Asparagus!

Watching your waist line for the summer? This is a very simple soup with lots of taste.

Chicken and Asparagus Soup

6 oz of  chicken breast sliced into thin slices
8 oz of asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cups of chicken stock**
1 clove of minced garlic

Salt-n-Pepper to taste
Fresh Cilantro leaves to garnish

Bring stock to a boil, add asparagus and cook til tender. Bring stock back to a boil and add chicken,
 cut into thin slices a little larger then a postage stamp.
Bring to a boil and then simmer 5 minutes.

**If you have homemade chicken stock, this is the soup to use with it.
Organic chicken stock in a box is also good but fresh is always best.

This soup is perfect for when your not feeling 100% it is also quick and easy to make.

serves 4
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This goes great with Chicken, Chops or Fish as a side dish.

For a main dish put it on top of salad, mashed potatoes or sweet potato's.

Roasted Asparagus in Citrus

1 bunch of asparagus chopped in 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup of OJ apx 2 oranges **
1 lemon juiced and zest
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp grainy mustard
1 Tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

preheat oven 375

-- Wash asparagus and quick chop into 1 inch pieces.
Whisk together in a medium bowl OJ, lemon juice and zest, honey, mustard & EVOO.
Toss in the asparagus to completely coat.
Save as much liquid to bast at least once during the cook time. Turn out the asparagus onto a foil lined cookie sheet and bake (roast) for about 15 to 20 mins until tender crisp.

~Ms Foodie

**if you have to use concentrate please use with no added sugar. This is a great way to use your not so sweet oranges up if you even have any.
Add a little low sodium soy sauce to this and you have an amazing topping for a Chinese chicken salad!

Did You Know?
Dark honey has the highest antioxidants.
It is also said that buying local honey can help with allergies.
Of course buying local is always best because it supports your neighbors & farmers.
We all Thank You and your body's will too!

The Problem with Pine Nuts

I have had this HORRIBLE bitter taste in my mouth for 2 days now,  I was afraid it was because of the Salmon steaks I had for dinner. Of course like many problems that I have questions about...... I Googled it. I could not believe my eyes two whole pages were about "bitter metal taste" due to................PINE NUTS?

So, it was not the salmon.......that's good news!

It was the pine nuts in my new Orzo salad, that I ate with my salmon.
I do not want to give these little glorious expensive little nuts a bad wrap.  I just would like people to know that if they have this taste in their mouth, due to pine nuts.........it will go away. Remember, not all pine nuts will do this either, just pine nuts that are oxidized and know they will taste fine until 1-3 days later. 

So please don't stop eating pine nuts or pesto, just make sure you buy quality and not bulk!

From the web-page that I liked the best:

    Apparently, if you are one of the lucky people who runs into a bad pine nut or two, you could develop the taste disturbance that I am experiencing right now.  There’s a scientific article about it and it’s even mentioned in the Wikipedia entry on Pine Nuts:

The eating of pine nuts can cause serious taste disturbances, developing 1-3 days after consumption and lasting for days or weeks. A bitter, metallic taste is described. In general, a minority of pine nuts on the market present this problem. Though very unpleasant, there does not seem to be a real health concern. — Wikipedia

I still love this salad I created:

Orzo Salad


2 cups of orzo (uncooked)
1 cup of chopped Fresh spinach
3 Tbls of Pesto
1/2 cup of chopped sun dried tomatoes
1/3 cup of klamata olives chopped
1/4 crumbled feta
1/4 of pine nuts on top


Cook orzo in lightly salted water apx 8 mins, cool down by running under cold water.
Transfer to a bowl add pesto & mix well.
Add rest of the ingredients one by one mixing well each step.
Serve warm like that or cold, saves up to 4 days very well.

I also love this salad with roasted tomatoes instead of sun dried and I leave out the feta or klamatas because the roasted tomatoes are the star of the show here.

Enjoy,
Ms. Foodie

Cold Days Hot Soup!

I love soup!!

