Category Archives: Recipes

Sore Throat Remedy

Cinnamon, Ginger, Honey and Turmeric all contain properties to fight against colds and influenza.

YES!! Healing your throat can be overcome by using nature’s products so why not give it a try! Four simple items is all that is needed and quickly found at your local grocer.  Honey, cinnamon, turmeric or ginger have a combination of everything needed to fight influenza, colds and germs. The active components are: antibacterial, antifungal, antimricrobial, and antiviral.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 teaspoon honey (Also 1 tablespoon of honey will do!)
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric (or Ginger)

On the spoon of honey,  place both turmeric and cinnamon. With a toothpick, swirl the spices into the honey. Can be eaten off the spoon 3 times a day, or add to hot tea and drink!

By: Kimberly Crocker-Scardicchio

Fontina Sauce ( Alfredo ) with Pasta or Gnocchi

Fontina Sauce by itself or accented with favorite vegetables is a tasty dish.

Cream based sauces flavored with butter and cheese are typically more popular in the northern regions of Italy.  While Italy does not have Alfredo sauce (an American sauce), the Fontina Sauce can be served on pasta or gnocchi (a potato based food). Buon Appetito!

Serves 4-6 people. Preparation time for Sauce 6 minutes. Can be prepared while pasta is boiling.

  • 4 Tbsp butter or Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped shallots or onion
  • (OPTIONAL, choose favorite vegetables: asparagus, peas, mushrooms, spinach, thinly sliced peppers, chopped tomatoes)
  • 1 cup  heavy whipping cream (panna)
  • 8 ounces fontina cheese cut into cubes
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Cracked Pepper to taste
  • 1 Tbsp chopped parsley for presentation

In a large pan, begin to boil water on high heat, once boiling add 2 Tbsp salt to boiling water, add pasta or gnocchi and cook for necessary time. Using a colander drain well from water, then add back into large pan.

Fontina cheese for making a delicious sauce.

Meanwhile water is boiling, place a sauce pan on medium low heat, add butter, shallots or onions (and optional vegetables if desired) allowing to sauté for 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and soft. Pour in heavy whipping cream (panna), add in fontina cheese, parmesan cheese and salt into sauce. Stir until melted about 2 minutes, REMOVE from heat, do not allow to boil to avoid clumping, or burning of the sauce.

Drizzle sauce onto prepared pasta or gnocchi. Gently toss. Serve onto plates and top off with  pepper and parsley for presentation.

Health Disclosure: Individuals who experience high cholesterol are discouraged from including increased dairy intake in their meal plans due to saturated fats found in dairy. This delicious dish, (contains high saturated fat) is best consumed in a reduced amount.

Cannoli Siciliani

Delicious crunchy pastry with sweetened ricotta

Delicious crunchy pastry with sweetened ricotta

The most popular Sicilian Pastry Dessert causes one to salivate upon the mention of “Cannoli”.  Cannoli or “little tubes” has an outward crunch and the sweetened ricotta filling that leaves one wanting for more. The dough takes minutes to make  and the process of rolling out and frying the dough beckons anyone within the vicinity of your kitchen to come in and see what’s cooking. Well worth it’s value in a single bite, set aside 30 minutes and enjoy! Buon Appetito.

Makes 10-12 Cannoli Shells

Pastry Ingredients (combine in order):
1 cup (224 g) flour
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoons sugar
1/8 cup wine (i.e. Sweet Marsala, Spumante or White Wine)
1 egg slightly beaten
Vegetable oil for frying cannoli

Chocolate Filling:  3/4 cup Semi- sweet chocolate.

Ricotta Filling
1 1/2 cup Ricotta whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup candied fruit, or chocolate chips

Cut Olive oil into flour until mixture resemble coarse crumbs. Fold in sugar and cinnamon. Add slightly beaten egg working into the dry ingredients. Gradually, add wine. Mix by hand until pastry holds together.  Form a ball, cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Start to heat vegetable oil in pan or fryer to about 375F

Divide dough into quarters and keep covered as to not lose moisture.

Roll out cannoli doughOn a lightly floured surface, roll out dough as thin as possible (about the thickness of a dime.) Use a circular cookie cutter  to cut out shape of dough.  Loosely place dough around cannoli form and pinch to seal closing.

Allow to fry until blistered and the color is golden about 2 minutes.  Drain on

Deep fry Cannoli in 375 F oil.

Deep fry Cannoli in 375 F oil.

paper towels. Let cannoli cool before removing forms.  (Cannoli shells can be stored in a tin with paper towels for 2 months.)

