Twice Baked Twins
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Fresh Beet Salad
Twice Baked Twins Roast Marshmallows
MY Little Margie's- Famous Rice Pudding
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Fresh Beet Salad
As Joy & I try to survive the summer with her kids, (they are driving me crazy too!!) We try to sneak in some work, but they always have to be driven somewhere, at least twice a day. Why do they need to have their nails done? When we were their age we did it ourselves! Anyway we try to get away early in the morning while they are still sleeping which gives us enough time to visit the farmers markets or a small local farm. We love to see what fruits & vegetables have been harvested this week and each one inspires us with an idea for a new recipe! As we pull up to one of the markets, the aroma of fresh bread baking hits us right where it hurts! Our stomachs! We are starving. We are always starving. Why is that? That big “cuppa” coffee we started off with was not enough to stop us from sampling everything in sight including fresh fruit and cheeses to lovely homebaked goodies and the local honey.
To our surprise, someone is baking fresh pizzas in a portable wood oven, with whatever fresh fruits and vegetables the farmers have supplied him with this week. It’s just delightful. From peaches and red onions to red beets and basil. Thats it!! Beets! We remember the beet salad Nana served quite often. Gosh, how did we forget that?
Most people are not familiar with fresh beets at all and have no idea how to prepare them. Actually it is very simple. Wash the beets and cut off each end. Place in a roasting pan with a little water to create some steam. Maybe a 1/2 inch-ish of water? Yes, that sounds good! Roast @425 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. They are ready when u can pierce them easily with a knife. Let them cool slightly, slip off the skins then slice. Easy right?
We love hearing from all of you. Thank you so much for all the warm wishes and delicious recipes you have shared with us. Please keep sending us your favorite recipes and we will post on our website if you wish. We love reading every single one of them! Please visit us @TwicebakedTwins.com and you can email your recipes to: Joi0627@aol.com – cookievig@aol.com. Enjoy!
Fresh Beet Salad, It really is that Easy!
1 pound beets (3-4 medium sized) stems removed, washed
good quality bleu cheese, crumbled (maytag is wonderful)
sea salt
pepper
olive oil (best quality)
balsamic vinegar
praline pecans (recipe follows)
To prepare the beets: Wash the beets and cut off each end. Place in a roasting pan with a little water to create some steam. Maybe a 1/2 inch-ish of water? Yes, that sounds good! Roast @425 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. They are ready when you can pierce them easily with a knife. Let them cool slightly, slip off the skins then slice. Cut into round slices or wedges, whichever you prefer.
Praline pecans
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
Prepare a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray lightly with Pam spray. In a medium size saucepan combine sugar and water and bring to a boil. Increase heat slightly and cook syrup, without stirring, about 12-15 minutes, until golden. Your looking for that golden to amber color. Now remove from heat and stir in already toasted pecans. Be careful the sugar syrup is hot! Working quickly spread the pecans onto the cookie sheet and press with the back of a large spoon to flatten. Cool completely. Break into small pieces.
To assemble salad: arrange beets on plate, drizzle with olive oil &sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar. Top with crumbled bleu cheese (or your favorite cheese) and garnish with these fabulous sugared pecans. They are heavenly!
To our surprise, someone is baking fresh pizzas in a portable wood oven, with whatever fresh fruits and vegetables the farmers have supplied him with this week. It’s just delightful. From peaches and red onions to red beets and basil. Thats it!! Beets! We remember the beet salad Nana served quite often. Gosh, how did we forget that?
Most people are not familiar with fresh beets at all and have no idea how to prepare them. Actually it is very simple. Wash the beets and cut off each end. Place in a roasting pan with a little water to create some steam. Maybe a 1/2 inch-ish of water? Yes, that sounds good! Roast @425 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. They are ready when u can pierce them easily with a knife. Let them cool slightly, slip off the skins then slice. Easy right?
We love hearing from all of you. Thank you so much for all the warm wishes and delicious recipes you have shared with us. Please keep sending us your favorite recipes and we will post on our website if you wish. We love reading every single one of them! Please visit us @TwicebakedTwins.com and you can email your recipes to: Joi0627@aol.com – cookievig@aol.com. Enjoy!
Fresh Beet Salad, It really is that Easy!
