Baking and Beyond

A Special Dinner

2010-09-02T19:21:00.009-04:00

My son, Steven heads back to college tomorrow morning to Johnson and Wales University in Providence, RI. I wanted to make a nice dinner for tonight, because this will be his last good meal until he comes home in November. It's back to those college dinners starting tomorrow. I chose to make linguine with clams and served with a mixed green salad. Garlic bread goes nicely with this as well.

Linguine with Clams

1 lb. linguine ( I used whole wheat, that all I use these days)
4 Tbspns. EVOO
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
5 gloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup clam juice
2-1/2 dozen little neck clams (clean clams well to avoid sand in your dish)
2 Tbspns. butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package. Drain

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook several minutes. Stir in wine and clam juice. Add clams; cover and cook 5-6 minutes or until shells open. Remove from heat; discard any unopened clam shells. Add butter and parsley, salt and pepper and mix together.

Place pasta into serving bowl and add the sauce to pasta; toss well and place clams on top.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

2010-08-29T10:16:00.014-04:00

This week one of my projects was to go through my huge stack of magazines that I need to go through and weed out. Made progress but still need to do more. I definately waited way to long. Procratination I think is what is called!!!

So in my stack of recipes that I tore out, this was one that I wanted to try for Sunday breakfast. This was out of Cooking Light Magazine. I stuck to the recipe and I added a little vanilla which it didn't call for. Actually, I added a little too much. That's what happens when you don't measure. So this recipe I will keep. They stated in their magazine, this is one of their Hall of Fame recipes and I have to agree. This one gets my "thumbs up".

Recipe:

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3 Tbspns. sugar

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk*

1 Tbspn. canola oil

1 large egg

1 large egg white

cooking spray

*Note: I made my own buttermilk, since I don't use it that often and hate to buy a quart when I don't need that much.

To make buttermilk, simply add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (i used fresh lemon) to 1 cup of milk (I used 1%) and let stand for 5 minutes.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine buttermilk, oil, egg and egg white, stir together with whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients, stirring just until moist.

Heat a nonstick griddle. Coat pan with non stick cooking spray. Spoon batter onto griddle. Turn pancakes over when tops start to bubble and edges look cooked.

Serve with syrup.

Tuna fish with apples, walnuts and cranberries

2010-08-25T15:22:00.011-04:00

I got a new camera because my other one was on its way out and I can't believe the difference. I love they way the photos are coming out.

Any way, I was just playing around with the camera today and snapped a shot of my lunch. I stepped out of my box today, because normally when I make it, I'm like robotic and do my usual routine; tuna, mayo, diced onions and slap it in between two pieces of bread.

I always shied away from tuna recipes that had apple in it, thinking that the apple would bring too much sweetness into the mix and I wouldn't care for it. Well today I was pleasantly surprised!!! I loved the texture that the apples, walnuts and cranberries added to the tuna. It gave it a nice crunch and made it healthy too.

I used one can of tuna in water, diced up a little bit of an apple, threw in some walnuts and cranberries and used light mayo.

Off To A Good Start

2009-12-03T10:11:00.007-05:00

With Thanksgiving over, now it's time to get ready for Christmas. I'm trying to stay ahead of schedule so, so far so good. Last year I didn't get to make as many cookies as I would have like to. Right now, I'm off to a good start and started my first batch of cookies. This morning I baked off Soft Ginger Cookies that my son was telling me about last year that he got to sample from his roommate from college and said to me, "Ma, you got to try these cookies". I've never been a big fan of Gingerbread cookies because I find them so over powering and I don't like clove spice. He saved a cookie for me to try and this cookie won me over and has been added to my Christmas cookie list! It's a soft and chewy cookie which I love.

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Soft Ginger Cookies

2-1/4 cups flour
1-1/2 tsps. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 Tbspn. water
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tbspns. white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls and roll them in remaining sugar.

Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before moving to wire rack.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T08:49:00.024-05:00

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day spent with family and the weather couldn't be better in New York to fry our turkey. The temperature was 55 degrees! Although deep frying is typically done in the south, it is slowing making is way up north. Most people here still don't know about deep frying. We have caught on early and boy they don't know what they are missing!!! The bird is deep fried in peanut oil and is not greasy at all and is oh so delicious! And the best thing, cooks in NO time vs. the oven. Only takes 3 minutes per pound, plus an extra 5 minutes. I was so thankful that the weather cooperated for us to be able to deep fry our turkey. Here is a small sample of what our feast consisted of. I was hosting, so I wasn't able to get photos of the entire feast.

antipasti

bean dip

clam dip

turkey cooking

the beautiful turkey

broccoli cassarole

mini bundt cakes

pumpkin pie

homemade pannetone

Giving Thanks, A Happy Thanksgiving.

2009-11-25T20:45:00.010-05:00

I am thankful for spending Thanksgiving day surrounded by family and enjoying the day with wine, food and family. I will be busy tomorrow hosting Thanksgiving. Wishing all a Happy Thanksgiving and may you be blessed. Enjoy everyone!

Pumpkin Bread

2009-11-19T13:39:00.017-05:00

When my daughter was a young girl, she was a Brownie and would come home with projects that they had done together with her group. Most of the time, it would be these really cute crafty projects and sometimes they would do a baking project in the kitchen at one of the leader's home. One day, she came home with this mini pumpkin bread and I couldn't believe what these little Brownies had done. They were delicious. So I called her leader because I just had to have the recipe and she gladly did share it with me and I am glad to share as well. Since then, I always look forward to this bread this time of year and I can still vividly remember that day when that little girl and those little hands brought home a sweet treat for me! My daughter, Lisa is now 19 years old and in her second year of college.

In the photo above, I used the mini loaf pans. You could certainly add walnuts or cranberries or whatever your heart desires!!

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

2-1/3 cups Bisquick mix
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (1/2 can of a 15oz)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl combine Bisquick, sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

In another bowl, wisk the eggs, oil and canned pumpkin together. Add the dry ingredients until all is combined. Pour batter into greased loaf pan or three mini's.

Bake for approximately 55 minutes for a regular sized loaf pan or 40-45 minutes for mini loaves or when toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Beef Barley Soup

2009-11-12T07:42:00.009-05:00

With Fall here and with the comfort foods that we crave, I had to make beef barley soup yesterday. It felt so good to satisfy that craving and oh so good for you too.

Beef Barley Soup

2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into cubes
EVOO
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large carrots, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
8 cups water
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes, (I pureed them with my immursion blender)
1 pkg. beef bouillon
1 cup barley
1/4 cup parsley
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven, brown meat in oil on all sides until the liquid from meat has evaporated. Add onions and saute with meat until translucent. Add minced garlic and saute for another minute. Add water, tomatoes, bouillon and barley. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. After about 15 minutes, add carrots, celery and parsley. Cover and simmer for about 50 minutes or until barley and veggies are tender.

On Top of Fettuccini, actually!!

2009-08-27T07:39:00.013-04:00

In the current issue of Better Homes and Gardens, they have featured "On top of Spaghetti Recipes". This particular one caught my attention because of the butternut squash. You see, I always had judged the butternut squash and thinking it wasn't good. Just by the looks of it I told myself this probably doesn't taste good. Maybe just because of the shape of it. I don't know. I just always passed it by in the produce department. Boy was I wrong. Last year I finally introduced to myself the squash and now I love it!!!

