Apple-Walnut Cookies

Ingredients:

vegetable cooking spray
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 egg whites
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and grated
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extractf1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

Heat oven 375°F. Spray the baking sheets with vegetable cooking spray. Place the oats and nuts on a separate, unsprayed baking sheet and toast until golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside.

St. Louis Pumpkin Chowder

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Corn oil
2 Bacon slices, dices
1 Onion, chopped
1 Celery stick, chopped
1 lb. Pumpkin, diced
1 Green chile, chopped
1 qt. Water, stock and coconut milk in equal proportions to make
TT Salt
1 tsp. Honey
5 oz. Fresh cream or coconut cream
16 Shrimps,cooked and peeled

Instructions

Fry bacon and onion together for 5 minutes. Add celery, pumpkin, chile and liquid combination. Boil 15 minutes, then puree the mixture. Season with salt and honey. Add cream or coconut cream for a tropical finish and garnish with shrimps. Reheat gently for 4 minutes and serve. Add milk or more cream if desired.
 
Serves 4

Blueberry Maple Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups Oreo chocolate crumbs
¼ cup sugar
½ cup butter melted
 
Combine crumbs and sugar; blend in butter. Press into bottom and sides of a 8 or 9 inch greased spring form pan

Filling:

1 ½ lb. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp. maple cream
¼ cup pure maple syrup
 
Beat cream cheese mixture until smooth, gradually blending in sugar.Mix in eggs one at a time at a low speed. Blend in flavorings.Pour mixture into crumb lined pan. Bake at 300¢ªF for 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave cake inside for one hour more. Cool. Glaze with blueberry maple topping.

Blueberry Maple Topping:

3 cups frozen blueberries
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp. butter
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tsp. lemon juice
 
In a saucepan, combine blueberries, cinnamon, sugar and syrup. Cook until blueberries are tender (about 15 minutes). Combine butter and cornstarch with lemon juice; add to blueberry mixture and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture thickens. Use on cheesecake or ice cream.

Savory Fall Stew

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces hot Italian sausage, cut into small chunks
12 pearl onions peeled
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
3 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken stock, skimmed of fat
One 1/2-ounce bundle of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, or oregano
One 2 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long sticks
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
12 brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage, and cook, stirring until it breaks into small pieces and is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon, and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons rendered fat, and discard. Raise heat to medium high, add onions, and cook, stirring, until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, and herbs; simmer over medium heat until liquid starts to thicken, 20 to 25 minutes. Add sausage, squash, carrots, parsnips, and fennel; cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add brussel sprouts, and cook, covered, about 5 minutes more. Remove cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid thickens, 10 to 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
 
Serves 4

Cranberry Apricot Stuffing

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
2 onions
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp poultry seasoning
3/4 tsp salt
12 cups finely cubed bread (sourdough is nice)
1 cup each, dried cranberries and apricots
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup turkey or chicken stock

Instructions

In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; fry onions, celery, garlic, poultry seasoning and salt until light golden, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl toss together onion mixture, bread, cranberries, apricots and parsley. Stuff both cavities loosely with about half of the stuffing. Place remaining stuffing in greased 8 inch glass baking dish; cover with foil. Once turkey is done increase oven temperature to 400¢ªF.
 
Drizzle stock over stuffing in dish; bake, covered, until hot, about 30 minutes.

Butternut Squash and Maple Soup

Ingredients:

3 lb. Butternut Squash
1 lb. Onion
2 Tbsp. Grated Ginger
6 Tbsp. Walnut Oil
6 pts Chicken Stock
Maple Syrup (To Taste)
Salt (optional – To Taste)

Instructions

Peel the squash. Rough cut the squash and onion.
Sweat the squash, onion and ginger in the oil.
Add the stock and bring to a boil, then simmer for 40 minutes.
Puree the soup and strain into a clean pot.
Season with the maple syrup to taste.
Although not traditional salt may be added to taste.
 
Yield: 10 Servings

Vineyard Chicken

Ingredients:

1 3lb chicken, salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
1 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
8 oz seedless red grapes, halved

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400¢ªF. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat butter in casserole dish. Brown chicken, breast side down, until golden and continue until all sides are browned. Remove chicken and drain all but 1 tbsp fat. Add onion and carrot to casserole and sauté 1 minute. Add tarragon and grapes. Return chicken to casserole, breast side up. Cover and bake 55 minutes, basting occasionally. Remove chicken from casserole, skim fat and scrape remaining contents into food processor. Process until smooth. Return to pan, bring to boil and simmer 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Carve chicken and serve with sauce.

