Sourdough Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1-pound loaf sourdough bread

• 8 tablespoons butter

• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/2-inch thick in both directions

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 2 to 4 stalks celery with leaves, halved lengthwise and sliced

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• About 10 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stems

• 10 to 12 fresh sage leaves, chopped

• 3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.

• Cut or tear the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread it evenly on 2 baking sheets. Toast the bread in the oven until completely dry and beginning to crisp and brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and a few pinches of salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add celery, onion, 2 tablespoons butter, and thyme. Once the butter has melted, cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add sage and remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add chicken broth to skillet and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

• Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl. Pour the chicken broth mixture over the bread cubes and toss to combine until the bread cubes absorb the liquid. Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish, and sprinkle with parsley. Bake in the center of the oven until heated through and the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove the stuffing from the oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes before serving.

Spinach Gratin

Ingredients:

• 3 POUNDS FROZEN CHOPPED SPINACH, DEFROSTED (5 (10-OUNCE) PACKAGES)
• 4 TABLESPOONS (1/2 STICK) UNSALTED BUTTER
• 1 CHOPPED YELLOW ONION
• 1/4 CUP FLOUR
• 1/4 TEASPOON GRATED NUTMEG
• 1 CUP HEAVY CREAM
• 2 CUPS MILK
• 1 CUP FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
• 1 TABLESPOON KOSHER SALT
• 1/2 TEASPOON FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
• 1/2 CUP GRATED GRUYERE CHEESE

Instructions:

• Transfer your thawed spinach to a large baking dish or bowl. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat.
• Add the onions, and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes.
• Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.
• Add the cream and milk, and cook until thickened.
• Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach, and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the spinach to a baking dish, and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

Jalapeno and Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded, membranes removed and diced
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
8 cups cornbread, crumbled
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Broth, turkey or chicken as needed

Instructions:

Melt butter in skillet. Add onion, celery and jalapeno peppers and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add pecans and cook for one more minute.
Place cornbread in a large bowl. Add onion mixture andseasonings. Toss to mix. Add enough turkey broth to moisten.
Use as a stuffing or spoon into a greased baking dish. (If baking in a dish and moister stuffing is desired, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more broth to stuffing before spooning stuffing into dish.)
Bake at 350°F (175°C) until the top has formed a crust and the stuffing is heated through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 10 servings.

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Tomatoes (and anchovies.. shhhh)

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1.5 cups breadcrumbs
• salt
• 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinced
• 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 pound orecchiette pasta

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add breadcrumbs and salt, and cook until crisp (about 5 minutes) and transfer to a plate.
• Heat more oil in pan and add anchovies, and stir until they dissolve.  Add garlic and capers, and cook until the garlic is golden (just a couple minutes).
• Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes to the pan, and add a little more oil.  Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook both the broccoli rabe and the pasta in this water (timing will depend on if you use fresh or dry pasta.  Cook pasta first if using dry).
• Add pasta, broccoli rabe, and a little reserved pasta water to the tomato mixture in the pan.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring gently.  Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.

"Banh Mi" Turkey Burgers

Ingredients (serves 2):
   Burgers:

• pickled red onion (find your own recipe!)
• 3/4 lbs ground turkey breast
• 3 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1handful green onion, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper
• pinch of sugar
• 2 hamburger buns
• butter

   Spicy Curry Mayo:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Sriracha to taste

Instructions:

• Combine all ingredients except pickled onion and form two hamburger patties.  Save some cilantro. Cook on medium high heat in a nonstick pan with some olive oil until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Prepare the mayonnaise by mixing together all ingredients.
• Spread butter on hamburger buns and broil until toasted.  Spread mayo on both sides of the bun, and place patty on the bun, topped with extra cilantro and pickled onions.  Serve with sweet potato fries seasoned with coriander, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt.  Fries can be dipped in excess mayo.

Roasted Red Pepper and Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 box bowtie pasta
• 2 12 oz. cans tomato sauce
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 hot Italian sausages (raw, so you can just use the meat not in sausage form)
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• salt, pepper, olive oil

Instructions:

• Roast the red peppers: turn gas burner on high and just burn the hell out of the bell peppers.  Get a good black char on them and set them aside.
• Cook diced onion on medium heat in olive oil until softened but not browned.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and reduce heat to low.
• Meanwhile, run bell peppers under cold water and peel of charred skin.  Roughly chop the peppers and add to onions and garlic.
• Add cans of sauce to the onions and puree the mixture.  Add pasta to salted boiling water.
• Cooked ground sausage in a separate pan.  When cooked, add to sauce.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Drain cooked pasta and mix into sauce.  Serve with parmesan cheese.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato
• 12 oz. can of black beans
• half of a white/yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 12 oz. can of enchilada sauce
• 6 whole wheat tortillas
• salt, coriander, cumin, and other Mexican spices
• sharp white cheddar, grated

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 and cook the onion and garlic in a little olive oil on medium-low heat for a few minutes until softened.
• Pour in the black beans and add spices to your liking, probably about a teaspoon each of ground coriander, ground cumin, and ground chipotle pepper.  Let this mixture cook.  Mix in half of the cheese.
• Meanwhile, microwave the sweet potato for 5 minutes, or until soft to the touch.  Peel and chop into small cubes and mix into bean mixture.  Add salt to taste.
• Dip the tortillas in the enchilada sauce, stuff with the bean mixture, and roll and place in pan.  Cover the enchiladas with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until cheese on top is melted.

Grilled Coriander-Cumin Chicken with Cilantro-Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro , plus cilantro sprigs, for garnish
• 1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken , cut into 8 pieces

• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt , plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , plus more to taste

Directions

To make chicken: Place all ingredients (except chicken) in a blender. Puree until smooth. Place chicken pieces in a mixing bowl, add spice mixture and, using your hands, toss chicken to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate up to 8 hours.

To make dipping sauce: Meanwhile, in a small serving bowl, combine yogurt, cilantro and lime juice; mix well. Stir in salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat gas grill to medium, or prepare a charcoal grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Place chicken pieces on the grill, the breasts skin side down. Cover and cook, turning occasionally, 20 to 25 minutes. Chicken should be browned, crusty and cooked through, so juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove cooked pieces to a serving platter; keep warm in a low oven until the rest of the chicken is done. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve with dipping sauce on the side.

AIMEE's NOTES: This amount of marinade worked well with three small boneless/skinless chicken breasts and could easily work for a few more.  I used less oil than it called for.  The marinade is a little thick/pasty which was good - I just marinated the chicken in a plastic bag.  Also, the yogurt is meh - but good mixed in with white rice.  I would try Greek yogurt with this recipe as plain yogurt got watery.  Grill on HIGH heat to get a good char, that was the best part.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/food/Grilled-Coriander-Cumin-Chicken-with-Cilantro-Yogurt-Dipping-Sauce#ixzz20l3gavtC

Spicy Pineapple Chicken

Sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons chopped garlic (3 to 4 cloves)

3 tablespoons chopped green onions (about 3 onions)

1 cup pineapple juice

2 tablespoons Sriracha

2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup vegetable oil

2 chicken breast fillets

1/3 cup cornstarch 

preparation

1. Make the sauce by heating 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in medium saucepan. Sauté the garlic and onion in the oil for just a few seconds, not allowing the ingredients to burn, then quickly add the pineapple juice, followed by chili sauce, vinegar, and soy sauce.

2. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water and add it to the other ingredients in the saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and continue to simmer on medium/high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick and syrupy.

3. Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a wok or a medium saucepan over medium heat.

4. While oil heats up, chop chicken breast fillets into bite-size pieces. In a medium bowl, toss chicken pieces with cornstarch until well-dusted.

5. Sauté coated chicken in the hot oil, stirring occasionally, until light brown. Remove chicken to a rack or paper towels to drain for a moment. Pour chicken into a medium bowl, add sauce and toss well to coat chicken. Serve immediately with rice on the side.

Carrot and Parsnip Puree

*serves 3
Ingredients:

4 or 5 large carrots chopped
3 large parsnips chopped
1/2 white or yellow onion roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic roughly diced
Olive oil/butter
Chicken broth
Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a wide pot - one that all the veggies can spread out in-  and throw in the onions, just for a minute, add some salt.

Add rest of vegetables and garlic into the pan and cook for another minute or two.  Then, add the chicken broth until it halfway covers the veggies.

Bring broth to a simmer and cover the pot and let everything cook for about 30 minutes.  Then puree with immersion blender until very smooth.  Add more salt and pepper if you want. Serve!

Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork

Ingredients

Dry Rub:

• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 3 tablespoons coarse salt
• 1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt

Cider Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 1 cup yellow or brown mustard
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 hamburger buns
• 1 recipe Spicy Slaw, recipe follows
• Pickle spears

Preparation

Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork and marinate for as long as you have time for, as little as 1 hour or up to overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Put the pork in a roasting pan and bake for about 6 hours. Basically, roast the pork until it's falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees F.

To make the barbecue sauce: combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves.

Remove the pork roast from the oven and transfer to a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, take 2 forks and "pull" the meat to form shreds. Using 2 forks, shred the pork by steadying the meat with 1 fork and pulling it away with the other. Put the shredded pork in a bowl. Pour 1/2 of the sauce on the shredded pork and mix well to coat.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom 1/2 of the hamburger bun, and top with the spicy slaw. Serve with pickle spears and the remaining sauce on the side.

Short Ribs Braised in Coffee Ancho Chile Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 dried ancho chiles, stems, seeds, and ribs discarded
• 2 cups boiling-hot water
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo plus 2 tsp adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 6 lb beef short ribs or flanken
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Wipe anchos clean and soak in boiling-hot water until softened, about 20 minutes, then drain in a colander set over a bowl. Taste soaking liquid: It will be a little bitter, but if unpleasantly so, discard it; otherwise, reserve for braising. Transfer anchos to a blender with onion, garlic, chipotles with sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, and 1 tsp salt and purée until smooth.
Pat ribs dry and season with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown ribs in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes total per batch. Transfer as browned to a roasting pan just large enough to hold ribs in 1 layer.
Carefully add chile purée to fat in skillet (it will spatter and steam) and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add reserved chile soaking liquid (or 1 1/2 cups water) and coffee and bring to a boil, then pour over ribs (liquid should come about halfway up sides of meat).
Cover roasting pan tightly with foil and braise ribs in oven until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Skim fat from pan juices and serve with ribs.

Branzino Baked in Salt Crust

Ingredients:

• 2 whole branzini
• lemons
• 1 large box rock or kosher salt
• fresh thyme sprigs
• garlic

Preparation:
Clean and gut each fish.  Stuff fish with thinly sliced lemon, whole garlic cloves, and sprigs of thyme.
Line a baking sheet with about 1/2 inch of salt.  Place fish on salt, and cover the fish well with another thick layer of salt.
Sprinkle water with your fingers on to the salt covering the fish until damp but not too wet.
Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  The salt will form a hard crust that you must break with a wooden spoon.  The skin should peel right off the fish.  The fish is ready to serve.

Turkey Scallopini with Lemon and Capers

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pound (1/4-inch-thick) sliced raw turkey cutlets
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cup chicken broth
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

Pat turkey dry and season with salt and pepper. Dredge half of turkey slices in flour, shaking off excess. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté turkey until browned on both sides and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, covered. Dredge and sauté remaining turkey with another 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in same manner.

Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and cook garlic over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and deglaze over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Boil until broth is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Stir in lemon juice, capers, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Return turkey to skillet with any juices on platter and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute.

Chipotle Chicken

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes
• 1 small can fire roasted green chiles
• 1 can chipotle peppers
• 1 onion
• Cumin

Preparation:

Mix all canned ingredients in the slow cooker, blend if possible.  If not, dice the chipotles as small as possible.  Place chicken in slow cooker, and cook on low for as long as possible (6 hours works well).

Finely chop the onion and sauté until it starts to turn brown.  Put this in the slow cooker for the last hour or so.

Add cumin and salt to taste.

Remove chicken from sauce one breast at a time, shred with forks, then put back in sauce.

Serve on tortillas with tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce or serve with rice.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound dry spaghetti
•  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
•  Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.