I used whole wheat fettuccini instead, simply because that's what I had on hand. The roasted butternut squash and roasted garlic give this dish such flavor. This one's a keeper.

Recipe

1 2-lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces
1 bulb garlic, separated in cloves and pealed
3 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
1 pkg. multi-grain, whole wheat or regular spaghetti
1/4 cup butter
3 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg or 1/4 tsp. ground
1/3 cup shredded pecorino cheese
sliced green onions (optional)

Heat oven 425 degrees. In a shallow pan, toss together squash, peeled garlic cloves, oil and salt and pepper. Evenly spread squash in pan. Bake 15-18 minutes until squash is tender and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package. Drain. Keep warm.

In small saucepan, heat butter over med. heat unitl it turns the color of light brown sugar, stirring frequently.

In serving bowl, toss spaghetti with about 1/2 of the browned butter. Toss squash, garlic, bacon, nuts and nutmeg with remaining browned butter. Serve squash mixture over spaghetti. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions.

Parfaits

2009-08-18T09:27:00.010-04:00

This summer has been a very wet one to say the least here in New York. Now the heat wave has arrived 2 months later, I didn't want to turn the oven on and heat up the house. I wanted something light and keep the calories down. I wanted to make parfaits, but no parfait glasses. I fixed that problem. I headed to the local dollar store and picked up six. Love the dollar store! I made them two different ways, one was using pudding and the other using yogurt and granola as a topping. This one here as in the photo won me over. There's really no recipe I just made up as I went along.

Angel Food Cake, cubed (I used store bought)
2 pkgs. sugar free vanilla pudding (not bad taste wise)
Fat free cool whip
1 pkg. fresh strawberries, sliced

Slice strawberries combine in a bowl. Add some sugar or splenda and let the strawberries macerate (this let's the juices come out of the strawberries). Set aside.

Cube an angel food cake and use as the first layer. Prepare pudding as per directions on package. I used 2 % milk instead and then folded in a couple of heaping tablespoons of the fat-free cool whip. Make this the second layer. Then add the strawberries. Repeat layers and end with the strawberries and top with whip cream.

There are certainly many ways to change this up and using different berries. We really enjoyed this version. Yields 6 parfaits.

Crunch Peach Pie

2009-08-03T07:33:00.014-04:00

With a recent trip to the grocery store and with peaches in abundance this time of year I was immediately drawn to the peaches as I approached the produce department. Don't know why. So the first thing that came to mind was to make a peach pie. I normally don't make many fruit pies, don't know why either. I just always stick to apple pie as it is a fall favorite in my family.

So I opened one of my cookbooks and searched for a peach pie recipe. I was looking at two recipes and couldn't decide which one to make, so I combined the two and came up with my own recipe.

For the topping:

1 cup finely crushed vanilla wafers
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine crushed vanilla wafers and gradually add melted butter until it becomes moistened. (don't necessarily have to use all the butter, which I shouldn't have done). Set aside.

For the pie:

Pastry for single crust pie or store bought
1/2 - 3/4 cups sugar (I used 3/4 and was a little too sweet)
3 Tbspns. flour
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
6 cups peeled, thickly sliced fresh peaches (3 lbs)
3 Tbspns. rum (optional)
2 Tbspns. lemon juice
2 Tbspns. butter

Prepare and roll out dough and place in pie plate.

In a large bowl combine sugar, flour and nutmeg; add peaches and toss until well coasted. Let mixture stand 5 minutes. Carefully stir in rum (optional) and lemon juice. Turn mixture into pie plate. Spreading peaches evenly; dot with butter.

Sprinkle vanilla wafer topping mix over peaches . Cover edges to prevent over browning. Bake at 375 degrees for 2o minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes until crust is golden.

Clam Dip

2009-07-26T14:16:00.009-04:00

As always, this is requested a lot to make for an appetizer. It's very simple and easy to put together. This was not given to me in true recipe form and only by ingredients. So feel free to adjust as you like, as I have. I love to add the red pepper flakes as it gives it a nice little kick to it or add more if you like more intense heat.

Ingredients:

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) enough to cover the bottom of the saucepan
4 gloves minced garlic
2 cans chopped clams, juice and all (small cans)
red pepper flakes (optional)
oregano
fresh diced parsley
bread crumbs

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Saute garlic, oil and red pepper flakes (optional) on stove top in a small sauce pan until garlic is golden. Add chopped clams, oregano and fresh parsley and simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Add enough bread crumbs until it has the consistency of thick pudding.

Place in an oven proof bowl and bake for about 25-30 minutes until top starts to lightly brown.

Serve with crackers.

I Have It My Way...

2009-05-21T14:19:00.023-04:00

Chicken Marsala

Over the years dining out, I would try chicken marsala at different restaurants and the end result was always being very disappointed. One, it was so salty, I couldn't eat it because there was too much prosciutto ham in it that it just ruined the dish. And two, wasted my money countless times. So I gave up with having chicken marsala out to eat. Now I have it my way...... I control how much prosciutto to put in, and with the right amount it adds a wonderful flavor without making the dish salty. This has become one of our favorite dishes and I make it quite often. The hubby always puts in requests for this.

For those of you who might not know what prosciutto ham is, it's an aged dry-cured ham usually sliced very thin and served without cooking, like as an appetizer with melon that you may find on an Italian restaurant's menu. That's also good. I didn't take a picture. Sorry. You can find it the deli department at your local grocery. Some recipes don't call for the ham, but I like it with it for the flavor that it brings to this dish. I use the below recipe as my guide and always add more/less of the wine/chicken stock and adjust to my liking. That also goes for the salt and pepper as well.

Recipe

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 slices prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick.

Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Recipe from Tyler Florence, The Food Network

M.I.A.

2009-05-19T07:40:00.015-04:00

I know I've been MIA for a while. I was sort of taking a break, but ended up being longer than expected, which happens to all of us. There were some turn of events that took place and have kept me away from blogging. Just got back from a mini vacation which was really needed and now maybe I can get back on track.

While my son was home for a weekend from college, his #1 request for dessert and so simple to make is Chocolate Eclair Pie. He just absolutely loves it!!!! He literally can eat the whole pan to himself and that's no joke! With Memorial Day weekend this weekend, this makes a wonderful dessert for this time of year.

Chocolate Eclair Pie

3 cups milk
2 pkgs (small) instant french vanilla pudding
1 12 oz cool whip
1 box graham crackers

Chocolate Topping

¼ cup evap. milk
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat milk and pudding. Let sit and thicken a few minutes then fold in cool whip. In a 9x12" pan make a single layer of crackers. Pour 1/2 of pudding mixture onto crackers and spread evenly. Place another layer of crackers, then the rest of the pudding mixture, then top with a layer of crackers.

In a saucepan, mix all other ingredients (evap. milk, etc). Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Pour over graham crackers and spread evenly to cover. Cover and refrig, 8 hours.

What To Do With Left Over Sour Cream....

