Lobster Pie

One of my very favorite cookbooks is one called POT PIES: COMFORT FOOD UNDER COVER. It is full of recipes for, you guessed it, pot pies...but not just the typical kind with the pastry crust. Nope, in this fabulous book basically anything that involves something covering the main ingredient counts as a pot pie, so this cookbook includes Shellfish Pie with Artichoke Crust. And Shepherd's Pie Topped With Garlic Mashed Potatoes. And Tuscan Braised Pork Pie with Polenta Crust.

But my very, very favorite recipe in this book is for something that is simply called Lobster Pie. So let me explain this one a little. It is actually Lobster Pie with a Buttered Parmesan Parsley Breadcrumb Topping.

I know.

I know!

You take two lobsters (which your supermarket has steamed for you and your significant other has shelled for you) and cut the meat into pieces, and heat it up in a sauce made out of butter and flour and clam juice and sherry and cream, and pour it into an oven-safe dish. You probably won't need all the sauce -- just use your best judgement to see how much you need to make it sauced but not too soupy.



Then you take some nice bread - I used french bread -- and whiz it up in your food processor. Add some melted butter and chopped parsley and fresh grated Parmesan cheese to the crumbs and spread it over your lobster mixture.



Bake it all up until the crumbs are golden.



I promise you, it is all you hope and dream it will be.

Lobster Pie, adapted from POT PIES: COMFORT FOOD UNDER COVER.

• 4 tablespoons butter, plus 6 tablespoons melted
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups clam juice
• 1/4 cup sherry
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 lobsters, cooked, shelled and meat cut into chunks
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups soft french bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan and add flour, whisking until smooth. Gradually whisk in the clam stock until the sauce is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes or so.

2. Add sherry and cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add lobster. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Using slotted spoon, transfer lobster to oven-proof casserole and spoon just enough sauce over to cover the lobster without making it too soupy.

3. Preheat oven to 375. Place bread crumbs, parsley and cheese in mixing bowl, pour melted butter over top and mix thoroughly. Spread crumbs over lobster.

4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crumbs are golden. Serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe.

Baked Potatoes with Caviar

We love baked potatoes for dinner in my house. One of the teenager's favorite meals is to take a potato and top it with cheese and a poached egg. Sometimes I contaminate it by adding broccoli, but it is still a popular supper item - click below to see.

Baked Potato with Poached Egg

So I am always on the lookout for baked potato recipes that could serve as a meal unto themselves, and this one was a doozy. The New York Times recently ran a piece on twice-baked potatoes that included a few really tempting recipes, and this was one of them. For those of you who haven't experienced the wonder that is a twice-baked potato, you are basically getting a baked potato and a mashed potato all in one heavenly meal. You bake the potato, cool it a little, scoop out the insides, mash it up with whatever your heart desires, spoon it back into the potato shell, and bake it again until the edges are golden and crusty.

In this case, the potato is rubbed with coarse salt before it is baked so that the salt kind of bakes into the potato skin. (Potato chip-like, if you will.) Then when the potato is nice and baked, the inside is mashed up with creme fraiche (you can also use sour cream), butter, chopped chives and salt and pepper. You stuff this incredible mixture back into the potato, bake it until it is golden, and then...take a deep breath...you top it with a little more creme fraiche and a spoonful of caviar or salmon roe. I found a little jar of inexpensive red caviar right by the canned tuna in my supermarket that worked just perfectly.

The teenager, of course, opted to top hers with a poached egg instead of the caviar and creme fraiche. But the Southern husband and I were in creme fraiche/caviar heaven. Give it a try!

Baked Potatoes with Caviar, from The New York Times

4 large russet potatoes (10 to 12 ounces each), scrubbed well

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 cup crème fraîche, more for serving

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 teaspoons chopped chives

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 ounces salmon roe, for topping.

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Rub potatoes with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pierce twice with a fork (don’t worry if some salt falls off). Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until skin is crispy and insides are tender when pierced with a fork, 60 to 70 minutes.

2. When potatoes have cooled enough to handle, use a sharp knife to slice off tops. Scoop out insides, leaving about 1/4 inch around skin; transfer potato flesh to a bowl. Add crème fraîche, butter, chives, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; mash with a fork until combined.

3. Stuff potato skins with potato mixture. Return potatoes to oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Run under broiler for another 1 to 2 minutes until tops are golden brown and crisp. Serve hot, topped with salmon roe and additional crème fraîche, if desired.

