Hospitality

It's been awhile since I posted a new recipe. I've spent the last week coordinating meals for a friend who went into the hospital with pregnancy complications. I believe we are called to exercise hospitality, not only in our own homes, but for others going through trying times as well. It gives me great joy to help others out that way.

Needless to say, I haven't had time to post new recipes. I did bake 15 dozen pizzelle (Italian cookies) for a missions conference our church is having this weekend. Tonight I made chicken cutlets, hashbrowns, and salad.

I hope to enter a new recipe or two this weekend! I hope your cooking adventures have been fun! I'd love to hear about them!

Have a great weekend and Buon Appetito!

Laura

Valentine Delight! Cinnamon Rolls...

Are you planning a special breakfast for your loved ones this Valentine's Day? You must try this cinnamon roll recipe! They are the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had. Yes, better than Cinnabon! It was shared with me by my friend Debbie W.

1 FRESH yellow cake mix
2 pkg yeast
2 1/2 cups very warm water
5 cups sifted flour - Cake flour or all purpose works (I use 2 Hot Roll Mixes plus 1 cup flour)

Mix all ingredients together until silky. I use my Kitchen Aid mixer. This is a sticky dough so it is ok to add up to 1/2 cup more flour if kneading by hand. Place in bowl, cover with warm, damp towel, and let it rise about an hour. (I place my bowl in my microwave and leave the door slightly opened so the warmth of the light will accelerate the dough rising.)

Roll dough out in a rectangle. Melt a stick of butter to grease a 9x13 pan. Spread remaining softened butter on top of dough. Sprinkle liberally with sugar, cinnamon, walnuts (optional), and raisins (optional). Roll up like a jelly roll. Using dental floss, cut cinnamon rolls out. Place rolls in pan and let rise until the pan is full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Frost the rolls with a butter and powdered sugar frosting and drizzle over the top of the rolls.

I like to make them the day before we plan to eat them and frost them the morning of. It's our family tradition to have cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning and Valentine's Day...and anytime in between! They are soooo good! Enjoy!

Panini or Sandwich?

I often chuckle when I go into a sandwich shop or watch a commercial advertising Panini's as if it's the newest and latest in sandwiches. The reason why I laugh is because the word "Panini" means "Sandwich" in Italian. Any kind of sandwich is referred to as a panini in Italy. The only difference I can think of is that the paninis are almost always toasted or heated. So instead of a cold sandwich, it's a hot sandwich. I wonder how much money the change in words has brought in for the sandwich franchises in America? It's true that it's all in the marketing!

When I'm asked for my "Panini" recipe, I find myself wanting to explain that every time. So I will share my Panini recipe. You will be amazed at how simple it is.

Panini Recipe
wheat Rolls
turkey or ham lunchmeat(I use Hormel because it is Nitrate free)
Havarti cheese - sliced
condiments of your choice (I often mix mayonnaise with the seasonings I like and spread it on the outside of the bread before I toast it)

Assemble panini and grill on a grill pan. I use a George Foreman grill too.
Add any vegetables or condiments.

It's that simple! Experiment with different meats and cheeses!

Buon Appetito!

Holy Crepe!!

My husband and I have talked about some day opening a Crepery. He said we should name the restaurant "Holy Crepe". I cracked up laughing but I loved it! The funny thing is the store-front I'd like to put is located right next to a church. Not sure how that restaurant name would go over with them. :)

With it being the weekend, here is a special recipe you can treat your family to! Son #2 will ask me for Nutella Crepes almost weekly. What I love about crepes, is that you can make them sweet or savory. Nutella is something I grew up with. My mom used to smuggle it back from Italy when I was young because it wasn't available in the states until recently. I was so happy when I saw it on the shelves at my local grocery stores!

Basic Crepe Recipe
1 cup flour
pinch salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh orange zest (optional - I don't put this in mine)
unsalted butter for cooking
Nutella spread

Put first 6 ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. For best results, refrigerate, covered, for at least an hour and up to overnight. I've made crepes immediately after blending the ingredients and turned out fine.

Heat a 6- to 8- inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Using a folded paper towel, wipe some butter on the skillet and reuse paper towel between each crepe. Swirl it around so it forms a thin layer on bottom of pan.

When the top of the crepe is dry, turn and cook the other side. The crepe should brown slightly and not become crisp. As the crepes are done, stack them in a single layer with a sheet of waxed paper between each. I like to heat my stove-top griddle on low heat and place a piece a foil down to keep the crepes warm if I'm making a large batch. Once the crepes are made, you can spread the filling of your choice on each crepe.

Crepes can be made up to a day in advance; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
The nice thing about crepes is you can add whatever filling you want...nutella, cool whip and bananas, mixed fruit, mushroom chicken, creamed spinach, etc.

We like to spread nutella on our crepes, roll them up, then sprinkle powdered sugar on them. My kids will have 2-3 each and I usually get 8-10 crepes from this recipe.

Let me know how you like this!!

I will say "Bon Appetit" since this is a French recipe! :)

My Menu for the next 5 days

Here is my menu for the next 5 days...two tips I want to share with you...

1) I make sure each meal includes some kind of protein in it. Protein keeps you full longer and doesn't bring you back to the kitchen an hour after your meal (especially kids).

2) I have a "Menu Journal" that I record my menus in. Planning the menu takes some thought. If you keep a log of it, then 2 months down the road, if you're stuck and can't think of anything, just refer back to your journal and pick from one you already planned.

