Italian almond paste cookies-Make these from now on.

 2 egg whites

1 pound almond paste (grated)

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup almond flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a baking sheet, line with parchment paper or silicone mat  

Use a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer because the batter will be runny  

In a medium bowl beat the egg whites until frothy and opaque white  

Grate the almond paste and add to the beaten egg whites and sugar, salt and vanilla .

Use a pastry bag with large tip and pipe onto cookie sheet.

You can decorate with half a maraschino cherry dried well or sliced almonds or toasted pine nuts  

Bake 13 minutes  cool on cookie sheet but not for too long or they stick  

Mary’s pumpkin cannoli dip

 1 can pumpkin

Butterscotch or pumpkin instant pudding

8 oz cream cheese

Pumpkin pie spices

Chocolate chips

Mix pumpkin and pudding. Add spices and cream cheese and beat with a beater. Serve with cannoli chips or pipe into cannoli shells. 

Ann’s autumn Salad

 Salad greens

Toasted walnuts

Apples chunks

Sliced grapes

Goat cheese

Good seasons balsamic dressing

Stuffed Eggplant

 2 eggplants, sliced in half

Ground beef

Spinach

Tomato

Pecorino Romano cheese

Garlic

Basil

Bread crumbs

Score the eggplant, crosswise and sprinkle salt. Pour olive oil on eggplant and roast for about 20 minutes. 

Brown the beef, garlic, tomatoes. Scoop out cooked eggplant and add to beef mixture. Mix in cheese, basil breadcrumbs and spread into eggplant shells.  Top with more cheese and bake in oven until bubbly at 350 degrees. 

Coffee Toffee Ice Cream Pie

 Chocolate pie crust

Coffee or toffee ice cream, 1gallon softened

Toffee bits 

Caramel

Put caramel and some toffee bits on bottom of crust.

Mix toffee bits with ice cream. Spread on pie shell. Top with caramel and more toffee bits. 

Freeze for 5 hours. 

Pizza Dough

 8 cups flour

2 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp dry yeast

2  2/3 cup warm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

Add pinch of salt to yeast and water until it blooms  

Make a well in the flour, add rest of salt, olive oil, and yeast water. Knead and let it rest. Cover dough in olive oil, put plastic over dough and towels. Put in a warm place until dough doubles in size  

Sheet Pan Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp with Asparagus

Ingredients

• 
  cooking spray
• 
  1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 
  2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 
  4 cloves garlic, minced
• 
  salt, divided
• 
  1 pinch ground black pepper, divided
• 
  1 ½ pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 
  1 teaspoon paprika
• 
  3 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 
  3 tablespoons lemon juice 

Directions

• 
  Step 1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a rimmed 9x12-inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray.
  
  
• 
  Step 2 Place asparagus on the prepared baking pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; toss until well coated. Arrange asparagus in a single layer.
  
  
• 
  Step 3 Bake in the preheated oven until slightly tender, about 6 minutes.
  
  
• 
  Step 4 Remove from oven and place shrimp on one side of the pan. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and smoked paprika; toss until well coated. Place shrimp in a single layer next to the asparagus. Top asparagus and shrimp with cubed butter.
  
  
• 
  Step 5 Roast in the preheated oven until shrimp is opaque, about 6 minutes.
  
  
• 
  Step 6 Remove pan from oven and drizzle with lemon juice.
  
  

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving: 300 calories; protein 30.7g; carbohydrates 6.9g; fat 17.1g; cholesterol 281.8mg; sodium 1524.8mg. Full Nutrition

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Baby Back Ribs

 Heat oven to 250 degrees. 

3 lbs ribs

Rinse and rub ribs wit dinosaur rib rub both sides. 

Place in pan skin side down for 3+ hours. Add some water to pan and cover with aluminum foil. Turn halfway through. Heat grill to medium heat until a crust forms. Cook another 15-20 minutes. 

