Head on over to Stonyfield Yogurt Dish Blog to read all about my family tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, as well as two recipes. Garlic Yogurt Dip and Chimichurri Sauce, perfect for dipping delicious shrimp!
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without my Grandmother’s Italian Stuffing. She made it for us every year, for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, she is no longer with us, but my mom, aunts, and uncle have carried on the tradition of making her stuffing. Now, my generation is making it too. I love walking into the kitchen on Thanksgiving and knowing that the smell of stuffing reminds us all of her and her love of feeding her family.
That’s really what Thanksgiving is about – giving thanks for family and friends – and she showed her love through food. My grandmother was a great inspiration for my culinary journey and the inception of this very blog. I love feeding people, and often joke that “it’s the Italian in me”. Honestly, it is very true, I love feeding people, especially Italian food, and always have my home and kitchen open.
Even though this is a side dish, I actually eat it as a meal. My stuffing has mushrooms, black olives, celery and onions for veggies, and packed with protein from ground beef. You should definitely keep this on your Thanksgiving menu, just in case someone forgets to thaw the turkey, or it gets a bit overcooked – we have all had that happen at least once in our life.
Beef is a staple in our house and I am so lucky to be working with the Florida Beef Council to celebrate our beef inspired Thanksgiving menu. Beef is not only a big part of our holiday traditions, I actually cook with it a lot. My meatballs, bolognese and meatloaf are regularly on our dinner menu. Roasts in the oven or slow cooker are perfect for cooler Winter months, and Summer is all about grilling steaks outside.
My friends and I are sharing our #Beefsgiving menu with you – with links below – and hope you enjoy a delicious holiday with those you hold dear. For more great beef recipes and inspiration, head on over to the Florida Beef Council and follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
By Love and Confections
Published 11/15/2016
Yield: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.
Cook time: 00 hrs. 45 mins.
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
I have an ongoing relationship with Florida Beef Council as a recipe developer. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Love and Confections possible. As always, all opinions are my own.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NaturallyCheesy #CollectiveBias
I love throwing parties, especially themed ones. New Year’s Eve is full of celebration, and the food should reflect that. Fun and fabulous recipes should always be on the menu, but they should also be stress-free. I start my menu prep with a grocery list and head to Walmart for my ingredients. Make sure you use the coupon for $1.00 off two Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese (valid 12/13/15-2/13/16)
You can find more awesome holiday recipes using Kraft products here! Also look for other great savings on Kraft Heinz products. You can save up to $13 this holiday season!
One of my favorite holiday traditions is the Italian-American Feast of the Seven Fishes. As long as I can remember, my mother or grandmother have hosted Christmas Eve dinner and carried on this tradition. I grew up with the kitchen being the heart of our home. Not only did I learn to cook there, but my sister and I also did our homework at the kitchen table, we ate family meals together, and had parties where everyone gathered in the kitchen.
For the past few years, I have helped my mom with the preparation and cooking, and I even hosted Christmas Eve at my house last year. We prepare and gather food days before and plan out a detailed menu. Christmas Eve is no small celebration and we usually have between 12 and 30 family and friends joining us for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. When there is that many mouths to feed, every burner on the stove, both ovens and the microwave are constantly going.
My dream kitchen would have the GE Cafe™ Series of appliances, so I could create a wonderful Christmas Eve Feast for my family and friends. I love the look and design of the restaurant quality appliances made for the home cook. GE Café™ Series Cooktops have each burner specialized for precise boiling, simmering and searing, which is key in making meals with maximum flavor. There is even a griddle system for grilling, searing or stir-frying. I can see myself using that for Christmas morning French toast.
Our Christmas Eve menu usually consists of an Antipasto, Shrimp Cocktail, Stuffed Calamari, Lobster Ravioli, Crab Legs, Clams Oreganata, Mussels Marinara, and Tilapia – for anyone who doesn’t want shellfish. Of course, there is also Spaghetti and my grandmother’s Sauce recipe, because those cannot be left out. It is a true feast and everyone raves about our Christmas Eve dinner.
