Cannoli Shells

Total Time: 1 hr 4 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 4 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons shortening
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 egg , slightly beaten
• vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Recipe

• 1 sift together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. cut shortening in with a pastry blender until the pieces are the size of small peas. stir in eggs. blend in the vinegar and cold water. turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• 2 add additional flour, if needed, to get a smooth dough. wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. set out 6 aluminum cannoli tubes. heat oil in a deep saucepan to 360 degrees f.
• 3 cut an oval shaped pattern from cardboard about 6x4-inches. roll chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. place the cardboard pattern on dough and cut out as many as will fit on the dough. wrap dough loosely around tubes slightly overlapping opposite ends. seal ends by brushing with egg and pressing together.
• 4 fry only as many shells as will float uncrowded in the hot oil. fry until light golden brown, 3-4 minutes. remove cannoli shells to paper towels to drain. cool slightly and remove the tubes. cool shells completely. continue forming and frying cannoli shells.
• 5 using a pastry bag or a small spoon, fill the shells with the filling from both ends. do not fill the shells until up to an hour before serving, as the filling will make the shells soggy.
• 6 sprinkle ends with reserved chopped pistachio nuts and dust with confectioners sugar.

Chili -cheese Rice Bake

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cups freshly cooked rice
• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 cups cream-style cottage cheese
• 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 2 (7 ounce) cans whole green chili peppers, with seeds
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Recipe

• 1 set oven to 375 degrees./ grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish./ in a frypan, saute onion in butter; remove from heat./ in a bowl, mix together, the onion, cooked rice, sour cream, cottage cheese.
• 2 italian seasoning, salt and pepper./ slit open chili peppers so they are flat./ alternate layers of rice and the combined mixture, chili peppers and the cheese in the baking dish (ending with the grated cheddar cheese)./ bake, uncovered for 30 minutes.

Budget Italian Hot Sandwiches

Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 2 lbs organic ground turkey
• 1 (16 ounce) jar paul newman spaghetti sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 six inch hoagie rolls or 3 sandwich buns

Recipe

• 1 place turkey, sauce, salt and pepper, 1tb olive oil and 1tsp garlic powder in large sauce pot and bring to simmer.
• 2 be sure to break up meat depending on your preference; large chunks of meat or fine chunks.
• 3 lower heat and keep to a slow simmer for about 3 hours.
• 4 when sauce is about done, open each sandwich roll but dont separate the tops and bottoms as it will help hold sandwich fillings in better.
• 5 spread the 2 tb olive oil and the 2 tsp garlic powder over the rolls as if making a garlic bread, and bake at 375 for about 10 minutes to get rolls toasted.
• 6 then broil the rolls for about 3-5 minutes to get tops golden brown.
• 7 fill each roll with the meat/sauce filling and enjoy. may be topped with good shaved parm cheese.

Baked Vegetable Gratin (verdure Al Forno)

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 6 medium zucchini (about 1 lb.)
• coarse salt
• 1 lb spinach, washed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 tablespoons olive oil (and a little more for the baking dish)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh basil
• 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
• freshly ground pepper

Recipe

• 1 cut the zucchini into 1/2-inch dice; place in a colander; salt, and drain for 20 minutes.
• 2 cut off any long stems from the spinach.
• 3 cook spinach with water that clings to the leaves in a pot, along with a little salt just until the spinach wilts; drain and let cool.
• 4 squeeze out the excess water and coarsely chop.
• 5 gently saute the onion in 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over low heat for 20 minutes or until the onion is soft and pale gold.
• 6 meanwhile, pat the zucchini dry with paper towels; add to the onions, and saute for 10 minutes.
• 7 add the spinach and garlic and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.
• 8 turn into a bowl and let cool.
• 9 combine the vegetables with 1/2 cup parmesan, eggs, parsley, garbanzo beans, salt, and pepper.
• 10 lightly oil a shallow, round baking dish; fill dish with the spinach mixture.
• 11 sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons parmesan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• 12 bake in a preheated 375° oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a golden crust has formed.
• 13 let cool; serve at room temperature.

