Hushpuppies

When we used to fry fish growing up, these were a staple. We don't do fish fry's much more, but we still enjoy these puppies.

1 2/3 cups cornmeal

1/3 cup flour

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsps sugar

3/4 tsps salt

1 tsps black pepper

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 large onion grated

Frying oil

In separate bowls mix the dry and the wet ingredients. Add the cornmeal mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until all the mixture is moist. Heat up about an inch of oil in a skillet to 30 and drop in a tablespoon of the batter. The rotate the batter on each side so that it is all golden brown. Remove from the oil and let strain on a paper towel. You can keep them warm in a 200 degree oven until you ready to eat them. Enjoy!

Pork Wellington and Potato Pancake

This is actually a leftover makeover. Give it a try.

Roasted Pork loin (see the post on Garlic Stuffed Pork Loin)

1 store bought pie crust

olive oil

salt and pepper

2 tblsp butter

2 tblsp

2 cups of milk

1 tsp Rosemary

1 tsp garlic powder

Potato Pancake:

Leftover Cheesy Mashed Potatoes (see our post on those)

1-2 tblsp vegetable oil.

Take the cooked Pork Loin and stand for 10 minutes. If using leftovers from the fridge, that is fine. Wrap the pork loin in the pie crust covering on all sides, and making a seal with the crust. Brush the crust with olive oil on all sides, and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 350 until the crust is golden brown. Remove and let stand. Slice into 1 inch thick pieces.

Potato pancakes:

Flatten the mashed potatoes (see the post again) into flat patties. Fry them on each side in the vegetable oil on medium-high heat. They should brown right up and the cheese should form a nice crust.

Sauce:

In a saucepan melt the butter, and add the flour. Whisk in the milk and rosemary and garlic. Stir over medium heat until thick. Serve over the pork and the potatoes

This second go around may actually be better than the first.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

I got this recipe from a neighborhood cookbook...and then changed it up a bit. These mashed potatoes aren't your average kind! they are super cheesy...my kids LOVED them!

6 large baking potatoes (or 12 small ones)

4 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 cup Cheddar/mozzarella cheese mix

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon season salt

salt and pepper to taste

Boil your potatoes in water. When softened add the rest of the ingredients and mash. Put in a baking dish at bake uncovered at 375 for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Garlic Stuffed Pork Loin

This is pretty simple, and pretty tasty.

1 large pork loin

6-8 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

2 tblsp corn starch

2 cups of chicken stalk

1 tsp granulated garlic

With a sharp paring knife make an incision deep into the loin starting on the fatty side. Then, insert one of the garlic cloves all the way into the middle of the pork. Do this every couple of inches until all your garlic is inserted. Season the pork with the salt and pepper on all sides. Sear the pork on all sides in the bottom of a roasting pan and then place on the roasting rack. Roast in a 350 degree oven until the pork reaches 170 degrees. Remove pork from oven, and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Sauce:

Mix the cornstarch and the chicken stalk (cold) in a saucepan. Add the drippings from the pork and the granulated garlic. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Once thicken serve over the top of the pork.

See the leftover makeover for this one (Pork Wellington)

Winners

Ok, so I am feeling a little big generous today...so we will have two winners, thanks to RANDOM.ORG...

the first winner is Ashley Elaine-you will get two of my SUPER cute flowers (I will send a red one and a black one)

and the second winner is Julie Weber. You will get all the flowers shown on the contest.

Congrats ladies! Will you email me at cucinafamiglia@gmail.com

You have 72 hours to email me to claim your prize!

And if you didn't win, go buy some on my ETSY site! I have added some really cute new stuff:)

Happy Black Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving...filled with food, friends and family! Thank you all my loyal followers and friends that check out my site. Hope you have found something you like!

I will post tomorrow the winner of my contest, but as for recipes, I am taking the next few days off. Though I do have a good 20 or so recipes ready to be posted, so stay tuned!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cornbread Stuffing

This Southern classic is a must have at your Thanksgiving table. This recipe is our take on one found my Emeril. Enjoy!

olive oil

1/2 cup onion chopped

1/2 lb your favorite breakfast sausage

1/2 lb smoked sausage (ie. kielbasa)

1/4 cup green onion

3/4cup celery chopped

1 green bell pepper-chopped

1 garlic clove-minced

3-4 cups cornbread-crumbled

2 cup chicken stock

We don't measure, but just add a little bit of poultry seasoning, sage and thyme (about 1/2 teaspoon of each)

Salt and Pepper

Saute up the sausages and onion. Then add green onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Then stir in cornbread and chicken stock and seasonings. Stir for about 3 minutes. Put in baking dish and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes!

Bean, Pepper, Tomato Salad

Oh how I love this salad. I love the peppers, mixed with the beans...and the crunchiness of the Frito's. A perfect side for any occasion! (Beware-your cheese could dye pink:))

3 green peppers-chopped

4 green onions-chopped

2 celery stalks-chopped

4 tomatoes

2 cups cheese-grated

2 cans of kidney beans-drained

1 small bottle of Catalina dressing

1 small bag of Frito's

Mix all together and refrigerate for at least an hour. Add Frito's right before serving.

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

I made this Turkey Wreath for our MOM group. It was the first time I ever made it, and I think it turned out SO good. It is the perfect meal to make with all that leftover turkey! Or if you don't have any left over turkey, just buy the turkey breasts and chop them finely.

2 packages of refrigerated crescent rolls

3 cups cooked turkey breasts-I seasoned mine with thyme, and poultry seasoning

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup celery-chopped

1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries

3 tablespoons fresh parsley-snipped

olive oil

salt and pepper

Mix together turkey, cheese, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, celery, cranberries, parsley, and salt and pepper.

Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into 1 triangles. On a pizza stone, with wide ends of triangles toward the center, arrange 8 of the triangles in the center. Arrange the remaining 8 triangles in the center, matching the ends. Seal the seems. Scoop filling over the seams of the dough, forming a circle. Beginning in the center, lift one triangle across mixture. Continue alternating with outer triangle, so that they all overlap. Brush the top with olive oil and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Giveaway Time!

Ready for some fun!?! Today I am being featured on this mama blog rocks, so I thought it would be fun to do a little giveaway! I have been working hard on my Etsy site, so I thought this time I would give away some of my cute flowers I have been working on (stay tuned in the next few weeks I will be doing a "food" related giveaway). These flowers are perfect for the little one in your life, or a perfect gift! The red flower is even perfect for us adults (put your hair in a low side pony and it is the perfect accent piece)!

How it works (nine possible entries)...

-leave me a comment and get one entry

-follow "Our Family Treat" and get one entry

-heart my Etsy site-theciaobellaboutique and get two entries

-purchase something on my Etsy site and get five entries

ps...my friends and family are welcome to enter too:)

Giveaway ends on 11/27...good luck!

Cashew Chicken

This is a southern take on an Asian classic

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch squares

2 cans evaporated milk

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 package of panko bread crumbs

salt and pepper

1 bottle frying oil (canola, vegetable oil, etc)

4 cups chicken stalk

4 tblsp corn starch

2 tblsp soy sauce

minute rice

one head iceberg lettuce shredded

2 chopped green onions

cashews

Start by mixing the evaporated milk, buttermilk , and eggs in a large sealable container. Put the chicken in the mixture and let set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (overnight if you can). Next, in a large pot, heat up your oil to 350-375 degrees. Dredge the chicken in the bread crumbs and fry. Remove and let strain on a paper towel. Put in a 200 degree oven to keep warm until you serve.

Next, take one of the cups of chicken stalk (cold or room temp) and mix in the corn starch. In a saucepan, heat the remaining chicken stalk, and the soy sauce until boiling. Add the other cup of stalk with the corn starch. Continually stir until the mixture is brought back up to boil, and stir often until thick.

Make as much rice as you want follow the instructions on the box. Once the rice is complete you top with the chicken, lettuce, green onion, cashews and cover with the gravy. Gravy on lettuce couldn't sound more wrong, but it couldn't taste more right. Enjoy.

Tomato Bisque

This recipe is courtesy of my friend Linda. This soup was super thick and creamy...and perfect for a chilly day!

1/4 cup onions-diced

1 cup oil

1 1/2 (29 oz) cans pureed tomatoes

1 quart heavy cream

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup celery-diced

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

In pot, saute onions and celery in oil until tender. Stir in flour and mix. Then add the tomatoes. Stir in chicken bouillon, heavy cream, Italian seasoning and pepper and cook on medium heat. Stir frequently for about 15 minutes. Yum!

Under Construction

How it all got started...
Brooks and I (Lindsay) have always LOVED to cook. We love cooking together. We love entertaining and cooking for friends. We believe that it is so important to have dinner together as a family every night. We don't make things that are to fancy, or difficult. Just simple, easy and good! So a while back my friends kept asking what was for dinner every day! They said that I should start a blog to share our recipes with them. So we started this. It was private for awhile, lets just say I was a little embarrassed for who knows why. But then I started getting a lot of requests to be invited or to make the blog public because a lot of people would love to see what we are making. So after a few weeks we did.
So my husband and I decided we wanted to change up the blog a bit. He wanted to change the name to "Our Family Treat." We also are adding a button. Feel free to add it to your blog if you would like! Also...I will be having a non food themed giveaway on Saturday, so stay tuned. Thanks for all of you that have found our blog and have added a link or have started following. I would love to hear from you! If you like something, don't like it or have even tried something, we would love to know! We love cooking, and hope that you have found some recipes that you like!

Broccoli Salad

I never thought I like broccoli until I had this salad a few years ago..since then I have been hooked!

2 bunches of fresh broccoli-chopped

1 red onion-chopped

1 1/2 cup cheese-grated

8 slices of bacon-crumbled

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Combine all ingredients, mix and refrigerate.

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix and let chill for at least an hour before putting on the salad.

Baked Taquitos

I love taquitos...the crunch on the outside, the creamy inside...and just like I kid, I love dipping into sour cream and guacamole!

3 chicken breasts-shredded

3 green onions-chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup cream cheese-softened

1 1/2 cup grated Mexican style cheese

tortillas (I used flour-but just because I like the taste better)

Mix together all ingredients (except tortillas). Then fill tortilla down the middle with about 1/4 cup of the mixture. Roll and place seam side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes, until brown. Serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

My Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the Chocolate Chip Cookies I grew up eating. I swear my mom used to make cookies once a week for us when we got home from school. She is such a good mom:)

1 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cup flour

chocolate chips

Cream the shortening, sugar and brown sugar. Then add the rest of ingredients and mix. Add chocolate ships at the end. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes, until lightly brown.

Acorn Squash

In my neighborhood we do a "MOM (Move Over Martha)" cooking group. Every 3 months a different group is in charge of the meal, decor, and invites. It is so fun-and delish! My friend Karene made this dish, and it was so good!

2 medium acorn squash

1 12 oz package sausage

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup celery-chopped

1/2 cup green onions-chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Cut squash in half, remove seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes at 375 or until tender. In a large skillet, combine, sausage, mushrooms, celery, and onions. Cook until meat is done. Drain well. In separate bowl combine sour cream, cheese and egg. Stir into sausage mixture. Then spoon mixture into squash halves and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Peach Cobbler

I got this recipe from my friend Camille. It was so good, and would be great if you have fresh peaches!

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup of butter

2 large cans of peaches-drained

3 tabespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Mix sugar, flour, baking powder, milk, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.

Melt butter and pour in a 9x13 pan. Pour peaches into butter. Mix cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle on peaches. Then pour batter. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta

This dish is super duper creamy and the lemon flavor is awesome.

3 chicken breasts-seasoned with lemon pepper and fried or grilled up

3 cans chicken broth

1 box pasta-I used bow tie

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

zest from a lemon

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

In sauce pan put the chicken broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and add pasta. Pasta after about 20 minutes, should absorb most of the juice. Then add butter, flour, cream, Parmesan, and lemon zest. Stir on low heat for about 10 minutes until thick. Enjoy!

Cafe Rio Chicken Salad

Oh how I love Cafe Rio's salad. I love the pork and chicken. This time I made my mom's recipe for the chicken...next time I will share the pork recipe. This does take a little time and preparation, but it is SO SO good...and if you don't live in Utah or close to a Cafe Rio this can hold you over until you get a real salad from there:)

Chicken Mixture

5 chicken breasts

1 bottle of Italian Dressing

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 garlic cloves-minced

Put chicken in crock pot, and then pour seasonings and dressing over it. Cook for 4-6 hours on low.

Tomatillo dressing

1 package of ranch dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup milk

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup cilantro

3 tomatillos

2 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno (I took out the seeds)

Put in food processor or blender and blend. Put in the fridge and let chill.

Rice

Do as much rice/water that you need for your family. I usually do three cups of both.

Once the water boils, add the rice and the following ingredients.

2 teaspoons chicken bouillon

2 garlic cloves-minced

1 can diced green chili's

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

As for the salad...

1 head of lettuce chopped

1 Romain lettuce chopped

2 tomatoes-diced

cilantro

lime

tortilla chips

Parmesan cheese

1 can black beans-rinsed and drained

tortillas-sprinkled with cheese-warmed up

Start with tortilla, then add rice, beans, chicken, lettuce, tomato, chips, cilantro, chips Parmesan, cilantro, and then drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

Teresa's Rolls

I love these rolls. My aunt makes them-so I don't really know what they are called. I just call them "Teresa's Rolls!"

2 teaspoons yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup warm water

Let rise.

2 eggs

1/2 cup shortening

Beat until fluffy.

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup warm water

5 cups flour

Mix and add yeast mixture. When mixing dough should be a little sticky.

Let dough rise for one hour.

Melt one cube of butter. Roll out and cut with a cup or a circle cutter. Dip half of the roll in butter, then fold over. Sprinkle with flour. Let rise for another hour. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until lightly brown.

Wassail

I wish I would have gotten a picture of this...this recipe comes from my neighbor Karene. The smell was heavenly!

Prepare:

orange juice as directed on can

Dissolve:

1/2 cup sugar in 2 cups boiling water

Add:

1/2 gallon apple juice or cider

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 cups orange juice

5 whole cloves

2 whole cinnamon sticks

Heat for several hours in pot or crock pot. Perfect drink on a cold day or for a holiday party!

Chicken Caprese Sandwich

Red Robin inspired this wonderful sandwich.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese sliced

Fresh Roma tomatoes sliced

Pesto (See our Pesto recipe or you can buy it)

4-5 Ciabatta rolls or Kaiser rolls toasted

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp garlic salt

In a plastic bag marinate the chicken breasts in the olive oil and spices. Be sure to cover evenly.

On an oven safe grill pan, or skillet, grill the chicken on both sides till golden brown. Put into a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes until done (180 degree with a meat thermometer). Let stand for 5 minutes.

On the bread that has been toasted, spread a good layer of pesto on both sides. Slice the chicken on a bias very thin, and place on the roll. Top with the mozzarella and tomato. Enjoy!

Margarita Pizza

The colors of the Italian flag never tasted so fresh!

Ingredients:

Pizza dough (see our 20 min pizza dough from the pesto Alfredo pizza)

Olive Oil

1 large Roma or steak tomato thinly sliced

3-4 large fresh basil leaves

Fresh Mozzarella cheese sliced

Simply make the dough, and on a pizza stone that has preheated to 400 degrees. Place the rolled out pizza dough on the pizza stone, drizzle olive oil on the top of the dough. Then top with slices of tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until dough is crusty. Then, eat away! Warning, you will want to eat lots, so make plenty.

Apple Crisp

My friend, Rose surprised me with a whole pan of this Apple Crisp. It was so good. I didn't have any vanilla ice cream to top it with, but I am sure that would have just hit the spot! Thanks Rose!

4 Granny Smith apples-sliced

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup oats

1/3 cup butter

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

In an 8x8 pan, layer the apples. In bowl mix together brown sugar, flour, oats, butter, and spices. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream (or without, it still tastes great)!

Tortilla Soup

This past week we had a little bit of Winter weather here in Utah...especially where I live. So I was in need of food that warms me up a bit...and this hit the spot!

3 chicken breasts-chopped

1/2 onion-chopped

1 can diced green chili's

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 can chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can Black Beans

1 can Great Northern Beans

salt and pepper

Saute up the chicken and the onion with a little bit of Olive Oil. Add broth, tomatoes, beans, chili's and seasonings and bring to a boil. Then let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Serve with cheese, sour cream, avocado, and tortilla chips!

Pumpkin Roll

This reminds me of Thanksgiving. I don't like Pumpkin Pie, so this is always my dessert of choice! And it is so easy!

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Bake at 375 on a greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. On a dish towel line heavily with powder sugar. Remove pumpkin roll from pan and put on the dish towel. On one of the shorter ends, roll with the towel and let cool.

Filling

1 cup powder sugar

8 oz cream cheese-softened

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well.

Once the pumpkin roll is cooled, unroll, and spread evenly with filling. Roll back up (without the towel). Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge before serving.

Meatball Subs

So my husband loves meatball subs...me not so much. OK, really I hadn't ever tried them, but I HATE soggy bread, so I was a little weary. But I made these...and they were absolutely perfect.

Tip: Put a little olive oil on the bread and toast it before adding your meatballs...it helps to prevent soggy bread!

1 lb sausage

1 lb hamburger

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 crushed garlic clove

2 eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper

Mix together meats, seasonings, eggs and bread crumbs. Then make good sized meatballs. Bake in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes.

While the meatballs are baking, start warming up your favorite marinara sauce on the stove top. When the meatballs are done, put them in the sauce and let them simmer for about 20 more minutes.

Serve on toasted bread with a little bit of provolone cheese. Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

Oh how I love this recipe. It is so SO good! I only wish I had leftovers, but my family ate this right up!

3 chicken breasts-chopped into cubes

1 onion-chopped (I don't like a ton of onions-so mine probably equals about 1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cans Great Northern Beans-rinsed and drained

1 can chicken broth

1 can chopped green chilies

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whipping cream

In a pot, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder. Then add the beans, broth, green chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add sour cream and whipping cream. Serve immediately. We topped ours with some Monteray Jack cheese...and it tasted fantastic!

Prosciutto E Melone (Prosciutto and Melon)

Want to impress your guests? This is a perfect appetizer. Weird I know, but the saltiness of the prosciutto and the sweetness of the melon are a perfect combination. The first time I had this we were at a cute little Italian restaurant, Michelangelo's in San Francisco. My husband insisted that I try it...I was in love!

1 cantaloupe-cut into boat shapes

12 slices of prosciutto

When eating take one slice of cantaloupe and one slice of prosciutto and eat together! Yum!