About jacky grace

I grew up in an Italian house with big meals, big flavors and big voices. My husband comes from an even bigger Greek and Armenian house with even bigger food and voices. Here in our tiny city kitchen, we adapt our family recipes for our small space without sacrificing any of the flavors, traditions or love.

You know you’re family is very European when…

Posted on July 5, 2013 by jacky grace

They have a grapevine in the backyard.

This is the beautiful vine growing in his meme and pepe’s yard, up the arbor on their deck.

And this is pepe checking the leaves. You have to pick them when they’re soft, when they’re just right, otherwise they get too tough.

And then do you know what you have?

Tough stuffed grape leaves or dolma.

And nobody like a tough stuffed grape leaf.

There were only a few leaves that were good, so pepe picked them and put them away for later.

At the end of the month, there should be a big enough pile to make dolma.

That’s right. Meme is going to teach me the secret!

Check back at the end of July beginning of August.

Until then, enjoy the beautiful weather, listen to the waves crash or enjoy the shade of your grape vine.

Happy Fourth of July! – A Red, White and Blue Breakfast

Posted on July 4, 2013 by jacky grace

Happy Fourth of J-J-J-July.

As a child, this is how I said it.

I didn’t have a stutter, or any kind of speech problems. But when the 4th day of the 7th month rolled around, that’s how I said it.

I could say July. But it was always 4th of J-J-J-July.

I have no explanation for this.

But 20-odd years later, my parents still say it like that to each other.

Shrug.

I was an odd child.

I blame it on not having siblings.

But back to breakfast.

Let’s kick off the day with a patriotic, red, white and blue burst of yogurt and summer berries.

A bowl of Chobani vanilla yogurt, striped with bright red raspberries and crisp and tart blackberries.

What’s more American and more summery than a bowl of berries?

Happy 4th to you all.

Enjoy a day of barbecues, beach, and most importantly, family.

Iced Green Tea

Posted on July 3, 2013 by jacky grace

Right up there in expensive habit land with cigarettes and booze is Starbucks.

I love a 3 O’clock coffee pick me up as much as the next person.

And come summer, I’m completely obsessed with their iced green tea.

But one iced green tea a day for every working day in July comes to about $70.

That’s a new shirt at JCrew!

If you carry that habit over to August, two months of tea = 1 month’s cable bill.

Take it across the whole year… well, you see where I’m going with this.

So today, my world was changed when I learned this: you can cold brew iced tea!

What?

I was buying iced tea at Starbucks because of the convenience factor. I didn’t have time at the office to brew a pot of tea, then ice it, then sweeten it.

But I can cold brew it?

For seriously?

I don’t know why I didn’t think it was possible. I had just assumed that making iced tea required boiling the tea bags, letting them steep and then chilling.

But really you can fill a glass with ice, add two tea bags, fill with water, and let it cold brew at your desk.

Add sweetener to your taste, and BAM! Starbucks habit kicked.

Sorry Starbucks.

There’s a shirt I really want at JCrew.

Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cheddar Quiche

Posted on July 2, 2013 by jacky grace

Is there a more perfect pairing than broccoli and cheddar cheese?

I don’t know who first put the two together, but I want to thank that person.

The crispness of broccoli paired with the rich, fatty melty sharpness of the cheese.

Yum.

We’re heading out for the long weekend tomorrow night, so tonight’s dinner had to be fast (we have to pack and stuff) and require only a few ingredients ( I don’t want to have things in my fridge that will go unused).

Immediately my mind goes to quiche.

We always have eggs and milk in the fridge, so if I just have to get a few veggies on my way home, it’s not a big deal.

I grabbed some baby greens for a simple side salad and some broccoli and cauliflower.

I feel like if you make a side salad then even the simplest dish feels more like a meal.

So I whipped up some of the sunflower oil dressing and this yummy quiche.

Dinner on the table in about forty-five minutes.

And, you know why I love quiche. That’s right, dishwasher safe pie pan.

Score.

Preheat the oven to 400.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the broccoli and cauliflower. About a minute is all you need.

Drain and then dump the veggies into the lightly greased baking dish.

In a bowl, whisk together four eggs and some milk.

Pour the mixture over the vegetables.

Top the whole thing with slice of sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the eggs are set.

Throw the dish in the dishwasher, pack up the bathing suits, and one more work day to get through until vacation!

