Radicchio Salad
Radicchio makes a great salad, but is often times forgotten about. Most grocery store produce sections will carry radicchio in the lettuce area.
INGREDIENTS
4 Tablespoons Walnut Oil
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
16 Ounces Washed & Sliced Radicchio
4 Ounces Crumbled Chevre
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts
In a small size bowl whisk together the walnut oil, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper until well combined. Set aside. Wash, dry and slice the radicchio and divide evenly among 4 salad plates. Sprinkle each serving with the crumble chevre and chopped walnuts. Drizzle each with the dressing and serve immediately. Serves 4
Lemon Cake With Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting
What can I say? This cake is delicious!
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Butter
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
3 Eggs
3/4 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Lemon Extract
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan and set aside. In a large size bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Add the milk, butter, eggs and vanilla and lemon extract. Beat on a low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Beat for another minute on medium speed, but don’t over beat. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes until done. When you insert a wooden toothpick near the center is should come out clean. When done remove from the oven and cool in the pan, on a wire rack, for 20 minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake and invert onto a cake plate. Cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Frost with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting. Serves 8
Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Nutella Spread
8 Ounces Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
Let the cream cheese, Nutella and butter sit in a bowl at room temperature for about an hour or until softened. Beat with a mixer. Add the vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep on beating until you get a very smooth texture. Frost your cooled cake.
Cacio e Pepe
Roman food certainly is comfort food and this pasta dish, made with pasta, cheese & black pepper, is the mac & cheese of Rome. Cacio e Pepe is Italian for cheese and pepper. The ingredients are very simple and are either made with spaghetti, tonnarelli or vermicelli. I like to make mine with good old reliable spaghetti.
INGREDIENTS
4 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup Coarsely Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Toasted Sesame Seeds
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Pound Dried Spaghetti
3/4 Cup Pasta Water
1 Cup Freshly Grated Pecorino Romano
Fill a large size pot with 8 quarts of water and 4 tablespoons kosher salt. Bring to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. While the spaghetti is cooking you will need to toast the sesame seeds. Take an extra large sauté pan and turn the heat to medium high. You will not need to add oil. Just pour the dry sesame seeds into the heated sauté pan and toast for 1 minute. Stir constantly and make sure not to burn the sesame seeds. Remove the sesame seeds from the heat and place in a bowl. Set aside. Add the pepper to the same pan and toast for 1 minute and continue to stir. The pepper should be nice and fragrant. Add the olive oil and butter to the toasted pepper and cook until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat. Add 3/4 cup of the pasta water (this is the water that the spaghetti cooked in) to the pepper mixture. Add the toasted sesame seeds and then add the pasta. Stir and toss over a medium heat. You will want the past to be well coated. Stir in the grated Pecorino Romano cheese. If you need more pasta water to loosen the sauce then add a bit more of the pasta water. Toss once again and then transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately. Serves 6
Butterscotch Oatmeal Blondies
I have always been in love with butterscotch. These Butterscotch Oatmeal Blondies are super easy to make and won’t last long in your household.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Softened Butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
3 Large Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
3 Cups Old-Fashioned Oats
1 2/3 Cups Butterscotch Chips
Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a medium size bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large size bowl beat the eggs for 1 minute. Add the softened butter, the sugars and the vanilla. Beat for another minute. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat for 30 seconds. Add the oats and butterscotch chips and mix until just combined. Line a 13 x 9 oblong pan with parchment paper or prepare the pan by greasing it. I like using parchment paper though. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until done. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into squares. Makes about 2 dozen bars.
Broiled Tomatoes
I never underestimate the magic that breadcrumbs and grated cheese can bring to my favorite fruit.
INGREDIENTS
6 Halved Tomatoes
1/4 Cup Plain Breadcrumbs
4 Tablespoons Softened Butter
4 Tablespoons Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tablespoon Minced Thyme Leaves
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Preheat your broiler. Cover a broiler pan with foil and place the oven rack to the top position. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and set each tomato half on the broiler pan. Make sure the stem is removed. In a small size bowl combine the breadcrumbs, butter, Parmesan cheese, thyme leaves, kosher salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture over the tomatoes until you’ve used the mixture all up. Place the broiler pan under the broiler and broil for 4 minutes or until browned. Remove from the oven and arrange on a serving platter. Serves 6
Baked Scallops
INGREDIENTS
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Minced Garlic Cloves
3 Tablespoons White Wine
1/4 Cup Cracker Crumbs
1 1/2 Pounds Scallops
Preheat your oven to 450° F. In a small size saucepan melt the butter and add the minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute. In a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish place the scallops. Make sure you pat them dry with a paper towel. Pour the melted butter and garlic mixture over the top of the scallops. Sprinkle with the white wine and then top with the cracker crumbs. Place in the oven for 8 minutes until the scallops are firm and opaque in color. You don’t want to overcook them however. Remove from the oven and let cool for a minute before serving. Serves 4
Butternut Squash Soup
This soup is the PERFECT fall soup. Enough said!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Chopped Onions
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
2 Pounds Peeled, Seeded & Cubed Butternut Squash
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Half & Half
In a large size stockpot over a medium high heat, sauté the chopped onions in the olive oil for 2 minutes or just until they are soft. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth (or vegetable broth), butternut squash and the kosher salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Ladle in the squash and the liquid into either a food processor or a blender. Pulse until the mixture is a nice puree. Return the pureed squash mixture to the stockpot and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the half and half and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 8
Banana Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
If you want a cupcake that will please a crowd then look no further. These cupcakes are great as a snack or for dessert.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
3 Medium Mashed Ripe Bananas
1/4 Cup Buttermilk or Sour Milk
3 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Cups Cake Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Frosting:
2 Cup Confectioners’ Sugar
1/2 Cup Softened Butter
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
3 Tablespoons Milk
Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a large size bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg is added. Add the mashed bananas, buttermilk, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Beat well. In a medium size bowl combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Mix well. Pour the batter into paper lined muffin cups two thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes until done. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from the muffin cups and let cool completely on wire racks. For the frosting: In a large size bowl, beat the confectioners’ sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and the milk. Pipe the frosting over the cupcakes. Makes 1 1/2 dozen
Date & Apple Salad
Sometimes it's nice to have a "meaty" salad for lunch or dinner.
INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Diced Red Onion
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 Cup Pitted & Sliced Dates
1 Head Frisee Lettuce
4 Cups Spinach
1 Sliced Apple
1/2 Cup Chopped Pistachios
1 Sliced Pear
2 Sliced Radishes
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
In a small size bowl mix the olive oil, vinegar, onion and Dijon mustard. Set aside. Cut the frisee lettuce into bite size pieces. In a large size mixing bowl add the dates, lettuce, spinach, apples, pistachios, pears, radishes, salt and pepper. Mix the salad and then toss with the dressing. Serve immediately. Serves 4
Double Dutch Brownies
Melted chocolate and chocolate chips make these Double Dutch Brownies doubly delicious. They are a real treat!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
2/3 Cups Butter
1/4 Cup Water
4 Cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips – Divided
4 Eggs
3 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Chocolate Frosting (Optional)
Preheat your oven to 325° F. In a large size heavy saucepan combine the sugar, butter and water. Bring to a boil and stir constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips. Cook until the chocolate chips have melted. Set aside. In a large size bowl mix together the eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. In another large size bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture. Add the remaining chocolate chips. Grease a 13×9 inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. When cooled either frost with chocolate frosting or just cut into squares. YUM!! Makes 3 dozen
