Eat Together, Make Life Delicious...

My mother's family comes from Militello va di Cantania in Sicily so growing up meant meatballs and sauce most weekends. My grandmother Josephine Concetta taught me how to cook this dish years ago when I was little but refused to put the recipe to paper. Josey believed that great family recipes were best passed down by word of mouth. Which meant, to learn the recipe, you had to take the time to learn it from someone. After filming this video with my mom to recreate my grandmother's meatball and sauce, I tend to agree.

Meatballs and Sauce is a great dish to prepare in large batches. It freezes and thaws quite well and will lasts up to about 6 months in the freezer. I suggest serving meatballs and sauce over spaghetti with a little grated Parmesan and it also makes excellent meatball subs. Just make sure to sprinkle the meatballs and bread with a little mozzarella cheese.

Labels: Comfort Food, italian food, meatballs and sauce, Sicilian family recipes

For the last 70'some years my grandmother Monga has been making rich buttery pound cake. Monga's original recipe was loaded with butter, sugar, cream, and eggs. It's an over the top indulgence that you could only reasonably eat once a month (unless of course you don't mind packing on the pounds!)

When it comes to sweets, I am a big believer that they are best enjoyed every day and that "speciality sweet treats" that would normally be reserved for a once-a-month-celebration because of their richness can be and even should be reinvented for the every day healthy consumption. And so I adjusted her originally recipe and created the Skinny Pound Cake. But don't worry, I did keep some of the butter-because after all I don't think it would be pound cake without it.

This recipe can also incorporate fresh fruit or little bits of shelled nuts such as pistachio before baking for more flavor. For kids, chocolate chips work nicely to coax them to try a bite. Skinny Pound Cake is a basic recipe -made for the every day- with lots of possibilities.

Skinny Pound Cake
Makes 8 to 10 servings

For the Cake:
4 ounces unsalted butter (could use yogurt butter for less fat)
4 ounces cream cheese (can be low fat)
3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 cup whole or skim milk
½ teaspoon salt
olive oil cooking spray

For the Orange Icing:
½ cup confectionery sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice

Set an oven rack placed in the center. Do not turn on the oven yet.

In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter, cream cheese, and sugar on high speed until it turns a pale yellow. Reduce the speed to medium and carefully add in the eggs one at a time. Beat until the mixture is well combined. Reduce the speed to low and add in the oil and vanilla. Add ½ cup of the flour into the butter mixture. Interspersing it with ¼ cup of the milk. When all the flour and milk has been added, increase the speed to medium and beat until everything is well combined. Reduce the speed and beat until the batter is smooth. Lastly sprinkle in the salt.

With the olive oil spray, lightly coat the inside walls of a bunt pan. Carefully pour in the cake batter and gently tap it on the counter so the batter settles.

Place the bunt pan in the oven and turn on the heat to 300 F. Bake the pound cake for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, rotating half way. The cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester is placed in the center and comes out clean.

While the cake is cooking, prepare the icing. Combine the sugar, orange zest, and juice in a small bowl and mix until well combined and smooth. Drizzle the icing over a cooled cake and serve.

Labels: Comfort Food, Easy Desserts, pound cake

Warm flat bread is perfect to wrap around a few slices of meat and cheese to make a delightful and tasty sandwich. Everything melts together melding flavors--so comforting.

And it's equally good served sliced up like pizza and topped with cheese, thinly sliced meat, or smeared with jellies, jams, butter, pesto, marinara sauce, a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon...really anything.

This simple Flat Bread recipe will work with other types of grains, such as whole wheat, sorghum, rye, to name a few. I still prefer unbleached all-purpose flour the best for it's silkiness and taste.

Simple Flat Bread
Makes 8 whole flat breads

1 cup warm water (110° F)
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
olive oil spray

In a mixture fitted with a dough hook, combine the warm water and the yeast. Whisk it with a fork and let is sit for a minute to bubble. Add in the olive oil, salt, maple syrup, and flour and mix at medium low speed until the dough starts to form. Once it forms, turn the dough out on to a floured surface (About 1 tablespoon) and knead it for 5 minutes. If the dough is too wet and sticky add a little bit more flour, but don't over do it. When the dough is soft and supple, cut it into 8 equal pieces. Roll the dough pieces into balls and let them rest for about 5 minutes.

With a rolling pin, roll out the balls one at a time until they are about ¼-inch thick and resemble a very flat pancake.

Spray a large skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil spray. Transfer the pancake to the skillet and cook it for 45 seconds to 1 minutes per side. The flat bread is done when it is cooked through. Since I prefer my flat bread lighty done, if you like it more toasted, consider cooking the bread a wee-bit longer.

When the flat bread is done to your liking, place it on a plate and under a clean dishtowel to remain warm. Continue cooking all the dough in the same manner and serve.

Lemons always brighten me up during the cold winter months. My kids also like it with a small glass of chocolate milk and even grated chocolate bits sprinkled over the tart. I like it with a hot cup of tea or coffee. The savory yet sweet flavor just hits the spot. Lemon Curd Tarts can also be made with just about any fruit and is great assembled ahead of time. Other fruits to consider are: strawberries, cherries, peaches, apricots, blueberries, and raspberries.

