Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

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6 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 pound small elbow macaroni

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1/4 pound smoked Gouda cheese, grated  (sometimes I do a combination of cheddar and Gouda)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Put the water, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. 

Add the macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. 

In a small, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. 

Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. 

Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. 

Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, ground mustard, and the white pepper and continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. 

Remove the white sauce from the heat and stir in the cheese. Continue stirring until the cheese melts. 

Lightly grease a 6 1/2 by 10-inch casserole dish with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon butter. Combine the cheese sauce and macaroni in a large mixing bowl and mix well. 

Pour into the prepared casserole and bake until lightly golden on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot. 

Lo Mein Noodles

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3 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, minced like the garlic

1/2 pound chicken breast, thin sliced

3 cups fresh lo mein noodles

1/4 pound baby bok choy, cut like celery slices, use the green leaves as well

3 scallions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 

For the sauce: Stir together the chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch and sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat a pan to high and add the oil. Once you see wisps of white smoke (or the oil glistens) add the ginger and garlic and cook until light brown and fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir in the chicken and cook until medium, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the noodles and bok choy to the pan and cook until tender, about 1 minute. 

Stir in the sauce, allow the sauce to coat all the ingredients and start to simmer, about 1 minute.

Cook until the chicken is cooked through (1-2 minutes) and sauce starts to bubble into a glaze.

Lettuce Cups

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Stir-Fry Sauce

2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon water

Lettuce Cups

1 Teaspoon cornstarch

2 Teaspoons sherry

2 teaspoons water

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon minced ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 mushrooms, sliced (I leave this out)

1 (8-oz ) can water chestnuts, diced small

1 head butter lettuce leaves

2 green onions, sliced

For the Sauce

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside

For the Lettuce cups

In a medium bowl, combine the cornstarch, sherry, water and chicken.  Stir it well to coat the chicken throughly.  Let it sit for at least 20 minutes.

Heat a large skillet on high heat and add the oil. When a wisp of white smoke appears (or the oil glistens).  Add the chicken and stir-fry it for about 2 to 3 minutes until the chicken is opaque and mostly cooked through.

Stir in the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for about a minute until the garlic is starting to brown.

Add mushrooms and water chestnuts, and cook for an additional minute until mushrooms soften.  Add the cooking sauce to the pan, constantly folding until the sauce starts to thicken and chicken is fully cooked.

Spoon chicken into the lettuce leaf and roll

Beef and Broccoli

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1 pound broccoli florets

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 pound flank steak

1/3 cup beef or chicken stock

2 teaspoons rice wine

1/4 cup oyster sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Microwave the broccoli in a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap (holes poked for ventilation), about 1 to 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and baking soda. Slice the beef against the grain into thin strips and add it to your marinade. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes, or as long as overnight in the refrigerator.

In a separate small bowl, stir together the stock, rice wine, oyster sauce and remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch until the cornstarch is fully dissolved

Heat a large skillet on high heat and add the oil. When a wisp of white smoke appears (or the oil glistens), toss the marinated beef and garlic into the pan. 

Cook for about 1 minute, continually moving the beef so it browns on all sides but is still rare. 

Once the beef is seared, add the broccoli and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the sauce and keep it all moving. Don't be afraid to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan before they start to burn. 

Once the sauce has turned into a nice thick glaze, about 1 minute, serve immediately.

Potstickers

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1/2 pound ground pork

1/4 cup finely chopped scallions

2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons ketchup

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper-if to spicy use a different spice

35 to 40 small wonton wrappers

3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying

1 1/3 cups chicken stock, divided

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl (pork through cayenne). Set aside.

To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush 2 of the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. 

Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. 

Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. 

Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. 

Repeat until all the wontons are cooked.

Lamb Osso Buco

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1 Sprig fresh Rosemary

1 sprig fresh Thyme

1 dry bay leaf

4 whole peppercorns

Cheesecloth

kitchen twine

2 Lamb Shanks

Salt & Pepper

All purpose flour-  Season the flour with paprika, oregano, basil, hatch chili powder, adobo or anything you would like.

