Sausage Stew

Hey Everybody! I know I haven't been on here as often as I used to, but this is a busy period, that will be followed by an amazing vacation to Italy, from where I will post some delicious recipes! YAY! So stay tuned! Today I wanted to show you a delicious dish that my friend Connie has been so nice to share with me... yummo!!!!

Ingredients:

Hot and Sweet Sausage
Mixed colour bell peppers
Onions
Garlic
Olive oil
Seasoning
Sugar
Tomato Sauce
Sweet buns (Hawaiian rolls)

Start by browning the sausage in a pan with the olive oil, peppers and onions. Cut the sausage and put it in the Slow cooker along with a can of tomato sauce, the veggies, sugar, and seasoning. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Ham & Cheese Salty Pie - Torta Salata di Spinaci e Prosciutto Cotto

Hey Everybody!

I apologize for not posting my recipe quit often like I used to do, but these past few months have been pretty hectic!
Here I am now, and I wanted to share this delicious recipe for a very quick, but satisfying meal! This delicious salty pie has ricotta, spinach and ham as the main ingredients, but of course feel free to change the recipe to your taste!

Ingredients:

Puff pastry
onions
spinach
ricotta (400 gr)
ham
eggs
cheese
parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

Start by sauteeing in a pan, olive oil, onions, spinach, ham. Add ricotta cheese, regular cheese and 1 egg to the mixture. Spread your puff pastry sheet and pour the filling inside. Put some slices of your favorite cheese on top. Decorate the top with the remaining of your excess puff pastry. Brush the top pastry with some egg yolk to get the golden effect. There you have it! Enjoy! Buon Appetito!!

Sublime Rosted Potatoes

Here is my recipe for oven roasted potatoes!

Ingredients:

4 or 5 large potatoes
rosemary
olive oil
garlic or garlic powder
salt
pepper
onions
hot pepper

Peel and Cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. In a big bowl mix well the cut potatoes with all the ingredients. Bake at 400 Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Won Ton Wrapper Cups

As you all know, I love new finger food appetizers ideas. This is why I am going to share this great recipe with you!

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) package wonton wrappers
• 1 pound sausage or ground beef
• 1 cup shredded  cheese (I used simply slices)
• Onions
• Extravergin Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a miniature muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Insert wonton wrappers into the muffin pan so as to form small cups. Bake 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow the baked wrappers to cool.
3. In a medium pan, sautee the onions, oil, sausage or beef . Sprinkle with your favorite spices. Fill the baked wonton wrapper cups with the mixture. Top with cheese.
4. Bake the filled wonton wrappers 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the cups are golden brown. Watch closely so the wonton wrappers do not burn.  Enjoy!! Your guests are going to love this! Buon Appetito!

Brown Rice with Peppers and Blue Cheese

Here is a quick and healthy way to prepare your next meal!

Ingredients:

Brown Rice
Bell Peppers
Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola
Onions
Extravergin Olive oil
spices

In a pan, bring the water to a boil and cook the rice according to the instructions. In the meantime, in another pan, sauteed the oil, onions, and peppers. Let everything cook until tender. Drain the brown rice and put it in the same pan where the peppers are. Adjust, salt, pepper, and any other spice you might like. Towards the end you can sprinkle your crumbly blue cheese or Gorgonzola on top. Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Honey Glazed Carrots

Here is one of my favorite side dishes.


You need:

1 1/2 cups baby carrots
3 Tbsp honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Bring the carrots to a boil for 10 minutes, until tender and crisp. Drain carrots and in another pan sauteed the honey, sugar and lemon juice. Place the carrots into the saucepan with the honey mixture and coat well. Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Chocolate Torte

Happy Valentine's day to all of you! This year I wanted to try this delicious flour less European chocolate cake (I got the inspiration from the website www.joyofbaking.com).  As you can see from the pictures, this cake will create a light crust on the outside, but it will be moist like a fudge inside.

Ingredients:

6 large eggs, separated

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

9 ounces (255 grams) semisweet chocolate chopped

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar, divided

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter a 9 x 3 inch (23 x 8 cm) pan or spray with a nonstick cooking spray.

 

Separate the eggs while still cold, placing the egg whites in one bowl and the egg yolks in another bowl. Cover both with plastic wrap and bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.

Place egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer (can also use a hand mixer). Beat on medium high speed until thick and lemon-colored, about 3-5 minutes. (The eggs should have tripled in volume, look thick and soft, and when you lift the beater the mixture falls back into the bowl in a slow ribbon.) Beat in the vanilla extract and melted chocolate mixture.

In a clean bowl, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula or whisk, fold a small amount of whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter. Add the remaining egg whites, folding just until incorporated. Do not over mix or the batter will deflate.

Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake the cake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. (During baking the surface of the cake will form a crust which will collapse when the cake is removed from the oven.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. The top of the cake will have become hard with a cracked surface and lots of crumbs. Serve with softly whipped cream. Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Happy Hour Snack Idea

In Italy is very common to go out for a happy hour drink before dinner time, we call it "Aperitivo". Depending on which bar you go to, they might serve you different kinds of snack to go with your drink, these snacks can be: mini sandwiches, hot or cold mini appetizers finger food and so on. I decided to show you one of the most common snack that you might find during your aperitivo.

In this picture I was having some green olives, salted peanuts, and some potato chips. Everything paired with a delicious glass of your favorite happy hour drink, and after this... ready for some delicious dinner! Enjoy! Buon Appetito