Tomato Basil Pasta Bake

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8
1 (16 ounce) box fusilli pasta (or any similar pasta)
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
½ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup basil, torn
2 tablespoons dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon black pepper
3-4 large tomatoes, thinly sliced

PREPARATION

1. Pre-heat oven to 450°F/230°C.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the crushed tomatoes, water, olive oil, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, and fusilli.
3. Pour the pasta mixture into a greased roasting pan and smooth the top into an even layer.
4. Line the top of the mixture with the sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with salt.
5. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until the pasta is fully cooked.
6. Enjoy!

Cracker Candy

Here's what you need:
1 tube of saltines (~ 40 crackers +)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (either salted or unsalted; do not use margarine)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar (I prefer light)
1 bag chocolate chips (I like semi-sweet)
1/2 to 3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans (or toasted chopped almonds)


Instructions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line cookie sheet with foil & spray with non-stick cooking spray. Line crackers end to end on sheet, breaking crackers to fit the end if necessary. In a saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Once melted, add brown sugar and turn heat to medium. Continue stirring until boiling – then boil for 3 minutes (set timer). Pour over crackers, spread evenly working quickly. Put sheet into oven – bake for 5 minutes. Remove – pour chocolate chips over top – place a sheet of foil over and let melt for ~3 minutes. Spread melted chocolate over the top evenly. Add nuts to top – replace foil and refrigerate until set
(can be frozen)

One-Pot Pad Thai

Ingredients:
Serves 4

- 8 oz Noodles (we used pad thai noodles, but feel free to substitute them for another type)
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Diced Chicken Breast
- 1/4 cup of Shallots
- 3/4 cup Pad Thai Sauce (we used 1/8 cup each of fish oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and sriracha)
- 1 cup Bean Sprouts
- 1/2 cup Crushed Peanuts
- 1/4 cup Green Onions
- 1/4 cup Cilantro


Directions:
Cook noodles according to package instructions. Toss with 1 Tbsp. of sesame oil and set aside. Pour 1/2 Tbsp. of sesame oil into your pot and add two lightly beaten eggs. When the eggs are finished cooking, set aside. Pour another 1/2 Tbsp. of sesame oil into the pot and add 1 diced chicken breast. Set aside once chicken is fully cooked. Add shallots to the pot (no need for sesame oil first - there should be enough moisture leftover from cooking the chicken) and cook until lightly browned and fragrant. Then, add your noodles, eggs, and chicken back into the pot. Pour in pad thai sauce (use a pre-made mixture or make your own mixture of equal parts fish oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and Sriracha). Top with bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, green onions, and cilantro, and stir until well blended. Dish up and garnish with extra peanuts, green onions, and cilantro.
Enjoy!

Lunch Week 2: Chicken Stir Fry with Brown Rice

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Chicken Stir Fry with Brown Rice

A really simple yet delicious lunch this week. Honestly, it took me only an hour from start to finish for make about 8-10 servings of this lunch. I took some chicken thighs (boneless and skinless) and sliced them into strips. Then I cleaned and chopped up some vegetables which were onions, red bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms, and bok choy. But before you do all that, put the rice on. I use an electric rice cooker which is amazing. It's basically set and forget. While the rice cooks, saute your other ingredients. Start with the chicken and cook through completely. I only season it was soy sauce and sriracha. Then cooked the vegetables. I alternate the soy sauce and sriracha seasoning with the vegetables. The ones that do not get that seasoning just get salt and pepper. This prevents the dish from getting overly salty. I cooked everything separately and then tossed it all together (except for the rice). Again, from all the washing, chopping, and slicing, it only took me about an hour. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Lunch Week 1: Turkey Patties and Potato Au Gratin

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Turkey Patties and Potato Au Gratin

While most people are dieting and trying to keep their new year's resolutions, I'm more concerned about eating well and using up ingredients let from the holidays. In my pantry, I had lots of potatoes and vegetables to be used. I hate throwing things out so instead, I made this week's lunch out of it. With the potatoes, I decided to make them au gratin because I also had leftover milk and cream. With the potatoes, I decided to also make turkey patties to be a bit more healthy. I had ground turkey meat in the freezer and lots of other vegetables like carrots, onions, and celery.

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Christmas Dinner 2014

I like entertaining. I really enjoy hosting friends and family. So when the big holidays come around, I'm usually the first to volunteer to host. And my family is happy to give it to me. No cooking or cleaning for them!