1 pound beets (3-4 medium sized) stems removed, washed
good quality bleu cheese, crumbled (maytag is wonderful)
sea salt
pepper
olive oil (best quality)
balsamic vinegar
praline pecans (recipe follows)
To prepare the beets: Wash the beets and cut off each end. Place in a roasting pan with a little water to create some steam. Maybe a 1/2 inch-ish of water? Yes, that sounds good! Roast @425 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. They are ready when you can pierce them easily with a knife. Let them cool slightly, slip off the skins then slice. Cut into round slices or wedges, whichever you prefer.
Praline pecans
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
Prepare a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray lightly with Pam spray. In a medium size saucepan combine sugar and water and bring to a boil. Increase heat slightly and cook syrup, without stirring, about 12-15 minutes, until golden. Your looking for that golden to amber color. Now remove from heat and stir in already toasted pecans. Be careful the sugar syrup is hot! Working quickly spread the pecans onto the cookie sheet and press with the back of a large spoon to flatten. Cool completely. Break into small pieces.
To assemble salad: arrange beets on plate, drizzle with olive oil &sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar. Top with crumbled bleu cheese (or your favorite cheese) and garnish with these fabulous sugared pecans. They are heavenly!
Twice Baked Twins Roast Marshmallows
MY Little Margie's- Famous Rice Pudding
There are many people that come and go as we travel through our lives. I still believe we meet everyone of them for a reason, perhaps each one leaving us with a bit of knowledge or a lesson to pass on...our family members have the greatest lessons and stories as they have a more permanent place in our life.
Our Father's sisters have inspired us with many lessons we will always treasure . While running the family grocery stores, the furniture store and caring for their families, they taught us how to be strong, positive women and how to keep family and outside interests in perfect balance.
The interest in food was and is a very big part of our family life. Passing down the much loved favorites keeps us warm in ours hearts and fills us with a feeling of comfort like no other. The recipe we have chosen today is a special favorite, as it has been for many years, prepared the same way each time with a great big handful of love and just a pinch of great pride...
MY Little Margie's- Famous Rice Pudding
3/4 cups arborio rice
6 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped or 3/4 teaspoon extract
1/2 cup vanilla sugar
dash of salt
1/4 cup cream
handful of raisins (optional)
Combine rice, milk, vanilla, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer. Stir frequently, as the bottom can burn quickly. Continue stirring until rice is tender and liquid has absorbed, about 40 minutes. Prepare coconut sauce below.
Coconut sauce
1 14oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
shredded toasted coconut for garnish
Heat all ingredients together in saucepan, over medium low heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and continue cooking until sauce is slightly thickened.
Spoon sauce over rice pudding either warmed or room temperature. Enjoy!
THE QUEST FOR THE BEST BURGER!
For everyone that follows our articles, time and again we mention
our grandfathers grocery store, the Royal Food Market, in West Hartford Ct. What we didn't know was that before PaPa opened the grocery store he had a meat delivery service that he started in the 1940's. He would drive from house to house to sell these prime meats. Our Mom and her sister Francis, described it as an old white truck with one seat in the front for him to drive and an opened space in the back. The space was filled with large blocks of ice that were purchased every morning, a large butchers block and a set of knives for him to "custom cut" as each customer requested.
He especially loved the ground meats. Beef to be exact. He would tell us, "I selected the best piece for that hamburg (never hamburger) and put
it through the grinder 3x". It was always perfect and when cooked so tender and juicy. Diving into this burger was like eating a piece of the best filet mignon.
Our grandmother would flavor them slightly different for the grill than the ones she would make inside on the stove. A splash of milk to moisten the beef, a handful of fresh breadcrumbs and a little salt & pepper to taste. Nothing too complicated or over spiced, Papa wanted us to taste the rich "beefy" flavor of the burger itself. The toppings were prepared separately, in the house and on top of the stove. Our favorite was a saute of fresh tomatoes, sweet onions, garlic and peppers all from their garden.
There is a lot of hype out there in the quest for the best burger, from the local greasy spoon to Daniel Boulud's upscale burger bar called dbgb Bar and Kitchen in NYC. I'm thinking... we still like Papa's burger best! Enjoy.
Join us on Better Connecticut, ch 3 @ 3pm on Monday June 21 to prepare a few quick and easy grilled desserts to go with this burger!!!
Roll/bun of your choice
1 pound ground beef
2-3 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons pepper
Mix all ingredients well. Pat into a 4 inch round burger and grill on each side, about 4 minutes.
