Good Old Spaghetti Bolognese with Garlic Bread

I know I have not blogged in awhile but life has been busy in a great way!
When it comes to cooking - I never make the same thing twice, exactly.   Always the ingredients are changed, something added, something removed.  To me it's all about what's in the kitchen!  The more and more we think about it, cooking is in fact an art!

Furthermore who doesn't love Spaghetti Bolognese? It seems to be a favorite dish anyone can enjoy any time of the year.  Therefore I thought it would be a great way to kick the blog back off!!

I have say that for years I've tackled getting the sauce right.  I don't feel that it is all                          

about the ingredients, I feel it's about the process as well.  Here we go.....

Spaghetti Bolognese Chino's Way
Ground Veal about a pound, heat O.O. and then brown meat. (Ground sirloin works well too, even better mix them)
Season with some S &P

Once meat is browned add:
1 Chopped Onion
1 Chopped Carrot
2-3 Garlic Cloves (your choice)
1-2 Bay Leaves
S & P
Crushed red pepper flakes (measure according to how hot you can handle it, I put just a little for a small kick)

Cook for a few minutes until onions and carrots begin to soften.
Once softened add some wine - enough to fill 1/3 of the way.
Once wine reduces - Add about the same amount, maybe a tad more of good stock then wine.
Lastly add one can (at least 28oz) of good plum tomatoes.  If you can stop by a specialty shop preferably Italian and buy some good canned plum tomatoes, they make a difference.
As I add the plum tomatoes I give them a little crush with my hands.  Be careful though, they will shoot back when you crush them!!

I always grab a little something fresh from the garden, basil, oregano, flat leaf parsley chop and add with tomatoes.
Give a little dash of S & P
If you are grating your own cheese save the rind, toss it in the sauce while it stews!!

** Always save your rinds.  They work wonders for any recipe, especially soup and sauces. **
The Italian market in St Pete where we live sells them.  I always have some stored in my freezer.

Garlic Bread
Of course the best choice would be some nice fluffy fresh Italian Bread maybe even a baguette.  My husband and I keep 7 Sprouted Grain Bread in the fridge at all time even their English Muffins, I have been know to even use this.  Like I said before it's an art, use what you have......

In a small sauce pan I take a couple tablespoons of O.O. and about half a stick of butter.
I add chopped garlic cloves, shallots, leeks, onions, crushed red pepper, oregano, basil, chives, again, whatever you feel you want to mix.  I don't necessarily use all those at one time, depends on what I feel like or have.
Some stores sell an Italian Seasoning, I recommend this too.

Let the ingredients simmer but not boil so that all the flavors infuse.
I then spoon them onto my bread of choice and bake on 375 until it looks like it has a slight crisp.

Best garlic bread I swear.  Its all about infusing your flavors in the butter
P.S. this butter is great for fish, crab legs, or anything else you may want to try it on!!

Helen's Joy of Cooking Tomato Soup

My tomato plants from the garden decided that they all wanted to ripen at the same time so I decided it was time to make some soup.  As a bridal shower gift from my husband's Aunt, I was passed down my hubby's grandmother's original Joy of Cooking cookbook!! Tells your everything you could need to know, basically a cooking bible. 

I started off by first sauteing together until tender:
2 cups chopped onion
2-3 Carrots chopped
1-2 Bay Leaf

Once tender add:
3 cloves fresh minced Garlic

About one minute after the garlic add:
1 pound fresh tomatoes
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
Handful fresh chopped basil
Salt, fresh ground pepper, pinch or two of white pepper
3-4 cups homemade chicken stock

Bring all ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

In the meantime according to the old fashion Joy of Cooking I was to make my own cream.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt on low heat 3 tablespoons butter
then add 2 tablespoons flour and whisk to create ruex.
Let the ruex cool, once cooled return to heat and slow add in 1 cup of milk.
Continuosly stir and on a lower heat until the mixture starts to thicken.
Once it starts to thicken place into bakeware and add a studded onion in the middle.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes.

