Pumpkin Spice Biscotti

Yield: Makes About 16 Biscotti
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 42 mins...

Roasted pumpkin and spices combine to make this tasty fall inspired biscotti.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
(Canned Or Roasted Fresh As Described Above)
2 Medium Eggs
2 Tablespoons Softened Butter
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla
2 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
Dash of Ground Cloves
1 Cup Toasted Coarsely Chopped Walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, butter, vanilla and eggs.
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the bowl with the flour and stir until combined, then fold in the walnuts.
Lightly grease a baking sheet, or use a silicon tray liner.
Flouring your hands as needed, form a log about 14 inches long and 6 inches wide. (I flatten mine out a bit so it is almost square on top.)

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the loaf is light brown and the top is just firm to the touch.

Cool the biscotti for 15 minutes, and then using a serrated knife cut into 1/2 inch slices.

Reduce the oven heat to 300 degrees F.

Lie the slices flat onto the baking sheet and bake an additional 7 to 8 minutes until one side is light brown.

Turn the slices and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Homemade Chili Mix

Chili is perfect for days like this.  It's cold outside,  and a nice bowl of chili can warm you up in no time.  I know,  I know!  It's not Italian food.  But my family love to come home to chili after a long day.  And the aroma of homemade chili makes you smile (and hungry).
I want to share the chili mix I use,  so if you run out of the store bought one,  or you want to try something different here a homemade mix. 

Ingredients (equivalent of two store bought chili mixes(

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried, minced garlic
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

You can make ahead,  put it in a tightly sealed ziploc bag and keep it in a dark dry place.  This way the flavors will mix and the chili mix will be stronger.  Keep no longer than 2 months.

Sugar Cookies

Almost everyone has a favorite cookie recipes, sugar cookies is one of mine. They are great, moist, light and flavorful. Kids love to decorate them on the Holidays and they just set that happy atmosphere on family events.

Ingredients: 

1 cup of butter

3/4 cup of sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Dash of lemon juice

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour

Frosting

Mix together butter and sugars. Add in eggs, vanilla, lemon juice. Mix flour, baking powder, salt together and gradually add into creamed mixture. Don't over stir. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour at least. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously flour a flat surface and the rolling pin. Scoop out half the dough and roll until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and bake 6-8 minutes. Do not get them brown! Cool in pan for one minute. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. 

Frost and decorate. 

Bistecca al Pepe Verde (Green Pepper Steak)

Ingredients:

4  5 oz. each Beef Tenderloin
2 Tbsp. green peppercorn coarsely crushed (Use black if you cannot find green)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. cold butter
1/2 cup cognac
1/2 cup cream (use the Crema Mexicana non agria, it is the closest cream to the Italian cooking cream)
Salt to season

Let beef stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, season with salt and some peppercorn.
In a pan add the oil and heat it until is almost smoking. Add the meat and sear the beef 3-4 minutes per side over medium high heat. Remove the steaks from the pan and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Drain the excessive grease from the pan, add the butter and the remaining peppercorn and cook over medium high heat for 1 minute. Add half of the cognac and stir. reduce heat to low, add cream and stir gently, then add the rest of the cognac. Stir, pour on the beef tenderloin and serve immediately.

Ham, Cheese, Spinach Frittata

If you are making breakfast but at the last minute you realized you don't have enough eggs, try to make a frittata. By adding few ingredients to your eggs, you will cook a nice filling breakfast without having to run at the store to buy more eggs.

INGREDIENTS: for 4 people

6 to 8 eggs add a bit more milk if not enough eggs
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cups flour
2/3 cup mixed cheddar and mozzarella cheeses
2/3 cup cut/cubed ham
1 handful fresh spinach
salt, pepper to season
olive oil to cook

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, warm up the olive oil in a pan and add mixture.



Cook thoroughly both sides of the frittata without scrambling the eggs. Put a plate on top of the pan to help turn the frittata, than slide it from the plate back to the pan.



