Stupid New Blogger! Oh, & Nutella "Ravioli"

Okay! So, screw new blogger! I updated it before I went out of town LAST week and it didn't post and that post (with pics!) is gone. And now this weeks is gone too. 


So screw it. I am going away (again, guh) and will just be pulling this from the archive for now. Google/blogger/computer savvy people can expect to hear from me in the meantime. Hopefully I can post again soon!


Please enjoy these little treats! And know I sympathsize with you if you too are having a rough (to say the least) adjustment with the new look/functions of blogger.... 


Blogger is both my beloved web tool and my mortal enemy. Grrrr.... anyway! We're moving on to delicious delicious Nutella raviolis! 

If you've ever been to Italy, you know that they have absolutely the best pastries around every corner. I studied in Florence for a semester so, perhaps I have a biase but, if I could live on one food for the rest of my days, I really think it would be anything the small chain "Forno" in Florence cranked out.

Just so...beyond delicious.

In coming back to the states, you become blatantly aware of the fact that bakeries here and bakeries there are very different. Here we have donuts and cakes, there they have pastries and tarts. Sure, there is some overlap. And Italian American bakeries have tiramisu and cannoli. But, I have searched bakeries since being home and have yet to find anyone who has Sfoglia or any of the Nutella treats that were common in italian bakeries and cafe's. 

If you're one of those people who roam the earth unaware of the deliciousness of Nutella... please, take my advice, and go buy a jar today. Just smear it on an Eggo Waffle and be amazed at the pure joy of the taste. 

In italy, Nutella, or rather, hazelnut chocolate spread, is extremely common. They make it themselves or buy it in jars like we do, but unlike us, it's incorporated deeply in their dessert cuisines. 

Sfolgia is a simple square that you could buy for 1 euro that is essentially a layer of flakey, buttery, pastry, then Nutella, topped by more pastry, that you bake so the Nutella becomes more substantial itself and, combined with the pastry, is pure bliss. When i came back home and started cooking up things, I became kind of crazy about trying to recreate this treat.

Lots of batches, attempts, and goings. And this version, these little beauties, are by far the best result to be had yet. 

Made with basically pie crust and nutella alone, they're great pop-able treats. Served with a drizzle of chocolate and some icecream, I am pretty sure these could be considered a sin.

But really, how fun and cute are they?! 

I'm obsessed. And they quench my thirst for italian pastry. Make and Enjoy :)

Nutella Ravioli:

-Pie crust

-Nutella

-1 egg

-powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) for dusting

Lay out your pie crust. Using a glass with a diameter of about two inches or a cookie cutter of similar size, cut yourself some small circles which you lay out on non stick cookie sheets. Dallop a teaspoon of nutella in the center of each disc. Fold over (into half moon shapes) and using a fork, press sides shut. Brush with egg, bake about 10-12 minutes at 350 or until golden brown. Let them cool completely, dust with powder sugar, and serve! 

Pretty much a smash :)

*UPDATE* Featured Here! Go Check it Out :)

Fancy Eggplant Surprise

OKAY! STOP! I know this looks kind of... weird. Maybe even gross. But I swear on my life, it is delicious!

And yes. It is involved. But, sometimes making a recipe with a lot of steps and processes is fun.

And okay... it's not really klutz friendly. I did burn my fingers making the egg plant and I may have cut myself chopping...

Forget it. I don't have to defend my recipe choices! This recipe is delicious! I don't care if you can't see it or if it doesn't keep up with the "simple" recipe theme I try and live by. I made it and I survived to tell the tale of yumminess! You probably can too.

It's from Giada's cookbook "Everyday Italian". Or "Giada's Kitchen"... one of her cookbooks. They are all kind of the same, right? She's on the cover, cooking. The book is full of awesome, can't miss recipes that make you drool as you flip through the pages...

Anyway, that's enough of this botched up post. You should just make it. And trust myself, and Giada, that this is a flavor party you will not regret making for yourself and your family.

