Can you say IRON CHEF CAT CORA?!?!?!?

That's right my foodies and foodettes, your eyes are not deceiving you. You are indeed seeing me and my dear, dear friend Becky pictured to the left with the one and only Iron Chef Cat Cora.

On Saturday March 28, 2009 Cat Cora graced Orlando with her presence for a tasting and discussion at the Florida Film Festival located in the Enzian Theater. As soon as I read she was coming to town I messaged my partner-in-cooking and told her to get up to Orlando from West Palm Beach because she isn't going to want to miss this! Of course Becky came up (I knew she would), and we tasted four micro-dishes Cat designed and the Enzian chef prepared. While the audience and host Orlando Sentinel Food Editor Heather McPherson asked Cat our deeply burning questions, we were served our appetizers along with complimentary bottled water and Peroni beer. Cat designed for us: Mini Greek Gyros with Garlic Sauce and Spring Greens, Chickpea Fritters with Romesco Sauce and Cornichon, Basque Rubbed Shrimp with Chimichurri Sauce, and Spicy Cinnamon Roasted Pork with Fennel and Citrus Marmalade in Phyllo Cups. While I should be shamed to be so bold as to critique a famed chef's recipes, I personally don't care for fennel so the pork dish was my least fav. The burgers were on the skimpy side with a thin patty and a few sparse leaves of greens, and there was no tzatziki sauce which was a shocking turn-off for a 'Greek' lamb meat dish. Those minor quips side, the Chickpea Fritter was fancy fried fare and I can still taste the fresh heat from the shrimp's dry rub and garlic-heavy chimichurri sauce.

The spices were heavy (just how I like it) and the conversation was candid. For example, when a career US Navy Servicemen asked her advice about opening a restaurant because he loves to cook but has never worked in a restaurant, Cat simply said, "Don't." It doesn't get much more straight-forward than that. Cat Cora presents herself to be a well-rounded, ambitious human who loves her family and her craft. It was a truly inspirational moment in time for both the mind and the palette. Thanks so much to Florida Film Festival for bringing an iron chef to our town for us foodies to slobber over. Oh, and PS - Cat is opening up a new restaurant at Disney pretty soon called Kuzzina so if you missed the tasting you won't miss the whole meal.

Daring Bakers March Challenge: Spinach Lasagna

You better believe that when I read this month's DB challenge was to make a lasagna completely from scratch that I was stoked and then some. Knowing I had a few dinners with friends and family scheduled at the end of the month, last week I dove in headfirst to make the spinach lasagna dish in one night. To be more accurate, 5 hours start to finish but I'm not bragging or anything. :0

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

This recipe challenge had 3 parts: spinach pasta, meat ragu, and a bechamel sauce. My changes to the recipes are in Red. I also want to give a bit of a disclaimer, I don't have pics of the process of making this dish as many DBers do. Once I'm in the zone I can't stop to take pictures because of my laserbream focus.

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time

10 quarts (9 litres) salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)#1
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)#2
1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)#3
1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)
Preparation: 45 minutes
Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

• 2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more) : I used 4 large eggs + 1 tblsp of warm water here.
  
• 10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
• 3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)
• *Just because I want to toot my own horn, I don't have a pasta machine and rolled these sheets out by hand-TooT TooT!!
  

#2 Bechamel
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted butter: I only had salted butter in the house so I used that and just omitted the salt addition below.
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred
• 2&2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Freshly grated nutmeg to taste : I didn't have any nutmeg so I used allspice as an alternative and it worked out nicely.

#3 Country Style Ragu’ (Ragu alla Contadina)
Preparation Time: Ingredient Preparation Time 30 minutes and Cooking time 2 hours
Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (45 mL)
• 2 ounces/60g pancetta, finely chopped : I had 2 pieces of hickory smoked bacon in the fridge, so I used that instead of the pancetta.
  
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced
• 1 small carrot, minced
• 4 ounces/125g boneless veal shoulder or round : My grocery had veal cut for scallopini.
  
• 4 ounces/125g pork loin, trimmed of fat, or 4 ounces/125g mild Italian sausage (made without fennel) : I used an andouille sausage here to kick the flavor up a bit.
• 8 ounces/250g beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut (in order of preference) : I used beef round instead.
  
