Heath Bar and Pecan Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
14 tbs unsalted butter, softened (1 3/4 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups chopped Heath Bar pieces (six 1.4 ounce bars, or One bag from the baking aisle)
1/2 cup choppedpecans (I obviously use pecans cause I'm a fancy pants)

Directions:
1. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine Heath Bar pieces and chopped pecans. Set aside.

2. Cream butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy (make sure this is mixed well). Beat in eggs one at a time, and vanilla.

3. Alternately mix the Heath Bar mixture and the flour mixture, a third at a time, until well blended. Chill cookie dough for 30-60 minutes (so... I missed this step and still got cookies. obviously they were flat and crispy).

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. On buttered cookie sheets, spoon out the cookie dough in small 1-inch diameter balls (size of a large marble). Place dough balls 3 inches away from one another. (Make sure there is plenty of room between the cookies, because these cookies spread!)

5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Simply Recipes

AMENDMENT: The original recipe said that this made about 6 dozen cookies. THAT was a big old fat lie. It made 3 dozen 3 inch cookies. AND the cookies were really more like salty/sweet crunchy bites, which makes them better but also more like a wafer. They would be great with ice cream.

Viennese Crescents

Ingredients:
3 dozen (depending on size)
1/2 vanilla bean
1 1/2 to 2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) and 1 tbs butter (at room temperature)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup almonds walnuts, grated or finely chopped

Directions:
1. pulverize the vanilla bean and mix it into sifted confectioner's sugar. The longer it sits the more vanilla-y the sugar will be.
2. Preheat over to 350 F degrees.
3. Mix flour and butter with your hands. Add granulated sugar, nuts, and mix until smooth.
4. Shape dough into crescent shapes, a tsp to a tbs of dough at a time.
5. bake on an non-greased baking sheet 15-20 minutes, or until points of the crescents are browned on the bottom. Allow to cool so the cookies set.
6. One at a time place the cookies in the bowl of confectioner's sugar and coat and then shake off excess powder.

AMENDMENT: Our family only uses walnuts now. But I suppose the original Viennese Crescents were Almonds. I never looked at the original recipe before. This is a family change though. I also learned the dark family cookie secret: that my grandfather cheated and got the original recipe from the New York Times in, I believe, the late 1960's/ very early 1970's and my father stole it from him. Somewhere in there our family changed it from almonds to walnuts though. So even if we DID get the recipe from a newspaper, we augmented it to make it our own. Plus, my family is actually Austrian, so Viennese Crescents are our family favorite for the holiday season.

Vietnamese Crab Coleslaw

Ingredients:
1 Thai chili or other small hot chili pepper
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 scallions, finely sliced into rings
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces cabbage (inner white leaves only), shredded
1 medium carrot, peeled, and shredded, julienned or grated
2 cups loosely packed white crab meat
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, more for garnish

Directions:
1. In a small bowl combine chili, garlic, sugar, vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, oil and scallions. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cabbage, carrot, crab meat and 3 tablespoons cilantro. Add chili dressing, and toss slowly until everything is coated evenly with a thin layer of dressing. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
3. To serve, arrange salad on large, flat plates. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves, and serve immediately.

YIELD: 2 to 4 servings (more like 6)

Recipe Source: The New York Times

AMENDMENT: This is one of my dad's favorites. It's a really fresh, clean salad (and really filling). Perfect for after a huge holiday weekend!

Also, I happen to think there is NOTHING better than crab and avocado as a flavor combination. Serving this with slivered avocado in it makes it really awesome.

My Dad's Peanut Satay Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 can coconut milk
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
2 Tbs Seasame oil
3 Tbs Thai fish sauce
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar (I use brown sugar)
1/4 cup sriracha or other oriental hot sauce
1 clove garlic

Directions:
1. Combine and puree in the lender or processor
2. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Source: My dad's secret cookbook

AMENDMENT: So this begins the slew of recipes I've stolen from my dad's top secret cook book. Enjoy.

Potato Parmesan Soup

Ingredients:
8 peeled and chopped potatoes
3 green onions chopped (save green for garnish)
1 minced garlic clove (I personally like more garlic, but when i tried more in this recipe it was really overpowering.)
1 1/2 tablespoons course ground pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 quart heavy cream (for a less rich option I did half cream half milk)
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
Optional:
5 Tbs Chives (I used Scallions but I think adding chives make it taste even better)
6 strips Bacon

Directions:
1. Boil and puree potatoes (be sure to salt the water). The creamier the mash, the better. Mine was kind of lumpy, which my mom liked but I did not.
2. Add chopped white part of green onion, chives, bacon, garlic, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
3. Add parmesan cheese five minutes to the end of the cook time. Take off of the burner and allow the cheese to melt completely into warmed soup.
4. Salt and pepper to taste. add greens as the garnish and more bacon bit pieces for a colorful look.

