Lillet aperitif

1 bottle Lillet
Sliced lemons
Granulated sugar

Pour Lillet (a french aperitif) into champagne flutes.   Cut halfway through each lemon slice so that it can be inserted onto the lip of the flute.  Dip each slice into sugar. Place on champagne flute. Delicious.

Smokey Chickpeas

Adapted from: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/10/smoky-fried-chickpeas-recipe.html

Two 1-pound, 13-ounce cans chickpeas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest, in thin strips
1 fresh thyme sprig
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (sweet or hot, depending on your taste)
Coarse salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Saute very well drained and dried chickpeas in olive oil.  Add lemon zest, thyme garlic and smoked paprika.  Heat through on medium high. Let cool and serve.

Diet Tomato and Cabbage Soup

1 small head cabbage, sliced thin
1 large onion, sliced lengthwise
3 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Water to cover

Heat olive oil in large soup pot. Put in cabbage, onion, carrots, celery and garlic.  Saute until wilted.
Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Pour in water to cover the vegetable mix. Bring to a boil.
Cover pot and cook for an hour on low heat.

Ina Garten's Chipotle & Rosemary Roasted Nuts

Vegetable Oil
3 cups whole roasted unsalted cashews (14 ounces)
2 cups whole walnut halves (7 ounces)
2 cups whole pecan halves (7 ounces)
1/2 cup whole almonds (3 ounces)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder
4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush a sheet pan generously with vegetable oil. Combine cashews,walnuts, pecans, almonds, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, the maple syrup, brown sugar, orange juice, and chipotle powder on the sheet pan. Toss to coat the nuts evenly.  Add 2 tablespoons of the rosemary and 2 teaspoons of salt and toss again.
Spread the nuts in one layer. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring twice with a metal spatula until the nuts are glazed and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 more teaspoons of salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of rosemary.
Toss well and set aside at room temperature, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking as they cool.  Taste for seasoning. Serve warm or cool completely and store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Roby's Caviar Pie

1 doz. eggs, hard boiled
1 1/2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 med. onion, finely diced
1 8 ounce package cream cheese
1 16 ounce container sour cream
1 or 2 (4 oz.) jars lumpfish caviar
Grease 10 inch springform pan with cooking spray or butter.  Chop hard boiled eggs and mix with mayonnaise.  Spread in the bottom of springform pan. Spread chopped onions on top of egg mixture.
Combine cream cheese and sour cream. Spread evenly over eggs and onions.   Spread lumpfish caviar on top of all.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/12/a-cookie-a-day-jacques-torres-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe.html

Vegetarian Fried Rice From Leftover Chinese Take-out White Rice

1 container white rice from Chinese take-out
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup frozen green peas
Salt and pepper to taste

Put oil in hot fry pan over high heat.  Saute chopped onion until light brown.  Remove onion to serving platter or bowl.
Keep pan on high heat and put beaten egg in(you may have to add more oil), stirring continually until it is scrambled.
Remove to dish with onions.
Add a bit more oil and heat.  Put white rice in pan.  Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, the onions and the egg.  Stir until white rice turns a pale brown. Add salt and pepper to taste, or more soy sauce, if necessary. Add frozen peas and heat until cooked through, 1 or 2 minutes.  Place on platter or bowl and serve.  Can be frozen and reheated.

Proscuitto Wrapped Stuffed Dates

3/4 cup (6 ounces) goat cheese

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

24 whole pitted dates

6 thin slices prosciutto

 

1, Preheat oven to 350 degrees.2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a fork. Slice dates lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open dates; place 1 rounded teaspoon cheese mixture into each date. Cut 1 prosciutto slice in half lengthwise and then crosswise to make 4 equal pieces. Repeat procedure with remaining prosciutto to form 24 pieces. Wrap each date with 1 prosciutto piece; place dates on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes or until filling is thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light

Lentil Soup

Adapted from Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

3 cups brown lentils
7 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 large onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, diced
Black pepper, to taste
1 can crushed or diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar or agave nectar

Saute garlic, onion, celery and carrots in olive oil. Add lentils, water and salt. Simmer until lentils are soft and cooked through.  Add balsamic vinegar,lemon juice, wine vinegar and sugar.  Simmer another 30 minutes.

