Single-Girl Cravings

Lately, I've been craving sausages.

Go ahead, crack a joke, haha, you're hilarious.

Not THAT kind of sausage.  The food kind.  Specifically: roasted, with a crisp skin, and warm, fennelly insides.

And the snow we had on Saturday pushed me over the edge.  I was in need of something warm and hearty.  Hearty but not heavy.  Roasting sausage is my absolute favorite way to prepare it.  And to keep it on the lighter side, I decided I'd serve it over couscous instead of with pasta.  I figured I could throw a bunch of cherry tomatoes onto the roasting pan with the sausages; I could spoon them over the couscous almost like a sauce.  Oh, and obviously there would need to be cheese. 

All roasted and toasted to perfection!

Roasted Sausages & Tomatoes

1lb Sweet (or Hot, or both) Italian Sausage
2 pints cherry tomatoes
Herb-infused Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

1 1/3 cups couscous (dry)
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
3 TBL water
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 oz. Fresh Mozzarella, cubed
1 TBL Basil Pesto (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For the sausages:
On a foil-lined baking sheet, toss the tomatoes with the herb-infused olive oil, salt and pepper.  Coat evenly.  Nestle the saussage in among the tomatoes.  Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, turn sausages over, and stir around the tomatoes.  Place back in oven, turning heat up to 400 degrees, for another 15-30 minutes or until sausages are sufficiently brown and crisp, and tomatoes are fully cooked, and slightly brown. 

Mmmm, crispy sausages
I could eat this right off the pan--screw the couscous!

For the couscous: 
Bring chicken stock and olive oil to a boil.  Turn off heat, add couscous, water, and stir.  Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork before serving.

 Spoon the tomatoes over the couscous, and top with cubed mozzarella.  Serve sausage on top of the couscous or to the side.  Top with a dollop of pesto, if you so desire (I did!).


My secret weapon with this recipe was the herb-infused olive oil.  I bought it at Boston Olive Oil during our trip last weekend, and I must say, it made this dish SO EASY and SO FLAVORFUL.  I didn't have to chop a SINGLE thing for this dish, but got all the deep flavors of oregano, basil, rosemary and garlic.  It was really expensive so, I plan to use it sparingly.  But, this is the perfect situation to break it out.  It impressed me so much, I started doing some research and am actually going to try to make my own infused olive oils at home. That way, I'll have a variety of deeply flavored oils to work with at all times.  I'm sure making infused oils yourself is much cheaper than buying them from some fancy boutique, too.  But, what a time saver it was, without a single bit of flavor sacrifice!

If you wanted to get a little fancy-schmancy, you could easily add some chopped fresh herbs to the couscous.  I didn't have any fresh herbs on hand, so I used a spoonfull of pesto.  I chose to use fresh mozzarella because I wanted a cheese that was lighter and sweeter, not too salty.  However, shaved parmesan would easily work as a great substitute.  I wouldn't go so far as to recommend feta--though I love a good, sharp, lemony feta.  This preparation is so simple, and straightfoward, the feta would mask the delicate sweetness of the tomatoes, and the herbasciouness of the sausage. 

In the end, this was just what I wanted:  sweet italian sausage cooked to perfection, the couscous acting almost like a warm salad underneath.  The classic flavors of hearty Italian cooking without all the guilt.  It warmed up my chilly weekend, and I barely had to lift a finger!  The simplicity of it all was really what made this dish beautiful, each ingredient able to stand on its own, and compliment the others perfectly.

So, now I've had my sausage fix.

No, not THAT kind of sausage.  Get your head out of the gutter and into the kitchen.

Buon Appetito!

B-B-B-Boston Baby!

Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world...We chose this one.

And by this one, I mean Boston. 

We chose Boston.  In January. 

Don't ask me why or how we landed on Boston as the most logical choice of locales in which to stage our epic Columbia North Reunion.  But we did.  And so, we went.  Joined by my amazing former YMCA co-workers/some of the best women I have ever known:  Sara, Kristin & Stephanie, I (we) ate and drank my (our) way through Boston.  Boston in January. 

I know, we're crazy.  It's sorta what we do well.

And so, if I had to choose only one photograph to sum up the entire weekend...it would be this one:

Important things to note about this picture:  It's oh, about -20 degrees.  No, for reals.  And the cannolis in those boxes are easily the best freakin' cannolis and were absolutely worth every single finger and toe that was cramped up and nearing full hypothermia.  The Unibomber look I'm sporting is pretty hot isn't it?  I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

It was a whirlwind three days, one filled with lots of laughter, lots of food and lots of drinking.  We came, we saw, we conqured, and promptly froze our asses off.  We ate raw oysters, sang Sweet Caroline at the top of our lungs on a trolley with a stripper pole, drank a Sam Adams at "Doyyyyyle's", spent the entire weekend trying to say "Doyle's" with exactly the same finesse as our trolley driver, did shots of olive oil and vinegar, froze our asses off, got lost somewhere in the North End, almost fell asleep at our dinner table Friday night, arrived at Cannoli Mecca, broke some shit, survived a near break-in of our hotel room by drunk neighbors, froze our asses off, mercilessly picked on Kristin, Kristin graciously put up with our teasing, flirted shamelessly with waiters, proved our Philly fan mettle, ate Michelle Obama, Drew Faust, Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton, royally pissed off a cabbie, got swindled by a cabbie, got totally let down by Harvard, and oh did I mention, we FROZE OUR ASSES OFF.  Yeah, well, we did. 

It was totally worth it.  Boston rocked our socks.  In just about every way possible.  And we saw/did/ate/drank about 2% of what there is to see/do/eat/drink.  We are definitely returning.  But not until it's at least...oh, I don't know, not freezing.  Enjoy the pictures below.  And, Buon Appetito!

At Boston Olive Oil (for a free olive oil and vinegar tasting).  Heaven?  I think so.

Boston Olive Oil bottles.

The silver casks made for a really gorgeous aesthetic.

I got completely sucked in and spent an ungodly amount of $$ on a bottle of Tuscan Herb Olive Oil and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar.

My friend Cory told me I HAD to go to Mr. Bartley's for a burger.  So, like the good girl I am, I listened.  God bless my friends for waiting in line with me, without complaining one single time despite the borderline painful cold wind, because they know how much a good burger means to me.

Sara & Stephanie

Kristin and me.  I think this was before I covertly spiked my hot apple cider with Jack from my flask.

Please meet Ted Kennedy.  Ted Kennedy, GET IN MAH BELLY.   He had mushrooms and swiss on top of his perfectly flat-top-grilled crusted 7oz. burger.  And the onion rings were THE BOMB.  I paid dearly for this later.  Totally worth it.  Easily one of the best burgers I've ever eaten.

Kristin, me and Sara outside Sam Adams Brewery.  We all coordinated outfits.  Leggings + boots.  It's the tourist uniform.

I feel like this speaks for itself.  Just beautiful.

This is a donut muffin (what was left of it when I remembered to take a picture).  I had never heard of such a thing until Boston.   I'm not really sure how to describe it.  It's like a...donut and a...muffin had a really delicious cinnamony surgary baby.  Best breakfast invention, ever?  And yes, a Bloody Mary in the background.  It's ain't Sunday Brunch without a Bloody Mary.

This gorgeous hunk-a-pastry is the best Tiramisu I have ever eaten.  From Mike's Pastry (first appearance above inside box from really-cold-picture).  The cannolis were so good I got completely lost in eating them and taking a photo didn't even cross my mind.  I have to figure out how to get this stuff shipped to PA.

**Photo credits for all the olive oil pictures and the photos of the beers have to go to Stephanie Whitmire, my camera could never have captured the luster from those particular scenes the way hers did.  Thank you Stephanie!

Sunday Supper Short Rib Style (& a little alliteration to boot!)

I felt like I owed myself this.

The first week of this new year had been ripe with hustle and bustle.  I had a billion doctor's appointments (it's a good thing I'm not modest, I basically whipped my shirt off about 100 times in only 5 days), which are tiring in their own right.  At any given moment I could be found rushing back and forth from work to home to appointment, to gym, etc.  My "to do" list at work grew exponentially in a matter of hours, and I literally had NO TIME to think.  My best intentions to catch up on movies or the book I've been plugging away at for months, were thwarted by sheer exhaustion and alas, I could be found asleep on my couch, under my great-grandmother's crocheted blanket, book on my chest (mouth likely agape), by 8:30pm.  Aside from leftover pork and sauerkraut from New Year's Day, I'm not sure I ate a proper meal for seven days.

Don't get me wrong, ALL OF IT, and I mean all of it, was good.  It was "good busy" not "I loathe every single second of all the millions of tasks on my plate busy".  I made progress, I learned a whole bunch about the human heart, I learned a whole bunch about myself, I learned that there is only one way to appropriately segue from "beer" to "jail" and it probably happens at a TV station.  I carved out a bit more room for myself in this world, and got myself on the path to being truly and wholly healthy again.

So, when I came home from Whole Foods with a bag of fresh Brussels sprouts (impulse buy 'cause they were on sale!), determined to roast them into toasty warm goodness, I felt compelled to make a meal that they would perfectly pair with--I was INSPIRED!  I had absolutely zero plans for the weekend and so I thought to myself, "Self, I'm going to cook you the most bangin' Sunday supper, ever.  You deserve it."  And that's just what I did.  Four hours later, I had what is easily the most indulgent and luxurious thing I have ever made on my own sitting in front of me, and I didn't want it to end.

• Chianti Braised Short Ribs
• Potato Celeriac Mash
• Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

For the Short Ribs:
2-2.5 lbs beef short ribs (about 3-4)
1/2 large yellow onion
4 carrots, peeled and large chopped
3 celery stalks, cut into quarters
4 large garlic cloved, large sliced
2/3 bottle of Chianti (or any other full-bodied red wine)
2 cups low-sodium beef stock
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 TBL Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 325.

Pat short ribs dry and salt and pepper all sides liberally.  In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, heat olive oil.  Add short ribs to pot and brown on all sides.  Transfer to a plate.  Immediately add veggies to the pot, saute for about 5-7 minutes.  Add wine to pot, making sure to scrape any brown bits off the bottom.  Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the wine has reduced slightly.  Add the stocks, the bay leaves, and the red pepper flakes.  Transfer the short ribs and any juices to the pot, being sure to maneuver the short ribs so they're sitting on the bottom of the pan, and not on the veggies.  Bring up to a simmer, cover tightly with the lid and place in oven.  Cook for 3 hours or until meat is tender and falling off the bone. [Resist every single temptation to open the oven, crack the lid of the pot and peek.  They will be fine, I promise.]

Remove from oven, transfer short ribs to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.  Strain the liquid through a sieve, into a saucepan, skimming off most of the fat.  On low, bring the liquid to a soft simmer.  Puree the strained veggies and whisk into the sauce.  Spoon over short ribs when serving. 

For the Mash:
4 large Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes
1 large Celeriac (Celery Root)
2-3 TBL EVOO or Butter
1/3 cup light cream or milk
Salt & pepper, to taste

Peel the potatoes & celery root and cut into 1-inch chunks. [Make the celery root slightly smaller than the potatoes as it is slightly denser]  Place in large pot of cold water.  Bring to boil and cook for 15-25 minutes or until the veggies are fork tender.  Drain, and mash using a ricer.  Stir in light cream, butter and salt & pepper.  [You can make this lighter/richer, thinner/thicker depending on how much cream & butter you add, or not.]

For the Sprouts:  
1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Bacon, crumbled

Clean the sprouts by lobbing off their base and removing the first few leaves.  Halve the sprouts, toss with olive oil, salt & pepper and place flat-side down on a foil lined baking sheet.  Roast, turning sprouts over onto other side after 10 minutes.  Roast for 8-10 more minutes.  Immediately sprinkle with  (as much or as little as you like) balsamic vinegar and crumbled bacon.

One thing you should know, if you do not already:  short ribs are fatty, fatty creatures.  I probably skimmed an entire cup of fat off of the liquid that came out of the dutch oven, and you need to separate the meat from the fat before eating it.  The pay off is that this much fat = arrival at Flavortown.  Your meat will be succulent and supple; tender and packed full of flavor.  One note about cookware:  I rarely specify that something MUST be done in one type of pan vs. another, but this time I must insist.  I own a Cuisinart cast-iron enamel dutch oven (like the fancy-schmancy Le Crueset ones only not as pricey).  It is the single greatest piece of kitchen equipment I have ever owned.  It absolutely changes the level of flavor you can develop in your food, simply from the incredible ability to retain and distribute heat strongly and evenly.  It is the pinnacle of braising equipment, and now I see why.  The short ribs were perfect:  from the initial browning and achieving a thick, crisp outer layer (which seals in juices and flavors), to their toothsome and savory caramelized periphery after bathing in this pot for 3 hours, this jawn proved it's mettle.  I highly recommend investing in a dutch oven.  It truly heightens and focuses the food you cook.

I not only owed myself this meal, but I needed it.  Warm and hearty dishes like this feed your body but your soul too.  They wrap their fatty little fingers around your heart and give you a supportive little squeeze.  It's definitely a form of therapy, for me at least.  Both the preparation, and the consumption.  I am no artist, that's for sure, but I feel sort of artistic when I am cooking.  To be inspired and slope towards creation, to shape and craft something with your hands, that grew from an idea inside your mind and your heart, to share that craft with others (or to give it to yourself!), there is nothing greater.  My Short Rib Sunday Supper was absolutely spectacular (and clearly cathartic).  So, as this year continues, and as I continue to grow and change, I am excited about the other meals that I will need, that I will owe myself.  I am excited for the tasty meals and the artistic outlet that I DESERVE.

Buon Appetito!