Recipe Source: My Friend Anthony! (Thanks Anthony!)

AMENDMENT: OKAY! So now that I've made this I think what would make this OUTSTANDING is to add a little finely chopped bacon or lardon to the soup. Alternatively, if you're a vegetarian, it really does NEED the fat content. Try mashing the potatoes with the cream in order to get the smoothest possible texture. Also maybe add some rosemary or some other herb to give it an additional dimension of flavor. Very good basic soup recipe. Very simple recipe and perfect for a cold winter night when you don't have much in the fridge. Could be done with Cheddar Cheese too, for a totally different and very American classic feel. Thanks Anthony!

Tonight I added 6 strips of bacon, chopped into "bacon bit" sized pieces as well as some chives, about 5 table spoons to 2 quarts of soup. IT WAS FANTASTIC. My mom even said "this soup was so perfect for a cold winter night like this!"

Dad's Stuffing

Note: this recipe is also known as "Pennsylvania Dutch Stuffing" and as long as I can remember it has been a staple in my Thanksgiving. Whenever I think of the holidays, I think of this food.

Ingredients:
1 package seasoned breadcrumbs
4 medium white/yellow onions
2 lbs potatoes
milk
butter
water
1 pint chicken stock
1 sprig fresh thyme
handful fresh parsley
fresh sage (quantity dependent on taste... we use about 10 leaves fresh sage)
salt to taste

Directions:
1. Peel potatoes and boil until soft. (will be mashed)
2. Peel and chop onions. Saute in butter in a iron skillet until translucent, stirring consistently.
3. Chop sage, thyme and parsley. Add to onions, stir.
4. In a large mixing bowl, add the bread crumbs, a cup of water and chicken stock.
5. Add the onions to the breadcrumbs and stir.
6. Mash the potatoes with a little milk and butter.
7. Add potatoes to mixing bowl and stir together. Be careful not to over stir or it will get mushy.

Recipe Source: My dad <3

Amendment: It is JUST NOT THANKSGIVING without my dad's stuffing. And I wouldn't change a single thing. Photos from Thanksgiving 2009.

Fresh Tilapia Croquettes

Ingredients:
1/3 Cup divided tartar sauce
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp grated lime peel
4 4-oz. fresh tilapia fillets
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 Cups breadcrumbs
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 Large clove garlic, minced
2 Tsp. lemon pepper

Directions:
Stir together tartar sauce, lime juice and peel.
Coat a large nonstick skillet with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cook the fillets for 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes with a fork. Flake the fish fillets and place in large bowl. Add 1/3 cup of the tartar sauce mixture, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic and lemon pepper, stirring gently to combine ingredients. Shape into 6 patties.
Cook patties in batches in remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Recipe Source: Super market cards.

Amendment: This was quite tasty but there wasn't enough citrus. I also suggest serving with a dipping sauce like cocktail or hollandaise sauce. would also work with cod or another light white fish.

Lemon and Fennel Cake

Ingredients:
For fennel:
1 fennel bulb
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
4 3-inch thin strips lemon zest
1 tsp fennel seeds

For cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Prepare cake pan:
Lightly oil pan and line with a large piece of wax paper, pleating the sides and trimming to fit. Lightly oil the paper. Line side with a 2-inch-wide strip of wax paper long enough to wrap around inside of pan to cover pleats, then lightly oil. (This will make the sides of the cake smooth.)

Make candied fennel:

1. Cut fennel bulb lengthwise with slicer into enough 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 9) to cover bottom of cake pan.
2. Cover fennel with cold water in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Drain fennel and set aside. Add sugar, water (3/4 cup), zest, and fennel seeds to saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add fennel slices and very gently simmer until tender and translucent and liquid is syrupy, about 40 minutes. Lift fennel slices out with a fork and arrange decoratively in bottom of cake pan. If you have more than 1/3 cup syrup, boil to reduce; if less, add water. Cool syrup slightly, then pour (through a fine-mesh sieve if desired) over fennel.

