August 2011

The Gourmet Mom has new and exciting things coming to you. I wrote my first cookbook back in August 2010 and it seems to be that the publisher I signed up with has scammed me and hundreds of other authors out of their royalties. For me, it’s not as devastating, but very hurtful as I plan to write at least 24 more books, possibly more. I have spoken to about 14 other authors and these men and women spend years writing novels to just have it blow up in their faces. I am still unsure how companies such as this publisher can get away with it up to now, but we are hoping that the word will get out there and other non-suspecting authors will not be taken advantage as well. Chrissie, Joe and I will be self publishing The Gourmet Mom series in the next month and the kindles and books will be available for purchase through Amazon; which is a very reputable company and we are thrilled. We plan to bring you hundreds of thousands of recipes over the next few years. You also will be able to get recipes on all our sites and blogs. Just go to www.thegourmetmom.com and you will be able to find all the links to our other sites.

We are now looking to help get other foodies, food bloggers and anyone else interested in food to get their recipes out there. You can submit your recipe; which will be featured on our site with you recipe picture if you have one and your name if you wish. This is all about sharing great food.

Joseph and I will be cooking together creating new recipes together and getting them out to you really soon. Hopefully, by the end of the month we will have The Gourmet Mom cooking series out on YouTube. So much to do, but all so exciting creating and eating delicious food!

Black Bean Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 - 28 ounce jar tomato pasta sauce

1/2 cup water

2 cans (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 3/4 cups low fat ricotta cheese

1 egg

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 1/2 cups shredded skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Over low heat, simmer tomato sauce, water, and black beans. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and egg. Set aside. Using a 9 X 13 inch baking dish, place 1 cup of the

bean/sauce mixture on the bottom of the dish. Place 3 pieces of uncooked lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Next, spread about 2/3 cup of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with 1 cup of the

bean/sauce mixture, lastly about 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Repeat two layers of noodles, ricotta, bean/sauce, and mozzarella. Then place on the remaining 3 lasagna noodles and pour the remaining bean/sauce mixture over all. Top with remaining mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake at 375F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

 Recipe By The Gourmet Mom

Lisa Montalva

Tip: Ceiling Repair

This ceiling repair tip is for cracked plaster.
This trick could help postpone re-plastering for months.

Ingredients:

"Elmer's" Glue
Baking soda

Mix "Elmer's" Glue with baking soda to form a paste. Apply to ceiling cracks with fingers. If the ceiling is colored, add food coloring to match.

Poached Chicken and Walnut Salad

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken breasts (with skin on and bone in)

1 celery stalk

1 onion, sliced

6 peppercorns

chicken broth

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup walnuts mixed greens: watercress, arugula, red leaf lettuce, radicchio

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in pan or skillet. Add celery, onion and peppercorns. Add enough broth to cover chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until just tender, about 20 minutes. Cool chicken and remove skin. Pull chicken off bone in strips. In a saucepan, combine olive oil, vinegar and walnuts. Cook until somewhat thickened and liquid is reduced. Wash greens and tear into pieces. Place greens on four salad dishes, then arrange chicken on each plate of greens. Pour oil-vinegar mixture on top.

 Recipe By The Gourmet Mom

Lisa Montalva

CHOCOLATE-CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST

This can be assembled the night before serving, left in the refrigerator and

cooked just before serving.

Ingredients:

1 loaf day-old French bread

1 C. milk chocolate chips or cinnamon chips

5 eggs, beaten

1 1/4 C. milk

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Strawberries (optional)

Maple syrup (optional)

Directions:

Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the French bread into 6 slices, each 1 1/2 inches thick. Using a small, sharp knife, cut 2-inch-long slits in one side of each bread slice, cutting 3/4

of the way through the bread, to create a pocket. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of chips into the pocket of each bread slice; press to close. Place filled slices into prepared baking pan. Whisk together eggs,

milk, cinnamon and vanilla in medium bowl. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread; carefully turn pieces over, spooning mixture in pan over top of bread. Cover pan with plastic wrap; refrigerate several hours or overnight. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until golden

brown. Transfer toast to plates. Serve with maple syrup, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

 Recipe By The Gourmet Mom

Lisa Montalva

Greek Salad

Ingredients:

1 head iceberg lettuce

1 head romaine lettuce

1 lb. plum (roma) tomatoes

6 oz. Greek or black olives, sliced

4 oz. sliced radishes

4 oz. feta cheese

2 oz. anchovies (optional)

Dressing:

3 oz. olive oil

3 oz. fresh (preferred) lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

Wash and cut lettuce into 1 1/2" pieces. Slice tomatoes in quarters. Combine lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and radishes in large bowl. Mix dressing ingredients together and then toss with vegetables. Pour out into a shallow serving bowl. Crumble feta cheese over all, and arrange anchovy fillets on top (if desired).

Lemon Roast Chicken - Crock Pot

Ingredients:

Chicken whole

1 dash Salt

1 dash Pepper

1 teaspoon Oregano

2 Cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons Butter

1/4 cup Water

3 tablespoons Lemon juice

Directions:

Wash chicken,pat dry, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1/2 oregano and garlic inside cavity. Melt butter in large frying pan. Brown chicken on all sides. Transfer to crock pot. Sprinkle with oregano and garlic. Add water to fry pan, stir to loosen brown bits. Pour into crock pot. Cover. Cook on LOW 8 hours. Add lemon juice in the last hour of cooking. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Skim fat. Pour juice into sauce bowl. Carve bird. Serve with some juice spooned over chicken.

 Recipe By The Gourmet Mom

Lisa Montalva