Cannoli Cones

Ever since my cousin Linda told me that she makes cannoli using sugar cones in place of cannoli shells, I could not shake the idea. Really? Could this work, taste good, and look good too? Would all the Italian Nonnas, past and present, haunt me? I have made my own cannoli shells from scratch once. Once. What a pain they were to make, and after living in Europe and being able to visit any Italian market and return home with cannoli shells for filling later, I will not make them ever again. But I am no longer anywhere near a bakery that would make them for me. Enter the cones. They work, and work well when there is no other way.

Now for the filling. I like a thick ricotta filling that is rich and creamy with a hint of flavor- this time of year I chose cinnamon, a nice Holiday touch. The trouble is, my filling is watery, and until doing a little research I found I need to use Ricotta Impastata, or ricotta "paste." If you cannot find this type of ricotta, then the closest you can get is making your own by simply draining the ricotta for at least four hours, or overnight in a coffee filter lined strainer. Not the same, but close enough.

These are also quite adorable with the cone dipped in melted chocolate, sprinkled with some seasonal sprinkles, and stood up in plastic disposable wine glasses on your dessert buffet. Top with a cherry for a festive touch.

Cannoli Cones
1 pound whole milk ricotta
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp. cinnamon, opt.
6 sugar cones

Line a strainer with 2 coffee filters and place ricotta cheese inside and place strainer over a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. When ready to use, squeeze out any excess fluid and place ricotta in a large mixing bowl and add sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix well. Right before serving, fill a pastry bag or thick plastic bag with filling, snip off the end and pipe filling into the cones. Top with a cherry if you like or sprinkle with chopped pistachio, mini chocolate chips, or keep it very simple and give them a shake of powdered sugar. Makes 6 cones.

Note- Fill cones just before serving to avoid sogginess.
Things to add to the ricotta filling can include- pistachio, citron, chocolate chips, cinnamon, vanilla, or hazelnuts.

Two more easy Cannoli Treats
Cannoli Bites
Cannoli Dip

Best Cannoli in Boston- Maria's

Robin Sue

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Mason Jar Thanksgiving Leftovers

In my opinion, wrapping and storing Thanksgiving leftovers can be a challenge with all those various sized dishes, a giant turkey and ham, and limited refrigerator space. Then you get it all put away to only hear, "I'm hungry" from your precious children, and have to pull the entire ensemble out all over again. For days. Now that we are Masoneats here in the Big Red, the after dinner clean up looks like an assembly line of leftovers being layered in jars for the next day's lunches, a busy week night dinner, or a freezer stockpile of delicious meals for a rainy day.

How to Masonate Your Thanksgiving Leftovers.


You can always fill jars with leftovers, each item in its own jar, but here are a few other ideas.


Want to be the coolest dude or gal at all those post Thanksgiving Football watching parties? Bring a Turkey Sandwich Kit of turkey slices, cranberry sauce, and cream cheese to make every one's favorite post T-Day sammies. I layered everything in a quart sized wide mouth jar and placed the spreads in the tiny little 4 ounce jelly jars. Grab a bag of rolls and chips along with your cool kit and you are ready to feast in style. Score.

Those little Turkey Shepherd's Pies are a breeze to make since you will already have the turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes. Place equal amounts of gravy, diced turkey, and some frozen peas and carrots in a bowl and stir. Layer in 8 ounce wide mouth Mason jars and top with some mashed potatoes. The only thing I added to my gravy to jazz up these little pies was a splash of good red wine.


No more hum-drum leftovers...

1. When you set up your post Thanksgiving Mason Jar assembly line, ask your family what they would like in their jar, then layer away. I like to keep the veggies separate and layer meat with gravy, and potatoes or stuffing (or both). Meat and gravy should go at the bottom so that when you turn the heated jar over the stuffing or potatoes are at the bottom with all that meat and gravy spilling over top.

2. I did place my cranberry sauce in a triple layer of paper cupcake liners so that I can remove it before heating. You can also use foil or silicone cupcake liners, being sure to remove them before placing jars in the microwave for reheating. I have found that cupcake liners do a swell job at separating layers for those who do not like their food to touch. Swell.

3. Don't forget the desserts which do a fine job of being layered in jars. Pumpkin or apple pie layered in jars, reheated, then topped with some ice cream. Yum!

SHARING
It is a good idea to make up a few of these jars to send home with family, or friends and neighbors so that they too can enjoy Thanksgiving Day leftovers. But it is also a good idea to share some of the Thanksgiving Mason Jar Meals with the elderly who are housebound, a new mommy who needs a break, or a friend who is sick. Tell them Robin Sue sent you.


Future leftovers! Thanksgiving Recipes
Cream of Peanut Soup
Bûche de Merci
Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes
Thanksgiving Harvard Beets
Thanksgiving Savory Corn Pudding
Thanksgiving Yummy Yams
Thanksgiving Hot Spiced Cider or Wassail



Have a Blessed Thanksgiving

Work true, play hard, pray long, sleep slow. Love deep.
And be always- Thankful.

Robin Sue

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Baked Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I had no idea how popular my Cinnamon Roll Pancakes would become since posting them in June 2010! All the cool kids are making them now. Have you made them yet? Well I'm not sure that you should now that I have made them even more simple to churn out. I mean they are delicious, filling, beautiful, and very fun to make.


But one could stand there all morning turning out pancake after pancake until you grow weak in the knees. Here I am in the Market making dozens of these pancakes during my Cooking Salon Open House last summer for some very satisfied Distinguished Guests. I got to thinking about these pancakes and wondered if I could improve on the process so that I could make them Christmas Morning, or for a brunch, or my little girl's December 24th Birthday Breakfast, and still enjoy my family and guests, AND sit down with them to eat. Yeah that's the drag about pancakes- everyone eats but the cook, or at least until the very end when the family is all finished, or the pancakes are gone, or worse...cold. Then I remembered my Pancake Squares and solved all of our pancake making problems and sore knees.

By pouring the batter in a big jellyroll pan, swirling with the yummy cinnamon filling, and baking up into a light and fluffy pan of a pancake glory, I can now sit and eat with the family. But wait, then there's the Maple Cream Cheese Drizzle. I hear applause, oohs and ahs. I bow, blow kisses, and bow again. They love me. Or is it the pancakes they love? I don't care, they are happy.

THE END.


Baked Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
1 1/2 cups milk
4 T. melted butter
2 large eggs
2 T. sugar
2 cups flour
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 11x17 inch jellyroll pan. In a large mixing bowl, beat together milk, butter and egg. Add sugar, then gradually beat the flour in. Carefully stir in the baking powder and salt. Pour batter into prepared pan. Squeeze out swirls of Cinnamon Roll Filling over pancake batter- 4 swirls across, 3 down, for 12 pancakes. I used wooden skewers laid across the pan as a guide. You can vary the size if you like. Bake in 350 degree oven for 8-9 minutes until center is set and does not give when pressed with your finger. Remove from oven and drizzle with Maple Cream Cheese Drizzle. Serve immediately. Makes 12 large pancakes.

Cinnamon Roll Filling
4 T. melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 T. cinnamon

In a small bowl mix filling ingredients together until blended well. Place in a pastry bag or plastic ziptop bag and snip corner to swirl over pancake batter.

Maple Cream Cheese Drizzle
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. good maple syrup
milk

Mix the first three ingredients in a bowl until smooth, dripping in small amounts of milk until mixture is a drizzling consistency. I like to place mine in a pastry bag and drizzle that way.

Freezer Note- These can be sliced, placed on a cookie sheet and frozen. Once frozen, place in a freezer ziptop bag and freeze for individual treats, brunch guests, or lunchboxes. Reheat in microwave.

The Second Photo is courtesy of my brother Rob of attifood.com. His Hot Chocolypto is perfect for this time of year, check out his video.

Robin Sue

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Mason Jar Chicken Cordon Bleu

I know, I know, this is getting ridiculous! Enough with the jars already Robin Sue. Here's the issue: my kids love Chicken Cordon Bleu and ask for it for lunch, after school snacks, and dinner. Ever since visiting Germany, they are addicted to this dish. I am thrilled they like it, I mean it is a filling meal, and full of protein. But how do I have some constantly on hand to support their love of Chicken Cordon Bleu?

THE JAR.

After making these and jumping for joy at how simple they are to pack for my kids' lunches, I discovered how lovely they would be for a formal dinner party, placed on a large white platter, and decorated with fresh herbs. Can you picture it too?

Let's do it...

Lay 6 chicken breast cutlets out on a piece of plastic wrap so that they touch and overlap a bit. If you do not have chicken cutlets, take 3 chicken breasts and fillet them into 2 cutlets each. My chicken weighed 1 3/4 pounds.

Cover with plastic wrap and using a meat tenderizer pound meat into one big sheet of chicken.

Sprinkle with about 1 tsp. Kosher salt and some fresh cracked black pepper.

Cover chicken with smoked ham slices. I like an organic, uncured ham from my local deli. I used 8 ounces of ham, or 9 slices.

Top with about 10 slices of Swiss cheese and using the plastic wrap and working from the farthest side, start rolling the chicken roll towards you. This will not be perfect, do not cry!

Once you get the chicken into a log shape, cut into 8 even slices which are about 1 1/2-1 3/4 inches thick. Place each spiral down into a greased 8 ounce wide-mouth mason jar.

Mix 1 stick melted butter with 1 tsp. Kosher salt, black pepper, 1 T. parsley flakes, and 1 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs- must be panko as they stay crispy. Divide the crumbs evenly over the 8 chicken jars, about 3 tablespoons each. Place jars on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. About 20 minutes into baking, I tented my jars with foil to prevent the crumbs from burning, then removed the foil about 5 minutes from the end time. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack. Lid and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. These will freeze well.

I sent these to school with my kids this morning with a plate...

And a fork...

And a knife.

Mason Jar Chicken Cordon Bleu
6 Chicken breast cutlets, about 1 3/4 pounds
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
9 slices smoked ham, 8 ounces
10 slices Swiss cheese, about 10 ounces
1 stick or 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 T. parsley flakes
1 1/2 cups Plain Panko bread crumbs, no substitutions

Lay 6 chicken breast cutlets out on a piece of plastic wrap so that they touch and overlap a bit. If you do not have chicken cutlets, take 3 chicken breasts and fillet them into 2 cutlets each. Cover with plastic wrap and using a meat tenderizer pound meat into one big sheet of chicken. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp. Kosher salt and some fresh cracked black pepper. Cover chicken with smoked ham slices. Top with about 10 slices of Swiss cheese and using the plastic wrap and working from the farthest side, start rolling the chicken roll towards you. This will not be perfect, do not cry! Once you get the chicken into a log shape, cut into 8 even slices which are about 1 1/2-1 3/4 inches thick. Place each spiral down into a greased 8 ounce wide-mouth mason jar. Mix melted butter with Kosher salt, black pepper, parsley flakes, and Panko Bread Crumbs- must be panko as they stay crispy. Divide the crumbs evenly over the 8 chicken jars, about 3 tablespoons each. Place jars on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. About 20 minutes into baking, I tented my jars with foil to prevent the crumbs from burning, then removed the foil about 5 minutes from the end time. Remove from oven and serve immediately, or cool completely on wire rack. Lid and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. These will freeze well. Serves 8.

Note- To reheat, remove lid and place in the microwave and heat for 2 minutes on HALF power. (If you freeze these, remove from freezer, and defrost in fridge overnight.) Turn over on a plate and enjoy. Or if you would like the crumbs on top, use two forks and lift the Cordon Bleu from the jars being sure to pour that wonderful juice overtop each serving.



Tomorrow my kids will go to school with these Eggnog Muffins in their lunch. Baking them in these 4 ounce little jelly Mason Jars takes 18 minutes. The muffins, not the kids- they take longer and require bigger jars.

I am THANKFUL for MY FAMILY!

Robin Sue

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Mason Jar Wedge Salads

Can you picture these little gems on your buffet table this Thanksgiving or Christmas? The colors scream Christmas! I enjoy a good classic Wedge Salad and have even made my own Wedgie Bar when entertaining guests. Except now I am really into Mason Jar Meals. So how doth one fit a wedge down in the jar? The tubular shape of the romaine head was my answer. A heart of romaine cut into medallions lends themselves very well into fitting down wide-mouth 8 ounce jars. Maybe the medallion is the new wedge.

See?


Mason Jar Wedge Salads
2 Hearts of romaine, washed and dried as best as possible
12 cherry tomatoes
6 pieces of bacon, made into flat rounds and cooked until crisp- I used the microwave

Dressing- based on Rindy's
2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
3/4 cup real mayo
1 tsp. sugar
2 T. fresh minced parsley
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 T. vidalia onion, minced fine
3 shakes Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Horseradish
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

Mix all dressing ingredients together. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Cut the root end off the romaine hearts. Cut the romaine hearts into 1 3/4 inch medallions, you will get three good ones from each heart. Use a plastic lettuce knife to do this so the lettuce will not brown. Place each of the 6 medallions down into the wide-mouth 8 ounce Mason Jars. Top with a dollop of dressing, two tomatoes, and one medallion of bacon. If you want, you can lay the bacon down and lid these for lunches during the week. Serves 6.

More Mason Jar Salads.

Robin Sue

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Easy Entertaining: Cannoli Dip

We got to talking about cannoli: pastry cream versus ricotta cream, add-ins like chocolate chips, citron, and nuts, and the shells and what a pain they are to make. I mean, what else do you talk about at a funeral? My Ma, cousins, and I were talking about cannoli at the big Italian Buffet after my Uncle Cliff's funeral when my cousin Linda said she has filled sugar cones with the filling for a quick cannoli fix. I took her idea and simplified it even more by turning it into a fast dip: no pastry bag required. Now with some major Holidays coming our way, I am looking for some easy entertaining/potluck ideas that not only look and taste delicious but are simple enough to throw together in a matter of minutes. I think you will find this dip to be very decadent on your buffet table.

Cannoli Dip
1 pound whole milk ricotta
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. mascarpone cheese, opt. but nice
2 T. mini chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling
1 package ice cream waffle bowls broken into 3-4 pieces each
strawberries, washed and dried

In a small bowl mix the first five ingredients. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with more mini chocolate chips. Serve with broken waffle bowl chips and strawberrries.


Try my Cannoli Bites too.

Robin Sue

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Mason Jar Meals: Fair Food Edition- White Castle-like Sliders

It was a given that I would eventually get these sliders in some Mason Jars for the kids' school lunches. With over 330,000 views this recipes is not only a favorite online, it is greatly requested whenever I go to a party. Definitely football tailgating food right here! But these little guys are also perfect for packing in pint sized wide-mouth jars for the kiddos' lunch boxes double wine bags.

Go to the White Castle-Like Slider post for the step by step tutorial. Cool completely, then place each slider in a cupcake paper liner and stack 2 in each pint size wide-mouth Mason Jar. Lid and refrigerate until ready to serve. To reheat, remove from jar onto a microwave safe plate and microwave for about 40 seconds or until desired temperature is achieved. Makes 12 Jars. These freeze well too.

For More Mason Jar Meal Ideas, scroll through here.

Yesterday's Fair Food Edition- Baked Corn Dogs in Mason Jars.


Happy Birthday Zuzu!!! Abuuu!

Robin Sue

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