Make cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF with the rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in lemon zest.
4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing until just combined. Gently spoon batter over topping, spreading evenly.
5. Bake until cake is golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a plate and continue to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Source: Gourmet Magazine, April, 2009

AMENDMENT: My dad made this tonight and it turned out pretty okay. He was upset that our slicer didn't make perfectly thin slices. Also make sure not to under bake because our wooden pick came out clean but part of the cake was undercooked and we had to put it back in! I also would suggest maybe using an olive oil infused with lemon instead of a tasteless oil on the baking pan. This will add a nice kick to the bottom of the cake.

EASY Risotto

Ingredients:
1 medium-size onion
4 tablespoons butter (about 1/2 stick)
5 cups or more chicken broth, canned or homemade
2 cups Arborio rice
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Peel onion and finely chop.
2. melt the butter into a sauce pan and add the onion. cook until golden and translucent. Stir regularly. During this time you can add additional things like mushrooms, or later you can add green veggies you've cooked separately like asparagus.
3. In a separate saucepan bring the broth to a simmer, not a boil.
4. add the rice to the ONION. make sure the heat is low so that the rice does not brown.
5. Start adding the broth one ladle full at a time. Wait for the rise to soak up the liquid before adding more. The rice takes time to soak up all the liquid so it will look like soup before it looks like risotto. Stir constantly. This whole process will take about 20 minutes. If you run out of broth use water, or milk/ cream for a richer taste.
6. When it's done the rice will have a creamy consistency. Add the salt and pepper and stir in the cheese.

Variations: there are SO many variations but some of my favorites are mushroom, artichoke hearts, lobster or crab, chicken tomato and basil, and four cheese.

Recipe Source: trial and error. SO many errors...

AMENDMENT: The risotto pictured is a artichoke heart and leek risotto.

Sucari Cookies

Ingredients:
1 kilo flour
1/4 tub blue band
1 pint milk
1 tbs. baking powder
water
oil
sugar

Directions:
1. Make a dough with the flour, baking powder, butter, and milk.
2. Add water for consistency of dough.
3. roll and cut into strips. (optional cut into shapes, make pretzels, form dough as desired)
4. fry in oil until golden on edges.
5. drain excess oil from cookies and dip or brush in syrup. leave to crystallize.

For sugar coating:
mix syrup in a ration of 1/3 water and 2/3 sugar
heat in a pan until a syrup.

Recipe Source: Aisha and Maryam Muhammad, Lamu, Kenya

Spinachi

Ingredients:
Spinach
Tomatoes
Onions
Carrots
Water

Directions:
1. Brown onions in a pan with oil.
2. Add tomatoes.
3. Add carrots, wash spinach.
4. When carrots are soft add spinach.
5. When the water in the spinach cooks out it is done. (note: spinach shrinks as it cooks)

Recipe Source: Aisha and Maryam Muhammad, Lamu, Kenya

Basil Pesto Sauce

Recipe One

1 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
5 tablespoons pine nuts or chopped walnuts, toasted lightly and cooled
2 large garlic clove, chopped
5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:
Blend all ingredients together with salt and pepper, to taste, until smooth. if paste becomes to thick, add more olive oil, too oily, add more basil, cheese or pine nuts to maintain consistency and taste. Pesto keeps, covered and chilled, up to 1 week.


Yield: about 2/3 cup

AMENDMENT: This is a great basic recipe for pesto, and the basil can be substituted with parsley or cilantro or a combination of herbs for any pasta sauce, toast spread or appetizer dip.

Mom's Beef Stew

Ingredients: (measurements are not exact, and do not need to be)
Flour
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Beef chunks
Tomatoes, canned and peeled, 2 medium size cans
Carrots, sliced, bit sized
Onions
Potatoes
Thyme
A bay leaf

Directions:
1. Dredge chunks of beef bite sized pieces in a mixture of salt pepper and flour and then brown in olive oil in a iron sauce pan until brown on all sides, leaving a floury scummy stuff in the frying pan.
2. Peel potatoes and onions. Hard boil the potatoes for a little, not all the way, and that gives you a stock
3. Then take tomatoes and put then in the pan you friend the beef to de-glaze the pan with the tomatoes. Add the beef back in and add carrots. and then you add that to the potatoes and onions.
4. If that dries out a little, add some of the potato onion water, if its not thick, add some flour.
5. Cook it all until the veggies are cooked.

Recipe Source: From my mom, from her mom (so from my grandmother).

AMENDMENT: Be careful to keep mixing this or put it on a raised burner or trivet when simmering as the bottom may burn and it can affect the taste.