1/2 Cup Vegetable oil

1 small onion, diced

2 small carrots, Cut into 1 inch slices

2 stalk celery- Cut into 2 inch pieces 

1 Tablespoon Tomatoes paste

1 cup white wine

3 cups chicken stock

This is just my base recipe, I usually add different seasonings to the broth, maybe some hot sauce. Just depends on my mood.

  • Place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns into cheesecloth and secure with twine. This will be your bouquet garni.

  • For the lamb shanks,  pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Lamb shanks will brown better when they are dry.. Season each shank with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in seasoned flour, shaking off excess.

  • In a large Dutch oven pot, heat vegetable oil until smoking. Add Lamb shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and reserve.

  • In the same pot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt at this point to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables, add other seasonings if wanted. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Add the white wine scraping the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, return the browned shanks to the pan and reduce liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank.

  • Remove and discard bouquet garni from the pot.

I usually serve this with pasta.

Broccoli Bites

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1 Bunch broccoli

  1 Red onion -- chopped small

  1 Package sharp cheddar cheese -- shredded

  1 Egg

  1 Cup flour

  1 Cup bread crumbs-sesoned

  1 Cup vegetable oil

  • Cook broccoli

  • Combine broccoli, red onion, cheese in bowl

  • Roll into balls

  • Refrigerate

  • Roll in flour, egg, bread crumbs

  • Heat oil in pan

  • Cook until done

Serve with honey mustard dressing

Artichoke and Spinach Dip

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¼ Cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ Cup flour

2 Cups milk

½ Cup parmesan cheese – grated

½ Cup Monterey jack cheese – grated

1 Cup onion – chopped

10 Ounces spinach – chopped

2 Tablespoons garlic – chopped

2 Cans artichoke hearts -- drained and cut into fourths

Salt

Cayenne—Cayenne can be spicy, use as much or as little as you want, you can also replace it with different spices

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees

  • Combine 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil and flour, in a sauce pan over medium heat.

  • Stir the mixture constantly for 5 to 6 minutes for a blond roux.

  • Whisk in the milk and bring the liquid up to a boil.

  • Season the liquid with salt and cayenne.

  • Simmer the liquid to 5 to 6 minutes, or until the liquid is thick and coats the back of a spoon.

  • Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the Cheeses.

  • Set the sauce aside.

  • In a saute pan, hear the remaining vegetable oil.

  • When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 2 minutes.

  • Stir in handfuls of spinach at a time, until all the spinach is incorporated.

  • Add the garlic and artichoke and saute for 2 minutes.

  • Season the vegetables with salt and cayenne.

  • Remove the vegetables from the heat and turn into a mixing bowl.

  • Fold the Bechamel sauce into the vegetables.

  • Turn the mixture into a baking pan.

  • Bake the dip for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

  • You can also put this in a small crock pot instead of baking it.

Serve with Chips.

Pasta E Fagioli

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1  tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 ounces pancetta, or bacon, chopped fine

2 sweet italian sausages

1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)

1 medium rib celery, chopped fine (about 2/3 cup)

4 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 heaping tablespoon)

1  teaspoon dried oregano

Other spices I added : Paprika, basil, adobo, and a couple of splashes of hot sauce.

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with liquid—I only used1/2 of can

Parmesan cheese rind, one piece about 5 inches by 2 inches, discarded prior to serving (if you have it)

1 can (15 ounces each) cannellini beans,drained and rinsed

1 bunch of kale-Chopped

3 ½  cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon table salt

8 ounces small pasta (ditalini, tubettini, conchigliette)

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

2  ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove pancetta, add sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage to small pieces, cook till cook through. Remove sausage from pan.

Add onion and celery to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add garlic and oregano, and other spices if wanted; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add 1/2 of the tomatoes (reserve remaining tomatoes and put in the soup if wanted), scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan.

Add cheese rind and beans and chicken broth, Parmesan rind and soy sauce

Add a little salt (soy, parmesan and beans can be salty) taste to see how much salt to add) and pepper; increase heat to high and bring to boil.

