Enjoy!

Springform Pans...a must have for many recipes

2013-02-25T05:48:00.001-08:00

In this video I made a beautiful Pasta Pie. In some of the comments people have asked if this could be made without a Springform Pan. The answer is no....it would be nearly impossible to unmold without the use of this type of pan.

Below is a widget where you can purchase affordable Springform Pans.....I purchased mine through amazon and have used it in many recipes. Whether it be cheesecakes or this Pasta Pie recipe, I have always found handy to own one.

Personalizing Cookware

2013-01-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

In my video Personalizing cookware I demonstrated how to personalize your cookware. Some of you have asked where to find the oil based sharpies that I used for the white corning cookware.

Below you'll find a widget for those of you interested in purchasing them

Breakfast Casserole

2012-08-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the written recipe for my video of the Breakfast Oatmeal Casserole.

2 cups of Oats

1/3 cup of Brown Sugar

1 teaspoon of Baking Powder
1 teaspoon of Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of Salt

1 cup of Walnuts

1 cup of Raspberries

2 cups of Milk

1 Egg

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

1Banana

Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, half the walnuts, half the raspberries and half the blueberries. (Save the other half of raspberries, walnuts and blueberries for the top of the oatmeal).

In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract.
Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining raspberries, walnuts and blueberries on top. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.

Bake 30 to 35, depending on your oven minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set.

Kitchen Torch

2012-07-18T07:03:00.002-07:00

I used a torch in my latest cooking video (Click here to view Video) and a few subscribers have asked where I got it. I purchased mine through amazon and wanted to share a link so others can purchase one too.

Below you'll find a widget where you to can get one! Great for the Torched Strawberries and also for Creme Brulee!

Cool Cake Pans

2012-07-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

I got these cake pans a while ago and have used them often.

So many different ways to be creative with them...the possibilities are endless.

Here's the video where I show them .... Cool Cake Pans

Below you'll find a widget, just click on it if you're interested in purchasing a set

Lemon Squares

2012-06-09T06:59:00.002-07:00

These lemon squares are so easy to make. The crust is buttery and the lemon filling on top is such a perfect combination of tart & sweet. They go perfectly with a cup of expresso!

Click Here For The Video Showing How I Make Them

Here's the recipe

Crust

I cup of softened Butter

1/2 cup of sugar

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Filling

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of flour

Zest of 1 lemon

3 or 5 lemons, juiced to make 2/3 cup of lemon juice

4 eggs

preheat oven to 350º

Blend crust ingredients in a mixer and press on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake for 20 minutes of until slightly golden. When it's done let it cool.

While it's cooling prepare the lemon filling.

Whisk all the filling ingredients until well blended and pour over cool crust....Bake at 350º for an additional 20 minutes.

Let cool and then put in the refrigerator for at least 3 to 4 hours or overnight. When completely set cut into squares and sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.

♥ Enjoy ♥

Oatmeal Pancakes

2012-05-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy making these, not only because they taste so good...but because I don't always eat very healthy and these pancakes make me feel like I'm doing something healthy for myself ... LOL

Click here to watch the video showing how I make these

Here's the recipe

2 cups of Old Fashioned Quaker oats or quick cooking oatmeal

2 cups of Buttermik

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon of honey

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of Sugar

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of Salt

Add oats and buttermilk to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight (this gives the pancakes their distinctive texture).

Add eggs, honey and oil. Stir to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together.

Lightly oil a non-stick pan or griddle. Pour batter in 1/4 cup increments. Watch for the tops to bubble. Turn pancakes and cook until golden on the second side.

**If you don't have buttermilk handy (which I never do) Just add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to a measuring cup then fill with milk until you have a measurement of 2 cups. Let sit for 10 minutes then stir and add to your oats. I also heard that lemon juice works the same way as the vinegar but I have never tired using the lemon juice way.

My Version of Monkey Bread

2012-05-12T11:38:00.001-07:00

I make this so many times....my family & friends love it. I've seen many Monkey Bread videos on YouTube but noticed that none were like mine so I decided to make this video and share my version.

