Spanakopita

• 2 10oz packages of fresh chopped spinach
• ½ lb feta cheese (crumbled)
• ¼ lb grated Swiss Cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 12 green onions (minced)
• ¼ cup parsley (minced)
• 4 eggs (beaten well)
• 2 Tb spoons of butter (melted)
• 3 Tb olive oil
• ½ tsp of freshly ground pepper

• 12 sheets filo pastry
• ¼ lb butter, melted

Line bottom and sides of 9x13x2-inch baking pan with 6 layers of filo pastry buttering each one as you stack them. Pour above ingredients (after mixing) into crust. Use remaining 6 sheets counting to butter each one as you stack them to form the top of the crust. Cut through top 6 sheets lengthwise 2 inches apart to vent. Bake 375 on bottom half of oven for 1 hour 10 min. Cool before cutting.

Fully Loaded Garlic Bruschetta

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Fresh Garlic
Baguettes
Vine Tomatoes
Salt
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan (freshly grated)


Blend together ¼ cup of Olive Oil and 2 garlic cloves

Brush onto ¼ inch to ½ inch slices of baguette

Slice vine grown tomatoes and place on one side, and sprinkle salt

Cut small square of mozzarella cheese and place on other side

Put on a fresh leaf of basil and sprinkle with parmesan

Broil in oven until bread sides and cheese is golden brown

Linguini with White Clam Sauce

1 package (7 oz) linguini
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cans (6.5 oz each) minced clams, undrained
Additional chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Cook spaghetti as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, in 1 1/2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook garlic in butter about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light golden. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and the clams. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Drain spaghetti. In large bowl, pour sauce over spaghetti; toss. Sprinkle with additional parsley and cheese.

Olive Garden® Zuppa Toscana

Makes: 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS

* 1 lb ground Italian sausage
* 1½ tsp crushed red peppers
* 1 large diced white onion
* 4 Tbsp bacon pieces
* 2 tsp garlic puree
* 10 cups water
* 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
* ¼ of a bunch of kale

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
3. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!

Buon appetito!

Eggplant Parmesan

Crumble French bread, quarter cup of adagio and parmesan cheese and seasons to liking in one bowl

Wisk together 6 egg yolks in second bowl

Preheat oven to 400

Peel and slice ¼ in thick 1 eggplant and dip in eggs and then breadcrumbs

Lay tin foil on cookie sheets and brush with olive oil

Place slices of eggplant on foil and bake till golden brown

Stack eggplant into layers with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese and seasonings

Bake until cheese is melted and eat with a hearty appetite!

Baked Alaska:

Pre-heat oven to 425

Cook Brownies in desired shaped pan using any great brownie recipe ☺
Cool brownies and remove from pan

Use same shaped pan for ice cream by allowing the ice cream to soften, lining the pan with saran wrap and molding ice cream to the same shape and then freezing hard (can be done over the top of the brownies if sufficient room is available)

Place ice cream & brownies on an open pan (no sides)
Cover ice cream and brownies with meringue so that absolutely nothing is exposed

Meringue:
Wisk 6 egg whites until soft peaks form with ½ tsp cream of tartar
Gradually add 1 ½ cup super fine sugar
Beat until glossy and thick

Bake in oven for 5 minutes or until meringue is golden

Vegan Chocolate Milk Shakes

Honestly, there is very little science or measuring involved in this recipe... But it requires...
1 cup almonds
Approx 3 frozen bananas
1 heaping tablespoon (approx) Cacao powder
agave nectar, honey, or real maple syrup (to taste)

Boil the almonds for a few minutes so they will be easy to peel. Peel them. Blend the pealed almonds with enough water to make about 1 quart of almond milk. Then just throw everything else together and blend to the consistency you like. Anywhere from ice cream to thinned down milk shake. The bananas give this dessert a great creamy texture and its still vegan!

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Ingredients

• 1 cup unbleached white (or all-purpose) flour
• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
  
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• flour for rolling, if needed.
  

Directions

1. *In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup white flour, the whole wheat flour, and salt. Rub in the coconut oil by hand until the mixture is the texture of oatmeal. Make a well in the center, and pour in the boiling water. Mix with a fork until all of the water is evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with a bit of additional flour, and knead until the dough does not stick to your fingers. The dough should be smooth.
2. Make balls the size of golf balls, about 2 ounces each. Place them on a tray, and cover with a cloth. Let stand for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours. (Since we used Coconut Oil instead of lard, it helps to wet your hands a little when rolling the balls, they stick together better that way)
   
3. Heat a griddle or large frying pan over high heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a tortilla to your preferred thinness. Fry one at a time. (medium high heat) ** Place on the griddle for 10 seconds, as soon as you see a bubble on the top, flip the tortilla over. Let it cook for about 30 seconds, then flip and cook the other side for another 30 seconds. Roll out the next tortilla while you wait for that one to cook. Repeat until all of the balls have been cooked. Tortillas can be refrigerated or frozen.