My mom has hosted her fair share of parties and has passed on a few tips throughout the years. One of the best tips that I learned from my mom, and still use for every party that I host, is to label my platters and dishes. I gather all the platters, bowl, serving utensils, pots and pans that I will be using and label them with sticky notes. By doing that, I won’t be scrambling last minute to figure out what goes where and what pot to use.
After the feast comes dessert. In addition to cookies and sfogliatelle, my dad and I have a tradition of baking Italian Cheesecakes on December 23rd. These cheesecakes are different than regular cheesecakes, because they use ricotta and are more dense and less sweet. In the past, we have gone a bit overboard with the cheesecakes and made 3-4 of them. This wouldn’t normally be a problem, but they have to bake, then sit overnight in the oven without opening the door. If I had a GE Café™ Series double oven I would jump for joy when needing to bake our cheesecakes, because I wouldn’t have to worry about needing the oven for something while the cheesecakes are resting.
The GE Café™ Series French-Door Oven is on my Christmas wish list. Did you know their refrigerator has a K-Cup brewing system too? What GE Café™ Series of appliances would you want in your kitchen? Also, take a peek at the GE Café™ Pinterest Board for more ideas and holiday tips. Have a good holiday season and I hope you are inspired to take food further and create your own Feast of the Seven Fishes with the power of GE Café appliances.
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Insight for this post was provided by GE Cafe™ Series. All opinions are my own.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayPairings #CollectiveBias The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older.
The holidays are approaching fast and everyone is getting in the spirit. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and quickly after that, Christmas. I love being able to spend time with my girlfriends around the holidays, but since we each have families and other activities, it sometimes becomes difficult to get together.
When hosting a party, I usually have appetizers as well. My Antipasto Tray is always a hit. Genoa Salami, Bocconcini (Mozzarella Pearls), cubed Havarti, Marinated Mushrooms, Marinated Artichoke Hearts and Olives were on this specific tray. You could also use Giardiniera, Roasted Peppers, and a variety of other meats and cheeses. The Pepperidge Farm Cracker Trio is a great accompaniment to the Antipasto Tray, especially since it is a variety of crackers that everyone is sure to love.
Antipasto tips:
Having a variety of wine on hand is key for a party. For this pasta party, I chose two Constellation Brand Wines – Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir and The Dreaming Tree Crush Red Blend. Walmart has a good selection of premium wines at a great price.
If you are interested in more holiday tips as well as wine tastings, and Barilla and Pepperidge Farm demos at your local Walmart during November and December, visit Simple Entertaining for details and more delicious ideas. Don’t forget to head to Walmart as your go-to place for holiday prep and entertaining. The pasta dishes and mix-in dish sets seen in my photos are from Walmart too, and perfect for parties.
Dessert cannot be forgotten, and I used Pepperidge Farm Classic Cookie Collection as our end of meal treat. My great-grandmother always had a variety of Pepperidge Farm cookies on hand and every time I have some, it brings back such wonderful memories that I am able to share with family and friends. Since I grew up eating Pepperidge Farm cookies, the variety in the Classic Cookie Collection was the perfect, delicious and easy choice for my holiday party.
One-Pot Pasta Party
A Love and Confections original recipe
Serves 4-6
One-Pot Pasta Ingredients:
– 1 box Barilla Pronto Penne Pasta
– 3 cups Water
– 1 & 1/2 cups Barilla Traditional Sauce
– Diced Chicken
– Sweet Italian Sausage, sliced
– Roasted Broccoli
– Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
– Sauteed Mushrooms
– Sauteed Zucchini
– Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
One-Pot Pasta Directions:
1. Prepare the add-ins in advance, so your party is a breeze. Once it is time to make the pasta, place mix-ins in bowls or ramekins, so your guests can easily add them.
2. Following the instructions on the back of the Barilla Pronto Penne Pasta box, place Penne and Water in a 12-inch saucepan and cook on high for 10 minutes.
