Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing 

Inspired by California Pizza Kitchen’s recipe, this Thai crunch salad with peanut dressing is wildly addictive! You can serve this salad as a light lunch or pair it with grilled chicken for a more substantial meal.
By Jennifer Segal

Ingredients

For the Thai Peanut Dressing

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
2 tablespoons honey
2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

For the Salad

4 cups chopped Napa cabbage or shredded coleslaw mix (I like to toss in a little shredded red cabbage for color)
1 cup prepared shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and process until completely smooth. Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. If serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss; otherwise, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn't get soggy.

If you use cucumbers, be sure to remove the seeds, as they can make the salad watery.

 ENJOY

FROM:  Once Upon a Chef Blog Post

Perfect Roast Chicken by Ina Garten

Serve with sides like fresh vegetables, seasoned potatoes, or creamy mac and cheese. Any leftovers can be shredded into chicken salad and packed in your lunch box for the next day.  It’s easy enough for even beginner-level cooks to perfect.

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

1 5- to 6-pound roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large onion, thickly sliced
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of the lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Scatter the onion slices around the chicken.

Roast the chicken for 1-1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all the fat from the bottom of the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in a small cup. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes, until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan. Combine the 2 tablespoons of chicken fat with the flour and add to the pan. Boil for a few minutes to cook the flour. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan and season it to taste. Keep it warm over a very low flame while you carve the chicken.

Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve immediately with the warm gravy.

From the cookbook:

The Barefoot Contessa 

by Ina Garten

Mama's Rum Cake

A double dose of rum in the cake and in the glaze makes this cake extra moist and fragrant. One bite and you’ll see why it’s a favorite.

Ingredients

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup (6 oz.) gold rum (such as Bacardí Gold)
3/4 cup heavy cream

Rum Syrup

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz.) gold rum (such as Bacardí Gold)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to Make It

Step 1

Prepare the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously coat a 10-inch (10- to 15-cup) Bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

Step 2

Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and egg yolk, beating well after each addition. Reduce mixer speed to low; gradually beat in rum. Add flour mixture to egg mixture in thirds, alternately with heavy cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating on low after each addition.

Step 3

Transfer batter to prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes (cover loosely with aluminum foil after 30 minutes to prevent excess browning, if needed). Remove from oven.

Step 4

During final 10 minutes of bake time, prepare the Rum Syrup: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium. Add sugar and 1/4 cup water; let mixture come to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Carefully add rum and vanilla. (Mixture will bubble.) Boil, stirring often, 1 minute. Remove from heat.

This recipes comes from Southern Living

Coq au Vin - Rooster with Wine

For best results,  let the finished dish cool and then refrigerate it ’till the next day, skimming any fat from the surface and re-heating the coq au vin very gently.

Photo by Kate Jackson

Ingredients

1/2 cup Harter House thick sliced bacon, cut into 1/4- by 1 1/2-inch strips (optional)
2 or more tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds chicken thighs/legs with skin, thoroughly dried
1/4 cup Cognac or Armagnac
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
20 pearl onions, peeled (can use frozen)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups red wine, preferably Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, or pinot noir
About 2 cups chicken stock (Homemade is best) or beef stock
1 or 2 garlic cloves, mashed or minced
About 1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, trimmed, rinsed, and quartered

SIDES

Carrots

Mashed or new potatoes

Directions

To make the coq au vin on your stove top, toss bacon in a heavy-bottomed casserole or pot along with 2 tablespoons oil over medium or medium-high until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer the  bacon to a plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.

2. Heat the drippings or oil remaining in the pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, being careful not to crowd the pieces. (You may need to work in batches). Cook the chicken, turning frequently, until nicely browned on all sides. (If working in batches, return all the chicken to the pot.) Carefully pour the Cognac or Armagnac into the pot and wait until it becomes bubbling hot. If desired—and if you’re brave—ignite the sauce with a match. Let it flame for a minute, gently tilting the pot by its handle and swirling the sauce to burn off the alcohol. To extinguish the flames, simply cover the pan with its lid.

3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf and thyme to the pan and then nestle the onions, carrots and potatoes, around the chicken. Cover the pot and let the chicken simmer gently, turning the pieces once, for about 10 minutes.

4. Uncover the pot, sprinkle the flour over everything, and turn the chicken and vegetables so the flour is absorbed by the sauce. Cover and cook, turning once or twice, for 3 to 4 minutes more.

5. Remove the pot from the heat and gradually stir and swirl in the wine and enough stock to almost cover the chicken. Add the bacon, garlic, and tomato paste to the pot, cover, and gently simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Test the chicken for doneness (there should be no trace of pink and the juices should run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife). Grab some tongs and transfer the chicken pieces to the plate when they’re done.  If the vegetables are not quite tender, continue cooking them in the sauce, then return the chicken to the pot, add the mushrooms, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes. The sauce should be just thick enough to lightly coat the chicken and vegetables. (If the sauce seems too thin, bring it to a boil and cook until the sauce is reduced to the desired consistency. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with spoonfuls of stock.) Taste the sauce and correct the seasoning accordingly. Serve the coq au vin immediately or let it cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight. To reheat, skim any fat that has congealed on the surface of the stew and place the pot of coq au vin over medium-low heat.

NOTE

You can consider incorporating some flavor-making steps that were omitted in the making Julia Child's version of the French classic. back into your coq au vin routine to imbue it with layer after layer of complexity. First, uncork that bottle of red and douse the bird, allowing it to take an overnight bath in the fridge to infuse the meat with a subtle but certain depth of flavor—not to mention a slightly freakish maroon hue. Drain the chicken then pat it dry and continue with the searing, reserving the wine to use during cooking. 

Another easy trick? Sauté those teensy pearl onions in the rendered bacon drippings prior to adding them to the stew for what we think are obvious reasons. Same goes with the mushrooms. And never, ever serve the stew straightaway from the stovetop; rather, let it cool and then refrigerate it ’till the next day, skimming any fat from the surface and heating the coq au vin gently—and we do mean gently—over low heat until warmed through. And you thought you didn’t know how to speak French.

FROM - LeitesCulinaria.com     Adapted from Julia Child's Kitchen

Interesting reading about Julia Child and the History of this recipe.

Notes from cooks

Jackie made mashed potatoes.  She added more mushrooms and pearl onions than the recipe called for, and hungered for even more.  The dish was served with multi-colored baby carrots.  She served an Oregon medium-bodied Pinot Noir with this dish.

Krista served it with egg noodles and a salad, and her guests nearly licked their plates, they loved it so much.

Alice added crunchy French bread for dipping into the extra sauce.

Perfect Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Use a 1½ Quart Casserole dish

Serves 6

3 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
2.75 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2.25 cups (about 9 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
1 cups (about 4 ounces) grated Gruyere OR 3/4 cups (about 2.5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1/2 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon  butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 1½  cups cheddar, and ¾  cup Gruyere OR ½ cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining ¾ cup cheddar and ¼ cup Gruyere OR 1/8 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

From:

https://www.marthastewart.com/271998/perfect-macaroni-and-cheese

Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:
1 cup mashed bananas - about 2 large bananas
1 cup buttermilk, or can use soured milk (add 1 tablespoon vinegar to a cup and fill up with milk; let sit a minute)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened- 1/2 cup
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, (or if you are using dark pans, then 325). Grease 2 9 inch round layer cake pans.
2. In a bowl, mash the bananas well using a fork. Stir in the buttermilk.
3. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in separate bowl.
4. Cream Butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.
5. Alternately add the dry and wet ingredients into the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 prepared cake pans.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched in the center. Or you may test with a toothpick. Cool cake in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto cooling racks and let cool completely. At this point, you can frost the cake, or wrap each layer well in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. Then assemble and frost the next day.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter
31/2-4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer.
mix in the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar in about 3 additions, mixing well after each addition. If the frosting seems too stiff, you may add a tablespoon of cream or milk and mix until creamy.

To frost the cake: 
Place one cake layer on cake platter. Add about 3/4 to 1 cup of frosting on the cake and spread evenly to the edge. Top with the remaining cake layer and press cake gently down. Add remaining frosting to top and smooth down and around the sides. I usually swirl the top of the frosting with a knife. I like to refrigerate the cake for 30-60 minutes to set the frosting well.
Slice, serve and enjoy!

From Lynda's Recipe Box 

Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon with Crumbled Gorgonzola

Ingredients

• 2 Harter House Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon

• Kosher or sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons Gorgonzola, crumbled

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized oven-safe skillet.

Season filets with sea salt and cracked black pepper;

carefully add to hot oil, browning each side for 2 minutes.

Transfer skillet to oven and roast in pan for 12-15 minutes (medium-rare to medium). Remove from oven; let stand 4-5 minutes.

Top filets with a tablespoon each of crumbled Gorgonzola

and serve atop Pan-Roasted Cremini Mushrooms & Fennel Bulb. **

Serve with your

favorite Merlot

or Cabernet Sauvignon.

**Grilled Cremini Mushrooms and Fennel Salad Recipe

A fantastic winter salad featuring fresh fennel, grilled mushrooms, and a bright lemon basil vinaigrette.

Ingredients

Creamy Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

2 tablespoons prepared mayonnaise

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

1 lemon, cut in half and grilled, for garnish

Mushrooms:

1 pound cremini mushrooms, brushed clean of any grit

3 tablespoons canola oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

For the vinaigrette:

Combine lemon juice, zest, mayonnaise, honey, salt, pepper, basil and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Can be made 1 hour in advance and refrigerated.

For the mushrooms:

Heat the grill to high.

Place the mushrooms in a large bowl, add the canola oil and salt and pepper and toss to coat. Skewer mushrooms, 4 on a skewer. Place the mushrooms on the grill, until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Remove from the grill to a cutting board and quarter.

Place the fennel and parsley in a large bowl, add half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine, season with salt and pepper. Top with the mushrooms and drizzle with more of the vinaigrette. Squeeze lemon juice over the salad and serve.