Neely's Lemon Pasta Salad

 Flavorful pasta salad, courtesy of the Food Network.

Ingredients:
Salt
1 pound corkscrew pasta
1 pound asparagus
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly chopped dill leaves
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
7 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse. Set aside.

In another large pot of boiling salted water, add the asparagus and blanch until bright green and slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or a spider and shock in icy cold water. Remove from the water and dry well.

Trim the ends of the asparagus and cut into bite-size pieces on the bias.

Whisk together the mustard, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Combine the reserved asparagus and pasta in a large serving bowl. Add the tomatoes, dill, peas, feta, and the mustard dressing. Toss with tongs to coat the salad well. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Tres Leches Cake

A Cinco de Mayo dessert, courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:
Cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled, plus more for baking dish
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
5 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze:
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
Topping:
2 cups heavy cream
5 cups fresh fruit (optional), such as oranges or berries, for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar on high until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine. With a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter until incorporated. Transfer batter to dish and bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through. If you use a metal baking pan, keep a close eye on the cake -- it will be done in about half the time.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milks. Poke warm cake all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick, then pour milk mixture over top and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Whip cream and 1/4 cup sugar to medium peaks. To serve, spread whipped cream evenly over cooled cake. Top with fruit if desired.

Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad

 Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
7 Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch wide slices
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup basil, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped mint
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Grill the eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Place the eggplants side-by-side on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil, and mint. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Cook's note: Plating the eggplant salad this way allowed the cheese to stay bright white. The salt and pepper showed up on it. The herbs remained green and fluffy. The grill marks on the eggplant were distinct.

Macaroni and Cheese

Most amazing Mac & Cheese recipe ever, from the DuMont Restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as featured in The New Brooklyn Cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 pound radiatore, elbow macaroni, or fusilli
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 pound Gruyère, grated, divided
1/2 pound sharp white cheddar, grated, divided
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, toss with the olive oil in a large bowl, and set aside to cool.

3. Meanwhile, combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat; bring to a gentle simmer.

4. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the flour is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue mixing with a wooden spoon until the mixture is a pale golden color, about 4 minutes. Slowly add the hot milk and cream mixture to the flour mixture, whisking constantly to incorporate. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally to keep the mixture from burning. Add half the Gruyère and half the cheddar and whisk until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Add the cooked pasta and toss well to combine. Pour the pasta into a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish or a 3-quart gratin dish. Top with the remaining Gruyère and cheddar and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Allow the mac and cheese to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Grilled Tequila Garlic Lime Flank Steak

 I used the broiler on this recipe - courtesy of Guy Fieri.

Ingredients:
1 cup roughly chopped garlic (approximately 3 bulbs)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (approximately 8 large limes)
1/2 cup clear tequila
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak

Directions:
Combine the garlic, lime juice, tequila, soy sauce, cilantro, peppers, cumin, and black pepper in a resealable plastic gallon bag. Add the steak and let marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, let marinate at room temperature another 30 to 45 minutes.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Remove steak from marinade, reserving marinade. Put marinade in small sauce pot and bring to a boil, then strain and reserve. Put tortillas on the corner of the grill and flip package a few times to heat through while steak is cooking

Place steak on the grill, cook for 4 minutes, turn 180 degrees, and cook for 3 minutes more (to create cross grill marks). Flip over and finish cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Remove from grill to a cutting board, and let rest, lightly covered, for 5 minutes. Slice against grain; serve immediately with reserved marinade.

Tomato Sauce

Simple and amazingly delicious tomato sauce courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:
28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Directions:
Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste (you might find, as I did, that your tomatoes came salted and that you didn’t need to add more) and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Apricot and Lamb Tagine

 Slow cooker recipe courtesy of Cooking Light.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced onion (about 1 large)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup less-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 (6-ounce) package dried apricots, halved
4 cups cooked couscous
 
Directions: 
To prepare tagine, combine the first 15 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Discard cinnamon sticks. Place 1/2 cup couscous on each of 8 plates. Top each serving with 1/2 cup lamb mixture, 1 1/2 teaspoons almonds, and 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley.

Tex-Mex Rice and Bean Casserole

A Weight Watchers recipe (only 5 points per serving!)

Ingredients:
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 cup(s) frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 Tbsp canned green chili peppers, chopped, mild or hot
15 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup(s) cooked brown rice
3/4 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese
3/4 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp uncooked scallion(s), chopped (dark green part only)
2 Tbsp shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 2-quart glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine corn, chilies, beans, rice, 3/4 cup of cheese, sour cream, chili powder, salt and pepper; stir in scallions.

Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and casserole is slightly bubbly, about 10 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes to firm up before slicing into 6 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Grilled Tequila Garlic Lime Flank Steak

Adapted from Guy Fieri's recipe found here.


Ingredients:
1 cup roughly chopped garlic (approximately 3 bulbs)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (approximately 8 large limes)
1/2 cup clear tequila
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak

Directions:
Combine the garlic, lime juice, tequila, soy sauce, peppers, cumin, and black pepper in a resealable plastic gallon bag. Add the steak and let marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, let marinate at room temperature another 30 to 45 minutes.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Remove steak from marinade, reserving marinade. Put marinade in small sauce pot and bring to a boil, then strain and reserve.