Passion Fruit and Raspberry Margarita

Ingredients:
3 cups passion fruit juice
1 lime (juiced)
2 1/2 cups Tequila
1/2 cup Raspberry juice
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
Raspberries, for garnish
Mint leaves, for garnish

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and stir well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Pour into margarita glasses over ice, or blend for a frozen margarita. Garnish with a few raspberries in the bottom of the glass and mint leaves on top.

Recipe Source: Emeril, but altered

AMENDMENT: I liked this better without the Grand Marnier and with a fruitier taste. The raspberries gave this drink a more summery feel and the mint added a fresh taste. One alternative I really like was to use MANGO instead of passion fruit juice.

Dumpling Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
3 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 clove Garlic
2 tbsp chopped Cilantro
1 chopped Scallions
1 Chili
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 - 1 Lime (juiced)

Directions:
Combine ingredients and stir or blend. Serve with Shrimp Dumplings.

Recipe Source: created through trial and error.

Spicy Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Soup

Ingredients:
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup green beans
8 ounces fresh egg noodles
6 medium garlic cloves
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup ground pork
10 medium shrimp
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 scallions, spring or green onions (chopped)
1 small handful chives
1 handful cilantro leaves (chopped)
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp roasted peanuts (crushed)
1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
1. Blanch the bean sprouts for one minute, then set them aside to drain.
2. Boil the noodles in water for five minutes, then drain them.
3. Next, cook the ground pork and shrimp in a saucepan over medium heat until they begins to brown and the shrimp pinks up.
4. Add chicken stock, green beans and fish sauce, stir, and bring the mixture to boil.
5. Meanwhile, chop the garlic and fry it in a tablespoon of vegetable oil until it is crisp.
6. Place the blanched bean sprouts in the bottom of a large serving bowl. Top with the cooked noodles.
7. Pour the fried garlic and its oil over top of the noodles. When the chicken stock mixture boils, immediately remove the stock mixture from the stove, and pour it over the noodles and bean sprouts.
8. Garnish with scallions and cilantro leaves.
9. Sprinkle in the sugar, peanuts and chili flakes and serve immediately.

Recipe Source: A French version of the Vietnamese Baa Me Nam, Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant, Rue Jean Nicot, 75007 Paris France. Base for the augmented recipe taken from: RecipeLand

AMENDMENT: This was my absolute FAVORITE thing to eat during my year in Paris and without this soup I would weigh about 10 pounds less.

Thai peanut chicken (salad)

Ingredients:
Peanut Butter
rice wine vinegar
soy sauce
olive oil
sugar
chopped green onions (scallions)
Chicken
salt
pepper
garlic
Serving options
brown rice
lettuce, carrots, whole roasted peanuts, cilantro, 1 lime (juiced)

Directions:
1. Mix peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, sugar, and chopped green onions.
2. Marinate and coat the chicken.
3. Grill or pan fry the chicken until tender.

Salad dressing
You can make a complimentary salad dressing by using just olive oil, rice vinegar, and some lemon or lime juice, and a little bit of garlic salt and pepper.

Serve with brown rice or on top of a salad!

Recipe Source: My friend Katina Hubbard who I studied in Kenya with.

AMENDMENT: This chicken is really great when grilled and served over fresh lettuce with a little cilantro, sliced avocado, shaved carrots and whole roasted peanuts.

French 2-4-1: Onion Soup and Fondue

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:
4 tbsp butter (I use five because I use water instead of broth)
1 tsp salt
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced (I like medium white onions and then throwing in a few shallots)
1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth (I use water because I think the onions give water enough flavor and the beef brother makes the soup too salty, BUT this is the classic recipe)
1/2 cup red wine (I use white but only because red gives me headaches from time to time)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I don't add this but it's a personal preference)
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme leaves (I add rosemary too)
1 bay leaf
4 thick slices French bread/baguette
8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese slices, room temperature (I use emmental, not swiss: which the germans call Emmenthaler.)
1/2 cup shredded Asiago or mozzarella cheese, room temperature (I use mozzarella because I can get it more easily.)
4 pinches paprika
(Salt and pepper to taste...)

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, and chopped red and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy. delicious.
2. Mix chicken broth, beef broth (water), wine and Worcestershire sauce (not this unless you want to make traditional soup) into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.
3. Preheat oven broiler (I do this just in my oven... I'm not fancy enough to have a broiler). Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler.
4. Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet (for spill-over) because of the melting cheese...). Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slice Gruyere cheese and 1/4 of the Asiago or mozzarella cheese (and some emmental which gives it a nice sharp taste). Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one.
5. Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately!

