Date Night at Teresa's

Mike and I planned a date night with each other on friday.  We decided to go toTeresa's, an Italian BYOB in Wayne, Pa.  Mike and I have been huge fans since we moved here!  We have gone for special occasions and when we want to try to impress people.  Not only is it my favorite restaurant in Wayne, but my favorite Italian restaurant EVER!  Well at least it was...

Mike and I got into our fanciest duds and headed over.

 It is nestled in the main strip; it doesn't really look like much.

 We brought a bottle of Kitchen Sink, it is a really good, inexpensive, red wine.  We figured it was a good option if we were going to be getting pasta with red sauce.  Mike Checked in on 4 square...

 Mike and I started looking through the menu and all of our favorites dishes were gone!  Apparently, this was the first day that they reveled their new menu.  Well, they should have kept it under wraps because it was less than impressive.  They cut down the menu considerably.  There wasn't any "traditional" Italian items!  It did make it easy to decide because there were only 5 pasta dishes to choose from.

  The server brought us bread and oil, that was as good as it has always been.  The oil is good and fruity!

You could tell that the bread was still fresh made.

I ordered Pasta with beets, swiss chard, brown butter and goat cheese.  I was still really happy with the quality of my food.  My pasta was still cooked well and the flavors went really well together.

Mike ordered a gnocchi dish with sausage, broccoli rabbe and sundried tomatoes.  He, on the other hand, did not think the quality was as good.  I'll let him explain....

Mike's Mini Review:

The pasta was slightly undercooked, and since gnocchi is made with potato, it gave it a gummy texture that wasn't as good as it'd been the last time I'd had it here.  I was pretty disappointed that the entire menu had been revamped because they got rid of many of their traditional Italian items that I come to expect from an Italian restaurant.  I'm all for experimentation on menus, but sometimes, I just want a classic Italian dish, and that doesn't seem to be possible anymore.  Bummer.

 We did finish the entire bottle of wine.

By this time I was nice and happy no matter how much Teresa's had changed.

The server told us their desserts that they had and they were not impressive at all!  Nothing sounded appealing to me!  They don't have my favorite bread pudding any more :(

 I still did get my coffee, it used to be one of the best cup of joes around.  They must have at least kept this the same because it was really tasty!

Over all, we were really dissapointed in the new changes at Teresa's.  They used to always have great specials (there weren't any) and if non of those appealed to you, they are great staples on the menu!  I don't think it will be my first thought anymore when it comes to dinning out in Wayne. 

At least the company was world class!!  It still was a GREAT date night!!

Lemon Curd

This is a great basic recipe to have under your belt.  Especially with Easter coming up. It is fresh and brings out that special something like Spring does.  Out of all the recipes I have found, this seems the best.  It is adapted from an Ina Garten recipe.  It isn't hard to make, but you have to be super attentive when it is on the stove.  I am filling cupcakes with the lemon curd (recipe to follow).  You could also use it for a topping for angel food cake or layer into a cake.  I wouldn't mind just eating it with a spoon!

What you need:

• 3 lemons
• 4 eggs
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 c sugar

Zest the rind off of all the lemons using a microplane

It becomes really fine and almost mushy.

Do not grate down past the white!  The white is very bitter and won't make your curd taste as good.  You only want the yellow.

Squeeze out the juice of all three lemons.  It should be around 1/2 cup.

A little tip, if you roll the lemon on the counter or put it in the microwave, you will get more juice out of it.

In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar.

Add in your lemon zest and beat for 4 minutes.

Add in one egg at a time and wait to add the next until the previous is completely incorporated.

Scrape down the sides and beat for another couple minutes.

Add in the lemon juice.  Make sure that there are no seeds; it isn't a bad idea to strain it before adding it.  Beat for another few minutes.

Pour into the closest thing you have to a 2 quart sauce pan (mine was 3 quart).

Place over low heat and stir constantly.  You never want the mixture to bubble, not even simmer!  If it does become too hot, the eggs will curdle.

Cook for about 10-15 minutes.  The curd will become nice and thick.  If you have a thermometer, the temperature should read 170 degrees. 

Place into a Tupperware container and let cool slightly.

To store, place Saran wrap directly on the surface of the curd.  If you don't, a skin will form on the top (bllleck!)

Store in the fridge overnight.

The mixture will become even thicker.  Then you can use it for whatever you like!  It goes great with almost every type of berry.  It is tart and sweet and will brighten up any dessert you put it in!

Enjoy!

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-ups with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

I didn't start to LOVE to cook until college.  For whatever reason (I still haven't figured it out), I started watching Food Network non-stop.  My favorite personality at the time was Rachael Ray; she still holds a spot in my cooking heart.  She made these lasagna roll-ups and I have been hooked ever since.  It is still my mom's favorite meal that I have ever made for her.  Since she was coming over, I decided to resurrect this old favorite! 

What You Need:

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 2-3 tbs olive oil
• crushed red pepper (a couple of shakes)
• 1 medium onion
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 pint cremini mushrooms (baby portabella)
• 16 oz frozen spinach (defrosted)
• 15 oz of part skim ricotta
• 1 c chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 8 oz gorgonzola
• 1/2 c half and half
• 2 c mozzarella
• salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles as directed on the box (al dente).  When done, drain the water and rinse the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Dice up the onion and the garlic.

Dice up the mushroom. 

In a skillet, over medium-high head, add the olive oil and a couple shakes of the red pepper flakes.  When the oil is heated, add in the onions and garlic.  Saute for 3 minutes.

Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 7 minutes.  The mushrooms will brown and the onions will become nice and soft.

Add in the defrosted spinach and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add in ricotta

Stir to incorporate and heat through (about a minute).  Salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate pot add in chicken broth and bring to a boil.

When it boils, add in the gorgonzola.  Stir occasionally to work out all the clumps.

When the cheese is incorporated well, add in the half and half.  Cook for about 3 minutes to thicken.

Lay the lasagna noodles out on a clean work surface.  Try to divide the spinach mixture in 9ths while still in the skillet.  This will guarantee that each noodle gets the right amount!  Spread the spinach mixture on to the lasagna noodle.  

Be generous!  It ends up being a thick layer.

Starting at one end of the noodle, start to roll towards the other.

Be gentle, you don't want to squeeze all of the filling our of the end.

Roll until the seam is completely closed.

Place, standing upright, in a 9x9 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

You can see all the layers of yumminess circling around in there!

Pour the gorgonzola cream sauce all over the top, dumping right into each roll.

The cream sauce will puddle in each roll-up and gather around the foot of the roll-ups.

Top with all of the mozzarella

and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned.

The sauce at the bottom will be come hot and bubbly!

Scoop out the roll-ups and spoon some of the gorgonzola sauce over top.

Mom had to have two roll-ups!

and she is UBER happy right now!

Mike has never had this meal before and he loved it!

We finished every bite!  This is such a great change from traditional meat lasagna.  The gorgonzola isn't overpowering.  All the flavors go really well together!

One last picture to leave you with...

Ya gotta love him!