I get really stressed out when I have to plan a menu. Typically it goes something like this: Pull every cookbook out of my bookcases and scour them for just the right dishes. Find nothing that meets my expectations and reluctantly put them back — after double checking the ones that I think should be able to help but aren’t. Then I grumble about it and decide on the type of main course I want to serve and work from there.

Then I start the process all over again for dessert. It’s tiring.

As much as I love to cook, and cook well, I am in a never-ending quest to have every meal I serve — but particularly those to guests — be absolutely perfect. Perfect pairing. Perfect presentation. Perfect everything. And that, my friends, really stresses me out. But I’m working on relaxing a bit. No one needs that much pressure.

When I was planning the menu for a special lunch with a very good friend the other day, I decided to go simple. Yes, I went simple. I know — sometimes I go nuts with cooking huge meals, but I wanted this to be a comfortable, relaxed visit so I made two dishes that I could prepare most or all of ahead of time – a panini and a salad.

I mentally built the salad piece by piece. First, I decided to start with a bed of baby spinach. And what pairs really well with baby spinach? Strawberries! And I happened to have a few, so I sliced those up. Of course, the salad had to have cheese — everything needs cheese. Seriously, people.

But it needed something more to elevate this from just another spinach and strawberry salad to a WOW! (Did I mention that this was the first time ever that this friend ate something I cooked? It was. And we’ve been friends for, um, seven years. So, it had to be an all-around WOW! meal.) After scanning the cabinets, I found my supply of dry roasted almonds and decided to do a candied almond to toss in the salad too.

These almonds were awesome. Nice and crispy and sweet. Mmm. Shawn’s first response was “Wow, those almonds really make the salad!” I tend to agree. If you’ve never made candy before, don’t worry. These are super easy.

Candied Almonds
yields 2 cups

1/2 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 vanilla bean
2 cups whole dry roasted almonds

Stir together the water, sugar and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Scrap in the center of one vanilla bean. Stir in the almonds. Turn on the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens (all of the liquid should evaporate, leaving a syrupy mixture that moves together when you tilt the pan).

Spread a sheet of wax paper on a baking sheet. Make sure that the wax side is up. Pour the almond mixture onto the sheet and separate the almonds. Let cool.

Store in an airtight container.

My husband loves a good steak. I think if he had his way, we’d be eating steak every single night. In fact, we did eat steak every night for a bit early on in our courtship.

But, let’s face it, good steaks are a little pricey to have often. And when you have kids to diaper, a house to maintain and two dogs who demand their daily doses of kibble … well, steak falls pretty low on the totem pole. That’s why I immediately bookmarked this post at Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen. I had to try the technique she suggests.

So, I started out with a decent cut of beef (it was a sirloin) and my handy dandy container of kosher salt. (Lord, I think I’ve been watching too much Blue’s Clues …)

I slathered the salt on both sides of the meat — really thick. And then I walked away for an hour. What happened?

Just like Jaden said, the meat began to sweat. So, I washed away the salt and patted the meat as dry as I could get it. Then I lightly seasoned it with pepper and threw it on the grill. The George Foreman Grill, that is. It is winter here in Connecticut after all. What? You think I should be using my propane grill? Are you nuts? Too cold to cook outside. ‘Nuff said.

Anyway, onto the grill it went.

When it was done, I served it and tasted it and . . .

Absolutely delicious. The salt imparts a great flavor into the meat. However, neither Shawn nor I are certain that it made the meat any more tender. We’ll be using this in conjunction with an idea we have for how to break down the meat a little more and make it butter soft . . . But regardless it’s still a technique we’ll be doing again for the flavor.

Okay, so I confess. I saw that DaMomma tagged me early in the afternoon on Tuesday and I was in shock. Total shock. Like Does she really know who I am? shock. Even after more than two years at this, sometimes I feel like I am just talking to myself. But then again, I felt that way at the newspaper too. Anyway, when she left a comment on my blog, I knew I had to get moving on the posting.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with DaMomma, she’s a mommy blogger who published a book last year and writes about her adventures mothering two daughters. I’ve been following her blog for about two years now, and really get a kick out of her stories. And knowing that she has segwayed her blogging into several impressive paying gigs is great inspiration too.

