Molten Lava cookies

This cookie dough needs to be chilled before handling/baking so allow for several hours of time to make them.

In a mixing bowl, cream together:

1 cup of softened butter

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 good quality cocoa powder

Mix well.

Add:

2-1/8 cups flour

1 teasp. baking powder.

Mix together and chill dough for at least 2-3 hours.

Have ready 1/2 cup (more or less) of roughly chopped dark OR semisweet chocolate. Nestles carries their semisweet chips in large chunk style, which is cut in small rectangles & what I used (2 pcs. per cookie).

Heat oven to 350 and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. You'll be able to put 15 cookies on each sheet.

Shape dough into 1" balls - make an indentation & place the cut chocolate inside, then fold dough over to completely enclose it. Put the chocolate balls 2" apart on the parchment lined pans.

Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges are firm but the tops are soft. Let sit for a few minutes before removing the cookies to a cooking rack. Dust the cooled cookies with powdered sugar if you like - or just leave them plain. I guarantee they will NOT last long!!

These cookies are a little messy to work with, but the finished product/taste makes it worth the inconvenience!!

Creamed spinach

In a large pot, cook 2 (12 oz) bags of fresh spinach until tender - drain THOROUGHLY in colander, then return to pot.

In a saucepan, heat 3 T. butter with 1 T. oil & saute a medium chopped onion until soft, add a clove of smashed/minced garlic and continue sauteing until tender, being careful not to brown it. Add 1-1/2 cups of heavy (whipping) cream. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir until heated and pour over cooked spinach. Stir well - taste for seasoning and continue cooking for another 10 minutes on low heat... if you'd like it creamier still, add a little more heavy cream. You can eat as-is or put in a heatproof dish, sprinkle with parmesan or swiss cheese and bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.

Wild Rice w/cranberries

Cook 1-1/2 cups wild rice according to package directions (Trader Joe's is top-notch!). Continue preparation while the rice is cooking (approx. 1 hour).

Chop a half lb. of bacon and fry until it's crisp. Remove bacon to a plate - dump out grease except for 2 tbplsp. to leave in the pan.

In the bacon grease, saute: a med. size finely chopped onion, 2 stalks finely chopped celery, 2 medium carrots also finely diced. Saute vegetables until they're cooked and quite soft. To that, add a medium Granny Smith apple (peeled and finely diced) and 1 cup dried cranberries and saute another couple minutes until the apple is softened.

Lower the heat and add 2 teasp. of balsamic vinegar & 4 Tblsp. apple cider OR apple juice, stirring well.

After the rice is cooked, drain it and add the cooked vegetable/fruit mixture, stirring well. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and some salt. Stir in the reserved bacon. This side dish is good served warm or eaten cold.

Cream of broccoli soup

In a stock pot, saute 1 large chopped onion in 6 Tblsp. butter, cooking until soft and making sure it doesn't brown. To the onions, add 2 quarts of chicken stock, 3 cups water and 4 Tblsp. chicken base (like bullion, it comes in a jar & is a rich paste). Stir well and heat to boiling. Add 3-4 lbs. of broccoli (fresh or frozen... the more broccoli, the thicker the soup) and return to a boil, then lower to simmer. Season liberally with pepper (taste for salt, it may be salty enough). Cook for a half hour or until the broccoli is VERY tender.

With an immersion blender, puree the broccoli - you can use a blender (but it's messier) or a potato masher (if you don't mind a more textured soup). Return to low heat. Taste for seasoning - add more pepper and some salt, if needed. Stir in 2 cups of heavy (whipping) cream and continue heating on low (cream based soups scorch easily).

IF you really want a thicker soup, make a paste out of cornstarch or flour in cold water and slowly drizzle it into the hot soup, stirring constantly until the desired thickness is reached - although I'd advise you to skip it and enjoy the soup in its pure form.

Serve soup plain or with shredded cheese sprinkled on top.

