Friday's, Feasting with Friends Featuring Angie Forkapa

"One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating. And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends."

~Laurie Colwin 'Home Cooking'

My guest for today is my friend and neighbor Angie Forkapa. Hands down the hardest thing about moving to a new home was having to leave our wonderful neighbors behind.  I was heartsick about starting over, building new friendships not only for my children but myself as well.  We were truly blessed in our first home, surrounded by good, kind people who cared for my family. How could we possibly find anything that could compare?  Well God provides!! Our new neighborhood is again filled with amazing neighbors, instant family friends and playmates for my boys.  Angie and her family live across the street from us and her youngest son Keegan was the welcoming committee when we first came to our new home.  And that is just a perfect example of the Forkapa Family. They are welcoming, kind, and have a ways about them that makes you feel like you have known them for years.  Angie was my first friend here on Deep Cove and I will always treasure how she made us all feel at home in our new neighborhood. Thank you Angie for just being you.  

Angie Forkapa

Angie and her amazing Bernese Mountain Dogs, Gunner and Daisy

What is your occupation?
I'm a stay at home mom for the most part although I do rock a hairnet twice a week in the cafeteria at my children's school.  

What is your favorite thing to cook?   
Hmmmm that's a tough question. I like to cook things that I can prepare all at once and pop in the oven or cook quickly on the stove. I don't enjoy cooking meals that take hours to prepare. Mostly because I am not the most patient person. I would say right now my favorite thing to cook is a copycat version of Panda Express's Orange Chicken.  I made a gluten free version and it was a big hit with the kids and easy to make too which is a bonus.  

How about your least favorite thing to cook?
Fish! I like to eat all types of fish...except sushi...but I am not a fan of cooking it. I think it is more that I don't really know how to cook fish. All I ever do is bake it which is rather boring.  

What is your favorite local restaurant and what is one you are dying to try out?   
Cleveland has so many wonderful restaurants! Blue Point is at the top of my list. I love a good steak and have heard great things about STRIP in Avon and would love to go there.  

The Forkapa Family

Music and food go together so beautifully. You are hosting a dinner party, what would be on your playlist?
Both my husband and I have a pretty wide range of musical tastes. He likes to put on music that represents the food we are eating. If it's taco night, he puts on the Mexican music. An Italian dish, then Italian dinner music. Amazon Music has a great selection of dinner music.  

What would you choose to be your last meal on earth?
Surf and Turf! I love a good steak and have always loved shrimp and lobster….dripping with butter of course.  

What are you currently reading?
I love to read and the book I currently have on my Kindle is Almost Dead by T.R. Ragan.  It's the 4th book in the Lizzy Gardner Series.  A crime/who done it/suspense. My favorite book series have been Harry Potter and also the Outlander series. I have read both series more than once.  

What is your favorite Kitchen Gadget?
Not really a gadget, but we recently bought a cast iron skillet. I have been cooking EVERYTHING in it. I wish we had bought one earlier. My grandmother swore by hers and I can fondly recall her at the stove cooking many delicious meals.  

Do you have a signature go-to dish?  
My kids love when I make roast beef and mashed potatoes or oven roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. My son was just home from college and he requested both of those along with flank steak.  

What is your favorite thing about the Cleveland area?
Cleveland has so many things to offer! Picking one favorite thing is so difficult. I love our park systems, the islands, restaurants and museums. My favorite though would be the Lake Erie islands.

Do you have a favorite meal from your childhood and do you cook it today?
My mom, hands down, made the BEST roast beef. It was something that she was frequently asked to make for parties in large quantities because it was that good. Even though she taught me how to make it, I just have not been able to duplicate hers.  

Top 3 Movies of all time?
Gladiator, Gone With The Wind and Elf.

What was your happiest moment in life?
When each of my children were born.  Nothing can possibly top that.  

Where do you do your grocery shopping?
I like to buy as much organic as I can and do most of my shopping at Heinen's. However if I am in the neighborhood I will always stop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I recently joined Costco and have been impressed with their organic food selection also.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to food?  
French Onion chip dip! So bad for you, but oh so good. If I'm invited to a party and they have french onion dip...that's where you will find me.

Do you have Culinary Resolutions that you would like to accomplish this year?  
Over the past few years I have tried to go as organic as possible. Also limiting the amount of processed foods my family eats and making most meals from scratch. My ultimate goal would be to be proactive enough to put a menu together a week ahead of time and then grocery shop for it so I am prepared each day rather than deciding that morning what's for dinner based on what I have available.  

One word that best describes you is: Loyal.  

Well actually the first word that really came to mind was Sassy. Lol.  Loyalty is extremely important to me when it comes to my friends and family and I am fiercely loyal to those close to me.  

And now for your favorite recipe: Since it has been such a big hit with the kids recently I will share the Gluten Free Orange Chicken I have been making.  I most definitely did NOT come up with this recipe myself, but found it on Pinterest.  I use Gerber’s chicken which can be found at Heinen's and my cast iron skillet.  I serve it over organic white rice.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!  

