Our Friends ... and O Magazine

I am sorry but this one has nothing to do with food. I wanted to share some phots and a story about my family and some of our friends. We, some time ago, adopted a son from Liberia. this story has been in the news and on the TV several times. This past weekend we posed for a photo shoot for O Magazine. You can see the story and some of the photos here ... just thought I would share ... or should I say brag!

If you want to read the story from the Charlotte Observer and view additional photos follow this link: Charlotte Observer Story

Ciao,
Mark

Broccoli Sauted with Garlic and Olive Oil

This is a great side dish that gives a different flavor to broccoli! Maybe, like ours, your kids might even eat broccoli if it is prepared this way. Serve this with a crusty loaf of Italian Bread as you will want to use the bread to dip into the olive oil.

1 Head Fresh Broccoli
4 Cloves Fresh Garlic
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Sea SaltSalt
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Start by washing and then trimming the broccoli so you have stems about 2 inches long with he tops on each stem. Set the broccoli aside. Smash & chop the garlic cloves. You can use a garlic press if you like but I like the smash/chop method. Check out my reasons here ... Garlic - Smash & Chop. Now heat up a large frying pan that has a cover over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot add the olive oil and the garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 1 minute while stirring. Do not let the garlic pieces sit in the oil without stirring as they will burn. Now add the broccoli. Stir the broccoli around to coat with the olive oil. Add the sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Cover and cook for 4 minutes. Test to see if the broccoli is done by poking a fork in a stem, if the fork goes in with a little resistance then it is done. You can also test it by just tasting one of the pieces of broccoli like I do. Put the broccoli on a serving dish and pour the remaining olive oil over the top. You can also sprinkle a little fresh Romano Cheese over the top when you serve it.

This dish can also make part of a great vegetarian dinner. Serve the broccoli with a nice salad, some Italian Bread and of course a bottle of Red Wine.

Ciao,
Mark

Recipe Index

I have now added the DESERT's to the index! Life is short ... EAT DESERT FIRST!

Ciao,
Mark

OK, I am sort of back on line. I have actually been working for the past few days to make things a bit easier for someone who has never been on my blog to find a recipe. Over on the right hand side of the screen you can see a RECIPE INDEX. By clicking on this link you will be taken to an index of all of my recipes.

I will still continue to post based on what I am making but every recipe that I post will end up in the index so it will be easier to find it later. I hope this will make my blog a bit more friendly and easy to use. Thank you all for being patient.

Ciao,
Mark

The Crazy Tomato, Johnson City, TN

If you are ever in Johnson City, TN you should try to visit a restaurant called Crazy Tomato. This is a wonderful little Italian restaurant that serves pizza, pasta, salads, subs and so much more. The restaurant can be found at:

203 Princeton Rd
Johnson City, TN 37601
(423) 283-0211

It is just a little place where you can order everything form Pizza to Pasta to Subs. The owner of this little place is Leo Dian. I had the opportunity to enjoy the Monicotti Florentine. It was fabulous. The portions were superb but more important it was the best monicotti since ... well since I made it myself. It had the right amount of ricotta cheese flavored with spinach, garlic and mushrooms. It was served on a piping hot plate with just the right amount of sauce on the plate and then mozzarella cheese melted, browned slightly to make it taste even better, on top. Of all the places I would have thought I would find Great Italian food ... Johnson City, TN would have been one of the last. So if you are ever in the neighborhood stop by and enjoy a great meal with Leo at a great price. Please make sure you tell Leo that Mark said Ciao!

Ciao,
Mark

Great Quote

Yesterday, while watching, Feasting on Asphalt on the Food Network, I saw a quote fly across the screen. I think it went something like this ...

Determine who you are eating or drinking with, before you determine what and where you are going to eat or drink.

... This sounds like a great philosophy to me. More than that, I think it also shows my deeper thoughts on cooking. I do not necessarily cook because of the food but more because of who shows up at our table to eat. The time spent at the table eating, talking, laughing and sometimes crying is precious to me. I feel connect to those that I am blessed to have at my table and the way of showing my gratitude for that time is be me cooking for them.

So, what does it mean? I am a simple guy so I think it means that we spend time cooking so we can show others how much they mean to us and how much we value them in our lives. So next time you are cooking think about how you would miss the people you are cooking for IF they were not in your life.

Ciao,
Mark