Home Made Ravioli

These long winter days are a great time to get some family and friends together to do some cooking together and what better to make than homemade ravioli. On this post, I will be sharing Edyth Monday's family recipe that we made at Newhaven last weekend. Edyth and her husband, Tony, and her sister, Theresa, live there with my mom. They remind me so much of my dad's two aunts, Sarah and Elizabeth!!

Edyth's family gets together before the holidays and makes ravioli to be served at Christmas. Even Tony gets into the flour and does a great job making great little pasta squares filled with meat or cheese. You can tell that Edyth and Tony and Theresa have been doing this all of their lives as they knew just how to knead and handle the dough. It is just so natural for them... It is a joy to watch !!!

Their family favorite filling is cheese. In my family, there was never cheese ravioli, only meat--- maybe, because my dad was a butcher and meat was the only kind of protein to eat!!

It really doesn't matter what you might like to fill this pasta with. The idea of bringing friends and/or family together to prepare something special makes for wonderful memories...... and that is PRICELESS!!!


Ravioli Dough
4 c. flour
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 Tbl. olive oil

Measure flour and salt into a medium sized bowl and make a well in the center of the flour. Mix eggs and oil together along with 1/2 c. - 3/4 c. water. Add to flour mixture. You may need to add a bit more water so that the dough comes together. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface til smooth. Let the dough rest for 10-30 minutes ( or even overnite). Then roll dough thin to make your ravioli. Makes about 80 ravioli.

Cheese Filling
2 # ricotta, drained well
2 beaten eggs
1 c. grated cheese (Romano or Parmesan)
1/4 c. parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder

Blend all ingredients together and place a small spoonful into each ravioli square. Makes about 80 ravioli.


Meat Filling
1 1/2 # ground beef, browned and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
1 -10 oz pkg. frozen, chopped, spinach ( drained)
1/2 c. grated cheese (Romano or Parmesan)
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients together and place a small spoonful into each ravioli square. Makes about 80 ravioli.

Peanut Butter Crock Pot Candy

Peanut Butter Crock Pot Candy

Now that the Christmas decorations are finally put away, it is time to start thinking of the next holiday-- St. Valentine's Day!! And what better way to celebrate and tell those around you that they are appreciated than giving them some chocolates!!!! In this installment of this blog, I am posting a variation of the earlier candy recipe that my daughter, Maria, shared with me before Christmas. This new recipe is more like a peanut butter melt-away. A small box of a variety of these chocolates would be a nice little treat to share with friends and family this Valentine's Day............... It will be here before you know it!! :)

Peanut Butter Crock Pot Candy

1 c. Milk Chocolate candy discs

1 c. White Chocolate candy discs

1 1/4 c. Peanut butter-- Chunky would be good

Put chocolates in a crock pot for an hour or so... stirring periodically til melted. Once close to melted, add the peanut butter and stir til blended. Pour into lined tassie pans and refrigerate til firm. ( You can also put the chocolates in a pyrex bowl and put into a 150 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Check for meltedness ( is that a word??), then add peanut butter). This made about 75 candies.

Grandma Claire's Chili

GRANDMA CLAIRE'S CHILI

This New Years is cold and snowy....just the right season for a nice hot bowl of chili!!! The chili recipe that I love to make is one from my mother-in-law, Claire Brown. She was never a gourmet cook, but the things she made were good, simple recipes that her family loved. She shared this recipe with me when we were first married and it has become a regular at our family dinner table. Not only is it easy but it can be made in quantity ( I often make a HUGE pot and divide it into family-size portions that can quickly be taken out and thawed for a quick dinner) and can be seasoned Up or Down according to your family's taste. ( anything spicey makes my Irish husband's head sweat, so I usually go easy on the spice!!! :) )

A good hot bowl of chili will warm the start to 2010!!!! Happy New Year!!!

Grandma Claire's Chili

2 # lean ground beef ( or turkey)

1 med. onion diced

1/2 green or red pepper, diced (opt)

2 cans condensed tomato soup + water

1 or 2 cans of kidney beans (depending on how your family likes beans)

1 small can of diced tomatoes ( I use frozen ones from the garden)

1 bay leaf

1 pkg chili seasoning

garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground meat in a dutch oven or large pot. Add onions and peppers to brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 20 min or so. This can be made ahead of time and really doesn't need to cook for hours. I usually serve this with small noodles or rice, and corn. Some top this with cheddar cheese or sour cream. Do what your family might like!!

Crock Pot Candy

Crockpot Candy

One of the fun new recipes that I learned of this Christmas is a candy recipe that my oldest daughter,Maria Cosme, made. It is super easy ( I LIKE that) and it is quite tasty!!! It is one of those recipes that you can adjust according to what you have on hand and to your taste!!!

Since we are running out of time for this year, I think I might try this for St. Valentine's Day!!!

Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year!!!!!

Crock Pot Candy

1 16 oz jar plain peanuts

1 16 oz jar roasted peanuts

1 12 oz pkg milk chocolate chips

1 lb. Almond Bark

1 lb. White Chocolate Chips

1. Layer above ingredients in crock pot.
2. Cook on low for 2 hours.
3. Take lid off and stir half way through. If need be, add more chocolate at this time.
4. Place candies in tea size cupcake holders.
5. Let stand until firm.

