Thin Crisp Italian Pizzelles

Thin Crisp Italian Pizzelles

Thin crisp Italian pizzelles, just the way that I like them. Growing up I thought that my grandmother invented the pizzelle. Truth be known the pizzelle originated in the Southern Region of Italy many years ago.

 These were always on the table for the Christmas and Easter Holidays. And, if you've ever been to an Italian wedding I'm sure you saw these on the cookie table.

There are so many different variations of pizzelles. You can make them, thin and crispy, soft and chewy, and in many different flavors. You can also shape them like a cone, or cannoli, or a bowl and fill them with your favorite filling.

Thin Crisp Italian Pizzelles: My Ingredients

6 large eggs
1 teaspoon Anise extract
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 teaspoon Lemon extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, oil or margarine (melted) (We use butter.)
1-1/2 cups sugar

Directions

  1. Beat the eggs and sugar together, we use our KitchenAid Stand Mixer.
  2. Add the cooled butter, margarine, or oil.
  3. Now add the vanilla, lemon, and anise.
  4. Last, add the flour and baking powder to the egg mixture.
  5. Mix until the batter is stiff enough to be dropped by a spoon.

recipe pizzelles Italian cookies

Here is the batter all ready to go. This recipe will make about 50 to 60 pizzelles depending on how many you eat while you're making them. If you don't want that many just cut the recipe in half. But trust me these won't last long.

Some people don't like the Anise flavoring. So, you can substitute lemon for the Anise, or any other flavor you like.  Such as, Almond, Vanilla, Orange, Rum, and the list goes on.

Pizzelles Italian Cookie

Now, it's time to make the Pizzelles. You'll need a Pizzelle Baker or Iron. Before making your cookies spray the top and bottom of the iron with a non-stick spray, or brush lightly with vegetable oil.

After the iron is heated, drop the batter by tablespoons onto each side. Close and clamp the iron for about 30 seconds or less depending on how you like them, light or darker.

Remove the cookies with a spatula and place them on a flat surface to cool. We store them in an airtight container to keep them nice and crisp.

 Pizzelles will last up to 2 weeks stored like this. But, I'm going to bet they are not going to last that long.

Rolled and Filled Pizzelles by Carmie and Jimmy

Pizzelle Italian cookie

Carmie and Jimmy are my cousins, they also keep the old family traditions and recipes alive. Here they made one of the variations of pizzelles.

In their recipe, they used grated orange rind, orange juice, and vanilla as the flavoring. Carmie and Jimmy went one step further by rolling and filling the pizzelles.

Talk about a sweet treat. Don't those look mouth-watering? I assure you these too will not last long. You're family and friends will think you are a pastry chef.

Pizzelles Italian Cookies

Carmie used some 5/8 x 6-inch wood dowels to shape the pizzelles cannoli style. You'll want to do this while they're still hot off the iron. After rolled let them cool completely.

Carmie's Sweet Filling Ingredients

1 cup Crisco
2 cups of sugar
1-1/2 cups of warm water
1 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions

  1. Beat together the Crisco and butter, add the sugar a little at a time, continue beating until dissolved.
  2. Add in the vanilla and continue mixing.
  3. Add the warm water 1/4 cup at a time (make sure water is really warm)
  4. Continue mixing until really smooth
  5. Use a pastry bag to fill the rolled pizzelles.
Tip: If you don't have a pastry bag use a zip lock bag and snip off one corner. 

Thank you Carmie and Jimmy for the recipe and pictures of your rolled and filled pizzelles.


As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.

 I would like the hear if you have any different variations of Pizzelles, please let me know in the comment section.


Sausage Cheese Ball Appetizers

Sausage cheese ball appetizers

I like quick and easy, and these sausage cheese ball appetizers are just that. Whenever your planning your next party add these to your appetizer list.

Or, Make these anytime just as a snack your family and friends will love them. These will disappear as fast as you get them out of the oven.

Made with a few simple ingredients, Bisquick, Sausage, and Cheddar Cheese. We always make these around the Holidays and make sure we make enough to freeze.

Did I mention that you can make these ahead and freeze them? Then just bake when you're ready for a snack. They make a perfect game day appetizer. We will be making these for the Super Bowl for sure.

Sausage Cheese Ball Appetizers Ingredients:

1 lb. bulk sausage
3 cups Original Bisquick
4 cups shredded cheddar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 tsp. chopped parsley (optional)

Directions:
  1. Cook the sausage in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.
  2. You want the sausage to be crumbled, use a spatula or wooden spoon to break it up while cooking.
  3. Cook the sausage until browned.
  4. In a large bowl add the sausage and all other ingredients.
  5. Mix well and shape into 1-inch balls.
  6. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees.


