Ingredients

• 16 oz. long grain/wild rice mix
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 1/4 c. yogurt
• 1 c. chopped celery (around 2 stalks)
• 1 c. chopped tomatoes (around 1 lg.)
• 1/2 c. diced cucumber
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/8-1/2 tsp. salt (or seasoned salt)
• 1/8-1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 c. peanuts, chopped, optional

Preparation

Cook the rice according to package directions, omitting any butter or oil. Let cool. Put in a bowl with all the remaining ingredients but the peanuts. Stir to combine. Can serve right away, or cover and serve cold. Garnish with the peanuts right before serving.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 1 pint oysters (in oyster liquor)
• 4 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Prepration

Strain oysters over a bowl to remove grit and separate them from the oyster liquor; reserve liquor. Chop oysters, cover and refrigerate until needed. Measure oyster liquor and add enough chicken stock to make 4 cups; set aside. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until a blond roux is achieved. Add onions and green onions; cook, whisking constantly, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and artichoke hearts; cook an 2 additional minutes. Gradually whisk in reserved oyster liquor and chicken stock. Add Lea & Perrins, thyme and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chopped oysters and simmer until oysters are cooked through and edges curl, about 5 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Raised on a Roux

Ingredients

• 24 fresh oysters
• 1/2 c. corn flour
• 2/3 c. plain flour
• Enough ice-cold sparkling water to make a sticky batter to coat the oysters

For the wasabi cream dip:

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 tsp wasabi paste

Preparation

In a bowl, pour whipping cream, add the wasabi and whisk till stiff.

Open the oysters and drain the water. With a sharp knife, cut of the oyster off. In a medium pan, heat 3" of oil until approx. 350F. Place each oyster in a teaspoon, dip in the batter until coated all over. Fry in oil until golden. The fritters will puff up instantly. Fry oysters by batches (5 by batch). Drain on kitchen towel before serving.

Drizzle oyster fritters with coarse salt and black pepper. Serve immediately with wasabi cream dip.

Manger

Ingredients

• 2 cups pecan halves
• 1 cup (about 24) caramel candies, such as Kraft, unwrapped
• 1 tablespoon rum, bourbon, or whisky
• 1 1/2 teaspoons heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound high-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread pecans on large shallow baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate and let cool. Line baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

In small bowl, combine caramels, liquor, cream, and salt. Microwave uncovered at medium power for 2 minutes. Stir with fork. Microwave at medium power for 1 additional minute. Stir until smooth and set aside.

In medium bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, melt half chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add remaining chocolate, and stir until smooth. Pour half melted chocolate into small bowl and reserve.

Stir 1 cup nuts into remaining chocolate. Transfer mixture to baking sheet, spreading to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness. Spoon caramel over and pat on remaining pecans. Drizzle with reserved chocolate. Let cool at room temperature until set, about 2 hours. Do not chill.

Epicurious

Ingredients

• ½ cup melted unsalted butter, more for greasing tins
• 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour, preferably pastry flour
• ¾ to 1 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed or puréed banana, sweet potato, apple, zucchini, cooked or canned pumpkin, or other fruits or vegetables
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ cup buttermilk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease two 6-cup muffin tins or fill with liners. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, banana, egg and buttermilk. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined.

Fill muffin tins or liners; bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffins are puffed and turning golden brown on top. Serve warm if possible.

Mark Bittman, NYT

Ingredients

• 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 lemon, cut in pieces
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. corn starch
• 1 c. water
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 blade fresh lemon grass, gently crushed
• 3 tbsp. coconut butter or 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1/2 c. green peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1 tbsp. sweet curry power
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Preparation

Rub the chicken with the lemon pieces. Place the chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and ginger. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the last 9 ingredients and set aside.

