Buon Italia's Ricetta Risotto ai Quattro Formaggi

Dear Friends,

 

I hope everyone had a fantastic New Year celebration. I relaxed this year and visited my family in New England and then came home with my husband to spend a quiet weekend at home with our cat Abby. I was very happy to see my cats Puffy and Tigger at my family's home. We opened up presents there, cooked together, and watched movies for about four days.

 

One of the places I shop at annually for gifts for my family is at Buon Italia in New York City located in Chelsea Market on the west side. They have so many wonderful shops there for everyone on your list! Everything from stylish apparel to delicious grocery items baked goods. Buon Italia offers a vast array of fine, imported Italian grocery items, from olive oil and caviar to coffee, tea and cookies. It is sometimes so difficult to choose what you'd like to purchase, if only you had a wheel barrel to wheel everything you'd like home!

 

Below is a recipe I found on their website that I'd like to share with you. It looks so delicious to make as a side dish for dinner. I'll be making it myself very soon!

 

Try it at home and tell me how you like it.

 

RICETTA RISO AI QUATTRO FORMAGGI

(Rice with Four Types of Cheese)

 

 

Ingredients

 

300gr rice

 

200gr soft cheese

 

1 oz (30g) mozzarella cheese—cubed

 

80gr butter

 

1/2lt meat broth

 

Salt

 

1 oz (30g) Provolone cheese—cubed

 

pepper

 

3 tbs grated parmesan cheese

 

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

 

Butter

 

Directions

 

Slice thinly onion, sear with a bit butter using a medium-pan.

When brown pour rice, stir some minutes with a wooden cookware and let rice brown; cook rice adding hot broth.

Add all cheese and mix together.

Season with salt, when rice is tender take away from heat, add butter and grated parmesan.

Mix well and serve.

 

Original recipe is found here on Buon Italia's website.

Christmas Funfetti Cake Batter Truffles

 Dear Friends,

I would like to share this recipe with you. I hope to make this within the coming days of Christmas! This recipe was originally posted on Lauren's Latest, one of my favorite food and home blogs. This recipe is extremely easy to make, and fun! Plus, it is no bake. They tasted so delicious and were a hit with all of my family members this holiday. I look forward to making them again!

I have not made cake pops yet but I can't see the purpose in baking the cake and crumbling it all up once it cools to mold the cake into small balls. Why not follow a recipe similar to this one and mix and match your favorite flavors? Before you coat the cake truffles in icing, place a small lolipop stick in and dip, with a fork just in case the truffle may slip off the stick.

Yield: 24 small truffles
Ingredients

1 cup white cake mix

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon Christmas sprinkles + more for decoration

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips or vanilla almond bark

Truffle batter. Feel free to add more milk in case you think the batter is too dry.

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk cake mix, flour and sugar. Stir in melted butter, vanilla, milk and sprinkles. Mixture should be moist and be able to hold its shape easily when formed. Using a cookie scoop, form mixture into even balls and refrigerate 20-30 minutes.
In the mean time, melt chocolate in a double boiler or slowly in the microwave. Using a fork, drop one of the cake batter truffles into the chocolate and roll around to coat. Tap off the excess gently and transfer to cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Top with more sprinkles, if desired.

The finished product; I used sugar sprinkles instead of traditional sprinkles

Sisters Gourmet Review for the Holidays

Dear Friends,

I have the pleasure of reviewing two mason jars filled with dry cookie ingredients, compliments of Sisters Gourmet. I had the opportunity to try two of their special Christmas mixes, including Merry and Bright- Winter White Cranberry and Merry and Bright- Elf Treats. Both cookie mixes have a retail price of $12.99.

The holiday season can certainly be a very joyful and exciting time for all. Writing Christmas cards, listening to holiday music in the radio and while preparing meals at home in addition to shopping for our loved ones and writing out our own Christmas list. My ultimate favorite part of the season is baking holiday cookies, cupcakes and creating elaborate, festive appetizer trays that include an assortment of cheeses, white chocolate and holiday sprinkled covered pretzels, vegetables, fruits and an array of dips (my favorite being a crab cream cheese dip).

Sisters Gourmet

It is certainly the true that the holidays can become overwhelming and chaotic. To be honest, this is the first year I have not started my Christmas shopping! However, I did have the opportunity to sit down and write out all of my Christmas and Hanukkah cards the other day. To help make your holidays a little less hectic (and a fantastic holiday gift idea), I'd like to share with you Sisters Gourmet pre-measured mason jars filled with cookie and brownie mixes!

Each mix was phenomenal. From its exquisite, holiday-themed presentation right down to how deliciously simple each recipe is, you can make freshly baked cookies in no time for your family and friends or you may decide to give the mixes as gifts to your loved ones. The cookies were moist, gooey and very tasty. The Winter White Cranberry were especially festive, I loved the colors of the ingredients that evoke a sense of the holidays. The Elf Treats were so delicious and chocolatey, the youngsters of the family especially loved the Elf Treats, which the name being so appropriate!

For a limited time, orders over $60 have free shipping! Visit their blog or website to learn more information. 

Their website offers baking tips and recipes! Each mix comes with its own recipes in addition to quick tips for that item! Sisters Gourmet: "Baking a difference since 1995." Visit their website to learn more about their company and how they were founded and began.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SistersGourmet

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SistersGourmet

Happy Baking!

Holiday Snowball Cookies

Dear Friends,

Below is a great recipe for the holidays, but can be made for any event during the year! It is also very easy to make. Instead of using holiday morsels, consider using butterscotch chips or dark chocolate chips. Personally, I like to mix it up!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups butter , softened
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1 ¾ cups Nestle Toll House holiday shapes and morsels
• ½ cup nuts , chopped finely

Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 375°F.
2. BEAT butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt in large mixer bowl until creamy.
3. Gradually beat in flour; stir in Shapes & Morsels and nuts.
4. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
5. BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Sift powdered sugar over hot cookies on baking sheets. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, if desired. Store in airtight containers.

Happy Baking,

Gingerbread House

Below are photos of the gingerbread house my aunt and I decorated for the holidays:

Don't you love my abominable snow bunny?

Lots of snowmen live there too!

Happy January!!

Disney World Trip

Below are pictures from my husband's and my trip to Disney World during the holidays this December and January:

Beach Club

Train Set, Yacht Club

View from our room, Yacht Club

Teppan Edo, Japan in Epcot

Crab Stack, California Grill

Dessert, California Grill

American Idol, Hollywood Studios

Kris and Me, California Grill

Beach Club Resort

Grand Floridian

Yacht Club

Italy, Epcot

View from Balloon, Downtown Disney



Gingerbread House, Grand Floridian

Beach Club

Germany, Epcot

Epcot Christmas Tree

Happy New Year!