Let’s Eat ! combines my rich Italian heritage with years of southern tradition in my debut cookbook (published by Author House).
My love for cooking shines through in this comprehensive book, suitable for all levels of cooking experience. Let’s Eat! provides readers with simple, inexpensive dishes. Recipes range from “Potato Flake Chicken” to “Chocolate Italian Cookies.”
My strong Italian background is emphasized throughout the book in many recipes, by combining my love of tradition and her passion for rich flavors.
Some of the unique dishes have been cultivated through years of experience, filling the hearts and stomachs of friends and family. I believe you should: “Enjoy what you do! Your kitchen is your way of self expression and the heart of your home.
In Let’s Eat!, goes on to share cherished childhood memories of her family cooking authentic Italian meals. I recall: “Back when my great grandmother used to make pizza they called it ‘Tomato Pie’. It was not like pizza we get today. It was square and had sauce, oregano, and grated cheese on top.”
Not only will you get some great recipes in my book, but I've also included helpful cooking tips for first-timers and some useful veteran secrets. I take great pride in my recipes and am excited to share them for the very first time.I'm confident these recipes will satisfy your family and friends the way that I have for so many years.
The Food
My cookbook is truly for all ages and cooking levels. With No fancy frills added to it. I share easy simple recipes that simple !! And yes I do suggest and give substitute ingredients to help make the meals easier for you . For exsample I tell you how to make a pasta dish but I also tell you how to use a jar sauce ........ That’s right not everyone has the time to make a sauce or maybe you never have . I explain how to add to it to make it special for your taste. I am Italian and I make homemade sauce and I’m also guilty of using a jar sauce in a pinch .
So now that I have cleared that up about sauce let me share with you my delicious roast with fresh basil and a glass of wine .
🌶 Tex-Mex chili
My homemade Chili is very good however I really dont like heavy spice .So I always make a cool down version of it . I love it with some sour cream .and some chips . You can bump up the heat anyway you like it’s all about taste and preference!
Fettuccine Alfredo
I love this simple creamy rich tasting dish . You can do so much with it adding chicken or broccoli, I really enjoyed adding some frozen vegetables and some mushrooms instead of adding any chicken .. It was not only hearty it was delish with every bite .
BBQ Meatballs
BBQ meatballs are a favorite in my home .. They are great for parties and so easy to make . I have made them so many times for different events . They are so delish that they are gone before anything else on the table.!!
Christmas Cookies
Who doesn’t love cookies ? I love chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven . Homemade are always best .. And my favorite Christmas 🎄 Cookies are sugar cookies with a powder sugar Frosting yum!
Pepperoni and Sausage Bread
We have been making these breads for Christmas for a very long ttraditionally on Christmas Eve! coming from a large Italian family my grandparents always made lots of fish the seven fishes it consist of cod fish and calamari, squid and the list goes on .. I was never a fan of all that fancy stuff as a child so over the years we changed things and created new traditions, Christmas Eve consist of a lot of finger foods and delicious little items like these pepperoni and sausage bread’s. Christmas day we get together for a large meal like lasagna or baked ziti and this year it will be baked ziti .
Whatever your tradition is on this holiday season enjoy it with family and friends and Merry Christmas 🎄
Ice Cream Sandwiches
I love making my own stuff so when it comes to sweet treats this is the best . I bake from scratch chocolate chip cookies and then I just use ice cream to fill them . And that’s it You can make ahead and freeze them as well !!
Shepherds Pie
One of the best comfort foods is my Shepherds pie. Everyone makes it different however I really like how this taste adding just a few extra things. I make my mashed potatoes to give them a little zing I add a little whipping cream to them . Also I use a lean ground beef less fat in the meal I add a little butter to the meat ( along with salt and pepper) Next I add green beans and corn and carrots i like to do fresh but in a pinch you can use frozen . I add onions cook them down with my veggies I like to make a gravy to add to this and you can use a gravy mix. Or I will use cream of mushroom soup to one can of milk either way I combine it all together little salt and pepper to taste then I top it with the potatoes . I will use either Frenches onion mix or cheese and I add that after it’s been baking for at least 45 min until hot and bubblie then add the topping till either the cheese is melted or onions are golden brown . That it !
Pasta Sauce
We haven’t had pasta in a few weeks if not longer However when we do I start my sauce in the morning and it cooks all day . In my cook book I mention that it’s okay to use a jar sauce and it is . If your a new cook , In a hurry or a student or you just never made a sauce. there is nothing wrong with a jar sauce . Because it’s a base and you can add to it to for instance meat like pork or meatballs you can add mushrooms or green pepper.s . So don’t deprive yourself of a spaghetti meal because you never made a homemade pasta 🍝 sauce . And with that said it was a pasta Sunday and I cooked a homemade sauce all day long !
Steak & Eggs 🍳
Who doesn’t love a good breakfast ?? I do and eggs are good for you In moderation . and it’s a good source of protein . I don’t always have a steak with my morning meal ! But if I have leftover steak I put it to good use . Just something about a yummy steak with some eggs . It’s just Simply Delish !!
The Month of Love 💕
February the month of love . It’s all about love ! So my motto for this month is love well and with all your heart . Love with food, flowers, or candy 🍭 or just love each other just because . We all know food is a way to the heart even if it sweets ! These cookies I’m sharing were Given to me but they are so beautiful and so delish !! ❤️
Cream Of Mushroom Pork Chops
This recipe I created many years ago when I was married to a military man i was newly married and a young mother who had moved away for the first time from home to California I had to learn how to cook and this was one of many of my dishes I made it eventually led to my first cook book .
The recipe is simple : You start out with porchops and you soak them in milk next you mix flour in a bowl with salt ,pepper and garlic powder, paprika ,and parsley.
Next you dip the pork in the milk and roll it in the flour and fry the pork chops . I use a cholesterol free oil . after they are done drain off the excess oil .
Next in a bowl mix 1 can or 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup depending on how many your making I usually do one can for two people to one can of milk .I then add paprika to it for color . After its mixed well I pour it over the top of the porchops and lower my temp. I use an electric skillet to make this meal it’s so much easier . I let it simmer and stir occasionally.
Always make sure the pork is cooked well before staring this step after they have cooked in the mixture about 15 min they are ready to serve . The mushroom mixture goes great with mashed potatoes and rice . Its easy and it’s delicious the porchops are so tender . When I created this back in the 80s we were young and on a budget and this worked it was a easy cheap and delicious go to meal ! You can follow all my food dishes @ SimplyDelish on fb
When the gift of love is food ❤️
I bake often and I love making cakes ! Valentine’s Day is the one time I go all out . I’ve made this cake many times and I usually make it on Valentine’s Day. I also make Mini cupcakes. A way to the heart is food and a few sweets never hurt !
eggplant meatballs with pasta 🍝
This is one of my favorite dishes!! It was my great grandmothers recipe and it’s truly delish .. And it’s simple to make.
Just peel your eggplant and boil it until it turns color not to much you don’t want it to soft. Then remove it from the water put it in the strainer and let it cool. Once cool enough to touch you can begin to mash it .( make sure you squeeze it to get all the water out very important) Add breadcrumbs ,one egg ,salt ,pepper ,garlic powder Parmesan cheese , Basically everything that you would add for meatballs. Then you will roll them and fry them and add to sauce and serve plain or with pasta ! They are Simply Delish !!
Chili
Chili can be made so many ways with all kinds of beans . I use navy beans as well as kidney beans. White beans are great for white bean chili . But this dish has more than just beans it also has coffee in it . Not a lot but enough the recipe calls for coffee and it was delish ! My thoughts on this at first were COFFEE eww but it really was good . I get a lot of questions on how to keep the chili from being watery I suggest using less liquid would help . You need some but not a lot you should get enough from the other things you add such as the tomatoes and sauce . Use a good chili powder for seasoning and your good to go .
Roasted Veggies
I love roasting vegetables they are so good and so healthy for you. In the winter time I love to roast root vegetables. But two of my favorite spring like veggies are Carrots and Asparagus ! I’ll roast any vegetable .. I use olive oil and fresh ground pepper and kosher salt on the asparagus with a dash of garlic powder I toss them and place them on a tray and let them cook I don’t cook them to long but enough to where they still have a crunch but soft enough to eat . As for the carrots I do the same I don’t use pepper on them but they are tossed in olive oil with some kosher salt and some garlic powder and then I use fresh dill .. Both are Simply Delish and so good for you !
Portobello Mushroom Hamburger !
One of my favorite ways to make a delicious hamburger is to sauté a portobello mushroom and add it along with lettuce and tomato and all the other fixings . There is just something about the way it taste it’s really delicious.
That is if you like mushrooms 🍄
Fettuccine Alfredo !
I love pasta period .. But I really love this simple dish for many reasons I can add vegetables, chicken , shrimp it’s endless tonight I kept things simple Instead of having it as a main meal it was a side dish . I call it easy fettuccine Alfredo it was simply delish !!
Pot Roast
It’s Sunday and I wanted a comfort food dish and this is it it’s hearty and filling and so good .
Here is my recipe.. I used a simple chuck pot roast I added onion , carrots, organic potatoes you can use whatever you like. I added mushrooms along with two cans of cream of mushroom a little bit of water salt pepper and some garlic powder. I added parsley just a touch and fresh rosemary sprigs. I then added 1/2 cup of red wine I placed this in the oven on 200 for 3 hours then I bumped up the temp to 350 for two more hours . I started it at a slow cook and raised it at the end. I served it with butter milk biscuits. The taste of the rosemary the wine and the mushrooms and all the flavors were just mouth watering delicious!! this meal will feed four easily . I used a cast iron Dutch oven put it in and just let it cook until it was done . The meat and vegetables were flavorful and fork tender !! Enjoy!!
