**Happy Valentine's Day** Freepers are lovers Too!

www.CookingWithCarlo.com ^ | Feb 14 2004 | Carlo3b, a FReeper, Lover, Dad, Chef

[carlo3b]

Freepers are lovers Too!

**Happy Valentine's Day**

There are days that are so very special, that we should stop and take stock of the marvelous life and times that we live, and honor the wonderful people that we chose to share our lives.

This day has been set aside just for each of us to confirm and express the absolute love and joy that we feel for our loved ones, without whom life would be so shallow and lonely. Whether near or far, with us or a special warm memory, take this opportunity to tell them as you never have before, just how much you care, and how their presence has made the difference in your life.

Let me introduce you to those who have the ability to say the things you feel, in words that express the emotions that we only wish we could done ourselves. I just know that this is what you really want to say to the special ones!

First let me say to all the Freeper lovers out there, "I love you" and you have made my life so much brighter than it would have been without you......sigh.....wink!

How do I love thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace
I love thee to the level of every day's
most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
in my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
with my lost saints
I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears,
of all my life!
And if God choose,
I shall love thee better after death

~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1770-1850)
 

  "You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her."
-Anon.

Beauty and Love

Beauty and love are all my dream;
They change not with the changing day;
Love stays forever like a stream
That flows but never flows away;
And beauty is the bright sun-bow
That blossoms on the spray that showers
Where the loud water falls below,
Making a wind among the flowers.

~ Andrew Young (1885-1971)
 

  "Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up."
-James Baldwin
 

i have found what you are like
i have found what you are like
     the rain,

    (Who feathers frightened fields
with the superior dust-of-sleep. wields

easily the pale club of the wind
and swirled justly souls of flower strike

the air in utterable coolness

deeds of green thrilling light
                                       with thinned

new fragile yellows

                                   lurch and press

-in the woods
                    which
                                     stutter
                                                 and

                                                              sing

And the coolness of your smile is
stirringofbirds between my arms;but
i should rather than anything
have(almost when hugeness will shut
quietly)almost,
                            your kiss
 

  "Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye."
-H. Jackson Brown Jr.

[carlo3b]

Will you be my VALENTINE?

When the sizzle in your relationship has started to fizzle, it’s time to whip up the emotions and rattle those pots and pans.. and heat up your love life... :)

I love my Chocolate, with Chocolate and More Chocolate Cake

• 2-sticks butter (softened)

• 2-cups sugar

• 8-Lg eggs (Beaten)

• 2-cans chocolate syrup, (Hershey is my choice)

• 2-cups all-purpose flour

• 2-ts baking powder

• 1/4-ts salt

• 2-ts vanilla

• 28-oz semisweet chocolate chips

• 1-16oz sour cream

• 2-8oz pack cream cheese (room temp.)

• 2-Tsp powder sugar

• 3-Tsp brandy

• 4-Tsp Milk

• 1-ts instant coffee

• 1-pkg frozen raspberry (thawed)

• 2-Tsp corn starch

• 2/3-cups water

Preheat oven to 350
1) Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl add eggs and mix well, add the chocolate syrup, flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla mix well.
2) Pour into 2 cake pans (cut into 4-layers) bake for 25-30-min or until done. Remove and cool for 15-min then remove the cakes from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
3) Make the filling by melting one pound of the chips slowly over low heat until mixture is smooth. Then set out to Cool
4) Combine the sour cream and one of the cream cheese beat until smooth. Add the chocolate and mix well. Spread this mixture between the layers and set each layer on top of one another.
5) Prepare raspberry filling : thaw raspberry and smash till smooth add the cornstarch and water together on heat, heat till thick set aside; till it becomes thicken.
6) To Make icing: melt the remaining 12-oz of chips in a saucepan over med low heat.
7) Add the powdered sugar, orange flavored liqueur (opt) milk, instant coffee, and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool until mixture is good spreading consistency.
8) Beat cream cheese and cover the layers. assemble the layers until you have 4-layers putting filling and raspberry on top. (I put the filling on first let set and then add raspberry on top.)
9) Add brandy to cooled raspberry mixture.) continue to fill rest of layers.
10) Finish with the Icing this makes a wonderful cake....
Yummmmmm  Enjoy!