2009-03-24T18:06:00.009-04:00

Make a Pound Cake

(Thanks to "Mr. Critic" for the jagged cut)

I had some left over sour cream that I had in the refrigerator that I needed to use up instead of throwing out in the trash. I knew I wanted to make a pound cake, but I didn't have a particular recipe in mind. I'm sure I could of found one in one of my cooks books, but I went to the internet instead. Much faster route than flipping through pages. There were some recipes calling for six eggs and I thought that was too much, so I went for one calling for just three eggs. I made a mistake and added too much sour cream. A 1/2 cup too much. And at that point, there was not turning back. So I continued on. So I said to myself, if it's a failure in the trash it goes. If it's good, it will go. The mistake turned in my favor! I love when that happens! So here it is.

RECIPE

1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8x4 inch loaf pan.

Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and eggs. Add dry ingredients and until all combined. Pour into pan.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes or more until toothpick comes out clean.

Great Finger Food Appetizer

2009-03-22T10:03:00.010-04:00

Zucchini Squares

I was invited to my cousin's house for dinner and I had brought these appetizers. They are very easy and quick to make. Thank you Josie and Mark for dinner. It was great. Dinner was delicious!!

INGREDIENTS

3 c. grated, unpeeled zucchini
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c. oil
3 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. salt ( you could less if you'd like, because of cheese)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. biscuit mix (Bisquick)
4 eggs, beaten

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Mix until all is combined. Pour into a greased 9x9 square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes or until lightly browned.

Breakfast Heaven....

2009-03-15T10:30:00.016-04:00

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Sourdough Pancakes

Breakfast has always been a favorite meal of mine. I just love breakfast. I can have it any time of day. Not just in the morning. Lunch or dinner will suit me just fine. And, I especially love breakfast when we are on vacation. When you add chocolate into the mix, I'm just in Heaven.

Several months ago I started a sourdough starter. I just love the tanginess flavor that it adds to recipes and making a starter from scratch was certainly out of my element. I have experimented with a couple of recipes for pancakes and this one finally made it to post. If is not good, I don't post.

You certainly need to plan ahead when making these, because you need to "feed" your starter the day before. (I took out my starter from the frig last night, fed it and let it sit on the counter over night.)

Recipe:

2 cups of starter
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbspn. canola oil
1 cup mini choc. morsels

Heat griddle on medium heat.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with a whisk and add milk and oil. Combine the dry ingredients to wet ingredients until all is combined. Add mini choc. chip morsels to batter and drop by heaping spoons onto griddle. (If the batter seems a little to thick, as was mine, just add a little more milk). Cook until edges are lightly browned and flip over until other side is lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Simplicity is Best......

2009-03-02T10:58:00.037-05:00

With these Anisette Biscotti

With all the different flavors and variations of biscotti, the star of this attraction is anisette. No other fancy smancy stuff!! Simplicity is best with these. No nuts, no chocolate, no nothing. Less is more in this case.

Ever since I started blogging, on the right hand side of my blog, I have a picture of biscotti. And everyday I get taunted with biscotti. I've been meaning to make these for the longest time and today was the day on this very snowy day!!

For the recipe:

4 cups flour
3 tsps. baking powder
1-1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, plus 1 egg white for brushing
4 oz. canola oil
3 tsps. anisette extract

Combine dry ingredients. Set aside.

Beat the eggs, oil and anisette in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients by hand to wet ingredients until all combined and then transfer out onto a board or mat. Form into a ball. Divide dough in half. Roll out and place on a greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Brush with beaten egg white.

First bake

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for about 5 - 10 minutes. Slice with a serrated knife on an angle and put back in oven for another 3 minutes or so. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Second bake for 3 minutes

Note: If you don't cool the cookies enough when you first take them out of the oven before going in for the second time. They will crumble when you try and slice them.

This is also my entry for the 2nd Annual "Festa Italiana" hosted by Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita and Marie of Proud Italian Cook
Do you have a favorite italian dish, if so, please join us and enter yours!

And last, but not lease to my niece, Nikki Ann, "Do you want a bischawtay?"

Who's Your Valentine?

2009-02-09T21:13:00.016-05:00

These are for my lovely Valentine's; Joe, Steven and Lisa. Hugs and Kisses!!

Recipe from Joy of Baking.com

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I just couldn't help but make these. OK, so these aren't figure friendly. Aren't we allowed to indulge sometimes? I think sooo.

Shortbreads with Raspberries

SHORTBREADS:

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, room temp.
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

FILLING:

1/4 - 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. set aside.

In an other bowl, cream butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least an hour.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2-3 inch cookie cutter, cut out the dough. Place the cookies about 1 inch apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking pad (Silpat) .

Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the centers of half of the cookies on the baking sheet. (You will be sandwiching two cookies together with the cut outs for the tops).

Place the unbaked cookies on the baking sheet in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Watch closely or they will brown to much as for some of mine did. Cool on wire rack.

ASSEMBLING COOKIES:

Place the cookies with the cut-outs on a wire rack and dust with confectioner's sugar. (I tried this and the sugar just kept fading)

On the bottom surface of the full cookie, spread with about a 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. of *jam. Place the cut-out cookie on top and gently sandwich them together. Using a small spoon, fill the cut-out with a little more jam.

*heat the jam in the microwave for a minute or so to thin out the jam and make it easier to spread on the cookies.

Blueberry Pound Cake

2009-01-27T19:26:00.008-05:00

I can't think of a better time to have this cake. It certainly made me think of warmer days to come, despite the snow storm heading in for tomorrow.

Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, 1998

INGREDIENTS

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light butter
1/2 (8-oz) block 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
1 large egg white
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (8-oz) lemon low fat yogurt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 tsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with knife. Take 2 tablespoons of the flour and combine with blueberries in a small bowl and toss well. With remaining flour, add baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in blueberry mixture and vanilla; pour cake batter into pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over warm cake.

Spinach Sausage Pinwheels

2009-01-25T15:31:00.012-05:00

My sister of Sweets, Savories, etc. hosted dinner Saturday evening and I had been assigned an appetizer to bring. I wanted to change it up and bring something a little different than the norm. So I went to my cook books, searched on line and kept coming up with dips or some form of cheese ball and I didn't want to bring neither. So I kept searching. Recently, My Italian Grandmother had posted these appetizers and this was different from the norm. I have to say there were none left over. The only thing I did different was that I added chopped sausage. So if you get a chance click on over to Michele at My Italian Grandmother who has a wonderful blog in in honor of (you guessed it) her Italian Grandmother.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-01-20T19:16:00.015-05:00

I have to admit this was my first attempt at making this soup. I had left over from last night a roasted chicken and I didn't want to make chicken soup. Need a break from chicken soup. I wasn't quite sure if this was going to get past the dinner table. Mr. Critic is not a big fan of Mexican cuisine, but I was willing to a least try and get it past him. He came home and saw the black beans and started to pre-judge the soup even before it made it to the table. Well, needless to say HE did like the soup.

Thank you, Lu for giving me the idea for tonight's dinner :)

I looked on line at a couple of recipes to see what the main ingredients were and suited it to my liking. I saw recipes calling for lime juice and avocados. I chose not to incorporate those for now, since I was trying to get this past the dinner table and it worked!

chicken from previous night, pulled apart
chicken stock
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh ground black pepper
crushed red pepper
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained
3 large carrots, peeled and cut
Cumin to taste
Chili powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheddar cheese for garnish
Corn tortillas, sliced into strips

In a large pot, saute onions and garlic in vegetable oil until translucent. Add chicken stock, carrots, black beans, corn, can of diced tomatoes and spices. Add chicken. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until carrots are done. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Top with shredded cheese and tortilla strips.