First, the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

2. Share five random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.

3. Share the five top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list.

4. Tag a minimum of five random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.

And we’re off . . .

1) I was tagged by DaMomma.

2) Five Random/Weird Facts About Me:

1. I was afraid of cooking when I was younger. I mean sure, I could bake with the best of them, but when it came to experimenting — well, it terrified me. Perhaps that’s why my onion soup, vegetarian goulash, and potato soup were all shockingly similar. Actually, they tasted exactly the same. …
2. I watched Dirty Dancing so many times as a child — not a teen, as a child — that I wore out the VHS tape. And I would pause the movie when Patrick Swayze got out of bed every time. What can I say? He was cute! Oh, and I still watch it now and again, much to my husband’s chagrin (but I don’t pause anymore … really) …
3. Some people complain about doing laundry. I hate it with such a passion that I just don’t do it. My husband (my wonderful, kind, caring, generous husband) does the laundry for me … except for the children’s, which I pitch in on. Sometimes …
4. The town I live in currently happens to be the same town that my grandmother and all her cousins lived in as children. But I didn’t grow up here — Shawn and I just settled here when we got married. Coincidentally, my cousin owns a farm that abuts my property. …
5. I once worked as a kitchen helper for a well-to-do couple in New York. They lived on Central Park West and had an amazing apartment. My job? To serve and clear the plates. And they let me eat too … the little new potatoes with creme fraise and caviar were my favorite. That really opened my eyes to food.

3) Top five places I want to see or see again:

1. London – I have been to London three times and I never get tired of it. It’s high time for another trip.
2. Egypt – I am fascinated by pyramids and ancient history.
3. Paris – I’ve been to Paris twice before, but have never taken the time to actually enjoy the food. Last time, all I ate was streetside crepes (with sweet fillings) and baguettes with tomato, lettuce and cheese. I want to go back for a food tour of the city and experience the farm markets, the great French cuisine and the amazing cheese mongers.
4. Tuscany – This was DaMomma’s number 4 as well. After seeing Under the Tuscan Sun, I was hooked. I have to go and see this beautiful area of Italy for myself.
5. Ireland – I love a good pint of Guinness. Where better to have one then in Ireland? But seriously, everyone I know who has gone has raved about the beauty. It’s high on my list …

4) Tag at least five friends

• Cate at Sweetnicks
• Patti at Late Bloomer Boomer
• Angel at Chocolate Shakti
• Rachel at Fairy Cake Heaven
• The frolicking one at Virtual Frolic

I love pesto. I make a million different variations of pesto. Pesto is my friend. Unfortunately, my husband isn’t as fond of it though. Too bad for him. But, that means more for me (and Will).

Pestos are great to use on sandwiches, in pastas, on toasted breads, on vegetables … oh, there are a million great applications. This particular pesto is as simple as it comes, but it was fantastic on a sandwich I made the other day (more on that later this week).

Truth be told, this isn’t really a pesto though. According to The New Food Lover’s Companion, a pesto is an uncooked sauce made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan or Pecorino cheese and olive oil. In Italian, the word pesto literally means pounded (as in the process for making the traditional pesto sauce. So really, this recipe doesn’t qualify as a true pesto. After all, it’s missing all of the ingredients, save the oil. Nonetheless, Simple Italian Sandwiches calls it a pesto.

I guess this is just an example of how the vocabulary of food is an ever changing entity. It doesn’t have absolutes. Definitions are expanded and changed. Sometimes there is a call to return to classical definitions, sometimes the food community just goes with it.

In this case, I am just going with it . . .

Whatever you want to call it, the sweet sun-dried tomatoes in oil are a tasty condiment. And I have big plans for the leftovers.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Yields 1 cup
From Simple Italian Sandwiches by Jennifer and Jason Denton and Kathryn Kellinger

4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes (dry-packed, not oil packed)
1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Put the tomatoes into a medium bowl and pour olive oil over. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Put the sun-dried tomato mixture into a food processor and pulse until its paste-like. Mine still had some serious chunks in it, but I like it that way.

Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within one week.

———————————————–

Other pestos from Sarah’s Cucina Bella:

• Sundried Tomato Pesto Spread
• Spinach Pesto Sans Garlic Spread
• Olive Pesto Hummus Dip
• Basil Mint Not Pesto Sauce

This is my contribution for Sweetnicks‘ ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays this week. Check out Cate’s site later tonight for a round-up of great antioxidant rich recipes and dishes that help you get your 5-A-Day in . . .

This is a pretty easy, but important, tip.

Use spell check on all of your posts. Having accurate grammar and spelling might seem like a tiny detail but it’s really distracting to be reading a blog with all sorts of spelling errors and poor grammar (Thanks, Patti, for helping me see the light on this one!). If you pay attention to your spelling and grammar, then readers will judge your site on the merits of your writing and your recipes. I don’t know about you, but that’s a judgment basis I don’t mind.

Coincidentally, it took me quite a while to really buy into this point. “Why bother?” I thought. But when I started to consistently check my spelling, I realized that I was also putting more time into what I wrote and turning out better posts. And ultimately, I would trade those 20 seconds of spell checking for better blogging any day.

What’s that you say? Your blog interface doesn’t have a spell check feature? That is so not an excuse. Download and use Mozilla Firefox to surf the net and you will have a built-in spell check that will highlight misspelled words as you go. In fact, it just caught me misspelling “spell check.”

*Sigh.* I never said I was perfect.

I think everyone must have that one person in their family whose food defines comfort for you. For most, it’s probably their mother. But for me, it was my uncle Hugo. Hugo was a big Italian man who served giant antipasti platters and perfectly prepared seafood dishes. He was the only one in my family who could convince me to down big servings of broccoli and cauliflower when neither were favorites of mine. His secret? A quick cheese sauce. And to this day, I love those two vegetables with a nice drizzle of cheese sauce.

Hugo loved to cook. He often would make our New Years Day dinner. We would gather in the townhouse he shared with my aunt Deborah and cousin Whitney and eat till we were all sleepy. Good times.

I honestly cannot remember if Hugo ever made baked ziti for us, but I could definitely imagine this being a creation of his. And considering that my aunt’s signature dish is eggplant Parmesan, this sounds like something that probably appeared on their table at sometime or another.

Anyway, I was craving a cheesy, ooey, gooey plate of baked ziti the other day. You know, the kind of ziti where the ricotta and marinara just melt together in your mouth in perfect harmony. That is the kind of dish that warms you up like giant arms folded around your belly on a cold winter day.

Honestly, baked ziti is something I rarely order in restaurants. Why? Well, when there are dozens of delicious items on the menu that combine unusual and exotic flavors, why would you order plain, old baked ziti? It’s the same reason I wouldn’t order other comfort foods like macaroni and cheese or grilled cheese. Still, when you want something tasty, quick and comforting, these are the meals that deliver every time.

Nonetheless, I wanted to be sure I could have my ziti without an extra slice of guilt (with all that cheese, this can be loaded with calories if you aren’t careful). I also wanted to add a little protein to balance it out a bit more. As a result, each serving is just under 500 calories and the half-portion of meat in each packs a tidy little protein and iron punch. If you wanted to add more iron to this dish while still keeping it under 500 calories, a cup of cooked spinach (drained well) would do the trick.

Being that this is a great comfort food, at least to me, I thought this dish would be perfect to share at Meeta’s Monthly Mingle, hosted by Meeta of What’s For Lunch, Honey?

Beefy Baked Ziti
serves 4

1 cup (8 oz) dried ziti
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3 oz mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook the ziti in boiling water, according to package directions. Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Pour off excess grease.

Layer ground beef, ziti and marinara sauce in an oven-safe casserole dish. Stir together. Add the ricotta in dollops and stir in. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve immediately.