Click here to view Video

Here's The Recipe

2 cans of Plain Refrigerator Biscuits

2 Cans Of Cinnamon Rolls

1 1/2 cups of Cream

1 /1/2 cups of Packed Brown Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon

1 Cup of chopped Walnuts or Pecans

Cut each biscuit into quarters - put aside. Grease Bundt pan. placed some chopped nuts in the pan.
Now, half of those quarters, and layer them in the bottom of your greased bundt pan.
You should also preheat your oven to 350F.

In a small sauce pan, heat your cream.

Add the brown sugar to your cream.
Then add 1 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon.

When you get a nice deep brown color, stir in 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans, your choice.

pour the mixture into a 2 cup measuring jug. You should have about 2-2 1/2 cups of this mixture now.
1 cup will go on the lower layer, and 1 cup will go on the top layer of biscuit quarters.

Pour the mixture around the bundt pan, over the biscuit quarters. Remember, use only half of your mixture, about 1 cup.

Once you've gone completely around the pan, and used 1 cup of your brown sugar mixture, start layering on the next set of biscuit quarters. The pour second half of your cream mixture over top

Now place your pan in your preheated oven, and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until golden brown. It is important not to overcook this cake. Be careful, it is a very easy cake to make tough by overcooking. So after 45 minutes be sure to check it and if you think it's not done just check it every 5 minutes after that.
Once out of the oven, give the cake 10 minutes to cool slightly, and then flip on to a plate or platter:

Bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes.

Ricotta Cake

2012-04-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Growing up my father did most of the cooking in our home because...well...he was a chef and my mom's cooking wasn't that great so thank goodness for his skills.
BUT my mom did make some pretty good things and one of the things she loved was making this Ricotta Cake. Click here to view video
As you can see in the video it's very easy to make and a huge crowd pleaser.

Ricotta Cake Recipe
1 18oz box of cake mix (yellow or lemon cake mix)
2lbs of Ricotta
3/4 cup of sugar
3 beaten eggs
Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Prepare cake mix as directed on box. And pour into greased 9x13 pan. Set aside.
Add the next 4 ingredients into a separate bowl and mix thoroughly.
Spoon Ricotta mixture gently on top of prepared cake mix and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Chocolate Pudding YUM!!!

2012-03-05T13:51:00.002-08:00

Today I was in a chocolate mood....OK, everyday I'm in a Chocolate mood!! Don't Judge Me!!

So I stumbled across this recipe for chocolate pudding and I realized I had ALL the ingredients, which doesn't always happen. I want to share it because it's actually the first time I've ever made pudding from scratch. And one of my testers (my daughter's friend Michael) tasted it while it was warm and said it tasted like a quality chocolate cake...Yayyy!!!

Here's the recipe ~

1/4 cup of Sugar

1/4 cup of Cocoa Powder

2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch

2 Cups of milk...you can use low fat or non fat, it's up to you

2 ounces of Bitter Sweet Chocolate chopped

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - I think you can get creative here and substitute a liqueur like Kahlua or Frangelico

In a medium sauce pan stir together sugar, cocoa and cornstarch. Turn heat to medium high and gradually add the milk...stir constantly until it thickens...about 5 minutes.

Lower the heat and add the chopped chocolate and cook for like another 4/5 minutes....remove from heat add vanilla extract (or liqueur of choice) and pour into pudding cups.

You can serve it warm or chilled.

Enjoy!!

BTW...if you dont have Ramekins, you should. Desserts look better in them

Mini Donut Maker

2011-10-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the Donut maker I used in my lastest video. This is such a fun Kitchen Gadget. Makes donuts fast and it's so easy to clean!!

Below you'll find a widget~link to purchase it....I love it and know you will too

Butter Butter Butter

2011-08-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

I love butter, no I mean I LOVE butter. Not a big fan of Margarine. Especially after I found out that it's actually a terrible gray color before they add things to make it yellow. I mean, would you eat it if it came in the original gray color....I think not. Read about some of the Evils of Margarine here.... This Is Your Brain On Margarine

Anyway

This morning I was making toast and of course when you take the butter out of the fridge it's IMPOSSIBLE to spread without destroying your bread. So I Googled "How long can I keep butter out before it goes rancid?" and here's what I found out.

Butter usually can be kept out for several days without going rancid (salted butter will keep longer because salt acts as a preservative). Exactly how long butter will stay fresh at room temperature depends on how much heat and light it gets and whether it’s wrapped.

