Homemade Halloween Face Paint

While this is not a traditional food recipe, it is a good idea to keep these ingredients on hand so that when your child decides (at the very last minute) what costume to wear to trick or treat, you can paint a face to match. All ingredients are non-toxic. Using face paints instead of masks is preferred to keep children's vision from being obstructed in the dark. Costumes should always fit comfortably and kids should wear shoes that fit and won't cause trips and falls.


1 teaspoon corn starch
½ teaspoon water
½ teaspoon shortening or cold cream
food coloring

Mix cold cream and corn starch, and then add water and food coloring. We use baby powder over the cold cream to create a pale face. Powder helps to set and reduce the sheen of the cream as well. Use corn syrup as “face glue” to attach cotton balls, cloth scraps, etc. to create your alter-ego. Face paints can be removed with soap and water. Additional cold cream maybe used also.

Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave…

Every year at Halloween, I set aside a day to make my signature spider web cookies. I use a handmade cookie cutter (I never could find one big enough for sale,) and my grandmother’s sugar cookie recipe. The trick is the icing technique. You make two batches of icing one plain white and one chocolate. After the cookies are cooled, put the chocolate icing in a pastry bag with a small round (I use a #2) tip. Spread white icing on one cookie to the edge with small spatula or the back of a teaspoon. Repeat with a second cookie, giving the first cookie time to set.

On the first cookie, using the chocolate icing in the pastry bag, pipe a spiral starting at the center and working outward. It helps to wipe the tip of the toothpick each time you drag the icing. Next, use the same dragging technique and position tip at the outside edge of the cookie, halfway between the outward spokes and drag icing inward to center to create another line. Repeat the dragging process with second iced cookie. Continue working in batches of 2 cookies.

When you have finished icing all the cookies, let them dry at room temperature. Add spiders when the icing has hardened. For the spider bodies you can make tiny chocolate cookies with the scraps of sugar cookie dough, or use M&Ms or nonpareils. Add eyes and legs using the chocolate icing.

Grammie’s Sugar Cookies
Use flour on utensils to keep dough from sticking: Dip the cookie cutters, and dust the spatula before transferring uncooked dough to a sheet. Rolling dough between two sheets of floured parchment will keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. You can store cookies in airtight containers at room temperature, up to 1 week.

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight).

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment. Remove one dough disk; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out ¼ - ½ inch thick between two sheets of floured parchment, dusting dough with flour as needed. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes.) Re-roll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 18 minutes (depending on size). Cool completely on wire racks.

Royal Icing
This smooth, hard-drying icing is perfect for cookies. It is also useful as a "cement" to fasten decorations together like gingerbread houses.

4 tablespoons Meringue Powder (or 2 egg whites plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
1 box (about 4 cups) confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons warm water

You know you have the proper consistency when you lift the beater the ribbon of icing that falls back into the mixing bowl lays on the surface of the icing for a few seconds before disappearing. Because royal icing hardens when it is exposed to air, the icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container. Cover icing with plastic wrap when not in use.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive.” ~Sir Walter Scott

Pepperoni Eggs

Pepperoni eggs have been a Romeo signature breakfast since the boys were tiny. Served with a piece of buttered toast… breakfast heaven! This is the first recipe both boys learned to cook by themselves!

1 Tablespoon Butter
2 Large eggs
¼ cup pepperoni, diced into small pieces
2 Tablespoons grated cheese (optional)

Melt butter in a small frying pan. Add pepperoni and cook until hot. Break eggs into a cup or bowl and beat well. Then add to frying pan with pepperoni. Stir eggs with pepperoni until desired doneness. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover pan with a lid until cheese melts. Fold out onto plate and serve with buttered toast.

Veal Cutlets with Lemon Caper Sauce

This is my absolute favorite dinner. The tender veal with the lemon and capers is a perfect combination. Served with mashed potatoes - Nirvana!

2 Ibs. veal scaloppini, pounded thin
2 Tablespoons olive oil for pan
½ cup chicken stock
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 anchovy, mashed into paste
3 tablespoons capers
1/2 stick butter

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot, but not smoking. Add veal cutlets to the pan in a single layer (work in batches, if necessary) and sauté until veal is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Turn and brown other side for 1 minute. As each cutlet is cooked, transfer to a warm platter. Pour off and discard fat from skillet. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add broth and scraping browned bits stuck to bottom of skillet. Reduce heat again to low. Add corn starch to lemon juice and then add lemon juice, anchovy and capers to the broth in the pan. Gradually whisk in butter, whipping in to create a creamy sauce. The sauce will thicken quickly after corn starch is added. Return cutlets to skillet just long enough to heat through, and then transfer to a serving platter, spooning sauce over the top.

