I am all about tradition. Even as a young child, I always enjoyed re-occuring events based on a date, an event, or time. I don’t know what it is about me that just loves a good ritualistic event. Maybe it’s the food. Most likely…Now that I am an adult and getting older and recently married, I have started thinking more about traditions, what they mean to me and what kinds of traditions I want to start for my own family.

When we lived in Vermont, we used to have Roberto’s girls with us every other weekend, and I loved cooking special things when they were there. Especially in anticipation of Movie Night. We would rent a movie and then make fun food, perfect for watching and eating at the same time. Recently Roberto and I decided that we really need to bring back Movie Night – even if only for us. A time to get our jammies on and eat fun foods. We have done this three times so far and it seems to be sticking. We have prepared some really fun finger foods and menus that I want to share in case anyone else has Movie Night and is looking for recipes, or wants to start a Movie Night tradition of their own.

So for our first official movie night, a few months ago, we watched Simply Irresistible. I made Lisa’s Olive Stuffed Cheese Ballsand Curried Deviled Eggs. We also mixed Greek Yogurt with Sumac, Za’atar, Sesame Seeds and Olive Oil and scooped it all up with warm whole wheat pita bread. For dessert we had leftover Key lime pie with strawberries that my mom had sent home with us after a visit. It was a great time. The movie, Simply Irresistible is with Sarah Michelle Gellar. A cooking movie where the emotions she puts in her food while she is cooking, affects those who eat it! Really cute film, especially if you are a die-hard Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan like we are, and therefore are bound to watch anything that has any of the stars from that show in it for all eternity.

The next movie night we had was kind of themed without meaning to be. I had Lentil Koftas with cucumber salad on the menu with a side of Greek style green beans. As we were frying the koftas, I was looking for a plate to put them on, so they would stay warm. Our good friend, Tony had given us a Tagine for a wedding present that he and his partner, Jonathan had carried back with them from a recent trip to Morocco. It had a lid and looked nice, so I decided to use it as a serving platter. Plus I have really been dying to use the Tagine! Don’t worry, I just made Chicken Tagine this weekend - so you will be seeing it in its primary use in a little while!

We ended up getting The Kite Runner as a movie and the theme of the movie really fit well with our menu. The koftas were really great, and I plan on making them again.

I have made the green beans for ages and they were a perfect accompaniment. Recipes to follow. The movie was excellent. It is one of those films that you can’t shrug off for several days. I had read the book and felt the adaptation was perfect.

For our third movie night we really wanted to try Elle’s Mango Buffalo Wings from last month’s Royal Foodie Joust.
I love the spicy and vinegar combination of buffalo wings, but I have never made them at home. When Elle entered the contest last month with a mango buffalo wing, I knew I would love it, so I got the ingredients to make them. They were wonderful, the perfect combination of spice and sweet that I adore with that vinegar hot sauce note. However, the movie, I Am Legend was not a big hit. There is a very bad scene in the movie involving an animal and I just couldn’t take it…I am a big wuss when it comes to these kinds of movies.

However, this one bad movie has not deterred us from continuing the tradition of movie night! Join us for movie night and let us know your best creations!

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Soup doesn’t always have to be a long and involved process. I love quick and easy soup recipes using things I normally have stocked away in my pantry and fridge – that’s what being the LeftoverQueen is all about, right? I love spending hours experimenting in the kitchen but sometimes even I am in a rush and need a quick but healthy meal. To me soup is the opposite end of the coin from salad - both use lots of veggies and healthy ingredients - just one is hot and one is cold. Here is one of those easy, healthy and delicious recipes straight from the pantry!

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Here is a Leftover Queen classic! Remember all those greens from the Farmer’s Market several week ago?

