Mint and Cucumber Relish

2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into small dice
Salt
1/4 cup minced shallot
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Place the diced cucumber in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. Lightly salt and let drain for 1 hour. Pat dry with paper towels and place in a clean bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 4 hours before serving. Stir well before serving.

Rack of Lamb

8 single baby rib lamb chops, frenched
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Shallot finely sliced
1 tsp thyme

Place lamb chops and above ingredients in zip lock bag and marinate in refrigerator for approximately 4 hrs.

Place the chops in a flat layer on a broiler pan. Cook chops at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Fingerlings and Aioli

For the Aioli:
1(1/2-inch thick) slice white bread, crust removed
2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
6 large garlic cloves, chopped (roasted is nice too)
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
Chives, chopped

Rinse the potatoes and put them in a large saucepan. Cover them with cold water, add 1 tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are just tender.

For the aioli, tear the slice of bread into pieces and place in a bowl. Pour the vinegar over the bread, and set aside for 5 minutes.

Place the garlic cloves, egg yolks, zest, juice, saffron, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the bread, and puree into a paste. With the processor running, slowly pour the oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until it is the consistency of thick sour cream ( I used a hand blender). Place in a serving bowl.

Slice the potatoes in half and place them on a serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and decorate with the chopped chives. Serve with the aioli.

Panzanella

1 French boule, or loaf of round Tuscan bread, torn into bite-size pieces (I used a baguette)
Extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 a lemon, or as needed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar(could use balsamic)
1/2 a shallot minced
4 small tomatoes
1 yellow pepper
1/2 cucumber diced
1 carrot diced
8 medium leaves of basil cut in chiffonade style

Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the bread chunks with 1/4 cup oil until the bread is wet with the oil. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and back until the bread begins to brown, about 10 minutes. While the bread is going, make the dressing. Use a large knife to chop and mash the garlic, shallots, and salt to a paste on a cutting board. Scrape it into a large mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and stir together. Add all of the rest of the ingredients and gently stir. Taste for seasoning. Finally, add the toasted bread and toss it all together. Taste it and season one last time with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Hot Chocolate

12 oz of the best whole milk you can find (Jersey whole milk)
Handful of high quality milk chocolate
large pinch of cinnamon
small pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp of good vanilla

Heat milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan until just before boiling, add chocolate and whisk until smooth and melted. Add cinnamon and cayenne and whisk again. Take off heat and add vanilla.

Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs — beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas — 5 bananas!

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9×5 loaf pan. In large bowl, combine flour, soda and salt. In separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Mango with Coconut Sticky Rice

1 Ripe Mango, peeled
2 tbs sugar
1 cup sticky rice
2 pinches salt
1 cup coconut milk

Soak the sticky rice for 10 minutes in warm water in a bowl. Soaking the rice is very important. I have tried this method without soaking the rice first and it was disastrous. The rice was undercooked and inedible. The water level should be just above the rice, which comes out to be 1 cup of rice and a little over 1 cup of water (about 10% more). I recommend using a non-plastic container because you may melt the plastic in the microwave. Cover the bowl with a dish and cook in microwave for at full power 3 minutes. Stir the rice around to move the rice from the top to the bottom. You will notice that some of the rice is translucent or cooked and some still has white center or the uncooked portion.

Heat it up again for another 3 minutes. Check and see if it is done. When cooked, all the rice should be translucent. If it needs more cooking, I recommend heating up and checking every 3 minutes or so. How long it takes to cook really depends on your microwave.

Putting it together:
Heat the coconut milk in a pot over medium heat. Stir constantly and let the coconut milk simmer. Hard boiled coconut milk will curdle. Add sugar and salt. Remove from heat. Pour 3/4 of the hot coconut milk over the hot sticky rice. Let it sit for 5 minutes. The sticky rice will absorb all the coconut milk. The rice should be a little mushy. Spoon the rest of the coconut milk on top of the rice at serving time.