Yield: 4 large servings.

Click here for printable recipe

Pasta with Shrimp and Feta Cheese Sauce

This recipe is so quick and so easy and SO delicious, and it's all about one of my favorite appliances. The food processor. Yep, as long as you can boil water and push the on button, you are all set with this one, and that's my kind of dinner on a weeknight.

First the water-boiling part. Fill up a good sized pot with water and put it on to boil. While you are waiting for it to boil, cut up some tomatoes and toss them in a bowl. Any kind of tomato will do. I had some nice cherry tomatoes when I made this.

Ok, now comes the fun part. Toss the following into your food processor: scallions, fresh thyme, feta cheese, cottage cheese. Press the button until it is all nice and creamy, and then taste it to see if it needs any salt and pepper. Then scoop it into the bowl with the tomatoes.

Your water should be boiling by now. Drop your shrimp in and cook them for about 2 minutes, just until they are nice and pink. Without turning the water off, scoop them out with a slotted spoon, drop them into the bowl with the sauce and give it all a stir.

Drop some of this into the still-boiling water....



And when it is done, drain it, toss it with the sauce, and dinner is served. Grind a little fresh pepper on top, and nobody will ever know that this involved exactly one mixing bowl and a pot of boiling water. And your trusty food processor, of course!

Pasta with Shrimp and Feta Cheese Sauce

• 4 scallions
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 6 ounces feta cheese
• 9 ounces cottage cheese
• 12 ounces raw shrimp, shelled
• 12 ounces tomatoes, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 9 ounces spaghetti

1. Boil water for pasta.
2. Chop scallions and thyme together in food processor.
3. Add feta and cottage cheese to processor and blend until creamy.
4. When pasta water boils, add shrimp, cook for 2 minutes or until done, and remove from water with slotted spoon, keeping water at a boil. Add shrimp to cheese sauce.
5. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and add pasta to sauce, toss thoroughly and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Tarragon Chicken Salad

Summer is getting so close I can almost taste it, and one of the things I love best about summer is having my wooden barrels full of herbs. I plant little basil, parsley, thyme, mint, sage, rosemary and tarragon plants, and by the middle of July I am doing everything I can to keep up with them.



But right now, in the middle of April, it is just a little bit risky to be putting those tender little baby plants out yet, and so my barrels are sitting out there with nothing in them but last year's dirt. And so perversely, all I want to make are recipes that call for fresh basil, parsley, thyme, mint, sage, rosemary and tarragon. Which means I have to dip into the teenager's college tuition fund to actually BUY them at the supermarket, but some things have to be done.

And speaking of the supermarket, this particular recipe is the closest I have ever come to replicating the awesome but extremely expensive chicken salad at Whole Foods. It is a snap to make, and while you CAN use dried tarragon, using fresh makes all the difference. See dilemma above.

Tarragon Chicken Salad

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and torn into bite size shreds (I like to grill my chicken for this recipe, it gives the salad an even better taste!)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (or 1/2 tablespoons dried, if you must.)
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Whisk sour cream and mayo together and pour over chicken.
2. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. You can serve cold or at room temperature.

Click here for printable recipe

Coconut Snowballs

Two things.

First of all, I realize that I already have a post on the blog called Coconut Snowball Cookies. They are the ones that look like this:



And they are very scrumptious cookies.

But then I found a recipe elsewhere for something called Coconut Snowballs, and these cookies were actually pretty different from my other coconut snowball cookies, and so I wracked my overworked brain for something else to call the new guys. And I came up with...nothing. So sorry about all the coconut snowball confusion, but I can promise that both of these recipes are very worth making.

Second thing is this: you'd think that I would be organized enough to make something called "Coconut Snowballs" when it looked like this outside:

Instead of like this:

But at this point, I am complicating just about everything that has to do with the whole coconut snowball thing, so I figured I would just go ahead and post the darn thing. Because they ARE melt in your mouth delicious, and to be honest, there's no wrong time to make a coconut cookie, right?

Here's the recipe. :-)

Coconut Snowballs, from Everyday Food

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for dusting
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Mix in flour and salt until they're just combined. Stir in coconut.
2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake until just starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Roll the warm cookies in confectioners' sugar; let cool completely.

Click here for printable recipe

Rosemary Merlot Flank Steak

Well, it's now reliably over 50 degrees most days here in the Northeast, and you know what THAT means.

It's GRILLING time.

Not that the resilient and reliable Southern husband won't happily dig the grill out from under a snowbank in the middle of February if I really need him to.

But let's face it, it's a lot more fun when the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and you don't have to wear your snow boots. This recipe is the perfect one to kick off grill season, and if you don't count the time I sent him outside in a snowstorm to roast those tomatoes for me, it's the first time the Southern husband has seriously cranked up the grill in 2010.

You need a nice flank steak for this one, and you marinate it for at least 30 minutes in a mixture of chopped onions, beef broth, chopped fresh rosemary, salt, oregano and (here's the beauty part) about a cup of red wine. I love a nice glass of merlot, so that's what my steak got to marinate in.

Once you have the steak on the grill, have someone reliable keep an eye on it while you make the sauce, which is basically a mixture of that marinade you just soaked the steak in, with some tomato paste and Dijon mustard stirred in. Boil it for about 7 minutes until it is reduced to about a cup. When the steak comes off the grill, slice it up and pour some of that sauce over the top, and summer will seem just around the corner.

Rosemary Merlot Flank Steak

1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 minced garlic cloves
1 pound flank steak
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1. Combine first seven ingredients in plastic bag, add steak and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

2. Remove steak, reserving marinade. Grill steak for 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes and then slice against grain.

3. While steak cooks, combine leftover marinade, tomato paste and mustard in small pot. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to one cup, about 7 minutes. Serve sauce over steak.

Click here for printable recipe

Mascarpone Semifreddo with Strawberries and Black Pepper Honey

The other day I posted a great recipe for crostini with lemony mascarpone and peppers, created and cooked by the wonderful chef Jessica Marotta from Campagnia restaurant, and I promised that I would follow up promptly with Jessica's recipe for Mascarpone Semifreddo with Strawberries and Black Pepper Honey. And here it is!

Jessica is the latest chef that I have been lucky enough to photograph for our local Meet the Chefs series, and she taught us all about mascarpone. She makes her own, and she brought a delicious bowl of it with her.

And she also told us (phew!) that these recipes would work just fine if we used store-bought mascarpone, so hang in there with me. We are now going to make mascarpone semifreddo. Which means ice cream. Really, really, really good ice cream. First Jessica beat some egg yolks and confectioner's sugar until it was gorgeously fluffy.

Then she whipped up some heavy cream, vanilla and more confectioner's sugar, and mixed that with some of the mascarpone. Then she folded it into the egg yolk mixture.

At this point you are supposed to freeze it for 8 hours until it is all chilled and ice creamish. Luckily for us in the audience, Jessica had made a lot of it ahead of time and was just walking us through the steps so we could immediately go home and make our own. Whew!

Next she cut up some gorgeous looking strawberries...

She had some leftover lemons from the crostini recipe, so she mixed a little lemon juice into the berries.

Yum.

Then it was time for the assembly. A few scoops of the semifreddo. Some strawberries on top...

Then...get ready...she combined some honey and some fresh ground black pepper together to make a sauce that was both sweet and spicy and out of this world. Which she then drizzled on the ice cream. I thought the audience was going to fall out of their folding chairs.

It was sweet and cold and a little bit spicy and 1000% delicious.

Jessica's amazing recipe is below. And if you are in the area, make sure you stop in at Campagnia. They have a whole menu that is as fabulous as this dessert. Thanks, Jessica!

Mascarpone Semifreddo with Strawberries and Black Pepper Honey, by Jessica Marotta

Ingredients

4 cups heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

8 ounces (1 cup) mascarpone

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

10 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1 quart strawberries, cleaned and sliced into quarters

¼ cup wildflower honey, or any unfiltered honey

¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

To make the semifreddo; In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine yolks and 1 cup sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, then turn mixer to high and beat for an additional 5 minutes, or until the yolks are light and fluffy. Transfer the yolk mixture to a large mixing bowl. In a clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer, combine heavy cream, vanilla bean seeds (or vanilla extract) and confectioners sugar. Whisk cream mixture on medium-low for 2 minutes, then increase speed to medium and whisk until soft peaks form. Add mascarpone, and whisk on low until incorporated. Gently fold cream mixture into yolk mixture, until there are no streaks. Transfer semifreddo to a frezzer proof container. Freeze at least 8 hours before serving.