Creamy Spinach And Chicken Rigatoni

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups low-fat milk (1%)
• 3/4 teaspoon mild chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 10 ounces rigatoni pasta

Recipe

• 1 place the flour in a large saucepan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the milk.
• 2 bring to a boil and whisk in the chili powder, salt, and pepper.
• 3 cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture slightly thickens, about 5 minutes.
• 4 remove from heat.
• 5 in a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until hot but not smoking over medium heat.
• 6 add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute.
• 7 add the chicken and cook until slightly browned, about 3 minutes.
• 8 add the spinach, stirring to coat.
• 9 stir in the milk mixture, cheddar, and parmesan and cook until the cheddar has melted and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.
• 10 meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in boiling water until just tender.
• 11 drain well.
• 12 transfer chicken mixture to a large bowl, add the rigatoni, and toss to combine.
• 13 spoon the pasta mixture onto plates and serve.

Crusty Garlic Grilled Cheese And Tomato Sandwich

Total Time: 10 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 1
• 1 french roll
• 1 medium sliced tomato
• 1 tablespoon softened butter or 1 tablespoon margarine
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
• 2 slices american cheese (cut in thirds)

Recipe

• 1 butter bottom and top of roll.
• 2 sprinkle with garlic powder and italian seasoning.
• 3 put seasoned side down in hot skillet. don't walk away, as it will brown quickly.
• 4 layer one side of roll with cheese and sliced tomato and other side with other slice of cheese.
• 5 watch to see when the cheese starts to melt. this doesn't take long.
• 6 flip the just cheese side on top of the tomato side and slide out onto plate. cut in half.

Brined And Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey With Simple Gravy

Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 3 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh sage
• 6 sprigs fresh italian parsley
• 1/2 cup iodized salt
• 3 gallons cold water
• 1 (16 lb) whole turkey, brined (neck and giblets removed and discarded)
• salt and pepper, to season turkey
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
• 1 apple, sliced into wedges
• 1 orange, sliced into wedges
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, whole
• 3 sprigs fresh sage
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 sprigs fresh italian parsley
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 lb unsalted butter, sliced into pats
• 5 cups chicken stock or 5 cups chicken broth, divided

Recipe

• 1 brining turkey: one day before baking turkey, prepare brine. combine all the brine ingredients. place the turkey in a bucket or very large pot and pour brine over turkey to submerge. refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. remove turkey from brine; dry off turkey with paper towels. discard brine.
• 2 preheat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit.
• 3 brine turkey as instructed above. salt and pepper the brined turkey and cavity. fill the cavity with carrots, celery, apple, orange, and garlic; bind the legs with kitchen twine.
• 4 in a large roasting or braising pan (or disposable aluminum pan), spread onion, carrot, celery, garlic, sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley and bay leaves. place the turkey on top of the bed of vegetables and herbs.
• 5 put butter on turkey, or between skin and breast meat.
• 6 place the turkey in the oven and roast 45 minutes. pour half the chicken stock over the turkey; roast 45 minutes. pour remaining stock over the turkey and roast 45 more minutes; it will start turning golden brown.
• 7 baste with pan juices, cover loosely with foil and roast an additional 45 minutes. when the turkey has reached and internal temperature of 165 to 175 degrees, remove from oven, keep covered, and let rest at least 10 minutes before carving. transfer to platter.
• 8 to make simple gravy: from the bottom of the roasting pan, discard herbs and measure out 1 cup of vegetables and 3 cups of pan juices; puree in blender. to thicken, add more vegetables; to thin add more pan juice. pour through a mesh strainer to make a smooth gravy. makes 4 cups. tip: for silken gravy, forget the flour. avoid using flour, because that's usually what causes lumps. instead, puree the vegetables you roast along with your turkey; they become your thickening agent. that, along with your pan juices, becomes your gravy. you can strain it through a mesh strainer, or use cream and reduce it.