Cranberry &Turkey Sausage Stuffing

1 1/2 cups if wheat bread
3 3/2 cups of white bread
1 pound of ground turkey sausage
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 teaspoons of sage
3 teaspoons of rosemary
1/3 cup of fresh parsley
1 large delicious apple cored and chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
Cooked inwards from turkey 
3/4 cup turkey or chicken stock
4 1/2 tablespoons of butter melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree.
2.  Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. 
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl and let cool.
4. In a large saucepan, cook the sausage and onions on medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until nicely browned, add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme, cook cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Mix seasoned  sausage  over bread in bowl, add the chopped apple, cranberries, parsley, and turkey inwards add turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. 
6.  Let cool completely before loosely stuffing a turkey.
7.  The stuffing can be made night before

Thawing a Turkey

                     Cold Water Thawing

• Thaw breast side down, leave wrapper on, place in cold water to cover your turkey.
• Change cold water every 30 minutes of so, which  keeps the turkey chilled.
• Thawing time is 30 minutes per pound give of take.

                     Refrigerator Thawing

• Thaw breast side up, leave wrapper on, in a tray in the fridge.
•  1 day of thawing for every 4 pounds of turkey.

Mom's Chicken Cacciatore

8 5-7 ounce boneless chicken pieces
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil
1 medium onion (chopped)
3 Portobello mushrooms caps  (sliced and cubed)
4 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons of flour
 1 1/2 cups red wine
1 (28 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons of oregano

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Cover chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over a medium heat, add the chicken  to the pan and saute until golden, for about 8 minutes on each side. 

If the chicken does not all fit in the pan, saute in batches. Once chicken is saute set aside.

Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (optional).

Add the wine and mushrooms and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 4 minutes, add the tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, and oregano. 

Add the  chicken to the pan and coat in the sauce, bring to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked  about 35-40 minutes.

Alternative to simmering at on stove top would be adding the Cacciatore sauce to a slow cooker and then adding the chicken and simmering in slow cooker. (The chicken should still be sauted until golden).

Copyright@ Maria A. Piccirillo

Vodka Sauce and Pasta

28 ounce can of  Tuttorosso whole peeled tomatoes  (drain and save juice)
2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of chop onion (chopped thinly)
2 ounce Pancetta (optional)
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 medium minced garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup of vodka
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of fresh basil
Pinch Salt
Pinch Sugar
Grated Parmesan Cheese


1 pound of Penne Pasta or Rigatoni


Pulse half of tomato in blender/processor until smooth, cut rest of tomatoes and get rid of cores, combine into pureed and diced tomato, then add drained saved juice (about 2 cups of tomato).  Get rid rest.

Heat oil in a large saucepan of medium heat, simmering, add onion, fresh basil  and tomato paste and Pancetta  stir occasionally until onion is tender and lightly browned about 8 minutes, add garlic and pepper flakes, and cook about 35 minutes.

Combine tomato mixture, pinch of salt and pinch of sugar.  Remove the pan from the stove and add vodka, return back to low heat, and simmer stir often, and cook about 10 minutes which will allow the alcohol to burn off as you cook it.  Stir in cream and cook until hot about another 3 minutes.

Cook pasta as normal to tender you like, once cooked, drain pasta.

Once pasta is all drained from pan, add the vodka sauce.  toss the pasta lightly so to cover pasta with sauce and cook over low heat another 2 minutes.

If you want to change the thickness of the sauce you can reserve some pasta water, and  add a little of it to the sauce, otherwise serve as is. 

Serve with Sicilian bread and red wine and a tossed Salad or antipasto. Sprinkle with Grated Parmesan Cheese as desired.

Chicken Cutlets Parmesan

4 Boneless chicken breasts, sprinkled with pepper
2 cups of seasoned Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil


In a deep dish mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, in another dish add the flour, in your third dish add and beat eggs and 1 tablespoon of olive oil together.

