Famous Chopped Chicken Salad

This is a salad they serve at an Italian restaurant at the Mall of America called Tucci Benucch. It has been one of Quenton's and my favorite restaurants since we were dating...17 years ago! We've gone for Valentine's Day in recent years. Q always orders this salad. I usually order a pasta dish and then we share both. It's so good, I've been making it at home for years. I'm always trying to perfect the dressing or find one at the store that tastes like the mustard vinaigrette that they use. I'm sure I will keep tweaking it and editing this post accordingly until it's perfect! For now, this is as close to the real deal as I've gotten at home just a little less romantic.
Ingredients:
Salad:
mixture of hearty lettuces such as: Iceberg, radiccio, romaine, and/or leaf lettuces
diced tomatoes
chopped scallions
crumbled crispy cooked bacon
gorgonzola or blue cheese crumbled
1/4 lb. tubetti pasta (optional)
cooked chicken chopped

Dressing:
MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
1 1/2 teaspoons Colman's dry mustard
1/4 cup sugar
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons red wine and
1/3 cup champagne vinegar
1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
dash crushed red chilies
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup corn oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


Directions:
1. For the chicken you can use leftover roasted chicken or you can grill up chicken breasts or cook them in the oven or on the stove top. whatever your preference.
2. cook the bacon set aside to cool.
3. cook the pasta according to package instructions (if using) and set aside to cool. on the menu at Tucci it's called Tubetti but I found the pasta at Super Target and it is called "Ditalini"
4. Assemble the salad ingredients
5. for the dressing: put all of the ingredients in the blender except the oils. blend first then add the oil in a steady stream while the blender is running.
6. Pour over the salad and toss.

Serve with crusty Italian bread or a vegetarian soup such as Parmesan Corn Chowder

Grilled Asparagus

This is my favorite way to prepare asparagus.
When we first moved back from Poland in January of 2010, we were living with our friends, Joel and Sue. Yep, our whole family of five...in their basement...for five months.

Sidenote: We are still the best of friends and cherish the memories we made during that time. We still thank them regularly for giving us a place to live while we saved money and searched for the perfect house for our family...exactly only 1 mile from their house... actually we like to say "point nine eight miles" because it sounds more exact and it's a tiny bit closer.
[ANYHOO] That year, spring came early and we enjoyed many evenings grilling out and eating out on the deck even before we moved out on May 24th. It was then that Sue taught me this yummy way to prepare asparagus. Now I always make it this way.

Ingredients and Directions:

• big bunch of asparagus
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• dry minced onions
• sesame seeds

wash asparagus and snap the ends off. place in a single layer on a jellyroll pan (the pan is just for the prep and transporting to the grill) drizzle with olive oil and roll asparagus to coat evenly. sprinkle with salt and pepper (I like to use fresh ground sea salt and fresh ground pepper) sprinkle with dry minced onions and sesame seeds. place asparagus spears directly on the preheated grill for 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus. serve immediately.

Pon Pon Chicken

Pon Pon Chicken...To the Martys, it's just another way to say, "birthday dinner". My father-in-law is quite the gourmet cook. Although it is not his full time job, I'm quite sure he could make a nice living at it. He introduced us to this family favorite years and years ago. We've had it for countless birthdays and special occasions and served it to dinner guest after dinner guest. I should just have the recipe all printed and ready to send home with whomever we serve this to because it is inevitable that they will ask for it at any given moment between their first bite and when they walk out the door.

Ingredients and Directions:

SAUCE

• 1/3 cup sesame paste (tahini)
• 1/4 cup strongly brewed black tea
• 2 tablespoons hot chili oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2/3 cup peanut oil

 

get the water boiling for the tea. I just make it in a cup with 2 or 3 teabags. meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, mix the above ingredients with a wire whisk in the order given, mixing after each addition. Set sauce aside until ready to serve. No cooking or refrigeration.

