Eat Together, Make Life Delicious...

This method of grilling shrimp–in their shells on high heat–works well: the shrimp cook fast and stay tender and juicy. Once you have mastered this technique, I suggest creating a variety of stuffings based on your favorite ingredients. This recipe is especially handy for casual gatherings where easy preparation is very important. At the table, make sure to include: napkins, as picking the shells off to get to the tender shrimp can get a little messy but oh so fun; and little bowls, for the discarded shells.

Grilled Buttery Herb-Stuffed Shrimp
Makes 4 servings

For the Stuffing:
½ cup finely chopped fresh basil
½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 medium clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil or softened unsalted butter

For the Shrimp:
1 pound large shrimp, or about 21 shrimp per pound, the larger the better, deveined
and butterflied, but shells on (see note on technique below)
1 lemon cut into wedges

Heat a well-seasoned grill to medium heat.

In a medium bowl combine the basil, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil (or butter). Mix until a herb paste is created.

Stuff the herb paste between the shrimp shells and meat. Grill the shrimp for about 2 minutes per side, or until the meat turns opaque. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

How to Butterfly a Shrimp…while leaving the shells on
The best way to bufferfly a shrimp while leaving its shell on is to use a pair of kitchen scissors. Start at the top and cut down the back to the tail almost the whole way through, leaving enough flesh so the shrimp is still connected. It’s far easier to cut through the shell with scissors than slicing through it with a knife. However, if you plan to use a knife, make sure it is sharp. Take care, as the shell can be slippery causing the knife to slide.

Some other stuffing ideas:
Mojito Stuffed Shrimp: Mint, lime zest, olive/butter and a douse of Rum
Sicilian Stuffed Shrimp: Sun dried tomatoes, garlic, olive/butter, and a splash of Red Wine
Mexican Stuffed Shrimp: Cumin-or Mexican seasoning, finely Diced tomatoes, Cilantro, and olive/butter
Hawaiian Stuffed Shrimp: mashed pineapples, curry, cilantro, and olive/butter
Southern Stuffed Shrimp: southern bbq sauce, drop of Tabasco sauce, olive/butter

Labels: Grilled Buttery Herb-Stuffed Shrimp, grilled seafood, shrimp

There are few better surprises than opening your lunch bag to find an Italian hoagie.

Hoagies are certainly filling, they take a while to eat, and are built to please. To have some fun with this traditional recipe, roll up the meat and stuff it into a hallowed out hoagie roll as shown in the picture. Once rolled up, place it in a glass cup upright and drizzle the Vinaigrette down into the sandwich. Either eat it whole and drizzle it again as you go or consider cutting the sandwich into width-wise-bite-size slices. Of course if you like the traditional method of preparing and eating the hoagie with the split roll, simply follow the instructions below.

Italian Hoagie
Makes 4 Servings

4 fresh Italian hoagie rolls, split lengthwise
½ medium white onion, thinly sliced
1 fresh tomato, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
3 tablespoons Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
¼ pound hard Genoa salami, thinly sliced
¼ pound capacolla, thinly sliced
¼ pound mortadella, thinly sliced
¼ pound Provolone cheese, thinly sliced

Place the split hoagies on four plates and begin equally dividing up the onion, tomato, and lettuce, putting a thin layer of each on only one side of the hoagie before placing the next ingredient on top of that layer. Generously sprinkle the hoagies (everything) with vinaigrette, dividing it among the four sandwiches, and continue the layering process of the salami, capacolla, mortadella, and provolone cheese. When all the ingredients are evenly distributed among the four hoagies close up the split hoagie rolls and serve immediately.

Vinaigrette for the hoagie:
1 sprig fresh oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon roasted red peppers, finely chopped

To make the Vinaigrette combine the oregano olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and roasted red peppers in a small bowl and whisk until well combined.

Labels: Comfort Food, Italian Hoagie, sandwich

Making Cannolis is quite labor intensive, this recipe from start to finish can take up to two hours. However, if you are looking to serve something really special, this is the recipe to turn to: it's guaranteed to win applause, for flavor and originality. Most people have only eaten cannolis from restaurants and pastries shops making homemade cannolis a wonderful treat.

One of the tricks I discovered to great cannolis is making sure the dough is penny-thin. To do this, I highly recommend using a pasta machine instead of a rolling pin.

Another really important trick is to never wrap the cannoli dough too tightly around the metal cannoli tubes; when it’s too tight, after frying it is quite difficult to remove.