Dip each chicken breast in flour, egg and them coat in bread crumbs, and let sit for 8 minutes.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat until warm, place 2 chicken breasts in pan and cook until golden brown on each side, about 4 minutes on each side. Once first two are cooked place them in a baking dish in a warm oven, then cook the other two the same way. 

Tomato Hotdogs

6 hot dog buns 

2 quarts water 

6 beef franks 

1 cup medium white onion diced thin

1 cup diced tomato  

1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1/3 cup of your favorite mustard 

Preheat oven to 350

Wrap hotdog buns in foil bake at 350 15 minutes heated. Remove from oven and keep warm.

Bring 2 quarts water and add franks, let simmer 15 minutes, drain once cooked

Place franks in each heated bun and top with  with about 2 tablespoons onion,  tomato, about 1 tablespoon relish, and about 2 teaspoons mustard.

Enjoy!

Salmon Patties

1 cup finely chopped Bermuda onion

1/4 cup thinly chopped fresh basil 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1 pound salmon fillet chopped (skinned)

1 tablespoon hot or mild pepper sauce

1 large egg white 

Cooking spray 

 

8 slices Focaccia, toasted(slice thin)

Mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix hot pepper sauce and egg white in a small bowl add egg white mixture to salmon mixture, combine well.


Make 4 equal patties, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.

Cook salmon patties about 4 minutes on each side or until golden color as cooked as you like.

Serve on toasted focaccia, sour dough bread or whatever bread you like.

Bruschetta Cream Cheese Bites

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 plum tomatoes chopped finely and seeded
6 black olives
1/2 cup Bermuda onions chopped finely
2 tablespoons of mince basil
1 8 ounces spreadable chive and onion cream cheese
24 slices (1/4 in cuts) french bread
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven 425

In a small bowl mix together olive oil,lemon juice, pepper and garlic.  Blend well. Stir in tomatoes, onions, black olives and 2 tablespoons of basil.

Spread the cream cheese over french bread slices and place on greased baking sheet, now top bread with tomatoes mix.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese  Bake 10 minutes or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

You can add anything to this mix.  I have also added prosciutto thinly sliced to these.

Bean mix summer salad

1/4 cup of rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon  granulated sugar
2 medium minced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon  dried basil
1 15 ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 15 ounce can pinto beans or black eyed peas (rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper chopped finely
1 2 ounce can diced green chiles with liquid
1 small Bermuda onion finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Whisk together vinegar, oil and sugar, garlic and oregano, and basil in a large bowl. Stir in beans, corn, bell pepper, onions, and chiles and cilantro,

Season with salt and pepper.  Chill 1 hour before packing.

Serve with Melba rounds or toasted Italian bread

Chili Dogs

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 medium garlic cloves (minced)
8 ounces soy crumbles
1 cup hunts tomato sauce
2 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander


4 meatless hotdogs
4 hot dog buns

Heat oil and add onion and garlic and saute 8 minutes or until tender. Add soy crumbles and cook about 8 minutes or more.  Slowly stir in tomato sauce, chili powder, mustard, sugar, and coriander.  Simmer until thick about 7-10 minutes.

Cook hotdogs as directed, place cooked dogs in buns and top with warm chili hotdog mixture.

Red Beet Salad

4 medium beets
2 medium oranges
3 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil


Preheat oven to 400

Trim and scrub beets, but do not peel
wrap each in foil, and place beets on baking sheet, and roast for 50 minutes or until tender to piece with fork. Cool until able to handle.

Grate 1/2 teaspoon of zest from one orange, set zest aside.

Trim ends of both oranges, and peel and cut with knife.  Hold fruit over bowl catching the juice, and cut into segments.  Cut each segment in half and and place in another bowl.

Whisk together 2 tablespoons, orange juice reserved from bowl. sherry vinegar, orange zest, lemon juice and salt, slowly add in oil.