Fondue with the left overs:
With left over cheese: you can mix the Gruyere, emmental and asiago and make a really nice fondue by melting equal parts of cheese, wine and a small bit of Kir and a bay leaf or rosemary, and salt and pepper. Some people make it fancy, but not me because I am poor. you can use the left over bread too, but you should leave it on the counter overnight and then cut it into bite size pieces.

AMENDMENT: I really love this recipe because its a two for one and the left over cheese and bread don't go to waste. I got both of these recipes while in France, so enjoy and bon apetit!

Zaalouk (eggplant mash)

Ingredients:
750g Aubergines (eggplant)
juice of ½-1 lemon
500g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
salt
4 tablespoons Argan oil or olive oil
½ tsp paprika
1 pinch chili pepper
1tsp cumin
bunch of flat leafed parsley chopped
bunch of coriander chopped
olives to garnish

extra: red and green peppers

Directions:
1. Roast eggplant on baking sheet (pierce to prevent from exploding) 240C/475F for 45-55 minutes or until very soft and skins wrinkle when pressed. When cool, peel and put in strainer press out as much juice as possible. Chop the flesh with a pointed knife then mash with a fork letting the juice escape from holes.
2. Cook tomatoes with garlic and a little salt on low heat for 20 minutes. until reduced to a thick sauce, stir occasionally.
3. Mix with mashed eggplant and rest of ingredients. Add salt to taste. Spread flat on a plate and garnish with olives.

Extra: roast a red and green pepper with the eggplant, cook until soft, chop into fine pieces and mix in.

Serve with bread, pita chips or toast.

Recipe Source: Cafe Clock, Fes, Morocco

AMENDMENT: This was the highlight off the menu from my time at Cafe Clock, which was an amazing little cafe on Fes Morocco. Its great on lightly toasted bread of some pita. Even pita chips for a party. Another thing is that olives were a side dish at almost every restaurant in fes and it would very Moroccan to serve olives along with this dish.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil*
1 medium onion
2-4 chicken breasts* cubed
2 cloves of garlic
1 green chili
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp tomato purée
¼ tsp garam masala or 1 tsp curry paste
2 tbsp heavy cream*

*original measurement changed from metric

Directions:
1. Finely chop a medium sized onion (the smaller you chop things, the faster they cook. Chop your ingredients really small, so they'll be ready in no time.)
2. Crush 2 cloves of garlic with the side of a knife. Now peel away the skin, and finely chop.
3. Finely chop a green chili. Unless you want an incredibly hot curry, use the knife to take out as many seeds as you can. Chili juices can burn your skin so when you've finished, wash your hands.
4. Take the chicken on a fresh chopping board. Chop into small bite-size pieces. Wash your hands after chopping the meat.
5. Fry the onion over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Then add the chopped onion, and fry for 1 minute.
6. Add chicken and continue to fry for 5 to 6 minutes. The chicken will start to cook, and turn entirely white on the outside.
7. Add garlic and chili and stir. Carry on frying gently over a medium heat, until everything is golden brown, which will take 2 to 3 minutes. Keep stirring.
8. Add spices: Put 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1/4 teaspoon of ground coriander in the pan. Stir well.
9. Add 1 teaspoon of tomato purée, and 1/4 teaspoon of garam masala or curry paste. Stir, and fold 2 generous tablespoons of double cream into the mixture.
10. Check the chicken. If you're worried about whether the chicken is cooked, take a large piece from the pan, and cut it in half. It should break easily, and be white all the way through, with no trace of pink. It should also be piping hot throughout.

Serve hot with freshly cooked basmati rice, or naan bread. Serves 2.

Recipe Source: Manju Malhi (a U.K. cooking show I watched while abroad.

AMENDMENT: This is Chicken Curry in ten minutes, which both saves times, and has wonderful flavor. I find that you definitely need rice to soak up all that sauce though so make sure you cook some basmati rice.

Spicy Roast Shrimp

Ingredients:
Roast shrimp
Toasted Garlic Chips:
1/2 cup pure olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced paper thin
Kosher salt

Red Chile Oil:
1 cup pure olive oil
6 chile de arbol
Kosher salt
6 cloves chopped fresh garlic

Shrimp:
48 medium shrimp (21 to 25 count), shelled and de-veined
1/2 cup Red Chile Oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Ancho chili powder
Salt
2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves

For the Toasted Garlic Chips:
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add the garlic slices and cook until the slices are lightly golden brown.
2. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon to a dish lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Discard the oil.

