Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Quick Pizza Dinner with Leftover Mexican Ground Beef!

Ok, I had quite a bit of the ground beef mixture left from my Mexican Beef Burritos last night...and it was a long day....so here is what I've come up with for dinner tonight!

Using the following beef mixture (although I'm using leftover) here it is for reference.
Beef Mixture:

• 2 lb of extra lean ground sirloin/beef (I try to find 95% lean)
• 4 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can of black beans or pinto beans (or both), drained and rinsed
• 1/4 - 1/2 C green onions, or red onion, chopped
Cook ground beef in 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat.  If liquid remains when beef is cooked, drain and place back into skillet.  Add seasonings, and stir well over medium low heat.  Turn off heat and add beans and onions. 



What I've used in the Pizza:
• One recipe of the following pizza dough, or use frozen pizza dough (a good thing to keep in the freezer for quick dinners)
• 1 Jar of Newman's Own Marinara Sauce
• 1lb of Kraft's part-skim shredded mozzarella with philly for better melting

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
I rolled my dough out about 2 inches larger than my pizza stone so I could place some of the shredded cheese in the crust and roll the dough around the cheese and press down to secure and form a thick border.  Place the dough with the stuffed crust on a pizza stone and into a preheated 425 degree oven for approx 5 minutes. 

Remove from the oven.  I used one jar of Newman's Own Marinara Sauce, then topped with the beef mixture and the rest of the shredded mozzarella. Brush the crust with extra virgin olive oil (or garlic olive oil if you have some), place back into the oven for 16-20 minutes.  Remove from oven and brush crust with olive oil to keep it soft. Let stant 5-10 minutes before slicing!


Amy's Favorite Pizza Dough

(makes 2 approx 12 inch pizzas--OR 1 thicker crust or stuffed crust)
1 1/4 C warm water
2 T Olive Oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 C cornmeal
3 T whole wheat flour
3 C unbleached white flour
1 T yeast

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water (about 105 to 110 degrees F), add the rest of the ingredients and beat using the dough hook of a stand mixer until a nice dough ball is formed. If it is still sticky place flour on the counter and turn out the dough and knead until smooth.  Be careful not to knead in too much flour and make the dough too heavy. Let rise for 60-90 minutes, until doubled in size. Punch down and turn out and divide into two dough balls to roll out for pizzas.

• Option—Do you have a bread machine? Place the ingredients into your bread machine in the order the machine suggests, set for the dough cycle, when complete, turn out and divide into two balls which you will roll out for the pizzas.
--If you don't have one, you should look at investing in a Zojirushi bread machine...it is my second machine and I just love this machine. I make most of our bread and it is so nice to place ingredients in, go to work and come home to dough ready to go, or even a baked loaf!  www.zojirushi.com  They also make great rice cookers....this is a necessity in my kitchen too!

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Place pizza stones in the oven if you have them. If not place your pizza pans into the oven.  When hot, roll out the dough into your circle to fit your pan (doesn't have to be perfect). Take stone/pan from the oven and place dough on stone/pan.  Place back into the oven for approx. 4 minutes, then take it out of the oven, it's time to top it!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Beef Burritos with Jicama Salsa

Looking to lower the fat and keep dinner fresh and healthy. Tonight we went in a Mexican direction with Ground Beef Burritos with Jicama Salsa.  You can also use these ingredients to make a lower fat version of the popular Mexican Salads. I skipped the cheese in mine but added lots of cheese to my kids, trying to keep mine lower fat, but have more calories for them.

