Jaded Chicken

Eventually I will get around to posting some pictures of my meals. No promises on the quality, but at least there will be some visuals.
Tonight with the help of a fellow food blogger good things catered, I made a wonderfully aromatic dinner. I previously wrote about the lovely rice I had bought from the co-op, called Jade Pearl Rice. It's infused with bamboo and is said to contain chlorophyll, which makes the rice a beautiful Peridot color. While cooking it smelled of vanilla and had a similar scent to green tea. I served it with Asian style marinated chicken and raw julienned carrots. The sauce was a ginger, honey, toasted sesame oil base. It was delicious with the rice. The rice was sticky...so it would be GREAT for sushi and it tastes as good as it smells. Very fresh and floral, but it's still very mild. Desire ate it with her fingers it was so sticky, she had fun with it. I am sure Dominic thought it was great with his Organic Butternut Squash puree.

The Purists Pasta

This is my daughters favorite pasta. My mom also use to make it for my sisters and me when we were younger. It's not an uncommon recipe, but I still love it.

This recipe is for a single serving.

3-4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp fresh Oregano and Parsley finely chopped or
1 tsp Herbs De Provence
Cracked Black Pepper or Red Pepper Flakes
1 clove garlic crushed and finely diced
2 tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese

2 cups HOT whole wheat spaghetti

Toss all ingredients together and Enjoy.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

My husband, the Italian Stallion he is, taught me how to make the base of this sauce. I made some adjustments and now it's our signature pasta sauce. It comes out great every time. Don't be afraid of the carrot, it won't make a sweet sauce. It simply balances out the tartness of the tomatoes.

1 large white onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
2 carrots shredded
2 large cans of whole tomatoes ( preferably San Marzano) crushed
1 whole roasted red pepper diced
1-2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
Red pepper flakes (to taste)
2 tbsp each fresh parsley and basil chopped
2-3 tbsp Italian herb seasoning or 2 tbsp of each of the following fresh herbs
Marjoram
Thyme
Rosemary
Sage
Fennel
1 bay leaf
3/4 C olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add two tbsp Olive Oil to large saucepan, with heat on med/low. Saute onion, garlic, carrots and all herbs except parsley and basil. Add both cans of whole tomatoes, you can easily crush them with your hands... the best tools in the kitchen. Add roasted red peppers and the pepper flakes. Add one can of tomato sauce. If you like a thinner sauce add the second can. Add salt and pepper. Cover and simmer all ingredients together for about 30-45 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add the rest of the olive oil and puree the sauce with an immersion blender, this really marries all the ingredients together. Simmer another 3o min. Add the fresh parsley and basil. Serve over your favorite pasta with freshly grated Parmesan and freeze the rest for a lazy day!

Enjoy

Men are from Where?

Husband: "Would you like some Gelato? "

(single serving cartons, 6 per box, 3 boxes)

Me: "Yes, Mango please"

Husband walks in hands me 1, hands himself 2.

Me: "You don't need to eat two"

Husband: "Yes I do, you guys are eating them all and I haven't had any."

Homecoming

My eldest child Alexander, 13, returned home today from a 4 day soccer tournament. He walked in with a bag of HOT Cheetos, smell and all. He quickly tells me he's not hungry, they stopped for Taco Bell on their way home. Yes I was a bit deflated... I was excited to have him at the dinner table tonight. So I went on to make dinner for my baby boy Dominic and myself (Desiree said she didn't want to eat...I think the Cheetos got to her before I did). Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with whole wheat pasta, a regular in our dinner rotation. It was leftover from the other night. I had taught my friend how to make it, she was frequenting a seasoning pouch, just add tomato sauce type and felt she could be doing better. Anyhow I served my plate and my son walks in the kitchen and sees the food and says " OH.. yeah I am hungry" I happily make him a plate. As he inhales it he admits "I missed home cooking this past weekend, thanks mom." It's nice to have him home.
Coincidentally, Desiree decides to eat. Pasta with Olive Oil, Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, the purist that she is!

It will come at the right time.

I have wanted to start a blog for a few months now, I however, lacked inspiration..so I thought. At first I wanted to write about my marriage and/or my kids and childrearing, gardening, family and friends, all things I am passionately in love with. I couldn't decide. Then while at our co-op the other day I became completely excited about a "new rice" I had found. I couldn't wait to come home and look up some recipes. Every time I eat at a new restaurant and it being either good or bad and I want to talk about it....no... dissect it. Same goes for my favorite restaurants. Alas... Daalicious is born. A blog where all things I am passionate about come together, a place where it all makes sense.. In the kitchen. The name comes from my 4 year old daughter. Upon serving dinner I anticipate this response " YUCK, that's disgusting!!!" as she pushes it across the table. We ignore her and enjoy our dinner, as she watches us she pulls her plate back and says " OK I'll TRY" (in comes a moment of silence as she takes a bite) then it comes... DAALICIOUS! She does it every time, every night without fail. Well unless she is in one of her "special" moods then she states "I am not going to say it this time."