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium purple onion, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
Sea salt
1/8 -1/4 cup lime juice, to taste
1/4 small jalapeno pepper, diced fine (more or less, according to taste)

Place all ingredients in bowl and blend.  Depending upon the consistency you would like, either leave the guacamole chunky, or mash to blend.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Sparkling Cranberries

From 101 Cookbooks www.101cookbooks.com

For the simple syrup, raw cane sugar or real brown sugar lends a nice molasses flavor to the cranberries, but regular granulated sugar (or a blend of brown/white) will work.

2 cups cranberries, picked over
2 cups water
2 cups sugar (see head notes)
More sugar for coating: I do a mix of medium-grained organic sugar for the first coating, and then a second toss with regular granulated white sugar. You don't want a huge grain for that first toss, just something larger than standard sugar, smaller than most turbinado sugars. You can sort of see the different grain sizes in the third photo in the main write-up.

Place the cranberries in a medium glass bowl and set aside.
Make a simple syrup by bringing the water and sugar just to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Let the syrup cool for a couple minutes and then pour it over the cranberries. If the syrup is too hot the cranberries will burst, so be careful. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, drain the cranberries and toss them with larger grained sugar until they are well coated. I only use a scoop of sugar at a time, and small batches of cranberries, so the sugar doesn't get too damp. Place the coated cranberries on a baking sheet to dry for a few hours.
Do a second toss with the regular granulated sugar, this typically takes care of any sticky spots on the cranberries. Let dry another hour.
Makes 2 cups of sparkling cranberries.

101 Cookbooks http://www.101cookbooks.com/

Tuna Burger

From EAT, Robert Irvine's Hilton Head Restaurant
Food Network Post

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robert-irvine/tuna-burger-recipe/index.html

Kenji's Chicken and Rice With White Sauce

From Serious Eats:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/12/serious-eats-halal-cart-style-chicken-and-rice-white-sauce-recipe.html?ref=carousel

Fudge Sauce

From realsimple.com
Makes 2 3/4 cups|                                      

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream and corn syrup; bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate until melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Let cool.
3. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic and Parmesan Cheese

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/12/grilling-hasselback-potatoes-with-garlic-and-parmesan-recipe.html
I would eliminate the microwaving and grilling instructions, and bake these potatoes on a baking sheet in a 400 degee oven for one hour or until done.

Thai Lettuce Wraps

http://restaurantrecipesbook.com/the-cheesecake-factory-lettuce-wraps-recipe/print/
Chef Pablo

Ingredients

• 6-8 Butter Lettuce Leaves
• 2 red cabbage leaves – cut in half vertically
• Thai Chicken Satays (recipe below)
• Julienne carrots
• Sesame Bean Sprouts (recipe below)
• Thai Coconut Curry Noodles (recipe below)
• Thai Marinaded Cucumbers (recipe below)
• 1 Tablespoon Roasted Peanuts – Chopped
• Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
• Thai Peanut Sauce (recipe below)
• Sweet Red Chili Sauce (recipe below)

Directions

1. Remove the hard stems from the bottom of each leaf of lettuce.
2. Wash and dry the leaves and arrange in a group on a larger platter.
3. Remove 2 red cabbage leaves, wash and dry and slice in half vertically.
4. Arrange on the serving platter and fill with each one of the fillings (chicken, bean sprouts, thai coconut curry noodles and marinated cucumbers).
5. Let your friends or family create their own lettuce wraps by choosing a filling or fillings and placing it on a leaf along with a choice of sauce.
6. Fold the leaf in half and enjoy!

Here are the individual recipes:

Thai Chicken Satays

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 green onions – cut into 1″ pieces
• 8 Bamboo skewers (10-12 inches)

Directions

1. Cut chicken into 3/4″ strips
2. Place in a shallow glass dish
3. Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
4. Add water and mix thoroughly.
5. Pour over chicken
6. Toss to coat all of the chicken pieces.
7. Cover and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
8. Soak bamboo skewers 20 minutes in cold water to keep them from burning.
9. Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade.
10. Weave the chicken strips onto each skewers, alternation with green onion pieces. You may need to use several pieces to cover each skewer.
11. Brush chicken and onions with reserved marinade.
12. Grill the skewers on an uncovered grill over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through the grilling.

