Luckily, for this shoot, I have  friend in town who recently purchased a Nikon D3s and offered to let me use it any time I’d like!  So, I took him up on the offer and went down to Minnechaug to snap some shots of the JV and Varsity teams.

The D3s takes some gorgeous pictures – it ROCKS in low light.    Here is a comparison between the D3s and my D700.  Note that I too them in different gyms, but both are in Minnechaug, so the light is comparable.

D700, 70-200mm, ISO 3200, f/2.8, 1/320

This was taken in the “green gym”, note that the picture is a little dark, grainy and not very sharp.  I’m really pushing the limit of what I can capture with the D700 here.  I usually use Aperture priority, and set my Auto-ISO to 200-3200 with a minimum shutter speed of 1/400.  You can see, the camera couldn’t even do 1/400 with the available light!  In both cases, I used my Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.

Now, I can use different techniques to lighten and sharpen this image, but I wanted to show how the image looked straight out of the camera.

Here’s an image from the other night…

D3s, 70-200mm, ISO 7200, f/2.8, 1/400

Similar settings, Auto-ISO set to maximum of 10,000!  The D3s did a much better job of capturing the image and hitting the 1/400 speed minimum… and while the two images are similar in their graininess, the D3s image is much sharper at almost double the ISO.  The cool thing about this is that when you print these out, you almost can’t see the grain at all, and they look pretty impressive.

While I can see that I could capture way more shots that are keepers right out of the camera with the D3s, I just can’t justify the price right now (because there isn’t really a market for indoor action shots).  People like to look at their kid’s action pictures, but  not many buy them.  Unless we get commissioned to take the pictures (i.e. paid), it’s just not worth $5199 on the chance someone will buy a $7 shot!

I didn’t really get to use the D3s for much else, but I do plan to borrow it again in the Spring when Lacrosse starts up, just to compare the focus speed, and performance difference between the D3s and D700.

Now, don’t get me wrong, if the camera fairy should show up with a D3s, I wouldn’t send it back!

Ingredients:

1 – soup pack (I buy the soup starter packs, really all you need is: 1 – carrot, 1-stalk of celery, 1-parsnip, 1-turnip, 1-onion)
1 package of pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms
1lb hamburger (use whatever you like, I usually get the 80/20)
1lb veal
1lb ground chicken
2 bay leaves
Taco seasoning (to taste)
1 #10 can crushed tomatoes (or use can use the whole tomatoes and crush them yourself, I like these, but use whatever is in the house)
1 can red kidney beans (if I can remember to buy them)

Optionally, you can add hot spices, jalapeño peppers, etc. spice it up the way you like it!

Directions:

Start off by cutting all the veggies into small cubes, put them into a heavy-bottomed pan with some oil… put some salt on them and begin to sweat them down a bit.  Once they start getting a bit translucent, push them all to one side in the pan.  Cut the baby bella mushrooms very fine (I use my slap chop) put a chunk of butter in the pan and then all the baby bella mushrooms.  Cook the mushrooms down – we’re looking to get them cooked, but we’re really not looking for anything to brown, just start the cooking process.

I pushed the veggies to one side, then put the mushrooms in and cook.

Once all the veggies have a nice start, I first add the ground veal.  Again, I’m not really looking to “brown” the meat, rather I’m just looking to get it cooked mostly thru and then incorporate the cooked meat into the veggies and move it aside for the next meat.

Push veggies aside, add the veal and cook thru...

Once the veal is 90% cooked, I mix it together with the veggies, then push the whole lot to one side and add the ground beef.

Again, looking to cook the meat thru before incorporating the rest of the veggie/veal mixture.

Here’s the interesting part – I started using ground chicken a while back, and when I do, I let all the juices cook the chicken meat… so, this part, don’t stir up the chicken too much otherwise, the chicken meat kinda dissolves and you don’t get the nice chunks of chicken (trust me, it tastes GOOD).

