Hunk A Hunk of Italian Love

Mmmm...piping hot, meaty deep dish Italian pizza pie.

Hmmm...do I call it pizza?

Do I call it pie?

Do I call it deep dish casserole?


How about...I just call it...over here...to my plate, to my mouth....Mmmmmm! Who cares what its called.

It is delicious.


1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust
1 lb Bob Evans Italian Sausage
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 green pepper seeded, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 pt freshly sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. Italian Seasonings
2 cups Mozzarella/Provolone Shredded Cheese
2 cups Bertolli Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9 or 10 inch deep dish glass pie plate, press one pie crust and flute the edges around the rim. Blind bake crust for 15 minutes. Purpose is to begin to cook crust so bottom will be properly baked. Keep the other crust for another recipe.

Brown beef and sausage. Drain meat. Add onion, mushrooms and green peppers. Saute to soften. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese on bottom of crust. Pour sauce on meat mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour meat mixture in pie crust. Sprinkle cheese on top and sprinkle Parmesan on top of cheese. Bake 30-45 minutes. Remove when cheese is golden brown and crust golden.

Cool slightly. Cut into 6-8 slices and remove to serving plate with a spatula.

Sandra's Fried Pork Chops and Butter Beans

Driving along I am noticing fields of bright, orange pumpkins. The air feels chilly. My closet is beginning to push summer's light and airy fabrics to the back and sweaters to the front.

Yes, I am turning my thoughts once again to comfort foods. Sometimes, my mind wanders back into history and I find myself imaging a pioneer woman bent over a large fireplace tending black iron skillets of fried pork chops and a bubbling cauldron of butter beans.
Unhuh...time to recreate.

FRIED PORK CHOPS AND BUTTER BEANS

1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 cayenne pepper

Mix together in a flat dish for dredging, like a pie plate.

4-6 Large Pork Chops or Pork Steak

Dredge chops in flour mixture and coat well. Heat 1/4 c. oil in a saute pan. Fry chops 3 1/2 minutes per side until all are golden and crispy.


BUTTER BEANS

1/2 stick butter
2 cans of Butter Beans, drained
1/2-1 cup of small cubed, Ham
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper to taste.

Three minutes before chops are finished. Drain beans. Melt butter in a saute pan. Add ham and onions. Saute just to soften onions. Add beans and stir to mix. Sprinkle parsley, salt and pepper and stir.

Serve alongside fried Pork Chops.

In the mood for a truly pioneer experience?

Add some warmed, chunky applesauce with cinnamon. Pumpkin pie for dessert with a sweetened dollop of whip cream.

Rotini Pasta Alfredo with Ham and Peas

Don't you find on chilly, gray days you wistfully hunger for comfort food? Short on time? Here's a quickie for you!

1 jar Bertolli Alfredo Sauce
1 box rotini Pasta (corkscrews)
1 package of Boursin Garlic & Herb Cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup Ham, cut into small cubes or slices
1 10 oz bag of frozen peas
1 Tbsp butter

Bring salted water to boil and cook your pasta for 13 minutes. Last minute add frozen peas. Drain. In a deep sided saute pan melt butter, add ham and saute briefly. Add peas and pasta to pan. Pour Alfredo sauce on and empty container of boursin cheese on top of pasta. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Stir gently to combine and melt cheeses.

This recipe can easily ease from box to table in 25 minutes. Add a salad. Enjoy!

My Version of New Orleans Po'Boy Sandwich

A po' boy (also po-boy, po boy, or poor boy) is a traditional submarine sandwich from Louisiana. It almost always consists of meat or seafood, usually fried, served on baguette-like Louisiana French bread.

There are countless stories as to the origin of the term po' boy. One theory claims that "po' boy" was coined in a New Orleans restaurant owned by Benny and Clovis Martin, a former streetcar conductor. In 1929, during a four-month strike against the streetcar company, Martin served his former colleagues free sandwiches. Martin’s restaurant workers jokingly referred to the strikers as "poor boys", and soon the sandwiches themselves took on the name. In Louisiana dialect, this is naturally shortened to "po' boy."