Serve with toasted bread.

Cream Brûlée

20 eggs

20 eggs yolks

1.5 quart heavy cream

.5 quart half and half

2 cups sugar

1 oz Grang Marnier

Add eggs, yolks and 1 cup of sugar to a large bowl, mix well. Bring cream and half and half to a boil, add the rest of the sugar and mix. Remove cream mixture from the stove.

Temper cream mixture into eggs one ladle at the time, constantly stirring (secret is to bring the temperature of eggs up slowly without cooking the eggs). Continue to do this until ¾ of the cream mixture is in the eggs mixture. 

Add Grand Marnier.

Pour rest of the cream mixture and stir well.

Pour mixture through a fine strainer to remove cooked eggs pieces and possible shells. 

Let mixture sit and cool.

Using the bottom of a ladle, remove film that forms on top of mixture.

Pour mixture into 1-2 ramekins and bake, covered, in a water bath for 30-35 minutes. 

Remove from oven, cool, and place in the refrigerator.

After chilled, place a small layer of sugar on top and caramelize with a blow torch.

Party ideas

Quick party ideas

1. Put an 8 oz bar of cream cheese in the middle of a platter, pour jalapeño relish over the top and serve with crackers.

2. Slice croissants and fill with thinly sliced roast beef. Serve with horseradish sauce.

3. Roll out crescent rolls. Sprinkle with cooked ground sausages and Parmesan cheese. Roll up lengthwise and slice into bite pieces. Cook at 375 until brown. 

Linguine con Salsa Sveltina

                             

Love this recipe! It's my mom's friend Nadia recipe. Growing up I used to go visit "aunt Nadia" in Padova and she used to teach me lots of good healthy ways to cook pasta. The Sveltina (quicky) sauce  is a light sauce perfect for a hot summer dinner. Fast, light and delicious.

Ingredients (for 5 servings)

1 pack linguine

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 pint sliced cherry tomatoes

1 cup chopped fresh basil

4 gloves chopped garlic

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tsp sugar

Sea salt

Pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Some basil leaves to garnish 

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, in a large saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes, chopped basil, chopped garlic and stir well. Add broth, sugar and cook for 4 minutes. Season with sea salt and pepper. Add linguine, toss to combine and serve. Add Parmesan cheese on pasta after it is served on plates. 

The Beginning of My New Adventure

Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin

This is my favorite way to cook pork loin. This is my mom old recipe for her roasted pork loin that I twisted a little to use in the smoker.

Ingredients 

One medium pork loin

1 1/2 packs of thick bacon

Celery

1/4 cup finely chopped Parsley

Some parsley leaves

Sea Salt

2 garlic cloves chopped 

1 pinch Cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning

1 Tbsp Tone's Tuscan Garlic Seasoning Blend

1 Tbsp Chili powder

Rosemary leaves

1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil 

2 cups white wine

Clean the pork loin, in a small bowl mix olive oil, sea salt, cayenne pepper, old bay, Tuscan seasoning, chili powder. Rub the mix on the pork. Let it sit while you're prepping the bacon. 

Beat the bacon with a meat beater to make it thin and longer. Lay each strip on a flat pan or cookie sheet overlapping each strip. 

Put the pork loin in the center of the bacon strips.

Chop the garlic and spread it on the pork, add the rosemary leaves. Inject the pork loin with the white wine using a culinary siringe, make sure you inject it in various parts. Roll the bacon around the pork loin tightly, chop the parsley and rub it on the bacon. Add some parsley leaves and celery. 

Smoke it on medium for 8 hours (I use an electric smoker, if you have a regular smoker you will have to adapt temperature and cooking time)

Dr Pepper Roasted Pork Loin

Few days ago was my daughters birthday, I decided to surprise her with one of her favorites for lunch, Dr. Pepper roasted pork loin.

