Thankfully, the food stylist, Susan Spungen shared this bruschetta recipe which she developed for the film in an article. I tried it and it tastes exactly how the actors portrayed it in the movie, delicious! At first I made a small batch just to test it out, but I had to make more because I couldn’t get enough. It was that good. So, if you haven’t seen the Julie & Julia, I suggest you make some bruschetta or something just as delectable and watch as you eat, because you will definitely get hungry watching this film.

Beautiful Heirloom Tomatoes

Love the colors!

Tomato & Basil Mixture

Bruschetta

Julie & Julia’s Bruschetta Recipe
(adapted from Susan Spungen’s recipe)

Ingredients

• Provincio Artisan Roasted Garlic Bread (this can be found at Costco in a 2 loaf pack)
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• ground pepper
• heirloom tomatoes
• fresh basil

Directions

1. Cut tomatoes into chunks and tear lots of basil leaves into medium-small pieces. In a bowl, toss tomatoes and basil with a good quality olive oil. Marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.

2. Cut bread into slices about 3/4 inch thick

3. Pan fry the bread in olive oil  to get it toasted on the outside while retaining some softness in the center. After pan frying, sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

4. Season tomato mixture with salt and pepper about a half hour before serving. The salt makes the tomatoes release their juices and you don’t want that happening too soon.

5. Top bread with tomato mixture. If the bread is really crunchy, let the tomatoes sit for a few minutes before serving to soften the bread.

Note: I used the roasted garlic bread as a shortcut which I highly recommend because that bread is amazing, but if you can’t find it just substitute with any rustic loaf with a stretchy interior with lots of holes and a crisp crust. If you go the regular rustic loaf route, the original recipe tells you to rub a whole garlic clove onto the pan fried sliced bread. That’s the only difference.

Want more info? Check out the NY Times Article about the SousVide Supreme and Cooking Sous Vide is a website dedicated to cooking sous vide for home cooks.

(image via Sur La Table)

As the days are getting colder, I thought this would be the perfect soup to warm up with. The soup itself is a blend of spicy italian sausage, potatoes, and kale, in a creamy broth. I was lucky enough to find a copycat recipe and it turned out exactly the same. I was amazed. Now, if I could only get the recipe for Olive Garden breadsticks…

Zuppa Toscana
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 pound mild Italian ground sausage
• 5 slices bacon, baked and crumbled
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 5 (13.75 oz) cans chicken broth
• 3 medium potatoes, thinly sliced rounds
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 bunch fresh kale
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the ground Italian sausage in a pan over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink. About 10 to 15 min. Drain and set aside.
2. Place bacon on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until crisp, about 10 minutes. Place bacon on paper towel to drain and then crumble bacon and set aside. You may save a couple tablespoons of the bacon drippings and use it to saute the onions and garlic.
   
3. In a large pot saute onions and garlic in a couple tablespoons of the bacon drippings or oil(whichever you prefer). Cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Pour the chicken broth into the pot with the onion mixture and add crumbled bacon. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the sliced potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream cooked sausage, fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper flakes; heat through. Add salt and pepper if needed.  Mix kale into the soup until wilted just before serving.

Zuppa Toscana

Making homemade ravioli, even with pre-made pasta (aka wontons) was still very much time consuming and a labor of love. But, I must say it was well worth it and definitely makes for a great special dinner for that extra special someone or just for your fabulous self.

Some things I learned during this ravioli revelation:
1) The ravioli can be frozen and cooked later with great results; same great taste and freshness.
2) When preparing to freeze the ravioli, I suggest using wax paper to separate the ravioli layer by layer in the container you use to prevent them from sticking.
3) Egg roll wrappers can also be used, but I find that wonton wrappers are easier since they are smaller and pre-cut.
4) If you want to take that extra step, make your own tomato sauce, which you can also freeze and store in freezer bags.

Spinach & Mushroom Ravioli
(adapted from an Everyday Italian recipe)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnishing
• 1 package of wonton wrappers
• 1 large egg, beaten with 1/2 tsp. water
• 1/2 cup cremini mushroom , finely chopped
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large saute pan heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. When almost smoking, add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms, about 6 minutes.

2. Add spinach and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and place mixture into food processor. Pulse until you get a coarse texture.

4. Place in bowl and stir in mascarpone and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.

5. Line up wrappers on a cutting board. Brush edges with the egg wash.

6. Using a tablespoon, place a dollop of the filling on the wrapper and place another wrapper directly on top, pressing around the filling and sealing the edges.

7. Use a fork and crimp the edges to seal it tightly. Place ravioli onto a wax paper lined baking sheet and keep covered with a linen towel.

8. In a large pot, bring to a boil 4 quarts water (make sure to add some salt and oil). Carefully add small batches of ravioli, about 3 to 4 at a time. This will prevent them from crowding in the pot and sticking together. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spider strainer, carefully remove the ravioli and place on the plate. Tent with foil to keep warm and continue cooking remaining ravioli.

