9 posts tagged “recipes”

I just found this recipe website called Santa's Net.  I have not tried these recipes but I am very tempted. Especially the Italian recipes.  yum.  Here's a few that I excerpted from the recipe list.

Sicilian Cake

Ingredients:

1 baked pound cake
1/3 cup dark rum
1 pound creamed ricotta cheese
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate bits, chopped
1/3 cup candied cherries
1/3 cup candied orange peel
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Chocolate Frosting

Cut cake into 4 horizontal layers with a serrated knife. Sprinkle rum over cake layers; set aide. In a mixing bowl, beat cheese and sugar until fluffy. Stir in chocolate. In a small bowl, toss cherries and orange peel with flour. Place fruit on a breadboard or in a food processor; chop coarsely. Add chopped fruit to cheese mixture; stir thoroughly. Place one layer of cake on a serving platter. Spread with 1/3 cheese mixture. Repeat until all 4 cake layers are stacked. Do not cover top with cheese mixture. Cover cake with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour. Frost top and sides of cake with Chocolate Frosting. To serve, cut into very thin slices.

Christmas Lights

Torte Vigilia Di Natale

Traditionally served on Christmas eve in Italy.

1 cup water
1 cup sultanas
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter/margarine
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sifted flour

1. Mix together water, sultanas, walnuts and almonds in a saucepan and bring to boil.
2. Reduce heat simmer for 5 minutes. Cool
3. Cream butter and sugar.
4. Add egg. Beat well.
5. Add vanilla. Add sifted flour and baking powder to creamed mixture.
6. Add fruit mixture. Blend Thoroughly.
7. Pour into well buttered 20cm square tin.
8. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes .

Christmas Decor

This one is a new twist ... at least one that I've not heard of before but sounds really sinful.

Double Layered Pumpkin Pie

Christmas Pine

These sound like those little individual boxed candies from Italy.  They come packaged in a large box, like the size of a large box of chocolates.  Inside, however, are small individual boxes of a light tan colored, chewy and nutty candy.  Hard to explain but if you're Italian, and familiar with these candies, maybe you can 'splain them better.  ;)  They always remind me of the rice krispy marshmallow goo bars in regards to the chewy texture only.  Anyhow, this recipe sounds like 'those' candies.

Amaretti from Italy

Traditionally served at Christmas time in Italy.

2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped blanched almonds
3/4 teaspoon almond extract

1. Add salt to egg whites and beat until frothy.
2. Add sugar gradually, beating until mixture is stiff but not dry.
3. Add almonds and almond extract and fold in gently.
4. Drop almond mixture on buttered and floured baking sheet by the teaspoon, shape into small mounds, leaving room between each mound.
5. Let stand 2 hours.
6. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes or until they are delicately brown in color.

Holiday Candles

What I like best about these recipes is their simplicity.  I think I'll give that Double Layered Pumpkin Pie a try and will blog you with the results.  Hmmm, I might have to make that Sicilian Cake too.  I bet Granny would like that!


Ciao!

What food or drink do you love when it's cold out? 

WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in cubes
  
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  
• 6 cups chicken stock (Swanson's -no MSG works well if you don't have fresh or frozen stock on hand)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried cilantro (optional)
  
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 (4 oz) cans diced green chilis
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced, stem and seeds removed
• 2 cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained. (alternative: pinto beans or other white beans)
• 5 green onions, chopped
• 3 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
• 8 oz Sour Cream

1. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat
2. Add chicken, garlic and onions to pot and saute` for 8 mins (cook until chicken is tender)
   
3. Mix in chicken stock, oregano, cilantro, cayenne pepper, cumin, chilis and jalapeno pepper.  Reduce heat. Simmer 15 to 20 mins
4. Add cannellini beans.  Simmer for 10 mins.
5. Add shredded cheese and stir to melt into chili
6. Add sour cream

Serves 8 - 12.  Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.