For the Red Chile Oil:
1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let oil infuse for 30 minutes (the longer you let stand the more infused and spicy this will get).
3. Strain oil into a bowl.

For the Shrimp:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Place the shrimp in a large oven proof casserole dish, pour the red chile oil over them and season the shrimp with the Ancho chili powder and salt. Roast in the oven until pink and just cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes for small shrimp, 6 to 7 minutes for medium.
3. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped thyme and Toasted Garlic Chips. Serve immediately with lots of French bread.

AMENDMENT: I made this for Thanksgiving in 2007 as an appetizer and it was too spicy for some people. I suggest making the spicy oil an optional garnish for those with weak palates if serving to a crowd whose tolerance for spice is unknown. Other than that, just make sure the shrimp are very fresh. The garlic chips were a fun garnish but they burn easily so WATCH THEM CLOSELY.

Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded
2 cups apples, peeled, cored and diced (I used McIntosh apples but you can use whatever type is available in your region)
1 medium onion chopped
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup half and half (for a richer soup use one half cup whole cream, for a lighter soup one half cup milk)
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cinnamon or nutmeg to your liking

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in large soup pot. Add coarsely diced squash, onion, apples and curry. Saute for five minutes, stirring frequently. Contents should become golden, do not brown. Add flour (as a thickening agent) and mix well. Cook with constant stirring for two minutes. Add chicken broth and mix well.

Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree in food processor or blender, return to the pot, and add half and half/cream/milk. Reheat but do not boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot. Yield: 4-6 bowls.

Recipe Source: cooks.com

AMENDMENT: This was very very good. I added some chili powder to make it have some kick and that was a genius move.

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 eggplant
3 cloves garlic
flour (for dredging)
pepper
salt
Herbs (I use thyme, rosemary and oregano or a herbes de provence mix)
olive oil
tomato sauce (canned or jarred is fine)
2 balls of mozzerella
1 cup Parmesan cheese or more mozzerella (Once I used some Emmental because I had to get rid of it and it tasted just fine)
Basil

variations in layers:
Whole tomatoes
artichoke hearts
mushrooms
zucchini
etc.

Tip: Bring some water to a boil and soak eggplant slices in water as it cools for 20 minutes before frying it to reduce the amount of olive oil needed to cook the vegetable.

Directions:
1. Slice eggplant thinly
2. mix the flour salt and pepper on a plate and herbs/ herbes de provence and dredge the eggplant pieces.
3. Put olive oil in a pan and browned both sides of every piece of eggplant. I roughly chopped the garlic and cooked that the same way, a little for every pan of eggplant (you can use a lot because it tastes sweet at the end!) Every time a pan full of eggplant pieces is done, that becomes a new layer. Layer cooked pieces in a glass pan. Depending on how much eggplant you are using that will determine the pan size. REMEMBER the Eggplant will cook down.
4. layers: a little olive oil, eggplant, tomato sauce, cheese 2, eggplant, tomato sauce, eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, more herbs on top!
5. baked it all together at 375 (195-200 C), for about 20 minutes (or until the cheese on top has melted and started to brown. Because you have already cooked the eggplant through this should not take too long.

Recipe Source: My own.

AMENDMENT: I made the mistake of not adding enough sauce for the layers the first time, but it was still really good. Each layer should have a thin coating of sauce.
I have made this maybe 40 times and it is amazing every time. New variations can include adding sliced artichoke hearts, mushrooms, or slices of whole tomatoes. The variation pictured has artichoke hearts, sliced whole tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 shallots, chopped
2 small fresh red chili peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped lemon grass
2 1/8 cups chicken stock (In the original recipe they used 2 cups mango nectar instead of chicken stock, but I think the chicken stock makes this a heartier soup. If you want a fruitier soup or a vegetarian soup, by all means try it with the mango!)
4 cups peeled and diced pumpkin (you can use canned pumpkin, but it's not the same)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 bunch fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil and butter over low heat. Cook garlic, shallots, chilies, and lemongrass in oil until fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic, I do this all the time and it really affects the taste). Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk, and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Cook until pumpkin softens.
2. In a blender, blend the soup in batches to a smooth or slightly chunky consistency, whatever you prefer. Serve with basil leaves.


Recipe Source: Augmented from Zesty Cook

AMENDMENT: I changed up the ingredients in quantity and changed he base of the soup from mango to chicken stock. For a vegetarian version keep the mango.

