The Frankie's Sunday Gravy aka the BEST tomato sauce you'll ever eat

My mom has this amazing cookbook called The Frankie's Spuntino Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual and one day we (she) found this recipe and it totally changed our lives and how we eat red sauce.

It has just a few ingredients, but it takes a long time to cook... and let me tell you every second and every stir is worth it. FOR REAL.

I copied this recipe from this link they have a lot of input on this recipe as well.  I just wanted to have this in a central place for me to look back at when I'm feeling Italian.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup olive oil
• 13 cloves garlic
• One 96-ounce can (or, if you can find it, 1-kg) or four 28-ounce cans Italian tomatoes (my favorite are San Marzanos fromLa Valle) 
• Large pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

(seriously, that's it!!)

Directions:

1. Combine the olive oil and garlic in a large deep saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring or swirling occasionally, until the garlic is deeply colored—striations of deep brown running through the golden cloves—and fragrant. If the garlic starts to smell acrid or sharp or is taking on color quickly, pull the pan off the stove and reduce the heat.
2. While the garlic is getting golden, deal with the tomatoes: Pour them into a bowl and crush them with your hands (it's so squishy and cool feeling). We like to pull out the firmer stem ends from each of the tomatoes as we crush them and discard those along with the basil leaves that are packed into the can.
3. When the garlic is just about done, add the red pepper flakes to the oil and cook them for 30 seconds or a minute, to infuse their flavor and spice into the oil. Dump in the tomatoes, add the salt, and stir well. Turn the heat up to medium, set the sauce simmering at a gentle pace, not aggressively, and simmer for 4 hours. Stir it from time to time. Mother it a little bit.
4. Check the sauce for salt at the end. The sauce can be cooked with meat at this point, or stored, covered, in the fridge for at least 4 days or frozen for up to a few months.

Aunt Josphine's Carrot Cake

Aunt Josephine’s Carrot Cake

Cake Ingredients:
• 3 Cups Packed Shredded Carrots
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple drained (save juice)

• 3 cups unsifted all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
• 5 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 1 cup chopped raisins 
Frosting Ingredients:
• ½ cup Butter
• 1 Box Powdered Sugar
• 8 Ounces Cream Cheese
• 4 Tablespoons pineapple juice


Directions:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease and flour cake pan
• Combine carrots and lemon juice in small bowl
• Squeeze as much juice as possible from pineapple
• Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, & allspice in bowl.
• Beat in oil until blended
• Mix in carrots
• Beat eggs in one at a time
• Stir in vanilla, coconut, nuts, raisins, and pineapple until well blended
• Pour batter into prepared pan
• Bake 1 1/2 hours or until cake springs back from sides of pan
• Cool cake on wire rack for 5 minutes 
• Remove from pan and cool
• Beat together all frosting ingredients until smooth and cover top of cake when cooled.


SIDE NOTE:  I chopped some of the left over walnuts from the bag and toasted coconut to top the cake, I think it was one of the best decisions (baking wise) I've ever made... it was AMAZING and possibly my favorite part of eating it. 

Aunt Josephine's Chili Colorado

Aunt Josephine's Chili Colorado

Ingredients:

• 1 Tri-tip cut into bite sized pieces (if tri-tip is unavailable in your area, stew meat will work as well)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-6 cloves of garlic, chopped 
• Stewed tomatoes (14 oz)
• Tomato sauce (14 oz)
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• 1/8th Worcestershire Sauce

The following ingredients are optional, and super tasty, my mom has added them to it after making it so many times through the years

• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 small can herdez salsa (or whatever your favorite salsa is)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low all day

Can also be cooked on the stove top, takes 90 minutes to two hours to simmer. 

Serve:

with refried beans, cheese, tortillas, and any of your favorite Mexican side dishes. 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Last year I had this dip at a football party I had attended and I fell in love.  Shortly after the recipe popped up in a blog I follow and I saved it for future reference.  I just copied and pasted the instructions from the blog, and my notes are in the parenthesis.

It's safe to say that this dish is not diet friendly, but I guarantee that it will make your taste buds dance (that is if you're a fan of hot wings). 

I made it myself for the first time yesterday for a Christmas Party I attended last night and it was a huge hit, it filled a 9x13 pyrex pan, and by the end of the evening only a small portion remained.

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless cooked chicken breasts shredded or diced (I used Swanson's canned chicken, it's like tuna, and it worked out great, 2 large cans, 1 small)
• 2/3 bottle of FRANK’S BUFFALO WING SAUCE
• 2 bars of cream cheese (softened)
• 1 16 oz. bottle of blue cheese dressing (I used Bob's Big Boy bottled dressing, it was delicious)
• 3-4 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used a mixed bag of cheddar/monterey jack because I couldn't find pre-shredded Monterey Jack at the store I was at and didn't want to go to another store)
• Tortilla Chips for dipping (Tostitos Cantina Chips are my favorite dipping choice)

Directions:

• First, layer the chicken and Franks Buffalo Wing sauce in the bottom of a 13″ by 9″ pan.  
• Mix together the cream cheese, blue cheese dressing and 2-3 cups of the Monterey Jack cheese. (SAVE THE REST OF THE SHREDDED CHEESE FOR THE TOP) 
• Spread over the chicken.  
• Put remaining shredded cheese on the top.
• Bake at 350 for approx. 1/2 hour. It is good hot ,or warm!

Tips of Beef

Another old family recipe to share with the masses. I had forgotten about it for awhile and one day my mom whipped it out of one of my great aunt's cookbooks and it was an instant hit.

