1 large onion, sliced or chopped

1/2 stick of butter

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp paprika ( half regular, half smoked )

8-10 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 14.5 oz can beef broth

1 pork tenderloin, sliced into thin medallions & dredged in flour

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 tsp lemon juice

Salt & pepper, to taste

Handful of parsley, chopped

— add butter and oil to a large, deep frying pan over medium heat

— add the paprika and onion and sauté til softened

— add mushrooms and continue to sauté a few minutes

— remove to a bowl and set aside

— using the same pan, (add another tbsp oil if needed) add pork in batches to brown and then remove to the bowl with the onion and mushrooms

— deglaze the pan with the beef broth and add lemon juice

— add everything back in the pan along with the sour cream

— add salt & pepper to taste and continue to simmer til your desired thickness

— sprinkle with parsley and serve over noodles or rice

Submitted by G ❤️

 Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 5/8 cup oil (olive, canola, sunflower)
• 2/3-1 cup sugar
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1-2 teaspoon(s) pure almond extract
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup whole pistachio nuts
• Candied cherries, left whole

Instructions:

• Beat eggs, oil, sugar, salt, and almond extract. 
• Add flour & baking powder to a small bowl and whisk together. 
• Add flour mixture to the egg mixture mix by hand to blend all ingredients. 
• Fold in the pistachio nuts and the cherries. 
• Form rows 1 1/2“ by length of your parchment-covered cookie tray.
• Bake @350º 25 minutes until barely golden. 
• They may be a tad doughy inside but that is okay. 
• Cut on diagonal, toast on both cut sides @400º 5-8 minutes to desired doneness. 

These cookies are very good when dipped in melted white chocolate after they have cooled completely. They can also be glazed with a mixture of powdered sugar, a dab of vanilla, and a small amount of milk needed to create spreadable consistency.

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

This fall, my husband and I spent two months touring Europe. We visited Ireland, France, Sicily, and Italy. While we were in Rome, we fell in love with this dish, prompting us to select restaurants based solely on the availability of Cacio e Pepe on the menu. It has only three ingredients besides the pasta and as simple as that sounds, the technique is very important in order to achieve a creamy, lump-free sauce. The pasta of choice in Rome is typically tonnarelli, a pasta similar in appearance to spaghetti. It is also known by the name of spaghetti alla chitarra (guitar pasta.. not sure why) and is thicker than spaghetti and has square edges; differing from spaghetti which is rounded.

The process of making this dish is a little tricky but worth the effort- and practice makes perfect!

Cacio e Pepe 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces spaghetti (can also use bucatini)
• 2 cups pecorino cheese, finely grated (use a microplane for best results)
• 2 cups reserved pasta water cooled to 150°, as needed for third step
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Cook the pasta in lightly salted water. Two minutes before the pasta is done, reserve 2 cups of pasta water and set on the counter to let cool to about 150°. This step is very important to avoid creating lumpy cheese. Adding the pasta water directly from the boiling pot is much too hot. 

• Toast 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper over medium high heat in a large skillet for 2-3 minutes to extract the oils. Turn the heat off.

• With the heat off, add 1 cup of the grated cheese to the pepper in the skillet; add the cooled pasta water 1/4 cup at a time, stirring to achieve a loose, emulsified sauce. Add additional cheese if the sauce gets too watery.
  
• Add drained, slightly cooled pasta and mix vigorously. At this point the pasta should start to absorb the sauce. Add additional pasta water one tablespoon at a time if the sauce is too thick. Continue mixing to achieve the correct consistency, adding additional pepper to taste.

• Serve immediately.

So when you go to Rome and toss three coins in the Trevi fountain, your wish will be to return to Rome because it is an amazing city, but more importantly because you’ll want to enjoy an authentic plate of Cacio e Pepe!

Buon appetito!

Submitted by L 👩🏻‍🍳

1 pound peeled, deveined frozen shrimp

Salt

Canola oil

1 small sweet onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Red pepper flakes, to taste

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon butter

Rinse the shrimp under cold water. Sprinkle with salt and let sit in a colander for about 5 minutes. Rinse well and pat dry. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Coat the pan generously with oil, add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with salt and sauté, stirring until onion is translucent.

Add the asparagus, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir as the mixture cooks until asparagus are just tender. Add the shrimp and heat through, stirring to coat the shrimp with the soy sauce mixture. Remove from heat.

Top with butter and stir until melted.
Serve immediately over cooked rice or a mix of salad greens.

• 2 cups crushed bread stuffing mix
• 16 ounces frozen spinach – steamed, drained
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup water±

Combine all ingredients and mix very well. Add a small amount of water, if needed, to soften crumbs and make the mixture stick together. Shape spinach mixture into walnut-sized balls. Line baking tray with parchment and lightly coat with olive oil spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until heated though and golden brown on the bottom.

Got many compliments on this recipe at our last dinner gathering.

• 1 egg
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
• 1 cup finely chopped apples

Beat egg; add sour cream and butter; mix well. Blend together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and spices. Add to wet ingredients; stir vigorously to mix well. Fold in apples thoroughly; spoon into buttered muffin tins. Bake @425° for 20 minutes.

Enjoy with a cup of tea!

A tagine pot is a traditional Moroccan cooking vessel made of ceramic or unglazed clay with a round base and low sides. The conical lid allows steam to circulate during cooking, which then creates condensations that drips back into the meat, fish, or veggies, keeping the food moist.

A Dutch oven will work just fine if you don’t have a tagine pot.

TAGINE RECIPE:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 8-10 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• Salt
• 1 Tbsp* Harissa spice blend
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups canned whole tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 2 cups chickpeas, cooked
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Fresh parsley

Heat oil and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chopped vegetables, seasonings and salt to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the tomatoes, apricots, and broth. Cook over medium to high heat for 10 minutes, cover, lower heat to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and some of the parsley. Adjust seasoning.

Serve in large bowls, drizzle some olive oil and add a parsley garnish. Excellent with Israeli couscous, rice, or bread of choice.

*Harissa is a blend of chili pepper, paprika, coriander, cumin, and spearmint. It’s pretty spicy, so you many want to start with a smaller quantity and work your way up by taste testing.

Bon Appétit!

-Linda

….what do you do with them when more than a few have started to sprout?

Today, that was my challenge. More potatoes and onions than I can use before they go really bad.

So, I peeled the roughly 2-1/2 pounds of yellow onions, coarsely chopped them, put them in a large skillet with about 1/3 cup of olive oil. I covered the pan, and over a very, very low heat, let the onions “sweat” – which is the process of releasing flavors with moisture and low temperature. The lid traps steam which condenses and drips back onto the onions.

Once the sweating process was complete, I could have stopped there, but decided to go further and caramelize the onions. This very slow process releases the sugars in the onions and, yes, caramelizes them so they are almost “candied.” To be fair, I think they slow-cooked for nearly 45 minutes. Intermittently, I removed the cover to stir the onions. For the last 10 minutes or so, I removed the cover completely, and stirred occasionally.

After letting the caramelized onions cool completely, I packed them in 1/4 cup amounts and bagged them for the freezer. I placed plastic wrap in cupcake tins, filled them with the onion and froze them separately before placing all in a medium ziplock bag. They can easily be added to any recipe calling for caramelized onions. (Note: there will be a significant reduction in the volume of the cooked vs the raw onions. My total was about 1-1/2 cups! Think of steaming 3 bags of fresh spinach and barely having 4 servings.)

As for the wayward potatoes, I baked them all until tender, let them cool, then wrapped each in foil, and placed in a ziplock freezer bag. From the freezer, they can be reheated right in the foil (for about 20 minutes at 350°), seasoned with salt and pepper – maybe some butter and/or sour cream – and enjoyed.

Both of these vegetables will last in the freezer for up to 12 months, although I think you’ll want to include them in a meal or two well before then.

My mom would be extremely pleased that nothing was wasted here! Children of depression-era moms understand that!!

Bon appétit!

-Linda

This fancy lady arrives just in time for your holiday entertainment season!

This easy and creative take on the charcuterie tray is made with three cheese wheels and a few adornments. I used Cheddar with Cranberries for the head, Camembert for the torso, and Brie for the base. Her hair is made from blackberries, her scarf is fashioned out of pepperoni, and her belt and boots are made from cherry licorice sticks – with orange slice and marshmallow trim. Her eyes and buttons are raisins and craisins, her nose is the tip of a mini orange pepper – and don’t forget her pretzel-stick arms. Add a few strawberries and a nice variety of crackers, and wait for the compliments to start!

(Leave the cheeses at room temperature for at least two hours to make them easier to cut and serve.)

The cheeses are from Aldi – great quality and excellent prices.

Bon Appétit!

Submitted by Linda

• 8 ounces frozen chopped spinach 
• 2 Eggs 
• 2 cups Ricotta cheese 
• 1 cup Bread crumbs 
• 1 cup Grated parmesan cheese 
• 1 clove minced garlic 
• ½ tablespoon Salt 
• 1 pinch Pepper 
• ¼ tsp Ground nutmeg 
• 1 cup Flour 
• Block of Parmesan cheese to finish.

Directions:

• Cook spinach according to directions, then drain and cool. 
• Press out as much water as possible. 
• In a large bowl, beat eggs. 
• Add ricotta and mix well. 
• Stir in bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and spinach. 
• Mix well. 
• Shape into a rope, roll in flour to coat lightly, and cut 1½-inch pieces. 
• Score with a fork.
• In a large kettle of lightly salted boiling water, cook at a gentle boil for 3-4 minutes until the gnocchi rise to the top. 
• Remove with a slotted spoon.  
• Add to Beurre-Noisette and stir. Garnish with fresh sage leaves.
• Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Beurre-Noisette

• 1 stick butter
• Fresh sage leaves (use dry sage if fresh is unavailable)
• Small splash of white wine

Directions:

• Place butter in a large pan.
• When the butter starts to foam add the sage leaves. Watch the butter swirling from time to time until the butter starts to brown, add the sage leaves and stir to wilt the leaves. This should only take two or three minutes. Add a small splash of white wine and stir. Remove from heat.
• Add the spooned gnocchi to the butter pan and stir to coat. A little water from the slotted spoon is fine. It makes a tasty liquid.