• 1 ounce/30g thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma : Omitted this due to the cost. :)
  
• 2/3 cup (5 ounces/160ml) dry red wine : I used burgundy cooking wine.
• 1 &1/2 cups (12 ounces/375ml) chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)
• 2 cups (16 ounces/500ml) milk
• 3 canned plum tomatoes, drained
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• *I also chopped up 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic when I sauteed the bacon, onions, celery, and carrot. I am Italian, so it had to be done.*

Other than the noted changes, I made one other major alteration: ricotta cheese. I can live without the mozzarella in a lasagna but I cannot fathom enjoying this dish without the ricotta cheese. The rest of the dish was assembled and baked exactly to the challenge's speficiations and it was so rewarding and delicious! I was able to make 3 lasagnas in 8x6 glass pans: 2 with the meat ragu and 1 that was veg because the ragu ran out. For my veg lasagna, I used asparagus, fresh spinach, onions, hot Italian cherry peppers, and added gorgonzola cheese as well to match the bite of the hot pepper with the bite of creamy cheese. These lasagnas were bells of 2 balls this past weekend and I still have some leftover. I will keep this experience with me always and probably will make my lasagna pasta by hand for the rest of my days. THANKS DB!!!!

Festa Italiana 2009 Part 2 &3

I regret wholeheartedly that I did not post my parts 2 and 3 for the 2009 Festa Italiana in time for the party earlier this month. However, I still want to make good on my promise to my little blogsphere that I would share 3 total dishes for the Festa. I would like to note that the dishes were prepared in time for the festa, just not posted. My bad, I know. For your viewing pleasure, I present Bacon Wrapped Bolognese Meatballs with a Spicy Marinara (PII)

and Onion Garlic Pork Roast with Potatoes, Artichokes, and Asparagus (PIII)

Ok, I think I justified myself in posting my Festa Italiana pics. Sorry there are no recipes. These dishes were made off-the-cuff and I didn't write down the steps I took. Who needs recipes when you have redemption? :)

Festa Italiana 2009 Part 1: Chicken Parmesan Subs

What kind of Italian-American would I be if I turned a blind eye to Marie's of Proud Italian Cook and Maryann's of Finding la Dolce Vita annual virtual Festa Italiana? Furthermore what kind of Festa would I be if I decided I was too busy to share some of my recent dishes bore out of Italian tradition? The answer: A horrible one. If the drift isn't being caught, I am an actual Festa. Don't let my last name of Joyce fool you because my mother is certifiably Loretta Anne Festa, so it is my honor-nay-my duty to participate in the 2009 Festa Italiana or Italian Fest. Since this is an ethnic duty and destiny for me to fulfill I am bringing 3 dishes to the Festa and letting my hosts choose which ones they like best. First up my famous Chicken Parmesan Toasted Subs.

In order to make an exceptional chicken parm sub, you gotta start with your own marinara. Here is a quick and easy sauce to make just enough for subs. If you usually make a whole pot of gravy for the week's meals (as we always did), that's perfect because you'll only need a few tablespoons for these mouth-watering mamas.

A Minuscule Marinara

• 3 Tblsp. of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic
• 1/2 chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper
• 1 28oz can of Centro tomato puree
• onion powder
• salt
• black pepper
• dried oregano
• dried parsley
• 3 fresh basil leaves
• **OPTIONAL** Many Italian cooks use pork to flavor up their marinara sauce. If a quick sauce is what you're looking for, omit the pork.** If you want to add pork, preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Put 4 pieces of sweet or your favorite flavor of sausage in a pan in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Take the sausage out and let rest 3-5 minutes and cut each link into 3-4 pieces. Set aside.

1. In a medium sauce pot, heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion, carrot peels, chopped red pepper, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Cook over medium heat.
2. Add the sausage pieces at this point if you are flavoring with pork also.
3. Cook until the vegetables are soft.
4. Add the tomato puree and stir entire contents for about 5 minutes turning the heat up a bit as you stir.
5. Let the sauce reach a boil and then reduce the heat. Add the salt, black pepper, onion powder, dried oregano and parsley and fresh basil. Start with 1 tsp. of each spice. Stir in the spices and let the sauce cook down for about 10 minutes.
6. Taste it and add spices as you see fit.
7. Technically, the sauce is ready when its hot and the flavor is right for you. Of course, the longer you cook the sauce over a low heat the more the flavors get a chance to develop. I like to get the sauce seasoned up and then start my chicken thighs letting the sauce cook just a bit while more.

Breaded Chicken Thighs (2 thighs per sub). I made 2 subs so the recipe here is just for a couple. Its easily doubled or tripled if you're feeding more.

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
• 1 cup flour
• 2 beaten eggs
• dash of cream or milk
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 sub rolls
• about 10 thin slices of whole milk mozzarella cheese
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Trim the fat off the thighs the best you can.
3. Put the flour, beaten eggs and milk or cream, and the breadcrumbs and grated cheese in 3 separate containers.
4. Dredge each thigh in the flour first, egg mixture second, and then coat in the bread crumbs for the finale.
5. Put the thighs on a greased baking sheet.
6. Poke each thigh a few times with a fork. Take 1-2 spoonfuls of sauce and pour it over each thigh. Using the backside of a spoon, rub the sauce into the chicken thighs.
7. Bake the thighs for 17-20 minutes in the oven.
8. Take the chicken out of the oven and put your sub rolls in the oven for about 2 minutes for a nice toasting.
9. Up the oven heat to 450.
10. Split each baked thigh down the middle and put them in the toasted subs. Put 1-2 more spoonfuls of sauce on top of the chicken thighs.
11. Take 3-4 fresh basil leaves and put them on top of the sauce.
12. Next, take 5-4 thin slices of whole milk mozzarella cheese and layer if over the sub.
13. Line a baking sheet with foil and put the subs on the sheet and into the hot oven.
14. Let the cheese fully melt and take out to cool. Leave the subs in longer if you like a browned cheese topping.

Takes it! I promise these chicken parm subs will not disappoint any palette! If the kids are a bit picky, omit the basil and they'll be as happy as pigs in mud. You can also keep your sauce going for a good hour or two letting the sausage and sauce intermingle in a marriage of combustible flavor. After this meal, you've got sausage and gravy for another meal so boil up some pasta and BOOM, another incredible Italian meal.

February 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge: Chocolate Valentino-Flourless Chocolate Cake & Ice Cream

I know, I know. I'm late. But, I did inform our loving Daring Baker community that I was going on vacation to New York City 3 days before the posting date and I got a bit of a pass for my tardiness. Thanks gals (and guys)!!
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Never ever attempting either of these items before, I basically followed the recipes kindly given by Dharm of Dad and Wendy. First came the chocolate valentino cake, and mine took on the flavor of white chocolate macadamia nut because that happens to be a favorite of my valentine.


While the final product of the cake came out tasting great probably because I used Ghirardelli white baking chocolate and Hawaiian macadamian nuts on top, I do think my texture was incorrect. Mostly I think I didn't beat my egg whites enough and that's why my cake looks deflated compared to the others I saw on the Daring Bakers website. All in all, it was a great lesson learned so if I decide to make this cake again I know exactly what to do. Plus, my valentine really, really loved it and that is the greatest accomplishment of all.


In order to get my heart shape I actually have a heart cookie cutter older than me that was my mom's. I cut out as many hearts as I could from my round 9"x4" cake and cut the rest up into bite sized pieces. The mini-cake bites were incredibly and one idea I am definitely keeping in the arsenal.

Part two of the challenge was the really intimidating portion: making your own ice cream. I don't own an ice cream maker so I had to do it the old fashioned way. Following Wendy's vanilla ice cream recipe to a T, I found that the final product was more custardy than me and my Valentine would really like. Yet we made the best of it by putting in some more macadamia nuts and enjoyed it just the same!

THANKS FOR SUCH A GREAT CHALLENGE! I LEARNED SO MUCH AND CAN'T WAIT TO DO THIS AGAIN!!!

Terrific Truffles for Valentine's Day

About a week ago I had a minor surgery which rendered me confined to my couch for a few days. During that time I made a list of dishes that I have been dying to try to create, located the necessary recipes, and then hit the kitchen as soon as I was well enough. The previous post about my childhood favorite pizzagane was one of my desired dishes and so are truffles. During my time off I read a lot about the uses of chocolate ganache because I was intimidated by it and wanted to find out if there was really anything to be afraid of. Of course I discovered its a simple, delicious confection with many uses for your desserts. With Valentine's Day just around the corner and my new ganache confidence, I decided to take all the leftover chocolate and make a variety of truffles for my loved ones this year.

Throughout my discovery, I found out that the better quality chocolate you use for your ganache which will be your truffle, the better your candy piece is going to taste. I suppose that is common sense so my leftover Ghirardelli baking chocolates were the perfect starting ingredient to my:

1. white chocolate truffles
2. mint semi-sweet truffles
3. milk chocolate truffles
4. peanut butter chocolate truffles

Since I didn't go out and buy the chocolates, I had varying amounts. This is important since the ratio of chocolate to cream is 3 to 1. After making my 3 ganaches and my peanut butter melted mix, I let them all set in the fridge from 1-3 hours. Once the chocolate was malleable but still sturdy the fun began - toppings and fillings! Using a small melon baller I scooped the chocolate out and either stuffed in a macadamia nut, hazelnut, fresh peaches sprinkled in sugar and sea salt, dried pineapple, dried cherry, salty caramel, or even nothing at all! The same list of ingredients for the fillings are also for the toppings along with decorative sugars leftover from Christmas cookies to mix and match the different flavors for different candy creations.

After making as many variations as you can by just what's in your cupboard, put each truffle in a cupcake liner and then into a sealed container for the truffles to set for another few hours. When their ready for the final gift packaging, find a cheap holiday themed container. I found heart shaped candy dishes at Walgreeen's for $.99 each! Arrange your truffles to enhance the visual beauty for the eyes before your loved ones wrap their lips around the velvety chocolate to please their palette. Showing your love to all those close to you by giving a handmade confection without spending more $25 is something definitely worth celebrating!