Double boiler for melting chocolateCreate a double boiler by filling one sauce pan 1/2 full of water. Place a second pan on top of pan filled with water (making sure that the water does not touch the top pan) and add chocolate to top pan. Place on medium high heat. Stir chocolate with wooden spoon or pastry brush. When melted paint the inside of the cannoli with chocolate and layer onto a plate. Place into refrigerator and allow chocolate to harden inside cannoli. Once hardened, remove from refrigerator and with a teaspoon add ricotta filling.

FILLING               DSC01266

Place ricotta in a sieve and allow water to drain while working on cannoli shells.
Mix all ingredients well. Refrigerate until time to fill cannoli shells. With a teaspoon fill shells just before serving.
Sprinkle filled Cannoli shells and with powdered sugar.

Holiday Turkey with Cranberry & Rosemary Stuffing

Roasted Turkey with Oranges & Apples

Benjamin Franklin thought that the Turkey should be the country’s state bird and in many ways he got his wish. World wide, the most recognized symbol associated with the American holiday to celebrate Thanksgiving is the beloved bird. The holiday meal in that of itself, symbolizes a portion of the history: death and abundance, family gatherings and compromises. While the beauty of the celebration is that we set a moment aside to be thankful.

PLANNING DINNER  Adults with a healthy appetite generally eat more and kids generally eat less. To plan for purchasing a turkey allow approximately 1 lb. (500 grams) of turkey per person.

ROASTING TIME  Take into consideration the amount of time needed before a sit down dinner. Recommended Roasting  at 350 F  (177 C) will allow the turkey to cook at 20 minutes per pound.  A lower temperature of 325 F (163 C), allows the turkey to bake at 30 minutes per pound.  In other words, a 15 pound turkey would bake for 5 hours at 350 F, or 7  1/2 hours at 325 F.

This recipe layers in various ways to keep the moisture in the turkey so that it will not dry out. Begin by using a V-rack in your roasting pan OR create your own V-rack by layering the pan with fruit and set the turkey on a bed of orange and apple slices. Once the fat from the turkey melts, it falls to the bottom of the roasting pan. When that happens, the bottom quarter of the bird does not roast–it braises in its own juices.

The recipe has been written for a mid-size bird. Increase or decrease ingredients according to the size of the bird that you have chosen, carefully paying attention to the cook time chart below.

Approximate Roasting Times for Stuffed Turkey. Bake Temp. 350 F (177 C)
Turkey Weight Hours
6 to 8 pounds 2 hrs to 2 hrs 40 mins
8 to 12 pounds 2 hrs 40 mins to 4 hours
12 to 16 pounds 4 to 5 hrs 20 mins
16 to 20 pounds 5 hrs 20 mins to 6 hrs 40 mins
20 to 24 pounds 6 hrs 40 mins to 8 hours
Roasting Times for Unstuffed Turkey (hours=hrs  & minutes=mins)
Turkey Weight Hours
6 to 8 pounds 2 to 2 hours 40 minutes
8 to 12 pounds 2 hrs. 40 mins to 4 hours
12 to 16 pounds 4 to 5 hours 20 minutes
16 to 20 pounds 5 hrs 20 mins to 6 hrs 40 mins
20 to 24 pounds 6 hrs 40 mins to 8 hours

For more information on Everything Turkey click here http://www.butterball.com
INGREDIENTS

  • 12 lb. turkey (allow 4 hours for cooking)
  • 2 apples and 2 oranges (helps to promote moisture while baking in oven)
  • 2 Tbsp butter OR 12 bacon strips
  • 1 Tbsp rosemary
  • 2 tsp thyme
  • 2 tsp sage
  • 1 1/2  to 2 tbsp salt
  • 2 cups water

DIRECTIONS
Prepare Cranberry and Rosemary Stuffing, set aside. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Remove the giblets and neck if they are encased in a plastic bay within the back side of the turkey. Rinse and pat the turkey dry. Cut the oranges and apples into 1/4’s. Place 1 orange quarter and 1 apple quarter into the bird and then fill with a portion of the stuffing. Lay the remainder fruits under the bird. The water from the fruit provides moisture to the bird while cooking.  In a small bowl, combine rosemary, thyme, sage, salt and oil. Rub the seasonings under the skin on top of of the turkey and over the entire turkey. Layer bacon slices side by side all over the turkey this is so the meat stays hydrated: OR use only butter in place of bacon rubbing it over the bird. If the legs are not secured with a wire, tie them together with kitchen string. Place the turkey on a V-rack in a roasting pan with the meatier side (breast side up) and the less meatier side down setting on top of presliced fruits. Cover with aluminum foil creating a tent on top so that moisture circulates with in the pan and around the turkey.