Use parchment paper or a greased cookie sheet. You can also freeze the sausage balls for a snack at any time. You should yield about 100 sausage balls. It depends on how big you roll them.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it!


Slow Roasted Prime Rib Roast

Slow Roasted Prime Rib Roast

Slow roasted prime rib roast cooked to a perfect medium-rare. With simple seasonings of salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and Penzeys English Prime Rib Rub. This is all you need to make this a perfect feast for your family and friends.

Slow Roasted Prime Rib Roast Recipe

Oh, and of course you need to start with a nice prime rib roast.  I started with this 5.5-pound boneless prime rib roast. Prime rib is a very expensive cut of meat. Many people tell me that they don't attempt making prime rib roast in fear of ruining it. 

I'm here to tell you that making this is so easy, and you'll be so happy with the results. Once your family and friends taste this prime rib you'll be a hero.

I used 3 cloves of fresh garlic cut in half. I made six small cuts on both sides of the top and stuffed the garlic in. Then I seasoned the roast with salt, pepper, and Penzeys English Prime Rib Rub.

Slow Roast Prime Rib Roast

I  left the prime rib out for a couple of hours to reach room temperature.  I inserted the probe of my ThermoPro TP-20 Thermometer. Then, place it in the oven at 275 degrees until the internal temperature is 130 degrees, about 2.5 hours.

Out of the oven, I covered the roast to let it rest for 30 minutes before cutting. While resting the roast will continue to cook to 135  degrees, a perfect medium-rare. The outside was a nice dark tasty crust while the inside was a perfect medium-rare. 

The rule of thumb is about 15 minutes per pound. If you don't have a probe to monitor the internal temperature, use an instant-read thermometer and check the internal temperature after 2 hours.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.


Cast Iron Skillet Apple Pie

Cast Iron Skillet Apple Pie

We are now into the fall season and here in Western New York, we have plenty of beautiful colors all over the trees. It's time to fill the house with those wonderful aromas of cinnamon and spice. Baking this cast iron skillet apple pie did just that.

I love cooking with my cast iron skillet. This iron skillet apple pie is so easy to make, and I'm sure it will be a family favorite.

With pie crust made from scratch and, a layer of brown sugar and melted butter on the bottom of the skillet that bakes into the pie crust, makes this one a fall favorite.

Cast Iron Skillet Apple Pie: Crust 

2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Crisco (Cold)
6 to 8 tablespoons of Ice Water

Pie crust

You can make your own pie crust or buy it already made. I made my own by adding the flour, and the Crisco (Cold and cut into small pieces) into my KitchenAid mixing bowl.

Using the flat bar I turned it on low speed and began adding the cold water one tablespoon at a time until the dough was formed.

Then, I divided the dough into two equal pieces. I wrapped them and set them in the refrigerator while I prepared the apples.

Cast Iron Skillet Apple Pie: Filling

4 large Granny Smith Apples (Peeled, cored, and sliced)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

iron skillet apple pie

I mixed all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then, placed it in the refrigerator while I prepared my cast iron skillet and the pie crust.

For the bottom of the cast iron skillet:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar

Melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in and spread the brown sugar until it is absorbed and covers the bottom of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Remove it from the heat and roll out your dough. It's best to roll out the pie crust between wax paper or parchment paper.

Place the bottom pie crust over the brown sugar mixture in the skillet. Fill the skillet with the apple mixture. Then place the top crust and form the edges together. 

Cut 4 to 6 slits in the top of the pie crust. I brushed the top with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Then sprinkled some sugar and cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

cast iron skillet apple pie recipe

The crust was flakey and tender and the filling was sweet, with a nice buttery, brown sugar bottom. If you like your apple pie on the tart side, cut back on the sugar or eliminate the brown sugar in the filling.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it!


Long Smoke Pulled Pork

Long Smoke Pulled Pork

I have been having a blast with my new Char-Griller Off-Set Smoker. Last weekend I did a long smoke pulled pork, and it was so good.

I started by picking up a 5.5-pound Boston butt. I mixed my own rub with the help of David Farrell's book The Old Fat Guy's Guide to Smoking meat for Beginners.

You'll find many amazing recipes on his blog oldfatguy.ca.

David calls this Rub a Do Anything Rub, which you can find in his book or on his blog. I didn't use all of his ingredients for this but, I did add a few of my own.

Rub I used for this Long Smoke Pulled Pork:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons Sea Salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
3 tablespoons Carolina Seasoning (Rub Some Butt)

My Process for Long Smoke Pulled Pork:

After mixing the rub. I rubbed both sides of the pork butt, then covered it and set in the refrigerator overnight.

