Cousin Angie's 7 Layer Neapolitan Cookies (Italian Flag Cookies)

This Italian American cookie has always been my favorite even as a kid.  Whenever we would go to our local bakery, Savoia's, I would make sure we put a few of these in our box and one for me to eat in the car to go.  My Italian cousin's living in New Jersey would also visit once a year and would bring homemade goodies such as sponge cake with Crema Pasticcera, Almond Torrone, and Neapolitan cookies.  My cousin, Angie Forte's Neapolitan cookies taste better than the ones we get at our local bakery! Last year I decided to ask my cousin if she would share the recipe with me so I could try to make them myself.  She was more than happy to share and explain the process to me.  She said she got this recipe from an Italian Bakery in New Jersey that closed and she was good friends with the owner who shared this recipe with her. 

Quick Fact about these cookies:  These are strictly Italian American cookies and not anything you would actually find in Italy.  They were created by early Italian immigrants to pay homage to the colors of their native Italian Flag.  Now you will find them in any Italian American Bakery! 

Click Here for Printable Recipe:

Ingredients:

* 1- 8oz. container of Almond Paste, room temperature (I use Solo Brand)

*1 Cup (2 Sticks) of Unsalted Butter, room temperature 

* 1 Cup of White Granulated Sugar

* 4 Egg Yolks

* 4 Egg White

* 2 Cups of Good Quality All Purpose White Flour

* 24 drops of Red Food Coloring (or until you get the desired color)

* 15 drops of green food coloring (or until you get the desired color)

* Seedless Raspberry Jam (about 3-4 heaping Tbsp) (I use Smuckers Brand)

* Apricot Jam (about 3-4 heaping Tbsp) (I use Smuckers Brand)

* 12 oz. Package of good quality Melting Chocolate (I use Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips)

* Baking Spray with Flour

~*~Tools and supplies you will need~*~

*3- 9X13 Baking Tins (The dollar Store Brand works great!), Wax Paper, Paper Bowls (trust me!), something flat like a book or a cutting board, KitchenAid Mixer (if you have one), Scale (if you have one) fork, spoon, spatula

Procedure:

* Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

* Separate the Egg White and the Egg Yolks

*Using a KitchenAid Paddle attachment mix the Butter, Sugar, Egg Yolks, and Almond Paste together until smooth.  (I found breaking up the Almond Paste with your hands helps before putting it in the mixer).  (Don't worry if you still see a few tiny lumps of Almond Paste)

*Next, add the flour and continue mixing until it is all incorporated.

* With a Fork Whisk the Egg White until nice and frothy!

* Using a Spatula, incorporate the Foamy Egg Whites into the Batter until all incorporated

* Using a Scale, Divide the batter into 3 even amounts into three Paper Bowls

* In the first bowl, add Red Food Coloring and mix well with a spoon

* In the second bowl, add Green Food Coloring and mix it well with a spoon

* Leave the third bowl of batter as is

* Next, Spray each of the 9X13 in. tins with Baking Spray.

* In the First Baking Tin, spread the Green Batter evenly using a Fork

* In the Second Baking Tin, spread the Red Batter evenly using a Fork

* In the Third Baking Tin, spread the Plain Color Batter evenly using a Fork

* Bake for 10-12 minutes (in my oven 12 min. is perfect) (I am able to put two tins in at a time and then I bake the third tin once the first two are done)  

* Put some Apricot Jam into a bowl and stir to get the lumps out

* Put the Raspberry Jam into a bowl and stir to get the lumps out

* Once the cakes are cool (usually 15 minutes because they are so thin), I carefully flip the Green Cake onto a large cutting board lined with Wax Paper.

* Spread a thin layer of Apricot Jam all over the Green Cake.

* Flip the Plain Color Cake over the Green Cake Layer

* Spread a thin layer of Raspberry Jam all over the Plain Color Cake

* Lastly, Flip the Red Cake over the top of the Raspberry Jam Layer

* Put a layer of wax paper over the top and then something flat like a book or a cutting board on top of that.  Put it in the fridge for about 1-2 hours to get the layers to mould together.

* Once it is done refrigerating, put half of the bag of chocolate chips into a microwavable bowl (I use a paper bowl for easy clean up) and microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirring.

* Spread an even and smooth layer of melted chocolate over the top of the Cookie Cake (You can let it get messy on the side because the sides will all get trimmed when done) 

* Put the cake bake into the refrigerator until the chocolate has completely hardened.

* Once the chocolate has hardened, Carefully flip the cake over onto the same board lined with a fresh sheet of wax paper

* Put the other half of the bag of chocolate chips into a microwavable bowl (I use a paper bowl for easy clean up) and microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirring.

* Spread an even and smooth layer of melted chocolate over the other side of the Cookie Cake (You can let it get messy on the side because the sides will all get trimmed when done) 

* Put the cake bake into the refrigerator until that layer of chocolate has completely hardened.

* When done, use a long sharp knife to trim the edges of the cake to look pretty

* Cut into rectangles and then into desires size cookie pieces!
* If you eat them cold from the fridge they will be dry, so make sure to Eat and serve these at room temperature where they will be moist and delicious! 

