Spaghetti with Calamari Sauce

Being in a mostly Italian family, we seem to eat a lot of pastas and never get tired of it. In Italy, a meal without pasta every day, is unheard of...just as in Hungary, a meal without soup every day is 'not a meal' ...as my father used to say...so, I'm 'famous' for both! I make a lot of different pastas with different sauces, and I also make a lot of soups, as well. The most popular sauce in my family is the simple 'red sauce' that you cook up in 30 minutes. It doesn't have to be with fresh tomatoes...if you have a favorite good canned tomato puree, which is the easiest way, add some seafood...as in this case calamari/squid... then you have dinner PRONTO~

Silent Sunday in my city... West Palm Beach, Florida

Saturday, October 14, 2012...a visit to City Place, West Palm Beach, Florida, and to the vicinity of the Green Market, which has opened for the season on Saturdays!

White Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Cookies

While I'm trailing behind everyone else, on the 'food blogger scene,' I still try to come up with decent photos and different type of recipes. I must admit that I could actually post something every-other day...even every day; let's face it, we all have to eat every day 3 meals a day... but who actually wants to take photos of everything you make?...not me; although I should have taken a picture of my awesome homemade 'nokedli=spaetzli'...or even, my northern bean-vegetable soup cooked in my slow-cooker last week, but then I would have to stop and measure everything from the start because it's from 'scratch' and memory...scratch that, and let's start with my cookies.

Even with the cookies...when you don't have semi-sweet chocolate chips, or any other chocolate chips; just white, what do you do?...well, you make a 'White Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Cookies'...duhh...how easy is that to figure out?

Luckily, I always save the empty bag from the Nestle Semi-Sweet morsels, the 12. oz bag, and follow the recipe on the back, but just alter it a little to make it dark chocolate, with white chocolate chips...no problem...done!

Homemade cookies are so much more appreciated and it is much better than store-bought with all the preservatives, unless it's 'OREOS'..but that is always saved for emergencies.

You can make any kind of 'chip' cookies with the basic Toll House cookies recipe from Nestle's, just keep that in mind. Next time it will be with peanut butter chips with dark chocolate...just switching around the white chocolate chips.

Good thing I have another batch in my fridge...ahh thought you would be wondering why do a have a 'second batch' in my fridge?...saving it for a 'rainy day'...not such a bad idea! Today was actually a rainy day, and I had to be at my service station at 9:00AM sharp to get an oil change, and walk over to Goodwill with my umbrella, while car was being serviced. (didn't really find anything,) or at least nothing that I wanted to carry back on foot to pick up my car...so now, here's the slightly adapted recipe for a different chocolate chip cookie!

White Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies
adapted from Nestle's Toll House Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Hershey's or another good brand cocoa powder
1-1 oz block of semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) melted with the 1 oz. of the semi-sweet chocolate, and cooled
1/2 cup (1 stick margarine) or 1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips

Preheat  oven to to 375 degrees F.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.In a large bowl, beat cooled down melted chocolate and butter mixture, the 1/2 cup (1 stick margarine)...or the 1/2 cup shortening with the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add eggs one at time, beating well until each addition.

Gradually beat in flour and cocoa mixture. Stir in chocolate morsels.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto parchment paper lined baking sheets, keep them 2 inches apart. Bake for  9 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes.

Note: on the photos above, I saved more than half the portion of the dough, patted it down, wrapped it in plastic wrap...then aluminum foil, and took out more as needed the next few days. Score them first, then cut equally, shape into a walnut size ball and press down lightly; follow baking instructions.


Have a cookie...or two...or three:) You'll love these...yumm!

Linking to: Hearth and Soul Blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen
                Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop @ Katherines Corner
                 Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Palacsinta {crepes}...and a big 'flop'

Hungarian palacsinta, {crepes} filled with homemade mango jam

At the rate that I'm going...looks like I could go from 'Silent Sunday'...right into 'Silent Wednesday'. Actually, I was hoping to post a cheddar cheese bread for Lora's '#Twelve Loaves'...for the month of September, but my bread just did not rise...it refused to rise...waiting for over 2hrs (recipe called for 2hrs of rising)...waited for 3hrs, and still not much luck, but I persevered and was determined to shape the bread, and make it any way!

linking to: Hearth and Soul Blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen

For Labor Day, which I hope you all had an enjoyable time with family and friends...as for me, I opted to stay home-alone, which did not happen.

I was so thrilled the my son came by with my two sweet granddaughters but then...I did not have a plan for lunch, but certainly had the right ingredients for a quick mac n' cheese (from scratch)...little burger sliders, on my grill pan, and for dessert, palacsintas filled with my mango jam.  Not so bad after all...and for the latter part of the day, I went by my daughter's neighbors' for a BBQ. Great day, after all!

Please excuse the not so great presentation of my photo but really good crepes)... and the scribbled recipe...I really wasn't going to bother posting this (I had my heart set on posting my bread, which unfortunately flopped...sigh!)

I hope you can make the chicken scribble out, I saved this recipe for the past 20 years now, tucked away in my little red box along with my other index cards, and hand written recipes. Recipe makes at least 12 crepes (pancakes is not the right term) copied it from 'word to word'...from a Hungarian cookbook written in English.

