Happy Halloween!

Here's some trick or treat inspiration for next Halloween!

Have fun everyone!!

Brendan's Zucchini Bread

Brendan’s Zucchini Bread

When my godson Brendan comes to visit (AKA please babysit!) he walks in my side-door hand says “where’s Lisa?” and immediately walks into the kitchen where he knows he’ll find me cooking something. Brendan says “whatcha donin?” I scoop him up into my arms and bring him to the pots and pans and show him what I’m donin. This is my shot at teaching a new generation what’s cooking in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

2 green zucchini (grated)

2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup canola oil

2 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ cup skim milk

Prep:

Place grated zucchini in a colander and let drain. Squeeze zucchini in paper towels to get rid of excess moisture.

Recipe:

Combine milk, oil, egg, sugar and zucchini in a bowl. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, corn and nutmeg into a bowl then combine with zucchini mixture. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Place mixture into 8X4 loaf pan coated with cookie spray bake for 1 hour and then test with toothpick.

Enjoy!

Happy Lady Eats

I found this great blog while researching at my internship today. It's filled with great pictures, recipes and quotes. I love the quote below & couldn't agree with it more!

"Perception is a powerful thing. Your best meal could be an elaborate 16-course affair, or a hot dog shared with someone special on a mountaintop. The best meals are about the moment than they are about the food."

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

One of the great things about my Mom being an amazing cook is that she's never afraid to try something new or experiment in the kitchen--and of course being the supportive family we are--my dad, sister, and I are the first ones in line when asked to try something. This recipe sounds a bit unconventional--but trust me--the soup is very think and the flavors are so rich--you're going to LOVE it! It's such a great dish for the Autumn weather too!

Ingredients:

1 Butternut Squash

1 medium onion

1 granny smith apple

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup milk ( I used skim)

Prep:

Heat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with with parchment paper. Cut squash in half. (from stem to base). Using a large spoon scoop out seeds and stringy center and discard.

Recipe:

Place halved squash cut side down on baking sheet. Clean onion and apple, cut in half and place on baking sheet with squash. Roast in oven for 45 mins. Check to see if squash is soft, if not cook for 10 to 15 mins. more. Let all ingredients cool completely. Turn squash over, using a spoon, remove flesh from skin and place in a food processor with onion and apple. Pulse until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until combined. At this time use can save soup in a plastic container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. Just heat when ready to use.

Enjoy!

Pastina Pie

Pastina-Pie

Many years ago, down the jersey shore (again) I had gone into our favorite Italian trattoria. Doing what you would usually do on a Sunday morning, which includes picking up a batch of fresh mozz. The little Italian women who could barely see over the counter asked me if I would like to try this Sicilian dish she had just made. Naturally, I said yes. You would never refuse food from a little Italian women; one of life's lessons. She then told me the story that this is a dish that her grandmother made her in the fall-time in Sicily. I was so surprised because I thought I had the ultimate Sicilian grandmother, which I did, but had never heard of this dish before. She wasn’t willing to share the recipe however she did tell me a few of the ingredients and the rest I left to my tastebuds. I usually make pastina pie for Halloween but it has become such a favorite I do make it again in the summer when the family is all on vacation together.

Ingredients:

1 pound of pastina

4 ozs of shredded mozzarella

¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

2 tsp of salt

½ tsp of sugar

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare 8X12 (or something similar in size) baking dish with cooking spray.

Recipe:

Boil pastina for 5 minutes and drain. Place 2 eggs in a bowl and scramble, add salt and sugar and stir. Return drained pastina to the pot and add both cheeses and egg mixture, stir completely. Pour pastina mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until top of the pie is lightly golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes and cut into brownie-sized squares.

Enjoy!

Chili Soup

Chili Soup

A few weekends ago when my both my daughters came home for a visit, I asked them what they wanted me to make and they both said,"chili soup". It’s so delicious on that first chilly day of fall.

