Website Suggestion - Petitchef

For great new recipe suggestions, blog links and recommendations, be sure to check out my friends at en.petitchef.com. Petitchef is a French based cooking recipes portal. Lots of great offerings on their site! I've also added a link under my Recommendations column for easy reference.

Christmas Dinner

Here we are...two weeks away from the big day! Were has the year gone?
Of course, being from an Italian family, our big lead-off for the holiday is the Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes dinner. It's a glorious feast, and one that we look forward to sharing with my family each year.

Christmas Day with my wife's family is just as big a celebration for us. While the meal may not be as complicated as the deep fried, broiled and baked variety from the night before, it's equally as tasty and just as special.

Lasagna Roll-ups
My wife and I are usually responsible for a pasta dish. The common go-to is lasagna. What I like to do as an alternative to the standard lasagna tray is make lasagna roll-ups. It's very simple: just follow your standard lasagna recipe, or the recipe supplied on the lasagna shell box. Instead of layering the pasta and cheese, you'll want to lay the cooked noodles flat on a piece of wax paper. Spread some of your filling on the noodle and gently roll up until it's the size of your fist. Place the roll-ups in a sprayed baking dish side-by-side, spoon your sauce on top, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake as you would for traditional lasagna. It makes for easier serving and better portion size.

We also like to make two half trays - one with red sauce and one with chicken broth. The broth version makes for a much lighter dish, yet still has a remarkable taste...lots of great flavor! I suggest going light on the broth at first. Too much broth will make the noodles too soggy and will cause the cheese to run. Check the lasagna often as it cooks and add broth as needed.

Although we don't actually host the dinner, I do have a few other festive recipes that I have made on several special occasions that would work very well for Christmas dinner. Below are the links to the original recipes.

Eggplant Sausage Ziti Casserole
Our good friend Jung made this casserole dish for my wife and I a few years back as part of our Christmas gift. It was a beautiful gesture from the heart, and one that I'll never forget. This is an amazing dish. Hearty, lots of great flavor, wonderful aroma. It's one of my all time favorite dishes, and I can't say enough good things about it. If you want to fill up your guests with one dish, this is it!

Coca Cola Ham
A perfect traditional dish with a nice combination of sweetness and spice!

Crock Pot Risotto
Unlike traditional risotto, which requires a lot of time and attention, this dish is a 'set it and forget it' version that is very good. A great suggestion if you are hosting and want to spend time socializing with your guests!

Bourbon Pecan Smashed Sweet Potatoes
I've made this a number of times as a side with ham, chicken and turkey. Works great with all of the above! A delicious alternative to standard mashed sweet potatoes.

Up next...the most amazing Rum Cake you'll ever taste!!!

Chicken Cutlets: Reader Suggestions!

I got a couple of great follow-ups to last week's post on Chicken Cutlets. Thanks to my pals Johnny DeCarlo and Lisa Gardner-Inglima for submitting the recipes! And thanks Valerie for sharing Neum's recipe on the last post! I owe you a beer next time we head out!

Next up, I'll be posting suggestions for Christmas dinner and a killer recipe for Rum Cake that will knock your socks off!


BAKED CHICKEN GRUYERE
Submitted by Johnny DeCarlo

In a large bowl, combine one can of cream of chicken soup, one small jar of marinated mushrooms, and ½ a cup of Pinot Grigio

Place 8 chicken cutlets in a shallow buttered casserole pan and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Layer two slices of Gruyere cheese on top of each piece of chicken and cover with the sauce

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook ¼ of a pound of string beans to pre-aldente (¾ of the way through), then pour them all around the chicken—surrounding them

Sprinkle 1 cup of herb stuffing mix combined with ½ cup of slivered almonds on top, along with some diced fresh green shallots. Drizzle 4 tablespoons of melted butter all over the top. Cover pan with foil

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour

Serves 6-8


ZIA ROSE'S BBQ CUTLETS
Submitted by Lisa Gardner-Inglima
Dredge cutlets in olive oil (in place of milk and eggs). Roll cutlets in seasoned bread crumbs. Place on grill for a delicious, smokey bbq taste!

Chicken Cutlets: Think Outside the Pan

Like many of you, chicken cutlets are a regular part of the dinner rotation in our house. They're easy to prepare (dip, bread, season, fry, repeat), they work well as either a sandwich or platter, and both kids and adults enjoy them (the last point being a biggie for parents with children who have picky appetites).

Occasionally, my wife and like to stray away from the standard frying method. We've tried baking the breaded cutlets to be a bit more healthy and to avoid the lingering fried smell, but weren't really happy with the end result. Too dry and not enough flavor. There are a few other alternatives to the standard cutlet that we've tried and really liked. I also have a few new ideas that I'll be experimenting with, and I'll be sure to post them as soon as I get to try them. Listed below are some of our favorites. These recipes are easy enough for you to judge for yourself the needed amount of ingredients, depending on your serving size.

