Chicken and Rice

2 Small Fryers split in two
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic minced
1 Tbsp Sofrito
1 C Water
1 Green Pepper sliced
1/2 jar Spanish Olives including juice
1 small sweet onion sliced
2 green onions sliced thin (tops and all)
1 Tbsp Cilantro chopped

2 cups rice
(use perfect white rice recipe Aug 4, 2009 post and add 1/2 packet of Sazon Goya seasoning to water)

In a dutch oven heat garlic and sweet onion in oil till onions are tender
add chicken half and brown
add sofrito
Stir till chicken is coated
add olives with juice, green pepper and 1 cup water cook to a slight boil
reduce heat, simmer for one hour. stirring occasionally

Serve Chicken Half with rice garnish with cooked peppers and olives and sprinkle green onion over all.

Cannoli cake

Lemon cake:

Grease 2- 8 or 9" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment and lightly grease the bottom- flour the pans, shaking off excess. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an electric mixing bowl, (medium speed) cream 1 cup (2 sticks) soft butter for 1-2 minutes. Gradually add 2 cups white sugar- beat until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add 4 large eggs, ONE at a time - mixing after each addition until the batter is fully blended - around 5 minutes. Occasionally stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Mix dry ingredients (separately) in a bowl and then set aside:
3 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 tblsp. baking powder
1 teasp. baking soda

Measure 1-1/4 cups buttermilk and to it, add 1 teasp. vanilla and 1 Tblsp. grated lemon zest/

To the butter/sugar mixture in mixing bowl, ALTERNATELY add the flour mixture and buttermilk- a third at a time - mixing on a low speed until everything is mixed together well and thoroughly incorporated.

Spoon 1/2 the batter into each of the 2 pans. Bake 20 minutes - quickly and carefully rotate the pans so the cakes cook evenly. Bake for another 10 - 15 minutes more (checking after 10 minutes) and testing with a toothpick to make sure cakes are done.

Remove to cooling racks - cook 20 minutes in pans before turning upside down and removing from pans. Cool completely.

When layers are cooled, split each in half. You can put filling between 2 or 3 of the layers, depending on how high you'd like the cake. Or you can leave them intact and just put filling between one layer. Or go ahead and eat it plain. :-)

There are countless variations for cannoli filling; some are cooked, some are uncooked. It's all a matter of personal taste and preference. Add candied fruit, citron, peel, toasted chopped nuts, chopped chocolate ... whatever floats your cannoli boat.

This makes more than enough filling for a 3-4 layer cake:

Mix together:
2 lbs. fresh whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar (or more if you like a sweeter taste)
1 teasp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
scant 1/2 teasp. grated lemon (or orange) zest
1/3 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 bar (standard size- 6 oz?) imported chopped milk chocolate (like Lindt or Lindor)
Fold in gently:
1-1/2 cups freshly whipped whipping cream (not canned!)

Divide ricotta filling and spread between layers of cooled cake. Either sift powdered sugar over cake & serve with freshed whipped cream or use your favorite frosting.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake..

Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake

16 oz Choc Chip cookie dough
1 8 oz Cream cheese
1/2 C. Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 Tsp Vanilla

Preheat oven to 375.
Cut cookie dough in 1/4 in. Slices
put into well greased ( or pam) 9x9 sq pan
in layers ..(2)
Bake 18 min. ...Take out of oven
KEEP oven on.
At Med speed, Cream cheese & Sugar..Add rest of ingredients. Pour over Choc Chip baked dough...for 20-25 min.

Let Cool and slice..
On Holidays..I double this recipe and use a 13 by 9 ..it turns out fine..
It's sinfully delicious..: )

Sausage, pepper & cheese strata

Grease a 9x12" pan. Tear up 6- 1" slices of Italian bread and scatter the pieces onto the bottom of the pan.

In a pan over med. heat, saute 1 lb. of Italian sausage (bulk - or just remove casing) along with 2-3 bell peppers (I used yellow ones, but any colors work fine), breaking up the sausage as it cooks. When it's nearly done (total time of 5-7 minutes, tops), lower the heat & cover the pan to let everything steam.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix well & set aside:

6 large eggs

2 Cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 small chopped onion

1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese

1 Tblsp. fresh chopped (or 1 teasp. dried) oregano

salt to taste

freshly ground pepper

Pour half the egg/milk mixture over the torn up bread in the pan. Scatter 1 cup freshly grated Asiago (or fontina - I use Asiago) cheese over the bread. Spoon the cooked sausage and peppers evenly over the cheese. Pour the rest of the egg/milk mixture over the top. Sprinkle another cup of grated Asiago (or fontina) cheese evenly over the top.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the strata is set.

