Shortbread Cookies

My absolute, favorite cookie in the world is a shortbread cookie!  The sweet, buttery taste makes me, well, we won't go into that!  Let's just say that I am in love.

I have cooked several shortbread recipes and this is my favorite.  Here are the ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons vanilla

With your mixer, cream together butter and sugar.  Add the vanilla and cardamom.  Slowly add the flour.

Remove the dough and place it in a Ziploc bag.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.  When you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator.  As the dough comes closer to room temperature, it will be easier to roll out.

Make sure that you have a floured surface and keep flour on your rolling pin.  Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness.  Use a cookie cutter to cut out your cookie.

Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes.  This batch makes 12 large cookies or 18 smaller cookies.

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

This cookie combines two of my favorite things:  chocolate and toffee!  Here are the ingredients for these cookies:

1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 small package of chocolate chips - 12 oz.
1 small package of toffee bits - 12 oz.

In your Kitchen Aid mixer, using the paddle wheel, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.

Add in the toffee bits and chocolate chips.  Make sure you are on low speed so that the chocolate chips do not get pulverized!  If you do not have a mixer with a paddle wheel, simply stir in the toffee and chips.

Spoon a tablespoon on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes.

 

 

Enjoy!

Persimmon Cookies

I love these cookies!  This cookie is not something that you normally find when you go to a Christmas party.  My mother would make these cookies every year and I loved them.  They are sweet and spicy!  I always thought that this recipe was from my Great Aunt Hazel, but my mom told me today that the recipe actually came from the woman I was named after.

I met her once on a visit to San Jose, CA.  She was friends with my Nana and Grand Pee Paw.  I was 10 or so when I met her.  I remember she had this big jet black hair and always had a smile on her face.  My mom told me that Jackie didn't have children so she took my mom under her wing.  My mom spent a lot of time with Jackie growing up.

A persimmon is not a readily available fruit.  Most of us do not go to the store to buy persimmons so that we can eat them.  When I decided to make these cookies, I had no idea what to do with these little orange pieces of fruit.

When in doubt - call mom!  Mom told me to cut the persimmons in half, and scoop out the seeds.  The persimmons that I had did not have very many seeds so it was easy!  I was then able to scoop the pulp out.

Here are the ingredients for the cookies:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups flour
1 egg
1 cup persimmon pulp
1 cup raisins
1 cup nuts
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg

To begin, take the pulp and put it in your food processor.  Add the baking soda and egg.

With your mixer, cream the shortening and sugar together.

In a large bowl, add flour, spices, nuts and raisins.

Add the persimmon mixture to the shortening and sugar.  Mix that well.  Slowly add the flour mixture.  If you are using a Kitchen Aid mixer, use the paddle so that the nuts and raisins do not get pulverized.  If you do not have a mixer with a paddle, simply stir in the flour mixture.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Hand Cream

I love investigating new recipes..............even recipes that will help sooth my dry hands.  This recipe makes 2 half pint jars of hand cream.  I love this recipe because everything is natural and you can mix and match your oils and essential oils.

Here are the ingredients:

4 tablespoons coconut oil
4 tablespoons grated beeswax
4 tablespoons chamomile infused oil
4 tablespoons calendula infused oil
10 drops of tea tree essential oil
20 drops of peppermint essential oil
3 vitamin E capsules

Several months ago I became interested in learning about herbs and infused oils.  I got some olive oil, filled mason jars with the oil and put some herbs in the jars.  I shake these jars several times a week.  I have 4 jars in the window (not in direct sunlight):  calendula, comfrey, chamomile, and lavender.  You can experiment and try almond oil or grapeseed oil with herbs. For this recipe I decided to use the chamomile and calendula infused oils because of there soothing qualities.

Chamomile Infused Olive Oil

 

I drained the infused oil, using a fine mesh strainer and a paper towel.

 

 



I grated the beeswax and placed it in a double boiler.  As that melts, add the coconut oil, and infused oils.  When that is melted, add the essential oils.  You can use any scent combination that you like.  Cut open the vitamin E capsule and add the liquid, discarding the shell.  Stir to combine all ingredients.

 

 

 

 

Yes, it is that easy!  This recipe filled two half pint jars.  As it cools it will thicken up and change color.  This is a great idea for a homemade gift!

 

 

 

 







Chicken Modiga

One of my favorite Italian dishes is chicken modiga.  It is chicken smothered in a white, cheesy sauce with peas and mushrooms.  It is decadent and anyone can make it!

Here are the ingredients:

Chicken breast - pounded thin
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
Panko bread crumbs
Garlic clove, minced
Butter
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
Dried mushrooms OR chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Marsala wine
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup shredded provel cheese
Parsley - 2 tablespoons, minced

To begin, add dried porchini mushrooms in 2 cups water.  Boil for 30 minutes.  This reconstitutes the mushrooms and makes a fabulous mushroom broth.  If you do not want to make a mushroom broth, you can substitute chicken broth.