Pecan Pie

Prepare a pie crust, put it in a pan & crimp the edges. Cover the edges loosely with foil to prevent over-browning while baking pie.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine and mix thoroughly:
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup white corn syrup
3 extra large beaten eggs

Stir in 2 cups broken pecan pcs. (At this point I also added 1 cup of toasted/cooled coconut - you can omit this.) Slowly pour into unbaked pie shell. Arrange another handful of pecan halves on top.

Carefully put in oven. Bake for 50 minutes or until center is completely set. Serve warm or cold. A scoop of ice cream wouldn't hurt!

Basic Custard pie

Place an unbaked pie crust in the bottom of a pie pan (metal, glass or ceramic) and crimp the edges. Use your favorite pie crust recipe or buy a ready made one. Cut small lengths of alum. foil and GENTLY & loosely, cover the edge of the pie, letting the foil drape over the side so the edges don't get over-browned while baking.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients with a wire whisk:

4 large eggs (beat them well)

2/3 cup sugar

1 teasp. vanilla

1/2 cup heavy cream

1-1/4 cup milk (whole or 2%)

After everything is beaten together thoroughly, slowly pour into pie shell. Leave it plain or sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon sugar OR a pinch of nutmeg OR leave it plain.

CAREFULLY place on the center rack of the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 and continue baking for 40-60 minutes... check the pie after 40 minutes and gently shake the pie - if it looks too wet and unset, keep baking until it's done, checking every 5-10 minutes. You can test it with a knife - if the knife comes out clean and not 'wet', the pie's done. After you've baked several custard pies, you'll recognize when it's truly set.

You can also toast a cup or so of coconut, cool it completely and add it to the pie before baking.

Basic breaded chicken cutlets

Pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts until they're uniform in thickness (1/4-1/2").

Get 3 shallow soup-type bowls and fill each bowl accordingly:

1.) approx. 1 cup seasoned flour (salt, pepper)

2.) 2 beaten eggs with 2 Tblsp. water

3.) 2 cups breadcrumbs (I use half regular unseasoned and half panko crumbs) - season with garlic powder, paprika, parsley flakes, salt, pepper, a shake of seasoned salt (be liberal with the seasonings!!) If desired, add 1/3 cup grated parmesan to the breadcrumbs.

Dip each breast in 1. (shake off excess flour)- then 2. - then 3. Put on a plate and chill for an hour.

Heat 1/3- 1/2" of olive or vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet until hot. Lower chicken in the hot oil & fry until each side is golden brown - don't crowd them in the pan!! If necessary, when one batch is done, clean pan & heat some fresh oil for the next batch.

You can eat these 'as-is', (try them plain with fresh lemon squeezed onto them!!!) or as a base for chicken parmesan - substitute chicken for pork, veal or turkey cutlets - and use whatever seasonings you & your family like! Be creative!!! :)

Chocolate biscotti

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a mixing bowl, cream together:
6 Tblsp. soft butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teasp. vanilla

Stir in:
1/2 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-3/4 C. flour

Stir in 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
(At this point you can also add chopped nuts and/or dried cherries or cranberries if desired.)

Divide dough in half. Form each half into a rectangle (approx. 12" long X 2" wide & 1/2" high) - place them on the parchment, leaving a bit of space between them- they spread out a little.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool slightly. Slice the cookies (around 1/3-1/2" thick and put back on sheets and return to the oven for another 12-15 minutes or until they're crisped up.

Cool completely. You can leave them as is or drizzle melted white or dark chocolate over the biscotti.

Chocolate chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, mix together very well:

1 cup softened butter

3/4 c. (packed) light brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir in:

1/4 cup powdered cocoa

1 teasp. baking soda

2 cups flour

Mix well. Add whatever types of chocolate chips (and nuts, if you'd like) you prefer. For these, I added:

1 C. semisweet chips

1/2 C. mini semisweet chips

1/2 C. Ghirardelli 60% choc. chips (can't beat them!!!)

1 c. white chocolate chips

Lay dough on plastic wrap or put in a large ziplock bag, flatten out a bit and refrigerate for 2 hours (or more).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cookie dough (heaping tsp. or small tblsp.) on parchment lined sheets, leaving an inch of space between them.

If you've got 'extra' dough but not enough to fill an entire cookie sheet, make a jumbo cookie or 2, flattening the dough slightly and then studding with M&Ms. Live on the edge! lol (Baking time's the same.)

Bake for 9-10 minutes- do NOT overbake! They'll look pretty soft when you remove them from the oven but they'll firm up as they cool. Slide the parchment onto a countertop and let the cookies cool completely before removing.

Pumpkin Pie (with adjustment for diabetics)

This recipe is made for a diabetic diet (no crust, no 'real' sugar & VERY low carbs!). You can EASILY adapt it and make a regular pumpkin pie by preparing your favorite (unbaked) crust. Make the filling exactly the same but use regular sugar instead of Splenda. Then bake it @400* degrees the first 15 minutes - lower the oven temp to 350* and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes, until the center is cooked.

Spray a 9" pie plate with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350* degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine and mix together well:

1 15 oz. can of solid packed, cooked pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie FILLING)
3 lightly beaten eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup Splenda (OR sugar)
1 teasp. ground ginger
2 teasp. ground cinnamon
1/8 teasp. ground cloves
1/8 teasp. ground/grated nutmeg

***NOTE*** Trader Joe carries a DELICIOUS seasonal spice mix called "Pumpkin Pie Spice" - I add a tsp. of it to the above spices... it's a blend of different spices along with dried citrus peel. If you don't use it, no big deal.

Mix everything well and then slowly whisk in milk until thoroughly incorporated:

1- 12 oz. can evaporated milk

Pour into prepared pan. You can leave the pie 'as-is' or crush a couple cups of walnuts & scatter them around the edge of the pie before baking.

Bake the pie for 40-45 minutes or until center is set. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

* IF YOU USE A GLASS or DARK- COLORED Nonstick PIE PAN, REDUCE THE OVEN TEMPERATURE 20 DEGREES - otherwise it'll overcook and burn!

Potato Bread

In a medium saucepan, cook a large (peeled & diced) potato for 12-15 minutes until tender. DO NOT DRAIN. Cool mixture until lukewarm (110-115 degrees). Remove 1/2 cup water and set aside. Mash potato in t he remaining liquid and add enough warm water to make 2-1/2 cups of potato mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, proof 2 packages of dry yeast in the 1/2 cup reserved potato liquid. When it begins foaming/bubbling, it's ready. Add mashed potato mixture, 2 cups of flour, 3 Tblso. sugar, 2 Tblsp. soft butter, 1 Tblsp. salt.

Beat at low speed of a mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping sides of bowl down often, then beat another 3 minutes at high speed.

Stir in another (approx.) 4 cups flour SLOWLY, a little at a time, mixing & kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes) being careful not to add TOO much flour, a mistake made often (causing a dry, tough finished product). This particular dough is slightly sticky, so handle it quickly and gently.

Place dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a dish towel, put in a draft-free place and let dough rise until doubled, about an hour.

Turn dough onto a floured surface, punch down & let it sit for 10 minutes. Divide dough in half & form into 2 loaves, placing them in greased aluminum 9x5 loaf pans. (Alum. works the BEST - forget baking bread in glass or darkened teflon pans. Find aluminum ones for ideal results.)

Cover the dough with a dish towel & let it rise again until doubled - approx. 35-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Brush the tops of the loaves LIGHTLY with water & dust with a touch of flour.

Bake for 30-35 minutes and quickly slide the oven rack & cover the loaves loosely with alum. foil to prevent overbrowning. Slide them back in & bake another 10-15 minutes. Remove from pans & cool on a wire rack.
Potato bread is excellent toasted!!!

UNstuffed peppers

If you find making stuffed peppers tedious, try this route. We prefer more meat and less peppers so this recipe works best for our family. However, if you like MORE peppers, double the amount indicated below. This makes 10 'league ball' sized meatballs. If you want to make less, cut this entire recipe in half.

Have rice pre-cooked: measure 1/2 cup white rice & prepare it according to package directions.

Heat a few Tbsp. olive oil in a 4 qt. pan- over med. heat, add:
3 stalks sliced celery, 1 lg. coarsely chopped onion, 2 cloves chopped garlic & 4 large green peppers (cut in large pcs.), salt & pepper - saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then cover & cook another 10-15 minutes on low heat or until the peppers begin to slightly soften.

To the vegetables, add a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes, a 6 oz. can of tomato paste, salt & pepper, a couple shakes of cayenne, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme - I also add a heaping teasp. of Trader Joe's "21-season salute" which is a blend of seasonings/herbs that we really like - you can add 'Dash' or seasoned salt, but it's not the same. Stir well, cover and simmer on low for approx. 20 minutes while you prepare the meat.

For meat (NOTE: Use VERY LEAN ground meat or all the fat will cook out while baking, making the tomato sauce an unhealthy mess):

In a mixing bowl, put 1 lb. lean VERY LEAN ground pork, 2 lbs. VERY LEAN ground round (or sirloin), the cooked rice, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs (fresh or dried), 1-1/4 teasp. ground black pepper, salt & a few Tblsp. chopped parsley. Mix together until everything's incorporated, then form into 10 balls - place them on a greased 9 X 13" baking pan (or a small roasting pan).

Spoon the pepper/tomato mixture on top of the meatballs. Cover the pan with foil (or cover the roasting pan) and bake for an hour & 15 minutes @350 degrees.

Arancini (Sicilian stuffed rice balls)

Prepare these several hours before you plan to fry them since they need to be chilled after assembling. This makes 4 arancini. The authentic filling calls for chopped cooked chicken livers, but my family never liked them that way. Play around with fillings your family would enjoy!

Cook: 1 C. rice in 2 C. water w/1 Tblsp. olive oil & salt- until done. Set aside and cool off a bit.

While the rice is cooling make filling & then set it aside. In a small bowl combine:
1 Tblsp. ricotta (OR cream cheese - this is to bind the filling together)
2 Tblsp. grated pepperoni (OR sopressata OR cooked Italian sausage OR chopped chicken livers)
1 clove finely minced garlic
1/2 C. grated mozzarella
1/2 C. cooked peas (fresh or frozen)
Fresh ground pepper (be careful about adding salt- the pepperoni or meat tends to be salty enough)

Back to the cooled rice:
To the cooked rice, season with salt & pepper, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese & 1 tblsp. minced basil.
Mix in 1 egg & stir ingredients together so that the rice holds together when lightly packed into your hands.
(Saffron is added to the rice often, so if you like the taste/appearance of saffron, add a small amount. Otherwise, leave it out - it won't affect the recipe, but gives the cooked rice a bright yellow color.)

Now it's time to assemble the arancini. Divide the rice in 4 parts. Divide the filling into 4 parts.

Take 1/4 of the rice and form it into a ball. Using your thumb or finger, make an indentation in the rice large enough to put 1/4 of the filling inside. Add the filling and then bring the rice up and around the filling, completely encasing it. Repeat this with the other 3 parts of rice & filling.

Get 2 small cereal bowls. Put the white of one egg in one bowl & mix lightly with a fork. In the other bowl, add 1 cup breadcrumbs (plain or seasoned; your call).

Take the rice balls one at a time, coat the entire ball with egg white and then coat it in breadcrumbs, making sure it's completely covered. Set the balls on a plate, cover with plastic wrap & chill in the 'fridge for at least an hour or 2.

FRYING the arancini:
Heat 2" of vegetable oil in a 2 qt. saucepan until hot enough to fry. TEST with a pc. of bread to make sure it's hot enough to use!! Carefully lower one arancini into the oil & gently turn it so that it cooks evenly all around - 4-5 minutes - until the outside of the arancini turns a lovely golden brown.
Remove the arancini to a rack to cool for a couple minutes before serving. They're delicious plain or with your favorite marinara sauce spooned next to them.

Braciole

Classic braciole is made with flank steak - you can use that cut of meat with the following recipe, although my family prefers a thin-cut round steak or sirloin instead.

Take 4-6 pieces of lean meat (approx. 4" x 8" each) and trim any fat off.

With meat laid out on a cutting board or work surface, get the filling ingredients together - and place the same amount of toppings down the center (the long way) of each piece of meat - leaving an inch withOUT filling at each end.

Top each piece with:

2 Tblsp. grated parmesan cheese

1 Tblsp. grated or torn up provolone cheese

1 Tblsp. unseasoned breadcrumbs

2 Tblsp. grated pepperoni (or salami, or sopressata... )

a few torn up leaves of fresh basil

season with salt and freshly ground pepper

Roll up the meat (the long way- so that you have an 8" roll) and either tie them up (using cooking thread/string) or fasten them closed using a couple toothpicks (be careful not to break them!!).

Heat 4 Tblsp. olive oil in the pan and when the oil's hot, place the meat in the pan. Turning them only once or twice (carefully, using tongs), brown the meat. When they're nearly finished browning, slice up a medium sized onion and 6 cloves of garlic. Toss into the pan with the meat, making sure the garlic/onions don't brown. Once the meat's somewhat browned (they'll finish cooking in the sauce), lower the heat to medium.

Pour over the meat:

1-1/2 cups crushed tomatoes, 2 cups diced tomatoes with juice, 4 Tblsp. tomato paste, salt & pepper (to taste). Stir everything so it's mixed well. Toss 4-6 fresh basil leaves on the top of the sauce, cover the pan tightly and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove cover and turn meat carefully. Cover again and finish cooking until tender (the time depends on the cut/tenderness of the meat - test it with a knife to check).

When the meat is cooked, remove it to a plate and carefully remove the string or toothpicks. You can either serve the braciole by itself, with polenta or roasted vegetables, or cut it into slices & serve over cooked pasta, spooning the sauce over it.

Chicken breasts with Dijon cream spinach

Pound 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts until they're somewhat uniform in thickness. Sprinkle with a few Tblsp. flour mixed with salt & pepper & lightly coat the chicken breasts.

In a large frying pan (med. heat), heat a few Tblsp. of olive oil & 1 Tblsp. butter until hot - add the chicken breasts making sure they're not crammed together too closely. Saute on med. to med-high heat until the one side is golden, making sure they don't burn, then turn & brown the other side.

While the chicken is sauteing, thinly slice a medium onion. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the pan & put it on a serving platter - keep it in a warm oven while making the spinach/sauce.

In the pan drippings (medium heat), add the onion & saute, stirring occasionally until it's wilted (not browned) - squeeze a half lemon over the onions, scrape up all the pan drippings; add 2-3 Tblsp. Dijon mustard & a few shakes of ground red pepper - stir & add 3-4 cups fresh, chopped spinach & stir, mixing well. Cook 3-4 minutes over medium heat until the spinach is wilted & cooked. Slowly pour in 2/3 C. heavy cream, stirring well & heating thoroughly. Taste - season with salt & pepper. Pour over cooked chicken breasts.

You can add a cup or 2 of fresh sliced mushrooms at the same time you add the onions.

Lemon glazed pound cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & grease a 5x9" loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine:

1-1/4 c. sugar

2 Tblsp. lemon zest

juice from 2 lemons (1/4 cup)

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

On medium speed, mix well and then slowly pour in:

2 sticks (1 cup) melted butter (that's been cooled slightly)

Slowly add using lowest speed, scraping down sides & bottom of bowl:

1-1/2 cup cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Spoon into loaf pan. Bake for 15 minutes @350 degrees, then lower the temp. to 325 degrees and bake an additional 40-45 minutes (test with toothpick- if center of cake isn't done, bake longer, checking every few minutes).

Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Put cake on a plate, mix 1/2 C. sugar with 1/4 c. lemon juice and pour over warm cake evenly. Cool completely.