One restaurant in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, Trapani's, insists that the name "po' boy" came from a sandwich shop in New Orleans. If one was new to a bar and bought a nickel beer, then he got a free sandwich thrown in. This was sometimes called a "poor boy's lunch", which came to mean just the sandwich itself.

A key ingredient that differentiates po' boys from other submarine sandwiches is the bread. Typically, the French bread comes in two-foot-long "sticks". Standard sandwich sizes might be a half po' boy, about six inches long (called a "Shorty") and a full po' boy, at about a foot long. The traditional versions are served hot and include fried shrimp and oysters. Soft shell crab, catfish, crawfish, Louisiana hot sausage, roast beef and gravy, and French fries are other common variations.

A "dressed" po' boy has lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise; pickles and onion are optional. Non-seafood po' boys will also usually have Mustard, but the customer is expected to specify whether he or she wants "hot" or "regular"—the former being a coarse-grained Creole mustard (such as that produced by Zatarain's) and the latter being American yellow mustard. Mother's Restaurant, a popular lunch stop in New Orleans on Poydras St., uses shredded green cabbage rather than lettuce for its dressed sandwiches.

My Shrimp Po'Boy

2 lbs raw, fresh, peeled and tail removed shrimp
1 loaf of soft french bread
1 Tbsp. Cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. salt
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 cup buttermilk
Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise or Sandwich Spread (In mayonnaise aisle)
4 Romaine Lettuce leaves
1 Tomato
1 bottle of oil for dutch oven frying

Heat oil in the dutch oven.

Slice french bread open but do not slice completely through. Leave a 'hinge' on one side of the bread. Toast very lightly in the oven under the broiler. Take care to toast only lightly.

Slice tomato into thin slices. Wash and dry romaine lettuce leaves.

Remove bread from oven. Spread liberally with mayonnaise. Layer lettuce leaves and tomatoes on top.

Combine flour, corn meal and cayenne pepper, salt and mix. Drop shrimp in buttermilk. Put all the shrimp in the flour mixture and turn several times to thoroughly coat.

Fry shrimp in small batches so you do not cool the oil down. Lay cooked shrimp on paper towel to absorb oil while you finish the rest. Take care not to overcook the shrimp. Cook only long enough to cook batter golden.

Heap shrimp onto bread while piping hot and enjoy!

German Chocolate Cake

So what is the history of the German Chocolate Cake? Its origin is hard to pinpoint but we do know it is all American. Richard Sax in Classic Home Desserts says this cake was being made in the 1920's and eventually became popular nationwide after a recipe appeared in a 1957 food column of a Dallas newspaper. While the name "German" Chocolate Cake seems to suggest a tie to Germany, the name refers to the type of chocolate used in the cake which, in turn, is named after the Walter Baker & Company employee, Samuel German, who developed the chocolate in 1852. German's® Sweet Chocolate is a semi sweet baking chocolate that has a mild flavor and is much sweeter than other semi sweet chocolates (it tastes like a candy bar). Baker's® sells this chocolate and it is sold on the baking isle of most grocery stores.

German Chocolate Cake:

4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped

2 1/4 cups cake flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch processed)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup hot coffee or boiling water

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/4 cups (450 grams) granulated white sugar

5 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Coconut Pecan Frosting:

1 1/4 cups pecans

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 cup evaporated milk (can also use light or heavy cream)

3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, and line with parchment paper, three - 8 x 2 inch deep (20 x 5 cm) round baking pans. Dust with flour.

In a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the coffee and buttermilk.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is fluffy (this will take about 3-5 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.

Add the coffee/buttermilk mixture and flour mixtures in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat only until the ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the melted chocolate.

Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Butter or lightly spray a wire rack with a non stick vegetable spray before inverting the cakes onto the rack to prevent the cakes from sticking. Cool the cakes completely before frosting.

Coconut Pecan Frosting: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from oven, let cool, and then coarsely chop.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, egg yolks, butter, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, and when the mixture begins to boil and thicken, remove from heat. Stir in the chopped pecans, coconut, and vanilla extract. Let cool until spreadable.