[carlo3b]

 
Here is your chance to GET ON or GET OFF this and other Carlo3B, all important..(Bwhahhahahh).. PING LISTS.

If you wish to remain*on it, just sit back and enjoy our wonderful exchange of ideas and you will be alerted whenever we start posting recipes and other valuable info re: various food management threads.
*If you have been flagged to this thread on post #2, you are already on our temporary ping list, other pings don't count... :(

To be removed** or added to the list, simply respond to this post publicly, on this thread, or Freepmail me with your preference.
**If you are annoyed that you were pinged in the first place, please accept my apology, I have lost my ping list because of a computer crash..Grrr, and be assured that your name will be expunged immediately upon your request.. :)

ALL ABOARD....The FUN FOOD TRAIN is leaving the FAT, BEHIND...
(Fat Behind, get it?)..  Hahahahhahaha...  {{{{{crickets}}}}}  *<]8^p~
 
 

[carlo3b]

Eat some Chocolate Cake and just Relax..!!

Maybe not!.. It's A GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS story...

We always knew this was so, but most of us were at a loss to explain it.. Eating something devilish, like cake or anything sweet, makes us simmer down.

Well, let me try to explain it in words that may assist us all in understanding.. This is with the help of, none other than the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.

THE GOOD NEWS. Those sweet and fatty foods that we often turn to in times of stress might in fact calm nerves, and relieve anxiety. That's the good news in an innovative biological theory of people's responses to stress. (If you are already stresses, you should stop here an get another Hershey's kiss, before proceeding)

The bad news (You knew this was coming so calm down) is that for those with chronic nervousness, and unusual levels of stress, those extra servings of comfort food come with potentially dangerous baggage, extra fat around the waist. SHAAZAM!

If that didn't do it for you .. Chronic stress, brought about by everyday trials and tribulations, is less well understood than are intermittent bouts of extreme, and acute stress. Here is what scientists know, that when a cat is suddenly attacked by a dog or a person prepares to give a speech, the adrenal gland pumps up production of stress hormones, including those known as glucocorticoids. When present at high-enough concentrations, glucocorticoids provide feedback to the stress-response system, eventually shutting it down.

To the researchers, it is still unclear how the stress response is controlled in animals that remain anxious for days at a time. However in the labs of  physiologist Mary F. Dallman of the University of California, San Francisco and her colleagues, they aim to close that knowledge gap.

Drawing on their animals studies and experiments, these and other scientists propose that glucocorticoids work differently in the long term than they do in the short term. Meaning, that when chronically present in the brain and body, the hormones maintain the stress response instead of shutting it down. At the same time, they drive animals to seek out pleasurable foods, much the same as we do in our own nest. This directs the added calories to accumulate as abdominal fat,

However, there is a bright light in this process, at least in animal experiments. That unwanted extra fat eventually checks the glucocorticoids' alarmist effects and tells the brain to Whoa!

The results from several laboratory experiments with rodents (isn't this comforting.. get another Hershey's Kiss)  support this view, the scientists say. In one set of conclusions, Dallman and her colleagues simulated chronic stress by increasing the brain concentration of a rodent version of the glucocorticoid called cortisol. As cortisol concentration rose, the rats responded by drinking increasingly more sugar water, eating increasingly more lard, and gaining abdominal girth. Ugh!

In an additional experiment, the researchers found that rats (maybe even you, you dainty mouse) with extra padding produce less-than-average concentrations of a brain chemical that triggers early molecular events underlying the stress response. HUH?
 

"If you put on some extra weight, there seems to be some sort of signal that says things are better," says Norman C. Pecoraro of UC-San Francisco, a coauthor of the paper. While Dallman and her coworkers don't know what signal the abdominal fat sends, they suspect it's involved with the regulation of metabolism.

The model "puts a new and more meaningful slant on what we mean when we talk about 'comfort foods,'" says Bruce S. McEwen of Rockefeller University in New York. "These may actually calm down an important brain system linked to anxiety."

In a fast-paced society where food is easy to get, glucocorticoid action probably causes chronically stressed people to take in extra calories and to gain weight, says McEwen.

"People are somehow stressed, and they are self-medicating because food is available," adds Pecoraro.