Lemon Curd Tart
Makes 4 mini tarts

For the Press-in Pie Dough:
¾ cup unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Homemade Lemon Curd:
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon Lemon zest
¼ cup freshly squeezed Lemon juice
5 tablespoons refined sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced up into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Prepare the press-in pie dough. Combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt and mix until thoroughly blended. Once the pie dough is formed it is ready to be pressed into a pie pan. Begin pressing as neatly as you are able into a 9-inch fluted tart pan and should be no thicker than ½-inch. Dock the pie crust with a fork (gently poking the bottom crust). If you have baking weights, place them in a cheese cloth and over the crust.

Place the tart pan in the oven to blind bake for 15 minutes. Turning it halfway through the baking process, when its done, the pie crust should be golden brown. If it is not, simply even it in the oven for another 5 minutes.

While the pie crust is baking, prepare the lemon curd. If you want to use store-bought, that's fine. Homemade is just tastier.

Prepare the homemade lemon curd. In a small sauce pan (not over heat) whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar. Turn the heat to medium and stir with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick and coats the back of a spoon. Remove the sauce pan from the heat and add in the butter while constantly stirring. The butter will melt and be incorporated. Set it aside.

When the pie crust is out of the oven, set it aside and scrape the lemon curd into the pie shell. Cover the entire pie with plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator to rest for 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature with a cup of your favorite tea or coffee.

Labels: Comfort Food, fruit topping, lemon curd, tarts

Marshmallows are made from corn syrup-it's true and haven't we all read the very scary articles about that stuff.

But the good news is, you can use organic corn syrup instead of the conventional high fructose corn syrup. That's what I do. It's slightly more expensive, but worth every penny.

Now I am not a scientist, just a mom who wants to prepare really cool things for her kids...and from what I have read, organic corn syrup allows me to make marshmallows without concern. (read about the product I use) And really, what would life be without the occasion indulgence of homemade marshmallows? Just imagine them melting in deliciously creamy hot chocolate...comforting and the perfect setting to remind us of live's simple pleasures!

So Viva Homemade Marshmallows!

Homemade Marshmallows
Makes about 50 1-inch square marshmallows

2½ tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup light organic corn syrup (the brand I use is: Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Light Corn Syrup)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Olive oil cooking spray
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

In a small bowl combine the gelatin and ½ cup cold water and whisk until the gelatin started to dissolve. Set the bowl aside for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan/pot over low heat on the stovetop, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and ½ cup cold water. Stir the mixture until the sugar completely dissolves. Place a candy thermometer into the mixture (get the kind that clips on) and raise the heat to medium high until it reaches 240 or soft-ball stage. When that happens, immediately remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the gelatin. Set it aside.

In a standing mixture, add in the egg whites. If you have a splatter guard, use it. Slowly increase the speed to high and beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. When that happens, add in the sugar/gelatin mixture, and the vanilla. Beat everything on high speed until it starts to resemble marshmallows. This should take about 10 minutes.

Transfer the marshmallow mixture to a 8-by-12-inch glass baking pan. Or even a casserole dish. If you want, spray the baking dish first with olive oil cooking spray to make sure the marshmallow is easier to remove later. Spread the marshmallow mixture so that is as even as possible. It will be about 1-inch thick. Spray the top of the marshmallow mixture with olive oil cooking spray and then cover it with a piece of parchment.

Let the marshmallows sit out over night to dry.

Turn the marshmallows out on to the parchment paper and with a moist kitchen scissors, cut the marshmallows into 1-inch squares. A hot dry knife also works. Dust the squares with confectioners' sugar to prevent sticking. Set the marshmallows out again to dry to your liking and serve!

Labels: Comfort Food, home made, home made marshmallows, marshmallows, organic corn syrup

Dried Spices are essential ingredients to keep in the pantry; they help round out any dish to give it more flavor and depth. When I was growing up, my mother mostly stuck with Italian spices: oregano, parsley, and rosemary so I didn't know of the existence of curry (Southeast Asia) or thyme (which I tender to consider French) until I was much older. I think it is a good idea to keep a handful of different dried spices in your kitchen at any one time. My favorites are:

Oregano leaves / Rosemary leaves / Thyme leaves / Ground Curry / Ground Cinnamon / Ground Cloves / Parsley Flakes / Black Peppercorns (to be ground in a pepper mill) / Red Pepper Flakes

I like to concoct interesting spices blend recipe and when one emerges that's quite tasty, I create a large batch and give some away. Little spice blend pouches are fantastic gifts and they last about 6 months, but I have certainly used my spices beyond that date!

Below I have given you a few ideas to get started:

Spiced Cider Mix
1 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 teaspoonGround Allspice

Chicken Rub
1 tablespoon Coarse Salt
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 pinch Ground black pepper

Meat Seasoning
1 tablespoon Coarse Salt
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Dried Garlic Flakes

Labels: dried spices, spice blends