HOT SUMMER, COLD CARDINALS - AUGUST 20, 2010

HOT SUMMER, COLD CARDINALS - AUGUST 20,210

Greetings to all the great and wonderful fans of Rosalie Serving Cookbooks!

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, I have experienced lots of hot summer days, but how quickly we forget them until we leave our homes and walk out into the sultry, steaming dog days of summer. With temperatures reaching 100-degrees the past few days, frying an egg on the sidewalk seems totally possible.

 

Take my tomato plants for instance. I reached in to pick a lovely red tomato and it became instant tomato soup in my hand. The zucchini monster plants have all but dried up into skeletons, and I haven't seen our humming birds in days. I guess they all flew north. And how about getting into your car in the middle of the day? My bootie melted right into the floor board.

But then on the other hand, our beloved St. Louis Cardinals are cooling things off a bit. Like, how about landing in the middle of the north pole, and right in the middle of August? We amazingly sweep the Cincinnati Reds, and loose every game since. I say, break out the popsicles.

So, I just broke into my imagination and thought I would celebrate both the weather and baseball with two fabulous dishes. For the hot days of summer, how about a delicious cool Lemonade Pie. Just one bite will arrest the sweat glands. And since I have made five testers in the last few days, I just can't wait to give you the final and best version ever.

And now, about those cold, cold Cardinals. Well, I thought if they tasted my Chicken Gnocchi Soup ( much better than Olive Garden's, by the way), they would be so warmed up and energized, nothing could stop them. This soup is so light and delicate with the little homemade dumplings that your taste buds will do jumping jacks in your mouth.

Well, there you have it. A delicious soup followed by the best summer pie you could ever hope to experience. Be sure to look for the recipes in this newsletter. Have fun, and keep cool….take in a baseball game.

Rosalie

　

LEMONADE PIE - AUGUST 20, 2010

ROSALIE'S LEMONADE PIE - AUGUST 20, 2010

NOTE:

What I love most about this version of Lemonade Pie is the smooth texture and tangy/tart taste all in one. While most cream pies have a store bought graham cracker crust, this one is homemade and laced with sweet brown sugar. Simply divine!

11/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

 

2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

1 (12-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

 

Canned whipped cream,

 Or 1 carton (8-ounce) cool whip

1 lemon, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and butter and press into a 9-inch pie plate. Place in freezer for 8 to 10 minutes to set.

2. In large bowl, stir together the milk and lemonade until well blended. Add the lemon zest and stir into the mixture. Pour into the crust and bake pie uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until set. Remove and chill pie 3 to 4 hours until firm.

3. Top with whipped cream and garnish with lemon slices. Serves 8.

NEWSLETTER - JUNE 8, 2010 - THE SECRET'S IN THE SAUCE

NEWSLETTER - June 8, 2110 - The Secret's in the Sauce

 

Greetings to all the wonderful friends and fans of Rosalie Serving Italian and Rosalie Serving Country Cookbooks. Today, June 8, is my wedding anniversary of many years to a wonderful husband, Bill, who always reminds me that he is still "driving Miss Daisy." Miss Daisy of course, is me. I know he loves it, even when he packs the cookbooks, pots, pans, and food.

Back to the newsletter. Did you all know that the secret of many delicious recipes is in the sauce? Now, I personally don't know why we always use the "sauce" for the "secret." I mean, what about hair spray? What would we all look like if the hair spray went flat? Or if the kitty litter didn't have the smell killer strong enough? You know, you've been in some homes where this was evident. Or, what about the underarm deodorant that went south? Can you imagine working with that individual for 8 hours? Even yet, how about the toilet bowl cleaner that never worked; you were the one to notice.

So then, why do we usually always apply the "secret" to the sauce? I guess because food is the last thing we would want to be short changed on. Especially, when we get all dressed up on our anniversary to go to the 5-star restaurant, only to be disappointed with "the secret" that just wasn't there in the sauce. This is why we all need Rosalie Serving Cookbooks for the greatest sauces in the world--am I prejudiced?. Of course! What kind of cookbook author would I be if I didn't believe in my product?

Just take the Italian Peppermint Sauce listed in Rosalie Serving Italian cookbook on page 120. This little sauce gets mostly unnoticed next to the great Rosalie's Red Sauce, or the Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce--even the ever popular Marinara Sauce. It's true these sauces are all fantastic and it is very easy to overlook this delicious, taste bud jumping, awesome sauce.

I and many other Sicilian kids, grew up with peppermint sauce. We knew if our dad's were grilling Modiga Steaks, or the wonderful Spiedinis, whether chicken or beef, we would have the peppermint sauce to top it off. I can still see my dad going over to the peppermint patch in our back yard and cutting off the sprigs, while mom made the fresh tomato sauce in the house. He would dip the sprigs in the tomato sauce and lather the meat while it was still on the fire. Yum! I can taste it now!

So, the next time it's your turn to contribute to the barbeque, surprise everyone with Italian Breaded Chicken Rolls and Italian Peppermint Sauce.

Have fun,

Rosalie

 

 

Italian Breaded Chicken Rolls

 Note:  These wonderful little rolls will have your taste buds hopping; they are awesome!  Cook them on the gril, or just fry them up in your pan in olive oil.  

 

 

6 thin skinless chicken filets         2 beaten eggs

olive oil                                        1/2 cup Italian Style bread crumbs

coarse garlic salt with parsley     1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

                                                         2 cloves garlic, minced

1(10-ounce) package frozen       2 tablespoons fresh Italian

chopped spinach, drained            flat-leaf parsly, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil               1/3 cup olive oil, more if needed

salt and pepper                          

6 thin slices prosciutto                   coarse sea salt to taste

1 cup rope provel cheese,            ground black pepper to taste

or 6 slices buffao mozzarella      grated Parmesan cheese garnish

 

1.  Rinse chicken fillets well, pat dry and place on work surface.

Fillets should be about 1/8-inch thick.  If too thick, pound between waxed paper to flatten.  Brush olve oil on both sides and sprinkle with the coarse garlic salt.

 

2.  Squeeze thawed spinach to remove excess water and place in bowl.  Add olive oil with a little salt and pepper to flavor spinach.

Toss together.  Place 1 slice of prosciutto over each fillet.  Next, add 1 tablespoon spinach over prosciutto.  Lastly, add some rope prove or the slice of mozzarela.  Starting from one end, roll the fillets up jelly-roll style and secure with two strong thoothpicks.

 

3.  Beat eggs until fluffy.  Mix bread crumbs, cheese, garlic and parsley together.  Place bread crumb mixture in shallow bowl.  Dip each roll in the eggs and then into the bread crumbs.  Fry in hot oil 4 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.  Turn heat down and put lid on pan to steam the rolls, 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove rolls to a large platter.

 

4.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve as is, or top with Italian Peppermint Sauce.                                                

CHOCOLATE ICEBOX PIE - MAY 25 - 2010

Chocolate Icebox Pie-- May 25, 2010
Note: This chocolate filling is rich with marshmallows folded in, and
topped off with chocolate curls. Everyone will love this pie.

2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 ounce Baker's semi sweet chocolate square
1 tablespoon butter
7 tablespoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons water

3 extra-large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 baked 9-inch pie shell or graham cracker crust shell

Sweetened whipped cream
Chocolate curls

1. In medium saucepan, combine 2 cups milk, sugar, cocoa, semisweet
chocolate square, and butter. Bring just to a boil over medium heat.

2. In medium bowl, mix cornstarch and water until cornstarch is
completely dissolved. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk. Whisk in egg
yolks and vanilla until well blended. Gradually add to mixture in
saucepan, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Cook, stirring
constantly, about 2 minutes or until mixture is thickened and smooth.
Add marshmallows and stir until marshmallows melt and mixture is
smooth.

