Ingredients

My grandma and my mom made homemade Italian Sunday Sauce (some call it Sunday Gravy) almost every Sunday when I was growing up. For me, this is the best recipe for Sunday Sauce on the planet. It reminds me of growing up in a big Italian family in New Jersey and smelling the garlic hit the olive oil in the pan and all of the delicious flavors with pork, beef and Italian meatballs in San Marzano tomatoes. Just delicious. Watch the video below on how to make your own Italian Sunday Sauce. Whether you call her Grandma or Nonna, or call it sauce or gravy, this recipe is the best you’ll ever have. Enjoy!

A big drizzle of Olive oil

4 Pork spareribs –I prefer boneless or 2 boneless pork chop cut in half.

4 Beef short ribs or any cut of steak you prefer cut into two or three pieces.

Salt and pepper

6 Italian sausages cut in half – Spicy or mild, or both, your preference. 

5 Garlic cloves, chopped

1 medium size yellow onion chopped

1 cup good red wine (optional) can use beef stock too or leave this step out

1 6 oz can of Tomato paste 

4 (28oz) cans Crushed tomatoes – or whole tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes are best). 

2 bay leafs

Several Fresh Basil leafs, julienned

Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1 peeled carrot cut in half 

1-2 tablespoon of sugar at the end when the sauce is finally cooked, if needed  

I taste the sauce at the end and add more salt and pepper if needed too.

Directions

Season meat on both sides well with salt and pepper.

Add olive oil to a large heavy sauce pot.

Turn heat to medium high but not too hot add a big enough drizzle of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan well.  

Place the meat in the pan making sure to not crowd it and brown on both sides in batches and remove as you go.

Once meat is cooked and removed, add you sausage and brown for a few minutes. Turn down the heat then add the onions and the garlic along with some salt and pepper and sauté making sure not to burn the garlic and the onions. 

Add the tomato paste and saute once more for a minute or two.

Add the red wine and deglaze the pan by letting the wine loosen the bits on the bottom of the pot. 

Add your tomatoes along with about 1/2-1 cup of water that you use to rinse the each can out with. Season again with some salt and pepper. 

Add the meat back to the sauce along with your browned meatballs. 

Add the bay leaf, the carrot and the basil, mix well, turn heat to a low simmer. 

Cook low a slow string occasionally making sure to not break the meatballs. Cook for 4-5 hours, or all day until the beef and pork are fork tender and the sauce has thickened.

Cook your pasta al dente, 

Add some of the sauce to a large pasta bowl add the pasta and top with more sauce and mix to coat the pasta. I even add a little reserved pasta water as well. Top with grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano or both.

I like to allow everyone to make their own dishes and add pasta, sauce and any meat from the pot they like. I also serve this with some ricotta cheese and crushed red pepper along with extra cheese for topping. 

Watch me make Homemade Italian Sunday Sauce with Grandma . . .

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs. Rack of Baby back ribs

Dry Rub

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Cayenne pepper to taste (optional if you want spice)

1 Bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees In a small bowl mix dry rub to combined and set aside Rinse pork ribs, pat dry with paper towel and remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.

Spread the rub generously all over the ribs making sure to cover well on both sides Sprinkle both sides well with salt and fresh ground black pepper Sprinkle with desired amount of cayenne pepper (if using it).

Cover a shallow baking pan with heavy duty foil spray with non stick cooking spray.

Place ribs meat side down on foil and cover tightly with another piece of foil.

Bake for approximately 2 hours for baby back ribs, 3 hours for spare ribs or until meat is fork tender. After cooking time, remove ribs from oven, remove foil and drain the liquid from the baking pan.

Turn up the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the ribs with BBQ sauce and place back in oven uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Remove from oven again and flip the ribs, brushing again with BBQ sauce and returning to the oven again for 15 minutes. Remove ribs again.

This time turn on the broiler and allow the ribs to brown about 2-5 minutes watching them so they don’t burn. Remove and let the ribs rest a few minutes before cutting and serving with extra BBQ sauce.

Enjoy!

Here’s a video of how to make it.

Ingredients and Instructions Below the Video

Ingredients:

• One 12-13 ounce wheel of Brie, cut in half horizontally
• 10-13 slices prosciutto (about 8 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons fig preserve (or preserve of your choice)
• Bread, or crackers for serving

How to Make It:

Preheat grill to about 350 degrees spray with non stick spray

Cut the wheel of Brie in half and open like a sandwich.

Spread the fig preserve on top of one of the pieces of Brie. Top with the other piece of Brie with the rind side up to create a sandwich look.

Lay out the prosciutto slices in a round fan pattern. Place cheese wheel in the center of the prosciutto and begin to wrap the meat around the cheese until it is completely covered. Use an extra piece of prosciutto in any place that isn’t covered so that the cheese rind is no longer visible.

Place prosciutto covered wheel on a plate, refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat your grill to about 350 degrees and spray the barbecue  with non stick spray. Place the prosciutto wheel on the bbq and close lid. Grill for about 3 min.  Carefully flip the wheel with a large spatula and grill on other side for about 3 more minutes or until ham looks brown and crisp on both sides.

Move to a warm part of the grill that does not have direct heat and let sit for about 4-5 min.

Remove from heat and serve on cutting board with cracker, bread and fruit.

Ingredients:

Makes approximately 6 servings
4 cups diced cooked chicken breast
2 stalks celery diced
1/2 of a small white onion, diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1-2 green onions, sliced thin
1 cup full fat mayonnaise
2 tablesopoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of sugar (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to Make it:

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Refrigerate for an hour or more and serve. For best results make a day before.