Bean Sprouts

Ingredients

• 1½ cups bean sprouts
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan
2. Add the bean sprouts along with the other ingredients.
3. Cook over a medium-high heat until the bean sprouts are tender
4. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles

Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh egg noodles
• 1 tbsp minced garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 pinch turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp lime juice

Directions

1. Place the noodles in hot water, seperating with a fork.
2. Let the noodles soak until tender or according to the directions on the package.
3. Drain and keep warm.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk on low heat and slowly stir in the curry paste.
5. When it begins to simmer, add in the remaining ingredients.
6. Continue to simmer for approximately 2 minutes.
7. Stir in the noodles and serve.

Thai Marinated Cucumbers

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 large cucumber – seeded

Directions

1. Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and salt in a small pan.
2. Cook over a medium heat, stirring until it boils and the sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
4. Peel the cucumber and cut lengthwise into quarters and again crosswise into 1/8″ slices.
5. Place in a serving bowl and pour marinade over cucumbers, stirring to blend.
6. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped cashews
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 medium garlic cloved – minced
• 2 green onions – chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tsp honey
• 6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Combine cashews, hoisin sauce, garlic, green onion, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
2. In a small sauce pan add oil, honey, rice wine vinegar and tamarind pulp.
3. Heat at medium for 1 minute.
4. Stir until the tamarind pulp is completely dissolved.
5. Add this to the cashew mixture and process until smooth
6. Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
7. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp water
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp chili oil

Directions

1. Combine peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan.
2. Stir mixture over a medium heat until it begins to bubble.
3. Cover the pan and remove from the heat.

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 lime – juiced
• 1 tsp garlic – minced
• 1 tsp red chili paste

Directions

1. Combine the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic and chili paste in a blender.
2. Puree until smooth.
3. Pour into bowls and serve.

Moroccan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tagine with Quinoa

Serves 4, adapted from Closet Cooking
http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp raw ginger, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight and boiled until tender
• 1 tbsp harissa
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup green olives, chopped
• 4 cups butternut squash, diced
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (only if your butternut squash seems to be on the bland side!)
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot.
2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the quinoa, broth, chickpeas, harissa, honey, raisins, olives, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
5. Add the butternut squash and continue to simmer, covered, for another ten minutes.
6. Mix in the cilantro. Add brown sugar until the desired flavor is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Potato Latkes with Caramelized Onion and Sour Cream Dip

Adapted from Nach Waxman's recipe via The New Basics Cookbook

8 Idaho potatoes (8 oz. each) peeled and patted dry
1 onion, grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Black pepper, to taste
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil

Using a hand grater or food processor, shred potatoes. Place in non-reactive bowl. Let them sit for 15-20 minutes.  The potatoes will release liquid and turn red.
Place grated onion in separate bowl.
Transfer the potatoes to a large colander and drain for 10 minutes.  Spray them hard with water for several minutes, working the shreds with your fingers. The reddish starch will wash out and the potatoes will be white. Squeeze them to remove as much water as possible. Transfer to a clean bowl.
Drain grated onions.  Add to potatoes.  Add eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper.  Mix thoroughly.
Heat 1/8 inch vegetable oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, drop level spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil.  Saute them until golden brown on both sides, pressing lightly with the spatula when you turn them, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side.  When cooked, drain pancakes on brown paper bags and keep warm.  Add more oil to skillet as needed for additional
batches. 
Can be reheated, if necessary, in a 300 degree oven for several minutes.

Onion and Sour Cream Dip

1 container sour cream
1 very large or 2 medium onions
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil\

Cut onion in half.  Cut each half lengthwise. Heat oil in large frying pan.  Put onions in pan after oil is heated through. Saute until onions are brown; add garlic.  Saute until garlic is cooked.  Allow to cool.
Place in serving bowl and stir in sour cream.  Use as an accompaniment to latkes.

