Spaghetti Sauce: Salt, Pepper to taste, Diced Tomatoes, tomato paste, diced onions, garlic powder, diced garlic, tomato sauce, and mix and heat until ready.

Boil water, with a pinch of salt in the water. Add Noodles to the boiling water. Cook until tender.

Tender Spaghetti (look at picture below)

Meatballs:

Place ground meat into a bowl, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, garlic (diced), onion (diced), and 1-2 eggs. Mix together, once throughly mixed form into balls. Cook in a hot pan with hot Olive Oil. Cook until get a nice color on the outside.

Finish meatballs in oven at 400 degrees F. Cook until fully cooked. (no pink inside)

Garlic Bread:

follow directions on box.

serving size: 4-8
Spaghetti Sauce
1-2lbs. Spaghetti noodles
2-3 small cans of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
1-2 large cans of diced tomatoes (depending on how much you like tomatoes)
about 20 black olives chopped
2tsp- garlic powder
1tsp- pepper
1 tsp- salt
2tsp- onion powder
1/2 onion diced
4 cloves of garlic diced
3 tsp- Italian Seasoning

In a large pot combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, garlic powder, pepper, salt, onion powder and stir together. In a seperate cooking pan heat about 4 tablespoons of Olive Oil and cook off the diced onion and garlic. Once the onion and garlic has cooked off pour into the tomato sauce mixture and stir until throughly mixed. Keep on the heat at the lowest setting then once the meatballs are ready place the meatballs into the tomato sauce and stir together and heat until the noodles and mozzarella sticks or garlic bread) are ready and serve.

Fill cooking pot with water until boils add about 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) of salt, add spaghetti noodles and about 2 tablespoons (tbls) of Olive Oil. Cook the noodles until al dente ( with some bite to it but soft).  Drain the spaghetti noodles and pour into a bowl then mix in a little bit of  olive oil to help keep the noodles from sticking. ( do not rince noodles as the good starches will be washed away)

Meatballs
1- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 finely grated parmesan cheese
1 whole egg
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, lamb, ground round, spinach, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Use immediately or place in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Place the remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs into a small bowl. Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1.5-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds, roll in the bread crumbs and place the meatballs in individual, miniature muffin tin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

CANNOLI SHELLS
3 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. port
Salad oil or shortening for deep-frying
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

Sift flour with sugar and cinnamon onto a board. Make a well in center and fill with port. With a fork, gradually blend flour into port. When dough is stiff enough to handle, knead about 15 minutes, or until dough is smooth and stiff (if too moist and sticky, knead in a little more sifted flour). Refrigerate dough, covered for 2 hours.

In deep-fat-fryer, electric skillet, or heavy saucepan, slowly heat salad oil (3-4 inches deep), to 400 degrees on deep-frying thermometer.
Meanwhile, on lightly floured surface, roll 1/3 of dough to paper thinness, making a 16 inch round. Cut into 8 (5 inch) circles. Wrap a circle loosely around a 6 inch long Cannoli form or dowel, 1 inch in diameter; seal with egg yolk. Gently drop dough-covered forms, 2 at a time, into hot oil and fry 1 minute, or until lightly browned on all sides (turn if necessary). With tongs or slotted utensils, lift out of oil, and drain on paper towels. Carefully remove forms. Continue until all dough is used.

Cannoli shells can be made a day or two ahead and stored, covered, at room temperature. Fill shell about hour before serving. Makes 24.

FILLING:
3 lb. ricotta cheese
2 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar
1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate pieces or grated sweet chocolate
2 tbsp. chopped citron
10 candied cherries, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Chopped pistachio nuts (optional)
Confectioners’ sugar

In a large bowl, with portable electric mixer, beat ricotta cheese 1 minute. Add 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar and beat until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add chocolate, citron, cherries, cinnamon; beat at low speed until well blended. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Fill shell with mixture and garnish ends with pistachios; sprinkle tops with confectioners’ sugar.

Credit goes to: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1910,155186-224196,00.html

1 package active dry yeast

1 t. sugar

1 1/4 C. warm water (110 to 115°F.), divided

1/4 C. olive oil

3 1/2 C. flour

1 t. salt

Dissolve the yeast with the sugar in 1/4 cup of the water and set aside until foamy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining 3/4 cup warm water, the olive oil and yeast mixture. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time, and salt mixing until the dough begins to come together in a ball.

