Baked Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

1 turkey breast, about 3-4 pounds
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. First, season the turkey breast with salt and pepper. Then, add all of the other ingredients to the turkey and marinade it in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a large pan full of water in the oven on the bottom rack. Bake the turkey uncovered in the oven for 45 minutes.

3. Then, broil the turkey for 2-3 minutes until nicely browned.

4. Slice the turkey into thin slices and enjoy!

Safta's Schnitzel

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
lemon juice
canola oil

Directions:

1. Prepare the chicken breast by slicing it in half or pounding it to make it thin. Then, mix the chicken breast with the egg, lemon juice and a little bit of cumin and paprika and let sit in the refrigerator.

2. On a plate, mix the bread crumbs with the cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.

3. In a large pan, heat a thin layer of canola oil that covers the entire pan.

4. Once the oil is hot enough, dip the prepared chicken breasts in the bread crumbs and then in the oil. Cook for about 5 minutes.

5. When one side is nicely browned, flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. The chicken will be done when you pierce it and no liquid is released.

6. Fry all of the chicken and serve alongside rice or Israeli cous cous. Enjoy!

Beef with Mushrooms over Polenta

Ingredients:

1 pound beef stew meat, cut into large pieces
4 shallots, diced
1 package button mushrooms
1 cup red wine
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup polenta
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, sear the beef on high heat on both sides. Set aside in a bowl.

2. In the same pot, saute the shallots and mushrooms together with some olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then, add the red wine and 1 cup chicken broth. Let the mixture reach a boil.

3. Add the beef to the pot and lower the heat. Let everything simmer together for about 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.

4. In a small pot, bring 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Slowly add the polenta, stirring constantly to prevent lumps and lower the heat.

5. The polenta should cook very quickly and once it reaches the right consistency, turn off the heat. Stir in the butter and parmesan cheese and season to your liking.

6. Serve the beef stew on top of the polenta. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
2 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix thoroughly.

3. Add the pieces of butter to the bowl. Using a pastry cutter, mix the butter with the flour until it resembles coarse meal. Then, add the buttermilk.

4. Stir in the buttermilk until moist and knead the dough a few times. If the dough is too moist then add more flour as you are kneading.

5. Roll the dough to 1/2 thickness and cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and brush with egg wash.

6. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until nice and golden.

Butternut Squash and Bacon Risotto

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 slices of bacon, diced
1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
4 shallots, diced
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare the butternut squash and bake in a 425 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. Set aside.

2. Warm the chicken broth in a pot over medium/low heat. Keep on the heat throughout the entire  cooking process.

3. In a large pot, saute the shallots and bacon together until the bacon has browned. Add the rice to the pot, stirring to coat the rice with oil.

4. When the rice starts to turn pale, add the wine and stir constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.

5. Add a ladle-full of the broth to the rice and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding a ladle-full of broth to the rice and stirring all the time until the liquid is absorbed. Continue this process on medium heat until the rice becomes creamy, about 25-30 minutes.

5. Remove the rice from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Enjoy!

Cinnamon and Orange Poached Pears

Ingredients:

4 pears, peeled
3 cups of water
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. Peel the pears and set aside.

2. Peel off a few pieces of the skin of the orange. In a pot, add the orange peel to the water. Heat on medium heat until it starts to simmer.

3. Add the pears, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla and 2 tbsp of orange juice. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the pears have become soft.

4. Once the pears are soft, take them out of the pot. Remove everything else from the pot so that just liquid remains.

5. On very high heat, reduce the liquid until it has become thicker. Taste and adjust accordingly.

6. Once the sauce is ready, pour some sauce on top of the pears and serve alongside vanilla ice cream.

Shrimp with Yellow Curry

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp yellow curry paste
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 lbs large shrimp
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
peanut oil

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, saute the onion, garlic, and ginger over medium-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, sugar, tomatoes to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

3. In a large skillet, heat oil until almost smoking. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook on high heat until lightly browned on both sides. Add the coconut curry sauce to the shrimp and cook together for a few minutes.

4. Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve over rice.

Blueberry Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

5 cups day old French bread, cut into 1 inch squares
3 cups milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins, soaked overnight in 1/4 cup Bourbon
1 cup fruit (Ex. blueberries, apples, peaches..)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Soak the bread in the milk until it has absorbed most of the liquid.

3. Beat the eggs, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the egg mixture, raisins and fruit to the bread.

4. Coat the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the butter. Pour the entire mixture into the baking dish.

5. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until it is set and lightly browned on top. Enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken wings
1/2 cup soy vey teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Prepare marinade by combining all of the liquid ingredients and toss the chicken wings in the marinade.

3. Place the wings on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Flip the wings over and coat with the marinade.

4. Bake for another 30 minutes. Once the chicken wings are fully cooked, coat again with the marinade.

5. If you want, you can put the wings on an outdoor grill for a few minutes, or serve as they are.

Grilled Vegetable Kebabs

Ingredients:

2 zucchini

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

2 red onions

1 package shiitake mushrooms

1 pineapple

olive oil

teriyaki sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the grill. Then, prepare the vegetables by washing and cutting them into small pieces. 

2. Arrange the vegetables on the skewers in any order you like.

3. Create the marinade with the rest of the ingredients, and keep near the grill. 

4. Cook the skewers on the grill for about 15-20 minutes on medium-low heat, turning the skewers often to prevent charring. Periodically, coat the skewers with the marinade. 

5. When the vegetables seem soft and cooked, take the skewers off the grill and keep warm in the oven until ready to eat!

Pesto Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

4 pieces of fresh salmon
pesto
parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Place the salmon on a baking dish. Cover with pesto and grated parmesan cheese.

2. Broil in the oven on high heat for about 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
4 shallots, diced
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare the mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms all together in a pan with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat until the mushrooms are soft. Set aside in a bowl.

2. Warm the chicken broth in a saucepan over medium/low heat. Keep on the heat throughout the entire  cooking process.

3. In a large pot, saute the shallots with olive oil on medium heat until they become clear. Add the rice to the shallots, stirring to coat the rice with oil. When the rice starts to turn pale, add the wine and stir constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.

4. Add a ladle-full of the broth to the rice and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding a ladle-full of broth to the rice and stirring all the time until the liquid is absorbed. Continue this process on medium heat until the rice becomes creamy, about 25 minutes.

5. Remove the rice from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Enjoy!

Fig and Prosciutto Pizza

Ingredients:

Homemade or store bought pizza dough
fig jam
3 figs, sliced
prosciutto
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

2. Roll the dough onto a pizza pan. Spread a light layer of fig jam onto the dough. Layer with slices of proscuitto, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Top with a few slices of fresh figs.

3. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the pizza is golden brown. Enjoy!

Homemade Fig Jam

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh figs, washed and stemmed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 lemon, juiced and zested

Optional additions include 1 tbsp brandy or honey

Directions:

1. Gently wash and stem all of the figs. Chop into quarters.

2. Put all of the ingredients into a pot and stir together. Cook on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes.

5. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 25-30 minutes. Taste and adjust accordingly.

5. Using an immersion blender, blend the jam while its still warm in the pot until it is creamy.

6. Spoon the jam into a properly sterilized jar and seal tightly. Enjoy!