"We also eat sugar and fat because they are good tasting and cheap," notes Adam Drewnowski of the University of Washington in Seattle. The stress response isn't the only brain pathway that controls consumption of sweet and high fat foods, he adds.

Whatever accounts for the urge to eat a big helping of Lasagna, it's best not to indulge in it every day. The abdominal weight gain that Dallman and her colleagues have linked to glucocorticoid action increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. {{{{{SHUDDER}}}}} OH! I see... *<@)... I just thought you should know..
SOOOO.. put down the Kiss and go kiss someone..

 

[carlo3b]

 
LowCarb Almond Mousse Supreme

• 1 15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 c. whipping cream
• 1 c. Tap warm water
• 1 pkg. plain gelatin
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Sugar sub to taste, one of many great new and old brands that are now plentiful.
• 1/4 tsp. salt

1) Mix cream with 3/4 c. of water. Place gelatin in the 1/4 c. water, soften and heat until gel is dissolved.
2) Place cream and water in blender then add all the rest of the ingredients and blend at least 5 minutes on the highest setting until like cream.
Divide into 6 serving dishes.

Top with whipped cream and a tsp of fruit or berry on the top is pretty.
3 grams carb per serving
 

[carlo3b]

LowCarb Gourmet Pumpkin Pie

• 1 pk Gelatin, unflavored
• 1/2 tps Salt
• 1/2 tps Nutmeg
• 1/2 tps Cinnamon
• 1/4 tps Ginger
• 1/2 cup Cold water
• 2 lg. Egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 cup  heavy whipping Cream
• 1 1/2 cup Pumpkin, canned
• 2 Tbsp Brown sugar substitute
• 2 Egg whites
• Prepare pie crust (see . ).

1) Blend gelatin, salt and spices. Add 1/4 Cup water. Stir.
2) Mix egg yolks with the heavy cream, 1/4 cup water and pumpkin in the top of a double boiler. Add gelatin mixture.
Cook over boiling water for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Refrigerate until as thick as unbeaten egg whites. Stir occasionally.
3) Add brown sugar substitute to taste.
4) Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold chilled pumpkin mixture into egg whites. Careful not to break down volume of egg whites.
Place in pie shell. Refrigerate.
 

 

[carlo3b]

 

CAN YOU SHAKE UP YOUR SEX LIFE WITH SHIITAKE?   YES!!!!!

...I'LL SHOW YOU HOW!

Chinese emperors consumed Shiitake mushrooms in large quantities to fend off old age.  The ancient Japanese courts held the Shiitake in such regard and so valued for its aphrodisiac properties, that the growing sites were well hidden and heavily guarded.

Mushrooms are often the mysterious ingredient in stories and folk tales as well as in recipes. They stand accused in the deaths of such eminent personages as the real Emperor Claudius. By the Middle Ages their toxic qualities were harnessed into an effective fly killer. Fame finally came to the cèpe at the box office, with it's starring role in Andy Warhol's "Eat," the forty-five-minute movie of a man eating a mushroom.

Mushrooms are an ancient food, some varieties traceable to the Stone Age. They were the food of the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt, and they remained the food of the rich throughout nineteenth-century France and England. For all their haughty associations, and famed naughtiness, mushrooms are a most primitive plant.  Varieties are found the world over and successfully cultivated in caves, and in underground quarry tunnels, as in seventeenth-century France; and in abandoned limestone mines, as in present-day Pennsylvania. Mushrooms in general, and shiitake in particular are used as a powerful sexual stimulating tonic and homemade concoctions for fertility, are still found all over this universe.

Well, apart from these obvious sex maniacs, another group of people might want to give you more thoughts about the virtues of shiitake mushrooms are the so-called health maniacs. Shiitake is widely recognized as a health food, at first mainly by the Chinese and the Japanese and now increasingly, by doctors and scientists the world over. Edible mushrooms have been traditionally used throughout the Orient for their medicinal and tonic properties. A derivative property, lentinan, was and is still demonstrated to enhance host resistance against infections from various types of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

Some enjoyed the benefits of the mushroom, albeit with some reservations much as an appreciative mushroom fancier, the famed French author Alexandre Dumas who often had second thoughts, "I confess," he wrote early in the nineteenth century, with a regretful tone, "that nothing frightens me more than the appearance of mushrooms on the table, especially in a small provincial town." And Fannie Farmer, a legendary cookbook maven, in her 1909 edition, seems more adventurous than usual when she urges that, since mushrooms "grow about us abundantly," they therefore "should often be found on the table."  Martha Washington offered that George especially enjoyed just a bit of cream to heighten the flavor of her recipe "To Dress a Dish of Mushrumps."

