This particular dish involves a lot of chopping. A lot. But it’s my husband’s favorite style of antipasto. I first learned of this particular style at a Thanksgiving dinner hosted my my in-laws–it’s the husband-unit’s Italian grandmother’s recipe. I prefer this style because every bite is a burst of flavor, and no two bites are really the same.

I had to ferret some away because when my husband realized what I had made, he descended upon it like a ravenous wolf. The easy part of this dish is that the measurements don’t have to be exact and remember “1 each” is good enough, and there’s very little clean up other than throwing away cans and jars in the recycle and it makes a lot!

Ingredients

• 1 cup pepperoncini, sliced
• 1 can black olives, sliced
• 1 jar green olives, sliced
• 1 jar roasted red peppers, diced
• 1 jar marinated artichoke, diced
• 1 cup shredded or cubed parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded or cubed provolone cheese
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 cup pepperoni, diced
• 1 cup salami, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 cup Italian dressing OR 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large tupperware container, toss well, and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes for all the flavors to meld.

So I ended up making bread pudding because while my husband often asks me to buy bananas, he almost never finishes them, which means I also have a lot of bananas in the freezer, waiting for the day I remember to buy banana bread mix. (Which is really my way of tricking the husband-unit into eating the rest of the bananas he asked me to buy.)

You can cut it into squares once it’s cooled and fry it in butter as well!

Ingredients

• 2 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
• 5 cups French bread
• 2 eggs
• 5 cups milk, plus 1 cup
• 1/2 cup rum
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Soak bread in 5 cups milk for an hour if stale, or until softened enough to break apart.
2. Preheat oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat eggs with rum, 1 cup milk, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined.
3. Pour over soaked bread and mix well. Pour into oven safe bake pan and bake for an hour, until top is golden and slightly crispy.
4. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm, with ice cream, fruit, sweetened condensed milk, or more rum.