Ingredients:

1 Lb. of chop mean

4 Beans (Black, Pinto, Kidney, Cannelloni) rinsed and drained.

1 Medium sized yellow onion finely chopped

2 Tsp. Salt

2 Tsp. granulated garlic

1 Tsp. Cumin

1 Tsp. Ground pepper

2 Tsp. Curry

¼ Tsp. Cayenne

2 Tsp. Paprika

1 can tomato paste (6 Oz’s)

1 can chopped/ or crushed tomato (35 Oz’s)

2 cups water (or beef or chicken stock)

Recipe

In a large stock pot, brown chopped meat and break apart with a spatula. When no longer pink, push to one side of the pan. If needed, add one tablespoon of canola oil and add chopped onion. Cook until lightly brown. Toss with chopped meat and move onion and chopped meat mixture to one side of the pan. Add tomato paste and break it down with a spatula and cook for two minutes. Combine tomato paste with onion and meat mixture. Add can of crushed tomato and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add all of the beans and stir. Add of the seasonings and stir. Add water or broth and bring to a full simmer and completely combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings is needed.

Serve in soup bowls topped with grated cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. A wedge of fresh corn bread will complete this satisfying meal!

Enjoy!

Homemade Spinach and Ricotta Pizza

Homemade Spinach and Ricotta Pizza

Our family gathers every September for the annual feast of San Gennaro; a festival in little Italy New York. This year, no different than any other, we gathered and immediately started eating fresh hot zeppoli’s, homemade sausage sandwhiches (from our favorite stand John’s) when a new addition caught our eye. A white pizza with ricotta and fresh spinach. It was immediately a family favorite and we all turned to my mom and said…”You can make this.” So! Not being able to patiently wait for next September, here’s our version! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 package of pre-made pizza dough

1-2 Ounces of fresh baby spinach

1 15 oz. can of ricotta

1 cup of shredded mozzarella

¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. of granulated garlic

½ tsp of salt

¼ tsp of ground pepper

¼ tsp of dried oregano

¼ tsp of dried thyme

2 tsp. EVOO

2 tsp. cornmeal

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Using approximately 2 tsp. of EVOO, grease a large cookie sheet.

Recipe:

Sprinkle cookie sheet with 2 tsp. of cornmeal. Stretch pizza dough to fit your cookie sheet. Sprinkle dough with salt, pepper, granulated garlic, dried oregano and dried thyme. Using a teaspoon put dollops of the ricotta on the dough. Top the ricotta with fresh spinach, top the spinach with Parmesan cheese and finally add the mozzarella. Sprinkle top of pizza with 3 tsp. of EVOO. Bake in oven 12-14 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Once finished, let cool (if you can) for 10 minutes before cutting into square pieces.

Enjoy!

Pancake Tips!

Tips and Gadgets

Justine's favorite breakfast is my Sunday morning pancake party. There really is no recipe; I usually follow whatever’s on the back of our favorite-boxed pancake mix. And yes, I do use package mixes, on occasion…I admit it…now you all know.

BUT here’s two little helpful tips. You want to make sure you are using a whisk to combine all of your ingredients; this allows a lump-free batter and it also incorporates air into the batter for light and fluffy pancakes. The next little tip is super easy; just make sure you let the batter sit for about 30 minutes after it’s been completely combined. Letting the batter stand for a while will also allow your batter to come to a very light consistency. Once you start to see air-bubbles come to the top of the batter, you know that all the ingredients are doing their job. Hopefully, you have a patient crowd for this tip!

Enjoy!

P.s. Thanks, weheartit.com for the pictures!!

Banana Bread

Faced with a "dilemma" of one too many over-ripe bananas, my Mom once said "when life gives you overly ripe bananas it's time to make banana bread".

Hope you enjoy this recipe! *We didn't take pictures of our banana bread, but I borrowed some from weheartit.com :)

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 eggs

½ tsp salt

¼ cup milk (regular or skim, whatever you have in your fridge)

1/3 cup canola oil

½ cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp basking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

2 very ripe bananas (they should be almost all black) Peeled and smashed in a bowl.

Preparation:

Set oven to 350 degrees. Peel your 2 very ripe bananas and smash them in a bowl using a fork.

Recipe:

Cream together oil and sugar add eggs and milk, beat well. Add all of your dry ingredients, mix together until combined and add the mashed bananas. Then mix together. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan (9X5 should do).Bake for 45-50 minutes. Then test with a tooth pick. Place a tooth pick in the middle of the loaf, pull it out-if it comes out clean then you’re all set—if there’s still some batter left on the toothpick-leave the banana bread in for another 5-10 minutes. Enjoy this with a nice cold glass of milk!