Monday: Beefy Baked Ziti

Tuesday: Advice for New Bloggers and Fun with Pesto

Wednesday: Tenderizing Steak

Thursday: Baby Spinach Salad with Candied Almonds

Friday: Creamy Spinach with Ricotta

I mentioned it earlier this week, but I really need to tell you about the horrid tilapia I whipped up last week. Like totally yuck. *Splat!*

The whole concept began with the best of intentions. It really sounded like a brilliant idea. I would juice one and a half blood oranges and make a light and tasty marinade to go with the tilapia I had defrosted. Then, I would garnish the dish with bits of the other half of the second blood orange. How could I go wrong? It was just a simple sauce after all.

It. Was. Awful.

It looked like the dish I had planned. But the taste? Eh, not so much.The blood oranges had a flavor reminiscent of lemons, not the light and sweet flavor I had hoped for. Where was the delicious flavor I had read about and envisioned? Where was the dish I’d imagined? I’ll tell you were it wasn’t — on my plate. Will and I both ate about half of our portions. The dish just didn’t work.

I wish I could say that every fleeting thought that I have for a recipe results in a great meal. But the truth is that doesn’t happen – to anybody. Everyone has cooking disasters. And when you cook like I do – experimenting more often than not – you run the risk of having disasters more often.

Fortunately, I am usually pretty good at pairing flavors. When you think about what works together, that can be pretty easy. Rosemary with garlic. Basil with tomatoes . . . or garlic or both.

In any case, this week I am sticking with safer dishes. I can’t take another upset like that. At least not for a few weeks.

So, spill. What kind of cooking disasters have you had lately?

My husband doesn’t like sweet potatoes. He won’t eat them. He turns his nose up when I mention them. It’s one of many veggies that he just doesn’t like. So the other night, I whipped up a batch of Super Easy Low-Fat Oven Fries and made a batch of Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries for Will and I. Yum! Two kinds of low-fat fries with dinner . . . perfect.

Did I mention that my husband hates sweet potatoes? Okay, just checking. That’s important. See, you can imagine my surprise when Shawn saw me plating the food and asked for some of the sweet potato fries too. He asked to eat them. Of course, I couldn’t say no (even though I wanted to eat them all myself. Mine! All mine!). How can you say no to that?

Perhaps better than his requesting some, he ate the whole handful I plopped on his plate and declared them “not bad.” High praise, ladies and gentlemen. High praise.

Will and I, of course, ate a bunch. These were really yummy. I’ve tried to make sweet potato fries before, but they never came out as tasty as these. I hand cut mine, but I recommend using a mandolin to ease the prep time. I am just glutton for punishment. Seriously. Who hand cuts fries when they OWN several devices that will do it for them? Geez.

Now, a bit about sweet potatoes before I fork over the recipe. According to World’s Healthiest Foods, sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A and vitamin C – both powerful antioxidants. It also is considered an antidiabetic food, which means that it can stabilize blood sugar and lower insulin resistance.

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
serves 4-6

1 – 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (preferably the easy release kind).

Peal the sweet potatoes. Cut into strips that are about 1/2 inch wide on each side.

Place the sweet potatoes into a sealable plastic bag. Add oil, salt, paprika and cinnamon. Seal the bag and shake well to thoroughly coat the fries. Spread out onto the baking sheet in a single layer.

Cook for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a paper towel lined plate and serve warm.

———————————————————-

These tasty, low-fat fries are healthy too. And that makes them a great submission for Sweetnicks’ ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays, an event that challenges us to cook and eat more antioxidant rich foods.

Give Comments and Get Comments

I’ll let you in on a little secret: If you want to get comments on your blog, the best thing you can do is comment on other people’s blogs. And, as long as you are checking out other blogs, really read them and comment when you have something to say. In other words, don’t comment just to comment — make meaningful contributions and others will be compelled to check out your blog (and comment) too.

So, where to start? Find some blogs you like and start following them regularly. I personally follow my favorite blogs on Bloglines, where I have all of their feeds saved.

Here are a few resources to help you discover good blogs:

• Food Porn Watch
• Kiplog’s Food Blog List
• BlogFlux’s Top Sites

Check out last week’s tip for new bloggers: Define Your Goals