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.

Italian Stuffed Peppers

Posted on March 28, 2016 by jacky grace

Coming to you from mom’s not so itty bitty, just outside of the city, kitchen.

Since it was Easter, we spent the weekend at my parents’ house.

Since it was Good Friday, we couldn’t make our usual Friday night pepperoni pizza and salami bread.

The pizza was no problem- just lose the pepperoni and there you have Good Friday ready, meat free dinner.

But what to go with it?

Salami bread without the salami is just bread.

Bread…

How about take some bread and stuff it into peppers?

Italian stuffed peppers and pizza? Perfect Friday night dinner.

You will need

cubanelle peppers
bread, any kind will do, leftover rolls, white bread, whatever
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
olive oil
vegetable oil

Wash the peppers, cut off the tops and remove the insides.

In a bowl, loosely tear the bread. We made four stuffed peppers and used 7 slices of white bread. The amount of bread will depend on how big the peppers are. Worst case scenario? You start stuffing peppers and run out of stuffing and make some more.

To the sliced bread

add about 1/4 cup bread crumbs

and drizzle in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

mix and add more oil or bread crumbs as needed. you want a moist but not oily mixture.

Take your hollowed pepper

and start stuffing, making sure to push the bread all the way down

and stopping a bit from the top. If the pepper is overstuffed, the filling will fall out when you are trying to fry the pepper.

place your stuffed pepper in a skillet with enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

Stuff your remaining peppers and place in the pan.

Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes total, turning the peppers so they are cooked on all sides.

You want the skin to get nice and blistered and the filling to get crispy.

The perfect light dinner with a big salad or the perfect accompaniment to Friday night pizza!

Pizza – All about the Pan

Posted on March 22, 2016 by jacky grace

So, back in the day, my family owned a pizzeria in Orange, NJ.

It’s still there – Toast of the Town- but it’s not in the family any longer.

My mom worked there with her aunt Mary back when mom and dad first got married. She ripped the tops off her gym socks to make a sweatband on hot nights while Aunt Mary screamed out number 69.

Welcome to my Family.

So, while we no longer have the pizzeria, we do still have… drum roll… the pizza pans!

Mom has one and grandma has one. I’ve been jonesing for one.

And now, finally, this beauty is mine.

Do you see the perfectly seasoned pan? Do you understand that no matter what I did my pizza would not taste the same as my mom’s or grandma’s because no matter how i seasoned or topped it, it was not baked on this pan.

Until now.

My grandfather recently passed away and we are cleaning out my grandparents’ house and moving grandma into a cute little apartment. She no longer cooks for herself, so when mom asked what I wanted from the house, I asked for the pan.

Now, my Friday night pizza tastes just like mom’s.

Pizza night is such a great family tradition that we’ve been doing as long as I can remember. All you have to do is buy good dough (our grocery store has great frozen dough), defrost it in the morning and then stretch it, top it and bake it when you get home.

Drizzle some olive oil on the pan so the dough doesn’t stick and place your stretched dough on the pan.

Add canned pizza sauce

Shredded mozzarella

Slice pepperoni (because dad says you can’t have pizza without pepperoni)

And bake at 425 for about 15 minutes.

Slice

And mangia!

Four Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on January 18, 2016 by jacky grace

Have you ever been home on a really cold day and been hit with an intense craving for a cookie, and not just a cookie from a package but an actual homemade cookie, but it’s way too cold to think about venturing outside in the really cold to get ingredients to make said homemade cookie that would satisfy your craving?

No?

Just me?

Okay then, have you ever found yourself needing to make a last minute dessert for a work thing, or your kid’s school thing or a last minute dinner party thing?

Well, then you’re going to want to have this cookie recipe in your back pocket.

Four ingredient peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

That’s right. The name is longer than the ingredient list.

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350.

Add the peanut butter, sugar and egg to a bowl

Mix until combined and then add chocolate chips.

Form into one inch balls and place on a cookie sheet

Bake for 10-12 minutes

Your need for a homemade cookie? Satisfied

Easiest and Tastiest Cocktail Party Meatballs

Posted on December 30, 2015 by jacky grace

Having everyone over our place is a fairly regular occurrence. I always make our friends’ and family’s favorites but I also like to make something new. Don’t want it to get boring now.

One of the challenges of entertaining in a small space, though is making sure you don’t need a lot of ingredients to make a dish (limited cabinet and fridge space) and making sure the preparation isn’t too elaborate (1 pot or pan preferred).

Over the summer we went to our neighbor Nancy’s for a big Labor Day bash. She had these incredibly addictive little spicy meatballs. Bingo. There was my something new for this party.

But Nancy and her husband are in the restaurant biz. Those meatballs could be tough to recreate.

So I put in a call.

And Nancy let me in on the secret to the meatballs.

Yup. You see that correct. Grape jelly and heinz chili sauce. Pour into a pot and add in frozen meatballs. Yup. Frozen meatballs. Just regular old, unseasoned frozen meatballs. Let them simmer away in the grape jelly and chili sauce. I used 2 jars of each for 2 pounds of meatballs. Three ingredients. One pot.

Your guests will never be able to guess what’s in the sauce. And you will be one calm, cool and collected hostess!

Annie’s Mushroom Soup

Posted on December 29, 2015 by jacky grace

Annie is the best cook in the family on my dad’s side. Most people are either a really good cook or a really good baker, but she is not only an incredible baker but also can whip up a dinner with like no ingredients.

A few weeks ago my husband and I were sitting on the couch having breakfast. It was a little cold out so I said how about I try making Annie’s mushroom soup tonight?

Hubs was in. We had been waiting for it to feel like winter.

A few minutes later, my phone beeps with a text message.

Annie: What are you up to today?

I looked at Christopher. She is either in New York or on her way (She and the rest of dad’s family live in Delaware)

Christopher: You think so?

Me: I know so.

Text to Annie: Just hanging out. Why?

Annie: Me and Liz and Lisa hopped on the bus to New York. We’re here!

Me to Christopher: Told you. So we had a surprise visit from the family, walked around New York and looked at all the Christmas decorations and then, after a day with Annie, made Annie’s mushroom soup.

It’s super easy and super delicious.

You will need:

1 pound mushrooms, some sliced, some chopped
1/4 cup butter
3 tbsp flour
1 cup whipping cream
15oz chicken broth
black pepper
salt

Start by melting the butter in a heavy-bottomed soup pot. toss in the mushrooms once the butter is melted. Cook until mushrooms are brown.

Add the flour and stir

continuing to cook over medium heat and stirring until thickened.

Slowly add cream and chicken broth, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Let the soup warm through, stirring so the cream does not burn.

And then dish up in big bowls.

Creamy, rich, mushroomy goodness.

The best Pad Thai I’ve ever had

Posted on November 30, 2015 by jacky grace

The best pad thai ever? Where’d you get it? Some fancy Thai place in the East Village? Random hole in the wall take out spot in midtown?

No and no.

My kitchen.

Prepared by my Greek Armenian husband.

He has a knack for Asian cooking.

I guess I’ll keep him.

For pad thai you will need:

noodles, any kind works- i like brown rice ones
1 shallot, minced
2 eggs
brown sugar
soy sauce
rice vinegar
sesame oil
chili oil
scallions (optional)
chopped peanuts (optional)
pea shoots or sprouts (optional)

Start by cooking your noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. The key to pad thai (or any Asian dish really) is having everything chopped and ready to go as the cooking process goes pretty quick.

In the same pot you just cooked your noodles, add some sesame oil and the shallot.

When the shallot is softened, add a bit more oil and then pour in two beaten eggs (think like you’re making scrambled eggs.

Keeping an eye on your eggs and stirring occasionally, in a bowl mix together 1/8 cup each of brown sugar, soy sauce and rice vinegar and a little less of the sesame oil. Add chili oil to taste (it’s really really hot, so be careful).

Ok when your eggs are done, add the noodles and the sauce to the pot and stir.

Add in your pea shoots or sprouts and stir again.

Dish up into bowls and top with scallions and peanuts, if you choose.

Lose that place down the street’s number and forget about waiting for your takeout delivery ever again.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

Posted on September 15, 2015 by jacky grace

There is a hint of a chill in the air here. The mornings start out crisp. The sky is a clear turquoise blue. Summer fruits no longer abound on grocery store shelves.

Fall is coming.

Fall is a warm mug of tea, a hint of cinnamon in the air and pumpkins.

These muffins packed with pumpkin, oatmeal and cinnamon give you something to accompany that mug of tea.

No all you need is a good book.

For the muffins:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup old-fashioned oats

Preheat the oven to 375 and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. I got 12 muffins out of this recipe.

In one bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl, mix the egg, pumpkin, milk and oil.

Add the wet to the dry.

Stir until combined.

Then add in the oats

And stir until combined.

Spoon the mixture into the cupcake liners.

And bake for about 15 minutes. The house will smell like pumpkin pie. Is there anything better?

Darn Good Chocolate Cake

Posted on September 14, 2015 by jacky grace

This recipe is actually called Darn Good Chocolate Cake. I didn’t make that up.

When you eat it, you take a bite and just kind of go wow, that is darn good chocolate cake.

I first made this for my mom for her birthday one year. Since then, this has become THE chocolate cake recipe in our family. If someone asks for chocolate cake, this is the one they get.

I like this recipe a lot because 1. you don’t need to separately mix the wet and dry ingredients and 2. it starts with boxed cake mix. Score.

This cake is heavy and rich. But it really is like the ultimate birthday cake.

You will need:

1 package devil’s food cake mix
1 package chocolate instant pudding
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1.5 cups chocolate chips
Chocolate Frosting (The cake really does not need frosting, but if you’re feeling decadent – and if this is for a celebration of some sort then decadence is required- pile on the frosting.)

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour two round cake pans or 1 bundt pan.

Throw all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips into a bowl a stir until well combined.

Then fold in the chocolate chips.

And pour the batter into your pan or pans.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for at least 30 minutes before removing them from the pans

Frost.

Slice.

Chocolate Coma.

Mexican Salad

Posted on September 3, 2015 by jacky grace

So, it’s like the hottest day ever in New York.

For real.

We’re talking unbearably hot, humid and sticky.

The heat rises up from the pavement when you walk home from work and if you stand in one spot too long waiting for the light to change, your sandals can melt to the asphalt. No joke.

The last thing I want to do is walk into my sweltering apartment and turn on the stove.

But I’m hungry and want something substantial.

Enter: Mexican Salad.

Cold lettuce, canned beans, rinsed and drained, canned corn, taco spice and creamy guacamole. Satisfying and refreshing dinner.

Start with shredded lettuce. I used iceberg because i wanted something really cold and crunchy.

In a bowl mix pinto beans, black beans and corn and add a tablespoon or so of taco seasoning.

Pile the bean mix and some guacamole on top of the lettuce. and voila! Dinner. No oven required.

Greek Tacos

Posted on August 26, 2015 by jacky grace

Yes, you read that title correctly.

Greek. Tacos.

Hear me out.

A gyro is seasoned meat, either beef or lamb, lettuce, tomatoes and sauce inside a pita.

A taco is seasoned meat, lettuce, tomatoes and sauce inside a tortilla.

All the Greeks out there shuddered. But whatever. This dinner was damn good.

I love a good gyro. The meat that’s been rotating and cooking on a spit all day, dripping glorious juices and layered with delicious seasonings. But it’s not exactly something i can easily make in my tiny kitchen.

Or so I had thought at first.

Sure, I couldn’t have that glorious rotating beef, but, I could use ground beef like i would for tacos and swap the Mexican seasonings for Greek seasonings to give it the Greek flavor profile.

Genius. I know.

You will need

one onion, diced
one pound ground beef
one tablespoon coriander
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
dice tomato
shredded lettuce
pita
tzatziki (cucumber yogurt sauce)

Drizzle olive oil in a pan and add your diced onions, cooking over medium heat until browned.

Add your ground beef, coriander and salt and pepper.

Cook until meat is cooked through and browned.

Se the table with the meat mixture, lettuce, tomatoes, yogurt sauce and pita, to make a build-your-own gyro stand.

Stuff the pita with your favorite fillings and enjoy.

And don’t try to tell me that isn’t a Greek taco.

Itty Bitty City Kitchen

tiny kitchen, BIG CULINARY ASPIRATIONS

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