Place the dough onto a floured board and knead it until it’s smooth, elastic and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. It is then ready to use.

For hand-rolled bread sticks: Divide the dough into fourths and roll out each piece on a floured board into a rectangle 1/3 inch thick. Cut each rectangle into 2-inch squares; roll each square with your palms into pencil-thin sticks about 10 to 12 inches long. Carefully transfer each stick to a greased 15 x 10 inch baking sheet or jellyroll pan, placing the strips 1/2 inch apart. Repeat until all the dough is used. Brush with olive oil or melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake the bread sticks at 350°F. until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Note: You can also add some minced garlic to the butter or olive oil before brushing the breadsticks.

Credit Goes To: http://www.thatsmyhome.com/venettos/pizza/bresti.htm

SYRUP
1 cup white sugar
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1/4 cup rum

FILLING
1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream

TOPPING
2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, grated
1/8 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whip egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites (with clean beaters) to soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar while whipping to medium stiff peaks. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Gently fold in the flour and 1 teaspoon vanilla. The batter should be thick and pale yellow.
Trace two 9 inch circles onto the parchment paper using a cake pan as a guide. Spread or pipe batter to completely fill inside the lines of the circles. Batter should be about 1/2 inch tall.
Load the remaining batter into a pastry bag fitted with a half inch tip or hole. Draw parallel lines onto another piece of parchment that are 3 inches apart. Pipe the batter back and forth just between the lines in a compressed S motion, until you run out of batter. This is the part that wraps around the outside of the cake. (It helps to have it in one piece, but you can pipe individual fingers using the guidelines drawn on the paper, if you prefer.) There may be extra.
Bake in preheated oven 10 to 15 minutes, until firm but not browned. Remove from the oven and dust generously with confectioners’ sugar. Set aside to cool.
To make the syrup, stir together 1 cup sugar, boiling water, coffee and 1/4 cup rum until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
To make the filling, combine mascarpone, 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, dark rum and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk together until completely smooth, scraping the bottom of the bowl to remove any lumps. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream. Whip with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stop whipping when the mixture shows the first sign of graininess.
To assemble, line the sides of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment or waxed paper. Place one of the ladyfinger rounds in the bottom of the pan. Brush generously, but do not soak completely, with syrup. Place the 3-inch high ladyfinger strips around the inside edge of the pan, so that the sides are completely covered. Brush generously with syrup.
Spread half of the filling mixture over the first ladyfinger round in the pan. Place the remaining ladyfinger round on top of the filling. Soak the second ladyfinger round with syrup until it cannot take any more. Spread the remaining filling over that and smooth the top. Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
To serve, remove the sides of the pan and carefully remove the parchment or waxed paper from the outside of the cake. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
Hope everyone enjoys these recipes and has fun making them for themselves and friend and/or family. Have a great weekend.

In a large pot combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, garlic powder, pepper, salt, onion powder and stir together. In a seperate cooking pan heat about 4 tablespoons of Olive Oil and cook off the diced onion and garlic. Once the onion and garlic has cooked off pour into the tomato sauce mixture and stir until throughly mixed. Keep on the heat at the lowest setting then once the meatballs are ready place the meatballs into the tomato sauce and stir together and heat until the noodles and mozzarella sticks or garlic bread) are ready and serve.

Fill cooking pot with water until boils add about 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) of salt, add spaghetti noodles and about 2 tablespoons (tbls) of Olive Oil. Cook the noodles until al dente ( with some bite to it but soft).  Drain the spaghetti noodles and pour into a bowl then mix in a little bit of  olive oil to help keep the noodles from sticking. ( do not rince noodles as the good starches will be washed away)

Meatballs
1- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 finely grated parmesan cheese
1 whole egg
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, lamb, ground round, spinach, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix all ingredients until well incorporated. Use immediately or place in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Place the remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs into a small bowl. Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1.5-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds, roll in the bread crumbs and place the meatballs in individual, miniature muffin tin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Turn broiler on

Mix the melted butter and the garlic together. Slice the French Bread into either individual slices or slice in half then cut into indivual slices. Spread the butter and garlic butter over the slices of french bread.

Place slices of garlic bread under broiler until just starting to turn brown around the edges.

Ingredients
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound ground beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
14 (8-ounce package) manicotti
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups marinara sauce
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Directions
Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool.

Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.
Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

Credit Goes to:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/beef-and-cheese-manicotti-recipe/index.html