MADE IN AMERICA - CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Today's recipe from Michelle is for CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES . My only precaution would be for those making these cookies outside of the United States: you really, REALLY, need to use American chocolate chips for these! I've used the Perugina brand chocolate chips which are much smaller than the standard U.S. chips, and I just wasn't happy with the results. Although Nestle's wrote the book on chocolate chip cookies, Ghiradelli's chips really make them extra special.

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets. Every Friday we'll feature a new recipe in both English and Italian.

Judith also has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

MADE IN AMERICA - TEXAS MUD

Today's recipe is for TEXAS MUD . I'm not sure what it is, but Cherrye says it only has 3 ingredients, so it's certainly worth a look!

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets. Every Friday we'll feature a new recipe in both English and Italian.

Judith also has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

MADE IN AMERCIA - PANCAKES

Today's recipe is from Mary, and it's for PANCAKES ! We don't have pancake mix here in Italy, and even in the states it's not that hard to whip up a batch from scratch, so give it a try!

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets. Every Friday we'll feature a new recipe in both English and Italian.

Judith has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

MADE IN AMERCIA - BREAD PUDDING

Today's recipe is for BREAD PUDDING , thanks to Judith, the creative genius behind this "made in America" idea. Bread pudding is something so easy to make, so delicious, and so comforting! I'm embarrassed to say that it's been way too long since I've made it. This will be the perfect time to check out a new recipe!

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets. Every Friday we'll feature a new recipe in both English and Italian.

Judith also has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

MADE IN AMERCIA - BAGELS

Today's recipe is for BAGELS , thanks to Michelle at Bleeding Espresso. I've never made bagels before....they always seemed a little intimidating, but if Michele can do it, so can I! How about you?

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets. Every Friday we'll feature a new recipe in both English and Italian.

Judith also has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

MADE IN AMERICA - TORTILLA SOUP

To continue the Mexican theme, today we have a recipe for TORTILLA SOUP ...and with the weather getting cooler, a nice warm soup is just what you need!

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets. Every Friday we'll feature a new recipe in both English and Italian.

Judith also has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

MADE IN AMERCIA - PEACH CRISP

Today Judith shares her recipe for PEACH CRISP ...a variation on one of my favorite recipes, apple crisp.

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets...

Judith also has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

CHICKEN SALAD WITH PECANS AND CRAISINS

I was planning to make chicken salad tonight and thought I might throw in some pecans for a change. I know lots of chicken salad recipes use pecans but I just never think about it! I searched online to see if I could find any other interesting twists, and found this one that uses not only pecans, but also craisins and hot sweet honey mustard. I wasn't sure I'd want the entire 1/2 cup of mustard, so I just added it bit by bit until I got the taste I wanted. The original recipe said to add salt and pepper but I didn't think either were necessary.

This of course is a recipe you can play with, adjusting the proportions to suit your tastes or your requirements.....making a half batch is just as quick and simple as making a full batch since nothing needs to be measured exactly.

I also have to mention that I was lucky with this recipe......I'd brought back craisins, pecans and hot sweet mustard with me after my last visit to the states. Hopefully for most of you these ingredients will be easily found.


Ingredients
6 cups cooked chicken, chopped
3 celery ribs, diced
3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups chopped, toasted pecans
1 (6-ounce) package dried cranberries
1 cup mayonnaise
up to 1/2 cup Hot/Sweet Honey Mustard

Preparation

Stir together chicken, celery, green onions, pecans and cranberries. Add mayonnaise and stir to blend. Add honey mustard a little at a time, tasting until you get the taste you like.

Sorry, no picture.....we were hungry!

MADE IN AMERCIA - APPLE PIE

Today Michelle shares a recipe for APPLE PIE ...can't get more all-American than that! Enjoy!

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets...

Judith also has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

LA BUONA CUCINA AMERICANA - MADE IN AMERICA - CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Today Judith shares her CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS recipe with us. My mom used to make this when I was a kid b ut I can't even remember the last time I made it! With cooler days coming soon, this recipe is sure to hit the spot!

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets...

Judith also has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

LA BUONA CUCINA AMERICANA - MADE IN AMERICA - POTATO SALAD

Today Michelle shares her MOM’S POTATO SALAD recipe with us. It's very similiar to my own recipe, so I heartily recommend it!