To make the black pepper honey; Combine honey and pepper in a bowl and stir thoroughly.

To assemble; Scoop semifreddo into serving dishes, top with strawberries and drizzle with a small amount of black pepper honey. Let semifreddo stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften before serving.

Click here for printable recipe

Crostini with Lemony Mascarpone and Sweet Fiery Peppers

The other day I got to photograph the latest event in our local Meet The Chefs series. I do love these assignments, because not only do I get to meet some amazing chefs, I also get both eat their scrumptious creations AND find out how they make them. This time the chef was the wonderful Jessica Marotta from Campagnia restaurant in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Here's Jessica in her natural habitat at Campagnia....

And here she is ready to show all of us how to make these fabulous crostini.

Jessica's theme for the event was mascarpone cheese, which she makes herself, and which she used in both this recipe and a dessert recipe that I will post later. Luckily for me, she promised it was perfectly okay to use store bought mascarpone. I have mastered making my own ricotta, but mascarpone...I might need to work my way up to that. Anyway, she started out by showing us how to make the peppers. She cut them up into nice thin strips in that lightening fast way that chefs can do. (I love watching them do that.)

And cooked them in olive oil and garlic until they were soft...

And then marinated them in vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Oh yes.



Then it was time to make the lemony mascarpone. She had a lovely pile of lemons.

And here is her mascarpone cheese. Which she made herself. Have I mentioned I will be purchasing mine from the store when I make this recipe myself?

She grated the lemon peel right into the bowl of cheese, and then added some salt and pepper and mixed the whole heavenly thing together.

Then she pulled out a tray of these crostini, which is made out of french bread slices that have been drizzled with olive oil, toasted, and then drizzled again. (Everything is better when drizzled with olive oil.)

Okay! Take a crostini. Spread some lemon mascarpose on top. Spoon on some peppers. More olive oil drizzled on top.

Oh, my goodness gracious. Yes, they DO taste that good. I photographed them, and then I ate them, and then I ate some of the leftovers after the event was over. I couldn't help myself.

Coming up next: I will show you how Jessica taught us how to make...are you ready?...Mascarpone Semifreddo with Strawberries and Black Pepper Honey. Semifreddo is Italian, and it means "the best ice cream you will ever eat in your life." For those of you who can't wait, click here to visit Campagnia. It's truly wonderful. And in the meantime, here is Jessica's recipe.

Crostini with Lemony Mascarpone and Sweet and Fiery Peppers, from Jessica Marotta

Crostini

1 baguette, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mascarpone

12 ounces mascarpone

2 lemons, zested

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Peppers

2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into 2 by 1/8 inch strips

1 to 2 hot chile peppers, cut into 1/8 inch strips, seeds removed if less heat is desired

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 to 4 cloves garlic, smashed with the back of a knife

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 to 5 basil leaves, torn

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

To Make Crostini:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange bread in a single layer on sheet pan and drizzle with oil. Bake about 10 minutes or until toasts are light golden brown. Remove pan from oven and drizzle again with oil and let cool.

To Make Mascarpone:

In a large bowl, combine mascarpone, lemon zest, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add more salt and pepper if desired.

To Make Peppers:

Heat olive oil in medium saute pan over medium heat until hot. Add peppers and cook for one minute. Reduce heat to low and cook for and additional 25-30 minutes or until the peppers are very soft and the oil has taken on a reddish color. Add garlic cloves and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vinegar, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Once refrigerated, peppers will hold for about one week.

To Assemble: Using a spoon, spread the lemony mascarpone on the crostini, top with warm peppers.

Click here for printable recipe

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

I am always a little skeptical about whether lasagna is really, truly worth it. I mean, we've all had it one million times, and it's always kinda the same. But every once in a while I run across a recipe that restores my faith in lasagna, and this was one of them. Roasted vegetable lasagna that involves a sauce made of roasted tomatoes and a filling that includes roasted butternut squash and sauteed spinach.

It all comes together for a beautiful layered look that melts the heart of even a lasagna-doubter like myself...

I used lovely fresh mozzarella and ricotta and that helped (and in case you have not heard me go on and on about my adventures in ricotta-making, please click here. Or you can do what normal people do and get your fresh ricotta at Whole Foods.)