Beef Burritos with Jicama Salsa—
OR Mexican Salad see option





Beef Mixture:
• 2 lb of extra lean ground sirloin/beef (I try to find 95% lean)
• 4 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can of black beans or pinto beans (or both), drained and rinsed
• 1/4 - 1/2 C green onions, or red onion, chopped
• 10 inch flour tortillas
• Shredded Mexican Cheese (colby-jack or one with jalapeno if desired)



Salsa:
• 2-4 tomatoes, squeezed to remove seeds and juice, then diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 small jicama, peeled and diced
• 2 green onions or about 1/4 C red onion diced.
• 1/4 to 1/2 of a jalapeno, finely diced
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• kosher salt & black pepper to taste (or use a pinch of cayenne)





Sour Cream topping or salad dressing:
• 1 C of light sour cream
• zest and juice of 2 limes
• pinch of kosher salt






Optional Salad: Romaine Hearts, shredded

Cook ground beef in 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat.  If liquid remains when beef is cooked, drain and place back into skillet.  Add seasonings, and stir well over medium low heat.  Turn off heat and add beans and onions. 

Combine salsa ingredients and toss to combine, season to taste.

Combine sour cream with lime and salt. 

Place tortilla on a microwave safe plate and add beef mixture and cheese, microwave for 1 minute. Remove and add salsa, roll up burrito style, then top with sour cream and more salsa.

Salad Option: Place shredded romain on a plate, top with beef mixture (optional to add cheese or I prefer chopped avocado added), top with salsa veggies and lime sour cream (use more lime juice to make this mixture thinner if you'd like).




Ratatouille Lasagna

My kids like lasagna, and I want them to eat more vegetables. I have a meatloaf I put plenty of vegetables in that they love, so saw an idea for making lasagna with eggplant "noodles." I thought this might be pushing too far for my kids so I've gone with a hybrid of sorts.  My husband and I loved it.  The kids ate it better than I thought they would on the first try, so I've deemed it a success! The kids came up with the name and I think it is very fitting.

Ratatouille Lasagna

Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pump sprayer, or canned cooking spray.
1 medium or 2 small eggplant, sliced lengthwise in 1/4 inch slices
2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise in 1/4 inch slices
1 large egg, beaten
15 oz low-fat (part skim) ricotta
1/2 C grated Parmesan, divided
2 jars of Marinara (I like Newman's Own)
1 lb of part skim shredded mozzarella (I like the Kraft with philly in it to melt, keeps my boys from complaining about "rough" cheese...some of the low fat cheese just don't melt well)
Barilla No Boil Lasagna Noodles
optional: 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, and/or fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place eggplant and zucchini on two baking sheets sprayed with oil. Spray the vegetables and place in the oven for 10 minutes, turn and cook another 6-10 minutes, zucchini will need to be removed closer to 6-8 and the eggplant closer to 10 (but don't over roast, it is going back in the oven in the lasagna).

While roasting the vegetables, combine egg, ricota, and 1/4 C parmesan (optional, add fresh garlic, and/or fresh basil to this mixture), set aside.

In a large baking dish, 9X13, place some marinara, then a layer of noodles, top with dollops of ricotta-half of mixture, then mozzarella. Add the eggplant layer, then sauce and mozzarelle, then zucchini layer, dollop the rest of the ricotta mixture, then sauce and mozzarella, another layer of noodles, the remaining sauce (should cover the noodles) mozzarella and remaining 1/4 C of parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Let sit for appox 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy.


Thursday, October 13, 2011

Chorizo, Squash, Black Beans Over Spelt Berries— A Mexican inspired dinner! With a side of Apple Jicama Slaw!

My CSA bag has been wonderful lately, such great variety.......leeks, butternut and acorn squashes, sweet potatoes, apples, apple cider (apples & cider from Hircshs fruit farm near Chillicothe for my hometown friends!), onions, beets! YUM! So this past week we received spelt berries! Which, my kids really like! We had these earlier in the season and it was the first time I had cooked them and surprisingly, they were a big hit! You should really find these and give them a try if you have never had them...and here is a wonderful recipe that was inspired by my dear friend Janet Menges (who lives in Circleville), she posted on my last blog link with the basics.  So here is my version and the amounts that I used.