To make tortilla strips: Stack about 6 corn tortillas on the cutting board and slice them into long thin (1/4 in) strips. Cut these in half. Place on a cookie shee and spray with olive oil and broil in oven for only a few minutes. Keep an eye on them or they will quickly burn.

Seared Sea Scallops with Orange, Parsley and Shallot Salsa

2009-01-14T20:22:00.007-05:00

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

In reading through my Cooking Light Magazine I had ear marked this recipe to try. I made a few changes from the original recipe and used what I had on hand. I substituted navel oranges instead, added arugula, used red wine vinegar instead of white which the recipe called for and a red onion instead of shallots. The orange citrus salsa adds a wonderful flavor. Click here for the recipe.

Oh, Yes You Can...

2009-01-12T14:40:00.009-05:00

Indulge a little because this is figure friendly. Don't let the picture fool you!

So with starting off the new year right and trying to shed those pounds, I was in the mood for something on the sweeter side and with less calories. So I thought what can I come with. I made an angel food cake and wanted to step it up a notch and the rest just came together. So I call this.....

Angel Food Delight

1 slice angel food cake diced into cubes
Vanilla fat free yogurt with splash of Frangelico liqueur
Frangelico liqueur ( or what ever you prefer)
Sliced strawberries

Slice strawberries and sprinkle with some splenda and a little of the liqueur. Set aside and let the strawberries macerate.

Layer the angel food cake cubes in a dessert dish, add the yogurt over top of cubes as much as you desire. Top with strawberries. Add whip cream if desired.

Here's to a Healthy Start

2009-01-06T08:13:00.011-05:00

What better way to begin the New Year with a healthy and figure friendly meal which we probably all need about now. I know I do!! LOL!! This was new for us and Mr. Critic enjoyed. I also liked this dish because I didn't have much time and is very easy and quick to put together. I was done in less than 30 minutes.

Turkey Sausage with Brown Rice - Jambalaya-Style

EVOO
*Green pepper, sliced then cut in 1/2
*Red pepper, sliced then cut it 1/2
1 onion, sliced
1 pkg. Jenny-O turkey sausage links, sliced
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. cajun seasoning
salt to taste
1 pouch cooked brown rice

In a large skillet, partially cook sausage. Then take out of pan and slice ( I find this way much easier to slice). Set aside.

Saute peppers and onions until almost tender with little EVOO. Add minced garlic and cook for about a minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add sausage back to skillet with drippings. (Don't forget the drippings with all that flavor). Add the undrained can of tomatoes, cajun seasoning, salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes. Stir in cooked rice and serve.

* I used 1/2 of the green and red peppers which was enough for two. Feel free to add more.

Lasagna with Mini Meatballs

2008-12-31T11:03:00.014-05:00

Growing up in my family, lasagna was always reserved for the Holidays. You would think that would be a meal in it self. But there was always more, like a roast to go with it. I don't know how my mother did it. She was in the kitchen from wee hours in the morning to the very end into the evening of a Holiday. Needless to say, there was always way too much food on the table. Although, I miss those family gatherings, we now try and keep things on the "simpler" side of things and try not to make too much and get overstuffed (still hard to do). At my daughter's request and my husband's, we had lasagna with mini meatballs for our Christmas Dinner. And of course, with my lasagna it stays in the oven a little longer for those scrumptious crispy ends that I absolutely LOVE!!!

Basically what I did was make mini meatballs seasoned with fresh garlic, fresh grated parmigiana reggiano cheese, fresh parsley, pepper, pinch of salt and breadcrumbs. I chose to do them in the oven to speed up the process.

Make a simple marinara sauce and combine meatballs and simmer for about an hour or so.

I used the lasagna noodles in the package and cooked in a pot of water with some olive oil, so the noodles don't stick together for about 5 minutes.

Layer the pasta with the mini meatballs, fresh shredded mozzarella, grated cheese and sauce.

Cook in pre-heated oven 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes depending on your pan size.

Top with additional sauce, if desired.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Holiday Cookies

2008-12-22T20:08:00.025-05:00

It's been busy to say the least. Between the holiday decorating, the holiday shopping, working and to top it off, shoveling snow over the weekend, I haven't had much of a chance to post anything. Blogging has been on the back burner lately. Sorry you had to look at that pumpkin pie for so long.

I usually like to make a nice variety of cookies for the holidays, but with a long to-do list, here's what I managed to bake. Happy Holidays!!!

Fudge

This is right off the back of the Marshmallow Fluff Jar. So easy to make and it has a nice creamy texture.

Chocolate Sambuca Cookies

Adapted from Good Housekeeping

2/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
12 oz. pkg semi sweet chocolate morsels
3 large eggs
4 Tbspns butter (1/2 stick)
1/3 cup sambuca (liqueur)
1 cup sugar

Melt chocolate with margarine over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove saucepan from heat. Cool chocolate mixture slightly.

In med. bowl, mix eggs, sambuca and 1/2 cup sugar. Blend in chocolate mixture.

With spoon, stir in chopped almonds, flour and baking soda into chocolate mixture until combined (dough will be very soft). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine confectioner's sugar with remaining 1/2 cup sugar. With lightly floured hands, roll dough by rounded tablespoons into balls. Roll balls in sugar mixture to coat. Place balls, about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet bake for 10-12 minutes. ( I baked for 12 minutes).

Cool slightly and move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Jam Thumbprints

From Ina Garten, Food Network

I saw Ina make these last year and I knew I just had to try these. They don't disappoint. Click here for the recipe.

Anisette Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 teaspoons anise extract or anisette (anise-flavor liqueur)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Red and green sprinkles (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat margarine or butter with sugar until blended. Increase speed to high; beat until creamy. At medium speed, beat in eggs, vanilla, and 3 teaspoons anise extract, constantly scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour and baking powder, occasionally scraping bowl. Shape dough into 4 balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and freeze at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On lightly floured surface, divide 1 ball of dough into 8 equal pieces, keeping remaining dough refrigerated. With lightly floured hands, roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch-long rope; bring ends of rope together and gently twist several times. Pinch twisted ends together to seal.

3. Place cookies, about 2 inches apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet. Bake cookies 12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. With pancake turner, remove cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

4. When cookies are cool, prepare glaze. In small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar with 1/2 teaspoon anise extract and 2 tablespoons water. Brush top of cookies with glaze; place on rack. Top with sprinkles if you like. Set cookies aside to allow glaze to dry, about 1 hour.

Finally......

2008-11-24T21:41:00.019-05:00

Pumpkin Pie and a Happy Thanksgiving!

My son came home from college and I had waiting for him in the frig, yes pumpkin pie! And I have been waiting so patiently for this pie as well. It is his favorite pie this time of year and mine too! I'm so glad he's home for the holiday. I haven't seen him since August. There were several attempts to make it home for the weekend, but it just didn't happen. He was so looking forward to having a home cooked meal and so we started with dessert first. I couldn't wait any longer for pumpkin pie. (I just wanted to wait until he got home. It's a mother thing!!) This was my first slice of the season this year and boy was is good. I like the recipe that is right on the back of the can of Libby's pumpkin puree.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to post again before the holiday. I'm busy preparing for the Thanksgiving Holiday and I will be having my entire family over, 20 people!! Yes, I said 20!!