 

• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut up into bite-size pieces 
• Jasmine rice cooked according to the directions on the package 

 

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS (although, I like all of them)

• 1 cup salted coctail peanuts 
• 1 cup green onions– cut into ½ inch pieces 
• 1 cup snow peas OR cut green beans– more or less 
• 1/2-1 cup matchstick carrots 
• 1/2 -1 cup bean sprouts

 

Stir fry the chicken pieces in a little bit of peanut oil until almost cooked. Add the peanuts and any or all of the other optional ingredients toward the end of stir frying the chicken top with the green onions at the end (if using). Serve immediately with the cooked Jasmine rice. Pass the sauce in a bowl with a ladel.

Serve the chicken over rice and then spoon the sauce over it. Make sure you get enough sauce. It's the best part! 

 

Refridgerate any leftovers.
For the leftovers, I usually throw in some fresh peanuts and reheat the chicken in the wok or the microwave but I usually just let the sauce come back to room temp on it's own because heating it kinda ruins it.

Homemade Mac -N- Cheese

 Mac -N- Cheese...it's synonymous with 'comfort food'. After a long day or a long week, you're not thinkin' about carrot sticks. You know what I'm talkin' about. It's pasta and a lot of dairy products.  But wait, isn't "comfort food" just another way to say "emotional eating"?  So why is comfort food so good and emotional eating so bad? Let's pretend I didn't just type that and eat this homemade mac-n-cheese anyway. We could make ourselves feel less guilty by serving it with a gigantic salad.

When I am making this for just our family, I cut the recipe in half. This recipe makes a great side dish at a party or bbq too. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste(optional)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste--I like a lot 
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups half and half   
• 1 lb. Cavatappi pasta cooked--or whatever tube pasta you have in the pantry (pictured with Penne)
• 16 oz shredded super sharp cheese* (4 cups) reserve 1/2 to 1 cup for the top
• 2 cups supre sharp cheese
• 1 1/2 cup parmesan
• 1/2 cup asiago

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 
2. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter.
4. Stir in flour whisking until smooth. add salt, pepper, cayenne (if using), half and half and milk.
5. Stir over medium heat until smooth and very warm.
6. add cheese. stir until melted and smooth and thickened. 
7. Pour over cooked Cavatappi pasta and toss to coat
8. put in a buttered 9x13 casserole dish and top with reserved 1/2 to 1 cup cheese
9. bake for 30 minutes at 350
10. serve immediately. 

*I like to use sharp cheese imported from Ireland
It's so good to mix in a couple different kinds of cheese too like parmesan and asiago, but you can just use whatever combination of whatever you have on hand. be creative!

Mandarin Orange and Crunchy Onion Salad

When I was in Jr. High, I used to go with my bff [Dawnie] to her grandpa and grandma's farm in Michigan. We took a ferry from Wisconsin accross Lake Michigan...oh the stories that come to mind...we would stay for a week. Her grandma is a great cook, and this is one of her yummy salad recipes that I've been making for years and years.

Ingredients:

Salad:

• romaine hearts or leaf lettuce or some combination of hearty greens, torn or chopped
• mandarin oranges, drained
• French's french fried onions

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons dry minced onions
• 1/2 cup oil

Directions:

Assemble salad ingredients as pictured.
For the dressing: In a blender, mix vinegar, sugar and minced onions first. Then add oil slowly in a steady stream while blending.  If the dressing is made ahead of time, it should be mixed well again right before dressing the salad. Pour over salad and toss.

Serve immediately.

Vodka Penne Rustica

I gotta say, I don't have anything remotely resembling a "liquor cabinet" but I do always have some vodka on hand and it is precisely for this dish. I've been making it for well over 10 years. I got this recipe from my friend Dawn and it's become a family favorite. It's one of those go-to recipes when I don't have a lot of time, because all of the ingredients are things I usually have on hand.

slightly adapted
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup vodka
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt to taste
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 lb. Penne pasta, cooked and drained
• fresh grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese 

Directions:

1. Melt butter with olive oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 8 min.
3. Add tomatoes and cook until slightly thickened about 5-8 minutes stirring frequently.
4. Add cream, vodka and red pepper and boil until thickened to sauce consistency – about 2 minutes.
5. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Toss the cooked penne with the sauce, and sprinkle with grated cheese if desired.

w/chicken optional *This is also very good with chicken added. To make  with chicken you will need about 4 small boneless skinless breasts.

