Some of my favorite baking comes at Easter. My mom, sister and I all like to get together and recreate some of the decadent recipes that were handed down throughout the generations. This year Emma will be helping me bake, decorate AND eat the cookies. I love my Italian heritage and family and I am so glad I can pass this on to my daughter. Here are just two of my Easter Recipes.

Pupa di Pasqua (Dolls of Easter Cookies)

Ingredients

Cookie:
8 eggs
8 oz vegetable oil
6 oz milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
12 oz sugar
8 teaspoons baking powder
1 lemons zest
2 cups of flour (more might be needed tomake dough pliable)

Glaze:

2 cups of confectioner’s sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Decorative confetti
Directions:

Form a well out of flour on table surface; add baking powder to well walls as well as sugar.

In the centre of well whisk together oil, eggs, milk, vanilla and lemon zest.

Gradually add in parts of the flour well until you get a pliable dough.

On a floured surface shape dough into dolls, flowers, bunnies etc.

Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 until lightly browned. (Bake time may vary depending on dimensions of cookies.)

When cookies are done, remove from oven and while still hot glaze and decorate.

These cookies have a light lemony taste to them. We devour them with glasses of cold milk and love to watch as the colourful sprinkles that fall off as we dunk turn the milk into a rainbow of colour.

Fiadone

Ingredients

For pastry crust:

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 eggs
Enough Flour to make pliable, but still soft dough.
For Filling:

2 cups Romanello Cheese, grated
2 cups Parmesan/Romano cheese, grated
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon pepper
For brushing:

3 egg yolk, beaten

Directions:

For Crust: In a bowl whisk together oil, eggs, wine and salt. Add a cup of flour at a time to the wet mixture, work into a soft dough. (If the dough is too soft, add a touch more flour; if it’s too hard, add more wine.) Shape the dough into a ball, cover and let rest while preparing filling.

For the Filling: Beat the eggs. In a large bowl, mix the beaten egg with the cheeses. Add pepper. Mix well.

To make the Fiadone: Using rolling pin roll out the dough so that it is about 1/8 of an inch thick. Using a rolling pin, roll out the rested pastry dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out circles (I use a wine glass 3 ½ inches in diameter). Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of the circle. Seal the pastry pockets with a fork.  Brush the tops of the fiadoni with egg yolk. Make a small slit in the middle of the pastry (This will enable the steam to come out while baking, and give it that or “puffed up” look).

Bake in a 350° F pre-heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fiadone are a golden color.

These cookies are savory, and one of my favorites. They can also be made into little pies instead of ravioli like pockets.

Brodetto di pesce (fish soup)

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 shallot, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small chili pepper, deseeded and chopped fine
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (fresh or canned)
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 6 cups fish stock (or Clamato)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 pound clams, rinsed to remove all sand
• 1 pound mussels, beards removed and rinsed to remove all sand
• 1 pound tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound bay scallops
• 1 pound of cuttlefish, cleaned and cut into rings ( squid can be used instead)
• 2 small lobster tails, cut in half lengthwise
• 2 king crab legs, cut into segments
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

(Note: to make this recipe easier purchase already cleaned shellfish)

Preparation

1. In a large stock pot or heavy casserole, heat the olive oil and sauté onions, shallots and garlic. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, fish stock and wine. Bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered.

2. Add the shellfish, mussels and clams first. After five minutes of cooking, remove all unopened ones. Then add lobster tails, crab legs, cuttlefish, shrimp and scallops in five minute intervals. Cook for an additional five minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste, before serving add the fresh chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

3. Serve as is with toasted crust bread or over steamed white rice.

Insalata Di Baccalà (Cod Fish Salad)

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of salted cod
• 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 2-3 lemons (½ cup of juice)
• Bunch of fresh Italian Parsley finely chopped

Preparation

1. Rinse salted cod well and then immerse it in a container of cold water (cut into chunks, if necessary, to fit). Refrigerate, changing the soaking water five or six times, until softened and mild (24 to 48 hours, depending on how stiff and salty it was to begin with).

2. Place cod on parchment lined cookie tray, drizzle with two tablespoons of Olive Oil.

3. Cook in oven at 400F for 20 minutes or until golden.

4. While cod is cooking, in a large glass bowl add remaining ingredients. Whisk well.

5. While Cod is still hot use two forks to shred it. Place warm cod in bowl with dressing mix well, cover and refrigerate.

Smoky Salmon Dip

Ingredients

• 6 cloves of roasted garlic
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 4 ounces smoked salmon, chopped
• ½ cup cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

1. In a food processor, add all ingredients, blitz until smooth and well combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl, and refrigerate 30 minutes before serving. Serve with crusty bread, crudités or crackers.

Enjoy!

These are also great for parties and kids of all ages! Enjoy!