As you can see, starting to get some nice juices! Let the juices cook the chicken, resist mashing it up!

Now that you have all your ingredients cooked, it’s time to mix it all together and add the taco seasoning.  How much you use is entirely up to you and is based on your taste.  If you like, you can use the packets of chili seasoning, you can put in your own mixture, whatever you like.  I tend to make mine on the “non-spicy” side, because folks aren’t really into spicy in my house (I add the spice to my own bowl).

I use taco seasoning, you can use whatever you like

Last step, I add the two bay leaves (make sure to take them out, don’t eat ‘em).  And the crushed tomatoes (or the whole tomatoes you crushed yourself).

Use crushed or whole that you crush yourself.

That’s it – let it cook for a little bit to make sure all the meat is thoroughly cooked – and YOUR READY FOR SOME GOOD EATS!

Let me know if you try it, and if you like it!  I think adding the parsnips and the turnip give it a very unique flavor, almost like a hint of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

I’ve been making a recipe that I found on the back of a bottle of Ranch dressing for the past couple of years, and the family really likes it. It’s called Ranch Baked Chicken. The recipe is really simple.

5 – Chicken Breast (pounded so they are uniform in thickness – will help them cook evenly).
1 cup – Ranch Dressing – any brand
1 cup – Bread Crumbs – plain works great, this time I used an Italian blend, and it was just as yummy
1 cup – Shredded Cheese – I used a four cheese mexican combo, but use whatever you like best
2 cups – Frozen Broccoli

Directions:

Put the Chicken breasts in the Ranch Dressing – coat evenly. Combine the bread crumbs and shredded cheese. Evenly coat the ranch covered chicken in the breadcrumb and cheese mixture.

But I kind of got ahead of myself, because you’ll actually want to do the Chicken part last.

1) Take a good sized casserole – I used a 8 quart casserole.

2) Spray it with Pam or any other type non-stick spray.

3) Put a layer of frozen Broccoli on the bottom of the casserole. Put a layer of shredded cheese no top of the broccoli. I’m lucky that Eileen works for Friendly’s, so I get their frozen broccoli and it’s awesome.

First Layer - Broccoli and Cheese

4) Next, I made a double batch of mashed potatoes, specifically I used the Idahoan Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Baby Reds brand mashed. Make per the directions and then put a layer of mashed right on top of the Broccoli.

Second Layer - Mashed Potatoes

5) Finally, put the chicken breasts as the last layer on top. (See directions above)

Third Layer - Chicken

Added a bit more cheese on top

6) Put in an oven of 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour. I started with 1/2 hour, then I bumped the temp to 400, then bumped it again to 425. So, I’m thinking if I did the whole thing at the same temp, for a longer period of time, it would have been better.

I did the first 1/2 hour uncovered, and it made the cheese nice and crunchy – after that, I put a small dollop of butter on each chicken breast, covered it with foil and finished cooking.

The final product - delish!

The result was the most delicious thing I’ve had all year (and it’s only the 4th).

The spot marked with the “A” is where our cottage is in Old Lyme… as you can see, it’ll be a little while before we get back into those waters! Just crazy!

Chicken with Potatoes (and corn bread)

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. onions (your choice on what kind, I use sweet onions) diced
1/2 c. celery diced
1/2 c. carrots diced
3 lg. potatoes (I had small potatoes, but I cut them in my mandolin slicer to get 1/4″ slices)
Chicken Tenders (pounded flat – easier to cook and cooks more evenly)
Flour (like a cup or so), flavored with salt, fresh cracked pepper, and St. Louis Chicken seasoning
1 c. chicken broth
Fresh ground salt (to taste)
Fresh ground pepper (to taste)
1 c. half and half (or cream)

Directions
Put 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter in a large skillet and cook onions, celery and carrots, without browning, until soft. Remove from pan and reserve.

Peel and slice potatoes 1/4 inch thick. Add olive oil to pan and saute potatoes until tender over moderately high heat, turning to brown both sides. I like to put fresh cracked pepper and sea salt on the potatoes as they cook, I think it adds a nice flavor to the end product. Add them to the onion, celery & carrot mixture.

