YUM…simple and easy, a fennel salad with oranges, red onion and a homemade dressing! If you haven’t ever tried fennel, you have no idea what you are missing out on!
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orange
Shandy Beer Recipe
Do you know what Shandy Beer is? Have you ever ordered one or has anyone ever made one for you? I had never heard about a shandy beer until last weekend when a new friend offered to make me one…then I was sold!
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Mandarin Orange Cake with Pineapple Frosting
I have not been baking lately as my oven has not been working…I was blessed with a new oven from my landlords and was itching to bake a cake. My friend Susan came over last week and was going on and on about a mandarin orange cake that she just loved, it had pineapple, whipping cream “frosting.”
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An Italian Chocolate Almond Cake for Passover
Being an Italian Catholic, Passover was not a holiday I celebrated and the Jewish holidays were foreign to me (click here if you would like to learn more about the Passover holiday). When I was married to a Jewish man, over the past 20 years, I learned all about the the traditions and celebrations of Judaism and hosted many holidays at our house and together we created our own traditions one thing that was very important to me was to always incorporate a little Italian in all my food.
Several years ago I decided I wanted to make an amazing dessert for the Passover and found this old recipe for chocolate almond cake, it worked perfect for the celebration as there was nothing in the dessert to make it rise, it doesn’t have flour and it has chocolate (not a requirement but always welcomed for Passover). I made this dessert and it was a home run…everyone loved it!
This is not a beginner recipe, there are many steps to it and I would challenge even an entry level baker to try, if you have any issues with it, email me at Patty@MmGood.com and I would be happy to assist you for next time. I happen to love orange in my cakes or with chocolate, if you do not like orange, then you can omit it from your recipe and it will be just as tasty.
Prepare the baking pan by lining it with parchment paper, I sprayed the bottom first with oil and then I layed the parchment on top
put the almonds and 1/4 cup of sugar in a food processor
process until fine, place the processed almonds in a bowl and set aside
do the same for your chocolate chips and place in a bowl
using a mixer, beat your yolks with the remainder of the sugar and orange zest
do this until the yolks are pale
add the ground chocolate chips and almonds your mix will be very thick
whip the whites of the eggs with a pinch of salt until firm peaks (about 6 minutes)
add the whipped egg whites to the almond/yolk mixture, do this by folding the egg whites into the mixture as you are not wanting to deflate the whites
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is cook through
make your chocolate topping by melting the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it’s completely melted. When the cake is cooled off, add the chocolate to the topping
I forgot that I liked chopped nuts on my cake so here is an old photo of the cake (I gave this cake to a friend for passover and forgot to top it prior to giving it away, silly me but don’t skip this process.
This is a great recipe for anytime of the year, especially around Passover or Easter. For beginners I know it’s a lot of steps involved but go slow, try not to over mix the egg whites with the almond mixture and make sure to beat the whites until firm. I’d welcome any photos anyone wants to send me at Patty@MmGood.com. Enjoy!!!
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Thank you for visiting my site and I hope you enjoy this recipe. I do love comments so please feel free to leave me your comment or suggestion. If you would like to be kept up to date with all my new recipes, I only post twice a week, please subscribe in the box listed on the top of the page “Subscribe Via Email”. You will be emailed with a link to confirm you are interested in the subscription so be sure to click on that link too.
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Thank you again ~ Patty Limatola-Tanenbaum
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An Italian Chocolate Almond Cake for Passover
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Almonds, whole, not toasted
- ¼ cup Sugar
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 5 large eggs, separated
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup Chocolate chips, divided
- 1 tablespoon Milk, whole
- Pinch of Salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, prepare an 8" springform baking pan by spraying it with oil and laying parchment paper on the bottom.
- Grind the almonds in a food processor with 1/4 cup of sugar until fine and powdery, set aside. Process 1/4 cup of chocolate chips in the same processor and process until fine.
- Meanwhile, beat the yolks with 3/4 cup sugar and orange zest until thick and pale.
- Fold the ground up chocolate and almonds into the egg yolk mixture and mix until it is all incorporated.
- In a new bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form, 4-6 minutes.
- Gently fold the egg whites into the egg/almond mixture making sure not to over mix or you will deflate the batter.
- Bake 30-35 minutes, until cooked through the middle. Cool on a rack.
- Melt the remaining chocolate in the microwave with 1 tablespoon milk in 30 second intervals until it is melted and smooth, stir in between intervals, you are looking for the chocolate to reach a smooth consistency. Spread the chocolate onto the cake, decorate with a few chopped almonds and serve.