3. Add in Barilla Traditional Sauce and cook another 1-2 minutes.
4. Have everyone in the party add their mix-ins to each of their dinner bowls, so it’s easier to keep track of who chose what mix-ins. One by one, saute the mix-ins with a portion of prepared pasta, in a small skillet. Place back into each of their bowls for individualized one-pot pasta dishes. Top with Parmesan. Enjoy!
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS
Fall is here, as is all things pumpkin spice. Coffee fans cheer the day their beloved pumpkin spice lattes become available, ringing in the change of seasons. Unfortunately, living in Florida, we are still rather warm and rainy. I long for cooler Autumn weather and all the wonderful Fall treats like soups and stews, hot drinks, and everything apple and pumpkin.
I used to be a huge pumpkin spice fan, but after having a baby, I can no longer drink a pumpkin spice latte without getting a bit queasy. I have no idea why, I just can’t stomach them anymore. I can use and eat the actual pumpkin spice sparingly without it bothering me, but there is something about a pumpkin spice flavored coffee that doesn’t sit well.
These roasted sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are perfect with the addition of pumpkin spice. My house smelled amazing while these were roasting, even though it was dreary and raining outside, it smelled like Fall inside – all I need are some changing leaves and sweater weather and I’d be set. I hope you get a chance to make this simple and delicious side dish. It would be perfect for the Thanksgiving table as well.
Pumpkin Spice Roasted Sweet Potatoes
A Love and Confection original recipe – serves 6
Click here for a printable recipe
Pumpkin Spice Roasted Sweet Potato Ingredients:
– 6 medium Sweet Potatoes
– 4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
– 4 teaspoons Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Pumpkin Spice Roasted Sweet Potato Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425F. Spray 2 jellyroll pans with nonstick cooking spray. Peel and dice Sweet Potatoes into 1/2 -1 inch cubes.
2. Place Sweet Potatoes in a large bowl and toss with Olive Oil and Pumpkin Pie Spice until the pieces are completely covered.
3. Spread between 2 cookie sheets and roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until slightly brown and crispy, rotating the sheet trays and stirring the potatoes once halfway throughout. Serve immediately.
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Here are today’s #SundaySupper Fall Flavors:
Breakfast
Appetizers and Sides
Main Dishes
Desserts and Cocktails
Plus, A Guide to Apples plus Best Fall Recipes Ideas for #SundaySupper
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.
Easter Bread is one of my favorite family traditions. We used to make it with my grandmother every year. She would come to our house, and her and my Mom would make a bunch of loaves for the week before Easter. Since it was Palm Sunday, my grandfather was busy at work making us all basket-weave crosses from the palm fronds we received at church.
I would sit there and watch my grandmother knead and make the dough, then while it was rising, sit and watch my grandfather make the crosses. He showed me how to make them, then when he was done, we each had a cross for our rooms. When it was time to form the bread, I would watch my grandmother, who was about five feet, rolling the dough out on the table, swiftly but gently. She would either braid it into a loaf or twist it into rings and place our dyed eggs into the loaves before their final rest.
I would always try and pick the prettiest eggs for the Easter Bread, even though they smear and sometimes get splotchy during baking, I still had to make the prettiest eggs for the bread. When I baked Easter Bread this year, I picked out the prettiest eggs and smiled to myself when the colored splotchy streaks appeared after baking.
The house smelled fantastic this past week when I baked my loaves. It brought back so many memories of baking with my grandmother and mother. I am so grateful they instilled this tradition in our family and can’t wait until my little girl is old enough to help me make Easter Bread too. Toddler L&C is 15 months old, so she was able to eat this year’s batch for the first time. She tried a warm, fresh piece of bread and instantly loved it! Maybe next year she will be able to have a little apron and get messy in the flour with me too.
Palm Sunday Easter Bread – Pane di Pasqua
A Love and Confections’ Family Recipe
Click here for a printable recipe
Yield: 1 large, 2 medium, or 4 small rings or loaves
Palm Sunday Easter Bread Ingredients:
– 7 large Eggs, divided
– 2 packets Active Dry Yeast
– 1 cup Warm Water
– 6 & 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour, divided
– 3/4 cup Shortening
– 2 tablespoons of fresh Lemon Juice
– 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
– 1 cup Granulated Sugar
– 1 teaspoon Salt
– 1 tablespoon Milk
– Colored Nonpareil Sprinkles
Palm Sunday Easter Bread Directions:
1. Dye 5 uncooked eggs and set aside. (optional). If you choose not to use eggs, you only need 3 for this recipe.
2. In a small bowl, soften 2 packages of Active Dry Yeast in 1/2 cup of Warm Water and let it stand for 5-10 minutes until it bubbles up.