Lightly flour the pounded chicken tenders.

Add more oil if the pan seems dry and brown chicken on both sides.

Lower heat and return potatoes and onions to the pan and add the chicken broth, half and half and pepper. The way I did it was, put a layer of chicken, put a layer of the potato/onion/carrot/celery mixture, then another layer of chicken, and repeat. I got two layers of deliciousness!

Cover tightly and simmer gently about 15 minutes.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
2 1/3 c. onions (your choice on what kind, I use sweet onions) diced
1/2 c. celery (optional) diced
1/2 c. carrots (optional) diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled & minced (I didn’t have any cloves, so I used the chopped stuff)
3 lg. potatoes (I had small potatoes, but I cut them in my mandolin slicer to get 1/4″ slices)
6 pork chops, cut about 1/2″ thick (I use the thin sliced, bone-in variety. I think it’s juicer and more flavorful)
Flour (like a cup or so)
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
Fresh ground pepper
1 c. half and half (or cream)

Directions
Put 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter in a large skillet and cook onions (celery and carrots if using them) and garlic, without browning, until soft. Remove from pan and reserve.

Peel and slice potatoes 1/4 inch thick. Add olive oil to pan and saute potatoes until tender over moderately high heat, turning to brown both sides. I like to put fresh cracked pepper and sea salt on the potatoes as they cook, I think it adds a nice flavor to the end product. Add them to the onion (celery/carrot) mixture.

Lightly flour the pork chops.

Add more oil if the pan seems dry and brown chops on both sides.

Lower heat and return potatoes and onions to the pan and add the chicken broth, rosemary and pepper. The way I did it was, put a layer of pork chops, put a layer of the potato/onion (carrot/celery) mixture, then another layer of pork chops, and repeat. I got two layers of deliciousness!

Cover tightly and simmer gently about 15 minutes or until chops are tender.

Last step, I took the solid ingredients out of the pan (put in another pan to hold), and added the half and half to the hot pan, it created an amazing cream sauce, that I returned the pork chops/potatoes to and cooked another five or so minutes to let absorb the creamy goodness. It was almost like a creamy potatoes with pork chop recipe!

The combination of the nicely browned potatoes with the creamy sauce and the tender delicious pork chops was MMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMM GOOOOOD!

Chicken Parmesan alla Mastrio

Sometimes you have an ingredient but you just don’t know what you’re going to do with it until you start. This was one of those situations. I had some chicken tenders (actually, they were chicken breasts cut into strips) that were buy-one get-one free at Big Y. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what to do with them – better yet, what to do with them so the kids would eat them!

I found some panko breadcrumbs in the pantry, but didn’t quite have enough. So, I put some regular Italian breadcrumbs in with them so I’d have enough for about a dozen strips of chicken. I added some dried parsley to the breadcrumbs for color. At this point, get your pan ready. We have a great cast iron skillet, but you can use any heavy bottomed skillet. I put enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan and turn the heat up to medium-high (then lower when I start cooking, so I don’t burn the breadcrumbs). Remember, you’ll likely have to add oil as you go because the breadcrumb will soak up some of the oil as it cooks.

In a separate bowl I put my eggs, I use Egg Beaters, but you can use real eggs. I put some fresh cracked pepper and sea salt right into the eggs and mix well, then add the chicken to the egg mixture and mix around so the chicken is completely covered in egg. Then the fun part, take each individual strip of chicken and roll in the panko breadcrumbs and then put into the hot pan of oil. Keep an eye on the chicken so you don’t burn the breadcrumbs, turn down the heat if they’re cooking too fast. Once the bottom is golden brown, flip over and cook the other side ’till golden brown. Take out of the oil on to a paper towel lined plate…

Since I didn’t want the dish to be just chicken, I found some Uncle Ben’s Rice Pilaf – the 90 second microwavable variety. I had some white rice too, just enough for four servings. I put the rice on the bottom of a good sized casserole then put a single layer of the chicken on top of the rice. Then, put a scoop of Marinara sauce on each of the chicken strips.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, THEN (finally), put some fresh Mozzarella cheese slices on top. I like the BelGioioso pre-sliced Mozzarella cheese. Stick in a 400degF oven until the cheese starts to melt, then finish under the broiler to get the cheese bubbly and golden.

