Stuffing & Stuffed Mushrooms or Stuffed Mushroom with shrimp

       


STUFFING:
3 bags of Arnold Seasoned Stuffing.
1 Large 48oz Can Chicken Broth. Less Salt .
1 onion finely chopped 
Italian Sausages -  4 Links
2 Pieces of Celery and their leaves
1 large apple.  Macintosh
6 pieces of Sundried Tomatoes - chopped 
1 small Zucchini- Peeled and diced small
3 jumbo Portabella Mushrooms- diced 
4 piece finely chopped garlic.
Paprika
Olive Oil
Seasoning: Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder

Preparing Seasoned Stuffing

Use the cooking instructions from Seasoned Stuffing bags but replace the water for Chicken Broth. but 1st read below.

•  Place chicken broth in pot. Add finely chopped Celery, 1/4 cup of celery leaves, 2 TBS butter and 1/2  finely chopped onion.  Bring to Boil for 4 minutes 
• Then place Seasoned Stuffing in pot and stir, remove from heat and cover.

                

Prepping Sausage

• In a frying pan, Cut Sausage out of casing and Saute Sausages. When half way done, take out and chop them up then finish cooking with 1/2 finely chopped onion, garlic and Sliced mushrooms.
• Set aside.

          

        

 
Prep Apple:

• Peel and Chop an apple into small pieces.
• Place in frying pan and Saute in 2 Tbs of butter until golden.
• Set Aside

Prepping Zucchini and Sundried Tomatoes

• In frying pan add 1/4 cup Olive Oil and heat. 
• Add Chopped Zucchini
• Add Seasoning: Salt, pepper and garlic powder
• When Zucchini is 1/2 way done
•  Add chopped garlic
• Tbs of Butter
• Once cooked then Add Chopped Sundried Tomatoes
• sautee for about 1 min.
• Mix sausage, apple mix and zucchini mix together.

In large baking pan:

Place Stuffing in large baking pan and add Sausage mix, apple mix. Zucchini mix.  Mix everything in evenly. Sprinkle top with Paprika and bake on 375 degrees for 15 minutes. 
Broil for 1 - 2 minutes.

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Stuffed Button Mushrooms:
Recipe #1: Stuffed Mushroom with Stuffing  and Sausages
Recipe #2: Stuffed with shrimp scampi
Recipe #3: Look under Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Pizza Caps                                                      (you can make a few of them and then they can be cut up into 1/4 and served. Fast and easier to make)

Stuffed Mushroom with Stuffing and Sausages

Use the cooking instructions from Seasoned Stuffing bags but replace the water for Chicken Broth. but 1st read below.

•  Place chicken broth in pot. Add finely chopped Celery, 1/4 cup of celery leaves, 2 TBS butter and 1/2  finely chopped onion.  Bring to Boil for 4 minutes 
• Then place Seasoned Stuffing in pot and stir, remove from heat and cover.
• Wash and dry mushroom caps
• Cut tops off as shown below

       


Cook Sausage and place in stuffing. Stuff Mushroooms

Recipe #2: Stuffed Mushrooms with Shrimp

Ingredients:

Prepare Shrimp Scampi  (from this site.)

Fresh Mozzarella

Bread Crumbs,

Grated Cheese

1. Clean and Cut mushrooms as stated above in Recipe #1
2. Go to Shrimp Scampi recipe on this site .
3.  Prepare shrimp as suggested but add in small diced 1/4  Red Pepper.
4. Take shrimp out of Scampi wine sauce (set aside wine sauce) and Chop shrimp into small pieces. 
5. Place shrimp into mushroom caps. 
6. In small bowl place 1 cup bread crumbs homemade or 4C . Add 1 TBS grated cheese 
7. Pour in small amount of the scampi sauce to moisten the breadcrumbs, fluffy with fork. (don't press down.)
8. Sprinkle breadcrumb mix on top of shrimps that are in mushrooms caps. (you are not filling the mushroom cap with a lot of breadcrumb, just a covering)
9.  In baking pan: Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth to bottom of pan. Just enough to cover bottom. Not a lot. 
10. Place stuffed mushrooms in baking dish. 
11. Place small sliced piece of fresh mozzarella on top
12. Bake Covered on 350 degrees until mushrooms are cooked about 20 min.
13. Uncover and broil for 1-2 min. until crispy.  Watch it on broil.  Cooks fast!

Italian Wedding Soup



Italian Wedding Soup  Serving for 8.

3 Escarole bunches. Cut off end.  There is a lot of sand inbetween the leafs so you must wash each leaf. Then place in a pot of water with 1/4 tsp bleach to sterilize them for about 3 minutes.  Then rinse under running water.  I like to use the salad spinner. this way I can take out the spinner and drain out the water and run cool water in it and I repeat this a few times.