Oh! Pizzagane Pie!

All of sudden an uncontrollable urge to taste my late great-grandmother's amazing pizzagane pie has recently overcome my taste buds. I literally hadn't had it in years but I could feel the eggy crust and delicious cheese and salted meat center through my neuro-senses so intensely, I called up my Aunt Karen and asked her for the recipe. Of course when she was re-iteratiring the late, great Elviria Ferrante's recipe she prefaced it with, "Now, there are no measurements for this." Classic. I took my notes like a good student and taking what I know of cooking in general plus the taste my brain is telling me I remember perfectly, I did it-I made the Ferrante Pizzagane.

Now, I would love to share this recipe with you but as they say, it's gotta stay in the family. I will tell you its a basic egg dough, ricotta cheese, provolone cheese, and salted, dry Italian meats. I took my pizzagane to Sunday night dinner and I am proud it say, it was a hit! Of course Mr. T's caponata was the bell of the ball, but it always is. Ciao! Mangia!

(look at the size of this sucker!)

Daring Bakers Tuile Challenge - Paired with Sweet Potato Soup with Mushrooms and Sage Sausage

I would first like to say how incredibly stoked I am to be in the Daring Bakers community. People from all over the world make the same recipe for a month at a time and share their results. Just another shining example of how food makes us all equals and happier people.

This is my first daring baker challenge and I am happy not only to have accomplished it, but I am also thrilled that it inspired me to make my first from-scratch sweet potato soup. This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and
Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux. However, I did the Savory tuile/cornet recipe From Thomas Keller "the French Laundry Cookbook".

I basically had three tries at making my savory tuiles. First round, pictured above just to get my bearings on the batter. Looking back, I see that it was a bit too thick but that is a lesson learned for the future. My second attempt I did thin out a bit and used some coarse black pepper for color and flavor. The original recipe I used called for black sesame seeds, so in lieu of those I used the pepper. My third attempt was the best. I used more pepper because the few shakes in round 2 just did not cut it and I think they came out lovely.

The second part of the challenge was to pair your tuile with something light. Since I started savory, I ended it savory. I can not explain my unending love for the sweet potato, so I'm not going to try. I had a hankering to make a sweet potato soup with lots of flavors like the traditional spices of ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg but I also wanted an earthiness because I think one of the sweet potato profiles is earthy seeing it grows there and all. That's how sage came into the picture. Its so fragrant and lovely that I think I found a wonderful companion for the sweet potato. Ok, and the sage sausage probably helped to. As you can see in the picture, my savory tuile was a large, buttery crouton for my soup and I so indulged in every single bite.

Recipe for Sweet Potato Soup with Mushrooms and Sage Sausage:

• 2 Tblsp. of all purpose flour
• 2 Tblsp. of butter
• 3 cups of peeled, cooked, cut sweet potato
• 2 Tblsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 small sweet onion
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 Tblsp. of light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 lb. of sage sausage
• 1 cup baby portobello mushrooms
• 5-7 whole sage leaves
• 1.5 cups of milk
• salt and pepper
• red pepper flakes

1. Peel, cut and cook the sweet potatoes. Set aside.
2. Chop celery, and onion and sautee in a medium-hot pan with the olive oil before onions begin to brown. Set aside.
3. Make a rue with the flour and butter.
4. When you achieve a light caramel color, stir in the stock and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and add sweet potatoes, celery and onion, and spices. Cook 7 minutes more at the simmer.
5. Add (and take out) your soup in batches in the food processor to puree to your desired texture.
6. Add back to your sauce pot on stove top on lowest heat.
7. Stir in the 1.5 cup of milk.
8. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add some oil and get it hot. Add chopped mushrooms, bits of sausage, sage, pinches of the light brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. Cook until mushrooms and sausage are done, about 5 minutes.
9. Add mixture to soup. Cook 2 minutes more.
10. Garnish with sage leaves and tuile and serve!

Tilapia Burritos with Rice and Peppers

Each time I food shop I look for what fresh seafood is on sale. If all of that is too pricey, I move onto the freezer section to find the fish I crave. Last week yummy fresh tilapia fillets were on sale and I vowed not to make my beer battered fish fillets because I need to try something new. My partner in crime loves to eat my cooking, and similarly, his snack creations are out of this world. So good, in fact, I've nicknamed him the SnackMaster. Without giving out his secrets I will divulge that he makes the best pan cooked burritos this side of Pluto. Taking advantage of his burrito inspiration and my love for the lightness of tilapia, the tilapia burrito was born unto mankind for the eating of a lifetime!

For the fish, I halved a whole fillet and seasoned each side with sea salt, black pepper and coriander. To be honest, once in the burrito the fish did seem under-seasoned. I seared each side in a pan with extra virgin olive oil 2-4 minutes on each side. Prior to making the fish I prepared some regular ole white rice seasoned slightly with salt and pepper. Also prior to I chopped up a ton of fresh cilantro, half a green bell pepper, 1/3 of a large yellow bell pepper, and some red onion, as well as shredded about 1/2 cup of reduced fat jalapeno white cheddar cheese.


In a large pan I heated a Tblsp. of extra virgin olive oil and let it get hot. While its heating, I put some rice, piece of fish, cilantro and pepper salad and some shredded cheese in a flour tortilla and roll it like a burrito. If necessary, stick it together with some toothpicks. Plop it the hot pan and use tongs to brown evenly on all sides. For the rice side dish, I simply heaved some rice on the plate, topped it also with chopped peppers, onion, cilantro, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper. I love the flavors of the peppers, cilantro, and onions so much I just might try a sauce next time.

When Life Gives you Lemons, Someone Else Gives You Lemonade

After my triumphant conquering of the Timpano this past Christmas, I resolved this new year to enter any and all recipe contests I could. I was confident, charged up, and ready to win. But alas, I already feel deflated after submitting to two contests and not being chosen as a finalist in either. The third I've entered does not announce its finalists until Jan 30th, 2009 but I am not holding my breath. Even though I am not an immediate winner (something I need to rectify with my competitive spirit), I will keep trying to compete mostly because I am determined too and because of the great support from the friends I've made through the food blogging community in 2008. Just today I've received my first ever food blogging award bestowed upon me by the SoCal Pastry Chef pictured to the left. The Lemonade Award could not have come at a better time since I am sour over the recent recipe contest results.

So Thanks, Thanks, Thanks, and more Thanks to you SoCal for reading and for now it is back to the recipe drawing board! Afterall, somebody has to win that Pillsbury $1,000,000 prize! :)

No DB Yule Log, but I did Make My First Timpano!!!!

Recently, I joined the amazing Daring Bakers community. The first month challenge of my membership was a French Yule Log complete with a creme brulee, mousse, frosting, ganache and praline crisp; all of which I have never made before. While this 14 pg. recipe did intrigue me and I even prepared for it, there was another beast I HAD to tackle this Christmas season: THE TIMPANO! So alas, there was no Yule Log but there was Timpano. :)

MY TIMPANO!!

When I was a pre-teen a movie called Big Night produced by Stanley Tucci was released. Many people whom have made a Timpano reference this film as their inspiration and I am no different. Big Night was one of my mother's favorite movies so I often remember how much this movie about the love and passion of food and family made her smile, so in her honor (and because I couldn't see her or even speak to her this past holiday) I embarked on the Timpano for Christmas Eve dinner for the Triolo family party. Just a note: timpano is named after its similar shape to that of a timpani drum.

I wish I had pictures of my two-day endeavor, so in lieu of photos here is a list of my cooking and prep steps:

Day 1

• 2 qt. of Homemade Marinara from fresh plum tomatoes, some canned puree, onions, garlic, olive oil and spices. Simmer for 4 hours.
  
• 1.5 lbs of Peppers and Onions Sausage, cut and cooked in the marinara.
• 2 lbs of Pork and Beef Meatballs cooked in pan
• 2 large Red Bell Peppers chopped
• 1 large Sweet Onion chopped
• 1 cup chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
• 8 Hard Boiled Eggs
• 1.5 cups of cut Provolone Cheese
• 1 lb of Fresh Mozzerella sliced
• 1 cup of Pecorino Romano Grated Cheese

Day 2

• 1.5 lbs. of Penne Pasta cooked halfway
• 2 large Fresh Pasta Sheets mixed and rolled out very thin (holy arm workout!)
  
• Pasta Shells put into a 9"x4" round cake pan and a loaf pan, generously greased
• Mixed Penne with Marinara
• Started the Layering in both pans: Penne first, marinara, meatballs and sausages, three cheeses, red peppers, onions and parsley, eggs, poured in 3 beaten eggs, more pasta, more marinara.Fold pasta sheet ends on top.
  
• Bake at 375 degrees for 45min-1hr or until they are golden brown.
• Let rest in pans for 30mins.
• Take off pans and let rest another 30 minutes before cutting and serving!!
  

The Timpano's Guts!

Seeing the entire Timpano was a crowning achievement for me. I really feel like I would have made my mom proud if she could see what I could do in the kitchen. This next sentence is filled with corn, but it felt like I am ready to take my cooking to the next level in 2009. What that means exactly, I have no idea but I am excited to follow my passion to whatever direction its going to take me.
Let's not forget about the cookies for dessert! Mrs. Triolo holds up my cookie plate on my mother's amber antique serving plate. Miss you so much mama!! Even though we are apart know that you are in everything that I do.