3. Pour into pie shell. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at
least 2 hours.

4. Remove plastic wrap. Top with whipped cream and garnish with
chocolate curls.

*For sweetened whipped cream, chill small deep bowl and beaters in
freezer. Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup chilled whipping cream at
high speed until it begins to thicken. Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar and
1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until thick and spread over pie. Serves 8.

HELP! GIVE ME SOME CHOCOLATE - MAY 24, 2010

May 24- Help! Give Me Some Chocolate!

Greetings to all the great fans of Rosalie Serving Cookbooks. The
month of May is usually filled with holidays lending to
more-than-our-pocketbooks-would-care-to- spend month. There is
Mother's Day, graduations, wedding showers, proms, and Memorial Day
reunions. All of these, as grand as they are, do come with delightful
stress.

For me, Mother's Day was great, especially when I heard that Mary the
mother of Jesus, left Jesus for three days back in Jerusalem when they
were traveling. Since I have left one or all of my three children in
various places; like on the back of the church pew, on the church bus
and in the restaurant, hearing this really lifted my spirits. Yes, I
have been vindicated!

And then we had a perfect graduation celebration in the Harpole
family. My granddaughter, Taylor Ryan, made us all proud when she
graduated from Lackland Air Force Base -basic training. After almost
nine weeks of rigorous work-outs, when she received her "coin" and
recited the 'Air Force Oath,' there wasn't a dry eye in the place.
The only negative was the 20-hour drive from Terre Haute, Indiana, to
San Antonio, Texas. If it wasn't for the Ole Sawmill Café, in Forrest
City Arkansas, where I had the buffet of *Catfish Steaks,* Barbeque
Chicken,* *Gumbo,* *Mustard Greens,* *Peach Cobbler* and Tums for the
next two days, the trip would have been uneventful.

Of reunions, I am the coordinator for the Italian Memorial Day reunion
in my family. We celebrate the families of three sisters and one
brother; the Castrogiovanni's. The three sisters married
respectively; Joe Campise, Phil Abbacchi, and, my father, William
Fiorino. Their brother was Tony Castrogiovanni. If you can imagine
the uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends of the cousins, all yelling
at the same time to make our point and with the kids running amok,
this is it. We all gather under the park pavilion tasting *Spiedini,*
Red Sauce over Penne,* Italian cookies, and *Lemon Ice. Other than
great indigestion, and ears ringing, we all go home vowed to return
for more of Italy the next year.

Other than another graduation to run off to tonight, the month of May
will soon wind down and we may even have some sun. But I say….enough
of the excitement. "Help! Give me some chocolate!" Did you know that
a little bit of chocolate calms the nerves, sooths anxiety, and is
good for you? Well, even if I made it up, it sounds good to me…taste
good too. I say, if we must go through life's journey, make it sweet.
How about the best Chocolate Icebox Pie tonight? This is bound to
bring it all together…with "sweet memories" to boot.

Love always,
Rosalie

FOR THE LOVE OF ROSES

May 4, 2010 - For the Love of Roses

Greetings to all the lovely friends and fans of Rosalie Serving
Cookbooks. Hope you all are cooking up a storm out of my cookbooks,
Rosalie Serving Italian, and Rosalie Serving Country.
But, if you are planting rose bushes and annuals in your flower
gardens, I can understand.

It is always this time of year in the beautiful month of May that I
get the rose bush fever. I also love all flowers and have a modest
variety from snow ball bushes and lilacs to snap dragons and
marigolds. But the love of them all is the most beautiful flower, the
rose. So, I must tell you that I found a great place to get very
beautiful roses--60 varieties in all. There are Grandifloras,
Floribundas, Hybrid Teas, climbers, shrub, English roses, and even
yellow knock-outs This little piece of heaven is called *The Apple
House.*

The Apple House is located in Terre Haute, Indiana at 2711 South Third
St. and the web site is www.theapplehouse.com . You will love the
drive, as it is only 2 ½ hours from downtown St. Louis. You can stop
at the Cracker Barrel in Effingham to break up the drive, have some
meat loaf and okra, and then on to Terre Haute. When you first enter
the nursery, you are so over come with the beauty of hanging baskets,
flower boxes filled with pansies, and garden art work so lovely, you
just want one of everything.