Ingredients

Medium size pork loin

1 1/2 - 2 cups Dr Pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped parsley 

2 garlic cloves 

Fresh Rosemary 

1 Tsp Kosher Salt

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/2 Tbsp Tone's Tuscan Garlic Seasoning Blend

1 1/2 Tbsp Tony Chachere's More Spice Seasoning

(These 2 seasoning blends are really good for rubbing roasts)

Wash the pork loin, make sure all the blood is gone. Lay it in an oiled roasting pan. In a small bowl mix the Kosher salt, olive oil, and the two seasoning blends. Rub the mixture on the pork loin. 

Inject the pork loin with Dr. Pepper using a culinary siringe in various parts of the meat (this will keep the roast super moist)

Chop the garlic in thick pieces, chop the parsley, and spread them on the pork loin. 

Cook at 375 for about 60-70 minutes. It's good served with roasted potatoes or for a lighter side dish, steamed vegetables 

PASTA CREATIVA (CREATIVE PASTA)

Few days ago I had to bring a dish for a potluck and I decided to create a new recipe. The ladies loved this pasta, they kept talking about it over and over and they asked me to share the recipe so here it is. I couldn't figure out a name for it, but since it is a new creation and as you see there are plenty of ingredients, I figures the "Creativa" name is appropriate.

5-6 servings

Ingredients

1 pack thin spaghetti (I use Pasta Barilla)

3 eggs

½ cup milk

1 cup steamed mushrooms

1 cup Parmesan cheese

2 cups cubed cooked meat (I used roasted pork loin, but you can use ham, bacon, or any meat you like)

6-7 cubed Roma tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

Half medium white onion

1 cube Knorr chicken bouillon (caldo de pollo)

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley

4-5 finely chopped chives leaves

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Kosher or sea salt (both natural salts, I used Kosher salt, less saltier since i used the chicken bouillon. Table salt is sodium chloride combined with iodine, and anti-caking compounds to make it pour by preventing it from absorbing water from the air)

Couple pinches of dry red pepper

Chop garlic and onion in small pieces and sauté them in the olive oil. Add the chicken bouillon. Stir well, cook for about a minute, and add the steamed mushrooms, parsley, meat, tomatoes, chives. Cook on medium for about 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently. While the sauce is cooking, start the water for the pasta. Add ¼ cup of vegetable oil to the water so pasta will not stick together.

Add salt. In a bowl mix the eggs, milk, oregano, red pepper and Parmesan cheese. Let it sit there until pasta and sauce are ready.

Make sure you cook your spaghetti “al dente” that means you drain them right at cooking time that's suggested on the box (Barilla Thin Spaghetti cooking time is 6 minutes)

Drain pasta, add the sauce mixture, mix well. Add the egg mixture (the heat of the pasta will cook the eggs) mix fast and well, you want the eggs mixture to stay creamy.

Serve with a side of salad of your choice and garlic bread, and enjoy!

Funghi Trifolati (Sauté Mushrooms)

Ingredients

8 oz steamed mushrooms 

2 garlic cloves

A handful of Italian parsley

Salt, pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mince garlic, then sauté in olive oil. Add mushrooms and parsley. Stir, add salt and pepper. Keep stirring and cooking mushrooms for 4-5 minutes.

Funghi Trifolati can be used as side dish, but they are great on lemon chicken, pasta sauces, pizzas and many more other dishes.

Raspberries Mimosa (Alchohol and Alchool Free Recipes)

With summer around the corner, we start craving those sweet but cold and refreshing drinks. this is my Raspberries Mimosa. Perfect for those hot summer nights.
The alcohol free version (at the bottom) is a yummy drink for kids and non drinkers.