Another alternative is to cut ribs to fit in crockpot. After rubbing with seasonings place in crockpot, fatty side down. Cover with a bottle of barbeque sauce. Cook low for 7 hours. You can finish by broiling in oven or on grill. Very tender. 

Dinosaur Rib Rub

 1/4 cup paprika

Less than 1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4cup brown sugar

1/4 cup garlic powder

3 tablespoons onion powder

1/8 cup chili powder

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in bowl with hands

Authentic Empanada Dough and Filling

 Pastry Dough

2 cups flour

1/4 cup butter, chilled and cubed

1 egg

6 tablespoons warm water

1 teaspoon salt

1. Combine sifted flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Add egg and pulse until just combined. 

2. Dissolve salt in warm water. Add gradually to the food processor and pulse until a soft dough ball forms. Turn ball into a bowl and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. 

3. Dust a work surface with flour and knead dough for 1 minute. Roll out thinly and cut into discs. Freeze discs for later or use right away for your favorite sewer or savory empanadas. 

Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound yellow onions, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 pounds ground beef

2 tablespoons oregano

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoon butter or as needed

36 empanada pastry discs

1 egg white beaten

1. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, and bell pepper. Cover and cook stirring occasionally until onions are translucent., 10-15 minutes. 

2. Add ground beef, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin to the onion mixture. Cook and stir beef until no longer pink, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then cover and place in the refrigerator until meat is completely cooled, about 1 hour. 

3. Remove filling from the refrigerator and transfer into a colander to drain. Return filling to the ditch oven. 

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Liberally grease a baking sheet with butter. 

5. Place about 2 tablespoons filling in the center of a disc. Fold empanada in half into a crescent shape, press the edges of the dough together with a fork or fingers to seal and place on prepared baking sheet repeat with remaining empanadas and filling. Brush tops with egg white. 

6. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. 

Muffaletta Tortellini Salad

 Prep time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients

Cut into bite size pieces:

Aldi deli selection which contains, salami, capicola, and one other meat

4 ounces Asiago cheese, cut into bite size pieces 

2 containers marinated mozzarella balls

Olive Salad

2 packages fresh tortellini or frozen

2 small jars marinated artichoke hearts (save juice)

1 roasted red pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 jar Kalamata olives, halved

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon fresh basil

1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Prepare the olive salad first  Reserve 2 tablespoons olive oil to add to cooked tortellini. In a medium bowl combine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, seasonings and whisk  cut up remaining ingredients and add to bowl  toss well.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook tortellini according to directions. Drain and cool. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix so pasta doesn’t stick together.

3. While the pasta is cooking, prepare deli meats and cheeses, cut into bite size pieces.

4. Toss in chopped meats and mix with olive salad. Enjoy!

5. Add juice from artichokes and mozzarella balls if too dry.

Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp. Very good! I used roasted red pepper instead of sun dried tomatoes.

 Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp (  Video)

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I made this

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Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

2 tablespoons salted butter
6 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 pound (500 g) shrimp (or prawns), tails on or off
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup white wine (OPTIONAL)
5 oz (150 g) jarred sun dried tomato strips in oil, drained (reserve 1 teaspoon of the jarred oil for cooking)
1 3/4 cups half and half SEE NOTES
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups baby spinach leaves, washed
2/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with 1 tablespoons of water (optional)***
2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Steps

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add in the garlic and fry until fragrant (about one minute). Add in the shrimp and fry two minutes on each side, until just cooked through and pink. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
Fry the onion in the butter remaining in the skillet. Pour in the white wine (if using), and allow to reduce to half, while scraping any bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the sun dried tomatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes to release their flavours.
Reduce heat to low-medium heat, add the half and half and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Add in the spinach leaves and allow to wilt in the sauce, and add in the parmesan cheese. Allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce. (For a thicker sauce, add the milk/cornstarch mixture to the centre of the pan, and continue to simmer while quickly stirring the mixture through until the sauce thickens.)
Add the shrimp back into the pan; sprinkle with the herbs and parsley, and stir through.
Serve over pasta, rice or steamed veg.