Margarine Vs Butter ~ Truth & Fiction

One thing I had that worked out great was this Butter crock. You replace the water in it every 3 days and your butter can stay out for a month...LOVED IT! It was under $20.00 and well worth it. I posted a widget below...check it out. You'll thank me later :)

Some of you might say....Ohhhh butter is bad, cholesterol, fattening...I say SHUT UP!! Eat in moderation dammit and enjoy the wonder that is butter!

I also made a video a while ago showing 2 ways you can double your butter....here's the link Butter Video

Salt Box

2011-06-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

A lot of people message me and ask where I got the Salt Box I use in my Cooking Videos. I purchased it on Amazon and I LOVE it! It's a great way to keep Kosher Salt handy when cooking.

I added a widget below for those interested in purchasing it ♥

Did You Know...

2011-05-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the color of those tabs on bread products meant something??? I didn't!!

I found this and had to share...the color corresponds with the day the bread was baked. Good way to remember is that it's in alphabetical order.

Starting with B (Blue) for Monday and ending with Y (yellow) for Saturday. There's no Sunday.

Heavenly Taters

2010-08-31T16:35:00.001-07:00

These potatoes are mad easy to prepare. I cooked bacon with a little oil in the pan. Then added 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves of chopped garlic. I cubed about 5 medium potatoes. Added some salt, pepper and paprika. After they cooked for about 20 minutes I added 1/2 cup of chicken stocked and covered it for about another 15 minutes. After that I take off the lid, raised the heat and let the liquid cook out. Great side dish....even good for breakfast with eggs!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.8

Eggs In Purgatory

2010-08-27T20:44:00.001-07:00

this is one of the easiest recipes .... just heat a couple of tablespoons of oil, cook onions until translucent, add garlic. Can of whole tomatoes. Some Basil,salt,pepper & crushed red pepper(optional) to taste....after its simmered for about 30 minutes just drop eggs in and allow to poach for about 5 minutes. Serve with Italian bread and salad.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.5.2

2010-07-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated in a while because between my daughter moving back home with my 2 yr old granddaughter, son graduating from high school and a personal roller coaster that I am happy to be off of I haven't really had time to.

Sometimes life gets in the way of having fun. But I plan to update this blog more often.

Here's a video of my visit to my sweet friend Sonia in Florida....had a blast there with her. Hoping to visit her again soon. But before that I have to go to the west coast and see Kelley & Rey, I miss them dearly.

National S'mores Day!

2009-08-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

August 10th is the official National S'mores day. It seems they have a national day for EVERYTHING.
This recipe was all kinds of fun to make. I found it on the web about a year ago and was going to make the video. But then my daughter moved with her husband to Kentucky and between helping her settle in and other life related stuff I was unable to post it. So this year I made it a point to pass it along!
My sons LOVED IT! They are huge S'mores fans and this was a great treat for them.

It's just a very basic cookie dough with a twist of added crushed Graham crackers added.

2009-07-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

This has become my son Zackary's new favorite dish. Every time he knows I'm making it he lights up!
Not that he's a picky eater but there are very few dishes that he raves about.
The sauce can be used it many other ways too... especially good on Raviolis. The recipe can also be changed by adding shrimp, Salmon, Scallops.... let your imagination run with this one.

Henrietta Hen

2009-04-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

I am an absolute junkie when it comes to kitchen gadgets. I found this little hen on QVC and HAD to have it. I use it often, unlike a lot of other gadgets that just collect dust in my basement.

Ricotta Cheesecake

2009-04-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

I make this a lot for my family. Especially during the holidays. It's a lighter version of the New York Style Cheesecake.

I'm not to fond of the NY cheesecake because it always seems to be such a heavy thick flavor. makles my throat all kinds of phlegmy (ugh)

This versions is always a crowd pleaser!!

Broiled Ravioli with Butter & Garlic

2008-05-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

This was the first cooking video I created on YouTube. I look at it sometimes and think... OMG... what a disaster! I would have edited it better. But little by little I'd like to think they got better.

The recipe was inspired by Frank, who first ate it in a restaurant in Little Italy in NYC. He came home one day and told me about it and we were able to recreate it. It soon became one of our favorites.