Soooooo, whether your Martha trying to jazz up ole George, or a fat emperor fighting off Father Time, nothing beats using the Mushroom, garlic, or anything else for that matter, to light the romantic fires in your life...
and if all else fails, try this;

Steak Aphrodite

Pulling out all the stops... This is a gourmet French recipe, Tornadoes de boeuf, celebrated in honor of an Grecian sex Goddess, Aphrodite, adding a Chinese aphrodisiac, Shiitake, and enhanced by an Italian Chef... now, how in the Heck can you miss?

• 4 (3 oz) split Filet Mignons, thawed, (center cut beef tenderloin medallions)
• 1/8 tsp. Salt
• 1/8 tsp. Freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbs.. Butter
• 1 tsp. Dijon style mustard
• 2 Tbs.. Shallots, minced
• 1 Tbs.. Butter
• 1 Tbs.. Fresh Lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. Fresh Garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 4 med. Shiitake mushrooms, sliced to 1/8 in. (if dried, reconstitute in 1/2 cup hot water, 20 min, retain water)
• 1 Tbs. Fresh chives, minced
• 2 Tbs. Sherry
• 1 tsp. Brandy, or cognac (optional)
• 1 Tbs. Fresh parsley, minced

1) Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper.
2) Melt butter in a heavy skillet; add mustard, and shallots. Sauté over medium heat 1 minute.
3) Add steaks, cook approximately 4 minutes on each side for medium rare.
Remove steaks to serving plate and keep warm.
4) Add into pan drippings, 1 Tbs. butter, lemon juice, Sherry, 2 Tbs. mushroom water, and mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, and chives. Cook for 3 minutes.
5) If you wish to Flambé*, tilt the pan slightly, and pour the brandy or cognac into the front edge of the pan; turn the heat to high and let the flame (or if electric, light with a match) catch the brandy's vapors and ignite it. Swirl slightly, turn off the heat and let the flame go out.
Present on pre warmed plates, and sprinkled with parsley.
May I suggest a full bodied vintage Burgundy wine, as in Vosne Romanee.
Serves 1 pulsating sultry maiden, and 1 burgeoning lover..

* Flambe, means to ignite foods that have liquor or liqueur added. This is done to add a dramatic effect, and to develop a deep rich flavor. Use an 80-proof brandy or cognac. Liquors that are higher, 140, and 100 proof  are a bit too volatile when lit, leave the pyrotechnics for the restaurant dining room pros. Heat the brandy (or liquors, and liqueurs, in the case of fancy desserts) in a saucepan just until bubbles begin to form around the edges. May also be heated in a microwave oven by heating 30 to 45 seconds in a microwave proof dish at 100 percent power.
NOTE; Never pour liquor from a bottle into a pan that is near an open flame (the flame can follow the stream of alcohol into the bottle and cause it to explode).
Ignite with a long match. Always ignite the fumes and not the liquid itself. Never lean over the dish or pan as you light the fumes.  YEHAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa .... LIGHT THEIR FIRE!!!!

Excerpts from the upcoming SOUP, SEX, and the SINGLE MAN, by Natures Sex Chef Carlo J. Morelli,
 

[carlo3b]

 
CAN BASIL MAKE YOU BAD?...WELL, I HOPE SO...LETS TAKE A SHOT AT IT....

What's in this stuff?  BASIL is a flowering herb, either sweet or wild promoted to possess mystical valences, and highly thought of during the Middle Ages. Actually, Basil is said to have grown out of an unfulfilled love.

As the tale goes, a young and beautiful girl passes, leaving behind her desperate lover, who attended her grave site each and every day and shed many tears. After a while, delicate flowers grew on that spot. The boy's ever flowing tears would water the flowers, until it blossomed and a wonderful magical perfume emerged from it.

This delicate and sensual aroma has made the Basil plant a dominant source of stimulation and of sexuality to this day.