If you want to get creative you can add some of these other ingredients to this recipe like…
Sliced almonds
Dried cranberries
Green or red grapes cut in half
Chopped carrots
Chopped chives
Chopped green apple

Creamy spicy garlic butter tuscan shrimp in a light and creamy garlic parmesan sauce with sun dried tomatoes. Hold the pasta for a low carb keto approved / keto friendly meal!

Everyone loves shrimp and garlic. Shrimp scampi, spicy garlic shrimp and other shrimp recipes are always a favorite.  I wanted to create one that had all of the flavor of a scampi but with a creamy cheesy flavor edge. This recipe idea is a potentially ketogenic / keto-friendly meal or you can indulge and put it over pasta for a cheat day or when you want/need the carbs.  Throw it over a salad. Make a sandwich with it.  Best of all, this is a kid-friendly, quick and easy dinner recipe that you can whip up in minutes after work or on any weekend.  Super quick. Super easy. Super delicious.

How to Make It:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add in the garlic and fry until fragrant (about one minute). Add in the shrimp and fry two minutes on each side, until just cooked through and pink. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

Fry the shallots in the butter remaining in the skillet. Pour in the white wine (if using), and allow to reduce to half, while scraping any bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the sun dried tomatoes and fry for 1-2 minutes to release their flavors.

Reduce heat to low-medium heat, add the half and half and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Add in the parsley and basil (or spinach) leaves and allow to wilt in the sauce, and add in the parmesan cheese. Allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce. (For a thicker sauce, add the milk/cornstarch mixture to the centre of the pan, and continue to simmer while quickly stirring the mixture through until the sauce thickens.)

Add the shrimp back into the pan; sprinkle with the herbs and parsley, and stir through.

Serve over pasta, rice or steamed vegetables.

NOTE:  After recording the video and making another batch of the cake, I decided that the baking time is closer to an hour and a half, even though I said an hour to an hour and a quarter in the video. It’s a super moist cake so I recommend erring on the side of baking it closer to an hour and a half. Leave a comment to let me know how yours turned out.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) – salted butter, softened
• 3 cups – white granulated sugar
• 6 large – eggs (room temp.)
• 3 cups – sifted Cake Flour like Swans Down
• ½ teaspoon – almond extract (optional)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup – Heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup full fat ricotta cheese
• zest of one or two whole lemons
• juice of one lemon
• 1 tsp. of lemon extract in place of almond extract (optional for super lemony flavor)
• 10-cup tube ban coated with 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkled with sugar

GLAZE Ingredients (optional)

• 2 cups – powdered sugar
• 2 – 3 Table spoons– heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Serve with 

Fresh berries and homemade whipped cream

How to make this cake:

PREHEAT your oven to 325°F.

Butter and sugar a 10-cup tube pan.

Sift the cake flour once; then measure and set aside.

In a small bowl, juice one lemon and zest two – set aside

In a two cup measuring cup or a small bowl, add one cup of heavy cream, mix in the ricotta, vanilla, and almond extract and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter then gradually add sugar beating on medium speed until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.  Then gradually add the cake flour and the whipped cream ricotta mixture, alternately beating on low speed. Don’t over beat. Stir in lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour into prepared pan.

BAKE approx. 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a long wooden stick inserted in center of cake comes out completely clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes.  Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.

GLAZE (optional):

COMBINE powdered sugar in medium size bowl.  Stir in 2-3 Tbsp. of heavy cream. Add vanilla extract and lemon juice.  Beat until smooth and creamy, adding more cream 1 Tbsp. at a time if necessary.  Drizzle over cooled cake.

Serve with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream. Smile.

Ingredients

1 oz Limoncello
2 oz’s Aperol
3-4 oz Prosecco
1-2 oz Pellegrino
1 lemon slice
1 orange slice
Ice cubes

How to Make It:

Pour the Limoncello, Aperol, Prosecco and the Pellegrino into a Wine glass. Add the orange and lemon and top with plenty of ice cubes. Give a stir and add a straw.

If needed adjust the ingredients to suit your taste.

Get on a raft. Enjoy

Ingredients for the Cake

1 box white cake mix
1-1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
4 egg whites
1 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

How to Make the Cake Batter

Heat oven to 350 degrees F
for shiny metal or glass pan 325 F

Mix cake mix, milk, coconut oil, vanilla, coconut extract and egg whites in large bowl with mixer on medium speed or beat vigorously by hand for 2 minutes.

Line a cupcake pan with liners and fill with about 3 tablespoons of batter, deviled evenly among 24 cupcakes. Bake 14–19 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Let cool, then place on cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter softened
• 8 oz bar of cream cheese (brick style) softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of whole milk (optional)

How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

Add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment (or you may use an electric hand mixer) and beat until creamy, (about one minute) then add cream cheese and beat again until it’s well combined and creamy. Stopping at times to scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure it’s all combined and smooth.

Add vanilla extract and coconut (if using)

Add about 1 cup at a time of the confectioners sugar and blend on low at first to combine. Continue in batches scraping down bowl in between to make sure all the sugar is incorporated . Starting off on low then higher speed to whip.

Taste frosting to see if it needs extra salt. If so, add salt and mix again. If frosting seems too thick us a tablespoon at a time of the milk, mixing in between to check consistency.

Frost on cooled cupcakes

Tips: (1) Cupcakes can be made and frosted a day or two ahead of time and kept in a covered tin in the refrigerator. (2) Remove an hour before serving so they come to room temperature.