Chorizo, Squash, Black Beans Over Spelt Berries

For the Spelt Berries (if you can't find spelt, brown rice, bulgar wheat, or quinoa would be a good substitute):
2 Cups of spelt berries
4 C of chicken broth, heated
1/2 C of white wine
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Olive Oil

For the Main Dish:
1 lb Chorizo Sausage (bulk or links, but remove the casings...this is easy, just make a slit long ways on the sausage and peal off the casing)
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 poblano pepper, sliced in thin strips
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained well
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Olive Oil
Optional: Cilantro or Sour Cream to Garnish

First, in a saucepan add a few Tbsp of olive oil and add garlic, saute until fragrant, just about a minute, add the spelt berries and toast for a few minutes, then add the white wine and saute until mostly absorbed, add the chicken broth bring to a rolling boil, lower but keep a boil and cover. Cook for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, to your preference of softness, stirring occasionally. We prefer it al dente–with some bite left in it.

While the spelt is cooking, place the diced sweet potatoes in a glass dish with about 1/2 C of water and cook in the microwave until fork tender.  Remove from the microwave, add the maple syrup and cinnamon, cover and set aside while the spelt is cooking.

In a large saute pan, cook the sausage, then drain on paper towels. Add another Tbsp of olive oil if needed to saute the poblano peppers until softened, remove to a large bowl, add the drained beans, the sausage and sweet potatoes and toss gently to combine.

Place about 1/2 to 1 C of the spelt on a plate and top with sausage and sweet potato mixture. Garnish if desired.

With the apples we received I was craving a dish I used to make often, and it was the perfect match for the spelt dish! Cool and crunchy and the vinegar was just right to cut the richness of the sausage and sweet potatoes! 




Apple Jicama Slaw

Dressing: 
4 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Salad:
2 C of savoy or Napa cabbage shredded (green cabbage)
2 C of grated or thinly sliced jicama
3 apples grated (leave the skins on) or finely chopped
4 green onions (white and green tops) finely chopped
1 C dried cranberries
1 C toasted walnuts, chopped
Optional: Blue cheese to garnish

In a small bowl whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside. Prep the salad ingredients and toss to combine. Add dressing and toss until combined. 

I certainly hope you try this and enjoy it!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Fall Inspired Pasta

When fall arrives I like to make pastas that include winter vegetables, like butternut squash or sweet potatoes. Risottos and rices are great with squashes as well...but tonight we needed simple and fast, so the following fit the bill!























Pasta with Leeks, Garlic, Sweet Potatoes and Raisins


1 lb of Farfalle (bowtie) pasta
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 leeks, rinsed and cut into ribbons
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Cup Chicken Broth
4 oz Neufchatel Cheese (Philadelphia 1/3 less fat)
1/2 C raisins
kosher salt
black pepper
grated parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (when boiling add a few tablespoons of salt and the 1lb of pasta--cook per package directions)... In the meantime, slice the leeks and saute in olive oil on medium heat, seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper to taste (about 1 tsp of each is a good starting point). While the leeks are softening, peel and dice sweet potatoes. Place in a large glass microwave safe bowl with about a 1/4 to a 1/3 cup of water. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, check in 3 minutes for tenderness, and continue cooking until sweet potatoes are tender. While the potatoes are cooking, chop the garlic and add to the leeks, total cooking time on the leeks is about 10-12 minutes.  Add a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar to the leeks to deglaze the pan, then add the chicken broth. Drain sweet potatoes and add to saute pan with leek and garlic. Turn the heat to medium low and add 4 oz of cheese and stir to melt, stir in the raisins.  Turn off the heat and when the pasta is cooked, drain (reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water) and add to the saute pan...toss..add 1/2 to 1 Cup of the starchy pasta water, toss,  this thickens the sauce. Top each portion with grated parmesan.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Amy's Italian Casserole

Amy's Italian Casserole

Ok, this was just a huge hit at my house! And, I used a lot of what came in my CSA bag, in other words, use what veggies you have on hand! My son ask for polenta and I wanted to get some veggies in too. And, I saw a recipe for shepherd's pie on a show....but my kids like soft polenta better than mashed potatoes.....so this is what I came up.

