Sandi's Focaccia

Ingredients:

Prepared pizza dough
Extra virgin olive oil
cherry tomatoes
black cured olives
romano sauce
home made tomato sauce


Directions:

I purchase a large pizza dough from my favorite pizzaria, Luigis.
I let it sit an a barely warm oven for an hour covered to rise.

Using a cast iron frying pan which I have sprinkled with EVOO and some kosher salt I then carefully place cherry tomatoes and black cured olives pushed down into the bread for additional flavor. Make sure the entire dough is covered by the oil and sprinkle with romano cheese. Then bake untill golden brown. You can serve this sliced with a little homemade sauce. Bake at 450 for aprrox 35 ninurtes turn the heat down to 350 unti ready.

Sandi's Sausage Bread

This recipe was modified from a recipe given to me by my friend, Laureens husband Joe.
Thanks so much Joe
Using purchased pizza dough or u can make your own , there are many good recipes online.
The dough I use I get from a local pizzaria for 2.50.

Ingredients

1 large pack pizza dough
8 sweet Italian sausages. The better the quality the better that end result.
1 tbs tomato paste
3 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion
1 green pepper thinly sliced
salt papper to taste
1/4 lb romanno grated style cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
sundried tomatoes in oil sliced thinlly
greek or oil cured olives pitted and roughly chopped

Directions:

Take sausage out of their casings and break up any lumps, begin to saute until no longer pink.
Saute onions, peppers and garlic untill flavors begin to meld.
Add tomato paste and 1/2 cup warm water. Stir frequently to break up lumps., I usually add chopped parsley and basil at this point.

When veggies are cooked add to meat. Cook a little bit longer until well mixed together.
Let filling cool. Lay out dough and roll it so that you have a more or less a rectangle. Lay some of the filling across the long direction., sprinkle with romano cheese. Turn roll once to cover, repeat until the filing is all gone and the roll is sealed. Bake in a 45 degree oven for 20 mins turn down flame to 350 and continue cooking till nicely golden brown.

Lesley's Pea Risotto

The quantities are a bit vague as I don't tend to measure stuff out when I am cooking - the amounts giving serve 2 adults and 2 small children so probably 2-3 adults as a main course.

Ingredients;

1 finely chopped onion
Olive oil
2 rashers smoked bacon (optional)
Arborio Rice (I use approx 250g)
1 - 1.5 litres stock - veg or chicken
Fresh or frozen garden peas - if using fresh you need about 600g unshelled, frozen 1.5 cupfulls.
3 tbsp parmesan
a few basil leaves.

Heat the stock to boiling then reduce heat and keep warm.
Fry the onion and bacon in a little oil until the onion is softened but not browned.
Add the rice and stir well.
Add two ladle fulls of stock and stir until almost all the stock has been absorbed - keep adding the stock a ladle full at a time. After 10 minutes add the peas.
Continue adding stock and stiring to prevent it from sticking. The rice takes between 20-30 mins to cook through - check it after 20 mins and continue until you are happy with the texture of the rice and consistency; I like my risotto to be quite soupy but some people prefer a porridgy texture.

Remove from the heat and stirthrough the cheese.
Check for seasoning - do not add salt before this as your stock will become concentrated during the cooking process and it is very easy to over salt the risotto if you season halfway through cooking.

Stir in the torn basil leaves and leave to rest for 10 mins.

Serve with crusty bread and a green salad.

Sandi's Empanadas

Ingredients:

2lbs ground beef
3 pkgs Goya discos de empanadillos(found in the goya frozen food section of most supermkts
Sofrito(or 1 med onion chopped, 5 cloves of garlic minced and 1/2 green pepper chopped, 1/2 cup cilantro chopped finely)
1tsp Adobo(ground spice found in the goya section of most supermkts)
1 8oz can tomato sauce pref the goya spanish style
1 tsp capers
1 tbs chopped raisins
4 tbs olive oil

Directions:


saute the sofrito in the oil until fragrant. put meat in and brown while breaking up the lumps. when meat is no longer pink, add can of tomaot sauce and the capers.
Continue cooking approx 30-45 min until fully cooked and flavors are melded. Place meat in a container in fridge. Wait a couple of hours until meat is very cold and solid(easier to fill shells this way)
Take the defrosted circles and wet edges, place 1 tsp of filling on one half of the circle fold over other half and crimp edges using a fork. Repeat

You can add anything to the filling olives, jalepeno, cheese etc

after you complete the 30 empanadas, you can freeeze them or bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-15 min or if u prefer...deep fry..that is the best way to do it. Enjoy!

