Monday, October 8, 2018

Pizza or Bread Dough

This recipe came from Marilyn Manetta. It was her mom (Josephine Maira’s) recipe.
For the stuffed breads I used all purpose flour and added another tsp of yeast. 

8 cups 00 flour
3 cups water
3 tsp salt
1 tsp dry yeast
4 tblsp olive oil

Mix ingredients together to form a soft dough. Let rest 10 minutes. Knead with a table mixer for 5 minutes or by hand 7-8 minutes until smooth.

Add more flour as need until dough is not sticky.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise an hour to hour and a half until double in size.

Punch the dough to de-gas and divide it into 3-4 balls. Cover the bough and let rest one hour, then shape.

To shape your pizza take a ball of dough and press into a disc shape.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Stuffed Spinach and Sausage Bread

You can use any bread dough

For the spinach and feta bread

1 large bag of fresh spinach
1 container of feta cheese
Pecorino Romano cheese to taste
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Cook and drain the spinach. Add the garlic powder and other ingredients. Let cool.

For the sausage bread

Sausage taken out of casing
Sweet red pepper, chopped
Onion, chopped
Garlic, minced
Olive oil
Pecorino Romano cheese
Salt and pepper

Sauté the pepper and onions and garlic. Add chunks of sausage. Cook until brown. I add some chicken broth if the mixture gets too dry. When it’s done, add your cheese and let cool.

Roll out your dough. I use a rolling pin to spread it out as large as your pan. On the dough I rub olive oil almost to ends of dough. Then I sprinkle salt and pepper, garlic powder and more cheese.

Then I spread out the spinach or sausage mixture almost to end of dough. Take the shortest end and roll like a pinwheel tucking in the sides as you go.

Seal the end with an egg wash. Place on a well oiled sheet pan. Poke holes over the top with a fork to let the steam out. Bake at 400 degrees until bottom is browned and it starts to smell good.

Monday, October 1, 2018

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Dave’s Bacon

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil.

Place bacon strips on baking sheet leaving room between each strip or they will stick together.

Bake for 17 minutes.

Dave’s Gnocchi Sauce

Butter, 2 tblsp
Minced garlic, about 3 cloves
Chicken base, 1 tsp
Crushed red pepper, few sprinkles
White wine, few splashes
1/4 cup lemon juice
Parsley
Salt and pepper

Melt butter, add minced garlic, add chicken base and crushed red pepper. Let that meld together. Finish with white wine, lemon juice, parsley and salt and pepper.

Add some starchy water from gnocchi.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Green and Beans

Ingredients

Chopped escarole
2 cans cannellini beans
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Low sodium chicken broth
Pecorino Romano cheese
Salt and pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes
Optional: chicken sausage

Directions

Drizzle olive oil in a large kettle. Heat the oil on medium heat and add garlic, just until you smell it cooking. Add the beans, salt and pepper and a little red pepper flakes and stir.

Add the escarole and some chicken broth, about 1/4 to half a cup. Cover and let the escarole cook down. At the end, add some grated cheese.

If you want to add the sausage, cook it separately in a pan. Squeeze it out of the casing and brown it. You can add it to the finished greens and beans.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Sicilian style Cannoli Cheese cake