Ingredients
1lb of bulk sausage
1 green zucchini, cut in half and then into bite size pieces
1 yellow zucchini, cut in half and then into bite size pieces
1 yellow onion, cut in half, the from the end cut into thin slices
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can of cannellini beans (white beans), drained, rinsed, and well drained

Polenta Topping:
3 C of milk
3 C of low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 C of corn meal
1/4 C of grated parmesan
kosher salt
white pepper
nutmeg

shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large saute pan, cook the sausage, then place in a large casserole dish (9X13 approx). Add onion and garlic to saute pan and cook for 2-5 minutes, add a few splashes of white wine vinegar to deglaze the pan and add squashes and cook for another 4-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into casserole. Add beans, and combine this mixture.

In a saucepan bring the milk and broth just to a boil, add salt, white pepper and nutmeg. While stirring the liquid in a circle slowing add the corn meal and continue stirring until it begins to thicken, reduce the heat and keep stirring often for about 10 minutes.  Stir in grated parmesan. Top the sausage mixture with the polenta (corn meal) and smooth out.  Top with some cheese and place in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.


Monday, September 5, 2011

Sugar Cookie Debate: Crisco or Butter?


Ok, everyone loves to debate what makes better sugar cookies, Butter or Crisco? Well, everyone covets my mother-in-laws sugar cookies at the holidays.  They all hope to be on the list to get a container!  They are completely addictive.  Since I love to bake, I've tried many sugar cookie recipes, but none compare.  Many of my baking friends insisted I was wrong. I guess among food people, butter is best.  But being the open-minded sort, I have decided after much recipe testing that crisco definitely has different qualities than butter and in some cases, it is the best choice. I use both in my kitchen depending on what I am baking and how I want it. So, in 2009 (my real estate was slow then, LOL), I baked 3 different recipes of sugar cookies. My mother-in-law's and two friends' favorites that both used butter.  I didn't ice/frost them, because I took them around and had a variety of friends and family taste all 3 without knowing anything about cookie A, B or C, and tell me their favorite.  Now, I know this isn't a qualified study, my fields weren't diverse enough or large enough, but this was just for my own interest. AND, the amazing result....drum roll please.....no one selected a butter cookie as their favorite, even though there were 2 butter and only 1 crisco cookie.  Carol's won hands down. And my survey is enough for me, this is my favorite and go-to sugar cookie recipe!


Carol’s Cut-Outs (Sugar Cookies)
2/3 C Crisco
1 1/4 C sugar
2 eggs
1 T milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 C sifted enriched flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp double-acting baking powder (Carol uses Clabber Girl--or 3 tsp regular)

Blend Crisco, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Add combined dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Roll 1/8” thick (Carol rolls hers 1/4”) on a lightly floured board and cut with a cookie cutter.  Bake in moderate oven, 375 degrees, on an un-greased baking sheets for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan immediately and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Recipe says it: Makes 6-7 dozen
(NOTE: Carol gets less than the recipe says;
Amy’s note: for a 4” across pumpkin cutter, using a batch and half of dough, I made approximately 36-40 cookies).

Variations:
Crunch Cookie: Stir 1 C very finely chopped nuts into the cookie dough.

Orange or lemon cookies: Use 1 T orange or lemon juice in place of milk and stir in 1 T orange or lemon rind.

Filled Cookies: Cut sugar cookie dough with round cookie cutter. Place a spoonful of jelly or jam in center of one cookie and top with another cookie. Press edges tightly to seal. Bake as directed.

Spice Sugar Cookies: Add 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp cinnamon with dry ingredients.

Note: I use this cookie recipe for my friend Denise Leo's Dreamy Apricot Blonde Brownies


Carol’s Icing

1 1/2 sticks of butter
2 lb powdered sugar
1/4-1/3 C skim milk (start with less and add if necessary)
Mix with an electric mixer.

