7 posts tagged “family food”
The other night I had my nieces, Sandi and Toni, over for a girls’ night in. We watched movies, made each other laugh until our drinks came out of our noses and, of course, made some delicious treats.
Nothing is more fun than cooking with my niece/Goddaughter, Sandi. She really has a knack for cooking and I find that lately she’s been teaching me a trick or two. Sandi’s had the culinary palette of a bona fide food critic from day one. When she was little, when most kids were fussing about with chicken fingers and french fries, Sandi was eyeing up the edamame, broccoli rabe or hearts of palm. In fact, I never even had hearts of palm until our most recent girls’ night when she showed me how to make her “Heart Salad” (hearts of palm and artichoke hearts in olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette). Not bad for a 13-year-old! She showed me how to cut, season and present the salad just like a pro.
But the real star of the meal was this delicious chocolate mousse that Sandi makes. She made it a few weeks ago for my mother’s birthday dinner and I had been craving it ever since. I just had to get my hands on the recipe and the mousse into my mouth! Sandi flavored the chocolate mousse with orange extract but you could easily substitute this flavoring with almost anything you desire. We had fun thinking up all the different flavors that we could try such as mint, almond, hazelnut liqueur or orange liqueur…the possibilities are endless! The first time I tried this dessert I thought that she had made this from scratch, but my niece is much more crafty than that! This dessert was done in no time by mixing together instant pudding mix with pudding cups and some cream…I was shocked! Not only was this the best mousse I ever had, but it was done in literally fifteen minutes. So it’ll be an easy standby dessert that I’ll make for dinner guests who will think I slaved over this elegant chocolate mousse when really, it was easy as one-two-three.
Behind every good chef is an even better sous-chef and every time we get together in the kitchen, Sandi and I make an incredible team. But it’s not only about what we create together that makes the food so special; it’s the time spent. While cooking we’ll talk about boys, gossip, make fun of celebrities and always compete over who can make the other laugh more. It’s the best time, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
Orange Chocolate Mousse
By Sandi Cappaccio
Ingredients
1 ½ c. whipping cream
1 box instant chocolate pudding
2 Tblsp orange extract
2 containers chocolate pudding cups
Directions
In a medium bowl, beat together cream and pudding mix until soft peaks form. Add the extract and pudding cups and beat until stiff.
This dessert can be served alone in a chilled martini glass for an elegant ending to a formal dinner party or in a simple dessert cup. A some fabulous garnish ideas can range from a fresh orange slice to candied orange peel to fresh berries or sliced strawberries. This would be an amazing cake filling as well...sandwiched between layers of devil's food cake! Mmmm....
Like making my husband a beautiful breakfast for his birthday!
Raspberry-filled papaya
Blueberry Pancakes
And then throwing him a party!
Ina's Lemon Fusilli (I made mine with sundried tomatoes and spinach!)
Other menu items: pepperoni bread, broccoli and cheese stromboli, sunflower cupcakes and lots o' beer. :)
Happy Birthday, Anthony!!! I love you more than I could ever say! Cheers!
I have been obsessed with pancakes for the past few months now. Every Sunday morning I wake up early just to make a huge batch of silver dollar pancakes for me and my hubs.
Some mornings I cheat and use the Aunt Jemima mix, but most mornings I needn't bother, because making homemade pancakes is ridiculously easy! I use Alton Brown's instant mix recipe for the dry mix, but then I mix it with 1 cup of whole milk, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (or melted butter) and a teaspoon of vanilla (an old family secret weapon!). Your pancake mix should appear lumpy so don't fret and overmix! My other secret to whipping up a delicious batch of pancakes is to get my griddle pan nice and super hot and spray it with cooking spray or slather on a little bit of butter. Once the pan is hot, I tun off the heat, dollop on my battter and then turn the heat on, but keep it low. My pancakes never burn that way AND they're always super fluffy and delicious!! I could seriously devour the whole batch!
But when I think about it, the traditional breakfast pancakes aren't the only ones I love...my grandmother's zucchinni fritters are (as my dear friend Katie would say) THE DONKEY! She used to make these for our whole family every summer to go with any meal (most of the time it was sausage and peppers; I make them now to go with my veggie stew). She would fry them up in a ton of olive oil and the fritters would soak through at least six layers of paper towels. They. were. FABULOUS. I have the burn scars on the roof of my mouth to prove it. I never was the patient kind!
Grandmom's Zucchinni Fritters
1 large zucchinni, grated
1 egg, beaten
1 cup pancake mix
1 bucket of olive oil for frying (not really*)
Grate the zucchinni in a large mixing bowl. Add the beaten egg and mix well. Slowly incorporate your dry pancake mix as the zucchinni will produce a lot of its own liquid. I find using a fork to mix with works very well (and that's how grandma did it!). Heat up your oil in a fring pan. Spoon about 1 kitchen tablespoon full of the zucchinni mixture into the pan.
