Author: Diva di Cucina

I'm a wife, mom, graphic designer, & blogger. I love my life, especially when in the kitchen or with my boys. I started a cooking blog in November 2011 to share my recipes with family, friends, and anyone else that may be interested.
Side Dishes

Recipe—Savory Herb Bread Pudding

Diva di Cucina

A couple months back my family and I went to Disneyland for a few days. During our stay at the Hilton we ended up ordering room service for dinner because we were just too pooped from all the fun to actually go out. One of those nights I ordered roasted chicken, which came with a savory bread pudding. The bread pudding was phenomenal! So phenomenal, that I ordered the same dish a second time during our visit. Yes, it was that good! The bread pudding was flavor packed and went perfectly with the chicken. This last weekend I tried to replicate the recipe to go with my roasted turkey because I didn’t want to do the same old stuffing I had just had a couple of weeks prior at Thanksgiving. I think it turned out fantastic! One thing I love about this recipe is that it is super easy, can be made in advance, and goes with any type of meat! This Christmas I will be making this bread pudding along with my prime rib. Whether you are cooking a ham, turkey, or a fine cut of beef at Christmas this will be the perfect side dish that will have everyone talking. It is a perfect substitute for those plain dinner rolls or even mashed potatoes.

Note: The bread pudding can be assembled up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Remove baking dish from fridge at least one hour before baking and bring to room temperature. If you have a smaller group of people this recipe is easy to halve. Just use an 8″ x 8″ baking dish.

INGREDIENTS
2 large sourdough rounds, cut into 1” cubes
1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 c fresh sage, chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
salt and pepper
6 tbsp butter
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1/3 c chives, chopped
8 eggs
2 c chicken broth
2 c heavy cream

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 325º.
  • In a large bowl combine the bread, parsley, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.
  • In a small skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat and add the garlic cooking until tender. Do not burn the garlic!
  • Add the chives to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes.
  • Drizzle the melted butter over the bread and toss to coat.
  • In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, broth, and heavy cream.
  • Pour the liquid mixture over the bread and stir until evenly coated.
  • Transfer the bread mixture to a greased 9” x 13” baking dish.
  • Gently press the soaked bread into the pan.
  • Bake for 50–60 minutes or until center is set.
  • Tent dish with foil until ready to serve.
  • Slice into squares and enjoy!
Uncategorized

I’m a Guest Blogger!

Diva di Cucina

Good morning Diva di Cucina fans! For the first time ever I had the opportunity to be a guest blogger on a wonderful site, Rantings of an Amateur Chef. Rantings of an Amateur Chef is made up of the creative bloggings of Pat Geyer, and amateur chef from the Cleveland, Ohio area. I shared a fabulous recipe for Garlic Shrimp and White Beans with him and his followers. I would love it if you would stop by Pat’s site and check out my recipe along with some of the great ones he has shared. You won’t be disappointed!

Here’s a little visual tease of my recipe for Garlic Shrimp and White Beans. Get the recipe here.

Sweet Treats

Recipe—Confetti Cake Batter Cookies

Diva di Cucina

Awhile back I posted a recipe for lemon crackle cookies. It was a cookie recipe that is primarily made from a box of cake mix. I love the concept of taking cake batter and sprucing it up with a few extra ingredients to make one heck of a fabulous cookie These types of cookies always come out really light and super moist and best of all they are quick and easy to make. Well ‘tis the season for complete chaos and busy schedules so what better time to share a recipe for super quick and scrumptious confetti cake batter cookies. I used red and green sprinkles to make them festive for Christmas but keep this recipe in mind throughout the year. Just change the sprinkle color for the appropriate holiday. Perhaps pink and red for Valentine’s Day?

INGREDIENTS
1-18.25 oz box of white cake mix
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/3 c vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2–3/4 c sprinkles

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a large bowl mix together the dry cake mix and baking powder.
  • Whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla.
  • Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and stir until all ingredients are combined.
  • Fold in the sprinkles but be sure not to over mix or the dye will stain the batter.
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it.
  • Drop 1” balls of dough onto the baking sheet leaving approximately 2” apart.
  • Bakes cookies for 9–10 minutes making sure they don’t brown.
  • Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for about 3 minutes.
  • Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a cutting board or cooling rack.
Beverages

Recipe—Homemade Spiked Eggnog

Diva di Cucina

What’s Christmas without a glass or three of spiked eggnog? It is a must have item in our family. I am not a huge eggnog fan but I will drink the occasional glass here and there. However, my sister really loves the stuff so I wanted to be sure and have some on hand for her while we celebrated the holidays early this year. Unfortunately, this eggnog comes with a sad story.

