Shout out to DeFalco's

My favorite place to eat is DeFalco's Italian Deli and Grocery

Very urban feel.  The simple tables are squished in between the shelves of imported groceries. 

Front counter.  Sorry such a bad pic. 

Olive Oils.

Cannoli!  And other homemade desserts.

Olives, cheese and homemade salads.  My favorite is the tortalini salad... see below.  

Frozen imported fresh pasta.

Imported gelato. 

The tortalini salad I spoke of...

My fav- eggplant parm sandwich with mozzerella on an italian roll with extra sauce on the side. 

We used their marinara sauce for our wedding buffet. 

Pizza.  

Let's go to lunch. 

Suppa Club Strikes Back

Hunter and I hosted Suppa Club this month.  We decided pin-wheels are nice and summery.  

Notice the fun disposable placemats. 

Made a Suppa Club banner.  Love fonts!  Find them at dafonts.com.

Drink table. Mason jars as per Hunter's idea.

Red kool-aid. Can't have summer or red gingham for that matter without red kool-aid. 

I quote Daphne "I feel so welcome."

  

Only got a picture of Carli's appetizer Sweet Potato Fries.  After that the eating was so distracting that nothing else got pictured! 

But my salad recipe can be found here.

And Jenny made the absolutely fabulous hawaiian sandwiches.

Daphne tickled our sweet taste buds with these babies from Martha.

Shower Salad

I make this salad for showers or parties with a lot of people.  The dressing goes A LONG WAY.  Just keep adding greens to it and you're set.  Recently made it for Suppa Club.

Shower Salad

Salad:

1 big bag (from Costco) of Spring Mix lettuce

1 big bag of another salad lettuce mix      

toasted slivered almonds

3 small cans of drained mandarin orange slices

Toss together above ingredients.  When ready to serve toss with Marla’s dressing.

Marla’s Dressing;

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1 Tablespoon fresh grated onion (do not substitute dry onion)

1 cup oil

Put all ingredients in a jar and shake together. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.  

Hawaiian Sandwich Rolls

Hawaiian Sandwich Rolls

1 doz sweet Hawaiian Rolls

½ lb shredded ham or turkey

½ lb sliced swiss or provolone cheese

Sauce:

1 stick butter, melted

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

1.    Slice rolls, fill with meat and cheese.   Place sandwiches in a baking dish and pour sauce over.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

2. Take plastic wrap off, cover with aluminum foil.

3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until roll is beginning to brown. 

Simple Alfredo Sauce

Simple Alfredo Sauce:

2- 8 oz packages cream cheese

½ stick butter or margarine

3 cups milk (can use PARTIAL half and half or cream, but not the entire 3 cups worth)

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp. garlic

½ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. salt

Put ALL ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir occasionally until butter has completely melted.  Turn heat to medium. Then whisk until not lumpy anymore.  Cover and turn heat to the lowest setting, let simmer for 2-3 minutes or until thick and bubbly.  Stir occasionally to keep saucepan from burning.  Keep covered until ready to serve.  Best if served immediately. 

Serve over cooked pasta.  My favorite is linguine. 

Options:  Add cooked chicken or sautéed shrimp.  

Best Salmon Ever

Savory Salmon

Take skin off Salmon  filets.  Place in a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Season generously with lemon pepper.  (Really generous.)  Pack on about a handful of light brown sugar per filet.  Melt butter and pour generously over the salmon.   Bake at 375 until fish is flakey.  Top with sliced lemon.  

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies- by Martha Stewart

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.

4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Beef and Spinach Roll-Ups

Beef and Spinach Roll-Ups

Serves: 48

½ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon garlic powder

4- spinach flavored tortillas (10 inch diameter each)

2 cups fresh spinach

½ lb thinly sliced cooked roast beef (I just use deli meat)

1 ¾ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

Directions:

Mix mayonnaise and garlic powder in small bowl. Spread mixture evenly over tortillas.

Top tortillas with layers of spinach, beef, cheese and tomato; roll up tightly.  Trim ends of the rolls.  Cut each roll into 12 slices; secure with toothpicks.  Refrigerate until serving.

Mini Asian Crab Cakes

Mini Asian Crab Cakes

A Martha Stewart Recipe

8 ounces jumbo lump crab meat, rinse (I used imitation crab)

¼ cup mayonnaise, plus 3 tablespoons for garnish

2 green onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons wasabi paste (horseradish)

1 teaspoon finely grate lime zest

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs

½ cup flour

½ teaspoons alt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

¼ cup sesame seeds

2/3 cup canola oil, plus more if needed

1 cucumber for garnish

1.    Flake crabmeat with a fork in a medium bowl, stir in mayonnaise, green onions, soy sauce, ½ teaspoon wasabi paste and lime zest.  Stir in 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs.  Cover with plastic wrap; chill 1 hour.