Panna Cotta

Panna cotta means 'cooked cream' in Italian. The variations on this simple, yet luscious dessert are endless! After making the cooked cream, you might want to spoon some fruit compote or lay fresh berries on the bottoms of the custard cups before pouring in the cream (before chilling it). You may also choose to use different flavorings (instead of vanilla) - grate some lemon or orange zest into the nearly finished dessert - don't be afraid to experiment!

In a small pitcher or bowl, measure 1-1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream. Take a half of a vanilla bean- split it down the side, scrape out the beans and drop the entire bean into the heavy cream. Set aside.

In a 2 cup measuring cup, pour 1 cup (whole) milk and 1/2 C. light cream (half & half). Pour 1/3 of it into a heavy saucepan and sprinkle 4 teasp. unflavored, powdered gelatin over the top. Let it sit until the gelatin softens and swells, approx. 5 minutes. Pour in the rest of the milk and stir in 1/2 cup white sugar- stir well. Set the saucepan over medium heat and cook (around 5 min. or less) - stirring CONSTANTLY with a wire whisk - until the gelatin & sugar completely dissolve and milk mixture is HOT - DO NOT SIMMER OR BOIL - that will deactivate the setting property.


Once the milk/gelatin/sugar is heated and dissolved, remove from heat. Remove the vanilla bean from the heavy cream, making sure it's scraped well - stir it up and slowly pour it into the hot milk in the pan. Mix everything together thoroughly.

Lightly grease custard cups, ramekins or small bowls and place them on a baking pan. Divide the cream equally and pour into the little cups (leaving 1/2" space from the top). Loosely cover the ramekins and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours (or overnight) until the panna cotta is completely set.

You could serve it right in the ramekins or gently unmold them (as you would do with jello). This is a delicious dessert plain, or with fresh berries, sweet sauces or melted chocolate.

Rosemary and Corriander Rubbed Pork Roast

1 pork loin roast

The Rub
1 Tbsp Coarse sea salt
1 Tsp Fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp Cracked coriander
1 Tbsp Garlic powder
3 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary chopped
1/4 cup Lemon Zest (grated lemon peel)
Mix all ingredients in bowl

Prepare
Rub pork roast generously with rub till coated
Roast pork at 375f for 25 minutes per Lb

Cut into slices and serve

Asparagus Carbonara

2 large eggs
2/3 cup graded Parmesan cheese
3/4 lb spaghetti
1 bunch asparagus halved lengthwise cut
crosswise into 2-inch pieces
2 TB EVOO
5 slices Pancetta
3-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 c dry white wine
Salt & pepper


In a large bowl beat together eggs and cheese.
In a large pot of salted boiling water , cook pasta until al dente, adding
asparagus during the last minute of cooking. Drain, reserve 1/2
cup of cooking water. Add the hot pasta & asparagus to the egg
mixture; toss to coat.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet,heat EVOO over medium heat.
Add pancetta and cook until crispy; stir in garlic. Add the wine
and cook until slightly reduced. Stir mixture into the pasta, adding
enough pasta water to moister; season with salt and pepper

mangia

Scottish 'Mince & Tatties'

This traditional Scottish dish has always been a favorite of my husband & his family (from Fife, Scotland)- kids especially love it! 'Mince' translates into 'minced meat' or finely chopped beef or (what I & many usually use) ground beef (round or sirloin is best - less fat). This 'mushy beef stew' (as my kids have always called it) tastes much better than it looks! lol