For 12 pound turkey allow 4 hours baking time. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. After one hour, baste the turkey with it’s own juices, using a baster or gravy ladle. Repeat at the second and third hour. After third basting, remove aluminum foil. Baste after 30 minutes.  Continue cooking the turkey until an internal temperature of stuffing  is 163 F  degrees, or insert the thermometer into the thick thigh  with out touching the bone, temperature should be 177 F.  Also look for other indications of doneness: loose joints and juices running clear. If turkey skin begins to turn dark brown before the internal temperature is met,baste once more and cover the turkey with foil and continue to roast.
Makes 15 (4 ounce) servings; various amounts of light and dark meat

Cranberry Stuffing  

Cranberry Rosemary Stuffing

  • 1/2 cup celery
  • 1  onion chopped
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 3 Tbsp butter, or Olive Oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1/2 tsp dried sage
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 4 cups cubed toasted bread, (OR 2 cups cubed toasted bread  and 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs)
  • 1-1 1/2 cups Dried Cranberries 
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cup warm water with a bullion cube dissolved (or pre-made broth)

Over medium heat, saute` in 3 Tbsp olive oil onion, garlic and celery for 5 minutes. In a separate pan, over medium heat add water, bullion cube and milk, bring to a slow boil, about 7 minutes.  In a bowl, assemble herbs, bread crumbs, cranberries, walnuts, salt and pepper. Take saute mixture and add to bread crumbs, stir with spoon. Slowly add the broth to the stuffing ingredients with wooden spoon until bread crumbs are moistened, but don’t become soggy. Place into an oven proof dish and bake in oven on 350 F for 20 minutes. May place a portion of stuffing in cavity of turkey, stuffing should reach 163 F inside turkey to be done.

Number of Servings: 15

Hot Chocolate Italian Rich

Italian rich hot chocolate is a delightful after dinner treat, or served and enjoyed on any cool evening.

Italian Hot Chocolate is a must try for all Chocolate Lovers! Thick, rich and creamy; perfectly aligning heightened flavor with content taste buds! The following  recipe is simple to prepare and will warm your heart on a cool evening.

Serves 2  4 oz cups (125 ml) and   Preparation time 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
This recipe calls for whole milk, which can easily be substituted with  1% Milk, Almond Milk, or Soy Milk.

  • 60% dark chocolate bar  4 thin squares, or 2 solid chunks. (50 g)
  • 1 tsp sugar  (10 g)
  • 1 cup (250 ml) Whole Milk
  • Whipping Cream
  • Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon, or Chocolate Shavings (for presentation)
  • **To make a more festive drink add liquor to already prepared hot chocolate; best choices for 1 ounce (30 ml) of one of the following: Kahlua, Baileys, Peppermint Schnapps,  Amaretto, or Frangelico. Then continue to top off whipping cream and Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon, or Chocolate Shavings .

    Hot Chocolate must be tempered when making the drink so that pieces of chocolate do not coagulate. Add a small amount of milk and stir.

On medium-low heat place a sauce pan and 4 chocolate squares (50 g).  With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon begin to stir chocolate until melted. Add sugar and stir.  Remove sauce pan from heat. To reduce coagulation of  chocolate and to achieve a creamier fluid, begin to slowly work in milk, add only 1 TABLESPOON MILK and stir for 10 seconds, add a ANOTHER TABLESPOON MILK, stir for 10 seconds, add 1/4 cup stir thoroughly.

Chocolate is tempered when it’s temperature has been properly raised, lowered and with the right amount of milk fat, the chocolate is left shiny.

Lastly, place sauce pan back onto stove top, constantly stirring for 2 minutes to keep the chocolate and milk creamy and reducing the chances of burning. Chocolate Milk is done when warm vapors  ascend and soft bubbles begin on edge of milk.** Pour chocolate milk into small mugs, can be topped off with whip cream and chocolate shavings or powdered chocolate and cinnamon.

By: Kimberly Crocker-Scardicchio

This recipe is rich in calcium, phosphorous, vitamins A, D, B6, iron, potassium and magnesium. Lesser amounts of vitamins and minerals can also be found in hot chocolate.  4 0z (125 ml) serving has: 96 calories, 15 mg cholesterol, and 55 mg sodium.