Thursday, December 12, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Cooking Tip of the Day: Recipe: Baked Chocolate Custard
Cooking Tip of the Day: Recipe: Baked Chocolate Custard
Recipe: Baked Chocolate Custard
All you need:
3 eggs
¼ cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
Pinch of salt
½ cup Hershey chocolate syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
All you need to do:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Put the custard cups or ramekins into a deep dish baking dish and set aside.
In a tea kettle, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil (for the water bath)… when water boils turn off the heat and leave the kettle until needed.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, vanilla, chocolate syrup, coffee, sugar and salt.
Pour milk mixture into custard cups.
Place the baking dish with the custard cups into the preheated oven.
Carefully pour the hot water from the kettle into the baking dish so the water comes to about ½ to 2/3 of the custard cups.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the custard is set (a knife inserted into the center should come out clean).
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Makes 4-6 servings depending on the size of the custard cups.
Serving Suggestion: Serve with a dollop of Mocha Whipped Cream on top.
Recipe: Baked Chocolate Custard
All you need:
3 eggs
¼ cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
Pinch of salt
½ cup Hershey chocolate syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
All you need to do:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Put the custard cups or ramekins into a deep dish baking dish and set aside.
In a tea kettle, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil (for the water bath)… when water boils turn off the heat and leave the kettle until needed.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, vanilla, chocolate syrup, coffee, sugar and salt.
Pour milk mixture into custard cups.
Place the baking dish with the custard cups into the preheated oven.
Carefully pour the hot water from the kettle into the baking dish so the water comes to about ½ to 2/3 of the custard cups.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the custard is set (a knife inserted into the center should come out clean).
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Makes 4-6 servings depending on the size of the custard cups.
Serving Suggestion: Serve with a dollop of Mocha Whipped Cream on top.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Create-A-Recipe For The Original Veggie Pizza with Six Cheeses
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
A Fourth of July Fireworks Red, White, and Blueberries Cobbler for Dessert After Brunch
Monday, July 1, 2013
12th Annual Congress of the Centro Cultural Cubano de Nueva York on Sunday, July 14, 2013
The month of July starts with the taste of food festivals for the summer solstice. Food Fests remind everyone to eat a lot and with gusto during the summer and store energy for the long, cold winter months. In July, anyone can have a Taste of Anything, Anywhere one goes...including a Taste of Cuban cuisine, not only in Cuba, of course...
Ethnic cooking is everywhere in the USA, but authentic Cuban cuisine lives at the Centro Cultural Cubano de Nueva York. The 12th Annual Congress of the Centro Cultural Cubano de Nueva York takes place on Sunday, July 14 from 9 am to 7 pm at the International Culinary Center of Manhattan, 462 Broadway (corner of Grand St.), New York City.
Early morning, I was reading about My Big Fat Cuban Family by Marta Darby who is going to be present on Sunday, July 14th for a Live Cooking Demo, while she makes her famous "Homemade Pastelitos de Guayaba", an original recipe for Guava Pastries prepared easily at home. On this great day for Cuban cooking, there is a special Cuban Foodie eat-all-you-can day at Victor's Café which includes a Cuban breakfast, lunch, "merienda", beverages, café cubano, cocktails, and much more...
Authentic Cuban cooking in my family is a credit to my Cuban Grandmothers, Mother, and Father who have passed on the Cuban cuisine tradition to everyone in our family. Whenever Cuban food is served, there is always a Conga-line queued eager to taste favorite dishes, appetizers, croquetas, sandwich cubano, arroz con pollo, lechón asado, arroz blanco, frijoles negros, moros y cristianos, yuca al mojo, and anything else your stomach desires to eat. The cooking theme at the 12th Annual Congress of the Centro Cultural Cubano this year is "Cuban Cuisine: del casabe al mojito". This is an unforgettable Cuban epicurean food experience that your palate will never regret.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Summer Solstice Recipes
Friday, June 14, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Soldier Field Spring Egg-Stravaganza presented by Dominick's. | Soldierfield.net
Soldier Field Spring Egg-Stravaganza presented by Dominick's. | Soldierfield.net
Soldier Field together with Dominick's celebrates the beginning of spring by inviting families to take part in the 10th annual Spring Egg-Stravaganza on Saturday, March 23rd. The largest candy grab in the city taking place here on the stadium field. The stadium will open at 9am to the general public to enjoy all types of kid and family friendly activities including face painters, fun inflatables, balloon artists and much more!