So if you are looking for a delicious and different lasagna, this ones for you. It also uses those no-boil noodles that I never think are going to work but they always magically DO! It's one of the great mysteries in life.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne, adapted from Everyday Foods

14 plum tomatoes (about 3 pounds total), halved lengthwise
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced inch thick
3 bunches (about 2 1/2 pounds total) spinach, trimmed and washed
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
9 to 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (from a 9-ounce package)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into pieces

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes with 2 tablespoons oil, oregano, and two-thirds the garlic; season with salt and pepper. Brush another rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange squash in one layer; season with salt and pepper. Roast squash until tender, about 20 minutes, and tomatoes until slightly shriveled, about 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. In a blender or food processor, puree the tomato halves. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add remaining garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Gradually add 2 pounds spinach and toss until wilted, about 4 minutes. Transfer spinach to a strainer and press to release liquid. When cool, chop spinach and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, mix ricotta, cup Parmesan, egg, and nutmeg until smooth; season with salt and pepper.

3. Lightly oil a 9-inch square baking dish. Spread one-quarter the tomato sauce in dish, top with 3 to 4 noodles, breaking to fit as needed. Top with half the ricotta mixture, the squash, one-quarter the tomato sauce, and 3 to 4 noodles. Top with remaining ricotta mixture, cooked spinach, one-quarter the sauce, and 3 to 4 noodles. Top with remaining sauce, 1/2 pound mozzarella, and cup Parmesan.

4. Set rack in middle of oven. Bake lasagna on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let lasagna cool 15 minutes before serving.

Click here for printable recipe

Mini Sloppy Joes

Okay, so I love absolutely anything in mini-form. Mini M&Ms. Mini Snickers bars. Actually, mini-bars of any kind. And I also love sloppy joes, except for the fact that they are so, well, sloppy. It's distracting when the bite that you thought was headed for your mouth actually ends up on the plate. Or your lap. Or the floor (although the dog lives for moments like that.)

So I was so happy with these little guys. First of all, you get three of them on your plate. Three sloppy joes instead of one, it just makes my heart sing. Second, there is the whole mini thing. You can finish each one off in 2 or 3 bites, and pretty much the whole thing stays together. And I also loved the little avocado slice on top. It made the sloppy joe almost elegant! I wanted to show you guys a picture that would demonstrate the actual mini size of these babies, and so I scoured the house for a comparable object that would show the approximate size....

The recipe is below, but you can also use your own favorite sloppy joe recipe for this one because honestly, it's all about the mini-ness of it. And don't worry about finding mini-rolls because those shown above are made out of a hot dog roll cut into three pieces. I know, it's just too good to be true, right?

Mini-ness. Happy sigh.

Mini Sloppy Joes, adapted from Everyday Food

• 1 1/4 pounds ground beef chuck
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can tomato puree, (14.5 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4 hot dog rolls, cut into mini buns
• 1/2 ripe avocado, thinly sliced

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef, breaking apart pieces with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add pureed tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, tomato paste, Worcestershire, and 1 1/2 cups water. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Divide evenly among the mini buns.

Click here for printable recipe

Chicken with Mustard Wine Cream Sauce

This very well might be my all-time favorite dependable easy-but-elegant dinner recipe. Manageable enough to make for a crowd, easy enough to make for a lovely weeknight supper, elegant enough for entertaining, and 1000% reliable. Now, how many things can you say THAT about?

Here’s what you do: take a couple of boneless chicken breasts and pound them with a mallet or the bottom of a jar until they are nice and flat and all your frustrations are worked out. Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and lay those babies in there. Grind some fresh pepper on top and sprinkle them with salt, and don’t touch them for 6 minutes, then flip them over. Cook another 6 minutes, and by now they are nice and brown and done. Take them out and put them on a plate and cover them with foil. Now pour ¼ cup of white wine into the pan, and let it boil for about a minute. Pour in ½ cup cream, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard and about 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme and stir it all up until it is simmering nicely. Add in any juices from the plate where the chicken is resting. Let it simmer for about two minutes, during which time you can steam some nice thin asparagus.

The assembly: Nice little pool of mustard sauce on the plate. Lay some asparagus on top of the sauce. Chicken on top of that. Drizzle more sauce over all. Grinding of fresh pepper on the top. Light some candles, pour a glass of merlot, and dinner is served. How easy is that?

This fabulous sauce also works wonders with veal cutlets, shrimp and filet mignon. Just so you know. I wouldn't pour it over chocolate chip cookies, but pretty much anything else can benefit from a nice dose of mustard sauce. Don't you think?