Camille's Tuna Macaroni Salad

My mother has been making this macaroni salad with tuna for about 50 yrs or more. Through the years, this dish has been brought to every family cookout that I can remember and now is made mostly by me for our family cook-out nights. It's always a big hit! The special touch is the orangy tint that the Paprika causes, it makes it officially hers!

Ingredients:

1 bag or box of Elbow pasta (or whichever you prefer)
2 6oz cans of Chunk white tuna in water, drained
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
3/4 cup of Mayonaise (more or less as needed)
1 small onion diced
2 carrots chopped finely (optional)
Paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper
*optional a few tablespoons of Dill Pickle juice*

Directions:

Boil the pasta in a pot of salted water, drain. I like to use the sink sprayer and spray cold water all over the pasta until its cool to the touch or you can do it ahead and set it aside to cool. When cool, add in the salad oil, mayo, tuna, chopped onions and carrots (if used). Stir together well, then add spices to taste. Top with some sprinkles of Paprika. Refrigerate for a min of 2-3 hours, the longer it sits, the better!

EASY STRAWBERRY SHORT CAKE

Ingredients:

1 premade Angel food cake (Bundt cake shaped)
1 24oz tub of frozen "Strawberries in it's own juice"
1 12 oz tub non-dairy whipped topping

Directions:


Slice the angel food cake all the way through the middle to make two layers. Place the bottom layer on a large cake plate (large enough to hold alot of juice around the actual cake).


Spoon some of the strawberry mixture all over the top (just enough to see that it starts to soak in about halfway down. Drop large tablespoons of whipped topping all over the top of the strawberries, smooth down. Place the second layer over the bottom. Repeat the above (layer of strawberries, then cream). Use your spoon to "ice" the cake as you prefer (dollops, swirls etc...) and top with remaining strawberries, and spoon the left over juice over the top enough so it drizzles down all around the sides, pour any leftover juice down into the center.

ASPARAGUS LASAGNA

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:25 min
Serves: 6 to 8 servings.

Ingredients

•9 lasagna sheets, fresh or dried
•1 teaspoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
•2 (8.5-ounce) jars sun-dried tomatoes, drained
•1 1/2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
•1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus 3/4 cup
•1/4 pound pancetta, diced
•1 medium onion, diced
•2 garlic cloves, minced
•4 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
•1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
•2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta or 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain pasta.

In a food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Set aside.

In a large skillet brown the pancetta until crisp. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish sprinkle some of the sun-dried tomato mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Place some lasagna sheets, then half asparagus mixture. Next sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and some of the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan. Continue for 1 more layer. Top with lasagna sheets, some sun-dried tomato mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Dot the top with butter. Bake until the ingredients are warm and the cheese is melted, about 25 mins.

Danielle's Easy Steak Slow Cooker Meal

steak
carrots
onions
peppers
diced tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef broth
3 tbls a1 sauce
flour, season salt, peppe, onion powder

in a measuring cup put 1/2 wine, 1/2 beef broth and 3 tbles of a1 sauce and mix together

in a bowl put season salt, onion powder, pepper, and flour and mix together

place meat for seasoning and make sure all meat is covered. i cut the steak into 4 pieces and then coated it.

cut pepper, onions , carrots and place into crock pot. place meat into crock and cover with dice tomatoes and then pour liquid mixture over the vegs and meat turn on low for 8 hours and it comes out delicious

BERRY BERRY COOL PIE

SERVING SIZE 8-10
PREP TIME: 15 MINS
COOK TIME: 0
TOTAL TIME 6 HOURS


Ingredients:

1 (14OZ) CAN Sweetened condensed milk
½ cup lemon juice
1 ½ to 2 cups assorted fresh berries
(rasberries, blackberries, blueberries)
1 8oz container frozed whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 oz) Ready crust Graham Pie crust



Instructions:

1. Mix together sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice in large bowl
until blended. Stir in berries. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust.