Unlike Thanksgiving, I start off the Christmas dinner with a variety of appetizers. I space the appetizers and dinner 2 hours apart so people have time to eat and graze before dinner later on. The spread includes shrimp cocktail, meats and cheeses with accoutrements, nuts, and vegetable crudite with homemade ranch dip. I like providing a variety of meat to cheese to vegetables to seafood with my spreads. It's a good variety that allows everyone to a little something.

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Feast of the Seven Fishes 2014

Every year, I like to do something special during the holidays with Mr. M&P and I. We end up spending so much time hosting and seeing family and friends that there isn't much time to devote to ourselves. With that said, years ago, I decided to do a special Feast of the Seven Fishes for just us two. It's just a nice gesture to celebrate another year together. This year, I decided to do an Asian theme for the seven course.

First course, shrimp har gow or crystal dumplings. I chopped up some shrimp with pork fat and bamboo shoots. Then I made wrappers with wheat starch and tapioca starch making a translucent skin when cooked. I added a little bit of cilantro on top for extra flavor and color. These actually turned out to be pretty good but the wrappers were so difficult to work with. Even with my dumpling making skills, I could probably never make these again just because they were really difficult.



As for the taste, I really enjoyed the sweetness of the shrimp with the fattiness of the pork. The bamboo shoots added a nice textural contrast to the softer proteins. The wrapper became slightly chewy but soft.

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Lunch Week 44: Jap Chae

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Jap Chae



The holidays are coming up and I wanted to get a head start on eating well. People, myself included, tend to go all out during these times of the year and end up regretting the over eating. So to offset that gluttony, I've decided to try to be better during the week. So this week, I made vegan jap chae which is a Korean sweet potato noodle dish with various vegetables.

Not only is this dish vegan but it also turns out of be gluten free too (if you're into that). So it's pretty healthy but it's certainly not devoid of flavor nor texture. Oh, it's quite the opposite. Of course, you can add meat or eggs to the dish if you please. Strips of beef like bulgogi or chicken would work really nice here. And even thinly cut strips of egg pancakes would be delicious here. Want protein but not meat? Try tofu. That would be wonderful as well. It's quite versatile actually.

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Thanksgiving 2014

I know this post is a bit late but there was no way I wasn't going to post about Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite holidays all year. And I go all out. I host the feast and invite my family. Most, if not all, dishes are made from scratch and is oh so delicious. It's a ton of work and takes me about 4 days of prep but I love it. I'll never give it up.

And without further ado, here's my Thanksgiving feast this year. Above is the turkey platter. I made 2 turkeys this year. One Butterball and one all natural from the butcher. The latter did taste better but we're not completely convinced if it was noticeable by the average eater. More testing is going to be needed. But one thing is for sure, I spatchcocked the turkeys and roasted them in an hour. I started doing this last year and never looked back. It's the best. For the recipe, please click here.

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Lunch Week 41: Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Bok Choy

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Bok Choy

Szechuan peppercorns are spicy with a lingering heat on your tongue. I prefer it over the smack in your face spice that a lot of other cuisines may have. I find it a bit more sophisticated. That's just a personal choice though. To start off the level of heat, I had to make a chili oil with the peppercorns.

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Lunch Week 40: Cheese Tortelli with Roasted Vegetables and Sausage

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Cheese Tortelli with Roasted Vegetables and Sausage

Fall and winter is definitely here. So that means more heartier lunches to keep me warm and comfy. But that doesn't mean it has to be bad for you. This week, I roasted lots of vegetables, added some sausages, and tossed all of that with some sausages. The result is a good mix of textures, flavors, and nutrients.

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Lunch Week 39: Lamb Sandwich Wraps

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Lamb Sandwich Wraps

Sandwiches don't have to be boring. Forego the deli meat and roast your own protein for a more delicious lunch. And layer in the garnishes and other ingredients for a wide variety of flavors and textures. And don't forget about the bread. It can be as important or even more so than what's in a sandwich.

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How to Host a Party Without Cooking Much

I really love to host parties. May it be for family or friends, I like to show off my kitchen skills. But sometimes, I'm much too tired to put out a big homemade spread. So instead, I just do one or two homemade dishes, and buy the rest. Now I'm not talking about Sandra Lee-ing anything here. I'm talking about buying high quality food and displaying it all as a beautiful spread. Trust me, your guests will be impressed with it even if you didn't even turn on the stove/oven.

So here's the spread that I provided for some good friends that I hosted recently. I made pork belly buns (recipe here) as the "main" dish. I always like to put out one dish that's more filling. But everything I put out that day is grazing food. So no utensils needed. Just your hands and the taste buds in your mouth to enjoy the food.

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Lunch Week 38: Bibimbop

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Bibimbop



After last week's unsuccessful lunch (enchiladas made with poor corn tortillas), I wanted to redeem myself with something I know would be delicious and satisfying. At the same point, I wanted a bit of detox as I felt a little off from the last few weeks. So a vegetarian bibimbop was a great way to achieve all those points.

This bibimbop (a Korean rice dish with lots of garnishes) is vegetarian mainly due to the eggs. It can easily be vegan without it. Check your sauces though. Some of them can contain traces of animal products (ie: anchovies) so make sure you check the label.



Bibimbop is fairly easy to make. You make rice and then cook all the garnishes separately. Then you just throw them all together into one bowl for a cohesive meal. Most of the work is really prepping everything. If you're fast with prep work, this would go really quick for you.

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Lunch Week 37: Beef Enchiladas

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Beef Enchiladas

And finally the lunch of the week. I made enchiladas again but this time I used beef instead of turkey. The filling and sauce was lovely as usual but the corn tortillas that I picked up were horrible. I mean really terrible. They broke apart as I rolled them around the filling and even after baking, they were still pretty bad. The texture and the taste was bad. It pretty much ruined the lunch. Anyone any good corn tortilla brands?



Anyway, for step by step instructions and a proper recipe, click here.

Lunch Week 36: Turkey Meatloaf with Sauteed Escarole

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Turkey Meatloaf with Sauteed Escarole

The weather is getting kind of chilly these days. And it's been rainy too. That screams for more comfort food, no? So this week I went for meatloaf. Turkey meatloaf to be exact. Juicy, tender meatloaf with a glaze of ketchup on top. And because I feel guilty about the meatloaf, I sauteed some escarole on the side.



For the recipe and step by step instructions, click here.

Lunch Week 35: Asian Sloppy Joes with Egg Crepe

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Asian Sloppy Joes with Egg Crepe



So it looks like I'm even more behind on my lunch posts than I thought. I've been slacking, haven't I? Sorry about that. So here are the missing lunch posts from the past few weeks.

For this week, I made Asian sloppy joes with egg crepe. This is something completely from my childhood. It's comfort food. Although I changed a few things here (I added more vegetables for health reasons) but the idea is the same.

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Lunch Week 34: Rice Cakes with Pork and Vegetables

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Rice Cakes with Pork and Vegetables

This week's lunch is something I've made before but I've been experimenting with it. I'm not completely satisfied with how I've been executing this dish but I get one step closer every time. And therefore, there is no step by step nor written recipe...yet. I'm still going to work on this until I'm entirely happy with the dish.



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Lunch Week 33: Peruvian Chicken with Aji Verde Sauce and Roasted Butternut Squash

So every Sunday, I head over to the kitchen to whip up a big batch of food for lunch the next week. Yes, I brown bag. And I almost always do it every week unless I become too busy to even buy cold cuts from the deli. I do it for several reasons being health, finance, and laziness. Now, you may think that spending hours on a day off to prep and cook five meals at once is hardly lazy. But let me remind you, I hate it when the time comes to decide what to eat for lunch every day. I work in Midtown so the choices are endless. My problem, the more choices, the harder it is for me. So it's much easier for me to have my lunch ready and already decided.



So my lunch for the week: Peruvian Chicken with Aji Verde Sauce and Roasted Butternut Squash

This chicken is one of my more favorite things to make for lunch. I'm not sure why I don't make it more often though. It's so delicious and easy to make in big batches. And it's really versatile meaning you can serve almost anything on the side. Although I made it a bit spicier than normal, I do suggest a soothing side like a salad or avocado. I opted for roasted butternut squash this time considering it's in season now.

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Cooking for September Birthday Ladies

In September, we've been celebrating dual birthday dinners for Mrs. Pattis Magician and Ms. Pastry Chef's birthdays. I always tell people that they shouldn't have to cook for themselves for their own birthdays. So when I joined this family, I offered to cook for them for their birthdays. And what have they picked year after year? Chinese food. And who am I to say no?

So feast your eyes on the meal that I gave them this year. To see these dishes more up close and personal, keep reading.

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