Tiramisu Issimo

Tiramisu, whose name means "pick me up" (perhaps a reference to its caffeine content,) is Sonny’s godmother’s favorite dessert. Whenever we go to their home, we take the ingredients to make this dessert and the Illy Issismo Caffé will be a permanent addition to our tiramisu go-kit!

2 eggs, separated
½ cup sugar
½ cup mascarpone
1 6.8 oz.-can of Illy Issismo Caffé
1/4 cup brandy (Kahlua works well too!)
12 lady finger cookies
Cocoa powder

Beat egg yolks with a whisk in a medium bowl. Gradually add sugar, continuing to whisk until mixture is thick, smooth, and pale yellow. Gently fold mascarpone into mixture with a rubber spatula, and then set aside. Put egg whites into a clean, dry mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until they form stiff but not dry peaks.

Fold egg whites into mascarpone mixture and set aside. Pour Illy Issismo Caffé  into a wide, shallow bowl. Dip 4 of the lady finger cookies into the caffé just long enough to moisten them without making them soggy, and then arrange them side by side in a single layer on a serving platter. Spread one-third of the mascarpone mixture over the cookies, then dust with a little cocoa powder. Repeat the entire process twice, dipping the lady finger cookies in caffé and layering them with mascarpone and cocoa. The dessert can be made ahead and refrigerated, but in our experience it rarely makes to the fridge!

Illy Issimo - Coffee on the Go

When I walked out on my porch to find a box with a Foodbuzz label on it, I was so excited. I immediately opened it and found cans of Illy Issimo: Caffé, Cappuccino, and Latte Macchiato. The cans state they are best served chilled, so I wasted no time putting them in the fridge!

Since 1933, the Illy family of Trieste, Italy has been dedicated to creating the perfect espresso and now they have found a way for their customers to take it with them anywhere. Illy Issimo is made of 100% Arabica Coffee and other natural ingredients. We all tried the Latte Macchiato first. The first thing we noticed was that the coffee flavor was wonderful and was not hidden by the sugar or milk. Then we tried the Cappuccino and had the same reaction; great coffee flavor which was not overridden by sugar or milk. The additional cocoa was a good complement to the coffee and did not overpower the taste of the coffee either. Illy Issimo gets a high ranking from the Romeo family!

Mashed Potatoes with Love

Our boys take their own lunch to school every day. Both of our boys are now in high school (time truly flies by!) and I can still count on one hand the number of times they have had to eat a “tray lunch” as they call them. Two of those times came in 2004, when Hurricane Frances left us without power for several days.

The first day, we asked the guys what they had for lunch. Our youngest responded with “turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and a roll.” Dom asked how it tasted, to which he replied, “the turkey was dry, the dressing was gooey and the mashed potatoes were terrible.” We commented that it was kind of difficult to mess up mashed potatoes and Sonny said, “they weren’t made with love.” Dom and I looked at each other and said in unison, “Butter!” Today in our house, the word love is synonymous with butter (at least in the kitchen.)

3 large potatoes (Idaho or Yukon Gold), peeled and cubed
Water to boil
1 stick butter
1 cup milk
Salt to taste

Cut your peeled potatoes into 3-4” cubes and place them into a saucepan. Add water until potatoes are covered. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium and cook covered for 20 minutes or until a fork can easily be poked through their center. Drain water from the potatoes and return them to the hot pan, cover tightly and let steam for 5 minutes. This allows the potatoes to dry a bit so they'll soak up the butter and cream more easily and mash to a better texture. Add the butter and milk to the pot. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes to the desired texture. Add more milk if needed to get the consistency you would like. We sometimes use a hand-mixer which mixes the potatoes well. {Beware: a food processor will turn your potatoes into library paste!} Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Mashed Potatoes Addendum #1: Smashed Potatoes

Occasionally, a rustic meal calls for a more rustic side dish. Smashed potatoes fits the bill. The recipe is basically the same as that of mashed potatoes with love with one obvious exception: the potatoes are not peeled prior to being boiled. We like using red-skinned potatoes for this recipe. The only other advice we would give is to not use the hand mixer as the skins get caught in the beaters! Enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes Addendum #2: Flavored Potatoes

You can always add ingredients to mashed potatoes to enhance the flavor and complement your main dish. Everyone in our house has a favorite: I prefer horseradish, Sonny likes chive, Dom favors caramelized onion, and Nic enjoys parsley scattered on top.

