DiFalco Recipes

• 8 ounces pasta of choice like cavatappi
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 8 ounce block of feta (Gina buys at Aldi, can substitute crumbled feta)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil packed and chopped plus more for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cherry tomatoes in an oven-safe baking dish. Pour the olive oil on the top and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
2. Place the feta block in the middle of the baking dish surrounded by the cherry tomatoes, and flip a couple of times to coat it with the olive oil and seasoning.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until the cherry tomatoes burst, and the feta cheese melts.
4. While that is baking, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in case you want to toss it in.
5. When you take the tomatoes/feta out of the oven, immediately add the minced garlic and fresh basil to combine.  Then add the cooked pasta.  Garnish with more fresh basil and serve.

Batter:

• 7 Eggs Beaten
• 1 ½ Cup Water
• almost 2 Cups flour
• dash of salt

1. Beat eggs and water until thoroughly mixed (grandma used the old-fashioned hand mixer)
2. Add flour with mixing
3. Add a dash of salt, make sure that there are no lumps in the batter
   
   Note: if the batter is too soupy add more flour, water if it is too thick
4. Heat griddle, you generally need low heat around a level 2-4 on our stove depending on how fast the crepes cook
5. Ladle the crepe onto the griddle, and flip as soon as possible, we aren’t trying to cook the crepes just lightly brown so flip as fast as possible, as they finish you can stack them 

Ricotta Filling:

• 3 beaten eggs to every 3 lb. Ricotta
• 3 lb. Lamagna Ricotta cheese drained
• 1 tsp. salt
• ⅓ Cup Italian cheese (pecorino romano)
• 1 tsp. Sugar (I don’t use)
• chopped parsley so that it is mixed through the filling evenly
• sprinkle with cinammon (approx ¼ tsp. to ⅛ tsp.) (I don’t use)

1. Drain Ricotta 
2. mix all ingredients together with ricotta 
3. fill crepes to desired size, roll and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet
4. place in freezer until hard and then you can move them to a plastic bag until you are ready to eat them!
5. place them in a pan (frozen) and cover with sauce
6. cook until sauce is bubbling. 350 degrees approximately 30 minutes

• 1 pack skinless kielbasa sliced into rounds
• 1/2 pound yukon gold mini potatoes, halved
• 4 carrots sliced very thin on an angle
• red onion small sliced
• 1 head broccoli florets
• salt
• pepper
• honey
• thyme
• paprika

You can use any combination of veggies.  It calls for a yam or sweet potato but this time I used carrots. I also added 3 cloves garlic sliced in half, 1 small yellow onion.  Use whatever you have.

Drizzle light olive oil on the bottom of the pan and toss veggies and kielbasa on top.  Drizzle more light olive oil and the seasonings and toss right in the pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven.