Tuna Quinoa Patties a dish your whole family would love!
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Easter Chicken
Every few months I receive this little magazine called La Cucina Italiana. It is the only food magazine that I get throughout the year. I adore the recipes and stories that they have in their magazine. It makes me feel to be back in Italy. I love it because there is so much about the Italian culture in the magazine as well. Things that may not come up on a day to day basis with my husband, but it helps me to learn new stuff all the time about customs with food. Such as certain ways dishes are prepared or why they have certain celebrations in Italy or which is the best wine that is compatible with a certain meal. Informative things like that. 
What I love even more is that this magazine also gives culture history about certain regions in Italy. In Italy, it is divided up into regions not states. There is an article about Easter Monday or Pasquetta (little Easter) and what the custom is in the Puglia Region. The picture for this dish called l’agnello di pasquetta or Little Easter Lamb was so intriguing to me that I was immediately sucked in. I knew I had to replicate this dish in some way. I have never cooked with Lamb so I decided to just use the ingredients I had on hand and go for it. It was so great to make and so easy, I feel like I barely did any work to pull this dinner out of the oven and serve.
You won’t find the original recipe online unless you have a log in for the magazine but this issue and the magazine are totally worth going out and picking up a copy. You will find this recipe on page 29.
Reading this issue makes me curious as to what kinds of traditions you all have for Easter? Do you celebrate it? Do you do anything special for the day after? Do you have any specific food you absolutely have to have? So let me know, lets chat! I would love to hear what you will be doing as well!
EASTER CHICKEN
recipe adapted from La Cucina Italiana magazine page 29.
YIELDS: 4 servings
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 1 hour and 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 green onions, chopped (using all of the green and white on the onion)
8 chicken thighs
salt
pepper
1 1/3 cup white wine
3 large brown eggs
1 cup mild sharp cheese, shredded
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, unthawed
2 teaspoons dried parsley
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375° degrees, placing rack in the middle.
2. Using a dutch oven or an oven resistant pot, heat oil on medium heat. Then add onion and cook till softened.
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Pull out the onion from the oil and reserve it in a dish and add the chicken. Brown on both sides for about 5 minutes on each side.
5. Pull out the chicken and add it to the onions. Remove oil from pan and discard it.
6. Add 1/3 of white wine to pot. Stir to release the bits from the bottom of pan. Return chicken and onion to pan. Add remaining wine.
7. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
8. Place lid on pot or foil and put into oven for 30 minutes.
9. In the meantime whisk together egg and cheese. Remove pot from oven Add mixed vegetables first, then add egg mixture.
10. Place lid or foil back on and return for 15 minutes to oven. After 15 minutes is done, uncover and let the top brown for 10 minutes.
11. Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley, cool and ENJOY!
Geschnetzeltes or Sliced Meat
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to my friends house and join her cooking club for the day.
I was so excited to go because I had been secretly hoping I would get an invite. Although I knew at any time I could of just asked if I could come I did want to intrude.
Up until being there I really had no idea what they did together other than cook. 
Well it was a nice surprise to see a couple of women with kids about the ages of mine. It was really good company for the day and we had some awesome food.
Everyone seems to be from a different country which was cool because when they alternate houses they try different foods. So there is a variety of foods they get to learn to make weekly.
This particular day my friend had asked if I wanted to make the dessert. I said YES, of course.
So I made and taught them to make my snickers cupcakes, which they were fantastic!
Then my friend made Geschnetzeltes, thats German for sliced meat. She is from Germany so I was so exited about getting the chance to learn to make a new dish from a different culture. And it was so good and tasty!
It is pretty easy to make too, I have actually made it twice since then.
Now I want to share with you a little of what was shared with me on that day. I look forward to joining them again soon!
