Update on the kitchen makeover

I know I promised pictures. And I will deliver, one of these days. Suffice it to say that we’re at two and half months and counting. Here’s the laundry list of tasks we’ve accomplished so far

• 4 layers of tile ripped out
• 8’ drop ceiling removed and new ceiling height raised to the full 12’ the rafters would allow
  new insulation hung
• electrical system completely revamped
• new gas line run to the kitchen and connected to my brand-spanking-new 5-burner gas range (it has a meat probe and a bread-proofing setting – woo hoo! I feel so fancy.)
• over-stove cabinet removed and replaced with an actual range hood (can you believe there was no light or vent over the old stove?? What on earth did the previous owners do when something got smelly or smokey? But then again, given the immaculate state of the 1959 wall oven, I’m not convinced anyone ever actually cooked in this house before we moved in.)
• dining/great room wall pushed out 2 feet
• made one end of that new wall a half wall
• door to the foyer closed off
• fresh drywall installed, which is nearly finished with tape and mud
• 3 recessed lights and 4 pendant lamps hung
• New cabinets ordered to match the existing units (which will be delivered aaaaaaaaany day now…. or so I’ve been promised several times.)
• New counters ordered
  

Still lots of work to be done, including choosing and purchasing tile for the floor and backsplash, new hardware for the cabinets, and paint for the cabinets (some shade of white, but not a blindingly sterile hospital-esque white). So far so good. We’re doing all of the work ourselves, with the help of some amazingly selfless family members, so I’m not expecting it to be done overnight. As long as there continues to be progress, I’m a happy girl.

Oh, and a little side note: our little Meatball family will be growing by one member, somewhere around August 17th. I’ll try to keep my recently-acquired chicken aversion out of the way of creating new recipes. : )

Happy cooking.


EDIT: Since I originally wrote this post a few days ago, the cabinets have been delivered. They are, however, exactly the material we told the contractor we DID NOT want, so now we're in the fabulous phone-tag cycle that will hopefully, eventually, end with these cabinets being removed from their temporary homes in my dining room and garage, returned to the contractor's workshop, and replaced with the right ones. Hopefully. Eventually. If there is any truth in the concept of karma, that is. Otherwise, I may need to change my religious beliefs yet again. : )

Reynolds Giveth, and Reynolds Taketh Away…. and then they Giveth Back Again

Okay, so maybe the biblical reference is a bit extreme, but if you had used the Reynolds Handi-Vac® before it was pulled from the market, then you would agree with me that it was an incredibly useful tool, and, like me, you’d be a bit dismayed when you searched store shelves in vain for a few stray boxes of the storage bags before finally realizing there were none to be had.

This was a fantastic system. Like the larger, bulkier units you can buy at big box stores to hermetically seal your food before packing up the freezer, the Handi-Vac bags would seal off your food from freezer burn by removing excess air, thereby saving you a ton of cash in the long run because food would stay fresh longer. Unlike the big bulky units, the Handi-Vacs were, well, NOT big and bulky. You had a small, hand-held vacuum pump (there were both battery-operated and hand-powered units available at different times). Instead of rolls of plastic, you could just buy freezer bags as you normally would, press the pump to the little built-in circle near the top of the bag, and VOILA! Instant shrink-wrap. I loved them. I really, really loved them. Even Papa Prupetta loved them because he had a new tool to play with. (It’s just like that little gun they use to create bridal and baby registries in department stores. What is it about electronics that will get any man’s heart thumping??)

And now, you too can experience the love through the joy that is the Home Shopping Network. Apparently Reynolds has joined forces with Debbie Meyer, maker of Green Bags, to market the Handi-Vac system through HSN, which carries supplies through their website. This makes Mama very happy.

Snowy Day Bratwurst

This one isn't a freezer meal, but it's so little work and so few ingredients that it's easy to whip up in a flash. Today, we've got at least 18 inches of snow on the ground and it's still coming down hard and fast. Round one of shoveling is long done, so this was a nice stick-to-your-ribs lunch before heading out for round two.

Feeds three adults and a toddler with some leftovers


8 bratwurst (I like Johnsonville, but whatever you prefer is fine)
1 large yellow onion
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1 sturdy dark beer (we used Brooklyn Brown Ale)

• Peel the onion, discard the ends, cut in half. Cut each half into thin slices, about 1/8" thick.
• Core and de-seed the pepper, cut in half length-wise, and slice as above.
• Heat about 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a deep, heavy-bottom pot. Saute the onions and pepper until lightly carmelized, 7-10 minutes.
  
• Scoot the onions to the side so there's some space for the brats to contact the bottom of the pan. Quickly brown on both sides, then cover with the onions.
• Pour in the beer and cover tightly.
• Bring to a boil, and let it simmer until the brats are cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Serve on long rolls with a little spicy mustard, if you like (but plain is just fine, too).
  

Mama's Tip of the Day

Ricotta cheese can turn stiff and gluey if you're not careful. Mixing by hand, and making sure you STOP mixing as soon as your ingredients are blended will help it stay light and creamy. Because frankly, once you're past kindergarten, you should stop eating paste.