This year I thought I would be adventurous and make my own eggnog. It turned out incredible and was actually really easy to make! This was by far the best eggnog I have ever had. I was so excited to share this fabulous concoction with my sister because I knew she would feel the same way. After slaving over the oven all day (okay I’m exaggerating, more like 20 minutes, this recipe is actually really quick to make) I had the eggnog done and poured it into my brand new glass pitcher. It was a gorgeous site! My mom, sister, husband, son, and I went and walked through a Christmas light display at our local zoo. The perfect end to the evening would be a homemade glass of eggnog. I poured the first glass and then went to pour the second when crack! The handle on my new pitcher literally fell off and the entire batch of eggnog shattered on my counter and went everywhere! I was on the verge of tears. However, the one lonely glass you see above survived. Thank goodness! So we all shared this one lonely glass of eggnog and it was the best glass of eggnog ever!

If you have never had homemade eggnog I highly recommend you give it a try. One thing that I absolutely love about this recipe is that the eggs are par cooked in the hot milk rather than raw, giving this a less eggy flavor. It is the perfect holiday beverage and takes on a superior quality being homemade.

Note: If you want virgin eggnog just omit the rum for a family friendly version. 

INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of ground cloves
6 egg yolks
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 c rum
1 c heavy cream
1/4 tsp nutmeg

STEPS

  • In a large saucepan heat the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, cinnamon stick, and cloves over medium heat.
  • Bring to a gentle boil and remove from heat.
  • Allow the milk to set for about 2 minutes while the cinnamon stick seeps.
  • While the milk is cooling, beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl until it’s pale yellow and fluffy.
  • Remove the cinnamon stick from your milk and slowly pour into the egg mixture.
  • Beat on low until well incorporated.
  • Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat on medium/medium-low heat for 5 minutes until thick and creamy. DO NOT LET IT BOIL OR THE EGGS WILL CURDLE!
  • Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the rum, heavy cream, and nutmeg.
  • Allow the eggnog to cool on the counter for at least an hour.
  • Transfer the eggnog to a pitcher or serving dish and refrigerate for 8–10 hours.
Brunch, Dinners

Recipe—Leek Quiche

Diva di Cucina

I recently started following this fabulous gourmet blog called C’est la Vie Cuisine. On the day I found out I would be receiving leeks in my next produce box Lucie posted a recipe for leek quiche. I knew it was meant to be! I adapted her recipe (see the original here) based on what I had on hand and by adding in some extra eggs and cheese to accommodate a deeper pie dish. This recipe turned out great! I served it for dinner with some breakfast sausage and toast but it can be enjoyed for any meal. One of the many fabulous reasons I love quiche! This recipe was so easy and really tasty! The caramelized leeks and onions take on a nice sweet flavor making it a fabulous complement to salty breakfast meat like sausage or bacon.

Leeks are a part of the onion family and are very mild and sweet in flavor. The leek basically looks like a HUGE green onion. Leeks are known for being very low in calories and having wonderful health benefits. They are high in dietary fiber, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, folic acid, and vitamins A, B, C, and K.

Notes: Leeks can have a large amount of soil and dirt between the layers so after you slice them make sure to wash them thoroughly. I submerge them in water and use my hand to swish them around. The leeks float to the top and the dirt sinks to the bottom. I then use a salad spinner to help remove all the excess water.

You can omit the piecrust all together to create a low-carb version of this recipe. To do this, grease your pie dish and whisk the mozzarella in with the egg mixture. Bake time will be the same.

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (see above note about washing)
1 tbsp garlic
1 sheet of refrigerated piecrust at room temperature
salt and pepper
9 eggs
1/2 c half and half
1 c mozzarella

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • In a larger skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat.
  • Add the onion, leeks, and garlic to the skillet.
  • Cook stirring frequently until the onions begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
  • While the leeks and onions cook gently press the crust into your pie dish.
  • In a medium-mixing bowl whisk together your eggs and half and half until well incorporated.
  • When the leeks are done cooking season with salt and pepper and gently fold the cooked veggies into the egg mixture.
  • Sprinkle half of the mozzarella into the bottom of your pie dish.
  • Add the egg mixture to your pie dish and top with remaining mozzarella.
  • Bake the quiche in the oven for 30–35 minutes or until the middle is firm.
  • Allow quiche to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Adapted from C’est la Vie Cuisine.

