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over each roll. 

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.  Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat some leftover marinara sauce and serve it alongside.

Notes:

I usually try to buy mozzarella that is not pre-grated in the bag, because the pre-grated mozzarella is just not as good.  It is very easy to grate the cheese yourself, it is less expensive, and it is just better all-round.

I make this and freeze it unbaked.  Then I let it defrost in the refrigerator the day I want to bake it.

This is a wonderful dish that I concocted and cooked for my daughter Randi and her husband Dan last summer.  They are both huge aficionados of Greek food and they were getting ready to go on a trip to Greece.  They wanted to get into the spirit of things, so I cooked them a shrimp dish with a distinctive Greek flavor.  They both went crazy for this dish!  

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5-6 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved if you are using larger cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound of raw extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup of fresh Italian parsley, chopped and divided 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup
• 4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 pound of spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (use a little of the grated rind if you like a more intense lemony flavor) 
• a few grinds of freshly cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the red pepper flakes and the minced garlic.  Saute 1 minute over low flame.  Add the tomatoes.  Sprinkle the tomatoes with the salt and 1/4 cup of the parsley.  Saute over medium flame until the tomatoes start to look soft or cracked- about 3-4 minutes.  Add the shrimp, and cook for about 3-4 minutes just until the shrimp are starting to not look raw.  Take off stove.  Put into casserole dish.  Sprinkle crumbled feta on top and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Take out of oven and sprinkle shrimp with reserved 1/4 cup chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and a little freshly cracked black pepper.   

Cook spaghetti while shrimp is in the oven.   When you are ready to serve, put a portion of spaghetti on each dinner plate, and then a portion of the shrimp on top of the spaghetti.

Notes: 

1.  You can serve over rice instead of over spaghetti.

2.  You can prepare the dish ahead up until the point where you put the shrimp in the casserole dish, cover it and then refrigerate it.  About a half hour before you put it in the 400 degree oven, take it out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature.  Then bake in the 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

I recently made this for my daughter Randi and her husband, Dan.  It was the second time I made it for them.  Randi informed me that Dan decided this currently is his favorite dish that I make.  This tomato tart is wonderful for a light summer supper .  I like to serve it with salad and corn on the cob.

• 1 frozen, unbaked pie shell (I use Oronique deep dish, if I can find it)
• 5 tablespoons olive oil (I prefer light)
• 6 medium beefsteak tomatoes or large Roma tomatoes, cut into chunks (Cut each tomato into about  fourths)  
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
• 1 1/2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese (If you like you can use 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of goat cheese)
• 2 large or extra large eggs
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 1-2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prick frozen, unbaked pie shell on sides and bottom.  Bake for about 7 minutes.  Set aside.

Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees.  Line half sheet pan with foil. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of oil on pan.  Place tomato pieces cut side up on baking sheet.  Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, then some freshly ground pepper, the slivered garlic, and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves.  Drizzle the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil over the tomatoes.  Toss to coat with the oil.  Bake about 1 hour until the tomatoes begin to shrink, look slightly dried, but still are soft. (If you have the time, you can do this at 300 degrees, but it will take about 2 hours.)  Set aside.

While tomatoes are roasting, prepare filling.  In a medium bowl, mix the cheese, the remaining 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, a little salt, some freshly ground pepper, the 2 eggs, and the cream.  Stir until well blended.  Spread cheese filling into prepared crust.  Arrange roasted tomatoes over filling.  Sprinkle Parmesan or Romano cheese over top.  Bake until filling is puffed and set, about 35-40 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes.  Serve.

Optional:  You can add about 1/3 cup oil cured, pitted black olives and place them between the tomatoes before you bake the tart.  (It’s nice for a change, but I actually like the taste of the tart better using only tomatoes, especially in the summer when the tomatoes are so beautiful.)

Recently, I developed a new recipe for marinara sauce, and it was so rich and delicious, and so so easy to make.  This marinara sauce is as good as any I have eaten in any Italian restaurant!  I have used it to make my chicken Parmesan, my baked ziti,and for pasta with marinara, and it is superb!  You just have to try it!

