Pecan Sticky Buns

 Gooey and oh so good!

The best part of this recipe is that it is prepared 

the night before, and then baked in the morning. 

Place the chopped nuts in the bottom of a tube pan

(not angel food).

Place the frozen dough balls on top of the

chopped nuts.  Either Rhodes or Bridgeford brand. 

Some grocery stores do not carry this, so you can 

substitute vanilla if necessary. The key is that it is NOT instant, 

it is cook & serve. 

Sprinkle this dry pudding powder over the 

frozen rolls.

Melt the butter and brown sugar together with the cinnamon. 

Drizzle this butter, sugar mixture over the rolls. 

Spray plastic wrap with non-stick spray and place the sprayed 

side down over the pan. 

Cover with and inverted plate.

Allow to rise overnight on the counter or in the oven on a rack. 

These are a family favorite and just so easy!

As always, 

ENJOY!

Swiss Hazelnut Chocolate Loaf Cake

One of my favorite dessert flavor combinations!

Chocolate and hazelnut. 

This recipe was given to me by my Swiss friend, Renata. 

She explains that this style of loaf cake if served 

on a regular basis with coffee. 

Moist and delicious! 

Unfortunately, one of the main ingredients is zwieback toast. 

The type that was served to teething children.  This lightly sweetened 

dry bread was ground up and used as the "flour" for the cake. 

zwieback toast is no longer manufactured. 

A substitute would be necessary. 

I still enjoy making loaf cakes for a quick coffee snack!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Homemade Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Homemade Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, delicious in the summer with ripe tomatoes 

and fresh basil, plus a drizzle of olive oil and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. 

Once the cheese balls are formed, they can be eaten right away or covered and 

stored in the refrigerator for a 1-2 days.

 A gallon of milk in a stainless steel pot with the citric acid added, bring up 

to temperature. 

Once the rennet is added, curds will begin to form.

Drain the whey from the curds.  Here, the colander is lined with cheese cloth.

The cheese mass inside the colander is  then placed into warm water. 

This is to help the cheese mass begin to adhere(melt) to itself.

Gently stretch and fold the cheese until smooth. 

Once the cheese mass is smooth, form into a ball.  Place in a small ball, cover and 

refrigerate until ready to use.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

1 gallon of milk makes two cheese balls, approximately 1 pound of cheese. 

1 gallon of milk

1 1/2 tsp. citric  acid powder dissolved in 1 cup water

1 tablet rennet (junket) if liquid rennet less is used, dissolved in 1/4 cup of water. 

kosher salt

   Add milk to 5Qt. pot.  add citric acid and stir.  Bring mixture up to 190 degrees.  Turn of heat.  add rennet.  stir for 25 second.  cover with lid and leave for 5 minutes. Curds should have formed, and whey should be seen around the edges of the milk curd mass.  Using a long knife cut the curd both vertically and horizontally, reach all the way to the bottom of the pot.

 Heat again now to 105 degrees.  Gently stirring, curds should continue to clump and more whey released. 

remove or strain the curds. fill a bowl with warm water or the whey and add 1 tsp. kosher salt. continue folding and stretching cheese. The mass should become silky looking with not clumps. Continue heating water if necessary to keep the cheese mass warm. Once smooth shape in to balls.  Store wrapped in refrigerator or leave at room temp for 2-3 hours if using in the same day. 

Arrugula and Parmigiano Reggiano Ravioli with Browned Butter Walnut Sauce

So simple, yet utterly satisfying. 

These wonderful ravioli can be found at Trader Joe's. 

I love to serve them with a brown butter walnut sauce. 

Plate onto a bed of arugula. 

Serve alone or as a side with chicken or pork.

While the ravioli are cooking, brown a few 

tablespoons of butter in a small sauce pan. 

Be very careful not to burn the butter. 

Add about 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. 

The butter will foam up. Warm for just about 

30 seconds, just to make the walnuts aromatic. 

Add the al dente cooked ravioli to the sauce pan. 

gently toss.  Add a bit of the hot pasta water for 

a luxurious sauce that coats the past. 

Serve immediately! 

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Pizza Crackers

Like a pizza dough,  but a bit stiffer. 

Plus the addition of fennel seeds or 

red pepper flakes for flavor. 

Roll out paper thin!!

Drape onto a hot pizza stone and bake 

for just one or two minutes. 

It will bubble and crisp!

Remove carefully and quickly from the oven. 

Store in an airtight container. 

It is so beautiful to serve these large sheets of crackers

either with a charcuterie or just by them selves.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Chicken Enchilladas

Ready to go in the oven!

Enchiladas, no matter what they are stuffed with, 

is always a great option for feeding a crowd!

Delicious!  Hot out of the oven and ready to serve. 

Add a bit of chopped cilantro to the top, 

not only for visual appeal, but to add a 

bit of freshness to the baked dish.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Beef Taquitos

Fry until crisp. Drain well.  Serve with fresh guacamole!

Once the taquitos are all rolled, fry in small batches.

When making a large batch, as for a family gathering, 

roll all the taquitos ahead, with the pre fried corn tortillas and

the roasted and seasoned shredded beef. 

Then they are all ready to fry and serve warm when 

friends and family have arrived. 

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Oven Dried Figs

 

Wash and completely dry the figs with a dish towel.

Cover a sheet tray with parchment paper and space out evenly. 

Once the figs are dried, they can be stored in containers for future use. 

As Always, 

ENJOY!

     Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Line sheet pans with parchment paper.  Carefully rinse ripe figs, lay on dish towels to drain. Using another dry dish towel, pat or roll the figs to remove any water. 

   Place figs on sheet pan, and place in oven for one hour at 200 degrees.  Leave oven door ajar by placing a wooden spoon in the opening. Rotate pan, and turn all figs over.  Leave in oven for another hour at 200 degrees.  Then lower oven temperature to 150 degrees and continue drying figs for another 8-10 hours.  

   These figs were small and so they were thoroughly dried at the end of 8 hours.