Oh boy!  I'm cooking mild Italian sausage and my husband decided to add some peppers from his garden.  He told me that he wouldn't add the seeds because he wasn't sure how hot the peppers are.  Well, we have learned that chopping raw hot peppers in the blender (for recipes) causes an aroma to leak into the air that is almost as nasty as eating the dern'd thangs.  As I'm cooking, I'm breaking out in a sweat and it's not from hard labor or a hot stove.  I can tell the difference and I think I need to take a Zantac before dinner.  Otherwise, the aroma is wonderful.  Nothing like olive oil, garlic, onions, green pepper and sausage filling the house with it's sweetness.  But them hot peppers!  That's another thing.  I'm almost regretting eating them before I do!

The Famous Detroit 'Hummer'

Ingredients
    1 ounce light rum
    1 ounce vodka
    1 ounce coffee liqueur
    1 quart very good vanilla ice cream

Put liqueurs in a blender and add ice cream by large spoonfuls, blending occasionally until it's a consistency that is about as thick as a milk shake.  It shouldn't be as thick as a McDonald's shake however.  You really want to be able to suck this baby down!  ;)

Serves: 6

Alternative:  As you can see, this doesn't call for a lot of liqueur really.  Even if you had a scoop or two of ice cream and added some coffee liqueur to it, you could still have a "Poor (Wo)Man's Hummer." 

Cheers!

Had to be creative with tonight's dinner so I decided to use some quick methods and remnants.

Ingredients

• The last frozen boneless skinless chicken breast
• 4 cups of water
• Some cracked black pepper
• About 4 shakes of Lemon-Pepper
• 2 boxes of Mrs. Grass Chicken Noodle Soup
• Multi-grain bread
• Butter

Getting the picture here?  No?  Ok then, here's the rest of it.

Place your last frozen boneless skinless chicken breast with 4 cups of water into a pot.
Add some cracked black pepper which will add a nice mellow pepper flavor and helps warm up the tummy.
Sprinkle or shake the lemon-pepper seasoning into the pot too. Not too much.  You don't want to totally change the flavor of chicken soup.  I find that the addition of this seasoning brings out more of the flavors in the broth.

Cover pot and let the chicken cook.  After about 30 mins, pull the chicken out and slice, dice or shred it and add it back to the pot.

Add the seasoning packs from both boxes of Mrs. Grass's soup.  Follow the rest of the directions on the box and don't forget to add the noodles. 

Butter your multi-grain bread; serve your soup and enjoy.

You can find this and many of my other poor (wo)man recipes in my upcoming book called "Recipes For The Unemployed."   <joking but maybe that's not such a bad idea>

corny cob

Took a drive into "farm" country today.  About 30 mins northeast of me is the small town of Almont.  I had actually traveled farther north into Imlay City on business but couldn't resist the stop in Almont.  After arriving in Imlay City for my meeting, I had been told that one of my favorite television shows, "Extreme Home Makeover" is in Almont this week.  Although my stop in Almont did not consist of visiting the Home Makeover site, I did stop at a roadside farmer's fruit and vegetable stand.

Twenty some odd years ago, I use to drive from Utica into Romeo to buy fresh corn, tomatoes and zucchini.  You could get a baker's dozen of sweet corn for $1.00.  Today, it was $3.50 and considered a good price. The corn was still on the tractor bed, and freshly picked this morning. Everything looked so big and delicious that I couldn't resist bundling a little bit of my favorites to take home.  The vegetable garden in our backyard is still in it's growing stages due to a bit of a late start.  So when I saw the large, firm and just-ripe red tomatoes, I couldn't resist adding them to my purchase; and resolved in my mind that my husband would appreciate them as a precursor to what we'll soon be yielding from our own (much) smaller crop.

They had large zucchini, just how I like them.  The small ones that you buy in the grocery store don't compare.  Mom says the smaller ones are a bit sweeter and less seedy.  However, I like the larger ones because they are wonderful when sliced, dipped in egg and seasoned breadcrumbs, and fried in a bit of olive oil. 

We cooked up some of the sweet corn tonight and I can tell you that it was to die for.  When it was uncooked, I broke off some kernels for my lovebird, who is a corn fanatic.  The corn was so sweet, it tasted like it had been grown in sugar rather than soil.  After it was cooked, we rubbed (real) butter over the corn; sprinkled a tad of salt and bit in.  Ok, so it didn't need salt.  It was sweet and the kernels popped ever so gently in my mouth.  I obviously have not had "fresh" corn in ages because I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  All I know is that I stopped buying corn on the cob from the grocery stores when it started tasting like rubber and sticking to my teeth.  I hate when that happens.

