CROCK POT ITALIAN MEAT BALLS

1 qt. tomato juice
Salt and pepper
Garlic salt
4 tbsp. parsley flakes
1 lb. hamburger
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 c. grated cheese
1 sm. can tomato paste

Turn crock pot on low and pour in tomato juice. Add salt, pepper and garlic salt to your liking. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of parsley flakes in juice. Mix hamburger.

CROCK POT ITALIAN BEEF

4 to 5 lb. pot roast of beef
3 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. basil
1 pkg. Good Season salad dressing
1 onion (optional)

Pour ingredients over beef and cook on low all day in a crock pot. Shred beef and return to broth for 15 minutes. Serve on buns or over French bread.

Citrus Salad With A Tuscan Twist

Contributed by: NAPSA

(NAPSI) - For most people, holiday celebrations have four main ingredients: family, friends, fun and food. That's because many of the season's wonderful memories start in the kitchen.

This year, many families are looking for ways to add something extra to holiday traditions. One way is to add a touch of Tuscany. It's easy to do, since Tuscan life follows nature's lead. Simply celebrate by using olive oil to intensify the flavor of abundant, earthy foods such as butternut squash soups and roasted root vegetables.

For more than 100 years, Carapelli® Olive Oil has been an Italian tradition. Produced in the foothills of Tuscany, it is the number one brand in Italy. The company offers four different types of olive oil (Premium Extra Virgin, Extra Virgin, Mild and Light) for different uses, complimenting nearly every delicacy your imagination can cook up.

Holiday meals can be quite filling, so begin your feast with a lighter Tuscan-style Citrus Salad.

Ingredients:

* 8 cups assorted salad greens
* 2 large grapefruit, peeled and cut crosswise into rounds
* 2 navel oranges, peeled and cut crosswise into rounds
* 4 kiwifruit, peeled and quartered
* 1/4 cup Carapelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* 1/4 cup orange juice
* 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Directions:

Arrange salad greens and fruit on individual plates or on a large platter. In small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, vinegar, honey and pepper. Drizzle over salad and serve immediately.

You can continue the Tuscan theme with bruschetta-toasted bread brushed with olive oil, rubbed with garlic and topped with your favorite spread. Make a Tuscan-style stuffing with couscous, beans, grains, pork meat and herbs. Use olive oil in the stuffing to keep it moist and flavorful. Before adding the stuffing to your turkey, coat the inside of the bird with olive oil to seal in the juices and to add flavor.

Roast vegetables to perfection with Carapelli Mild Olive Oil to maximize and sweeten their natural flavor. Simply brush the vegetables, including squashes, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts with the olive oil and bake at 450 until tender.

In your holiday baking, substitute light olive oil for other cooking oils or for margarine or butter. Carapelli Light Olive Oil is an excellent choice because of its subtle flavor. When substituting olive oil for solid shortening, reduce the amount by 25 percent.

Not only does it add flavor, but baking with olive oil can save calories and reduce saturated fat. Nut breads and spice cakes are especially flavorful when baked with olive oil.

Serving Size: Serves 4-6.

Basic and Tomato Bruschetta

Contributed by: News Canada

Bruschetta in its original and most basic form is nothing more than garlic bread made with great olive oil. In Tuscany, it came into being as a means for workers to celebrate the first pressing of the olive oil after harvest. There was always a fire going near the press to provide warmth and peasants would grill chewy slabs of bread over it, and then rub the bread with garlic and douse it in the just-pressed oil. What could be more delicious? Well, perhaps the popular summer version topped with juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes and aromatic slivers of bright green basil. As irresistible as Tomato Bruschetta may be during the sultry summer months, be sure to try the Basic Bruschetta - often called Fettunta - as it is the essence of simple yet divine Tuscan cooking.

Ingredients:

* 4 slabs crusty and dense Italian bread, cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick
* 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
* Best quality extra virgin olive oil, preferably from Tuscany
* Sea salt to taste
* Tomato Topping:
* 3 cups seeded and diced vine-ripened tomatoes
* 1/4 cup best quality extra virgin olive oil, preferably from Tuscany
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 5 tablespoons slivered fresh basil leaves
* Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Charcoal: Direct - Gas: Direct/Low Heat

To Make Bruschetta: grill bread, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side. Rub one side of each piece of bread with a half clove of garlic; rub hard for good garlicky flavor. Place each piece of bread on a serving plate and drizzle generously with olive oil to suit your taste. Season with salt and enjoy.

For Tomato Bruschetta: Make the topping by combining tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Let mixture marinate at room temperature for 45 minutes. Grill the bread in the same manner as the basic bruschetta and top hot-off-the-grill with the tomato mixture. Let stand a few minutes to let the juices absorb into the grilled bread.

Serving Size: Makes 4 appetizer servings

BAKED ZITA

contributed by D Rhadika

(4 servings)

8 oz. zita macaroni
15 oz. spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Shred cheese. Combine cooked and drained zita and sauce in 2 qt.
casserole. Cook, covered at HIGH 10 minutes, stir once. Sprinkle
with cheese. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED STUFFED TOMATOES

contibuted by D rhadika

(4 servings)
8 large tomatoes
1/2 tsp. celery salt
pinch garlic salt
sliced bread
3/4 cup grated cheese
3 tbsp. chopped parsley
2 tbsp. butter
worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. sugar
5 tbsp. cooked ham

Cut tops off tomatoes, scoop out centers. Sprinkle insides with
mixture of celery and garlic salts. Turn upside down and let
drain.

Soak bread in hot water, squeeze dry, place in bowl. Mix in
grated cheese, parsley, chopped ham. Fill tomatoes with
stuffing, replace tops.

Melt butter, add worchestershire (dash), cornstarch blended with
cream, lemon juice, sugar, 5 tbsp. water. Hat, don't boil, pour
around tomatoes. Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.