Chicken Cutlet Roll-Ups
This dish works well with either breaded or unbreaded cutlets, although I prefer unbreaded. Season both sides of the cutlets with some salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders. Drizzle lightly with olive oil (no need to if you are breading the cutlets). Lay the cutlets flat, then add a layer of thin sliced ham or pepperoni, then a thin slice of provolone cheese. The pepperoni will add more of a spicy flavor, while the ham will be more mild. For a special treat, use a slice of prosciutto, a slice of provolone and a piece of fresh basil. Roll up the cutlet and hold in place with a toothpick. Bake in oven at 350º for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. You can also cook on the grill, turning the chicken every 6 minutes until all sides are done. Be sure to use thin sliced cutlets for easy rolling.

Chicken Pretzel Tenders
This is a fun dish that kids always enjoy, and it also works well as a party or game day appetizer. The pretzels add a nice salty flavor, so no extra seasoning is needed. I've tried both baking and frying this dish, and actually prefer the fried method better. Crush up a bunch of pretzels into tiny pieces, but not to the point where they become powdery. You want to keep some crunchy texture. Simply batter the chicken tenders as you would for standard cutlets, substituting the pretzel crumbs for breadcrumbs. Fry or bake until tenders are done and outside is slightly crispy. For extra flavor, try frying in peanut oil with an added teaspoon of sesame oil. Of course, your regular frying oil will work just fine. Serve with honey mustard for dipping.

Marinated Chicken
Believe it or not, bottled marinade works great with cutlets. It's a quick and easy go-to when you have the marinade on hand. We've used a number of flavors, but always seem to gravitate back to the honey mustard. I would recommend tenders of thicker sliced cutlets. Poke the chicken with a fork to allow the marinade to works its magic. Place the chicken into a large zip-lock bag, add the marinade, shake it up and let it sit in the fridge for up to 8 hours. Place the cutlets into a baking pan or on your grill, discarding the excess marinade. Cook until the chicken is done.

* Do you have a suggestion for chicken cutlets? E-mail me at cucinadomenico@verizon.net, or post it on the Cucina Domenico Facebook Group page, and I'll be happy to post your recipe!

Thanksgiving Desserts...and Drinks!!!

Last week I gave you some suggestions on Thanksgiving side dishes (sausage stuffing plus a few sides from last year's post). This week we're dipping into the fun stuff...the dessert! As I said in my previous post, Thanksgiving is all about tradition, and there is nothing more traditional than pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dessert (don't forget the whipped cream!). Since there are countless recipes out there for pumpkin pie, what I thought I would do is post a couple of alternative pumpkin desserts.

As you probably know by now, my wife is the baker of our house. Just last week, she made a Pumpkin Ribbon cake for my dad's birthday. To say anything less than this cake was off the charts would be a dishonor. It was AMAZING. She found the recipe in a Pampered Chef book, and topped it off with a dollop of cool whip and drizzled it with melted caramel. Sounds decadent, but the cake was actually much lighter than we expected. This one is definitely a winner!

Next up is Pumpkin Tiramisu. I love pumpkin pie, and will probably make one for home. But what kind of Italian would I be to turn down a tiramisu, especially if it's combined with my other favorite dessert! I'll be making this for the first time this week, but I have no doubts that it's a knock-out.


PUMPKIN RIBBON CAKE
Courtesy of Pampered Chef
Cake
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon blend (mixture of cinnamon, ginger and allspice)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 c granulated sugar
3/4 cups butter or margarine softened
3 eggs
3/4 cups solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Filling
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a deep baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, spices, baking soda and salt in small bowl. In large bowl beat sugar and butter till light and fluffy. Add eggs, pumpkin,milk and vanilla. Beat well! Slowly add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture. Set aside.
3. Filling- Whisk cream cheese and sugar till well blended. Smooth 2-1/2 cups cake batter on bottom of pan. Spoon cream cheese mixture over cake batter using a large spreader. Pour remaining batter over top and spread evenly.
4. Bake 45-50 minutes . Cake tester will come out clean.

Before serving- sprinkle with powdered sugar-serve with whipped cream sprinkled with a bit of the cinnamon spice mix if desired.

PUMPKIN TIRAMISU
Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or maple-flavor syrup
1 tablespoon bourbon
1/2 of a 15-ounce can (3/4 cup) pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 of an 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese, softened
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 3-ounce package ladyfingers, split
Ground nutmeg or freshly grated nutmeg

1. Line a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap; set aside. For syrup, in a small bowl, combine maple syrup and bourbon. Set aside.
2. For filling, in a small bowl, combine pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup whipping cream and granulated sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gently fold whipped cream into pumpkin mixture.
3. For topping, in another small mixing bowl, combine mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar. Beat on low speed until combined. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup whipping cream just until thickened (do not overbeat).
4. To assemble, arrange half of the ladyfingers in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared pan. Drizzle evenly with half of the syrup. Top with half of the filling, spreading evenly. Arrange remaining ladyfingers in a single layer over filling. Drizzle with remaining syrup and top with remaining filling. Dollop topping over filling. Using the back of a spoon, carefully spread topping evenly over filling. Cover and chill for 8 to 24 hours.
5. Use the plastic wrap to lift tiramisu out of pan. Place tiramisu on a serving platter. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Carefully cut the dessert crosswise into slices. Makes 6 servings.


THANKSGIVING COCKTAILS
Now, if you enjoy a tasty holiday cocktail, be sure to check out these fun Thanksgiving drinks. My friend John made his own pumpkin pie shot concoction last year that went over really well at his dinner. The Pumpkin Pie-tini is the closest to his drink recipe, but I'm sure that both of these suggestions will help crank up the fun during dessert.

Wishing you and yours a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

THANKSGIVING TOAST
1 oz. good quality Gin
1/2 oz. canned cranberry sauce
1/2 oz. Ginger ale
Garnish: 3 roasted walnut halves, speared cranberries or a sprig of rosemary
Shake vigorously with ice and strain into martini glass. Add a float of ginger ale after straining. Garnish with 3 roasted walnut halves, speared cranberries, or a sprig of rosemary

PUMPKIN PIE-TINI
1 oz milk
2 tbsp Pumpkin puree
1.5 oz Three-O vanilla vodka
1.5 oz creme de cacao
Using a small amount of honey, rim martini glass with graham cracker crumbs. Shake milk and pumpkin puree over ice to combine. Pour in remaining ingredients and shake well. Strain into the martini glass.

Thanksgiving Sausage Stuffing

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away? I couldn't be happier. It's my favorite holiday and my favorite time of the year. It's all about family and tradition, and of course good food. In our house, it always starts off with an argument of which parade to watch on tv, the Philly parade or New York's Macy's parade (I'll admit, I'm a fan of the Macy's parade. Willard Scott IS the voice of Thanksgiving!). Then it's off to Mom's for the best dinner of the year. Follow that up on Black Friday with a trip to G-Boys in Marlton, NJ to check out their amazing Christmas displays and take pics with Santa, then off to spend some good time with my wife's family. Wrap it up on Sunday with the neighborhood tree lighting...a perfect start to the holiday season!

A few of my friends are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time this year, and have asked me for some serving suggestions. Since my mom hosts the 'big dinner,' I don't have many suggestions of my own to offer. That's my mom's gig and I dare not get in her way. Now, we do bring a few sides, and I posted them last year (click here to check them out). However, my mom was gracious enough to share with me her sausage stuffing recipe. This may be my favorite part of the meal. Lots of flavor, and a great mix of crispy and moist texture. I love it even more when reheated on leftover day. My mom prefers to bake it in a pan rather than stuffing it in the turkey. It cooks faster and more evenly. Also, she does not prefer to use the gizzards (the heart and liver of the bird). But if you prefer to use the gizzards in the stuffing, have at it! Just chop them up and saute with some butter, onions and seasoning, then add to the mixture. It does make for more texture and flavor, but it's not necessary to complete the dish.

We're also going to experiment this week with a few alternatives to the traditional desserts. I'll be sure to post them next week!

THANKSGIVING SAUSAGE STUFFING

2 celery stalks, chopped fine
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
1/2 stick butter
1lb. Sweet Italian Sausage, removed from casing
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Celery Salt
(add all seasonings to taste)
1 bag Pepperidge Farm Herbal Stuffing Mix

In a large pan, melt butter. Add onion and celery and cook until soft. Add sausage, season with salt, pepper, celery salt and oregano. Cook until sausage is brown. In a separate pan, cook 1/2 bag of herbal stuffing (entire bag for larger crowd). Follow instructions on bag for butter and water measurements (for extra flavor, substitute chicken broth for water). When finished cooking, combine herbal stuffing with sausage mixture; stir together. Spoon into a greased 13x9 baking dish (I prefer an aluminum dish for this), cover with aluminum foil and heat in oven at 350º for approximately 30 minutes.

For extra crunch, you can add chopped walnuts, pecans or chestnuts to the mixture before baking.

Sweet and Savory Country Chicken

This week I'm featuring a guest recipe from my friend, Johnny DeCarlo. A few weeks back, I posted a request for some slow cooker ideas on my Cucina Domenico Facebook group page. Johnny submitted this delicious recipe. Be sure to check it out.
Thanks agin for the suggestion, Johnny!

SWEET & SAVORY COUNTRY CHICKEN

Begin by mixing the following ingredients together in the slow-cooker to make sauce
¾ of a bottle of KC MASTERPIECE bbq sauce
¾ of a bottle of ketchup
1 can of CENTO tomato paste
1 can of chicken broth (then 1 can of water)
½ a jar of GREY POUPON onion dijon
6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons of ginger sauce
4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons of diced garlic
3 tablespoons of red wine
Spices (a hearty handful of salt, fresh cracked pepper, MC KORMICK steakhouse grinder spice, sugar, brown sugar)

Leave sauce on HIGH for a half hour to get warm, then add in a package of 8 large chicken drumsticks. Keep crockpot on HIGH and allow everything to cook for 6 hours. The sauce will thicken and absorb the juices from the chicken, and the drumsticks will become extremely tender. When ready to serve, arrange platter with boiled rice and drumsticks on top. Ladle out a nice amount of the sauce and pour it all over

Jar extra sauce to use next time. Also makes a nice marinade. This same recipe can be used to slow-cook pork chops and spare ribs

Serves 4-5