Note: I replaced the almond bark with dark chocolate chips due to nut allergies.

The dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chips can be purchased at Mary’s Cakes and Candies.

Thanks for cheching out my blog!

Belgium Galettes

Nothing says Christmas like a tray of cookies..... One of the cookies that I LOVE but am only learning to make is the Belgium cookie called Galettes. I was introduce to this simple treat by one of our neighbors when I was growing up in Ford City. Donnie Kutchenriter's family was from Belgium, as were a number of others who came to this country in the early part of the 1900's to work in the glass factories of Western Pennsylvania. She made two kinds of waffle-like cookies-- this one that I am working on is like a regular waffle only about 2 inches in diameter and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Another variety of this cookie is a bit thinner ( kind of like a pizzelle) but the iron that is used to make this cookie has a much finer grid than traditional waffles and is not decorated as a pizzelle iron is.

After we were married, I was introduced to them again when Bill's mom would have these cookies made for the holidays. She shared with me the original black cast iron waffle iron that Bill's grandfather brought from Belgium to make these cookies. I have attempted to use this iron but lack the finesse ( and patience!!!) that is required to use this iron well. After much hunting, (and a discussion with my Aunt Francis Palilla) I purchased a regular, old electric waffle iron to use to make these cookies. Sandy and I have made them twice and have great success with the following recipe that I found on the internet. I did find My mother's recipe from Donnie but haven't tried it yet..... These cookies taste better if made ahead of time, and I am sure would mail well if you need to send cookies somewhere. Enjoy the process of this beautiful season!!!!

Galettes or Belgium Waffle cookies

1 # butter ( I use margarine)

6 eggs

2 c. sugar

2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla or rum or whiskey

6 c. flour

Cream butter, eggs and sugars together in an electric mixer. Sift dry ingredients together, and add to the butter, egg mixture. Dough will be soft. Chill dough for several hours or over night. Roll into small balls or drop by teaspoonfuls in hot waffle iron. Dust with powdered sugar on both sides. Store in a cool, dry place. You may need to repowder these before serving.

Stufffing or Dressing?????

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is here!!!!! This fall has just flown by and the holidays are upon us!!!!! We LOVE this time of year and look forward to all of the excitement that this time of the year brings!!!

Of course, who doesn't talk about food when discussing the holidays????? One of the interesting topics at the dinner table is what do you call the side dish made of bread, onions and celery ( at least that is how it is made at our house!!! We, here up North, call this dish STUFFING..... in the Southern part of this country, I am told it is referred to as DRESSING!!!!!

There are many different recipes that families hold as traditional for this dish....... when I was growing up, my mom's stuffing ALWAYS had good Italian sausage mixed in with the bread, onions and lots of celery..... Garlic, sage and, the most important spice according to my Sicilian, butcher father, fennel were critical to its flavor!!!

Below is a recipe for a little twist on the traditional recipe. This recipe comes from one of my great neighbors who brought this to our picnics for several years. This is a great "make ahead" recipe that will save you time and effort on the big day!!! It is always a big hit!!

May all of you experience the love of many friends and family this Thanksgiving...... we are so BLESSED.... may you be, too!!!!!!!!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!


Stuffing Balls

3/4 c. margarine or butter
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 c. celery, chopped
1 egg, beaten
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. water
Seasonings as desired..... we like poultry seasoning or sage, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, adn of course-- Fennel
8 c. bread cubes

Saute onions and celery in 1/2 c. margarine. Mix egg, 1/2 can soup, 1/2 c. water, and seasonings. Blend in onions and celery. Pour over the bread cubes and mix together. Form balls of stuffing and place in a large casserole. At this point you can refrigerate til you are ready to bake it. Mix rest of the soup and 1/4 c. melted margarine. Pour over the stuffing balls immediately before baking. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Pasta Fagiole

It is cold and damp in Western PA this weekend and so many are suffering from the flu. It is just the right time for a nice big pot of soup!!! One of my family's favorites is Pasta Fagioli-- made the quick and easy way!!. Remember those days of beans soaking for hours before this soup could be made??? Who has time for THAT???? Not so with this recipe. In my family, it is "fast food"!! It has a chicken soup base-- so it is great for all of those upper respiratory infections that are going around!!

Use as many natural ingredients as you can, like tomatoes, garlic, onions, celery from the garden, and even homemade chicken soup that I always have on hand in the freezer. All of my grandmothers would approve!!!!!

Pasta Fagioli

Olive oil

1-2 ribs of celery, diced

Several cloves of garlic or garlic powder

2 small cans Great Northern Beans or Navy beans

2 small cans chicken broth

1 small can of stewed or diced tomatoes

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1 bay leaf

2 tbl. Romano or Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute onion, celery, and garlic in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil til they are clear. Add rest of the ingredients and cook slowly for 15 minutes or so. While soup is cooking, prepare some small noodles, like ditalini or small shells or orzo to add to the soup before serving. If you leave the noodles in the soup, they will absorb all of the broth, so I always add them at the very last minute before serving. When serving, garnish with a bit of Romano or Parmesan cheese. This soup is guaranteed to make you feel warm inside!!