GESCHNETZELTES
Recipe from Ulla Hinchey
YIELDS: 4 servings
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless country style pork ribs, cubed
Salt and pepper for seasoning
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup half and half
1/3 white wine
1- 4 ounce canned mushrooms, drained
Directions:
1. Prepare your meat by dicing it up into cubes. Salt and pepper it and coat it with flour.
2. In large pan add vegetable oil and turn on to medium heat.
3. Add meat to pan and brown for a few minutes turning a few times to get the outsides done.
4. Add your half and half, turning the heat down to a simmer. Continue to cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add white wine continue to simmer.
6. Add your drained mushrooms to the pan and stir till incorporated throughout your pan.
7. Cook on simmer for about another 10 minutes till mushrooms are soft and meat is fully done.
8. Turn off heat and rest for about 2 minutes, serve and ENJOY!
***notes***
this dish can be served over rice, pasta or however you like it!
this recipe is linked over at Bunsinmyoven and at tasteandtell
Sausage and Peas Quinoa
So the latest rage on the Internet world of food has been quinoa. KEEN-wah. Say it slowly, it’s ok, KEEN-wah. I seriously must be from the south. I could not even pronounce it. I had to Google the phonetic. Quinoa is a type of grain from South America. I kept seeing recipes using this and I was immediately intrigued.
When I was shopping in my local discount warehouse I found a huge bag of it for a really cheap price. So I said to myself, “we’ll I guess it is now or never.” I am so glad I did. I absolutely love quinoa. I think I am the only one in the house who really likes it. The first time I made it, I added lima beans and lemon. That really didn’t go over well, bit I liked it! On Tuesdays I lunch alone because my husband goes to staff lunch and my kids are in school. So I took the opportunity to make a quinoa for myself. I am so glad I did. This time I decided to do it right. I added some sausage, onions, peas and a little wine. YUM,YUM YUM!
So come out of the little square food box with me and open your taste buds to a whole new world of deliciousness. And it’s healthy for you too but whatever.
SAUSAGE AND PEAS QUINOA
recipe adapted from here
YIELDS: 2 servings
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
olive oil
1 small onion chopped in large pieces
2 sausage links
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
1 cup frozen peas
shredded parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. In large pot sautée onions in olive oil.
2. Take sausage out of casing then add to the onions and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Mix in quinoa and cook for 1 minute. Stir in water, wine and cube.
4. Add frozen peas, stir and cover for 18 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with cheese and ENJOY!
Sausage and Vegetable Soup and Charleston
This last weekend was a long weekend because of the holiday and the kids being out of school. So we packed up for an overnight and headed out of town to Charleston, SC. I was quite excited because I had not been there before and the weather looked like it was going to be gorgeous for us. Friday we had a little bit of snow and Monday the temperature was in the 70s. So a big difference in just a matter of days. This soup was something I made due to the pending weather we were about to have. 
This sausage and vegetable soup is a bit like packing for me. Some how when I travel I manage to get the rest of the house packed a day or two before our trips. For me I seem to throw things in at the last minute. And I normally end up missing a few items, or a lot of items. One time I went to Italy for about 3 weeks and had 2 shirts and very few underpants. Luckly, there was a washing machine. This trip I managed to do pretty well for myself, not so much for my 4 year old, but we made due.
It is crazy because for the older kids I try to keep them very organized. I make them both write out a list, then they have to check items off as they pack. I think I spend so much time giving detail to others that I lax in giving detail to myself.
Pic#1 Rainbow Row
Pic#2 Sullivan’s Island
Pic#3 The Battery
Well this soup was one of those types of soups where I just kind of threw things together to see what I could produce. It was perfect for a cold winter night, while we waited for snow. I did see snow but only because I was looking at the street lamp and nothing seemed to hit the ground.
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SAUSAGE VEGETABLE SOUP
YIELDS: 6 servings
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 1 hour
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 sausage links
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 small onion, chopped
7 cups water
1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
salt and pepper for taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
1. Using a large pot, saute onion in olive oil till translucent.
2. Add sausage and brown, breaking it into pieces as you go.
3. Add water, cube and vegetables.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let it simmer for 1 hour.
5. Add salt and pepper for taste. Cool for 5 minutes, serve and ENJOY!
I linked this post over at Buns In My Oven.