Birthday cake
Aside from cooking I love baking . I really enjoy baking for occasions such as birthdays . This beautiful fun cake I made for my husband with a yummy butter cream frosting .
I used a bundt cake tin then I made a white cake . The frosting was butter cream tinted with food coloring to get the pale blue color that was so pretty I hated to have to cut it . Added some fun sprinkles to add some color and a few candles and this was the end result . It was moist and delicious!! Birthdays are special and birthdays cakes are even more special when you make them yourself.
Banana Bread
Nothing is better in the morning than banana bread it’s sweet and so good with a cup of coffee. Its a comfort food for sure ! I use very ripe bananas to make my bread there is just so much more flavor from a overly ripe banana. better to use them than waste them .
It’s moist and delicious!! if you like walnuts you can add them I leave my plain.
Homemade pasta
Nothing better than making your own pasta and it’s so easy to do my grandmother’ always made all her own pasta and pizza growing up and my grandfather made his own wine . They always had a garden and loved garlic !!
It’s simple to make and easier to use a mixer such as a KitchenAid. But if you don’t have one just do it the old fashion way roll out the dough and cut it . My grandmother used a fork and dried the pasta on the bed on a white sheet .
The recipe for the dough is simple flour3/1/2 cups 4 eggs 3 Tbl of water mix it and add more water if needed but make sure it’s not to sticky . once you get the right consistency wrap it in a plastic wrap or do it the old fashion way in a dish towel and place it in the frig for about 30 minutes.
Ravioli
I love to cook that’s obvious. So this morning I got up and decided to make homemade ravioli just using a regular ricotta cheese filling. it brought back such great memories of both my grandmothers but I decided not to use my mixer and rolled all my dough by hand. should we say I got a good workout because I did. The recipe for This is pretty standard and you can find it all over the Internet on how to make dough but I made it the way my grandmother always made it.
This is what I did: I used 2 cups of all purpose flour and a little a little extra on the side for dusting 1/1/2 teaspoons of salt three eggs plus one extra and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
To prepare this I mix the flour and the salt then I make a well in the middle of the flour adding the eggs only three mixing it together with my hand slowly adding in the olive oil.
This is going to get sticky that’s why you need extra flour at your discretion for dusting keeping your board covered and using it to help the doughs consistency. Now that the dough is made you’re going to roll into a ball and place it in a bowl if you have plastic wrap you can wrap it if not cover it with a dish towel and set it aside for 30 minutes. I just left mine in the bowl and covered it. All that you’re doing here is allowing the gluten to rest.
Next you’re going to break it up into small pieces and your going to roll it out thin this is where you have the option of using your mixer and using the rolling attachments to help you roll out the dough .But I rolled mine instead by hand . I used a small glass to make my ravioli shapes I just pressed it into the dough and that’s it . I prepared my filling which I do ahead of time and I let it sit for 45 minutes In the refrigerator to help bind the ricotta . I add salt, pepper , garlic powder ,and parsley 1 egg . I mixed it real good cover and place place it in the refrigerator until your ready . once the dough is cut out I use 1 teaspoon of the ricotta then I take my egg wash that I made with that extra egg and I put some around the edges and place it on top and use a fork to press the edges .
I dust Raviolis with a little flour Placing them on a cookie sheet. I put them in the freezer for 30 minutes to dry. Then I move them to a freezer bag until I’m ready to cook them. They will cook for 2 min in a pot of water with salt once they start to float they are done . drain and serve .. you can store homemade ravioli in the freezer for up to six months in an airtight bag.
Bolognese
This is simply a hearty comfort dish in so many ways . I have made this countless of times over spaghetti. But every now and then I’ll make it with small shells or rigatoni’ or ziti . Bolognese is simply a dish you can’t go wrong with . I usually make a hearty sauce with hamburger and garlic tomatoes sometimes I’ll add sausage ground into the meat .u I use tasty seasoning like I do with all my sauces I add fresh basil from my garden and it’s just right with some fresh Parmesan cheese . A delicious family recipe used time and time again.
Garlic Spread
Making homemade garlic butter for your bread is simple and delicious. Using regular butter whipped and some fresh garlic chopped with a little garlic powder and parsley a pinch of salt and that’s it.. Simple for a delicious garlic bread!
Summer Salad
This is one of my favorite cold summer salads. I use frozen peas, cauliflower, cucumber some fresh dill and a little mayo . It’s tasty and refreshing!