Cornell Chicken Marinade

It is getting hot outside here in Atlanta. Time to start using the grill to keep the kitchen from getting too hot. This is a wonderful summertime treat is made using Cornell University Professor Robert C. Baker's recipe for grilled chicken which was published in the Cornell Extension Bulletin under the title Barbecued Chicken and Other Meats. For about 50 years, it has been served at "Baker's Chicken Coop" at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, NY which is still operated by the professor's family to this day.

1 egg

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Crack the egg into a medium bowl and whisk until beaten. Slowly whisk in the oil until fully blended. Then whisk in the vinegar, salt, poultry seasoning, and ground black pepper.

If you plan to baste with this sauce, as well as marinade in it, set some aside. It Is not a good idea to use marinade that has had chicken soaking in it. Please do not serve any unused sauce as it contains raw egg.

Place chicken in a large zipper-style freezer bag and coat with sauce. close tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for no less than 2 hours up to 24 hours. Rotate the bag periodically to ensure even distribution of  the marinade.

Prepare your charcoal in grill and heat until the coals are starting to turn white, then evenly distribute coals throughout base of grill.  Place an oiled rack on the grill, then arrange the marinated chicken on the grill and barbecue on each side 20 to 30 minutes, depending on heat of coals and thickness of the chicken pieces. If chicken is cut up into breasts, thighs, wings, and legs, start off by grilling the breasts and thighs as they will take longer than the smaller pieces.

The chicken will require constant attention while grilling due to the oil dripping on the coals. It is a good idea to have a glass or a spray bottle of water available while grilling to squelch flames from hot coals.Turn frequently to avoid burning. Grill to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F or until juices run clear when cut with tip of knife.

When done, remove chicken pieces from the grill and serve with plenty of napkins!

Brimstone & Treacle

I got the best Mother’s Day gift ever today! My guys made me a wonderful brunch and then got all dressed up to take me to see the Broadway Musical, “Mary Poppins” at the Fox Theater. It was an incredible performance and we all left singing and dancing. One of the most memorable numbers was “Brimstone and Treacle.” Since treacle tart is also Harry Potter’s favorite dessert, we all wondered what it was. Here is what we learned:

Treacle is another name for the syrup made during the refining of sugar cane. In the United Kingdom, golden syrup is a common household ingredient and is served on porridge in place of brown sugar or maple syrup. Have you ever noticed that Mary Poppins always pours her "spoonfuls of sugar" from a bottle rather than serving the granulated sugar we Americans are accustomed to? She is probably pouring treacle from the bottle!

Golden syrup can be hold in the international food section of grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, honey is a close substitute. Treacle tart has a consistency similar to pecan pie without the pecans. It is a little less gelatinous, slightly stickier, and very very sweet. It is usually served warm with whipped cream, or ice cream.

Brimstone is a sulphur ore from which pure sulphur is refined. The mixture of brimstone and treacle was thought to have positive medicinal effects and is mentioned in Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby as a remedy for hunger.

Easter at the Romeo House

The day before Easter, we color Easter eggs to "help the Easter Bunny." On Easter morning, Nic and Sonny always get up early (even though encourage them to sleep in!) They get a poem from the "Easter Bunny" with clues about where their baskets are hidden. Some years the baskets are easy to find and sometimes REALLY hard. Last year, one basket was in the fireplace and the other was in the clothes dryer.

While they hunt for baskets, Dom and I make breakfast. We make breakfast so that the guys eat something other than chocolate before we head to Mass. If we are having dinner at home, we always have lamb. One year, Dom cooked a leg of lamb at our fireplace. He tied a string to the leg and let it "spin" in front of a blazing fire all day. It smelled SO good. It was like food TV; watching the lamb spin all day made everybody hungry. We can't do that every year because the weather is usually too warm.

I make deviled eggs with the Easter eggs. Dom and Nic don't like them so Sonny and I eat our fill. We hope the "Easter Bunny" was good to everyone! Happy Easter!

No Turkey for Easter

While Sonny and I color Easter eggs for tomorrow, Dom is headed to Costco to buy a lamb roast. Everyone is out of town so it will just be the four of us for Easter dinner this year. Traditionally, we have lamb on Easter maybe because when Dom was growing up he had Turkey for Thanksgiving, then for Christmas Day, and again for Easter. Now, bear in mind, he is NOT a die-hard turkey fan like some. (He doesn't like chicken either.) When he was about nine years old, Dom finally said to his Mom and Grandma, "You are not supposed to have turkey for Easter!" He remembers them both being stunned by his culinary commentary, but he was ready for their rebuttal with a set of goat horns that hung by the front door as proof of his claim. After lots of debate, they agreed to change the menu. That was his first taste of lamb. Needless to say, he liked it.

We have made lamb every year for Easter since having children. Including one year when it was cold enough outside to cook a leg of lamb in front of our fireplace. In fact, the first meal I ever cooked for Dom when we were dating was a lamb shoulder roasted simply in a pre-soaked clay pot with garlic, fresh rosemary and potatoes. Both good stories for another post...

Easiest Appetizer EVER

This simple treat It looks very impressive and I have never met anyone who didn't love it. We originally had this Paul Luna's restaurant Luna Si on Peachtree Street in 1993. That restaurant has since closed, but Loca Luna and Eclipse Di Luna are still very popular in Atlanta. Plate the following up on a fancy plate:

Ricotta cheese
Aged balsamic vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea Salt

With an ice cream scoop, place a scoop of ricotta cheese on a plate. Drizzle olive oil over the cheese and plate. Sprinkle with salt and then drizzle balsamic vinegar on the plate with the olive oil and sprinkle the whole plate with sea salt. Serve with slices of good bread.

Ricotta can be watery straight out of the container. If you like it a bit more firm, take a sieve and line it with cheesecloth or coffee filter and place it over a bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. Empty the ricotta into the sieve, cover the top with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a few hours. The extra whey will drain out and the cheese will be firmer.

The First Sip...

The hot aromatic liquid flows over your tongue and warms the back of your throat. The fragrant steam fills your nostrils with the smell of promise. There is nothing better than being the first person in the house out of bed, pouring a mug of bean juice and stepping out into the cool crisp morning air as you take the first sip of coffee.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a coffee snob. I don't go to Starbucks or any other designer java barista. I don't have to drink Kopi Luwac* or Jamaican Blue Mountain, and I rarely add cream, milk, sugar, flavorings or anything else to my daily drip.

I still drink black, home-brewed coffee. We buy good coffee beans that we grind at the store. We use a Cuisinart FlavorBrew 10-cup coffee maker with a stainless steel carafe. The carafe keeps the coffee hot without a burnt taste that can happen when a glass carafe sits on the heated base for more than 20 minutes. Only one pot per day since I don't drink it all day; just in the morning.

Nothing fancy, just a good cup of coffee. It's going to be a good day!

* I just love the scene in "The Bucket List" when Morgan Freeman explains to Jack Nicholson why Kopi Luwac is so expensive!

Fish Fridays of Lent

During the season of Lent, Catholics are asked to participate in the threefold discipline of fasting, almsgiving and prayer to commemorate Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. According to Canonical requirements, all Catholics 14-years-old and older must abstain from meat (mammal or fowl) on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent.

We get in the habit of having fish on Fridays and often continue to have seafood on Fridays long after the Lent period has ended. One of our family favorites is Dom’s mustard-coated fish fillets:

¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together and coat fillets liberally to cover. Let sit until your pan is ready. This can even be used as a marinade. Preheat a cast iron pan to get the surface very hot. Place filets skin side down (even if skin has been removed.)