Pasta, Potatoes and Green Beans with Pesto

Ingredients:

8 oz of small, red skinned potatoes, quartered
2 tsp of salt, 8 oz of rigatoni pasta
8 oz of green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
¾ cup of pesto

Instructions

Place the potatoes in a large pot of water with salt. Cover, put on medium heat and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Leave uncovered and cook for 5 minutes. Add the green beans. Continue cooking until beans are tender-crisp and the pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain and put into a bowl; add pesto and toss. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Serves 6.
 
Pesto Ingredients:
 
3 cups fresh basil, 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, 1or 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped , ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
 
Preparation:
Combine nuts, basil, garlic and Parmesan in a food processor and puree until finely chopped. With the machine running, slowly pour the oil through the feed tube and process until smooth.

Crab Apple Jelly

Instructions:

Wash apples, remove blossom end, halve and remove stems.
Barely cover fruit with water and cook until very soft.

Optional: Add ½ teaspoon vanilla or lemon juice.

Pour into hot, sterile jelly jars and seal. It’s best to keep the batches around 8 cups

Herbed Potato Bake

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
7 potatoes, cut into slices ¼" thick
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
Salt & pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Brush 13" X 9" oven proof baking dish with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Rub inside of dish with piece of garlic. In large bowl, combine garlic slices, potatoes, thyme, rosemary, salt & pepper (to taste). Drizzle the 3 Tbsp. olive oil on top of potatoes; combine well to lightly coat. Place in baking dish , cover with foil and bake at 400ºF. oven for 1 hour. Remove foil; place dish under broiler for 5 to 7 minutes to brown top of casserole.

Green Bean Salad

Serves 4

Cut the ends off one pound of green beans and then cut them into 2 inch lengths. Drop them into boiling water and cook them uncovered for 5-7 minutes. Drain the beans and then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking.

While the green beans are cooking combine:
 
3 tbsp of red wine vinegar
3 tbsp of light olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tsp salt/pepper to taste
 
Whisk the above ingredients together then add:
 
1 tsp finely chopped fresh dill
1 tsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 tsp dry summer savory
 
Spread the green beans out on a paper towel to thoroughly dry. Place the green beans in a bowl, pour dressing over them, toss and enjoy!

Cucumber Salad with Mint and Dill

Ingredients

1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp. each fresh dill and fresh mint, finely chopped
Salt and white pepper
2 cucumbers, peeled

In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, dill, mint, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend thoroughly. Slice cucumbers in half, lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scrape out seeds. Slice cucumber halves lengthwise into quarters. Chop quarters into bite-sized chunks. Add cucumbers to the dressing and toss together until well coated.
 
Great with baked ham and a cheese and potato gratin.

Raspberry Fool

Ingredients

6 cups fresh raspberries
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. pear, plum or other fruit liqueur
2/3 cup thick, plain yogurt
1 cup heavy cream
8 ladyfinger biscuits

Reserve 18 berries for decoration. In a blender or food processor, puree remaining raspberries, in batches if necessary. Rub the mixture through a fine sieve to remove seeds.
 
Combine puree with sugar in a heavy saucepan and slowly bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until well thickened. Remove from heat and pour mixture into a heatproof bowl. Let cool, stirring frequently. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled (4 to 6 hours).
 
Stir lemon juice and liqueur into chilled mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk yogurt until smooth. In another bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form; then fold into yogurt. Carefully fold cream mixture into berry mixture to create a marbled effect; then transfer to individual serving glasses or one large bowl for serving. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours or overnight. Decorate with reserved berries and serve with ladyfinger biscuits.
 
Serves 6

Shrimp and Snow Pea Salad

Ingredients

12 ounces snow peas
1 1/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 radishes, thinly sliced into half-moons
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
Salt
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Bring a large saucepan of water with a steamer basket to a boil. Put the snow peas in the basket, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the basket and transfer the snow peas to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain and pat dry.
Add the shrimp directly to the saucepan of water and return to a boil; cook for 2 minutes. Drain, then plunge the shrimp into a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain and pat dry. Slice each shrimp in half lengthwise. Cut the snow peas diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces, discarding the ends. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp, snow peas, radishes and scallions. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, both oils, the ginger and 1/2 tsp salt. Toss with the salad right before serving; top with sesame seeds.

