My Dad's Lunch Hour

When I was little my father used to come home for lunch from the autobody shop covered in splattered paint on his white overhalls... He would open the fridg', pull out the olives, cheese, mortadella, prosciutto, genoa salmi, fresh tomatos sliced- and of course on the kitchen counter was the fresh loaf of italian bread. He'd lay it all out on our marble-top coffee table in the front room with the newspaper wide open next to everything... He'd stuff it all together in large chucks of bread ripped from the loaf and take giant bite-fulls... I was amazied and fascinated by the way he ate all that- then he'd gulp down about a gallon of water, jump back out to his car, and back to the body shop... wow! I can't even believe I just remembered all that! :-) God rest and bless his soul! :-) Love you Dad!!! :-)

Best Light Pasta Sauce On Earth!

Best Light Pasta Sauce On Earth:
Did you ever eat pasta somewhere and the sauce was just so unbelievable tasting you just never forgot it and really needed to know how to make it???  Well, I have it and know how to make it.  It's a recipe my late father created and used when he needed to make something really fast and really tasty and really really good!  He called it his "fast sauce".  I call it "Joe's Fast Sauce".  

The most amazing thing about this sauce is there are only 5 or 6 ingredients, but each so very important.  Each ingredient can impact this sauce's bright fresh exciting experience on your taste buds!  This sauce just jumps out at you!  It's just amazing!  Just try and have only one serving.  Oh yeah, this sauce tastes best on either a very thin spagetti (not angle hair), or wholesome buccitini.  This sauce is phenomenal on either.  To get the recipe for this sauce you will have to visit our "new" website at coltregourme.com when it is completed.  Thank you.  -JC 

Christmas Eve at Mom and Dad's

Christmas Eve at Mom and Dad's: 

When I was growing up my father was the executive chef of most holiday cooking in my family.  My mother Celeste usually handled most of Christmas Day and Thanksgiving pretty unbelievably well too.  On Christmas Eve we usually had a few aunts, uncles, grandparents, and a cousin or two over to eat at this Joe Coltré traditional annual culinary event.  Joe never held back what he wanted to cook for us, his family.  On this day, Christmas Eve was traditionally an Italian seafood fiesta. 

After shrimp cocktail, assorted pepperoni’ ,  salami, cheese, marinated vegetables, olives, crackers, and Italian bread- the dream seafood meal always started with one of his phenomenal sauces on linguine or fettuccini.  I am talking phenomenal here.  Everyone had seconds.  My favorite was the red clam, shrimp, and lobster tail sauce on linguine.  This was the most popular I would have to say (with or without the shrimp in it).  Next course which I guess you could say was a gigantic monster main course- was the incredible assortment of shrimp casseroles; calamari sautéed in wine sauce;  calamari in spicy hot sauce; a tray of large broiled lobster tails with drawn butter; battered and fried smelts; and a huge broiled salmon.  Occasionally there would be some sautéed steamed clams and mussels.  Of course the vegetables he put together somehow were juicy dishes like swiss-charge or rapini (or both) in olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper; baby peas with bacon and chopped sweet onion; battered and fried chopped artichokes; stuffed artichokes; chopped artichokes sautéed in a olive oil and garlic; asparagus sautéed in a olive oil and garlic; stuffed mushrooms with chopped almonds; and a salad filled with roman and curly lettuce among other greens and salad delights.  Red and white wines; lemon-lime, ginger ale, cola sodas; coffee, espresso; liquors and flavored brandies.  Trays full of Italian pastries such as different types of canola, sfogliatelle, Italian cream puffs, mini vanilla and chocolate custard filled pies; cream filled chocolate covered big round cup cakes, little rainbow cakes, homemade ricotta cheese cake (mom’s), traditional cheese cake, banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, and chocolate cream pie.    

Just an incredible experience of homemade down home Italian love- complements of my father Joe!   I love you and miss you Dad!  Thank you Dad for these memories of culinary masterpieces created with so much love that I have always cherished and will the rest of my life.  I can and have shared these memories with my wife, kids, and other relatives; plus lots of friends.  To this day I have not been able to reproduce even one eighth of those Christmas Eve meals, but some day I will really give it a try.  I don't know how yet, but I will soon!   -JC

"All About Italy's Spicy Marinara Sauce" except for "Joe's Fast Sauce"

Marinara sauce is a popular Italian red sauce. This meatless sauce can be easily and quickly made from tomatoes, onions and herbs. You might find this sauce a little spicier than other red tomato sauces. This is because it has large amounts of garlic, oregano, basil, and even chili pepper. Its simplicity and easy-to-make feature allows it to be used in many great Italian dishes.