Ch. 3 - Cookies for Santa to Cookies for All

Now that the truth of why we bake for Santa has been revealed exclusively on LaptopsandStovetops, let's demonstrate one such offering. Namely the cookie spread created by yours truly not only to appease the great Santa Claus but also as gifts for to appease others. Myself and many others applied the theory that if cookies bring luck and survival from Santa, than the same gift could bring the same thing from others.

First, remember the ginger breads from Chapter 1 of the Origins of Christmas Cookie Baking. Second is St. Nick's personal favorite, the almighty Chocolate Chip. Third is a Festa family tradition of Peanut Butter Cranberry Granola Squares. Fourth is a new delight from Eastern Europe, a Cream Cheese Apricot Thumbprint that is less sweet than most Christams cookie offerings. Fifth and final in the offering chain is the Italian delight, the Pingoli.
The final outcome is a mega offering for Santa and co-workers alike! HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND I HOPE WE ALL LEARNED SOMETHING!

Ch. 2 - From Fiery to Fat Santa

Since we have come to know the origins of St. Nicholas or Santa Claus to be an amalgamation of stories from the Greek Orthodox Saint who left coins in the shoes of his worshippers through the English's' adoption of the Dutch Sinterklass to the American commercial star whom brings retail to us revelers each and every December, it is no surprise one of St. Nick's incarcerations has been left out of the historical accounts. And I am here to recant the tale of the fat, French St. Nick.

Many years ago a French Santa made a monumental and destructive move that would change Christmas forever. During the dawn of the French Revolution Santa was about to enter the home of a farm family just outside of town. Upon peering into the front window, he sees a family gathering of shoes signaling their belief in the tradition so Santa systematically tried the front door. Drat! This family has sealed the door shut. This unforeseen mishap happened home after home this year in a new move to secure against nightly revolutionaries gone astray from their aristocratic targets making this December evening a bumbling breaking and entering event one after the other. Santa was furious! All he wanted was to leave coins-out of his own pocket mind you-and he has been foiled, toiled, scratched, and bruised. Instead of trying a cumbersome chimney or window, Santa Klaus broke the front door down and in a hurry and threw the treasured coins onto the ground not even trying to fill the shoes. As he turned to leave and storm out in a huff, his winter wear sleeve caught on the wooden hat rack . With a violent shake, he threw it to the floor and the garments hung to dry flew into the fire catching ablaze instantly, spreading to the rack, and quickly throughout the entire house. Santa fled the scene terrified of what he had done in frustration leaving the family to fend for themselves. Flames engulfed the entire home of wood and hay in merely moments.

When the smoke cleared in the morning, three of the family burned to death while the two youngest picked through the ashes to save any remnant of their full lives the day before. What they found was little but when shrill cries streamed through the air it came to be known that the young children came upon St. Nick's coins forever sealing his myth of devastating homes he visits.

The following year homes all over France left sweets and small gifts to appease the crazed Saint and deter his anger for another year for there was no rhyme or reason why he let fire loose in the good farm family's home. Maids and mothers picked berries and bartered for sugars so that their children and livelihoods were protected. Fathers and sons brought in buckets and buckets of milk to be churned into butter. Pounds of flour was acquired and the wood-burning stoves burned for hours on end. It is said that the fear of St. Nick's fiery rage was so great, women baked for weeks on end to create the most delightful of dishes in the most copious amounts that they could. Eventually, succeeding generations of Santas were men not only drawn to the spirit of holiday giving but also of receiving-more specifically, the offering of free homemade, delicious scrumptious treats resulting in Santas getting fatter and fatter each year. This French ritual made its way to America and has been shared by the citizens and immigrants to the New Land ever since. Over time coins turned to presents and while not another suffered like the French farm family, legend tells pieces of coal are left as a diabolical reminder of what hell fires of death could be if St. Nick starts to not meant to feel jolly upon entering a home on Christmas morning.

Stuffing Acorn Squash with Feta Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Acorn squash is one of those seasonal ingredients that makes me so giddy I want to do a jig in store when I see them. The subtle, sweet and mildly nutty flavor of this squash plus its fun shape make it my hands down favorite squash. Earlier this year I posted the acorn squash dip passed down from the Goddess herself, my mother Loretta Festa (did you know 'Loretta' means laurel as in the wreath or the tree? kinda sweet). This time the recipe is all my own. I still wanted to use the squash as a container just like dip, so the obvious idea is to stuff it. But with what? With what morsels of deliciousness will pair well with my lovely, light squash? Why, mashed freakin' potatoes of course!

