Italian Love Cake

I cannot stress enough how simple and how wonderfully delicious this recipe is.  Everyone that tasted it loved it and asked for the recipe.  It definitely shows love, and makes you fall in love.

Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge or Devil's Food cake mix + ingredients listed on box
2 lbs. whole milk Ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 5.9 oz. box of Instant Chocolate Pudding (I couldn't find that size and used 1-1/2 boxes of the 3.9 oz.)
1 c cold milk
1 8 oz. carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Using a mixer, prepare the cake ingredients following the instructions on the box.  Set aside.
In another bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla.
These directions are correct.  The cake and the ricotta cheese layer switch during baking!
Pour the cake mix into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Slowly pour the ricotta cheese batter over the cake mixture, being very careful not to blend the two.
Bake for 1 hour.
Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Whisk together the pudding mix and milk until smooth.  Fold in the whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled cake.  Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.  The longer you can keep it in the refrigerator and resist temptation, the better it is.

Can you feel the love?  Oh, you will when you bite into it!  It will quickly become you're new "go to" dessert.

Mangia!

Blueberry Ricotta Cake Squares

Girlfriends were coming for lunch.  I had time to kill so wanted to put together something that was quick and easy. I had blueberries and ricotta cheese on hand, Googled the two, and voila!  These were a big hit.  So moist, and the plump, fresh blueberries were so refreshing.  I think anything with blueberries is fabulous; add the element of ricotta cheese and the end result is awesome!!

Ingredients

1 cup flour

3⁄4 cup sugar

1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄3 cup milk

1⁄4 cup shortening

1 egg

1⁄2 teaspoon lemon extract

2 eggs

1 1⁄4 cups ricotta cheese

1⁄3 cup sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1⁄2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 9 square baking pan. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine flour, 3/4 sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add milk, shortening, 1 egg and lemon extract. Beat on low speed until combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Pour batter prepared pan; spread evenly.

Spread blueberries over batter.

In medium bowl lightly beat 2 eggs with fork and add ricotta cheese, 1/3 c sugar and  vanilla, beat until combined.

Spoon ricotta mixture over blueberries and spread evenly.

Bake at for 55-60 minutes, cool.  Cut into 16 squares.

Recipe adapted from Food.com

Betcha can't eat just one!

Baked Macaroni & Cheese Your Way

This macaroni and cheese is very versatile because you can use any type of semi-hard cheese and/or soft cheese you'd like.  I would stay away from hard cheeses like parmesan or romano as they don't melt as easily.  They are fine to use on top. If you want to use a soft cheese, such as brie, it will give you a looser, creamier sauce. The typical cheese is a sharp cheddar. For this recipe I used a combination of extra sharp cheddar and Pepperjack as that is what I had on hand.  The peppers add a little bit of zip to it  Feel free to use a bacon and cheddar, garlic and herb, tomato basil, swiss or any other cheese that you'd prefer.  A combo of cheese adds a multi-layer of taste.  Experiment.  As long as the bechamel (white sauce) is done correctly, the cheese really doesn't matter.  A chunk of blue cheese in the mix is also a great taste!  Some people even like to add bacon!  Now, to personalize this even further, instead of extra cheese on top, consider crushed Ritz crackers, seasoned panko, crushed onions from the can, etc.  The choices are endless.  This really is Macaroni & Cheese YOUR WAY!
Here we go ...

Ingredients
1 lb. of cooked pasta, any shape will work
4 T butter
4 T flour
3 c whole milk
16 oz. cheese, divided
S&P to taste
Paprika

Boil the pasta for approximately 8 minutes or until al dente, using the water measurement specified on the box.  While the pasta is cooking, make the cheese sauce.
In a 2-quart sauce pan make a rue by melting 4 T butter; and whisking in the flour, Continue to whisk for about a minute to cook the rue and eliminate the raw flour taste.  While whisking, pour in the milk. Vigorously whisk until smooth; add salt and pepper.  Continue to cook until the bechamel thickens. Remove from heat and add 3/4 of the cheese.  Stir until completely melted.
After 8 minutes has passed, check the pasta for doneness.  It should be firm; but not hard.  (Note: Pasta cooks even more after it's been removed from the water.) Drain the pasta. Combine the pasta with the cheese sauce and pour into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish.  Top with remaining cheese; sprinkle with paprika.  Bake for approximately 25-30 or until bubbly.

Enjoy!

Kale, Chorizo & Bean Soup

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
1 pkg. fresh chorizo
1 large yellow onion
1 T minced garlic
2 Bay leaves
1 qt. chicken broth
1 qt. vegetable broth
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
2 large carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 medium potatoes, diced
1 T salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2" rind from a hard cheese like Parmesan or Romano.
1 lb. fresh kale, rinsed

1 loaf of crusty bread

Drizzle olive oil into a large frying pan.  Add chorizo, onion & garlic.  Cook for approximately 5-6 minutes.  Transfer to slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients, EXCEPT for the kale and the bread. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6-8 hours.  During the last 30 minutes, add the kale.  When kale is wilted, serve with crusty bread.

Enjoy!