Place steak on the grill, cook for 4 minutes, turn 90 degrees, and cook for 3 minutes more (to create cross grill marks). Flip over and finish cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Remove from grill to a cutting board, and let rest, lightly covered, for 5 minutes. Slice against grain; serve immediately with reserved marinade.

Spiced Applesauce Cake

Recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:
For cake
2 cups (8 3/4 ounces or 250 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
3/4 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (6 7/8 ounces or 195 grams) packed light brown sugar (updated weight)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (about 13 ounces or 365 grams) unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces or 50 grams) walnuts (optional), toasted, cooled, and chopped

For frosting
5 ounces (142 grams) cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces or 42 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (4 ounces or 120 grams) confectioners sugar
1/2 (1 teaspoon) teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan. I had no trouble getting my cake out of a nonstick pan by just buttering it, but if you don’t have a nonstick cake pan or are a little nervous, line the bottom with parchment paper and butter that too.

Directions:
Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in applesauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts (if using). The batter will look a little curdly and uneven but don’t worry, it will all bake up perfectly in the end.
Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely. You can speed this up, as I always do, in the fridge.

Make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners sugar and cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.

Do ahead: We were impressed with how well this cake kept for three days but were unable to “research” if it lasted longer. Keep frosted cake in the fridge. If you’d like to bake the cake further in advance, I’d wrap it well and freeze it until the day you need it. Leave it out on the counter to defrost and frost it up to a day in advance.

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Curry

Recipe courtesy of Family Circle.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 onion, sliced
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 15.5-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
5 oz. baby spinach

Directions:
1. Spray the slow cooker bowl with cooking spray and add in cauliflower and onion.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together tomatoes (with juice), water and curry powder. Pour mixture over cauliflower and onion in slow cooker bowl and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours.
3. Stir in chickpeas and baby spinach and add additional curry powder or salt and pepper, if necessary.

Spiced Red Wine-Poached Pears

Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger on Food Network.

Ingredients:
2 cups dry red wine, such as cabernet or merlot (I used Cote du Rhone)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 orange, juiced (about 1/2 cup)
1 (1 by 3-inch) strip orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
4 firm, ripe pears

Directions:
In a 4-quart saucepan, combine wine, sugar, orange juice, zest, cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. While liquid is simmering, peel pears, leaving stem intact and being careful not to blemish the flesh of the pears. Slice 1/2-inch off the bottom of the pears to create a flat bottom. Gently place pears in poaching liquid, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to ensure even color, until pears are cooked but still firm. Remove saucepan from flame, uncover and cool with pears upright in pan.

Once cool, cover and chill in refrigerator at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally, if desired. Gently remove pears from liquid and allow to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, reduce liquid by about half over a medium-high flame for 15 minutes, until liquid is thicker and slightly syrupy. Remove from flame and let liquid come to room temperature. Drizzle each pear with 2 tablespoons syrup and serve.

Pie Crust

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart. My first attempt at making pie crust from scratch - used with my Quadruple Berry Pie recipe.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water

Directions:
Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 5 seconds. Drizzle water evenly over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together, about 10 seconds. (Dough should not be wet or sticky.) Press dough into 1 large disk (for mini pies) or 2 small disks (for large pie), and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Best chocolate cupcake recipe ever, courtesy of Ghiradelli, found on Martha Stewart's site.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
5/8 cup whole milk
1/3 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter

Frosting:
6 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces white chocolate, melted (optional, for decorating)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.

To make the cupcakes, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, and white sugar. Whisk in the milk, coffee, and melted butter. Whisk in the dry ingredients. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake molds, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

To make the frosting, melt the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or in a heatproof bowl, over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Heat the cream until hot. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate. Transfer to a bowl and cool to just warm. Whisk in the butter until smooth. Let sit until it reaches a spreading consistency, about 1 hour. Spread the frosting on top of the cupcakes.

Fit a pastry bag with the smallest plain round tip. Fill bag with melted white chocolate, and use to write on cupcakes.

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Fabulous birthday cake courtesy of Smitten Kitchen. Cookies in the picture are these Ginger Sugar Cookies.

The recipe below is for 4 10-inch layers filled with raspberry filling and coated in chocolate ganache.  
Ingredients:
Cake layers
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Special equipment: two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans

Ganache frosting
1/2 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 stick unsalted butter

Raspberry Filling
2 10-ounce bag frozen raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:
Cake Layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.

Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth. Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable.

Raspberry Filling:
Puree the raspberries in a food processor, blender or immersion blender. Press the puree through a fine-mesh strainer with the back of a spoon, removing the seeds. Heat the puree in a small pot with the sugar and cornstarch until mixture boils, stirring constantly. As it boils, it should quickly thicken.
Let it cool complete before spreading it thinly over three layers. Spread chocolate frosting over top and sides.

Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.

Buttercream Icing for Decorating/Writing:
I used about a fourth of this recipe, found on Leah Cooks Kosher: 
1/2 pound stick butter or margarine, unsalted and at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if your margarine is salted)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or flavored extract if preferred)
2 pounds (about 8 cups) powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
Food coloring, optional


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