Affogato

    

 

 

      Affogato is an Italian drink or dessert that is great for after dinner in place of a piece of cake or pie. I know in my family's house coffee itself is usually offered to guests following dinner along with the dessert for the evening. However, why not combine those two into a simple, yet delicious drink; Affogato. The name simply means "drowned" in Italian. Affogato.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 scoop vanilla ice cream or gelato
• 1 shot hot espresso
• Sprinkle sugar or chopped chocolate covered coffee beans

 

1. Brew espresso
2. Scoop ice cream into cup
3. Pour shot of espresso
4. Sprinkle chopped coffee beans.
5. Drink and enjoy

 

     Simple, delicious, and the perfect accompaniment to any great dinner. A great idea to add that little something different to this could be the addition of amaretto and make it just for adults. ;)

 

 

Creamy Chicken BLT Pasta

 

 

     Saw a recipe pop up on my facebook newsfeed and thought, I can make this.... Chicken, bacon, pasta, cream sauce, tomatoes, spinach, what better quick and easy meal. I decided to turn this dish into my own. So here goes. Chicken BLT Pasta.

 

 

Ingredients:

• Ziti pasta
• 1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 strips bacon
• 1 clove garlic
• Large handful of fresh spinach
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Fresh Parmesan
• Fresh Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• Salt/pepper

 

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat brown the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel.

 

2. In same skillet brown the chicken breasts on both sides. Remove and set aside to cool before dicing up.

 

3. Toss in the garlic and saute until fragrant. Toss in tomatoes and spinach and saute until spinach has wilted and tomatoes begin to burst a bit.

 

4. Pour in the white wine and simmer until reduced by half. Pour in the cream and stir to incorporate.

 

5. Chop up the bacon and chicken and bring to a slow boil. Grade in the cheeses and mix. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

6. Cook pasta according to box. Mix into the sauce and serve.

 

 

 

This pasta was delicious. Full of flavor and perfect just like a good BLT sandwich. Enjoy!

 

 



Plum Crostata




 

    There is something about fresh fruit that just makes you want to bake something sweet. I found these delicious black plums at my local grocery store. I thought; why not make a great pie sort of dessert. This crostata was full of flavor and just had just the right amount of sweetness. I did find, however, that I needed to add just a bit more sugar. Once the plums were cooked, they became a bit bitter. So I would recommend adding just a little over a cup of brown sugar to cut the bitterness. Plum Crostata.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 4 black plums
• Zest from 1/2 orange
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 pie crust
• Pinch salt
• 1 egg
• Sugar

 

1. Slice the plums into equal slivers. Place into a bowl.

 

2. Zest half a large orange into the bowl.

 

3. Toss with the brown sugar, lemon juice, and pinch of salt. Let sit about 10 minutes.

 

4. Meanwhile roll out the pie crust. (I just bought a frozen store one).

 

5. Fan out the slices of plums as picture below.  Fold up the edges of the pie crust as picture.

 

6. Whip the egg with some water and brush over the outer edge of the pie crust and sprinkle with some sugar.

 

7. Bake in oven on a tinfoil covered sheet at 350 degrees for roughly 20-25 minutes or until pie crust has browned.

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25

Serves: 4

 

 

 

 

 

Summertime Napoleon

Summertime Napoleon

 

 

This is the perfect Summertime meal. Perfect for even vegetarians, (minus the meat). I made a fresh batch of homemade pesto sauce for sale and had some leftover. I was craving something other than pasta so came up with this great idea to grill some of the local produce I had come across and make a stack sort of veggie dish perfect for those hot summer evenings. I had just ran out to the store and picked up some great sliced prosciutto to add that little something extra to this dish. It was great. Quick, simple, and full of flavor. I felt healthier just eating it. Summertime Napoleon.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 large zucchini
• I large tomato
• Sliced Prosciutto
• Sliced fresh mozzarella
• Pesto
• Olive oil
• Salt/pepper

 

1. Slice the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Drizzle and rub some olive oil over the sliced eggplant and zucchini.

 

2. Over a hot grill pan, or grill itself, grill the eggplant and zucchini in batches until grill marks appear on each side and the meat is tender.

 

3. Now for the easy part. Layer a slice of eggplant, then prosciutto, mozzarella, zucchini, then tomato. Continue until you have a nicely layered stack or fanned out veggie plate. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle some pesto and viola!

 

This dish with very little meat in it will easily become one of your favorite meals of the summer. So full of flavor and just that perfect fill up when you don't feel like really cooking.

 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 3+

Lasagne

Lasagne

     Who doesn't like a good lasagne? Yes I am spelling it with an "e" versus an "a" as the "a" would stand for only a single noodle versus the pile. Well it is one of those comforting dishes that everyone loves to dive into. What could be better? Fresh noodles, sauce, meat, cheese oozing everywhere; the perfect meal that can even be frozen and cooked at a later date. This lasagne recipe is just a simple one. Quick and easy. (Well with the exception of using homemade noodles), however you can use the store bought ones too. I would recommend using fresh ones. There is just nothing better than fresh homemade pasta to go with your meal. Enjoy! Lasagne.

 

Ingredients:

• Fresh noodles
• Marinara
• 1 lb ground beef
• 16 oz ricotta
• Fresh basil
• Fresh oregano
• Fresh parsley
• 1 egg
• Mozzarella
• Parmesan
• Salt/ pepper

 

1. Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Pour in some of the marinara to incorporate into the beef.

3. Meanwhile combine some chopped basil, oregano, and parsley into the ricotta cheese.

4. Mix in an egg to combine. Salt/pepper to taste.

5. Now for the fun part. If you are using fresh noodles you will need to make them and pre-cook them just a bit.

6. In a 9x9 inch pan, ladle a little bit of the marinara on the bottom.

7. Lay down layers of the noodles and top with some of the cheese mixture.

8. Next layer some of the beef mixture. Sprinkle with some mozzarella.

9. Continue this process until you reach the top of the pan and layer the last of the noodles on top.

10. Ladle some marinara sauce on top. Top with some more mozzarella and some graded parmesan
cheese.

11. Cover with tinfoil and bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

12. Remove tinfoil and let the cheese brown for another 10 minutes. Let cool for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

 

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40-45

Serves: 5+

 

Such a delicious traditional comfort food anyone can make.

 

P.S. As you can see from the picture above, I had roughly three layers going on with some additional noodles at the top. Still delicious.