To each and every one of you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I Never "Thunk" To Make These

2008-11-11T12:11:00.013-05:00

Homemade Marshmallows

It was last year, at a family get together on my husband's side of the family and we were talking about what else; food as us Italians talk about it, eat it and dream it! And some how marshmallows came up and my husband's cousin was just raving about a homemade marshmallow. In all the years of baking, I never thought to make a marshmallow, have you?

Well last year was the very first time I made homemade marshmallows and everything she had said was true. They are much more fluffier, lighter and have such an amazing taste compared to the ones we are all use to that come in the bag. No comparison what so ever. So if you never had a homemade marshmallow, it is worth making and very easy! Whole Foods sells them for over $5 a pound and these cost pennies to make. They are literally melt in your mouth good!

Ingredients

3 pkgs. unflavored gelatin
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1-1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup water, divided
1/4 cup cocoa powder for dusting
1/4 cup confectioners sugar for dusting

You will need a candy thermometer to make these.

Combine the cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar and set aside.

Spray an 8x8 glass baking pan with non stick cooking spray and generously dust with the cocoa and confectioners sugar mixture (you will use more for dusting later).

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water in a large bowl of electric mixer with the whisk attachments and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Clip on candy thermometer. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 244 degrees (firm ball stage).

Immediately remove from heat. With the mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour syrup into the softened gelatin. (Be careful and don't burn yourself with the syrup)

Increase the speed to high. Beat until the mixture is very thick and white and has almost tripled in volume (about 15 minutes).

Add the vanilla to incorporate into mixture.

Pour marshmallow mixture into pan, smooth the top and dust with more sugar.

Let stand overnight uncovered until it dries out.

Turn the marshmallows onto a cutting board and cut into squares. Dust with more sugar.

Pumpkin Bars

2008-11-06T15:20:00.008-05:00

I haven't had my fill of pumpkin yet. I'm still waiting on making that pumpkin pie that I was to make for when my son was to come home for the weekend. I don't know how much longer I can wait! So in the meantime, I came up with this. I hope you enjoy.

1 box yellow cake mix
1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
dash of salt

In a small bowl, reserve 2/3 cup dry cake mix and add 1/2 tsp. of pumpkin spice. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine remaining cake mix, pumpkin spice, butter and 1 of the eggs. Mix well. Pat into well-greased 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Combine reserved cake mix, pumpkin, sugar, 2 eggs and dash of salt. Beat at medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour over partially baked layer. Bake another 15-20 minutes. Cool. Spread cream cheese frosting on top. Refrigerate to set and cut into bars.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 - 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fuffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Spread frosting over pumpkin.

Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyere Cheese

2008-11-05T18:30:00.006-05:00

This was featured in this month's Cooking Light Magazine. This was one of several recipes that caught my attention that I tagged to make. The gruyere cheese gives this side dish a wonderful taste. I had added an extra handful of cheese to the recipe because I felt like there wasn't enough and good thing I did. I will certainly be keeping this recipe. With the holidays fast approaching, what's great about this dish is that you can prepare separately and refrigerate the sauce, cauliflower and breadcrumbs the day before, put together and bake it off. You can find the recipe here.

Buttermilk Biscuits

2008-11-05T07:33:00.025-05:00

I was on a search to find a buttermilk biscuit recipe. I came across one that I tried and it was not good to say the least. In speaking with my sister, Lucy she told me right where to go! So I went on over to Cooking in Cleveland's blog (which I frequent often, she has a great blog) and she had a post in honor of her dad and his biscuits he would make on Sunday mornings when she was a child. This post was prior to me blogging, so I wasn't aware of it. So last night was my 2nd attempt at biscuits and her Daddy's Biscuits won me over!! You can find her Daddy's recipe here. Here's to your Daddy!!

Bread Pudding - New Orleans Style

2008-11-01T11:17:00.017-04:00

As always, when my sister comes across a good recipe ( and this she had found on the internet, I don't know the source) she had shared it with me, as us sisters do. But I never made it and had saved it, since in my family, I'm the only one who cares for bread pudding. I had some left over challah bread from making french toast and this was perfect to finish off the bread. Why this recipe got buried, I certainly don't know. This recipe needs to stay right on top!! Thanks Lu, for coming across a very fine recipe.

1 stick butter
5 pieces bread, toasted ( I used challah bread)
2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
raisins - optional
Melt butter in 6x12 baking dish. Cut bread into large cubes and add to butter. Stir around a minute to coat. Scald milk and add to eggs, beaten with sugar by tempering, which is very important. You don't want to end up with scrambled eggs!!

For those of you who might not know what "tempering" is, tempering is when you slowly bring up the temperature of a cold or room temperature ingredient by adding small amounts of a hot or boiling liquid and stirring frequently. Adding the hot liquid gradually prevents the cool ingredient, such as eggs, from becoming cooked.

Add the milk and egg mixture and pour over bread. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and fresh nutmeg. ( When a recipe calls for nutmeg, I always use fresh ground nutmeg. It makes a world of difference).

Put dish in a pan of boiling water and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees or when knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven.

Now here's the best part!!

HOT RUM SAUCE (OR WHISKEY)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. flour
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup rum or whiskey ( I used rum)

Place butter, brown sugar and flour in saucepan. Blend thoroughly and add boiling water. Cook over medium heat until thick and clear. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Pour over hot pudding.

OMG! the sauce literally brings this over the TOP. The best bread pudding I ever had.

Holiday Hens w/ Fig Glaze and Corn Bread Stuffing

2008-10-30T11:00:00.009-04:00

It was this past Sunday morning having breakfast and watching the tube, we were watching the Food Network, which we normally don't watch that early in the morning. And this particular episode with Tyler Florence caught Mr Critic's attention and he put in a request to have me make this recipe. I was a little skeptical on making this, since there's the sweet and savory happening going on here. Mr. Critic was very happy and so was I. This was very good. I chose not to use cornish hens and used an oven stuffer roaster instead. Other than that, I followed the recipe as is. You can click here to find the recipe.

The bird was stuffed with Corn Bread Stuffing which had the savoriness of the sausage and the sweetness of the figs in it. This was extra stuffing.

Which Would You Prefer.....

2008-10-28T08:29:00.031-04:00

Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Bread or Muffins?

Adapted from Downeast Main Pumpkin Bread, Allrecipes.com

With pumpkin season upon us, I was planning on making pumpkin pies, yes pies (not one, TWO) for what would have been a weekend home for my son from college. For he loves, loves pumpkin pie and I was going to reserve one pie for him ( which he can eat, no problem and he's thin as a rail!) But that didn't happen this past weekend since plans had changed, even though I was looking forward to it. So with the pumpkin pies on the back burner for now, I needed something pumpkin, so I made pumpkin bread and muffins. I can't decide, I think I'll take them both!!!!