Sicilian Cannoli
makes about 3 dozen shells

For the shells:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pinch table salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup Marsala Wine
Vegetable oil
Olive oil spray

For the filling:
4 cups fresh ricotta
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
4 heaping tablespoons chocolate chips, plus another tablespoon if making for kids
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Optional: 1 teaspoon orange of lemon zest, finely chopped candied citron


To seal the shells:
1 egg white, beaten

For garnish:
Finely chopped (shelled) unsalted pistachios
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Make the shells: in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and mix the ingredients on low speed until they are well blended. Add in the olive oil and the Marsala Wine and turn the speed up to medium and mix until a dough is formed, this should take just a few minutes. Transfer the dough to a well floured surface and knead it until it is smooth. This kneading process will take about 15 minutes. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Meanwhile prepare the filling: In a standing mixer, with the whip attachment, combine the ricotta and sugar. Whip the ricotta until it becomes smooth and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add in the chocolate chips and vanilla extract. Mix until everything is well combined. Transfer the ricotta into a large piping back or leave it in the bowl and place it in the refrigerator.

Finishing preparing the shells: split the dough into 4 parts. The trick in creating great cannolis is making the dough thin enough. If you have a pasta machine, this is by far the best way. If not, the dough can be rolled it out by hand. Put the dough through the pasta machine on the widest setting and continue to pass it through, each time on a narrower setting until the dough is as thin as a penny, so quite thin. Lay the dough back on to the work surface and cut out rounds with a 3-inch cookie cutter. Collect all the leftover scraps and continue passing the dough through the machine until it is all done.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy saucepot over medium heat. The oil should come up about 4 inches on the pot sides. Using a candy thermometer, heat the oil until it reaches 380 degrees.

While the oil is heating up, lightly spray the metal cannoli tubes with olive oil spray. Wrap the rounds around a 4-inch cannoli tube, sealing it with a little of the egg white. You’ll have to press the dough together where it meets to make sure it stays sealed during the frying process. Carefully place the cannoli tube into the oil and fry for about 1 minute or until golden. Using a wire basket or tongs, scoop out the cannoli tube from the oil and transfer it to a paper-towel lined plate. Make sure to drain the oil before taking it out of the pot. Let the cannolis cool slightly and carefully slide the cannoli off the cannoli tubes. If the cannolis stick at all, it may mean you are wrapping them too tightly. Wrap them snuggly but not too tight. Repeat this until all the cannolis are fried. Most pots have enough space to do 3 cannolis at a time. If the pot is large enough to do more, go ahead, but I recommend not overcrowding.

Once all the cannolis are done frying and cool to the touch, fill them with the ricotta. I prefer to use a piping bag to make sure I get the very center, but if you don’t have one, use a knife instead. Plate the cannolis and sprinkle the ricotta with the optional pistachios, and everything with the optional dusting of confections sugar.

Labels: cannolis, Challenging Desserts, Sicilian family recipes

Lamb and rosemary are a match made in heaven, and if you add butter, you have practically scored a perfect 10 in the kitchen without even breaking a sweat. But lamb can easily be overcooked, so it needs your full attention. Don’t answer the phone, walk away. Just focus on the lamb and guarantee yourself a splendid meal. Even though rosemary is the best herb match, try using other herbs such as parsley, sage, or savory. Even a few chopped cherries thrown into the mix is nice. Also, because the chops are frenched, have some fun with the presentation. It’s a simple meal to prepare, but don’t let the presentation give that away.And if you are watching the butter intake, you can substitute it with 100% olive oil.

My kids love this meal. The first time it took some convincing to try, just focus on getting over their first bite. And even if they say "no thank you", ask them to sample a small piece every time. Eventually, it will be clear they just don't want to go there, or they will fall in love. Let's hope it's the latter!


Lamb Chops with Rosemary Butter
Makes 2 Servings

For the lamb chops:
1 teaspoon olive oil
6 rib spring lamb chops, “frenched” by your butcher and any excess fat removed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the rosemary butter:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Wipe the inside of a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet with the olive oil and heat it over a medium-high flame.

Rub both sides of the lamb chops with the salt and pepper and place the chops in the skillet. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side for rare.

Meanwhile, in a small clean bowl, whip the butter and rosemary together with a fork until smooth.

When the lamb chops reach your desired doneness, remove them from the heat and let them rest for 4 minutes. Generously lather both sides of the chops with rosemary butter and serve immediately.

Labels: Comfort Food, lamb chops, rosemary butter

Smoothies are great to help you serve up fruit. The best recipes are easy and very versatile. To thicken up the shake consider adding in a few scoops frozen yogurt, my favorite is vanilla so the fruit flavor is still the main flavor.

If you are creating smoothies for kids, other great fruits to include are blueberries, peaches, apples, oranges, pineapple, apricot, cherries, and pear.

And if you are preparing this for grown ups branch out and try some exotic fruits like: passion fruit, lychee, starfruit, kumquat, acai, papaya, guava, and kiwifruit. And to turn this into a fun party drink, skip the milk and instead add ½ cup of tequila and ½ of water. You can use whatever alcohol suits your taste.

Fruit Smoothies
Makes 2 Servings

1½ cup skim milk
2 bananas
1 heaping cup frozen strawberries
handful of ice

Pour the milk into a standing blender, add the bananas, strawberries, and ice and place on the lid. Pulse until it starts to incorporate. If it doesn't come together, add in a small amount of water.

Labels: fruit, fruit smoothie, fun adult drink