Chop the up the Escarole into small pieces.

3 - 48oz Cans of Chicken Broth.

8 baby Carrots- Cut up into small chunks.

1 pc Celery -  cut up into chunks.

2 Tbs grated Peccorino Romano cheese

1/4 tsp pepper and garlic

1/4 small onion. Finely Chopped.

1 box of Italiano Pasta cooked aldente.

3 lbs of chopmeat to make 120 baby meatballs. Look under Meatball recipe for what you need and make meatballs first. ( there will be 4 baby meatballs to one reg. size meatball) so, the same 3 lbs of reg meatball makes approx. 30 meatballs to 120 for the baby one.) 

While the Meatballs are cooking then start making the soup.



After  Escarole is washed and sterilized. Don't worry about the excess water on the Escarole it doesn't need to be wiped off.

1.   In large 14 quart Sauce Pot.  Pour in all the chicken broth and onions. Cook under high heat and bring to a boil.

2.  Place Escarole in pot.  Cook under Medium heat. When you first place in the Escarole, the chicken broth will not cover all of it at first. 

Cook for about 5 minutes. Then -

3. Add in the chopped Carrots and Celery.



Escarole cooking.  Still hard.   



Escarole cooked when transculent about 15 min.

5.  Add Cooked meatballs

6. Add Grated Cheese

7.  Cook for about 3 minutes.

8.  Add in cooked Pasta.  and simmer for about 2 minutes.

Bariatric Friendly.  No pasta add 1/4 white beans.

                                                            Soup is done.

                                                  "Buon Appetito"



This soup doesn't take to long to cook.  The most time you will spend on clean the Escarole Leaves.

Hint:  When I cook my meatballs for my sauce I would make a second batch of baby meatballs and freeze them so, in a few days to a week I cook this soup and it takes much less time.  I put the meatballs a day before in the fridge to defrost.

Lasagna

You will have 3 layers of Lasagna.
What you put Between each layer is described below.

Ingredients needed.
Prep all ingredients before you cook the Lasagna Noodles.

• 2  -  32 oz  Containers of Cooking Sauce.  (look under Sauce for recipe)

• 1/2 Can Small Peas  Optional - divide into 2 = portions.

• 2 Boxes of Lasagna. There are 20 per box. You will need 1 box PLUS 13 from the 2nd box.  Cook Lasagna in an x-tra large Deep pot with 1 Tbs salt and 1/3 cup oil.  (oil doesn't make the Lasagna stick to each other.) Cook Aldente (hard). (You will be baking the Lasagna so, you don't want it to become very soft)  Drain out and cool off. Lay it over the collander or pot so they won't stick together.
• 15 Meatballs. (look under Meatballs for recipe) Mashed up.
•   3 Cups Ricotta  mixed with a pinch of Black Pepper, Garlic Powder,                                                2 Tbs Grated Cheese, 2 eggs
• Fresh Mozzarella log - Sliced 
•  4 oz Grated Cheese Romano Peccorino
• 1 lb whole milk mozzarella.
• 1/2 lb shredded Provoloni
• 2 links Sausages. Squeeze out of casing and sauté until cooked then chop them up. 
• 11 x 17 pan 2 " high.  Must be at least 2" high otherwise lasagna won't fit.                                       If you can find 3"in height that would be better.

 

Put everything in its own bowl and divide into portions I have listed.  This way you can make sure you have enough for each row.

 1.   Ricotta mix.  In 3 = portions

 2.   Mashed up Meatballs.  in 2 = portions                                     

 3.   Sausages 2 = portions.

 4.   Grated Cheese. You will just be sprinkling a 
       small amt ea. time. Approx. 2 Tbs.

 5.   Mozzarella Cheese in 3 = portions.

6.    Fresh Mozzarella

7.    Provolone
 8.   Sauce.  1 bowl. Large ladle full each time.

                       



A. 1st Row.

1.  Pour 2 Cups Sauce in bottom of pan. (you need a lot of sauce on the bottom of the pan, so it won't burn when you cook it. and only a little bit in between the layers.)

2.  Lay out Lasagna 8 horizontally.
     2 vertically.  Lay overlapping 1/2 way on top of each other.

3.  1st Portion:  1 Tbs Ricotta mix and fresh mozzarella in rows across the whole pan.

4.  Add in this order: Grated Cheese, Meatballs, Sausages, and Mozzerella. 



Ricotta, Fresh Mozzarella, Grated Cheese, Meatballs, Sausages, Mozzarella.



5.  Pour a little bit of Sauce.  As shown above.
Wave the ladle across the pan. Don't need to much.





B.