The kids LOVED IT!

Ingredients:

1 – 1.5 lb. package of chicken tenders (or could use chicken breast cut into strips)
2 cups of panko breadcrumbs
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup dried parsley
2 cups egg beaters (or equivalent in real eggs)
2 packages of Uncle Ben’s microwavable rice (or the real stuff, if you have the time)
1 package of BelGioioso pre-sliced Mozzarella
1 jar of your favorite Marinara sauce
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 deg F.

Heat cast iron skillet with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan – keep more on hand as the breadcrumb will absorb some of the oil.

Put eggs,  salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well.  Put chicken tenders into egg mixture and coat strips completely.

Put panko and Italian breadcrumbs into another flat pan (or a good sized plate) and mix together with parsley.

When oil is hot, turn down a bit so you don’t burn the breadcrumbs (or cook chicken too fast)… take each strip out of the egg mixture and completely cover in the breadcrumb mixture.  Shake off any excess.  Place into the skillet and brown both sides (about 5 mins per side).  Again, if oil is too hot, turn the heat down so you don’t burn your breadcrumbs.

When your chicken is nice and golden brown, place on a paper towel lined plate.

Once all the chicken is cooked, microwave your rice, place the cooked rice in the bottom of a casserole large enough to make one even layer of chicken.

Layer the chicken on top of the rice.

Spoon marinara sauce onto each of the strips.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Place the sliced Mozzarella cheese on top.   I like to flatten out the slices so they are thinner – they will melt faster and cook more evenly.

Put in oven until the cheese melts – if you like, stick under the broiler to get the cheese golden brown.
ENJOY!

Serves 4 or more…

Makes about 60 pieces
Ingredients:
8 cups whole milk
2 pounds semolina flour
8 tablespoons salted butter, cubed
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
5 egg yolks

1. Warm milk in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, butter, salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

2. Lower heat and cook, stirring constantly with long-handled wooden spoon, for 30 minutes or until batter pulls away from the side of the pan in a solid mass. (You must constantly bring the batter up and away from the sides and bottom of the pan or it will stick.) At the last minute, add the egg yolks, mix in, and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and pour the batter onto a non stick cookie sheet with sides (if you don’t have one, you can improvise like I did – use a regular cookie sheet, line with foil and spray with Pam) – spreading it out with a spatula to form a rectangle of even thickness. To prevent it from sticking to the spatula (or spoon), you may have to dip the spatula in cold water from time to time so that it glides over the top. cover lightly and set aside to cool. I put mine in the refrigerator for a couple of hours…

4. When cool, cut into circles using a small (1 1/2-inch round) cookie or biscuit cutter, or if you don’t have one, use a small juice glass (dip in water to keep from sticking if necessary).

5. At this point, yo8u can either put the circles on a well-buttered sheet pan, dot with butter, sprinkle with freshly grated cheese and bake in a preheated 400deg F oven for 15 minutes or until golden. After this step, I put them into another pan, turned the broiler on and topped each with a circle of mozzarella, and broiled them until the cheese melted and turned golden. I then put them into a pool of a meat sauce I created – you can use whatever sauce you prefer – and then top with grated cheese.

YUM.

Gnocchi can be made up to 2 days in advance… Store, tightly covered and refrigerate.

- 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1/4 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped pickled jalapeno peppers
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 cup Italian salad dressing
- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Mix beans, peas, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno peppers in a large bowl. Season with garlic salt. Add dressing and cilantro; toss to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until ready to serve.