Preheat the oven for 300 degrees. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until slightly brown and transparent. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and cilantro. Mix the cornstarch with the water and tomato sauce. Add to the skillet along with the spice mix. Let simmer for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Place the chicken in a casserole dish. Add the coconut butter/oil, lemon grass, carrots, and peas. Pour the curry sauce over the chicken. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250 for another 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and very tender. Serve with boiled potatoes or basmati rice.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 6 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 4 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups (8 3/4 ounces) plus 1/3 cup sliced blanched almonds
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 6 ounces seedless green grapes, sliced thin (1 cup)

Preparation

Combine bread and water in bowl and let soak for 5 minutes. Process 2 1/2 cups almonds in blender until finely ground, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed.

Using your hands, remove bread from water, squeeze it lightly, and transfer to blender with almonds. Measure 3 cups soaking water and set aside; transfer remaining soaking water to blender.

Add garlic, vinegar, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and cayenne to blender and process until mixture has consistency of cake batter, 30 to 45 seconds. With blender running, add olive oil in thin, steady stream, about 30 seconds. Add reserved soaking water and process for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Strain soup through fine-mesh strainer set in bowl, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Discard solids.

Measure 1 tablespoon of soup into second bowl and stir in almond extract. Return 1 teaspoon of extract mixture to soup; discard remainder. Chill for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Heat vegetable oil in 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat until oil begins to shimmer. Add remaining 1/3 cup almonds and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately transfer to bowl and stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Ladle soup into shallow bowls. Mound an equal amount of grapes in center of each bowl. Sprinkle cooled almonds over soup and drizzle with extra olive oil. Serve immediately.

CI

Ingredients

• 3 cups jarred whole artichoke hearts (smaller the better, packed in water, not marinated or oil)
• 2 slices white bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
• Salt and pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 12 ounces tagliatelle
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preparation

Cut leaves from artichoke hearts. Cut hearts in half and dry with paper towels. Place leaves in bowl and cover with water. Let leaves stand for 15 minutes. Drain well.

Pulse bread in food processor until finely ground, 10 to 15 pulses. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring constantly, until crumbs begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until crumbs are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer crumbs to bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Wipe out skillet.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add artichoke hearts and 1/8 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until hearts are spotty brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Add garlic, anchovies, oregano, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and cream and bring to simmer. Remove skillet from heat and stir in artichoke leaves. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Stir in artichoke sauce, remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, 2/3 cup reserved cooking water, remaining 1/4 cup oil, parsley, and lemon zest. Adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing bread-crumb mixture and extra Parmesan separately.

CI

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 ounces Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 pound collard greens, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Preparation

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chorizo to bowl and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and pepper flakes and season with pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes, broth, and water; increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer 3/4 cup solids and 3/4 cup broth to blender jar. Add collard greens to pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chorizo and continue to simmer until greens are tender, 8 to 10 minutes longer.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to soup in blender and process until very smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat and stir pureed soup mixture and vinegar into soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

CI

Ingredients

• 2 tubes canned cinnamon rolls with icing (one regular and one caramel)
• 2 small apples, gala or honey crisp
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce, optional

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove cinnamon rolls from the packaging and lightly flour your work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out each cinnamon roll until flat enough to roll up, about double the original size. Place each cinnamon roll, seam side down, into a pie dish and form a circle. Add two additional circles (depending on your pie pan size), ending with one single cinnamon roll in the middle.

Peel and slice 2 small apples and push slices in between the gaps of each cinnamon roll circle. Cover with tin foil and bake until the cinnamon rolls are nearly cooked through, possibly as long as 30 minutes. Uncover and brown. [CP: This is a tweak to the recipe, which didn’t begin to cook all the way through the first time we made it; we haven’t tried it this way yet. Edit me to add times when we cook it again.]

Meanwhile, spoon regular icing into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 10 seconds or until warm and slightly runny. Drizzle over the warm pie. Repeat with the caramel icing. If you can’t find cinnamon rolls that come with caramel icing, simply combine the regular icing with 1/4 cup caramel sauce and heat in a microwave-safe bowl for 10 seconds as well. Stir to combine and drizzle over the top.

Deliciously Yum