Ingredients (for a pitcher)

1 bottle orange juice
2 packs frozen raspberries
 prosecco wine (if you don't like dry wine use a sparkling sweet white wine)
1 cup sugar
mint leaves for garnishing


Blend the orange juice with 1/2 pack of the raspberries, pour in a glass pitcher, add prosecco wine to top (1 part juice and 2 parts wine), add sugar. Chill for two hours before serving. When serving, pour drink in a glass, add some thawed raspberries and mint leaves to garnish. (for those that like a kick in their drinks, add a splash of vodka in the glass)


Alchool free Raspberries Mimosa

Same ingredients and process, but substitute Prosecco wine with Sprite, and use 2 parts of juice and 1 of Sprite. Stir before serving.

You can use strawberries or pineapple instead of raspberries.

Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce

2 whole chicken breasts, cooked and shredded 1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated 1 (3 oz.) can (mild) chopped green chilies 2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 pt. sour cream 

1 can of corn 

2 cup of rice 1/2 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated 1 dozen flour tortillas 

Boil rice. While rice is cooking, toss together: chicken, Jack cheese, and chilies. Mix together soup and sour cream. Heat salad oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Fry each tortilla very quickly on both sides (only to soften). Put about 1/4 cup of chicken filling in center. Add 1 tablespoon soup mixture. Fold sides in, and then roll. Drain corn, mix it with the rice. Make a rice bed on the bottom of a casserole pan. Place enchiladas , seam down, on the rice. Repeat with each tortilla. Spread the remainder of soup over all. Top with Cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Mint Tea

This is a Marroccan tea. In Morocco the tea is usually prepared in a special teapot. After the tea brews a little, some is poured back and forth between the pot and and a glass, a procedure that is said to improve the brewing process. When ready, the tea is poured from a height of one to two feet into the small glasses. 

Ingredients:

4 bags of green tea

1 cup packed fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup sugar

3 cups boiling water

Place the tea bags, fresh mint leaves and sugar in teapot. Pour the 3 cups of boiling water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Let steep for 4 minutes and serve. 

If you prefer ice tea let it cool down, add ice, garnish with fresh mint and a lemon slice. Your mint tea just turned in the perfect beverage on a hot summer day.

Marinated Flank Steak

Ingredients:

4 large shallots, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp dry red wine

1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Pepper

1 1/2 lbs flank steak, trimmed

Whisk first 5 ingredients and pour in a 13x9x2 inch glass dish, season with pepper. Add steak and turn to coat. Marinate steak for 2 hours at room temperature or 1 day in the fridge. Turn steak occasionally. 

Preheat broiler. Remove steak from marinade. Broil steak to desired doneness, about 5 minute per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to plate and serve.

Spaghetti All'Amatriciana

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 Lb Lean Bacon, diced

3/4 Lb Tomatoes, skinned and diced

1 Chili Pepper, do not chop

1 Pack Spagetti (14 oz)

Salt

1/2 cup Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese, grated

Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the diced bacon well for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the chili peppers, sauté for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. 

Cook the spaghetti "al dente" in plenty of salted water. Drain well. 

Remove the chili peppers from the sauce. Place the spaghetti in a warm plate, pour sauce over the top, sprinkle with cheese. 

Fish and Chips

After experimenting with German in the past months, I've found a new interest in British recipes and here it is,  my new food adventure. I will be posting the British recipes I'm trying. Starting with one of Britain's favorites, Fish and Chips,

                

Ingredients

• 2 oz/55g all purpose - plain flour
• 2 oz/55g corn starch / cornflour
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup/75ml dark beer
• 1/3 cup/75ml sparkling water
• 1 lb/450g white fish fillet preferably sustainable cod, pollock or haddock
• ¼ gallon/1 liter vegetable oil or other frying oil

Preparation

• In a large roomy bowl mix together the all but 2 tbsp of the flour, cornstarch and baking powder. Season lightly with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper.
• Using a fork, and whisking continuously, add the beer and the water to the flour mixture and continue mixing until you have a thick, smooth batter. Place the batter in the fridge and rest for between 30 minutes and an hour.
• Meanwhile, lay the halved fish fillets on a sheet of kitchen paper and pat dry. Season very lightly with a little salt. 
• In a deep, thick bottomed saucepan, chip pan or electric fryer (if you have one), heat the oil until sizzling hot (test by dropping a ¼ tsp of the batter into the oil, it should sizzle and crisp up immediately).
• Place the 2 tbsp of flour reserved from the batter mix into a shallow bowl. Toss each fish fillet in the flour, shake off any excess, dip into the batter then carefully lower each fillet into the hot oil. Fry for approx 8 minutes or until the batter is crisp and golden, turning the fillets from time to time with a large slotted spoon. 
•  Using the same slotted spoon, once cooked remove the fillets from the hot oil, drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with chips (fries).

