Touch of Italian....



It wouldn't be Christmas without Struffoli! (and rice balls!)

Struffoli

4 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
5 eggs
½ cup butter melted
¾ cup sugar
Zest of 1 Lemon

Juice of One Lemon
Two Cups Honey

To the flour, add salt and then eggs one at a time. Melt butter and add when cool. Add vanilla, sugar and lemon zest. Mix.

On a floured surface, knead until smooth. Let rest. Dough will be a little sticky. Roll out ”pencils,” adding a light dusting of flour if needed. Cut "pencils" in to ½” pieces.

Deep fry(360) until a light golden color.

Heat honey and the juice of one lemon. Add struffolis a little at a time. Coat well and place on platter.

Dust with sprinkles.

Day of the Cabbage....

Publix finally had a HUGE head of cabbage (~5 lbs) so I made Joanie stuffed cabbage yesterday. (She's only been asking for them for at least 3 years.) Since I knew I had to be out of practice, I wrote down my seasonings, etc.

Ingredients

Stuffing

2 lbs ground sirloin
1 egg
parsley
1 diced onion, sauteed
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 tsp of garlic salt (1.5 would probably be fine)
dash of salt
pepper to taste

Sauce

I make marinara...using 2 large cans of Hunts Whole Tomatoes....and pre-cook it for 15 minutes. I then added 1/4 cup of the sauce (sans tomato chunks) to the meat mixture.

Cabbage

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Pre-carve around the stem/core of the cabbage and discard the first outer layer of leaves. After 5 minutes, using tongs, start pulling off the cabbage leaves one by one. (You will have to continually cut around the core.) When the cabbage head is no longer large enough to make a bundle, remove from the pot and let cool. These leaves are layered on the bottom of a large baking dish to prevent the bundles from sticking and burning on the bottom.

Preparing the Bundles

I do cut the heavy core out of each cabbage leaf...place ~1/4 cup of meat, fold in what once was the V-section, then fold in the sides and then the top and secure with a toothpick.

Layer your baking dish with a little sauce, the extra cabbage leaves and the bundles. Pour the marinara sauce over them. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350 for 75 minutes. I do believe I cooked mine for 90 minutes....




This recipe made 17....Joanie took some home for lunch today : )

Pizza Time.....

I’ve been experimenting….I’ve made thin crust….thicker crust….cooked the toppings….not cooked the toppings…put a lot of mozzarella….and less mozzarella… pre-baked the dough….and not bothered….

Here is what we like best and which Bobby proclaims, “the best pizza ever!”

I buy my dough at Publix – quick, easy and no complaints ….let it sit out one hour…Using my fists and working around the edge of the dough, in minutes it is circular. I let it rest for about 30 minutes. (While I liked the crispy crust….it hurt my jaw…so….I make a softer, chewier yet gentle crust. If you like a crispy crust, just roll it out and put your toppings on.)

I brush the dough with oil and prick it with a fork as if you were making a pie. I then spoon on some gravy….some mozzarella…the cooked peppers/mushrooms/onions….a little more mozzarella….a little shredded sharp cheddar cheese….and a little more gravy.



Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes.....



Ingredients
Gravy
1 medium can Hunts Tomato Sauce
garlic/oil/oregano

Toppings
8 oz Mozzarella diced
1 green pepper diced
1 medium onion diced
1 jar of mushrooms, drained
2 handfuls of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Cream of Wheat for the pizza stone

Knitting continues on Cobblestone....up to sleeve #1.....

Recipe for Success........
Photo Courtesy of "Taste of Home"

No knitting content....but....Cobblestone is now ~12". Here's a recipe instead!

Scalloped Potatoes
Béchamel Sauce
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp butter
4 cups whole milk

5 lbs white potatoes
2 onions diced

Melt butter. Add flour. Whisk and cook about 2 minutes. Slowly add whole milk. Whisking continually, bring to a simmer/light boil. When it is the consistency of “cooking” pudding, or coats the back of a wooden spoon, it is done. (It takes a while since I don’t scald the milk separately.) I’m all about less clean-up.

Meanwhile, peel and slice the potatoes.

Do a layer of potatoes, sprinkle some diced onion, salt and pepper. Top with béchamel sauce. (Cover all the potatoes with dollops). Repeat.

Bake in a 350 oven for 90 minutes or until the top is brown and golden.

For the longest time, I made scalloped potatoes “perfect every time.” And then something happened. The sauce would separate and become watery. It was the potatoes. Make sure you buy potatoes that are specifically for scalloped potatoes – I think I bought white potatoes. Who knew? I do now : )