Egg Nog Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 brown sugar
3/4 cup of softened butter
1/2 cup eggnog
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg yokes

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients, and set aside.


Cream sugar and butter until fluffy, add egg yokes, vanilla and eggnog. Beat at medium speed until smooth. The batter looks kind of lumpy here, almost curdled. Add the flour mixture until just combined.

Drop onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 23-25 minutes, this seems long, but my oven actually is between 25-27 minutes of baking.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 medium bell peppers(red, orange, yellow)
1/2 cup rice ( I used brown basmati)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium shallot chopped fine
12 oz ground beef (could use turkey)
3 cloves garlic
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/4 cups shredded cheese (asked for Monterey Jack, I used cheddar)
1/4 cup ketchup
Pepper
Salt

Boil cored peppers for 3 minutes to soften and remove any bitter taste. Place peppers cut side up to drain and cool after boiling. Cook rice at this time.

Cook shallots in medium heat with oil, after they have turned soft and have started to brown, add ground beef and cook until all the pink is gone. Add garlic and stir, cooking for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Transfer to bowl. Add cooked rice and drained tomatoes, 1 cup of the cheese, and finally the ketchup.

Stuff the peppers evenly, and cover with with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 until the cheese is brown and bubbly, 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Freezer Pesto

4 cups fresh basil
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp garlic
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 parmesan cheese

Whir all these up in the food processor. I froze mine and added a few tablespoons of oil on the top of the pesto once it is in it's jar to keep from turning brown. (I know that this is horrible english, but who really cares?)

Amy's Orzo Salad

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 olive oil
1 lb orzo
1 cup chopped kalamat olives
1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
2 cups julienned spinach
salt
pepper

Cook 1 lb of orzo until al dente, remove from water and let cool for a few minutes. Toast pine nuts while you are waiting. Whisk oil and vinegar together and add to orzo. Add pine nuts. I used whole olives and chopped myself. Add Olives, salt and pepper. Wait until completely cool and add spinach. Mix and refrigerate.

Didem's Cranberry Sauce

4 cups fresh cranberries
1.5 c. water
0.5 c. orange juice
2 c. sugar

1 tsp. ginger
0.5 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. orange zest

I boiled water, juice, ginger, cinnamon and sugar
(stir them occasionally), after boiling I turned down
the heat a little and leave it boiling for 5 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Add cranberries, lower heat to
medium. stir and continue boiling (and stirring occ.)
for 5 more minutes, until cranberries pop. I added the
orange zest the last when the pan was still hot (but
did not cook them). Put them in a bowl and refrigerate
until chilled.

Cranberry Buttermilk Loaf

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

1 cup fresh cranberries, very coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together sugars, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla extract and the egg. Add the flour in gradually, adding the cranberries with the last addition. The batter will be thick.
Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth it with a spatula or knife.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
Makes 1 loaf.

Bearnese Sauce

1/3 cup white tarragon vinegar (plus 2 more tablespoons if you are using fresh tarragon)
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 crushed peppercorns
1 heaping tablespoon very finely chopped shallots
2 heaping tablespoons finely chopped leaves of chervil or parsley
6 sprigs fresh or 4 sprigs bottled tarragon (with 2 tablespoons liquid from bottle)
Ingredients for 1 recipe Hollandaise, omitting lemon juice or vinegar

Combine in a small heavy saucepan vinegar, wine, peppercorns, shallots, chevril or parsley, and tarragon with liquid or the extra tarragon vinegar. (Reserve the leaves from half of the stalks and put aside.) Cook over high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup or less. Strain through very fine sieve or cloth. Make Hollandaise Sauce using strained liquid instead of lemon juice or vinegar. Very finely chop and add remaining chevril or parsley and remaining tarragon.

Hollandaise Sauce

3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cream
1 cup (1/2 pound) melted butter, cooled to room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of cayenne pepper

Use a small, thick ceramic bowl set in a heavy-bottomed pan, or a heavyweight double boiler. Off the heat, put the egg yolks and cream in the bowl or upper section of the double boiler and stir with a wire whisk until well-blended — the mixture should never be beaten but stirred, evenly, vigorously and continually. Place the container over hot water (if you are setting the bowl in water, there should be about 1 1/2 inches of water in the pan; in a double boiler, the water should not touch the top section). Stirring eggs continuously, bring the water slowly to a simmer. Do not let it boil. Stir, incorporating the entire mixture so there is no film at the bottom. When the eggs have thickened to consistancy of very heavy cream, begin to add the cooled melted butter with one hand, stirring vigorously with the other. Pour extremely slowly so that each addition is blended into the egg mixture before more is added. When all the butter has been added, add the lemon juice or vinegar a drop at a time and immediately remove from heat. Add salt and a mere dash of cayenne.

