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Blog update

Hi everyone. Just letting you know I will be posting later today. I am putting together a series of Italian Cooking posts. I love Italian food and I’m sure most people when asked will say that Italian food is their favorite. There are so many regions in Italy that have such a diverse range of foods. I am going to give everyone a little insight into different types of foods and what they are, different terms in Italian cooking, Italian pantry basics and other fun stuff. It’s taking a bit to organize all the information so I will be doing that later today, promise! I know the #1 place I want to visit next is Italy. Especially the Tuscany region. And call it a “chick flick” if you want but I just loved the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”. It introduced me to that lovely liqueur Limoncello! So I will of course touch on that region for sure. Maybe while sipping some Limoncello! So sit back and relax and I’ll be back shortly!

Liverwurst Pate

Stop wrinkling your noses! It’s good! It’s actually really really good! I used to make this quite a bit and end up eating most of it myself. Not good! I’ve made this for many kinds of parties and it always raises eyebrows until you try it. One year I made it in the shape of a football for our Superbowl party and used olives slivers as the lacing on the football. It is usually served best with crackers but it works well with celery and carrots as well. It is NOT a low-calorie dish either. (Though it is low carb actually) I do use the light cream cheese and light sour cream to help a little bit. I’m getting a craving for it right now just thinking about it! Our friend Kevin Dery loved it when he had it at one of our parties.

Liverwurst Pate

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces liverwurst (I use the tubes of Jones liverwurst)

1 package (80z) light cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

2-3 tablespoons light sour cream

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Stuffed green olives for garnish, if desired


DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix the liverwurst, half  of the cream cheese, onion, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce, combining well. (I do this in a food processor)

2. Place pâté mixture onto a serving dish or in a serving container of choice. Place dish or container in the freezer for about 15 minutes until firmed up.

3. Remove dish from freezer and ‘frost’ with remaining softened cream cheese. (I microwave the cream cheese till it’s spreadable like frosting. Microwave at 10 second intervals to get it soft enough to spread easily.)

4. Slice olives and decorate on pâté as you wish. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables.

Makes 16 servings

Mojito

This refreshing cocktail has been quite the popular drink over the last few years. It’s not one of my favorites but I know a lot of people who love them. They can be many flavors now also but this recipe is for a basic mojito. The recipe is for one drink so adjust if you want to make several. You’ll need a muddler or some other kind of tool to muddle or crush the mint and sugar. This should be done in a tall glass also.

INGREDIENTS:

2 ounces light rum

1 ounce fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons sugar

5-7 mint leaves

club soda


DIRECTIONS:

In a large glass place the mint and sugar and muddle until you smell the mint. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir and fill glass with some ice, top off with club soda.

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!

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