Enjoy! :)


Giada's Eggplant Timbale:
-3 med eggplants, sliced lengthwise, 1/4 inch thick
-1/3 cup plus 2 tbls olive oil
-salt/pepper to taste
-1/2 lb penne pasta
-1 med onion, diced
-1/2 lb lean ground beef
-1/2 lb ground italian sausage
-1/4 c Marsala wine
-1 c frozen peas, thawed
-2 c marinara sauce (jarred works!)
-1 1/2 cups diced smoked mozzarella chese (approx 6oz)
-1 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
-1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Place a grill pan over med heat or preheat a grill. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the eggplant slices with 1/3 cup of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant on both sides- until tender and colored with the grill marks. About 4 mins per side. Set aside when done.

While the eggplant cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta, cook til tender but firm to the bite. Drain.

Meanwhile, warm the remaining 2 tbls olive oil in a large skillet over med/high heat. Add the onion and saute' until tender. Add the ground beef and sausage to the pan, browning the meat and breaking into bite size pieces. Pour out the excess fat. Add the Marsala wine, cook until the liquid evaporates, about 3 mins. Turn off the heat. Add peas, marinara, and stir to combine. Add mozzarella, 3/4 c pecorino, the basil, and the cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a spring form pan with the grilled eggplant, making sure the slices overlap and hang over the edge of the pan. Fill the pan with pasta mixture, pressing down to make sure the filling is evenly distrubuted. Fold the eggplant over the top, creating an entirely enclosed timbale. Bake until the filling is warmed through and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Allow it to set/cool for 10 mins.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.

Love My Lizzo & Birthday Pizza!!

Yesterday was my birthday and for my birthday dinner, a group of friends took me out for some birthday pizza. We went to this AMAZING pizzeria called 2 Amys and I had their specialty pizza of the day which was sausage & artichoke, made in their famous Neapolitan style.

It was truly delicious, truly authentic, Italian fare.

And then I began to miss my best friend, Lizzo. And Chicago deep dish pizza. And Home.

Because, frankly, even with delicious delicious Italian pizza, my taste buds knew the pizza that was being consumed was great on the one hand. However, on the other hand, the hand of "best pizza to ever be eaten/made/enjoyed on the entire face of the ENTIRE earth", we have Deep Dish Chicago Pizza.

Look at that glorious glorious pizza pie!

These shots/recipes were found by my previously mentioned BF- Lizzo. One afternoon this summer (when I was being a slacker and didn't post anything), we made our own Chicago deep dish pizza, taking the time to make the dough and sauce from scratch.

It went by extremely quickly due to the fun and friendly chatter between us. And no injuries or accidents were caused by me! Shocking considering my usual clutzy cooking mantra. But with Liz, she always makes me feel proud and actually able to cook. We both did well at pretending we were able to do so with ease- no burns, cuts, or "oops" moments to speak of!

I know, guys. Very proud. We'll make an award later.

ANYWAY! So, if you have never had Chicago Pizza, you are missing out. As you can see, contrary to what one normally expects from a pizza, the sauce is on top, the cheese is melded to the crust, and wow! That crust is gynormous!

Yep. Gynormous. We make up words here in the clutzy kitchen.

While Chicago deep dish doesn't necessarily fit the image one has for a pizza, it is a triumphant change on the norm. In my opinion, it is the crust that makes a deep dish go from okay to "ooooooooooooooooooooh, wow. kay, what a first bite!". If you have a legitimate deep dish pizza, it will have cornmeal in the crust. This creates crunch, and almost a buttery/flaky quality to the crust. This crust has to be as huge and sturdy as it is in order to support whatever bad-ass toppings you're going to add. This pizza is a beast, it doesn't mess around, you want to load it UP with toppings! If you are just going to do cheese, make it a proper layer of cheese. This pizza isn't topped with cheese, you need to layer it, in large LARGE quantities to the crust. It'll melt and adhere to the crust and then, when you top it with sauce, it'll seem as though your dish was stuffed with cheese and toppings.

Doesn't that just sound amazing? I promise, it's amazing. I hope you all have been to the Chicago area and have had top notch pizza such as Giordano's or Lou's at least once in your life. It's quite an experience. If you check out the web pages- you can see for yourself: drool worthy pizza.