Tips of Beef (Stew Meat)

 

Flour Mixture Ingredients:

§  Celery Salt

§  Flour

§  Pepper

§  Savory Salt

§  Garlic Salt

§  Meat Tenderizer

Other Ingredients:

§  1 Cup minced onion

§  Butter

§  Stew Meat

§  Water

§  1 Teaspoon Vinegar

§  3 Tablespoons Ketchup

§  2 – 3 Cans, cream of mushroom soup

 

1.                 Preheat oven 350 degrees

2.                 Roll tips in flour mixture, brown in butter along with 1 cup minced onion

3.                 Once meat is browned put in baking pan and pour in a little water (enough to ½ fill pan, but not enough to cover meat)

4.                 Add 1 teaspoon vinegar and 3 tablespoons of ketchup

5.                 Bake until meat is tender

6.                 Pour in cream of mushroom soup or beef gravy, bake until thickens

Beef Cassarole Supreme

This is one of my absolute favorite family recipes, it's like fancy hamburger helper. I've requested it for many birthdays and other special dinners. It's one of those things from your childhood that if you're lucky you never outgrow it. This meal holds so many great family memories, and it always brings a smile to my face.

Beef Casserole Supreme

 

Ingredients:

§  1 Pound Ground Beef

§  ¼ Cup Onions, chopped

§  8 Ounces Stewed Tomatoes, canned

§  1 (10 ¾ ounce) condensed Tomato Soup

§  2 Teaspoons Salt

§  1 Cup Sour Cream

§  1 (3 ounce) Package Cream Cheese, Softened

§  5 ounces Medium Noodles, cooked and drained

§  Fresh Tomatoes to Garnish

 

1.              Preheat oven 350 degrees

2.              In skillet, cook ground beef and chopped onion until lightly browned.

3.              Drain off fat

4.              Stir in stewed tomatoes, tomato soup, salt, and garlic.

5.              Simmer 5 – 10 minutes.

6.              Blend in sour cream and cream cheese

7.              Stir in Noodles

8.              Turn into a 2 quart casserole

9.              Bake covered in oven 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

10.         Garnish with fresh tomatoes.

 

Makes 4 – 6 servings.

Mediterranean Mac & Cheese

I was house sitting at my parents' house and realized that they hadn't gone grocery shopping in awhile and I was hungry and didn't want to go to the store, so I starred into the abyss (I mean fridge) pulled out a bunch of ingredients and came up with this fabulous dinner.  I didn't measure anything, just tossed things in and kept tasting it until it felt "right" the only thing I would add would be basil and using fresh garlic instead of the jarred, otherwise it was amazing.

 

Lo's Fancy Mac & Cheese

 

• Pasta
• Feta Cheese
• Butter
• Parmigiana Reggiano Cheese
• Grape Tomatoes (sun dried tomatoes are fabulous too)
• Kalamata Olives
• Garlic

I've also made this with some pre-cooked grilled chicken strips from Trader Joes... adds a little more substance to the meal, it's great with or without.

 

 

Cook pasta to package instructions, drain saving a small amount of pasta water.

Add in butter and other ingredients stirring until cheese has melted completely.

 

Top with parm and basil if you have it.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This one is another family favorite/comfort food type recipe. It's delicious on a cold winter day or in the middle of summer when you can add fresh guacamole to the soup.

Chicken, Green Chili, Lime Tortilla Soup

 

Ingredients

§  1 pound cooked chicken cut into cubes

§  1 tablespoons oil

§  1 medium onion, chopped

§  2 cloves garlic, minced

§  4 ounce can chopped green chili

§  1 can (15 ounces) chopped Italian tomatoes

§  4 cups chicken broth

§  1 teaspoon lime juice

§  1 teaspoon chili powder

§  1 teaspoon ground cumin

§  1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

§  1 cup chopped carrots

§  1 can (15 ounce) hominy

§  1 zucchini chopped

§  Fresh or Bagged tortilla chips

§  Jack or Cheddar grated cheese

§  Salsa (optional)

§  Guacamole (optional)

§  Sour Cream (optional)

 

1.     Brown onion and garlic in oil

2.     Add tomatoes, spices, chili, and broth

3.     Bring to a boil

4.     Add carrots and simmer for 30 minutes

5.     Add hominy and zucchini

6.     Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes

7.     Add cooked chicken and simmer until chicken is heated through

 

Serve over tortilla chips and top with grated cheese and optional ingredients if desired.

** I've also had friends make this vegetarian style by leaving out the chicken and using vegetable broth instead of chicken, I've heard it's just as delicious.

Tuna Cassarole

Some days you just need food that warms your belly and your soul. This one will fill both needs. It's a family favorite.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

 

Ingredients:

§  1 Packaged Shell Shaped Pasta Cooked & Drained

§  3 Cans Tuna, Drained

§  1 Can Cream Celery Soup

§  1 Can Cream Chicken Soup

§  1 Cup Mayonnaise

§  2 Stocks Celery, Diced

§  1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

§  ½ Teaspoon Pepper

§  ½ Teaspoon Chopped Garlic

§  ½ Teaspoon Paprika

§  1 -2 Cups Crushed Potato Chips

 

1.     Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2.     While pasta is cooking, mix together the next 8 ingredients.

3.     Grease a 9 x 13 pan, and an 8 x 8 pan.

4.     When pasta has cooked, rinse with cold water and drain well.

5.     Combine the pasta with the soup mixture and mixed well. 

6.     Pour into prepared pans

7.     Sprinkle crushed potato chips on top.

8.     Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until center bubbles.

 

(May be made ahead and refrigerated – baking time will take longer when casserole is cold)