Monthly Archives: May 2010

Pignoli Cookies (Biscotti di Pinoli)

Of all the Italian cookies this is by far one of my favorites. It is my Dad’s favorite too. Anybody who’s bought these at the Italian bakery knows how expensive they can be!  But the best thing is that you can make them yourself for a fraction of the cost and it’s easy! The most expensive ingredient is of course, pignoli nuts. But keep an eye open when you’re in the grocery store, Walmart, warehouse club of choice, even the dollar stores! You can usually find a package of pignoli nuts for a reasonable price. I always buy as much as I can when I find them on sale too, because you can store them in the freezer or refrigerator to keep them fresh. Plus they’re always good in salads or with other dishes as well! These cookies are so moist and yummy you can’t eat just one!

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup sugar

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1/8 cup teaspoon salt

1 8-ounce can/tube almond paste

2 egg whites, slightly beaten

2 cups pignoli nuts (Pine nuts)

Confectioners’ sugar


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 300ºF. Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets. Sift sugars with flour and salt, set aside.

2. In medium bowl, break up almond paste with wooden spoon. Add egg whites and beat until well-blended and fairly smooth. Stir in flour mixture until well blended.

3. Take a spoonful of the dough and dip it into a bowl of pine nuts. Slide the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove cookies to rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

Makes about 30 tasty and delicious cookies. Can be stored in an airtight container or in the freezer up to a month. (Like there would be any left over!!)

Cucuzzille

I know some of you are saying, huh? I am not sure if I even have it spelled right or not. The name is pronounced “cook it seal”. Or as I used to call it “Crooked Seals”. My dad makes this recipe alot though it is not one of my favorites. The rest of the family likes it though. The base of the recipe is Italian Squash, or cucuzza or cucuzzi. It’s sort of a stew type dish. My dad doesn’t add any seasonings to it either. But I think if you added parsley or basil or garlic it wouldn’t hurt. It is a pretty easy recipe to make but it does take time. It is a dish that cooks slow so don’t rush it. And it is better to let it sit for a little before serving. You can make it the day before and then just reheat when you are ready to eat it. It’s a great vegetarian dish as well.

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 medium green or yellow Italian squash, trimmed and sliced round. (about ¼” thick)

3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1″ chunks

2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced round (about ¼” thick)

1 large yellow onion, sliced

1-2 red bell peppers, sliced in 1″ wide slices and cut in half

2- 8oz. cans tomato sauce

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cucuzzi Squash

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fill a large saucepan with 1-2 inches of water. Place all ingredients into pot and steam on medium heat until vegetables are tender. This should be about 45 minutes to an hour-long. Add a little more water if needed to keep it from drying out.

2. When vegetables are just about ready stir in the tomato sauce gently. Try not to break up the vegetables but it’s ok if they do. Let sit about 15-30 minutes or serve next day. The more it sits the better the flavors will be.

Swedish Meatballs

This is definitely a recipe I do not make enough. Swedish meatballs are one of my favorite dishes. This recipe was given to my sister Michele at her bridal shower by Barbara Cavallo, who is her husband’s aunt. She was born an Olson, so yes there is Swedish blood in her. I think the recipe came from another relative, either grandmother or mother. Either way they are delicious. Serve over egg noodles or rice or just eat them by themselves. Remember when making swedish meatballs you need to make them smaller than regular Italian meatballs. They do take some time to make but they are worth it. It’s a nice hearty meal for any time of year.

Swedish Meatballs with Egg Noodles

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups bread crumbs

2/3 cups  milk

½ cup chopped onion

2 pounds ground beef of your choice (You can mix ground pork and beef also)

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 tablespoons butter

4 teaspoons flour

2 cups hot water

1 cup milk

1 cup light cream

2 cubes MBT beef broth

Gravy Master

Fresh Parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl soak bread crumbs in the milk. Add the onion, beef/pork, salt, pepper and eggs and mix together with hands. Be careful not to overmix.

2. Roll meat into walnut size meatballs and brown in large skillet in the butter. Cook until brown on all sides. When browned remove meatballs from pan and set aside.