Mummy Fingers

Ingredients:
½ package of cocktail weenies ( or regular hotdogs cut in half)
1 yellow bell pepper cut into fingernail shapes
1 package Pillsbury Crescents, cut into long strips.

Directions:

Cut a notch out of each weenie to hold yellow pepper fingernail.
Wrap strip of crescent around weenie forming mummy like bandage.
Bake at 350°Ÿ for 15 minutes.

You may serve mummy fingers as is with small bowls of ketchup and/or plum sauce for dipping or cut bottom tip off roll and place in a pool of ketchup “blood”.

Crude-ités

Ingredients:

1 small pie pumpkin hollowed and carved with “barfing”  face.
Assorted raw veggies for dipping
Dip of your choice.

Directions:

Wash, hollow and carve pumpkin
Place on platter and arrange veggies around mini jack-o-lantern
Pour dip into pumpkin making sure to push down as you fill so dip seeps out of mouth of pumpkin creating “barfing” effect.

*Note, this can also be done with my Guacamole dip with corn chips and assorted veggies for dipping.

Eye Ball Punch

Ingredients:

1 can of Lychee in light syrup, drained syrup reserved
1 pint of blackberries cut in half
1 can of pineapple juice
1 591ml bottle of Lime Crush
Juice of 2 lemons
Plastic witch’s cauldron

Make the eyeballs:

Shove ½ a blackberry into the hollow of the lychee fruit. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze.
In punch bowl (Cauldron):

Mix together the reserved lychee syrup, pineapple and lemon juice and Lime Crush.
Stir in frozen eyeballs. Serve with plastic martini glasses.

Happy Halloween!

I asked Bob to please put her to bed, my heart kind of broken. While Bob is tucking Dilemma in and he asks her, “Why do you love Tato more?” She looks at him, like he just asked the dumbest question ever and says, “I miss you more Tato, so I love yous more.” Bob, “Why do you miss me?” Dilemma replies, “You go bye bye work, I stay with mommy… I misses yous…”

And NOW my husband doesn’t want to go to work today…

Ingredients:

1 small can of summer sweet corn (drained)
1/2 can sliced black olives (drained)
1 medium red bell pepper finely chopped
2 jalopeno peppers finely chopped
1 small red onion finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic minced
3 tablespoons of minced fresh cilantro (if you don’t like cilantro you can use parsley)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1-4 teaspoons Frank’s RedHot (optional)
7 ripe avocados Cubed

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl mix together all ingredients
2. Chill for 2-3 Hours or overnight.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Rum Chicken Legs

For 18-24 chicken legs.

Seasoning Rub:

2 tbsp. cumin

2 tbsp. fresh lime zest

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp. packed brown sugar

2 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 tbsp sea salt

Directions:

Rub the chicken legs with the seasoning mix at least 4 hours before grilling… I usually do it over night. Heat grill to medium. Grill chicken 30 minutes, brush with pineapple rum sauce. (Recipe to follow) Grill another 10 minutes, brushing with sauce often.

Pineapple Rum Sauce:

2 cups diced ripe pineapple

1 cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoon minced ginger

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup dark rum

Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Puree the pineapple in a food processor or blender. Pour it into a heavy nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the ginger, marmalade and soy sauce. Let simmer until the marmalade melts, whisking to blend.

Increase the heat to high and whisk in the rum. Let the sauce boil until thick and richly flavored, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste the sauce for seasoning, adding more soy sauce as necessary and salt and pepper to taste (you may not need much salt on account of the soy sauce).

Note: you can also use this recipe to cook a whole chicken, just wings or breast. Also, if you are making the recipe for your children and don’t want to use rum. (Even though most of the alcohol burns off during cooking) You may substitute it with pineapple juice.

Twice Cooked Smashed Tatters

This is more a method than a strict recipe. Don’t crowd the pan – let each potato have its space to stretch out.

• 5 to 6 mini-size red skinned potatoes for each person you are serving
• Olive oil
• Sea salt (or kosher salt, or seasoned salt)
• Freshly ground pepper.

In a large pot boil potatoes with some salt till they are almost ready (still hard in the centre)

Remove potatoes from water and arrange them in the baking pan, with a couple of inches to spare between each potato (enough space for potato to spread out). One by one, squish each potato flat, to about 1/2 inch thick. I do this by placing a small plate over each potato, one at a time, and pushing hard with the heel of my hand. The potato skin will break and the soft potato will spread out yet will remain one piece.

Drizzle olive oil on each potato and sprinkle each with a pinch of salt and a grinding of fresh pepper.

Bake about 30 minutes, in a 425 degree oven until they are browned and crispy.

Corn with Flavored Butter

Prep corn any way you prefer. (I par-boil mine and place it on the grill for the last few minuets to get char marks and I brush it with my flavored butter.) But you can just boil it and the use the butter at the table.

Flavored butter:

• ·      ½ brick of unsalted butter (room temperature)
• ·      2 tbsp of any herbs you would like to add or
• ·      2 tbsp of your favorite Kraft salad dressing

And just mix them together…

(I use the salad dressing a lot instead of fresh herbs, mostly because I’ll have it in my fridge already. My favorites are Greek, Sundried Tomato, and Mango Chipotle)

ENJOY.

In reviewing their webpage I learned how to prepare Dilemma and myself for potty training success, they had many insightful articles, but I especially liked reading the Potty Project Blogs written by other moms who are going thought potty training with their own toddlers. I particularly like the one by Isa’s Mom, I found keen tips and tricks that I never would have thought of using during our potty training, such as a potty doll, and that peeing in the potty one second, but pooping in the tub the next is totally normal for our tiny terrors. I also enjoyed the expert advice article Potty Training Then and Now by Jen Singer. My mother swears that she had me potty trained by 14 months, and nags me daily about Emma not having reached this milestone by 22 months. It bothered me a lot, making me feel a bit of a failure, doubting myself, but finding out that I wasn’t the only parent to be told these things lessened my guilt tremendously. Emma will potty train when SHE is ready, not when someone else tells her to. I found a lot of the tips and expert advice from doctors and other professionals have empowered me for “Mission Poop in Potty.” It doesn’t feel so daunting anymore; my munchkin and I can have fun while we do the “Potty Dance”, Dilemma decided on the ROCK themed music, which was secretly my favorite too! (She is SO my kid) and there are so many other great games and rewards to be found on their sight.

Dilemma doing the Potty Dance.

 
I also like the fact that they set up their webpage in stages. Since Dilemma and I are just starting out on our potty training adventure we are on the “Getting Started” Stage, and as we progress to the “Keeping It Going” Stage and “The Big Finish” Stage all the articles, tips and advices grows with us! There is no mindless searching through articles and advice to find the answer pertaining to the questions you have about the different stages of potty training you are at! And when you’re a busy mom, as all of us are, any time saver is appreciated!

Lastly, I am in love with the iGo Potty App Pull-Ups has introduces for the iPhone and Android phones! This FREE app is going to make potty training that much easier and fun for both of us! Dilemma loves all things electronic and off-limits, the PS3, our laptops; she just has to get her hands on it! She also LOVES my iPhone, so the fact that Patty the Potty phones Dilemma to remind her “It’s time to use the potty!” has her enthralled, she keeps asking if the potty has called her yet. It also has some easy games and fun sound effects and music that I can use to keep her entertained while she’s on the potty. It will help immensely when we are out and about and in PT mode.

I think you’re supposed to take the Pull-Up off…

 
Over all I found the Pull-Ups site to be insightful, easy to navigate and had fun looking into all the information for our next big leap! Thank you Pull-Ups for making me feel in control of the potty! And making potty training that much easier and fun for both of us!

Sponsored by:

My daughter loved it! She didn’t talk or cry or annoy the heck out of me during the hour and a half film, and for a 23 month old to sit through a 3D movie (Glasses ON at ALL times mind you) and not move her eyes from the screen was miraculous in itself!

I found The Lorax to be a warm, fond adaptation of the book that manages to be funny and entertaining without being preachy or pandering. The movie opens today, March 2, 2012, what would have been Dr. Seuss’108th birthday. So what better way to celebrate it then to take the family out this weekend, see The Lorax, laugh a little, eat too much popcorn, and maybe, just maybe plant a tree. Because as the Lorax says “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Last fall I attended a local craft show to pick up some unique gifts to give to friends and family over the holidays, and that is when I discovered Soap Utopia. These handmade soaps and lip balms are amazing. Not only are they lovely smelling, my favorite being the coconut lime, it reminds me of warm breezy beach days in the tropics, margarita in hand. But they left my skin feeling wonderful, and knowing my toddler could use the same soap since they are free of harsh detergent, phosphates and sulfates make me feel good.

I could go on and on about this stuff, about how soft my lips were after using their lip balms, or how the owner and operator Lily is a sweetheart who places orders at lightening speed and always sneaks a little tidbit in the box for you.

Now I am giving you an opportunity to try these products for yourself.  I am giving away a lovely little gift set courtesy of Lily from Soap Utopia. To enter to win, please leave a comment at the end of this blog and your name will be entered into a draw to win!

Contest is closed.

Congratulations to Ann D!

She’s been showing some signs, and some interest in it, but I don’t want to start too soon and delay the process even more. So after asking round and taking the Potty Training Readiness Quiz we have decided to give it a go!

See Emma falls in-between the two categories on the quiz, but we are still going to try! She is bright and she tells us AFTER she has gone to the potty in her diaper. We are just hoping with her enthusiasm and our diligence we can say bye bye to the diaper forever! We have picked a start date, February 17^th, it is the family day long weekend, and we are going to do a full frontal potty training attack! It will help having both me and hubby at home to keep an eye out for pee pee moments to rush her to the toilet!

Wish us luck!!