TOMATO PIE

Over on the SLOW TRAV MESSAGE BOARD we've been discussing variations on Tomato Pie. Someone mentioned PAULA DEEN’S RECIPE, then other variations were posted, all involving tomatoes, mayo and cheese in various combinations.

I didn't put out any tomato plants this year...it's Italy, tomatoes are cheap and plentiful! Also, when you have neighbors like ours who drop off huge amounts of fresh veggies on a regular basis, why grow your own? After Armando brought yet another basket of tomatoes yesterday, I figured I might as well give in and make a tomato pie just to use up a few! Yeah, it's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it!

I combined several recipes to get one that sounded good to me, and here's the result. I used cheddar (from my carefully guarded stash!), but I'm sure Parmesan would be equally delicious. Here's my recipe:

Tomato Pie

1 9” pie crust, baked
about 6 large tomatoes...peeled and sliced
10-15 fresh basil leaves
4-5 cloves garlic
1 or 2 green onions
approx. 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
½ Cup Mayonnaise
¾ Cup Shredded Parmesan OR Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper

VERY IMPORTANT! Put tomatoes in a colander, sprinkle w/salt & pepper and let tomatoes drain for at LEAST 20 minutes. Drain off liquid and wipe tomatoes w/paper towel to absorb any extra liquid.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake Pie shell and let cool slightly.

Line bottom of pie shell w/ approx. 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Layer drained sliced tomatoes on top of cheese in pie crust

Blend garlic, basil and green onion in mini food processor (or chop together) and put this mixture on top of the tomatoes.

Mix mayonnaise, remaining mozzarella cheese, and about half the parmesan/cheddar together. Spread this mixture over top tomatoes and basil/garlic/onion mixture

Top the pie with remaining parmesan/cheddar

Bake at 375ºF for 35-40 minutes

Enjoy!

THE PERFECT BROWNIE - AT LAST!

If you've been reading for a while you know that I'm a confirmed chocoholic, and that I've been searching for the perfect brownie recipe for some time now. I have to wait until we have company so that I have an excuse to bake, and so that Art and I don't eat the entire batch. (Yes, even if a recipe is deemed 'not quite perfect', it's STILL chocolate, and of all the recipes I've tried, I've never found one that wasn't edible!) So....

Several years ago I discovered that substituting (American-style) brown sugar for all or part of the sugar will produce a gooey brownie, and that's a good thing. Additionally the brown sugar's caramel-y taste adds an extra richness and depth, so when I saw that this recipe called for equal amounts of brown and white sugar I was hopeful.

My ideal brownie is intensely chocolate, slightly gooey on the inside but with a shiny, thin crust on top. This recipe ticked all the boxes for me, and for now, this is the one, the brownie recipe I'll use until someone can convince I need to try another one! I used a combination of chocolate: half 60% Ghiradelli and half Lindt 85% chocolate, just because that's what I had on hand. I think using all 85% chocolate might have been too intense, but as I type this, I can't believe what I'm saying! Too intense?? Hmmm....maybe the next time I'll use all 85% chocolate just to see. I've also thought about using the drier brown sugar we buy here in Italy, just to see how much the gooiness is affected. For this recipe I loved the extra intensity of the dark brown sugar rather than light brown.

Here's the recipe, which I'm going to call

The Best Brownies EVER!

2 sticks (8 oz.) butter, more for pan and parchment paper
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour

Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.

Whisk in chocolate mixture.

Fold in flour just until combined.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.

Yield: 15 large or 24 small brownies.

As with most things chocolate, these are better if baked 1 day in advance.

Post script: I later tried this recipe with just 6 oz of butter and 6 oz of chocolate and the brownies were just as yummy...

LA BUONA CUCINA AMERICANA - MADE IN AMERICA - PICKLES

It's Friday, so it's time for another American recipe, this time, Judy, aka Divina Cucina, over at OVER A TUSCAN STOVE. Clicking on the link will take you to Judy's recipe for bread and butter pickles. I like all kinds of pickles, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would be bread and butter pickles, cut thick and chunky, served crisp and cold.

For whatever reason, there aren't many pickles in Italy, and most of the ones I've found are rather sour and not to my liking. As for sweet pickles or bread and butter pickles, or even pickle relish, I've never seen them.

If you've been following along, you'll know that Judith over at THINK ON IT first came up with the idea of sharing some really good, really American recipes, mostly to show our Italian friends that we can do more than make delicious sweets...

Judith also has a LIST OF ALL THE RECIPES HERE, just in case you'd like to see if one of our favorites might become one of yours! La vera Cucina Americana!

LA BUONA CUCINA AMERICANA - MADE IN AMERICA - BAKED BEANS WITH BACON

It's Friday, so once again it's Made in American Day....a chance for expats living in Italy to share good ole American cookin' with you! Of course we've all had to made some changes to our favorite recipes along the way, but Made in America, the brainchild of Judith, over at THINK ON IT, is our attempt to prove to our Italian friends that there IS good food in America, and that not every meal gets ordered at the drive-thru window! Today Sara makes one of here American favorites, baked beans with bacon. No matter where in the world you live, check it out "La vera Cucina Americana"!

BAKED BEANS WITH BACON

LA BUONA CUCINA AMERICANA - MADE IN AMERICA - CHICKEN POT PIE

Today is Friday, so that means it's time for another addition of "Made in America". Today’s recipe is supplied by JUDITH, and it’s CHICKEN POT PIE! Since winter just doesn’t seem to want to let go, this sounds like a great idea to warm the house and warm the soul. Give it a try…even if you’re Italian. La vera Cucina Americana!

PASTA SALAD

Yes, it definitely fall, and maybe pasta salad isn't exactly what you'd prepare, but here in Italy we have to make the most of what we have, when we have it. Broccoli only appears in the spring and the fall, and I LOVE to make a pasta salad with broccoli and carrots, so now's the time! Although I don't care much for cooked broccoli at all, I'll eat it raw, or in stir fry, and since we plan to drive around tomorrow in search of the new olive oil, I thought a pasta salad with broccoli would make for a great picnic lunch along the way. For those of you in the states, maybe this would be a good tailgate dish.

PASTA SALAD WITH BROCCOLI

16 oz rotini, cooked al dente
1 head broccoli
3 carrots
1 medium red onion, or 3-4 green onions
½ cup crumbled bacon bits
½ cup shaved parmesan
Ranch Dressing…1½-2 cups**

Make sure to cook the past al dente….so that it’s still firm, NOT mushy!

Finely chop the carrots and broccoli stalks with the onion(s) in a food processor. Cut the broccoli florets into bite-size pieces.

Put everything except the Ranch dressing into a large bowl. Add the dressing to suit your taste and season well with freshly ground black pepper.

If there are any leftovers, and if the salad seems a little dry, just add a little more milk to moisten things up.

**Because this recipe uses no other spices, I prefer to make the ranch dressing from scratch, using powdered ranch dressing mix. I use slightly more mix than the recipe calls for, and slightly less milk to make the dressing just a little thicker.

I used: 4 heaping Tbps dressing mix
½ cup sour cream
¾ cup mayo
Milk to desired consistency

After that you just have to play with the proportions to suit yourself.

HERE COME THE ZUCCHINI!!!!

Ready or not, the zucchini are coming! Armando gave us two nice-sized ones a few days ago, and another four arrived today! You know what that means.....time to make zucchini bread1 I made 2 small loaves and about 18 cupcakes from three batches of the folowing recipe. I like this recipe because it's lighter on the oil than most.

I also took this opportunity to try out the new SILICONE BAKING CUPS I brought back with me from the states, and I'm happy to report that they worked like a charm! Even though standard size cupcake liners are now showing up in Italy, this eliminates the need for them at all!

The next time I make this recipe I'm going to substitute olive oil for the vegetable oil.

Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 cups all purppose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 oil
1 egg
1/4 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease the bottom and sides of one 8x4x2 loaf pan, or two small loaf pans.

In a medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

In another medium bowl combine sugar, shredded zucchini, oil, egg and lemon peel. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture. Stir just until moistened...batter will be lumpy. Fold in nuts.

Spoon batter into prepared pan(s) and bake at 350º for 55-60 minutes for the large pan, or 40-45 minutes for the 2 smaller pans. Remove from oven and cool before removing from pan.

This recipe will also make 12 muffins. For muffins bake for approximately 20 minutes.

This bread is great by itself, and even better with some cream cheese slathered on top!

BEING THANKFUL

We spent our first and second Thanksgiving in Italy at Ternana’s, having pizza. Last year we were in the states for Thanksgiving, having a very traditional, dysfunctional-family style meal. This year we had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in Italy, celebrating with other American expats. Maybe the secret to a wonderful holiday experience is to spend it with family….just not your own.

My job was to bring the pumpkin pies, and initially I’d planned to use my mom’s recipe using bourbon. But then a discussion on the Expats in Italy message board mentioned Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake, and of course I couldn’t resist trying something new! The recipe is at the bottom of this posting.

There were eleven of us for dinner….Larry and Shelly, who aren’t quite expats but are moving closer every day, their son and his wife, the wife’s parents, an American couple who’ve recently been posted to Libya by a large oil company, and our friend Judith.

We feasted on roasted turkey with dressing and mashed potatoes with gravy, and also sweet potatoes brought from Libya which were white, not orange. We also had rolls, waldorf salad, green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup AND canned onions on top! Oh, and date nut bread…reminding me that I should make some for holiday gifts.

For dessert we had the two pumpkin concoctions I brought plus a pecan pie and an apple pie that Judith had baked. The added treat for the apple pie was that we ate it New England style with a slice of CHEDDAR CHEESE!!!! Those of you who aren’t expats have no idea what a treat this was, but for expats, cheddar cheese has got to be the number one most requested, most missed food time of all times!

Is there even any need to say that we all ate until we were absolutely miserable? Man, everything was sooooooooo good! I can’t believe that Shelly and Larry managed to cook all of this food in their small kitchen, but they did. Next year they plan to have their new kitchen installed, but I can’t imagine that the food could be any better.

After dinner and dessert we loaded the cars with people and olives and drove to the frantoio to watch Larry and Shelly’s olives being pressed!



As always it was interesting to watch the process,


and when it was all done, we got the coolest party favor ever….a tin of oil to take home!


We’re thankful we have such wonderful friends, and we’re happy to have spent the day with them. We look forward to initiating the new kitchen next year!

Although the last thing most of you probably want to think of right now is Thanksgiving dinner or pumpkin pie. Because it was such a big hit though, I’m going to include it. Here’s the recipe:

BOURBON PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

CRUST:
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup pecans (1 3/4 oz), finely chopped
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Butter bottom and sides of 9” springform pan. Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter in a bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of pan, then chill crust, 1 hour.

FOR FILLING:

1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp bourbon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

Make filling and bake cheesecake:Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and bourbon in a bowl until combined. SET ASIDE.

Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium, then add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth.

Pour filling into crust, smoothing top, then put springform pan in a shallow baking pan (in case springform leaks). Bake until center is just set, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 5 minutes. (Leave oven on.)

For topping:

2 cups sour cream (20 oz)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp bourbon

Whisk together sour cream, sugar, and bourbon in a bowl, then spread on top of cheesecake and bake 5 minutes.

Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours.

Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and bring to room temperature before serving. Can be chilled, covered, up to 2 days. Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Somewhere along the way I also found a recipe for Pumpkin Hazelnut Pie, and I thought this would be a nice combination of American and Italian, since hazelnuts are so common here. It was well received too, but I wasn’t as impressed with this recipe as I was with the cheesecake recipe. I f I make it again I may add a tablespoon or two of bourbon to it as well….

Pumpkin Hazelnut Pie

Single pie crust recipe for a 9” pie

1/3 cup ground hazelnuts
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp softened butter

2 eggs plus 1 additional yolk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 Tbsp flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
¼ ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400º. Roll out dough, prick with fork and bake for 10 minutes using pie weights.

Increase oven temperature to 450º. Combine hazelnuts, ¼ cup brown sugar and butter. Work into a paste and spread over the partially cooked pie shell. Bake 10 minutes.

Turn oven down to 325º.

Mix together eggs and yolk, pumpkin, flour, 2/3 cup brown sugar, spices, salt and cream. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 325º for 45 min.