My coworker , Dorothy, recommended this restaurant to me. Adam and I ate there for our anniversary last year and loved it. The meatball appetizer was the best part of the meal. Definitely a five star in my book.

Amore’ Restorante Italiano
Greystone Center
5510 Highway 280 S., Suite 116
Birmingham, AL 35242
(205) 437-1005

Tonight I pulled some Italian sausage out to defrost without really knowing what I planned to make. I just started cooking the first few steps below and then decided to go with the soup dish. My mom had actually just mentioned the Italian Wedding Soup from Olive Garden early today so I suppose that is kind of where the idea originated.

I first browned some diced bacon while I boiled some diced new potatoes. I then removed the bacon from the pan and added a little olive oil to the pan. I dropped in 1/3 of the boiled new potatoes and cooked them flipping occassionally until they were nice and crispy. I removed them from the pan to drain on paper towels and added the Italian sausage to the same pan to brown. In the meantime, I cooked some thinly sliced onions in a stock pot with some diced celery. I added some salt and pepper and cooked until the onions were nice and soft. I then added 3 cups of milk and two bay leaves to the onions and celery and brought it to a soft boil. I added the boiled new potatoes that were not fried to the soup and heated through. I then put two tablespoons of flour into a little bowl and added some of the hot milk from my pot to create a little slurry. I added the slurry to the soup pot and stirred to thicken. Once the liquid had thickened slighty, I added in the Italian sausage and bacon. I added some chopped fresh baby spinach. I also added some fresh thyme and parsley. When the spinach wilted a little, I tasted and seasoned the soup with a little more with salt and pepper. I had also chopped up some chicago style bread, tossed the diced pieces in some olive oil and added Italian seasoning. I threw them in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes to toast up while the soup was finishing. I served the soup in shallow bowls garnishing with the fried potatoes,toasted croutons, and a sprig of parsley.

My new venture is well under way and I have been a busy bee preparing for my upcoming Pampered Chef Cooking Shows.  I think I have most of my paperwork, cooking supplies, and other materials ready for this coming Wednesday. That’s right, my first actual Cooking Show is November 3rd for my dear friend Courtney.  I am excited, nervous, and anxious but all in a good way.

I will be making the Antipasti Pull-Apart Pizza from The Pampered Chef® Season’s Best™ Recipe Collection (Fall/Winter 2010).  The cookbook describes the recipe as “A fun twist on pizza, this appetizer features all the flavors of an antipasti platter over a crust of bite-size pieces of French bread.” I made it a few weeks ago for a baby shower at the office. I am sure it will be better this time because I’ll actually have an oven instead of the office toaster oven. If you would like to see the recipe made, you can watch the video here or better yet, see it LIVE! In Courtney’s Living Room.

For those of you who will be attending Courtney’s Cooking Show, you can visit my personalized Pampered Chef Web site now and take a look around at the products you will see displayed at the party.  Simply CLICK HERE and you can begin shopping the catalog.  Remember if you spend $60 or more at the show or online you get the Adjustable Measuring Spoons for FREE!  Also in November, our cooking show guests can SAVE 20% on our Cookie Press. See product information below.

#GV78 Adjustable Measuring Spoon - FREE Adjustable Measuring Spoons to November Guests with purchase of $60 or more! – $0.00
Their streamlined modern design is perfectly sized for spice containers. Adjustable sliders create a seal for dry and liquid ingredients, and are removable for easy cleaning. Grooved thumbprints help you move the sliders back and forth for accurate measuring. Set of two: 1/8 tsp.-1 tsp., 1 tsp.-1 tbsp.
Dishwasher-safe.

#GV79 Cookie Press – Save 20% on our Cookie Press – $23.60
Make cookies or rice potatoes with a simple twist! Our rotating press is easier to use than the typical ratchet style. The barrel lets you see exactly how much dough is left, and its generous size means less refills are needed. Includes 10 metal disks — nine for cookies and one for ricing. Dishwasher-safe.

For those of you invited to the event, I really hope you can make it and enjoy the evening with friends and loved one’s while tasting some delicious food.  I hope to make the event an enjoyable and educational experience for everyone. I truly appreciate everyone’s support and encouragement and I hope I can make all of you proud.

We visited Disney this summer and during our trip we were able to enjoy a meal at the Crystal Palace. Adam and I worked our way through the beautiful buffet enjoying items such as Moroccan couscous salad, black bean & mango salad, Roasted garlic mashed potatoes, BBQ Pork Tenderloin, Curry Stir Fry Noodles, Citrus Marinated Flank Steak, Wild mushroom & chicken pasta, Cinnamon & lemon basmati rice, Thai curry mussels, Fruit & vegetable tofu curry, Atlantic salmon, Rotisserie chicken, and New England clam chowder. Some of our favorites were the Atlantic Salmon with Cinnamon & Lemon Basmati Rice. While we ate, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore came around to visit the little ones.

When we returned home, I wanted to commemorate a wonderful vacation by recreating the dish. I made the side dish by rinsing one cup of basmati rice a few times until the water was no longer merky. Add the rice to a steel-bottomed pot with two cups of water with a tablespoon of margarine and a pinch of salt, cover and cook over medium-high heat. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the water to low and add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and a stick of cinnamon and cover again. Cook the rice for approximately 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, to prepare the salmon, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and lay out two pieces of parchment paper or aluminum foil crisscrossed on your work station. Lay one salmon steak inside with skin side down. Season with salt, fresh ground pepper, a tablespoon of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice. Pulling up corner to corner, match up the corners and wrap up the aluminum foil making a pouch. Continue this until all the salmon steaks are seasoned and wrapped up in their little purses. Place the little handbags on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

While the salmon and rice are cooking, you can make the pesto. Combine 2/3 cup firmly packed basil leaves, a pinch of salt, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest.

Layer the cooked rice on the bottom and add the salmon once it is firm to the touch. I removed the skin from mine before I served it. Top the salmon with pesto and add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a little lemon zest for garnish.

My dish may not have been Disney specific but I am sure that Mickey and Minnie wouldn’t mind nibbling off my plate.

The new Cooking channel has started and I am feeling completely nostalgic watching Two Fat Ladies, Sara’s Secrets and Jamie at Home. Last week I saw an episode on Jamie at Home called Carbonara alla Courgette that looks easy and delicious. I made the dinner for the family and it was so flavorful with the cream sauce, full of fresh zucchini and squash and don’t forget the bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon?

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/beautiful-courgette-carbonara

Last night I made a great dish that the kid in you will love called Pepperoni Pizza Chicken. This recipe comes from Pillsbury‘s July 2009 issue entitled Best Ever Chicken that instructs readers to stuff a skinless, boneless chicken breast with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. After cooking the stuffed chicken on either side to a golden brown, you then cook elbow pasta adding your favorite pasta sauce.

Photo from Pillsbury.com

As is my nature, I altered the recipe by adding sundried tomatoes to the interior of the chicken with the pepperoni and cheese. I chose Bertoli tomato and basil sauce from a jar. I finished the dish with freshly grated Parmesan and straight from the garden basil. Wow! For simple ingredients and 35 minutes I thought the dish was super yummy. I could see my little one asking for this dish again and again (once she is able to talk, of course). You should definitely go to pillsbury.com and check it out. CwB says YUMMY!

This morning I wanted something special to share with my husband, Adam, and one-year old daughter, Zoey.  I took ideas from a recipe off of the Pillsbury website that I thought looked interesting, Bacon and Eggs Breakfast Pizzas.  Of course, I made a few minor variations to the recipe because 1) I didn’t have all the ingredients and 2) I was catering to a one-year old.

I liked the fact that biscuits were used for the “crust” of the pizza.  I didn’t have any spaghetti or pizza sauce on hand so instead i purred a 1/2 can of Italian recipe tomatoes to use as the sauce.  For the meat, I used lean maple bacon and some turkey breakfast sausages.  I also cooked up some diced hash browns to golden brown.  Finally, I mixed four eggs with 2 tablespoons of milk and added some diced green onions, minced fresh basil, salt and pepper and scrambled those in a small frying pan.