In my last pizza post, I stated that pizza is a great cupboard cleaner. Well, the same goes for mashed potatoes. The flavor possibilities are literally endless. Here's how this little ditty all came together:


Ingredients:
1 medium acorn squash, halved and de-seeded
salt
pepper
light brown sugar
Olivio spread (or butter, margarine or olive oil)
5 white potatoes
1/2 cup Feta Cheese
2 garlic cloves
5-6 Basil leaves
1/4 heavy cream
1/8 cup butter or Olivio
coarse ground pepper

Directions:
Heat the oven to 375.
Half and de-seed the acorn squash. I steam mine first for 7-10 minutes to help with the halving.
Rub butter, spread or olive oil inside and out of the squash halves.
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and light brown sugar inside and out.
In a glass baking dish, but halves flesh side down, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 12 minutes.
While the halves are microwaving, bring water to a boil in medium saucepan.
Cut up potatoes into large bites and add to the water. Salt the water.
Let potatoes boil until a piece is easily pierced with a fork.
Minced 2 cloves of garlic and chop up basil leaves.
Drain the potatoes, add to mixing bowl.
Add cream, butter, Feta cheese, garlic, basil, salt and coarse black pepper.
Using a potato masher, combine all ingredients until silky smooth.
Take acorn squash out of the microwave and flip the halves over using tongs.
Fill each half with mashed potato and put in the oven.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until the squash starts to brown.
Garnish with a basil leaf, and TA DA YO!

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Feta Garlic Mashed PotatoesI served mine with lemon pepper chicken breasts and it was a fine pairing. You could eat this alone for lunch of have it with a pork chop or even make up your own stuffing.

The Myth of Christmas Cookie Baking : Ch.1 Origins & Gingerbreads

Ever year at Christmas time, myself and many others are overcome by a trance like state-nay a duty-to make as many cookies as humanly possible. Some of us even work into a hysteria wearily baking for hours on end, covered in flour, with burn marks from our fingers to our forearms striving to not only make the greatest tasting cookie but also to make gluttonous amounts of the little confections. I wonder where this infectious, unavoidable need to bake at Christmas time comes from? In my world, cookie baking would have started as a ritualistic offering to the mighty and powerful St.Nick. If cookies aren't waiting for the great Santa on the eve of Christmas, he will set my house ablaze and fill it with smoke and flames instead of presents and holiday cheer!! However, if Santa receives his wanton cookies than my family and I are free from a fiery death this Christmas and have wrapping paper to tear apart to fill into many trash bags signaling that we live to survive another year. This myth of course has not validity but really puts the pressure on to turn those cookies out! ;)

This year, I am taking part in the cookie ritual and am planning on turning out 9 varieties a'la cookie: chocolate chip, gingerbread, pignoli, Italian sprinkle cookies, cream cheese apricot thumbprints, honey balls, Russian tea balls, granola squares, and chewy sugar cookies. I'm thinking about a tenth for another chocolate cookie because screw Santa and his sack'o'fireballs, I love chocolate!

The first cookies of the year are gingerbread and chocolate chip since both those doughs need refrigeration before baking. I have never ever made gingerbread before so I followed a Soft Gingerbread Cookie from allrecipes.com. I tried a bite and thought, "Ehh." I want whhaayy more spice so I will at least double up on the ginger and all spice next time. The fun of gingerbread is obviously the decorating. See if you can tell which ones I decorated and which ones Tattoos by Pete decorated?

Given that these cookies are definitely short of glorious, they will not be given to Satan-I'm sorry Santa, as an offering. Instead, we will probably drown them in tea or milk and give them a soggy end. Next time, chapter 2 is chocolate chip cookies : How St. Nick got so fat - STAY TUNED!

Tha Pizza Cutta Presents: Creamed Onions and Spinach Pesto Pizza

Pizza is one of those dishes that is great for cupboard cleaning. "I got a little of this, a bunch of that, and I better use this cheese before it goes bad," and so on until you've got a new and awesome pizza dish that is quick and easy for dinner. And hey, I gotta live up to my name so for the Cream Onions and Spinach Pesto Pizza, I had a bunch of, you guessed it, spinach and onions that needed to be eaten sooner rather than later. I was thinking of side dishes but nothing was WOWING me until I checked up on one of my favorite blogs: Proud Italian Cook and her (Marie's) latest recipe of Roasted Parmesan Creamed Onions. As soon as I read about this dish I knew instantly I was going home to make it for something to do with dinner. Looking back, I wish I had pics of just the onions because their flavor and visual was nothing short of stunning-Thanks Marie!!

Creamed Onions and Spinach Pesto Pizza with Dates and Dry Salami

Once I was in the kitchen cutting up the onions, all the pieces to my pizza starting falling into place like a really fun puzzle. I had spinach, walnuts, and parmesan reggiano so I was going to make a pesto! I had mozzerella and asiago cheese so I had a great melter of a cheese and a great taster of a cheese. I had dry Bianco D'ior salami and dates so I had a variety of toppings for a more full flavor profile and extra texture dimensions. Plus of course I had the package of 2 small Boboli pizza crusts which I honestly always pick up when I am out food shopping. It's like having bread in the house-it's a staple plus they have been fail-safe for me years, and to be honest I haven't gotten that homemade pizza dough just right yet. O_0

Pizza in the back = Dates, Pizza in the front = None, and Featuring our Graffiti Coffee Table Customized by Pete!

