Individual Strawberry Trifles

Here's a little dessert that is absurdly easy to make and assembles in a snap. Who knew that something so simple could be this delicious and elegant??

2 pints strawberries
2-3 tbs sugar
1 Entenmann's pound cake (or other brand, or your own)
Redi Whip (or other brand, or fresh whipped cream)

Select 4 of the most picture perfect strawberries. Set aside.
Wash, hull, and slice remaining strawberries. Toss with sugar in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
Slice pound cake. Using a glass or a cookie cutter, cut pound cake slices into rounds. Set aside.

In four large stemmed glasses, layer ingredients like this: whipped cream, one cake round, strawberries, whipped cream, another cake round, strawberries, and whipped cream on top. Garnish each trifle with one of the reserved whole strawberries.

Tips:
Substitute any fresh fruit or combination of fruits for the strawberries. You could also use any kind of cake. Lemon cake with raspberries, chocolate cake with cherries, the combinations are endless. Yum!

How to Roast Peppers

If you've never roasted your own peppers, you seriously don't know what you're missing. They have a wonderful smokey flavor that you just don't get when you buy them at the grocery store. Not only that, store bought roasted peppers cost you an arm and a leg for a measly little jar. You definitely get more bang for your buck if you roast them at home. So, better flavor, more economical.....seems like a no brainer to me! Not only that it's quick and easy to do. Basically, you just char the outsides of the peppers, put them in an airtight container to steam for about 20-30 minutes and then the skins come right off. Serve them on some Italian bread with lots of garlic and olive oil, and that's all there is to it! They're so much better than the ones you buy in a jar. Try it! You'll be SO glad that you did because it's better when you make it!

BIG thanx, once again, to Trish and also Alana for making this video possible.
And thanx to Denny for supplying the peppers!

Broccoli Rice Casserole

My sister in law, Terri, found this recipe in the Taste of Home magazine. It's really simple to make and it's REALLY yummy. I made it a few weeks ago for some friends and they loved it! Your friends will love it too. You MUST try it!
Thanx Ter!

1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
2 tbs butter
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
6 cups cooked rice

In a large pot, over medium heat, saute onion, celery, and broccoli in butter until softened. Stir in cheese, soup, and milk. Simmer until cheese melts and sauce is well combined. Meanwhile, place cooked rice in a greased 9x13x2 casserole dish. Pour cheese mixture over. Do not stir. Bake uncovered at 325F for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. It will thicken as it sits.


Tips:
This recipe can be cut in half and baked in an 8x8x8 casserole pan.

Trish's Chicken Divan

Once again, my fabulous friend, Trish, has come through with another recipe that is nothing short of divine. This is one of those dishes that I have to stop myself from eating because I'll just keep going until it's gone. I'm serious! The last time she made this, I had to keep telling myself things like "Joe, you're done.....you're full.....you had enough.....you're not hungry anymore.....step away from the table." Well, I have to say that to myself any time Trish makes a fabulously creamy wine sauce. SO good!!!
Thanx again, Trish!

2 (10oz. pkg) frozen chopped broccoli
6 cups shredded chicken, cooked
2 (10 3/4oz) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
2 tbs butter, melted

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

Remove wrappers and open 1 end of each box of broccoli. Microwave full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain the broccoli and put into large bowl. Add the shredded chicken.

In medium bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper to taste and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour over the broccoli and chicken, mix well with spatula.

Place the mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Smooth with spatula. Combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over top.

Bake for about 30 - 45 minutes. Serve over rice.

Tip:
If using fresh chicken, cut into bite size pieces. Put flour and paprika into a bowl. Coat the chicken with the flour mixture. Saute with butter until brown.

Lentil Soup

Here's a great soup recipe which was given to my by my niece, Tricia. Thanx again Trish!


Hey Uncle Joey,
I wanted to give you this recipe I got from my boss' mom - Joanne Newman. It is a SUPER EASY recipe for lentil soup and it makes a pretty big batch. I know some people like to add some type of meat like ham or something to their lentil soup, like my mom, for instance, and while that is great too, I prefer the soup without the ham flavor. This recipe is also really healthy and great to have on a cold day :)

You will Need:
-1 bag of lentils (rinse in strainer)
- 1 clove of garlic
-1/2 to 1 small onion- depending on your preference (I used 1/2 an onion)
- chicken broth about 3 or 4 cups
- 1 cup fresh softened carrots or 1 can of carrots
-1 cup of chopped celery
-Morton's Nature's seasoning (or any type of seasoning blend)


Dice onions and garlic. Spray bottom of pot with Pam and saute the onions and garlic until softened. Add chicken broth and lentils. Add carrots and celery. Add Nature's Seasoning to taste. That's pretty much it.
Just let it cook until lentils and vegetables are soft. When ready to eat, sprinkle some Parmesan or Locatelli over it with some crushed red pepper.



Tips from Tricia:
Since this soup can get rather thick, I added more broth as I needed it. I ended up using 2 med. sized containers of broth. Also, since the soup is not very brothy, I found that putting the celery in a bowl of water and microwaving it for a minute made the softening process go a bit faster. As with the carrots, I bought fresh baby carrots that you can microwave in the bag, which made them softer, too- or just use the canned carrots and you wont have to worry about it :) Hope you like it!

Caprese Crustini

Trish told me about this delicious and flavorful appetizer. It's an easy variation on a simple caprese salad. You have your fresh tomatoes and your soft mozzarella cheese, but instead of using fresh basil leaves, just top each tomato with a little pesto sauce. It's SO tasty! Your guests will love it!
Thanx Trish!

Italian bread
fresh tomatoes
basil pesto sauce
fresh mozzarella cheese

Place sliced bread on a baking sheet and place under broiler for a minute or two, just until lightly golden. Flip them over, and place them back under the broiler to toast the other side. Top each one with a slice of tomato, a tsp of pesto sauce and slices of mozzarella cheese. How easy is that? Enjoy!

Tip:
You can use store bought pesto or make Chris's Pesto Sauce (it's really yummy!). After you assemble the crustini, you can drizzle each one with a little olive oil, if you like.
For another favorite variation, try my Oven Roasted Caprese Salad!

Pumpkin Crunch Torte

I received this email from my fabulous, gorgeous, talented, youthful, vibrant, funny, caring and all-around wonderful sister, Cathy.
Thanx, Sissy!
and thanx Laura!

Joe - This recipe comes from my friend, Laura Schiavone, from my dance group. Poor Laura always gets stuck bringing dessert because she is such a FABULOUS baker, despite the fact that she is also a fabulous cook. Laura is so good, that she bakes desserts for restaurants -- you know, those cakes that the restaurants charge $8 per slice??? Once, she did a wedding, where the centerpiece for each table was a beautifully decorated, incredibly tasty cake (each table's cake was different!). She's so talented, and she is kind enough to pass along recipes to me whenever I ask. Anyway, this pumpkin crunch torte has become a once-a-year must for our get-togethers, usually when we see each other right before Thanksgiving.

It does involve a few steps, but it is really not as hard as it might seem by looking at the long recipe. And it is so worth it, especially for something special like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner ... (not to mention you are absolutely guaranteed to impress the hell out of everyone!) So, here goes...

Crunch Top:
1 1/2 cups finely chopped nuts (your choice)
1 1/2 cups finely ground vanilla wafer cookies
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

Mix all the above ingredients with a fork until well blended. Divide among 4 round cake pans, pressing firmly onto the bottom only of each pan.

Cake:
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 16 oz. can pumpkin
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Cream the butter and sugar for 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin, yogurt and eggs to the creamed mixture.
Sift together the dry ingredients, and add to pumpkin mixture.

Divide the batter among the four pans that already have the crunch mixture in the bottom. Smooth and even out the batter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Stagger pans in oven and rotate halfway through baking time.

Whipped Cream:
1 quart heavy cream
3 tbsp. confectioners sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Whip together until stiff peaks form.

ASSEMBLY:
Place 1st layer on cake plate, crunch side down. Spread evenly 1/4 of whipped cream on layer. Top with next layer and repeat procedure. On the top layer, spoon or use a pastry bag to place whipped cream around outside edge of the top layer, and make a nice pretty mound in center as well. (This is just to make it decorative - you can actually just mound the whipped cream on the top however you like.) If you like, top the whipped cream with chopped nuts for an extra decorative touch.

Tip from Joey:
Make sure to follow the recipe as it's written and don't take any shortcuts. Yes, it says to cream the butter and sugar for TEN minutes. You won't even believe the fluffy texture that is created by this!
If you don't have four layer pans, you can mix everything up as directed and then just bake two layers at a time, or you can buy four disposable aluminium pans. You can find them at any grocery store or dollar store. They're very inexpensive and I think they're slightly smaller (like 8 1/2" rather than 9"), but they'll work perfectly for you.