Notes

Half and half is an American product, made from equal parts light cream and milk. Feel free to use half light cream and half 2% milk (or full fat if not worried about calories and fat counts), in place of half and half. Alternatively, use all light cream or heavy cream. Substitute half and half with almond milk. 
If serving with pasta: add in pasta cooked al dente along with 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water into the pan of shrimp once they are cooked. Gently mix through the sauce until combined. Serve immediately. 

Punch

 1 small can lemonade

1 package frozen strawberries, thawed

1 can crushed pineapple

Blend in blender. Add

2 quarts ginger ale. 

Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

 2 tbsp. Butter

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 6 1/2 oz jar, marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 can plain artichokes

7 oz. Jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

3 tbsp. Mayonnaise 

Mozzarella cheese for topping

Set oven to 350 degrees.

Preheat oven. 

Melt butter and sauté onion and garlic. Stir in artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers. Parmesan and mayonnaise. Transfer to 8” baking dish. 

Bake 30 minutes until bubbly. 

Serve with wheat thins or crackers. 

Note: Wegmans classic roasted red pepper bruschetta topping is a good substitute for the roasted red peppers. 

Fran’s Artichoke Dip

 1 can artichokes cut into small pieces

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 small can green diced chilis

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees. 

Serve with tris units. 

Filling for Sausage Bread

 1 1/2 pounds link sausage

2 onions sliced thin

3 cloves garlic

1 pound Chopped spinach

1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

1/2 pound grated mozzarella

Take sausage out of casings and break into bite size pieces. Brown well until no pink is showing. 

Take sausage and set aside, keep juice from sausage. 

Sauté onions and garlic in sausage juice. 

Mix onions and garlic in with cooled sausage. 

Season spinach with garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. 

Add to sausage with grated cheese and mozzarella cheese. 

Cool completely or over night. 

Roll out bread dough. 

Spread olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Do not oil the ends. 

Place sausage mixture in middle of bread and roll up. Poke holes to allow steam to escape  

Mix egg with water, spread on roll and sprinkle with sesame seeds  

Bake at 375 to 400 degrees until brown. 

Good Pizza or Bread Dough

 1 cup warm (110 degrees F) water
1 1/4 oz envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Mix yeast and sugar in warm water and let it set until foamy. 
In mixing bowl with dough hook add the flour, salt, and olive oil. Add proofed yeast water and mix with dough until the dough pulls away from the bowl. 
Get a large bowl well greased with olive oil. Place the dough I bowl and grease well with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel
Place in warm spot untildough doubles. 
Preheat oven to400 degrees and bake. 

Chicken Parmesan

 Chicken breasts - boneless pounded thin

Spaghetti sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Pecorino Romano cheese

In one bowl - flour, salt and pepper  

In another bowl - beat up a few eggs with a splash of water, a little lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, pecorino Romano cheese, parsley. 

On a flat plate - breadcrumbs, lots of pecorino cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper, parsley. 

Season each piece of chicken both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, eggs, then breadcrumbs. 

Get the oil hot and you need a good amount of vegetable oil. Heat to about an 8 on an electric stove. 

Fry each piece about 3-4 minutes each side. Do not overcook. Place on a rack in the oven at about 350 degrees while you finish cooking each cutlet. 

Spread spaghetti sauce, cheese and mozzarella cheese and bake until melted. 

Pork Schnitzel

 I use the thin cut pork from Aldi. 

In one bowl - flour, salt and pepper  

In another bowl - beat up a few eggs with a splash of water, a little lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, pecorino Romano cheese, parsley. 

On a flat plate - breadcrumbs, lots of pecorino cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper, parsley. 

Season each piece of pork both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, eggs, then breadcrumbs. 

