Chicken Divan

Ingredients:
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli
2 cooked boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place broccoli in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with the chicken.
In a small bowl, blend the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Top with Cheddar cheese.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
Cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons potato starch (in the baking aisle)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2/3 cup fat-free milk (I used 1/3 cup lite coconut milk and 1/3 cup fat-free milk)
2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare cupcakes, place 2 muffin cup liners in each of 12 muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
4. Combine 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended (mixture will be the consistency of damp sand). Add egg and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in coconut and vanilla.
5. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until cupcakes spring back when touched lightly in the center. Cool in pan 2 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
6. To prepare frosting, combine 3 tablespoons butter and next 3 ingredients (through juice) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating just until smooth. Spread about 2 1/2 teaspoons frosting onto each cupcake.

Pecan Toffee Bars

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 egg
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cup toffee bits

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and brown sugar until well blended. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until it resembles course crumbs. Whisk the egg and add to the flour mixture, mix well. stir in 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips and the pecans. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture. Press the remaining crumbs into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the hot crust. Top with the toffee bits. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture and the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips evenly over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set and golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars.

White Velvet Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups butter, softened to room temperature
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 3/4 cups flour

Directions:
Cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar, egg yolks and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour. The dough will be VERY soft; don't worry, it gets firmer after chilling. Cover and chill two hours or until firm. Roll out on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into shapes; place on greased baking sheets (or use parchment paper). Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until set (but not browned). Cool 5 minutes. Place on wire racks to cool. Frost as desired.

Brown Butter Ravioli

Ingredients:
1 12-16 oz. package of fresh or frozen ravioli (I prefer chicken and cheese)
3 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 handfuls grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for ravioli. Salt water and drop ravioli in water. Cook 8 minutes or until ravioli expand, float to top of water and are al dente.
Melt butter into large frying pan and brown. Add cooked ravioli to browned butter and turn and cook until browned. Add balsamic vinegar and stir until coated. Sprinkle cheese over the top, salt and pepper to taste.

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
4 1/2 lb. pork tenderloins, 2 packages with 1 tenderloin in each package
4 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, cracked or chopped
Steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and black pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped (I used a teaspoon of dry)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
Trim silver skin or connective tissue off tenderloins
Place tenderloins on a nonstick cookie sheet with a rim (I covered mine in foil)
Cut small slits into meat and disperse chunks of cracked garlic coves into meat.
Coat tenderloins with a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and rub into meat. Drizzle tenderloins with olive oil, just enough to coat. Combine steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and pepper with rosemary and thyme and rub meat with blend. Roast in hot oven for 20 minutes
Let meat rest, transfer to a carving board, slice and serve.

Fried Mozerella Balls

Ingredients:
About 5 cups vegetable oil
1 lb drained marinated bocconcini (small mozzarella balls), patted dry
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup plain fine dry bread crumbs

Equipment:A deep-fat thermometer
Accompaniment:warm homemade or bottled spicy tomato sauce

Directions:
Heat about 1 1/2 inches oil to 360°F in a 3 1/2- to 4-qt heavy saucepan.
Meanwhile, double-coat bocconcini by dipping in eggs, then in bread crumbs, and repeating. Transfer to a sheet of wax paper.
Working in batches of 10, lower balls into oil with a slotted spoon and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. (Return oil to 360°F between batches.)

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients:
2 Portobello mushrooms
Balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 of an onion, chopped
1 yellow pepper, roasted and chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cups of fresh spinach
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Italian seasoning
Mozzerella cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the stem and gills from the mushroom. I use a spoon to scoop them out.
2. Brush the mushrooms with balsamic vinegar
3. Heat olive oil in a small saute pan. Add the onions and garlic. Cook until tender. Add in peppers. Cook until tender.
4. Add in tomatoes and spinach. Cook until spinach wilted and "cooked."
5. Divide the filling and stuff the mushrooms.
6. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the top and add Italian seasoning. Top with cheese.
7. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about ten minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Chile Verde

Ingredients:
3 pounds pork roast, fat removed as much as possible (*If using a roast any larger than 3 lbs, I always double the remaining ingredients)
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 10 oz can green enchilada sauce
1 4 oz can diced green chilis
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with chilis
2 chicken bouillon cubes
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp pepper

Directions:
In a large heavy pot, over medium heat, brown meat, then add onion and garlic and saute a few minutes. Place in crockpot. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. 1 hour before serving, remove roast and set aside. Strain out the onions and tomatoes as much as possible and put with the roast. Pour remaining liquid into a large saucepan. (I place the roast and strained solids back into the crockpot, TURNED OFF, with the lid on to keep warm.) Bring the liquids to a boil on the stove, and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every now and then, until considerably reduced. The point is to concentrate all the liquids to make a thicker sauce. This is a very important step, because all the flavor is in this liquid, and you want to preserve all that flavor for the meat. Plus, I don't like meat too liquid-y or else it runs out the back of the burritos. (You could also opt to drain the tomatoes at the beginning to make this step go faster.)

Mix the thickened sauce into the shredded meat and serve. Serve with warm tortillas, Monterey Jack cheese (monterey pepper jack is good too), cilantro, diced tomatoes, and lettuce. You can also served it with sour cream and chopped red onion.