Once a visible line of cooked flesh has risen to ¼” (translucent to opaque) and fat has rendered, carefully turn; about 3-4 minutes. The sugar should have caused a firm crust by this time. Cook the remaining side for another 2-3 minutes. Don’t try to make a pan sauce from the pan drippings as the flavor will be strong and greasy.

Serve with a fresh Caesar Salad or saffron rice is a great compliment to this dish along with a salsa made of fresh mango, red onion, lime juice and basil or cilantro.

While we prefer this marinade for salmon, this mustard dressing works perfectly on other types of fleshy fish like cod, halibut, swordfish or snapper.

King Cake for Fat Tuesday

Many people do not know that the term Mardi Gras actually means “Fat Tuesday.” Fat Tuesday is the last day of the Carnival season which begins on Twelfth Night (January 6th is the twelfth night after Christmas) and ends the day before Ash Wednesday. This is the last opportunity to celebrate before the beginning of Lent. The pre-Lenten carnival has Roman Catholic origins and is celebrated in New Orleans, as well as Brazil, France, and Germany. A tradition of the Mardi Gras season is the King cake. The cake has hidden within its sweet brioche, a token, usually a coin or bean. When the cake is cut the recipient of the token is the King (or Queen), and can expect good fortune in the coming year. The recipient is also responsible for providing next year’s King cake. King Cakes have a reputation of being hard to make, but I think this recipe will put an end to that myth.

King Cake Dough:
1 package active dry yeast (1 Tablespoon)
½ cup warm milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 ½ cups sifted flour

Filling:
4-6 ounces jam or preserves of your choice
1/4 cup softened butter

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk and allow to proof (bubble). In a large bowl, cream together 1/4 cup butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring between additions. Next add the yeast mixture, and mix. Gradually blend in the flour one cup at a time. Mix together until a soft dough is formed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm location until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.

Gently deflate dough and transfer to a floured surface. Roll out dough into a large rectangle. Grease token and push into the dough, then rub 1/4 cup soften butter over the rectangle. Spread preserves over the buttered rectangle. Starting from one long side, roll the rectangular dough into the shape of a tube. Pinch the seam and gently place the roll on a greased cookie sheet to form a ring, pinching the ends to seal. Cover ring again with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes to an hour. Place in a pre-heated 375o oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool and decorate with purple, green and yellow frosting.

Handy Little Sticks

Chopsticks are not just for eating your Mongolian beef or sushi, those little bamboo sticks can come in very handy in the kitchen! Here are some ideas:

Deep frying is normally done at between 360 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit, but without a thermometer it can be difficult to tell if the oil if ready for frying. Next time try this trick; when the oil has preheated, dip a chopstick into the oil. If the oil around the chopstick starts to bubble steadily, then the oil is hot enough for frying. If no or only a few bubbles show up, then the oil is not hot enough. Lastly, if the oil bubbles very vigorously, it is too hot and needs to cool off a bit.

The chopsticks are also great for turning over frying items, such as chicken or onion rings. The extra distance their length gives reduces the chance being spattered by hot grease. You can buy a pair of longer (15 inches) chopsticks for cooking at an Asian food market or kitchen-supply store.

Use chopsticks for coating or dipping items. Chocolate covered pretzels are much easier to make when using chopsticks to hold the pretzels and dunking them in chocolate. Dipping shrimp or vegetables in batter (especially tempura) can be very messy. The chopsticks can be used to dip into the batter as well as place the item in the oil. Chopsticks are perfect for coaxing stuck toast from the toaster especially since wood does not conduct electricity.

Chopsticks also work miracles in tight places. Olives in long skinny jars are easily removed with chopsticks as well as a lost sock behind the dryer!


Long hair is not always convenient when you are working in the kitchen; chopsticks to the rescue. Try twisting the entire length until it tries to twist back on to itself. Pull the loop end up (the end without the tips of hair) and insert the chopsticks to secure your coiffure.

Lastly, they make great magic wands for your Harry Potter wannabes!

Snow Cream

It rarely snows in Atlanta, and when it does it is cause for celebration. When they were little, the guys adored the Little Bear series by Maurice Sendak and according to one of the stories, a special chant must be recited while stirring the snow cream. “Whether the weather be cold, or whether the weather be hot, we’ll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not!”

10 cups clean fresh snow (large mixing bowl full)
1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add condensed milk and vanilla to snow and fold together gently until well mixed. The amount of snow will reduce a good bit when ingredients are mixed so add snow as needed.

Hint: Refrigerate condensed milk ahead of time, while it makes it a little more difficult to mix, the snow does not melt as quickly. Serve immediately.

Superbowl Pretzels

What is it about football that makes everyone want pretzels? The guys are preparing to watch Brett Farve and Drew Brees fight for supremacy in Superbowl XLIV, while I make a batch of pretzels to take to the party. They are best served warm with a creamy mustard sauce of good mustard mixed with mayonnaise (Duke's of course!)

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt (you can use coarse Kosher salt if pretzel salt is unavailable.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Happy Hands

With the cold winter weather and holiday cooking and cleaning, I notice that my hands are even drier than usual and that I have been using my hand cream more often. I was very excited to find a new bottle of my favorite lotion under the Christmas tree a few weeks ago. Every time I pump out a handful of Cucina hand cream made by the Canadian Fruits and Passion, it makes me smile. Cucina lotions contain three olive tree extracts which help regenerate skin and improve its elasticity. First-cold-pressed olive oil and olive unsaponifiables moisturize and protect cooks’ damaged hands. In addition, olive leaf extract stimulates the skin and helps to heal minor cuts and burns. The best part is this lotion smells delicious and does not interfere with the flavor of foods because they contain the same ingredients that are in your favorite food dishes. There are seven different fragrances of which I have tried Coriander and Olive Tree, Sicilian Lemon and Ginger, and Lime Zest and Cypress. Coriander and Olive Tree is my personal favorite, but all them are truly yummy!

Homemade Hot Italian Sausage

Everyone is a little stir crazy. So yesterday on a wild hair, the guys went to one of their favorite hangouts, Bass Pro Shops. They came home with #32 Lem meat grinder. A large metal monstrosity designed to grind 5 to 6 pounds of meat per minute. Eee Gad!

We spent the rest of the day researching sausage recipes and contemplating the sausage making fiesta that would take place today. Dom called his Aunt Rose to get his grandmother's sausage recipe as well. Before bed, we set out a pork shoulder from the freezer to thaw.First thing this morning, Dom went to Costco to purchase 2 pork butts and then to DeKalb Farmer's Market to buy some fresh spices for the seasoning mix. We spent the rest of the morning chopping the pork and mixing the spices.

First Run Recipe: 

• 25 lbs. pork
• 7 Tablespoons salt
• 4 Tablespoons fennel seed, crushed
• 1 Tablespoon coriander, crushed
• 10 Tablespoons paprika
• 1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons cayenne, ground
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

Then we ground the meat using the coarse grinding plate. We made a patty with some of the ground spiced meat and fried it to do a taste test. It was darn good! We added a little more coriander and cayenne to the ground meat.I soaked the pork casings (pig intestines) in water and rinsed them out. Ick!

We then put the medium grinding plate on the grinder along with the sausage stuffing attachment. I loaded the casings on the stuffing nozzle. It was actually quite fascinating to watch the meat fill the casing and come out looking just like the Italian sausage you see in the grocery store. Twenty five pounds of pork makes a lot of sausage! We put several large links in the refrigerator for dinner and packaged the rest for the freezer. It should last a LONG time.