In a pot or dutch oven, saute 2 lbs. (or more - - - - if using more meat, increase the amounts of vegetables/other ingredients) of meat (ground round, see above note), breaking it up as it cooks. Halfway thru cooking time, add a good-sized (med/large) chopped onion & a clove of minced garlic (I'm pretty certain this was NOT used by my mother-in-law, but it adds something special to the taste! Omit the garlic if you want.) and continue cooking until meat loses its pink color. Drain off ALL juices/fat. Return to medium heat. To the pot, add 1-1/2 cups chopped celery, 1/3-1/2 cup diced green pepper. Add enough water to cover the meat/vegetables. Add 2 Tblsp. beef base (that's a 'paste' in a jar found by soups in the grocery store) thinned in 1/4 cup hot water and 1 Tblsp. worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and (a generous amount of) ground black pepper; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding a bit more water if it reduces too much. The 'juice' should cover the meat, but the meat shouldn't be swimming in a lot of liquid. Simmer the meat for 45 minutes. Add 1-1/2 cups. chopped carrots and continue simmering for another 1/2 hour, or until the carrots are tender. At this point, you can add a cup or 2 of cooked peas - or serve them on the side. Once the cooking is completed, you could either eat as is, or thicken the juice with a little cornstarch mixed with cold water - if you like a thicker 'gravy'. Ladle the mince over freshly cooked mashed potatoes.

Honey Wheat Bread

If you aren't familiar with bread baking, yeast proofing & kneading, check out a basic cookbook for more detailed instructions/technique. This is an abbreviated version (the way I make it). I use a heavy-duty Kitchen Aid mixer to 'knead' the dough, but you can use a mixing bowl to combine the ingredients and just knead the dough by hand for approximately 5 minutes. I usually buy wheat flour in bulk at Whole Foods Market, but King Arthur, Hodgson Mills, Gold Medal or Pillsbury works just as well. If you bake as much bread as I do, you might consider buying a large package from GFS; they sell a BIG bag (like 4 cups of dry yeast) for around $5.00, which is a STEAL!

In 1 C warm water, stir in 1/2 tsp. sugar to dissolve. Add 4 tsp. dry yeast and stir to dissolve. Let it proof for 5 minutes or so until yeast starts bubbling/activating.

While the yeast is proofing, in a glass bowl, melt 4 Tblsp. butter (microwave) --- to the melted butter, add 6 Tblsp. honey and 1-1/2 C. milk. Microwave for another minute or so, or just until milk is warm. Stir well.

In a large mixing bowl (or metal Kitchen Aid mixing bowl), combine the milk/honey/butter with the proofed yeast. Mix it up to combine. Add 2-1/2 cups wheat flour, 1 teasp. salt, 1 cup regular bread flour (higher gluten % than plain white flour) and mix well. Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough gets thick and starts holding together. The total amount of dough varies - between 5-6 cups... be careful not to add TOO much flour though- that would produce a very dense, dry, tough bread.

Once all the flour is added, put a dough hook on the mixer and knead the dough for 5 minutes. You can also do this by hand on a wooden board or countertop - sprinkling with flour to keep the dough from sticking. Remove it from the mixing bowl and continue kneading by hand for another minute or 2.

After the dough is thoroughly kneaded, place it in a lightly oiled ceramic bowl, put it in a warm, draft-free area (NOT A HOT OVEN!), cover it with a towel and let it rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. If you want to form the dough into loaves (baked in a pan), divide the dough in half. Grease 2 standard sized loaf pans. Knead each section of dough and form into loaves- place in the pans.

If you want a more 'free' style loaf, knead the dough and shape into a round (frisbee shape) or whatever shape you prefer. Place the dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Let the dough rise another 20 minutes, whether in a pan, or shaped on a sheet.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the free formed loaves for approx. 15-20 minutes - check after 15 minutes to ensure that it's fully baked (lightly golden brown on top & bottom). The dough in loaf pans will take a bit longer, possibly another 10-15 minutes.

Again, check a cookbook with detailed instructions on bread baking if you're not very familiar with it. I could SHOW you how to do this much better than writing it out! :-)

Slumgullion Stew

Ingredients for Slumgullion Stew

2-3 lbs of ground beef
1 regular size can cream corn
1 regular size can whole kernel corn
2 cans reg size kidney beans
2 small cans of mushroom stems and pieces or 1 reg size can
1 onion chopped(optional)
add garlic and pepper to suit taste
1 1lb block of sharp cheddar cheese



How to prepare dish


You will need a dutch oven to cook this in

Brown hamburger in skillet until all browned
Next drain all grease from hamburger and put into dutch oven
ad all other ingredients except for cheese
thoroughly mix all ingredients and turn oven on to 350
keep in oven for about 20 minutes or until all ingredients are hot
then slice the block of cheese and layer it on top of the other ingredients and return to oven until all cheese is melted(approx 5-8 minutes)
take out of oven and enjoy