Okay! That is quite enough rambling. I am merely sincerely missing home and, when missing home, you miss the comfort foods of home. This is all of Chicago's comfort food. I hope you too will find a feast within this recipe. Make and enjoy :)

Homemade Pizza Sauce

-2 tablespoons virgin olive oil

-5 minced garlic cloves

-1 (28oz) can San Marzano Tomatoes

-1/2 tsp kosher salt

-1/2 tsp dried oregano

Heat oil in medium size sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, crush tomatoes then add all ingredients to pan. bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Deep Dish Crust

-1 c. water

-1/4 c. shortening

-1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

-1 tsp. salt

-1 1/2 pkg. active dry yeast

-1/2 c. lukewarm water

-3/4 c. yellow cornmeal

-3 or 3 1/2 c. flour

-yellow cornmeal

Heat 1 cup water, shortening, sugar and salt until shortening melts. Cool to lukewarm. Soften yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Combine yeast and shortening mixtures in large bowl. Add cornmeal and flour to shortening mix and knead until smooth and workable. Oil pizza pans with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Cornmeal makes it nice and crunchy, don't be afraid to add more to the bottom/sides. Press dough into pans (deep dish pans required, press crust up sides) and pierce with a fork several times. Bake in 425 degree preheated oven for 7 minutes. Remove and add your favorite pizza toppings and bake for additional 20 to 25 minutes.

Don't forget the layering order:

Crust

Cheese

Toppings

Sauce

ENJOY! :)

Mr. P's Infamous Bruschetta

I got this recipe from a very lovable, very passionate, greek man who, while built like a 7 foot bear, has a true flair for cooking. This dish is PHENOMENAL.

BEYOND PHENOMENAL.

It's so good that it forces you to take a moment, close your eyes, and savor as you "mmmmmmm" and purr like a cat from the pleasure of all these flavors combining into ecstasy.

This dish makes me question how anyone could dislike tomato. Clearly, tomato is the secret to life happiness.

I made two large cookie sheets (this recipe yields a LOT but I doubt you'll waste anything) and my roommate and I ate them for dinner for the next two days. With some white wine and our patio door open to let the spring air in, I can't think of a better dinner ever had.

I hope you can make these with the same results. These are garlic heavy so, prepare to brush your teeth and down a few mints once you're through ;)

Bruschetta

-6 Roma tomatoes

-10 cloves garlic

-Fresh basil

-Dried oregano

-Dried basil

-Salt

-Pepper

-Olive Oil

-Balsamic

-Lemon Juice

-1 package crumbled feta

-1 loaf italian bread

-Butter

Dice your tomatoes and dump into bowl. Finely chop your fresh basil and add to the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic. Chop your garlic as small as possible and then add it, and remaining spices, into your bowl. Everything is to taste here but, go for heavy flavors, after the garlic, it's pretty impossible to overpower. Drizzle with a tablespoon or so of the lemon juice to keep things fresh as possible and put into the fridge to let things combine into each other.

In the meantime, slice up your italian bread into about 1/2 inch thickness and then slice in half so you have decent size, not overwhelmingly sized, pieces of bread. Lay out on cookie sheets and spread with butter. Broil in oven about 4 minutes or until golden and crisp.

As with anything BROILED, watch like a hawk or it WILL burn.

Once fresh from the oven, let cool a bit and then spoon a hefty amount of the bruschetta over each slice. Top with the feta and serve.

Do NOT forget the feta. It is KEY. I have done a taste test with and without the cheese, not usually much of a feta person myself, and without it, the bruschetta is good, amazing even but not "ohmygosh, give me some time alone with this" good.

Ha, make and enjoy ;)

Nutella Ravioli: Italian Pastry Inspiration

If you've ever been to Italy, you know that they have absolutely the best pastries around every corner. I studied in Florence for a semester so, perhaps I have a biase but, if I could live on one food for the rest of my days, I really think it would be anything the small chain "Forno" in Florence cranked out.

Just so...beyond delicious.