Apple and Almond Smoothie

1 Apple sliced

1 cup almond milk

1 handful of spinach

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

Pinch of nutmeg

1 cup of ice

Put all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. 

Smoothie Days ~'A quick weight loss

Once a month I do my smoothie days. Two fruit filled days, that will give you a vitamins boost and helps you lose that little extra weight. 

Ingredients (for 1 day)

1 banana

2 apples

10 large strawberries 

1 handful of blueberries

1 handful of raspberries 

1 handful of blackberries

1 cup crashed ice

Blend everything together. Divide in 3. Sip through the day. Drink 7-8 bottles of water throughout the day. Do it for two days, without eating or drinking anything else and you can lose around 5-6 lbs 

Ham and cheese Involtini

Ingredients 

6 large thin steaks

6 cheddar cheese slices

12 ham slices

Pickles sliced (optional)

Dried rosemary

Minced garlic

Salt and pepper

Lay a steak flat on a plate, sprinkle with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper.

Cut the cheese slice in two and lay on the steak. Add two slices of ham. Add the pickles if you like them. Roll the steak, secure with a toothpick.

Oil a pot with Olive oil. Cook the Involtini until all sides are well cooked.

Serve with Béarnaise Sauce (see previous recipe)  

Quick Bearnese Sauce

Ingredients 

1 stick of butter, cut 

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp white vinegar

1tbsp minced chives

2 egg yolks 

1/2 tsp dried tarragon

1/4 tsp salt

1 pinch pepper

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. On low heat, whisk until butter is melted. Keep whislomh until thickened!

Remove from heat! Whisk before serving 

Salmone al Cartoccio

Ingredients:

4 pieces of salmon

Sage leaves

Parsley

Mint leaves

1 garlic clove

Extra virgin olive oil

Lemon juice

Lemon slices

Salt and pepper

Aluminum foil for cooking

Wash sage, mint and parsley, dry with a clean cloth. Chop sage, mint, parsley and garlic. 

Cut 4 sheets of aluminum foils, big enough to hold the salmon and herbs and leaving some extra space.

Lay salmon in the middle of the aluminum foil, add herbs and garlic mix. Sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Put lemon slices on top of the salmon.

Close the aluminum foil leaving some space between salmon and the top of the foil 

Preheat oven 350

Cook for 25 minutes

Panna Cotta

• For 6-8 small crème caramel-type moulds:
• 1 litre of cream (2 pints) or 3/4 litre cream and 1/4 of full cream milk
• 3 level teaspoons of sugar Half a fresh vanilla pod
• Approx 5 g (1 teaspoon) agar-agar in powder, flakes or sticks
• For the sauce: 300 g (10 oz) of ripe strawberries, kiwis or mango
• Sugar

• Split open the vanilla pod and place in a saucepan with the sugar and cream (and milk if using). Bring to the boil, stirring constantly.
• When the mixture has come to the boil, add the agar-agar, lower the heat and leave for a further two or three minuts.
• Pour the mixture into the moulds, allow to cool and place in a refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
• Wash and prepare the fruit, cutting it into small pieces.
• Add just enough sugar to sweeten (approx 1-2 teaspoons, depending on the fruit).
• Heat on a low flame for a few minutes, just enough for the fruit to soften.
• Leave to cool. Serve spooned over the panna cotta once out of its mould.

