Greetings from Wyckoff, New Jersey! I'm a mother of three healthy/happy and well-eating kids! My "affair" with food and cooking began in my hometown of Tarpon Springs, Florida, where my family grew or fished for a lot of what we ate. Cooking was not just a necessity back then but a way to show some LOVE for one another! As a child, we would be eating breakfast and my dad would say, "What you all want me to make for lunch?" I was the youngest of six kids and one of a million grandkids, so we had to cook because eating out was way too expensive.

Spending time in the kitchen with my kids "saved my life" during my divorce last year. I have since put the two together (kids and cooking) to form Creative Cooks! Classes are held in public after-school programs and at Unbelieva-Bills in Waldwick, NJ. The kids in my class try everything because I make it fun -- we draw, dance or even sing to get into the tasting mood. My goal is to "unite the people of the future through the food of today." Getting up in the morning is a breeze and a blessing because of my relationship with food and cooking!

Week 4

Angel Hair Pasta with “Hot-tie” Dogs

Ingredients






• 1 pound angel hair pasta
• 4 all-beef franks, such as Ball Park
• 1 loaf crusty bread, thickly sliced
• 2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 garlic cloves, 1 clove whole, 2 cloves crushed, divided
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 vine-ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 3 scallions, green parts only, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 large bunch spinach, about 2 packed cups
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 lime
• 1 medium ball fresh mozzarella, chopped into cubes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped basil, about a handful
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, about a handful
• 3-4 slices prosciutto, chopped



Directions

Preheat a broiler.

Preheat a grill on medium-high heat. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring it to a boil.

Cook the franks on the grill until grill-marked and heated through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and slice on an angle. Drizzle each slice of crusty bread with a little EVOO and grill them until lightly toasted and grill-marked, about 1 minute per side. As soon as the bread comes off the grill, rub one side of each slice with a clove of garlic. Season them with salt and pepper and set aside until you’re ready to serve.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and reserve it in the colander until you’re ready for it.

While the pasta is cooking, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the tomatoes, crushed garlic cloves, scallions, and spices to the pan and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, 2-3 minutes. Add the dried herbs, spinach and wine to the pan and cook until the wine has reduced and the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the zest and juice of the lime, mozzarella, hotdogs and pasta. Season the pasta with salt and pepper and turn out into a serving bowl. Top with the basil, parsley and prosciutto and serve with the garlic toast.

Serves 4

Week 3

"Stuck-up" Lamb Kabobs with Side-Kick Dip

Ingredients






• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 large red onion, grated
• 1 tablespoon dried green herbs, such as parsley, mint, or cilantro
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Salt and ground black pepper
• EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
• 1 pint Greek-style yogurt
• 1/2 English cucumber, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
• Dash of garlic powder
• Dash of ground cumin



Directions

Preheat a grill on medium-high heat.

In a large mixing bowl combine the lamb, grated onion, dried herbs, chili powder, paprika, and some salt and pepper. Mix everything up with your hands to evenly combine it and then divide the meat in the bowl into four portions (just eyeball it and use your hand to score it). Scoop out one portion of the meat and roll it into a ball, then shape that ball into a small link (like a breakfast sausage). Portion and shape the remaining meat and then drizzle each of the links with some EVOO.

Cook the links on the grill until grill-marked and cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side. While the kabobs are grilling, grab a small serving bowl and combine the yogurt, cucumber, herbs, spices and a dash of salt and pepper. When the links come off the grill, thread a wooden skewer into them (like you would a kebab) and serve them with the yogurt dipping sauce.

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Week 2

Sunday Supper

Ingredients






• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for greasing
• 1 10-ounce box frozen corn
• 1 package boneless pre-cooked ham (about 8 ounces), thinly sliced
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed from leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon chipotle powder
• 1 cup low fat sour cream, plus extra to pass at the table
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Salt and ground black pepper



Directions

Preheat a broiler.