Legend has it, that wives who wished to "cure" their husband of infidelity would perform a ritual in which they would powder their upper parts (their breasts) of their body with basil, thus rendering their spouse powerless to roam.... Geeeze... Really?.... Basil?

There are very few herbs (I should hope so!) so clearly associated with SEX.....gulp!

In the true Mediterranean tradition, Basil was and is an important ingredient in the erotic rituals.  Arabian writers of the time mention it as a highly important aphrodisiac herb, as it enhances erotic passion, especially in the case of women.... Ah ha.... EUREKA   Its beneficial effects on women notwithstanding, these attributes are not so easily detectable in the case of men,... HUH? Let me get this straight, she's hot but the guy is not?  Not a chance... developing

If Basil has these powers, what would happen if we mixed it with other highly touted elixirs.... like Tomatoes...

Passionate Pasta with Sensual Seafood

The taste and texture of tender shrimp, tangled in ribbons of fresh Basil, swimming in a thick red sauce, could seduce any heavy breathing adult.  {{{{{{ OOOH YES }}}}}}}

• 3 oz.    Butter
• 4 tbls   Pure olive oil, extra virgin is expectable, (virgin anything, is vastly overrated)
• 1 tbls   Dry parsley
• 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
• 2-3 ea  Med. cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 /2 lb  Small shrimp, cleaned and shelled
• 1 tbls   Dry oregano
• 4 oz     Fresh basil, tightly rolled and sliced into thin ribbons
• 8 oz     Angel hair pasta
• Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1) Heat in large frying pan, butter and oil.
2) Add parsley, garlic powder and simmer.
3) Incorporate the sliced garlic, and sauté until soft, just a minute or two.
4) Prepare pasta according to package directions
5) Carefully add shrimp, and slowly sauté another 3 minutes (do not overcook)
6) Sprinkle dry oregano over shrimp and stirring slowly.
7) Drain and replace pasta back into pot, and add shrimp preparation, tossing gently to coat and incorporate.
Put into a pre warmed serving bowl, sprinkle with cheese, and serve hot....
Enjoy
Chef Carlo Morelli, SOUP, SEX, and the SINGLE MAN, http://www.CookingWithCarlo.com

[Mike Bates]

Happy SAINT Valentine’s Day

[MozartLover]

[mylife]

Steak Aphrodite

Awesome recipe Carlo! Now you're cookin!

[StilettoRaksha]

Thanks Carlo.

Happy Valentines Day!

[carlo3b]

Happy SAINT Valentine’s Day Great article Mike.. thanks so much..

This is the real thingy!! Born and raised in Little Italy, Taylor and Halsted Sts, family still has a Beef stand there, with Italian Lemonade, and deep dish Pizza!!   shivers, ha!
This is a great recipe, but you need to make the roast the day before you want to serve it, it has to marinate in the
gravy overnight.

Chicago-Style Italian Beef Sandwiches

Makes 8 servings (it depends on how much you put in each sandwich, you may get 10)
Oven 325* at 25 minutes per pound

1   5 to 7 pound rump roast
2   cups of boiling water
2   bouillon cubes (beef flavor)
1   teaspoon each: dried marjoram, thyme and oregano
1   teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or more if you like it hot, or use less if you like it more mild
     salt and pepper to taste, go easy on the salt because the bouillon is salty!
2  Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1  or more garlic cloves, I use at least 6, peeled and mashed
1/2  cup, chopped green pepper
Italian or Vienna bread, French or any hard, crusty bread, you will need at least 2 loaves, slice down
the center, lengthwise,  but not all the way through to the other side, then cut in serving size pieces.

Place roast on a rack, in an open roasting pan, I use an 9" X 13" baking pan with the rack in it.  Pre-heat oven to
325*, allowing 25 minutes per pound, roast will be rare.  Cool, and slice very thin, I use an electric slicer to do this.
To the drippings in the pan, add the boiling water, bouillon cubes or granules
(1 bouillon cube for each cup of boiling water used).
Add marjoram, thyme, oregano, hot pepper sauce, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, and
chopped green pepper.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the thinly sliced beef and cover.  Marinate in gravy in refrigerator overnight.  Next
day, heat thoroughly, and serve warm on the French bread, along with a crisp, green salad and plenty of napkins!!!
Note: Our family loves the gravy so much that I usually double the gravy recipe so there is
plenty to dip the beef sandwich into.  We also like to put a lot of gravy on the bread before adding the meat.
Some folks down here in Texas, add barbeque sauce to the sandwich before eating it, for a different flavor, not a
lot, just a touch, about 1 Tablespoon or less to taste.
I on the other hand believe that, if you do anything to the original Chicago recipe, lightning will
kill you on the spot...you may not believe that, but can you be sure? Yo! Carlo