Horseradish: add 1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained
Chive: add 1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped
Caramelized Onion: add 2 medium onions, caramelized
Parsley: 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork Tenderloin

This dish is called “Maiale in Agrodolce” in Italy and is a traditional preparation for pork chops and tenderloin. The sweet tanginess complements the meat and is a good autumnal recipe. We served this pork with home fries and a beet & arugula salad, but it could be served with a variety of harvest vegetables.

• 2 lbs. (approximately) pork loin or chops
• 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Sprig of fresh rosemary (optional)

Put pork on a plate and rub with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place pork chops in a pre-heated sauté pan and brown pork on all sides (approximately 8-10 minutes.)

Remove pork from the pan and set aside on a plate. Add vinegar to pan, stirring to scrape any cooked tidbits of meat from pan, and then add honey, butter and rosemary to the pan. Bring to a boil and let liquid reduce for 1-2 minutes, then add browned pork back to the pan and coat evenly. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until cooked through turning and basting frequently.

Place the pork under your broiler on high for a few minutes to obtain a crust on the pork. Remove immediately and let pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing into medallions and serving on warm plates with a drizzling of basting sauce.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

The criss cross pattern on these yummy cookies makes me nostalgic for the times my Mom and I made these cookies together as I was growing up. They are crispy and light. With chocolate ice cream, they make delicious ice cream sandwiches! 

1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) softened unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350oF. In a large bowl, beat together peanut butter, sugar, and butter until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Slowly add flour and baking powder and mix to combine. Scoop out dough with a tablespoon and roll into balls.

Place balls 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a fork, press balls with a crisscross pattern and flatten balls to ½-inch thickness. Bake cookies until lightly golden for about 10 to 14 minutes. Cool the cookies on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Smokey Summer Spareribs

The crisp Fall air always puts us in the mood for some smokey barbecued spareribs (or "meatsicles" as the boys always called them.). Spareribs are pork ribs that have been cut from the bottom section of the ribs and breastbone of the pig, just above the belly. A full rack of ribs is known as a "slab" and usually weighs between 2-4 pounds.

The term "sparerib" may refer to the traditional German method of roasting ribs on a spit or a spear (spear ribs) or to the lack of meat on the rib bones. Either way, they are delicious when cooked slowly and lightly smoked. Because the heat of a grill is difficult to control and maintain, we have found that the optimal cooking method is to roast ribs in the oven and then smoke them toward the end of the cooking process. Dom applies a rib rub at least 30 minutes before cooking.

4 Tablespoons paprika
3 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons mild chili pepper (like Ancho)
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper

Mix all ingredients together with a fork. Sprinkle ribs with enough rub to cover and massage into meat. Don’t put too much rub on the ribs - just use enough to cover. Store leftover rub in a glass jar for future use.

Place ribs, meat side down, in baking dish(es). Cover the baking dishes with aluminum foil and place in an oven which has been preheated to 225oF.  A regular rack of ribs takes about after 4 hours to cook. Flip the ribs over (we use using two spatulas or grilling forks) at least once during roasting.

While the ribs are roasting in the oven, prepare a charcoal grill so that ribs can smoke when roasting period is over. Place briquettes to one side of grill, so that the ribs do not have to sit directly over the flame. Prepare a packet of wood chips by placing dampened wood chips (we prefer hickory) in aluminum foil and wrapping tightly then gently poke holes in the aluminum with a fork. Place wood chip packet on the coals.

Remove ribs from the oven and place on the cool side of the grill. Place the lid on the grill; you should see smoke start to billow from under the lid of the grill. Let the ribs smoke for about 45 minutes turning occasionally. If the smoke completely recedes, prepare another wood chip packet and place on the coals.

When ribs are done smoking, tightly wrap each slab individually in aluminum foil and place covered slabs in a paper bag. The ribs should be securely tucked back into the now-cooled oven to rest for approximately one hour before serving.

Put a layer of BBQ sauce on the ribs and serve them up with a side of potato salad and some baked beans.

