When I first arrived in the USA, at age 20, I was not familiar with “American Cuisine” beyond hamburgers. My mother-in-law, Ernestine Tolisano gave me a few “typical” recipes to expand my cooking repertoire. I tasted these mostly during my first Thanksgiving dinners at her house in those years.

By Ernestine Tolisano

by Ernestine Tolisano

By Ernestine Tolisano

by Ernestine Tolisano

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of frozen Spinach
• 1 package of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 package of mild Italian Sausage
• 2 fresh pizza doughs

Directions:

• let the pizza dough rise
• defrost the frozen Spinach, then drain off excess liquid
• take the skin off the sausage and brown
• mix spinach, sausage and cheese well
• roll out dough
• spread mixture on dough
• roll dough and tuck the ends under the bread
• put two loafs into oven
• bake at 375 until brown

Ingredients:

• 2 cans Garbanzos
• Garlic
• Lemon juice
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Parsley

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients in a food processor

Defrost the frozen Spinach

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of frozen chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 small diced onions
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups seasoned bread cubes
• 4 eggs

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients together
• Chill for 2 hours in refrigerator
• Roll into 1 inch balls
• Bake at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

They be frozen in balls before cooking.