Paprika, Sweet Potato, Chickpea Stew

Posted on July 1, 2013 by jacky grace

It was great to escape the hustle and bustle of the city this weekend and trade it in for the flash and glitz of the casino.

There’s this sensation in a casino, or state of being maybe is the better phrase, that doesn’t happen anywhere else. There are no clocks, so time doesn’t exist. There are no windows, so day, night, sunny, cloudy, doesn’t matter. And everyone is in the same place for the same reasons – booze, gambling and fun.

It was great to spend time with his family and even better to put a rough week behind us. And I like the occasional night off from cooking.

But all day at work I couldn’t help but be antsy to get back to my kitchen.

It may be teeny, but it’s mine.

After a few overindulgent nights, we needed something light, healthy and vegetarian for Meatless Monday. I wanted fresh, crisp vegetables after so many vodka tonics and greasy fries. I saw quite a few people posting about sweet potatoes on Twitter today. I love sweet potatoes. That got the wheels turning.

I started googling recipes. I came across a sweet potato and chickpea curry. Close. But not quite. That led me to a Moroccan chickpea stew. Again, close, but not ….

Wait a minute!

Why not take the parts from each I like and do a mashup?

This is really the first recipe I’ve completely made up and winged it on.

You will need

1 clove garlic, diced
2 tablespoons shallot, diced
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas
a few handfuls baby spinach
paprika
salt
pepper
vegetable oil

Drizzle the bottom of the pot with vegetable oil and add in the garlic and shallots, cooking until brown.

Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes. Look at that color! So much good stuff packed in there – potassium, Vitamin C. Okay. I’m not all health and nutrition knowledgeable. So I’ll stick to the cooking.

Dice up the sweet potatoes into bite-size cubes and toss them into the pot, seasoning with salt, pepper and paprika ( a lot of paprika).

From this point on, it’s just about layering flavors into the pot. Once the potatoes, shallot and garlic are chopped, there’s very little counter space required. This, like most soups, is a great itty bitty city kitchen friendly dish. Okay, let the potatoes cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice so they don’t stick.

Add the can of tomatoes, juice included, and stir.

Add the can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained.

Add enough water to the pot to cover the veggies. For me, this was two fills of the chickpea can.

Cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Just before serving, tear up some baby spinach, stir in, and let it wilt a bit.

Serve up in bowls with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

This may be a soup with some hints of Thanksgiving, but it’s still light and refreshing enough for a healthy summer dinner.

Sunflowers

Posted on June 30, 2013 by jacky grace

Sunflowers are my favorite flower.

You can’t not be happy when you look at a sunflower.

Sunflowers just scream summer.

And sunflower seeds are such a beachy snack.

I recently read an article in Bon Appetit about the health benefits of seeds. (Check it out here) and it reminded how much I love sunflower seeds. So of course I went out and bought a bag. They’re good for you!

Also good for you? Sunflower oil.

I like experimenting with different oils and vinegars. My boyfriend’s meme gave us a bottle of sunflower oil to try because her nutritionist told her it was a good, light, oil to use with good, healthy fats. It’s loaded with Vitamin E and antioxidants.

We tend to make our own salad dressing, either with prosciutto or with mustard. I’m also a huge fan of salads simply dressed with olive oil and vinegar, but with the article fresh in my mind, I turned to the sunflower oil to dress my greens.

Here’s a super simple salad dressing that is so fresh and bursting with light and citrusy flavors it tastes like you poured summer into your salad bowl.

Combine the juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil, garlic salt and black pepper.

I mixed mine in a mason jar. Drizzle over your favorite mix of greens.

Top with some sunflower seeds.

Healthy and delicious.

The Gingerbread Man

Posted on June 29, 2013 by jacky grace

We’re heading off to Atlantic City in a few hours for a weekend of gambling, food, drinks, family oh and a show with the cast of Impractical Jokers!

So I’m not cooking tonight. I like my breaks from cooking because I come back to my kitchen totally ready to try a million a new things.

So I don’t have a food post, but I do have a story.

Back in the late 70s/early 80s, my great aunt, my Auntie Anna worked at Orange Savings Bank. I should take a minute to note that my grandma and her sisters are Romano women. Stubborn, independent, and hard-headed. And I’m just like them : )

So in a time when a lot of women stayed home with the kids, they all worked. Hard.