*Original instructions say: Cube roast. In a large heavy pot, over medium heat, brown meat, then add onion, garlic and ½ cup water with the bouillon cubes. Cover for 15-20 minutes then stir, getting all the brown bits off the side of the pan. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours (or in oven at 300°).

Sun Dried Tomato Quiche

Ingredients:
3/4 c Swiss cheese, shredded
3/4 c Cheddar cheese, shredded
2/3 c chopped sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
2 T finely diced onion
1 t Italian seasonings
1/2 t salt
4 eggs
1 c half and half
3/4 c milk
1 T flour
one 9-inch pie crust (this recipe makes enough for two 8-inch crusts too)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and then bake pie crust for 5 minutes. in a large bowl, whisk all ingredients together. Pour mixture into the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Slice into wedges and serve.

Lemon Yogurt Cake With Lemon Curd

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
3 T olive oil
Kosher salt
pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup gruyere cheese, shredded

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the cauliflower into florets and then lay them on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower and add plenty of salt and pepper. Toss and then put in the oven for 30 minutes. About halfway through toss again to keep from burning.
Once the cauliflower is roasted, add the cheese on top and put it back in the oven for another two minutes.

Ravioli Bake

Ingredients:
1 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 T minced fresh basil
1/4 heavy cream
salt and ground black pepper
2 (9 ounce) packages fresh cheese ravioli
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot.
Cook sausage in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking meat up with wooden spoon until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain meat and set aside.
Add oil, garlic, and tomato paste to skillet and return to medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and reserved sausage and cook until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in basil and cream and continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, cover, and set aside.
Add 1 T salt and ravioli to boiling water and cook, stirring often, until tender. Drain ravioli and return to pot.
Stir sauce into ravioli and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Serve.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Ingredients:
1/4 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 T sugar
2 eggs
1/3 c milk
1/3 c canola oil
1 c ricotta cheese
juice and zest of 1 lemon

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients, and then mix with the dry ingredients. Add lemon juice and zest. Pour approximately 1/4 c batter on grill or skillet (400 degrees). Cook until golden brown. Flip once. Arrange on a plate and dust with confectioner's sugar.

Portabello Mushroom Burgers

Ingredients:

2 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed

Balsamic vinegar

2 whole wheat buns

Roasted red peppers

Grilled onions

Spinach leaves

Mozzarella cheese

Spicy mustard

Tomato slices

Directions:

1. Heat the grill or grill pan if doing it inside. Brush the mushrooms with balsamic vinegar.

2. Cook both sides until tender and juicy.

3. Toast the whole wheat buns.

4. Place the mushroom on the bun, top with cheese, red peppers, onions, spinach, mustard, and tomato slices.

Coconut Lime Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut, divided

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon grated lime zest

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

5 tablespoons lime juice, divided

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the middle. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, line bottom with a round of parchment paper then butter the parchment paper.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Measure out 1/2 cup of shredded coconut and process in a mini food processor until very finely chopped (you can also finely chop it with a knife). Stir the chopped coconut into the flour mixture and set aside. Combine buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of lime juice; set aside.
3. Beat together butter, sugar, and lime zest with an electric mixer until very fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Turn mixer to low speed, add one third of the flour mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
4. Spoon batter into the buttered cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of a preheated 350 degree oven until golden and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cool to warm, then turn out of pan and discard parchment.
5. Whisk together powdered sugar and the remaining three tablespoons of lime juice. Poke top of cake all over with a fork then pour glaze over the cake. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of coconut.

Peppermint Meringue Cookies

Ingredients:
2-3 Tbsp thoroughly crushed peppermint candies
3 egg whites
Pinch salt
1 cup sugar (use superfine if you have it)
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Directions:
1 )Preheat oven to 300°F.
2 )Put egg whites into a standup mixer, add a pinch of salt. Start the mixer on low, gradually increasing the speed to medium until quite foamy and soft peaks can just begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Egg white bubbles should be small and uniform.
3) Increase the speed to medium high and slowly add the sugar, a little (1-2 teaspoons) at a time. Continue to whip egg whites and sugar for a few minutes, then add the vinegar. Increase the speed to the highest setting and whip the egg whites until they are glossy and stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted, about 4 to 5 minutes.
4) Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the crushed peppermints.
5 )Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. If you are using parchment paper, you can put a dollop of the meringue mixture in the corners of the pans before placing the parchment paper on them, to help secure the parchment paper in place. Either use a spoon to drop teaspoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the cookie sheets (spaced an inch apart) or use a pastry piping bag (can make one with a plastic freezer bag with the corner cut off) to pipe mounds (1 1/2 inches wide) onto the lined cookie sheet.
6) Put the cookie sheets in the 300°F oven, close the door. Wait for one minute only, then turn the oven OFF. Do not open the door for another 3 hours. You can leave them in the oven overnight. The meringues will gently cook in the residual heat of the oven. When done, the meringues will be lightly crisp on the outside and light and airy on the inside. If they are still a little chewy after 3 hours, just let them dry out for a few more hours.
Makes 24 meringue cookies. Store in an airtight container.