White Cake with Red Raspberry Sauce and Whipped Cream

If there was one cake that always taste fresh this is the one I would vote for...Fresh Red Raspberries with white cake and whipped cream...definitely one of my favorites and my late Dad Carmen. Actually anything that had Raspberries on it got our vote!

12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 extra large eggs seperated using only the whites (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup evaporated milk or half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour the bottoms of two 9-inch round .
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Combine egg whites, milk and vanilla extract. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture then add half the milk mixture. Continue to alternate beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Pour the batter into prepared pans and smooth and slap down on the counter to evenly shake batter. Bake about 1/2 hour or until a toothpick is clean
Cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wax paper.

Raspberry Puree:

24 oz of Fresh Raspberries or two frozen bags

2/3 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Put in food processor, pulse till pureed.

You will need two large heavy cream whipped and slightly sweetened with confectionery sugar. Whip till thick and light. If you are going to decorate with this you will need to add more confectionery sugar till cream hold its shape.

One can of heavy cream to make lines on top of cake or pipe with pastry bag.

Split cake into layer by slicing in half with a sharp knife when cool.

Fill with whipped cream

Pipe whipped cream lines, fill lines in between with Raspberry Puree. Keep Refrigerated.
You can also substitute Blueberrie or Strawberries if you prefer...or all three on Patriotic Days.

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Mom's Italian Style Potatoes

You can also try variations of these with ranch dressing, melted cheese and bacon on ....delicious. Also try chili cheese fries, chili and melted cheese on top.... We just love them plain as shown.

These were always a big hit with any meat for a side dish. My mom would make these so crisp, sometimes they had the taste of a potato chip on the ends of them.

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Banana Rum Chip Brownie with Hot Fudge Sauce

So many ways to dress them up. Plain, with Hot Fudge, whipped cream or just dust with powdered sugar...these are a hit every time. Kids love them, get for lunches and hold up great if traveling.

Either make homemade fudge sauce or buy a very good chocolate fudge sauce. If you use the recipe highlighted above omit Kahlua and add Rum...

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (around 4 small or 3 large)
4 teaspoons of dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 large 4.25 oz bar of dark chocolate chopped into medium size chunks or 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips.

Cream sugar and butter together, beating around 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in eggs and banana's along with flavoring. Mix well. Pour in to a 15x10 inch x 1 inch baking pan.Sprinkle chopped chocolate chunks over batter in pan. Bake at 350 degrees till brown and set around 25 minutes. Test for doneness with tooth pick. cool completely. Drizzle bottom of plate with hot fudge sauce and top with whipped cream or ice cream or serve plain and dust with confectionery sugar.

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Italian Genoa Salami and Sharp Provolone Sandwich

Well here is my all time favorite sandwich and if salami wasn't around, pepperoni would do just fine. Easy and satisfying. This provolone is very sharp. I love a good provolone with a bite to it. Before I was born, Mom and Dad had their own Deli and knew allot about what the best meats and made the best sandwiches. So great lunch foods were made and sold there. As time went by and I came along it was to hard to keep up with the business, they gave it up. In time Mom eventually went back to work at another Deli.

There were plenty more of these local Deli's as there still in Upstate NY. Back then, we had one right down the street from us and all that went into this sandwich were all normal staples in our house . As a kid, I remember this cheese would hang in the stores in a round ball and was encased in a thick wax on it, we would have to cut off first..... Simply delicious then and now. Of course now, even though you can still find this fabulous cheese that way, most local grocery stores have it in their gourmet cheese sections already cleaned and cut.

My favorite memory of this sandwich is when Dad and I would go fishing and pack this for lunch back in 1960 something. Sometimes, he would bring just a loaf bread that we would rip off pieces, a stick of salami or pepperoni, and cheese would do..... and just cut as we needed..... amazing little lunch and still my all time favorite!

1 large full loaf of Italian bread cut a huge chunk off and then lengthwise not all the way through so the back is still in attached.

