Cheers The Cookbook

Happy St. Joseph’s Day!! These are called Sfingi. Fried sweet dough with cinnamon and sugar! They are best eaten as soon as they are fried and rolled in that delicious sugar!! This brings back memories when I was young and we would anxiously wait in grandma’s kitchen for these sweet treats!!

Happy 4th everyone! All ready for the picnic. On the menu are Caprese Skewers, BBQ Bacon Bleu Potato Salad, and Bourbon baked beans. Picnic wouldn’t be complete without brews and Joey Chestnut condiments for the dogs! What is everyone cooking today? Enjoy and be safe!🇺🇸🎆

https://youtu.be/XDrMSPtb7vs

Chef Pam joins the What's New crew to help jazz up your Memorial Day cookout Chef Pam joined the What's New crew today to help Northeast Ohioans spice up their traditional Memorial Day spread!Why settle for the same boring, plain hot ...

My contributions to Easter dinner! Carrot cake, Spring/Easter sugar cookies and Rainbow deviled eggs. The leftovers were just as delicious!! Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday filled with peace, love and sunshine ☮️❤️☀️

Happy St Patrick’s Day! Hope you enjoyed some Irish fair today. Tonight’s dinner was delicious! A little secret ingredient to make your corned beef tasty and oh-so-tender? Dill pickle juice!!

Here’s a picture of our spicy gumbo dinner!Happy Valentine’s Day!

The best way to say I love you is to cook or bake something for your Valentine. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. I’m happy with soup and grilled cheese! My Valentine made me Spicy Gumbo. It’s a hearty dish full of comfort! So whether it’s for a special occasion or just because, get cooking and add some love!❤️

SPICY GUMBO

1 Tbls olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 hot peppers like jalapeño or Serrano, minced
4 cups mirepoix (about 1 1/2 cups each diced celery, onion and carrots simmered in a little oil until softened)
3 Tbls Cajun seasoning
1 28oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
12 oz andouille sausage, sliced
1 lb raw tail-off shrimp
Chopped chives

For the roux

6 Tbls butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk or chicken broth
Heavy pinch of salt

VEGETABLES
Heat oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, hot peppers, mirepoix and vegetables. Sauté for 10 minutes or until it’s all soft and fragrant.

BASE
Add the tomatoes, broth and spices. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour for the best flavor.

ROUX
Melt the butter over medium heat. Add flour and let it bubble in the pan for a few minutes. Add the milk or broth a little at a time, whisking to incorporate it and make it smooth. Season with salt.

FINISH
Add the roux to the gumbo pot and stir to combine. Simmer for a little longer over low heat. Stir in sausage and raw shrimp. When shrimp is pink it’s fully cooked. Stir in a handful of chives and serve over brown rice, red quinoa, white rice or just by itself. It’s that good!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Ringing in the new year with the traditional pork and sauerkraut! I love sauerkraut balls! They do take time but so worth it!! Also made Hoppin John, a southern tradition of rice and beans, black eyed peas are a favorite. Add some ham and Cajun spices and it’s a great hearty dish.
Here’s the recipe for anyone who would like to try it. You can find the sauerkraut ball recipe in my cookbook. Wishing everyone a new year filled with happiness, good health and peace.

Hoppin John

1 lb black eyed peas
1 Tbls olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 large green pepper chopped
1 jalapeño chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
1 lb cooked ham diced
4 cups chicken stock
2 Tbls Cajun seasoning

In a stock pot heat oil. Add garlic, onion, celery, jalapeño and green pepper. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add chicken stock, ham, peas and Cajun seasoning. Simmer until heated through. Serve over cooked white rice.

Cookie decorating class was so fun and all the girls earn their badges! I’ve been making this sugar cookie recipe since my girls were little. Now it’s passed on to the next generation!! Love making memories!

Getting ready for a cookie decorating class with my granddaughter and her Girl Scout troupe. Can’t wait to see how the cookies turn out. I’m sure the girls will be creative with the frosting and all the sprinkles! They will certainly all earn their badges!!🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

Tune in to Fox8 tomorrow morning at 8:30. I’ll be doing a holiday food demo. We’ll be making a Peanut Butter Pretzel Cheese Ball! For those not in the viewing area I will post the link. Thanks for watching!!

Apple Cider Mimosas! Happy Thanksgiving!!🦃🍁

If you are in the WKYC viewing are tune in this Friday at 5pm. I will be doing a demo on tailgating food. Coca Cola Pulled Pork Sliders and Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes. Let me know if you watched the show. I am so excited to be invited back!!

Fall comfort food at its best! Love this crisp! And the house smells like fall when it’s baking. It was a perfect day for apple picking with my family. Hillcrest Orchards in Amherst was a fun place and had the best selection of apples to pick. Cortland and Jonagolds were the apples I used in the crisp. So delicious!! Ohio apples are the best!!
Enjoy everything this season has to offer.
Happy fall! Happy baking!

