Bruchetta, of Course

My version of this Italian favorite.

2 Cups Tomatoes, chopped & seeded
4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
2 T Olive Oil
Basil, finely chopped
Pinch of Sugar

Italian bread
Olive Oil
Basil, torn for garnish

Mix first 5 ingredients together and let stand at room temperature for several hours. Thinly slice bread and drizzle with olive oil. Toast until just brown. Spoon heaping spoonfuls of tomato mixture onto warm toast. Top with basil and serve immediately.

Grandma's Sweet Red Cabbage

This recipe is my first attempt at recreating a recipe from my childhood. My grandmother used to make red cabbage for Easter. I made this for Easter dinner.

1 Head Red Cabbage, shredded
1 Large Granny Smith Apple, cut in small wedges
4 Slices Bacon
5 T Brown Sugar
2 T Vinegar
2 T Sweet Pickle Juice
Salt and pepper

Fry bacon and remove from pan. Add rest of ingredients to bacon drippings. Cover tightly and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until tender. Add bacon in just before serving.

Triple Berry Cobbler

This is the first weekend in some time I didn't have to be somewhere. I had time to bake this cobbler. Serve it warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

1/2 C Butter (melted)
1 C Flour
1 C Sugar
1/2 C Baking Soda
1/2 C Baking Powder
1 C Milk
2 C Mixed Berries (rinsed and dried)
      Blackberries, Raspberries or Blueberries
1/4 C Sugar

Mix sugar and flour. Mix in milk. Add butter and mix well. Pour batter into buttered baking dish. Arrange berries on top. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup sugar evenly over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.

Blizzard Pizza!

Well, not really. So far, only about 4 inches. We were supposed to get 8 - 10 inches. But at least I got to leave work early and had time to make this favorite recipe.

1 Tbsp dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Cup luke-warm water
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 Cups flour
grated mozzarella cheese
pizza sauce
pizza toppings

Add yeast and sugar to water and let dissolve for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in food processor (if you have one), add olive oil, salt and flour and mix. When the yeast mixture is bubbly, add all at once to the flour mixture. Dough should pull away from the edges as it mixes. If it does not add more water 1/4 Cup at a time until dough forms a ball.

Place in an olive oil-greased bowl and let rise until double.

Punch down and form into pizza. Top with a thin layer of mozzarella and then the sauce.

Add toppings (mushrooms, pepperoni, olives, onions, etc.). Finish with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 425 oven for 30 minutes until bubbly.

Frangelica Bread Pudding

When it's cold outside and you don't want to go anywhere. You just want to curl up with a good book and some comfort food.

2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 1/4 Cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 Cups 1-inch day-old bread, cubed
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup raisins
1/2 Cup Frangelica liqueur

Combine egs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Stir in bread cubes. Mix in brown sugar and raisins. Pour into 2 quart casserole and pat cubes down. Pour Frangelica over all. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or till knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired. Six servings.