Italian Sauce with Ribs and Italian Sausage

My Aunt's mother-in-law,  first-generation from Italy, taught my Aunt,  who taught my mom, who taught me to make sauce with baby back ribs and Italian sausage. It was always made on holidays and most Sundays...  with homemade ravioli or spaghetti. I don't know anyone but my cousin, who uses ribs, but I'm sure that folks on this site, might. When people do eat this for the first time, they flip out... 

I'm afraid I don't measure ingredients much, but here it is. 

Season ribs with garlic salt, pepper, and oregano and cut in 3 bone sections. Cut sausage in thirds. Brown all the meat you can fit,  in large pan with olive oil and repeat, when making larger quantities. Put meat in large pot of sauce

Sauce made with chopped and browned in olive oil, fresh garlic, oregano,  fresh basil, and a few bay leaves... add a few tablespoons of sugar( a little wine if you like). Add several large cans of tomato sauce, 2 cans, tomato paste, and 1 large can of whole tomatoes squeezed in. Heat to bubble then lower heat and cook for at least 5 hours or until rib meat falls off the bone.... stirring ( and tasting😉) often. Serve Spaghetti and sauce on separate platters and bowls. Add your choice of Parmesan cheese. Best served with green salad and red vino and Mangia! It is a real wow

Instant Pot Chicken Piccata

Instant Pot Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts (**boneless skinless. Thin breasts about 1/4 inch thickness & pounded lightly.)

1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour (**for dredging)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Butter

1/4 tsp Paprika

crushed black pepper (**according to your preference.)

salt (**according to your preference.)

For the Piccata Sauce

1/4 cups capers

1/3 cup white wine (**best wines shared in post.)

1/2 cup chicken stock (**we used 1 tsp Better than Bouillon paste diluted in 1/2 cup hot/warm water.)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

1 pinch Lemon zest

3 tbsp Butter (**COLD butter a must.)

Step #1 Prep chicken cutlets

Pound chicken breasts lightly. This will prevent the chicken from curling while searing them.

Season Chicken Breasts with paprika, crushed black pepper & salt.

Dredge chicken cutlets with flour. Shake off the excess flour. Set them aside.

Step #2 Sear chicken cutlets ( I prefer to saute in a pan)

Set instant pot on SAUTE function & set it on HIGH heat.

Sear chicken cutlets: Add oil & butter and sear the dredged chicken cutlets on both sides until golden brown. The light crisp flour coating will keep the chicken super juicy and tender.

Keep aside the seared chicken cutlets.

Step #3 Pressure cook chicken cutlets

Add capers & saute for just 30 seconds. Crush a few capers with the back of your ladle. This will release so much more flavor.

Add liquids: White wine, chicken stock, lemon zest & garlic powder.

De-glaze pot very well scraping the sides & the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. This will help loosen any stuck food particles. It’ll prevent the BURN error.

Pressure cook: Transfer back the seared chicken cutlets into the instant pot and place them in a single layer. Cancel the SAUTE function, secure the lid, seal the valve & PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 4 mins followed by 10 mins natural pressure release (NPR) & then release the rest of the pressure manually.

Step #4 Prepare Piccata sauce

Fish out the cooked chicken cutlets.

Prep Piccata Sauce: Hit the SAUTE function & set it on NORMAL heat. Add chunks of cold butter and stir well until the butter melts completely. Simmer the sauce for 1 min.

Serve: Transfer the cooked chicken cutlets into the pot and coat them with the piccata sauce. Serve immediately. You may garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Storing Tips

Fridge: You can store Chicken Piccata for up to 4 days in the fridge in air-tight containers.

Can you freeze Chicken Piccata? Yes, you can freeze chicken piccata for up to 2 months. Freeze the chicken cutlets and the sauce separately. Spread the chicken cutlets in a baking tray, pop them in the freezer, and then store them in freezer-safe bags. Store the Piccata sauce in a separate container. That way the chicken cutlets won’t be overtly soggy!

Notes

Thickening the piccata sauce: You can always add more butter to thicken the sauce and more stock to thin it out.

Spicy chicken Piccata: Add red pepper flakes after adding the cold butter. 

Can I make it with chicken thighs: Yes, you can make chicken piccata with chicken thighs. The recipe would remain the same. The cook time would be 6 mins high pressure followed by 5 mins natural pressure release. Use boneless skinless chicken thighs and don’t forget to lightly pound them.

Gluten-free chicken piccata: Skip dredging the chicken with flour or you can lightly coat the chicken with cornflour (naturally gluten-free) and then sear the chicken cutlets.

I don’t have capers what can I use? There’s no sub for capers in this recipe, capers are the star ingredient to make an amazing piccata sauce.

Chicken Avocado + Egg Salad – A QUICK Lunch Idea

Chicken Avocado + Egg Salad – A QUICK Lunch Idea

INGREDIENTS :

1 lb. cooked chicken breast, shredded

OR 1 lb. grilled chicken breast, sliced

3-4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

1 avocado, sliced

4 medium tomatoes, sliced

2 hearts of romaine, rinsed and separated

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp organic cider vinegar

sea salt & freshly cracked pepper, to your taste

Fresh lemon wedges for serving.

DIRECTIONS:

Arrange all the salad ingredients on a large platter. Add a sprinkle of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Serve with fresh lemon wedges.

CRESCENT CHEESE DANISHES

CRESCENT CHEESE DANISHES

INGREDIENTS:

1 Medium PKG softened Philly cream-cheese.

Two crescent roll tubes.

1/2 C white sugar.

1/4 C  light brown sugar.

2 TBSP melted butter.

1 TSP lemon juice.

1 TSP pure vanilla extract.

FOR THE GLAZE, I USED:

2/3 C powdered sugar.

4 TSP milk.

1 TSP pure vanilla extract.

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Set the temperature of oven to 350℉.

Step 2: Use a blender to mix the cream cheese, lemon juice, pure vanilla extract, and the white sugar in a medium bowl until well mixed.

Step 3: Open the tubes of the crescent rolls. To slice through them, using a sharp knife and slice them thick.

Step 4: On a parchment-lined baking sheet, layer each slice.

To make a little wall around the outside, use fingers or a little measuring cup.

Step 5:

Take the melted butter and add 1/4 cup of light brown sugar to the mixture with a whisk.

Brush the blend over each Danish mixture.

Even percentages of the filling in each of the Danish dollops.

Step 6: Cook for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, when the color is changed to a golden brown,  remove it from the oven.

Step 7: Let it cool, then add a drizzle of glaze.

Step 8: To make the glaze:

Combine all three ingredients in a small bowl until soft, then drizzle over every warm Danish.

Note: For the topping, you can use what you want and what you have. Personally, I like to top with some cherries or pie filling.

Enjoy.

Best Chocolate Cake

This is literally the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever made. It's the perfect cake to make for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 to 35 minutes

Total Time: 40 to 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Frosting:

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

5 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Here’s how to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.

In a bowl, stir together dry cake ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Gently stir in boiling water. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. After 10 minutes remove from pans to cool completely.

Cream butter until fluffy. Alternately stir in remaining frosting ingredients. Beat to a spreading consistency.

Split the cake layers horizontally. Stack the layers on a serving plate, covering each layer with frosting. Frost the outside. Enjoy!