Breakfasts - Oatmeal Casserole (recipe below)
Eggs and bacon
Pancakes (Saturday)
Nutella Crepes (Sunday)
Apple Turnovers

Lunch - leftovers or paninis

Supper - Pork Tenderloin/Broccoli
Tacos
Pasta with meatballs
Teriyaki Chicken kabobs
Salmon and asparagus


Today's recipe that I am going to share with you is one of our family favorites for breakfast. And it's very quick, easy, and healthy! I got this recipe from my dear friend Sharon who passed away last year. I really miss her but she left me with a treasure trove of recipes. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Casserole
½ c. oil
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 c oatmeal
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. skim milk
1 t. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg

Mix all together. Grease 9x9 pan. Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Serve for breakfast or an afternoon snack with fruit, yogurt, or ice cream. My kids love it for breakfast. Mark likes to pour milk over it to moisten. The casserole reminds me of a carmelized pecan pie surface without the calories! If you want to make it lower fat, you can substitute apple sauce for the oil, egg beaters for the eggs, and artificial sweeteners for the sugar.

Let me know how you like it!

Mom, what's for Breakfast? Lunch? Supper? Dessert?

Is this a common question at your house? Not a day goes by when my boys don't ask me what we're having for our next meal. Have they not been a part of this family for the last 16 and 13 years to know that they will not go hungry? Part of me wants to say, "It's your turn to cook tonight." But my love of planning menus and cooking, gets it done before they have a chance to whip it up themselves.

We had lunch guests last week and my friend asked me, "How do you find the time to cook?" My response was simple...menu planning.

(I have to interject...as I type this, Son #1 just yelled from the other room, "Mom, is there something for lunch?" "Yes, we are having paninis but if you can't wait til I'm done with my blog, you can make it yourself." How's that for timing?) haha!

To continue on the subject of menu planning...I think menu planning is the key to preparing meals for your family. Do I do menu planning every week? No...sometimes I wing it with whatever I have in the freezer. I always keep frozen tortellini, ravioli, chicken breasts, ground beef, and my homemade tomato sauce and meatballs in my freezer. This way if Mark is out of town, or I don't have time to cook, it can easily and quickly be microwaved or heated.

I've heard women say they don't have time to do menu planning, but on the contrary, menu planning saves you time in the long run. So let me challenge you to take 5 minutes to plan out your suppers for the next 5 days. And try to double-dip if you can. If you make a pork tenderloin, make extra so you can have leftovers for sandwiches the next day. And plan to have one vegetable with each supper. If you have any questions or need help with your planning, please send me a message and I will get back to you asap.

I will post a new recipe tomorrow...so stay tuned!

Happy Planning!

Laura

Cauliflower - An Anti-Carcinogen

I was reading in the January 2010 issue of Lifetime Magazine that Cauliflower detoxifies the body, discourages cancer, and gives us a big immunity boost! The new year seems to be the month that many get on a detox diet, including myself. As a mom, I'm always looking for healthy and delicious recipes to feed my family.

I'm not one for raw vegetables, but, show me a good recipe for cooked vegetables, and I'm in!
Over the holidays, I needed a side-dish to go with roasted beef tenderloin and came across this Roasted Cauliflower Gratin in the newspaper. The recipe is from Lambert's in Ft. Worth. Don't let the length of it intimidate you. It really was easy to prepare.

Roasted Cauliflower Gratin
2 small heads cauliflower
8 cloves garlic, halved
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
white pepper to taste
pinch of ground nutmeg
4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
4 ounces goat cheese, room temp (I subsituted feta cheese for the goat cheese)
pinch of cayenne pepper ( optional)
1/2 cup grated cheddar or Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F and butter a large (9x11) baking dish. Cut away the leaves and trim the stalks from the caulflower. Cut cauliflower into 2" chunks and combine in a bowl with the garlic and olive oil, tossing to coat well. Transfer to a baking pan, season lightly with salt and pepper, and roast until fork-tender and beginning to brown on the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and set aside.

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour. Slowly add the mil, stirring constantly to keep the mixture smooth. Add salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually add the cream cheese, goat cheese and cayenne; stir until smooth. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower in the baking dish and toss gently to coat. Bake for 15 minutes; top the baking dish with the grated cheese and bake for 5 minutes longer. Serve hot.
Makes 8-10 servings.

Leftover Tip: I took the leftovers and put it in a pot of chili I made the next day. My kids, who won't eat vegetables, didn't even know I had added it to the chili. The cauliflower is soft just like the beef and beans and the sauce colored it red! Score!!!

piccolo food blog

Welcome to the first post of my piccolofoodblog! Piccolo is my maiden name and it also means little. So welcome to my little food blog! I am new to blogging so I don't expect BIG things!

I am doing this as a result of my passion to cook, bake, and entertain! I love to share my recipes and ideas and thought this would be the best way to reach all my friends and family! Because my husband, Mark, and I do alot of entertaining, many of our guests get a sample of my cooking. As a result, I usually get requests for recipes. It has become somewhat time consuming sitting at my computer typing out my recipes...so it's brought me to blogging.

My love of cooking and baking is a result of sitting under the excellent culinary teachings of my mother, Maria. We call her Mamma Piccolo. She is an immigrant from Sicily and taught me everything she knows about Italian cooking. In addition, I love to read cooking magazines, recipe books, and watch Food Network. I experiment with all kinds of recipes and have accumulated lots of recipes. I have quite the recipe fettish. But my family benefits from it daily.

Something that really saddens me is the lack of homecooking in families today. Cooking and baking is a dieing art. It's my hope that my blog will encourage you to plan weekly menus, try new recipes, and cook fresh meals for your family and friends. It really is easy and a big time-saver in the long run.

So stay tuned...I will try to enter new recipes and ideas as often as I can. In the mean time, please let me know if you have any cooking questions or requests.

Buon Appetito!