Mangia Vita

Tag: Dinner

  • Fried Chicken

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    Andrea DeCaro
    in

    Making homemade fried foods can be messy and tricky, but I feel like homemade fried chicken can be worth the hassle. Here is how I tackle it: I typically only fry chicken tenders, and I usually cut them up so it is more like nuggets. So cut up your chicken tenders into 1 inch pieces…

  • Ground Beef

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    Andrea DeCaro
    in

    In the past 10 years or so, I have begun doing our own ground beef for several reasons: Equipment This will require some special equipment, so that can be prohibitive. My preferred meat grinding machine is to use the Kitchen Aid with the stainless steel meat grinder attachment. We used the plastic one for years…

  • Cooked Shredded Beef Prep

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    Andrea DeCaro
    in ,

    Similar to how I prepare pork (method here: https://mangiavita.com/2023/08/17/pork-prep/ ), I like having ready-to-go meat in my freezer at any given time. Sometimes the meat is raw, but it is faster to make a lot of meals if the meat is already cooked and just needs to be reheated. I buy large packs of beef…

  • Pork Prep

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    Andrea DeCaro
    in ,

    I like having ready-to-go meat in my freezer at any given time. Sometimes the meat is raw, but it is faster to make a lot of meals if the meat is already cooked and just needs to be reheated. I buy large packs of pork meat from Costco, typically boneless spareribs are the easiest to…

  • Ham

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    Andrea DeCaro
    in

    This is less a recipe and more the way I work with a cooked ham. Holiday hams are great but I often find they are way more than my family can eat in one sitting. Additionally, hams can go on great sales during the non-holiday season and I love to take advantage of a good…

  • Red Sauce

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    Andrea DeCaro
    in

    This is our family’s Sunday Sauce, Red Sauce, or just Sauce (if you are in the know). All of the women in my family do it slightly differently, but the basic ingredients and method are pretty much the same. Tomato sauce, tomato paste, seasonings, pork meat, onion and garlic. This sauce is a project (take…

  • Little Cheddar Loaves

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    Andrea DeCaro
    in

    This recipe was one that my husband brought to our relationship. It’s from his aunt Debi. I mix everything but the meat in a bowl until it is a cohesive mixture, then transfer to a zippered plastic bag and add the ground turkey breast and massage the mixture in the bag until combined. Then I…

  • Chicken Tortilla Soup

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    Andrea DeCaro
    in

    I use about equal portions of the veggies, but I would say that you can vary the amounts to your liking. I think it will still be good. Sauté the veggies except the zucchini and tomato in olive oil until softened. Add cut up chicken, a little more oil and seasonings. Mix and cook until…

  • Gram D’s Lasagna

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    Andrea DeCaro
    in

    Prepare the ricotta mixture by whisking in the eggs, salt and dry parsley. Par cook the lasagna noodles just shy of al dente. Rinse with cool water and coat with olive oil. Add a layer of sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Lay out pasta sheets to cover the bottom of the…

  • Chicken and Rice

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    Andrea DeCaro
    in

    This is another recipe from Gram D. Salt and pepper the chicken parts, pan fry in olive oil, until lightly browned and set aside. Discard all but 3 tbsp of the oil, and fry the rice and shallot together in the pan. Add the water to the pan and stir in saffron until the water…