The fun on the field will begin at 10am with the first group of kids to collect all the goodies they can on the field. The event is FREE and open to the public. The first 2,000 children to participate in the candy grab will receive a commemorative wooden egg designed by a local Chicago youth participating in the citywide open art contest that is now open.
Breakfast with the Easter Bunny: THIS IS NOW FULL as of March 8.
For those looking for a great meal on this special day, please join us for a fantastic breakfast in the United Club from 8:30am-10am. Children 10 and under cost $12 and adults are $17.50. Children under 3 years eat free with paying family. Reservations are mandatory for brunch and must be made by Wednesday, March 20 by calling 312-235-7162 or emailing sfspecialevents@dncinc.com.
For those looking for a great meal on this special day, please join us for a fantastic breakfast in the United Club from 8:30am-10am. Children 10 and under cost $12 and adults are $17.50. Children under 3 years eat free with paying family. Reservations are mandatory for brunch and must be made by Wednesday, March 20 by calling 312-235-7162 or emailing sfspecialevents@dncinc.com.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Feast of St.Joseph
Feast of St.Joseph
St. Joseph's Day is a big Feast for Italians because in the Middle Ages, God, through St. Joseph's intercessions, saved the Sicilians from a very serious drought. So in his honor, the custom is for all to wear red, in the same way that green is worn on St. Patrick's Day.
Today, after Mass (at least in parishes with large Italian populations), a big altar ("la tavola di San Giuse" or "St. Joseph's Table") is laden with food contributed by everyone (note that all these St. Joseph celebrations might take place on the nearest, most convenient weekend). Different Italian regions celebrate this day differently, but all involve special meatless foods: minestrone, pasta with breadcrumbs (the breadcrumbs symbolize the sawdust that would have covered St. Joseph's floor), seafood, Sfinge di San Giuseppe, and, always, fava beans, which are considered "lucky" because during the drought, the fava thrived while other crops failed (recipes below).
The table -- which is always blessed by a priest -- will be in three tiers, symbolizing the Most Holy Trinity. The top tier will hold a statue of St. Joseph surrounded by flowers and greenery. The other tiers might hold, in addition to the food: flowers (especially lilies); candles; figurines and symbolic breads and pastries shaped like a monstrance, chalices, fishes, doves, baskets, St. Joseph's staff, lilies, the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts, carpentry tools, etc.; 12 fishes symbolizing the 12 Apostles; wine symbolizing the miracle at Cana; pineapple symbolizing hospitality; lemons for "luck"; bread and wine (symbolizing the Last Supper); and pictures of the dead. There will also be a basket in which the faithful place prayer petitions.
The cry "Viva la tavola di San Giuse!" begins the feasting and is heard throughout the day. When the eating is done, the St. Joseph's altar is smashed, and then three children dressed as the Holy Family will knock on three doors, asking for shelter. They will be refused at the first two, and welcomed at the third, in memory of the Holy Family's seeking of hospitality just before Christ was born. This re-enactment is called "Tupa Tupa," meaning "Knock Knock."
The day ends with each participant taking home a bag that might be filled with bread, fruit, pastries, cookies, a medal of St. Joseph, a Holy Card and/or a blessed fava bean. Keep your "lucky bean," and let it remind you to pray to St. Joseph. (The Litany of St. Joseph would be most appropriate today! You can download the Litany, in Microsoft Word .doc format, in English and in Latin).