6.  Add another layer of Lasagna.

7.  With your palm, push down slightly on top of the Lasagna.



8.  Lay down Ricotta and Fresh Mozzarella as you did in Step A.

                  Next, in this order:  Grated Cheese 1 Tbs, Meatballs, Sausages, Sauce then Mozzarella. 

This is your last layer.

  9.  Add another layer of Lasagna.  

 10. With your palm, push down slightly on top of the Lasagna. 

11. Add Sauce. Smooth Sauce over lasagna completely.  Any 

      uncovered spots will burn.          

12.  Add Tsp full of Ricotta and pieces of fresh Mozzarella.  As shown above.

13.  1 tsp grated cheese.

14.  Add Mozzarella and Your done.

1.   Place aluminum foil over top. Making sure it doesn't touch the cheese.

2.  If cooking the next day place in fridge and take out 1 hour before cooking.  When Lasagna is from fridge it take approx. 50 - 60 mins to cook.

If cooking now.  Put oven on 400 degrees. Keep Lasagna covered.

Cooking time will vary 30 - 45 minutes.

When cheese is melted lasagna is done.  Nothing is raw.  So, all you have to worry about is to make sure the Middle part of the Lasagna is hot.

 

Yup!  That's right! to find out if it is hot, the Italian way is to Stick a knife in it and make a small opening then stick your finger in it. ha! ha! But, watch out you can burn your finger!  If it is hot it is Ready.  A better way is to use a food thermometer to check the temperature.  Once you determined it is hot then take the cover off and bake until cheese is lightly golden brown or to your liking.

LASAGNA MUST SIT FOR 5 - 10 MIN.

TO SETTLE BEFORE SERVING.

Enjoy!! 

FYI:  Lasagna is a big project and timely.
You can cook the Sauce and Meatballs up to 3 days before. Keep it in the fridge. Grate the mozzarella, slice the fresh mozzarella and put it into a ziploc bag to keep it from drying out place in the fridge.
I cook my Sauce one day then the Meatballs another day so, it doesn't take up too much of my time.
Better yet!!  Always keep a few containers of Cooking Sauce in the freezer so, you can always have it ready when needed.  I freeze 6 containers of sauce at a time.  Sauce can stay frozen up to a year.  Mine never last that long. 

Baked Sweet Potatoes w/ Marshmellows

10 large Sweet Potatoes - Peeled

3 Tbs Sugar Free Syrup
1 Tbs Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Stick Butter
1/2  Small Bag Miniature Marshmellows

• Slice Sweet Potatoes into chunks.  
• Bring large pot of water to boil with 1Tbs of salt.
• Add Sweet Potatoes and cook until fork goes threw.              Should not be mushy.
• Strain Potatoes and let sit for a minute to get all the water out. Then place in Baking Pan.
• Mash up Sweet Potatoes but leave some into chunks.
• Mix in melted butter, Syrup, and Brown Sugar.
• Taste.  If not sweet enough add more butter, syrup and Brown sugar.
• Spread out evenly in pan.  On top add thinly sliced pats of Butter and Brown Sugar.
• Add small marshmellows on top.
• If cooking them for the next day then put aluminium foil over pan and refrigate.  When ready to cook,  bake covered at 400 until hot. Approx 10 - 15 min. 
• OR
•  If making them the same day then bake covered for about 5 minutes. 

Take cover off and bake until golden brown. or to your liking.           2 minutes.  Watch closely because marshmellows burn quickly.  I always almost burn them! lol

Chicken Marsala





 8 slices Chicken Cutlet cut into 3 x 3 pcs
3 Eggs - beat and add a dash of salt, pepper and garlic
2 cups Flour add a dash of Salt and Pepper
Med. Onion thinly sliced
1 large pkg of fresh mushrooms
1 pkg of  Wide Egg Noodles
1 stick of Butter.
2 - 3 Small Cans of Beef Broth 14 oz.
6 Tbs + to your liking of Marsala Wine
Heavy Cream 1 cup for each frying pan

Cook Noodles and Strain.  Place in deep serving pan.  In a small pot mix 1/4 cup beef broth,  1Tbs butter,
and 1 Tbs Grated Cheese. Bring to boil and mix into noodles. (Just enough to have noodles moist and not dry out)

• Batter:  Dip Chicken in Eggs then pat in flour

•  Heat Olive oil then Place chicken in frying pan under Medium heat.         

•   Sprinkle a dash  of Salt, pepper and garlic powder.                                                                  

• Cook until golden Brown

• Place in baking dish.

If Chicken starts to burn replace oil and add new oil.

• Saute Onions with a little bit of Olive Oil until lightly golden

Add mushrooms, 2 Tbs butter

• Saute Until Mushrooms are cooked. About 2 minutes add 2 Tbs Marsala Wine and Saute for another minute.   Place in a bowl.