In coming back to the states, you become blatantly aware of the fact that bakeries here and bakeries there are very different. Here we have donuts and cakes, there they have pastries and tarts. Sure, there is some overlap. And Italian American bakeries have tiramisu and cannoli. But, I have searched bakeries since being home and have yet to find anyone who has Sfoglia or any of the Nutella treats that were common in italian bakeries and cafe's. 

If you're one of those people who roam the earth unaware of the deliciousness of Nutella... please, take my advice, and go buy a jar today. Just smear it on an Eggo Waffle and be amazed at the pure joy of the taste. 

In italy, Nutella, or rather, hazelnut chocolate spread, is extremely common. They make it themselves or buy it in jars like we do, but unlike us, it's incorporated deeply in their dessert cuisines. 

Sfolgia is a simple square that you could buy for 1 euro that is essentially a layer of flakey, buttery, pastry, then Nutella, topped by more pastry, that you bake so the Nutella becomes more substantial itself and, combined with the pastry, is pure bliss. When i came back home and started cooking up things, I became kind of crazy about trying to recreate this treat.

Lots of batches, attempts, and goings. And this version, these little beauties, are by far the best result to be had yet. 

Made with basically pie crust and nutella alone, they're great pop-able treats. Served with a drizzle of chocolate and some icecream, I am pretty sure these could be considered a sin.

But really, how fun and cute are they?! 

I'm obsessed. And they quench my thirst for italian pastry. Make and Enjoy :)

Nutella Ravioli:

-Pie crust

-Nutella

-1 egg

-powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) for dusting

Lay out your pie crust. Using a glass with a diameter of about two inches or a cookie cutter of similar size, cut yourself some small circles which you lay out on non stick cookie sheets. Dallop a teaspoon of nutella in the center of each disc. Fold over (into half moon shapes) and using a fork, press sides shut. Brush with egg, bake about 10-12 minutes at 350 or until golden brown. Let them cool completely, dust with powder sugar, and serve! 

Pretty much a smash :)

*UPDATE* Featured Here! Go Check it Out :)

Lesley's Infamous Italian Sausage Cooked in Red Wine with Roasted Bell Peppers and Balsamic Glaze

My bestest friend in the entire world came to visit me at school and, lazy in the apartment, we decided to cook this recipe that she stated was "seriously, amazing".

She was completely, totally, under-exaggerating. It is twice as amazing as all that and since we made it, I have been craving making it again as SOON as possible. 

The drunk sausages are that lovely red/purple from the wine, and the flavor of the sausages plus wine is devine. We cut up crusty italian bread and ate it all messy hands style, piling up food as we liked it and munching on some of the left over bruschetta as a side dish.

You NEED to add some balsamic glaze to your bread/sausage before eating as well. Before you take a bite, make sure you have a bit on it, it adds so much more flavor, you'll be amazed.

Perhaps you could even just add it to the pot when everything is cooking down...

In any case, the peppers/sausage/balsamic glaze all piled together on bread made flavor parties on your tongue. Please make and combine and enjoy.

It's yum-tastic.

Italian Sausage Cooked in Red Wine

-1 package italian sausage (mild or spicy to taste)

-2 cups red wine

-3 tablespoons olive oil plus 1 tablespoons

-3 bell peppers

-1 loaf italian bread

-Balsamic drizzle to taste

In large sauce pan, combine wine, olive oil, and sausage. Cook on high. Let the wine burn off, the oil will remain and crisp the sausages up, this process should take 20-30 minutes. Dice bell peppers, when sausage is done, add to wine stained/oil pan, adding the additional tablespoon olive oil if you need. Cook up until soft and singed. 

Eat everything piled up on your sliced up bread. Heaven, right?

Goat Cheese & Pesto with Bruschetta

Frankly, the week back to school after Spring break is pure, bitter, hell.

Yep. I said it. Hell.

So by the end of the week, I was ready to die. Or at least splurge on my grocery list for some divine italian treats.