Peel beets, rub off the skin under cold water, cut beets into 1 inch pieces and add to bowl with orange segments.  Top with orange lemon vinaigrette, and toss like any salad.

Chill several hours and refrigerate for 2 days.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Ricotta

8 large beefsteak tomatoes
2 large eggs
1cup ricotta  (regular or low fat)
1 medium size finely chopped red Bermuda onion
1/4 chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons of grated parmesan
1 garlic minced (1 teaspoon)
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup diced zucchini
24 thin sliced zucchini


Preheat oven to 350

slice tops off of tomatoes and scoop pulp out of centers in order to stuff them. Set to one side. Throw away half of pulp.

Whisk together eggs, and ricotta in medium bowl until smooth, add red onion, basil, and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, garlic, corn,diced zucchini and chopped tomato pulp, stir well until combined.  Fill each tomato just to top with 1/2 cup ricotta mixture.  Then sprinkle with 1/2 Parmesan, then 3 zucchini slices and tomato top.  Place in large baking dish.

Bake 45 minutes or until filling is puffed up and tops are browned.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

These can be frozen.  

Sicilian Stuffed Eggplant

3 medium eggplants (about 3 pounds each)
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, diced (makes about 3 cups)
1 1/2 pt grape tomatoes (halved, 3 cups)
2 teaspoons of oregano
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Wash and halve eggplants lengthwise and scoop out flesh and seeds leaving 1/2  inch thick edges in eggplant shells.  Cut scooped out flesh of eggplant in 1/2 inch pieces, lightly salt and set in a colander.

Sprinkle the inside of eggplant shells with salt, and set to one side for about 20 minutes.  Rinse shells and pieces in cold water


                                  (Salting the eggplant will cut out  eggplant bitterness.

Bring a large pot water to a boil and drop in shells for about 10 minutes, making sure not to make too tender.  Drain in colander and cool and dry.  Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large skillet on medium heat.  Saute the onions for about 3 minutes, add eggplant pieces, tomato halves and oregano and a 1/4 cup of water, season with salt and pepper.  Cook 10 minutes or until soften and brown, stirring occasionally.

Preheat broiler.

Toss breadcrumbs with 4 tablespoons of oil in bowl.  Brush each eggplant shell with 1/2 teaspoons oil and place cut side up one baking sheet.

Broil for 5 minutes or until tender and starting to brown.  Set oven to 375 f.

Divide filling among eggplant shells, sprinkle each stuffed eggplant with breadcrumb mixture and top with feta cheese.  Bake 35 minutes, or until heated through and browned on top.

Serve stuffed eggplant.




 

Italian Mango Salsa

2 mango, peeled and pitted and diced  (Make to cups)
1 large yellow bell pepper chopped fine (make 1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped Bermuda onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice or lemon
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika


Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl.  Season with salt and more paprika as desired.


Serve with corn chips, Melba rounds, over grilled deli hamburgers, or Quesadillas.

Summer Italian Potato Salad

Pesto

3/4 cup baby spinach
3/4 cup fresh basil
1 1/2 cups of baby arugula
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Puree 1 cup of baby arugula, 1/2 of baby spinach, basil, garlic, and toasted walnut pieces in processor until smooth, pour in lemon and oil and blend until well mixed.  Season with Salt and pepper.

Potato Salad

1 1/2 pounds of red potatoes (halved)
3/4 pounds fresh green beans (washed cut and trimmed)
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 fennel bulb sliced thinly (2 cups)
1 large shallot sliced thinly (1/3 cup)
3 tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes quartered
1 cup flavored croutons (optional)

Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water.  Cook for 10 minutes, add green beans and cook another 5 minutes, drain and transfer to a large deep bowl.  Put to the side covered and kept warm.

Heat oil in skillet on medium heat, saute fennel and shallot in oil until golden brown, add sun-dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes, and saute for another 5 minutes.  Once cooked combine together pesto and fennel mixture.  Incorporate into  the potatoes and green beans.  Add the quartered tomatoes.