Tomato Saute
3 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 italian frying peppers, chopped & seeded
salt & pepper to taste
Basil leaves, torn into pieces
Saute all ingredients in 3 tablespoons olive oil for about 5-6 minutes or until softened. Taste and reseason. Sprinkle with the basil and pile on burger. Delish!!
our grandfathers grocery store, the Royal Food Market, in West Hartford Ct. What we didn't know was that before PaPa opened the grocery store he had a meat delivery service that he started in the 1940's. He would drive from house to house to sell these prime meats. Our Mom and her sister Francis, described it as an old white truck with one seat in the front for him to drive and an opened space in the back. The space was filled with large blocks of ice that were purchased every morning, a large butchers block and a set of knives for him to "custom cut" as each customer requested.
He especially loved the ground meats. Beef to be exact. He would tell us, "I selected the best piece for that hamburg (never hamburger) and put
it through the grinder 3x". It was always perfect and when cooked so tender and juicy. Diving into this burger was like eating a piece of the best filet mignon.
Our grandmother would flavor them slightly different for the grill than the ones she would make inside on the stove. A splash of milk to moisten the beef, a handful of fresh breadcrumbs and a little salt & pepper to taste. Nothing too complicated or over spiced, Papa wanted us to taste the rich "beefy" flavor of the burger itself. The toppings were prepared separately, in the house and on top of the stove. Our favorite was a saute of fresh tomatoes, sweet onions, garlic and peppers all from their garden.
There is a lot of hype out there in the quest for the best burger, from the local greasy spoon to Daniel Boulud's upscale burger bar called dbgb Bar and Kitchen in NYC. I'm thinking... we still like Papa's burger best! Enjoy.
Join us on Better Connecticut, ch 3 @ 3pm on Monday June 21 to prepare a few quick and easy grilled desserts to go with this burger!!!
Roll/bun of your choice
1 pound ground beef
2-3 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons pepper
Mix all ingredients well. Pat into a 4 inch round burger and grill on each side, about 4 minutes.
Tomato Saute
3 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 italian frying peppers, chopped & seeded
salt & pepper to taste
Basil leaves, torn into pieces
Saute all ingredients in 3 tablespoons olive oil for about 5-6 minutes or until softened. Taste and reseason. Sprinkle with the basil and pile on burger. Delish!!
Scallop Shooters
Written by By Joy Paoletti and Judy
Vig for Hersam Acorn PublicationsJoy and I decided to take off for a couple of days to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a little much needed rest & relaxation. Wow, all the memories from our senior class trip came flooding back! (now that’s a blast from the past!) The balmy Florida air, the palm trees standing tall with all their splendor... are we in heaven? We decide to see if our teen hangout is still there, the outdoor restaurant called Shooters. It was right on the water so you could take a water taxi or a private boat, oh... did we say boat? We meant yacht! You could just pull up, hop out and enjoy a great bite to eat! And hop out they did; one more handsome than the next. I wonder if Don Johnson is around...
Its here! The restaurant is still here! We take a deep breath; trying to compose ourselves and get right to the menu, let's talk about the food.
The fresh fish is plentiful here and the variety is even better. We choose a few different kinds of fresh fish to sample, grouper, mahi mahi and shark bites but fall in love with a small platter of scallop shooters. It is a large sea scallop, grilled perfectly with a spicy yet tangy lime mayo dressing on a small soft bun. Just too much perfection in one day! Serve these with our fresh blueberry lemonade. It is a great refreshing drink to go with these little beauties.
Scallops
1 pound jumbo fresh sea scallops (or frozen if fresh is not available)
olive oil
S'wepper (mixture of salt & pepper)
avocado for garnish
Wash and pat dry all the scallops. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Grill 2-3 minutes on each side. Assemble by laying each scallop on a small roll. Brush with the mayo mixture and a slice of ripe avocado.
Spicy Mayo
1 cup prepared mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
mix together all ingredients and taste. If you like less hot, go with 1/2 teaspoon on the peppers! Enjoy!
Blueberry Lemonade
8 oz store bought lemonade
1/4 Blueberry vodka
1 tablespoon Blackberry liquor (not blackberry brandy)
1 fresh lemon slice
small handful of fresh blueberries
Serve in a tall glass with ice and a straw to get every last drop! This is for 1 8oz serving.
Coffee Crusted Tenderloin Steaks with
Roasted Smashed Potatoes
2 Filet Mignon steaks
1 cup coarse salt for tenderizing
1/2 cup chocolate coffee grinds (finely ground)
coarse black pepper
2 oz, good quality dark chocolate
2 small red potatoes
splash of olive oil
s’wepper (salt & pepper)
fresh rosemary for garnish
Prepare tenderloins (Filet Mignon)
Generously salt steaks on both sides. Let sit 15 minutes. Rinse and dry completely. (the steaks should sit on paper towels for a few minutes to completely dry). Select a good chocolate coffee and grind to a fine powder. Season steaks with cracked black pepper and press into coffee as if they were breadcrumbs. Grill steaks for about 4 minutes on each side or to your preferred doneness. While steaks are grilling, wash and pierce red potatoes. Microwave for 3 minutes to speed up the grilling time. When done microwaving, add to grill just to enhance the grill flavor. Smash or flatten potatoes, drizzle with olive oil salt, pepper and a sprinkle of rosemary. Enjoy!
1 cup coarse salt for tenderizing
1/2 cup chocolate coffee grinds (finely ground)
coarse black pepper
2 oz, good quality dark chocolate
2 small red potatoes
splash of olive oil
s’wepper (salt & pepper)
fresh rosemary for garnish
Prepare tenderloins (Filet Mignon)
Generously salt steaks on both sides. Let sit 15 minutes. Rinse and dry completely. (the steaks should sit on paper towels for a few minutes to completely dry). Select a good chocolate coffee and grind to a fine powder. Season steaks with cracked black pepper and press into coffee as if they were breadcrumbs. Grill steaks for about 4 minutes on each side or to your preferred doneness. While steaks are grilling, wash and pierce red potatoes. Microwave for 3 minutes to speed up the grilling time. When done microwaving, add to grill just to enhance the grill flavor. Smash or flatten potatoes, drizzle with olive oil salt, pepper and a sprinkle of rosemary. Enjoy!
Our Summer Picnic Salad will steal the spotlight at your next family barbecue
Written by By Joy Paoletti and Judy Vig for Hersam Acorn Publications
The warm weekends are a perfect time to plan a barbecue with family and friends and keeping it simple and easy is definitely the way to go especially after a busy week. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken or fish; it's all delicious when grilled to perfection! Judy and I like to serve any of these with homemade blueberry lemonade or an iced sweet tea with fresh mint, but what about the side dishes? We are so sick of that same coleslaw, potato salad and "that every picnic macaroni salad" the kids want us to make! Our Aunt Fran (DeDe) came up with a great new idea for a side picnic salad.
Since we are Italian, lets start with pasta, ravioli's, small cheese filled pillows. Add some sweet tomatoes, fresh basil and a sprinkle of pignoli nuts and you have got yourself one easy, delicious picnic salad. Enjoy!
Ravioli Picnic Salad
1 lb small ricotta ravioli's, cooked and drained well
2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup black olives
1 shallot, sliced thin
1 small bunch basil, torn
grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Toasted pignoli nuts for garnish (optional)
Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white rice vinegar
splash of red vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Cook ravioli's according to packaged directions. Drain and place ravioli's in a single layer while cooling. (This way they won't stick to each other). While pasta is cooling, combine the oil, vinegars and salt & pepper in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add ravioli 's and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and pour just enough dressing to coat. Very gently toss salad to blend all ingredients. Sprinkle with the torn basil, grated Parmesan and toasted pignoli's. Taste and re-season. Enjoy!!
Remember to pick up a copy of this months issue of the FOOD magazine. Wolfgang Puck is on the cover and Judy&Joy, the "Twice Baked Twins" have a full page feature recipe too!
Welcome Home Soldier
The chocolate chip cookie has been a favorite for decades. Some add oatmeal, M&M’s, peanut butter and nuts. Ruth Wakefield invented the traditional cookies accidentally in 1934. Ms. Wakefield owned the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts and served these gems to her customers. It is reported that Ms. Wakefield had run out of her baking chocolate and substituted a chocolate bar that was given to her by Andrew Nestle. (Sound familiar?)
During WWII, the GI’s from Massachusetts shared these cookies, which they received in care packages from back home, with soldiers from other parts of the United States. Soon hundreds of GI’s were writing home about the crunchy little cookie asking for more. And the nation-wide craze began.
A wonderful young man has entered our lives and our hearts this year…he is an American soldier. With much hesitation and sadness we wait for his safe return. Pride, fear and silent tears overwhelm us daily...
Judy and I will be honoring our brave men and women this year as we bake this old wartime favorite waiting anxiously for their safe return. My daughter and I will wait patiently, once again, until we can say the words “welcome home soldier” and until then, may God bless them all.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 cups, minus 2 tablespoons, CAKE flour1 cup BREAD flour
2/3 cup self rising flour
1 1/4 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
2 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/4 t vanilla extract
1/1/4 lbs chocolate discs, 60 % cacao content (I used choc chips) it was perfect.
SEA SALT (for garnish-its fabulous!!)
-Sift flours, add baking soda, baking powder and salt.
-Cream butter and sugars until very light (5 min.)
-Add eggs, one at a time
-Add dry ingredients and mix until combined
-drop in chocolate pieces and incorporate them gently
-cover & chill up to 36 hr
-drop cookie batter onto sheet and sprinkle with sea salt
-Bake 350 F – line sheet with parchment paper
-bake 15-20 minutes, every oven and cookie size is different
Enjoy, they are worth the wait!!!!!!!!!!!
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A Very Special Mother's Day Recipe
Chocolate, The Ultimate Passion
Written by By Joy Paoletti and Judy Vig for Hersam Acorn Publications
It is early morning and the house is very still.
The sun is starting to rise, and I can feel its warmth through the window of the kitchen door.
“Wow, where are all the fingerprints? Someone must have cleaned it before they went to bed.” What a great way to start Mother’s Day,” I say to myself. “Somebody actually helped do something.”
The scent of the lilacs Judy brought over yesterday fill the kitchen as I think about the plans for the day. As I sip my hot black coffee my mind starts to wander, and my eyes fill up with tears.
I remember the lilacs at our grandparents’ house — such wonderful memories. I’m missing them terribly, especially today. “Happy Mother’s Day, Nana. We miss you.”
Very soon Mom will arrive along with the rest of the family. The noises coming from upstairs remind me that my quiet time is over, and it is time to get busy preparing our meal.
My favorite memories are the times we all gather around a table, share a story and a laugh.
“La familia,” Papa would say, “there is just nothing better.”
The recipe Judy and I have selected for you is surprisingly easy and has a very different ingredient — chocolate. For Mom and I, chocolate is our ultimate passion. I hope she will enjoy it as much as I did preparing it.
2 tenderloin steaks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cracked white pepper
Coarse sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/4 cup port wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup beef stock
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
Brush steaks all over with one tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt and pepper on both sides of tenderloins. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to skillet and turn heat to medium high; pan should be very hot. Add steaks and cook (3 to 4 minutes per side, based on your preference for doneness).
Remove tenderloins from skillet and keep warm. In the same skillet, stir in minced shallot; cook for one minute. Pour in the port and balsamic vinegar. Simmer until the port reduces to the consistency of chocolate syrup, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add stock and rosemary, and return to simmer. Whisk in chocolate until melted and slightly thickened. Lastly, whisk in 2 tablespoons of cold butter. Re-season to taste. Enjoy!
The sun is starting to rise, and I can feel its warmth through the window of the kitchen door.
“Wow, where are all the fingerprints? Someone must have cleaned it before they went to bed.” What a great way to start Mother’s Day,” I say to myself. “Somebody actually helped do something.”
The scent of the lilacs Judy brought over yesterday fill the kitchen as I think about the plans for the day. As I sip my hot black coffee my mind starts to wander, and my eyes fill up with tears.
I remember the lilacs at our grandparents’ house — such wonderful memories. I’m missing them terribly, especially today. “Happy Mother’s Day, Nana. We miss you.”
Very soon Mom will arrive along with the rest of the family. The noises coming from upstairs remind me that my quiet time is over, and it is time to get busy preparing our meal.
My favorite memories are the times we all gather around a table, share a story and a laugh.
“La familia,” Papa would say, “there is just nothing better.”
The recipe Judy and I have selected for you is surprisingly easy and has a very different ingredient — chocolate. For Mom and I, chocolate is our ultimate passion. I hope she will enjoy it as much as I did preparing it.
Peppered crusted beef tenderloin
with chocolate port sauce
with chocolate port sauce
2 tenderloin steaks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cracked white pepper
Coarse sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/4 cup port wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup beef stock
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
Brush steaks all over with one tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt and pepper on both sides of tenderloins. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to skillet and turn heat to medium high; pan should be very hot. Add steaks and cook (3 to 4 minutes per side, based on your preference for doneness).
Remove tenderloins from skillet and keep warm. In the same skillet, stir in minced shallot; cook for one minute. Pour in the port and balsamic vinegar. Simmer until the port reduces to the consistency of chocolate syrup, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add stock and rosemary, and return to simmer. Whisk in chocolate until melted and slightly thickened. Lastly, whisk in 2 tablespoons of cold butter. Re-season to taste. Enjoy!
Celebrate spring-time with our
Pasta and Lemon Ricotta Recipe
