Day: November 13, 2015

Dining Outside the Home: Little Italy’s Civico 1845 of San Diego, California 

Dining Outside the Home: Little Italy’s Civico 1845 of San Diego, California! Nestled on the corner where the air is filled with aromas of Southern Italy is a quaint place to relax with a glass of wine and a plate of pasta. The exuberant staff at Civico 1845 is as passionate about their food as they are about family traditions. Everyone abounds in vitality as the steady stream of Italian floats from table to table overflowing through open-shuttered windows onto the terrace. The most difficult decision is choosing what to order, although the chef can modify any dish to appeal to personal favorites. Mine was the vegan potato gnocchi topped with spicy grilled shrimp in a fabulous white sauce that was to die for. My husband, on the other hand, ordered raviolo classico with a polpette (homemade meatball in neopolitan ragù) on the side. The flavors were just right. Favoloso!

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter D

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Appetizers to Desserts: Divine Duchess Potatoes! Sometimes it’s fun to mix things up when serving leftovers. Take mashed potatoes, for instance. By adding a few more ingredients, you can serve them again with first-class results that would make a Frenchman proud. With the holidays coming up, I find this recipe invaluable. I used leftovers from Gail’s Kitchen “Havarti Mashed Potatoes” recipe simply because it was quick and easy. Take a shortcut that treats your family like royalty. 
DIVINE DUCHESS POTATOES 
Ingredients:

3 cups mashed potatoes*

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick oil. Combine mashed potatoes, egg yolks, and cream. Blend well. Transfer to a pastry bag or piping tool with a large star tip. Pipe and swirl upward to form a cone shape in each muffin cup. Brush with melted butter before baking 10 minutes. Switch oven to Broil for a golden brown finish. Watch carefully. Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes before serving. 
*Havarti Mashed Potato recipe was used for this preparation since it was seasoned with cheese and herbs.