Dinners

Recipe—Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Diva di Cucina

I have always been a lover of Chinese food. I mean come on, who isn’t? I remember as a kid that whenever we went out to eat Chinese food or ordered it to go that we got sweet and sour pork. I just love the tangy sweet sauce and the pineapple. Oh, that sweet yummy caramelized pineapple! When I saw this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Recipes Happen, I knew I had to give it a try.  I LOVE Chinese food and I LOVE meatballs! This recipe turned out awesome and was enjoyed by the whole family. My husband even went back for thirds! (I don’t know where that guy stores all the food he can consume.) I highly recommend serving this over white rice. It really soaks up the flavors of the sauce. We will certainly be making this again and again because it was super easy and absolutely delicious! Thanks Bonnie for posting this wonderful recipe, my family and I loved it!

Note: Bonnie’s recipe calls for breadcrumbs but I adapted it slightly and used panko since I had it on hand and I thought it went well with the Asian inspired dish. I bet this would also be great made with ground turkey or chicken to help cut a few calories. 

INGREDIENTS
1 egg
1 tbsp dried onion flakes
1 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c panko
ground pepper
1 lb ground beef
20 oz can pineapple chunks
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 c sliced carrots
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine the egg, dried onion, milk, ginger, salt, panko, pepper, and ground beef. (I recommend using your hands to thoroughly combine everything.)
  • Shape the beef mixture into 1” balls and place in a large baking dish making sure there is space between them.
  • Bake the meatballs for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
  • While the meatballs are cooking drain the pineapple juice into a measuring cup and set the pineapple aside.
  • If needed, add water to the juice so you have 1-cup worth of liquid.
  • Pour the juice mixture into a large skillet or wok and add in the vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce.
  • Over medium-high heat bring the liquid to a simmer and add in the carrots.
  • Simmer until the carrots are just barely fork tender and then add in the bell peppers and pineapple chunks.
  • Cook for approximately 4–5 minutes.
  • In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and water until smooth.
  • Pour the cornstarch mixture into your skillet and stir constantly until incorporated.
  • Remove the meatballs from the oven and transfer them to the skillet making sure to leave the meat drippings in the baking dish.
  • Toss the meatballs to coat and simmer in the sauce for 2 minutes.
  • Serve over cooked rice and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Recipes Happen.

Sweet Treats

Recipe—Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Diva di Cucina

Talk about a match made in heaven! Two classic American desserts coming together to make one heck of a fabulous and indulgent dish. This delicious recipe is perfect for all the holiday social events this time of year. I recently made it for my office party and it was a hit. I cut the squares pretty small so that they were easy to handle and could be eaten as a finger food. This reminds me a lot of Dutch apple pie á la mode. You have the crisp topping drizzled with syrupy caramel, the soft spiced apples, and the creamy sweet cheesecake layer all over a buttery crust. This is a great recipe to keep in mind come Christmas since you can prepare it a day or two in advance giving you some extra time with your guests on Christmas day. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

CRUST INGREDIENTS
2 c flour
½ c brown sugar
1 c butter, softened
½ tsp cinnamon

CHEESECAKE FILLING INGREDIENTS
3-8 oz packages cream cheese
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

APPLE LAYER INGREDIENTS
3 apples peeled, cored, and finely chopped
3 tbsp sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg

STREUSEL TOPPING INGREDIENTS
1 c brown sugar
1 c flour
½ c oats
½ c butter, softened
1 c caramel topping

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a mixing bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon and mix with your hands until crumbly.
  • Line a 9” x 13” baking dish with foil making sure to go up the sides. (The helps you to easily remove the final cheesecake from the dish making it a breeze for cutting into bars.)
  • Press the crumbly mixture into the bottom of the lined pan making sure it is an even thickness.
  • Bake crust for 15 minutes.
  • In a large mixing bowl use an electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
  • Pour the cream cheese mixture over the warm crust and using a rubber spatula carefully spread it so that it is an even layer.
  • In a small bowl stir together all the apple layer ingredients.
  • Sprinkle the apples over the cream cheese layer.
  • In a small bowl combine the streusel ingredients and using your hands mix until crumbly.
  • Sprinkle the streusel over the apple layer.
  • Bake for 40–45 minutes.
  • Allow the cheesecake to cool and then drizzle with the caramel sauce.
  • Once cheesecake is room temperature store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
  • To serve, carefully lift the finished cheesecake from the pan by holding the edges of the foil.
  • Transfer to a large cutting board and cut into bars.
  • Serve cold.
Brunch, Dinners

Recipe—Broccoli and Cheddar Egg Bake

Diva di Cucina

A few weeks back I received some violet queen purple broccoli in my produce box. It was the most gorgeous piece of produce I have ever seen! It was almost too pretty to eat… almost being the key word there. I was over the moon about this exciting piece of produce and wanted to do something really spectacular with it. Alas, my busy schedule kept me from really thinking outside the box so I made one of my favorite broccoli recipes with it, a broccoli and cheddar egg bake (a.k.a. a quiche with no crust, perfect for the low-carb lover).

