Here are some of my favorite summertime side dishes, sure to please all of your family and friends!  Enjoy!!!

IMG_5277Asian Slaw
Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package coleslaw mix (preferably an Asian blend)
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Ginger
½-1 teaspoon wasabi powder
¼ teaspoon Spice Islands® Garlic Powder
¼ cup Mazola® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Spice Islands® Sesame Seeds, lightly toasted*

Empty slaw mixture into a medium size mixing bowl and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl combine honey, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, wasabi powder and garlic power. Whisk until well blended. Slowly pour in oil, whisking continuously to emulsify dressing. Add sesame seeds and pour over greens. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight, if possible.

*To toast sesame seeds, place in a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat and toss until lightly golden.

IMG_5281

Southern Style Barbecue Beans for a Crowd

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 1 ½ hours
Serves: 10-15 people

1 teaspoon Mazola® Corn Oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 fresh jalapenos, minced
2/3 cup Weber® Sweet “N Spicy BBQ Sauce
½ cup ketchup
½ cup water
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Minced Garlic
½ teaspoon Spice Islands® Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon Weber® Smokey Mesquite Seasoning
1 lb. cooked, shredded pulled pork
2 (28-ounce) cans baked beans
2 (15-ounce cannellini beans, drained
2 (15 ounce) black beans, drained
1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilles, drained
½ lb. thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces.

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

In a medium size skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos, cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients (except bacon), and toss until well blended. Transfer mixture to a 13 x 9” baking pan. Top mixture with a single layer of bacon pieces over the top. Bake 1 ½ hours, or until beans are bubbling and bacon is rendered (if desired, place under broiler for a minute or two for extra crispy bacon). Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve.  Freezes well!

IMG_5276

Roasted Corn & Tomato Salad (recipe coming soon)

 

Bon Appetito!

Summertime Picnic Side Dishes

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Thank you all for supporting my blog…2014 in review. 2015 will be even bigger and better!

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 11,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

2015 Galena’s Cucina Calendars

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Just in time for the holidays, the perfect gift for that “foodie” in your life.  Monthly recipes along with beautiful photos.  Now available for ordering, first 25 orders will receive a free recipe collection. Special price of $12.95 plus shipping and handling.

Deliveries will be available after November 20, 2014.  Click on the “Order Form” to place your order.

Order Form

Galena's Cucina 2015 Calendars

Galena’s Cucina 2015 Calendars

Happy Labor Day

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Labor Day is the third largest cookout events in the United States.  Tradition dictates that food cooked on a open flame is synonymous with summer holidays and as Labor Day is the last holiday of the summer, it had better be good!  If planning a backyard cookout then this is the right place. It’s important to take advantage of Labor Day celebrations to mix up some summer time drinks, pop open some Beer, light up the grill or smoker, and have a great cookout with your friends and family!

Here are some delicious recipes for your Labor Day Cookout!

The number one most popular food cooked on Labor Day is Barbecue Ribs…

Memphis Style BBQ Ribs

Labor Day is also known for the end of “hot dog season“…

Perfect Grilled Hot Dog

Perfect Grilled Hot Dog

Some of my favorite salads include Asian Slaw, and Orzo Pasta Salad, or Black Beans, Rice & Avocado Salad…

Orzo Pasta Salad with Weber® Just Add Juice® Citrus Herb Marinade

Orzo Pasta Salad with Weber® Just Add Juice® Citrus Herb Marinade

A cookout is never complete without Watermelon…

Grab and Go Watermelon

Grab and Go Watermelon

or a wonderful Blueberry Cheesecake…

Blueberry Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake

And of course you will need the best Margarita…

The Best Margarita

The Best Margarita

I hope you all enjoy this Labor Day Weekend as you celebrate with your family and friends!

Boun Appetito!!!

A New England Lobster Favorite

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Rob & Jen with a day's catch

Rob and Jen with lots of a day’s catch

Having lived on the coast of Long Island for many years, lobstering was my husbands hobby, and what a great hobby that was!  I learned how to open a lobster in no time flat and how to cook lobster many ways.  My daughter, Jenny, had a favorite.  We called it “lazy man lobster roll”.  Pretty simple to make once you have removed the meat from the lobster.  Simply heat a skillet, add some butter (more is better), melt butter and add your cooked lobster meat, heat over medium high heat until lobster is heated thoroughly.

This July, for Bob’s birthday, I decided to fly in some lobsters from Maine for a special birthday treat.  Days of going out and pulling pots have long been over.  Since I was also appearing on CBS affiliate WREG “Live at 9” the morning of his birthday, I decided to prepare Jen’s favorite for the segment, “lazy man lobster roll”, along with a very yummy Asian Slaw.  Hope you enjoy the recipes as much as we enjoyed eating our lobster dinner birthday night.

Bob's BD Dinner

Bob’s BD Dinner

 

Asian Slaw Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package coleslaw mix (preferably an Asian blend)
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Ginger
½-1 teaspoon wasabi powder
¼ teaspoon Spice Islands® Garlic Powder
¼ cup Mazola® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Spice Islands® Sesame Seeds, lightly toasted*

Instructions:

Empty slaw mixture into a medium size mixing bowl and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl combine honey, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, wasabi powder and garlic power. Whisk until well blended. Slowly pour in oil, whisking continuously to emulsify dressing. Add sesame seeds and pour over greens. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight, if possible.

*To toast sesame seeds, place in a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat and toss until lightly golden.IMG_3236Buon Appetito!

 

Orzo Pasta Salad with Weber® Just Add Juice® Citrus Herb Marinade

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A quick and easy (of course) pasta salad to go with any picnic. You will need 1 pound of good Italian quality Orzo Pasta, 1 package of Weber® Just Add Juice® Citrus Herb Marinade, ½ cup orange juice, ¼ cup Mazola® Corn Oil, ½ cup red onion, finely chopped, 1 English cucumber, see below on how to prepare it, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered, 6 ounces feta cheese, 2 tablespoon black olive, sliced and 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro.

Boil pasta according to directions, drain and set aside until cooled (I place the cooked pasta on a large baking sheet for quick cooling).
Drained Orzo

In a medium sized mixing bowl add marinade, orange juice and corn oil. Whisk until well combined. When preparing the cucumber, peel skin, but not totally, see below. Use a fork to make ridges into sides of cucumber. Slightly Peeled

Add remaining ingredients to bowl, use a fork to remove herb from cilantro stems.IMG_3041 Add cooked pasta and toss until well blended. Serve immediate or refrigerate for later use.

Orzo Pasta Salad with Weber® Just Add Juice® Citrus Herb Marinade

Orzo Pasta Salad with Weber® Just Add Juice® Citrus Herb Marinade

Orzo Pasta Salad

1 pound orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions
1 package Weber® Just Add Juice® Citrus Herb Marinade Mix
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup corn oil
½ cup finely chopped red onion, about one half of an onion
1 English Cucumber, chopped
1 cup, 5 ounces, cherry tomatoes, quartered
6 ounces crumbled feta cheese, tomato & basil flavored, if desired
¼ cup sliced black olives, optional
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine marinade mix, orange juice and corn oil in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well blended. Add cooked pasta and remaining ingredients. Stir until well combined.
Serve with additional cilantro for garnish, if desired.

 

Buon Appetito!

A New “Twist” On Cooking Dogs, and a Black Bean, Rice, Avocado Salad with the “Perfect Margarita”

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A new “twist” on cooking hotdogs….a quick and easy black bean, rice and avocado salad, along with the “perfect” margarita!

My LOVE for food runs family wide.  I am very proud of my nephew Kris Wallenta, owner of “Kinta’s” Restaurant…

Kinta'sSeems like only yesterday he was gathering shells at the beach in front of our home…

Kristopher WallentaKris was recently filmed for the new season of “Flavors of Cozumel”.  Hope we get to see that episode in the United States.

Filming "The Flavor of Cozumel"

When I was looking for a “perfect” margarita, I thought I would ask the expert!  This is his “house” margarita. Thank you Kris!  Next time you vacation in Cozumel, make sure you visit my nephew’s restaurant…if you mention me you will get a “free” house margarita…  🙂

Black Bean Rice Avocado Salad

1 ½ cup chicken stock
½ cup water
1 cup long grain rice
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 avocados, diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ of one lime, juiced
4 tablespoons “Blood Orange” olive oil, or
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

In a 2 quart sauce pan combine chicken stock, water and rice. Cook over high heat until mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender. Place cooked rice on a serving dish to cool.

In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients. Stir in cooled rice and gently toss until mixture is well combined. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Cover bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours or more before serving.

Salad may be served in hollowed out avocado shells, top with additional fresh cilantro.

Kinta’s Famous House Margarita

1.5 ounces Tequila (Reposado)
1.5 ounces Triple Sec
1.5 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)
1 cup Ice
1 lime
kosher salt

Rub the outside of 1 glass with cut lime. Dip into a plate of Kosher salt.
Combine the Tequila, Triple Sec and lime juice and ice into a cocktail shaker, shake well
and pour into prepared glass…..

Recipe courtesy of Kristopher Wallenta
Kinta’s Restaurant
Cozumel, Mexico

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