3. In a medium-large bowl, add 1/2 cup Warm Water and 1 & 1/2 cups sifted Flour. Once yeast is proofed, add it to the flour and water and mix well until very smooth. Cover the bowl with waxed paper, followed by a tea towel, and let it rest for 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours, until it has nearly doubled in size.
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and near the end of the first rest, cream the Shortening, Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest until the shortening is soft. Gradually add in the Sugar and Salt and cream until it is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
5. Beat 2 Eggs and 1 Egg White (reserve the yolk for the egg-wash) until thick and frothy. Add the eggs into the shortening in thirds, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.
6. Add the dough from the first rise into the shortening and mix well. Measure 4 & 1/2 cups of Flour and add 1/2 into the dough, starting on low and increasing until you have a very smooth dough. Repeat with the rest of the Flour. Once incorporated, knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface and if necessary, add in up to another 1/4-1/2 cup of flour.
7. With cooking spray, grease a bowl large enough for the dough to double. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it into the greased bowl, turning it once to bring the greased surface to the top, insuring that the entire dough is greased. Cover the bowl with wax paper and a tea towel, and let the dough rise until doubled – about 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours.
8. After the dough has risen, punch it down with your fist. Divide dough into 4 equal balls (if you are making 4 small rings). Cover with the wax paper and let the dough rest for 10 more minutes.
9. Cut a dough ball in half and with your hands, roll each ball into a rope about 18 inches long and 1 inch thick. Using the two pieces of dough, overlap them to form into a loose braid, then form that into a ring. Place a dyed egg into the middle of the ring and place on a greased sheet pan with sides. Repeat with the other dough balls. Do not have more than 2 rings per sheet tray. Cover the dough rings with wax paper and a towel and set aside in a warm place until the dough has doubled, about 20-30 minutes.
10. Heat the oven to 350F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven. In a small bowl, whisk together the Egg Yolk and Milk. Bake the rings for 10 minutes, then take out and quickly brush each with the egg-wash followed by Sprinkles. Return the bread to the oven to bake an additional 30-40 minutes or until the bread is golden brown, flipping the sheet trays so they bake evenly, halfway through. Enjoy!
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
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| Two of my favorite bread-making tools – a bowl scraper and a bench scraper. |
Here are more Springtime treats from #SundaySupper:
Beverages
Appetizers
Sides
Entreés
Desserts
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.
Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.
Disclaimer: There are affiliate links in this post. If you purchase through these links, I receive a small portion of the cost, which helps run this website.
Easter is just around the corner and Spring is in the air! I love holidays because family gathers, we eat a great meal, and I get to decorate. I love decorating for every holiday, Easter especially, because we get to dye eggs, bake Easter Bread and have all sorts of good desserts. These Snack Pack Pudding Cups are perfect for a cute (and easy) Easter dessert.
While I love making layer cakes and tarts, not all holiday desserts have to look like they came out of a pastry kitchen. I may have every intention of making desserts like that, but with Toddler L&C on the loose, my pastries don’t always happen. That’s why I love being able to make cute desserts from items I find during a Walmart shopping trip.
Easter candy is a great way to liven up your Snack Packs. Just pull the easty-to-open lid, add some candy and you have a special treat. There are so many decorating options that you can make personalized desserts for everyone at Easter. You can find these Snack Packs at a special display in your local Walmart. The display even has some recipes available for you to take home with you. What would you put in your Easter #SnackPackMixins ?
You can find Snack Packs in the baking aisle of your local Walmart!
Bird Nest Easter Pudding Cups
A Love and Confection original recipe
Click here for a printable recipe
Bird Nest Easter Pudding Cups Ingredients:
– 4 large Shredded Wheat Biscuits, crushed
– 6 ounces Chocolate Chips
– 1/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
– 6 Snack Packs
– 40 Mini Nilla Wafers, crushed
– 4 Chocolate Honey Maid Grahams, crushed
– Candy Bird Eggs
Bird Nest Easter Pudding Cups Directions:
1. Crush the Shredded Wheat Biscuits into a bowl. Melt Chocolate Chips in the microwave for 1 minute, stirring after every 20 seconds. Add Peanut Butter into the chips and heat for another 15-45 seconds, stirring after every 15 seconds. Be careful not to overheat. Line a cupcake tin with wrappers.
2. With a spatula, mix the Chocolate-Peanut Butter mixture with the Shredded Wheat until completely combined. Scoop into the cupcake tin and create a center with the end of a wooden spoon. Refrigerate until hard.
3. Place the Nilla Wafers into a plastic sandwich bag and crush. Place the Grahams into a plastic sandwich bag and crush. Scoop Pudding into piping bag or plastic gallon bag. Alternate layers of pudding and cookies. Place the Bird Nest on top and garnish with Candy Eggs. Enjoy!
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Last year, we did a birth announcement instead of a holiday card, so you can imagine my excitement this year with getting her dressed up, visiting Santa, and taking lots and lots and lots of pictures. It is definitely quite difficult to get a nearly 1-year old to sit still, smile while sitting on Santa’s lap, or generally get a good “smiling while looking at the camera” shot.
If you’re looking for some good holiday gifts, Minted is having The Gift Event with 20% off all arts and gifts when you use the code GIFT20. I absolutely love the Map Gifts. The 50 State Photo Gifts are adorable and I would probably choose Florida, North Carolina and Hawaii to customize, because of all the memories I have had in those 3 states.
Minted also has a handy menu that you can search for Gifts by Price and Gifts by Recipient – which definitely makes the holiday shopping easier. The Paper Hearts Art Print is really fun and I know a few people who would love that as a gift. I would love to get some cute kid art for Baby L&C’s room. The Alphabet Letter Photos are a cute way to display children’s photos and they have a whole section on Kids’ Wall Art.
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Disclaimer: I was asked to make a holiday wish list from Minted in exchange for credit. All opinions are my own.
White Chocolate Blondies with White Chocolate Frosting
a Love and Confection original
Click here for the printable recipe
White Chocolate Blondie Ingredients:
– 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, room temperature
– 6 ounces White Baking Chocolate
– 1 cup Brown Sugar
– 1 cup Granulated Sugar
– 2 large Eggs
– 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
– 1 teaspoon Salt
– 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
– 1/4 cup Milk
– 2 tablespoons Sprinkles (optional)
White Chocolate Blondie Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and baking spray (leaving an overhand so you can get the blondies out easily).
2. In a small saucepan, melt the Butter and White Baking Chocolate until there are no lumps, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer or a medium bowl with a hand mixer, add the Butter/Chocolate mixture, Brown Sugar, Granulated Sugar, Eggs, Vanilla Extract and Salt. Blend until combined.
4. Add in the Flour, one cup at a time and the Milk. Mix to combine.
5. Add the Sprinkles and mix by hand with a spatula. Pour into pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then using the parchment paper, remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Frost when cool (optional).
White Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:
– 2 ounces White Baking Chocolate
– 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, room temperature
– 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract*
– Pinch of Salt
– 1 cup Powdered Sugar
– 2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
– Sprinkles (optional)
White Chocolate Frosting Directions:
1. Melt White Baking Chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for 20 second intervals, stirring after each round in the microwave.
2. In a small bowl, mix the White Chocolate, Butter, Vanilla Extract and Salt until combined.
3. Add in the Powdered Sugar, one half cup and a time and mix together – I used a hand mixer for the frosting. Add in Heavy Cream and blend
4. Frost on cool blondies with an offset spatula. Decorate with
* for a whiter frosting, use clear vanilla extract – although it will not be completely white because of the color of butter and white chocolate.
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links.