Cook pasta according to directions in separate pot. I don’t like cooking my pasta in the soup.

Discard cheese rind.

Ladle soup into individual bowls; with added desired amount of pasta.

Garlic & Herb Pork Tenderloin

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Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Pork Tenderloin

Butter

Garlic-chopped

Basil-Chopped

Oregano -Chopped

Thyme-Chopped

Parsley-Chopped

I used a handful of herbs and about 4 garlic cloves

Preheat oven 350

Place a piece of aluminum foil on baking pan, set aside

Combine garlic, Basil, Oregano, Thyme, and Parsley—set aside 

Put olive oil in pan on the stove top.

Season pork with salt and pepper

Once pan is hot, sear the pork on all sides

Transfer pork to aluminum foil on the baking sheet

Cover the. Pork on all sides with the herb mixture

Put pats of butter on top of the pork

Wrap the foil around the pork to enclose it

Cook pork 20ish minutes till about 145-150

I poured the juice from the foil packet on top of the pork after cutting.

Irish Lamb Stew

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3 pounds lamb, cubed

1/2 Cup flour

3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

6 stalks celery, sliced

1 large yellow onion, large dice

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

fresh thyme

fresh rosemary

fresh parsley

8 cups of beef stock

12 oz Guinness

2 tsp corn starch

salt and pepper

Cut off some parsley leaves and chop to make about 2 tablespoons. Reserve them aside

Take a couple of sprigs of thyme, rosemary, and some parsley put them in a cheesecloth and tie the bundle together

Season the meat with salt and pepper

Brown the meat in a dutch oven over medium heat till brown

Remove the meat from the pan and sprinkle the meat with some of the flour, set aside

Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the pan and saute

Add the Guinness and deglaze, scraping up any caramelized bits

Add the potatoes

Return the meat to the pot

Add enough stock to cover the ingredients

Add the herbs in cheesecloth to the pot

Simmer for 2-3 hours until tender, stirring occasionally

Check seasonings, stir in parsley and cornstarch.

Put back on heat to thicken

Serve

Blueberry Buckle

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Cake

2 cups cake flour (255g)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

4 tbls room temp unsalted butter (57g)

3/4 Cup Sugar (149g)

1 large egg

1/2 Cup whole milk (120g)

3 Cups Blueberries (425g)

Topping

1/2 Cup Sugar (99g)

1/3 Cup Cake flour (43g)

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

4 tbls cubed and chilled unsalted butter (57g)

Preheat oven 375

Spray a 9x9 glass pan

In mixing bowl whisk flour, baking powder, salt and ginger.

In bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

Add egg and beat until incorporated

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low till incorporated

Add 1/3 of the milk and beat until incorporated

Repeat till all of the flour and milk are incorporated

Stir in the blueberries

Pour into prepared pan

Topping

In a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg

Add the butter and work using a fork or fingers to combine until it has a crumb-like texture

Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake

Bake 35 minutes until golden in color

Chinese-Style BBQ Spareribs

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6 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin

8 garlic cloves

1 cup honey

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup rice wine

2 tsp chinese 5-spice powder

1 tsp red food coloring If you want it

1 tsp ground white pepper

2 pounds boneless port spareribs

2 tbls sesame oil

Finely chop ginger and garlic

In a duch oven add ginger, garlic, honey, hoisin, soy, 1/2 water, rice wine, 5-spice powder, pepper, and food coloring if using. Whisk to combine

Add ribs and coat

Bring to simmer and cook 1 hour stirring occasionally.

Remove meat, and strain the liquid

Reduce the liquid in a pot on stove to reduce to a syrup

Pre-heat oven to 425

Coat ribs with Syrup

Roast ribs in oven till caramelized 5-7 minutes

Chicken Thighs with Mustard Sauce

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4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

Salt & Pepper

paprika

cayenne

Olive Oil

1/2 yellow onion sliced

4 cloves garlic chopped

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard

1/8 Cup honey

Season your chicken thighs

Heat a pan over medium heat and add some olive oil

When the oil is hot, place chicken skin side down in pan. Cook about 15 minutes till a nice golden brown

Flip chicken and add onions and garlic, cook an additional 15 minutes.