There must be at least 10,000 square feet of the most gorgeous plants
I have ever seen. Of course, I usually head right to the outdoor rose
section, as I did over the weekend, while visiting with my children.
My husband, Bill, who has probably planted at least 1,000 rose bushes
over the years of our marriage, usually cringes and threatens to go
fishing-- but since he can't fish, I know I'm safe. Of coarse he did
load the six roses I chose in the back seat. Cappuccino, my Shih Tzu,
sympathized with Bill, since he had to ride in the front seat all the
way back home.

Now, you say, what do roses and flowers have to do with cooking? I am
so glad you asked. Did you know that when you have a bouquet of
flowers in the middle of the table, the kids act better, the food
tastes better, everyone smiles more, and the presence of flowers
complete the great meal you are serving.

Before you all start laughing, just try it. Unless you have a cat
that hates the smell of lilacs and bids her time to jump on the table
and send the flowers crashing, (I say lock up the cat.) Even if you
don't like planting flowers, and have none in you garden, just go on
down to Wal-Mart, and pick up a $5.00 bunch. They will sometimes last
well over a week, and everyone can enjoy the pretty table, set or not
set. And if you really can't afford the $5.00, just knock on your
neighbor's door and beg some of her Shasta daises. She'll be so
flattered, she will no doubt dig some up and plant them for you.

So, don't forget to fix a good meal tonight, right out of my new
Rosalie Serving Country cookbook--how about Country Fried Steak with
the rich peppery gravy, on page 147, accompanied by the Best Instant
Mashed Potatoes, on page 77. Don't forget the flowers of your choice
to top it all off, and make a memory.

Love, and bring on the flowers.
Rosalie

Country Fried Steak from Rosalie Serving Country Cookbook

NOTE: It wouldn't be a country table without country fried steak.
This ever popular meal is on almost every restaurant menu and is still
considered a "comfort food." With the rich peppery gravy and mashed
potatoes, this could be the perfect meal after a hard day.

4 (4-ounce) cube steaks
Lawry's coarse garlic salt with parsley
pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika

2 eggs, lightly beaten
Canola oil

¼ cup flour used from dredge
½ cup Kitchen Basics low-sodium beef stock
1 to 1½ cups milk
salt and pepper

1. Lightly sprinkle steaks with garlic salt and pepper. In shallow
dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Place the beaten
eggs in another shallow dish. Dredge each steak in the flour mixture,
then dip in the eggs, and then dredge the steaks again in the flour;
pat well to seal flour. Save ¼ cup of flour mixture.

2. Pour oil to the depth of ½ inch in the bottom of a large cast iron
or heavy skillet. Heat the oil over medium high heat and fry the
steaks 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper
towels.

3. Pour off all but ¼ cup of the oil in skillet, leaving any browned
bits from the bottom. Heat oil over medium heat, and sprinkle ¼ cup
of the dredge flour over the oil. Stir the flour into the oil and
cook for about 1 minute. Add the beef stock and stir into flour.
Gradually add the milk and stir gravy about 3 to 4 minutes until gravy
becomes thick and bubbly. Add any additional seasonings if desired.
Place steaks on platter and pour gravy over top. Serve with Best
Instant Mashed Potatoes recipe found on page 77. Serves 4. RECIPES
FOUND ROSALIE SERVING COUNTRY COOKBOOK

GIRL'S NIGHT OUT

NEWSLETTER - APRIL 23, 2010 - GIRL'S NIGHT OUT

Greetings to all the great fans of Rosalie Serving Cookbooks.
Hopefully I have an audience that likes to cook or at least pretends
to like it, since it is a means to our daily survival. But if you are
one that rather have someone else cook it and you eat it, then I have
just the solution….Girl's Night Out!