Early the next morning I fired up my smoker using charcoal, and then added oak and hickory wood splits. When the smoker temperature reached 250 degrees I placed the pork butt in the smoker.

I kept the smoker temperature between 250 and 300 degrees by adding wood splits every 30 to 45 minutes.  After 3 and a half hours I opened the smoker and inserted my probe to monitor the internal temperature of the pork butt. The internal temperature was 160 degrees at his time.

This was the only time I opened the smoker through the whole process. I needed to reach an internal temperature of 205 degrees.

smoked pulled pork butt

After 8 hours and 15 minutes, we finally reached 205 degrees. We removed the pork butt from the smoker, covered it to let it rest for about 40 minutes before shredding it.

The outside had a beautiful tasty bark on it, while the inside was juicy and tender. The total cook time equaled 90 minutes per pound.

We made delicious sandwiches using my homemade barbeque sauce you find the recipe here. 
This pulled pork made the best game-day sandwiches. We had a house full of happy people.


As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy!


Simple Fried Green Tomatoes

Simple Fried Green Tomatoes

Fall is such a beautiful time of the year, and also the end of our garden season. There are always green tomatoes left on the vines of our plants. Don't let them go to waste, make these simple fried green tomatoes.

These fried green tomatoes make a perfect appetizer, snack or delicious side dish to go with any meal. I don't think my fried green tomatoes are going to win any awards, but they sure are tasty and easy to make.

Fried green tomato recipe

The first thing was to slice the tomatoes. Then, I poured about 1/8-inch of peanut oil into the bottom of my Cast Iron Skillet and set it on medium.

Fried green tomatoes

While the oil was heating up, I prepared a dredging station with one cup flour, 2 beaten eggs, and two cups of Seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs.

Once the oil was ready I dredged one slice of tomato at a time. First in the flour, then the egg and last the bread crumbs. Placing them in the hot oil for only about 10 seconds per side until golden brown.
Then place them on a plate with lined with paper towels. 

This is my simple method for fried green tomatoes. As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.

Easy Pepperoni Roll Recipe

Easy Pepperoni Roll Recipe

This easy pepperoni roll recipe is so quick and easy to make.

 Serve these as a snack, lunch or even have them for dinner.

These pepperoni rolls are a smaller version of our Pepperoni Bread.

Many times when our grandmother made pizza, she would make some pepperoni bread. This was always a treat for the family.

You can make your own dough or pick up some fresh dough at the grocery store.

Here is our recipe for Easy All-Purpose Dough.  



For the pepperoni rolls, I made today I just picked up 2lbs. of fresh pizza dough from Wal-Mart. I already have pepperoni and cheese in the refrigerator at home.

Easy Pepperoni Roll Recipe:


Easy Pepperoni Rolls

I started off by peeling the skin from the pepperoni and slicing the whole stick. Of course, you can buy the pepperoni already sliced. I like to use the sticks and slice it myself.

Pepperoni roll recipe


I used Yellow cheese, but you can use whatever kind of cheese you like. I cut about 6 slices of cheese into strips. Then, I cut the pepperoni in half.

Best pepperoni roll recipe

I rolled some dough out on a floured surface to about 8-inches around. Place some pepperoni and then some cheese. Fold over 2 opposite ends about 1/2-inch and then roll them up into a small loaf. They don't have to be the same size or perfect. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you to make sure you seal ends by pressing the dough together.

Easy Pepperoni Roll Recipe: Ingredients

2 lbs. of Dough
1 Stick pepperoni
6 or 7 slices of your favorite cheese

I yielded 8 pepperoni rolls from the 2 lbs. of dough. I placed them on a greased cookie sheet and baked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until they are light brown.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.


Easy Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Easy Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe

I smoked some ribs on my new offset smoker last weekend.  After I prepared everything and had them on the smoker, I realized that I didn't have barbecue sauce.

If you're looking for an easy homemade barbecue sauce recipe, this is it. I'm sure you'll have all of these ingredients in your pantry, as I did.

This is a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce and will work very well with beef, pork, and chicken. I added some hot sauce to give it a little kick. The hot sauce is optional if you don't want the heat.

Easy Homemade Barbecue Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups Ketchup
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Penzeys Galena Street Rib & Chicken Rub (Or Your Favorite Rub)
2 tablespoons Honey
2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon Hot Sauce (Optional)

I mixed all of the ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl. Then, I poured the sauce into a large wide-mouth Mason Jar and gave it a few good shakes.

This turned out to be a nice sweet and tangy barbecue sauce for my ribs. I have the remaining sauce in the refrigerator for the next time.

Here is a great method for Slow Smoked Ribs to try out this Barbecue Sauce

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy.

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