Raspberry Chocolate Cake

1 cups plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 3/8 cups of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of Raspberry jar (seedless)
4 large eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
confectioners sugar and fresh raspberries


Preheat oven 350

Butter and flour 9 inch road cake pan or spring form pan.
In a large bowl mix the cocoa and sugar, melt the butter and jam in a saucepan over low heat, making sure not to burn, stir in sugar and cocoa mixture.

Cool 5 minutes

Add one egg at a time to the mixture and blend until smooth.  Add flour, salt and vanilla and blend until mixed well.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, reduce the meat to 325 and bake 45 minutes or until toothpick test insertedin center comes out clean. or moist crumbs.  Cool for 1 hour, turn onto a cake plate and let stand another hour.

Warm more jam and brush onto cake, top with fresh raspberries and dust with confectioners sugar.

Holiday Peanut Butter Pie

Pie crust:

1 1/2 chocolate graham cracker crumbs
7-8 tablespoons of butter melted
1/4 cup sifted confectioner sugar

Filling:

1 cup  creamy peanut butter
1 cup confectioner sugar
8 oz Mascarpone cheese (room temp)
1 1/2 vanilla extract or almond
1 cup heavy cream, whipped till firm
1/4 cup mini chocolate morsels
1/4 cup pecans which have been chopped and toasted
1/4 cup English Toffee bits

1 jar of Chocolate sauce (heated to so your able to pour)

Preheat oven 350

Add melted butter  and 1/4 cup confectioners sugar into the crumbs and mix well.  Place crumbs into a 9 inch pie pan.  Bake crust for 12 minutes, then remove from oven and cool.


In a large bowl cream peanut butter, 1 cup confectioners sugar, Mascarpone cheese and extract. 
Mix at medium until mixture is combined well. Slowly add cream and chocolate morsels and evenly spread into crust.

Sprinkle the pecans and English toffee bits over the top of the pie.  Drizzle all chocolate sauce over the top of the pie and chill until firm and ready to serve.

Holiday Crostini Steak

1 pound of lion boneless strip steak
1 french baguette
1/4 cup oil oil
1 jar of mustard  (specialty mustard)
1/4 cup blue cheese
Parsley


Broil the steak as you like, after cooked cut thinly

Cut French Bread into 24 slices and brush both sides of each with olive oil.  Place toasts on a baking sheet under the broiler until golden on each side.

Spread each slice with mustard, on one side only, then layer with a piece of steak and then with crumbled blue cheese and parsley serve at room temp. 

Black Bean and Corn Salad side dish

1 can 15 oz of black Bean,  rinse and drain
1 jar jar spicy corn relish
1 ripe avocado, peeled, cored and cut up
3/4 to a cup of cherry tomatoes or sliced regular tomatoes
5 oz Monterey Jack cheese cut into cubes
2 tablespoons of cilantro chopped

Combine all ingredients together and serve.   This is a nice Thanksgiving side dish

Scallops

1 1/2 tablespoons salt free butter
1 teaspoon of garlic oil
2 slices of Proscuitto chopped
24 Large Scallops
1 shallot chopped
4-6 tablespoons of mustard
3/4-1 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of chives
2 tablespoons of parsley

Melt butter and  heat oil on low heat in a large saute pan, begin to saute Proscuitto until crispy but not burned, remove and set to one side.

Pat scallops dry, to prevent oil spitting back at you, and saute until golden.  Remove the scallops from the pan and cover to keep warm.  In the same pan add, shallots and saute until soften, use more oil if it becomes reduced.  Add mustard and stir for about 40 seconds lightly whisk in the heavy cream together with the mustard mix.  When nicely blended add the proscuitto and Scallops and all juices.

Warm slowly and season to taste with salt and pepper if desired, sprinkle with chives and parsley.

Seafood Marinara Pasta

2 1/2 tbsp virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 tsp ground pepper 

12 mussels washed and cleaned
1 can baby clams, drained and save liquid
small calamari 2 to 3 (optional)
16 small to medium shrimps washed and cleaned
20 small scallops washed and cleaned
1 can of ground tomatoes  (28 ounces)
1 lb spaghetti 

 In large saucepan heat oil on medium heat, add garlic,onion,  cook for 4 minutes until light golden, add tomatoes sauce.

 Add wine, pepper and 1/3 cup clam juice bring to a mild boil. Lower heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, slowly add scallops, shrimp, calamari cook 4 minutes, add mussels cook until they opened. 

Pick out and discard mussels that do not open.

