Thanksgiving is almost here, and if you haven't finished all your cooking, here are two delicious recipes that will definitely be a hit on your table.

TRISH'S STUFFING
1/4 cup olive oil
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
8 celery stalks, chopped
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 (16 oz) bags cornbread stuffing
1 10 3/4 can cream of mushroom soup
1 10 3/4 can cream of celery soup
1-2 cups good low sodium chichen stock
1 1/2 cups chopped italian parsley
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 lb pancetta, cooked until crisp and drained
3  hot italian sausage
4 sweet italian sausage remove from casing and cook till brown and broken up
2 small or 1 large gala apple

In large pot, cook sausage meat and pancetta until brown and drain all but 2 tbls fat and set meat aside
Saute onions, scallions, and celery until tender (approx 10 minutes). Add mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to large bowl, stir in all the remaining ingredients and moisten with chichen broth, until desired moisture level.  Grease a large, shallow roasting pan (I usually use a throw away) and add stuffing (yes, I'm Italian we call it stuffing! lol)
Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes, and more stock if needed.  Remove foil and bake about 10-15 minutes more until the top gets golden and crispy (the best part).  This is a perfect mixture of the Italian stuffing I remember and a little bit of Ron's Kentucky roots with the cornbread...you'll love it!
I personally am not a fan of the whole sage/Bell seasoning taste, so you can see, I don't use it...don't think you'll miss it...but of course add if Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without it!! lol

SMOOTH AND CREAMY PUMPKIN DREAM SQUARES

3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup uncooked quaker oats
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 toasted chopped almonds
2 8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 16 oz can pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 cup light or dark Karo syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
Set oven to 350
Butter 13 x 9 pan
Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, and oats, flour and nuts and mix well.  Spread and press into greased pan and bake 18-20 minutes till it starts to get golden, let cool a bit.

In large bowl beat the cream cheese, 1 1/2 c sugar, eggs, pumpkin, Karo and cinnamon, beat until smooth
Pour over the crust and continue baking for about 35-40 minutes till set.
A dollop of freshly made whipped cream and....better than pumpkin pie!

Enjoy and ciao bella!
xo

Rainy Day = Pasta Fagioli

The season has begun and while Ronaldo and I wrapped the first of our Christmas presents and enjoyed the rain, it seemed like the perfect day to make some homemade Fagioli.(Ron's personal favorite...he so wants to be Italian!)  There are millions of Italians and millions of recipes for this delicious peasant soup, and I've probably made about 20 versions myself.  Here's todays version:

1/2 lb pancetta diced
1 medium onion diced
3 large cloves garlic
2 tbls olive oil
2 cans cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cans low sodium chicken or beef stock (I used beef today)
1 cup small elbow or tiny tube pasta
good handful chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp. minced rosemary
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper


Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil till soft in heavy bottom pan.  Remove and saute pancetta until crisp.  Drain all but 2 tbs of the drippings.  Add onion and garlic back into pan along with the crushed and tomato sauce and stock. Bring to a soft boil.
Drain beans and rinse well.  In separate pan, in plenty of water and 2 tbls salt, cook pasta till very al dente (to the tooth...aka NOT MUSHY! LOL)
Simmer tomato mixture for about 30-45 minutes, with 1/2 of basil, all of rosemary and red pepper.
Add beans, cooked pasta and rest of basil along with a big drizzle of EVOO and simmer 5 or so minutes till hot.  Serve with a good helping of the best Parmesan cheese and serve with a thick slice of  delicious crusty bread. That and a glass of wine and a Xmas movie.....done!  Enjoy!

Intro

This is my first introduction into the world of blogging...hoping to share many recipes as I create fun dishes