Panforte di Siena

    Well, Christmas is almost upon us!  I can hardly believe it!!  In just shy of two weeks it will be here!!!  Every year I tell myself  I'm going to get all my baking, etc. done early, but......somehow that never seems to happen.  We usually take our vacation toward the end of October and, when we get back, it's time to start thinking about the holidays.  Well, we have several birthdays in October and November, then there's Thanksgiving, and then Christmas is....well....HERE!  (And this year we didn't get back until two days before Thanksgiving!!)

    O.K., now that I've vented a little about my lack of time to prepare for  this WONDERFUL HOLIDAY, let me say that  I LOVE CHRISTMAS!! 

Veal Meatball and Broccoli Rabe Soup

    I can already hear some of you saying, "Veal meatball and what soup?"  I'm glad you asked.  Broccoli Rabe is a leafy green vegetable that is slightly bitter and very popular in Southern Italy.  It is also known as Rapini or just Rabe.  Although you'd assume it's a relative of broccoli, it's actually closely related to turnips.  It's a very healthy vegetable, loaded with vitamins A and C and lots of potassium. I really enjoy the little bit of bitterness and also the fact that you can do so many things with it.  It's great in soups, pastas, just as a side, sauteed with olive oil and garlic (really, what isn't good sauteed with olive oil and garlic??), or even made into a pesto.

White Chocolate and Cranberry Swirl Cookie Pie

    O.k.....so what's a girl to do with that last little bit of cranberry sauce leftover from Thanksgiving??  That was my question.  Well, how about swirl it into a cookie dough, add white chocolate chips and slivered almonds, and bake it in a pie dish?  Sounded good to me.

    I had copied down a recipe that originally came from Cassie over at Bake Your Day.  It was for a cookie pie with white chocolate chips and sprinkles and it looked yummy!  I decided to use the basic recipe, but leave out the sprinkles and add cranberry sauce and almonds.  The result....DELICIOUS!!  Try it out and see what you think.  But....don't wait until next Thanksgiving.  

Oven-Roasted Potatoes Sprinkled with Rosemary and Garlic

    I've been thinking it would be nice to share a simple side dish with you......a dish that no one would say is too complicated or has too many ingredients or different techniques.  And.....who doesn't love potatoes, right??  They are another one of those veggies that can be prepared in an infinite number of ways and I love variety!  My kids adore roasted potatoes, so any time I make them, in whatever variation, they're happy.

Double Dark Chocolate and Ginger Biscotti

    Biscotti have become quite popular in coffee shops these days.  They're the perfect little treat to have with your coffee or tea, mid-morning or late afternoon.  Actually, the Italian word for any cookie is "biscotto" with the plural being "biscotti".  Literally the word means "twice cooked/baked".  In the United States, when we think of biscotti, that's what we are thinking about....the cookies that are first baked in a loaf, then sliced and baked again to make them a little crunchy.  But true biscotti, like the ones made in Italy, are made with no fat besides the eggs, which makes them even crunchier.  Italians like to dip them in sweet wine.  I've never been much of a cookie dunker, but a glass of cold milk would be my beverage of choice!

Eggplant Parmesan Stacks

    I like many different vegetables, but one that I really love, is eggplant.  It's so versatile!  You can stuff it, roll up filled slices of it, layer it with cheese and herbs, make a relish with it, bread it, bake it, broil it, or do like my dad used to do with zucchini ..... fry it up and have it in a sandwich!  DELICIOUS!!
    Eggplant Parmesan is probably one of the most popular ways to eat eggplant.  Although I love it, I haven't loved all the steps needed to put it together.  As I mentioned in my post about apple fritters, I don't like the smell of things frying in a lot of oil and, typically, to make eggplant parmesan, you dredge the slices of eggplant in flour, dip them in egg, then in breadcrumbs, before you fry them in lots of oil!  Some time ago I saw this recipe on the show Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn that really caught my attention. 

Apple Cream Tart

    Here's a really good apple dessert, served warm with softly whipped cream or ice cream or even at room temperature.  I LOVE apple pie, so apple tarts and other variations are welcome at my house!  I've never actually had an apple cream tart before but, after seeing recipes in a couple of my Italian cookbooks, I thought I'd give it a try.  This one is slightly adapted from Ciao Italia Pronto by Mary Ann Esposito.   I added a couple egg yolks to the crust and changed the arranging of the apples....other than that....as written.