Nutella Chocolate Chip Bars

These pack well for lunches, great for traveling and for mailing to someone you love! A chocolate lovers dream bar!



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Crab and Shrimp Omelette and Egg

Shrimp and Crab Omelette with a creamy sauce

The Omelette
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons half and half or heavy cream
Salt
2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Preparation:
Combine the eggs, half & half and a pinch of salt, then whisk together.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add butter.
When the skillet is very hot, add the egg mixture.
Cook without stirring, but gently tilt the skillet a little to allow the uncooked egg to run off.
Flip and cook the other side for 1 minute, then remove from skillet.
Put the filling in the center; fold, add more to the top and serve.
 
Filling:
4 oz of fresh lump crab meat
1/2 cup small shrimp ( I used frozen, thawed out)
1/4 cup heavy cream or substiture half and half but you will have to cook longer to reduce for thickness.
2 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in a medium size fry pan, add heavy cream, add fish, spices, bring to a boil, reduce till a light creamy mixture forms. Add a few tablespoons to the center of omelette, more on top serve immediately.

Printable Recipe

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Crockpot Chicken and Dumpling Mushroom Marsala

Crockpot Chicken & Dumpling  Mushroom Marsala

3 cloves garlic, minced

1lb sliced mushrooms

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup marsala wine

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/8 tsp. pepper and red pepper flakes

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup

pasta of choice optional

Dumpling recipe to follow

In a 4 to 5 quart crockpot, lightly sprayed with cooking oil,  add garlic, and mushrooms. In medium bowl, combine soup, chicken broth, flour and seasoning and mix until smooth. Pour over mushrooms in crockpot. Add chicken.

Cover crockpot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center. If not enough liquid add more chicken broth, and cook on high till hot for dumpling, otherwise proceed to making the dumplings.

Dumpling Recipe

 1-1/2 cups flour

 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sharp cheddar cheese, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, in a small bowl.

 Melt 6 tablespoons butter and mix with 1/2 cup milk; add to flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Drop dumplings by tablespoons onto hot, bubbling chicken mixture in crockpot, adding more liquid depending on how many dumplings you are making ( I will usually add more wine at the end. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20-25 minutes until dumplings are cooked through, fluffy, and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Optional:
 In a seperate pot of salted water, boil 1/2 pound of linguine or favorite pasta, serve chicken on top of pasta, with a dumpling on the side. Sprinkle with parsley and grating cheese.

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Cloud Souffle Breakfast Recipe Repost

 These were the perfect size to make this elegant breakfast for my wonderful husband to start his day..I was amazed how easy they were and most  important deliciously impressive!

My husband was very impressed with the presentation of this fabulous breakfast, he was afraid to dig in it was so delicate looking and pretty. Thought it would totally deflate, but it was perfect. I cooked mine a little longer than the original recipe, this reminds me of a poached egg in flavor. The bacon just made this dish perfect with the offset of flavors, so he crumbled his bacon into the middle with the cheese and yolk...  dipped some Italian toast into it and oh so delicious!

                              This was just so perfect to say 
                    "I love you honey, Happy Anniversary"                                                                                                                                       

I really can't wait to make this again, and will try adding some other things to the middle, the gooey cheese inside was such a nice surprise to him. He was expecting just egg...

Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
Sea salt to taste
grated provolone cheese (1 1 /2 oz)
Freshly ground black pepper
(1/2 oz) unsalted butter
crumbled crispy bacon strips optional
buttered Italian toast
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter two good size individual ramekins. Beat the egg whites. When they start to become stiff, add salt to taste. Continue beating until they hold their peaks well not stiff.

Spoon the egg whites into the ramekin. With the back of a soup spoon, make a well in the middle of the egg whites, pushing the egg whites up the sides of the ramekin. Carefully drop the 2 egg yolks into the well.
Then add the provolone and grind over some black pepper .Smooth the egg whites back over the hole.