• 1/4 cup of olive oil (I use light)
• 3 large garlic cloves, grated (Use a micro-plane and grate garlic right into the pot)
• about 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 medium onion, diced 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• about 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
• 2  28 oz. cans good crushed tomatoes (the quality of the tomatoes makes a huge difference.  I love the brand, Sclafani- the tomatoes are incredible)

Over low flame, pour oil into pot.  Sprinkle in red pepper flakes.  Saute for a minute.  Then cook onions about 3 min.  until translucent.  Add garlic, salt, and pepper.  Saute for one minute more.  Pour tomatoes in.  Put thyme in.  Cover and simmer over low flame about 20 -30 min.  Taste and re-season.  If sauce seems too thick, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water.  

Note:  I got the idea from watching Rachel Ray to use the micro-plane to grate the garlic, and it’s a great idea!

Last year, our wonderful friends, the Slotnicks, invited us over for a Passover Seder.  I wanted to bring a main course dish that my daughter and her husband, who are both vegetarians, would enjoy.  My daughter loves the Greek dish called spanikopita or spinach pie, so I decided to create my own Passover version of it.  It turned out delicious!  And it only took about 30 minutes to prepare.  We’re getting very close to Passover, and I definitely plan to make this Passover spanikopita for Seder or just for a light dinner this year!

• about 6 matza boards
• 5 extra large or jumbo eggs (3 for filling, 2 for pouring over the top)
• 1-10 ounce box of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained well
• 8 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 of a medium onion, chopped finely
• about 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of dried dill or 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped dill
• about 2-3 tablespoons of butter or margarine, plus extra for greasing the pan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease sides and bottom of  a 9 x 13 pyrex or ceramic baking dish well with butter or margarine. 

In a medium mixing bowl, gently mix the drained spinach with the crumbled feta, the chopped raw onion, 3 eggs the pepper, and the dill; set aside.  

Soak about 3 matzas in warm water in another 9 x 13 baking dish.  When the matza starts to soften, gently squeeze the water out, very carefully, so that you don’t crumble the matza.  Then place the matzas in the bottom of the pan to cover it.  Do not overlap the matza; just lay it side by side covering the bottom of the pan the way you would if you were making lasagna. 

Spread the entire spinach mixture evenly over the matza, covering the matza completely.  Then soak another 3 matzas in warm water, gently squeeze out excess water, and place the matza over the top of the spinach, covering the spinach completely.  Beat the remaining 2 eggs and pour over the matza.  Dot with butter or margarine.  Bake covered for about 30 minutes till hot and bubbly. 

Note #1:  You can prepare this in advance and refrigerate this up until the step where you pour the 2 beaten eggs over the matza.  Then when you wish to bake it, let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, pour the 2 beaten eggs over it, dot it with butter or margarine and bake covered, for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 

Note #2:  You may substitute 1 pound of fresh spinach for the frozen, but you will need to saute it (very briefly) in a little oil, butter or margarine, just until it wilts and turns a dark green before you mix it with the feta, egg, onion, pepper, and dill. I like to use the frozen spinach, because 1-16 ounce box of frozen spinach is equivalent to much more than 1 pound of fresh spinach.

• 1 pound of fish fillet (I used pollack which is similar to cod, but Philip used mahi mahi, so I recommend any mild fish that is a little thicker than flounder)
• 1 box of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 medium onion, cut into a small to medium dice
• about 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped 
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• a few tablespoons of olive oil (I used light olive oil, but you could use extra virgin)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
• fresh lemon slices for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a cast iron or other oven proof skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium flame.  Put the diced onions in, and sprinkle with a little salt and a few grinds of black pepper.  Cook for a minute or two, and then add all the tomatoes and the garlic.  Continue to cook over a medium flame.  Mix every so often.  Cook for about 10 minutes or so, just until the onions and tomatoes start to get a little carmelized.  When that happens, transfer the vegetable mixture to a bowl and set aside (You may mix in the chopped parsley at this point if you happen to have it). 

In the same skillet,  add about 1 tablespoon of oil, and put the heat on medium.  Sprinkle the fish on one side with kosher salt and about 10 grinds of black pepper.  Put the fish in the skillet seasoned side down.  Then season the tops of the fish with some more grinds of pepper.  Cook no more than 1 minute on each side.  The fish cooks really fast, especially in a cast iron skillet.  Then spoon the tomatoes, onions, and garlic over the fish, and place the skillet in the preheated oven to finish the cooking.  The cooking time at this point will depend on the thickness of the fish.  I kept the fish in the oven for about 5 minutes.  Bring to the table and serve right from the cast iron skillet.