*We followed this pretty closely, but 1/2ed it and didn't need any extra flour. In fact, our dough balls came out dry and we needed to wet our hands to roll them. That worked out great.
** If you don't have a cast iron pan, lightly oiling the pan with olive oil on a paper towel will help the texture. They'll be more pliable.

These also make great chips if you cut them up and stick them under the broiler for a bit.
Also, to make into naan bread, just don't roll them out as much...

Sweet and Spicy Vegan Curry

I don't have a picture of this yet, but if you take one, feel free to add it. Yum!

*4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 to 1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1 tsp salt
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 package frozen petite peas
1 can coconut milk (or cream of coconut)
Rice of your choice

Boil potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to air dry.
Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add rest of seasonings, incorporate, and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add remainder of ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Serve over hot rice.
Enjoy!

*I adapted this recipe from "Spicy Vegan Potato Curry" on allrecipes.com. Because I suggest putting this over rice, the potatoes may be redundant. Judge for yourself.

Note: if you don't do the potatoes, feel free to add additional beans or peas--or whatever you imagine up might be good! If you like it more spicy, by all means add more spice. Just be warned that it gets a little more spicy the more you eat.

Our Group

Rich Chocolate Brownie Cake

from Williams-Sonoma
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup all purpose flour
4 oz. good quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, at least 60% cacao
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch round cake pan with tin foil, allowing the edges to overlap the pan. Using a pastry brush, lightly butter the foil.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add sugar and beat until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again until well blended. Add the salt and 1/4 cup of flour and beat well. Add the remaining flour in two batches, beating well after each addition.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double broiler set over (but not touching) gently simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, 2-3 minutes. Add it to the cake batter and beat until well blended and creamy. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula.

Bake until the cake is puffed and a toothpick inserted into its center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Using the edges of the foil, lift the cooled cake out of the pan. Invert the cake onto a cake plate adn peel off the foil. Turn the cake right side up. Place a stencil of your choice on top, and then sift the confectioners' sugar over the stencil to create a pattern. Carefully lift off the stencil.

Strawberry Blossoms

12 large fresh strawberries, rinsed
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. sour cream

Remove stems from strawberries to form a flat base. Place each strawberries on cutting surface, pointed end up. With sharp knife, carefully slice each strawberry in half vertically to within 1/4 in. of base. Cut each half into 3 wedges to form 6 petals (do not slice through base). Pull petals apart slightly.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, powered sugar and sour cream; beat until light and fluffy. With pastry bag and star tip, fill strawberries with cream cheese mixture. Makes 12 strawberries.

Barley Pilaf

1 cup pearl barley
6-8 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2-3 green onions
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 1/2 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse barley with cold water, drain well. Melt butter and saute onion, mushrooms and barley until barley is toasted. Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients, except for broth. Spoon into a 2-qt casserole. (Can be refrigerated at this point.) Heat broth to boiling and add to barley mixture in casserole. Blend well. Bake covered at 375 degrees for 70-90 minutes. Before serving, garnish with chopped parsley or carrot curls. Serves 6-8 people.

Poulet Avec Mornay

4 (6-8 oz.) skinless chicken breast
4 slices thinly-sliced ham
20 asparagus tips, blanched
8 whole asparagus spears, blanched
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded white cheese (swiss, jack or mozzarella)

Place chicken breast on a cutting board and lightly tenderize on one side. In center of each chicken breast, place ham slice, asparagus tips, and a small amount of each cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and granulated garlic. Fold sides of chicken over filing. Hold with toothpicks. Freeze fr approximately 15 minutes (until firm).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bread each breast in flour, then in a mixture of 3 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup of milk, followed by cracker meal. Place in a baking dish. Dot top of each with a teaspoon of butter. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. If they start to brown too fast, cover with foil. Serve with Mornay Sauce over each and garnish with two asparagus spears. Serves 4.

Mornay Sauce

2 Tbsp. melted butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cup hot milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (swiss, jack or mozzarella)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

Add flour to melted butter in a saucepan. Cook a few minutes (do not brown). Add milk, stirring constantly until smooth and creamy. Add cheese and continue stirring. Mix in salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Serve.

Baklava

Ingredients
• 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
• 1 pound chopped nuts
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

Homemade Greek Gyro's

Tzatziki Sauce:
16 ounces plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced
Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Meat Mixture:
• 1 lb. ground lamb (chicken/beef)
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. rosemary
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Pita Bread:
Ingredients
• 1 envelope dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 cups white all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Combine the yeast and sugar in a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of the warm water and let it stand for 10 minutes to proof and ferment it.

Dissolve the salt in the remaining warm water.

Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, making a well in the middle and put the dissolved yeast and salt water into it.

Knead the dough in the bowl with your fists for 10-15 minutes or until it is smooth.

Pour the oil over the dough and knead it again until the oil is absorbed.

Cover the dough in the bowl with a towel and set it in a draft free area to rise to double it's bulk (1-2 hours), then punch it down and knead it again for a few minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Cut pieces of dough, egg size or larger, depending on the size of the pita desired, shape them into balls with your hands and roll them out over a lightly floured board or pastry cloth to 1/4 inch thickness.

