Caprese Salad

Guys - Here's the deal, If you can't make Caprese Salad for a woman, you don't really deserve that woman.  I mean come on, It's easy to make, looks great on a plate, and its soooo it's delicious.   A few tomatoes, Some fresh buffalo mozzarella, a couple leaves of basil and you're sliding in to home plate. Or at least first base.

Insalata Caprese (salad in the style of Capri) is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania, made of sliced fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil. In Italy, unlike most salads, it is usually served as an antipasto(starter), not a contorno (side dish).

While it's unknown whether the salad actually originated on Capri, it became popular after being served there to the jet-setting King Farouk of Egypt during the 1950s.  For a sicilian version add some minced garlic and let the balsamic, olive oil and garlic soak into the mozzarella.

Because of the simpleness of this salad, it is better to serve it with the freshest ingredients.

Ingredients:

4 large ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

Salt freshly ground black pepper to taste

On a nice serving plate, alternate and overlap the tomato slices, mozzarella cheese slices, and basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Cauliflower with Olives

This is another favorite of mine. This is so easy to make it's not even funny and it is so good and healthy you'll make it all the time.  It goes great with chicken or fish.  Roasting at high heat brings out the natural sweetness in the cauliflower, and the sweetness is balanced by salty Kalamata olives.  A great rustic dish that's equally good as an appetizer or side.  Pair with a white or red wine for a delicious meal. 

Recipe:

1 (12 oz) pkg Cauliflower Florets, or 4 cups Cauliflower cut into florets
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon pepper or your favorite seasoning

2 tablespoons of capers (optional)

Sprig of dried rosemary

1/2 cup kalamata olives (pitted)

1 Lemon

Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss cauliflower with olive oil to coat evenly.  Sprinkle Lemon, Rosemary, Salt & Pepper and stir evenly.  Mix in olives.
3. Place seasoned cauliflower on a baking sheet or Casserole dish, spreading evenly in a single layer.  Roast for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through baking time to roast evenly.  Cauliflower will be crisp-tender.  I prefer to roast the cauliflower until it is golden brown for that great carmelized vegetable taste.
4. Remove from heat and serve.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 6

Roasted Garbanzo Beans with Lemon and Cayenne Pepper

Guys!  If you learn only one recipe from this blog - this should be it.  This is one of my all time favorite healthy snacks.  This can be eaten as a quick easy meal because of the protein content it provides, or as a quick TV snack to have a beer and watch the game.  If your having some girls over tonight and need a great appetizer that has a zing, roasted garbanzo beans with lemon and cayenne pepper is a great one.  Throw some fresh chopped cilantro in there to for a great zesty flavor.  Offer them a cold beer and some of these garbanzo's fresh out of the oven and they will think your the king of the kitchen.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans with Lemon and Cayenne Pepper

2 cans garbanzo beans (washed)

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of crushed black pepper

Juice  of 2 large lemons

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Roll garbanzo beans in a mixture of cayenne, salt, pepper and lemon.  Place on lightly greased pan and put in the oven at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until crispy golden brown.  Be careful not to burn and make sure to rotate the beans for even cooking. Take the beans out when they are crispy and golden.  Allow to cool and serve in a bowl, squeeze in any excess lemon juice and top with some fresh chopped cilantro.  They should be crunchy, spicy and delicious.  If you don't want them too spicy than do half a tablespoon of cayenne pepper.  I hope you enjoy this recipe and that it becomes a regular healthy and easy snack for you. 

Valentine's Day Pizza Soup

Valentine's Day is the ultimate day for impressing your girl with some serious moves in the kitchen.  This is the time when you have to walk the line between Mr. Fabulous and Mr. Stud Muffin and you need something that is going to work both ways.  I've come up with this recipe for what I like to call Pizza Soup.  This is something I discovered in Florence, Italy while living there and which is always good on a cold February day like Valentine's Day.  I used to sit in a bar on Via Cavour in Florence during cold winter months and watch American Football while observing Pizza Soup come out of a giant brick oven oozing with cheese.  A few cold beers and some warm Tuscan bread bites dipped into 3 cheeses and tomato sauce could really warm you and your date up this Valentines Day.  So follow this simple recipe and WOW your girl with some serious Italian cooking which is both unique and delicious and is sure to make her say "Ti Amo!", I Love you! or something even better.

Pizza Soup is best cooked in an oven at a temperature of 400 degrees.  You want to serve it Hot!  However, I usually like pouring it into a Fondue Pot (like the one shown) before serving, so your date doesn't burn herself when it comes steaming out of the oven and onto the table.