3. In the same skillet put a little hot water with the flour. Stir until smooth. Add rest of hot water, light cream, beef broth, nutmeg and milk. Stir until smooth.

4. Place meatballs back into skillet and mix well. Cover skillet and simmer for 15 minutes. Brown with Gravy Master to color. Garnish with parsley.

Serve with egg noodles, rice or pasta of choice.

Gifts For Cooks Under $10 (Article)

Today’s post is an article I found online. It’s a pretty good list to have for those cooks in your life. I know I am always looking to find a quick gift for someone and if you know they love to cook or bake this will help. Enjoy!

******************************************************************************************************************

Gifts For Cooks Under $10

Written by Stephanie Martin | 0 Comments | Grab This Article Grab This Article

I love to cook and bake.  My favorite place is to be in the kitchen cooking meals for my family.  And I’m always looking for new gadgets or replacement utensils for my kitchen.   I’m sure that there are many of you out there that also have cooks/bakers on your gift lists and you’re not sure what to buy for them, so I thought I’d give you a few ideas:

–          Wooden Spoons – I love wooden spoons, and good ones are hard to come by.   I love the ones that have a good thick, long handle on them so that I can use them in stock pots.

–          Whisk – I have varying sizes of whisks and use them all of the time.  But, there are a lot of days that I wish I had more than 1 of my smaller one.  Those really come in handy when needing to whisk small amounts of something.  Yes, I know you can use a fork, but a whisk is more fun.

–          Measuring Cups/Spoons – As every good cook knows, you can never have enough measuring utensils.  When I’m giving some as gifts, I like to look for some that I would use, but also look for some that are seasonal.  It makes cooking that much more fun when you’re using fun utensils.

–          Bamboo Utensils – This is another great idea.  Yes, it’s similar to the wooden spoons, but these are actually a lot better and last longer

–          Scraper – I use mine all of the time for things such as scooping up lots of chopped veggies to scraping up bits of dough off of my mat after making breads.

–          Silicone Spatulas or Spoonulas – This is another item that I know I use all of the time and I’m convinced that you can never have enough of.  When I have a big baking day, I always seem to run out of them, even when I’m washing and reusing them.

–          Serving Platters – I love to use nice platters when I’m having a get-together.  Even though they are usually casual, it makes it feel more special.

–          Cookie Cutters – If you know someone who likes to bake cookies, try finding a nice set of cookie cutters.

–          Apron – An apron is a must have for any serious cook/baker.  You can find a plain white or colored apron for just a few dollars, and you can get some fabric paint and dress it up a bit.  Or buy some fabric paint and have the grandkids make grandma/grandpa a personalized apron with their handprints, and you could write their name, date, and age below them.

–          Pot Holders – These can be found very reasonably priced or, if you sew or quilt, you could even make some!

–          Dish Towels – My towels have been well loved over the years and are really beginning to show it.  New towels are always welcome in my kitchen, and I’m sure your cook/baker will feel the same way!

–          Baking Basket – put together a basket of their favorite cooking ingredients such as a box of cake or brownie mix, sprinkles, box of powdered sugar, a spoon or spatula, cupcake liners.

–          Dinner Basket – Put together an Italian dinner basket.  You could include a box of pasta, sauce, garlic bread, and bagged salad mix, and a bottle of favorite dressing.

Here are just a few ideas to help you find that special cook/baker on your list something nice!   Hope this gives you some great ideas!

Last 5 posts by Stephanie Martin

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About Stephanie Martin

Stephanie Martin, a work-at-home-mom of 2 daughters and 1 son, and the owner and publisher of Busy Moms Online, and site with information for busy moms, and My Country Haven, a blog documenting her life living on a farm and their frugal journey of remaining debt free while becoming more self-sufficient.