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

Ingredients:
Topping
3/4 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter -- chilled
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (use a blender if you can because cutting by hand takes a while)

Cheesecake
6 tablespoons butter -- melted
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
24 ounces cream cheese -- room temperature (I use Philadelphia cream cheese)
3/4 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
5 large eggs
1 pound canned solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup whipping/heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Optional: instead of making the graham cracker crust, you can buy a pre-made graham cracker crust, in which case you do not need graham crackers, butter or white sugar under "cheesecake ingredients". Additionally, if using 9" pre-made crusts, you can make two pies with this recipe.

For topping: Place sugar in small bowl. Add butter and cut in until mixture
resembles coarse meal. Stir pecans into mixture. Set aside.

For cheesecake crust:
Blend crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter in medium bowl. Press crumb mixture in
bottom and up sides of 8x8x2 1/2-inch or 8in diameter pan. Chill. Preheat oven to 325F.

Directions:
For cheesecake:

Using mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Mix in
remaining 3/4 cup sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat until
fluffy. Blend in pumpkin, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Pour into crust.

Bake until center no longer jiggles when pan is shaken, about 1 1/2 hours.
Sprinkle topping over cheesecake. Bake 15 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Recipe Source: Augmented from Epicurious.

AMENDMENTS: I discovered this while living in France. As a result of being in Paris, however, I did not have access to many of the ingredients necessary. Therefore, I had to improvise by using creme frais and weird German cookies instead of graham crackers.

This recipe was used on November 22, 2009 by a good friend of mine, and former roommate, JD while he was in Pakistan. Here are a few photos of that event.
I think they did a fabulous job (even without the pecan topping!) I am certainly glad that my recipes not only come from around the world but can also be used around the world. That makes me very very happy. [Photos courtesy Jamshed Daher and his Pakistani Cooking Queens]

Yam and Leek Galette

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 pounds (about 2 medium sized) yams, peeled
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 leek, white and light-green parts, thinly sliced crosswise, well washed
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups) (substitute: Emmental/"Swiss")

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack set in top third. Line bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with a round of parchment paper. Place melted butter in a large bowl. Using a mandolin or cutting by hand, slice the yams 1/8 inch thick; add to bowl with butter. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. In prepared pan, arrange some of the yams around edge of pan, overlapping the slices.

2. Fill center of pan with more overlapping slices. Sprinkle with half the leek and half the cheese; season with salt and pepper. Repeat with another layer of yam and remaining leek and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining yams. Using a spatula, press galette down firmly.

3. Bake until yams are tender, 70 to 80 minutes, pressing down firmly twice with a spatula during cooking. Run knife around edge of pan. Carefully invert galette onto a plate, remove parchment, and re-invert onto serving plate. Cut into wedges, and serve.

Recipe Source: EatMeDelicious

AMENDMENT: When I made this with regular potatoes it was BAD so stick to original!

Apple Pie with Brown Sugar Strudel Topping

Ingredients:

For Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 tablespoons ice water
You can also buy a pre-made graham cracker crust to substitute this homemade crust.

For Filling
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (I just use cinnamon and nutmeg)
1 3/4 pounds apples, peeled, quartered, cored, thinly sliced
1 tbsp vanilla extract

For Streusel
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbsp (2.5 oz) unsalted butter, chilled

Directions:
Crust:
Blend flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter; cut in using on/off turns until butter is cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Add 3 tablespoons water and blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball. Flatten piece into disk; wrap in plastic. Chill at least 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

When you're ready to start putting it all together, position rack in bottom third of the oven and preheat to 375F.

Make Streusel:
Combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the dry ingredients. Pulse until the butter is cut into very small pieces, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Make Filling:
Combine sugar, flour and allspice (or other spices) in large bowl. Mix in apples, then vanilla extract.

Put It All Together:
Roll out dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Spoon in apple filling, trying to make it relatively level so the streusel doesn't fall all over the place. Evenly sprinkle streusel topping over apples.

Bake pie until apples are tender and topping is light golden, about 45-50 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve pie warm or at room temperature. Really good with ice cream.

Recipe Source: EatMeDelicious

AMENDMENT: I make this pie a lot and it becomes a very fast recipe when you use a pre-made crust. Of course it's not the same as a homemade crust, but it saves time if you need a dessert in a pinch. The Burnt look in the first photo was achieved by caramelizing the topping with a mini kitchen blow torch!

