Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
Homemade fresh pumpkin pies are special, very special.
It's not every day I like to spend my entire day preparing for a holiday, but when it's a holiday, it must be done right, at least in our family.
Pumpkin pie is always made from fresh sugar pie pumpkins.
Every year we anticipate the arrival of those fresh little pie pumpkins and can't wait to dive into the best tasting fresh pumpkin made pie along with mom's pie crust.
Sure it's a little work but the end results are fabulous in comparison to store-bought bar none!
It's really not that difficult, getting the pumpkin cooked is the first order of business and I do mine in a slow cooker overnight in water.
I will tell you a little more about that below or just click here.
During the year, I even keep some puree in the freezer so I can make other pumpkins treat like pumpkin zucchini spice bars or oatmeal pumpkin bars that the kids and family just adore!
If you really love other kinds of pie, try my Apple Pie, Cannoli Pie, and delicious Marble Cream Pie.
If you would just like the recipe to this homemade fresh pumpkin pie just scroll down to the recipe card and print it off.
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
All I can remember growing up on Sunday mornings and for events was eating tomato pie at every christening, communion, anniversary, birthday party, and weddings.
We traditionally had a box of tomato pie on Sunday mornings along with fried meatballs and mom's Traditional Pot of Sunday Tomato Sauce was simmering on the stovetop for pasta.
My family and all other Italian families in Upstate Utica New York, always had a box of tomato pie from a local bakery.
Napoli, Devito, Salvatore, the list goes on and on who made Tomato Pie famous in our local home town, and so many delicious bakeries I never even had.
When I moved it became the number 1 priority to remake since it was the single most food I missed besides their awesome haddock fish fry.
What is tomato pie you ask?
There are a few cities in America known for the Best Tomato Pie, many have claims to be the best, and that's totally a matter of opinion because there are so many to choose from in Central N.Y bakeries.
First, you may need to know that tomato pie is not pizza and it's not that southern style quiche-like dish people make in a pie crust, nope nothing like it.
Nowhere is tomato pie celebrated more than in Utica, New York.
This is my mom's recipe version we make from that area and a Utica Style Tomato Pie.
Utica tomato pie is served at room temperature no mozzarella cheese just Pecorino Romano cheese and loads of it.
Our version requires homemade dough, homemade tomato sauce and a few tricks to the trade to get a great pie.
Living here in Florida now, we tried to perfect it until we can get home for a visit and this tomato pie is spot on delicious.
Scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe card.
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
If you love Pecan Pie, these easy replica of that pie baked simply into squares will be your new favorite cookie bar!
These are so simple to make with simple pantry ingredients.
They are buttery rich and taste just like your favorite pecan gooey delicious pie.
I love the ease of this recipe making this classic pie into bars.
We make many bar cookies, they sure bake up quick with all the same great taste and half the fuss it takes.
One of my other favorite our Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Squares you may remember that recipe or my Pumpkin Zucchini Bars?
I also absolutely love how easy these pie bars are to serve guests.
You can make a whole variety of bars and everyone can choose what they like and they even freeze well to just take out when needed.
What could be easier?
Scroll down to this easily printable recipe and let's bake a batch together!
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
Deep-Fried Turkey, I have to tell you when I saw them pull this bird out of the fryer, all I can think of was the Griswald Family Christmas Turkey from Christmas Vacation movie!
I was so scared with no backup plan!
This turkey was so juicy and delicious I couldn't believe it and what was even more shocking 5 people devoured the whole 12-pound turkey faster than any bird we have ever made!
It was sure easier than expected.
I was so afraid it was going to be dangerous but my husband really made a great plan and it was easy and perfectly cooked.
If you never tried a fried turkey trust me it's time, a little more costly for the oil but so worth the taste.
It's better than chicken wings if you're a big fan of wings!
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
What better way to celebrate the Holiday season than with a fall-flavored Cranberry Zucchini Muffin?
These colorful muffins have a perfect blend of flavors that have such a wonderful taste and smell while baking.
These muffins are super easy to make and sure to please anyone who loves cranberry with a hint of orange zest and spices that really enhances the taste.
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
If we ever have leftover Meatballs which is usually not always the case in our house, this is a great way to make another fantastic meal with those leftovers into a delicious meatball pizza!
We have made submarine sandwiches, added them on top of plain rice and also rice balls!
Honestly, the kids love this pizza and it's a family favorite.
Covered sandwiches and pizza are always the top two on the list of must repurpose when it comes to meatballs.
Starting with homemade long-simmered meatballs in Traditional Sunday Sauce, then making the fresh pizza dough, cheese and meatball topping this become a whole meal in itself!
San Marzano's fresh sauce recipe is included below since this is just a glimpse of a recipe along with my fresh pizza dough!
We never let leftovers go to waste in our home, there is always another plan to recreate another way to use whatever we have into another meal!
If you would like to print off the instructions to this recipe, scroll to the bottom of the page for my recipe card and hit print.
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
Lamb stew is one of my favorites and we all love the series Game of Thrones in our home so we make this as a traditional meal every week.
What's that have to do with Game of Thrones? The foods they eat in that fantasy series is awesome looking.
Their foods consist of varieties of mutton (sheep) stews, goat, wild boar, many fruits like honey melons, pomegranates, plums.
