• Cooking spray
• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, undrained
• 1 cup water
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (such as Goya)
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cumin, dried oregano, and coriander; sauté 1 minute. Stir in chiles; reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes, partially covered. Add the chicken, water, cannellini beans, and broth; bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in hot sauce. Ladle 1 cup of chili into each of 8 bowls; sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and 1 tablespoon green onions.

Ingredients

•                     2 cups white sugar
•                     1/2 cup butter
•                     1/2 cup milk
•                     3 tablespoons cocoa powder
•                     3 cups quick cooking oats
•                     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (12-ounce) box farfalle pasta
• 1 pound fresh asparagus spears
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen baby peas
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preparation:

Ingredients

•                     1 (16 ounce) package uncooked orzo pasta
•                     1 (10 ounce) package baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
•                     1/2 pound crumbled feta cheese
•                     1/2 red onion, finely chopped
•                     3/4 cup pine nuts
•                     1/2 teaspoon dried basil
•                     1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
•                     1/2 cup olive oil
•                     1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

            Directions Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add orzo and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse with cold water.  Transfer to a large bowl and stir in spinach, feta, onion, pine nuts, basil and white pepper.  Toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Refrigerate and serve cold.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 490       Total Fat: 26.9g        Cholesterol:  25mg

• Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Cut several slits in roast, making each slit about 1/2 ” long and 1″ deep.  Insert a small slice of garlic into each slit.
• In a 4 qt Dutch oven, brown roast on all sides in hot oil.  Remove from heat.  Drain off fat.  In a small bowl, combine Bloody Mary mix, 4 T of the vodka, horseradish, Worcestershire and minced garlic; carefully pour over the roast.  Bake covered, for 2 – 2 1/2 hours or until very tender.  Transfer to a platter, reserving juices.  Keep meat warm.
• For gravy, measure cooking juices, skim off fat.  If necessary add enough water to juices to total 1 1/2 c liquid.  Return juices to Dutch oven.  Stir together remaining 2 T vodka and the cornstarch; stir into cooking juics.  Cook and stir over med heat until bubbly, cook and stir for 1 min more.  Slice meat thinly across grain, serve with gravy

• 1 part fresh garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 part fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
• 1 part fresh horseradish, peeled and grated
• 1 part fresh HOT peppers, chopped (use a variety of the hottest peppers you can find like Habeneros, Jalepenos, Serranos, etc.)
• ¼ part fresh lemon grass, chopped
• Raw organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg)

Add two cups of the flour, sweet potatoes, cardamom, salt, and orange peel to the yeast mixture and beat well. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. (Alternately, add 3 cups of the flour right away and just use the dough hook on your mixer to knead the dough for about five minutes).

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean damp towel. Allow dough to rise until double, about 1 hour. In the mean time, in a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and 3 tablespoons sweet potatoes.

Roll out the dough into a 12X9 inch rectangle (I like to do this on my Silpat). Spread the dough with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Roll up the dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal sized pieces and place into a greased 9X13 inch pan. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Bake at 375 ° F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and frost while warm.

For icing, combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla, orange juice and orange peel in a medium sized bowl. Beat well with a hand mixer. Slowly beat in enough of the powdered sugar to make the desired consistency.

*Learn how to make a Basic Simple Syrup Recipe.

Chill an old-fashioned glass by filling with crushed ice or refrigerate or freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Add the Herbsaint, absinthe, or Pernod to the glass; swirl it around to coat the entire sides and bottom of the glass. Discard the excess.

In a cocktail shaker, add 4 or 5 small ice cubes, sugar, rye whiskey, and bitters. Shake gently for about 30 seconds; strain into the prepared old-fashioned glass.

Twist lemon peel over the drink and then place in the drink.

Makes 1 serving.

* Italian bread may be substituted. Check out my Muffuletta Bread recipe.

Make Muffuletta Bread and make Olive Salad. Cut bread in half crosswise and scoop out about half of the soft dough from top and bottom pieces (this is to provide more room for the sandwich ingredients). Brush the inside bottom of loaf with olive oil or juice from the Olive Salad marinade. Layer salami, Italian ham and Provolone cheese on the bottom piece. Top with as much Olive Salad as will fit without spilling out. Add top of loaf and press down slightly. Slice in quarters and serve. Always serve the Muffuletta Sandwich at room temperature, never toasted.

Makes 1 to 4 servings, depending on the appetite.

OLIVE SALAD:
2/3 cup pitted and coarsely-chopped green olives
2/3 cup pitted and coarsely-chopped kalamata olives
1/2 cup chopped pimiento
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 anchovy fillet, mashed
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon finely-chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and then allow the flavors to mingle for at least 1 hour prior to serving. Store, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tear or cut French bread into 1-inch pieces (about 6 to 7 cups); place in a large bowl. Add milk and let bread pieces soak; crush with your hands until well mixed. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, allspice, and cinnamon until smooth; stir in raisins. Stir into the bread/milk mixture. Let the mixture sit for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

When ready to bake, pour melted butter into a 13×9-inch baking pan or dish. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter.

Pour bread pudding mixture into prepared pan or dish. Bake, uncovered, approximately 45 to 50 minutes, until set in the center, and the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

To serve, cut into squares and put into individual serving dishes.

Serve with warm Bourbon Sauce. NOTE: Best fresh and eaten the day it is made.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Bourbon Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons bourbon (whiskey) or to your taste

In a medium-size saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add sugar and beaten egg, whisking to blend well. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon to taste; let cool. Whisk and reheat before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.