Corn Chowder

3-5 strips of bacon
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
8-10 baby carrots carrot, chopped
 1 Large Russet diced small peeled or not
 4 celery stalk, chopped use 2 light green from the middle
2 tsp of OLD BAY seasoning
1 box of chicken or veggie broth
2 Cups of sweet corn, kernels
2 bay leaf
1 cup Heavy Cream
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon thyme


Cut bacon in strips toss in a large stockpot and crisp the bacon. Remove bacon once cooked and add the onion sauté until soft. Next add the carrot, potato, celery, Old Bay, thyme and salt. Cook for 4 or 5 more minutes, sweating all veggies. This will bring out the flavor and make your house smell amazing!

Pour the whole box of stock over all veggies and bring to a boil, add bay leaf reduce heat and simmer until the liquid reduces to the top of the veggies (apx 15 min).

Next add sweet corn, cooked bacon, fresh ground pepper to taste, heavy cream and bring to a simmer……..serve with hot buttered sour dough bread or a simple ham sandwich!

Enjoy the cold day with Hot soup,
Ms. Foodie

Rugelach........Jewish Cookie :)

 I know my blogs have really slowed down, I wish I could say I have been eating my way through Italy!!! Instead I have started a new business that get's my recipes out their for the world to try :)
I was going to have my cookbook done by the end of this year, at least ready for editing. That too is going to pushed out 6 months or so...Even though times seem to be a challenge for many, now more then ever is the time for big ideas and homemade food :)

I'm not a big baker but I am working on it for holiday gifts, just thought I'd share these fun, yummy cookies with you.

ALMOND HONEY RUGELACH

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup honey, divided

2 cups flour     1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup almonds, finely chopped

1/2 cup dried cherries, or cranberries

In the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor cream together the butter and cream cheese until the mixture is fluffy. Add 3 tablespoons of honey and mix well. Mix in the flour just until the dough holds together. Form the dough into a ball, wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or longer. Divide dough into 4 pieces. On a floured board roll each portion into a 9-inch circle. In a bowl combine 2 tablespoons of honey and the lemon juice; mix well. Brush dough with honey mixture; sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon over entire surface. Combine almonds and dried cherries; drizzle remaining honey over mixture and mix well. Spread 1/4 of almonds mixture onto circle of dough, stopping 1/2-inch from outer edge. Cut into 8 triangular pieces. Roll from wide outer edge toward tip. Gently bend both ends to form a crescent. Place on oiled parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate 20 minutes or longer. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. While the cookies are cooling in the refrigerator preheat oven to 350. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown making sure to reverse the baking sheets after 10 minutes, front to back and top to bottom, to ensure even browning. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and cool immediately. Makes 3 dozen rugalach.

This recipe was created by:

Joan Nathan

:) Ms. Foodie

The Italian Omelet

 I found this on the philly website and had to share it. I love eggs!! I love Fall! I love Frittata's!

I make many frittata's but sometimes I forget to talk about them until I make or crave one. So thank you Philly, I love you and many thanks to Italy for such AMAZING WONDERFUL FOOD!!!!!

Asparagus Frittata

3/4 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch lengths

1/3 cup chopped red peppers

8 eggs

2 Tbsp. water

1/2 tsp. salt

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cut into small cubes

COOK and stir vegetables in 10-inch ovenproof skillet on medium-high heat 3 min. or until crisp-tender.

BEAT eggs, water and salt in medium bowl with whisk until well blended. Sprinkle cream cheese over vegetables in skillet; cover with egg mixture and vegetables.

BAKE 30 min. or until frittata is puffed and golden brown.

Ms. Foodie

Fall Is In The Air........Can You Smell It?

I love fall almost as much as I love pasta! This is one of my favorite shrimp pastas I make. Quick and easy dinner your whole family will devour!

Shrimp Gemelli with Prosciutto In A Cream Sauce

1 Package of Gemelli
4  Prosciutto slices
1  pound  large shrimp, peeled and divined (fresh or frozen)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 Cup of  frozen petit peas

 2 Cups of Milk or Cream
2 Tbsp  all-purpose flour
1 tsp   black pepper or white
1  Cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
1/4 Cup Chives (or green onion finely chopped)
1 Tbsp EVOO




Cook pasta according to package directions, drain well; keep warm.

Add olive oil and garlic to pan; then add shrimp and saute over medium-high heat 2 minutes.

Add peas and cook 2 more minutes just until shrimp are done.

Transfer shrimp mixture to a large bowl and keep warm.

Combine milk & flour into a air tight bowl and shake well. Add milk mixture to pan; then add pepper and stir with a whisk. Cook over medium heat  until thick and bubbly, toss in prosciutto stirring constantly with a spoon. Remove pan from heat, add cheese, mix until blended. Toss back in shrimp mixture, stir until combined.  You can mix in pasta or pour over pasta either way.... plate up and manga, manga!

Ms. Foodie

Another Fast Breakfast

I am not one to eat on the run but I do like to eat a good breakfast and run out the door. I don't care what the media says about eggs I LOVE THEM! Whether the little guys are "in" or "out" I will stay true to my little versatile friend.

Egg Bagel With Bacon

1 Asiago Cheese bagel (cut in half)

1-2 Eggs

2 Bacon slices

1 Tbsp of Cream Cheese

In a medium fry pan drop your bacon, as soon as one side is done flip bacon and pop bagel in toaster. Now crack your eggs next to bacon and break the yolks. Pour some fresh coffee, scramble eggs a bit, pull bacon so it doesn't burn...spread cream cheese on your hot toasty bagel, top with your steamy scrambled eggs and layer with bacon. You can wrap in foil and take with you if you really need to but I say sit down for 10 minutes and enjoy your breakfast! 

Tips: You can add salsa to your eggs for texmex breakfast or you could leave out the bacon, no mater how you combo this together it is a winner.

;) Ms. Foodie

Did You Know...

I'm sure you know that those sports drinks are loaded with lots of color dye and sugar, but ....

Did you know that by adding a pinch of sea salt to a gallon of drinking water would also create electrolytes?

Did you also know that most people walk around tired because they are dehydrated?

Drinking 8 oz of water a day is a one size does not fit all plan, in fact it is a wives tale!

People who eat lots of fresh veggies and food with a lot of water content like soup do not need to drink as much water.

Dr Oz explains how you can tell without me going into detail on a food blog ;) Just go to Oprah.Com and look for Dr Oz talking about how much water should we drink.

The Wonderful World Of Rice

Last year when I was in garage sale mode, my mother in law brought me over things to sale from the grandmas garage. It truly is scary how much stuff one can gather through the years. I already have my favorite slow cooker so I put grandmas out to sale. My boyfriend Matt came home and I told him no one wanted this old fashion slow cooker, should we just donate it. He laughed at me and told me it was an old rice cooker, I said "wow I've always wanted one of those!" We closed up the garage sale I got back to cooking, if you like rice but don't have a rice cooker GET ONE, they are amazing!!

Coconut Rice

1 Cup of Jasmin rice

1/2 Can of coconut milk

3/4 Cup of water

2 Cardamom pods

1 tsp of Cinnamon

1 tsp of salt

1 Tbsp of lime juice

1/4 cup of toasted coconut

Toss everything in rice cooker except toasted coconut

press the button and walk away until done :)

Pick out the cardamom pods and throw away/compost

Serve as a side dish with chicken or shrimp and top with toasted coconut. Grilled pineapple goes great with this also!

Never Forget

Today is a day I remember.......to be grateful, to send out love and spent time with my family.

9/11 helped me co-create a mentoring program for a group of NY high school students that were directly affected by that day. We helped  by redirecting anger to love and bridging gaps of miscommunication.

Everyday is a day to show love and be grateful because one never knows what happens next but for me I remember how the whole United States was tightly united for a few short years.

Ms. Foodie