Artichokes! Either you love them or you hate them! I love them! I like them both Stuffed or Unstuffed, but more often I make them unstuffed so I don’t get so full from the stuffing and can have more leaves! I love the leaves as much as the heart! Here are two recipes, one for the Unstuffed and one for the Stuffed version. I have…
This almond candy is the ultimate Christmastime candy in my house! I can just hear my oldest son’s voice when he sees it… You made Almond Candy!! In Italian it is called Croccante, and it is a special candy to make for the holidays. I always shape it into a wreath. This particular recipe was hard to come by for years! It is one of…
Cavatelli, “little caves” in Italian, are even more delicious homemade! The kind you buy in a store just doesn’t compare to homemade! Cavetelli is definitely one of my favorite pasta shapes to make and to eat! Plump and light, they are worth the extra time it takes to make them from scratch! It takes just four simple ingredients to make these! The dough is…
Based on Chef Mary Ann Esposito’s recipe, these Chocolate Walnut Biscotti are so delicious and a favorite of mine! Set aside some time to make them, but trust me, they are worth it! Enjoy the process! No need for a mixer to make these, they are made by hand. They are fun to make! Homemade biscotti taste a hundred times better than bought biscotti! I…
Have you ever had a wine biscuit? These wine biscuits have a soft texture to them and are so tasty and pretty! I love the subtle wine taste and the aroma! I am not a fan of the wine biscuits you can buy in Italian specialty stores which to me are too hard and not flavorful enough. These are different! I got this great recipe…
CHEF LYDIA BASTIANICH is a favorite chef of mine! This is on her menu at her EATALY restaurants in downtown and midtown NYC. I loved it so much that I ordered it whenever I visited! I had to learn to make it at home! WOW! Her recipe for it is so SIMPLE and EASY to make! The delicious sauce takes just 5 MINUTES…
Chicken with Broccoli and Ziti. It is a popular dish served in many restaurants and diners where I live on Long Island. The only thing is I think they make it with too much oil. The Aglio e Olio translates to Garlic and Oil. So Aglio e Olio is a base for many Italian dishes without tomato sauce. My version is LOW CALORIE, only 260…
This Shrimp Alfredo is light and creamy and so delicious! No heavy, thick sauce here! It takes UNDER 10 minutes to make! I have tried other recipes and this one has been my favorite for over a decade! I don’t know if you’ve tried the jar Alfredo sauces. I have tried a few brands and thought they were awful! Homemade is so much better! This…
The Eggplant is the STAR in this recipe! NO globs of mozzarella on top or in it! NO breadcrumbs! Years of watching my mom and my relatives make eggplant with their various little deviations led me as a teenager to try my hand at it! I love it so much! This is my family’s way to make it. I prefer to use the…
If you like the flavor of anise, treat yourself to this easy biscotti! There are only 4 ingredients! Anise seeds come in jars in the spice section of your market. Anise seeds come from the anise plant that’s native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. The seeds have a licorice-like flavor that’s refreshing, fruity, and bitter at the same time. I love anise…
Galettes are very popular! You will see the name Galette (French) or Crostata (Italian) and they are both the same thing. They look like a rustic, one-crust pie that is folded over and pleated, with fruit filling showing in the middle. I am more familiar with the French term Galette so I use that word for them. It’s like a shortcut way to make a…
CHRISTMAS BISCOTTI: This is one way I make Christmas Biscotti using red and green candied cherries and pistachio nuts which are green. They look so festive! Another way is I use dried cranberries and pistachios. Or a combo of dried cranberries with the cherries! The possibilities are endless! You can leave the biscotti plain. You can drizzle a glaze on top. Or you can dip…
I came up with this recipe to have a mixed fruit biscotti the way I like them… with loads of mixed fruit and nuts. (My favorite nut to use in biscotti is pistachios.) Use YOUR FAVORITE DRIED FRUIT ! And your favorite nuts too if you want. Also, I like them to be a little softer instead of the typical hard biscotti. For the second…
SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS is VERY EASY to make this way! MY SISTER PAT taught me years ago about her great technique of using just tomato paste, which was new to me! We start with tomato paste and just add a little touch of sauce after an hour. It is so-oo delicious!! The tomato paste makes its own sauce with the steamed peppers in the oven. …
Pumpkin Pizzelles for the pumpkin fanatics! These have a mild pumpkin and spice taste, nothing overwhelming, but they’re very good and sure to be appreciated by everyone… not just pumpkin lovers! They are a nice addition to your fall baking. You do need a pizzelle maker to make these. I have two pizzelle makers. One is a VillaWare, non-teflon, which makes pizzelles how I like…
