The Fancy Nancy

This past weekend I went on a road trip to Kennebunkport, ME with my friend Nancy for a much needed girls weekend. The rainy cool days finally let up and the weather was perfect for laying on the  beach and fine wine and dining. I knew we had a long day of lounging and drinking ahead of us so to prepare us for this stressful day I whipped up what I like to call the "Fancy Nancy" wrap.  I knew the wrap was a hit when after her first bite she looked at me eyes wide open and exclaimed  "Wow! This is so good! I am loving the crunch and the punch in this wrap!" There was much laughter and memories on this trip and most importantly a delicious sandwich was born.

Makes 2 sandwiches

2 whole wheat wraps
1/2 of a Granny Smith apple thinly sliced
Approximately 4-6oz of Brie cheese
4 oz of Spinach leaves (eye ball it)
1/4 lb of deli sliced oven  roasted turkey
1/4 of thinly sliced red onion
Optional 1 ripe avocado thinly sliced.

Cover the wrap in Brie cheese and layer the remaining ingredients, roll up and enjoy! I served fruit skewers for dessert a great way to serve your kids fruit (or two grown adults) on a hot summer day! Just watch out for the pointy end!

Enjoy!

Pizza Night!

Growing up it was known in the Ventura household that Friday night was Pizza Night!!! My parents moved us from Long Island, NY to Orono, Maine ...so finding good pizza that stood up to New York's' was difficult to find. Therefore, my mom used to make her own crust (Gasp! This was before store bought dough was readily available)  and made two pizzas in cookie sheet pans. I still remember hearing the hum of the electric mixer, seeing the orange mixing bowl on the counter she would use to let the dough rise and fighting over the corner pieces with my sisters. Fast forward 20 plus years (ahem!)  to 2012 and pre-made pizza dough is readily available and easily found in any super market. You can even find healthy versions such as my personal favorite, whole wheat. I wanted to keep the tradition alive of having pizza night one night a week, but being the 9-5 working woman that I am I can't/ won't find the time to make my own dough. So if we are not ordering from one of the fabulous pizza joints here in Boston, I enjoy whipping one up myself with store bought  whole wheat pizza dough (sorry mom!). I have done the math and in pretty much the same amount of time it takes to order a pizza and have it delivered to your doorstep you can make one yourself with probably half the fat and grease. Tonight I used Hannaford's  whole wheat pizza dough and marinara sauce,  feta cheese, mozzarella,  red pepper, onion, sliced tomato and of course pepperoni (god forbid we have a meatless dish one night).  I topped it off with freshly cut basil I have been growing and served it with a pecan, craisins, feta and spinach salad.  A sinful meal, but with half the sin. 

Mama's Crunchy Chicken Bake Casserole

I am back in action people! Our kitchen is about 90% finished and I can finally cook again! Let me tell you I have been tearing it up in the kitchen ever since I got my stove back!!! Woop! Woop! Not only does cooking excite me, but the fact that I have something to BLOG about and share with you all  makes me super duper happy!

SO to kick off this post kitchen renovation blog spot I am going to tell you about my most recent dish which got a 4 our of 5 star rating from my guests. This dynamite meal is a chicken casserole that my mom used to make when I was a kid. I woke up craving it the other day and I called her for the recipe. It's super easy to make and delicious. I forgot to take a picture before I served it... however this proves how tasty it was considering I was only feeding three people...oops! :)  Enjoy


                Chicken Bake Casserole


4 cups cooked chicken meat, cubed
2 cups sliced celery
2 cups herb stuffing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounce package sliced Swiss cheese
31/2 ounce pkg. sliced almonds

In a 9x13 inch baking pan combine all ingredients except cheese and almonds. Use half of chicken mixture and pat down in pan. Cover with Swiss cheese slices and top with remaining chicken mixture.  

Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove cover and bake 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with almonds and bake 20 minutes more until bubbly.

Cranberry sauce and dinner rolls go well with it. ( I had add this comment from my mom...Isn't this SUCH a Mom comment?! HA!  xoxo Love you MOM!)

Kitchen Renovation

Yep this is my kitchen right now and yes my husband is wearing a pink shirt and  yes this is why  I haven't been blogging. As some of you may or may not know we are in the middle of a Kitchen Renovation and let me tell you it has been quite the learning experience in more ways than one.

First lesson: Never trust the time estimate a contractor gives you. It will always take double the amount of time and money.

Second lesson: I know this is not "Green", but after the 10th dish washed in my bathroom sink next to the toilet...I decided to go paper and plastic. The earth can deal for all I care at this point.

Third Lesson: You you will always love your partner, but you may not like them at times during a renovation.

Fourth Lesson: Always higher a plumber.

Fifth Lesson: No matter how organized you are you will still feel unorganized.

Sixth Lesson: Budget for eating out for almost every meal and gaining back all the weight you lost.

Seventh Lesson: When the contractor says "Trust me it will look beautiful" don't trust them and have them sign a contract.