Rulli Brothers

You all know I grew up in the South from my earlier post. My husband grew up on the opposite side of the food world! Dom and our youngest flew out to Dom's hometown of Youngstown, Ohio this morning for a birthday party. I was remembering that my first trip to Youngstown was a cultural experience. At first, nothing seemed dramatically different from Atlanta. After visiting with relatives, Dom and took me on a tour of Youngstown. We drove by the Sparkle Market where he used to work, then took a scenic tour of Mill Creek Park. We sat on the hood on Dom’s car while we ate chocolate pecan ice cream from Handel’s. Then we headed to Rulli Brother’s Italian Market to pick up a few things to take back to Atlanta.

As I stepped through the doors, I realized this was no ordinary store. Meats and cheeses hung from the ceiling. The deli case was loaded with capicolla, mortadella and soppressatta. Shelves were stocked with cans and jars of exotic sounding delicacies like giardiniera, caponata, and cipollini onions alongside a huge selection of olives. The bakery section had all sorts of fascinating goodies like foccacia, panettone and pandoro, mustaccioli, and biscotti. They had the boxes of torrone candy that Dom received each year at Christmas from a friend's Mom. Then there was the produce area with escarole, endive and cardoons. This was a veritable wonderland of food! They even had the equipment to make pasta, pizzelles, and cannollis at home, and the espresso pots did not have an electrical cord. My head was spinning!

Dom ordered mortadella, capicolla, prosciutto, as well as a ball of the butter provolone hanging from the ceiling. We bought one of the stove-top espresso pots and a few biscotti to nibble on the drive back to Dom’s Aunt’s house. I reluctantly left the store, frequently glancing back to permanently imprint the vision on my brain. Even years later, there is nothing in Atlanta that compares to that Italian paradise known as Rulli Brothers!

Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes

On the night before Christmas in our house, strains of Louis Armstrong’s “Zat you, Santa Claus?” or Kurt Elling’s “Cool Yule” resound in the background while the smells of garlic, toasting bread crumbs, and lemon fill the air. The anticipation of the coming feast is only eclipsed by the anticipation of the following morning of ripping paper and opening presents. Italians usher in Christmas Day with ‘Cena della Vigilia’, the dinner of the vigil; the meal that breaks a daylong fast, at least in theory. Over the centuries, however, fasting obligations were relaxed, rules of abstinence from eating meat became the standard. Today, in our family, the birth of Christ is celebrated with one long, delicious (almost meatless) feast.

Dom's ancestors, the Warino (Guarino) family, originally emigrated from Calabria - a region of Puglia that borders the Adriatic Sea. There, La Vigilia means seven different kinds of seafood, cooked seven different ways. According to his Grandma, the number seven is important because it represents the seven sacraments. The number is also said to allude to the seven virtues, the seven hills of Rome, and the seven days of the week.

Romeo boys as Nativity shepherds.

After an afternoon at church, we usually start the evening at our house with champagne and raw oysters. We also put out a platter with smoked salmon and white fish with olives and crostini. It may not be exactly Italian, but everyone likes it, and it works. Fried smelts follow close behind. It depends on the year which friends and family are in attendance. Some years it is a house-full and others it is just the four of us. While I cook, friends chat in the kitchen, help set the table, or share pictures of recent travels. We have tried several different dishes over the years to comprise the seven fishes and do not always adhere to the strict interpretations that each fish must be prepared differently. Frito Misto is the perfect solution to preparing several of the fishes in our feast at one time. Gumbo is another family favorite that accommodates more than one fish. If we still need a fish to add to round out our repertoire, we add some anchovies to the pasta with olive oil, crushed red pepper and Parmesan that we serve on the side.

The custom of “La Vigilia” is revitalized whenever a new generation takes it on. We have tried to introduce the custom to our boys and family friends to keep the practice alive. As it is carried on into the future, we remember our ancestors who have added their imprint on the tradition, and it is if they are dining with us each Christmas Eve.