Recipes for the day:
A most fascinating and beautiful thing that happens today is the return of the cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) to the Mission of San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, California. The mission -- one of the oldest buildings in California, and a part of a string of 21 missions that line California's coast -- was founded on 1 November 1776, the Feast of All Saints, by the Franciscan priest,
Bl. Junipero Serra, in honor of St. John Capistrano. It was begun the year before, with members of a friendly Indian tribe helping to build, but when word came that the Mission of San Diego was attacked by an unfriendly Indian tribe, the bells were buried and everyone took shelter until building could continue.
When the mission was finally completed, a small town grew up around it, and this is where the legend of the swallows -- "las golondrinas" -- begins. It is said that one of the priests noticed a storekeeper in town angrily sweeping down the swallows’ nests and chasing away the "dirty birds." The priest, being a Franciscan, of course invited the poor little birds to the Mission where there was "room for all." The birds, sensing the spirit of St. Francis around the place, followed and have remained loyal to the Mission ever since. No matter the origins of the story, the fact is that each year on 23 October, the swallows fly south for 7,500 miles to Goya, Argentina. There they winter until the end of February when they make their way home, arriving back at the Mission of Capistrano on St. Joseph's Day, where they are greeted with the ringing of church bells and great festivities. Click hear to listen to the chatter of these lovely birds. A love song was written with this return of the swallows as its focal point; it was recorded by the Ink Spots, Glenn Miller, Pat Boone, and Elvis Presley (click here for an MP3 of the Inkspots's version of this lovely song):
St. Joseph is symbolized by carpenters' tools and the lily, and is usually represented in art holding the Baby Jesus. He is the patron of the Church, the dying, a holy death (because it is believed he died in the company of Our Lord and Lady), happy family life, married people, carpenters, workers, and the fight against Communism. Other devotions and customs related to St. Joseph throughout the year include:
St. Joseph's Day is a big Feast for Italians because in the Middle Ages, God, through St. Joseph's intercessions, saved the Sicilians from a very serious drought. So in his honor, the custom is for all to wear red, in the same way that green is worn on St. Patrick's Day.
Today, after Mass (at least in parishes with large Italian populations), a big altar ("la tavola di San Giuse" or "St. Joseph's Table") is laden with food contributed by everyone (note that all these St. Joseph celebrations might take place on the nearest, most convenient weekend). Different Italian regions celebrate this day differently, but all involve special meatless foods: minestrone, pasta with breadcrumbs (the breadcrumbs symbolize the sawdust that would have covered St. Joseph's floor), seafood, Sfinge di San Giuseppe, and, always, fava beans, which are considered "lucky" because during the drought, the fava thrived while other crops failed (recipes below).
The table -- which is always blessed by a priest -- will be in three tiers, symbolizing the Most Holy Trinity. The top tier will hold a statue of St. Joseph surrounded by flowers and greenery. The other tiers might hold, in addition to the food: flowers (especially lilies); candles; figurines and symbolic breads and pastries shaped like a monstrance, chalices, fishes, doves, baskets, St. Joseph's staff, lilies, the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts, carpentry tools, etc.; 12 fishes symbolizing the 12 Apostles; wine symbolizing the miracle at Cana; pineapple symbolizing hospitality; lemons for "luck"; bread and wine (symbolizing the Last Supper); and pictures of the dead. There will also be a basket in which the faithful place prayer petitions.
The cry "Viva la tavola di San Giuse!" begins the feasting and is heard throughout the day. When the eating is done, the St. Joseph's altar is smashed, and then three children dressed as the Holy Family will knock on three doors, asking for shelter. They will be refused at the first two, and welcomed at the third, in memory of the Holy Family's seeking of hospitality just before Christ was born. This re-enactment is called "Tupa Tupa," meaning "Knock Knock."
