Sweet Potatoes and Apples

2 tablespoon of olive oil
4 sweet potatoes peeled and diced
3 medium mac apples
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons of maple syrup


Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender, add the apples, cinnamon and nutmeg continue cooking until the sweet potatoes and apples are tender.  Drizzle with maple syrup and stir and serve hot.


Serves 6

Moist Pumpkin Bread

3/4 Cup of flour
3 3/8 ounces of vanilla pudding (do not prepare from the package)
1 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 melted butter or any type oil except olive oil
1 cup of granulated sugar
15 ounce can of puree pumpkin
1/3 chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Powdered Sugar
Preheat oven 350


In a large mixing bowl mix flour, dry pudding, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice.  Whisk together evenly.

In another large mixing bowl mix together melted butter/oil, sugar, and pumpkin and eggs.  Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well until dry ingredients are mixed well.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, top with chopped nuts.

Bake 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool the bread 15 minutes remove from pan and cool on a rack, sprinkle with powdered sugar and slice when ready to serve.

Yummy Pineapple Pie

2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of salt -free butter
1 can of crushed pineapple non-drained
1 homemade or premade pie crust
3 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, mixed together well

Preheat oven 450 degrees
Line bottom crust to pie plate

Make the egg wash:

Beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon of water

Pie Ingredients:

In a small bowl mix crushed pineapple together 1/2 cup sugar
In a medium size mixing bowl,  beat 2 eggs lightly, add remaining sugar, add the pineapple mixture
Pour the pineapple filling to the piecrust and drizzle with the butter cover with top crust
Brush egg wash over  top crust  and sprinkle with the brown sugar/granulated mixture
With a fork punch the pie crust about 6-8 times with fork in order for steam to escape while baking

Bake pie 12 minutes at 450 lower heat to 350 for 30-40 minutes until crust appears golden brown and firm


Enjoy all!   Enjoy Angelo Jr!

Italian Escarole and Cannellini Beans Soup

• 1 1/2 teaspoon of Virgin Oil 
• 1 small chopped onion
• 5 cloves of minced garlic
• 3 1/2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning 
• 1 cup orzo pasta
• 10 cups chopped Escarole or spinach if you prefer
• 1 can Cannellini beans

• In a large pan, set at medium heat, add oil, onion and garlic. Cook until tender, add the broth, tomatoes, Italian seasoning and pepper
• Bring all to a slow boil lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes
• Stir in the orzo and escarole and return the pan to a boil
• Cook 20-25 minutes until the Orzo pasta is tender
• Add the beans and stir occasionally so that the ingredients to do not stick to pan
• Sprinkle cheese over the soup
• This soup can be frozen once cooled
• Makes 8 servings

This was a family favorite and my Mom would  often add other ingredients to change it up a little.

 

Buttered Spiced Edamame

• 1 package of frozen edamame pods
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 3/4 ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/4 crushed red pepper flakes
• 6 tablespoons of melted butter

• Cook the edamame in boiling water covered for 8 minutes until tender
• Drain
• Add to a large bowl
• Add all the seasoning and butter and mix well to coat the edamame
• 6 servings

      Was introduced to this at a cooking session I went to and added my own ideas to it.

Summer Mediterranean Chicken Salad

• 2 cups uncooked Orzo or small shell pasta
• 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken  (great with leftover chicken)
• It you cook your own chicken reason with Italian seasoning during cooking
• 14 cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/2 cup Feta cheese
• 1 can sliced olives drained
• 1/4 chopped red of sweet onions
• 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt and  dried oregano 

• Cook the pasta per the package directions.  Drain pasta and rise with cold water making sure to drain well.
• In a large bowl mix together the pasta, chicken, tomatoes, cheese,olives and onions.
• In a small bowl mix together rest of ingredients until blended well.  
• Drizzle the Olive oil over the salad to flavor well, and toss to coat.
• Serves 6

Italian Spinach Potato Pie

• 6 large Eggs  (beat Lightly)
• 4 cups of frozen hash brown potatoes
• 2 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 8 strips of bacon cook and chopped up
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 plum tomatoes washed and sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

• Preheat oven to 350

• In a large mix together the first 10 ingredients and pour into a greased 9 in pie plate
• Bake 40 minutes
• Take out of oven and arrange the tomatoes over the top, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese
• Bake 15 minutes longer, check when knife comes of clean
• let stand for 10 minutes
• Serves 6

Italian Ribs

• 4 racks of Baby Back ribs (4pounds)
• 3 cans Guinness beer
• 1 1/4 gallon of water
• 4 Tablespoons Carolina Rub
• 1/2 teaspoon of parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 bottle of Barbecue Sauce 

1. In a large pot bring water and beer and rub to a boil  and stir.
2. Cut each rack of rib in half and place in boiling Rub mixture.
3. Lower heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours partially covered.
4. Remove ribs and place on a greased rimmed baking sheet and coat with barbecue sauce.
5. Finish cooking ribs on hot grill.
6. You can also cook them in 350 oven for 20-30 minutes.
7. You can serve with extra barbecue sauce.
8. Serves 4