Here's the most amazing grill pan I found at Goodwill last weekend...brand new, heavy, I mean super heavy weight cast iron grill plan from IKEA for $9.99. I just had to have it, could not pass up this great grill pan. I tried it out to make my little mini burgers...of course, the pan has to be sprayed first with the vegetable cooking spray, and pre-heated, but just look at those grill marks on the burgers...a great 'thrift find' for sure!

Another amazing 'thrift find'...this awesome mini cake pan with 4 compartments to make the same banana bread recipe that you would make in one loaf pan. The time that it takes to bake, is totally half the time then the one pan makes. This was done in 35 minutes, moist delicious and yummy. Cost for the cake pan, $4.99.
 

Plum Upside-Down Cake

Since I've been food blogging for the last two years...I have not been thinking about that I would actually say,
"I have to bake something for my food blog"...hmm! wonder why did I say that to my daughter Lora, yesterday morning?
She told me the other day that her food blog is getting to be expensive...well, the reason for that is: She bakes every single day...really! There isn't a day that goes by when she does not bake...if nothing else, but the 'staple' banana bread, or homemade pancakes!

I was hoping to get this post up by yesterday...Friday, knowing that I did not have anything else worthwhile to post and that I don't do much baking cakes...although I love to put simple and yummy quick and easy desserts together!
We have such an abundance of plums...not the deep purple Italian ones, but the round ones which are so perfect just by themselves to snack on (which I did eat 3 yesterday)...and decide to make something with it. No time to start browsing through my cookbooks, old recipes, or favorite food bloggers' recipes...so what do you do first, if you don't have the basic recipe on hand?...The Internet...yes, that's the fastest way to google a recipe and do some adaptations of your own, which I did a little on my cake. Since I made this for my blog...still smiling to myself

about that one, I only kept one large piece for myself and shared the rest with my family.

Yesterday was such a stormy day on-and-off, with tropical storm Isaac on our heels by Sunday night...hopefully it's not turning into a hurricane!

Good day to be cooking and baking when you're stuck inside. I did go out on my balcony to take some photos of the beach, the clouds, and no less than 30 minutes wind, and a storm, but the worst is yet to come! We'll just have to be prepaired and be safe.

As you see, for my baking, I like to chose a comfy-cozy home type of dessert. For me they are super easy to make, and I do believe it will be easy for you, if you follow my easy and handy little tips. Don't let the layering of this beautiful upside-down all American simple cake intimidate you...and I DO recommend that you make this from 'scratch' and not from a mix, although I do use cake mixes, only to 'doctor' them up!
Here's the link to this awesome and easy cake!

Plum Upside-Down Cake 

Chocolate Balsamic Strawberries

Another TGIF...and I feel I've been so neglectful in cooking, or baking something for a new post this week. Too busy eating lunches and dinners at my daughter Lora's.

 For instance, her amazing sourdough pizza that she made yesterday and just posted it...you gotta check out her Sourdough Pizza Margherita...as for me, all I could come up with for today, is a fabulous quick and light strawberry dessert that I made, and photographed at her house...playing 'tag' with the sun coming in and out!

It's been over a year now, that I have received an amazing giveaway gift set of fantastic walnut olive oil, chocolate balsamic vinegar, seasonings, and spice rubs. from ARTISANO'S  via my dear friend Lizzy! I have not opened the chocolate balsamic vinegar...until now, even though I know how amazing it is on strawberries. I did make balsamic soaked strawberries before, but nothing like this particular one!

I've been reading  quite a few recipes from my Hungarian food blogger friends...especially GIZI who happens to make a lot of desserts with mascarpone and whipped cream...'hmm'...I thought to myself; why is it that I have not seen a whipped cream incorporated with mascarpone?...what's so hard about it?...it's done the same way as if you are whipping cream, adding a little sugar and vanilla, to the mascarpone, and the cream...I'll tell you, it is pure HEAVEN! My 6yr. old grandson, took a soup spoon and was totally eating the cream...like 'no tomorrow'...I had to remind him that we need to save it for the dessert!

Zucchini Quiche...made easy!

A new and fresh  BISCUIT MIX...so versatile, that you can make your own homemade BISQUICK. If you live in the U.S. you must be familiar with the famous Bisquick biscuit mix that you can make pancakes, coffee cakes, biscuits, pies, and quiches with? Well there's a solution to making your own mix, without the preservatives, and you can keep the mix in you fridge for weeks...so easy to make all the familiar and delicious things...and extremely handy!

I found my original recipe made with Bisquick which I've been saving since 1992. Instead of the 1 cup of Bisquick, substitute 1 cup of your homemade Biscuit Mix.I already lightened up the recipe, even then; by reducing the oil from 1 cup, down to half a cup!

This is a crustless quiche...or pie, whichever you prefer to call it! It is so easy to make, once you have your Biscuit Mix made. Your family will love it, and thank you for it!

Recipe; for Easy Baking Mix...Mix 5 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup of baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in 1 cup of shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Store in airtight container, in your fridge, or a cool dry place. Makes 6 cups.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul Blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen