Italian recipes | Apple Crumbles

My Favorite Tiramisu

It’s been a weekend spent inside due to extremely cold temperatures. The only way the dogs wanted to be outside was if they were racing around the yard after the Frisbee or chasing each other. As for walking, they wouldn’t have any part of that. As for running, well, I’m obsessed but not quite that sick. Come to think of it, maybe I am. No, I did not venture outside in sub zero temps, we’re talking –25 degrees with wind chill. I took aim at the treadmill and, hold on to your hats, ran 20 miles on Friday and 10 [...]

By Joanne|2016-02-15T14:26:08-05:00February 15, 2016|Desserts|1 Comment

CNYEats A Taste of Utica Pizzelle

In our book A Taste of Utica, there are many recipes for this wafer treat, originally prepared using a cast iron mold heated on a gas stove then to an electric iron. Nowadays, you can make pizzelle with a "George Forman" type countertop grill. I used a “Big Boss Grill”. Hence...apple crumbles method: *Followed Dolores Cecere Piccione’s basic recipe. 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 TBS white vinegar 2 TBS cold water *I ended up using more to try to get a flatter pizzelle. [...]

By Joanne|2012-10-13T19:03:51-04:00October 13, 2012|Taste of Utica|1 Comment

CNYEats A Taste of Utica Italian Chocolate Cookies

Saturday I ran my longest long run before Air Force Marathon on September 15th. It was 22 miles in perfect weather without any major aches or pains. Shane and I ran a slow 6 miles to start the morning then I continued on, incorporating some hefty inclines in my run. The steepest part of the hills turned into a run/walk effort. 22.02 miles with a moving pace of 9:58. Slow but within my training pace range. I had to stop on Sessions Road. It was such a wonderful down hill with a great view and that wonderful fresh, “cow natural” [...]

By Joanne|2012-08-26T15:19:23-04:00August 26, 2012|Taste of Utica|4 Comments

FOFF Spinach Risotto

FOFF Arugula Spinach Risotto This week's recipe is found on page 42 (can you believe we are already at page 42?!) of Carla Vavala’s book “Fusion of Food and Friends”. Carla used Arugula in the original recipe however Joanne didn't buy Arugula and had to substitute spinach. It worked out really well. When you think about making risotto, is your first thought "Oh no! I don't want to stand there and baby sit that dish" because as you know, it's a dish that requires stirring, adding liquid, stirring some more, waiting for the liquid to be absorbed by the rice, [...]

By Joanne|2012-07-18T19:31:12-04:00July 18, 2012|Fusion Food & Friends|4 Comments

The USDA Wants to Help and Light Gluten Free Pasta E Fagioli

Did you hear? The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s new nutrition SuperTracker is now available on line at ChooseMyPlate.gov designed to assist individuals in reducing risk of chronic disease and maintaining a healthy weight. Access the free SuperTracker tool anytime and choose from a variety of features that support nutrition and fitness goals. SuperTracker offers the ability to: Personalize recommendations for what and how much to eat and amount of physical activity. Track foods and physical activity from an expanded database of foods and physical activities. Customize features: goal setting, virtual coaching, weight tracking, and journaling. Measure progress with comprehensive reports [...]

By Joanne|2012-01-04T19:46:14-05:00January 4, 2012|soup|8 Comments

FOFF Italian Butter for Bread

This recipe is exceptional. It’s what you get any time you visit a Utica Italian restaurant. It’s best left for a day or two so the flavors of all the delicious herbs infuse into the oil. Carla Vavala’s Italian Butter from page 6 of the book “Fusion of Food and Friends” For Peggy’s version, check out her blog at Pantry Revisited. 1 teaspoon each: crushed red pepper, ground black pepper, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried basil, dried parsley flakes, garlic powder, mince garlic, kosher salt 1/2 cup extra virgin, GOOD QUALITY, olive oil * If you use fresh herbs, use [...]

By Joanne|2011-10-12T19:05:31-04:00October 13, 2011|Fusion Food & Friends|3 Comments