[hosepipe]

Carlo, who else... you ol' romantic ... (BTW.. could use a good brownie recipe).. "cake'y brownie"... I don't like fudge..

[nopardons]

May one use another variety of mushroom,in this dish ?

[carlo3b]

May one use another variety of mushroom,in this dish ?

You bet you can, Oyster Mushrooms are especially great in this one.. but others are as well.

[mylife]

Geeeze... Really?.... Basil?

Basil is a delight...fragrant, pretty, and delicious! It has the added benefit of natural pest control when planted in gardens. The many varieties of basil are astounding...sweet Italian, lemon, and queen of Siam are my faves. So simple yet so complex.

[Victoria Delsoul]

[carlo3b]

Just for you.. this is a good one, I hope you like it.. :)
 
To Die for Brownies

• 8 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 scant cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 to 1 cup walnut halves or pieces

1) Adjust a rack 1/3 up from bottom of the oven and preheat to 325 F. Butter or line with parchment paper an 8-inch square cake pan and set aside.
2) Heat the chocolate and butter in the top of a 2 1/2 to 3-quart double boiler or water bath. Stir occasionally until melted. If necessary, whisk to smooth.
3) Remove from heat, stir in the salt, vanilla, and sugar.
4) Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition until incorporated.
5) Add the flour and stir briskly for about a minute until the mixture is smooth and shiny and comes away from the side of the pot. Stir in the nuts.
6) Turn the mixture into the pan and smooth the top.
7) Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted gently into the center comes out moist, but free of batter.
Remove from the oven. Cool on a rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes sixteen 2-inch brownies.
 

[carlo3b]

WOO HOO.. My Valentine.. sigh.. :)

Caramelized Onion Frittata

• 1/4 cup pure olive oil
• 5 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes, completely drained, and chopped
• 1/4 pound smoked ham, chopped
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbs.. minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram, crumbled
• 1/4 tsp. dried basil, crumbled
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• large pinch pepper
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tbs. butter


1) Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.
2) Drain chopped tomatoes and stir into onions; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring continually.
3) Remove onions and tomatoes from skillet with a large slotted spoon and discard drippings.
Let tomato onion mixture cool to room temperature.
4) Add ham, cheese, parsley, basil, salt and pepper to the cooled tomato onion mixture; mix lightly. Whisk eggs in a small bowl and then stir into ham mixture.
Heat broiler.
5) Melt butter in a heavy, ovenproof 10 inch skillet over medium heat. When the butter foam subsides, reduce heat to low.
6) Add egg mixture to the melted butter in the skillet and spread in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, over very low heat until all but the top 1/4 inch of egg mixture is set, about 8 to 10 minutes. Test by gently shaking the skillet.
7) Place under broiler, about 4 inches from the heat, and cook until the top of the egg mixture is set, about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let top brown or frittata will be dry.
May be served hot, room temperature or cold.

Makes 6 to 8 appetizer servings or 3 to 4 luncheon servings.

[carlo3b]

I agree, and when you mix Basil with Tomato and Hot Peppers.. Yo baby.. :)

Basil Habañeros Marinara Penne Pasta

A Latin Lovin Hot and Spicy Pasta

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium fresh Habañero pepper, chopped
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 (14 ounce) cans plum (Roma) tomatoes, hand crushed, or diced, hard cores removed
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, tightly rolled, sliced into thin ribbons (reserve bit for sprinkle)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 10 oz penne pasta, cooked al dente (medium firm)
• Parmesan Reggiano cheese. freshly grated

1) Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2) Add onions and pepper and cook until both are softened, about 4 to 5 minutes.
3) Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
4) Add tomatoes and cook over medium heat, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
5) Add basil and toss several times.
 
Remove from heat and serve immediately, add the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese.