Valerie Nicola

Fresh Strawberry Pie

2009-01-31T16:44:00.000-08:00

For the crust:
1 1/2 cup graham crackers, crushed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix all ingredients together. Push into pie plate/tin. Set aside.

For the glaze:
1 pint-basket of strawberries (the small, ugly ones)
1/2 cup water
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch

Crush the strawberries inside your saucepan with a potato masher. Add the water, and heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and strain all the pieces and seeds out, you want it very smooth. Return the puree to heat. Add sugar and corn starch. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. You know it's done when it changes to a deeper shade of red, thickens and becomes clear.

Assemble the pie!
2 pint-baskets strawberries (the big, pretty ones)
Glaze
Graham cracker crust

On crust, arrange the strawberries in pleasing fashion.
Pour on the glaze, covering all the strawberries.
Eat with champagne!

Asparagus and Cheese Meatloaf

2007-03-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1 T. Horseradish
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 egg
1 T. each salt and pepper
1 can asparagus spears
5 slices cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper together. Separate into two portions, one slightly larger than the other. Form the smaller portion of meat into a 1/2 inch thick, round disk inside a 9 inch square or round baking dish. Spoon on horseradish and worchestershire sauce and spread evenly over meat in dish. Layer on the asparagus then the cheddar cheese on top of that, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges of the meat.

Take the other portion of meat and place on a piece of plastic wrap. Form a 1/2 inch thick, round disk, slightly larger than the first. Place on top of the meatloaf in the dish, press around the sides of the asparagus and press around the bottom so that the fillings don't seep out. Bake for 25 minutes, until the meatloaf is nicely browned.

Chicken and Artichoke Fettuccine Alfredo

2007-03-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

1 package fettuccine noodles
1 jar alfredo sauce, not flavored
2 small jars artichoke hearts, marinated
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup milk
pepper to taste

Start boiling a BIG pot of water, with salt and oil in the water. When it boils, cook your noodles according to package. While waiting for your water to boil, cut up the chicken breasts into thin, bite-sized pieces. Drain the marinade oil from the artichoke jars straight into a large pan. Cook the chicken, covered over medium heat, in the marinade oil. When the chicken is cooked through, add the alfredo sauce, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, milk and pepper; reduce heat to low. Keep the sauce covered until your noodles are done cooking. Grab the noodles out of the water and dump them straight into the sauce pan. Mix thoroughly and eat.

Crab Fettuccine Alfredo

2007-02-28T14:27:00.000-08:00

1 package fettuccine noodles
1 jar alfredo sauce, not flavored
2 pounds crab legs, steamed
pepper to taste

Start boiling a BIG pot of water, with salt and oil in the water. When it boils, cook your noodles according to package. While waiting for your water to boil, crack open those crab legs my friend and extract that meaty goodness. Place your alfredo sauce in a large pan, add crab meat and pepper; simmer over low heat. Keep the sauce covered until your noodles are done cooking. Grab the noodles out of the water and dump them straight into the sauce pan. Mix thoroughly and eat.

Roast Potatoes

2007-02-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

6 medium potatoes (I like gold or red potatoes)
1/3 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. dried oregano, or dried rosemary
Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Clean potatoes, don't peel them. Cut them into large-ish steak fry size and place in mixing bowl. Add in the olive oil, garlic, and oregano/rosemary in with the potatoes and mix to coat. Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil, and bake for 40-45 minutes, turning once during baking. Salt the potatoes when they come out of the oven.

Chinese Fried Rice

2007-02-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

4 cups cooked rice
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2 eggs
1 cup tempura sauce
1 T. olive oil

Start with a very hot, very large pan. Add the olive oil, and when it starts to steam, toss in the eggs and stir rapidly. Dump in the vegetables and allow to heat, then add the rice. Pour on the tempura sauce so all the rice is evenly coated. Cook for, um... until it looks done... This is really really tasty, and I never measure the tempura sauce...

Carmelized Onion and Gargonzola Cheese Pizza

2007-02-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

I got the idea for this pizza from the Food Network show Ham on the Street. It looked interesting so this is how I made my version. I made my pizza crust from scratch according to the instructions on the back of Antonio's Semolina Flour package.

2/3 cup marinara sauce
1 cup mozarella cheese, grated
2 medium onions, carmelized in olive oil and salt
3/4 cup gargonzola cheese, crumbled

Assemble the pizza: place marinara sauce, 1 cup mozarella cheese, and the carmelized onions on unbaked pizza crust. Bake at 450 degrees, on a cookie sheet, for 35-40 minutes. When the pizza comes out of the oven, sprinkle on the gargonzola cheese and devour.

If you'd like to see the original Ham on the Street recipe, click here.

Apple Crostata

2007-02-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe for Apple Crostatas on Everyday Italian with Giada de Laurentiis. It looked amazingly good, and easy... so here's how mine came out!

The recipe can be found here.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2007-02-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

1 cup sour cream
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 can artichokes, drained (14 ounces)
1 bag chopped spinach, thawed and dried (10 ounces)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. lemon juice
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar and/or jack cheese
salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Finely chop artichokes, spinach, and garlic. Mix sour cream, cream cheese, artichokes, spinach, garlic, lemon juice, 2 cup of the grated cheeses, salt and canyenne pepper together. Place mixture into a 9 inch square baking dish, cover top with remaining 1/2 cup grated cheeses. Bake for 25 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

Chicken and Corn Soup

2007-02-22T20:32:00.000-08:00

2 chicken breasts
6 strips of bacon
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
corn from 4 corn cobs
2 leeks, halved and chopped
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. corn starch
salt and pepper

Cut chicken into small cubes. Cut bacon into little bits and cook in pan until very crispy, remove from pan and drain bacon on paper towels. Fry leeks in 1 tablespoon of bacon grease, with salt, until slightly browned and tender. Place chicken broth, milk, salt and pepper into large pot and bring to a boil. Add the chicken into the boiling broth, reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes. Add corn, bacon, and cornstarch; cook for about 2 minutes. Drop in beaten eggs slowly, stirring rapidly. Add leeks last, and cook for about 2-5 minutes until thickened.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

2007-02-22T19:56:00.000-08:00

3 cups cooked rice
2 chicken breasts, cut into1/2 inch squares
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can Campbell's Cream of Celery soup
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
6 oz cheddar cheese, grated
2 T. mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
pepper to taste
1 cup bread crumbs
1/3 c parmesan cheese, grated
2 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together Cream of Celery soup, milk, sour cream, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, and pepper; set aside this sauce mixture. Sear chicken in large pan, remove and place on the bottom of a 13 inch rectangular baking dish. Place vegetables into pan along with sauce mix, allow to heat about 5 minutes. Add in the rice, mix to coat. Place over chicken in baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.

Prepare topping by mixing bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and melted butter together. Remove baking dish from the oven and spread topping mixture evenly on top. Place baking dish back into the oven and bake additional 5 minutes, or until topping is browned.