Bake in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. The top should be lightly golden, and when you break the crust, the yolks and cheese will blend together
Serve with Italian toast and crisp bacon.
Crumble crisp bacon in the center and dip your Italian bread buttered toast  in  the center and enjoy!
Printable Recipe

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Peach Crostata with Homemade Puff Pastry Recipe

Peaches are still plentiful right now, and I love puff pastry with just about any kind of fruit, this is one of our favorites, the filling is simple....the pastry, little time consuming but well worth the trouble. I wanted to make something special in my brand new kitchen remodeled.

Trina got bored with me and didn't make it waiting for this dough to be ready to use in this recipe, so she slept through the whole thing... after a long cat nap she woke up and everything was all done, how nice to be a cat... she's my only girl, and gets away with doing nothing!

I had a few strawberries left over scraps of dough that will never go to waste, so it became a lone strawberry and cream cheese crostata.

The easiest part is the filling, not many ingredients and comes out perfect every time!

I like to prepare the peach filling just before we are ready to fill the crust at the end, wished sometimes I had a helping hand, but that cat Trina is so lazy!

Let's begin with the flaky puff pastry dough!

2 cups flour
16 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup ice cold water

pinch of salt

Mix 1/4 cup of flour with 14 tablespoons softened butter to make a smooth paste. Shape into a square approximately 1/2 inch thick. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. In another bowl mix the cold water, 2 tablespoons of butter, and the remaining 1 3/4 cup of flour and a pinch of salt. This will be an elastic, shiny dough. Knead for about one minute. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Refrigerating the dough makes this easier to roll the dough without breaking it. On a lightly floured board, roll out the shiny dough 1/4 inch thick. Place the butter dough square onto the shiny dough and wrap the ends of the shiny dough to enclose the butter dough in an envelope .Roll out the dough envelope to 1/4 inch thickness and fold in thirds like a business letter.

Roll again in the opposite direction and fold in thirds again. Refrigerate 30 minutes and repeat the process twice for a total of six times of folding in the process. This will be making many of hundreds buttery layers. Cooling the dough is very important step. After folding the dough the sixth time, refrigerate the dough once more, and then it will be ready for use for any recipe that requires puff pastry. Tip: The oven must be preheated to a high temperature, 400 or as high 450, when the dough is placed in the oven. If the oven is not hot, the butter will melt and the moisture will evaporate before steam can form to separate the layers. You will end up with a tough non-flaky crust and Crostata.

Peach or any other fruit filling:
4 peaches peeled and cubed...throw the pit away

2 heaping tablespoons of peach jam, apricot or pineapple ( depending on the type of fruit, use coordinating jam) use more if you like sweet
2 teaspoon of cornstarch or  wondra flour

1/2 teaspoon peach schnapps or (vanilla extract if you don't have any on hand)
optional pinch of cinnamon
 melted butter
Mix all together the flour will thicken this mixture perfectly
Roll out your dough 1/8 inch thick cutting the edges to make it round.
Pile the fruit in the middle, fold the edges towards the middle leaving the fruit center showing, but the dough tucked around it. Brush with butter.
Bake in a hot oven on 415 degrees or higher till browned nicely.

Note: For Cream Cheese and Fruit.... add 1/3 cup cream cheese 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, beat all together, add to the bottom of the crust. Top crust with fruit and jam mixture from the above recipe.

Printable Recipe

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Kitchen Remodeling and A Tail of Two Cats




 Welcome to my New Toy Shop!!! @What's Cookin' Italian Cuisine






    This was a long month to go without water, but well worth the inconvience



Fonzo decided that anything new in the house would have to be inspected for comfort first, so after the cupboards were installed, he slept in them for three weeks while the granite countertops were being made!

Before Pictures!

This original kitchen had white formica cabinets, blue countertops and around 15 years old. From start to finish, between measuring, ordering, making the granite and installation, it's been took a little over a month now. We were without a dishwasher, kitchen sink, cabinets, stove and since its so hard to wash dishes in a tiny sink in your bathroom, or bend over in the bathtub we used paper plates, cups and plastic utensils. Disposable cooking bags for crockpot, aluminum foil for grilling and lots of styrofoam serving bowls.



Once they got everything ripped out of the kitchen, everything went in smoothly.

Catrina was not happy having to be on the porch missing out on all the loud hammering, drilling, to her normal quiet house . She sat there outside on the screen porch,  just starring at the workers all the time they were there.



Wine and Coffee Bar
 My favorite new addition and piece of my new kitchen.  Lots of counterspace to make new and exciting dishes, cappicino/coffee bar,  plus my relaxing shop for the last stop of the day,  wine!  Hope you enjoyed my new journey and got some idea's what a kitchen remodel is like....



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Macadamia Crusted Stuffed Flounder in Butter Wine Sauce

It's that time of the year when I love making baked fish, it's one of my favorite ways to prepare it. Baked fish filets are always a better choice than fried for healthier cooking. If you can't find flounder try any kind of mild fish as an alternative.

Flounder layered with Shrimp and bread crumb filling, with a splash of white wine.

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Italian Foods Where it All Began!

My journey started out to give my kids, grandchildren and generations in the future the history of our ancestors and where it all began on cooking tradition and recipes to live on through us long after we are gone. Cooking is like music, its a universal language, no right or wrong just different to the individual families. The bonding comes from teaching, tradition and the love for cooking. From grandmothers handing down secret favorite recipes from generation to generation we all live in the wonderful visions of what was to recreate.   Food becomes the common bond and my past of fabulous memories and teachings from my grandmother and mom gives me the continued passion to live in their memory.

Pizzelles an Italian Favorite~

My quest is to provide that guidance to my two sons and future generations. Every recipe has been made with love and inspiration. The love for cooking and creating the future, that is the universal language. My recipes will be here long after I am gone, a wonderful way to be remembered and talked about years to come, at the dinner table.

What a wonderful thought, the next food star . The food industry was always my first love and passion to cook was inherited for sure. Grandma came from Italy with the golden spoon in her hand. My mom had her own catering and deli business. So when I was born I instantly bonded with wanting to create something delicious. At 3 years old I had my first easy bake oven. I didn't just make cakes with this, when the cake mixes ran out, I got creative and used things from the kitchen experimenting. It always amazed me that a light bulb could cook that cake!

I always wanted to show everyone what a good cook I was as a child. By the time I was 11 I was making roasts, parsley potatoes and brownies with mocha frosting. Here I am 40 years later, blogging my passion.

My mom inside the window watching me , our house was her business called  Mac's Deli, what more inspiration did  I need, it's in the blood~ 

Always had demitasse at the end of a meal with Sambuca~

 I love watching people enjoy eating,  with cooking the most important factor, is my family and friends  who inspire me to continue.   Everyone can make these dishes and  will always be loved by anyone that joins your table. Our foods are basic, Italian foods, desserts to indulge on and sharing that food with everyone that touches our lives.

The piece of resistance....the Margarita Pizza...

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Crockpot Italian Style Chicken Mushroom Stew

Special Prayers go out today for all the victims and families of 911, RIP.

To all my readers,  a  tribute and moment of silence  starting at 9:11 am this morning will be held and for the rest of today special thoughts and prayers. If you happen to be viewing this blog please join us in remembering all the families and victims of this tragic day, nine years ago today.

"Those we love must someday pass

beyond our present sight...
Must leave us and the world we
know without their radiant light.
But we know that like a candle
their lovely light will surely shine
To brighten up another place
more perfect... more divine.
And in the realm of Heaven
where they shine so warm and bright
Our loved ones live forever more in God ’s eternal light."

Amen....

Here is a great meal for anytime of the year. Great over pasta, rice or even mashed potatoes

4 boneless chicken breasts left whole or cut into chunks (if you're in a hurry like me leave them whole) this will fall apart easily later to cut up.

1 lb  can diced tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon each dried herbs thyme, rosemary, (cayenne pepper optional if you like the heat like we do), black pepper, salt, oregano, parsley, basil, add more or less of each to taste if  you like , and any other kinds of herbs you prefer.

