Slow Cooked Ribs

March 27 is National World Whisky Day.

Slow Cooked Ribs
4 servings

What you need:
5 lbs. regular pork spare ribs
1 pkg au jus gravy mix
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
¼ cup butter, cut up

Whisky Gravy:
1/4 cup whiskey
1 tbs hot sauce
3 tbs cornstarch
¼ cup water
1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet

What to do:

Place ribs in crock of at least a 5 quart slow cooker. Mix the ranch dressing mix and the au jus mix in a small bowl. Place the butter over the ribs, trying to distribute it evenly, then sprinkle the mixed dry ingredients evenly over all. Cover on LOW for 6-8 hours (times are approximate). When ribs are done, remove them to a platter and cover to keep warm. Turn the slow cooker to HI and add the whiskey and hot sauce, stir. Mix the cornstarch and water. While stirring liquid, pour in only enough of the cornstarch mixture to thicken gravy to your personal preference. Let the gravy cook about 5 minutes. Place the ribs back in the crock pot in the whisky gravy for 5 minutes with the crock in LOW or warm. Serve ribs with some gravy on the side.


Homemade Four Cheese Ravioli

March 20th is National Ravioli Day

Homemade Four Cheese Ravioli
4 servings

What you need:

Ravioli Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon olive oil 2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons water

Ravioli Filling:
8 ounce ricotta cheese 1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded 1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley

Pesto-Alfredo Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto sauce
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
24 ounce jar marinara sauce

Egg Wash: 1 egg
1 tablespoon water

What to do:

Mound the flour and salt together on a work surface and form a well. Beat the teaspoon of olive oil, 2 eggs, and water in a bowl. Pour half the egg mixture into the well. Begin mixing the egg with the flour with one hand; use your other hand to keep the flour mound steady. Add the remaining egg mixture and knead to form a dough.

Knead the dough until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes; add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

While the dough is resting, prepare the ravioli filling. Combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, egg, and parsley and mix well. Set the filling aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and pesto sauce and cook for one minute. Pour in the heavy cream, raise the heat to high, and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, warm the marinara sauce over medium-low heat.

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water to make the egg wash.

Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets no thicker than a nickel. To assemble the ravioli, brush the egg wash over a sheet of pasta. Drop the filling mixture on the dough by teaspoonfuls about one inch apart. Cover the filling with the top sheet of pasta, pressing out the air from around each portion of filling. Press firmly around the filling to seal. Cut into individual ravioli with a knife or pizza cutter. Seal the edges.

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the ravioli, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli float to the top and the filling is hot, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Grease a baking sheet. Place the cooked ravioli on the sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven until brown, about 4 minutes.

To serve the ravioli, divide them among four warmed serving bowls. Drizzle the marinara sauce over the ravioli and then top with the cream sauce.

Chicken Noodle Soup

March 13 is National Chicken Soup Day
Chicken Soup
12 servings

What you need:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, diced
6 stalks celery, diced
6 carrot, diced
3/4 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
3/4 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3/4 tablespoon chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
4 quarts low-fat, low sodium chicken broth
3 1/2 cups cubed skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 (16 ounce) package egg noodles
salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook onions in oil until translucent.Stir in chicken and cook till golden brown or 165 F internal temperature. Stir in celery, carrot, rosemary, tarragon, thyme and parsley and cook, covered, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a large pot and pour in chicken broth. Simmer over low heat, covered, for 30 minutes.
Stir in egg noodles and simmer, covered, 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

OREO Cookie Balls

March 6 is National Oreo Day.

Oreo cookie balls.
48 cookie balls

What you need:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed
16 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted

What to do:

Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs until well blended. Shape into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 15 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.

Muffins Stuffed with Greek Yogurt Jam

February 20 is National Muffin Day.

Muffins Stuffed with Greek Yogurt Jam
3 dozen

What you need:

6 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2-1/4 cups white sugar
3 egg
3 cups milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups of Greek yogurt
2 1/4 cups of red raspberry jam

What to do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees standard oven 375 for convection. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl beat egg with a fork. Stir in milk and oil. Pour all at once into the well in the flour mixture. Mix quickly and lightly with a fork until moistened, but do not beat. The batter will be lumpy. Pour the batter into paper lined muffin pan cups. Mix yogurt and jam in a bowl. Using a pastry bag, pipe 1/2 oz. of the yogurt and jam mix into the center of each muffin. Bake for 10-14 minutes in a convection oven, 14-18 minutes for a standard oven.