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use
Irish Soda Bread…perfect for Saint (St.) Patrick’s Day
I’m reposting this one as it’s a great recipe for St. Patricks Day…
Saint (St.) Patrick’s Day was never a big holiday in my Italian household but it was always a great day for me because of my mom. My mom had always made St. Patrick’s Day special for me because I was her only child without an Italian name. To make me feel special, my mom would always buy me a little something or do something special on St. Patrick’s day to make up for it so while it was not about the food and what was being made it was about how she made me feel important.
I don’t tend to do a lot of Irish cooking, although I can cook just about anything, I just don’t tend to gravitate to Irish food, even for the holiday. I decided that I would revisit an old recipe I had for Irish soda bread and so I found this on from my collection.
I’m unsure of more traditional recipes or if this is the traditional recipe but I will tell you that I love this recipe, maybe it’s the orange zest which brings in the Italian feeling or the currants that make it a little sweet but not overly sweet, or maybe it’s just such a simple recipe that I love that I can whip it up and serve it to impress my friends…nonetheless, it’s a great recipe to try at least once in your life as it’s a no fail recipe for bread that doesn’t use yeast.
I didn’t have buttermilk at home so I made my own, you have to use 1% or higher for your milk and for every cup you add 1 tablespoon lemon or distilled vinegar, I did almost 2 tablespoons, here is my before
then after 5 minutes with the vinegar it looks like this, kind of gross but it works
you add your flour, sugar and baking soda in a bowl
cut up your butter into cubes
add it to your flour
mix until you have small bits and pieces of the buter
to your milk add the orange zest and lightly beaten egg
add your milk to your flour and mix well
add your currants and mix well
dump your mixture onto a floured counter, here is the before
knead for about 3 minutes…here is your after
place on a prepared baking sheet with parchment paper and cut a “cross” with a knife
baked for 45-55 minutes or until done
Let it cool slightly before cutting
I couldn’t wait to cut into this bread and I’m glad I couldn’t it was amazing! I’d say give it a try as it’s not a difficult recipe and it’s always impressive to make your own bread. I would not substitute the currants or orange zest.
Thank you for visiting my site and I hope you enjoy this recipe. I do love comments so please feel free to leave me your comment or suggestion. If you would like to be kept up to date with all my new recipes, I only post twice a week, please subscribe in the box listed on the top of the page “Subscribe Via Email”. You will be emailed with a link to confirm you are interested in the subscription so be sure to click on that link too.
Thank you again ~ Patty Limatola-Tanenbaum
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Irish Soda Bread perfect for Saint (St.) Patrick’s Day
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
- 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 cup dried currants
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.
- With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Add the currants and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.
- Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.
- Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use
Bran Muffins with Almonds
I know it doesn’t sound so exciting…”bran muffins”, right? Why would Patty be doing a post on bran muffins? Here is my answer, I think bran muffins have the short end of the stick, while most people associate bran with having benefits for your digestive system, I simply think bran muffins taste really good and there is something about eating and enjoying a good bran muffin that satisfies my sweet tooth.
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Achiote Chicken with a Mascarpone Orange Sauce
First I have to apologize for not posting so much this past week as Thanksgiving pushed me over the edge and we had so many leftovers that cooking was out of my mind. That being said, I can’t believe I’m sharing this chicken recipe with you all…yep it’s true and so there I said it!!! There are certain recipes I like to keep as my own and I always thought this was one of those recipes but I made it again tonight and thought I just had to share it as I absolutely love this chicken dish!!!
Going to culinary school was a great experience for me, it introduced me to spices that I may never had learned about or ever tried. Achiote paste, which is influenced from Mexico, is one of those spices I had never heard of or been exposed to. We were introduced to the spice and used it for a grilled shrimp dish which was just amazing and after my first bite, I was sold and just knew I wanted to try as many recipes as I could with it.
When my kids told me they like to eat everything but chicken because chicken is boring I thought I’d remind them that chicken doesn’t have to be boring. This recipe is very easy and it comes across to be a very elegant chicken dish that everyone will think you slaved over. The achiote spice adds a unique flavor that will leave your guests guessing…and isn’t that really what’s it’s all about? lol
You basically make a marinade that gets pureed in a blender or food processor.
The marinade gets poured over the chicken and refrigerated for 3-4 hours. My chicken was really thick so I cut it in half lengthwise to thin them out. I used 4 breasts and did not follow by weight.
After the 4 hours you remove the chicken from the fridge and using a frying pan, you heat some oil in a pan, saute your marinaded chicken. Here is my before and after…doesn’t look delicious?
Remove the chicken from the pan, add some orange juice, scrap off your bits on the bottom of the pan add your mascarpone cheese, cook for a few minutes…add your chicken back to the pan…and you’re done!
I put some cilantro on top to finish it off. I’m sorry about the plating as I had a whole meal planned but I burnt the green beans and squash.
Achiote Chicken with a Mascarpone Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Achiote paste
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 2 tablespoons Red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Grated orange zest
- 4 whole Garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons Cumin seeds
- 1 pound Chicken breasts (I cut mine in half length wise)
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups Orange juice
- 8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
- Cilantro, chopped
Directions
- Put your achiote paste, honey, red wine vinegar, orange zest, garlic cloves and cumin seeds in a blender or food processor and blend until a loose paste forms.
- Place chicken in a baking dish. Spread marinade over your chicken and make sure to coat your chicken to coat it well. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.
- Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt. Add chicken to skillet, cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add 1 cup orange juice to your pan. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes (remember my chicken breasts were very thin so you may need more time based on the thickness of chicken).
- Remove your chicken and add 1 cup of orange juice to your pan, boil until it thickens, about 2 minutes. Add your mascarpone cheese, let it boil for 2-3 minutes and add your chicken back. Let it simmer for 4-6 minutes.
- Spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro.
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use
Best Thanksgiving Turkey…Gobble Gobble
It’s a week before Thanksgiving and all through the house,
I have recipes all scattered…and you won’t find a mouse.
The turkey is bought, yes it’s a week still away,
the fixin’s are all counted for and I know I won’t stray.
I’ll make the same thing as last year as everyone left content,
I want to skip on making the peas…wait did i just say that? It’s not really what I meant.
I hope you all find joy and happiness and make sure to give thanks,
and if you can’t make a turkey, you can always make yourself some franks!
Ok so that was my attempt at a cute Thanksgiving fun. I can’t tell you all the stories I’ve encountered with making turkey for Thanksgiving but I can share that there has been uncooked turkey, overcooked turkey, butterball turkey…and every other kind of turkey story in between. A few years back, I called my Zia (aunt in Italian) and asked her how she prepared her turkey as my mother is no longer with me and I wanted some family advice, she gave me some of her pointers and I included my normal Thanksgiving turkey fixins and now I have what I consider to be the best turkey recipe ever!!!!
1) First off, I always start with a brine, I use the William Sonoma brine which we just love and I just follow the directions on the package, the brine is great because you do it the night before and I do really believe that it helps with keeping the turkey moist.
2) I always give my turkey a “wine bath” I basically purchase a cheap bottle of white wine and after the brine, I pour white the wine to wash off any of the brine.
3) I always use sliced oranges on the bottom of the pan with fresh bay leaves.
4) I always stuff put some butter that has been left at room temperature and mixed with chopped herb sunder the skin of my turkey.
5) I always stuff my turkey with lemons, apples, oranges, celery or whatever else I have around, this year i even used onions!
6) I try to get a turkey that is 17 pounds or less as it’s much more tender then the bigger turkeys (I have been known to even buy two turkeys for larger parties)
7) Finally, I always follow the baking rules for the turkey I buy.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as it’s my “no fail” amazing turkey!
Best Thanksgiving Turkey…Gobble Gobble
Ingredients
- 20 pound Turkey, brine over night
- 1 jar Brine, William Sonoma
- 1 ½ sticks Butter, room temperature
- 2 packages Fresh poultry herbs or fresh poultry herbs from your garden
- 1 package Sage
- 1 package Bay leaves (I use fresh from the farmers market)
- 4 whole Oranges
- 1 whole Lemon
- 1 whole Green apple
- White wine
- Oil
- Salt and pepper
- 3 Stalks celery
- Orange juice
Directions
- Twenty-four hours before Thanksgiving, brine your turkey, following the instructions on the jar or package. Whether or not you brine, make sure to remove the neck and giblets that are in the cavity of the turkey.
- On Thanksgiving Day, remove your turkey from the brine and, use half a bottle of wine to give your turkey a "wine bath," basically rinsing your turkey. This is my Italian secret). Reserve 1/2 of the bottle of wine for later. Pat your turkey dry with paper towels. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- On the bottom of a roasting pan, add the orange slices and lay the bay leaves on top. Set the pan aside.
- Chop the fresh herbs (excluding the bay leaves) and combine with the butter. Add the orange and lemon zest to the butter and mix well. Put the butter mixture under the skin of the turkey, focusing on the breast area. In the cavity of turkey, place lemon, and remaining orange slices, celery, apple and any remaining herbs.
- Place turkey on top of the orange slices, breast side up. Add the orange juice and the remaining wine to the pan. Put some oil on the turkey and season it with salt and pepper.
- Cover it with aluminum foil and cook until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees. The juices of the turkey should run clear.
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use