Gluten Free Orange Chicken

• 2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used chicken tenderloins)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup cornstarch, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
• 1/4 cup oil, approximately
• 1/4 cup tamari gluten free soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• green onions, to garnish, optional
• 
  
• Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Place the cornstarch in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, add the chicken on top and toss until evenly coated.
• 
  
• Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the hot skillet and then add the chicken. Cook stirring occasionally until all the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.
• 
  
• Meanwhile whisk together all the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
• 
  
• Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown remove it from the skillet. Pour the contents of the small bowl into the hot skillet and simmer and stir until thickened. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the chicken back in, and toss to coat.
• 
  
• Garnish with some green onions if you want, and enjoy. You can serve it with steamed rice if desired.

Fridays, Feasting with Friends Featuring Kelly Morse

"One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating. And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends."

~Laurie Colwin 'Home Cooking'

I am so excited to to revive a feature of my blog called Fridays, Feasting with Friends.  This is where each Friday I will feature a different friend, family member, and other foodies, chat with them a bit in a little interview and then share one of their favorite recipes.  This was easily my favorite day of the week here in My Retro Kitchen and I am thrilled to get this going again. 

Today's guest is my very talented friend Kelly Morse.  I first met Kelly when Aaron, my youngest, was a newborn.  I was looking to have booties made to match one of my beloved woven wraps and admired those belonging to a mutual friend on Instagram.  She told me that Sew Crunchy was the absolute BEST and pointed me her way.  

teeny tiny Aaron in his perfect little shoes

Not only is Sew Crunchy amazing but Kelly is probably one of the sweetest ladies I have had the pleasure getting to know! I often find myself grateful for social media.  It has repeatedly offered me so many ways to connect with people from all over that I may not have met otherwise.  The internet is such an incredible place!  And now without further ado, I bring you Kelly Morse.  

Kelly Morse

What do you do for a living?
I am officially a stay at home mom. But I also own my own business, Sew Crunchy, where I make soft sole kids shoes and a few other things. I've recently also became a consultant for Perfectly Posh, a naturally based pampering company. So between my kids and two home businesses, I'm very busy!


-->What is your favorite thing to cook?Anything my kids will eat without a fuss :P But truthfully I don't love to cook. I might like the end result, but the planning and clean up is what kills my cooking mojo. I usually cook things that my husband likes, (he works so hard at his job so a good meal is what I like for him to come home to) so I usually do more comfort foods, creamy soups, breads and casseroles.


-->How about your least favorite thing to cook?
-->Anything involving RAW chicken. Ick. I'm usually picky and buy boneless skinless chicken breasts or cutlets, so the touching is minimal.
What is your favorite local restaurant and what is one you are dying to try out?
We live in a small town in northwest Indiana. My favorite local restaurant is called Mi Ranchito. It is a family owned Mexican restaurant that has the best chips and salsa plus margaritas of course! We have an upscale restaurant called McVey's that I'd love to try and have a date night with my husband there sometime.

Music and food go together so beautifully. You are hosting a dinner party, what would be on your playlist?
Themed music. A lot of my events focus around holidays or birthdays. So Christmas events will have Christmas music, and so on. If it's just me cooking, I'll have praise music on.

What would you choose to be your last meal on earth?
Everything on the menu at any mexican restaurant, a pizza buffet, baklava, a dessert table, donuts, iced coffee, bread and butter, spinach and artichoke dip, buffalo chicken dip.

What are you currently reading?
I don't read :P It's true. Between three kids, two businesses, and a very active gym life, I hardly have time to sit down. If there's ever quiet time, I'm usually found browsing Pinterest.

What is your favorite Kitchen Gadget?
My favorite kitchen item is my kitchenaid mixer. I love to bake desserts and am recently starting to make bread so when I bought it a few years ago, my cooking life was forever changed.

Do you have a signature go-to dish?
Tacos, haha. It sounds super basic but I usually have all the items I need to make it between my pantry and fridge. Just brown up some ground turkey, start some black beans, cut up the toppings and it can be done in half an hour.

What is your favorite thing about your hometown?
I live in Lowell, Indiana. What I love most is the small town feel. We don't have any huge chain stores, so it's not at all congested and I love that.

Do you have a favorite meal from your childhood and do you cook it today?
My mom was a very good cook and involved me and my sister in the kitchen a lot. She never used recipes, just sort of always winged it. The meals I make now that reminds me of my mom is lasagna and meatloaf. She always could throw those meals together pretty quickly and on a budget, so I love to cook both for my family.

Top 3 Movies of all time?
Matilda, Bring it on and Enough.

What was your happiest moment in life?
The birth of each of my three children. All I ever wanted to be was a mom, so it's such a great pleasure to have my babies and to be able to stay home and raise them.

Where do you do your grocery shopping?
I do all of my shopping at Aldi and Costco. Aldi is mostly for weekly items, dairy, produce, fruit. Costco is about once every 3-4 weeks and we stock up on dry goods and meat.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to food?
I love dips! Spinach artichoke, cheese dip, spinach dip, all of them! I can't hardly control myself at holiday parties with all the yummy appetizers.