Makes enough to ice about 5 batches of the above recipe.
(Amy’s note: I thin it with milk to the desired consistency—Carol uses it thicker and spreads it on like cake frosting—but if you thin it you can dip the cookie and smooth with an offset spatula and it hardens for decorating/similar to royal icing.)




Amy's Favorite Brownies

 Makes about 25 incredible brownies


10 tablespoon butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate, broken into large chunks
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Ganache Frosting:
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. In a medium saucepan, stir butter and bittersweet chocolate over very low heat with a heatproof rubber spatula until just melted (do not let simmer or boil). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour chocolate-butter mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Into a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, then whisk together. With a clean rubber spatula, gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined.
3. Spread batter evenly in the baking pan. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until brownies are firm, beginning to pull away from sides of pan, and a toothpick inserted in center emerges with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Let brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
5. In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over simmering water, combine chopped semisweet chocolate and whipping cream. Cook, stirring often, until melted and blended. Remove from heat and let ganache cool until just warm.
6. Pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan and allow to set until firm, about 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator.
More toppings to try. Why stop at all choclate? 
Try these other toppings for these rich brownies. Be generous with amounts, and chill brownies so that the topping sets.
Coconut and Macadamia: Sprinkle shredded toasted coconut and chopped toasted macadamia nuts over the just-warm ganache layer.
Crushed Toffee: Sprinkle crushed toffee bits over the just-warm ganache layer.
Double Peanut: Warm up natural-style peanut butter (creamy or chunky) and spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate until peanut butter is firm; top with ganache and chopped peanuts.
Raspberry: Spread raspberry jam over cooled brownies and top with ganache.
Rocky Road: Preheat broiler. Spread half of the just-warm ganache over cooled brownies, then top with mini marshmallows and chopped walnuts. Broil brownies for about 1 minute, or until marshmallows are toasted and beginning to melt together. Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining ganache.
White Chocolate Swirl: Spoon dollops of melted white chocolate over the just-warm ganache layer and make marbled swirls using a toothpick or a knife.
Peppermint Topping (Great at the Holidays):
--80 hard, round, red-and-white peppermint swirl candies
Set oven temperature to 300°. Line a level, rimmed 11 1/2- by 16-in. baking sheet with parchment. With a pencil, draw a grid of 1 3/4-in. squares on parchment (5 rows of 8), leaving about a 1-in. border, and turn parchment over. Place a mint in the center of each square. Bake 15 to 25 minutes, or until completely melted into 1 large sheet, but remove before candy begins to turn yellow. Immediately score peppermint squares with a pizza cutter, using pencil lines as your guide. If scored lines don't hold, rescore quickly. Let candy cool completely. Gently break into squares along score lines. Arrange, bake, and score remaining 40 candies the same way (you'll have extra squares; pick the prettiest).
Place peppermint squares bottom side up on ganache, leaving enough room between squares to cut brownies. Cut brownies into squares along edges of peppermint tops, wiping knife clean between cuts. Remove brownies from pan, discard (or eat) scraps, and return brownies to pan. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure wrap does not touch peppermint, and refrigerate 3 hours (to soften candy a bit). Serve slightly chilled.
Of course you can use this base brownie and go to my friend, Denise Leo's website for really inspiring creations!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Mexican Pork Roast in the Crock Pot

Mexican Crock Pot Pork Roast

Approx. 5lb pork roast
1 onion, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and cut in half
4 stalks of celery, cut in half
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 jalapeno, cut in half again
1 poblano, quartered

Toss the veggies into the crock pot, and place the pork roast on top.
Add:

2 C of chicken or beef stock
2 C of white wine
1 C of water


Top the pork with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, cumin and chili powder to coat well.  Then top with some sugar in the raw, about 1-2 TBSPs.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours, or low for 8-10 hours.

Optional: Use 1 C orange juice in place of 1/2 of the stock or to replace the wine.