Chicken Korma

1 kg Chicken breast or mini breast fillets
1 heaped tablespoon of finely grated fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic, minced
150g thick (plain) yogurt
1 dried red chilli (used red pepper flakes instead)
2 finely chopped onions
1 tbsp ghee or veg. oil
1 tbsp ground coriander
Pinch of ground black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
water
75g coconut milk
salt, to taste
2 heaped tbsps ground almonds
finely chopped Coriander Leaves, to garnish
juice of 1/2 lemon

Cut the chicken breasts into bite sized chunks. Mix the chicken with the ginger, garlic and yogurt. Cover and marinade for 12 hours or in the fridge overnight.


Liquidise the chopped onion and red chillies, add a little water if you need to, blend until smooth.
Heat the ghee/oil in a pan. Add the ground coriander, ground black pepper, turmeric and garam masala and stir fry for about 1-minute over a low heat. Turn up the heat, add the onion and chilli paste and stir fry for 10-minutes.

Add the chicken and the marinade and continue to stir fry for another 10-minutes. Add the coconut milk and enough water to *just* cover the chicken and bring to the boil. Stir in the ground almonds. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is tender (30-40 minutes).

Remove from heat, add lemon juice and salt to taste. Mix well.

Apricots and Couscous

1 1/3 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup couscous
1/2 English cucumber
4 fresh apricots
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

In a 3-quart saucepan bring water, oil, honey, and cumin to a boil and stir in couscous. Immediately remove pan from heat and let couscous stand, covered, 5 minutes. Seed cucumber and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Pit apricots and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Fluff couscous with a fork and stir in cucumber, apricots, mint, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or chilled.

Orange and Mint salad

Dressing
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar ( used rice vinegar)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
1 teaspoon orange-flower water( I omitted)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad
1 cup thinly sliced red onion (I omitted)
4 large oranges
1 5-ounce package arugula (used mixed greens, Rex hates arugula)
1 cup fresh mint leaves (from about 2 bunches)
1/2 cup thinly sliced pitted oil-cured black olives
1 5-ounce piece ricotta salata (salted dry ricotta cheese), cut into 1 1/2-inch-long, 1/4-inch-thick slices (used mild feta)

Whisk first 6 ingredients in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature and rewhisk before using.

Place onion in large bowl. Add 1/3 of dressing; toss. Let marinate 20 minutes.

Cut off peel and pith from oranges. Cut each orange crosswise into 8 slices.

Add greens, mint, and olives to bowl with onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss. Add remaining dressing; toss. Divide salad among 6 plates. Tuck orange slices and ricotta salata slices into salads.

Zucchini Gratin

1/3 cup long-grain white rice ( I used leftover saffron rice)
1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
6 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced ( I used less onion)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided

Preheat oven to 450°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Cook rice according to package instructions.

While rice cooks, toss zucchini with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow baking pan. Toss tomatoes with 1/2 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in another baking pan.

Roast zucchini in upper third of oven and tomatoes in lower third, turning vegetables once halfway through roasting, until tender and light golden, about 10 minutes for tomatoes; 20 minutes for zucchini. Leave oven on.

Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir together onion mixture, cooked rice, eggs, thyme, 1/4 cup cheese, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread half of rice mixture in a shallow 2-quart baking dish, then top with half of zucchini. Spread remaining rice mixture over zucchini, then top with remaining zucchini. Top with tomatoes and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake in upper third of oven until set and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

** I did this throughout the day and I think you could assemble this and bake it off later with no change to the flavor.

Ranch Dip (London style)

• 315 ml low-fat buttermilk
• 180 g low-fat mayonnaise
• 160 g low-fat sour cream
• 3 g garlic powder
• 2 g onion powder
• 2 g chopped fresh chives
• 1 g chopped fresh dill
• 3 g chopped fresh parsley
• 6 g salt
• 0.5 g pepper

Whisk together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, and sour cream in a bowl. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, chives, dill, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Coq au Vin

4 slices bacon
2 chicken breasts
2 thighs
2 legs
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups pearl onions, peeled (1 sliced onion works as well)
10 oz mushrooms stemmed and quartered
2 carrots, cut in small pieces
1-2 stalks celery
1 bottle Zinfandel wine (Barefoot brand was wonderful)
2 cups chicken broth ( I might have used 4 cups, and turkey base works well)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tbs rosemary
1bay leaf
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Cut up bacon into small bits, then brown on a medium high heat in a dutch oven. Remove bacon and saute the mushrooms in bacon fat, remove when they begin to shrink. Reserve bacon and mushrooms for later.

