Author: Ang Anderson

Italian Heaven

Posted on by Ang Anderson

I am not Italian.  I wish I was.  I eat and drink like I should be.  I love Italian food, Italian wine, and the boot shaped land mass that is Italy herself.  My husband proposed to me by cutting out pages of a book on Venice and laying my engagement ring flat inside.  (I had no idea – I thought he was giving me a BOOK!)  Thus, we drew Italian themes into our wedding and travelled to Italy for our honeymoon.  What can I say?  I am a wanna-be Italian!  So, when my mother-in-law made this cannelloni for a special occasion recently, my wanna-be Italian self practically died and went to heaven.  First of all, it’s pasta based (need I say more?).  It has spinach (green equals healthy!) and the crowning glory of this dish is that it includes a red sauce AND a white sauce.  Oh, the joy!  It requires time and love on your part to put together but, my friend, it is well, WELL worth the effort.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 box Manicotti shells
  • 3 cups tomato sauce
  • 4 Tbsp parmesan cheese
  • Italian Seasoning

Filling:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup garlic, finely chopped (I like to use my zester and used about 3-4 cloves)
  • 1 – 10oz pkg chopped frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 5 Tbsp parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbsp cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 lb ground beef, pork or chicken

Besciamella (White Sauce):

  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 4 Tbsp flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper

Filling:  Heat olive oil, onions and garlic over moderate heat until soft but not brown.  Stir in spinach and cook for 3-4 minutes.  When moisture is all cooked away and spinach sticks lightly to pan, transfer to large bowl.  Melt butter in pan and brown meat, breaking up any big chunks.  Add meat to spinach mixture; add cheese, eggs, cream and oregano.  Stir gently to mix.

Besciamella:  Melt the butter in heavy sauce pain on stove.  Add flour, then slowly add milk, cream, salt and pepper.  Cook like a white sauce, stirring constantly until thick.  Let cool a little.

Boil one box Manicotti tubes for 5-6 minutes.  Drain and lay on aluminum foil to keep separate and prevent sticking.  Pour one cup of tomato sauce in bottom of 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Stuff each tube with filling and lay in baking dish.  Top with Besciamella sauce and remaining tomato sauce and 4 Tbsp parmesan.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

You could make these ahead of time and refrigerate.  Just be careful of the whole cold glass dish from refrigerator to hot oven and vice versa.  You may want to use a metal baking dish if making ahead.

May you enjoy this dish as much as I do, with loved ones, wine, and a salad!

Blondies

Posted on by Ang Anderson

Do you ever just get the hankering for a sweet?  I mean, an easy sweet.  One that takes little or no time to make yet tastes delicious and satisfies your need for sweet?  I was looking for such a sweet today and found this delightful recipe on Smitten Kitchen.  I had to make it.  Had to.  It took all of ten minutes.  Plus, twenty minutes while it baked in the oven.  Then, all of my restraint not to eat within one minute of release from the oven.  Of course, I did try.  Had to use a fork.  Almost burned my mouth.  Once these cooled and I cut them and put them on a platter, no fork necessary.  Oh, my!  Hankering solved.

Blondie Recipe

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

  1. Butter an 8×8 pan
  2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
  3. Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).
  4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:

  • 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
  • 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips (and/or butterscotch chips, etc)
  • 1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
  • 1/2 cup mashed bananas
  • 1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
  • 2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
  • Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter
  • Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

Luck o’ the Irish

Posted on by Ang Anderson

 

In 2001, I had the pleasure of visiting the Emerald Isle. What a glorious and true gem of a country!  I loved it and very much hope to visit again.  My great grandma Marie’s family came over from Athlone, Ireland to America so it was a special trip for me to go back and see where her family came from. We have friends that live there (whom we met in Australia) and our dear friend Mark and the gang were truly gracious hosts.  We flew into Dublin, where he carted us off to the west coast and the enchanting town of Listowel for an annual music festival.  Pints of Harp and Guiness filled our bellies and lively music overflowed from the pubs.  We traipsed all over Ireland visiting Galway, County Kerry, Athlone, Magherafelt in County Londonderry (Northern Ireland), Donegal, the Giant’s Causeway (on the northeast coast where you can actually see Scotland!), through Belfast and back to Dublin. This photo was taken on our visit to the Aran Islands where we allowed our bikes to aimlessly wander while we soaked in the landscape. The lush, green countryside and stone fences were captivating!

All in all, it was a spectacular experience, one that I will truly treasure forever.

Coincidentally, we returned stateside on September 6th, just five days before the September 11th attack.  Our connecting flight from Dublin to Minneapolis was through Boston’s Logan International airport, where American Airlines flight 11 originated from on the day of the attacks.  (AA11 was the first plane to hit the Word Trade Center.)  We had originally planned to return on the 13th but we changed plans so my travel partner could attend university classes in the fall.  Watching as the horror unfolded, we felt extremely lucky to be alive and well, sitting at our homes in America.  Our story is insignificant compared to the stories of heroism, survival, and saving grace that were experienced by so many.  For us, it amplified our ability to relate to the souls travelling on that fateful day.  I don’t know if it was the luck o’ the Irish but I do know we thank God for our blessings every day.

I’m raising my pint and honoring Ireland with Shepherd’s pie and Irish soda bread tonight.  Cheers!