Get the oil hot and you need a good amount of vegetable oil. Heat to about an 8 on an electric stove. 

Fry each piece about 2-3 minutes each side. Do not overcook. Place on a rack in the oven at about 300 degrees while you finish cooking each cutlet. 

Putting them on the rack keeps the schnitzel crispy. 

Air Fried Chicken Thighs

 In a plastic bag add:

Baking powder

Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Paprika

Rinse and dry off chicken with a paper towel. Spread olive oil on chicken and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Shake the chicken in the bag with the baking powder and seasonings. Spray with olive oil both sides. 

Heat air fryer to 390 degrees. Cook skin side down about 8-10 minutes and flip over for another 7-8 minutes. 

Place on a rack and finish cooking in the oven until internal temp reaches 160-165 degrees or you can raise the temperature to 400 degrees and finish cooking. Do not let the chicken touch in the fryer. 

Chicken recipe from the Clark House

 1 tblsp olive oil

2 boneless chicken breasts pounded thin

Flour

1/4 tsp Basil

1/I tsp rosemary

1/8 tsp thyme

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes diced

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup heavy cream

In a large pan enough to hold chicken in one layer, heat oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Dredge chicken in flour, add to oil and cook for 4-5 minutes turning once. Add remaining ingredients, except cream and cook until wine is reduced by half. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens about 5 minutes longer. Serve with rice or noodles. 

Chinese Marble Cookies

 1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat shortening, sugar, egg until light and fluffy. Add flour, salt and cream of tartar, blending well. Stir in vanilla. Slowly Colgate but do not stir. 

Shape dough into walnut size balls and place on untreated cookie sheet. Flatten dough with bottom of glass coated with sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes. 

Makes two dozen. 

Really Good Buttercream Frosting

There are so many variations, flavors and techniques but this one is always a winner.  You can use lemon extract, almond, add citrus zest, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder for chocolate.  This will frost at 3 layer cake, with some to spare depending on how thickly you frost. You can add food coloring too!

4 sticks softened butter......room temp, not melted

     (Note:  you can use 3 sticks and 1/2 cup solid shortening if  desired.  Shortening holds up better in the heat just FYI)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

32 oz powdered sugar

dash of salt (only if you use unsalted butter)

1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk

Beat butter until very creamy, scraping sides of bowl periodically.  Do this for at least 5-10 minutes.  Creamy butter is key.  Add vanilla and begin adding powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments and creaming well.  Scrape sides of bowl each time you add ingredients. Add a little milk along.  Not too much at a time. 

 It can become too thin quickly.  Continue until you get desired spreadable consistency.  Then keep that mixer going for about 10 more minutes on medium speed to get that beautiful whipped, fluffy lusciousness.

Dave’s Prime Rib

 Cover roast with softened butter on all sides, salt, pepper and bay leaves on top. Roast on rack at 350 degrees until internal temperature reaches 120 degrees. Let set about 10 minutes. Comes out medium rare. 

Dave’s Prime Rib

 Cover the meat with softened butter, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Roast on a rack at 350 degrees until internal temp is 120 degrees. Let set about 10 minutes. Comes out medium rare. 

Southern Banana Bread - Use this Recipe from Now on

 I also used this same recipe for zucchini bread and added cinnamon. 

Vivian’s Chicken French

 Pound boneless chicken breasts thin. 

Coat boneless chicken breasts with flour, then egg mixture (2 eggs, to 2 Tablespoons Italian grated cheese),

Fry in oil until golden brown. 

Sauce:

3 sticks butter

Garlic powder

1/4 chip sherry wine

1/2 cup water

Lemon juice

Chicken base

fresh parsley

To assemble: spray casserole dish with Pam. Spread a little sauce on bottom. Make one layer of chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and small amount of sauce. Repeat. Then pour remaining sauce on chicken. Add sliced lemon on top  

Bake about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.