So what do I intend to do with the zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers and garlic that I also purchased? 

• Zucchini, tomatoes, onions, garlic: cooked el dente` in olive oil with sweet Italian herbs and fresh basil; and or....
  
• Cucumbers, tomatoes, a little bit of onion, crushed garlic: tossed together with olive oil, wine vinegar, Italian herbs and fresh basil - for a cold salad.  And or.....
• SALSA!  (w/o the zucchini of course)

And what about the corn?  Best way... soak those ears (shucks and all) in water for a couple of hours.  Then put them on the outdoor grill.  Oh yeah baby! 

ciao! and chow

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup almonds (ground) *these can be roasted or raw but should always be plain
  
• 1/2 cup ground oatmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar - preferably turbinado crystals *see below
  
• 1/4 cup almond oil or olive oil
• jar (plastic preferred) or a container of your choice to store the scrub
  

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Grind almonds in a blender or coffee bean grinder until you have the consistency that you desire. *Medium-fine works well if you want to achieve a good ex-foliating scrub.  If you blend it too fine, you may feel that it is not as ex-foliating.*
2. Remove from the blender and place in a bowl
3. Grind the oatmeal next.  You can go fine on this if you like since oatmeal does good things for the skin in any form.  Remove from the blender and add to the same bowl with the almonds.
   
4. With a spoon or fork, blend in the brown sugar (or turbinado crystals) and mix well.
5. Add the almond oil or olive oil and mix with your spoon or fork until you have a paste of sorts. It shouldn't be runny but it shouldn't be real stiff either.
6. Pack your scrub in a jar.  Plastic is preferred since you'll undoubtedly use your scrub in the shower and you don't want "glass" in case of breakage.

Directions for use:  Apply on skin where ex-foliation will be helpful (legs, arms, etc), in the shower and rub a dub dub.  :)  Rinse well.

NOTE:

If you have not tried turbinado sugar (which is a larger tubular grained brown sugar with a crystally look and can be found - most often - in the health food section of your local grocer), you must try it in this recipe!

The ground almond and a turbinado sugar will make a medium scrub.  Meaning, not fine but rather a little heavier on the ex-foliating factor.  However, if you choose to use the finer brown sugar, make sure you pack it well when measuring it out because this brown sugar will dissolve faster in water.  You may find yourself increasing the brown sugar amount, a tad at a time, in order to achieve the right consistency for your end product.

Don't hesitate to add more oil if you need to.

TIPS:

• Because the recipe calls for an oil, you'll want to use caution in the shower to prevent yourself from slipping.
• There is no preservative in this product, so be aware that the introduction of water into the scrub will eventually create bacteria.  You'll want to use it up within a month or less.
  
• This scrub would be great anytime but may be most helpful in the winter to help alleviate dry itchy winter skin.
• Don't forget to apply an emollient lotion or a really nice body spray lotion after your shower! Your body will love you for it!
  

• 1 cup white distilled vinegar
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 gal (at least) distilled water
• 1 oz (at least) fragrance or essential oil
• 1 gal jug or container to store the solution

1. Add the baking soda to your container and fill half way with distilled water.  Shake or mix well.
2. Slowly add the vinegar.  If there is a lot of fizzing action, place the cap on until it has had time to settle down.
3. Add more of the distilled water to fill the container.
4. Add your fragrance or essential oils (only you can tell how much you'd like to add for fragrance)
   

Use 1/4 cup to the final rinse in your washer

Softens towels and clothing without creating static cling.
 
* TIPS:

• Essential oils like orange or bergamot (which are in the citrus category of essential oils) add a nice citrus scent and are known as good cleansers.  They can even be added to your wash cycle, assuming you use a fragrance free laundry detergent.
  
• Tea Tree and Lavender (seperate or together) are know to have anti-bacterial qualities.  And because some people aren't fond of the tea tree essential oil fragrance, the addition of lavender will definitely help tame the lion.
  
• Tea Tree essential oil can be added to water (although it won't mix well), in a sprayer, and used to clean counter tops, showers and more.