Pairing your Steak with Wine...

I'm never quite sure how to go about pairing the right wine with a meal. I'm generally an all-around Chianti Classico Riserva fan. In fact, I even had a chance to go to a Chianti Vineyard with my Dad when he came to visit me. I mean, who wouldn't want to stand next to barrels of delicious red wine? Getting back to the point though for this particular steak I would have assumed that any old red wine would do, but my research led me otherwise. I learned that when pairing a red wine with a simply-grilled steak you would want to stick to a full-bodied red wine, such as a Californian or Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. Hmpf. Excuse me.

Talk soon!

PS- Check out that breathtaking picture of a wine vineyard lit up at night. Give me that view and a dish of fresh pasta and you can pretty much have my first-born.

Steak Dinner with Sauteed Asparagus

Steak Dinner with Sautéed Asparagus

Hey Everyone!

In my family, we believe that there’s nothing more satisfying then sinking your teeth into a hot and juicy steak; no matter what night of the week. This recipe is quick and easy for weeknights after work. My mom weirdly likes to grill when it’s cold outside. She says it’s better to grill when its 40 degrees outside then when it’s 90 degrees outside. Once again, she has a point. Haha. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 Shell Steaks

Montreal Steak Seasonings

2 Tsp. of EVOO

½ tsp. of salt

¼ tsp. of pepper

Preparation:

Sprinkle each side of the shell steak with a half of tsp of Montreal Steak Seasonings. Let steaks come to room temperature for 30 minutes with the seasoning on them.

TIP *(This let’s the steaks cook more evenly when brought to room temperature before you cook them)

Recipe:

Depending on thickness of steaks and desired wellness, grill steaks on each side for 6-8 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes after grilling.

TIP*(By letting the steaks rest after grilling, all the juices return to the center of the steak instead of running out of them; they’ll be juicier!).

Use tongs to flip and handle the steaks when grilling.

TIP* (Using a fork will pierce the steak, and then the juices may escape)

For the sautéed asparagus add 2 tsp. of extra virgin olive oil to a medium sized sauté pan. Trim and wash asparagus and pat dry with a paper towel. Add asparagus to sauté pan over medium-heat. Sprinkle with ½ tsp. of salt and ¼ tsp. of ground pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Voila! Enjoy!

Cookie Stand-Yes, Please

Found this on weheartit.com. I think everyone can relate to wanting to eat this many cookies at one time!

About two years ago I spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy. While being away from home was hard (even though my Mom sent me care packages every two weeks) it was one of the best experiences of my life.

To go along with our "cookie theme" for today, I wanted to post a picture I took while on an excursion in Milano.

Normally the phrase "cookie truck" seems a little sketchy, but trust me- the chocolate cannoli from this man was A-mazing!

Ciao Ciao!

White Chocolate Macadamia Coconut Cookies

How about a nice hot cup of Starbucks to go with these cookies? That's what I'm talking about...

White Chocolate Macadamia Coconut Cookies

Being big cookie fans, my Mom came up with this recipe combining some family- favorite flavors into one decadent cookie. My mom “tested” it out on all of us 2 summers ago on our famous Jersey shore vacation. ( Oh yeah, my Mom doesn’t stop baking or cooking while on vacation, in fact, she only does it more.)

11 oz. white chocolate chips

6 oz. macadamia nuts

1 cup of coconut

2 sticks of unsalted butter

2 cups of flower

1 tsp. of baking soda

1 tsp. of salt

½ cup of granulated sugar

½ cup of brown sugar

2 tsp. of vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a cookie sheet place macadamia nuts and coconut and toast them for 4-5 minutes, coconuts should be lightly golden brown. By toasting the coconut and macadamia nut it gives this cookie a depth of flavor and a great crunch!

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add eggs and beat well. Gradually beat-in flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well-combined. By hand, add-in white chocolate, toasted coconut and macadamia nuts. Stir by hand until completely combined. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper (this is a helpful tip because cookies will not stick and clean-up is a breeze). Drop heaping tsp.’s of batter onto cookie sheets. Leave at least 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Pour a nice big glass of cold milk (has to be in a glass not a paper or plastic cup) and dunk away!

