Cook From The Heart

With us being inter-active, we have this great opportunity to bring new ideas and variations from Cooking from the Heart…this page is perfect for that.

December 14, 2010

Oops!! On the Christmas Bowtie Cookie recipe, (pages 124-125) please add the melted butter with the sugar, vanilla extract and baking powder. Enjoy this great cookie.

December 8, 2010

Today I made the Date and Nut Bread (page 60)…I made a recipe and a half to get a larger loaf and cooked it for 1 hour and 30 minutes. I’m going to ask my local bakery if they would slice it for me, to have nice even slices on a serving platter with cream cheese on the side.

October 30, 2010

I made the Chicken Valdostana (page 58) yesterday and because I made a lot, instead of putting the chicken back into the pan for the cheese to melt, I set it up in a baking dish and placed it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until it was bubbly and the cheese melted. Good to know we have options when making larger portions.

September 22, 2010

Last weekend I went apple picking with my awesome family. Well yesterday I got to peeling and found myself making 6 apple pies (page 155). What I found while baking was after I placed the foil wrapper on the pie some cooked faster than the 1 hour left to bake. So what I did was set the timer for 40 minutes and checked to see that the color of the crumbs were golden. I’m sure it was just my oven but this page is great to share what’s going on in my kitchen

August 25, 2010

This past weekend I made the Calamari Sauce, (page 93) I was a little daring so I sprinkled some hot pepper flakes while cooking. It gave it a nice kick and I might even add a little more next time J

August 18^th 2010

When making the onion soup (page 28) you can also use Gruyere cheese or any soft mellow cheese of your choice.

When I add my spices to any recipe, and say 1 tsp. of this or that… I still taste it throughout the cooking process so I can add more if needed before serving the dish. It’s all a matter of your own taste and to have fun cooking.

August 13, 2010

For another variation of my Flower Pot Dessert… check out the recipe of the month. It’s so cool and fun for all.

August 10, 2010

Oops!! Please make the following correction for the Strawberry and Spinach Salad (page 48) add 1 cup of canola or vegetable oil and 1 cup of sugar to the ingredient list… add these to the ingredients in preparation for the dressing.

July 6, 2010

While the pizza dough recipe in the book (page 15) was grandma’s who got it from her mother I found another recipe that is even better.  I want to share this new recipe with you and hope you give it a try. This recipe makes one large pie, if you want to make several just repeat these steps for each pie.

Homemade Pizza Dough

1½ cups warm water

2 tbs. sugar

1 pkg. yeast (1/4 tsp)

Mix water, sugar and yeast, stir and set aside until frothy (about 5 minutes)

4 cups all purpose flour

½ cup bread flour

1 tbs. kosher or sea salt

3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

In a mixer add flours, salt, yeast mixture, 3 tbs. of oil and process on low for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl add oil, (just enough to coat) place dough in bowl and flip it over, so oil coats both sides of dough, cover with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in size. When doubled punch down, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.

Make the pizza sauce recipe in the book (page15) while the dough is rising.

Prepare your favorite pizza toppings

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees

Place dough in a large greased pan and spread dough to fill the pan. Bake the dough alone for about 15 to 20 minutes, remove from oven and put your sauce and toppings (mozzarella, any cooked meat, pepper, onion or mushrooms) I also add some extra sauce on top. Sprinkle a little salt and then drizzle extra virgin olive oil on the pie. Place pie back in oven and continue to bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the crust a nice golden color.

Bon Appétit J