Roast Chicken

Ingredients:
4-5lbs whole chicken
1-1/2 cups baby carrots, separated
1 large Vidalia onion coarsely chopped
2 tbs garlic
3 lbs small red potatoes, scrubbed
2 medium yams, peeled and cut into same size as red potatoes
1- 1/2 c white wine
salt
pepper
dried rosemary
granulated garlic

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Wash and dry chicken. Stuff with 1/2 cup baby carrots and 1/4 Vidalia onion. Place in roasting pan with potatoes, remaining onion and carrots, evenly in pan around the chicken. Pour wine all over chicken and potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, Rosemary, garlic, and granulated garlic (to taste). Cover tightly with foil.
3. Roast 1 1/2 hours. Uncover; baste potatoes and chicken.
4. Roast for additional 1/2 hour to 45 minutes or until chicken is tender and nicely browned.

Recipe Source: Cooks.com

AMENDMENT: This roast chicken recipe is perfect, and works for turkey too.

Charoset:

(Food for Passover)

Ingredients:
5-6 large Delicious or MacIntosh apples, finely chopped to approximately 8 cups
1 cup chopped walnuts
32 tablespoons Kosher sweet wine (like Manishevitz Concord Grape)
5 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir to combine well.
2. Refrigerate and serve chilled, in small bowls or cups.

AMENDMENT: This is recipe is really best with the right apples. My dad always used MacIntosh apples, and I use red delicious because I think they're sweeter. Be careful though because some apple will be too mealy in this recipe, which is really dependent on good apples.

Shrimp Dumplings

Ingredients:
1/2 pound shrimp (about 8 large)
1/2 cup drained canned water chestnuts
2 scallions
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger root
3 tablespoons soy sauce
14 won ton wrappers, thawed if frozen
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup boiling-hot water

Preparation

1. Peel shrimp and, if desired, de-vein. In a food processor purée 3 shrimp. Rinse and drain water chestnuts. Finely chop water chestnuts and remaining shrimp. Finely chop scallion greens, reserving white parts for another use. Lightly beat egg white and put 1 tablespoon in a bowl. Stir in puréed and chopped shrimp, water chestnuts, about two thirds each of scallion greens and ginger root, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

2. Put 7 won ton wrappers on a dry surface, keeping remaining wrappers in package, and lightly brush edges with water. Mound about 1 tablespoon filling in center of each wrapper. Fold each wrapper over filling to form a triangle. Press down around filling to force out excess air and seal edges well. Make additional dumplings with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner.

3. In a small bowl stir together sugar and remaining scallion greens, ginger root, and soy sauce to make dipping sauce.

4. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown dumplings on both sides, about 3 minutes total. Add boiling-hot water to skillet and cook, covered, 5 minutes. Serve dumplings with sauce.

Recipe Source: Epicurious

AMENDMENT: Added photos of my first ever dumpling success! For the full story behind these dumplings please visit Marginally Employed in My Parents' Attic.

Butternut Squash with Pecans and Blue Cheese

Ingredients:
4½ lbs butternut squash
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 stalks fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup pecans
1 cups crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese

Directions:
1.Heat the oven to 425°F.
2.Halve the squash, leaving the skin on, and scoop out the seeds, then cut into 1-inch cubes; you don’t need to be precise, just keep the pieces uniformly small.
3. Put into a roasting pan with the oil and strip about 4 stalks of thyme of their leaves, sprinkling over the butternut squash. If you can’t get any fresh thyme, sprinkle over dried. Roast in the oven for about 30-45 minutes or until tender.
4. Once out of the oven, remove the squash to a bowl and scatter over the pecans and crumble over the cheese, tossing everything together gently.
5. Check the seasoning and add the last couple of stalks of thyme, torn into small sprigs, to decorate.

Recipe Source: Tastebook

Thai Style Coconut Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon ginger (grated)
2 cups butternut squash (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon palm Brown sugar (or sugar)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce
1 handful coconut (toasted)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
3. Add the squash, coconut milk, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, chili sauce, cover and simmer until the squash it tender, about 30 minutes.
4. Set the squash aside and reduce the liquid.
5. Mash squash with the liquid.
5. Pour the reduced coconut milk onto the squash and garnish with coconut and cilantro.

Original Recipe Source: Closet Cooking

AMENDMENT: This recipe originally called for adding curry powder which I think would have made it better. Also, mashing the squash so it was more like a starchy side dish rather than a vegetable would have been better than the bite size chunks, which do not cook evenly. Additionally, while this was a good side for my Satay Chicken with Peanut Sauce, I would have preferred less coconut milk and more squash flavor. I have amended the recipe above to suit my preferences.