Carolina Rub

• 2 Tbsp
  salt
• 2 Tbsp

  sugar
• 3 Tbsp

  Light brown sugar 
• 2 Tbsp

  ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp

  chili powder
• 2 Tbsp

   ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp

  minced garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp

  dried, minced onions
• 1 Tbsp

  cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup

  paprika

Easter Baked Ham

1 cooked ham  8 pounds
1 cup Brown sugar
4 tablespoons of pancake syrup
1 teaspoon of mustard
3 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup color water
1 jar of pitted cherries do not drain
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon of almond flavor

Preheat oven to 325
Place ham on a rack in roasting pan, slice surface of ham, cutting 1/4 in deep.
Mix brown sugar, syrup and mustard, pour over ham and into slices made. Bake covered 1 3/4 hours.

In a saucepan mix cornstarch, sugar and water until smooth.  Add cherries, bring to a boil.  Cook and stir until thickened about 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat stir in lemon juice and extract and pour over ham and serve.

I also cook the ham with Pineapple and cherries

Serve warm.
Serves 12

Italian Bread Stuffing with Sausage

Servings:10

• 8 cups unseasoned bread stuffing or Italian bread
• 1  1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1-1/2 cups diced onion (1 large or 2 small onions)
• 1 cup diced celery 
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage (sausage with the casings removed)
• 2-3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon rosemary
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter.
2. Place the stuffing broken up in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add  onions, celery cook over medium heat, mix occasionally, for 10 minutes, making sure vegetables are soft, add the garlic cook 3 minutes extra. Add the onion mixture to the stuffing bread. (Scrape out all onion mix so they will burn during the next step.
4. In the same pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for 10 minutes until brown and cooked, breaking up the sausage while cooking (pieces should be no bigger than 1/4-inch). Add the sausage and fat to the bread mixture and onion mix.

1. Add the chicken broth, egg, rosemary, sage, parsley, salt and pepper to the bread  mixture and mix until the bread is soft and moistened. Transfer  stuffing in prepared baking dish and bake for 60-75 minutes. Cook uncovered until golden and crisp on top.
2. Make Ahead:  You can prepare ahead. assemble and refrigerate it until you're ready to bake, up to two days ahead of time. You can also bake the stuffing up to two days ahead and refrigerate. To reheat, cover with foil and place in a 325°F oven for 25  minutes until hot.

Pumpkin Pie

• Pillsbury crust or homemade noted below
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• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled with a knife
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 6-1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2-1/2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening, in 4 pieces
• 4 tablespoons ice cold water
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• 1 (15-oz) can pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 3 large eggs yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Crust:

1. Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in the bowl and mix for a few times to mix. Add pieces of butter, shortening and mix until  coarse and looks like chickpea-size clumps of butter and shortening.  Add half of the water and mix a few times to mix together. Add the remaining water and mix until the mixture is just evenly moist and crumbly.  Add the dough out onto a work surface and gather it into a ball. Pat the dough into a 5-inch ball and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate 45 minutes.

1. Take the dough out of the refrigerator.
2. Dust your work surface lightly with flour and place the dough on top; sprinkle a little flour over the dough. Work the dough until  smooth  and round . Roll the dough, adding more flour if needed under and on top of the dough so it doesn't stick, into a 13-inch circle. 
3. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to a 9-inch deep dish pie pan  Turn the edges to create a rim on the crust 

1. Make the filling by mixing together all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the filling into the crust. Bake for 50-65 minutes, until the filling is just set  but not dry around the edges and the center will jiggle slightly. Keep  eye on the pie as it bakes so that crust does not burn,  You can cut foil and add around the edges as a crust covering.  Cool the pie at room temperature for a couple hours. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I like to use a Graham Cracker Crust for pumpkin pie

1 1/2 cups of Graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoon of melted butter

Mix together and form to pie pan.

  

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Thanksgiving Marinated Turkey

Turkey (12-14 pounds)


2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups unsalted Chicken broth
1 cup of low salt soy sauce
3 medium size minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of pepper
2 large roasting bags


Mix together the first 8 ingredients and set to on side in refrigerate.  (1 cup will be used for basting)

Place turkey inside both bags; pour in the remaining marinated mix and close the bag up. Make sure the air is out of the bags.  Place the turkey in a shallow roasting pan and put in refrigerator overnight basting or turning it.

Mashed Potatoes

6 medium to large potatoes about 2-3 pounds
peel, wash and cube

Place in a large saucepan and add water to cover potatoes, bring to an even boil.
Reduce to medium heat, uncovered cook until done. (25-30 minutes)

Drain, add a 1/2 cup of heated milk or heavy whipping cream, add 1/4 cup of cubed unsalted butter. Add salt and pepper and mash by hand until  fluffy.

Makes 6 servings