Pat chicken dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. If need be, add some butter or olive oil to the dutch oven for frying the chicken. Place the chicken skin side down and brown on one side, then turn and brown other side. This will need to be done in several batches. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate, cover with foil. Add cut vegetables(onion, carrot, celery) to the dutch oven and "sweat" in the fat from the chicken, right before the veggies are done add the garlic. When the veggies begin to brown, add the chicken with juices back to the pot. Add the whole bottle of wine, broth and herbs, reduce heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes. 1 hr and 15 minutes would be ideal. Add the bacon and mushrooms with 30 minutes of simmering to go.

Every time I try to remove the chicken to serve it, I end up pulling it off the bone, so now I just pull all the chicken off and toss the skins and bones. Makes it very easy to eat and is more like a stew.

This is quite good over mashed potatoes, but can be served with noodles as well.

Coconut Pecan Frosting

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a heavy 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, cook the condensed milk, egg yolks, and butter 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in the coconut, pecans, and vanilla.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes before spreading on cake.

Homemade Fettucine

3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs (or use egg beaters for cholesterol free)
3 tbsp. olive oil (optional)
1/4 c. water

Sift flour and salt in to large bowl; make well in center of flour; add eggs, oil and water. Work liquids into flour with fingers to make a soft dough.

Knead dough 10 minutes or until dough is soft and smooth. Cover with DAMP towel and let dough rest 15 to 20 minutes.

Cut dough into 4 quarters; roll each quarter to a very thin rectangle. Fold each rolled out dough into quarters lengthwise. Slice dough across into 1/4 inch wide strips. Unwind strips and allow to dry on clean dry towels for 1 hour or longer.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Cake
150 g (7 oz) softened butter
150 g (3 oz) ricotta
250 g (1/2 lb) sugar
4 eggs
250 g self rising flour
125 g (1/2 cup) lemon juice

Icing
250 gm (1/2 lb) powdered sugar
50 gm (2 oz) lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 170 °C (340 °F). Cream together the butter and sugar until it is pale, light and fluffy. Add one egg, and mix well so it is fully incorporated. Continue adding the eggs one at a time until all 4 are used up. Add the ricotta and mix well. Tip all the flour in at once, and fold into the mixture while pouring in the lemon juice. Do not overwork the flour . Grease a 23 cm 10 ") cake pan (preferably with a removable base) with butter. Pour in the cake batter and bake for ~50 minutes - or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a cake rack.

Mix together the icing ingredients and ice the cooled cake. Allow the icing to set for 30 minutes before serving. Softly whipped cream, or creme fraiche would be perfect with this cake.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

ROLLS

1/2 cup warm water
2 1/2 oz dry yeast
1 1/2 tbs sugar
1 3.5 oz package of vanilla pudding (instant)
1/2 cup butter melted
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
6 cups of flour
1 cup butter softened
2 cups brown sugar
4 tsp cinnamon

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs milk

First, make Cream Cheese Frosting: mix all frosting ingredients together until smooth; set aside.

In a bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved; set aside.

In large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Add margarine, eggs and salt; mix well, then add yeast mixture; blend. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down dough and let rise again.

Next, roll out on floured board to 34 x 21-inch size. Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar and 4 tsp cinnamon; sprinkle over top. Roll up very tightly. With knife, put a notch every 2 inches; cut with thread or knife.

Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Take hand and lightly press down on each roll. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden. DON'T OVERBAKE. Frost warm rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Makes about 20 very large rolls.

Orange Peel Beef

Sauce:
2 tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tbsp. soy sauce
4 tbsp. sugar (or less)
1 tbsp. catsup
4 tbsp. water

Meat:
1 lb. flank steak
10 dried red chili peppers (I used red pepper flakes, 1 tsp)
1/4 c. dried orange peel (or use tangerine peel)
1 tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp. water
1/4 c. sliced onions
Just enough Veggie oil to coat pan

Combine sauce ingredients. Set aside. Cut the beef into thick slices across the grain. Pound until thin, about 1/4 inch.

Heat the oil for deep frying. Slide the beef into the oil one piece at a time so it doesn't stick together. Fry until crispy. Remove from pan, and then put it back into the pan and fry it all over again. Okay, drain the meat and remove it from the pan (again).

Reheat oil and stir fry the chili peppers, onions and the orange peel until you can smell them. Now add the sauce that you made in the beginning. Bring this to a boil and thicken with the cornstarch that you dissolved in the tablespoon of water. Add the beef. Stir fry 1 minute. Remove chili peppers before serving. Good over cooked rice.

This was very good, but I almost took Rex's face off with the red peppers.

Amaretti Cookies

2 ½ cups almond Flour
1 ¼ cup of baker’s sugar
3 egg whites
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
extra sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 300 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a food processor mill together the almond flour and sugar. Add the vanilla and almond extract and pulse for a few seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to process until the dough is smooth.

Place teaspoons of the dough on the parchment paper and dust with sugar. Bake for 24-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before serving. They will be slightly chewy at first, but they will be nicely crispy as a day or two goes by. Store in a cool, dry place. (Note: I usually underbake mine since I like them chewy. If that's your preference, bake them for about 20-24 minutes.) Makes about 30 cookies.

David Lebovitz's Caramel Ice Cream

2 cups (500 ml) whole milk, divided
1½ cups (300 gr) sugar
4 tablespoons (60 gr) salted butter
scant ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cups (250 ml) heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the ice cream, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they're floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts/liters) over the ice, pour 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it.

Spread 1½ cups (300 gr) sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until caramelized, using the same method described in Step #2.

Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go.

The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk.

Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 160-170 F (71-77 C).

Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

*There is an additional caramel praline that can be added, but I did not enjoy it.

Parmesan Crisps

3/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a lightly-greased baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl stir together Parmesan and flour. On prepared baking sheet spoon level tablespoons of mixture in mounds 4 inches apart and spread mounds gently into 3 1/2-inch-long ovals. Bake crisps in middle of oven until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool crisps completely on baking sheet and remove carefully with a metal spatula. Crisps may be made 2 days in advance and kept between layers of wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature.

Chocolate Raspberry Turnovers

1 (17.3 oz) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg
1/3 cup raspberry jam (could use straw, black, or blueberry)
1.5 oz finely chopped chocolate (milk, dark, or white)

Preheat oven to 425. Roll out pastry sheet to a 12” square, cut into 9 squares. Place a tsp of jam and 2 tsp of chocolate into center of squares. Brush edges with beaten egg, fold squares over into triangles an pinch closed. Bake on lined baking sheets for about 20 min. My oven is a little cool and I would recommend 18-19 min. Cool for 5 minutes and server warm.

Chocolate Peppermint Bar Cookies

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped peppermint hard candies

Preheat oven to 375. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and spray with non-stick stuff.

Whisk dry ingredients together and set aside. Cream butter and brown sugar, add the egg and mix until combined. Mix in flour until just incorporated, stir in chocolate chips and peppermint pieces. Spread evenly in pan. It just came out in a lump and I tried to smooth as best I could. Bake for about 20 minutes, until puffed and pulling away from sides of pan. It evened out on it's own. Remove from pan and cut into pieces when fully cooled.

These did not come out of the pan very nicely, they are really not fit for a dinner party.

Pasta with Browned Butter Sauce

pre-made ravioli
2 tbs olive oil
4 tbs butter
1 shallot, minced
2 tbs pine nuts

heat oil and butter in skillet. When butter is fully melted, add minced shallot. Cook on medium high heat until butter begins to brown. Add pine nuts and remove from heat. Add cooked pasta to skillet and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Amy's Creme Brulee

8 egg yolks
1/3 c granulated white sugar
2 c heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

¼ c granulated sugar (for tops)

Preheat oven to 300°. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add cream and vanilla, and continue to whisk until well blended. Strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles. (Important for smooth custard)

Divide mixture among 6 ramekins or custard cups. Place in a water bath and bake until set around the edges but still loose in the center, about 40-50 minutes. Longer baking time will be required for larger, deeper ramekins. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle 2 tsp sugar over each custard and use hand-held torch to caramelize tops.

