Simple Recipes for Janine!

My cousin Janine claims to have no cooking skills whatsoever, so therefore she was a little hesitant when I suggested that she cook her boyfriend a romantic dinner for his birthday. Being the wonderful person that I am, I offered to break down some of my favorite simple recipes for her to make.

- CAPRESE (Tomato Mozzarella Salad)
- STUFFED MUSHROOMS
- PASTA PRIMAVERA
- BROCCOLI WITH LEMON CRUMBS
- CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES


CAPRESE (Tomato and Mozzarella Salad)
INGREDIENTS:
4 medium tomatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 fresh basil leaves
Fresh Mozzarella
Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Slice the 4 medium tomatoes into thin, quarter inch slices.
2. Strain the mozzarella, and then slice it into thin slices. I like to slice mine into third inch slices. I love mozzarella!
3. Alternate tomatoes and mozzarella on a serving plate.
4. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.
5. Add the basil leaves as a garnish.

* I like this dish much better with some balsamic vinegar . . . you can drizzle it over the tomato and mozzarella stack, or you can add around the stack or even underneath the stack.


STUFFED MUSHROOMS
INGREDIENTS:
12 whole fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel.
4. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems.
5. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
6. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet.
7. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic.
8. Set aside to cool.
9. When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper.
10. Mixture should be very thick.
11. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing.
12. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
13 Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.


BROCCOLI WITH LEMON CRUMBS
INDGREDIENTS:
2 slices whole-wheat bread
2 tablespoons butter
1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 12-ounce bags broccoli florets OR 1 large bunch broccoli, cut into florets

DIRECTIONS:
1. Whirl the bread in a food processor or blender to make bread crumbs. (Unless you have store bought crumbs) Sometimes I like to use crumbled croutons. You can buy the flavored kinds … like garlic herb or something.
2. Melt the butter in a small skillet.
3. Add the bread crumbs and sauté over medium heat until toasted.
4. Grate the zest from the lemon.
5. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half into the pan.
6. Add the salt and several grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until dry. (The Lemon Crumbs can be made to this point up to 2 days ahead. Spoon into a plastic bag and set aside at room temperature.)
7. Cooking the broccoli:
This recipe tells you to cook it in the microwave (it’s easier and it saves time). If you want, you can boil or steam the broccoli on the stove, which is what I like to do. It’s your call on this one.
Microwave the broccoli according to the package directions. (If using fresh broccoli, pile the florets on a microwave-safe plate and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.)
8. Remove and sprinkle with the Lemon Crumbs.


PASTA PRIMAVERA
INGREDIENTS:
6 qt. water
2 tablespoons salt
6 asparagus (Cut the tough ends off of the asparagus off, and finely dice them. Keep the tips of the asparagus whole, and in one piece.)
½ pound of broccoli florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, chopped up finely
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
¾ cup fresh peas OR frozen peas
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 lb. fresh fettuccine OR 12 oz. dried fettuccine
1 cup heavy cream OR half & half light cream
12 fresh basil leaves
½ cup grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Chop up all the vegetables; be sure that everything is the same size so that it looks pretty
2. Bring the water and the salt to a rolling boil.
3. Add the asparagus and broccoli and cook for one minute; remove them and then plunge into cold water to stopping cooking.
4. Save the water that you used to boil the vegetables. You are going to use that same water to boil the pasta in a minute.
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
5. Add onions and carrots. Cook by stirring over heat until soft. Add blanched asparagus and broccoli along with the frozen peas and salt and pepper to taste. Cook till all vegetables are tender.
6. Now, re-boil the pot of water (the same water used for the asparagus and broccoli).
7. Add in fettuccine and cook until tender. While the pasta is cooking, add cream to vegetables and stir while simmering.
8. When the pasta is tender, drain out the water.
9. Then add the pasta to the vegetables, along with the basil leaves and cheese.
10. Serve very hot!


CHOCLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES
INGREDIENTS:
16 ounces milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening (hydrogenated vegetable oil, such as Crisco)
1 pound fresh strawberries with leaves

DIRECTIONS:
1. Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries.
2. In a double boiler, (this is a small pot placed above a larger pot that contains boiling water) melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture.
4. Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into Styrofoam for the chocolate to cool.

* I usually just lay them neatly on wax paper.

* If you don’t want to go through the trouble of melting the chocolate, you can buy chocolate at the grocery store that is made specifically for dipping fruit. I used something similar when I was making dinner for Nick a while back, and it worked out great!! It’s much more convenient. I found it in the baking aisle, and all I had to do was microwave the chocolate and then dip my strawberries into them. I refrigerated them for about 20 minutes, and they cam out perfect!


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