Cajun Teriyaki Garlic Shrimps

Ingredients for 4 serving 

40 large thawed cooked shrimps 

8 tbsp Teriyaki marinade

8 tbsp Olive oil

Ground black pepper

Garlic powder, enough to cover shrimps

Cajun seasoning, enough to cover shrimps

Honey

Heat oil in a skillet

Season shrimps with garlic powder, pepper and Cajun seasoning

Sauté shrimps for 5 minutes, add honey and Teriyaki marinade, sauté for another 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Mother "Pluckers" - Dr. Pepper Sauced Boneless Wings Recipe from Pluckers Wing Bar

If you ever visit Austin, TX you HAVE to eat at Pluckers. Pluckers Wing Bar is part restaurant and part honky tonk joint with heavy emphasis on serving chicken wings and beer. There are few Pluckers in Texas and some in Louisiana, but the Pluckers located in Austin is the original one.
The idea for Pluckers came about circa 1991 in the dorm room of the University of Texas. Dave and Mark couldn’t find a good wing place in Austin that had dine-in, take-out, and delivery. After four years of testing sauce recipes and applying for loans, in 1995, their first wing restaurant was finally opened.
Located in the heart of West Campus, no UT college experience would be complete without going to Pluckers.  As the “Official Home to the Freshman” nearly every student has graced their presence there and only the brave have succeeded in getting their proud Polaroid picture on the Wall of Fame by eating 25 wings with the spiciest sauce – Fire in the Hole, a sauce so numbing, it may as well be used in lieu of Novocain.
Their boneless wings are pretty delicious but their wings are obviously the show stopper – juicy and tender chicken dipped in your choice of 16 great sauces +1 sauce of the month. I recommend all their sauces but my personal favorites are Baker’s Gold, Goldrush and Dr. Pepper (Dr. Pepper wasn’t ordered this time around, but I promise I will get to it).
The atmosphere is always a blast. On any given night, there’s something fun: Trivia Night, Karaoke Night, etc. Be forewarned, there’s always a long line after football games and during dinner but don’t let that deter you. Grab a drink at the bar, Pluckers has lots of drinks specials and their restaurants always have tons of TVs so you can watch the night’s best games.
With the plethera of drink specials and food specials, there’s always a deal here. After football and basketball games, if the Longhorns play well, they pass out coupons for 5 free wings. If you’re part of the Pluckers club you get free appetizers and free birthday meal. Tuesday kids eat free and Fridays school faculty and students get free appetizers. I’m probably leaving out a lot of other freebies, but you’ll just have to check it out yourself. (from cforcuisine) 

Anyway here one of their recipes:

Dr. Pepper Sauced Boneless Chicken Wings

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into nugget sized pieces
  
• 3/4 cup flour
  
• 1/2 Tsp salt
  
• 1/2 Tsp. pepper
  
• 1/4 Tsp. garlic powder
  
• 1 can Dr. pepper
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/4 cup ketchup
  
• 1/2 Tsp. Tabasco sauce
  
• 2 TBSP butter
  
• Oil for frying

Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss the chicken in the flour mixture, coating completely. Put the coated chicken in the fridge for at least 1 hour. This will help the coating adhere to the chicken during frying.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the can of Dr. Pepper to a boil, reduce heat and simmer briskly until reduced to about 1/8th the amount. Add the brown sugar, ketchup, Tabasco and butter and simmer until a nice thick sauce. Set aside.
Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Remove the chicken from the fridge and fry in the oil until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. when all chicken is cooked, toss in the sauce until completely coated.
Serve and enjoy.

Limoncello

Limoncello is a liqueur made from lemons. In Italy, it is usually served after dinner. You will find locally made Limoncello in Sorrento (near the Amalfi coast) and in Liguria. Both of these areas grow the lemons used to create the Limoncello. If you want to have the taste of Italy at home, try this recipe to make your own.
Please note that this is a very detailed recipe for those who have never tackled liqueur making before. Many Limoncello recipes are much simpler and faster.