Here's my 10 Steps to the Creamed Onion and Spinach Pesto Pizza Pie:

• First, I followed Marie's recipe exactly only scaling down because it's just me and Pete eating here!

• Second, I made the spinach pesto. I am sure everybody has their go-to pesto recipe on hand so I wont' bore you guys with mine. However, I will mention that I add lemon juice for zing and to thin out the sauce a bit.

• Third, preheated the oven to 375.

• Fourth, laid down the pesto on the Bobolis.

• Fifth, laid down 2 pieces of deli cut asiago cheese.

• Sixth, creamed onions went all over the place.

• Seventh, sprinkling of shredded mozzerella cheese making sure to take it all the way to the edges so it binds all the toppings together.

• Eighth, placed the chopped dates and salami.

• Ninth, baked for 35-40 minutes.

• Tenth, let it cool, did my pizza cutta thing and devoured it!!

And in keeping with the terrible stereotype, BadaBing-BadaBoom, Rachel 'Tha Pizza Cutta' Joyce delicious pizza pie!

Post Thanksgiving Post

While most of the foodie blogging universe has posted their Thanksgiving creations, I dove right into Christmas preparations following the holiday of giving thanks and am just getting to the 'showing' off part. :) For our dinner, I made four dishes: my mother's sweet potato and walnut casserole, cranberry sauce. homemade apple pie, and white chocolate bread pudding. To be clear, my portion paled in comparison to Mr. T's spread of: turkey, homemade gravy, stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, string beans and bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and cheddar biscuits plus appetizers of Italian meats and cheeses. Can you say, Mangia!?!?By the way, there was only 5 of us at dinner. Also, you will see the quality of the pictures jump up about 1000% from the sweet potato casserole on. That's because Peter my boyfriend picked up an early Christmas present of a Nikon D90 SLR camera so hooray!

Cranberry Sauce

What is Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce? I know with so much cooking a lot of us opt to buy the pre-made stuff. I had heard that making your own cranberry sauce was incredibly easy so this year I took the plunge and made the following recipe:

• 12oz of fresh cranberries
• 1 cup orange juice (no pulp)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. allspice
• dash of salt
• Heat orange juice in medium saucepan over medium heat. Dissolve sugar in orange juice. Stir in spices and cranberries. Cook cranberries, they will begin to pop, so watch those eyeballs! Let simmer 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a container and let cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools. If the sauce isn't smooth enough for you and your guests, take a potato masher or even a fork to your sauce. That's it ! See? Easy...

Sweet Potato Walnut Casserole

Every year since I can remember my mom made a sweet potato walnut casserole. It has become the star of our Festa family Thanksgiving meal. This year, my Aunt Annette called me in a panic Thanksgiving morning because she couldn't find the recipe and didn't want to disappoint the rest of the family expecting this side dish/dessert delight. To be sure, this is a popular dish and I've read many, many variations including the marshmallow topping and pecan streusel topping. Here's how we do it (keeping a few things secret):

Sweet Potatoes

• 2-3lbs. sweet potatoes - peeled, cut, boiled, and mashed
• 3 beaten eggs
• 1/2 pint regular whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Molasses/Walnut Topping

• 1 1/2 cups crushed walnuts
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 Tblsp. Molasses
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9"x 13" casserole dish or 2 smaller but total equal in size dishes with a cooking spray to grease. Peel, cut in quarters and boil the sweet potatoes until a fork easily goes through the largest pieces. Drain and put in medium mixing bowl. Add cream, beaten eggs, sugars, and spices and mix until smooth. Transfer contents to greased casserole dishes.

• In a small saucepan on low heat, heat molasses. Put flour into a small mixing bowl, set aside. Add brown sugar and melt into the molasses. Add butter, cut into tabs and slightly soften. Don't melt the butter all the way down! Pour the molasses mixture into the bowl with flour and add 1 cup of the crushed walnuts. Combine together just enough, don't over mix! Spread the mixture over your sweet potato dish or dishes. Take the remaining 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts and sprinkle evenly on top. Bake for 35 minutes and I promise this will not disappoint!

White Chocolate Bread Pudding (pictured cold here)

For desserts I wanted a challenge so I made two dishes I've never made before: white chocolate bread pudding and homemade apple pie with a cream cheese crust. Both came out much better than I expected but due to the amount of cooking, I didn't get any snaps of the pie! When I read ChiliCheeseFries.net's recipe for white chocolate bread pudding, I just had to try it! The only difference is I did not make the ganache to go on top because I simply ran out of time. However, I am proud to say that not only were both desserts a big hit (Peter couldn't get enough of the bread pudding), but there were also tons of invaluable lessons learned. And that is something I am truly, utterly thankful for!