I picked up some fresh italian bread and goats cheese and a really nice little jar of pesto and the week melted away as I took the first bite of rich deliciousness. Hopefully you find it as satisfying and easy to throw together as I do. Enjoy :)

Broiled Goats Cheese Pesto Blend with Bruschetta

-1 package soft goats cheese (approx 11 ounces)

-1 container prepared pesto

-Prepared Bruschetta as a topping (*either packaged or home made, but you can substitute with chopped sun dried tomatoes. they 100% also work as a great topping)

Cream goats cheese and pesto together. If you're not a broke college student such as myself, you probably have a processor you can use to puree the two. Slice the bread into hearty slices. Lay out on a cookie sheet and spread a thick layer of the pesto/cheese blend onto each slice. Broil in oven for approximately 4 minutes. WATCH LIKE A HAWK! Some slices may crisp up faster then others depending on thickness and such so you may need more or less time. When done, let cool, spoon bruschetta over, and serve.

May your audience be lost in an "mmmmm" moment.

Caprese Salad & Roasted Garlic FTW

Ah, the Caprese salad. This just tastes like...fresh. It's clean flavors all lined up to create joy in your system. Served with bread, this is the perfect lunch time meal. Not too filling but just filling enough, crisp flavors that make your taste buds burst into Italian sonnets... it's all just very lovely.

Toss it together and give it a whirl. 

Caprese Salad

-Tomatoes (I use grape but, some like bigger slices, choose your favorite tomatoes, mixing types if you like, you can't really go wrong with any ripe tomatoes)

-Fresh mozzarella balls

-Fresh basil

-2 tablespoons lemon juice

-Salt/Pepper

-Balsamic

-Olive Oil

Chop the tomatoes, set aside in a small bowl. Add lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper. I love a LOT of both, salted tomatoes and pepper being something I am partial to but, use your preferences to guide your hand. Chop up basil and mozzarella and add to bowl, stir gently. Dish out and drizzle with balsamic to seal the deal. Divine ;)

Roasted Garlic. Yummm. 

Just let that roll around in your mind for a moment, let your memory recall and savor.

Roasted. Garlic.

The picture just looks like the bread has ridges but, that my friends, is smooshed garlic, the fork marks making it look jagged. Once you have roasted the garlic, that is how you should eat it. Smeared and smooshed onto toasted slices of bread. To do that, you use a butter knife to pull the cloves free of the skin and then smear them on to bread as they will be all roasted and soft and delicious. Add olive oil or butter as well if you're feeling particularly lustful. So simple and so very divine.

Roasted Garlic

-4 heads of garlic

-2 oz. Olive Oil

-12 oz. Water

Using a sharp knife, remove the top of the garlic head to expose the cloves. Drizzle or brush the heads with the olive oil and place in a shallow casserole dish. (Or au gratin dish if you're fancy). Fill the dish with 1" of water and cover. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until the garlic is soft and a golden, light, brown.

Baked, Breaded, and Seasoned Eggplant Over Pasta

...this dish was just. Really good.

It was one of those times when, I had a lazy afternoon of studying and, got hungry. Decided to throw some pasta together using the produce in my fridge that was nearing toss time.

And it exceeded my expectations. By delicious miles.

For those of you who don't know, these are both egg plant. The cute little one is aptly named "baby eggplant". I don't know how they grew these fully flavored egg plants in miniature size but, it was so cute I could not resist. And that long, funky looking one, I just have never had nor seen before and therefore needed to try.

This one is called "japanese eggplant". 

So! I decided to make something with eggplant in it just so I could try these two out. I'd had egg plant before and cooked it before but, I decided to go into the experimental, no recipe, territory.

Turned out fun and yummy as I said. One of my new favorite ways to add to the classic spaghetti and tomato sauce.

These are the two eggplants chopped up! The left side is the baby eggplant (which ironically, look bigger) and the right side has the japanese, which seemed to have more seeds and a slightly more bitter flavor. 

When everything was cooked up though, the playing field seemed to level and it was just one pasta bowl of delicious. 

