La Comida de Mi Vida (My Life in Food)

Broccoli – the infamous relative of cabbage – hated by children and adults alike.  The vegetable famous for looking like a little tree doesn’t have to be yucky or boring to eat.  Yes, it is easy to boil, steam or saute this veg to prepare, but you can use your imagination to make it delectable.

Suggestions for wonderful broccoli side dishes:

• Saute 1 lb. chopped broccoli florets with sliced garlic and 1/2 tsp. of crushed red pepper in olive oil.  Add sliced or slivered almonds just before removing from the heat for an extra earthy crunch.
• The old standby – cheese sauce.  What kid can refuse a yummy cheddar cheese sauce on the little “trees”
• Serve raw with french onion dip or ranch dip.
• Stuff chopped florets into a chicken breast with some cheddar or swiss cheese for an all-in-one veggie and protein meal.
• Mix 1 lb each broccoli, cauliflower and carrots with 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 2 cups milk and top with 1 lb shredded swiss cheese and a large can of french fried onions.  Season to taste.  Bake at 350 degrees F for an hour or until veg is tender.  Add onions in last 10 minutes of cooking.

Think of your own unique ideas for cooking and preparing this winter vegetable.

If you like nuts and you like peanut butter but are tired of the same old stuff or are allergic to peanuts don’t despair their are alternatives.  My mom has always hated peanut butter, but she loves whole peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, etc.  She also like to snack on healthy things and she was getting tired of the same old textures all the time.  On the advice of an acquaintance at the local health food store she decided to try almond butter.  She loved it.  Only problem is it isn’t cheap and in our area it can be hard to find.

One day while making some cookies that called for almond butter I realized that I had run out, but I had a bag of raw almonds in the freezer.  To my surprise there were actually directions on how to make your own nut butter in the instructions of the recipe. Being that I’d purchased the 16 oz. bag of raw almonds while on sale I was able to produce a pound of almond butter for about 50% less than I’d pay for a jar of it at the grocery store (if I could find it).

Almond Butter

1 pound raw almonds

2-3 tbsps. vegetable oil

sugar, honey, stevia, or other sweetener to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Spread the almonds evenly across a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to toast.  Keep an eye on them so they do not burn.  Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely.

Once cool put the almonds in a blender or food processor and blend until they are a fine meal or powder – stop sooner if you want chunkier nut butter.  Slowly add one tablespoon of oil at a time allowing it to become incorporated into the mix.  If the butter looks too dry you can always add more.  A piece of advice – do not use extra virgin oil or sesame oil. These have strong tastes of their own and can overwhelm the toasted almond flavor.

Now add the sweetener, if desired.  Do this a little at a time and test it as you go.  I barely put in a tablespoon, maybe a tablespoon and a half of honey to my almond butter.  Usually, I’m going to pair it with chocolate, jam, preserves or more honey so I don’t want it too sweet.  There are also savory recipes that call for almond butter so you may want to omit this step altogether.

Enjoy this rich and good for you treat on crackers, toast, cookies or even on ice cream.  I’ve put it in smoothies because it gives a nutty richness that is oh so delicious.

Last month  my family had to go to an assembly in Lansing, MI.  It was a time for spiritual refreshment and to get together with friends and family.  Though we try to conserve our money now that we have four in our little family it is nice every once in a while to go out to eat.  From the first time we ate at Carraba’s we loved it.  I believe we were in Cleveland at the time.  Then one opened in Toledo and we were thrilled that it was only an hour away.

Our favorite dish to get at the time was the thick cut grilled pork chops.  Being used to dry chewy pork chops it was a delightful departure to savor some thick juicy perfectly flavored chops.  This last visit we noticed that the chops were conspicuously missing from the menu.  We were disappointed at first, but that didn’t last long.

My brother had gotten the Chicken Bryan before and was very pleased.  So, we made a deal, my brother, DH and I would each get a different chicken dish and share so we could taste test.  I’m so glad we did. The price difference was negligible so I just got a full portion – there were no leftovers. (The descriptions below are directly from the Carraba’s menu from the Lansing, MI location available at Carrabas.com)

DH got the CHICKEN BRYAN
Goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and a basil lemon butter sauce
Small 14 Regular 16

I ordered the CHICKEN MARSALA
Mushrooms, prosciutto and our Lombardo Marsala wine sauce
Small 14 Regular 16

My brother ordered PoLLo RoSA MARIA
Chicken stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto, topped with mushrooms and a basil lemon butter sauce
Small 14 Regular 16

The warmth and earthiness in the Chicken Marsala was inviting and delectable.  My brother gave me a piece of his Pollo Rosa Maria in exchange for a piece of the marsala.  The Rosa Maria was wonderful with the mixture of the creamy cheese, the salty prosciutto and the basil lemon sauce.  I tried my hardest to eat up as much of the sauce as I could.  DH made the mistake of only getting the half portion – not that he was still hungry because we had plenty to go around,  but he didn’t have enough to share (and it is only $2 cheaper).  He ended up eating the rest of my Chicken Marsala in exchange for his Chicken Bryan.  It worked out well because I like rich, powerful flavors and he gets bored or overwhelmed with them rather quickly.  Flavors like the sour goat cheese and sundried tomatoes just leave me asking for more.  really the icing on the cake was that our waiter was friendly and attentive.  He got a good tip that evening.

I visited the Carraba’s website and found that they also have a Facebook page.  I’m now a fan of theirs on Facebook . They also have a “club” called the Amici Club that informs you via email of new menu items, upcoming events and deals.  I’m signed up for that now too.  So for a family dinner out that won’t break the bank, but will provide supremely delicious food check out Carraba’s Italian Grill.