The other night one of my guy friends called me and said he wanted to cook a steak for a special girl. You know, the crucial third or fourth date so he wants to make her dinner. I guess he is thinking that, if it’s good enough, maybe she’ll be there for breakfast. He explained, if it doesn’t happen by the third or fourth date, it ‘ain’t happening!

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We’re still hanging on to our New Year’s resolutions, but everyone loves french fries.  Try out this easy recipe for crispy baked fries with a little parmesan and fresh herbs and you will be loved by all.  [Read more →]

I never cared much about football, but I ended up marrying a pretty serious football fan. To add insult to injury, he is from Medford, Massachusetts and a serious Patriots fan (not my fault). Whether your Superbowl guests are Giants fans or Patriots fans, they will love these spicy turkey meatballs (healthy too). Great with pasta, on focaccia bread, or by themselves on toothpicks; everyone will love these including people like me who still don’t understand football.

Enjoy the game and Go Meatballs!
For more ideas for your Superbowl table, check out Northforkpath.com
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So it’s January and many of us have resolved to take better care of ourselves and eat better food, and save money. The problem is that if we don’t have good ingredients on hand and a few essential tools, it becomes too easy to reach for the take out menus.

I recently made a list of essential tools for a bachelor friend of mine who is looking to increase the odds of having “overnight” dinner guests. So I made him a list of tools and ingredients to help him execute an enticing dinner and spread the love! But seriously, these are tips that will impress anyone from your latest crush to your friends or family.

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A roasted chicken (organic, kosher, regular) is the perfect solution for a multiple meal solution and nothing makes a better chicken soup that one made with the leftover bones of an already roasted chicken. It doesn’t matter if you roast the chicken yourself or pick one up at your local rotisserie or supermarket or a Whole Foods .  Roasted bones make a better stock and this has been a long-time secret of chefs since most of the stocks and demi glaces in restaurants are made from bones that have been roasted.  So get a rotisserie chicken tonight and make this “roast chicken” soup as a first course and use the breast meat for you main course or sandwiches for the next day.

The stock (you will begin by making a stock/the soup is the finished product after straining the stock)
Ingredients
Rotisserie Chicken Carcass
1 whole onion rough chopped
the bottom bulb of your celery, chopped off (reserve stalks for soup)
Peels of 4 carrots along with trimmed ends to add to soup (reserve the actual carrots for the soup)
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New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate our friendships and memories with loved ones. So, if you are entertaining for New Year’s Eve, keep it simple, so that you can spend time with your guests and not in the kitchen. Serve a simple spread of anti pasti. Ask each of your guests to bring something that does not need to be heated. Serve an assortment of colorful bruschetta. Set out cocktail napkins, toothpicks, and paper dessert plates. Don’t even worry about washing silverware.

Alongside your bruschetta, serve a platter of some of your favorite prosciutto, salami, capicola, mortadella, supersade, assorted olives and pepperoncini.  Top it off with a variety of your favorite cheeses: provolone, sharp cheddar, havarti and fresh mozzarella from The Village Cheese Shop in Mattituck. 

What’s a cocktail party without the cocktails?  Select  red and white lcoal wines to pair with your display.  I prefer the red Nautique  from Peconic Bay and Pellegrini’s Merlot.   Of course, you’ll need a bubbly to toast at midnight!   Head to Sparkling Pointe and pick up a bottle of their new release Cuvee Carnaval.

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For a simple, yet memorable first course start with this fennel salad.  With only a few ingredients it takes mintues to prepare and compliments the salty cheeses of your apertivo with anise and tangy oranges.

Fennel is one of those vegetables we overlook and it’s very available during the winter.  It has a fresh flavor with a hint of Anise, which goes beautifully with citrus.  You can use blood oranges, which should be available during this time of year, or just substitute with navel oranges or red grapefruit.

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Casserole cooking is great for a family gathering and especially for holidays.  You can assemble the night before and tuck it away in the fridge for the next day.  Then pre-heat the oven an hour before dinner and serve straight from the oven to the table and get to spend time with your guests.

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Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and although some stores will be open, it’s best to finish up your food shopping by tonight. If you are going to prepare our Italian Christmas Eve dinner or a version of it, this list may be helpful if you are shopping on the North Fork or visiting a vineyard.

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When I think of Christmas Eve, I think about Italy and the diversity of Christmas traditions from all over the country.  Traditions from the North and South, the Amalfi Coast and the Adriatic and the far reaches of Sicily and its diaspora.   I have visions of the beautiful wreaths and garlands made of plump mandarin fruit entwined with the leaves still on the vines cascading over doorways from the smallest of villages to the posh streets of cities along the Adriatic. I hear the pop of the disengorged Prosseco cork, the clinking of glasses and the laughter at the family table, as they embrace memories of grandmothers and other relatives kept vivid through the planning and sharing of these holidays.

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