To assemble, I pressed the center of the biscuits leaving the edges thicker just as the Pillsbury recipe instructed.  I then added a spoonful of the pureed tomatoes and topped it with a tablespoon of the crumbled bacon. I layered a few hash browns on top of that and a large spoonful of the scrambled eggs. I sliced the cooked sausage and added that to my pizzas like pepperoni. A sprinkling of my Italian Seasoning and then I popped them in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes, the biscuits were brown and the flavors of the toppings had melded together.  I didn’t have any mozzarella so I shredded a little Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend and topped each pizza.  I added a slice of Roma tomato to each pizza and a little more cheese and put the pizza under the broiler for 4 minutes.  To finish, I topped the pizzas with fresh minced basil and the diced green onions.  A few fresh strawberries and grapes on the side and we were in business.  Zoey, Daddy and I ate every last bite.  I had made six portions (and just baked the last two Pillsbury biscuits), so I called Mike and Carol to join us.  Carol drove across the neighborhood and picked up her and Michael’s portions so they could eat at their house.  Adam even made her a café au lait for Carol’s morning coffee fix. A short while later I received a text message and a phone call from the Long’s that they loved it. Even their one-year old Ben said that Brandy’s Breakfast Pizzas were “Mmm”.

I am proud to say that I have a beautiful fresh herb garden in my yard. As a matter of fact I currently have over 34 varieties of herbs and edible plants in my garden. My last birthday, Adam gifted me a dehydrating machine that I am able to use to dry my own herbs. Granted I get most of my herbs from Penzey’s Spices but they recently moved from the 280 corridor so my treks to their new location in Homewood are few and far between.

Earlier this year I concocted a new Italian Seasoning herbal mix from a variety of purchased and home grown herbs that I just adore. I make it in large quantities and use it in a variety of recipes. This afternoon I altered my Rosemary Roasted Potato recipe to include this heavenly herbal blend and though I haven’t tasted yet, the smell in my house is intoxicating. Here is the blend if you would like to try it. Again, this is in bulk so it makes about 1 1/2 cups of seasoning mix.

6 tbsp. dried Basil
½ tsp. Black Pepper
2 tbsp. Garlic Powder
½ tsp. Marjoram
2 tsp. Onion Powder
6 tbsp. dried Oregano
6 tbsp. dried Parsley
½ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp. dried Rosemary
2 tsp. dried Thyme

Let me know what you think.

As a new mother, I often crave dishes that I will never conceivably have the time to make.  Last night I wanted Chicken Parmesan and dog-gonnit, I was gonna make it.  This is a straight out the fridge recipe so bare with me.

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Preheat over to 350 degrees. I had three defrosted chicken breasts, so I had to make it work.  First, I pounded the chicken out to 1/2 inch thick.  I dipped them in seasoned flour then, egg (2 beaten eggs with a tablespoon of water), and then dredged them in Italian breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese.  I put them on  a cookie sheet that I had sprayed with cooking spray.  I baked them in 10 minute intervals until they reached 180 degrees.  It took about 25 minutes.

In the meantime, I made some spiral pasta.  When the chicken was done, I put 2 tablespoons of pre-made pasta sauce onto each chicken breast and then I covered them in shredded mozzarella cheese.  I put the three chicken breasts under the broiler on high for about 90 seconds until the cheese was melty and bubbly.  (Actually, I cooked mine a few seconds too long as you can see by the photos, but 90 seconds should be perfect). 

I poured more of the pasta sauce from a jar onto the pasta right after it was drained so that the pasta would soak up some of the flavor.  I dished out the pasta onto two plates for Adam and I and added a piece of chicken to each. I then grated some fresh parmesan cheese over the top and sprinkled the plates with fresh cut basil that I happened to have left over from yesterday’s meal. 

The meal took about 35-40 minutes in all and was absolutely delicious.  Today, I prepared the last chicken breast with the cheese and cut it in half to serve over pasta for lunch.  Adam and I were able to enjoy a smaller version a second time around.

Fast and easy and always pleasing, that’s New Mommy Chicken Parmesaney!