Cut up into bite-size peices and cook in the butter and oil [in step one of the directions] until center is no longer pink and juices run clear. Add the onions about half-way through and continue with the directions as they go.

Serve with hot crusty Italian bread and a nice Caesar salad

*pictured with chicken

Stuffed Red Peppers

Or should I say, best stuffed peppers EVER? When I was younger, I wouldn't have put stuffed peppers at the top of my favorite-foods-list...I'm not sure they'd even make the bottom of the list. When I discovered this recipe, I discovered a new fave...and my daughter Eden is always requesting these. They are so good. So. Much. Flavor.  Seriously, the filling in these is so good I'm certain you could stuff just about anything with it and still love it.


adapted from Paula Dean's recipe
Ingredients:

• 4 large red bell peppers
• 1 1/4 pound ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper 
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 3/4 cup jarred salsa con queso
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion tops
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 cup hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Start by cutting the peppers in half lengthwise, leaving the stems intact, and halving them also. Remove the seeds and ribs inside the peppers.
3. Using a hot skillet, saute the ground turkey, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon of bouillon granules, salt, garlic powder and pepper together. Saute until onions become translucent.
4. Add the rice, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, green onion tops, and soy sauce. Mix well and stuff the mixture into the peppers. In a small bowl, mix the hot water and the remaining bouillon granules. Pour this mixture into a shallow casserole large enough to hold all of the peppers. Place the stuffed peppers in the dish, cover with foil and bake for 25 to 35 minutes. Remove the foil and spoon the juice from bottom of the casserole over the top of the peppers. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Make this a perfect meal with a nice big green salad on the side and some crusty warm bread with butter 

  

Amish Sugar Cookies

I just had these for the first time a couple years ago. I don't even know where my mom...or maybe it was my sister...got the recipe, but these are a new favorite for Christmas. They are so good and so pretty on a Christmas platter.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 5 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

1. mix butter and oil in a large mixing bowl. add eggs, sugars and vanilla.
2. in a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. add to the butter mixture in the bowl and mix until well combined.
3. roll into balls* and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar
4. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. do not overbake. cool on pan one minute before removing to wire racks to cool.

*we actually rolled these in green or red sugar mixed with white granulated sugar to make them even more festive

Frosting
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter very soft
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

whisk together in a small bowl until spreading consistency. frost cooled cookies and sprinkle with decorative sugars.

Fluffy Cranberry Salad

This salad looks so pretty on the side of any Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner not to mention it tastes so good. It is the perfect combination of sweet and tart. Don't limit yourself to just holidays though...it's so good anytime! The leftovers make a great breakfast or lunch or in-between-meals-snack or all of the above...did I just type that? I love this salad.
This recipe is from my friend Sue

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ground raw cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 pint cream whipped
• 1/2 bag (3 cups) mini marshmallows
• 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple -drained

Directions:

1. Process cranberries in a food processor. In a small bowl, combine sugar and ground cranberries. set aside for at least 3 hours.
2. Then whip the cream. Fold in the whipped cream, marshmallows and pineapple.
3. Chill 8 hours to overnight before serving.