Grammy Lou’s Bar-B-Que Sauce

My Mom has been making this BBQ sauce for years. It works well on beef and chicken, and is the perfect tangy sauce to slather on your smokey spareribs. It is so good our boys dip corn on the cob, carrots (and fingers) in their servings long after the meat has been devoured.

½ cup ketchup
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons instant coffee crystals
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
Crushed red pepper flakes, to suit your taste

Mix all ingredients together. That's it! If you plan to baste with this sauce, as well as use it on the table, remember to set some aside. It Is not a good idea to serve basting sauce that has been exposed to raw meat.

Focaccia

The Camaldoli yeast is amazingly active at this point. We have tried making rustic loaves and pizza bianca, but on Saturday we decided to try using the starter for focaccia. We used the recipe for pizza dough and let it rise in a half-sheet pan coated with olive oil. It filled the pan and we baked it at 350oF for about 40 minutes. Once removed from the oven, we drizzled the bread with rosemary-infused olive oil. It was spongy and airy and really delicious.We served the focaccia with a simple homemade chicken liver pâté, and then put the bread on the table with the main course of ragù alla Bolognese. We will definitely be making more focaccia this winter!

Olive Tapenade

This dish is also called “poor man’s caviar” because of its color and texture. This olive spread is a perfect addition to pizza bianca!

1/2 pound pitted mixed olives
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons capers
2-3 fresh basil leaves (or sprigs of parsley)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Thoroughly rinse the olives in cool water. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and chop, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture becomes a coarse paste. This should take about 1 to 2 minutes in total. Transfer to a bowl and serve with crusty bread (or pizza bianca)!

Pizza Bianca

The Camaldoli yeast can also used to make traditional Neapolitan pizza. The word "pizza" is believed to have come from the Latin word pinsa, meaning flatbread. By the Middle Ages, these early pizzas started to take on a more modern look and taste being topped with olive oil and sea salt. Originating in Naples, Italy, pizza became a household word throughout Italy by the late 1700's. Pizzerias advertised pizza as the "yeast of life."

3/4 cup of yeast culture
3 ½ cups unbleached bread flour
1 ¼ cups warm water
1 teaspoon sea salt

All the ingredients are mixed together and kneaded thoroughly, and then placed in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap. The bowl was placed in a warm corner for 4 hours to proof and rise. After the first proofing period, the dough is “punched” down and allowed to rise for another 4 hours. To form pizzas, divide the dough into 2-3 balls. Flour your counter or board and flatten each ball by pressing on the center with the heel of your hand and working outward to form a circle. Keep working from the center outward to increase the size of the pizza. Transfer to a pizza peel and allow to rest for 20 minutes to one hour.

If you are making traditional Pizza Bianca, place the untopped pizza on a pizza stone and bake at 500oF for 7-10 minutes. The pizza should be light to medium brown. Remove from the oven and coat with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

If you choose to top your pizza with other ingredients, this should be done after the pizza has rested, but before being baked.

Day Four: Bread Baking

After dividing and feeding the Camaldoli starter for three days, the yeast culture is ready for use.

1 cup of yeast culture
3 ½ cups unbleached bread flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons sea salt

All the ingredients are mixed together and kneaded thoroughly, and then placed in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap. The bowl was placed in a warm corner for 8 hours to proof and rise. After the proofing period, the dough is “punched” down and formed into a loaf. I placed the loaf on a piece of parchment paper and put the parchment directly on a bread peel to rise for another 2 hours.

The bread was placed on a baking stone in an oven preheated to 450oF, and cooked for 15 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, the oven temperature is dropped to 350oF and the bread baked for another 45 minutes. I turned the bread once during baking to make sure it baked evenly. The loaf cooled for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

The bread had a crisp crust and a soft center. It had a mild sourness and a nice spongy texture. Overall, a successful experiment and a perfect addition to Sunday dinner!

Day Two: Our Yeast Culture Is Now Active!

The activation of the Camadoli yeast culture appears to be complete. Foam and bubbles now increase the volume of yeast in the jar by about two inches in the proofing jar within 2 to 3 hours of the last feeding. The culture is ready to be used or refrigerated until needed. During refrigeration, as the culture becomes semi-dormant, a layer of clear tan or brown fluid forms on the surface. This is "hooch" and should be stirred back in when the culture is used.

The most critical factor for success with sourdoughs is the "fully active" culture. For well over a hundred years commercial bakers rebuilt their cultures several times each day. Many still do! Most home bakers bake less than once a week so their refrigerated cultures are always partially dormant. The level of dormancy depends on how long they have been refrigerated. You may be able to ignore the starter for a month or even much longer, but if you know you’re going to be away for a time, you should consider storing it in the freezer.