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups granulated sugar
3-1/2 cups flour
2 tsps. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. (I used one loaf pan and made 6 jumbo muffins with the rest of the batter)

In large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl combine the rest of the dry ingredients, except walnuts and cranberries. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture just until blended. Add walnuts and cranberries. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake for about 60 minutes or until loaves are done when toothpick comes out clean. Depending on your oven time may be more or less. I cooked the loaf for about 70 minutes in my oven. The muffins took 30 minutes.

And to top it off, I had a muffin with a pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks this morning! OH, SO GOOD!!!

Broccoli Casserole

2008-10-27T18:16:00.027-04:00

This recipe has been shared between family and friends which my sister, Lucy of Sweets, Savories, etc. who had first introduced it to me and was introduced to her and so on. And she also gave me an award! This is such a wonderful fall dish and with the holidays right around the corner again, (can you believe!) this makes a great side dish. This will certainly be on my Thanksgiving table, how about yours? This is one dish that doesn't get left out of our feast!

Ingredients

1 egg
1/2 cup mayo
2 sm. pkgs. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and salted just a little
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8oz pkg. shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed corn flakes
1 Tbspn. melted butter for flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine crushed corn flakes and melted butter and mix well. Set aside.

In blender add egg and blend on high speed until egg is foamy. Add mayo, soup and blend on high speed until well blended.

Spray the bottom of casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray, add half of the broccoli, pour half of the soup mixture over broccoli and spread a layer of shredded cheddar cheese. Add remaining broccoli and soup mixture and cheese. Sprinkle corn flake crumbs on top and bake for about 30-35 minutes.

Note: To lighten up on the calories, I used light mayo, reduced fat cream of mushroom soup. I haven't tried egg beaters yet on this one

An Award

Thank you, (((((Lucy)))))

The rules for the award are:

Find 5 blogs, of any kind that you love to read.

Write a post about the blogs you picked, linking back to them.

Make sure you let them know you gave them an award.

I promise I will get back to the award.

Fresh Apple Cake

2008-10-08T18:20:00.015-04:00

This recipe came from Paul Deen Celebrates cookbook which appeared in BJ's Warehouse Journal way back in October of 2006 that I had received. I had saved this recipe for my "To Do One Day List". With autumn in the air and getting the taste for something apples, it was time to make this cake. Why it took this long, I don't know.

Pan Coating:

3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Cake:

1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 cups chopped Granny Smith apples, peeled (about 3 med. apples)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped pecans ( I used walnuts, since that's what I had)
1/2 cup raisins or coconut ( I used raisins)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease a 10-inch tube pan. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and coat the inside of the pan with the mixture by shaking the pan all around until the sides and bottom are coated.

Beat the oil and sugar with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spatula, stir in the apples and vanilla.

Sift together the cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the apple mixture and mix well with a spatula. Add the nuts and raisins. The batter will be very thick. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Lift the pan from the counter and drop it back down to get out all of the air bubbles.

Bake the cake for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. ( I baked mine for 1-1/2 hours).

Allow to rest on the stove for at least 30 minutes before turning out onto a cake plate to cool completely.

Not Just An Average Chocolate Chip Cookie

2008-09-29T15:38:00.014-04:00

With many travels into cyberspace and enjoying all the "foodies" out there, I've seen countless times about the buzz on the chocolate chip cookie recipe adapted by Jacques Torres which was published back in July in "The New York Times". I had to see for myself what this buzz was all about and form my own opinion, and since my son is away at college in Rhode Island I want to send him a "goodie package" and of course, less for me to eat!! Well let me tell you, what a chocolate chip cookie!! AWESOME. If you seen these these before and hesitated to make them because it was another chocolate chip cookie recipe; reconsider. These are worth making. You can find the recipe here. I did not use the chocolate discs as described in the recipe, simply because I always have the chips on hand. Grab a glass of milk and enjoy!

Lemon Pound Cake

2008-09-23T18:42:00.006-04:00

This is another one of Joy the Baker's recipes. She has great blog and when you get a chance stop by and visit her. I did not top it with the blueberry sauce as she did. It is just as good plain. You can find the link to her recipe here. I've been in with her following the sourdough starter which is stepping out of the box for me. Looks like pancakes will be on the way!!

What A Keeper.....

2008-09-16T15:47:00.011-04:00

Crumb Cake

OK. I thought I had a good recipe for crumb cake that was given to me years ago by a co-worker. Well....words cannot describe this crumb cake! Thanks to my sister Lucy of Sweets, Savories, etc. who came across this recipe. I had to try this and compare it to the one that was given to me from years past. OMG delicious! It is so moist and lots of crumbs! Thanks Lu. Here's the link to the recipe.

Do You Ever......

2008-09-10T17:44:00.014-04:00

Crave chocolate? Well I sure do. Today I was really craving something chocolate. I saw this on Joy the Baker's blog and her pictures of the brownies did me in. So I went in the kitchen and got baking. I'm not a fan of cake-like brownies and these are certainly not. These are very chewy and gooey. Just the way I like them. And with the addition of strong coffee, oh so good!

Sinfully delicious!

Inspiration.......

2008-09-08T11:04:00.011-04:00

Blueberry Muffins

Lately I've been inspired by other fellow bloggers as you can see and I have to say I am really enjoying the Blogsphere with everyone's wonderful recipes that they share. So now I'm inspired by Priscilla of Priscilla's Baking Adventures. She is an amazing 16 year old!! This morning was finally the day to try those blueberry muffins she recently posted. This is a great recipe and one that I will keep!! Thanks Priscilla! Here's the link to the recipe.

Balsamic and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts with Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Salsa

2008-09-04T19:20:00.007-04:00

I saw this post on Proud Italian Cook 's blog and chicken and roasted peppers called out to me. She was right how the two flavors of the chicken and salsa taste together. So Proud Italian Cook thanks for sharing. "Mr. Critic" approved. I will certainly make this again. Thank you.

Here's To The End Of Summer '08!!

2008-09-01T18:00:00.009-04:00

Lemon Meringue Pie

I can't believe it's Labor Day Weekend already. Where did the summer go? It went by so fast. Weather wise, it's been a beautiful weekend here in New York. I hope it was the same for you and enjoying this lovely holiday weekend. So with end of summer upon us and spending this day with family, I thought what a final way to end the summer season with lemon meringue pie!!
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BAKING AND BEYOND

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Prepare crust as indicated below and and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Prick the crust all over with a fork and bake in the center of the oven until very light golden, about 8 minutes. Cool on rack. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Basic pie crust: (you could use a store bought pie shell, but I like to make my own)

1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
4-5 Tbspns cold water

In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the pieces resemble the size of small peas. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of water at a time and tossing mixture after each addition until it starts to come together and form a ball. Don't over do it on the water. Form into a ball and cover and place in frig. for 15-20 minutes.

Roll out dough into pie pan.

For lemon filling: (adapted from corn starch box)

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1-1/2 cups cold water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 Tablespoon margarine

In a medium sauce pan, combine sugar, corn starch. Gradually stir in cold water until smooth. Whisk in egg yolks. Stirring constantly, bringing to a boil over medium heat, boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add grated lemon rind. Stir in lemon juice and butter. Spoon hot filling into crust. Prepare the meringue.

For meringue:

6 egg whites
1/4 tps. cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Combine sugar and cornstarch together. Set aside. Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at low speed until soft peaks begin to form. GRADUALLY add sugar and cornstarch mixture. Increase speed to high until stiff peaks form.

