Tag: Classic

Brunch

Recipe—Sausage Gravy

Diva di Cucina

I was never really a huge fan of biscuits and gravy, until I had this recipe. Oh my goodness! Now I am hooked! I am a huge fan of breakfast and this is the perfect side to serve up with some scrambled eggs and potatoes. It is the ultimate in breakfast comfort food (especially after a night of drinking). I actually really like this gravy with Pillsbury biscuits, they are cheap, quick, and convenient. Sausage gravy and biscuits are perfect for a cold winter day and best of all it is super easy to make.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb roll breakfast sausage (not link or patty)
2 tbsp flour
2 c milk
salt and pepper

STEPS

  • In a medium skillet brown the sausage over medium high heat.
  • Remove the sausage when done and set aside.
  • Leaving the drippings in the pan, stir in the flour.
  • Cook over medium heat for 1–2 minutes.
  • Pour in the milk and whisk to combine.
  • Cook over medium or medium-high heat until thickened.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Serve over warm biscuits.
Side Dishes, Soups

Recipe—Chili (The Classic Kind)

Diva di Cucina

It’s finally cooling off here in California and that means I am cooking up lots of soups and one of my favorite winter comfort foods, chili, the classic kind. This is the good stuff, heavy on meat and beans, light on veggies. That’s how I like my chili. What better way to warm up at the end of a cold day then a big bowl of chili? This recipe really is perfect, it’s not too spicy, not too mild, it’s just right. Something Goldilocks would love, probably Momma, Daddy, and baby bear too. This recipe does take a couple of hours to cook but that’s what makes it so good. All those flavors get cooked into the meat giving you a really hearty and flavorful chili you are sure to enjoy.

Note: If you are someone that likes chili with a little more kick, just add in a couple dashes of cayenne pepper.

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs ground beef
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 c chili powder
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can tomato sauce
1–2 c beef broth

GARNISHES
shredded cheddar
sour cream
green onions, chopped
fritos
diced avocadoes

STEPS

  • In a large pot cook the beef, onions, and garlic over medium-high heat until no longer pink.
  • Drain off most of the fat leaving about 2 tbsp in the bottom.
  • Stir into the pot the chili powder, flour, oregano, cumin, sugar, and salt.
  • Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes, beans, sauce, and 1 cup of the broth to the pot.
  • Cook for an additional 45–60 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Add more broth if you want a soupier chili.
  • Ladle the chili into a bowl and have fun garnishing it with your favorite toppings.
Sandwiches

Recipe—Hot Ham & Swiss Sammies

Diva di Cucina

I think I have mentioned before that ham and mayo on a croissant was my favorite sandwich as a kid. And by favorite I mean that was one of the only sandwiches I would eat. I have grown up haven’t I? Well this is my favorite childhood sandwich on steroids, and it is AWESOME! I know you may look at the poppy seed sauce and wonder what that’s all about. Well the sauce bakes to the top of the croissant making an ordinary croissant extraordinary. It does not leave the croissants soggy. It actually gives them a nice caramelization and lots of added flavor. Since these make a good size batch and they can be assembled ahead of time they are perfect for a luncheon or shower. These may be my ultimate in comfort food sandwiches this winter, just throw in a bowl of soup and call it dinner.

Note: These can be assembled and kept in the fridge up to 24 hours before baking. How handy is that?!?

SANDWICH INGREDIENTS
9 medium sized croissants cut in half
1 lb thin sliced deli ham
9 square slices of Swiss, cut in half horizontally
mayonnaise

POPPY SEED SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp yellow mustard
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp yellow onion, finely minced
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • Spread each half of the croissant with a thin layer of mayonnaise.
  • Place a piece of Swiss on the bottom half of the croissant.
  • Evenly distribute the ham among the nine sandwiches.
  • Top the ham with a second piece of Swiss cheese and then the croissant top.
  • Place the finished sandwiches edge to edge in a large baking dish or on a cookie sheet. It’s okay if they are snug.
  • In a small bowl whisk together all the poppy seed sauce ingredients.
  • Spoon the sauce over the top of each sandwich and allow the sandwiches to sit for at least 10 minutes.
  • Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 15–18 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
  • Remove the foil and allow the sandwiches to cook uncovered for an additional 5 minutes.
  • Serve warm and enjoy!
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Homemade Marshmallows

Diva di Cucina

divadicucina_marshmallows

I was trying to come up with a cute idea for a Christmas gift for my son’s teachers and came up with the idea of making hot cocoa gift baskets. You know, a mug, some hot cocoa, some homemade cookies, and marshmallows. Well I am never the person to take the easy way out by just buying an actual bag of jet puffed marshmallows at the store, I wanted these gift baskets to be special, made from the heart. So I decided to attempt to make my very own marshmallows. Gourmet marshmallows seem to be all the rage this season but unfortunately they can cost a fortune. With this recipe you can make your own at home. They are a little bit of work, and one might by intimidated, but they are actually easy. I think the hardest part was waiting for them to set! These homemade marshmallows put store bought marshmallows to shame and are so totally worth making on your own. If making your own marshmallows isn’t on your bucket list it should be. Give these a shot. They will take your hot cocoa on a cold winter night over the top!

divadicucina_hotcocoa

Note: The original recipe I followed called for using a stand up mixer but I used a hand mixer. You can use either. The marshmallows can be very sticky and difficult to handle so the trick to cutting them is to constantly coat them in powdered sugar after every slice of the knife.

