Sunday, November 30, 2008

Birthday Girl

Tomorrow is my 40th birthday.....where has the time gone??? I can't quite believe I'm out of my twenties, let alone on the way to fifty! I'm okay with it though, probably because I'm happy with my life.....and maybe because I'm still a bit tipsy from my birthday cocktail party last night!

I'm grateful for my wonderful husband & son, and the way they make my life complete, and for my family and good friends who have been around for lots of stuff, both good & bad, but are always more than happy to celebrate, eat & drink with me!
I am a lucky woman.

More photos here.....

Friday, November 14, 2008

A big bowl of goodness

While I eagerly await shipment of the latest Barefoot Contessa cookbook- Barefoot Contessa Back To Basics: Fabulous Flavor From Simple Ingredients, I tried one of the recipes being raved about on the FoodWine list....Parmesan Roasted Broccoli, and I wasn't disappointed. Lately I've been into big bowls of goodness, i.e. healthy stuff mixed up in a big bowl, preferably involving a minimum amount of dishes. I used the broccoli recipe as a basis to do just that.
First I made the broccoli, with a few modifications to the original recipe. Here's my version:

Roasted Broccoli

4 to 5 lb broccoli
4 cloves of garlic peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 a large red onion, chopped in to chunks
1 lb herbed tofu, cut into bite-sized chunks
Good olive oil
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Cut broccoli florets from stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets. Discard the rest of the stalks. Should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add the onion and tofu. Toss the garlic on the mixture and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until crisp/tender and the tips of some of the florets are brown. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice and pecorino.

While the broccoli was roasting, I cooked up a pound of spiral rice pasta.
Once everything was done, I tossed it together on the sheet pan and served it with an extra grating of cheese. Delicious!
And, since my family won't actually eat this, I have lots of leftovers for my lunches packed away in the freezer...and that works beautifully too!