Pizza Strips

AKA - Party Pizza

"This Rhode Island recipe is inspired by the bakery pizza I used to have growing up that can only be had in Rhode Island. Don't let the lack of toppings stop you from trying this delicious recipe. It's great for a party and kids love it!"

Every bakery had their own recipe, and the preferences varied amongst everyone. If you were to ask a room of Rhode Islanders you would get a ton of responses... "Which bakery has the best strips?" You would hear... Calvitos in Providence/Cranston, DeFusco's in Warwick, De Palmieri's in Johnston, Crugnales in Rumford/Cumberland, DePetrillo's in North Prov./Smithfield, or La Salle in Providence. No matter which was your personal preference, mine is/was/always will be Calvitos! Everyone who's ever left Rhode Island has wanted to have the strips once they've left. I am hoping my attempt is spot on for you as well!

Pizza Strips

Servings – 16 Squares or 8 Strips Prep Time – 15 Minutes Cook Time – 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 - 16oz packages prepared pizza dough, or homemade

• 1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes

• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided

• 3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

• 1 1/2 -2 tablespoons white sugar, depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes

• 3/4 teaspoon minced garlic

• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Roll or press 1/2 of the pizza dough out into a rectangle on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining pizza dough.

Mix crushed tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, Romano cheese, sugar, salt, garlic, oregano, and black pepper in a bowl; stir to dissolve sugar.

Spread 1/2 of the sauce evenly over each crust, spreading it all the way to the edges. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over each pizza.

Bake in the preheated oven until the crusts are crisp on the bottom and the sauce looks dry at the edges but is still moist in the middle, 15 to 20 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature on wire racks, about 20 minutes.

Cut each cooled pizza into eight 9x3-inch strips.

*For the authentic Rhode Island serving style, wrap each strip in a folded piece of wax paper. Yup that'd be me! 🙋🏻‍♀️ Keeping it real!

Notes:

I like homemade pizza dough, but use what's convenient for you. Supermarket dough works just fine. Just don't use a pre-made pizza shell; it doesn't taste the same. It's got to be fresh dough. - Trust me on this one!

Nutrition:

Calories: 275 | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 723mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg

"Every true Rhode Islander knows Pizza Strips are not exactly right unless they're cold or at least room temperature."

CWT is not a certified dietician or nutritionist. Any nutritional information shared on this site is an estimate counted through measurements and package nutritional information used in each recipe. If calorie, macro counting and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through your choice of nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on national brands used per recipe.

Egg-less Egg Nog

AKA - Egg-Not

"This is the classic holiday drink, with all of the creaminess and flavor but skipping the raw eggs traditionally used in eggnog."

This is that rich, sweet, and creamy homemade egg nog recipe that captures the holiday flavor of this classic drink all while skipping the raw eggs. Serve ice cold garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg. I like it with a dollop of whipped cream. It will give you peace of mind when serving this classic holiday beverage to your guests, and it will reassure anyone who is not open to the concept of drinking raw eggs or has as an allergy to them. Even if you’re not worried about raw eggs yourself, for safety and simplicity, this eggless eggnog (Egg-Not) recipe is a good way to go.

Egg-Less Egg Nog

Servings – 8 Prep Time – 10 Minutes Chill Time – 2 Hours or overnight

Ingredients:

• 4 cups milk

• 4 cups of heavy cream

• 1 - 3 ounce package jello instant vanilla pudding

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups bourbon or dark rum, optional only for adult beverage

• cinnamon, orange zest, whipped cream and or nutmeg, for glass garnish

Additional glass garnish options for a festive look:

Candy canes, or peppermint sticks, cinnamon sticks, candied orange peels, maraschino cherries, flavored whipped cream, or festive colored sprinkles.

Directions:

In large bowl, mix pudding with 1 cup milk.

Once pudding is thick, add remaining ingredients; mix well.

Chill for 2 hours or more for best quality and taste.

Garnish each drink with a dollop of whipped cream, cinnamon, orange zest and or nutmeg.

Notes:

Vegan variations:

• Replace the whole milk with your choice of dairy-free milk, such as almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, or soy milk.

• Swap the vanilla pudding mixture. Replace it with vegetarian Instant Vanilla Pudding.

  
  

• Replace the heavy cream, use coconut milk or a non-dairy heavy cream.

Non-Alcoholic variations:

• Skip the liquor and enjoy it as is.

• If you’re missing the traditional boozy notes, use any non-alcoholic whisky or rum.

You can blend the orange zest, nutmeg and cinnamon right into the drink mixture or blend some in and give each glass a little sprinkle, which looks super festive.

Nutrition:

Calories: 387 | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg

"I love eggnog, so I was skeptical about how this would taste. It is delicious!! Now I can drink eggnog year-round and not wait for the commercial eggnog that is sold only in Nov. and Dec. (I never made homemade eggnog using eggs because of concerns over salmonella.) Thanks for the recipe!!" ~ Party Attendee

CWT is not a certified dietician or nutritionist. Any nutritional information shared on this site is an estimate counted through measurements and package nutritional information used in each recipe. If calorie, macro counting and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through your choice of nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on national brands used per recipe.

Orange Cranberry Bread

"This is an excellent flavor combination! It screams holiday breakfast time to me. Orange and cranberry flavors will be sure to put you in the holiday spirit. It tastes even better the next day."

Orange Cranberry Bread

Servings –12 Prep Time – 15 Minutes Cook Time – 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

Bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest

• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped - optional. I personally prefer walnuts.

• 1/4 cup margarine, softened

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 egg

• 3/4 cup orange juice

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in orange zest, cranberries, and walnuts or pecans - or both! Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in orange juice and vanilla extract.

Beat in flour mixture until just moistened.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the bread springs back when lightly touched. Let stand 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Glaze

Mix powdered sugar, orange juice and vanilla in a small bowl until all sugar is disssolved. Start by adding a tablespoon at a time of orange juice to the sugar until you reach the consistancy of syrup. If you would like a thicker glaze use less orange juice.

Leave bread on wire rack and place a baking sheet underneath. Pour glaze over top of bread in a swiping motion moving back and forth to cover top of bread. Let stand to firm up at room temperature for about 30 minutes; or you can slice and serve.

Notes:

If you don't want the glaze this bread is also great plain or with just a dusting of powdered sugar on top.

You make this recipe into muffins as well. Using a muffin tin, lined with paper liners. Fill each liner with 3/4 cup of mix and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.

As you can see I have pictures of all options below. Enjoy each way for a different occasion.

Nutrition:

Calories: 224 | Fat 8g | Cholesterol 16mg | Sodium 261mg | Carbohydrates 37g | Fiber 2g | Sugars 19g | Protein 3g | Vitamin C 10mg | Calcium 47mg | Iron 1mg | Potassium 91mg

"Oh My God! This is a beautiful bread, both in taste and aesthetic. The glaze gives it a gorgeous shine, and an initial sweet taste with the after tart of the cranberry. If you're looking for a nice large loaf, for breakfast or afternoon tea...THIS IS THE ONE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR! I will never use any recipe but this from now on...not even Nana's! Shhhhhhhh! 🤫"

CWT is not a certified dietician or nutritionist. Any nutritional information shared on this site is an estimate counted through measurements and package nutritional information used in each recipe. If calorie, macro counting and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through your choice of nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on national brands used per recipe.