Dinner, Pasta, Potatoes and Rice

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 chicken breasts, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 ½ cups chicken broth
2 ½ cups heavy cream
1 pound uncooked penne
2 cups parmesan
2 cups mozzarella
A handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. In a pot, heat oil and add chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper, add garlic, then brown the chicken. Add broth, heavy cream, and pasta, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer for 15-20 min.

2. Turn off heat and stir in 1 ½ cups of parmesan cheese. Pour half of the pasta into a greased 11×7 inch or 9×13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Layer the remaining half of the pasta evenly on top. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of mozzarella and ½ cup of parmesan.

3. Broil 10 – 15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown. Remove and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Cake, Desserts, Holiday Recipes

Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 package (3 and 3/4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup vegetable oil

rum glaze:
1 stick butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark rum

chocolate glaze:
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp butter or shortening

Optional: 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. Mix cake mix, pudding, eggs, water rum and oil until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Prick top and sides with toothpicks. Spoon and brush rum glaze evenly over cake. When cake is cooled, drizzle with chocolate glaze.

Rum glaze directions:
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in rum. drizzle over cake. Top with chopped walnuts.

Chocolate glaze topping:
Melt chocolate and butter over very low heat in heavy saucepan.

Cookies, Desserts, Holiday Recipes

Cookie Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 and 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
1 to 2 Tablespoons hot water

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixer bowl, combine 1 cup butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low, add flour and nutmeg. Beat until well mixed. Press dough through cookie press 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6-10 minutes until lightly browned.
In a small bowl, stir together glaze ingredients. Stir in enough hot water for desired glazing consistency. While still warm, brush top of each cookie with glaze.

Cookies, Desserts, Holiday Recipes

Ingredients:
Saltine crackers (about a sleeve and a half)
1 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line and 11″ x 17″ sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the crackers in a single layer.
In a saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar, boil for 3 minutes.
Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely.
Bake at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate, and top with chopped nuts. Cool completely and break into pieces.

Cookies, Desserts

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter or shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Soften butter (if using) and mix with sugar. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Mix in vanilla.
Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover, chill at least one hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut in desired shapes. Place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until very lightly browned around the edges.

Desserts, Pies and Tarts

Ingredients:
Double pie crust
4 cups fresh raspberries
1/4 cup cornstarch plus 1/4 cup cold water
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon sweet white wine

Mix corn starch and cold water. In a saucepan, mix 1 cup raspberries, corn starch/water mixture, sugar and wine. Gently heat to boiling or a well thickened consistency. Fold in remaining raspberries.

Alternate microwave method: Mix corn starch and cold water. In a glass bowl, mix 1 cup raspberries, corn starch/water mixture, sugar and wine. Heat for one minute at a time, whisking mixture with a wire whisk between each minute. Continue to heat until well thickened. Fold in remaining raspberries.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Par-bake pie crust for about 5 minutes. Pour raspberry mixture in to crust. Top with second crust or lattice top. Bake for about 50 minutes or until juices form bubbles that burst slowly. Cool for a couple of hours before serving.

Desserts, Pies and Tarts

Makes 2 9″ pies

Ingredients:
2 Double pie crusts
6 cups fresh sour cherries
6 Tablespoons Kraft Minute Tapioca
3 and 1/4 to 3 and 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract

Mix cherries, tapioca, sugar, and almond extract. Let stand 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Par-bake pie crust bottoms (2) for about 5 minutes. Pour cherry mixture in to crusts. Top with second crusts or lattice tops. Bake for about 50 minutes or until juices form bubbles that burst slowly. Cool for a couple of hours before serving.

Desserts, Pies and Tarts

Ingredients:
Double pie crust
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup Kraft Minute Tapioca
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix blueberries, tapioca, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Let stand 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Par-bake pie crust for about 5 minutes. Pour blueberry mixture in to crust. Top with second crust or lattice top. Bake for about 50 minutes or until juices form bubbles that burst slowly. Cool for a couple of hours before serving.

Desserts, Pies and Tarts

Ingredients:
Double pie crust
5-6 Apples (I prefer a combination of at least 2 apple varieties. My favorites: Fireside, Macintosh, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith)
2-1/2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 plus 1/8 cup sugar (adjust amount based on sweetness of apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Tuaca, Cointreau, or a sweet white wine like Moscato
2-3 teaspoon butter
egg wash
1 tablespoon sugar plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed together

Directions:
Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. Peel and slice apples. Mix flour mixture into apples. Mix in lemon juice and Tuaca. Allow apples to sit for a few minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Par-bake the bottom crust for about 5 minutes. Pour apple mixture into crust. Put small pieces of butter on top of the apple mixture.

Roll out and cut the top crust into strips, roughly 1/2″ wide. Lay one of the longest strips across the middle of the pie. Lay another strip across the first, segmenting the pie into quarters. Add another strip next to one of the first two strips, continue adding strips, going over and under alternating strips in a “basket weave” pattern.

Brush the crust gently with an egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake for about 30 minutes uncovered, cover with foil when the crust is browned. Bake for a full hour total. It’s also wise to place a pan on the rack under the pie in case it boils over while cooking.

Desserts, Pies and Tarts

Ingredients:
Par-baked single pie crust
6 Tablespoons butter cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecans toasted and chopped into small pieces

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Partially bake pie shell for about 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in medium heatproof bowl set in a skillet of water maintained at just below a simmer (double boiler method). Once butter is melted, remove the bowl from the skillet of water. Mix in sugar and salt with a wooden spoon until water is absorbed. Beat in eggs, then corn syrup and vanilla. Return the bowl to the skillet with hot water. Stir until the mixture is shiny and hot to the touch. Should be about 130 degrees. Stir in pecans.

Alternate Microwave method: melt butter in microwave, add ingredients as above, but use a metal whisk. Heat mixture to about 130 degrees in microwave by heating about a minute at a time and whisking between each minute.

Once the pie shell is out of the oven, decrease the oven temperature to 275 degrees. Pour Pecan mixture into the hot pie shell. Bake until the center is set, yet a bit soft, like gelatin when gently pressed, about 50 to 60 minutes. Let pie cool completely, at least 4 hours. If you want to serve the pie warm after it has completely cooled and set, place it in a 250 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, before slicing.