1 lb (500 g) elbow macaroni
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
1 tsp salt
4 cups whole milk
1 tbsp sriracha
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 butternut squash, roasted and flesh mashed
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
Directions
1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Rinse under cold water to cool and set aside.
2. In a large pot melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and salt and whisk to combine. Let cook, 1 minute. Add milk, mashed butternut squash, sriracha and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Let mixture simmer until thickened, about 4 min. Reduce heat to low and add cheese. Add in pasta and stir to combine.
3. Serve with a green salad or bake in the oven in a 9 x 13” casserole dish and top with more cheese and bread crumbs for a crispy topping.
Thanks to our friend Emily over at Burlap Kitchen for sharing her Grandmothers famous Orange Chiffon Cake. It’s a classic recipe that dates back to the 1940s and we think is worthy of a comeback!
Ingredients:
2 1/4 Cups flour (sifted)
1 1/2 Cups sugar
3 Teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup oil
7 egg yolks
3 medium oranges (for the zest and juice)
3/4 Cup orange juice or water Juice 3 oranges in a 3/4 measuring cup, then add water till you get 3/4 cups of liquid
2 teaspoons vanilla
7 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter (beat egg whites and cream of tarter together on high speed for 4 minutes)
2 teaspoons orange zest ( fold into egg whites)
Preparation Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Zest and juice oranges and set aside. In a mixing bowl add dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix well. In a separate bowl add wet ingredients: oil, egg yolks, juice and water, vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until it looks like cake batter. In a third bowl add egg whites and cream of tartar, beat on high for 4 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Gently add the egg white mixture to the bowl of batter. Pour batter into a greased angel food cake pan or chiffon pan ( do NOT use a bundt cake pan, trust me!). Take center rack out of oven and position the other oven rack two up from the bottom. Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes. Let cake cool for 10-15 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the cake from the edges of the pan and carefully turn out onto a tea cloth. Let cake cool completely. Ice cake and enjoy.
Thick Glaze:
Ingredients:
1 orange (zest and juice)
3 cups 10 X Sugar (powdered sugar, icing sugar)
1/2 stick butter (room temp.)
2 tablespoons juice from orange (may be just under 2 tablespoons, if so add milk to make a full 2 Tablespoons
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Preparation Instructions:
In a mixing bowl add 10x sugar, butter, juice from orange, milk, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer and beat until smooth. Fold in orange zest, saving a little to sprinkle on top of the cake.
2 lb new potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
2 green onions, finely sliced
½ cup finely diced red onion
3 celery stalks, finely diced
¼ cup finely chopped dill
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
Preparation Instructions
1. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted, cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, until tender, about 10 min. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Cut each potato into quarters. Place in a large bowl.
2. To potatoes add mayonnaise, Dijon, crumbled bacon pieces, green onions, red onion, celery, dill, salt and pepper. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Total Time: 40 min, plus cake cooling time.
Ingredients
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 cup 35% whipping cream
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup toffee pieces
1 cup desiccated coconut flakes
Preparation Instructions
1. Cook chocolate cake in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan according to package directions. Let cool completely.
2. Whip cream with an electric hand mixer until stiff. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Spread whipped cream over top of cooled chocolate cake. Top with toffee pieces and coconut flakes.
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup ranch dressing
½ cup hot sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Crackers, to serve
Sliced vegetables, to serve (cucumber, peppers, carrots, broccoli)
Preparation Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl combine shredded chicken, cream cheese, ranch dressing, hot sauce and cheddar cheese. Mix well to combine. Scrape mixture into a 9” glass pie dish or equal sized oven-proof container.
3. Place in oven for 20 mins or until bubbling and golden. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips or sliced vegetables.
4 ripe avocados, sliced in half, pitted and peeled
1/3 cup finely diced red onion
1 tomato, seeds removed and diced
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Tortilla chips, to serve
Preparation Instructions
1. Mash avocados in a large bowl with a fork. Mix with red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Serve with tortilla chips.
With Rosh Hashanah coming up, I turned to our friend Norene Gilletz from Gourmania.com for a great holiday recipe. She suggested her Apple Honey cake from “The NEW Food Processor Bible” (whitecap books). You won’t be disappointed by this recipe – it’s a moist and delicious treat that’s perfect any time!
Ingredients
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 medium apples, peeled and cut in chunks
3 eggs plus 2 egg whites (or 4 eggs)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup liquid honey
3/4 cup cold tea
1/4 cup brandy
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Steel Blade: Process flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger for 10 seconds, until blended. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Process apples until finely minced, 8 to 10 seconds. Measure 1 cup firmly packed and set aside.