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Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

My husband loves Thousand Island dressing. But if anyone has ever looked at a bottle on the shelf in the supermarket you’ve seen how high the calories and sugar content are in it!  And when you add all the preservatives and other stuff they throw in there it is pretty scary. So I’ve found a couple of recipes that have worked for us that are simple to make and taste good! You make it yourself so you know exactly what is in it. Homemade dressing may not last as long as store-bought but they are so simple to make it won’t matter. The first recipe I found in the Albany Times Union when I still had a job. I like the first one a great deal and I am not usually a fan of Thousand Island dressing so I was impressed. The second recipe John prefers and it’s from George Stella’s “Livin’ Low Carb” cookbook. He used to have a show on the Food Network years ago. I have changed a couple of the items in his recipe and it still came out awesome according to my husband. So try them both and see which is your favorite!

RECIPE #1

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup light mayonnaise

1½ tablespoons Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup

1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped

1 tablespoon No Sugar Added Sweet Relish (Mt. Olive brand is best)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine mayonnaise and ketchup. Stir in egg and relish.

Makes about 1 cup (2 tablespoons per serving)

Weight Watchers Points: About 2 points per serving.


RECIPE #2

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or you can use regular white vinegar which is what the recipe originally called for, I was out of it)

1 tablespoon sugar substitute (Splenda or other sucralose)

1 tablespoon No Sugar Added Sweet Relish (Mt. Olive brand is best)

1 teaspoon minced red onion

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (regular is fine too)

DIRECTIONS:

Thoroughly combine all the ingredients in a bowl. This dressing keeps for 1 week when refrigerated.

Makes 6 servings

Weight Watchers Points: About 2 per serving

Pina Colada JELL-O Shots

Yes you read that correctly! I like to think I came up with this recipe since I did think of it on my own. Now if someone else thought of it at some point, more power to them! But as far as I know, nobody else has ever made them, that I know of anyway! I love to make JELL-O shots and if it weren’t for all the sugar in the jello I’d make them more often. I would gladly use the sugar-free JELL-O but I am allergic to the aspartame most of them have in it as a sweetener. And all the good flavors of JELL-O aren’t sugar-free. Then again if you’re doing JELL-O shots you are NOT thinking of counting calories. Like they used to say, “There’s always room for JELL-O!” At any of the parties I’ve served them everyone laughs. But then they have one, two, three…and they are hooked. I also have whipped cream available for topping them! I think I will make them for my next party! When I made them in the past I have used small plastic shot glasses, paper shot glasses or some other type of small cup. But the plastic is tough to get the shots out of and the paper cups tend to leak before they “jell”. Plus they take up a ton of space in the fridge. So from now on I am going to make them in a flat container and just cut cubes or scoop it out into small cups. Easier for everyone!

Pina Colada JELL-O Shots

INGREDIENTS:

1 package pineapple flavored JELL-O

1 cup boiling water

1 cup coconut flavored rum

DIRECTIONS:

Add boiling water to JELL-O and stir to dissolve. Let cool to room temperature. Add the rum and stir. Pour into a pan or tray and freeze or chill until firm. Have fun!

Makes about 20 shots

Rose’s Molten Lava Cookies

I got this recipe from my bff Rose. I actually have not made them yet but I do plan on it! She had many requests for them and if you love or even like chocolate they will be amazing. I have known Rose since 1981 when we were both at SUNY Oneonta. She rocks! So try these cookies out and remember they come from an amazing person! If you ever go to Pindar out east on the north fork of Long Island stop in and say hi! Buy some wine! Anyway…Bake some cookies!

Rose's Molten Lava Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

¾ cup cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup dark or semisweet chocolate (at least 60% cocoa), roughly chopped

Powdered sugar for garnish (optional)


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add cocoa powder, eggs and vanilla; mix until combined.

3. Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Gradually add to butter mixture.

4. Shape dough into 1″ balls. Using your thumb, press a thumbprint into the center; fill with a piece of chocolate and fold dough over to cover chocolate.

5. Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are firm and tops are soft. Remove cookies to a cooling rack; dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

6. Serve warm, if possible. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

7. To reheat cookies, place cookie on microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 5 seconds, or until cookie is slightly warm.

**Tips From Rose: She used Ghiradelli 60% cocoa chips. At first she used 2 chips but suggested adding 3-4 if you really love chocolate!

Another tip is to roll the cookies in powdered sugar before baking; this creates a crust of sugar!