Spoon meringue over the filling decoratively, mounding in the center and spreading it all the way to the outer edges to form a seal (very important).

Bake the pie in the oven until the meringue is lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Completely cool the pie on rack. Then refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Buttermilk Pancakes

2008-08-31T13:13:00.009-04:00

I never made pancakes from scratch before, just because on certain things I just like to cut corners. And this was one of those until this morning. I visit Joy the Baker frequently and she recently posted her Dad's recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes. They looked really good and wanted to try them. They truly are delicious. Next time though I'll add a little vanilla extract. Click here for the link to the recipe.

Mmmm Mmmm Good!

2008-08-19T18:32:00.012-04:00

Spaghetti With Long String Beans

All Rights Reserved, Baking and Beyond

My MIL gave me some long string beans from her garden and I knew exactly what I was going to make with them!! I just love these string beans with spaghetti. They have such a sweetness to them and tender as can be. Mmm Mmm good! She had given the beans to me already blanched. (Saved me some time, which I really need right now). What I did was just make a very basic tomato sauce. That's all that's really need for this dish, since the beans bring out all the flavor and you don't want to take away from that. Prepare basic tomato sauce while water comes to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package. ( I used wheat) Add the string beans to the pot of spaghetti 1 - 2 minutes before you drain from water to heat the beans through. Transfer spaghetti and beans to serving dish add tomato sauce toss to coat and serve.

Basic Tomato Sauce

EVOO
2 cloves garlic, minced
tomato sauce ( I used 3/4 of jar of homemade tomato sauce in mason jar)
salt and pepper

In a medium sized pot, saute garlic and oil for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper simmer for about 15 minutes.

"They're Back....Zu Zu Zucchini That Is"

2008-08-06T19:14:00.008-04:00

Zucchini Fritters

This recipe is based upon my MIL, Mrs. P's version of zucchini fritters. You see, when she gave me the recipe, she just told me zucchinis, flour, egg, cheese and a little garlic powder. And that was it! Italian generations before me didn't measure anything. So this was a little bit of a challenge for me to put into a proper recipe form. It took a couple of trials and tribulations, after trying several different ways and a much needed break from eating "Z's", I finally came up with my take on these fritters!

2-1/2 - 3 cups diced zucchinis
1 very small onion, diced
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parm. cheese
2 Tbspns. fresh parsley, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
pepper
garlic powder

Lay zucchinis out on paper towel and lightly salt to remove excess liquid. Remove as much liquid as you can. Change paper towels if necessary.

Meanwhile, prepare skillet with oil over medium high heat.

In a bowl lightly beat the eggs ( a fork will do). Add flour, baking powder, pepper, garlic powder and milk. Batter should not be to thick and not runny either, in between. Add the cheeses, onion and zucchini to batter.

Drop a spoonful into hot oil and fry until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

I Got Tagged......

2008-08-04T19:54:00.009-04:00

I have been awarded a Brilliant Blog Award by Ohiomom of Cooking in Cleveland. Thank you Ohiomom!!

So here's what else I'm suppose to do.

1. Put the logo on my blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to me.
3. Nominate other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs.
5. Leave a message on your nominees’ blogs.

I am passing on this award to ....

Priscilla of A Peek in Priscilla's Kitchen.

I'm a "newbie blogger" and undecided of other worthy posts that I would mention. Although she has already been tagged with this award as well, I would still like to mention her since SHE made me to it!!!! (blogging that is) That would be my sister, Lucy of Sweets, Savories, etc.

Nothing Like Homemade....Apple Crumb Pie That Is

2008-08-04T09:31:00.017-04:00

My daughter who is 18 and will be headed off to her first year of college in just a few short weeks, works at the local grocery store part time came home with a store bought apple crumb pie two times last week. All I can say about those store bought baked goods is yuck!!! I don't like any thing about them. So that made me want an apple crumb pie.

It's still a little early for the apple season, but just couldn't resist.

I make my own pie crusts. It's not a big deal for me. Store bought one's are just not an option.

Basic pie crust:

1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
4-5 Tbspns cold water

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbpns flour
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
6-8 tart apple, pared, cored and sliced

For the crumb topping:

2 sticks butter melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1-3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
dash salt

Combine dry ingredients and add in melted butter. Mix with fork until crumbly and add on top of apples.

Roll out dough for the pie crust. I used a deep dish pie pan.

Combine first 3 ingredients, stir into apples. Turn into unbaked pastry shell. Add crumb mixture. Bake at 400 degrees or 375 convection (which I did) for 45-50 minutes or till done.

A Very Good Morning

2008-07-30T08:10:00.012-04:00

I received my new issue of Cooking Light Magazine (August) and on the cover is this delicious looking German Apple Pancake. I made it this morning for breakfast (I'm an early riser) and all I have to say is it was "A very good morning!" It is delish!!! And of course, it gave me a good reason to use my cast iron skillet again! The only change that I would make the next time I make it, is to add more apples.

Here is the link for the recipe German Apple Pancake

Oh, So Berry-Licious!!!

2008-07-29T18:07:00.010-04:00

Blueberry Kuchen

My sister, Lucy of Sweets, Savories, etc. friend Ohiomom of Cooking in Cleveland posted this recipe the other day and I knew I just had to make it. It is oh, so berry-licious!! "Mr. Critic" had two pieces!!! I didn't have any vanilla ice cream on hand and it tasted just as good with the fresh blueberries. Thanks Ohiomom!!!! Click here for the link to her recipe.

One of Mom's Side Dishes

2008-07-29T09:49:00.032-04:00

Cubanelle Peppers and Potatoes

All rights reserved

I had made this the other day because I had a yearning for cubanelle peppers and with that, it brought back a childhood memory of my mother making this dish and how the aroma of the peppers filling the house made my mouth water. I would savor every bite. I just love the sweetness of the cubanelle peppers. She has left my sister, Lucy of Sweets, Savories, etc. and I with wonderful dishes that we cherish and that are so near and dear to our heart!

5-6 cubanelle peppers, seeds removed, cut lengthwise and quartered
2 large pototoes, quartered, then sliced
salt and pepper to taste
EVOO

Lay out potatoes on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt to draw out the excess liquid.

I had used a cast iron skillet that I just recently bought and I can't tell you the world of difference it made. The potatoes tasted so good.

Anyway, drizzle some EVOO in skillet, add peppers first and get those going. Cover with a lid for a couple of minutes. Add potatoes to skillet. Alternate with putting a lid on and off the skillet to help aid in the cooking process and turn occasionally. (With using the cast iron skillet, I had to add some EVOO a couple of times) Cook until both peppers and potatoes are cooked through. Adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Cavatelli with Broccoli Rabe and Shrimp

2008-07-23T17:59:00.014-04:00

My husband and I had gone out to dinner one evening and this dish happened to be a special on the menu for the evening. He started to eat his dinner and he just couldn't get enough of it and just kept raving about it. So that meant of course, I needed to duplicate it or at least try to. So from that dinner special, I created this dish and is an all time family favorite of ours. There is NEVER any left overs on this one!