First of all, There is no dough needed, but you do need some good hard Tuscan bread cut into large croutons and toasted.   You can also make your own bread by using pizza dough and placing it in the oven for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.  The soup should have a consistency of a soup puree but gently slowed down with the melted cheeses. For the tomatoes, I like the cartons of Pomodoro Puree you can get at any Italian Grocer. It should be more like tomato soup than cheese dip but the cheese should come up oozing on the bread (see photos). I like having melted cheese on top especially if I am serving it in mini croquettes (like french onion soup). The cubes of bread are then dipped into the hot Pizza Soup and eaten like a delicious pizza flavored fondue.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and pour these ingredients into a medium size dutch oven:

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

4 16 oz cans of Tomato Puree (for soup base)

1 1/2 Cups of grated Mozarella Cheese

1/2 Cup of grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

1/4 Cup of grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 Cup of fresh basil 

2 tablespoons of dried Italian Seasoning (oregano, sage, etc)

Salt & Pepper to taste

You can also add chopped Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, or anything else you enjoy on pizza to the mix.  Use a French oven, crock pot or any available cooking pot suitable for the oven and set the temperature to 400 degrees.  Cook the pizza soup for at least 45 minutes until it is steaming hot and all of the cheese has melted.  Add fresh Romano and Parmesan to the top.  Put back in the oven for a few  minutes to melt the top. Serve with toasted bread croutons (see photos), Italian wine or cold beer.

Happy Valentines Day from Cooking4Chicks.com!

Email: cooking4chicks@cooking4chicks with questions or comments.

Welcome To Cooking for Chicks!

The Blog for guys who want to impress girls with their cooking.

Cooking for Chicks is the perfect answer to your cooking needs...

The meals themselves are not hard and only require an hour of your time to shop and cook.   If you don’t want to have success with the ladies, then don’t.   But if you love chicks as much as we do, you will follow these simple recipes and reap the benefits of Cooking for Chicks!

This blog will help you reel in the sophisticated ladies with scientifically proven phrases like “I love to cook” and “All my food is organic”.   Then we will actually show you how to go to the grocery store, what to buy, how to pay for it and how to make an extraordinary meal for that special someone coming over tonight. The only thing we won’t show you is what happens after desert.

Cooking for Chicks.

The blog spot for guys who want to impress girls with their cooking.  Here's an easy meal that can be made easily and quickly...

Meal Number One:

Garlic Bread

Butter

Garlic

Good Italian Bread.

Cut loaf into slices. Don’t cut all the way through the bread. Spread butter on bread.  Add crushed garlic. Bake at 250 degrees for 10 minutes. Clasp you hands together and exclaim "I am a garlic bread achiever!".

Salad with Parmesan Crisps

30 minutes

Nothing says let me fondle your warm butt cheeks like hot oven-baked Parmesan crisps on lettuce. It shows that you cared enough and took the time to bring her pleasure in the form of a golden brown delicious cheese wafer.

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1-pound red or green leaf lettuce

Salt & pepper

Vinaigrette (see below)

On a sheet of buttered baking paper, Divide Parmesan into four testicle like balls.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake until tender golden brown. With a thin spatula transfer the crisps to a rack and let cool.  

Vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

¼ cup of herbs (basil, oregano, cilantro)

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Combine in bowl and mix until mixture is even.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix the vinaigrette in bowl with lettuce and top with warm parmesan crisps.

Pasta Bolognese

30 minutes.  

This is one of the most romantic, yet manly meals you can make for a woman.  Paired with a nice glass of Chianti this meal says; “I am sophisticated enough to know how to cook Italian, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to take you to my man-cave and …well, you get the idea.

2 tablespoons of oil

1 chopped onion

2 gloves of garlic

1 pound of ground beef

15 oz can of tomatoes

Heat a small amount of oil in a pan. Add onion and garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes or until golden.

Add beef and cook until it is brown. Drain any excess grease or fat away.  She doesn’t want it on her thighs and butt and it will help you in the long run incase you marry this girl.  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

In large pot of water bring pasta to boil and drain.  Pour Sauce over pasta, add Parmesan cheese and serve in large bowl with fork and spoon.

Wine Recommendation: Chianti or Italian table wine. If no Italian wine is a available, A French or Californa wine like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon will also do nicely. 

Cooking for Chicks  

The Cookbook for guys who want to impress girls with their cooking.

Guys are brought up to think that woman should cook.  My Dad used to say things like: “Women should keep their bread in the oven and their buns in bed”.  Of course he was joking, but let's face it: Most guys don't cook. 

It’s a stereotype, but also true that during the 50’s & 60’s, women spent more time in the kitchen than men.  But these days, you have to think outside the box if you want to be successful with the ladies. 

Cooking for Chicks is the perfect answer to your cooking needs.

This blog will help you reel them in with sophisticated, scientifically proven phrases like “I love to cook” and “All my food is organic”.   Then we will actually show you how to go to the grocery store, what to buy, how to pay for it and how to make an extraordinary meal for that special someone coming over tonight. The only thing we won’t show you is what happens after desert.

The meals themselves are not hard and only require an hour of your time to shop and cook.   If you don’t want to have success with the ladies, then don’t.   But if you love chicks as much as we do, you will follow these simple recipes and reap the benefits of Cooking for Chicks!