The day ends with each participant taking home a bag that might be filled with bread, fruit, pastries, cookies, a medal of St. Joseph, a Holy Card and/or a blessed fava bean. Keep your "lucky bean," and let it remind you to pray to St. Joseph. (The Litany of St. Joseph would be most appropriate today! You can download the Litany, in Microsoft Word .doc format, in English and in Latin).
Recipes for the day:
Minestrone (serves 4)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, with leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can of tomatoes, with juice
1 large can white beans (Cannelli beans or Navy beans)
5 cups beef or vegetable stock
1/2 cup flat parsley, finely chopped
1 cup finely sliced, then roughly chopped Swiss Chard (or spinach or cabbage, or some combination)
2 zucchini, unpeeled and cut into little cubes
1/2 cup small pasta (like ditalini)
For garnish: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Sauté the onion and celery in the oil til wilted, toss in garlic and stir for a minute, then put in cut-up tomatoes and cook down for about 10 minutes to concentrate flavors. Stir in beef stock, reserved tomato juice, and beans and bring to a boil. Add half the parsley, lower heat, and cook for about 30 minutes.
Add Swiss chard (or spinach or cabbage), zucchini, and pasta and cook at a gentle boil until pasta is tender.
When ready to serve, stir in the rest of the parsley. Season to taste and grate in some black pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with the parmesan and a crusty bread.
Pasta di San Giuse (pasta with breadcrumbs that symbolize sawdust)
Note: This recipe came from my parish's website, and was said to be in tribute of "Mamma Giglio." I don't know who Mamma Giglio is, but I don't want to omit the dedication to an Italian Mamma!
Cooked pasta
Sauce:
2 TBSP olive oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups chopped fresh fennel
2 cups crushed tomatoes
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 TBSP chopped fresh basil
4 cans of drained, skinless, boneless sardines
Heat oil in large pot, and saute in it the garlic and pepper flakes. Add the fennel, tomatoes, paste, and basil. Cover and let simmer 30 minutes 'til fennel is tender. Add the sardines and simmer a few more minutes.
Topping:
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup fine homemade breadcrumbs
Heat oil, and add crumbs and heat until golden brown. Pour sauce over the pasta, then sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.
Sfinge di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Cream Puffs)
Sfinge:
1 cup water
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 TBSP sugar
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
1 cup sifted flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 TBSP Cognac or vanilla
Filling:
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup grated dark chocolate
2 TBSP finely chopped pistachios
Garnish:
Powdered sugar
Lemon rind
Put water, butter, granulated sugar, lemon rind, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, and as soon as the butter has melted, remove from heat. Add the flour all at once, stirring constantly and with vigor.
Return the pan to the heat, and stir constantly until the mixture forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the pan. Cook just a little longer, until you hear a slight crackling, frying sound. Remove the pan from the heat, and cool slightly.
Add the eggs, one at a time. Be sure that each egg is thoroughly blended into the mixture before you add the next. Stir until smooth and thoroughly blended . Add the Cognac or vanilla. Cover the dough and let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400º F.
Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonsful on a buttered cookie sheet or onto parchment-lined sheet (better!), leaving 2 inches between the sfinge. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.
Filling: Mix the ricotta, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, and pistachios. Just before serving (so they don't get soggy!), cut off the tops of the sfinge and fill; place top back on after filling. Arrange on platter, sprinkle with powdered sugar to make them pretty, and garnish platter with lemon rind.
Fava Beans
1 lb. dried fava beans
1 bunch green onions
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
chopped parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Cook dried fava beans in boiling water until tender, adding more water as needed. Sauté seasonings in olive oil 'til tender, then add to beans. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in soup bowls.