Baked Eggplant Pasta

-1 to 2 Eggplants (depending on size/amount of people you are trying to feed)

-1 cup bread crumbs

-Basil

-Garlic Salt

-Oregano

-Pepper

-Parmesan

-Olive oil

Slice the eggplant into discs. Drizzle a lipped cookie sheet with olive oil and smear, (essentially, grease the sheet with olive oil). Lay the sliced discs out on the sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle each disc with bread crumbs, I used a pretty heavy hand. Then add spices and cheese to taste. I used a good amount of garlic salt and then went lighter on everything else. 

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs appear toasted and the eggplant discs are soft. Depending on how thick you slice, it could take more or less time.

Chicken in a Garlic White Wine Sauce... & Promise it's a Cinch.

Midwest weather seriously just sucks in February.

Seriously. It's a blustery but sunny day one minute and then the next, it's freezing winds and torrential snow and you find yourself slipping on ice and snow constantly and soaked within moments of stepping outside the door.

Or at least, I find myself in that situation rather consistently.

On one such particular day this week, I got fed up with the chill completely and decided that I wanted a warm and delicious dinner to make me feel more cheered.

This dish was just the trick to make myself and my roommates feel the winter chill evaporate and the delicious flavor of garlic seep into our taste buds.

Garlic Chicken and Wine Sauce

-3 large chicken breasts, cut in 1/2

-1 bottle dry white wine

-1/3 cup milk

-1 head garlic
-Assorted Veggies (Or not) To taste (I used spinach, tomato, & mushrooms)

-Salt/Pepper

-Olive Oil

-Butter

-Breadcrumbs

Put deep pan on stove. Saute' garlic in butter. Roll chicken in bread crumbs, add to butter/garlic. Cook outsides slightly before adding remaining ingredients. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve over RICE.

Yes, I realize I took the picture served over pasta. Which is ALSO delicious. It's up to you, but I would go with rice because it soaks up the flavors much better. Either way, you'll enjoy it, promise :)

Italian Inspired Pizza

I'm clearly in a "I miss Italy" mood.

This is my take on Italian pizza. I don't bother to make my own crust, I like Baboli's thin crust and, while making from scratch is MORE delicious, I'm a person who thinks that pizza is pizza and, to a certain degree, it should be easy to make and easy to eat.

Spending a LOT of time and energy on a phenomenal pizza when I could call and order one that's also delicious doesn't make too much sense to me. 

So, I pretty much never make my own crust. Unless I'm in the mood to really get into cooking that night while also craving pizza. But with a premade crust or at least premade dough, tossing some delicious toppings of your own making on is simple, quick, and phenomenal.

Plus, people get impressed for no reason. All you've done is chop and top and yet, people will rave for your pizza.

And yes, I do realize this pizza has no sauce. It has a LOT of chopped tomatoes though so, I just think of it as sauce in the raw. 

Enjoy!

Italian Pizza

-Pizza Crust

-Proscuitto 

-Hard, corrto, salami

-Artichokes

-Asparagus (optional, I put it on the pizza picture because I had some on hand and thought it added nice color and flavor but, easily can go without)

-1 carton grape tomatoes

-Shredded Mozzarella

-Olive Oil

-Italian Spices

(I like: rosemary, oregano, garlic, thyme, majorm. Or, McCormick's salt free italian seasoning)

-Salt/Pepper

-1 egg

First, layer meats on crust. Then add vegetables, diced to bite size, tomatoes cut in half. Use ALL the tomatoes if you can, will add rich but light flavor of a sauce without having a sauce. Drizzle entire thing with olive oil. THIS IS IMPORTANT IN CHANGING THE FLAVORS! DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE FAT CONTENT, DRIZZLE LIGHTLY, DON'T DROWN IT, AND THEN DON'T WORRY ABOUT CALORIE COUNT! Add cheese to your liking (as you can tell by the image, I like and recommend extremely light cheese on this pizza because I don't want to drown the other flavors). Add spices. Break one egg over center of dough. Bake at 400 til Egg is cooked to liking- that's when you know it's done :)

And sure you can lose the egg. But egg adds a lot to the pizza flavors, especially if you cook it slightly runny so you can dip each piece and smear. It's delicious and a fun way to cook. The kids I nanny for get a kick out of an egg on their pizza. Just be a brave soul and give it a whirl.