Come Into My Kitchen | The place for friends and family - KansasCity ...

By MARY G. PEPITONE

Special to The Star

By MARY G. PEPITONE

Sandy McCray is an entertaining cook.

When she hosts casual dinner parties, she creates an instant ice-breaker by bringing her guests into the kitchen and giving them small cooking tasks.McCray has got her finger in a lot of pots ? she is a real estate professional and single mother ? but she still manages to make time for the important things such as family and friends.McCray regularly has dinner with her three children ? Courtney, 19; Chandler, 17; and Caroline, 14 ? as their busy schedules allow. Residence: Fairway Occupation: Real estate agent Special cooking interest: Cooking for crowds As a real estate agent, do you find the kitchen remains the heart of the home? Always. Families always gather in the kitchen. It?s the place you go first when you walk into a home. It is where everyone gathers, whether you cook or not. It certainly helps that you do cook. Do you find that taking time to eat together helps keep your family connected? We have had dinner together every night ever since the children were old enough to eat solid food. Even as babies, at dinner each would sit in a bouncy chair while their father and I would feed them baby food while we sat and ate our dinner. As the kids grew up, I often heard the question, ?What?s for dinner tonight?? No matter what (school) activities they are in, we somehow manage to sit down at the end of the day for dinner ? even if it isn?t until 8 o?clock. (Dinner) is the very best time for us and often the only time that encourages all of us to take a few minutes, forget what else we were doing and talk. We just talk. Sometimes we say grace. Sometimes we say special prayers for something that is happening or someone who needs a special prayer. Mostly though, we just talk. Oh, and we laugh. The three kids start telling stories and just crack me up! Do you enjoy entertaining, and what is the secret to doing it well? I love entertaining, and while I have no secrets, my style is to keep it simple, make people feel at home and get everyone involved. From the moment friends walk in the door, I treat each guest like they are part of the family and not as a stranger. Part of that means delegating preparations so that everyone feels involved. Perhaps some of that is the Italian in me. Is that why you chose this recipe to share? I love making this dish for gatherings because it takes so much chopping that everyone has a job, no one is left out feeling awkward and looking for ways to strike up conversation. It?s pretty much ?Come in, welcome, the kitchen is in here. And oh! Would you mind slicing these mushrooms?? Before guests arrive, I make sure I have stations set up around my island. Everyone has a cutting board, knife, and cleaned, prepared ingredients to work with. Fill a glass of wine, get chopping, and even complete strangers are friends before we ever sit down for dinner.

Tagliarini Primavera

Serves 4 to 61/4 cup butter1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced1/4 cup diced prosciutto or baked ham1/2 pound asparagus, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces1 medium carrot, grated1 medium zucchini, diced1 (8-ounce) package tagliarini (or fettuccine) pasta3 green onions, cleaned and sliced (including greens)1/2 cup fresh peas, or frozen and thawed1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh, cut into a chiffonade)1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon white pepper1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg1 cup heavy whipping cream1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnishFresh parsley, roughly chopped (for garnish) Fill a Dutch oven 2/3 full of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. In a large saut? pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, ham, asparagus, carrot and zucchini and saut? for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover pan tightly with lid and saut? for 1 additional minute. Remove lid and add green onions, peas, basil, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cream to saut? pan, stirring until well incorporated. Stir occasionally, as mixture comes to a boil. While vegetable/cream mixture is warming, prepare noodles in boiling water, as directed, until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain into a colander placed in the sink.Return noodles to Dutch oven and carefully pour cream sauce over noodles. Using a serving spoon and fork, gently incorporate sauce and noodles. Turn pasta out into a warmed serving dish. Garnish with parsley and additional Parmesan cheese.Per serving, based on 4: 622 calories (54 percent from fat), 38 grams total fat (22 grams saturated), 126 milligrams cholesterol, 55 grams carbohydrates, 18 grams protein, 918 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber.

Mary G. Pepitone is a freelance writer who lives in Leawood. She also writes a nationally syndicated home column. Email her at pepi@kc.rr.com to nominate a cook.

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/07/17/3703921/come-into-my-kitchen-the-place.html

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