Salmon in Scallion and Ginger Sauce

This recipe I originally got from the South Beach Diet book, though the recipe called for Orange Roughy. Orange Roughy is not always easy to get so I swapped the salmon for it. You can also use cod, sole or flounder as well. It’s quick, simple and full of all those good Omega fats. I serve it with any of my favorite veggies or a stir-fry or asian side dish. The recipe calls for fresh grated ginger but if you don’t have any use ground ginger. It also calls for sesame oil but I never have that in the house so I use olive oil. The sauce that the salmon cooks in is also a great topping for the veggies or side.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup dry sherry or vermouth

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

¼ cup finely chopped green onion (green and white parts)

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

2 salmon fillets (4-8 oz. each)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Mix the sherry or vermouth, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl.

2. Place the fish fillets in an ovenproof casserole dish. Drizzle the marinade over the fish and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

Serves 2

Mom’s Old Style Lasagna

I was looking through all of my recipes trying to find one for today’s post and came across this recipe that was in my mother’s handwriting. It’s for an old style lasagna which is a little different from how I usually make it. I am adding it exactly as written by Mom. I’m hungry just reading it over! I love lasagna and I don’t get to eat it too often, too many calories! My sister makes an awesome one also, which I was able to have not that long ago. Too bad I’m on a diet now! Lasagna is one of those recipes that I’m sure everyone has had at least once in their life. It’s also one of those recipes that when it’s not made correctly it can be so disappointing! Ever had soupy lasagna? Dried out?  Over cooked? We all have! And no self-respecting Italian will buy frozen lasagna! It’s just wrong! There is nothing like home-made so give it a try soon. It’s not difficult, really! The hardest part is getting the cooked noodles out of the pan! And if that is going to be a problem for you cut them in half to handle easier. Food should be fun to prepare as well as eat so enjoy trying this recipe out! Remember I copied it exactly as she had written it so if you need to change it slightly please do.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound Ronzoni lasagna (#123)

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

1 medium onion, minced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon minced parsley

1 ½ cans tomato paste (9 oz)

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

5 quarts water

3 teaspoons salt

1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

¾ pound ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese


DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown beef and pork in large saucepan with oil, onion, garlic and parsley.

2. Add tomato paste, 2 cups water, salt and pepper. Simmer 1½ hours.

3. Bring 5 quarts water to boil, add salt and lasagna and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender, stirring almost constantly to prevent sticking.

4. Drain. Arrange lasagna in casserole dish in layers, alternating with layers of sauce, mozzarella and ricotta, until lasagna is all used and  ending in like sequence, ricotta last.

5. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in 375º oven about 20 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted. Serve.


Makes 6 large servings or 8 medium servings.


Andrea’s Delicious Chicken Salad

I have made this recipe for many years now. I have adjusted things here and there and have finally settled on what works best for us. In this recipe I prefer to use leftover cooked chicken instead of canned chicken. We love getting those huge Perdue rotisserie chickens at BJ’s Wholesale Club for only $4.99! And these chickens are huge. I believe they are about 3 pounds! Definitely more than the scrawny ones you get at the supermarket for twice the price! And with just two of us we always have leftover chicken. So I pick the bones clean of any meat and chop it up with the rest of the leftovers. If I’m in the mood I can make it right away but I usually wait till the next morning to make the salad. It’s best if it can sit for a few hours for all the flavors to blend.  I got the name “Delicious Chicken Salad” from our friend Beverly who is a former co-worker of John’s. He used to share his lunch and everyone loved the chicken salad. I did make it from time to time with canned chicken breast only because I didn’t always have leftover chicken handy. It is so much better with fresh chicken though. If you only have a little bit of chicken leftover adjust the mayonnaise and other ingredients to fit.

Andrea's Famous Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:
Leftover cooked chicken breast/dark meat (About 2 cups or so)
1 stalk of celery finely chopped
1 scallion, green and white parts, finely chopped
¾ cup Hellmann’s light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish sauce (not plain horseradish)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
1. Chop up the chicken into small chunks. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. If you need more mayonnaise add a little at a time.
2. Let chill for an hour or more.
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