20 minute Chicken in Herb Gravy

 Ingredients:

4 thin sliced chicken breasts

1 Tbsp rosemary

1 Tbsp Thyme

4 Tablespoons Butter

1 teaspoon Minced Garlic

1/3 cup Chicken Broth

Dirctions:

Put a few tablespoons oil in the pan.  Cook until browned on both sides.  Transfer chicken to a plate.  Reduce temperature to low.  Add 2 tablespoons butter and about a teaspoon of minced garlic.  Saute for about 20 seconds.  Then add 1/3 cup chicken broth, rosemary and thyme and a few tablespoons of butter.  Stir to make sauce.  Might need to thicken with flour or cornstarch.

Rigatoni Arrabiata

 Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

1 jar Rao's Arrabiata sauce

3/4 cup frozen peas (optional)

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup parmesan

Rigatoni

Directions:

1.  Cook pasta, drain, but save 1/2 cup of the pasta water

2.  Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven and cook sausage on medium-high

3.  Add the arrabiata sauce to the sausage and simmer for 10 minutes

4.  Add the cream, pasta water, and peas and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring often until it all comes together

5.  Off the heat add the pasta and parmesan and toss together.

Snowball Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
⅓ cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F 

2.  In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3.  Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.

Prime Rib with Horseradish Crust

Bone-In Prime Rib with Horseradish Crust

Tyler Florence

Ingredients:

1 (3 rib) prime rib beef roast, about 6 pounds

5 garlic cloves

1/4 cup horseradish

2 rosemary sprigs (strip leaves)

4 thyme sprigs (strip leaves)

1/2 cup sea salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 Tablespoon flour

2 cups beef broth

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the beef in a large roasting pan with the bone side down. (The ribs act as a natural roasting rack.)
2. In a small bowl mash together the garlic, horseradish, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste generously over the entire roast. Put the pan in the oven and roast the beef for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for medium-rare (or approximately 20 minutes per pound). Check the internal temperature of the roast in several places with an instant-read thermometer; it should register 125 degrees F. for medium-rare. Remove the beef to a carving board and let it rest for 20 minutes. The internal temperature of the meat will continue to rise by about 10 degrees. Pour the pan juices into a fat separator or small bowl and set aside to allow the fat and beef juices to separate. Pour off and discard the fat.  Or, just pour off some of the pan drippings.  Place pan on the stovetop over medium heat.  Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the bits on the bottom of the pan.  Reduce the wine by half.  Whisk in the flour, then add the beef broth and continue to cook, whisking until sauce thickens into a gravy, about 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread

 Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

⅔ cup water

3 cups white sugar

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger


Directions
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour ... your choice.  One batch makes three 7x3 inch loaves or one 9 inch loaf and 2 mini loaves or 4 mini loaves and some muffins.  :)

Step 2:
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. (Could also add chocolate chips at this point).  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Step 3:
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Italian Chicago Beef Sandwiches

 Ingredients:

1 boneless beef chuck eye roast (about 3 1/2 pounds)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 cup dry red wine

3 cups beef stock

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Sweet peppers, Giardinera and French Rolls

Directions:

1. For the pot roast: Position a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Liberally sprinkle the entire roast with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides until golden and caramelized; reduce the heat if the fat begins to smoke. Transfer the roast to a plate and reduce the heat to medium. Add in the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper and saute until fragrant, another minute. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze with the red wine and cook until reduced by half. Add in the stock and thyme and bring to a simmer. Adjust the seasoning of the jus. Place the roast back into the pot with any accumulated juices and place in the oven. Cook the roast, turning every 30 minutes, until very tender, 3 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Increase the oven heat to 350 degrees F.
3. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and tent with foil. Strain the jus through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and return back to the pot. Bring to a simmer and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Once cooled a bit, pull the meat into smaller chunks, return to the reduced jus and reserve until ready to build the sandwiches.
4. For the sandwich build: Place some beef on a roll, then some sweet peppers and then some  Giardiniera. Pour a small dish of reduced jus. Take the whole sandwich and quickly dunk in hot jus. Using two hands, go to town.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

 Rachel Ray:

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon

1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage

4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried

4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated

Coarse salt and black pepper

1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente

Romano or Parmigiano, for grating

Directions:

1. Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.
2. Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.
3. Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.