Favorite Recipes

Below you’ll find recipes for Cousin Dee of BIG CHERRY HOLLER’s Peanut-Butter Balls, Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake from MILK GLASS MOON, Our Lady of (Drown Your) Sorrows Consolation Cake from ROCOCO, BIG STONE GAP’S Hope Meade’s Mints, Mama’s Wedding Cookies from THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME, and Viola Perin’s Fish Brodetto from LUCIA, LUCIA.

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RO’S PANNA COTTA

4 cups heavy cream or half ‘n’ half

1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 packets powdered gelatin

6 Tbsp. cold water

Heat the cream or half ‘n’ half and the sugar in a saucepan. When the sugar is dissolved remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Lightly oil 8 custard cups with a neutral tasting oil. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the very warm panna cotta mixture into the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is competely dissolved. Divide the mixture into the cups and chill til firm, at least 2 hours preferably 4. To unmold onto a serving plate run a sharp knife around the edge of the cup. An easier way is to pour the mixture into wine goblets and when set and firm decorate with seasonal berries or drizzle with honey or fruit syrup. Delizioso!

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AUNT MARY’S FIRE & ICE PICKLES

You HAVE to try these delicious pickles for your next snack. Aunt Mary made them for me, and I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

3 jars of dill pickles drained
4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons hot sauce
3/4 teaspoons crushed red peppers
3 cloves peeled garlic

Combine pickles, sugar, hot sauce & red pepper in a bowl
Cover & let stand 2 hours, stirring often
Spoon back into jars
Add 1 clove to each jar

Cover and refrigerate.
For best results wait 1 week to eat
Keeps well in fridge for months

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ARANCINI (Sicilian Rice Balls)

2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup Romano cheese

1 small bag frozen peas…thawed

2 eggs..beaten

1 lb. Ricotta

2 cups dried breadcrumbs

3 cups canola oil ( for deep-frying)

Boil rice till cooked and drain. While WARM, mix in Romano. peas, and eggs. Mix well and cool. Next, take a handfull of this mixture, make a depression in the middle and fill it with 1 teaspoon of Ricotta. Cover with more rice and shape into a small football. Place on tray and refrigerate (better if overnight). When ready to fry..heat oil. Roll ball in (egg..if desired) and breadcrumbs. Fry till golden. Drain on paper towel. Best when served warm.

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PHYLLIS RICCHIUTI’S ARANCINI

This is an Americanized version from generous fan Phyllis!

1 1/2 cups cooked Arborio rice

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup flour

3/4 of an 8 oz Velveta cheese

1 stick butter

1 cup milk

4-5 egg yolks

2-3 handfuls grated Romano cheese

egg whites beat till frothy

breadcrumbs (as needed)

Canola oil (as desired for frying)

Brown meat in oil with butter and flour. Mix well. Add the Velveta cheese and mix again. Add the milk, mix again then add the rice and egg yolks and Romano. Make day before and refrigerate. Form small football. Roll in egg whites and breadcrumbs. Fry till golden. Serve warm and enjoy!!

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Elegant Elaine Salerno’s Artichoke Pie recipe (Take with a side of Lipitor!)

Ingredients:
1 package of frozen artichoke hearts (I use Trader Joe’s)
2 deep dish frozen pie crusts (or make your own)
1 – 8 oz. package of mozzarella – diced (or grated on the large hole)
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup of grated locatelli cheese
6 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375
Procedure:
Saute artichoke in garlic and oil, mashing with a fork. (I usually cut them up into smaller chunks).
Cook and set aside.
In a large bowl beat eggs, add cheeses, salt and pepper. Add artichokes.
Pour into the bottom half of the pie crust. Place top crust, press edges together gently.
Bake 35 – 45 minutes until golden brown.

“Option: For a large group, I use an oblong pyrex dish – 13 X 9, and double the filling. This way it can be cut into squares. For the dough you can use 2 of the one Pillsbury sells rolled up in the refrigerator case. You have to do a lot of rolling and stretching with that. I am terrible with crusts, so it might be easier for someone who can handle the dough to just make it from scratch.”

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Here is my grandmother Viola’s ultimate holiday punch. Collect the car keys beforehand and snuggle up with a cup of this:

SANTA’S HELPER’S PUNCH

‘You’ll need Santa’s help to get up off the floor”

1 quart raspberry ice or sherbet
2 bottles rose wine (choose any pink table wine, I like pink Zinfandel)
1 6 oz. frozen pink lemonade concentrate
sugar to taste
2 bottles of sparkling rose wine, well chilled
garnish: Santa’s presents
make pink lemonade from concentrate: fill 4 ice cube trays with pink lemonade then drop one maraschino cherry into each square and freeze

In a punch bowl: combine sherbet, rose wine and lemonade concentrate, stir until blended. Add sugar (if desired). Right before serving, pour in the sparkling rose, drop in Santa’s presents (the cherry/lemonade ice cubes) and serve at once. Makes about a gallon. Yum.

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Here is a delicious recipe from my dear friend Melanie:

BREAD & CHICKEN HOUSE HALLELUJAH CHERRY COOKIES

• 4 cups flour (stir or sift before measuring)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 tsp almond extract

• 2 cups butter (evil laughter)
• Candied cherries – red, of course

Preparation:
Mix flour, salt, sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add extract. Work the dough with hands until it holds together; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll dough into little balls and press an indention with your thumb. Put a cherry in each indention. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove and sift with powdered sugar if desired. Yield 30-36.

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NEW ENGLAND ROAST (I call it GREG’S POT ROAST)

“Tempt your taste buds with this delicious roast recipe form my mentor Greg Cantrell.”

1 beef roast (4lbs)
3 T flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 T oil
1 cup whole cranberry sauce
1 stick cinnamon, broken in half
4 whole cloves
1/2 cup horseradish
16 small onions
1 bunch carrots, cut in 3 inch lengths

Put meat in a crock pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine cranberry sauce, cinnamon, cloves, horseradish, and flour. Pour over meat. Quarter at least 2 regular onions and place around meat mixture. Slice 3 or 4 carrots and add to the mixture. Cook several hours until meat is tender. If sauce/gravy is too thin, thicken with flour or corn starch.

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FROSTING:
1/2 box powdered sugar
2 tbsp. Unsalted butter
Milk-just to wet the powdered sugar
Almond flavoring
Mix well and ice cookies. Dip the iced cookie in coconut.

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Here is a a dinner option for hungry tummies from LUCIA, LUCIA

VIOLA PERIN’S FISH BRODETTO
1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 lb lobster tail cut into chunks
1 lb sole cut into chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
6 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 large sweet onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 cups red wine
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 fresh lemon
2 quarts water
salt and pepper

Prepare fish, squeeze lemon over, set aside. In a large pot sauté onion, garlic, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar lightly. Add water and wine. Stir well. Add fish, parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on stove top over medium heat for 40 minutes or until fish cooks through. To serve, line soup bowls with thin slices of toasted Italian bread. Ladle stew over bread and serve.

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Rosalie Signorelli Ciardullo’s Italian Cream

Ad, here's an easy recipe for your readers;  ITALIAN CREAM.

            1lb. ricotta
            3 oz. pkg. cream cheese or mascarpone
            6 Tbsp. heavy cream
            2 Tbsp. sugar
            1 tsp. almond extract
             pinch of salt

Blend ricotta with cream cheese.  Add heavy cream gradually.  Mix until light
and fluffy.  Add sugar, almond
extract and salt while beating.  Pour into serving dish.  Chill.  Serve with
fresh fruit.  Serves 4.