This purple broccoli was just too pretty not to show you! I just wanted to put it in a vase on my table. Once the broccoli was cooked it looked slightly darker than a typical bunch of green broccoli. It ended up loosing most of that purple coloring.

One thing I truly love about egg bakes is that they are perfect for any meal of the day, breakfast, lunch, or dinner and they are so versatile. You can add any ingredients you want! This recipe is written with some pretty basic ingredients but you can go wild with whatever you like. Red bell peppers and mushrooms are also great additions. I made this one for dinner the other night and just served it with some toast. The leftovers made an awesome breakfast the next day. Gotta love it when you make a meal you can stretch out over a few days.

INGREDIENTS
8 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
12 eggs
1/4 c milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 1/2 c broccoli, chopped and steamed
1 small tomato, chopped
2 c cheddar, shredded (divided)

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a skillet over medium-high heat cook your bacon until done.
  • Remove cooked bacon from skillet and dispose of most of the grease leaving a tablespoon.
  • Sauté the onion in the reserved bacon grease over medium-high heat until brown and caramelized.
  • While the onions are cooking scramble the eggs, milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
  • Mix in the bacon, steamed broccoli, chopped tomato, sautéed onion, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese to the mixing bowl.
  • Pour the egg mixture in a greased 8” x 8” baking dish.
  • Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top.
  • Bake for 35–45 minutes or until the center is set.
  • Remove the egg bake from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Sandwiches

Recipe—Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

Diva di Cucina

This was one of my recipes in the running for the Hot and Spicy Week I did back in September but I just had too many good jalapeño recipes to share so this one got the boot. Well my jalapeño plant was still producing in November thanks to this unseasonably warm weather so here it is, the jalapeño popper grilled cheese sammy! It is creamy, cheesy, and spicy, all the qualities a person looks for in a popper. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
2–3 large jalapeños, roasted
2 tbsp butter, softened
4 large slices of sourdough
1/3 c cream cheese
8 slices cheddar cheese

STEPS

  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Spread one side of each piece of the bread with butter.
  • Place two slices of bread butter side down in the skillet.
  • Top the bread in the skillet with the sliced cheddar cheese.
  • Add the roasted jalapeños to the sandwich.
  • Spread the remaining two slices of bread with cream cheese on the sides without butter.
  • Place the bread cream cheese side down on the sandwich.
  • Cook for approximately 3 minutes or until the bread is a toasty brown.
  • Flip and cook for another 3 minutes until cheese is melted and the other side is a nice toasty brown.
Soups

Recipe—Velvety Celery Cream Soup

Diva di Cucina

I have gotten big bundles of celery in my organic produce delivery several weeks in a row now. I certainly love my celery sticks but I just don’t think I will be able to eat another one for a few days. While recovering from celery stick overload I made one of my favorite vegetable soups, celery cream. This is one of the easiest soups to make and even though it is very simple it is wonderful. It is super creamy and the lemon and hot sauce gives it just the right kick. I made a big batch to take to my mother in law who just had knee replacement surgery a couple of weeks ago. One thing I love about this soup is you can make a big batch of it and it reheats great! I typically double the recipe and then divvy the soup up into several containers for future dinners and lunches. It’s a perfect dinner for cool evenings or even on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Note: When using a blender to puree the soup you will need to do it in batches. I recommend placing a towel over the top of your blender and holding the lid firmly in place as the heat will make the lid blow off and it makes a huge hot mess and can burn you if not secured.

INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
1 bunch of celery, sliced
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
4 tbsp flour
6 c chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 c heavy cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
4–5 dashes of hot sauce
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
salt (optional)

STEPS

  • In a large soup pot melt the butter and add the celery, onions, and garlic.
  • Cook over medium-high heat until soft.
  • Sprinkle the flour in the pot and stir while cooking for 1–2 minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth and bay leaf.
  • Bring pot to a boil, cover, and reduce heat allowing to simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the bay leaf.
  • Using a blender puree the soup in small batches until nice and smooth. (See above note)
  • Transfer the soup back into the pot.
  • Add in the cream, lemon juice, hot sauce, pepper, and salt. (Be sure to sample the soup before adding in the salt. Unless you are using a reduced sodium you may not need it.)
  • Bring pot to a boil, cover, and reduce heat allowing to simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until desired thickness.