White Pizza Dip

Well it is football season once again, which means time to start making yummy dips to munch on during the game.  Many years ago I came across this recipe for white pizza dip on the back of a "Lipton Savory Herb with Garlic Recipe Soup and Dip Mix" box.  I have made it a few times years ago and recently came

the recipe again hidden on one of my old cook books and couldn't wait to make it again!  I recently made this dip and brought it to two parties and it was a huge hit.  You wouldn't believe how much it really does taste like a white pizza, especially when you cup up some fresh Italian Ciabbatta Baguette to dip it with..YUM!

Please Click Here for Printable Recipe:

Ingredients:

 * 1 envelope of "Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix

* 2 cups of Sour Cream(16 oz)

* 1 cup of Ricotta (8 oz)

* 1 cup of shredded Mozzarella Cheese

* 1/4 cup of Mini Pepperoni (if you can't find mini pepperoni, then just chop up regular pepperoni into small pieces).

*  1 Ciabatta Baguette, cut into small slices (or any other type of crusty bread)

Procedure:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees

* In a pie dish or any other quart size baking dish, combine the Sour Cream, Ricotta, Soup Mix, 3/4 cup of the Mozzarella Cheese, and Pepperoni. 

* Sprinkle the top with remaining Mozzarella Cheese and top with Mini Pepperoni pieces for decoration.

* Bake uncovered for 30 minutes on 350.

 * Serve while it is hot with the slices of Ciabatta Bread. 

 Enjoy!

Madeleines

 Madeleines are a delicious and beautiful french shell shaped cookie.  Even though they are french, the first time I had one was while I was in Italy.  My Italian friends took be grocery shopping with them and bought a bag of Madeleines to snack on in the car. I must have eaten 10 they were so good!  The other day, I was so excited to see the girl Sonia from my favorite Italian cook show called "Giallo Zafferano" make these Madeleines.  I wrote down the recipe and drove to the store to find a Madeleine pan and luckily I was able to find one at Bed Bath and Beyond.  I needed to have this pan or else as Sonia on the cooking show says, they are not Madeleines.  The shape is the reason for the name.  I hope you enjoy snacking on these as much as I do!
Please click here for printable version:

Special Tool: Madeleine Pan 

Ingredients: (Makes 24 Madeleines)

* 1 cup of flour

* 3 1/2 tsp. of Almond Extract (vanilla, orange or lemon would be good too)

* a pinch of salt
* 1/2 cup of granulated sugar

* 2 eggs

* 100 grams of butter (about 7 TBSPs)

* 1 3/4 tsp. of Baking Powder

* 2 TBSPs of whole or 2% milk

Procedure:

* In a small bowl melt the butter and then set aside to cool. 

* In a large bowl sift Sugar, Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt.

* Beat Eggs in a separate bowl and add cooled down butter and extract.

* Add the Egg, Butter, and Extract mixture to the Flour Mixture and whisk together

* Add the 2 TBSPs of Milk to the mixture and whisk again.

~*~Note~*~ the mixture should not be too thin or too thick

 

 * cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 1 hr. 

* Butter and flour your Madeleine Pan

* Fill each mold 3/4 of the way full.

* Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes until lightly golden.

 * When cool, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar if you would like!

 Enjoy!

Torta Al Cocco (Coconut Cake)

 Wow it has been a long time since I have written a post, but I have a great excuse...  I was in  Italy for a month for my 1 year wedding anniversary/ spending time with family.  My husband and I traveled to Capri, Florence, Chianti, Venice, Rome, and finally the village that my mom is from, Carpinone, which is in the region of Molise.  We had a fantastic time and I am full of authentic new Italian recipes to share with all of you!  The first one I am going to share is a recipe form my friend who lives across the street from my mom's house, Giovanna's Torta al Cocco which translates into coconut cake.  It is a deliciously moist cake made with coconut and then topped with nutella and coconut flakes!  Since I was watching her make the cake, I was unable to do my usual step by step photos that I usually do, but I do have a video of Giovanna making the cake, along with a photo I took of it from her cook book (No worries I promise to have an English copy for you too ;)  I had a ton of fun learning from Giovanna and having her as a friend to spend time with during my time in Italy and I will truly miss her until the next time I go back!

Giovanna and I at my nonna's house my last night in Italy

Ingredients:

* 4 eggs

* 1 cup of Flour

* 3 cups of grated coconut (you can just put shredded coconut into the food processor to grate it)

* 1/2 cup of sugar

* 1/2 cup of 2% or whole milk

* 1/2 cup of vegetable oil

* 1 tsp. of Baking Powder

* 1/2 tsp. of vanilla (In Italy Lievito is baking powder with vanilla in it already, so we can just add a little)

Procedure:

* Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees 

* Beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer

* Add the Milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla and mix well again.

* Add the coconut, flour, and baking powder and mix all ingredients until well blended together

* In a tort pan, like the one in the video or a 9x9 baking dish, spray very well with baking spray

* Pour batter into the pan

* Bake at 350 degrees fpr 25-30 minutes until lightly golden brown and a toothpick comes out dry

* Carefully flip cake upside down onto a serving platter

* Once cool, spread Nutella on top and sprinkle grated coconut all over the top (flakes are fine too)

Enjoy!