The texture or "crumb" of the bread is regulated by changing the amount of water in the dough until an open crumb is achieved. The crumb depends largely on the consistency (wetness) of the dough. By increasing the water in your bread recipe by 4% increments, the crumb will be more open with each addition increment of water. At the higher moisture levels, machine kneading is desirable since the dough can be sticky and hard to handle. Be aware that very wet dough will not rise well.

While "bread flour" with its higher gluten may be good for breads made with fast-acting yeast, it is not necessarily better for sourdough bread. Strong gluten resists stretching and forms small, uniform holes producing an uninteresting texture. The preferred sourdough crumb has large, irregular holes. Try using unbleached all-purpose flour with its somewhat weaker gluten.

Even after years of baking bread, I still have to experiment when working with new yeast cultures, varied flours, different ovens, and changes in altitude. The best part is that you get to eat the test results!

New Adventures in Bread Making

In January 1988, Dom and I were snowed into our little apartment on Lindbergh Drive in Atlanta, Georgia for four days. In an attempt to fend of complete boredom, we walked to the grocery store and bought 5 bags of flour and yeast in addition to some basic supplies. The apartment (built circa 1930) had two very small and inefficient radiant heaters, so our plan was to keep the oven going while we perfected our bread making skills. We have made a lot of bread since then!


Who doesn`t love the smell of hot bread, fresh from the oven? The second those crusty, golden loaves appear on the counter to cool, your first thought is "Ahhhh   chemistry." Well maybe not, but it should be. Because what turns a lump of what looks like a child`s modeling clay into heaven on Earth is a series of carefully controlled chemical reactions.

All bread, from the earliest flatbreads cooked on hot stones to the lightest croissant, start with two things: milled grains and water. With only those two things, you can make an enticing array of delicious breads ranging from chewy tortillas to light, crisp matzoh.

Raised breads, like the kind you slice for sandwiches, require some sort of leavening ingredient. There are two basic types of leaveners. There are those that work quickly and those that take more time. Baking powder and baking soda are both quick acting leaveners. The chemicals they contain interact with chemicals in the milled grains to produce carbon dioxide. This creates bubbles in the dough that force it to rise. Cornbread, biscuits and other quick breads rely on baking soda and baking powder for their light and delicate texture.

Yeast is the other kind of leavening agent and it`s the kind that takes its time. The type of yeast commonly used for bread is a live fungus that lies dormant until it is put into warm water. When the yeast and warm water are added to flour, the yeast feeds on the sugars in the flour. The yeast releases carbon dioxide, which makes the bread rise in much the same way that baking powder and baking soda do, though much more slowly.

The other difference between quick-rising and slow-rising breads is the amount of gluten. Gluten is formed when glutenins and gliadin, which are proteins, mix together with water. Gluten is gluey and stretchy and it holds the bread together while allowing it to rise. Many bakers allow their bread dough to rise, punch it down and rise again, often several times. This allows the yeast to add its particular, earthy flavor to the bread. It also makes for denser bread as the gluten is allowed to develop more fully.

Recently, Dom bought sourdough yeast culture that originated in Naples, Italy. Thus we are embarking on a new adventure in bread making. The first step in using our culture is to convert the dormant Camaldoli yeast into active dough starter by adding flour and water and proofing for several days. Sounds easy, right?

First, we had to build a proofing box made from a Styrofoam cooler, light socket, and a dimmer switch, and monitor the temperature under the box to get the temperature to 90°F. Then we mixed the dried yeast culture with 1 cup of flour and about 3/4 cup of warm water in a quart canning jar and placed the jar in the proofing box for 24 hours. The warmer temperature is supposed to keep bad bacteria from spoiling the culture.

After 1st 24-hours

After the first 24 hours, we noticed quite a few bubbles and knew this was a good sign that the yeast culture was healthy and viable. We fed the culture one cup flour and 3/4 cup water and let it proof again this time at room temperature (about 70°F) overnight. This morning, we fed it one cup of flour and water and divided the culture into two jars. And, we will continue feeding both jars one cup flour and enough water to maintain the consistency at about 12 hour intervals. So far the sourdough starter is bubbly and has a good color. I can’t wait for the proofing phase to be over so we can make some good old fashioned Italian Bread. Can’t you just smell the ciabatta!