•  (Chicken and Mushrooms mix need to be sauteed together while adding ingredients below to have flavorful taste.)   
•  Divide chicken and mushroom mix into 3 parts or whatever is needed to have enough room in the frying pan to stir and flip.              
•  Place one part Chicken and Mushroom Mix in a large deep frying pan on med high heat.
• Add 2 Tbs Butter 2 -3  Tbs or more of Marsala wine.
• Swirl and Flip the mix in the pan to coat for 1 minute.
•  Repeat this procedure until finished.

Next Step is the Marsala cream sauce.

In frying pan add 2 TBS of butter and 1/2 can beef broth and 2 Tbs Marsala wine. Cook until butter is melted

Add in 8 oz of  Heavy cream. Bring to boil. if too thick add more beef broth.

Then add in 1 Tbs of grated cheese

Add in Mushroom and Onion mix

Add in Chicken and cook for about 2 minutes. 

Place Chicken Marsala on top of  Egg Noodles





CUCUZZA SOUP - Italian Squash Soup

Cucuzza Soup

Olivia @ 2 years old

Freeze in 16 oz containers. 

            CUCUZZA SOUP

• Sauce: 1 - 32 oz Nonna Fina Sauce (Fresh from garden tomatoes) or Sauce recipe below. 
• 3 can of Tuttorosso whole tomatoes. Cut ends off and discard. Then cut the rest up into chunks.
• Cucuzza leaves (Tenerumi) 25 - 30. or Fresh baby Spinach leaves. 
• Chicken Broth 3 _13oz 
• 2 -3 long Cucuzzas 
• 5 Potatoes.  Peeled and cut into chunks
• 5 Carrots.  Peeled and cut into small chunks
•  1/2 cup grated cheese.
• 1 cup cut up into small chunks (pieces) of Romano cheese.                                                             (It's the grated cheese before you grate it.)
•  1 box of Cut Spaghetti. cooked Aldente and cooled it off
•  Olive Oil 
• Onions 1 medium chopped & garlic cloves 5 chopped                                                                           

Cucuzza and leaves of the plant

1.  Pick the leaves from the cucuzza vines.  Pick the small green ones.                                                          Approx. 45-60 leaves for 3 cucuzzas.  Must be fresh looking not old or yellow.                                 You can also include a little bit of the vine chopped. 

   Place a few on top of each other and roll them up.  

  Take scissors or knife and cut them into pieces.  Place them in a bowl for later.

Roll a bunch of leaves up 

cut them in 1/2

and in 1/2 again

2.  Defrost 2 - 32 oz. of Nonna Fina sauce (fresh tomatoes from garden) or use 

    Sauce Recipe below.  

  Place chopped onions in x-large sauce pot.  Pour in enough Olive Oil just to cover the onions

  When onions are translucent add chopped garlic. Sautee until lightly browned. 

  Add in 2 cans of Peeled Tomatoes - (ends cut off and chopped into chunks) 

   1 Tsp Salt, Pepper, garlic, 2 tsp sugar, 5 pcs chopped basil

  Stir and cook for 10 minutes. 

  Optional Can add 1 small can of Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies for a little zing. 

Chopped Onion and garlic

Cento San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes 

   

 

optional 

3.  Add 3 cans of Chicken Broth (low Sodium)      

      Sauce is not Thick.  It's a soup consistency. 

4. Add in the chopped Cucuzza Leaves.

Cook for approx. 5 minutes on medium. 

Now steps to prep the Cucuzza. 

5.  Cut the Cucuzza into smaller pieces (as long as a cucumber) so it will be easier to peel them.

 

    Peel cucuzza (just like you peel a cucumber) Peel until you see the white skin and not green.

 Most likely you need to peel the same side twice.    

                                  

                                                     

                                                                                                   
                                                                   

          

6.  Cut Length wise. Scoop or cut out center if there are seeds.  As above the seeds are hard and large and we don't use them. 

                           

  7.  Cut into Chunks. 1" x 1" thumb size chunks. Place into pot. 

                                       

                                                                               

       8.     Add in Chopped Potatoes and Carrots                                      

     

9.  Bring to boil and cook for 20 30 minutes.  Until Cucuzza are cooked. shown below.



Not cooked yet.



Cucuzza cooked when translucent

   

10.   1 box of cooked Cut Spaghetti or Italiano Pasta.  Place pasta in bowl and add soup. 

                                 

 

11. Add in the chunks of romano cheese to hot soup.
Ready to eat!!

I prefer to freeze soup without the pasta.  When pasta is in container it draws out the broth.

To keep soup more liquidity I cook pasta separately or have soup without pasta.