So anyway, my Auntie Anna worked at the bank. And while she worked there, they ran this promotion. When you opened an account, you got this little guy.

Ta da! Give us your money and we’ll give you this 70s-fab ceramic gingerbread man.

Now, every single woman in my family has one. Mom’s is on the counter next to the stove to rest spoons on while she cooks. Ditto grandma’s. My mom’s sister’s has traveled from house to house with her, got broken, and was even glued back together.

When I moved into my own kitchen, I was pissed.

I didn’t have a gingerbread man.

I know. Major sad face.

I felt out of the loop.

I felt like I didn’t have that little family ties that all the other women had.

Until.

My dad cleaned out my grandma’s attic and found one!

That little guy up there? Yup. He’s mine.

He’s on my counter next to my stove.

Where he sits in the kitchens of all of the other women in my family.

Runny Egg Vegetable Stew

Posted on June 28, 2013 by jacky grace

I came across this recipe in a magazine months ago.

It was a mix of beans and peppers and tomatoes topped with a fried egg.

The veggie mix was seasoned with an exotic mix of cumin and coriander and curry powder.

I wrinkled my nose when I read that part of the ingredient list.

Those are some very polarizing spices. They’re in the same category as cilantro. You either take a bite and say oh my god! What is that? This is delicious. Or, you take a bite and say oh my god! What is that? This tastes like soap.

Yes, it’s true. Due to chemical makeups in the body, some people get a soapy taste when they bite into cilantro (for more information check this New York Times article).

So anyway. I was a fan of the concept of the recipe but not all of its parts.

But that’s one of my favorite things about cooking – you can adjust to your tastes.

So I took the basic components of the recipe, sauteed peppers, tomatoes and cannelini beans topped with a fried egg, and replaced the spices and seasonings with those more favorable to my palate.

Since we had chorizo and scallions from out Chipotle salad the other night, I took this dish south of the border.

You will need

2 green bell peppers, diced
1/2 a pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained (you can use any kind of bean, black beans for a more Mexican flavor, red kidney beans for more of a chili feel, chickpeas for a ratatouille. I just happen to have cannelini beans in the cabinet)
2 tablespoons chorizo, diced
2 scallions, chopped
vegetable oil
salt
pepper
eggs

Drizzle a pan with olive oil. You can use a big frying pan or a big pot. I like my aluminum one for this because I have tendency to throw things onto my stove when I use a shallow pan.

(My nickname in college was Calamity Jane. I’m not quite as calamatous. But still a bit)

Toss in the peppers and the chorizo.

This dish is cooked in layers as the cooking times vary on the vegetables.

When the peppers start to soften and the chorizo is starting to brown, add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes release their juices.

Add the beans and the salt and pepper and stir.

In a frying pan, crack 2 eggs per person, and fry them so the yolks are still runny.

A runny yolk is absolutely necessary to this dish. You can change the chorizo and scallions out for prosciutto and basil, or you can make it vegetarian with some parsley and oregano, but you cannot do this dish without a runny yolk.

While the eggs cook, the vegetables will simmer together and the juice from the tomatoes and the oil from the chorizo will make a thick stew like sauce. That sauce will mix with the runny yolk… but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Add the chopped scallions and let them warm through. I like to let them stay crisp for a difference in texture.

Scoop out the veggie mixture onto a plate.

Top with the fried eggs.

Run your knife through the yolk and let the deep yellow yolk mix with the red, spicy tomatoey chorizo sauce.

I highly recommend some crusty bread to mop up all those juices.

Happy Hour Eats – Salami Bread

Posted on June 28, 2013 by jacky grace

The first thing I ever cooked for my boyfriend was salami bread.

When I told him I was going to make salami bread, he made a weird face.

You’re making me salami and bread?

He obviously did not grow up in an Italian house.

Salami bread is one of the simplest things you can make. It’s insanely good. And everyone will eat it and think it’s complicated, because it’s so good.

I know this because we just hosted a happy hour at which this happened.

Yup. A happy hour

In the Itty Bitty City Kitchen.

It’s been a long week. And it’s only Thursday! I swore all day that it was Friday. Today felt like three days happened during the 8 hour work day. Yea. It was that kind of week.

It had been worse for my boyfriend and his coworkers, so we decided a happy hour with some hard drinks and some good food was in order.

The girls brought over watermelon salad (such a great summer staple) and a pasta salad with prosciutto and sun dried tomatoes (maybe they’ll share the recipe).

The guys brought booze.

And since we were hosting, I figured it’d be our (read: my) job to make something warm and substantial.

You want something that’s easy to eat when you have a drink in hand.

Salami bread is perfect for that. It’s also super easy, and something that you can easily make in large quantities even in a small space.

I made 4 loaves for the number of people we had. I’ll give you the steps based on one loaf and then you can double or triple as you need.

Frozen pizza dough, defrosted
1 egg, beaten
1/4 pound genoa salami

This requires some thinking ahead as you need to defrost the dough for a few hours. Take it out in the morning and put on a floured plate, covered with a towel.

When you’re ready to make, preheat the oven to 425.

Roll out the dough into a sort of oblong shape.

Pour the beaten egg on the dough, spreading it with the back of a spoon.

Layer on the salami.

Note, make sure you buy good salami. That’s the key here. You only have pizza dough and salami. Make sure both are good quality.

Take one end of the dough (going longways) and start to roll the dough and the salami like a jelly roll.

Place the loaf of rolled dough on a foil-lined cookie sheet.

Repeat as you need.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the doneness you prefer.

Slice up the loaves, stack on plates and let there be vodka tonics!

Chipotle Craving – Deconstructed Taco Salad

Posted on June 26, 2013 by jacky grace

I had a massive craving today.

And you know me and my cravings- when I want it, nothing else will do.

Today, I was actually sitting at my desk and daydreaming about a Chipotle salad.

Yes, yes, I know. Still on the salad kick.

But a Chipotle salad is so much more than a salad. It’s – it’s a deconstructed taco!

And if you’ve been reading, you know how much I love to make deconstructed things! (See here for deconstructed spicy tuna roll salad.)

I just read that back. Make deconstructed things. Can one make something that is deconstructed? Isn’t the thing which is deconstructed inherently unmade?

Pardon my philosophical ramblings. Chalk it up to the hunger!

So what was it exactly about a Chipotle salad that I was craving? Breaking it down to its parts, it’s the crisp and crunchy lettuce with the creamy black beans and the fatty avocado. And the sour cream. And the tomatoes. And the citrus.

I got this.

Ready?

We’re going to make a deconstructed taco salad.

You will need

corn (fresh or from the can)
black beans (I used from the can, rinsed and drained)
scallions
tomatoes
avocado
romaine lettuce
chorizo
olive oil
juice from one lime
salt
pepper

In a large bowl, drizzle the olive oil and squeeze in the lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste and the chopped scallions. Whisk.

Now add in the corn, the black beans, and the tomatoes.

I actually, in all honesty, threw it all in a Tupperware, so instead of mixing, I put the lid on and shook it all up. But that’s our little secret.

Make a bed of romaine in each bowl.

Top with the veggie mix.

Next, dice up the avocado and add to the top.

I don’t put the avocado in with the other veggies because it is delicate and you don’t want it to bruise or get all broken up.

Pop the salads in the fridge for a bit.

Meanwhile, chop up the chorizo and toss it in a frying pan. Cook over medium until nice and warm and slightly crispy.

When the chorizo is done, remove the salads from the fridge and top them with the warm chorizo. Warm and cold gives you the making of the perfect salad.

For an extra flourish top with Greek yogurt mixed with some lime juice. You can use sour cream, but this is a healthier option.

You can also grate some moneterey jack cheese over top and let the heat of the chorizo melt it slightly.

On the side, what Mexican salad would be complete without nachos?

The cheater’s way?

Pile some chips on a microwave safe plate.

Top with grated cheese.

Microwave on high for 10-15 seconds.

And Ole!

A deconstructed taco salad with a side of nachos.

Not quite Chipotle, but good enough to satisfy the craving.

Itty Bitty City Kitchen

tiny kitchen, BIG CULINARY ASPIRATIONS

Author Archives: jacky grace

About jacky grace

You know you’re family is very European when…

Happy Fourth of July! – A Red, White and Blue Breakfast

Iced Green Tea

Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cheddar Quiche

Paprika, Sweet Potato, Chickpea Stew

Sunflowers

The Gingerbread Man

Runny Egg Vegetable Stew

Happy Hour Eats – Salami Bread

Chipotle Craving – Deconstructed Taco Salad