In a large pot bring  to boiling water, cook pasta about 7 minutes, until tender but firm. Once cooked put pasta in a deep bowl and pour Seafood Marinara over the pasta and serve hot with Italian bread, or garlic bread.   Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings

Italian Sausage and Vegetables

2 lb. Italian  sausage (mild and hot)
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes
1 large green bell pepper, sliced into thick strips
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into thick strips
4 large potatoes, sliced
6 large mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh basil
1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon parsley

1  medium roasting pan


In medium  frying pan cook  Italian sausages in olive oil until browned, then add to roasting pan

Next cook in frying pan,  red  and green peppers in olive oil browned, then turn into roasting pan

Next cook in frying pan, add and cook the potatoes in canola oil until golden browned, turn into roasting pan

In fry pan,  cook the onions and mushrooms in olive oil until browned, add to roasting pan

Once all  ingredients from above  are all in the roasting pan,  mix well in all the spices let stand for about 10 minutes then bake in  oven for 15-20 minutes for 350 minutes.

Serves 4  (This can be poured over cooked rice or pasta)

Pasta with Peas and Prosciutto

3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small onion, sliced thinly
3 medium clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp Dijon mustard2 cups of Prosciutto or cubed cooked ham
1 cup frozen peas

12 oz  bowties pasta


In large pan melt butter over low heat and cook onion,  until golden, about 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes, stir in flour and cook until a light golden another 1-2 minutes.

Whisk in chicken broth, cream and mustard until sauce lightly thickens. Slowly add ham and pea and cook for 2-4 minutes


Cook pasta  al dente then drain and return to pot, save about 1/4 cup of liquid from pasta water.

Add pasta water only if  sauce is too thick.

Serves 4-6 people.  I have not had this dish since my Mom made it last decades ago.  It was wonderful.  When made with the prosciutto the pasta takes on the flavor of the prosciutto.  Perfect with a glass of wine and Italian bread.

Italian Stuffed Tomatoes

8 round, large tomatoes
1/2 cup white rice or  rice

1 clove garlic
4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano
1/3 pepper
1/2 cup white wine
Fresh basil

Wash  tomatoes and cut around their caps, scoop out the pulp with a spoon over a bowl, do not puncture the tomatoes.

 
Save and mix the pulp and tomatoes juice.
 

Mix the remaining ingredients (except the wine) with the tomato pulp . 

Preheat your oven to 350 

  

Stuff the tomatoes filling each without pushing ingredients too hard add the tops of the tomatoes caps, then add a lightly oiled oven proof baking dish.

 
Pour wine over the tomatoes, bake  tomatoes until tender, about 50 minutes. 

 Served warm or cold with a pasta dish or a salad  Serves 6-8

Chicken Parm Sandwiches

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup garlic bread
1cup pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan cheese (Sprinkled)
4 Kaiser rolls


Preheat over 350

Place bread crumbs in a large resealable plastic bag, add chicken a couple pieces at a time. close bag and shake ti coat.

Put chicken on greased baking pan


Bake and do not cover for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.  Spread pasta sauce over chicken, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake another 5 minutes noting that cheese will melt.

Serve on Kaiser rolls of over your favorite pasta.  Serves 4

Cauliflower bake

1 large cauliflower head, broken into 1 inch pieces
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of paprika
2 large cloves minced
2 tablespoons minced parsley (fresh)

Place washed cauliflower in a large bowl mix well and coat with oil and paprika.

Bake on 450 oven in a 15x10x1 inch pan 15 minutes

Remove from oven and stir in garlic and bake another 15 minutes or until tender and lightly golden.  During cooking stir and sprinkle in parsley.

Italian Artichoke & Spinach Dip

2 14 ounce cans of artichoke hearts drained and chopped
2 packages10 ounces each frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeeze the dry in your hands
1 15 ounce  jar of Alfredo sauce
1  8 ounce package cream cheese not fat free and cube
2 cups of shredded Italian cheese  (Use more than one blend)
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded parm cheese
1 cup of whole milk
2 large garlic cloves minced
Tortilla chips

Grease the inside of a Crock-pot  mix first nine ingredients, cook covered on low for 3 1/2 hours

Serve with chips, Makes about 32 servings

Chocolate Mousse

1/3 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chip
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg yolk, beat lightly
1 cup of heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla of almond extract
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

In a large saucepan, melt chocolate with water and stir until smooth, remove from stove and slowly stir in the egg yolk, then return pan to stove and continue to stir.  Cook until it thickens, remove from stove stir in vanilla.  Cool, and stir often.


In a small bowl beat 1/2 cup whipping cream until it begins to thicken.  Add sugar beat until soft peaks form.  Fold in cooled chocolate mix.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Beat rest of cream and use as topping.