I took a portion of the pork roast to make burritos with the pork, rice and beans inside, and the following sauce, shredded mexican cheeses, and tomato and corn salsa on top.  I put the rest of the pork roast into the chill chest for another night's dinner.

Amy's Ranchero Sauce

28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Pinch cumin seeds, toasted
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt
Sugar
Dash hot red pepper sauce

Combine and puree the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, cumin, and garlic in a food processor.

Heat the oil in a saucepan or skillet and fry the tomato puree over high flame. Add broth, and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and is heated through. If sauce tastes somewhat bitter, add a pinch of sugar. Sprinkle with a dash of hot red pepper sauce. Sauce may be served hot or cold.
Yield: about 2 cups


Beans and Rice

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 T of cumin
1 Tsp of ground coriander
2 C Basmati Rice
1 C of chicken or beef stock
1 C of dark beer
1 C of water
1-2 cans of pinto beans, drained, rinsed and drained well.

Optional Toppings: chopped cilantro, chopped tomatoes, chopped scallions

In a medium saucepan, saute onions in garlic until softened, lower heat and add garlic, salt and pepper for a few minutes, then add cumin, coriander and rice.....turn heat back up to toast the rice for several minutes, stirring often....add stock, beer and water, bring to a boil.  Cover and lower to a simmer, cook for 20 minutes.  Stir in beans.  Top with whatever you like......enjoy!


Fresh Tomato and Corn Salsa
6-8 Roma tomatoes, cut in half, squeezed of juice and seeds and chopped
1 ear of corn, cut from the cob
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
(ok I went to the fridge, no more jalapeno, no problem, from the pantry I used 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes)
2 green onions, white and green chopped
Zest and juice of 1-2 limes
1-2 T olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
Toss together.





For dessert I went to my favorite brownie site:                                                                                        Out of the Box Brownies' Dreamy-Apricot-Blonde-Brownies

And, I didn't have any apricot jam in the pantry! So, I used Strawberry preserves! I also used my favorite sugar cookie dough recipe in place of the box mix, added the cream cheese and brown sugar, and mixed the strawberry jam with cinnamon per the instructions....oh just go to the site and make her wonderful creations!


(If you want my favorite sugar cookie recipe, just let me know!)

Great Italian Themed Party Buffet

Have a few ladies over (or couples) and make it a great gathering with this Italian Buffet.  Fresh, fast and festive. For the meatballs I like the addition of raisins and pine nuts then cooked in the tomato sauce. My kids like them without additions (of course)!





Amy's Italian Sausage Meatballs

2 lbs of Italian sausage (if you can't find bulk, buy links and remove the casings)
1 C of seasoned bread crumbs
1 Cup grated parmesan
1/3 to 1/2 C Milk to moisten
2 eggs
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Roll meatballs (golf ball size or smaller) and place on a sheet pan.  Roast for 20-25 minutes.
Variations are optional:
½ Cup of Raisins
½ Cup toasted pine nuts
basil leaves—4-6
fresh Italian parsley chopped

For the party I used the variations above and I cooked my meatballs right in tomato sauce:

•       Extra Virgin Olive Oil
                1 small onion, chopped
                2—28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
•      1—8 oz can of tomato paste
                2 cups red wine (start with 1 cup and add more until meatballs are covered.)
•      1-Tbsp of sugar if you wish to make it less acidic.

In a large pot, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and cook the onion until translucent. Add the cushed tomatoes, and wine and bring it to a boil. Add the uncooked meatballs to the pot and let cook on medium heat until cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Italian Flat Bread with Grapes and Rosemary


3/4 C warm water (105 to 15 degrees)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 T olive oil.

Mix water, sugar and yeast, let sit 5 minutes.

Add flour, salt, olive oil and chopped Rosemary, mix in a stand mixer with dough attachment until it forms a sticky ball.

