Cast Iron Steak in Red or white Wine

1 tablespoon of butter
1 steak whatever cut you like
1/3 cup wine
Weber Chicago steak seasoning


Melt one tablespoon of butter
Shake Chicago seasoning over melted butter
Place steak over butter and seasoning
Cook on one side for 5 minutes, before you turn pick steak up with folk, add more seasoning  (Add more butter if needed to pan) and turn steak so that both sides are cooked in butter and seasoning,
Pour a 1/3 cup of wine
Cook to your liking

You can add mushrooms or onions or both just add another 1/3 cup of wine.


Making steak in a cast iron pan one night I decided to add  white wine.  The steak and wine became a hit.  My second try at making  the steak I realized I was out of the white wine and used a sweet red.  It was as much a hit as the white wine.  The difference between the white and red wine is that the red gives the steak an interesting well cooked color.  I have found that using the wine actually makes the meat very tender and the seasoning and wine together is a hit!

Enjoy and let me know what you think?

Red Velvet Cake by Hershey

2 1/2 Tablespoons red food coloring
2 cups flour
1/3 cup of Hershey cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1-2 containers of vanilla frosting
Hershey mini chips semi sweet chocolate or Hershey milk chocolate chip (optional)
1/2 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (I also sometimes use almond instead)
1 cup buttermilk

Heat oven to 350 F  Grease and flour  13x9 baking pan

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl, add eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Stir together buttermilk and food coloring.  Stir together flour, cocoa and salt; add alternately to butter mixture with buttermilk mixture, mix well.  Stir in baking soda and vinegar.

Pour into prepared pan

Bake 25-30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely in pan

Frost and add chips if desired.   Enjoy!

Makes 12 servings

If baked in round 9 inch pans, bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes; cool 10 minutes and take out of pans.
if baked in cupcake liners makes about 28. Fill each about half way and bake at 350 about 20 minutes.  Frost as you like. Enjoy!

New Years Lentil Soup

It was thought that Lentils resemble Roman coins, which in turn symbolize prosperity and money and are an important staple in the Italian home.  One of our family traditions was making Lentil soup every New Years Eve making them available for New Years Day.  It was thought to bring luck and Prosperity for the coming year!

                                                  Happy New Year for 2019!

1 bag of Lentils (Go through the lentils before cooking to take out any impurities and then wash well)

6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 celery stick chopped finely

1 small chopped onion

2 medium cloves of garlic chopped finely

2 carrots diced finely

2 tablespoons of hunts tomato sauce (puree)

1 tablespoon of pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon of salt (optional)

3 tablespoons of dry parsley or fresh

1 teaspoon of Mrs. Dash Italian blend

1/4 pound of Pasta (Ditali or spaghetti broken in fours or elbow) you can also make it without pasta.

Cook lentils in 6 cups of water, for about 30 minutes in medium size pot. Once cooked put to one side.

While lentils are cooking, in another medium size pot heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil, add celery, onion, garlic, carrots and saute at low heat for about 10 minutes till soft and golden, then add the sauce cook another 5 minutes.  Once tender slowly add the cooked  lentils liquid and all, do not drain lentils. If needed add more water.   Add the pepper, salt, parsley, Mrs. Dash and cook for another 10 minutes bringing to a boil, slowly add pasta into this mixture and cook until tender but not too soft.   Season more if needed to your taste.

Serve with Italian bread, or garlic bread, or just as is.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda; set aside.

Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into about 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and remove from pan.

Rice Crispy Chocolate covered Balls

3 cups crisp rice cereal
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons shortening
Add all ingredients to list

In a large bowl, mix butter, sugar, peanut butter and crisp rice cereal together thoroughly.
Roll into small balls and set aside.

Melt the chocolate chips and shortening in a small saucepan over low heat being careful not to burn. Once melted remove from heat. Coat the small balls in the chocolate and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Christmas Peppermint delights Candies

2 cups of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of light corn syrup
1/4 cup of water (not hot or cold)
2 large egg whites  (room Temperature)
1/3 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3/4 cups of chopped hard peppermint candy or canes



Mix together sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan;  Place pan over medium/high, and cook, gently stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until you see the sugar dissolving and mixture boils. Once the sugar syrup is clear and thick, cook, without touching with a spoon until it reaches 255°F (hard-ball consistency), about 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Place egg whites in a bowl and whisk,  beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high, and beat until egg whites are thick and hold a soft peak.

Set mixer on low speed, carefully pour the hot syrup into beaten egg whites, pouring slowly  (Do not scrape the pan).

Increase the speed of the mixer to high, and continue beating until syrup is well mixed into the egg whites, scraping down sides of the bowl, add vanilla. Continue beating on high speed until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape, 6 to 10 minutes.

Mix in 1⁄2 cup chopped peppermint candy, and beat on medium speed just until combined throughout the mixture.

Scoop mixture into small balls of candy (about 1 tablespoon each), placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper, and don’t have them touching one another.

Top candies quickly with leftover chopped peppermint and let cool, until set about 1 to 2 hours.

Once all set place candies to an airtight container/tin, place parchment paper/wax paper between layers.

Green beans and Bacon

1 pound Green beans washed and snipped
dash of salt and pepper
2 slices of bacon
1 tablespoon lemon juice or red cider or red wine vinegar

Boil green beans    4-5 minutes  or until tender once cooked set aside

Cook the bacon until crispy while the green beans are cooking.  Once bacon cooked remove from pan. 

Pour fat from pan leaving about one tablespoon, saute green beans on medium heat about 2 minutes, cut up bacon and add to mixture cook another minute of 2.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, red cider, or red wine vinegar. 

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