Turn each fritters over when golden brown. Enjoy!
The latest trend that seems to be going around now are Stuffed Pancakes. And with a new trend, comes a new gadget. Usually, I try to abstain from gadgets and gizmos, but this...I HAD TO HAVE! It was lust at first sight when I stumbled upon a picture of an Ebelskiver from fellow Vox neighbor, Purplesque! I was so excited when I finally got my own! Since I had breakfast and dinner pancakes covered, I figured I'd do a dessert version and made Nutella-Stuffed Pancakes. DEEEE-LISH!
Basically, I just prepared a regular pancake batter and filled the wells about 3/4 full. Then, I dolloped some delicious Nutella into each pancakes and covered with a touch more batter. Turn over once they begin to puff up and the reverse side is golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and dig in!
With Mother's Day quickly approaching I wanted to make two of my most favorite dishes that my mom and my MIL are famous (at least to MY tummy) for. My MIL's outstanding Spaghetti Con Aglio Olio and my mom's famous Icebox Cake (seriously this cake has created world peace in my family on more than one occasion).
I am the baby in my family and there is no other time in my life that this point is made clearer than when I am in my mother's kitchen. I have to confess, I didn't actually cook a single thing this evening. I delegated while my older sister and mother took over. I tried to help. Really.
I love cooking with family (or watching them cook my meals). There's always (in this order) laughing, teasing, fighting, threatening, laughing, eating, gossiping, laughing, eating, teasing, fighting, laughing and then break. By the time my husband leaves my parents' house with me I'm revved up while he's taking an Advil with a Pepcid chaser. My in-laws are a bit more subdued...then again I'm still new.
I love visiting my parents-in-law because it never feels as if I'm just an in-law to them. From day one they always felt like family. My MIL still brings out her best china whenever I come over to eat and it always makes me feel so loved and special. My absolute favorite meal that she makes for us is her Spaghetti Con Aglio Olio. She made this when she and my FIL returned from their trip to Italy and brought back the most amazing dried pasta I had ever tasted in my life. She gave me her recipe as part of my bridal shower gift...it remains as one of my most treasured posessions!
My mom's Icebox cake is seriously legendary. I don't care how cold it is outside or how busy one of my siblings may be, all it takes is a phone call from somebody saying "Mom made Icebox Cake" and we rush over to scoop out a huge hunk and devour it before somebody else snags it. It's such a simple recipe (just three flavors of pudding separated by layers of graham crackers) and yet none of us make it, I guess because how special is Icebox Cake, really, if Mom isn't making it? One time, my mom made Icebox Cake "for no reason" other than she just "felt like it". Of course none of us believed her and we were all asking what the big occasion was. Was my brother getting married? Did my sister get a job? Did my other brother finally find his back issues of Conan comics that my mom was suspected to have thrown away? Was I pregnant?
The answer to all of these questions was, of course, no. My mom was simply finding an excuse to have all of her kids together eating at her kitchen table laughing, teasing, fighting, eating...you know the drill.
Mama Bellano's Spaghetti Con Aglio Olio
Ingredients
1 lb spaghetti
1/2 c. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can anchovies
1/2 c. grated parmesan
1 pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Bring a medium-sized pasta pot to boil and add spaghetti. While spaghetti cooks, heat up oil in a deep sautee pan. Add garlic and sautee for about 2 minutes. Add anchovies and crush with a fork until mostly dissolved. Add chopped parsley. Add cooked pasta and toss with tongs, adding a generous amount (about 1/2-3/4 c. of parmesan cheese). Top with red pepper flakes and fresh parsley.
*Tip: Don't tell anyone there's anchovies in this. They'll get finicky and miss out on a truly great dish. The fish provides a lovely nutty flavor that will not be detected by even the pickiest kid or grown-up!
Mama Petetti's Icebox Cake
Ingredients
1 package each of chocolate, butterscotch and vanilla pudding
3 c. per package of milk (so 9 cups all together...just buy a gallon!)
graham crackers
pineapple chunks or banana slices
Directions
My mom and I found it to be a LOT faster and easier to prepare each of the puddings according to the manufacturer's microwave directions. It just takes about 10 minutes for each pudding to cook up (stirring every two). This makes a nice, thick pudding (which I prefer) but if you like a thinner pudding (as my mom does) add a bit more milk to your liking.
Once all the puddings are cooked, you will begin my pouring in the chocolate layer. Let cool a bit and then top with a solid layer of graham crackers. Then, add your cooled butterscotch pudding. Again, top with a solid layer of graham crackers. Then top with cooled vanilla pudding and this time you will crush the graham cracker and sprinkle them lightly over the top. You can top your cake with either pineapple chunks or banana slices.