Basic Baked Ziti

I like recipes that can go straight from freezer to oven, with zero effort on the night you actually want to eat it. Baked pasta dishes, like this one, are perfect for that. This is a nice basic recipe that you can alter to suit your family's tastes or whatever mood you're in. Ground beef or crumbled sausage would be nice additions, or a little spinach or chopped artichoke hearts for a vegetarian version.


1-lb box of ziti
8 oz shredded mozzarella
32 oz ricotta
2 eggs
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
3 cups pasta sauce (about a 24-oz jar. I'm using a vodka sauce - yum.)

• Cook the ziti according to package directions
• While the pasta is cooking, combine half the mozzarella with all of the remaining ingredients except for the pasta sauce and stir until just blended.
• When the pasta is tender, reserve one cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta well.
• Add the pasta, reserved water, and pasta sauce to the cheese mixture. Pour into a large baking dish and top with the remaining 4 ounces of mozzarella.
• Bake, covered, at 375F for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until hot and bubbly, about 30-45 minutes more.

If you're freezing:

• Follow the first four steps, making sure you're using a baking dish that can survive the freezer. (You can find disposable aluminum pans, which freeze well, in most grocery stores.)
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then a layer of heavy-duty foil.
  
• When ready to bake, remove the foil and plastic, discard the plastic wrap and re-cover with the foil, then pick up at step 5.
  

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This is a great weekend recipe because, although it takes a while to roast the squash and apples, the majority of the active work is at the very beginning and the very end. You can go about the business of enjoying your life in the meantime. This makes a double-batch, about enough for 4 servings tonight and 4 more to freeze for next time.


1 large squash (4-5 lbs)
5 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 medium Honeycrisp apples(quartered, peeled, and cored)
1 medium white onion (cut into 1-inch chunks)
3 small or 1 large garlic clove (peeled and roughly chopped)
4 fresh sage leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 c chardonnay (or any dry white wine)
3 c chicken stock, plus a little extra to thin the soup
1/2 c milk or heavy cream
2 large pinches of nutmeg
salt & black pepper to taste

• Preheat the oven to 450 F
• Halve the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place both halves cut-side down on a baking pan. Drizzle the oil and 2 tbsp of the butter (in small pieces) around them, and place in the oven. Set timer for 20 minutes.
• Add the apples, onion, and garlic to a baking dish and drizzle with the remaining butter (melted).
• Remove the thyme leaves from their stem, and roughly chop the leaves with the sage. Add these to the apples and toss everything to coat evenly with the butter.
  
• When the timer goes off, add the apple dish to the oven.
  
• Bake until the squash is easily pierced with a knife, and the apples are tender (about 40 minutes-1 hour more, so about 1 hr-1 hr 20 mins total from the time you first put the squash in the oven). Stir the apples occasionally during baking.
• Carefully (it will be extremely hot at this point!) spoon the squash out of its shell, and add the flesh to a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the contents of the apple dish, wine, and chicken stock. Use an immersion blender* to break down the large chunks until you have an over-all smooth texture. Add a little extra stock if necessary.
• Add the milk, nutmeg, salt & pepper and bring the soup up to a simmer. Give it 5 minutes to let the flavors blend, and serve hot.
  

If you're freezing:

• Follow the entire recipe, then cool in the refrigerator before freezing.
  
• When ready to eat, defrost in the refrigerator, then reheat and serve.

*If you don't have an immersion blender, no worries. Just add the squash and apples in batches with the stock to your regular blender or food processor and then back into the pot they go.

Where've you been, Mama?

You may have noticed a conspicuous lack of posts in the last year or so. Well, first, my apologies. And second, my explanation.

There are a couple of pretty good reasons I haven't been posting.

#1, the whole Meatball family moved out of our teeny apartment and into a space that, while warm and welcoming, wasn't exactly ideal for recipe-testing. That, however, has recently changed. We Meatballs have moved into new (to us) digs over the summer, and have finally settled in to the point where we can stop opening boxes and just go about the business of living here. I have a lovely little 1959 kitchen that I initially wanted to gut and redo, but somehow in the last 3 months I've fallen head-over heels for my miniature 1959 oven (man, is it ever wee. And I'm pretty sure it's original to the house, but it works perfectly) and my pretty little bread drawer (it could use a little love and maybe a good re-tinning), and lately have been feeling happily inspired to really start cooking again. Although not a complete gut-and-redo, the kitchen will be getting a healthy face lift soon enough. More on that later, and I promise to post a few before-and-after pics.

#2, last September, a close friend and I were in a pretty bad car accident. Long story short, we're both fine now, but those first few months afterward were pretty rough, so cooking and creating new recipes took a backseat to healing and returning to our regularly-scheduled lives. The last 12 months have been quite the roller coaster.


Ahem. I missed you, little blog of mine, and I promise never to go away for so long again.

Love,

Your Mama