9. In a saute pan, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. When almost smoking, add chopped mushrooms and saute until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Carefully pour in tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

10. Plate ravioli, top with mushroom tomato sauce, and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Spinach & Mushrooms from Trader Joe's

Spinach & Mushroom Filling

My ravioli assembly line

Plump ravioli

Ready to be cook!

Just cooked and ready to be eaten

Finished product!

My team’s menu was:
Appetizer – Pancetta Wrapped Scallops with Mango Salsa
Entree – Grilled Shrimp with a Creamy Garlic Sauce and Spinach Orzo Pasta
Drink – Pomosa (Champagne with Pomegranate Juice)

The opposing team’s menu was:
Appetizer – Duo of Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Entree – Salmon with Lemon Butter Herb Sauce and Garlic Butter Mushroom Rice
Drink – Lychee Mojito

I’m happy to say that my team won 2 out of the 3 dishes! We won the appetizer and entree dishes, while the other team won the drink challenge. My friends and I had a great time during this challenge and it definitely gave us a good excuse to cook and eat good food. We had so much fun that we decided to do another challenge and it will be my specialty! Dessert!!! So, stay tuned to hear how our dessert challenge goes!

Pancetta Wrapped Scallop with Mango Salsa

Bacon Wrapped Scallops Duo - Lemon Pepper & Garlic Butter

Grilled Shrimp with a Creamy Garlic Sauce and Spinach Orzo Pasta

Salmon with Lemon Butter Herb Sauce and Garlic Butter Mushroom Rice

Pomosa (Champagne with Pomagrante Juice)

Lychee Mojito

I think this should be the new breakfast of champions.
(image from SteamyKitchen)

Rack of Lamb

Ingredients:

• 4 large garlic cloves
• 1.5 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
• 1.5 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 rack of lamb, french trimmed

Directions:

1. In a food proccesor, add garlic, rosemary, thyme, and olive oil. Pulse until everything is combined.
2. Season each side of the rack with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
3. Rub the olive oil mixture on both sides of the rack. Let the lamb marinate in the refridgerator for at least an hour (you can even marinate it overnight).
4. Grill lamb on each side for about 3 min or until brown.
5. Place lamb in a preheated 400 degree F oven for about 20 min for medium-rare.
6. Let rack sit for about 10 min on a cutting board, then slice, serve, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 box of Mrs. Cubbison’s Seasoned Dressing
• 1/2 box of Mrs. Cubbison’s Seasoned Cornbread Stuffin’
• 1 pound ground Jimmy Dean’s sage sausage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 3 teaspoons fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 large Fuji apple, cored and chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock (use more if needed)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors.
2. Place boxed stuffing in a large bowl and pour sausage mixture over it. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, and parsley. Drizzle with chicken stock and melted butter, and mix lightly.
   
3. Place stuffing mixture in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 40 min. Then remove foil and bake for another 15 min.

All the ingredients in one bowl, ready to be mixed.

The finished “awesome stuffing”

As for her new cookbook, I can’t wait to try out the recipes. I have to say that this cookbook is definitely a lot better than her first one. I love the fact that almost each recipe has a great picture of the final product and there’s even some pictures of Giada in the process of making her recipes in a step by step fashion. Her first cookbook “Everyday Italian”, lacked pictures and it really made the decision process hard when selecting a new recipe to try. A recipe can sound good, but having a picture can really make all the difference. I’ve already picked more than a dozen recipes I want to try, just from looking at the pictures alone. All the food looks so delicious and she came out with some pretty interesting recipes that sound strange, but after taking a look at the picture, it actually looked pretty appetizing. Two particular recipes that stood out to me were the Tomato, Watermelon, & Basil Skewers and also her Cantaloupe, Red Onion, & Walnut Salad. I know it sounds weird, but after seeing the pictures you’d want to try the recipe out too. I’ll keep you guys posted when I finally narrow down and choose a recipe to make!

Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures with her, so this is the best I could get.

Giada’s New Cookbook

My signed copy of the book! YAY!

Giada’s 1st Cookbook. Don’t mind the yellow flags…I like to tag the recipes I want to try haha.

I got her to sign this book too! Double YAY!

Tri-Colore Orzo and Salmon Packets

This picture was taken just before I was about to place the bowl on the dinner table and it slipped out of my hands and there was orzo pasta everywhere…yea I’m very clumsy and I make myself laugh hahaha. An incident like this just reminds myself why I can’t have my own cooking show…it would be a DIASTER. Luckily, I made a lot of orzo pasta, so there was enough left for dinner haha.

Salmon with Lemon, Capers, and Rosemary – So so good! Make sure you use marsala wine, I think it really makes this dish tasty.

Giada – I just had to post this up…I found it and this totally cracks me up…yes, it is a bit scary because its reminesent of Carrie, but I still love it anyway haha.