Ingredients list

• One Bottle (750 ml) Everclear (95% alcohol 190 Proof)
• One Bottle (750 ml) good but not necessarily premium vodka (40% alcohol 80 Proof)
• 15 large thick skinned bright yellow lemons (without scars or flaws in the skin if possible.)
• 750 ml (about 3 cups) filtered tap water or distilled water (not mineral water)
• 4 cups pure cane white sugar (this will give thin syrup consistency; if you prefer a thicker syrup, experiment with increasing your sugar by 1-2 cups)

Tools list

• A very clean and dry gallon glass jar (the kind you make sun tea in is perfect)
• Large supplies of unbleached cone coffee filters; half of them #2 size and half of them #4 size
• 22 clean, 100 ml. bottles that seal tightly. I found mine at Cost Plus/World Market. They are clear glass with narrow necks. The ceramic looking white hard plastic stoppers have orange rubber gaskets and built in metal hasps to hold the stopper tight. They cost $1.99 each. If you would like to try to get the exact same bottle, the label says World Market "Spain" K1 and the UPC code is 2056 8498.)
• One large gallon sized glass (pyrex style) pitcher
• One cup sized metric measuring cup
• One punch ladle
• Two funnels with inch mouths. One should have a bowl capacity to fit the #4 coffee filter, the other to fit the #2 coffee filter.

Step One

Day 1

• Pour the bottle of Everclear and the bottle of vodka into the gallon jar.
• Try to use organic lemons or make sure that lemons are cleaned to remove all pesticides, dirt, and fertilizer chemicals. Dry the lemons. Use a potato peeler to peel just the yellow part of the skin off the lemons. Make sure you have NO white pith on the back of the peels, because this causes bitterness in the finished liqueur. Try to make the peel pieces as large as possible, because this will make the straining process easier.
• Put the lemon peels in the gallon jar and stir gently.
• Cover tightly and put away in a cool (not cold) dark place for alcohol to extract oils from peels, creating an infusion.

Days 8, 22, & 36

• Gently stir lemon peels to refresh exposure to alcohol. Return to cool, dark place.

Day 43

• Gently stir lemon peels.
• Scoop out one of the larger peels and test flexibility. If peel breaks like a potato chip, you will move on to the next step. If peel is still flexible enough to bend without breaking, return to cool dark place and try again in another week.

Step Two

Day 1

• Dissolve sugar in water and bring to boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes.
• Set syrup aside to cool. It must be room temp before adding to infusion.
• Use a slotted spoon to gently scoop lemon peels from the infusion and discard. To avoid creating small pieces that will make straining more difficult, try not to break peels as you remove them.
• Using the larger funnel, the ladle, and #4 coffee filters, slowly strain infusion through filters into large pitcher. This is a messy process. The filters will clog quickly and you will use many of them.
• Rinse and dry gallon jar.
• Repeat straining process, transferring infusion from pitcher to original gallon jar by straining again through #4 coffee filters.
• Return filtered infusion to jar and add COOLED syrup.
• Return to cool dry place for 40 days to begin mellowing process that combines alcohol infusion with syrup to create Limoncello.

Day 40

Note: If you moisten the filters before the straining, you will not waste liqueur by soaking it into the filter.

• Begin filtering Limoncello. Use punch ladle to pour a small amount into a filter-lined funnel held over the small measuring cup.
• Fill measuring cup to an even ml level. (100, 200, 300, etc.)
• Using smaller funnel and #2 sized filters, filter one last time into individual 100-ml bottles. You have now filtered the liqueur a total of 4 times.
• Seal bottles VERY tightly. Remember, if you are using different bottles and are sealing them by corking -- corks breathe. So consider dipping the neck several times in melted wax after corking.
• Label and/or tag bottles.
• Return to cool dark place for storage.