Enjoy!
I don't know about you, but after a rough day there is nothing more therepuetic than taking out my frustrations on innocent vegetables. I know, I know...violence is never the answer. But there's just something about smashing garlic cloves and hacking into hardy veggies that just brings me peace about the things I cannot control in my life...like jury duty.
And this stew has it all: onions, zuchinni, squash...you name it, I maim it! And the best part is that after all the mayhem, there is this heavenly pot of veggies stewed to perfection waiting to fill my belly and ease my angst!
Anger Management Veggie Stew
Ingredients
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
1lb or 16 - 20 baby bellas, halved
1 medium zuchinni, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 medium yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
1 15 oz can of white kidney beans
1 28 oz can of diced tomatos in puree (or you can use canned whole tomatoes, chopped)
2 Tblsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Directions
In a medium pot over moderate heat saute garlic and mushrooms in extra-virgin olive oil for 2 or 3 minutes. Add zucchini and onion to the pot and season veggies with salt and pepper. Saute another 5 minutes. Add beans, cumin, tomato and chopped rosemary. Bring stew to a bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
The original recipe suggests serving the stew over potato and cheese pancakes, but I prefer making my grandmother's zuchinni fritters. Just whisk together 1 cup of pancake mix, 1 egg, 1 grated zuchinni, 1/2 cup of grated parm and fry them up like little pancakes. Enjoy!
Getting sick is no fun, no matter what the movies tell you.
Staying home from work because you are sick shouldn't count. Your whole day off goes by and all you have to show for it is a chapped nose, a trash can full of tissues and a hangover from your overdose of NyQuil. This is why I opt for more natural and homeopathic remedies. Call me a hippie, but they work! Echinacea, Zicam and a few hot showers and I'm on the road to recovery.
But nothing, and I mean nothing, can cure me of my cold like a hot bowl of my mom's chicken noodle soup. The aroma of the bubbling pot in my kitchen, stewing for three hours is even better than Vick's rub as it opens my nose up to the sweet smells of onions and celery and chicken broth ( a warmer welcome than harsh manufactured eucalyptus, wouldn't you say??).
The thing about mom's soup is that you can really go ahead and make it your own. Use whatever ingredients make YOU feel better--afterall this soup's only obligation is to do just that! You can use frozen or fresh chicken pieces, frozen or fresh veggies; veggie, beef or chicken broth...whatever YOU want! The other thing I love about mom's soup is that it's wonderfully lazy, so that even when you're not feeling well you can whip this up by just roughly chopping veggies and literally throwing everything in the pot and covering it with water. It's really that easy!
Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup (a.k.a. Recovery Elixer)
Ingredients
2-3 raw chicken pieces (2 thighs, one bone-in breast)
4-5 chicken bouillon cubes
1 celery stalk (cut into chunks)
1 large carrot (cut into chunks)
1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies
1/2 can tomato paste
1 onion, thinly sliced
salt, pepper to taste (you'll need a generous amount!)
egg noodles
Directions
Whip out your biggest pasta pot. Pour in a little EVOO, then toss in the sliced onions. Once they have softened slightly throw in the carrots and celery. Stir a bit. Now add the chicken and cover with water. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once the soup has been been for a while, lower the temp and let the soup simmer for 3 hours. Take a nap. Blow your nose. Wash your hands and about a half hour before the soup's done, put up a pot of water and boil your egg noodles. Keep noodles separate from the soup as the noodles tend to soak up all the flavor, leaving you with a less-than-stellar broth.
Shred the chicken meat frm the bones and put back into the broth. Pour soup over the noodles and enjoy! And get well soon!
I forgot to post lovely photos of our delicious Christmas Eve Dinner!
We're Italian, ok...Sicilian to be specific (folks around here are very particular) and so every year on Christmas Eve we have our Seven Fishes Feast. The traditional feast includes a tempting menu of a steampot of lobster, shrimp, clams & mussels. Some lesser-tempting items include baccala, eel and smelts. We forgo the eel and baccala and replace it with crabs and stuffed calamari and fried monk fish. My mom still holds on to her smelts. In recent years, we've added some pesto escargot. The kiddie love 'em. Seriously. The adults hate it, but the 10-14 year olds have been gobbling them up every Christmas Eve since they could chew. I think it started as a dare originially.
Here we have a sampling of some appetizers my godmother made: Stuffed Mushrooms, Stromboli with Long Hots and assorted cheeses.
And here we have Christmas Eve...in a pot. YUM!
For dessert we made a yummy ice box cake (recipe to follow soon with better pics) made with layers of pistachio, vanilla and chocolate puddings and graham crackers.
And here we have the cutest newlyweds you ever did see, celebrating their first Christmas together. :)
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