Note:  You could substitute shallots or red onion for the onion, and you could add a few fresh sliced mushrooms too, when you saute the vegetables.  You could also eliminate the salt, and just use the pepper.

These are like miniature pecan pies.  The filling of these cookies is so delicious, and the crust is the best; it’s a rich cream cheese and butter crust.  These  little tarts are nice to use when you are creating your own assortment of cookies for a dessert platter.

 This recipe makes 24 miniature pecan or walnut tarts.

for the dough:

• 3 ounces very cold Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1/2 cup(1 stick) very cold unsalted butter
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• pinch kosher salt
• pinch granulated sugar

for the filling:

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the filling ingredients by hand in a medium mixing bowl; set aside. 

Make dough in bowl of food processor using the metal blade.  Put the flour, salt, and sugar in bowl and pulse one or two times.  Then cut cold butter and cream cheese into tablespoon size pieces and distribute over the flour mixture in food processor.  Pulse until comes together as a ball.  Flatten a little bit to make a round disk, cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Take out 2 miniature muffin tins.  Break off 24 small pieces of  dough.  Take each piece of dough and place them into the muffin tins.  Then, use your thumb or forefinger to press each piece of dough so that you make a crust that lines the bottom and sides of each muffin space. Use about a teaspoon to fill each crust with the filling.  Use up all of the filling. 

Bake about 30 minutes until crust is browned.  Cool on wire racks.  Serve or freeze in ziploc bags.

My boyfriend Jim really loves pot roast. His mother made it often when he was growing up, and it was one of his favorite meals. I didn’t grow up eating pot roast, because my mother made brisket. Brisket and pot roast are very similar, but the difference is in the cut of meat. Here is a simple and delicious pot roast recipe which he said was as good, if not better, than his mother’s pot roast, and that is quite a compliment!

• 3 - 4 pounds of rump or bottom round foast beef
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil or other vegetable oil
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 1 large onion, cut into a medium dice
• 1-8 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock (I used Kitchen Basics)
• 1/2 cup water

Season the meat on all sides with kosher salt and pepper (I use regular ground pepper for this). Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a dutch oven or pot. Add meat and diced onions to the dutch oven or pot and brown the onions and the meat (on all sides) over a medium to high heat for about 10- 15 minutes. The onions should be really browning along with the meat. You should have lots of browned bits on the bottom and along the sides of the dutch oven or pot. Then take the meat out (temporarily). Add the beef stock and water to the dutch oven or pot. This is called deglazing.  Keep the flame on low, and use a wooden spoon to mix all the browned bits in with the liquid. Those browned bits are what really give flavor to the pot roast and the gravy. Add the tomato sauce, and mix in with the wooden spoon. Put the meat back in. Smoosh the meat around in the gravy. Cover the dutch oven or pot. At this point, you can either cook the pot roast on the top of the stove over the lowest flame if you are using a regular pot. If you are using a dutch oven, then place it in the oven at 325 degrees for 2 1/2-4 hours, depending on the thickness of the roast. If you are cooking the pot roast on top of the stove, turn the meat every 1/2 hour. Even if you are cooking the pot roast in the oven, you can turn it over every half hour, but this is not necessary. Check the meat after 2 1/2 hours to see if it is tender. A fork should go in quite easily when it is done. Thicker pieces of meat will definitely require more time.  When it is done, take the pot roast out of the pot or dutch oven to rest on the counter for a few minutes.

Then make the gravy. You can do two things. You can serve the gravy as is right from the pot, which is basically au jus, or you can make a thicker gravy using about 1 1/2 cups of the pan drippings.  To do this, take about 1 1/2 cups of the au jus out of the pot, and put it through a sieve or strainer. Then pour the liquid into a small saucepan. Whisk in about 2 tablespoons of flour until you can’t see any of the flour. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for about 3-5 minutes until thickened. If the gravy is too thick, add a little water. If you think it’s too thin, turn the heat off, add a little more flour, whisk it in, and then simmer for a few more minutes. (For those who like au jus or the natural gravy, you should still have some of that left in the pot to serve.)

Slice the roast with a sharp knife into about 1/4 inch thick slices. Place on serving platter and either drizzle some of the au jus or gravy over it, or serve it with the au jus or gravy on the side.

Note: You can make this in a crock pot, but you should do the first steps of browning the meat and onions as stated above. Instead of cooking the meat in the oven or on top of the stove, transfer it into a crock pot, and cook on low for about 4-5 hours until tender.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with either baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, or egg noodles.