Tag Archives | weekend company

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

By on March 2, 2012 in Appetizers Recipes, Recipes
Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Print
Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Ingredients

  • Cantaloup- cut into small chunks
  • Proscuitto- 1/2 – 1 lb
  • Figs- Fresh, quartered or dried figs
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Toothpicks

Instructions

  1. Wrap cantaloup and fig together with prosciutto secured with a toothpick
  2. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar before serving or serve with a dipping bowl of balsamic vinegar
https://tonispilsbury.com/prosciutto-with-melon-and-fig/

 

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig.  Can you get more old-school Italian than this decadent appetizer?

In fact, I believe the proper way to pronounce “prosciutto” in Italian is to leave off the “o” sound at the end with just an ever so slight “t” sound.  It sounds like “pro-shoo…..t“.

Not to mention, it makes a beautiful appetizer.

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Here’s a photo tutorial for this simple recipe.  And for a short story about my favorite summertime appetizers: Summer No-Cook Appetizers

Ingredients:

  1. Cantaloup- cut into small chunks
  2. Proscuitto- 1/2 – 1 lb
  3. Figs- Fresh, quartered or dried figs
  4. Balsamic Vinegar
  5. Toothpicks

Directions:

Wrap cantaloup and fig together with prosciutto and secure with a toothpick.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar before serving or serve with a dipping bowl of balsamic vinegar.

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Figs

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Prosciutto

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Sliced Fig

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Prosciutto with Melon and Fig

Delicious

 

For another delicious summer appetizer, check out Caprese Salad.

Caprese Salad By Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook

Caprese Salad- Summer Appetizers Made Simple

 

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Caprese Salad

By on March 2, 2012 in Appetizers Recipes, Recipes

Caprese Salad Recipe

Caprese Salad By Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook

Caprese Salad By Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook

Print
Caprese Salad

Ingredients

  • Beefsteak Tomatoes- 2-3
  • Fresh Mozzarella- 1 lb
  • Fresh Basil
  • Olive Oil
  • Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions

  1. Find Your Cutest Serving Plate
  2. Slice Tomatoes into half-inch slices
  3. Slice Mozzarella also into half-inch round slices
  4. Assemble tomatoes and mozzarella on plate
  5. Place a basil leaf in between each slice of tomato and mozzarella
  6. Wait until just before serving to drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
https://tonispilsbury.com/caprese-salad/

 

Caprese Salad is one of my favorite summertime appetizers, and here’s why:

1.) I can put some of that basil from my garden to good use.

Basil

Fresh Basil

2.) I can assemble it ahead of time in just a few minutes and pull it out of the refrigerator just minutes before serving.

3.) There’s no marinating or cooking involved in this simple recipe.

 

Here’s a photo tutorial for this simple summer recipe:

Ingredients:

  1. Beefsteak Tomatoes- 2-3
  2. Fresh Mozzarella- 1 fresh loaf
  3. Fresh Basil
  4. Olive Oil
  5. Balsamic Vinegar

    Caprese Salad By Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook

    Caprese Salad Ingredients

Directions:

  1. Find Your Cutest Serving Plate
  2. Slice Tomatoes
Caprese Salad By Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook

Slice Tomato

3.  Slice Mozzarella

Caprese Salad By Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook

Slice Mozzarella

4.  Assemble tomatoes and mozzarella on plate

Caprese Salad By Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook

arrange tomato and mozzarella slices

5.  Place a basil leaf in between each slice of tomato and mozzarella

Caprese Salad By Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook

place a basil leaf in between each slice

6.  Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar before serving

Caprese Salad By Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook

drizzle with olive oil and vinegar before serving

7.  Enjoy with your guests.

Caprese Salad By Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook

Enjoy

 

For another favorite summertime appetizer, check out Prosciutto with Melon and Fig.

Prosciutto with Fig and Melon

Prosciutto with Fig and Melon Recipe

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Piazole? What’s A Piazole?

By on June 2, 2011 in Making Dinner, Recipes

Family Dinner For A Large Group

So here’s the recipe and story about Steak Piazole.

Steak Piazole Recipe

Ingredients:

  1. beef round sirloin tip steaks, thin- 4-5lbs
  2. onion, white- 1 large, peeled and sliced into strips
  3. green bell pepper- 1, sliced into strips
  4. crushed tomatoes- 1 28oz. can
  5. beef broth- 1 can
  6. spaghetti pasta- 1½ lbs

Steak Staples:
• olive oil- a few tbspns
• minced garlic- 2 tbspns
• garlic salt
• dried oregano
• crushed red pepper flake (optional)
Spaghetti Staples:
• olive oil- ¼ cup
• minced garlic- 2 tbspns
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

My stepfather, “Skip” grew up in Connecticut in an Italian family.  When he and my mom would visit me he often talked about his favorite steak dish that his mom- God rest her soul- cooked.  Apparently, his mother never handed down her family-favorite recipe to anyone in the family.

So, I asked him to describe it the best he could, and then I got to work.

Directions:

The steak is extra tender when cooked in a slow cooker. Just follow skillet directions below using the slow cooker instead of the skillet on High for
6-7 hours.

Steak
1. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil with minced garlic in large deep skillet over medium-high heat
2. Season steaks with garlic salt, oregano and a little crushed red pepper (optional depending on how spicy you want it); place into skillet, turning
each one until slightly brown on both sides then stack then on top of another if needed
3. Add onion slices, bell pepper slices, tomatoes and broth; bring to boil; cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until steak is tender;
approximately 60 minutes; or cook in slow cooker on high for 6-7 hours
Spaghetti
4. Boil spaghetti pasta in salted water until tender; drain pasta reserving some (about ½ cup) of the cooking water in pan; return spaghetti to warm
pan and water; toss
5. Add to spaghetti: olive oil,minced garlic and red pepper flakes (optional) to taste; toss well
Serve steak individually over spaghetti

Steak Piazole from The Organized Cook, Toni Spilsbury

Steak Piazole from The Organized Cook

With absolutely no recipe to go by, I attempted re-create a dish I had never eaten.  Everyone loved it and now I make it nearly every time they visit.

After seasoning and searing the steak with garlic, dried crushed peppers and olive oil, I leave it to simmer for hours in bell peppers, onions and tomatoes; the steak is so tender it flakes with a fork.  Then I serve it with spaghetti.  It’s the perfect dish for weekend company because it requires only minutes of my time to prepare and then I can leave it for half the day while I spend time with my guests.

Italian Salad from The Organized Cook

Italian Salad from The Organized Cook

When I decided to include it in my Weekly Meal Plan System, I had to give it a name.  “Steak with Peppers and Tomatoes”.  Too stale.  What would “Nonni” call it?  An entirely new name for this recipe seemed fitting since it was entirely new to me.  Skip threw out some names and we finally decided on “piazole”.

What’s a piazole?

It’s steak simmered in tomatoes and peppers after being seared with seasonings.

So, now you know.  We’ll see what Wikipedia has to say about that.

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