Sliced Genoa Salami
Sharp aged Provolone
Romaine Lettuce
Plum Tomato ( fresh)
Extra virgin Olive oil,
Aged Balsamic Vinegar or Red Wine vinegar if you like it better
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano

Open the bread up. Sprinkle bread on the split open side down with oil and vinegar, add just a touch of all spices sprinkled lightly to taste , pile on the lettuce, tomato, salami and provolone to your preference in amounts.

Add a little more vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and spice if you like on top of that. Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter filled Chocolate Cupcakes

These are delicious cupcakes but if you would like to take the easy way out make a whole cake!
Here is another version making two 9 inch cakes, splitting them in half and making a four layer cake with peanut butter filling, whipped cream, hot fudge on top

Cupcake Batter

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract or almond
2 eggs
1 cup milk or half and half

Mix flour , cocoa powder and sugar together in a large bowl, add boiling water little at a time till smooth, add rest of all ingredients in. This batter is very runny. Pour into cupcake lined tins and bake till evenly cooked, use toothpick method.

When completely cool, cut out the center of each cupcake reserving tops, and fill with peanut butter filling, put tops back on off to the side.

Use 8 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips melted in the microwave for 1/2 minute stir. Top each cupcake with melted chocolate using a fork going back and forth to make line effects on top.

Options:

You can use a chocolate cake mix and canned frosting.

Filling:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 stick of butter, softened

3 tbsp. of heavy cream

Add all ingredients in mixing bowl and beat using an electric mixer add more cream if too stiff should be fluffy enough to fill not dry.

Refrigerate left overs.

To make the four layer cake. Bake two 9 inch round cakes and cool. Using a sharp knife, split cakes in half, making four halves. Spread with peanut butter filling. Slather with whipped cream and using a fork douse with hot fudge sauce.

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Baby Shell Pasta with Ricotta and Meat Sauce

Baby shell pasta prepared like mom made it just like a lasagna!

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Hearts of Romaine and Italian Dressing

The Story of "Must Goes"
Nothing went to waste. I was 11 years old, came running in the house starving, and said "Mama what's for dinner tonight?" She said "must goes" I said I don't want that, it sounds like fish, what is it? She said" everything must go" we have too many leftovers....hmm always makes me laugh anyway....

She would always find a way to make a delicious dinner that can be almost classified now as gourmet, imagine that! Amazing what you can find in your refrigerator....and so healthy for you... for the love of food we made a salad!

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Italian Wedding White Peach Cupcakes with Rum Filling

Italian Rum filled Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting and shaved white chocolate. A golden white cake that has a slight flavor of peach.

These were made as an alternative at brunch and cocktail weddings cupcakes. I would make wedding cakes and anniversary cakes with this same recipe, this one was always a favorite request. Add some netting, silk flowers and of course a punch bowl of fuzzy navels.... don't forget to add the rum!

1 large white chocolate candy bar, shaved with a potato peeler to make several curls, set aside and refrigerate.

Golden White Cake:
1 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar, divided
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoon of peach schnapps or peach juice nectar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Beat egg whites with 1/4 cup sugar and cream of tarter set aside.

Beat butter, 3/4 sugar and egg yolks in a separate bowl. Add milk, schnapps and peach juice.
Add flour and baking powder a little at a time, then fold the whites in with the batter together, be careful not to over mix.

Fill cupcakes tins lined with paper and bake at 350 till brown. Cool.

Filling:

6 egg yolks,
3/4 sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cup warm milk

Beat above until smooth with a mixer or food processor, heat in pan till thick stirring constantly. When thickened remove from stove add the below ingredients.

1 teaspoon peach schnapps or peach juice/nectar
2 teaspoons rum
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Cool.

*** Note not recommended to put diced peaches in with the cream it will not stay solid and will ruin the pudding. You can garnish the tops of the cupcakes with peach slices if you would like, which looks awesome. Dip them in lemon first to keep from browning if you use fresh ones.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup ( unsalted butter, room temperature
1 - 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectionery sugar, sifted
Beat all together until smooth.

Assembly, cut center out of cupcakes, fill with rum pudding. Frost tops with cream cheese frosting, add several white chocolate curls on top. Arrange netting around and silk flowers for presentation.

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