Holiday Sugar Cookies

I love any excuse to make these.
For me, it is a three day project. I make the dough one day, roll and cut and bake the second day, and then frost and decorate them the night before I'm going to serve them. I for sure make these every Christmas and Easter.
This is my mom's recipe for "Pie Crust Cookies". I remember helping her decorate these into the wee hours. I always have my eye out for new cute cookie cutters and fun decorator sugars and candies. The way I decorate these is just simple because sometimes I think "less is more". My favorites are angels with coconut wings(not pictured) at Christmas and snowflakes with edible glitter or Rudolph with a red hot for a nose but they are all cute in their own way.  Since Christmas 2001, I've been decorating my Christmas star cookies to look like American flags as a way to commemorate 9/11. I've made the American flag stars for 4th of July or Memorial Day too and hearts of course for Valentines Day. I do several different pastel colors of icing for butterflies, crosses, flowers and bunnies and coconut for the lambs with raw (brown) sugar for the face and legs for Easter.They are just so fun and taste as good as they look...which sadly isn't always the case for sugar cookies.

Cookies:
Ingredients and Directions:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup butter flavored crisco
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix above ingredients together with a pastry blender

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

With an electric mixer, mix the sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt into the above mixture until ball of dough forms. Refrigerate several hours to overnight before rolling.
For best results, roll out on a lightly floured pastry cloth or silicone mat. Cut out with your favorite cookie cutters and bake similar sized cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for 4-5 minutes* in a preheated 350 degree oven. Cool on pan for 1 minute before removing to cool on wire racks.

*the time will vary based on the size of the cookies and how thin you roll the dough. remove when the edges are set but not brown.

Frost with powdered sugar icing (recipe follows) and decorate immediately with sugars and candies 

Powdered sugar icing:

• powdered sugar
• scalded milk (heated to just before boiling)
• vanilla extract

I never measure these ingredients. I just add a teaspoon at a time of the milk with the vanilla to 1 - 2 cups of powdered sugar until it's the right consistency. It should be pretty thin. I use a small spoon to frost the cookies. Sprinkle with decorator sugar etc. immediately.
Unfrosted cookies can be frozen. These are best if you frost them the night before you plan to serve them to give the frosting time to set but not too long for them to get stale.  Store frosted cookies in an airtight container with wax paper between single layers of cookies.

• all the appropriate decorator sugars and candies to decorate the cookies

Nut Goodie Bars

These taste so much more wonderful and sophisticated than their name. When I was young, my Grandma made these and we called them Bun Bars. In my opinion, niether name is sufficient. I'm tempted to call them fudge because they're that good but then that would maybe be an insult to fudge because they're not as complicated to make. The fact is the recipe is based on a candy bar made by a Minneapolis-based company called Pearson's. They've been callin' 'em Nut Goodie (and Bun Bars)since 1909 so I guess I can't really argue with that. All I know for sure is that they are amazing and I love to make them around Christmas time when nobody's counting calories anyways because it's really hard to not consume 3 days worth in one sitting with these around.

Ingredients:

• 1 (12-oz.) pkg. (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 (11-oz.) pkg. (about 2 cups)butterscotch chips
• 2 cups butter
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 (12-oz.) can (2 1/2 cups) cocktail peanuts
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 (3-oz.) pkg. vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (not instant)
• 1 (2-lb.) pkg. (7 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons maple flavor

Directions:

1. Line 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil. Butter or spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. In large saucepan, melt chocolate chips and 1 cup of the margarine over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove saucepan from heat. Add peanut butter; mix well. Spread half of mixture in buttered foil-lined pan. Freeze 10 minutes or until set. Place pan in refrigerator.                   

2. Meanwhile, stir peanuts into remaining chocolate mixture. Set aside.                   

3. Melt remaining 1 cup margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Stir in pudding mix. Cook until mixture is slightly thickened, stirring constantly. DO NOT BOIL. Remove saucepan from heat. Add powdered sugar and maple flavor; mix well. Cool about 10 minutes or until slightly cooled.                   

4. Carefully spread pudding mixture over chilled chocolate layer. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
5. Stir reserved chocolate-peanut mixture. Drop by spoonfuls onto chilled pudding layer; spread to cover. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until firm. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Angel Hair Cole Slaw

When we were living in Ukraine...and then Poland...it didn't take long to recognize the fact that cabbage is abundant and cheap in that part of the world. That reminds me of the day I got off the subway in Ukraine and there was a little vegetable stand at our stop that we frequented. This particular day I needed cabbage so I bought a head. By the way, in Russian it's called 'kapoosta'. That right there is reason enough to buy cabbage... Just so I can say "mozhna kapoosta pazhalusta" [cabbage please, may I?]. So anyway, as I was walking home with a head of cabbage [no bag] under my arm, it hit me that the only person who thought it the least bit strange that I was walking down the sidewalk, carrying a head of cabbage, under my arm...was me. And then I couldn't stop thinking about how strange it was that no one else thought it was strange, but by then I was already home making cole slaw. Pardon my massive digression! It was actually in Poland that I was inspired to perfect my cole slaw. I feel kinda bad for cole slaw. It's so much better than it's reputation. It's so often the forgotten tiny portion in a plastic cup on the side of the plate and rarely better than mediocre. Let's be honest. It's usually either not sweet enough or too sweet but not tangy enough or just a creamy pile of blandness. I suppose by now you are thinking "I've never put this much thought into cole slaw". Well, I'm here to tell you that I have. and I do. What is it with me and cole slaw? Cole slaw and me? Really. Long. Story. Short. Here's what I came up with. The perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and creamy with the just-right touch of celery salt...not to be confused with celery seed which in my opinion is too overpowering.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head of cabbage sliced very thin to make angel hair cole slaw (or 2 bags of fine shred cabbage such as Fresh Express Angel Hair Cole Slaw)
• 1-2 carrots peeled and finely shredded (optional)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• lots of fresh ground black pepper (optional) 

Directions:

Put cabbage into a large bowl. In a small bowl mix the carrots (if using), mayo, sugar, vinegar and celery salt. whisk until smooth. Pour over cabbage and toss to coat well. Add about 20 cranks of fresh pepper or to taste...or not at all...it's up to you. Refrigerate several hours and toss occasionally. Toss to coat well and move salad to another bowl before serving. The cabbage shrinks quite a bit as it sits and as a result there's a lot of excess dressing. You can discard the excess  or add more cabbage.

Cole slaw is such a great easy salad/side because it's good all year round. I always make this when I make sloppy joes or barbequed pulled pork sliders and in the summer when we grill out so much.

Christmas Cranberry Salsa

I have a cleaning business called 'B Clean'. I know you are wondering what that has to do with Christmas Salsa. Well, I found this recipe while I was cleaning for one of my clients. Can't you just picture me with a can of Pledge in one hand and a cookbook in the other? Well, I was actually dusting the shelf in the kitchen and a printout of this recipe was just laying there and it caught my eye, so I quickly jotted it down. It sounded so good and so fun for this time of year. It's not the first time I've found a recipe whilst cleaning and I'm sure it won't be the last. Thank you, Julie! Oh, and in case you're questioning my work ethic, I charge by the job [not hourly] so I could sit and read cookbooks all day...er, half the day at least and then clean the other half...and I would still make the same amount. Whew! now that we got that straight. Here's a really great recipe that I found in a really beautiful, superclean kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a 12 oz. bag of whole fresh cranberries, washed
• 1/3 cup green onions chopped
• 1 jalapeno seeded and finely chopped, optional (skip this if you can't take the heat)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons grated, peeled fresh ginger root
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 8 oz. block of cream cheese

Directions:
Process cranberries in a food processor to coarsely chop. Stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

To serve, pour over a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers on a pretty Christmas platter with a pretty Christmas spreader...you know, just make sure it's pretty. I tried this with cracked pepper and olive oil Triscuits and it was really good, but I especially liked it with the Keebler Club Crackers.

