Garlic Lemon Herb Steak Marinade

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea), or to taste
• 4 strips of lemon zest3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of a cleaver or minced
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, cilantro, dill, oregano, or a mix of all four
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup Balsamic Vinegar
  

Preperatipon:

1. Combine the lemon juice, hot pepper flakes, cracked pepper, and salt in a nonreactive (glass, ceramic, or stainless steel) bowl and whisk until the salt crystals are dissolved.
2. Add the lemon zest, garlic, parsley and basil. Stir or whisk in the olive oil & vinegar.
3. The virtue of this marinade is its freshness:
4. Use it within 1 to 2 hours of making. Stir again before using.

Seafood Cioppino

Ingredients:

½ lb. shrimp, scallops, crabmeat, mussels
1 lb. white fish (halibut, sea bass, talapia)
8 fresh clams
one can canned clams and clam broth
5 large diced tomatoes
1 cup red or white wine
1 cube chicken bullion or 1 cup clam juice
1 large onion
1 red bell pepper- sliced into thin strips

olive oil, butter
1 pinch of saffron
1/4 tsp.  ground thyme
2 cloves garlic minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp basil

Garnish
1/2 tsp. parsley
Red Pepper Flakes

Cooking:

1. Saute onion until transparent in olive oil
2. Add red pepper strips and a pat of butter for flavor. Cook until soften.
3. Add diced tomatoes cook until soft.
4. Add white or red wine, crushed chicken bullion cube, clam juice [drained juice from can of clams].
5. Reserve the clams from the can to add to the sauce later.
6. Add herbs and seasoning
7. when the sauce is hot, add the seafood in this order with a lid on the pot:
   - Fresh Crab (let simmer for 5 min)
   - White fish
   - Whole live clams
   - Mussels
   [let the shells open up- when the shells have opened you can add the other seafood in the following order. If any of the shellfish shells do not open after a few minutes and all the others have opened- throw the unopened ones out- they are bad].
8. - Remaining clams reserved from the can
   - Shrimp
   - Scallops
   [Cook these last items just for a few minutes- if you overcook they will become tough].
9. Serve over fettucini and sprinkle with parsley and red pepper flakes

Moroccan Chicken

Ingredients:

2 de-boned chicken breasts
2 small green zucchini squash
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
about a cup of blanched white, whole almonds
1 cup golden raisins
l large onion
1 tab. Olive oil

1 teas. Curry powder
1cub chicken bullion
1 teas. Cinnamon
¼ teas. Ground thyme
1 pinch of saffron threads
garlic, and pepper to taste


Cooking:

1. Sauté onion until transparent in olive oil.
2. Add cubed chicken pieces and sauté until just cooked- add a little more oil if need be to keep from sticking.
3. [remove chicken from pan and set aside for a few minutes].
4. Add pepper strips, almonds, chicken bullion cube, spices.
5. Cook mixture over low heat until the vegetables are soft.
6. Add previously cooked chicken cubes until hot enough to serve.
7. Grate 2 zucchinis and add to pot. (very important to add last so it doesn't over cook)
8. Cover for 2 min to cook zucchinis.
9. Serve over couscous cooked with saffron, chicken bullion broth and a little butter.

Italian Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion
1 Tbs olive oil
1 lb. lean ground turkey or chicken sausage
2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
1 Tsp celery salt
1 chicken bullion cube
1/2 Tbs Thyme
1/2 Tbs Oregono
6 fresh basil leaves
1 Tsp Ground Black pepper
8 mushrooms
1 very large fresh tomato ( can sub 1 16 oz. can of crushed tomatoes)
1 cup red wine (merlot or cab)

Cooking:

1. Sauté 1 onion in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil until the onion is transparent.
2. Add 1 lb. of ground lean beef and sauté until cooked.
3. Add spices
4. Add about 6 large sliced mushrooms and 2 diced mushrooms- sauté until just cooked.
5. Add tomatos
6. Add red wine
7. Cook for about 15 minutes.

Makes enough for about 4 people, serve over pasta.

Madras Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs
1 large yellow onion
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 bag mixed pepper strips
2.5 cups crushed red tomatoes
3 tbsp ground cumin
4 tbsp madras curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch cinnamon
pinch ground clove

Optional:
White rice
Mango Chutney
Cashews


Cook:

1. Sautee chicken, onion and olive oil in a pot
2. add peppers
3. add tomato
4. add spices
5. simmer for 1 hour minimum

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

¼ cup margarine (soft)
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup refined cane sugar
2 eggs
½ cup apple sauce
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup ripe mashed banana
1 tsp vanilla
2 tabsp. Sour cream
1/8 cup OJ
½ cup chopped walnuts


Baking:

1. pre heat oven to 350
2. grease baking pan
3. mix ingredients in a bowl starting with dry ingredients first
4. bake for 1 hour.

New York Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp grated orange peel
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup butter
1 egg yolk

Filling:
5 packages of 8 oz. Cream cheese
1¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp grated orange peel
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 large whole eggs
2 egg yolks
¼ cup heavy whipping cream (not Bavarian)


Baking:

Making the Crust:
1. Let butter soften by leaving it at room temp for a couple hours
2. Mix all ingredients into mixing bowl starting with dry ingredients first
3. Chill for 1 hour
4. Pack chilled mixture onto bottom of the spring pan about ¼ inch
a. Note: the crust will be the consistency of moist bread crumbs
5. Preheat oven to 400º F
6. Bake crust without the side of the spring pan until golden brown on sides (~10 min.)
7. With extra dough pack the sides of the spring pan to make side of crust

Making the Filling:
1. Beat cream cheese until fluffy
2. Starting with dry ingredients first add one at a time and stir
3. Pour into pan
4. Preheat oven to 450ºF
5. Bake at 500ºF for 12 minutes
6. WITHOUT OPENING THE OVEN DOOR reduce heat to 225ºF
7. Bake at 225ºF for ~50 min
8. Take cake out after an hour, edges should be golden and firm, middle can be soft but not soupy. Check by jiggling cake. Leave in longer if cake does not have these qualities. Cake is definitely done if you see cracks on surface.
9. Let sit at room temp for 30 min
10. Refrigerate
11. Serve with fresh fruit and/or grated semi sweet chocolate


Optional Topping:

Semi-sweet chocolate
Raspberry Sauce (see below)

1 10-ounce package frozen raspberries with sugar thawed
3 tablespoons raspberry jam
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
Strain raspberries, reserving 1/4 cup raspberry juices. Puree berries, 1/4 cup juices, jam, and lemon juice in processor. Strain, pressing on solids to extract as much fruit and juice as possible. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)Makes about 3/4 cup.

Brandy Pears

Brandy Pears:

Ingredients:
- 4 pears
- 4 Tbs Butter
- 4 Tbs Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Brandy (Courvoisier)
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Making the Dish:

1. Peel Pears
2. Cut into chunks
3. Melt butter with pears in a medium skillet over medium heat
   
4. Stir in sugar and vanilla
   
5. Simmer until juice is syrupy (10-15 min)
6. Pour in Brandy
7. Simmer to burn off alcohol (2-3 min)
8. Remove from heat and immediately serve with vanilla bean ice cream