INGREDIENTS
3 c sugar
1 1/4 c light corn syrup
water
4 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 c powdered sugar

STEPS

  • Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  • While sugar water is heating up add 3/4 cup water to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the 4 packs of gelatin over the top. Set aside.
  • Bring the sugar water mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 5 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 235º.
  • Carefully pour the hot sugar water into your mixing bowl with the water and gelatin and mix on low.
  • Add the salt and increase mixer speed to high.
  • Beat the sugar mixture on high for 5 minutes and than add vanilla.
  • Continue beating the mixture for another 5 minutes.
  • When you are done, pour the marshmallow cream into a greased 9” x 13” pan.
  • Smooth the top and gently tap to release air.
  • Leave the dish on the counter for at least 10 hours.
  • After the waiting is up sprinkle the entire top of your marshmallows with powdered sugar making sure it’s coated and place a cutting board over the top of your dish.
  • While holding the cutting board and dish together carefully flip the dish and cutting board upside down simultaneously releasing the marshmallows onto the cutting board. (Your set marshmallows will now be upside down on the cutting board.)
  • Lift the baking dish and sprinkle all of the exposed marshmallow with powdered sugar making sure there are no exposed areas.
  • Using a large sharp knife cut into 1” strips and coat each exposed side with powdered sugar.
  • Cut those strips into 1” cubes making sure you coat each cut side with powdered sugar.
  • Once done, sprinkle all of the marshmallows with the remaining powdered sugar making sure there are no exposed sticky areas.
  • Enjoy in a big mug of hot cocoa!
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.
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.
Dinners

Recipe—Whole Chicken in a Crock-Pot

Diva di Cucina

I absolutely love roasting chicken in the oven but I just don’t usually have time during the workweek. Using a crock-pot is a wonderful alternative way to cook an entire chicken. This recipe is super easy and the chicken comes out incredibly moist and is pretty much falling off the bone. Just be sure to be very careful when removing the whole chicken from the crock-pot because it will be on the verge of falling apart. Serve this up with a side of mashed potatoes and your favorite veggie for a dinner made of comfort foods. I even used the drippings from the crock-pot to make a quick and easy gravy which went great with mashed potatoes and chicken.

Note: If you are really short on time in the mornings prepare the entire chicken in the ceramic crock-pot insert the night before and just place the entire thing with the lid on in the refrigerator. Then in the morning you just drop the insert into the crock-pot and turn it on. Wellah! Dinner really can be this easy!

INGREDIENTS
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large chicken

STEPS

  • Combine all the spices in a small bowl.
  • Place the chopped onion and celery in the bottom of the crock-pot.
  • Remove any parts from inside the chicken.
  • Rub the seasonings all over the chicken. (I like to rub some of the seasonings under the skin covering the breasts. This allows the flavors to really seep into the meat.)
  • Place the prepared chicken in the crock-pot on top of the onions breast side up.
  • Cook on high for 4–5 hours or on low for 8–10.
Dinners

Recipe—Homemade Fish Sticks & Tartar Sauce

Diva di Cucina

The other night I asked my son what he would like for dinner. His reply, an enthusiastic “FISH STICKS!” I was not so enthusiastic. I have never been a fan of the frozen mystery fish sticks you get in your store’s frozen section, I am however a huge fan of good, quality, fresh fish. So I was on a mission to make some out of this world homemade fish sticks. Why not go with one of the best pieces of fish on the market, halibut. These turned out incredible! By far the best fish sticks I have ever had. These were a huge hit not for only my husband and I, but my son loved them. We had a happy family all around. I served them with my macadamia nut rice and some coleslaw. Talk about totally indulgent. We will be making these again very soon.

Note: Halibut filets typically come with a layer of skin on them. Many butchers will remove it for you if you bat your eyes and ask them nicely. So unless you want to remove the skin yourself, see if you can get a butcher to remove the skin from the filet for you. Trust me, it’s worth it.

FISH STICK INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 lb halibut filets cut into 1” strips
1 1/2 c panko
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 c vegetable oil

TARTAR SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1/4 c sour cream
3 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
2 tsp capers, minced
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

GARNISH
lemon wedges

STEPS

  • Make tartar sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl mixing well. Place tartar sauce in fridge until ready to use.
  • For the fish sticks, whisk together eggs and milk.
  • Add fish strips to the egg wash and gently toss to coat.
  • In a shallow bowl combine panko, salt, and pepper.
  • Remove the fish strips one at a time from the egg wash and coat them in the panko mixture. Set the breaded fish to the side on a cutting board as you finish them.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add as many of the fish sticks to the hot oil as you can making sure not to overlap.
  • Cook for 4 minutes turning once to making sure all sides are a golden brown.
  • Remove the fish sticks from the oil as they are done cooking and place on a paper towel lined sheet.
  • Repeat the last 3 steps until all of the fish sticks are done.
  • Serve fish sticks with the tartar sauce and a lemon wedge.
Brunch, Salads, Side Dishes

Recipe—Creamy Persimmon Pomegranate Salad

Diva di Cucina

During the fall and winter months it can be difficult to find quality ripe fruit for a fruit salad. And when you do find some, you pay an arm and a leg. This is a fabulously simple salad you can whip up in minutes using some seasonal fall fruits. This sweet and creamy salad is great for breakfast or even as an addition to your Thanksgiving meal. I think the walnuts and pomegranate seeds give it a nice little crunch and best of all, it is really healthy!

Note: You may or may not find seeds in your persimmons. I have found them both ways. When you chop them be sure to keep a watch for them and discard any you find.

INGREDIENTS
6 fuyu or amagaki persimmons, chopped
3/4 c pomegranate seeds
1/2 c candied walnuts, chopped
1 c plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp honey

STEPS

  • Combine the persimmons, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts in a medium bowl.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the honey and yogurt.
  • Pour the yogurt over the fruit and gently stir to combine.