~*~Enjoy~*~

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I recently tried this new service called Misfit Market.  It cost me under $20 with a code to get a box of fresh and organic fruits and vegetables delivered to my door.  I was pleasantly surprised with my box as it was filled with many of my favorites including, avocados, broccoli, bell peppers, oranges, limes, and my all time favorite Green and Yellow Zucchini.  The zucchini were so large and beautiful.  While thinking about what I could do with them, Stuffed Peppers came to mind and how I could make a filling similar and just stuff the zucchini instead of a pepper.  The result...something incredibly delicious that even my husband ate two!

Please Click Here for Printable Version:

Ingredients:

• 3 Large Zucchini
• 1 Onion (about ⅓ c. diced)
• 3 TBSP. Tomato Paste
• 1 lb of Ground Sweet Italian Pork Sausage (I used patties, but you can always squeeze it out of the casing if using links)
• ½ Cup of Grated Cheese, I use a mix of Pecorino and Parmesan
• ½ Cup of Uncle Ben’s Rice (not minute rice)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Optional~ Shredded Mozzarella or Provolone Cheese

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• Make Rice according to box (½ c. rice, 1 ¼ c. water, Salt)

• While rice is cooking, cut zucchini in half and spoon out the inside making it looks like boats (keep the inside)
                        

• Line a baking sheet with foil and rub Olive Oil all over the outside and bottoms of the Zucchini Boats and line them across the baking sheet.
• Next, dice the onion and chop the scooped out part of the zucchini

• Drizzle Olive Oil into a large frying pan and turn the heat on Med-High
• Cook Sausage and Onion, breaking the sausage up into small parts.  Cook fully.

• Add chopped zucchini and cook another 5 minutes then Season with Salt and Pepper

• Add 3 TBSP. of Tomato Paste

• Turn off heat and stir in Rice and Grated Cheese

• Spoon filling into Zucchini Boats until all the filling is used up

• Bake for 25 minutes

• Top with freshly grated cheese, shredded mozzarella or provolone

~Enjoy~

Avgolémono (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)

Lucky for me, my cousin Donna married a man from Greece...my cousin Yorgo.  He was born and raised on the gorgeous island of Crete.  Because of this, my family and I have been fortunate to stay with him and his family while they spend their summers there. We were fortunate to eat the most incredible homemade authentic Cretan foods and try desserts like Baklava, Loukoumades, and Ravani.  At home we get to celebrate the Greek Easter with them and eat traditional foods like feta tomato salad, and my favorite Avgolémono, which is a flavorful Greek Lemon Chicken Soup.  

With the weather outside being well below zero this past week, I thought of this soup my cousin Yorgo makes and had him teach me how he makes it.  There is nothing better than some homemade soup to warm you right up!

Please CLICK Here for Printable version:

A Recipe from Cousin Yorgo Karabinakis

Ingredients:

• One Small Whole Chicken OR Whole Chicken cut into pieces (I used a 3 lb Whole Organic Chicken already cut into pieces) 
• 3 Carrots (peeled)
• 2 Celery Sticks
• 1 Large Onion Peeled and cut into 1/4's
• A Sprig of Fresh Oregano
• A Bay Leaf
• 2-3 Liters of  Water
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 Eggs
• 3 Lemons
• Orzo Pasta or Rice
• Large Dutch Oven Pot 

Procedure:

Place Chicken in the Pot and season with Salt and pepper

                                           

Add Carrots, Celery, Onion, Oregano, and Bay Leaf to the top.

        

Pour 2-3 liters of water over the top and bring to a light boil.
Cover and let boil for about 2 1/2-3 hours.  
*Skim any fat that rises to the top and stir about every 45 min or so.

            

After about 2 1/2-3 hours, the broth should be flavorful and golden and the chicken should be so tender! Taste to add more salt.  

       

At this point remove the chicken and place it on a plate to shred and discard the veggies and herbs in the pot with a slotted spoon.  

     

                                   

Next, beat three eggs in a small bowl until frothy, and add juice of 3 fresh lemons (make sure you do not get any pits in)

Take a cup of the hot broth and slowly mix it into the egg mixture in order to temper it.  

*This prevents it from curdling when you add it to the pot of broth.  

Pour the egg, lemon, and broth mixture into the large pot of broth whisking it vigorously, to prevent curdling.  It should be a nice smooth broth.  

Add the shredded chicken to the pot of broth.

Stir and top with freshly chopped parsley if you like.  

At this point you can also add Orzo Pasta or Rice to the soup and let it boil right in the broth.  

~*~OPAA!!  Enjoy~*~

My Cousin Yorgo and Donna

Loukoumades at a festival in  Kefalas, the village my cousin is from

Yorgo's sister makingis Pitarakia Milou by hand (savery fried little cheese pies) 

Yorgo's sister made us lunch

One of the many beaches we went to on the Aegean Sea in Kafalas, Chania Crete

My husband and I in Kefalas, Chania Crete visiting my cousins Leonidas and Niko