Do you have Culinary Resolutions that you would like to accomplish this year?
I definitely need to add a few different meals into our rotation. Sometimes I get in a cooking rut and just rotate the same few meals. My family doesn't complain, but I know they'd like some different things.

One word that best describes you is: BIG!

Let me explain. I do everything over the top. Whether it's gifts or decorating or kids parties, I go big always. I don't really have a slow down or minimal mode.


And now for your favorite recipe:
My favorite recipe is a copycat of an Olive Garden soup. I also like to sub cheese tortellini for the gnocchi.
Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocci Soup

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup carrots, diced

1/2 cup celery, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

coarse salt and fresh black pepper

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken broth

1 + 1/2 cups half & half

2 cups cooked white meat chicken, shredded or cut into small bites

1 pound potato gnocchi

3 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

fresh grated Parmesan and/or Romano, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven heat the butter and oil together over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until tender over medium-low heat about 10 minutes, stirring often.
2. Sprinkle the flour into the pot and stir into the vegetables, cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the chicken broth 1 cup at a time, followed by the half & half.
3. Add the cooked chicken. Bring up to a simmer and maintain for 20 minutes stirring often. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook the gnocchi separately according to package directions. Add them to the soup along with the spinach. Simmer until spinach is wilted. Stir in basil. Serve with grated cheese.

Notes: recipe Copyright ©2013 Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice by Reeni Pisano All Rights Reserved

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Rustic Beef Stew with Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes and Cabbage

This has been the most beautiful Autumn here in Ohio.  It is the middle of November and I am sitting outside watching the boys play as I type, no jackets needed. I am sure it won't  be lasting but I am enjoying every second of it while I can!  I know I have been a stranger around here for some time, but life has FINALLY begun to settle down.  Between my broken leg, pregnancy, a new baby and moving into a new home I have felt like I could hardly catch my breath. It was a whirlwind for sure! Well this year both Jackson and Owen are in school full time leaving me with just one little guy running around.  I forgot how easy having one child was- or actually it was probably never easy when I only had one. But now in comparison to three, one is a piece of cake... at least most of the time. Haha! We have settled into a routine of storybooks, daily hikes in our woods, and lots of make believe.  I have been enjoying my days with Aaron so much. It has been wonderful having this one on one time together, just me and him.  He is such a joy!  But now it is also time for me to get back into doing those things I enjoyed in my spare time way back when I actually HAD free time. And that includes blogging again!  I have missed it so much and am beyond excited about reviving My Retro Kitchen!

This recipe came about on accident (but isn't that how some of the best recipes are created?!) I started out prepping the makings of my favorite stew, browning meat, chopping veggies, when I realized the bag of potatoes I thought I had in the pantry were actually used a few nights before.  Aaron was napping so there was no running out to the store, I needed to make due with what I did have on hand- a couple of sweet potatoes and a butternut squash. And as a matter of fact, they sounded delicious!

This recipe not only turned out fantastic but I knew it would be the perfect recipe to bring My Retro Kitchen back to life again.  I was dying to share it with all of you! It is hearty, satisfying and a perfect meal on these crisp fall evenings.  Be sure to serve it with some warm, crusty bread and lots of butter. You're going to want it to sop up the delicious broth. Enjoy!

Rustic Beef Stew with Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes and Cabbage

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 large carrots, 2 diced and 2 cut into 3/4-inch
 chunks
4 celery stalks, 2 diced and 2 cut crosswise into 3/4-inch slices
2 sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 head of cabbage (about 6 cups), halved and then sliced into strips
2 lbs beef, cut into 2-inch chunks (chuck steak or bottom round works well)
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 fresh sprigs of thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine
8 cups beef or chicken stock

Sprinkle the meat with a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Place the meat into a gallon-sized plastic bag with the flour and seal shut.  Shake well to coat all the meat in the flour.  Heat a large dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pot with the olive oil and heat. Working in batches, add the beef to the pot, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. You want to brown the meat, not steam it!  Brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes, then transfer to a plate.  Repeat until all the meat has been browned.

Add the butter to the pan and melt. Add the onions, garlic, diced carrots, and diced celery.  Cook on medium-low heat until just beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and the thyme sprigs and cook for 2 more minutes.

Turn the heat up to high and slowly pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden or silicone spoon picking up all the wonderful browned bits stuck to the bottom. This will give your stew a nice, rich flavor.  Return the meat to the pan and add the broth to just cover the beef. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for two hours.

Add the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrot and celery chunks to the pot with the meat and cook until tender, about 30 minutes.  Remove the bayleaf and the stems of the thyme (or do as my mom would do while I was growing up.... keep them in and whoever got the bayleaf was the lucky one to do the dishes! Ha!) Taste the broth and add more salt if needed.

Serve with lots of crusty bread and butter to sop up all the delicious broth.