To Assemble: Place one layer of cake, on your serving plate, and cover with one third of the frosting. Place the second layer of cake, onto the first cake layer and frost with another one-third of the frosting. Then add the third cake layer and frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting (the sides of the cake are left bare). The finished cake can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days or it can be refrigerated.

Serves 14-16 people.

No time for scratch baking?

Purchase German chocolate cake mix. 1 can of chocolate whipped icing. I can of coconut pecan icing.

Bake as directed on the box. Spread half the chocolate icing on first layer of cooled cake. Layer 1/2 of coconut pecan icing on top the chocolate. Add the second layer of cake. Ice top with coconut pecan icing and then decorate as you wish with the remaining chocolate icing atop the coconut pecan icing. Enjoy!

Waldorf Salad

The salad was first created between 1893 and 1896 at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City (the precursor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which opened in 1931).

Oscar Tschirky, who was the Waldorf's maître d'hôtel and developed or inspired many of its signature dishes, is widely credited with creating the recipe. In 1896, Waldorf Salad appeared in The Cook Book by 'Oscar of the Waldorf'; the original recipe did not contain nuts, but they had been added by the time the recipe appeared in the Rector Cook Book in 1928.The salad became popular enough that Cole Porter featured it in his song "You're the Top".

Cole Porter may have been right...it's at the top of simple and delicious.

Here's my version:

2 red delicious apples
1 green granny smith
1 bunch red grapes
1/2 cup toasted pecans or walnuts
2 stalks of celery, diced in small pieces
1/2 cup miracle whip
Dash of Cinnamon
Dash of salt


Do not peel apples. Remove the core and cut the apples in bite size cubes or pieces. Remove grapes from stems and put apples and grapes in a nice glass bowl. Toast pecans only long enough to crisp them. Do not burn. Dice celery into small bites. Add pecans and celery to apples in the bowl. Put a dash of Cinnamon and dash of salt in the miracle and stir to combine. Add miracle whip mixture to apples and stir gently to combine and coat all pieces.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Nice to serve on a leaf of Boston Lettuce.

Philly Steak Stromboli

Stromboli...what the heck is it or who the heck gave it that name?!

Stromboli is a type of turnover filled with various cheeses, Italian meats such as salami, capicola and bresaola or vegetables. The dough is Italian bread dough.

Stromboli is reported to have originated in 1950 in Essington, Tinicum Township just outside of Philadelphia, at Romano's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, by Nazzareno Romano. There, William Schofield supposedly gave it the name, after the movie Stromboli, starring Ingrid Bergman. Other sources claim the stromboli was the brainchild of Mike Aquino, Sr., and that he created it in Spokane, Washington, in 1954.

Who knows? And quite frankly...who cares when something this delicious fills your mouth. You haven't time or care to ponder the history. My picture shows an offering of sweet potato fries and regular fries. A salad is a nice accompaniment as well.

I love making it with the traditional Italian ingredients. But this one is quite tasty and fun too!

1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Dough (Thin Crust) or make your own
1 large package of Steak-ums
1 large green pepper
1 large onion
1 qt. fresh, sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 16 oz package shredded provolone cheese
Banana peppers, quantity - your preference


I like to use a pizza stone for a crisp crust. But a cookie sheet or pizza pan will work as well. Heat oven to 400 Degree.

Take Steak Ums out of package and in their frozen state. Slice into thin strips. In a skillet cook steak ums, onion, green pepper, mushrooms until meat browned and onions softened. Important that mixture is not 'juicy', if it is, drain. Add salt and pepper. Cool. Stir in drained Banana Peppers to taste.

Spread pizza crust out. Place half of cheese on one half of crust. Place cooled Philly Steak ingredients on top of cheese leaving a border. Layer remaining provolone cheese on top of steak mixture. Bring the other half of pizza crust over meat mixture to make a 'turnover'. Fold edge over and crimp as you go around the semi circle to seal the turnover. Brush oil on top crust.

Bake until crust is browned and crisped. Approximately 15-20 minutes. Enjoy! I like to smear mayonnaise on the top of my personal slice of this heaven to enjoy each bite. (After all, don't they put mayonnaise on your Philly Sub bread??)