Process eggs and egg whites, sugar, oil and honey for 2 to 3 minutes, until light. Do not insert pusher in feed tube. Add dry ingredients to batter alternately with tea and brandy. Process with quick on/off pulses, just until blended. Do not over-process. Add apples and process with quick on/off pulses, just until mixed.
Pour batter into sprayed 12-cup fluted tube pan (Bundt pan). Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until cake tests done. A wooden skewer inserted into the center should come out dry. If necessary, cover top of cake with foil to prevent over-browning. Let cake cool in pan for 20 minutes. Carefully loosen with a flexible spatula; invert cake onto a serving plate.
Yield: 15 servings. Freezes well.
Note: If you don’t have a large processor, add beaten egg mixture to dry ingredients in mixing bowl alternately with tea and brandy. Mix with a wooden spoon until blended, about 45 seconds. Stir in apples.
Additional Comments: If you don’t have brandy on hand, you can substitute Grand Marnier, orange juice or peach brandy. Apple juice can replace half of the tea for a delicious taste.
Nothing says Easter like hot cross buns, especially when they’re home made. This recipe comes from Jennifer L.’s book, in North Branch , MN, although I’ve made a few tiny tweaks.
Ingredients
4-4 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Dash ground cloves
2 eggs plus 1 yolk
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. granulated sugar
3/4 cup currents
(1/4 cup candied orange zest and 1/4 cup candied ginger, cut into small cubes)
1 egg white
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp milk (or more if needed)
Preparation instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl combine 2 c. flour, yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In a pan heat and stir milk, butter, sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt until warm (120°-130°) and butter almost melts.
Add milk mixture to dry mixture. Add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed 20 sec. scraping bowl. Beat on high 3 minutes. Stir in currants and orange peel and ginger (if desired), and as much remaining flour as you can.
2. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1-1 1/2 hrs).
3. Punch dough down. Turn onto floured surface. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 20 portions. Shape portiions into smooth balls. Place balls 1-1/2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise till nearly double. (45-60 minutes)
4. Using a sharp knife, make a crisscross slash across top of each bun. In small bowl combine beaten egg white and 1 tbsp water. Brush mixture of egg white and water over rolls. Bake in a 375° oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly. For icing, in a mixing bowl combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk or juice. Stir in additional milk or juice, 1 tsp at a time, until icing is of drizzling consistecy. Drizzle icing into slashes atop each bun. Serve warm.
I’ve seen variations of this recipe in several people’s book, and have always been skeptical. If you’re up for something new, then like me, be ready to have your world rocked: Norene Gilletz’s recipe from Gourmania.com will make you a believer.
Ingredients
3 onions, sliced
4 1/2 to 5 lb. beef brisket, well-trimmed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tbsp. paprika
1/4 cup apricot jam
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup diet cola (use regular cola if you can’t find diet)
Preparation Instructions
1. Spray a large roasting pan with non-stick spray. Place onions in pan; place brisket on top of onions. Rub meat on all sides with garlic, seasonings, jam and lemon juice. Pour cola over and around brisket. Marinate for an hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Cook covered. Allow 45 minutes per lb. as the cooking time, until meat is fork tender. Uncover meat for the last hour and baste it occasionally. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate overnight, if possible. Discard hardened fat which congeals on the surface. Slice brisket thinly across the grain, trimming away any fat. Reheat slices in the defatted pan juices.
Yield: 12 servings. Reheats and/or freezes well.
The recipe comes from Healthy Helpings by Norene Gilletz (formerly published as MealLeaniYumm!)
With Passover fast approaching, we thought we should ask our friend Norene Gilletz of Gourmania.com for some traditional recipes. She suggested this apple Kugel and I’m glad to report that it’s simply delicious.
Ingredients
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 c sugar
6 apples, peeled and grated
1/4 cup matzo meal
juice of 1 lemon
1 c dried apricots, cut up
2 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs with sugar, mix well. Add apples, matzo meal and lemon juice. Mix until smooth. Soak apricots in hot water for 5 minutes, then drain.
Spray a 7×11 pyrex casserole dish (Virginie’s note: I used individual ramekins, baked them for 45 minutes) with non-stick spray. Spread half of the mixture on the pan. Add the apricots in a single layer over the batter. Top with remaining apple mixture. Spread evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon with sugar mixture. Bake for about an hour, until golden.
This recipe comes from Healthy Helpings by Norene Gilletz (formerly published as MealLeaniYumm!)
Note
. If you are not making this for passover, or are not jewish and can mix dairy with your meal, try it with a vanilla custard sauce. It’s divine!