2.    In a medium bowl, whisk flour, salt and pepper.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, beat eggs with 1 tablespoons water.  Set aside.  In a shallow bowl, stir together sesame seeds and remaining ½ cup breadcrumbs.  Form one tablespoon crab mixture into a ball; dip in seasoned flour.  Flatten into a ¾ inch high cake.  Repeat with remaining crab mixture.  Dip cakes in egg mixture then roll in breadcrumb mixture.

3.    Heat oil in large skillet until hot.  Cook crab cakes, turning once.  About 1 ½ minutes.  Drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Let cool completely. 

4.    At this point you can garnish (see below, and skip steps 5 and 6) and serve immediately.  OR you can freeze them for a later date. 

5.    To freeze, place cakes on lined baking sheets and freeze 1 hour.  Then transfer to an airtight container to freezer for a longer period.  They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

6.    To serve after frozen, place cakes on ungreased baking sheet and bake until heating through, 10 to 14 minutes.

7.    To garnish, stir together remaining 3 tablespoons mayonnaise and 1 ½ teaspoons wasabi.  Dot each cake with wasabi mayonnaise and top with a ribbon of cucumber.  

Spinach Dip Bread Bowl

Spinach Dip Bread Bowl

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed                   to drain

1 package (1.4 oz) vegetable soup and recipe mix

1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 medium green onion, chopped

1 round uncut loaf bread (about 9 inches in diameter)

Directions:

In medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, spinach, soup mix, water chestnuts and green onion.  Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Cut and hollow out 3-inch-wide ring on top of bread loaf to within ½ of bottom leaving center of loaf intact.  Reserve scooped out bread. 

Spoon spinach dip into hollowed-out ring. 

Tear reserved bread into bite-size pieces.  Use bread for dipping.

Tomato Basil Crostini

Tomato Basil Crostini

32 slices French bread, ¼ inch thick

¼ cup olive oil

3 roma tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Place bread on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush 2 tablespoons of the oil on bread.  Bake 4 to 5 minutes or until light golden brown.

Mix tomatoes, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the garlic, cheese, basil, and salt.  Place about 1 tablespoon tomato mixture on each warm bread slice.  

Sweet Tomatillo Salsa

Sweet Tomatillo Salsa

10 tomatillos, husked

5 green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small can diced green chilies

1 bunch cilantro (about ¾ cup)

2 teaspoons lime juice

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar

salt and pepper to taste

a couple dashes of garlic powder (optional-but I do)

Place tomatillos in a saucepan with enough water to cover.  Bring to boil.  Simmer until tomatillos soften and begin to burst, about ten minutes.

Drain tomatillos and place in a food processor.  Puree the tomatillos.  Add back to saucepan with remaining ingredients except cilantro.  Cook until it boils.  Remove from heat, let cool for about 2 minutes, then return the salsa to the processor.  Add cilantro and process until very well combined.  I like it chilled.  Good for all Mexican food. 

To make a great creamy sauce, heat finished salsa with 8 oz cream cheese.  Yum!  

Pineapple Cheese Spread

Pineapple Cheese Spread

2- 8 oz. cream cheese

chopped pecans

¼ cup chopped green peppers

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 cups drained, crushed pineapple

1 tablespoon lawry’s seasoned salt

Mix all ingredients in an electric mixer.  Chill for at least two hours.

Hot Artichoke spinach dip

Hot Artichoke spinach dip

1-13 oz can marinated artichoke hearts, chopped fine

1- 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup parmesean cheese

2 ¼ cups coarsely grate Monterey jack cheese (9 oz)

1 tablespoon grated pecorino romano cheese

1.    Preheat oven to 350.  In a bowl combined artichoke hearts, spinach, mayonnaise, parmesan, 1 ¾ cup Monterey jack cheese, pecorino romano.  Stirring until combined. 

2.    Transfer artichoke mixture into a one-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup Monterey jack cheese.  Dip may be prepared up to this point one day ahead or chilled and covered.

3.    Bake dip in the middle of the oven until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.  Serve dip warm with crackers, bread, baked pasta pieces or tortilla chips.

Apricot Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Apricot Sweet-and-Sour Meatballs

1 1/2	lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/4	cup Progresso® plain bread crumbs
1/4	teaspoon salt
1/4	teaspoon garlic powder
1/4	teaspoon ground ginger
1	egg, slightly beaten
1/2	cup apricot preserves
1/4	cup hoisin sauce
1/4	cup rice vinegar
1/8	teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1	medium red or green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

       Heat oven to 375ºF. Spray 15 x10-inch pan with sides with cooking spray.

       Mix beef, bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder, ginger and egg until well blended. Shape into 1-inch meatballs; place in pan. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until no longer pink in center and juice is clear; drain.

In 2-quart saucepan, mix preserves, hoisin sauce, vinegar and red pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Add drained meatballs and bell pepper. Cook until bell pepper is crisp-tender. Serve with cocktail toothpicks.

Nutella Brownies

My brother brought this recipe back from Italy.   They're not your sweetest brownies, but their not dark chocolate either...  My suggestion, if you're worried about getting a super sweet brownie, reduce the amount of cocoa.  Instead of 3/4 cup, make it like 1/2 cup plus a tablespoon or just 1/2 cup?   I made them in a 9 x 9 here and they're extra deep and thick.  They can also be brought up in a 9 x 13 pan.  LOVE    And I've been heard to say "brownies never turn out as good as when you make them from a box".   This is the huge exception.

Nutella Brownies!

3/4 c melted butter
2 c sugar
1 c flour
3/4 c cocoa
4 large OR 5 medium eggs
2 big scoops of nutella (peanut butter will work but then there is a nutty taste)
Grease and flour pan bake at 350 until fork inserted comes out clean ( or until you freaking think they're done)

9x9 pan about 30-35 minutes

9x13 pan about 22 minutes

Bacon Cheddar Cheese Ball

This is for all you party-ers out there.   This solid cheese ball goes a long way and if you are lucky enough to have left overs, you will be so glad.

Bacon & Cheddar Cheese Ball

2- 8 oz packages cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
10 slices crispy cooked bacon, chopped** (Cut the bacon when it is raw and fry or microwave in small pieces- or to save time get REAL BACON bits.)

Whip cream cheese in an electric mixer for 2 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and mix on medium speed for 2 more minutes.  Form into a cheese ball on plastic wrap or spoon into your cutest dip bowl.  Chill for at least an hour before you party.

**You can substitute 8 oz of imitation crab meat for the bacon

Suppa Club

I'm sure Jenny will blog about this too, but all's I gotta say is that we girls started the SUPPA CLUB.  And it's a good idea.  Jenny got the flame going with a sensationally hosted inaugural Club meeting.  We talked about the food all through dinner.  That's how good it was.

I brought the appetizer- little smokies wrapped in bacon.  (Wrap a raw little smokie in raw bacon.  Secure with toothpick.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with brown sugar.  Broil for 20 minutes on low and then 3 minutes on high.)  EASY.

 Jenny got us hydrated with water and watermelon-aide.  Pretty and tasty.

So cute.  SO CUTE! 

Lovely straws. 

and the greatest commandment.... 

clever, lovely colors. 

Details rock. 

 Daph brought the scrumptious main dish.  I'll get the recipe to y'all (yes I said y'all) soon.  It's pretty much the most glorified shepherd's pie with bacon....

KILLER salad.  Jenny will supply the recipe soon.  Again, with bacon... we all apparently know what makes a dish wild.  

And sorry, Carli, I didn't get a pic of your simply amazing fruit/chocolate crust/ divine pie.  No bacon here....

See ya next month.  

Miracle Burrito

There's no bad mood or crabby wife that this burrito can't fix:

Sweet pork, lime rice, mango salsa, cheese, etc.  

Thank you Costa Vida, for saving my marriage last Friday.   :-) 

EASY & FAST Baked Lemon Chicken

I made this again tonight, that's twice in the last two weeks.  It's fabulous and it works great when taking meals to friends or family who need a dinner.

2-3 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast

1 stick of butter 

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

1 lemon, sliced

salt 

pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease shallow baking dish.  

In a shallow bowl, melt butter with lemon juice and garlic clove.  Put breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl.  Set Aside.

Trim fat from chicken breasts and then slice them in half.  Cover in plastic wrap on the cutting board and pound with a meat pounder until 1/4 inch thick.   Season generously with salt and pepper.  

Dip chicken breast in butter mixture and then coat in breadcrumbs.  Place in shallow dish.  Spread remaining butter mixture over chicken in the dish.  Place sliced lemons on top of chicken.  Bake uncovered for 22 minutes.  Serve with rice or potatoes or whatever the heck you want.  

I can't get enough of this stuff.