1 lb sliced fresh mushrooms washed
2 tablespoon or more of wondra flour mixed with a little water to make a paste for the end
1/2 cup white wine
grating cheese and parsley for garnish

In a 4 to 5 quart crock pot, sprayed lightly or using disposable liners, add chicken first. Sprinkle with herbs, add tomatoes, wine, mushrooms.
Cook on low till done, I left this on for 7 hours. Came home and the chicken fell apart! Moist and perfect. Take the wonder flour add at the end to thicken. Add more if too watery one tablespoon mixed with water at a time.  Can be served over rice, pasta, bread or just the way it is. Sprinkle with grated cheese, and serve.

15

Crockpot Stuffed Zucchini Recipe in Memory of my Aunt Esther

Crockpot Stuffed Zucchini

Can't believe its already Labor Day, hope all my readers have a wonderful safe one. I got up at 5am, scrubbed these zucchini's  in the bath tube,  stuffed them, put them in a lined crockpot and will wait for my family to come over later, lucky for me that they make those liners now, I used the crockpot plastic liners, so will just throw out the empty bag tonight when they are all gone!! Perfect for people like me having a kitchen remodel.

Had all these zukes in my fridge for a few days now, got them at the farmers market and thought I needed to make a recipe inspired by my Aunt Esther (RIP) I didn't have her recipe, so I made it as close to my memory as possible...these were always my favorite, I used to watch her as a kid make them,  she made the best stuffed zucchini in the world! My Aunt owned a farm in Whitesboro NY and they raised their own squash. Her husband, my Uncle Dave, had seeds called Kusa. These seeds were a breed of their own, the squash was a light pale green in color and cross between green and yellow squash. I so wish to have them again, but long since their passing that taste remains etched in my memory. I had purchased these yellow squash and some green zukes, and began my journey into the past in hopes to recreate these in similarity. Of course this isn't the exact recipe, but diffinitely satisfied with my fabulous memories of these and made me miss my  Aunt Esther (my mom's sister) even more if that is possible...I loved her dearly and always will. What a fabulous cook she was.

Although she would stuff the whole squash and not separate halves, I did it the easy way, she didn't use a crockpot either, old fashioned in a huge pot on the stove top,  it really difficult  not to make a mess with no counter tops except for the bathroom, with this remodel. I sliced them in half stuffed them, put them in the crock pot and on to other projects!  A great meal to come home to and its labor day weekend, so as everyone else  will be grilling the next few days,  these can also make a great side dish for anything you cook!

When I got home the whole house had a fabulous aroma of allspice, cinnamon, and that simmering sauce.

They were tender, with just the perfect blend of flavors.

I was just so happy to have some of the past back and just for a moment felt like she was here with me. Just having that similar taste so comforting. They were such a wonderful treat when she made these. Thanks Aunt Esther....for some wonderful food memories~!

1 lb of ground lamb, hamburger or turkey

1 cup of raw quick-cooking rice
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 whole fresh basil leaf
2 sprigs of fresh mint

8 to 10 small assorted colored zucchini's dark green, yellow or green squash ... if your lucky enough to cultivate Kusa's from seeds those are the best squash to use!

1 28oz can of tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes or whole tomatoes pureed
 Add water to just below the stuffed zucchini in the crockpot.
Add 1/2 cup white wine.

Slice squash in half. With a spoon hollow out the centers with a small spoon, not too far in so not to rip them. ( I use the scooped out insides to make zucchini breads or use for filling omelets. You can also freeze these leftovers,  place the raw zucchini in a freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months.). In a bowl mix meat, rice and all spices except bay leaves. Stuff raw hamburger/rice mixture into each half. Lay each one in the crockpot. Add water, wine and tomato sauce,  put on low for at least 8 hours, around the last two hours, add the fresh basil and mint...that's it!!  serve this with  Homemade pita bread and enjoy! If you prefer to use the stovetop or baking them,  no problem, set on low or (300 degrees in the oven) in a large dutch oven style pan, cover with water, cook till tender Have a safe and wonderful weekend and thanks for reading!

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