Your Limoncello is now ready to enjoy. However, the longer it sits and "ages" the smoother it becomes.
Serving suggestion:
As an after dinner drink, serve one ounce in a small chilled aperitif glass.
As a refreshing dessert, pour an ounce over a large scoop of shaved ice and garnish with a lemon twist.
Limoncello is best when served directly from the freezer.
100 ml -- 45% alcohol by volume
This liqueur is homemade for private use only. Not intended to be sold or served commercially.

Fave dei Morti - Beans of the Dead

Fave dei Morti, beans of the dead, are the little bean-shaped cakes that Italians eat on November 2, Il Giorno dei Morti, or All Souls' Day. These small cakes, made of ground almonds and sugar combined with egg, butter, flour, and subtle flavorings, are traditionally eaten throughout Italy on the day that everyone decorates the graves with flowers and says masses for departed souls.



Fave dei Morti, beans of the dead, are rich and delicate little cakes. Despite their macabre origin, you will want them often. Color them orange and serve at Halloween or Thanksgiving parties with ice cream in goblin or pumpkin molds. Or leave them white and store in tightly closed tins, to serve with coffee or tea to unexpected guests.

  

INGREDIENTS (for 12 small cakes)

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup finely ground almonds (unblanched)

1 egg

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

Vegetable coloring, if desired  

DIRECTIONS

Combine sugar, butter, and ground almonds. Beat egg and add to other ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Add flour and flavoring. Work dough until smooth and make into a roll about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate 2-3 hours. Then cut off bits of dough and mold into kidney-shaped pieces about as big as large lima beans. Bake on greased cookie sheet in moderate oven (350° F.) about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan with spatula.

Basic Pancakes Recipe

1 Egg
1 Cup of Flour
3/4 Cup of Milk
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Sugar
3 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt

Mix all together, pour in a hot greased pan. Cook until both sides are golden.

Pumkin & Coconut Bread

Coconut and pumpkin team up to make a refreshing and flavorful pumpkin bread.

The coconut flavor comes from a pudding mix.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 package (3 1/2oz) instant coconut cream pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup pumpkin, canned or fresh cooked and mashed
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preparation:

Combine eggs, sugar, and oil in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer hand-held until well blended.In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, pudding mix, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon; add to sugar mixture alternately with the mashed pumpkin, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in pecans or walnuts.Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove loaf to wire rack to cool completely.

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

6 Roma Tomatoes
6 Garlic Cloves
2 Jalapenos Peppers (more if you like very hot)
1 Bunch Cilantro
7-8 Large Basil Leaves (this is my add on original recipe) 
1 Small Bunch Chives
1 Lime
Salt to taste

 

 

 

Chop the tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, basil, chives japapenos. Mix all together, add lime juice and salt to taste.

Torta di Mele - Apple Cake

 

 

 

 

Instead of a firm, crisp apple like Granny Smith, I prefer using one that will soften while baking, such as Fuji, Golden Delicious, or McIntosh.

Ingredients
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup grappa or rum
1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• • •
Confectioners’ sugar (optional)
Ground cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in the eggs and grappa. Stir in the flour mixture.

Spread the batter into a greased 9-inch springform pan. Making a decorative circular pattern, set the apple slices into the batter. Bake until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon, if desired.

Serves 6 to 8.

Istarska Fritaja OR Istrian Frittata

A small handful of wild or regular asparagus
a little water
4 eggs
oil
2 thick slices prosciutto, cut into pieces

To prepare the shoots of wild asparagus, gently bend the shoot and then
break it where it's hard, and unbending. This part is very woody, and
difficult to eat, but can be used to make asparagus stock. Cut the shoots
into about 3 - 5 cm pieces.

Warm the oil in a wide pan, and then add asparagus pieces to it. Cook on a
low heat, until softened. Add a little water. This will evaporate quickly,
and steam the asparagus slightly.

When the asparagus is al dente, add the prosciutto pieces to it, and cook
until the prosciutto is cooked, and it changes colour. Then add the eggs,
and cook, stirring, until the eggs have set.