Chicken with Mustard Wine Cream Sauce, adapted from Everyday Food

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine, or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; saute until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate; keep warm.
2. Pour wine into hot skillet; cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Whisk in cream, mustard, and thyme. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
3. Pour any accumulated chicken juices into sauce. Right before serving, pour a little cream sauce on plate. Place chicken (with any veggies you are using, I like asparagus) on top, and drizzle remaining sauce over chicken.

Click here for printable recipe

Frito Chili Pie

Before I get into what this dish is all about, I would like to go on record as saying I have served my family the following in the past:

Quinoa.

Edamame.

Tuna salad with no mayonnaise whatsover.

So please forgive me for the meal I am about to describe to you.

Yes, I made my beloved family an entree that featured this as one of the two major ingredients:

And this as the second one:

I would like to point out that the Fritos have ZERO, and I mean ZERO trans fats. (Keep in mind that I have no idea what trans fats are, but I'm thinking this is a good thing). As for the chili...I have no decent excuse for that one.

However, you can't go through your entire life without having this completely ridiculous salty extravaganza at least one. There is an even more outrageous version of this that involves opening a single serve bag of Fritos, pouring some chili on top of that, nuking it and eating the whole contraption out of the bag...at least I put this in lovely dishes. And I added a vegetable.

That counts, right?

The cheese in this dish really should be one of those neon-orange varieties of cheddar, but since what I always have on hand is the lovely white Vermont cheddar that is what I used. If cheddar cheese could talk it would probably be hollering "Get me out of here, stat!!" However, it does all come together to be a pretty rocking good taste sensation at the end of the day.

I will now be heading directly to the treadmill, so please excuse me.

Frito Chili Pie

• 2 cans chili
• 1 8 ounce bag of Fritos
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cups shredded cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 2 quart casserole

2. Layer ingredients in casserole in this order: half of the Fritos, then all of the onion, then one cup cheese, then all of the chili, then the rest of the Fritos, then the rest of the cheese.

3. Bake until bubbly, 15-20 minutes.

4. Go to confession and sin no more.

Click here for printable recipe

Bistro Salad

Oh, I love this recipe. Can you fry an egg? Can you make a salad? Then you can make this lovely elegant number that is light and delicious and colorful. This is one of those dinners (and sometimes lunches) that I always have on call for those days when I have run out of clever ideas for what to make for dinner...or those nights when whatever clever idea I DID have on the menu just seems too exhausting.

So here's the scoop: you cook up a few pieces of bacon however you like to make it (I'm currently a fan of baking it in the oven, it's fool-proof and a lot less messy than the stove). Mix up a quick and easy mustard dressing, which you toss with mixed up greens -- your choice but personally I like romaine. Fry up as many eggs as you have people. Or poach them - whatever you like best. Then it goes like this: bed of salad, egg on top, chopped cooked bacon scattered over all, a little fresh ground pepper. If you cook the egg so that the yolk is not too firm, the egg will add to the dressing and you are in Bistro Salad Heaven.

If I have some French or Italian bread around, I will slice and toast it and spread it with whatever soft cheese I have in the fridge...or if not, a little butter will do. Arrange those artfully on the side of the plate and your lucky fellow diners will think you have been planning this meal for days.

Bistro Salad, adapted from Cooks Illustrated, The Best 30 Minute Recipe

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 shallot, peeled
i clove garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
Salt and fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
12 baguette slices
2 tablespoons olive oil, toasted
your favorite spreadable cheese -- Brie, Boursin, etc.
8 slices bacon, chopped and cooked
1 tablespoon butter
4 eggs
10 cups of your favorite lettuce variety

1. First, make dressing by processing vinegar, mustard, shallot, garlic, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in blender or small food processor for 15 seconds. Add oil and process until emulsified, about 15 seconds.

2. Drizzled baguette toasts with olive oil and spread with your favorite cheese, set aside.

3. Fry eggs in butter until desired doneness (about 2 minutes for soft yolks, 3 for soft set and 4 for firm set.)

4. While eggs are cooking, toss lettuce with bacon and enough dressing for your taste (start with 1/3 cup and add more as needed). Divide among plates.

5. When eggs are done, slide one onto each plate and arrange cheese toasts around the edge. Grind fresh pepper over all and serve.

Click here for printable recipe.