ingredients
1 1/2 c, graham cracker crumbs 2 Tbsp sugar 1/4 c butter, melted
FILLING 3 tubs ricotta cheese 1/2 c all purpose flour 1 1/2 c granulated sugar 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 2 tsp freshly grated orange peel 7 eggs, lightly beaten 1/3 c miniature chocolate chips or shelled pistachios for garnish if desired Whip cream if desired
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Wrap all sides and bottom of a 9” spring form pan securely
with a double layer thickness of aluminum foil. Combine all of the crust ingredients
together and press evenly across the bottom and 1/2” up the sides of the pan. Bake
for 10 minutes; allow to cool before filling.
In a large bowl beat Ricotta Cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in flour,
vanilla and orange peel. Add beaten eggs one at a time and blend on low speed only
until incorporated (do not over mix).
Carefully pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Place in a
large baking pan and add 1” of hot water to the pan. Bake for 75 minutes or until
center is almost set. Carefully remove pan from oven and lift out spring form pan
and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove aluminum foil; run a sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen; allow to
cool an additional hour and remove side of pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Garnish with candied oranges or pistachios if desired.
Ingredients
2 large oranges, 1/4 inch of top and bottom cut off 4 cups sugar, divided 3 cups water
Preparation
Cut peel on each orange into 4 vertical segments. Remove each segment
(including white pith) in 1 piece. Cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Cook in large pot
of boiling water 15 minutes; drain, rinse, and drain again. Bring 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over medium
heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peel. Return to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until
peel is very soft, about 45 minutes. Drain. Toss peel and 1 cup sugar on rimmed baking sheet, separating strips. Lift peel
from sugar; transfer to sheet of foil. Let stand until coating is dry, 1 to 2 days.
DO AHEAD: Wrap and freeze up to 2 months.

Monday, September 17, 2018

Deb’s Stuffed Mushrooms

1 package of fresh white whole mushrooms
1 clove of garlic
Fresh chopped spinach leaves
Breadcrumbs
Pecorino Romano cheese
Salt and pepper
Dried Parsley
Garlic powder

Wash and dry mushrooms.
Remove stems and chop for filling

Sauté garlic and mushroom stems in olive oil, add a handful of fresh spinach leaves. Let cool.

Mix the cooked stems and spinach in a bowl with breadcrumbs, cheese, and remaining ingredients. Add some olive oil and mix together.

Place mushrooms in a casserole dish, stem side up.  Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper.

Stuff mushrooms and add more grated cheese and olive oil on top.

Bake at 375 degrees about 15 minutes. Increase oven to 425 degrees until mushrooms start to brown on top.

Dave’s Poached Chicken Breasts

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Bay leaves
Thyme
Cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper

Bring to a boil and simmer for 14 minutes. Comes out juicy. Serve over salad.

Friday, September 7, 2018

Pulled Chicken from Petunia

Slow-Cookin' Pulled Chicken
PER SERVING (1/2 cup): 149 calories, 1g fat, 462mg sodium, 10g carbs, <0 --="" .5g="" 22.5g="" 9g="" fiber="" nbsp="" protein="" span="" sugars="">PointsPlus® value 3*
This shredded BBQ chicken is FANTASTIC over salads, piled onto light buns, stuffed inside high-fiber tortillas with (rinsed) cole slaw, or eaten all by itself. Yummmmmm!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. brown sugar (not packed)
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. garlic powder
Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste
Directions:
Place all ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot. Stir until mixed. Add chicken
 and coat well with the sauce.Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours OR on low for 7 - 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.
Remove all the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and mix well with the 
sauce. If you're serving a group, keep the crock pot on its lowest setting, so the chicken stays warm. If you like, season to taste with red pepper flakes. Eat up!

MAKES 7 SERVINGS

1 2 3 Cake

 1-2-3 Cake. You need 2 boxes of cake mix. 1 can be any flavor you prefer, but the other MUST be Angel Food cake mix. Mix them together (shake them in a big ziploc bag or stir them together in a big bowl). Then simply store the mixture in an airtight container until you get the urge for dessert. Then just put 3 tablespoons of the dry mixture in a big coffee mug and stir in 2 tablespoons of water. Microwave it for one minute and you will have a single...

Pesto from Ina Garten


Directions

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
Leave nuts out and add separately. They made the pesto dark. 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Clayton

Serves 6

1 pound bacon, roughly chopped
 1 medium yellow onion, diced
 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
 3/4 cup diced celery
 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
 4 medium red potatoes, diced
 1/4 cup flour
 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
 Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
 4 cups heavy whipping cream
 Optional garnishes: chopped chives, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded
cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
 In a 6- to 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp.
Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving half for garnish. In
bacon fat, cook onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are
translucent. Add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
Whisk in flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour is
cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add chicken stock and half of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper.
Over medium-high heat, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25
minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Mash some of the potatoes for
thicker, creamier texture. Add whipping cream and simmer for 5
minutes.
Adjust thickness by adding water or stock. Soup should have a creamy
consistency.
Season to taste, and garnish with toppings.