You may ask, "what is  a studded onion:
The French know this as "onion clout"
Clou meaning nail. 
In this case we are taking two small bay leaves and and nailing them to the onion.
The purpose of this is to be able to easily remove the cloves when the cream is ready.

Once the cream has finished cooking add it to the tomato soup. 
Strain the soup and take the veggie remains and add them to a food processor.
Once you have pureed the vegetables, add them back into the strained liquid. 

Of course I have to add my finishing touch of some fresh chopped chives and a little bit of fresh ground pepper!! Enjoy!!

Healthy Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup

 The weather has dropped and got quite cold here in Florida and also the pollen has left us all feeling as if we are sick. My husband and sister were in the mood for soup so I looked in my fridge to see what I had. I recently purchased a bunch of organic cauliflower and broccoli. I decided these two items would be my main ingredients along with some carrots, shallots, red onion, S & P, fresh herbs; rosemary, thyme, sage and chives.

When making vegetable soup I always feel roasting the veggies gives it a more full flavor.
I combine all the ingredients above and toss them with some good olive oil and put them in the oven for 30-45 min.

In the meantime I heat up some homemade chicken stock. In a large stock pot I crisp some prosciutto slices then remove. In the same pot I add some butter and chopped shallots with S & P. Once they start looking translucent I pour in a bit of Sherry wine and let it reduce.

Once the veggies are finished I let them cool then place them in my Ninja blender with some of the heated stock until puréed.

I combine the purée and shallots and add extra stock to the stock pot.

If you want here you can also add a container of fat free Greek yogurt for added protein and great supplement to heavy cream or half and half. Today I just used broth and cream.

To prepare for serving I grated some Gouda cheese then topped it off with left over fresh chopped herbs from the garden that I used when roasting and crumbled the prosciutto all over! Was so delicious and filling!

Breakfast Toast with Protein, Omega 3's, Fiber, Amino Acids and more...

My brother actually taught me this one and lately it has become my favorite breakfast full of protein and giving energy.    He recommended to eat this after working out for post-work out fuel.  Now that my sister is living in Florida she informed me he taught her about his toast apparently, even waking up in the morning and making it for her.  My husband loves it and he is not one to eat bread :):) 

Usually I only buy one kind of bread Food for Life 7 Sprouted Grain but recently I found discovered P28 High Protein Bread and it is 100% natural. It is so delicious!!!  Much better then the Food for Life.  I would caution when toasting.  It burns quickly.  Usually I toast sliced bread on setting 4, this bread in between 1 and 2 rotating it while it toasts. 



How we Make it.....
1 Piece P28 High Protein Bread. Toast.  Spread coconut oil. Peanut butter. Chia and Flax seeds to cover. Drizzle organic raw honey.

Things we add and change it up with.
-Bee Pollen
-Banana
-Butter instead of coconut oil

Reason behind ingredients:
 -  P28 High Protein Toast - this is what they say about the contents of the bread:

• 28 grams of Protein per two slices
• 100% Natural
• 100% Whole Wheat - Made with Oat, Flax Seed, Sunflower Seed, and Millet
• Made with 100% Whey Isolate - The highest quality source of protein
• A rich source of 8 essential Amino Acids that your body needs for growth, energy, and vibrant health
• Cholesterol Free
• A Good source of Fiber
• Contains Omega 3's
• Excellent for people who are trying to build muscle and/or lose body fat.

-Organic Coconut Oil - reduces cholesterol, reduces abdominal fat (eating 2 TBLS daily for 12 weeks), wonderful for skin and hair. Use coconut oil to cook veggies or anything instead of O.O.

-Raw Organic Honey - (raw is pure, unheated, unpasteurized, unprocessed which counteracts acid indigestion) heals poison in the body, builds immune system, gives energy, helps muscle recovery, take spoonful before working out will give your extra energy (I add it to my bottled water I drink during the day for extra energy)

-Organic Chia Seeds - Chia is Mayan for "strength", fiberous, Omega fatty acids 3 & 6, calcium, antioxidants, protein.  One TBLS equals 47% of daily recommended fiber intake. 

-Flax Seed - Omega 3