Transfer from mixer to lightly floured surface.  Knead until smooth. Place in a large bowl with brushed with olive oil, set aside. Let rise covered until doubled in volume, about an hour.  Can be made one day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.

Roll out with  a rolling pin, let rise another 30 minutes, then push red and white whole grapes into the puffed dough.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.


Tomato, Watermelon, and Basil Skewers


Ingredients
                1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
                1/4 cup sugar
                1 (4 to 5 pound) watermelon, cut into 32 (1 1/2-inch cubes
                32 small basil leaves (or torn larger leaves)
                16 cherry tomatoes, halved or 32 whole grape tomatoes
                2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
                Kosher salt
                 
                Wooden skewers
Directions
Combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
Starting with the watermelon squares, push the watermelon to the very tip of the skewer. Then skewer a basil leaf, then a tomato half, watermelon, leaf, tomato watermelon, leaf. Continue to make the skewers the size you'd like (if they are long, just snip them shorter). Place the skewer on a serving platter so it stands upright, using the lowest watermelon square as a base. Continue with the remaining skewers. 
Drizzle the skewers with the reserved balsamic syrup and the olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve/

Grilled Asparagus wrapped in Proccuitto.
Trim the tough ends from your asparagus.
Microwave on a plate with a few Tablespoons of water for 2-3 minutes.
Grill on a cast iron grill pan to add a smoky flavor. Grill until you have it nice and carmelized,  toss in garlic olive oil in a glass dish. Let cool, wrap with slices of procuitto.
NOTE: to make garlic olive oil.  Pour a few tablespoons of eevo in a pan, add a few garlic cloves, heat until warm but not to a boil, let cool and remove garlic.


Asparagus wrapped in Procuttio 

2 bunches of aspargus, trimmed (hold one stalk, then snap, cut the rest where the natural break is on one of the stalks.)
Slices of Proccuttio

Place asparagus on a plate with a few tablespoons of water, and then microwave for 2 minutes, then toss with olive oil and cook on a grill pan to get nice grill marks, remove and toss with garlic olive oil (to make this place 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pan and add slices of fresh garlic, warm oil, but don't boil), let cook and strain out garlic).
When asparagus is cool wrap in bundles of two asparagus with a slice of procuitto.

Melon wrapped in Procuttio 
1 Canteloupe, thinly slice melon and wrap with slices of Proccuttio

Cheese Tray

I think a mix of cheeses works best.  For my most recent gathering, I used brie, swiss, a cheese ball that had been soaked in port, and a Five County Cheese that was a cheese layered with 5 white and yellow cheeses.  Also, I really like the new Triscuits that are olive oil & rosemary flavored.  












Fruit Bowl

Fill a beautiful bowl with pears, plums, peaches, and red and white grapes.
















Chombord Dirt Cake
(original recipe from my friend Lisa Fought)




Ingredients:
  1. 1 large package of oreos
  2. half a stick of butter
  3. 8 oz. cream cheese
  4. 1 cup confectioners sugar
  5. 2 packages of french vanilla instant pudding
  6. 3.5 cups of milk
  7. 12 oz cool whip

Directions
1.            Chop cookies very fine in food processor. The white cream will disappear.
2.            Mix butter, cream cheese, and sugar in bowl of a stand mixer.
3.            In a large bowl mix milk and pudding with a hand mixer, add in 2 T of Chombord (liqueur) and add few drops of red food coloring for a nice pink color. Fold in whipped topping.
4.            Combine pudding mixture and cream mixture together.
5.            Layer in flower pot or glass bowl, starting with cookies then cream mixture. Repeat layers.
6.            Chill for 24 hours. 

And of course no party would be complete without going to Denise Leo's website:                             Out of the Box Brownies
Here you will find a brownie that is easy to make and perfect for any gathering!
  
These are her Creme De Menthe Brownies, but I substituted Creme De Cacao with some red food
coloring to turn it pink for soaking the mints before topping the brownies.....I needed to fit the evening 

theme of black and pink!