A most fascinating and beautiful thing that happens today is the return of the cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) to the Mission of San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, California. The mission -- one of the oldest buildings in California, and a part of a string of 21 missions that line California's coast -- was founded on 1 November 1776, the Feast of All Saints, by the Franciscan priest,
Bl. Junipero Serra, in honor of St. John Capistrano. It was begun the year before, with members of a friendly Indian tribe helping to build, but when word came that the Mission of San Diego was attacked by an unfriendly Indian tribe, the bells were buried and everyone took shelter until building could continue. When the mission was finally completed, a small town grew up around it, and this is where the legend of the swallows -- "las golondrinas" -- begins. It is said that one of the priests noticed a storekeeper in town angrily sweeping down the swallows’ nests and chasing away the "dirty birds." The priest, being a Franciscan, of course invited the poor little birds to the Mission where there was "room for all." The birds, sensing the spirit of St. Francis around the place, followed and have remained loyal to the Mission ever since. No matter the origins of the story, the fact is that each year on 23 October, the swallows fly south for 7,500 miles to Goya, Argentina. There they winter until the end of February when they make their way home, arriving back at the Mission of Capistrano on St. Joseph's Day, where they are greeted with the ringing of church bells and great festivities. Click hear to listen to the chatter of these lovely birds. A love song was written with this return of the swallows as its focal point; it was recorded by the Ink Spots, Glenn Miller, Pat Boone, and Elvis Presley (click here for an MP3 of the Inkspots's version of this lovely song):
When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano
Words and Music by Rene Leon, Copyright © 1940/1969
When the swallows come back to Capistrano
That's the day you promised to come back to me.
When you whispered farewell in Capistrano
'Twas the day the swallows flew out to the sea.
All the mission bells will ring
The chapel choir will sing
The happiness you'll bring
Will live in my memory.
When the swallows come back to Capistrano
That's the day I pray that you'll come back to me.
While the altar candles burn
My heart is burning too
If you should not return
I'll still be waiting for you.
When the swallows come back to Capistrano
That's the day I pray that you'll come back to me,
That's the day I pray that you'll come back to me.
St. Joseph is symbolized by carpenters' tools and the lily, and is usually represented in art holding the Baby Jesus. He is the patron of the Church, the dying, a holy death (because it is believed he died in the company of Our Lord and Lady), happy family life, married people, carpenters, workers, and the fight against Communism. Other devotions and customs related to St. Joseph throughout the year include:
- the celebration of 1 May as the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, a Feast instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1956
- Novenas to St. Joseph
- special devotions to him on Wednesdays and during the month of March
- the St. Joseph Scapular
- St. Joseph's Cinctures
- burying St. Joseph statues or medals when trying to sell a home
- it is an old custom for some couples to abstain from the marital act on the first night of their honeymoon, dedicating the first night of marriage to St. Joseph (making the night "St. Joseph's Night"), and performing some devotion to the Saint. This is in keeping with the spirit of Tobias who, with his wife, Sara, spent the first three days and nights or their marriage in prayer
- adding the prayer to St. Joseph at the ends of Rosaries during the month of October
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
A Hot Grilled Cuban Sandwich Recipe To Go
A Hot Cuban Sandwich on the Grill To Go For Nostalgia
"How Do You Make A Cuban Sandwich?"
A fresh loaf of crusty bread, sliced in half, and buttered on each side
(2) Swiss Cheese Slices
(2) Fresh Slices of Ham
(2) Slices of Roasted Pork with Cuban-style seasoning and spices, garlic, salt, and pepper
(2) Pickle slices
A Hot Grill Pan or Pressed Grill
A hot Cuban Sandwich starts with a delicious crispy toasted crusty bread sliced in half and buttered on each side.
Add slices of Swiss Cheese, fresh ham, roasted pork slices seasoned with Spanish Cuban spices like garlic, salt, pepper, garnished with sliced pickles.
Once the Cuban Sandwich is built over slices of Swiss Cheese, Ham, Roasted Pork, and Pickles, then it is pressed on a hot grill until the bread crust is toasted, crunchy for the first bite.
Slice the hot grilled Cuban Sandwich in half to eat it slowly, bite after bite.
Serve the Cuban Sandwich with Café Laté, better known as Café con Leche. ¡Buen Provecho!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
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