DESSERTS

Recipe adapted from Framed Cooks

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more for an extra kick)
• 1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Using an electric hand or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla.

2. In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and red pepper).

3. Slowly add your dry ingredients to your butter mixture and beat until blended. Mix in chocolate chips.

4. Refrigerate dough until cold, at least 1 hour or overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 large baking sheets and drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto sheets (or use a cookie scoop).

6. Bake cookies about 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheets for 3 minutes and enjoy!

LOW CARB

Adapted from Paula Deen
Serves about 4 as a meal

• 1 large head of cauliflower (will be about 5 cups shredded)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 jar store bought tomato sauce
• Optional toppings: mushrooms, onion, spinach, basil,  tomatoes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Pull of small pieces of cauliflower, and grind in the food processor until finely shredded. This will take a couple of rounds depending on the size of your food processor
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Microwave cauliflower until just cooked, about 5 minutes.
3. Allow to cool for a minute. Add in 1 cup mozzarella and parmesan.
4. Next, beat eggs and slowly add to the mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Using a nonstick or prepared baking sheet, spread out cauliflower mixture until even and very thin.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
7. When you’re ready to serve the pizza, top with sauce, toppings, cheese and red pepper flakes. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

HOLIDAY

Adapted from Jacques Pepin
Serves 12-16

• 1 16-18 lb turkey
• ½ cup apple cider (not juice)
• 1 tsp Sriracha or other chili sauce that you like
• 1 t salt
• 1 c chopped carrots
• 2 c chopped onions
• 1 c chopped fennel or celery
• ½ c chicken stock
• 1 c white wine

Remove the wing tips and reserve along with the neck from the giblets bag. Remove the tail and discard. In your largest stock pot, place a steamer basket in the bottom, and place the turkey standing up in the basket. Put 1 ½-2 quarts water in the bottom of the pot, and place pot on the stove over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, cover the pot, turn the heat to low and steam for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Place veggies in the bottom of a roasting pan with the chicken stock, and place an oiled rack over the veg. When the bird is done steaming, remove it carefully from the pot and place breast side up on the rack. Put in the oven for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, strain the stock from the bottom of the pot into another smaller pot and add the wing tips and neck. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for one hour. Strain stock into a fat separator, and pour off the stock, leaving the fat behind.

Mix the cider, sriracha and salt in a small bowl. When the bird has roasted 45 minutes, baste with cider mixture. Test temp in thigh every 10-15 minutes until it registers 165, basting when you check until the cider is gone. Our 16 lb bird was fully done after about an hour and twenty minutes of roasting. Hold the bird in a 170 degree oven on a platter until just before service. Remove the roasted veg to a small pot. Deglaze the roasting pan with 1 c of white wine, then pour the liquid into a fat separator and pour off the juices, leaving the fat behind. Add this liquid to the veg along with a cup of the turkey stock, and blend with an immersion blender to create a gravy. If it is too thick, add more stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

• 

SIMPLE & STRAIGHTFORWARD

Serves 4

• 4-6 oz. whole wheat pasta (such as casarecce)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 bunch kale
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs, seasoned or unseasoned are both fine
• 1/4-1/2 lb. shrimp (optional)
• 1 lemon
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Toss with about a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 15-20 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to pop.
2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and add your pasta. Cook until al dente. When the pasta is almost done, add your kale to the water. Be sure to remove the center stems and tear into large pieces. Boil for at most 30 seconds, and then drain.
3. Saute shrimp in a tablespoon of olive oil, lightly searing on each side.
4. In a separate pan, saute bread crumbs with a few tablespoons of olive oil until lightly browned and toasted.
5. Toss pasta and kale mixture with shrimp, adding in your tomatoes when they’re done.
6. Stir in parmesan and juice lemon over pasta. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir together. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Serve immediately

HEALTHY

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp unsweetened Greek yogurt
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Salt and pepper

HEALTHY

• 1 1/2 cups farro
• 1 lb. carrots
• 1 cup sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 lb. cremini mushrooms
• 1 bunch kale
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 tbsp olive oil + more for roasting carrots
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper

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DESSERTS

From Food & Wine
Make 1 9×5” loaf

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• One 13-ounce jar Nutella

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In a separate large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy using a mixer. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature to ensure your cake rises properly. Gradually add in each egg, and then the vanilla, until fully incorporated.
3. With your mixer on low, add in the dry ingredients to the wet little by little.
4. Spray or butter your pan. Pour in 1/3 of your batter. Spread with 1/2 of the jar of Nutella. Now, pour over 1/3 more of the batter. Top with the rest of the Nutella. Finish off with the rest of your batter.
5. Before baking, lightly swirl through the pan with a butter knife once or twice. Bake for about an hour and ten minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

Allow the cake to cool thoroughly before serving. I know it’s tempting to dig into warm Nutella, but you will have a runny mess if you cut into the cake immediately. Serve for dessert with ice cream or enjoy with a cup of coffee for breakfast. Nutella is a healthy breakfast food, right?

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VEGETARIAN

Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
Serves 2-4 as main dish

• About 6-8 small new red potatoes
• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2/3 cup sundried tomatoes (loosely packed, strips)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 7 large eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• Salt and pepper

1. Thinly slice the potatoes, and sauté them in the butter on medium until they’re soft, about 15 minutes.
2. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and then layer evenly in the skillet.
3. Slice the tomatoes in half. Spread over the potatoes, along with the feta and sundried tomatoes.
4. Evenly top with a bit of salt and pepper, the lemon juice and parsley.
5. If you are making this the day before, now you can cover the skillet with foil and refrigerate.
6. In a large bowl, combine eggs and milk, whisking until combined. Sprinkle with a touch of salt and pepper. You can do this the night before and refrigerate or whip up before baking. Also note you can substitute half of the eggs with egg whites as long as you double the amount of egg whites you use.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray or butter the skillet to make sure the eggs don’t stick to the sides. Pour the egg mixture over your frittata and bake covered for about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until lightly browned on top.

Serve immediately with hot sauce, pancakes and copious amounts of orange juice and coffee.

• 

SIMPLE & STRAIGHTFORWARD

Makes about 1/2 cup of dressing

• 4 tbsp cranberry sauce (use the homemade kind, not jelly, for full flavor)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp honey (optional, depending on how sweet your sauce is)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and blend with immersion blender until smooth.