Alice's Elegant Pineapple Fluff Dessert

For as long as I can remember, every week, we had a traditional Sunday dinner and my Grandmother Alice always made some sort of dessert from scratch for this meal. Pineapple fluff was one of her favorites and mine too. I remember making this with her in her kitchen  on numerous occassions. A dessert of the "great generation", I want to keep this one alive. It's also super fast and easy!
Serve in crystal serving pieces and this dessert feels extra fancy! YUM!


Pineapple Fluff

1 large can of crushed pineapple
3/4 cup of white sugar
3/4 cup of water
1 envelope of Knox gelatin
1/4 cup of water
1 pint of whipping cream or heavy cream

Cook together the crushed pineapple (with the juice), sugar, and 3/4 cup water. Dissolve Knox gelatin in the 1/4 cup water. Add gelatin mixture to the pineapple mixture. Let cool. 

Whip 1 pint whipping cream and mix all together. Let chill several hours or overnight.

Red Velvet Mini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes wtih Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Cupcakes

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (1 ounce) bottle Red Food Color
• 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup of mini chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, red food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended and fold in mini chips. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. 

Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting:
 
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.Top with extra mini chips.

 

Oscar Night Treats!!!

Aunt Susan's Mini Blintz's

36 Slices of White Bread
1 Container of whipped cream cheese
2 1/2 sticks of butter melted
Cinnamon and Sugar

1. Remove crust from bread. 
2. Roll with a rolling pin, until thin.
3. Cut each piece of bread in half.
4. Spread cream cheese and roll up (jelly roll style)
5. Dip into melted butter and then sugar and cinnamon.
6. Freeze.
7. When ready to serve, place on a cookie sheet bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 or until brown and bubbly. Serve on a silver platter and watch them disappear!

Jill's Prosciutto, Goat's Cheese and Fig Preserve Grissini

If you have never had Fig Preserves then you need to run out to the store and buy some right now. It is delicious and is very complimentary to serve or have with cheese and fruit.

These delictable treats are super simple to make. They can also be displayed in a number of ways. Standing them upright in a vase or as part of an overall cheese display looks great.
Make extra of these, cause these too will go quickly! 

20 Grissini or 2 Boxes (aka Italian bread sticks)
2 packages of Goat's Cheese (room temperature and whipped)
1/4-1/2 lb of thinly sliced Prosciutto de Parma (ONLY or San Danielle)
1 jar of fig preserves (warm in microwave for 1 minute and mix up so it is easy to spread)

Spread a thin layer Goat's Cheese on a slice of Prosciutto and then a thin layer of fig preserve. Roll the grissini around the Prosciutto and done!

Pure Heaven Asparagus Risotto by Jeffrey

Over the past couple of years, my cousin Jeffrey has taken an interest in cooking and introduced me to the famous chef Marco Pierre White.
Marco Pierre White is British and was the youngest chef to have ever been awarded three Michelin stars. He is also noted for his contributions to contemporary international cuisine and his exceptional culinary skills.
In addition to all of these accomplishments, he has also mentored and trained various world famous chefs... including the famous Gordon Ramsay. He is simply amazing and you may see him on those Knorr commercials these days.
Since this is my cousin's favorite recipe and now one of his specialties that he has perfected (besides Nana Anna's pizza), I had asked him to share this with everyone. As he says, it is "pure heaven".

Thanks Jeffrey!

3/4 cup of Risotto/Arborio Rice
Chix Stock- 1 1/2 cups (or veg stock works too)
Asparagus- I use half of the bunch and cut them 1/4 inch wide.
White Wine- 1/4 cup (no preference to the brand)
 Parmigiano Cheese- Maybe 2 tablespoons, but I'm always generous! (Roma parm cheese is the best in RI)
Yellow Onion- maybe 1/10th of it, just to add a little flavor.
Olive Oil- nice splash in the beginning
1 tbs of butter

*Heat the pan and coat with olive oil
*Dice the onion and toss it in and stir
*Remove from the fire and throw the rice in and stir
*Back on the fire, add the wine and stir
*Little stock, stir some more, add more stock, work it and repeat
*Chop up the asparagus so it's ready. (I throw some heads in there too, but leave them whole)
*Keep adding the stock and stirring and stirring and stirring
*When you think you're about 5 mins away from being done, throw in the asparagus and stir and stir and stir (when they cook together, the asparagus juices are absorbed by the rice)
*Now the stock is pretty much absorbed by the rice and you can throw a GENEROUS amount of Parmigiano on top and turn the stove off and continue to stir a little more.
*Serve-----Heaven

Probably takes 15-20 mins

 Marco Pierre White

Tips!

Serve as an elegant first course

Serve as a base for steak, fish or poultry 

Use leftovers to make croquettes 

Chicken Marsala over Rigatoni Night!

4 boneless chicken cutlets pounded thinly, salt, pepper and floured on both sides
2 cups of Marsala wine
1 shallot slices
1 box of white mushrooms diced
2 cloves of garlic smashed
1/2 cup of heavy cream
salt and pepper
Fresh chopped Italian parsley

In a hot saute pan, add about 1/4 cup of olive oil and garlic. Brown the garlic and then add the shallots. Once they are soft, add in the mushrooms and cook until brown. Push the mushroom mixture to the side of the pan and add the chicken in. Brown on both sides and remove and set aside. Add the Marsala to the pan and let boil for one minute. Add the chicken back, parsley and cream. Let this cook for about 10 more minutes. Boil about 1/2 pound of Rigatoni in salted water. Once cooked, add to the Marsala sauce...add Parmesan cheese and serve!

Bake Your Own Bread - Its Easy! Honey, Oat, Flax, Wheat Bread

2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
7 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax seed
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
4 teaspoons salt
2 tbs of cinnamon
4 cups bread flour (you may not need entire 4 cups)

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. In a large bowl, mix remaining 3 1/2 cups warm water, honey, molasses, oil, eggs and lemon juice. Mix well. Add yeast mixture and stir.
Gradually add 5 cups whole wheat flour beating well after each addition. Add the flax, oats and sunflower seeds, stir well.
Let stand for 20 minutes, until mixture is very light. Stir in salt and the rest of the flours until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Knead 10 to 15 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Put into a greased bowl and cover, let rise in the oven with light on until doubled, about 1 hour. (this will be your workout for the day).
Punch down and shape into 6 round balls. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Form into loaves and let rise covered in oven until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) 25-35 minutes. 

Tips

• My boyfriend's mother makes fresh bread all of the time and her tip is to slice the bread and freeze it, so all you have to do is go into your freezer and toast some up.
• Serve hot out of the oven with butter and honey !

Nana Anna's Stuffed Peppers

6 large red peppers cleaned, sliced half and all seeds removed.
1 can of black olives, crushed and chopped
1/4 cup of finely, chopped Italian parsley
1 1/2 loaves of white bread with crusts removed, cut into cubes
1 clove of minced garlic (I put the garlic through the garlic press)
1 cup of Romano Cheese
1/2 to 1 cup of olive oil
Salt and Pepper, pinch of red pepper flake (optional)

To make the stuffing, start by removing the crusts from the bread and cut the bread into cubes. Add the bread into a large bowl with olives, parsley, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 of olive oil and 3/4 cup of water (you will have to add as you go, you may need more less). Mix until the bread absorbs the oil and water. You want this mixture to be wet but NOT mushy. Coat a large baking dish with olive oil. Stuff each of the peppers and then drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 375 for about 25-35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the peppers are soft.

Alternative Ideas
**Add peperoni, sausage, anchovies, ricotta or prosciutto to this mixture.