Finger-Licking Good Ribs!

Finger-looking-good RIBS

This recipe was inspired by another Jersey shore cooking contest that my daughter Emily made. She won first prize that year and I decided I too would give it a whirl, Sometimes my daughters learn recipes from me and sometimes (not too often) I learn recipes from them.

1 package of pork ribs

½ cup of BBQ Sauce

Dry Rub Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of salt

½ tbsp of pepper

¼ tsp. of cayenne

½ tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. of granulated garlic

1 tsp. of onion powder

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Combine ingredients for dry-rub in a small bowl, stir together. Sprinkle half the rub on one side of the ribs, flip over and sprinkle the other half on the ribs. Prepare baking pan or cookie sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and spray the foil with cooking spray or you can use a disposable foil tray (easier clean-up here). Place ribs in your tray cook in preheated oven for 3 hours turning one time at the half-way point. After 3 hours, use ½ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce (ours is Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce) spread each side of ribs with ¼ cup of BBQ sauce, return to oven for one more hour. Ribs should be so tender that the meat falls off the bone.

Enjoy and get ready to lick your fingers!

Rosellen's Famous Pumpkin Bars

Rosellen's pumpkin bars

My sister Rosellen gave me this recipe in 1977. I have made them every year since then. People who insist they don't like pumpkin, love these pumpkin bars. Justine and I hope you love them too!

4eggs

1 2/3 cups sugar (white or dark brown)

1 cup canola oil,

16 oz. pumpkin puree,

2 cups flour,

2 teaspoons baking powder,

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon,

1 teaspoon salt,

1 teaspoon, baking soda.

Preheat oven to 350

In a mixing bowl beat eggs, add sugar, oil and pumpkin. Beat until combined (about 2 minutes scrapping down the sides of the bowl one time). Then add remaining ingredients until well combined. Line a 15 x 10 x 1 baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour pumpkin mixture into baking sheet and spread until level. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes then test with a toothpick. stick tooth pick into center of baked bars and remove. If toothpick comes out clean bars are done. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Icing

8 ounces of cream cheese bring to room temperature. (You can use regular or lite)

1/2 cup butter softened. ( one stick)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar (sometimes called 10 X sugar)

Cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla. On a low mixing speed add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fully combined. After pumpkin bars are cooled, pour cream cheese icing on to bars and spread evenly over bars. Cut into three inch by 1 inch bars.

Enjoy!!

Rosellen's Pumpkin Bars

Rosellen's pumpkin bars

My sister Rosellen gave me this recipe in 1977. I have made them every year since then. People who insist they don't like pumpkin, love these pumpkin bars. Justine and I hope you love them too!

4eggs

1 2/3 cups sugar (white or dark brown)

1 cup canola oil,

16 oz. pumpkin puree,

2 cups flour,

2 teaspoons baking powder,

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon,

1 teaspoon salt,

1 teaspoon, baking soda.

Preheat oven to 350

In a mixing bowl beat eggs, add sugar, oil and pumpkin. Beat until combined (about 2 minutes scrapping down the sides of the bowl one time). Then add remaining ingredients until well combined. Line a 15 x 10 x 1 baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour pumpkin mixture into baking sheet and spread until level. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes then test with a toothpick. stick tooth pick into center of baked bars and remove. If toothpick comes out clean bars are done. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Icing

8 ounces of cream cheese bring to room temperature. (You can use regular or lite)

1/2 cup butter softened. ( one stick)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar (sometimes called 10 X sugar)

Cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla. On a low mixing speed add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fully combined.

After pumpkin bars are cooled, pour cream cheese icing on to bars and spread evenly over bars. Cut into three inch by 1 inch bars.

While I'm waiting for my Mom to send me one of her favorite recipes to get this blog started, I figured I would post some of my favorite things to get me through this cold and dreary fall day. I would need my couch at home with a big comfy blanket, lying on top of my belly would be my dog, Daisy (how cute is that face), a big cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows melting fast. The coat is if I decide to get adventurous and go outside. It's from Anthropologie, I've seen it in person and the color is so unique and pretty it would brighten up any dark day.

Talk soon!