Cooks’ notes: Soak diced potatoes in cold water until ready to use to
keep them from turning brown. To make bacon easier to chop, lightly
freeze.

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

One Chocolate Cake mix...I use the super moist kind..remember to scratch the box before opening then you can tell everyone you made it from scratch!

Make a two layer cake according to directions on box, when cool slice each layer in half. (I use dental floss for this) 

Warm in the micro a small jar of raspberry jam and brush or spoon it on all open cut halves. 

Whip one pint of heavy whipping cream (stiff) and mix in 1/2 to 2/3 cup of sugar to dissolve.  Fill between layers with the whipped cream, can also put cream on the top and if you have some fresh raspberries put a few on the top as well.

Kristen’s Party Hots

1 cup bourbon
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
Hot dogs

Put in crockport

Blueberry Buckle from Mary B.


Mix together in bottom of 9x12 pan sprayed with cooking spray.
1 can crushed pineapple with juice
3 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar

Add on top
1 box Yellow cake mix, sprinkle
Drizzle on 1/4 lb (1 stick) melted butter

Top with
1 c finely chopped walnuts
1/4 c sugar (I put a little less than this since it’s a super sweet dessert already)

Bake at 350 for 45 min, punching down cake with end of wooden spoon after 20 min

I actually prefer the dessert the day after and chilled, but it is yummy after it's been baked and cooled some.

Torlou Torlou

2  zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 large onions, quartered lengthwise and sliced and quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large can wegmans roma tomatoes, and 1 large can wegmans crushed tomatoes
1 large eggplant. sliced 1/4 inch thick and peeled
2 cans chick peas (including juice)
Ketchup - maybe about 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Olive oil - 1 tbsp 
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

I started with the olive oil and layered everything in a big pot. Then I just let it cook down.  It was better the next day.

Tiramisu Layer Cake


Heaven In A Bowl (Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle) from Mary B.




1 fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size)
2 packages (13 ounces each) miniature peanut butter cups 
4 cups cold 2% milk 
2 packages (5.1 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed 

Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Bake in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack; cut into 3/4-in. pieces. Cut peanut butter cups in half; set aside 1/3 cup for garnish. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick). Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well. Fold in 1-1/2 cartons whipped topping. Place a third of the brownies in a 5-qt. glass bowl; top with a third of the remaining peanut butter cups. Spoon a third of the pudding mixture over the top. Repeat layers twice. Cover with remaining whipped topping; garnish with reserved peanut butter cups. Refrigerate until chilled.

Elaine’s Chocolate Cookies

Cream together well the Crisco and sugar - then add the room temperature eggs and milk and also the vanilla - beat all a few minutes. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and Cocoa. Mix into your egg mixture. And the walnuts and chocolate chips. I don't use raisins. I also process the chocolate chips so that they're smaller or use mini chocolate chips. Preheat your oven to 350°. Roll into 1 inch size balls and space 1 & 1/2 inches. (they will definitely double in size). Bake for 15 minutes . Enjoy!
For chocolate cookie frosting, eliminate the lemon. 

Lemon cookie frosting: confectionery sugar, lemon extract, water, and secret ingredient Cream of Tartar. Cream of tartar solidifies the frosting upon drying on the cookie and of course you just have to get the right consistency. 

I make it into a thick paste and hand apply one by one. If it's too thin it will fall right off and only glaze the cookie. Sorry I can't give you the exact measurements today, it's just in the head!

Veggie Lasagna

9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375

Slice veggies 1/8 inch think
Separate onion slices into rings
3 small zucchini
1 medium onion
4 medium tomatoes

Mix together in a bowl & make two layers in the dish like lasagna: zucchini, onion, tomatoes, cheese, repeat

6 T grated parmesan cheese
1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder

6 small red-skin potatoes cut in half - scrub and place around the edges.  

Cover and bake one hour, remove cover and bake 15 minutes more.