2. Freeze 5 hours or until set. Let stand 30-40 minutes before serving.
Garnish as desired.

Home Made Limoncello

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

10 lemons
1 (750-ml) bottle vodka
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles.

Tina's Italian "Gravy"

Ingredients:

2 CANS OF RED PACK WHOLE PLUM SHAPPED TOMATOES IN THE CAN

1 CAN OF TOMATOE PASTE

2 CLOVES OF GARLIC CHOPPED

1 HANDFUL OF CHOPPED ITALIAN PARSLEY

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

1 LARGE POT

Directions:

WHAT I LIKE TO DO IS FRY MY MEAT IN THE POT THE GRAVY WILL COOK IN BECAUSE IT GIVES THE GRAVY SUCH A GREAT FLAVOR.IN THE BOTTOM OF THE POT LET THE GARLIC SAUTE IN A HALF CUP OF OIL ADD YOUR MEATBALLS OR WHAT EVER MEAT YOU PUT IN YOUR GRAVY UNTIL BROWN, IF ALL THE MEAT DOES NOT FIT DO ONE AT A TIME MEATBALLS, SAUSAGE ETC. PULL OUT WHAT DOES NOT FIT THEN REPLACE ONCE ALL MEAT IS BROWNED.IN MY BLENDER I BLEND THE TOMATOES, PASTE, GARLIC CLOVE SALT AND PEPPER. ONCE IT IS BLENDED THE WAY YOU LIKE CHUNKY, SMOOTH THEN POUR OVER YOUR MEAT IN THE POT. IF THERE IS TO MUCH OIL FROM THE MEAT FRYING YOU CAN DRAIN SOME BEFORE YOU ADD THE GRAVY TO THE POT. ONCE YOU HAVE ALL IN THE POT MEAT AND GRAVY, I TOSS SOME EXTRA CHOPPED GARLIC AND PARSLEY ON TOP AND LET SIMMER ABOUT 3 HOURS ON A LOW FLAME SO GRAVY DOES NOT EVAPORATE..ENJOY!

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional FYI...chocolate chips are NEVER optional...always a must)

A small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Directions:

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous.) And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Steak and Shell "Goulash"

The "recipe" ....sorry no real measurements....

For some reason I didnt feel like grilling the london broil that I took out this morning. I just wanted to make something easier and different.

I just cubed up some thick steaks, tossed them around in all the spices listed below until coated, and then sauteed them in EVOO, with chopped garlic, added sliced onions and cooked till browned and set it aside.

I boiled the first bag of pasta I grabbed (small shells) until done and set aside.

I looked around in the pantry and came up with the following which were all mixed in with the cooked steak and shells until heated through.

A jar of sun-dried tomato pesto, a cup of spinach, a small can of water chesnuts (dont ask why, i dont know, lol), a can of corn niblets, some worshishire sauce, 1/2 cup red wine (just happened to have one opened ) some, red pepper flakes, garlic and onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper and topped it with a bunch of parmesan cheese.

Elisabetta's Strawberry Cake

　
(makes one 10-inch cake)

Ingredients:


6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate*
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.3. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.4. Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.

ASIAGO SUN-DRIED TOMATO PASTA

"This recipe is sooo good and definitely not low fat. The creamy sun-dried tomato Asiago sauce is delicious!"

PREP TIME
25 Min
COOK TIME
35 Min
READY IN
1 Hr
SERVES: 6
　
INGREDIENTS

2 cups heavy cream
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon Asiago Cheese
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with equal parts water
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta
3/4 cup bacon
1/4 cup butter
1 cup diced red onions
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped green onion
1 pound grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
　
DIRECTIONS

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook 2 cups cream until just bubbling. Watch carefully, to ensure that it doesn't boil over. Stir in bouillon and Asiago cheese. Stir with a whisk until dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture, and simmer until sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes. Set aside, or cover and refrigerate for later use.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute red onion until soft and translucent. Stir in garlic and cooked bacon, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in green onions, chicken and 1 cup cream. Cook, stirring, until cream is heated through. Add Asiago cream sauce, and heat through. Toss with cooked pasta until evenly coated, and sprinkle with chopped parsley