We watch that series religiously every Sunday on HBO and this week I made this lamb stew to feel a little more like that fantasy made up time period.
The series is addicting and our whole family is huge fans of Game of Thrones.
Of course, the series is coming to an end and has been so much just fun, it's such great family time.
The family also loves lamb and coming up with new ideas for me like this one.
This recipe just may be the one we have just about every week until the end of this final season.
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
These are the most popular cookie on the net called Cowboy cookies, but they also have so many other names.
The cowboy cookie, or often even called the everything cookies, has several delicious ingredients in them.
These cookies are an oatmeal base cookie with 3 different kinds of fat for flavor, crunch, and softness.
I have adapted these cowboy cookies to be soft inside and crunchy outside. You can add so many variations and make them your own style.
These cowboy cookies are the best combination of flavors and one of our families all time favorites.
Scroll down to make this yummy recipe.
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
Stovetop Merlot Roasted Chestnuts are a soft nut we make around the Christmas holiday.
Back in the late 1980s, Dad and I made up this recipe kind of by accident because of his love of Chianti, which is the original wine used in his recipe.
I preferred a Merlot, and you can use any kind of wine you like.
The story is quite amusing since these became a favorite stovetop chestnut recipe.
The recipe is easy, I even made a quick video clip with tips for doing this on the stovetop.
Original, mom made an X on the top of the chestnuts, put them on a cookie sheet with a pinch of salt and slow roasted them until tender.
There really wasn't much of a recipe, but check out this easy stovetop method and if you love red wine you're in for a real treat along with how perfect these are adding to any kind of stuffing for your holiday turkey dressing.
Of course, I added that chestnut stuffing recipe below for you as well and you can make that with any leftover chestnuts!
Whether you roasted your chestnuts in the oven, microwave them or stovetop method, these are a unique way to make them thanks to my dear dad may he rest in peace.
I hope you enjoy this style of making this old recipe that brings me great memories.
Scroll down to the recipe card for this easy printable method on making Stovetop Merlot Roasted Chestnuts.
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
Antipasto Stromboli Roll is one delicious salad in a roll and the best way to get the family to eat salad!
It's always a chore around here getting the guys on board with eating vegetables, and if it's not full of carbs, well then, it sits there.
So, here is the best of both worlds, salad, bread and everything all in one giant rolled up a delicious filled sandwich.
I really don't know what took me so long to get creative with this idea, but it was a hit and now it's the most asked for Italian stromboli I make.
Perfect for holidays, gameday, any family gathering or something to bring along when invited out to a friend's dinner party.
Appetizer or meal, this can be your next new favorite style pizza roll!
Mom would make her homemade pizza dough and would always come up with brilliant ideas to make something new with the same dough.
We just loved her focaccia, broccoli rabe roll, fried dough and anything she created was heavenly.
Our favorite meat stromboli all wrapped up in one delicious homemade pizza rolled dough!
This stromboli is filled with the same meats and cheeses you would find in an Antipasto Salad.
Psst, they will think it's a healthy alternative but we do know better right?
Well, it's my contribution to getting something green in their systems and some real Italian Style Cuisine!
Stroll down and take a look and stop laughing, it's really all a big joke to them but they're really getting their vegetables here, just hidden!
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
Fresh Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, are flavorful and easy to make for Christmas and fall when cranberry season is upon us,
This cookie just shouts fall flavors and with oatmeal a bonus
There is something about fresh cranberries to kick off the cookie baking season that is so festive with color, fall flavors and just how pretty they are.
The white chocolate offsets the tartness of the cranberries perfectly for that perfect bite!
These are a nice addition to make a festive cookie tray throughout the season and Christmas cookies are always a tradition in our home.
This cranberry white chocolate chip oatmeal cookie is in the top 10 most loved!
We love fresh cranberries especially around Thanksgiving and homemade Amaretto cranberry sauce, cranberry muffins and we also love Cranberry Almond Biscotti.
Believe it or not, we have a delicious appetizer using cranberry sauce in a slow cooker for meatball appetizer that's perfect for holiday entertaining!
Scroll down to get the printable recipe for these festive cranberry oatmeal cookies!
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine
Whether you're a fan of chocolate of white half-moon cookies, I have both recipes right here for you.
If you grew up in Utica New York like I did, you sure know what kind of cookies these are, soft, delicious and frosted rounds.
You also know that Utica is famous for Tomato Pie, Italian Greens, Italian Lemon Ice, Pizza Fritta, Chicken Riggies, Manny's Cheesecake, Oscugnizzo Pizza, and Rosato Chocolate Cookies.
If you are looking for a recipe on how to make a copycat half-moon cookie from Upstate New York, you came to the right blog!
Upstate Utica NY is famous for these and where I grew up.
Half Moons or as some other states and areas, refer to them as (Black and Whites), but not as we call them half-moons period, in Upstate Utica, New York.
The origin of the black-and-white cookie in New York City is commonly traced to Glaser's Bake Shop in Yorkville, founded in 1902 by Bavarian immigrants.
Half-moon cookies, however, can be traced to Hemstrought's Bakery in Utica, New York, around 1925.
There isn't one time in my childhood anyone ever called these black and whites, and we still don't.
Sure there is always a debate about something, but I can tell you after over 30 + years of making this cookie recipe, you are going to smile with a cherished memory if you live anywhere near Utica.
These half-moons are fabulous!