Take 1/2 cup olive oil and add the minced garlic.  When you need to add olive oil to the saute pan, take from this dish.  The garlic will infuse in the olive oil but will not be overbearing in the dish.

Pound your chicken breast to 1/2 inch thickness.  Place chicken breast in Ziploc bag.  Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.  Dredge in bread crumbs.

Heat a saute pan - add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter.  Add the chicken and brown on both sides.  Remove from pan and keep warm in oven.

Clean out your sauce pan so that you remove the leftover bread crumbs.  Return the pan to the stove top.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon butter.  Saute the mushrooms until brown.  Throw the peas in there to heat them up.  Remove the mushrooms and peas - set aside.

Add 1/2 cup of the mushroom broth/chicken broth to the saute pan.  Add the flour - whisk until the lumps are gone.  This will make a roux - a thickener for the sauce.

Slowly add more broth, stirring constantly.  Slowly, add the Marsala wine and cream.  Add the sauteed mushrooms and peas.  If you used dried mushrooms, dice those up and add them too.  Add the provel cheese.

Top the chicken with the cheese sauce.  Serve with a side of buttered pasta.  The cheese sauce slathers into the pasta - YUMMY!

Mangia!

This recipe is featured on What's Cooking Wednesday!

What Are Your Thanksgiving Food Traditions?

Every Thanksgiving my mother makes an Italian dish called cardoon.  It is also called the artichoke thistle, cardone, cardoni, carduni or cardi.  The cardoon is a plant similar to an artichoke plant.  Italians, and others from Mediterranean cultures, eat the stalks of the cardoon in soups, stews, and fried.  It reminds me of a stalk of celery, but tougher.

The stalks of the cardoon

 

This plant is not readily available but my mother finds it in Dierberg's every fall.  To prepare the cardoon, you first need to boil the stalks in water, flavored with sea salt and lemon.

 

 

 Boil the cardoon until they are fork tender - about 60 minutes.  As my mother says, "They are tough little buggers!"

 

When the cardoon are tender, drain them and let them cool.  Pat the cardoon dry.

 

 

Get two bowls ready for dipping.  In one bowl put buttermilk and pepper.  In another bowl, mix 1 cup of bread crumbs and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese.

 

 

Heat a skillet, with olive oil.  Dip the cardoon in buttermilk and bread crumbs.  Fry the cardoon until golden brown.

 

My sister Karrie checks on the cardoon

 

YUMMY!

 

Mom gives her approval (even though it doesn't look like it)!

 

 

You will need to fry the cardoon in batches.  After each batch, clean the saute pan so you don't burn the leftover bread crumbs. 

 

Cardoon is a tradition in our family..............what are your holiday food traditions?

 



Pasta with Butter, Oil and Garlic

My father, Anthony Maniaci, was one of a kind.  He passed away two weeks ago and I feel like my heart has a big hole in it.  He was so proud of his Sicilian heritage.  He always taught me Italian songs, and told me stories about how he grew up on "The Hill."  I feel so blessed that he was my father.  I love and miss him so much!

My father, with Tonette, mom and I - last Thanksgiving

 

 

One of dad's favorite things to eat was PASTA!  He could eat pasta every day and every meal.  His favorite pasta was with a simple oil, butter, garlic sauce.  He called it "Pasta Colei Lu Yu" (spelled differently I'm sure). 

 

Here are the ingredients:

 

Pasta - 1 pound

Olive Oil - 1/2 cup

Butter (salted) - 1/4 cup

Garlic - 2 cloves minced

Red Pepper Flakes - 1/2 teaspoon

Parsley - 2 teaspoons

Salt

Pepper

 

 

To begin, put the minced garlic and red pepper flakes into the olive oil.  Take a sauce pan and fill it with water.  Add a generous amount of salt to flavor the pasta as it cooks.  While you are waiting for the water to boil, take out the butter and let it come to room temperature.

 

 

Cook the pasta, drain and add back into the saucepan.  Immediately add your olive oil and butter.  Stir to coat the pasta.  Add the parsley and salt to taste.  Serve immediately.

 

 

I serve this pasta with breaded chicken, steak, or by itself!  It is very easy and quick to make.  My father loved this pasta! 

Dad and Jonah - Summer, 2012

 





Tonight I am having a pasta toast to my Daddio who I miss very much! My dad would light up every room he entered.  He was always smiling (well, unless my sister Karrie made his Italian temper come out - normally this would be an opportunity to jab at Tonette but I promised I would lay off for a while......)  If your father is still alive, hug him, kiss him and treasure every minute because life is too short.

 

I love you dad.....................