Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

This is a great holiday cookie recipe by Gerry Meyer on AllRecipes.com.

• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups pistachio nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
3. Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
5. Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

Eggplant Parmesan

Christy loves eggplant! Here is a great recipe for a delicious and versatile veggie!

Ingredients:

- 2 small to medium sized purple eggplants
- 2 c. of your favorite marinara sauce
- slices of fresh mozzarella (or approx. 1 1/2 c. of shredded moz.)
- 1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Peanut or vegetable oil for frying.

Heat the marinara over medium low heat in a sauce pan.

Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch slices discarding the ends. Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs into their own individual bowls. Pour enough oil in a heavy high-sided pan, cast-iron is best. You want enough to come up about 1/4 inch in the pan. Heat oil over medium high heat.

Lightly dredge each slice in the flour, tapping lightly to get rid of excess. Once floured, dredge in the beaten egg til coated. Then dredge in the bread crumbs and gently place into the oil. Repeat until the pan is full but not crowded. Work in batches. Fry until golden brown on each side, about 4 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack or paper towels to drain.

Once all the eggplant is fried and drained, place individual servings (3-4 eggplant slices) on an oven-safe plate, spoon marinara sauce over eggplant and top with slices of mozzarella. Place under the broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with spaghetti or your favorite pasta!

Christy's Special Pasta

I came up with this recipe for my wife. Well, she wasn't my wife yet we were dating, but I decided to make her a dish with some of her favorite foods.

Ingredients

- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 servings of dried spaghetti
- 12-16 asparagus stems
- 1/2 c. of cooked peppered bacon, crumbled
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 c. sliced green onion (keep a handful of the green part of the onion on the side for garnish)
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. of olive oil (1 Tbsp. for cooking and 1 Tbsp. for tossing the pasta)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 c. water
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Paprika

Season the chick breasts with salt, pepper, and paprika, lightly coat in olive oil and grill for 5-6 minutes on each side or until done through. Take off the grill and rest.

Bend the asparagus towards the bottom and it should snap at the point where it starts getting tough. Once all the asparagus is snapped, rinse and place in a Pyrex dish with salt, pepper, the lime juice, and 1/2 cup of water. Cover with plastic wrap and steam in the microwave for approximately 8 minutes or until tender.

Boil pasta in plenty of water for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. While the pasta is boiling, saute onion and garlic lightly in olive oil, approximately 4 minutes. Put the onions, garlic, and all of the oil in a large mixing bowl. Drain the pasta and place into the mixing bowl containing the onion and garlic, toss until pasta is coated. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese on the pasta and give it one more toss.

Place pasta in individual serving bowls, top with the crumbled bacon, asparagus, and sliced chicken breast. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese and the green onion that was set aside as a garnish.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

This is an excellent fall time recipe that I came up with tonight on a whim. For those of you who are very "measurement" oriented I will try to convert my recipe into measurements for your convenience. I give ranges for some ingredients because of differences in the size of butternut squash.

Ingredients:
- 1 Large Butternut Squash
- 16-24 oz. of Chicken Broth (I used the low sodium variety)
- 1 1/2 c. Milk (I used 1%)
- 1 c. chopped white onion
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 2 tsp. nutmeg
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Sour Cream to garnish

Preheat the oven to 375.

Cut the squash in half, try to keep the halves the same size. Use an ice cream scoop or a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and strings. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the flesh. Pour a small amount of chicken broth in a rectangular baking dish large enough to , like a Pyrex dish, just enough to cover the bottom. Put the squash halves flesh side down in the baking dish and bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes or until the flesh is fork tender.

While the squash is roasting, melt the butter with the olive oil in a pan. When hot add the chopped onion and a dash of salt and pepper. Saute for about five minutes, then add the chopped garlic. Saute another five minutes or until the onions are translucent and the garlic is just starting to turn brown.

When the squash is fork tender, take it out of the oven and let cool. Once cooled scoop the flesh from the skin with the ice cream scoop and place in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, and enough chicken broth to just cover the squash, about 16-24 oz. Bring to a simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes stirring often. After the mixture simmers for 10 minutes, use an immersion blender (or a hand mixer) to completely blend the mixture.

Once the mixture is thoroughly mixed, stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and another dash of pepper. Turn the heat down to low and slowly add the milk while stirring. Add additional seasoning to taste and blend with the immersion mixer to get the desired texture.

When ready to serve, spoon into a bowl and add a dollop of sour cream in the center of the bowl.

Enjoy!

Hot Cocoa

Wow! After an afternoon in the cold hanging Christmas lights, this hot cocoa was just what the Dr. ordered!
Delicious!

Ingredients
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup white sugar
4 cups milk


Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine the cocoa powder and sugar. Add 1 cup of milk and heat over medium heat. Stirring constantly, slowly add remaining milk. Continue to heat until desired temperature is obtained. Do not allow to boil.

Quick and Easy Brownies

Super yummy served warm under a few scoops of ice cream or served solo! Recipe found on Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup walnut halves

Directions

1. Melt the butter or margarine and mix all ingredients in the order given.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan.

Pierogies

Wow! These were so awesome! We added some cheddar cheese to the insides of some and onion flakes to the others. 
This recipe comes from allrecipes.com.
Yields 48 pierogies

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups cold mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 large onions, chopped

Directions

1. Place the sour cream in a large bowl, and mix in flour to make a dough. Roll the dough out on a floured surface about 1/16 inch thick, and cut rounds about 3 1/2 inches across using a cookie cutter or a glass. Re-roll the unused dough to make more rounds, up to 4 times -- after that, it gets hard to work with.
2. Place about 1 teaspoon of mashed potatoes in the center of each dough round, fold over into a half-moon shape, and press and seal the edges with a fork. Set the filled pierogies aside under a towel to prevent drying.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onions until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the cooked onions and set aside, leaving butter in the skillet.
4. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and carefully drop a few filled pierogies at a time into the boiling water. After they float to the surface, allow them to gently boil for about 4 minutes.
5. Re-heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Gently scoop the pierogies out of the water (they break easily) and place them in the skillet to brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Place the fried pierogies on a buttered baking sheet, sprinkle them with the cooked onions, and keep warm in the oven on low setting until served.