Eigtht Lesson: You will never be able to clean all the dust.

Ninth Lesson: Keep your receipts from Home Depot & Lowes...you won't use half the stuff you buy.

Tenth Lesson:  HGTV lies, it's never "that easy."


Cheers! :)

Baked Haddock

I know I haven't been posting that much lately, but there is a reason for that. First we were on vacation in California visiting my lovely sister in law and her wonderful boyfriend where I had the must delicious pesto, feta and sun dried tomato dip! And  I have been preparing for our much needed Kitchen Renovation which is starting this weekend!! Ahhh! I will keep you posted on the progress and post before and after pictures! I can't wait to have more counter and cabinet space!

Anywho, back to the cooking...this past Sunday Haddock was on sale at the grocery store so I decided I was going to make my own version of fish and chips. I bake the fish at a high temperature instead of frying and I serve it with a baked potatoes. All the deliciousness of a the classic pub style fish and chips with half the fat and calories.

1 lb of Haddock
1/2 cup of Milk mix with 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
3/4 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs (eyeball it) mix with 1/2 cup of Parmesan (eyeball it)


Preheat oven to 500 degrees ( I know its high but it will give your fish that crispiness that is desired). As the oven is preheating deep the fillets in the milk and salt mixture then  in the Parmesan/breadcrumb mixture to coat the fillets. Put the fillets in a baking dish that is sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, so the fish is flaky. Serve with a baked potato and lemon wedge. Yummo withouth becoming a Fatto! HA,HA!

Grilled Asian Salmon

Asian flavor has caught my cooking tastebuds lately and I think it's because it's light and healthy and a great way to add flavor to meats without adding on the pounds. It was unusually hot in Boston today which was unfortunate for the marathoners, but very pleasurable for this summer loving gal so naturally hot weather to me means grilling time.  Oh our poor grill, it is in desperate need of replacement, it's actually really sad looking as it has had no shield from the winter storms that New England had endured over the years and it is practically rusted through.So naturally for safety reasons, I asked my husband to inspect it before we fired it up and after I saw the concern on his face and heard his voice shake when he said he thought it was fine,  I followed up with asking him to turn it on  and slowly crept back into the house.  Luckily for him and our bellies the good ol'grill  started up like it hadn't skipped a meal and I was ready to go. I guess we will get one more year out of that bad boy!  The salmon turned out great, although I wish I would have kept the skin on one side to cook directly on the grill.  I say this because whenever I ask for Salmon I usually ask for the fish monger to cut off the skin as it grosses me out ever so slightly. So instead I had to cook it wrapping each piece in aluminum foil instead of risking it breaking and flaking over the grill. Needless to say it still was tasty and I am happy to share this YUMMO recipe with my followers.
Asian Salmon

1 pound of Salmon fillets
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
3 Tablespoons of low sodium Soy Sauce
6 Tablespoons of EVOO
1/2 Teaspoon of minced garlic
1/4 Teaspoon of black pepper
Juice of half of a lemon

Whisk together mustard, soy sauce, EVOO, lemon juice, garlic and black pepper in bowl. Cover the Salmon with marinade and let marinate for 10 minutes (if left skin on place salmon skin side up).   Heat grill to medium heat and cook Salmon until flaky about 20 minutes or so.  I served with grilled asparagus, avocado and whole wheat bread. A great meal to end a hot summer like day.

**Tip to check if Salmon is done see if it flakes when you put a fork to it.
**Tip if cooking directly on grill brush grill with Olive Oil so the fish does not stick!
** When using aluminum foil on the grill make sure its "Heavy Duty"

To show how hot it was Deez had
 his perma grin panting all day!
He does NOT do well with this heat!

Chinese Chicken for Travelkat

Yesterday evening I had one of my friends and fellow blogger, Travelkat (you can view and get inspired by her travel adventures at http://travelkat1.blogspot.com/) come over for some baked Chinese chicken, brown rice, salad, good bread (obvs!) and some delicious vino that Travelkat so generously brought over. For dessert I kept it light (since its T minus 2 month before bikini season and I have still yet to shed a pound...blah) and sliced up some fresh strawberries and pineapple, which I must say was the perfect amount of sweetness to end with. The Chicken was the star of the meal, its sweet and sour sauce and moist meat meat made this dish mouth watering and a winner in my book. Here's how to whip up this easy marinade.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/4 Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon cold water
1 1/2 Teaspoon of Fresh Ginger
1 clove of crushed garlic
1/4 Teaspoon of salt
4 Chicken Breast

Whisk all ingredients (minus chicken) together, put chicken in 9 inch baking dish and pour marinade over chicken and let chill for at least 1 hour (the longer the better)  in the refrigerator.  When its time to bake the chicken preheat the over to 325 and cook for 40 minutes with turning over half way through.

When serving pour some additional sauce on the chicken and use the sauce over some mixed greens to tie all the flavors together! This recipe for the marinade is a keeper and I can't wait to use it during grilling season with  other meats such as salmon or shrimp!