I totally stole this from Amy's blog.

Meringues

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup superfine sugar (I used regular sugar for both)
8 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil. On each, draw 10 4-inch circles.

Mix the sugars and set aside.

In a bowl or electric mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Continue to beat, adding 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time and beating well after each addition. This will take about 10 minutes.

Add the vanilla and beat at high speed until stiff and glossy.

Using a pastry tube fitted with a large plain tip, pipe the meringue in coils starting at the center and continuing to the outside of each circle. (I just dropped in large blobs)

Bake about 1 hour, until cream colored and firm. Leave the meringues in the turned-off oven for several hours or overnight without opening the oven door.

When ready to serve, carefully peel away the paper or foil.

Note: The meringues can be made up to 2 weeks ahead. Seal them in plastic bags and store in an airtight container.

Makes 20 meringues.

Chocolate Biscotti

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour a large baking sheet.

In a bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until combined well. Stir in flour mixture to form a stiff dough. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips.

On prepared baking sheet with floured hands form dough into two slightly flattened logs, each 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Bake logs 35 minutes, or until slightly firm to the touch. Cool biscotti on baking sheet 5 minutes.

On a cutting board cut biscotti diagonally into 3/4-inch slices. Arrange biscotti, cut sides down, on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool biscotti on a rack. Biscotti keep in airtight containers 1 week and frozen, 1 month.

Orange Almond Biscotti

3 2/3 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1cup almonds coarsely chopped
1 orange, zest of
1/2 lemon, zest of
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 teaspoons orange extract
4 ounces butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (first 7 ingredients on list above).

In a small bowl slightly beat eggs& egg yolk together, and add to the dry ingredients along with the extract& the melted butter. If dough is too stiff, add some juice from the zested orange. Turn dough out onto work surface; knead lightly and form into two logs. Place logs on lightly greased cookie sheet& flatten slightly. Brush logs with beaten egg white. Bake 35 minutes; let cool 5 minutes, then slice each log diagonally into 1" slices with serrated knife, using a sawing motion( I used a kitchen knife and just cut). Stand the slices on the cookie sheet and return to the oven. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until crisp(This time really varies for me).

Chocolate Pudding

2 tbs sugar
2 tbs potatoe starch flour (could use corn starch)
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz milk chocolate (3/4 cup)
1 tsp vanilla (I used Madagascar Bourbon last time, could use Mexican)


Whisk together sugar, starch, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt in a 2 quart pan, then gradually whisk in milk and cream. Bring to boil over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, then boil whisking 2 minutes. It should be thick at this point. Remove from heat and add chocolate and vanilla. Transfer to bowl, cover surface with waxed paper to prevent skin, chill at least 2 hrs.

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

1/2 pound (about 2 cups) I prefer a large fusilli with this dish
1/2 pound (about 3 links) sweet Italian sausage
1 bunch (about 3/4 pound) broccoli rabe, tough and hollow stems discarded, washed well
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup pasta water
2 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a kettle of boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente.

While pasta is cooking, squeeze sausage from its casings into a large heavy skillet and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring to break up chunks, until no longer pink. With slotted spoon transfer sausage to a bowl, reserving drippings in skillet.

Cut broccoli rabe into 1-inch pieces and sauté in reserved drippings, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown. Add garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, 1 minute. Add water and simmer until broccoli rabe is just tender, about 3 minutes. Add butter, stirring until incorporated.

Drain pasta and return to kettle. Add broccoli rabe mixture and sausage and heat through if necessary.

Serve pasta with Parmesan.

Dream Bars

1/2 cup butter
1/2 packed brown sugar
1 cup flour

Press into 8x8 pan lined with tin foil and bake for 10 minutes at 350.

2 eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbs flour
salt
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut(they only had sweetened and this seemed to work well)

Pour filling into pre-baked crust and bake for another 25 minutes. This could be 20, depending on your oven. Let cool and cut into small squares.

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.