Winter Solstice Tweet Hearts

Today is the shortest day of the year. It is known as the Winter Solstice and marks the day when the sun shifts and starts to move northward again. This is the time to celebrate the renewal of the earth. Branches of pine, cedar, and juniper are commonly used as a symbol and bring wonderful fragrances into the house. Red candles are used to symbolize the fire and heat of the returning sun as the days begin to lengthen. In Europe, the tradition of the yule log* is celebrated on Winter Solstice. A special log is brought in and placed on the hearth where it glows for the twelve nights of the holiday season. After that, it is kept in the house all year to protect the home and its inhabitants from illness and any adverse condition. Luminaria are also placed outside to light the way for travelers on the longest night of the year.

The longest night of the year also falls during the coldest part of the year. There is very little food available for wildlife to forage on, so to show our appreciation and concern for nature and its inhabitants we put out bird seed, berries, suet and bowls of water for our outdoor friends!

"Tweet Hearts:"
½ cup peanut butter
1 cup birdseed
2 ½ cups cornmeal
½ cup melted shortening (or suet)
muffin tin (greased or lined with paper cups)
pencil-sized sticks (popsicle sticks work fine)
yarn, string or ribbon

Combine the first four ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir together. Press mixture into a heart-shaped tin or cookie cutter. To create the hole for hanging stand a stick in the center of your bird cake and let the cakes stiffen, then remove sticks and thread string through muffins. Muffins can then be tied to a branch outside your favorite window.

*The yule log is the counterpart of the midsummer bonfires, which are held outdoors on Summer Solstice to celebrate the shortest night of the year.

Gingerbread 101

The tradition of making treats with the pungent spice, ginger, dates back through many centuries and across several continents. Ginger was a plant native to China and India where much of the world’s supply is still grown. The ancient Romans used ginger as a remedy for the plague. During the thirteenth century, the English made medicinal ginger candies called ”gingerbrati.” During the following century, gingerbrati changed to gingerbread as breadcrumbs were added to the candy mixture. It was the fourteenth century Germans who really began to take gingerbread seriously. They formed guilds of gingerbread artisans, distinct from existing baking guilds. Although Queen Elizabeth is credited with first presenting gingerbread likenesses to her guests, the notion of edible figures is considered to have originated as substitutes for live sacrifices. Throughout the nineteenth century, finely crafted ginger-bread was used to express greetings, recognition, affection and celebration. The heart-shaped gingerbread Valentine was especially popular. In English villages, maidens would eat a gingerbread “husband” on Halloween to ensure that they would find a real mate. In the United States gingerbread has been popular since colonial days. George Washington’s mother was famous for her spicy gingerbread. Ginger was also included in the rations of Revolutionary soldiers, both for its medicinal value and to add flavor to their bland meals. Several children’s books have been written which carry out the gingerbread theme: The Gingerbread Boy, and the Brothers’ Grimm Hansel & Gretel are good examples. A tradition as long-standing as the baking of gingerbread yields great rewards: filling your home with a wonderful aroma; satisfying appetites; and, passing time with utter delight.

Gingerbread Dough:
½ cup butter or margarine
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup molasses
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375o. Beat sugar, shortening and butter together until creamy. Add egg, molasses, and lemon juice; beat well. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to butter mixture; beat well. Divide into to portions, wrap in plastic and chill three hours. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Place pattern for house and cut with a sharp knife or use cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Assemble house or decorate cookies with Royal icing.

Gingerbread House Construction:
Upside down ice cream cone covered in green frosting and decorated makes a great Christmas tree; use “Golden Graham” cereal for shutters, green lifesavers or green “Fruit Loops” for wreaths; red licorice for bows, roping, outlining windows and doors; brown, black and white “Neco” wafers for stone walls and lighter colored wafers for roof shingles, flecked jelly beans make good rocks; coconut flakes make great snow for landscaping and cinnamon sticks cut in half make a great log pile. Let your imagination run wild!! (Cheater’s version: Use Royal icing to “glue” together a graham cracker house and decorate.)