Well even with all my recipes that week, I still couldn’t use all the greens, so I washed some and stored them away in the freezer. I also had leftover tomatoes in juice from the Imam Bayildi and then there was the issue of random pieces of veggies in my vegetable bin. I also had purchased a small piece of lamb shoulder at the store, perfect for soup. I went into the pantry and found a can of cannellini beans and a package of rice pilaf. Put this all together and what do you have – an AWESOME stew. I am telling you guys, the flavors in here really really rock. It’s got a bit of the Middle East happening in here since I spiced it up with Sumac and Za’atar, a dash of coriander and a bay leaf and the world is a warm bowl of stew. We ate some for dinner, had it for lunch the next day and put the rest in the freezer for next week, so we can have leftovers of leftovers!

Here’s what I did.

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This is my second to last recipe from dishes I made from my first foray into the world of local produce. These are meals from 2 weeks ago that I haven’t posted yet. So here we go, one more installment…

See, there is a lot you can do with greens. This little Farmer’s market series is my attempt to use a lot of the same ingredients in a variety of ways, so that you aren’t stuck in a rut wondering what to do with an over abundance of greens. These are some of the greatest of cooking challenges – what to do when you have TONS of one ingredient. How do you keep it interesting and tasty night after night? Of course you can freeze some, which I did do, but even at that you have a lot to contend with. These are the types of things I am going to challenge myself with this year – Farmer’s Market purchases, buying produce on sale and trying to keep my food bill down by getting really creative with what is available. I am going to try to take this seasonal eating as serious as possible. I am sure I won’t be perfect, but this is a resolution that I am trying to keep. Already I am noticing that I have a lot more energy. I was sick but only for 3 days instead of a week. These are small things, but not insignificant. I have also been interviewed and will be featured in a magazine article out in March about abundance and how to get creative with the food we got. More on that later.

Anyway onto the recipe…

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This is one of my go-to recipes, one of those early recipes I devised out of leftovers which has since then given me the title of “Leftover Queen”. I have been thinking a lot lately about my food philosophy, where it came from and how I have become the kind of cook that I am. I am a cook born out of passion combined with necessity. I learned from an early age from my grandparents and my mom that leftovers can be a wonderful thing. I come from a big Italian extended family and so we were always cooking for large groups of people, which meant that we usually cooked more than was necessary which ultimately left us with a lot of leftovers.

It was a tradition in my mom’s house that when the fridge was too overwrought with leftover containers that we would have what we called a smörgåsbord, which is actually a Swedish word meaning “sandwich table”, but has been translated into English vernacular to mean a buffet or variety of hot and cold dishes.

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This is a dish I created for the “Mediterranean Summer” class I taught at The Culinaria Food & Arts Studio in Ocala, Florida. This menu was designed to travel well so that one can bring these dishes to a picnic, summer BBQ or family gathering. I have always loved crostini with white beans and I wanted to create one that would stand strong in terms of taste by adding fried rosemary and prosciutto. I hope you enjoy it and bring it to your next picnic!

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Tagine is a typical Moroccan dish that is cooked in a type of heavy clay pot which is also called Tagine.

However, you do not need to purchase a new kitchen cookware item as you can also cook it in a baking dish by sautéing many of the ingredients before hand to create that tender falling off the bone meat experience.

Lamb is a very common ingredient in Tagine, as is the cinnamon found in this dish. The result is something that is a cross between a stew and a custard or frittata. It is delicious, hearty and fragrant. Try it today, it is easy to make, but impressive to taste!

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Nana’s Baked Beans – tweaked

These beans are a staple from my childhood. My Nana used to make these every time we had a picnic, cookout or summer family gathering outdoors. They are delicious. Once you have them you will never go back to canned baked beans again when you realize how good and how easy it is to make these! The great thing about it is that over the years I have begun to tweak the recipe a bit, using flavors that I feel really complements her original recipe. But I give you first HER original recipe, and then how I have modified it over time. What really make these beans special are the canned mushrooms. I am not usually a fan of canned veggies, but for some reason they go great in this dish. Sometimes I have sautéed fresh shrooms and used those instead, but I prefer the canned. Perhaps it is just because it is the way I am used to having these beans! Often times I cannot find Heinz baked beans, so get whatever you like best. My grandfather and his family, when they came over from Sicily, grew tomatoes for Heinz, so we were always loyal to that company for their tomato products!

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