GARLIC (MY BALLS) BREAD

December 8, 2008
You garlic going on, you sexy thing, you!
You garlic going on, you sexy thing, you!

No pasta dish is truly complete without garlic bread.  It’s like getting down without your lover going down on you.  Sure the job gets done, but there’s always a part of you longing for a little oral objectification.  Half-assing your meal is like half-assing foreplay, which could lead to dire consequences like a cold shower and possible rumors of small-endowment.  Plus there’s no need to be unsatisfied by your meal when garlic bread is so simple and inexpensive to create.  A few slices, spreads and baking later and you are in business.  Use the bread to mop up that tasty sexy sauce you whipped up.  Lick the plate clean in preparation for the thorough licking you will enjoy later.

Total time: approximately 40 minutes

Projected cost for ingredients: $3

garlic-bread-prepIngredients:
1. 1 small baguette
2. ¼ stick of butter
3. 3 cloves of garlic minced
4. ½ a tomato sliced thinly
5. Parmesan cheese

Step 1
Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook in the garlic until it goes white (approx. 1 minute).  Pour the garlic butter into a container and put in the fridge to cool and harden slightly (approx 15-20 minutes).garlic-bread-butter

Step 2
Cut slices into the baguette leaving some of the bottom crust attached. Spread a small amount of garlic butter between each slice.  Place a slice of tomato between the bread slits.  Grate parmesan a top the baguette.garlic-bread-spread-stuff-sprinkle

Step 3
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Wrap the bread up in tinfoil and throw in the oven for 15-20 minutes.  The top of the bread will be brown, the tomatoes soft and the cheese melty on top.  Serve with pasta of your choice and accept you are probably getting laid tonight.garlic-bread-bake

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SU-SWEATY BALLS-O-YAY! (spaghetti bolognese)

December 8, 2008
This hearty Italian classic will make anyone sing falsetto.  Ave Maria, baby!
This hearty Italian classic will make anyone sing falsetto. Ave Maria, baby!

“Ave Maria!” you sing from the plaza of the Italian village.  Your intended conquest comes out onto the balcony to gaze down at the lust in your eyes.  You continue with your falsetto, beckoning your lovely to join you for a magnificent meal that will knock their socks and knickers off.  They will smell the slow cooked perfection of this hearty, meaty dish from the “old country” and naturally follow you like a lemming on its way to an orgy.  This is the power of great Italian food.  The Italians pay such keen attention to the details whether it’s their fine tailored clothes or renowned culinary creations. Why should you treat the food any differently?   You may or may not be Italian, but that doesn’t mean you should boil spaghetti and cover it with sauce from a jar.  Cooking without passion is like banging without an orgasm.  There is really no point.  Don’t waste your date’s time or your charm on forgettable food.  This dish is guaranteed to spice up your night.  COOK TO BANG is not responsible should your lover scream aloud, “Mama Mia!”

Total time: approximately 1-3 hours depending on level of perfection desired

Projected cost for ingredients: $15 (still cheaper than a restaurant, many ingredients will last many more meals, and there will be leftovers)

bolognaise-prepIngredients:
1. ½ cup of red wine
2. 1 tablespoon of salt
3. 1 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes
4. 1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes
5. 2 tablespoons of olive oil
6. ½ cup of heavy cream (optional)
7. 1 pound of ground beef or turkey
8. 2 pork or chicken sausage links chopped into bite-sized pieces
9. Parmesan cheese
10. 2 handfuls of thinly sliced mushrooms
11. 2 carrots peels and shredded
12. 5 celery stalks chopped
13. 1 red onion minced
14. 1 pound pack of spaghetti
15. 5 garlic cloves minced

Step 1
Turn the stove on to medium heat.  Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot and throw in the garlic and onions and cook until they are translucent.  Throw in the mushrooms, carrots and celery and cook the veggies down, adding the crushed red pepper flakes for spice (adjust to your preference: ½ tablespoon = snore, 2 tablespoons = hot damn!).
bolognaise-veggies
Step 2
Add the ground meat and sausage to the stockpot, mix it up with the veggies and cook until the meat turns grey.  Pour in the red wine and cook until the liquid dissolves.
bolognaise-meat
Step 3
Boil water in a separate pot and cook the spaghetti al dente.
bolognaise-pasta
Step 4
Pour the crushed tomatoes into the stockpot with the veggies and meat and mix together thoroughly.  Bring it all to a boil, then turn the heat down to its lowest setting and cook for 1-2 hours, occasionally stirring or adding water when sauce becomes too thick.  If desired, stir in the heavy cream a few minutes before you are ready to eat and allow the sauce to thicken.  Now serve the sauce over spaghetti with garlic bread and a bottle or red wine.  Sing falsetto as you present the food if possible.
bolognaise-saucybolognaise-served-2

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CAPRESE ‘EM AGAINST THE MATTRESS SINWICH

November 24, 2008
The caprese salad has more disguises than a Scooby Doo villain

The caprese salad has more disguises than a Scooby Doo villain

Caprese salad is the simplest Italian salad, but punches you in the nose with the complex flavors it yields.  The buttery mozzarella, crisp tomato, and basil’s hint of the Italian countryside can put you a pimping pedestal.  But sometimes delicious and light aren’t going to cut it when you are hungry enough to eat a Buick.  Not to worry.  This versatile salad leads a double life as a sandwich.  So it’s easy to take this dish on afternoon picnics in areas secluded enough for you to make sweet love in the great outdoors.  Should your date lack taste buds entirely and not like this sensational sandwich, the more for you to savor. “Sorry, sucka!  But I still think your cute…wanna get busy in this grassy meadow?”

caprese-sandwich-prepIngredients (for 2 sandwiches):
1. 2 fresh baked sandwich rolls
2. Olive oil for drizzling
3. Balsamic vinegar for drizzling
4. ½ an avocado sliced
5. 1 tomato sliced
6. 8 ounces of fresh buffalo mozzarella sliced
7. 2 handfuls of fresh whole basil leaves

Step 1
Slice open the bread rolls and lay out the basil leaves, tomato slices, buffalo mozzarella, and avocado.  Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar to your liking.  You want the sandwich to be moist, but not soggy. Cut the sandwich in half and serve up on a plate with a green salad or wrap up to enjoy in the park with your head in your dream girl/guy’s lap.

caprese-sandwich-assemble

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GOT IT GOIN’ ON, CHICKEN PARMESAN

November 7, 2008

Parmigiana wanna banga

Parmigiana wanna banga

Sometimes a remake of an old classic is exactly what a franchise needs.  Like Oceans Eleven, the chicken parmesan model is in dire need of a makeover.  You don’t want your date passing out head first into tired deep-fried cheesy malaise.  It’s time to tell your new squeeze to get ready for the next generation of comfort food.  You get all the same flavors, but half the fat and a hundred times the sex appeal. This recipe was born out of a blunder cooking dinner for my new college girlfriend.  I overcooked the eggplant wedges and had to scramble to salvage my game. Cooking the burnt eggplant with tomato sauce, broccoli, grilled chicken breasts and cheese turned the night from “Oh shit!” to “Oh my God!”  The recipe has since become a permanent fixture in my arsenal and not a single complaint yet.

casa-doro-prep Ingredients:
1. 2 skinless chicken breasts
2. ½ lb of broccoli chopped into bite-size pieces
3. 1-2 eggs beaten.
4. 1/2 inch thick round slices of eggplant
5. Enough breadcrumbs to coat each side of the eggplant
6. Olive oil
7. 1 cup of vodka or marinara sauce
8. 3 handful of mozzarella

Step 1
Crack and beat the eggs in a bowl wide and deep enough to dip the eggplant rounds.  Once both sides of the round are covered in egg, cover it in a second bowl with breadcrumbs.  Finally throw the rounds in a nonstick pan with little to no oil on med-high heat.  Cook until both sides are golden brown and set aside.
casa-doro-eggplant1
Step 2
Cook the chicken breasts and broccoli together in a pan on medium heat.  Cook the chicken all the way through and the broccoli is soft.  Pour in the sauce and any spices you are partial to.  Might I suggest some oregano and chili flakes for a spicy kick of lust?
casa-doro-chix-broc-sauce
Step 3
Once the sauce has fully cooked through the broccoli and chicken and has congealed, crown the chicken breast with a breaded eggplant round.  Throw a handful of mozzarella on each chicken/eggplant stack.  Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and cheese do its thing.  Pull the lid and serve solo, with a side of pasta, or on top of your naked body.
casa-doro-finishing-off


FLAT ON YOUR BACK FLATBREAD PIZZA

October 24, 2008

Flatbread pizza + wine = boom-chicka-wa-wa

This recipe has been an old stand that never fails to make panties drop.  It also works great for parties because it’s fast, simple, aesthetically pleasing, low in carbs, and makes you look like America’s Next Top Chef.  For some reason, this deceivingly simple dish gets me more props than a high school drama student.  You can throw almost any combination of cheeses, meats and veggies to make your own masterpiece, but below is a classic crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:
1. 1 Lavash flatbread
2. 1 tablespoon of olive oil
3. 1 handful of spinach
4. 1 half a red pepper sliced thinly
5. ½ a chicken sausage link sliced thinly
6. 1 handful of mozzarella cheese
7. Thin slices of brie (1/4 of a triangle of brie)

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Drizzle olive oil over the lavash and spread it around evenly.

Step 2
Place the veggies, meat and cheese over the lavash.  It’s best to do veggies first, meat second and cheese last to hold your ingredient down.  Like a pizza crust, make sure to leave some room around the edges so it’s easy to hold onto.

Step 3
Place pizza in the oven and bake for about ten minutes.  The goal is to have the lavash crust golden brown.

Step 4
Remove from oven and chop into 6-8 pieces.  One cut long ways and either two or three cuts short ways then serve with a bottle of wine. Go get em, tiger!

Variations:
•    Fig jam, brie, thin pear slices, candied walnuts
•    Beets, goat cheese, artichoke hearts