It's Begining to Look a Lot Like Pizzelles

I try to make pizzelles every year before the Christmas holiday. For those of you who are unfamiliar, pizzelles are also known as Italian wafer cookies. Their name comes from the Italian word “pizze” meaning round and flat. In Scandinavia, they are known as Lukken. They are made in a pizzelle iron similar to waffles. The original Italians pizzelle irons were forged by blacksmiths and would be created with original designs or family crests on them. They were lovingly handed down from one generation to the next. They are a seasonal favorite at our house. All our friends from up north (especially Youngstown, Ohio) are sure to visit to get a stack.

Classic Pizzelles
3 eggs
¾ cups sugar
½ cup margarine, melted
4 Tablespoons anise extract
1 ¾ cups of flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 Tablespoons anise or fennel seeds, optional

Preheat pizzelle iron. Cream together eggs and sugar, then add melted margarine that has been cooled and anise extract. Add flour and baking powder and mix until smooth. Add anise seeds and mix well. If batter is too thick add water a tablespoon at a time until it is the desired consistency. Using a teaspoon, drop one spoonful of batter on iron for each cookie. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Hint: I place the batter in a Ziploc bag and snip off one small corner (like a pastry bag) and squeeze out a teaspoon-sized dollop on the iron for each cookie. It gives you better control and is MUCH less sticky. And clean-up, well... much easier!

Turkey Shopping

It seems that Dom’s Grandma sent his Grandpa out shopping one day for the coming week’s provisions. So after a long night of working, Grandpa headed to downtown Youngstown to all his favorite grocery stores for a day of shopping. Having collected all his canned goods and non-perishable items, Grandpa stopped at the meat shop on East Federal, to buy a turkey. The store owner bundle the live turkey with twine and handed it over to Grandpa for his journey home. After walking just a few blocks the turkey became restless, too restless to handle along with all of the other bags of groceries. Dom’s Grandpa decided to stop and reassess the situation. Grandpa then unwrapped the twine from around the turkey and carefully crafted it into a collar and leash. He then put the collar on the turkey, picked up his groceries, and walked the turkey home! One can only imagine the look on his Grandma’s face as she watched Grandpa walking down Trusedale Avenue with a turkey on a leash! When Dom’s Grandpa got home after walking with the turkey home, he said: "Sumna bitch, the turkey lost 2 pound!"

Very Corny Holiday

Since Lincoln issued his first National Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1863 declaring the last Thursday of November as a national holiday, Americans have celebrated the annual feast by cooking traditional foods such as turkey, various types of squash and corn.

Corn is a truly American commodity and has been found in North American fossils of pre-Ice age. Even before Columbus landed in the New World, corn was the staple grain of Native Americans who called it “mais” which meant “our life.” In Plymouth, Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate corn by planting a fish among the seeds and how to harvest. They also taught the newcomers how to cook with corn by adding a pinch of ash to release more nutrients. In the early years of most colonies like Plymouth and Jamestown, corn was the key to survival. While colonists originally ate corn out of necessity, it later became the food of choice in most Colonial recipes and meals because of its vast versatility.

Spoon bread made with corn meal is a traditional Thanksgiving side dish. Its pudding like consistency will make it a favorite with the entire family. This was always the recipe our boys would ask us to make for school Thanksgiving celebrations; it was always a big hit.

Spoon Bread:
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 Tablespoons softened butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 350o F. Heat milk in a saucepan but do not boil. Mix together cornmeal, sugar, and salt and slowly stir into heated milk. Continue stirring over low heat. Add butter to the mixture and stir. Remove from heat and allow to cool. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks and set aside. Stir egg yolks which have been lightly beaten and baking powder into the cornmeal mixture. Then gently fold egg whites into cornmeal batter. Stir lightly so as not to deflate the egg whites. Pour mixture into a greased 1½ quart baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden. Serve immediately.

*To appeal to younger palates, add a little maple syrup.