In A Nutshell

I love this soup in the cool weather- it is hearty enough for a meal, especially if you have a nice crusty bread to go along with it and could not be easier to make. 1 T olive oil 8 garlic cloves, minced 8 cups chicken broth (preferably home made) vegeta seasoning or chicken bouillon  12 oz. cheese tortellini 2- 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes with their liquid (Muir Glen fire-roasted are best for this soup) 1 lb baby spinach leftover chicken from a roasted or rotisserie chicken (optional) grated parmesan Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic cloves, stirring until fragrant. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add vegeta and a pinch of white pepper. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. Stir in the spinach (it will wilt immediately) and serve with parmesan cheese alongside.

This comes from Rachel Ray magazine; it's deliciousness hinges on the olives you use for the tapenade. I used the spicy olive mix from the Whole Foods olive bar because they are the stuff dreams are made of.... 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 3/4 cup mixed pitted olives 2 T EVOO plus 2 T for cooking the chicken 1/4 c chopped parsley (which I happened to forget) 1 T minced shallot 1 lemon, zested and juiced (a small lemon) Mix everything except the chicken in a small bowl. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and any other seasonings that you like. Fry the breasts in the 2 T EVOO for about 4-6 minutes per side, depending upon thickness. Spoon the tapenade over the chicken.

This delicious recipe comes from Fine Cooking Magazine; I didn't make any changes to their recipe but I think that next time I might make a little more streusel because you can never have enough streusel in my opinion. If it's possible, weigh the flour; I dumped two cups on my scale and it was about 2 oz. more than what the recipe calls for- it would have made for a dry cake if I hadn't weighed the flour. For the Streusel : 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1/4 cup flour 3/4 t cinnamon 1/4 t kosher salt 2 T unsalted butter, melted Stir together all the ingredients. For the Topping : 3 T unsalted butter 3/4 cup sugar 3 cups cranberries (1 bag) 3 T water Butter a 9"X 2" round cake pan and line with parchment- butter the parchment as well. Combine butter and sugar in a 2 quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture looks a litt...

Delicious and healthy.... what more can I say? I used tangerine balsamic vinegar from The Olive Tap; if you can't find an orange balsamic vinegar, use regular and add grated zest from either an orange or a tangerine or clementine. 4 cups very finely chopped kale 1 small red onion, halved and sliced thinly dried cherries orange or clementine segments shredded parmesan cheese chopped toasted hazelnuts 1/4 cup tangerine balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil hearty pinch of salt freshly ground pepper 1/2 t honey 1/2 t dijon mustard Mix vinegar, EVOO, salt, pepper, honey and dijon in a large bowl with a whisk. Add the red onion and let it macerate while you are preparing the remaining ingredients. Add everything else except the cheese and the hazelnuts; let sit for about 20 minutes to soften. Add the nuts and cheese right before serving.

This is kind of a hodge-podge of different recipes; it's very comforting, hearty and delicious. I like to make it the day before serving because it will thicken overnight, therefore requiring less flour.  If you want to serve it the same day, I would suggest using 6 cups of chicken broth to make it thicker and you can always thin it out the next day. 8 cups chicken broth 2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup white wine 4 T butter 1/4 cup flour 2 T olive oil 2 carrots, sliced 1 lb white button mushrooms, sliced 1 small onion, diced leftover chicken meat from a roasted or rotisserie chicken 1 cup wild rice (I used Lundberg Wild Blend), cooked according to package directions 2 -3 T vegeta seasoning (or Maggi chicken bouillon) white pepper, to taste 2 T sherry Heat the olive oil in a large pot; add the onions and saute until softened for about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook on high heat until all the liquid has evaporated; add the carrots and stir to combin...

This is adapted from Rachel Ray magazine. It's a beautiful salad- best served the day it's made. 1 medium red cabbage, shredded or cut very very thin (I used the mandoline for this) 1 large beet (raw), peeled and shredded (I used the food processor for this) 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries 3 T EVOO 3 T balsamic vinegar 1 T cherry jam (I used Smucker's homestyle Cranberry-Cherry jam) 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 t kosher salt pepper Whisk the EVOO, jam, vinegar, Dijon, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Add the beet, dried cherries and cabbage and mix well. Garnish with the walnuts and parsley right before serving. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Let stand about 15 minutes before serving.

This is adapted from Rachel Ray magazine; it's my farewell to summer dish... For the Chicken : 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts juice from 2 small lemons 8 garlic cloves, chopped fine 1 t kosher salt 1 t Dijon mustard freshly ground pepper 2 T extra-virgin olive oil Mix the marinade ingredients; poke holes in the chicken with a fork and put into a glass dish along with the marinade. Let sit for at least a few hours. Grill over high heat for 6 minutes per side. For the Saute : 3 zucchini, cut lengthwise in half and then sliced crosswise into half moons 2 ears of sweet corn, kernels cut off the cob 1 bunch green onions, sliced 1 Fresno pepper, diced 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped parsley hearty handful of arugula 2 T EVOO 1/2 T butter Heat the EVOO and add the corn; saute over high heat for a few minutes. Add the zucchini, green onion and Fresno pepper and stir over high heat for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and then the butter. When t...

This was super flavorful and very easy to make. Adapted from Fine Cooking magazine. Tilapia fillets (however many you need) coconut oil charmoula spice blend Charmoula Spice Blend : 2 T ground cumin 1 T ground coriander 1 1/2 t chili powder 1 1/2 t sweet paprika 1 t ground cinnamon 3/4 t ground allspice 3/4 t ground ginger 1/2 t cayenne 1/2 t turmeric Season fish with salt and pepper; rub both sides with some of the spice blend to cover well. Heat 1 T coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and cook for about 2 minutes per side. I served this with lemon wedges.

I kind of have a love/hate relationship with deviled eggs- every once in a blue moon I get a yen for them but I can only eat them if I make them myself. I don't know why but they sort of gross me out otherwise... it probably has something to do with my aversion towards mayo. I buy a really small jar just for the occasion and that way I know it hasn't been sitting around the fridge indefinitely or else I make my own aioli. At any rate, these were delicious. They are adapted from a segment in Fine Cooking on variations of deviled eggs. 4 peeled hard cooked eggs, cut in half lengthwise 1 heaping tablespoon of mayo (or up to 2 T if you must) 1/2 t Dijon mustard a dash of Tabasco salt and pepper 1 T finely chopped parsley 2 slices chopped, cooked bacon smoked paprika Mash the 4 yolks with the back of a fork; add the mayo, parsley and hot sauce and mash until smooth. Add the bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill the egg whites and sprinkle with paprika.