All rights reserved

1 bunch broccoli rabe
1 lb. frozen cavatelli pasta
1-1/2 lbs. peeled and deveined shrimp (You could use 1 lb., I added the extra half because Mr. Critic likes shrimp)

1/4 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup clam juice (bottled, either Doxie's or Snow's)
1 cup chicken broth in the box
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese

For the broccoli rabe

Blanche the broccoli rabe in salted water for 4-5 minutes. Drain broccoli rabe and immediately transfer into a bowl of ice water (a/k/a shock) for several minutes then drain in colander. Snip broccoli rabe in half with a kitchen scissors. Set aside.

For the sauce (this is a light sauce)

In a medium sized sauce pan, saute the garlic and oil for about 1-2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, saute for about another minute to fuse in the flavor of the flakes. Add clam juice, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Simmer over stove. Add the shrimp to the sauce about 5-8 minutes before the pasta is done. (Shrimp do not take long to cook and you don't what to over cook them either).

Meanwhile, while sauce is simmering cook cavatelli pasta until al dente. Just before you drain the pasta, take some pasta water and add to the sauce. Add the broccoli rabe to the pot just to heat through and drain pasta and broccoli in colander. Drain well. Transfer to a pasta dish, pour sauce over top. Add grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. Toss all together. Adjust salt and pepper, if necessary and serve. Buon Appetito!!

Key Lime Pie

2008-07-21T06:20:00.015-04:00

Oh, so figure friendly!

This was one of the very first recipes that I had tried from Weight Watchers. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical at first, because I thought how good can it really be. Is it lacking taste? Is it blah for a reduced calorie pie? No. Not at all. I was pleasantly surprised that this recipe is good and "Mr. Critic" (my husband) just loves this. It's his favorite summer time dessert and best of all, a lot less calories! So don't worry, have a slice! And there's no need to turn the oven on!

1 box sugar free lime flavor gelatin
1/4 cup boiling water
2 containers (8oz each) key lime pie-flavor light yogurt
1 container (8oz) frozen fat free whipped topping, thawed
*1 prepared 9" reduced fat graham cracker pie crust

(*I like to toast it in the oven first @ 350 degrees for like 5 minutes or so until it starts to lightly brown and let cool)

In a large heat-resistant bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. With wire whisk, stir in yogurt, then fold in whipped topping.

Transfer mixture to prepared crust; refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours. Only 148 calories.

Grilled Mushroom Salad Sandwich

2008-07-20T17:44:00.014-04:00

I wanted to make something on the simple and on the lighter side with this heat wave that we're having here. I have adapted this recipe from Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals and is a great summer time sandwich.

1 loaf of ciabatta bread
4 Tbspns. balsamic vinegar
1 rounded tablespoon spicy mustard
1 Tbspn. worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 large minced clove garlic
4 portobello mushroom caps, stems removed and wiped clean with a damp cloth
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg. arugula (either sold in a pkg. or bunch, depending where you live) cut in half
1 roasted red pepper (or the ones in a jar), sliced lengthwise
7-8 thinly sliced white sharp cheddar cheese

I just love that drip!!!

Pre-heat out door grill.

Slice the ciabatta bread down the middle and hollow out the middle. Set aside

In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, mustard, worcestershire sauce and EVOO and garlic (I had added a little bit of water as well to stretch out the marinate a little bit) . Place mushrooms in a shallow pan and pour marinate over the caps. Turn the caps in marinade and season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 10-20 minutes. Rinse the arugula leafs and pat dry or use a salad spinner.

Grill mushrooms 4-5 minutes on each side (Don't discard the marinate, you will use again). Remove to a cutting board and slice the mushrooms lengthwise about 1/4 inch or so. Once all the mushrooms are sliced, transfer back to the marinate and add the arugula leaves and toss lightly with the mushrooms. The arugula will slightly wilt.

Grill the ciabatta bread on the grill for a couple of minutes until crispy . Remove from grill.

Layer the mushrooms, arugula, roasted red pepper and white cheddar cheese on the ciabatta bread. Set the bread top in place and slice.

Zucchini, Asparagus and Basil Pasta

2008-07-17T19:10:00.018-04:00

I had some left over zucchini from the zucchini bread that I had made and OhioMom from Cooking in Cleveland had posted a recipe yesterday for Zucchini and Basil Pasta. I didn't quite have enough zucchini to feed my family, so it was like what else can I use to finish up the zucchini. I had some asparagus. So this is my adaptation of her recipe.

1 zucchini with skin on sliced and cut in half (that was all I had left)
1/2 bunch diced asparagus
salt to taste
1/3 cup shredded fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Splash chicken broth in the box
Oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb whole wheat rigatoni pasta
Parmigana reggiano grated cheese

Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta ( I like mine al dente).

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for about 1-2 minutes. Add aspargus and give those a head start. Then add the zucchini, since those don't take long to cook and add the chick broth and oregano. Cook for about 5 - 10 more minutes, until vegetable are cooked through.

Drain pasta, add vegetable mixture, fresh basil, black pepper and sprinkle with cheese. (my photo doesn't show to much cheese, because my son is not a big fan of it). So the cheese was on the table for whomever wanted it.

Zucchini, zucchini and more zucchini

2008-07-16T07:49:00.033-04:00

My mother-in-law's garden is now over flowing with guess what? Zucchini. So of course, inundated with zucchini she sent some my way. What to do? Zucchini bread of course.

This recipe was given to me by my mother-in-law’s neighbor, Lorraine. She had given a loaf to my MIL and I kept going back for more. After just one bite, I just had to have the recipe.

ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 cups flour
1 - ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup walnuts (optional)
4 - ½ tsp baking powder
4 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 loaf pans.

In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, walnuts and baking powder together and set aside.

In a large bowl beat eggs, stir in oil, grated zucchini and lemon zest. Stir in dry ingredients. Batter will be thick. Spread evenly in pans.

Bake 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm with butter or cold w/ cream cheese or just plain.

What's Old is New Again

2008-07-14T20:50:00.015-04:00

My sister, Lucy of Sweets,Savories, etc . inspired me to bring out this old recipe out again. It's been buried for a long time and she gave me the craving to make it. And I'm glad I did. It's perfect for this time of year.

Strawberry-Licious Pie

9" pie plate
1 pkg. chocolate wafer cookies
8 oz heavy cream, whipped, set aside and reserve 3/4 cup for garnishing
1 cup thinly sliced strawberries, set aside (reserve 3-4 strawberries, cut in half for garnish)

In a medium size sauce pan combine:

1 pkg. (4 servings size) Jell-O Brand Vanilla Pudding and Pie filling
1 pkg. Jell-O Brand (3oz) Gelatin, strawberry flavor
2 cups of water
1 tsp. lemon juice

Add pudding, gelatin, water and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Pour into a bowl and chill until thickened. To thicken faster, place bowl of pudding mixture in larger bowl of ice and water. Stir occasionally until thickened.

Once thickened and cooled, blend in all of whipped cream, reserving about 3/4 to 1 cup for garnish and stir in sliced strawberries.

Line bottom of 9" pie plate with 7 cookies and line the edge of the pie plate with cookies. Spoon 1/2 of the pudding mixture evenly over cookies. Place a layer of cookies (I only used one layer) over pudding mixture and mound remaining mixture on top.

Chill 2-3 hours or overnight. Garnish pie with reserved whipped cream and fresh strawberry halves.