To where?…Cooking class, of course. If you have never experienced
attending a cooking class with a bunch of eager-to-learn cookbook
fanatics, then you have definitely missed out. It is a night filled
with fun and always rewarded with good food to eat right on the spot.

I have been very privileged to be one the cooking instructors for the
Dierbergs School of Cooking that hold classes in the St. Louis, MO and
Edwardsville IL, locations. The schools are held right in the
Dierbergs Grocery Stores and are available at 5 locations: Bogey
Hills in St. Charles, MO, Clarkson, at Clarkson & Clayton Roads, in
Ellisville, MO, Edwardsville in Edwardsville, IL, Southroads at Tesson
Ferry Road and I-270, and West Oak at Craig Road & Olive Boulevard in
Creve Coeur, MO.

All Dierbergs have free schedules of the classes, so you can pick one
up and find out exactly what classes are in process at any time. I was
at the Southroads Dierbergs this past Wednesday night and taught a
class of 14 ladies. The class title was, *Country Cottage Lunch,*
taken from my cookbook, Rosalie Serving Country, and the menu was
awesome, featuring; Rosalie's Homemade Dinner Rolls, Baked Potato
Soup, Beef Stuffed Peppers, Wedge Salad with Crumbles, and Key Lime
Pie.

There were moms with daughters, aunts with nieces, and just long time
friends in groups of three or more. I usually introduce myself by
saying: Hi, I'm Rosalie. I am 100% Italian, and my husband, Bill, is
100 pounds Italian. While they are laughing, I sneak one or two of my
famous jokes…like…Knock Knock, who's there? Cash. Cash who? I
didn't realize you were some kind of nut.

We then get right into the cooking, and this past Wednesday, I started
off with demonstrating the Homemade Dinner Rolls. I bring dough from
home, punch it down, and make it into rolls so they can rise while
class is going on. Then I make the rolls from scratch, and pass
around a little snip so everyone can feel how elastic the dough should
feel. I then tell the story how the husband and wife were about to
get a divorce, but after taking my class on bread making, the wife
made bread one night for supper. The husband went directly out to the
flower shop and brought back a bunch of roses…they now live happily
ever after.

The evening goes on like this, with more great dishes and jokes
galore. This past evening the Wedge Salad with Crumbles seemed to be
the big hit. While the hot dinner rolls, the great baked potato soup
and delicious stuffed peppers over rice were no less than phenomenal,
the salad was eaten with 'oohs and ahs.'

So the next time you need a fun night out, don't walk around the Mall
and spend money in the food court, do something exciting…come to
*Rosalie's Cooking Class*! It is the perfect Girl's Night Out!

Have fun,
Rosalie

Recipe from Rosalie Serving Country Cookbook, Page 66

Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing and Crumbles

NOTE: The Wedge Salad has become famous in the last few years and is
featured at many restaurants. It looks so elegant standing upright
along with the condiments and wonderful Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
streaming down. Make this for your special company and they will
forever have a memory of goodness.

1 large head Iceberg lettuce, cut into 8 wedges
1 large tomato,or 2 to 3 Roma tomatoes, diced small
½ cup green onions with tops included, diced small
1 cucumber, peeled and diced small, optional
1 cup cooked crisp bacon, crumbled
1 cup candied walnuts, chopped

crumbled blue cheese

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing (Time: 5 minutes)

¼ pound crumbled blue cheese
¼ cup sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
ground black pepper

1. To make the dressing, combine the blue cheese, sour cream,
buttermilk, red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, garlic and ground
black pepper in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix all the
ingredients just until combined. If possible, make the dressing
earlier in the day and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours
before using.

2, Inspect lettuce and remove any wilted outside leaves. On cutting
board, cut the head of lettuce in half, and then into 8 wedges. Using
8 salad plates, stand each wedge on its side.

3. In large mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, cucumber,
bacon, and walnuts. Mix together and evenly divide the vegetable mix
over the lettuce wedges. Crumble a little blue cheese over each
wedge, if desired.

4. Divide the chilled dressing over each wedge, letting it stream
down over the salsa. Makes 8 wedges.