Cranberry Cake with Warm Caramel Sauce

My mom makes cranberry cake for dessert every Christmas, and it has been one of my all time favorites since I was old enough to eat solid food. It is the consummate winter dessert. My birthday is in February, and many years I requested cranberry cake for my birthday cake. I love to serve this to guests or bring it along to holiday parties. I have yet to meet someone who doesn't love it. The best part: It is so much easier than it tastes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter very soft
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup whole cranberries (fresh or frozen), cut in half

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. With a wooden spoon, cream together butter and sugar. add the milk, egg and vanilla and mix well. then add the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Cut the cranberries in half leaving the smallest ones whole (because it looks prettier to have some left whole). fold the cranberries into the cake batter last.
4. Put into an 8 inch round cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

6 servings.
Serve with warm carmel sauce. Recipe follows:
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup heavy cream (do not substitute with half and half)

Directions:
Mix together in a medium saucepan over medium/high heat and cook until thickened and bubbly cook for 1 minute more. Ladle over individual pieces of cranberry cake and serve immediately.

You will want to swim in this stuff but you should probably just let the cake do that... I'd be lying if I said I've never eaten this with a spoon.
Warning: High Calories

White Chocolate Frosting

The color scheme was black, white and red at the bridal shower I made these for. We had the idea to do 2-layer red velvet cupcakes with white frosting and a kiss on top...because well, it's a kiss. Now that I think about it, we should've gotten the dark chocolate kisses. So I just needed to decide which frosting to make...buttercream? no, too uninteresting. Cream cheese? nah, too cliche. Then it hit me. White chocolate! My go-to no-fail so good chocolate sour cream frosting recipe would be perfect except I would substitute white chocolate for the semisweet. Let me tell you...It. Was. Brilliant. I will definitely make this one again and again!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white chocolate pieces 
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1 cup sour cream (not reduced fat or fat free) 
• 5 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract*

In a saucepan melt white chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool about 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar, salt and almond (or vanilla), beating till smooth and of spreading consistency.   

* I used almond extract in this frosting only because I didn't have any colorless vanilla and I wanted the frosting to stay the purest white otherwise I would've put in a teaspoon of vanilla extract.  I wanted just a hint of almond flavor so I only put in 1/8 teaspoon and it was amazing. If you want the almond flavor a little stronger you can add more.

Parmesan Corn Chowder

It's that time of year...when I want to make soup every night. It's so comforting. I love to cook it. It is as relaxing to me to cook it as it is to eat it. The ease of one big pot of soup, some bread and a simple salad and the meal is complete. That always makes me happy on a busy weeknight. I started making this one 15 years ago when Q and I were first married and it's been a regular favorite every year since. I remember when we were living in Ukraine, in '03 and '04, Eden was 4 years old and she loved this soup and she even started calling herself "soup girl". I can't make this soup now without remembering that and smiling. Then again, she's 12 now, and when I realize how fast the time has gone I can't help but cry. So, tonight I was smiling and crying and making this favorite soup. If you try it, maybe it will become a favorite of yours too.


adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Best Loved Community Recipes

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups cubed peeled potato
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 can Green Giant cream-style corn
• 1 can Green Giant (not reduced sodium) whole kernel corn drained

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven, stir together 2 cups water, the potato, carrot, celery, onion and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour. Add the milk and cream all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

3. Add the cheese, stirring unto vegetable mixture. Stir in the til it is melted. Carefully add the cheese mixture corn. Heat the soup through, stirring occasionally. Do not boil.

B's Velvet Sweet Potatoes

The name was lovingly given by my friend Sue. I've won metaphorical awards at Marty family gatherings, and dinners with friends for these sweet potatoes. They are ever-present at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner on my side of the family made by my cousin's wife who is an amazing cook and baker. She started making them years ago with this wonderful praline topping. But over the years, I began to miss the marshmallow top I remembered enjoying so much as a young girl when my grandma used to make them. So my cousin started making a small casserole dish of marshmallow topped sweet potatoes just for me. It didn't take long though, and other family members joined in my nostalgia and helped themselves to my toasted marshmallow dream-come-true... and now Jean just makes two big casseroles...one of each kind.

...so, praline or marshmallow topped; you decide...or be like us and choose both...but topping or not, your mouth will think it died and went to sweet potato heaven when you taste this velvety goodness.

adapted from Jean's recipe

Ingredients and Directions:

• 6 cups baked* mashed sweet potatoes

clean the sweet potatoes and make an X in the top with a knife. place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until they are done. the baking time depends entirely on the size of your potatoes so check them frequently once they start to feel soft when squeezed. if you have varying sizes you can remove them from the oven as they finish baking. they will ooze and become almost carmelized. *Baking them versus boiling is the key to the amazingness of the finished product so give yourself plenty of time to make them or *BONUS* you can even make them the night before once they have cooled slightly you can easily remove the skins with a knife. To mash them a potato ricer works the best to get them extra smooth but if you don't have a ricer just use an electric mixer to mash them.

• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

mix the remaining ingredients into the mashed potatoes and put into a pretty casserole dish 9x13 or any one with the appropriate capacity. you can make them ahead up to this point and refrigerate them. 
note: you may have to adjust the baking time slightly if they are cold when you put them in the oven.

praline topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 5 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 cup chopped pecans

mix together and cover the top of the sweet potatoes and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

for the nostalgic marshmallow topping:

cover the top with large marshmallows for the last 15 minutes of baking time and cook until golden watching them closely.

Sugared Cranberries

I "heart" cranberries! so I love cranberries anyway but these are highly addictive. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Don't they just scream Christmas? How pretty would these look in a bowl right next to the nuts? or on the dessert table? or I don't know, just put a bowl of them in every room of my house because I want to eat them all the time. I think the antioxidants in the cranberries justifies all the sugar. Are you with me on this?

Ingredients:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 3/4 superfine sugar

Directions:

1. combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring mixture until sugar dissolves.
2. bring to a simmer; remove from heat. (Do not boil or the cranberries may pop when added.)
3. stir in cranberries
4. pour mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
5. drain cranberries in a colander
6. place superfine sugar* in a shallow dish. Add the cranberries in small batches of 20 -30 at a time, rolling to coat with sugar.
7. carefully place sugared cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until dry.

Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week.

*to make your own superfine sugar, process a cup of granulated sugar in the food processor for 30 seconds to one minute

I used them as a garnish on these cupcakes I made for a bridal shower. The wedding colors are black white and red so we wanted to incorporate the same theme into the shower.

Snappy Gingersnaps

I love gingersnaps! It's like fall disguised as a cookie. This is a great recipe that's morphed into the perfect gingersnap over my years of baking these. I always make these cookies when I make my pumpkin cheesecake dip.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger (or 2- 3 tablespoons fresh grated*)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• pinch cayenne pepper (optional) I like to add this to give them a little extra 'snap'
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 350
2. cream butter and sugars
3. add egg and vanilla and beat well
4. stir in molasses and mix well *if using fresh ginger add it here
5. sift together flour and spices twice
6. add to molasses mixture and beat until dough forms
7. chill dough about 30 minutes
8. roll into small uniform balls (I use my kitchen scale to measure 15 grams per cookie)
9. roll in white sugar and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet
10. flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass
11. bake in the preheated oven for exactly 9 minutes (longer if you like your ginger snaps more crispy)
12. remove to wire racks to cool completely

Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip

I got the idea for this recipe from Southern Living. This is so much fun to serve at a party in the fall and it's always a huge hit.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup  powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• dash allspice
• dash nutmeg
• dash ground cloves
• chopped pecans and brown sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. beat cream cheese till creamy 
2. gradually add sugars, beating well.

3. stir in pumpkin, and spices.
4. cover and chill.
5. garnish with a little brown sugar and chopped pecans just before serving

I love to serve this with my homemade gingersnaps and gingerbread cookies cut out in fun pumpkin and leaf shapes and little hearts. I also have a turkey shaped cookie cutter that's really cute. Apple and pear slices are a nice complement and they look pretty on the plate. This dip is good with a salty companion too like pretzel crisps.