Greens with Blueberries, Feta and Almonds

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch each salt and pepper
8 cups mixed baby salad greens
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

In large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Add greens; toss to coat. Divide salad among plates. Sprinkle with blueberries, feta cheese and almonds.

Steamed Baby Potatoes with Herbs and Lemon

Ingredients

2 lbs mini potatoes (yellow, red, blue or mixed)
2 tbsp each fresh chopped; dill, parsley, chives
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp liquid honey
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Steam the potatoes over salted water until they are fork tender. Remove from heat and cool to room temp. Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, lemon zest, honey, sea salt and pepper. Taste, adjust as needed, and set aside. Toss together the warm potatoes, dressing and fresh herbs in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Sausage Casserole

Ingredients

4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 quarts soft bread cubes
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 tsp. onion, minced
1tsp. salt
1tsp. sage or poultry seasoning
1 lb sausage meat
1 1/2 cups peas
2 small potatoes, chopped

Beat eggs. Add milk. Pour over bread cubes. Combine butter and seasonings. Add to bread cubes and mix well. Brown sausage in a skillet. Drain off excess fat. Mix bread filling with sausage, peas and potatoes.

Marinated Fresh Strawberries

Ingredients

2 cups fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange liqueur

Cut the strawberries into quarters and sprinkle them with sugar. Leave for a couple of minutes before sprinkling with lemon juice and orange liqueur. Substitute the orange liqueur with orange juice for kids. For a special treat simply add some fresh spearmint.
Theses marinated strawberries are best served at room temperature.

Easy Sour Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups shortbread cookie crumbs
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces sour cream
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cookie crumbs with the melted margarine. Press into bottom of a springform pan.
In mixing bowl, beat cheese until fluffy.
Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk. Beat until smooth.
Beat in eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 50-55 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges (center will be slightly soft).
Cool and then chill in refrigerator.
Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries.
Serves 6-8

Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

An old fashioned strawberry shortcake with fresh strawberries
and a baked 8-inch round split shortcake.

1 quart fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1 cup sugar
vanilla ice cream
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Slice strawberries; sprinkle with sugar and let stand. Heat oven to 450°. Grease an 8-inch round layer-cake pan. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or 2 forks until crumbly. Stir in milk until just blended. Pat dough into prepared pan; bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Split horizontally and fill with berries; top with small scoops of ice cream when served.
Strawberry shortcake serves six.

Tuna Spinach Casserole

Ingredients

2, 7-oz. cans tuna, drained
1 lb. spinach chopped
2 tbsp. lemon juice
6 tbsp. cheese, grated
2/3 cup bread crumbs
½ tsp. salt
1tsp. nutmeg
Dash of pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1 large tomato

Cook and drain spinach.
Combine tuna, lemon juice, 4 tbsp. cheese, bread crumbs, salt, nutmeg and pepper.
Add spinach and mix well. Fold in mayonnaise.
Place mixture in 1-quart, greased casserole dish and cover with thinly sliced tomato.
Sprinkle remaining cheese over tomatoes. Bake at 350¢ª for 20 minutes.

Spinach Cherry Salad

Ingredients

For the dressing whisk together:
1 tbsp lemon juice (15ml)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (30ml)
1/4 cup olive oil (60ml)
1 tsp honey (5ml)
Salt and pepper for taste

Place the cleaned spinach in a large bowl and gently toss with dressing. Divide spinach into 6 chilled serving bowls and top with cherries, nuts, apples and Gorgonzola cheese slices. Serve with crusty bread.

Cinnamon-Rhubarb Muffins

Ingredients

9 oz. (2 cups) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup sour cream
4 oz. (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and
cooled slightly
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups 1/4-inch-diced rhubarb (7-1/4 oz.)

Make the muffin batter: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and whisk to blend. Whisk together the sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Lightly stir the sour cream mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until the batter just comes together; do not over mix. Gently stir in the diced rhubarb. The batter will be thick. Divide the batter into a paper lined muffin tin. Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Sprinkle a generous 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over each muffin. Bake the muffins until they’re golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes at 400. Transfer to a rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift the muffins out of the pan—if necessary, loosen them with the tip of a paring knife—and let them cool somewhat. Serve warm.