Back to our regularly scheduled life......

for at least another 24 hours.
Then, it's time to do the Bunny Hop.
Yes, Judiland will be hopping come tomorrow morning.
Making a little trip to college land and back to get Toni home for the holiday weekend.
Then, it's all about shopping and cooking and cooking and shopping.
But, before we do any of that, I thought I'd share two very special Italian Easter traditions with you.
I wanted to make sure I shared these with you early enough in the week so you have time to put the ingredients on your shopping lists and make way for them on your Easter table!
If you so desire....

Here's a special Easter gift from my Nana and my mother and me.....
Making these "pizza pies" has become as much of a tradition as serving and eating them!!
I pull out my mother's ragged handwritten recipe cards, put on her pearl earrings and cook away.....sometimes a few tears fall in the bowls.
But, I think a daughter's tears as she thinks of her mother make these recipes taste even better....

Pizza Rustica

You can use any pie or pizza dough for the crust like I do, but if you prefer to make it from scratch....here's the recipe that's on my mother's old tattered recipe card

CRUST:

5 1/2 cups flour
1/4 lb. butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cup warm water

FILLING:

1/4 pound of hot Italian sausage....cooked and drained

1 pepperoni, sliced thin
6 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1/4 lb. piece salami, cut in strips
1/4 lb. piece provolone, diced, 1/4 piece of mozarella, diced
1/4 lb. prosciutto, crumbled
1 lb. ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated romano cheese

handful of parsley

To prepare the dough, blend the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Work in the butter with a fork until the flour resembles coarse meal. Stir in the eggs and water gradually with a fork.

When just mixed, cover with foil and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Bring to room temperature and divide dough in half. On a lightly floured board, roll out half the dough to 1/8 inch thickness and 14 inches around. Place in a greased 12-inch pie plate.

Add the filling in the layers as follows: sliced eggs, sausage, ricotta, provolone, salami, 3 sliced eggs, grated cheese, pepperoni, prosciutto, 3 sliced eggs.

Roll out the remaining dough and cover pie. Seal around with a fork. Use a knife or scissors to cut off excess. Glaze with egg yolk and prick a few holes on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Serve slightly chilled.

Sweet Easter Pizza

Filling

• 1 pound ricotta cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbs grated orange peel
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup candied marachino cherries-chopped
  
1/4 cup of chocolate shavings

Filling

1. In a large mixing bowl combine the ingredients.
2. Chill well.
3. Place it into a already prepared pie crust
4. Sprinkle chocolate shavings on top
5. Bake on 350 for 45-50 minutes