Besides its traditional use of highlighting the mild taste of pasta such as linguini or ziti, marinara is also a popular dipping sauce for finger foods like fried mozzarella cheese sticks and calzones. This sauce can be used by you to add a little zest to meat dishes such as chicken, veal parmigiano, pork steaks, and grilled seafood. You can also use it to replace mustard or mayonnaise in a burger or a chicken filet sandwich and perhaps relish the food more.

Despite being easy to make, there are currently hundreds of types of marinara in the market. The popularity of the sauce may be due to recent research, which revealed that cooked tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

Origins of Marinara Sauce

Marinara is derived from the Italian word marinaro meaning “of the sea” and marinara sauce loosely translates into “the sauce of the sailors”. It originated with sailors in Naples in the 16th century, after the introduction of tomato by the Spaniards. In those days of no refrigeration it was in great demand among the cooks on the ships for two reasons. Firstly, because the absence of meat and high acid content of the tomatoes would not spoil the sauce, and secondly, because it was easy to prepare.

Preparation of marinara sauce

Ingredients

6 pounds ripe Italian-type tomatoes
1 cup very finely minced onion
1/2 cup very finely minced celery
1 cup very finely minced carrots
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar

Seasonings - Added according to taste

Ground white pepper
Ground coriander
Dried marjoram
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Salt

Drop tomatoes into boiling water, a few at a time. Let the water return to a boil, then remove the tomatoes and drain. Peel and chop.

Cook the onion, celery, and carrots in the olive oil, in a large covered saucepan, over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring a few times. Uncover and stir, over the heat, for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the vegetables are very soft and lightly gold.

Add the tomatoes, sugar and pepper and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes.

Puree the sauce through the medium disc of food mill. Add the optional seasoning and cook at a bare simmer until a desirable consistency is reached, about 20 minutes, stirring often. Add salt to taste. You can add a little hot sauce to add a little more kick.

If you prefer a smooth sauce, work the sauce through the fine disc of a food mill.

Cool the marinara and refrigerate it. It will keep, refrigerated, for about a week, or for several months if frozen.

The Importance Of High Fiber Low Fat Foods

One of the easiest and most effective changes you can make to your diet is to eat more foods rich in fiber, and fewer foods rich in fat. There are many reasons to boost the intake of fiber while controlling fat, including increased fitness, decreased weight and better overall health.

It is a fact that most people consume too much of what they should not – things like sugar, salt and fat, and not enough of what they should – like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. That means that many people are not getting sufficient fiber in their diets, and they may suffer a variety of heath effects as a result.

Of course before you can eat more fiber you need to know where that fiber comes from. Gauging the amount of fiber in your diet is yet another reason to read nutritional labels carefully. All packaged and processed foods in the grocery store must carry these labels, and they detail such things as fat, fiber, calories and nutrient values. Getting familiar with these nutritional labels is a necessary first step to improving any diet.

One important note about increasing the level of fiber in your diet. While increasing fiber and decreasing fat is certainly a worthy goal, it is best to take things gradually until your body adjusts to the change. Those accustomed to low levels of fiber often experience bloating, cramps, gas and abdominal pain when suddenly boosting the amount of fiber in their diet. Increasing the level of fiber gradually helps to avoid these unpleasant side effects.

Most plant based foods contain at least some fiber, but some types of foods contain more than others. The only foods that do not contain fiber are animal based products. That means that meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, milk and dairy products do not contain any fiber. It is important to keep that fact in mind when planning healthy meals.

The foods highest in fiber, containing more than 6 grams per serving, include such healthy staples as dried beans, legumes, dried peas, dried fruits, nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and many types of berries. These foods are excellent sources of fiber.

Not as high in fiber as those above, but still great sources of fiber are apples, pears, barley, bran muffins, lima beans, brown rice, snow peas, green peas and sweet potatoes. Baked potatoes are also good sources of fiber, as long as the skin is consumed along with the flesh of the potato. All these foods contain from 4 to 6 grams of fiber per serving.

Many vegetables and fruits also contain fiber, as does rye bread, wheat bead and melons. Most of these foods contain from 2 to 4 grams of fiber, so you will need to add more of them to get the most out of their fiber content.

It is important to take fiber content into account as you do your weekly grocery shopping. Getting into the habit of reading labels and choosing high fiber foods is the best way to make a long term commitment to healthier eating.

It is important to choose foods high in fiber during every trip to the grocery store. When choosing bread, crackers and other baked goods, for instance, you should strive to find whole grain varieties that are rich in fiber. Wheat and rye bread are good sources of fiber, as are bran muffins and many kinds of cereal.

Choosing cereals that are rich in fiber is a great way to increase the level of fiber intake while enjoying a delicious breakfast every morning. Cereals that contain wheat bran and oat bran can be excellent sources of fiber. The most important thing is to read the nutritional label and not rely simply on the claims made on the box.

Many people are under the assumption that cooking fresh vegetables and other fiber rich foods destroys their fiber content, but luckily this is not the case. While it is true that overcooking certain vegetables can result in some loss of nutrients, cooking has no effect whatsoever on fiber content. So feel free to prepare those healthy foods any way you want.

Grilling Your Gourmet Food Over Charcoal

There are two types of charcoal grills on the market today: ones that require lighter fluid and ones that have “chimney tops. ” The main advantages to choosing the chimney top model is that it will eliminate your need for lighter fluid and the charcoal will actually burn more evenly.

To light a charcoal grill you will need to arrange the briquettes in a mound at the center of the bottom grate. You will want to place them close together in order to help ignite the fire.

You should also know that just like there are two different models of charcoal grills, you should know that there are also two different methods by which you can grill your food on these grills.

Direct Grilling With Charcoal

In order to direct grill with charcoal you will want to start by raking out the glowing coals under the grill rack in order to create an even section for the food. As such, you will be cooking your food directly over the heat source, hence the name of this grilling method. It will result in tough, crispy meat like those that you would find in Bolivia.

Indirect Grilling With Charcoal

If you want to do indirect grilling with charcoal, you will need to use long-handled tongs to move the coals over enough to accommodate a drip pan, which will collect the food’s fat drippings and thus minimize flare-ups. You will then place your food over the top of an area on the grill. This is the best way to cook whole birds, ribs, large roasts and whole fish.

Controlling Any Flare-Ups

Sudden small blazes, which are known as flare-ups, may occur whenever fat and meat juice drip onto the hot coals. Not only can this be dangerous but it can also make your meat taste charred. So , you will want to make sure to control these flare-ups by raising the grill rack, covering the grill, spacing the hot coals farther apart or removing a couple of the coals. As a last resort, you can also remove the food from the grill in order to mist the fire with some water out of a spray bottle. Once the flame subsides you can return the food to the grill.

Adjusting Your Grill’s Heat

Not everyone judges the coal’s temperature exactly the same. However , there are some things that you can also do… Whenever the coals get too hot you can raise the grill rack up, spread out the coals, close the air vents halfway or take out some briquettes. If the coals get too cool, then you will want to use a pair of long-handled tongs to tap some ashes off of the burning coals, move the coals closer together, add some more briquettes, lower the rack or open up the vents.

Conclusion

As you can clearly see, charcoal grills work quite nicely. You simply need to know how to use them properly. Now that you do, you will be able to make some great food.

20 Delicious Casserole Ideas for Any Occasion

Making a casserole is one of the quickest and easiest ways to serve a delicious dinner. If you’re wondering what to make for lunch, dinner, or a potluck, try one of these great casserole recipe ideas.

Tuna Noodle Casserole – with tuna, egg noodles, onions, cream of mushroom soup, and cheddar cheese.

Green Bean Casserole – with green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions.

Breakfast Casserole – with sausage, eggs, bread, and milk.

Hamburger Casserole – with ground beef, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, and noodles.

Potato Casserole – with potatoes, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

Chicken Rice Casserole – with chicken, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, and rice.

Spaghetti Casserole – with spaghetti, turkey, green peppers, mushroom soup, and cheese.

Zucchini Casserole – with zucchini, American cheese, green peppers, and cracker crumbs.

Taco Casserole – with hamburger, kidney beans, lettuce, tomatoes, corn chips, and taco sauce.

Corn Casserole – with creamed corn, butter, sour cream, eggs, and corn muffin mix.

Enchilada Casserole – with ground beef, cream of chicken soup, green chilies, cheese, and flour tortillas.

Squash Casserole – with zucchini, cheese, carrots, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, and herb stuffing.

Spinach Casserole – with spinach, milk, onions, cheese, and brown rice.

Eggplant Casserole – with eggplant, onions, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese.

French Toast Casserole – with bread, raisins, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla.

King Ranch Casserole – with cream of chicken soup, tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese, chicken, and sour cream.

Pizza Casserole – with hamburger, onions, noodles, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, spices, and tomato sauce.

Turkey Broccoli Casserole – with turkey, broccoli, onions, green peppers, rice, and cheddar cheese.

Shrimp Casserole – with shrimp, rice, Worcestershire sauce, and buttered bread crumbs.

Mexican Casserole – with chicken, sour cream, green chilies, and Monterey Jack cheese.