Ingredients

• 3-pound pork roast
• 1 pound bag of Royal Corona beans (I use Ranch Gordo)
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped,
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6-7 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 2-inch Parmesan rind
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 2 cups, baby spinach
• 4 oz, sliced crimini mushrooms
• shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

1. Heat a pan with olive oil over medium heat. Salt and pepper your pork loin roast. Sear on each side, for approximately 5 minutes on each side.
2. While pork roast is searing, chop your vegetables and add them to your slow cooker along with the Royal Corona beans, Parmesan rind, thyme, rosemary, and garlic.
3. Add the seared pork roast on top of the beans and vegetables. Pour in the chicken broth, making sure your beans are fully covered. Cook on high for 5 hours or cook on low for 8 hours. Fold in spinach and mushrooms 30 minutes before serving. Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese.

This recipe is a family favorite. Adapted from my husband’s cousin, Cindy Benedetti, this sausage roll is a must try. Perfect for movie nights or a quick appetizer for entertaining. 

Italian Sausage Roll 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 pound loose Italian sausage
• 2 cups of mozzarella cheese
• 1 package of Trader Joe’s pizza dough 
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 jar of Trader Joe’s pizza sauce (optional)

Directions

Place your pizza dough on a floured work surface to rest for 20-30 minutes. While your dough is resting, heat pan over medium high heat with olive oil and brown the Italian sausage, approximately 8-10 minutes. Make sure to use a wooden spoon to crumble the sausage into smaller pieces while cooking. When sausage is done, place in bowl and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. 

As the sausage is cooling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When your oven is heated, your dough should be rested and your sausage should be almost cooled. 

Spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray and set aside. 

Using a rolling pin, roll your dough, making sure not to roll too thin. Spread dough on baking sheet so it covers entire sheet. Place sausage all over the dough, then top with cheese. Roll the dough “jelly style”. Make sure the seam is on the bottom and you crimp the ends shut. Brush the beaten egg on the sausage roll. Put the roll in the oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. It’s great as is or heat up some pizza sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

Summer is the season of citrus. Here’s an easy and delicious recipe for lemon loaf to brighten your day. Perfect with coffee or tea or just by itself. Try to eat only one piece. I dare you.

Lemon Loaf

Serves 6-8

Prep time 25 minutes, Cook time 60 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon iodized salt
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1.25 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup milk, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (approximately 3 lemons)
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice, divided (use the 3 lemons you zest)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Then, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1.25 cups of granulated sugar until it becomes light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the mixture before adding the next. After the eggs, beat in the almond extract.

Pour in the flour mixture and milk. Mix until incorporated. Next, fold in the lemon zest and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice (2 lemons). Pour the batter into the loaf pan.

Bake in your preheated oven for approximately 60 minutes. Check to see if it’s done by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, the loaf is ready.

Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (1 lemon) with the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the lemon glaze over the hot loaf. Allow the loaf to stand for 10 minutes in the pan before removing it. Finally, let cool before serving.

I took a little hiatus from blogging to enjoy a European adventure. While there was ample food to blog about, I decided to unplug and enjoy the moment. I savored every wurst in Austria and I relished every bite of pasta in Italy. I lived in the moment and spent quality time with family and food.

Back in reality, it’s hard enough to get back to work and back to routine. Getting back to blogging, a hobby, is even harder. There were many moments while cooking that I thought to myself, “Hey, you should blog about this.” But, alas, laziness won and I didn’t follow through.

Maybe weeks of unplugging have made me soft? Maybe putting down the cameraphone and turning off the laptop have made me appreciate the times it takes to prepare, eat, and remember food even more? By the way, Italians “win” at food appreciation…a quick lunch is an hour and a half. Don’t rush a meal in Italy. It’s impossible.

So, here I am. Back from the land of good, slow food. I weigh about 10 pounds more, but I am 10 times happier. And that’s worth every penne!

  
Sometimes you need a different kind of salad, a warm salad. At first, a warm salad may seem plain wrong. But, what if it’s warm because of bacon? Now that sounds delicious!

Wilted Spinach Salad

Serves 2-3

Prep time 15 minutes, Cook time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 strips of bacon, chopped
• 2 eggs, hard-boiled, and quartered lengthwise 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fig balsamic vinegar
• 1 pound of baby spinach
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Pour olive oil in large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add chopped bacon to hot oil. Cook until crispy, approximately 5 minutes. Remove bacon and set aside. Stir in shallots and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes. Pour in fig balsamic vinegar and stir to combine. Fold in spinach and toss a few turns to combine (You don’t want to fully cook the spinach, just a little wilt). Put spinach on a serving dish. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Top with dried cranberries, crispy chopped bacon, and hard-boiled eggs.

  
A hot summer day makes me crave my mom’s cucumber salad. It’s a great side dish to beat the heat and chill your tastebuds. Also, it’s pretty easy to make with only a few ingredients. Another plus is that no oven is required. 

If you are serving to 4 adults, I recommend doubling the recipe. 

Cucumber Salad

Serves 2-3

Prep time, 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced thin with a mandoline
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup of sour cream
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• Paprika, a little sprinkle on top (no more than a 1/8 teaspoon)

Directions

Place your thinly sliced cucumber into a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 15 minutes. 

  
Using your (clean) hands, gently squeeze excess water from cucumbers and drain that water from the bowl. Mix in sour cream, white vinegar, and dill. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve and enjoy. 

 
Zucchini is a wonderful summer vegetable. Growing up in the Midwest, there was an ample supply of zucchini in the summer. Friends and family would grow it and end up sharing the harvest. One delicious way to enjoy this green vegetable is to bread it and bake it. It’s a great side dish or a healthy snack!

Baked Zucchini Bites

Prep time 20 minutes, Bake time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. 

Mix together egg, milk, and garlic in a bowl. Set aside and let marinate for approximately 10 minutes. 

In another bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and black pepper. 

Dunk the sliced zucchini into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumbs’ mixture. Shake off any excess breading. Place breaded zucchini slices on a nonstick or greased (I use olive oil cooking spray) baking sheet. 

  
Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes, then turn slices over and cook for another 5 minutes. Your zucchini slices will be golden brown when ready. 

Serve as is or with a side of ranch dressing to dip!