Cavatelli with Gorgonzola and Toasted Walnut Cream Sauce

Ingredients:


6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
3 tbsp. butter
5 cloves of Garlic, chopped
3/4  tsp thyme
2 ½ cups half and half (fat free)
5 oz Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 lbs. Cavatelli pasta
1 cup crushed and toasted walnuts
(toast on a bake pan at 350 degrees for 10 mins)
Salt and pepper
1 tsp Parsley


Directions:

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water, drain, and return to pot. Drizzle a little EVOO in and give it a stir to keep from sticking.

In a large skillet, add butter and garlic, stir until browned. Add in half and half, parmesan and gorgonzola cheeses. Stir and simmer until cheese melts and sauce thickens.
Add in the bacon, toasted walnuts, thyme, parsley, salt, and black pepper to taste. Pour the sauce into the pot with the cooked pasta and stir until coated. Serve with a few toasted walnuts and some fresh thyme sprinkled over the top.

Chicken Pizzetta

From “In Danny’s Kitchen”
www.indannyskitchen.blogspot.com


Mediterranean flavors meet Tex Mex style.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 long or round pitas
2 peppers (red ,yellow, green or orange)
1 onion
1/2 cup shitake or oyster mushrooms
3 tbsp. basil pesto
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
4 tbsp. goat cheese
Kalamata or black olives
1 tsp .garlic powder
1 tsp.paprika
1 tsp.oregano
salt and pepper

Pre heat oven to 400*

Dice peppers, onion and mushrooms and saute in a hot pan with olive oil for 10 minutes then add pesto.
Mix well and set aside in a bowl.
Rub chicken with garlic powder, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper.
In a very hot pan , sear breast for 1 minute on each side then reduce heat and cook for 8 minutes turning once, remove from pan and set aside.
Place some grated mozzarella on each pita bread and top with some of the vegetable mixture. Cut chicken into cubes and place evenly over pitas. Top with fresh goat cheese and sprinkle with diced olives and bake in oven for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy!

*** Also great with a splash of spicy hot sauce***

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Cook time: 3 mins
Yield: 16 pancakes

Ingredients:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
½ cup canned Pumpkin Puree
1 cup buttermilk (or milk)

2 TBS Sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup Canola Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp salt
Non stick cooking spray

Directions:

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, oil and vanilla until well blended.

Spray a large nonstick griddle or skillet with no-stick cooking spray. Heat over medium heat.

Pour batter by scant 1/3 cupfuls into skillet, working in batches. Cook until bubbles form on surface of pancakes and bottoms are lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying skillet with no-stick cooking spray between batches as needed.

Serve warm with syrup.

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

courtesy of Chef David Lawrence's blog:
http://forkingdelicious.blogspot.com/

FOR THE CAKE

1 package Butter Recipe Golden cake mix
1 large egg
8 tablespoons unslated butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

FOR THE CINNAMON WHIPPED CREAM

2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon, or to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan. To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey. Serve with fresh cinnamon whipped cream.

Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons flour, divided

1 teaspoon seasoned salt (or Paprika)

large zip-top bag

5–6 sprigs fresh Italian parsley

juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1/4 cup white wine (or chicken broth)

*capers* optional

Steps

1. Place 3 teaspoons flour and seasoned salt in zip-top bag; shake to mix and set

   aside. Chop (rinsed) parsley coarsely, leaves only, and measure (2 tablespoons).

   Slice (rinsed) lemon in half. Set both aside.

2. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Check fish for bones by

    pressing on fillet with finger tips and remove. Add fish to zip-top bag; seal tightly

    and shake to coat. Wash hands.

3. Place 1 tablespoon butter in pan and swirl to coat. Add fish (wash hands) and cook

   3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter to center of pan. Turn fillets, using spatula,

   distributing butter under each fillet. Cook 3 more minutes until fish is golden and

   flakes easily. Place fish on serving plates.

4. Place remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon flour, wine and juice from  

    lemon in sauté pan. Heat 1–2 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir

    parsley (and/or capers) into butter sauce and serve over fish.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 249kcal; FAT 10g; CHOL 108mg; SODIUM 509mg; CARB 3g; FIBER <1g; PROTEIN 31g; VIT A 2%; VIT C 7%; CALC 0%; IRON 2%

Nutella Cookies

from "Laura's Best Recipes"
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45089946689#/laurasrecipes?v=wall&ref=search


Ingredients:

1 Jar of Nutella (375 Gr.)
2 1/2 Cups - Flour
1 Cup - Dark - Semi sweet chocolate morsels
1 Cup - White - chocolate morsels
1/3 Cup - Milk
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup - Sugar
1/2 - Stick of butter
1 Tsp - Baking soda
1/2 Tsp - Salt
2 Tsp - Vanilla extract

Directions:

In a KitchenAid stand mixer add all the wet ingredients: soft butter, eggs, the entire jar of Nutella and the sugar.
Mix all the ingredients well.
In a separate bowl, add the flour and all the chocolate morsels. Mix everything well with a spoon.
Mix the vanilla extract and the milk.
Start up the stand mixer again and alternate by adding some of the flour and chocolates and the milk. After you have added all the ingredients continue mixing until the dough is well amalgamated.
Refrigerate the dough for about two hours.
After the refrigeration the dough will be much firmer and easier to roll into small balls. Roll the dough into balls the size of a golf ball and place on cookie sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake for 10-12 mins. at 375F.

Pomtini and Green Apple Martini

Pomtini
Serves 1
By Chef David Lawrence
http://www.forkingdelicious.blogspot.com/


3 ounces good vodka
3 ounces pure pomegranate juice
1 ½ ounces triple sec
1 ½ ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons simple syrup*

Pour vodka, pomegranate juice, triple sec and lime juice into a cocktail shaker. Tumble in a handful of ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and let the party begin!

*Simple syrup is incredibly, well, simple to make. Combine 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 cup water. Bring to the boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator.


Green Apple Martini
Serves 1

3 ounces good vodka
3 ounces Apple Pucker
1 ½ ounces sweet & sour mix
1 ½ ounces 7-Up
Green apple, thinly sliced, for garnish

Pour vodka, Apple Pucker, sweet & sour and 7-Up into a cocktail shaker. Tumble in a handful of ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass and float a thin slice of green apple on the top. Cheers!

VARIATION:
Caramel Apple Martini: Add 1 ½ ounces of caramel flavored syrup to the mix before shaking.

For a little extra color add a splash of grenadine syrup after straining into the glass, but don’t stir! Otherwise, you’ll just end up with a mottled mess. The syrup will settle to the bottom and add an extra layer of color and flavor. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Eggnog Cheesecake

Courtesy of Chef David Lawrence
http://www.forkingdelicious.blogspot.com/

Serves 8 to 10

FOR THE CRUST
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup best-quality eggnog
2 Tablespoons brandy, dark rum, or Cognac
1½ teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Pour graham cracker crumbs into a 9 inch-diameter spring form pan; add butter and stir to mix. Press mixture evenly over bottom and ½ inch up side of pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.

In the bowl of a freestanding mixer with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down inside of bowl as needed. Mix in flour, eggnog, brandy, and nutmeg until just incorporated. Pour batter into cooled, crust-lined pan and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake has a slight jiggle in the middle, and is slightly firm to the touch.

Run a thin-bladed knife between cheesecake and pan rim. Put cheesecake on a rack and let cool completely. Cover and chill until cold, at least 3 hours.
Remove pan rim. If any moisture has collected on cake, gently blot dry with a paper towel. Cut cake slices with a serrated knife, running knife under hot water and wiping clean after each slice.

Serve topped with fresh whipped cream.

Pollo alla Romana (Roman-Style Chicken)

by Mario Batali






Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup Frascati or other dry white wine
1 (16-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes and their juices
2 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
Salt and pepper


Directions

In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook slowly to render out much of the fat. Remove all but 4 tablespoons of the fat-oil mixture from the pan and add the garlic and chicken, cooking until chicken begins to change color and garlic browns. Add the wine and cook 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and peppers, season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Spicy Peanut Chicken

by Rachael Ray





Ingredients
1 cup brown or white rice made to package directions
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or other high temperature cooking oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, diced into small bite-sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 inch ginger root, grated or minced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter or reduced sugar peanut butter
1/4 cup Tamari sauce or reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon chili paste
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 bunch scallions, whites and greens chopped on angle into 1-inch pieces
1 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

Yields: Serves 4

Preparation
Start brown or white rice and 10 minutes before it is done begin your stir fry.
Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, add bell peppers and stir fry 2 minutes more. Remove chicken and peppers to a plate and add 2 tablespoons more oil to the pan. Add ginger and garlic and stir fry 15 seconds then add in peanut butter, soy, stock, chili paste and sesame oil and stir to combine into sauce. Add chestnuts and scallions and toss 1 minute, add chicken and peppers back to pan with peanuts and turn to coat in sauce. Serve over rice

Grilled Chili Chicken

Ingredients:

2 TBS honey
5 TBS sweet chili sauce (or Chili Powder)
3 TBS soy sauce
12 chicken drumsticks, skin removed


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the honey, sweet chili sauce and soy sauce. Set
aside a small dish of the marinade for basting. Place chicken drumsticks into
the bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange drumsticks on the grill. Cook for 10
minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Baste frequently with the reserved
sauce during the last 5 minutes

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients

3 egg yolks
Juice of ½ of a Lemon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or dash of hot pepper sauce)
1 large ice cube (just in case)


Directions


In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into
butter. Continue whisking over low heat for 6-8 minutes, or until it is thickened.
Serve immediately.

If your sauce starts to break, very quickly add in an ice cube, stir for a second, remove and whisk very fast. This will cool down the sauce and save it.

Spicy Lemon Chicken

Recipe by Carter Snead


Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut up


Marinade
You'll need two batches of marinade so double quantities of ingredients below:
1/2 cup lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt

Directions:

Combine and whisk marinade ingredients. Pour over chicken. Marinate from 3-4 hours... turning every 20-30 min or as you can.
Before cooking, discard original marinade. Make a new fresh batch of the same marinade.
Season chicken with salt and pepper
Place in oven preheated to 400 degrees. After about 10 min. spoon freshly made marinade over chicken and continuing basting with additional marinade and juices every 20 minutes. Chicken is usually done in about an hour.