Anise Pizzelles

I have previously posted about pizzelles, but because there are many potential flavors, here is another recipe. You can expect to see more in the future, such as chocolate, mocha, orange, and many more. Pizzelles are made using a pizzelle press, which is a lot like a waffle iron. Pizzelles are great to make in the summer when you would rather not turn on the oven.

Anise is somewhat common in Italian baking. For this recipe, I used anise seed, but anise extract or ground anise is more common. If you look closely at the photo, you can see the seeds in the cookies. Anise tastes like licorice. I used just enough anise seed to give these pizzelles a sweet and light flavor. If you really like anise, you could easily use more in the recipe.

Anise Pizzelles 

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. anise seed
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Add butter, vanilla, and anise. Blend in flour and baking powder. The batter will be stiff. Preheat the pizzelle iron. Drop batter by the spoonful into each pizzelle pattern. Close pizzelle iron and allow about bake about one minute. Remove the pizzelles with a spatula and allow to cool on a flat surface. Sprinkle pizzelles with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Sauteed Asparagus

When I was a kid, Mom frequently boiled vegetables to cook them. But now, Mom regularly sautes fresh vegetables such as asparagus, Brussels sprouts or broccoli. So, many Saturday nights at Mom's now include freshly sauteed vegetables. The younger nieces and nephews are not that interested in the veggies at all, but the older nieces and nephews are starting to like these veggies.

For this batch, I found purple and green asparagus at the farmer's market. Frozen asparagus works just fine, too. The recipe here is simple and can be modified in many ways. There is no need to add any seasoning, but if you like, you could add just about any seasoning. When I made this batch, I used paprika and oregano. If you use fresh garlic, add it to the olive oil for a minute or so before adding the asparagus.

Sauteed Asparagus 

• Aspargus
• olive oil
• seasoning, if desired

Wash the asparagus. Trim each stalk and cut into about two-inch segments. Add the olive oil to a  large skillet and heat over medium-low heat. Add asparagus and seasoning. Saute, while occasionally stirring, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Corn Bread

This recipe is not from family history, but one that I have discovered on my own. I happen to love all things pumpkin, especially with cinnamon and nutmeg. Normally, we are inundated every September with pumpkin-flavored everything. But there is no reason to wait until Fall to have delicious pumpkin foods. And this pumpkin cornbread is just the right balance of pumpkin and seasoning that tastes great any time of year.

This recipe is a basic cornbread recipe that is modified with the addition of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg. It has the nice crunch of cornbread along with the tasty pumpkin seasoning. This pumpkin corn bread is best eaten warm.

Pumpkin Corn Bread  

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1/3 cup milk
• 3 Tbsp. butter, melted

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour into a greased 9X9 pan. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool. Enjoy!