Turkey

1 10-14 pound Empire kosher turkey, empty of giblets (These turkeys are pre-brined, so no seasoning is needed)
Oil

Place turkey in roasting pan, rub with vegetable oil and place in a 400 degree oven for one hour. Rotate turkey pan, cover turkey with tented aluminum foil and reduce heat to 350 degrees for another hour.  If turkey is over 12 pounds, up to 14 pounds, cook additional 15 minutes.
Turkey should be done. Allow to sit, covered with aluminum foil for 20 minutes before carving. Carve off legs and wings. Cut each part of the breast off in two pieces and carve crosswise into slices.

Coconut Macaroons

Danny Cohen from Food and Wine Magazine

14 oz. bag sweetened shredded coconut
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  In medium bowl, combine coconut with the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites with salt until stiff peaks form. Fold beaten whites into coconut mixture.
Scoop tablespoon sized mounds of the mixture onto the baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 25 minutes until golden.  Shift the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.Transfer baking sheets to racks and let cool completely. 
Dip the bottoms of the macaroons into the melted chocolate, letting any excess drip back into the bowl.  Return the cookies to the parchment lined sheets.  Drizzle any remaining chocolate on top and refrigerate for about 5 minutes until set.

Chocolate Fudge

• 3 cups (18 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Dash salt
• 1/2 to 1 cups chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

• LINE 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.
• MELT chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
• CHILL 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan by lifting edges of foil. Cut into squares.
• MICROWAVE METHOD
• COMBINE chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in 1-quart glass measure. Cook on HIGH (100% power) 3 minutes or until chips are melted, stirring after 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Proceed as above.

• CREAMY DARK CHOCOLATE FUDGE: MELT 2 cups miniature marshmallows with chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Proceed as above.
• MILK CHOCOLATE FUDGE: OMIT 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Add 1 cup milk chocolate chips. Proceed as above.
• CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHIP GLAZED FUDGE: FOLLOW above recipe using 3/4 cup peanut butter chips instead of nuts. For glaze, melt 1/2 cup peanut butter chips with 1/2 cup heavy cream. Stir until thick and smooth. Spread over chilled fudge.

Creamy Rice Pudding

Adapted from finecooking.com
4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup raw long-grain white rice
Pinch salt
1 vanilla bean, split, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup raisins.

---

Dump the milk, rice, salt, sugar,and split vanilla bean into a large, heavy saucepan (if you're using vanilla extract, don't add it yet). Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Uncover and continue simmering, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender and the pudding is reduced to about 3-1/2 cups, about 8 minutes. It's important to let the pudding simmer gently, not boil, and you'll need to stir constantly toward the end of cooking to prevent scorching. Be sure rice is cooked through. Cook longer, if needed.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and vanilla extract (if using). Slowly add the cooked rice mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, making sure to scrape the bowl. Set the pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of the spoon, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the pudding to a bowl or serving dish.  If you've used a vanilla bean, fish it out when the pudding has cooled, scrape out the seeds, and stir the scrapings into the pudding.  Discard the empty bean. Stir in raisins. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
This recipe can be doubled.

 

Turkey Leftovers: Pulled Turkey Sandwich

Mark Bittman for The NY Times Magazine
Pulled-Turkey sandwich
Whisk together ketchup (a cup or so), a splash of red-wine vinegar, chili powder, minced onion and garlic and some cranberry sauce if you like; add enough water to form a thin sauce. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, then stir in a pound of shredded turkey and heat through. Serve on toasted hamburger buns or rolls.

Candied Nuts

From eRecipeCard.com
Candied Nuts (adopted from Little Old Lady Recipes)Printable Recipe
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups pecan halves or other nuts*
a dash of vanilla extract*

Whisk egg whites with a spoonful of water (*I substituted with a dash of vanilla extract instead). Combine everything else but the nuts in another bowl. Coat the nuts in egg whites. Toss in sugar mixture. Spread on a greased baking sheet and bake 45 minutes at 250F, stirring occasionally.

*Note: The original recipe calls for 2 cups of nuts only. I was able to cover all 4 cups of pecans halves with the same amount of egg whites and sugar mixture.

Ina Garten's Spinach Gratin

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/spinach-gratin-recipe/index.html