Muffins Stuffed with Greek Yogurt Jam



Homemade Tortellini

February 13 is National Tortellini Day

Homemade Tortellini

What you need:

Pasta:
3 cups flour
3 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil

Filling:
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Egg 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
flour for dusting

What to do:

Form the flour into a well shape with the bottom just covering the wooden surface. This step can also be completed in a bowl. Crack the eggs into the flour well and begin scrambling them with a fork. Start to slowly add the flour into the egg while stirring gently. Incorporate the rest of the flour with your hands and mix thoroughly. If the dough is too dry, just add a small amounts of water at a time, until the right consistency is reached. Once the dough is mixed, begin to knead it with your hands. Stretch the dough, then fold it over itself while pushing down with force. Wrap the pasta dough tightly with plastic wrap and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. Unwrap the dough and flatten it out with the rolling pin. Set the pasta machine to the widest setting, then press the pasta through. Fold the pasta twice and pass it through the machine again on the same setting. Next, roll the pasta through the machine one time at each setting, narrowing the machine each time. After each roll, lightly flour the pasta sheet to prevent it from sticking. Then set the sheets aside and begin making the filling

Grab a medium sized bowl and put in the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, nutmeg, and black pepper. Stir the mixture gently to incorporate all the ingredients together, while being careful not to whip the egg. Set the mixture aside and cover with plastic wrap. Set the rolled out pasta on a flat surface, and use a pizza cutter to cut 2×2 inch squares. Once the pasta squares are cut, begin dabbing a teaspoon-sized amount of the filling into the middle of the square. Brush a small amount of water along the outside of the square and fold over across the diagonal to form a triangle. Next pick up the triangle and form it around your pinky, then press the two edges together tightly. Grab the triangular tip and fold it over the dough to form the final shape. Set all the formed tortellini into a pile and dust them with flour to prevent them from sticking together. Bring a large amount of water to a roiling boil. Add the tortellini to the boiling water and cook for two to three minutes until the tortellini begins to float. Remove the pot from the heat and strain the pasta.


Alfredo Sauce

February 6 is National Alfredo Day!

Alfredo Sauce
6 servings

What you need:
2 tablespoons butter
2 portobello mushroom caps, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups milk
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
ground white pepper, to taste

What to do:
Melt the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the milk and Parmesan cheese, mixing until smooth. Add in the garlic, basil, and white pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the garlic.


Croissants

January 30 is national croissant day!

Croissant

12 servings

What you need:

1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 tablespoons warm water

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2/3 cup warm milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

What to do:

Combine yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Allow to stand until creamy and frothy.

Measure flour into a mixing bowl. Dissolve 2 teaspoons sugar and salt in warm milk. Blend into flour along with yeast and oil. Mix well; knead until smooth. Cover, and let rise until over triple in volume, about 3 hours. Deflate gently, and let rise again until doubled, about another 3 hours. Deflate and chill 20 minutes.

Massage butter until pliable, but not soft and oily. Pat dough into a 14×8-inch rectangle. Smear butter over top two thirds, leaving 1/4-inch margin all around. Fold unbuttered third over middle third, and buttered top third down over that. Turn 90 degrees, so that folds are to left and right. Roll out to a 14×6-inch rectangle. Fold in three again. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and put dough in a plastic bag. Refrigerate 2 hours. Unwrap, sprinkle with flour, and deflate gently. Roll to a 14×6-inch rectangle, and fold again. Turn 90 degrees, and repeat. Wrap, and chill 2 hours.

To shape, roll dough out to a 20×5-inch rectangle. Cut in half crosswise, and chill half while shaping the other half. Roll out to a 15 x 5 inch rectangle. Cut into three 5 x 5 inch squares. Cut each square in half diagonally. Roll each triangle lightly to elongate the point, and make it 7 inches long. Grab the other 2 points, and stretch them out slightly as you roll it up. Place on a baking sheet, curving slightly. Let shaped croissants rise until puffy and light. In a small bowl, beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Glaze croissants with egg wash.

Bake in a preheated 475 degrees F (245 degrees C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes.


Pork Chops with Strawberry Sauce

Pork Chops with Raspberry Sauce
4 servings

What you need:

1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 6 oz. boneless pork lion chops
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup seedless strawberry jam
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar


What to do:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). In a small bowl, combine crushed thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Rub evenly over pork chops. Melt butter and olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Cook pork chops for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, turning once. Remove from skillet and keep warm in preheated oven. In the skillet, combine strwaberry jam, orange juice, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until sauce is reduced to desired consistency (sauce will thicken as it cools). Spoon sauce in a pool onto a serving plate, and top with pork chops. Garnish with sprigs of thyme.

Cuban Beef and Zucchini Kebabs with Mojo Sauce

Cuban Beef and Zucchini Kebabs with Mojo Sauce
4 servings

What you need:

Mojo 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Skewers
8 (12 inch) wooden skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
) zucchini, cut on a long diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices

What to do:
Mash garlic to a paste with salt using a mortar and pestle or flat side of a large knife, then whisk together with orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, cumin and oregano in a bowl. Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees F to 450 degrees F). Thread beef on 4 skewers, leaving a little space between each piece. Put skewers on a baking sheet and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Thread zucchini onto 4 skewers so slices can grill cut sides down, then transfer to baking sheet. Lightly brush beef and zucchini all over with oil. Lightly oil grate and grill beef, covered with lid, turning once, about 4 minutes total for medium rare. Transfer to a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Lightly oil grate again and grill zucchini, covered with lid, turning once, until grill marks appear and zucchini is just tender, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer skewers to a serving platter. Drizzle beef and zucchini with about half of sauce, and serve remaining sauce on the side.