Grandma’s Snickerdoodles

Mix together thoroughly:
1 cup soft shortening (I used butter)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
Sift together and stir in:
2 ¾ cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
½ tsp salt

Chill dough. Roll into walnut sized balls

Roll in mixture of:
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Bake 8-10 minutes in 400 degree oven until lightly browned, but still soft. Makes about 5 dozen.

Grandma’s Pecan Pie

3 eggs
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup sugar
2 tbs melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
1 cup pecans
1 9” pastry shell

Beat eggs slightly, mix in corn syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Add nuts. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Fillings should be slightly less set in the center than around the edges.

Gnocchi Alla Romano

3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup semolina (sometimes labeled "semolina flour"; resembles fine yellow cornmeal)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3/4 cup)
1 large egg

Whisk together milk, semolina, and 1 teaspoon salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking. Simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until very stiff, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter and 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Beat in egg.

Spread gnocchi mixture 1/2 inch thick on an oiled baking sheet and chill, uncovered, until very firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Cut out rounds from gnocchi mixture with a 2-inch round cookie cutter (push scraps into remaining mixture as you go) and arrange, slightly overlapping, in a well-buttered 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Make a small second layer in center of dish with any remaining rounds. Brush gnocchi with remaining 1/4 cup melted butter and sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake in middle of oven until gnocchi are beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 first-course servings.

Almond Toffee

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, divided use
2 sticks butter (I use salted) -- 1/2 pound
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces good quality dark or milk chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread 1/2 cup of the almonds on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes or until toasted and aromatic. Set aside.

Line a 13x9 inch pan with parchment paper and set next to stove.

Place butter in a heavy, medium sized (3 qt or larger) saucepan and melt over medium heat. When butter is mostly melted, stir in sugar, warm water and salt. Set a deep fry thermometer in pan, being careful that bulb is not touching bottom of pan. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring once in a while (once or twice around), until it reaches 240 degrees F.

At 240 degrees, add the remaining 1 cup sliced almonds to sugar mixture. After adding almonds, stir constantly, keeping heat at medium, until mixture reaches 295 degrees F. If temperature is not rising at a slow and steady rate, raise heat a tiny bit until mercury starts rising. When mixture reaches 295 degrees F, immediately remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Pour into parchment lined pan. The mixture should be kind of a liquid blob at hit point and if you are on track, the pan will be clean when you dump the blog onto the parchment. Mixture will begin to firm, and butter may pool and separate, Do not pour off any excess butter. Do not panic, because if you cooked the toffee to 295, your candy should set. Sometimes it just takes longer.

Scatter chopped chocolate across top of hot almond mixture and let chocolate melt into and over the candy as candy firms. Using back of a spoon, spread melted chocolate evenly over candy. Crush your toasted almonds and sprinkle over melted chocolate. Let candy cool for 1/2 hour at room temperature. Transfer to refrigerator and chill for about 1 hour to firm chocolate.

When chocolate is set is set, lift candy from pan by grasping parchment. Break candy into large chunks.

Midnights

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into chunks
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. espresso powder
10 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
OPTIONAL: Chocolate nonpareils, dulce de leche or white Herhsey’s Kisses

Place bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Melt chocolate in microwave for 1 ½ minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir and distribute heat. Use high setting. Set aside and let cool slightly.

In a small bowl, thoroughly stir together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Add vanilla, espresso powder and melted chocolate, mixing until evenly incorporated. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover bowl and refrigerate until dough is firm. (** This did not work for me, the dough fell apart)

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Drop dough by tablespoonful onto the baking sheets. Bake 9 minutes, or until they appear set. Let sit on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

OPTION: If using chocolate nonpareils, press one pointy-side down into each cookie as son as you remove them from the oven.

*I bake for 10 minutes.

Cookie Madness 2006

Creamy Scrambles Eggs

1 Tablespoon butter
4 eggs, preferably free-range organic
1 Tablespoon milk or cream
2 teaspoons truffle oil, a couple pinches of truffle salt or garam masala (whatever spice or herb you like with eggs is fine)
salt

Break the eggs into a bowl, add the milk and beat with a whisk until combined. Heat a non-stick or omelet pan over low heat. Add the butter to the pan and when melted add the eggs. Cook the eggs very slowly; stirring constantly until almost, but not completely cooked through, this will take about 10 minutes. Top scrambled eggs and sprinkle with truffle salt, truffle oil or garam masala.

Orange Pecan French Toast

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
12 (3/4 inch thick) slices French bread (we used a baguette)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg whites
2 eggs
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, melted butter, and corn syrup. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, and spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans over the sugar mixture.
Arrange the bread slices in the bottom of the dish so they are in a snug single layer.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, egg whites, and eggs. Pour this mixture over the bread, pressing on the bread slices to help absorb the liquid. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ). Remove the cover from the baking dish and let stand for 20 minutes at room temperature. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

Meyer Lemon Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into 10-12 small pieces
8-10 tbsp fresh meyer lemon juice
1-2 tsp meyer lemon zest

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add butter and toss to coat. Using your finger tips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles very coarse sand. A few large bits are ok, but most should be smaller than a pea.
Add 5-6 tablespoons of orange juice and zest and stir dought with a fork. Add remaining juice until dough comes together into a not-too-moist ball. Divide dough in to two balls and flatten onto baking sheet to for discs about 1-inch thick. Divide each disc into quarters and separate slightly.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, until scones are a light golden color. A toothpick should come out clean, but color is a reliable indicator for these.
Makes 8.

Dulce de Leche Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup quality Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa
3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Whisk the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Put sugar, vanilla, and egg into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about three minutes. Add butter and continue to beat on high speed until smooth, about three minutes more. Using your fingers work flour mixture into butter mixture until dough is just combined. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 9-inch log. Wrap each log in parchment paper, twisting ends tightly to make a uniform cylinder. Freeze dough logs for at least eight hours and as long as overnight.

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Unwrap dough and slice each log into rounds 1/3-inch thick. Place rounds one inch apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake cookies until slightly puffed and tiny cracks appear on surface, about eight minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to let cool. Makes about four dozen cookies.

To make the dulce de leche cookies, follow recipe as above, but instead of freezing dough, chill in refrigerator. Slice rounds as directed, but flatten rounds and scoop a generous 1/4 teaspoonful (which is really about a half teaspoon) ball of dulce de leche in the middle of one round. Lay a second round over dulce de leche, pinching edges tightly and smoothing out and rolling gently between balls to make a smooth mound. Bake for 9 minutes.

Rex's Waffles


1 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 eggs
7 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat the waffle iron. Sift the dry indredients into a medium sized bowl. Separate the eggs, putting the egg whites in smaller bowl. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. (If you are using an electric mixer, you can beat the egg whites first, then beat the batter without having to wash the beaters. The reverse is not true. If you beat the batter first and you have to wash the beaters before beating the egg whites.) Add the egg yolks, oil and milk all at one time to the dry indredients. Beat until there are no lumps in the batter. Fold the egg whites into the other batter using a spatula or other flat utinsel. Put a full 1/2 cup of batter in your waffle iron to make a 9-inch round waffle. This recipe makes about eight 9 inch waffles.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chunky peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ginger

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Beat together butter, salt and peanut butter. Beat in both sugars and eggs and continue beating until fluffy. Beat in milk. Mix together flour, soda, and ginger. Add to butter mixture and stir, by hand, until incorporated. Drop by rounds onto ungreased cookie sheets. Press into criss-cross pattern and bake for 12-14 minutes. Makes 5-6 dozen. These need some refrigeration before being baked.

Anna, Cookie Madness

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Cookies

2 slices frozen or prepared pecan pie
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour or if you have it, bread flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
4 ounces dark chocolate, cut into chunks

Cut frozen or pecan pie into bite size pieces and place in freezer until frozen or, if using already frozen, until ready to use.

In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter, sugar and dark brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and
salt. Stir into sugar mixture. Fold in frozen pecan pie pieces and chocolate chunks.

Using a quarter cup measure, scoop and shape dough into balls and place on a dish. Chill shaped dough balls for at least 1 hour or until ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place thoroughly chilled dough balls about 3 inches apart on an ungreased non-stick or parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake cookies for 15 minutes, covering loosely with sheet of foil after
first 10 minutes to prevent over browning. Cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes, then remove.

Makes 12 big cookies

*16 minutes is really the max cooking time

Anna Cookie Madness

Chopped Veggie Salad with Feta and Olives

1 large head romaine lettuce, finely chopped (about 8 cups)
4 medium plum tomatoes, seeded, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 roasted red bell pepper
1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup pitted halved Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives


Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Drizzle oil and vinegar over. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Mix in feta cheese and olives and serve.

Vanilla Bundt Cake

3 1/3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter, room temp
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla (or almond) extract

Preheat oven to 325, butter and flour bundt pan. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in bowl.

With mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each, then add sour cream and extract. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing well after each addition.

Pour batter into bundt pan, bake for 75-90 minutes, until skewer comes out with a few crumbs. Cool for 10 minutes and then invert onto cooling rack.

Snap Peas with Toasted Sesame Seeds

1 pound sugar snap peas, stringed
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil

Steam sugar snap peas until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Toss with seeds and oil. Season with salt.

Wasabi-Crusted Chicken Breasts

1 1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
4 teaspoons wasabi powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten to blend
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, flattened to 1/3-inch thickness between plastic wrap

4 tablespoons peanut oil

3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
3 tablespoons sake
3 tablespoons low-salt chicken broth
3 green onions, thinly sliced

Combine panko, wasabi powder, salt, and pepper in large shallow dish. Place eggs in pie dish. Dip chicken, 1 breast at a time, in egg, then in panko mixture. Turn to coat completely.

Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté 2 chicken breasts until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken.

Add teriyaki sauce, sake, and chicken broth to skillet; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Drizzle sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and serve.

Garlic Croutons

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
4 French bread slices, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with olive oil and garlic in small saucepan. Place bread cubes on baking sheet. Pour butter mixture over and toss well. Bake until bread cubes are golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely. (Croutons can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store at room temperature in airtight container.)

Cinnamon and Apple Crisp

1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced (I used unpeeled Gala)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in large bowl. Add apples and toss to coat. Transfer apple mixture to prepared dish.

Combine flour, 1 cup sugar and butter in medium bowl. Using pastry blender or fingertips, blend ingredients until coarse meal forms. Spread flour mixture evenly over apples.

Bake crisp 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake crisp until apples are tender and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Crusty Puffed Potatoes

4 small red potatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven to 475°F. Rinse potatoes and dry well with paper towels. Rub potatoes with oil. Cut each potato in half and sprinkle cut sides with salt. Put potatoes on a baking rack and let stand 10 minutes so salt can draw some water out of potatoes. Bake potatoes on the baking rack (not on a baking sheet) on middle rack of oven until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Increase temperature to 500°F. and bake potatoes until puffed and golden, about 5 minutes more.

Romaine and Gorgonzola Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing and Spice Pecans

6 tablespoons olive oil
10 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

8 cups bite-size pieces romaine lettuce (1 large head) 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss oil with garlic in small baking dish. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake until garlic is golden and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic from skins. Reserve oil.

Transfer roasted garlic to processor. Add honey, vinegar, cider and mustard and blend well. With processor running, slowly add reserved garlic oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss lettuce with 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese and enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and Spiced Pecans and serve.

Beef in Barolo

1 boneless chuck-eye roast ~3.5 lbs
4 oz pancetta
1 medium onion
2 carrots
2 celery ribs
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs crushed garlic
.5 tsp sugar
1 tbs flour
1 bottle of wine, preferably Barolo or Cabernet
1 can diced tomatoes
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig rosemary
10 sprigs parsley

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pat beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Cook pancetta in heavy bottomed Dutch oven, cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon transfer pancetta to paper towels and reserve. Heat remaining fat until just smoking, add beef to pot and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Set aside on a large plate.

Reduce heat to medium; add onions, carrots, celery and tomato paste to pot and cook stirring occasionally until veggies begin to soften and brown, about 6 minute. Add garlic, sugar, flour and reserved pancetta; cook stirring constantly, until combined and fragrant. Add wine and tomatoes, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits; add thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Return roast and any juices to pot; increase heat to high and bring liquid to boil. Place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Set pot in oven and cook, turning every 45 minutes, until dinner fork easily slips in and out of meat, about 4 hrs.

Transfer meat to plate and tent with foil. Bring liquid to boil over high heat and cook whisking vigorously to help veggies to break down until mixture is thickened and reduced to about 3.5 cups, about 20 minutes. Strain sauce through strainer and discard solids. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with sauce immediately.

Key Lime Bars

Crust
5 oz animal crackers
3 tbs packed brown sugar
pinch of salt
4 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Filling
2 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 tbs grated lime zest
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg yolk
.5 cup Key lime or regular lime juice

Garnish (optional)
¾ cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted

Preheat oven to 325. Line and 8 inch baking pan with tin foil, spray it with cooking spray.

In a food processor, pulse animal crackers until broken down, about ten 1 second pulses. Add brown sugar and salt, process to combine. Drizzle melted butter over crumbs and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter. Press crumbs into the bottom of the baking pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack with making filling.

Stir cream cheese, zest and salt with rubber spatula until softened, creamy and combined. Add condensed milk and whisk vigorously until no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add lime juice and whisk gently until incorporated.

Pour filling into crust and spread to make even. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from edges, 15-20 minutes. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Chicken Enchiladas

Sauce and Filling
1.5 tbs veggie oil
1 medium onion
3 cloves of garlic crushed
3 tbs chili powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
.5 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
2 cans tomato sauce (16 oz)
.5 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 can (4 oz) pickled jalapenos, drained
8 oz sharp cheddar

Tortillas and toppings
10 6” corn tortillas
veggie or cooking spray
3 oz grated cheddar
¾ cup sour cream
1 avocado
2 limes, quartered

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering, not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Ad Garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt, and sugar; cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook stirring constantly, until coated with spices, about 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and ¾ cup of water; stir to separate chicken pieces. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and flavors have melded, about 8 minutes. Pour mixture through medium-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on chicken and onions to extract as much sauce as possible; set sauce aside. Transfer chicken mixture to large plate, freeze for 10 minutes to cool, then combine with cilantro, jalapenos, and cheese in medium bow. And set aside.

Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Fill Tortillas with chicken mixture, roll and cover with sauce. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake enchiladas until heated through and cheese is melted, 20-25 minutes. Uncover and serve immediately, with accoutrements.

Spinach and Cheese Strata

1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 lb)
6 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)
2 3/4 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop.

Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat.

Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses).

Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard).

Preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg with a fork in a small bowl and add 1 3/4 tablespoons of it plus 2 remaining whole eggs to butter mixture, beating with mixer until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until just blended, then stir in chips.

Scoop 1/4 cup batter for each cookie, arranging mounds 3 inches apart, on 2 baking sheets. Flatten mounds into 3-inch rounds using moistened palm of your hand. Form remaining cookies on additional sheets of parchment.

Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool and continue making cookies in same manner using cooled baking sheets.

Key Lime Pound Cake

1 cup Butter Flavored Crisco
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 eggs, room temperature
12 ounces cake flour (3 cups)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup bottled key lime juice

Glaze:
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons Key lime juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard size (12 cup) bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening, butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add lemon zest and sugar and continue beating. Beat in vanilla, then one by one, beat in the eggs. Beat in salt. Add flour slowly, stirring by hand until fully incorporated. Stir in key lime juice; Bake for 1 ½ hours. Using a skewer, poke holes in hot cake.

Key Lime Glaze
In small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and key lime juice. Bring to boil. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Poke holes in bottom of cake and poor glaze over while it is still hot. Reserve some for after the cake is turned out.

Let cake cool for 10 minutes. Turn from pan and cool completely.

The recipe for the cake comes from Anna at "Cookie Madness".

Panna Cotta

2 ¾ tsp unflavored Gelatin
1 cup whole milk
3 cups heavy cream
½ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
fresh fruit for serving

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup of the milk and let stand for 5 minutes. This will soften the gelatin.

Place the rest of the milk, cream, and sugar in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil and remove from hear. Add about a ½ cup of the hot liquid to the gelatin mixture and whisk to dissolve, then pour the gelatin mixture back into the hot milk and cream. Add the vanilla and salt and whisk to combine.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a measuring cup pitcher, from here pour mixture into whatever vessel you want to serve it from. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 5 hours. Can be made a day in advance.

Citrus Variation:
Substitute 1 tsp of orange or lemon oil for the vanilla extract.

Tequila Lime Pie

For crust
1 pie shell, pre-baked.

For filling
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup tequila

2 egg whites
1 tablespoon sugar

Make filling:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir condensed milk and next 3 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Set condensed milk mixture aside.

Using electric mixer beat egg whites with sugar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Using rubber spatula, gently fold 1 1/2 cups condensed milk mixture into whites. Fold remaining milk mixture into whites until just incorporated.

Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake until filling puffs up slightly and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist filling attached, about 40 minutes. Cool tart completely on rack. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours. Garnish tart with whipped cream and lime slices.

Butter Cookies

2 cups plus 2 tbsp cake flour
½ tsp salt
½ lb butter (2 sticks), softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together flour and salt on sheet of waxed paper.

Beat butter on high for about 5 minutes, or until pale yellow and fluffy. Add sugar and beat on medium high speed until mixture is very pale and very light, another 2-3 minutes. Scrape down bowl and add egg yolks and vanilla. Beat for 30 seconds or until incorporated. Add the flour and beat slowly at first for about 20 seconds.

Shape cookies for thumbprints, sandwiches, rolled or dropped. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-15 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ sticks butter, softened but still firm
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the flour and salt onto a piece of waxed paper, set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, scarping the bowl down frequently. Add the egg and beat until incorporated, 20-30 seconds. Add the vanilla and beat another 10-20 seconds, or until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low speed for about 1 minute, or until fully mixed.

Bake at 325 degrees for 11-13 minutes.

These cookies can either be rolled or made as drop cookies. They need to be refrigerated for 2 hrs for rolling.

Chocolate Variation:

Replace ¼ cup of flour with cocoa powder, and add 2 oz of melted semisweet chocolate with the vanilla.

Citrus Variation:

Replace the tsp of vanilla with a tsp of citrus oil.

Chocolate Truffle Cookies

4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1/3 C butter
1 C sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C flour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 salt
powdered sugar for rolling

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, vanilla, and butter together; stirring, until smooth ( I do this in the microwave on 50% power). Remove pan from heat; cool for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together for 2 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed. Beat in the vanilla and chocolate mixture.Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; add to the chocolate mixture just until combined. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips.

Chill in freezer for 20-30 minutes.

Roll into 1" balls and dredge in powdered sugar. Place 2" apart on ungreased or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.Bake in a preheated 350*F.oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly puffed and set. Cool for 3-4 minutes on the cookie sheets before removing to a wire rack; cool completely.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups (5 oz) finely ground graham crackers or cookies such as chocolate or vanilla wafers or gingersnaps
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 24-centimeter springform pan. Fill right away or chill up to 2 hours.

Makes enough for a 24-centimeter cheesecake.

Pecan Pie

1 premade pie crust

For filling
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups chopped pecans

Make filling:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Mix in 3/4 cup pecans. Pour into crust. Sprinkle with 1 cup pecans. Bake pie until set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

1 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 banana, mashed
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 inch square pan.

Thoroughly stir together flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together melted butter and sugar. Stir in egg and vanilla, followed by banana.

Spread batter in prepared pan for about 33-35 minutes. Let cool completely. Lift from pan and cut into squares.

Fudge Brownies

6 tablespoons butter
1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips or 6 ounces chopped
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus
2 tbsp unprocessed cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch square pan with foil and grease bottom of foil.

In a heavy saucepan, partially melt butter. Stir in chocolate chips and continue to melt over low heat until smooth. Turn off heat. Stir in brown sugar. Chocolate will look grainy. Stir a little of the chocolate mixture into eggs to temper, then stir eggs into chocolate mixture in saucepan. Stir in vanilla, flour and salt.

Pour into pan and bake for 28-30 minutes. Let cool. These are good the same day, but will be even better on day 2.

Makes 16 brownies

NY Cheesecake

1 Graham cracker crust
5 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Make crumb crust as directed in separate recipe. Preheat oven to 550°F.

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour, and zests with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and yolks, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.

Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust (springform pan will be completely full) and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 12 minutes, or until puffed. Reduce temperature to 200°F and continue baking in water bath until cake is mostly firm (center will still be slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour more.

Run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen and cool completely in springform pan on a rack. Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 6 hours. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups (5 oz) finely ground graham crackers or cookies such as chocolate or vanilla wafers or gingersnaps
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 24-centimeter springform pan. Fill right away or chill up to 2 hours.

Dulce de Leche Sauce

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Combine whipping cream and brown sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Boil until mixture is reduced to 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm over medium-low heat just until warm and pourable.)

Flan


1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons water
4 eggs, separated
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a saucepan, combine sugar and water, and boil rapidly until a deep amber color. Pour the mixture in the bottom of a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie pan and coat sides. Let cool.

In a bowl, stir egg yolks and then add all the milks and vanilla. Mix batter well. In another bowl, whip egg whites until fluffy, not stiff. Fold whites into batter. Pour mixture into the caramelized sugar-coated pie dish.

Place dish in large roasting pan or baking pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of pie dish. Bake flan in water bath for 1 hour, until set in center. Let cool, then cover and chill overnight. (Can be made two days ahead. Keep chilled.)

To serve:
Allow flan to come to room temperature. Run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen. Place a serving plate that's slightly larger than the pie pan on top of the pie pan, and flip upside down. Gently remove the pie pan and cut the flan into wedges to serve.

Delicious Rosemary Bread

1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons rosemary
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 egg, beaten (optional)

Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a medium bowl, and mix in the yeast. When yeast is bubbly, mix in salt, butter, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Mix in 2 cups flour. Gradually add remaining flour to form a workable dough, and knead 10 to 12 minutes.

Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl, cover, and allow to rise 1 hour in a warm location.

Punch down dough, and divide in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease paper. Shape dough into 2 round loaves, and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Cover, and allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Brush loaves with egg. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Mirabelle’s Ginger Tart

For dough
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
5 tablespoons cold water

For filling
1 1/2 cups packed golden brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 tablespoons whipping cream
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
4 large egg yolks

Make dough:
Combine first 3 ingredients in processor. Add butter, cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water; blend just until moist clumps form. Knead dough gently until smooth. Cover; chill 20 minutes.

Roll out dough on floured surface to 13-inch round. Fit into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Trim edges. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line dough with foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust sets, about 15 minutes. Remove weights and foil. Bake crust until pale golden, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer to rack and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Make filling:
Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy large skillet. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in nuts.
Cool slightly. Add yolks and stir.

Pour filling into crust. Bake until filling looks dry and crusty and center is softly set, about 30 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 325°F. Continue baking until center is set, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer to rack; cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.) Serve with whipped cream.

Makes 12 servings.
Bon Appétit
Restaurant; Mirabelle, Long Island NY.
November 1992

Viola Rieke’s PfannKuchen

Makes 6 pancakes:

6 Eggs

60g flour (about 6 Tbs)

pinch of salt

375 ml milk (about 1.5 cups)

If you start with the flour and just a little milk, it's easier to avoid flour clumps. At the end, the batter is really liquidy. Pour in a heated pan with some oil or nonstick (just before pouring each pancake, wisk the batter again because the flour sinks to the bottom). The pancakes are quite large (I use a ~10-11 inch pan) and relatively thin. When all liquid is stiff, flip the pancake.

And for real German pancakes, you have to flip them in the air with your pan. I loved that, when my mom or grandma were doing that, especially when it didn't work :-) I think you dogs will love it too.

Lemon – Ginger Pound Cake

For cake
3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For glaze
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Make cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Generously butter pan, then flour it, knocking out excess. Chill 10 minutes.

Finely grind together fresh ginger and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor (mixture will be wet).

Whisk together flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt.

Stir together milk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter, remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Alternately add flour and milk mixtures to butter and eggs in 4 batches, beginning with flour and mixing at low speed until each batch is just incorporated. Mix in ginger sugar until just combined, then lemon juice.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven until golden brown on top and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes (about 1 hour for loaf pan). Carefully loosen edges with a knife and immediately invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Make glaze: Gradually add confectioners sugar to 1 tablespoon lemon juice, whisking until smooth and adding more juice, 1 drop at a time, if glaze is too thick. Drizzle decoratively over top of cake.

* I Double this recipe and it fits nicely into a standard bundt pan.

Makes 6 servings.
Gourmet
April 2001

Risotto

1 tbsp

1 tbsp

½ small white or yellow onion

2 cloves of crushed garlic

1 cup Arborio rice

3 cups chicken broth

½ cup dry white wine

various favorings

In a large sauce pan cook onion in the butter and oil until the onions are soft. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds or until garlic is fragrant, don’t let it burn. Add the rice and coat with butter and oil. Begin adding the chicken broth ½ a cup at a time. Stir constantly until the rice has soaked up the broth. The broth has been soaked up once there can be a path made through the rice and no liquid fills in the space. Continue with this until all the broth is gone. The rice should be soft and fully soft. Do not use too much liquid the rice will stop absorbing once it is fully cooked. Use the wine as the last liquid installment. The rice should cook thoroughly within 30 minutes.

Turn off heat and stir in cheese, seafood, sausage, vegetables, mushrooms, squid ink, or whatever turns you on. These ingredients should be cooked beforehand.

Andrea

2005

Roasted Veggies

Assorted veggies

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

5-6 grinds of the peppermill

½ tbsp thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and cut vegetables into bite sized pieces. Place veggies on a baking sheet in a single layer, use just enough olive oil to coat the vegetables, but not enough that there will be a pool of it on the sheet. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the oiled vegetables and toss. Sprinkle thyme over the vegetables. Roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the vegetables have softened but not gotten soggy.

I use bell peppers (red), asparagus, onions, garlic, shallots, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, and fennel. Anything that roasts quickly would work. Potatoes would not.

Polenta

1 cup polenta

4 cups of liquid (water, chicken broth, or veggie broth)

1 tbsp butter

salt to taste

Bring liquid to a boil (I use a mixture of chicken broth and water, whatever I have on hand). Add the polenta and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes stirring frequently. Add the butter once the polenta is creamy and thick.

* Optional*

Add cheese, whatever you have on hand, I used ¼ cup of parmesan and ¼ cup of mozzarella. This recipe makes quite a bit of polenta, about 4 cups.

Polenta Package

2006

Turkey Chili

1 lb ground turkey, can be breast or thighs

1 package of hot taco seasoning

2 15 oz cans dark red kidney beans

2 15 oz cans black beans

2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes

4 cups water

1 small can of green chiles

1 lb of noodles

Brown meat in a large stock pot until there is no pink left. Drain the meat if needed and add the packet of taco seasoning. Stir in the can of green chiles, the tomatoes, and all beans. Add Noodles and water to cover, cook until noodles are soft, making sure you keep adding water. This should resemble a soupy, camping type chili. Works well in a Dutch Oven.

Anne and Ross

Camping 2005

Chocolate Volcano Cakes

Butter for ramekins
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup fine sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (I used semisweet)
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
Butter four 2/3-cup ramekins, set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Using a microwave or a double boiler, melt together 3/4 cup of chocolate chips and the butter. Set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sugar, flour. Add cooled chocolate mixture, and mix until blended. Fold in white chocolate chips (I really prefer a 1/4 cup of semisweet).

Divide mixture evenly among ramekins and place on baking sheet. Bake until tops are shiny and cracked and chocolate beneath is hot and gooey, about 20 min ( an extra few minutes makes them better). Eat when cooled a bit, remembering that the ramekin and chocolate are very hot.

Lemon Meringue Pie

For filling

1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
4 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

For meringue
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven temperature to 350°F.

Make filling:
In a heavy saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt and gradually whisk in water and milk, whisking until cornstarch is dissolved. In a bowl whisk together egg yolks. Cook milk mixture over moderate heat, whisking, until it comes to a boil. Gradually whisk about 1 cup milk mixture into yolks and whisk yolk mixture into milk mixture. Simmer mixture, whisking, 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, lemon juice, and zest until butter is melted. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap.

Make meringue:
In another bowl with an electric mixer beat egg whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. Beat in sugar in a slow stream, beating until meringue just holds stiff peaks.

Pour filling into shell and spread meringue on top, covering filling completely, sealing it to pastry. Draw meringue up into peaks and bake pie in middle of oven until meringue is golden, about 15 minutes.

Makes one 9- to 10-inch single crust pie.
Gourmet
May 1995

Cheese and Spinach Puff Pastry

12 frozen puff pastry shells, unthawed
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (16 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and sqeezed dry
1 1/4 cups grated fontina cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
3-5 green onions chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the frozen pastry shells on the baking sheet and bake until the puff and become golden brown, about 20 min. Using small knife, cut out the center of the pastry shells.

Meanwhile, stir the cream, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the spinach, Fontina cheese, Parmesan, and green onions. Spoon the spinach mixture into the baked pastry shells. Bake until the pastries are golden brown and the filling is hot, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pastries to a platter and serve.