Today seemed like a great day to make Oatmeal Raisin cookies. A delicious classic warm from the oven! Comfort food at its finest!! So make a batch and enjoy!

Let me just say…. I LOVE pancakes!!!! They make me happy! I decided to try something different this morning by substituting spelt flour for all purpose white flour. I knew I would love them no matter what! Spelt flour is an ancient grain and 100% stone ground. It’s a type of whole wheat flour made from the entire grain. A healthier option that I have excitedly embraced. I added local blueberries,thanks to my friend Bear, making them a sweet and delicious addition. Add REAL Ohio maple syrup and uncured turkey bacon to make this a guilt free breakfast!
We could all use a pancake or two!

Spelt Pancakes

2 cups spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)
2 Tbls sugar (cane)
1 Tbls cinnamon (opt)
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups milk (coconut)
1 Tbls vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk wet ingredients in another bowl. Add dry to egg mixture. Butter hot griddle and ladle batter. Sprinkle a few blueberries if you like. Makes 16-18 pancakes. Use batter for waffles too!

My obsession with pineapple continues!! A cocktail is the perfect way to enjoy this delicious fruit. I’m naming this one The Hummingbird. The cake by this name has pineapple and banana in it. ( the recipe is in my cookbook!) One of my favorite cakes. Five ingredients make this a perfect summer cocktail. Here’s what you need: 3 shots of pineapple rum, 2 shots of creme de banana, club soda, pineapple juice and lime. Fill your glass with ice. Mix the rum and banana together. Pour over ice. Pour club soda almost to the top of the glass. Add a splash of juice. A squeeze of lime juice and a slice. This makes two drinks or one large one! It’s so summery! Now I need to fine pineapple stir sticks!!! Enjoy!🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍

Strawberry season is upon us!! I decided to take advantage of the short season this year and go picking. My grandkids have never gone. It was quite an adventure. Glad we arrived early. The parking lot only had a few dozen cars. We were excited and brought 8 buckets with us to the fields! Luckily there was a wagon ride to and from. We had fun and left with 4 full buckets!! The lot was packed with many excited pickers waiting! My little helpers got treated to fresh strawberry lemonade for all their hard work. The fruits of our labor: jam and cupcakes! Waffles too but they were gone before I could get a picture!! Enjoy the summer and all it has to offer!

Happy Mother’s Day! Thanks to my husband, I started the day with a delicious egg, Gouda and thick bacon Asiago bagel sandwich. And yes, that is a mimosa!! Enjoy the day moms!🌸

Nothing says comfort than baking chocolate chip cookies on a rainy spring morning! My tea is brewing and I’m ready to enjoy the cookies my grandkids request every time!! 🥰🍪

Dinner southern style! Hoppin John with southern greens and cornbread. This is typically eaten on New Years Day for good luck. Maybe it will bring the same luck today!! The recipe for the greens is in my cookbook. Try it soon and hopefully it will bring you some luck!

Being together with my family was the best today! The next best thing we’re the cocktails and bacon scones we enjoyed with brunch!! Hope you’re enjoying this gorgeous Easter Sunday!

Easter brunch wouldn’t be complete without carrot cake! Decided to make cupcakes and use these cute carrot picks. The recipe was given to me by a dear friend many years ago. I think of her every time I make it. So delicious! It’s in my cookbook but I’ll post it in case you don’t have my book.
Happy Easter! Happy Spring!

Sweets for the sweet!!

A traditional cheese fondue! Perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with my honey. Complete with champagne and candles! Chocolate covered strawberries are next! Have a wonderful day celebrating with that special someone. We should do this more often!!🥂❤️

Classic Swiss Fondue

1 tsp roasted garlic
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
2 cups shredded Jarlsberg cheese
1 cup shredded smoked Swiss cheese
2 Tbls cornstarch
Fresh ground black pepper
Cubes of bread, pears, apples and ham

In medium bowl toss cheese with cornstarch. Set your fondue pot to 250-300 degrees. Add wine, garlic and lemon juice. Add shredded cheese a cup at a time melting each cup. Add black pepper to taste. Serve with cubed breads, fruits and meats.

New York style cheesecake!! I baked it today for a sweet ending to my husband’s birthday dinner. As a New Yorker, he knows cheesecake! He said this is the real deal!! There is no better compliment!
Message me and I’ll share my secret!

Here I am with my granddaughter Elle. She asked me to make her a rainbow cheetah cake that she saw on a Utube video for her 6th birthday. She only wanted to help me bake the cake because she wanted to be surprised at her party! And she loved how it turned out. She is an excellent sous chef!! As you can see the cake turned out perfectly. I think we have a future pastry chef in our family!!
Happy to share the recipe and our tips with anyone who might be interested in this awesome creation. Well worth the time but most importantly time spent with Elle was priceless.