Chicken should be done at this point, you can temperature check them.

Remove the chicken from the pan

Add vinegar to the pan to deglaze

Add mustard and honey to the pan and whisk

Add cream to the pan and whisk.

Put chicken back in pan over the sauce, but do not cover the top of the chicken or it will lose the crisp top. Let simmer 5 minutes.

Serve

Chocolate Cream Pie

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Pre made-Oreo Crust-I will also try to remember to put my recipe in here at a later date

Filling

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28g)

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped if needed (1 1/3 Cup or 227g)

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 Cups Sugar (131g)

3 tablespoons cornstarch (21g)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (11g)

1/2 tsp expresso powder, optional

1/8 tsp salt

3 large egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream (227g)

2 cups whole milk (454g)

Place chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla in a bowl and set aside

In a saucepan away from heat, whisk sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt.

Whisk in 1/2 cup of the heavy cream unitl mixture is smooth.

Whisk in the egg yolks still smooth

Place saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the remaining milk and cream

Bring mixture to a boil whisking constantly and let boil for one minute

Remove pan from heat and pour contents over the chocolate butter mixture.

Let sit for one minute.

Whisk until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Pour into prepared pie shell

Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate till chilled.

To serve top with whipped cream.

Spanakoptia

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1 stick plus 1 tbls butter

1 pound spinach (baby) chopped

1 small onion finely chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

2 cups crumbled feta

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1 tsp paprika

salt & pepper

1 package phyllo sheets, thawed

Melt tablespoon butter in pan.

Once melted add the chopped onion, cook on medium till translucent.

Add garlic and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted stirring as needed.

Strain the spinach mixture. I usually put it in a cheese cloth or kitchen towel and squeeze.

Put the spinach mixture in a bowl, add feta and spices. Mix to combine.

Working with Phyllo —Keep it covered with a dampened towel

Melt the stick of butter

Lay one sheet of phyllo on your workspace, brush with some melted butter

Place another sheet of phyllo on top of the first sheet and brush with some butter

Cut the sheets into 6 pieces along the long side so you have 6 stripes about 12 by 2 3/4 inches

Put a heaping tablespoon of filling in corner of the strip closest to you, then fold corner of phyllo over to enclose filling and form a triangle.

Continue folding strip, maintaining the triangle shape.

Put the triangle, seam side down, on a baking sheet covered with parchment, and brush the top with butter.

Make more triangles, using all the Phyllo and filling.

Bake till golden brown 20-25 minutes in an 375 degree oven

Lentil Soup

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2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

salt & pepper

1 pound lentils, pricked and rinsed

1 cup peeled & chopped tomatoes (canned)

8 cups chicken broth or enough to cover lentils

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp paprika

Heat pot over medium heat with the oil

Once hot onion, carrot, celery and salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent

Add lentils, broth, spices and bring to a boil. Taste check to see if any additional spices are needed.

Reduce to a simmer and cook till lentils are soft about 35-40 minutes.

Puree with a blender, food processor or stick blender till desired consistency reached.

Blackberry-Molasses

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1 Cup Blackberries

1 Clove Garlic-crushed

1/4 Cup Ketchup

1/2 Tablespoon molasses

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp sugar

Salt & pepper

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth.

Strain through a fine-mesh strainer.

Heat in a pot to reduce, and use as a glaze for ribs

Chickpea Salad

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1 can chickpeas (garbanzos) drained rinsed, and slightly mushed, leaving some in big pieces

2 stalks celery finely diced

2 scallions finely diced

Cilantro-about a tablespoon chopped fine

Squeeze of lime

Spices all to taste

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Mustard Powder

Paprika

Cumin

Curry (small amount)

Coriander

Cayenne

Mayonnaise to taste

Put all ingredients into bowl and mix to combine.

I put it on toast with tomato slices.