Brush pitas with a little butter and bake in frying pan till golden brown

Wrap the baked pitas in a clean towel until they are cool, then store them in plastic bags to prevent them from drying out.

When you are ready to use them, heat a bit of oil in a shallow skillet and fry them a minute or so on each side, or until golden brown.

Use them immediately, because they get hard when they dry out.

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake

Heat oven to 350...

Combine...
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
3/4 cup White Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder

Stir in...
1/3 Cup butter (melted)
1/2 cup Milk
1.5 tsp Vanilla

Pour Batter into UNGREASED 9" square baking pan.

Stir together...
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup Brown Sugar

and sprinkle evenly over batter.

Pour 1 1/4 Cups hot water over the top. DO NOT STIR!
Bake 35-40 Minutes (or until center is almost set)
Remove, and let stand 15 minutes before eating.

Crepes

4 Eggs
2 Cups Flour
2 tsp Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons melted butter or oil
2.5 Cups Milk

Just throw all of that in a blender and blend until bubbly and then just pour about 1/4 cup onto a hot skillet and roll it around on the pan to make it thin, flip it, and cook for a couple more seconds, you're done!
Top with Peanut Butter (crunchy of course;) Nutella, fresh fruit, jam, yogurt, powdered sugar, or whatever. You could also do sandwich meat, lettuce, ranch, sour cream, etc. The skies the limit.

Variations: Add pumpkin pie filling for pumpkin crepes, or cocoa powder and a little extra sugar for chocolate ones. And for the health conscious, you can use whole wheat flour and switch out the butter for applesauce, you get a slightly thicker, chewier crepe, and I actually almost like them better that way.

Note: The above recipe is doubled, but one batch is never enough!

Julia Child's Poulet Saute aux Herbes de Provence

Ingredients:

Chicken:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 3- to 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, rinsed, patted dry
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or savory
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground in spice mill or with mortar and pestle
• 3 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 2/3 cup dry white wine or 1/2 cup dry white vermouth

Sauce:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine or dry white vermouth
• 2 to 3 tablespoons butter, cut into 1-inch cubes (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, fresh fennel fronds, or fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

For chicken:
Melt butter in large wide pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, if necessary, add chicken pieces and cook only until golden, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken breast pieces to plate. Sprinkle remaining chicken pieces in pot with half each of thyme, basil, and fennel seeds, then salt and pepper. Add garlic to pot. Cover pot; reduce heat to medium and cook 8 to 9 minutes. Sprinkle chicken breasts with remaining thyme, basil, and fennel seeds, then salt and pepper. Return breast pieces to pot; baste chicken with butter in pot. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, turning and basting occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer to hot platter; cover.

Remove peel from garlic cloves; mash garlic with spoon or fork in same pot. Add 2/3 cup wine to juices in pot; boil until liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup, occasionally scraping bottom of pan, about 8 minutes. Pour reduced pan juices into measuring cup and reserve for sauce.

For sauce:
Off heat, whisk egg yolks in heavy small saucepan until beginning to thicken. Whisk in lemon juice and 1 tablespoon wine. Gradually whisk reserved pan juices into eggs, 1 teaspoon at a time. Set sauce over very low heat and whisk constantly until warm and slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. If desired, whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time. Remove from heat. Stir in herbs, if desired. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Alton Brown's French Onion Soup

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 5 sweet onions (like Vidalias) or a combination of sweet and red onions (about 4 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups white wine (don't use white grape juice!)
  
• 10 ounces canned beef consume
• 10 ounces chicken broth
• 10 ounces apple cider (unfiltered is best)
• Bouquet garni; thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley tied together with kitchen string
• 1 loaf country style bread
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 cup Fontina or Gruyere cheese, grated (I used Swiss)
  

Directions

Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.

Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consume, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.

Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler.

Cut country bread in rounds large enough to fit mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 1 minute.

Season soup mixture with salt and pepper. Remove bouquet garni and ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Mike's Unbeatable Creme Brulee

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Place about 2 tablespoons of the chocolate chips into each of four 6 ounce ramekins. Place them in the microwave, and heat on full power for 30 second intervals. Stir, and continue heating until chocolate has melted. Spread to cover the sides and bottom of each ramekin.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
4. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, whisk together the cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat, and warm until steam rises from the surface. Then in a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and vanilla. When the cream is hot, ladle a little bit into the egg yolks while whisking quickly. Ladle in a bit more to bring the yolks up to a high temperature without scrambling them. Whisk the yolk mixture into the rest of the cream. Ladle into the chocolate lined ramekins.
5. Place a towel in the bottom of a baking dish, and place the filled ramekins on top of the towel. Place in the oven, and pour boiling water carefully into the baking dish until it comes half way up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, just until the custard is set. Remove ramekins from the dish, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
7. Before serving, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the top of each creme brulee. Use a kitchen torch or your oven's broiler to caramelize the sugar. It may take 2 to 3 minutes in the broiler. Serve immediately.