Place the sweet potatoes into a pot and fill with cold water. Salt the water and place it over high heat to bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until they’re fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the cooked potatoes and return them to the pot they were cooked in to cool off. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into 1 inch rounds and set aside.

Place a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the corn, ham, peppers, Swiss chard and garlic to the hot pan and sauté until the veggies have softened and the meat is heated through, about 8 minutes. Stir the chipotle seasoning, sour cream, cilantro and lemon juice into the mixture in the pan. Season everything with salt and pepper.

While your veggies and meat are cooking, grease a baking sheet lightly with EVOO. Scatter the potatoes over the pan, season them with salt and pepper and give them a good rub around to coat them lightly in the oil that’s on the pan. Toss them under the broiler, flipping as needed, until they’re golden brown on both sides, 4-5 minutes.

To serve, plate the ham and veggie sauté and top with a dollop of sour cream. Place the golden sweet potatoes alongside.

Serves 4

Week 1

Welcome Back New Orleans Jambalaya

Ingredients






• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for greasing muffin pans and brushing onto phyllo dough
• 1 package phyllo dough
• 1/2 package (1/2 pound) smoked turkey kielbasa - such as Hillshire Farm, roughly chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives, finely chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 cup prepared salsa (make it as spicy as you like)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• Salt and ground black pepper



Directions

Preheat an oven to 400ºF.

Grease the pockets of a miniature muffin pan with EVOO and set aside. On a clean and flat work surface, lay down one sheet of phyllo and brush it lightly with EVOO. Top that sheet with another sheet, pressing down lightly to fuse the two together and remove any air pockets. Brush that sheet of phyllo with a small amount of EVOO and top it with another sheet, again pressing lightly to fuse the sheets and remove any air bubbles. Continue this process of brushing with EVOO and layering sheets until you’ve got a stack of 6 sheets. Cut the sheet into 12 squares and press each square down into the pockets of the muffin tin (be sure to shape them down into the corners so that they come out in the muffin cup shape). Bake the phyllo cups for 8 minutes or until they’re crisp and golden brown. Set aside to cool.

While your phyllo cups are in the oven, place a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Cook the kielbasa, onion, olives, and bell peppers in the hot pan until the veggies are softened and the meat has heated through, 6-8 minutes. Stir the salsa, cumin and chili powder into the pan, and then season everything with salt ground black pepper.

To serve, fill the cooled phyllo cups with a scoop of the Jambalaya.

Serves 4-6 (with some extra Jambalaya)

Salad Boats

Ingredients




• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coarse mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 English cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 cup green pitted olives, chopped
• 10 large endive leaves, washed and dried



Directions

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the balsamic vinegar, coarse mustard, salt and ground black pepper. Stream the EVOO into the bowl and whisk to incorporate it into the vinaigrette. Add the cucumber and olives to the dressing and toss to coat.

Arrange the endive leaves on a plate and divide the veggie mixture between each of them.

Serves 4-6

Two-Faced Pizza

Ingredients




• 8 sheets of packaged phyllo dough
• EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for brushing phyllo dough
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/4 package (1/4 pound) smoked turkey kielbasa - such as Hillshire Farms, diced
• 1 cup green pitted olives, diced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper



Directions

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

On a clean and flat work surface, lay down one sheet of phyllo and brush it lightly with EVOO. Top that sheet with another sheet, pressing down lightly to fuse the two together and remove any air pockets. Brush that sheet of phyllo with a small amount of EVOO and top it with another sheet, again pressing lightly to fuse the sheets and remove any air bubbles. Continue this process of brushing with EVOO and layering sheets until you’ve got a stack of 6 sheets.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, egg, oregano, sausage, and olives. Season the mixture with salt and ground black pepper.

Spread the filling into a log along one of the long sides of your phyllo dough and "roll what your ma'ma gave you". Place the roll seam side down onto a greased or nonstick baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.

Once the roll comes out of the oven, let it cool for a couple of minutes, then slice it into 8 pieces.

Serves 4-6