In A Nutshell

Does anyone remember those little Martha Stewart magazines called 'Everyday Food'? I loved those mini-mags! That is the origin of these most awesome delights- sort of a brownie in cookie form. And the best part is you only have to use one pan! I love that! As always... slightly adapted from the original. 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder 8 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate (Aldi and Trader Joe's both have great chocolate!) 1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 1 cup flour 1 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 1 cup chocolate chunks or chips 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans 1 cup dried cherries maldon sea salt for sprinkling on top Preheat oven to 350º. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter, chocolate and cocoa powder. Whisk in the sugars and then the eggs until smooth. Add the flour, salt and baking powder. Gently fold in the chunks, pecans and cherries. Refrigerate the dough, covered, for 30 minutes. Using a cookie scoop...

At Caputos, our local grocery, they have these wonderful little sandwich size tomato focaccias; if you can't find these, just use some other sort of very flavorful bread (for example, a kalamata olive bread). The homemade aioli makes the sandwich! I am only able to make aioli using a mini food processor- the instructions call for a mortar and pestle so if you know how to do it "old school", more power to you! For the aioli : 2 egg yolks 1 garlic clove 2 T lemon juice 1/4 t salt 1 t Dijon mustard 2/3 cup grapeseed oil 1/2 cup blue cheese or gorgonzola crumbles 1/2 t whole grain mustard 2 T chopped, fresh parsley Put the egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, salt and dijon mustard in a mini food processor; process until combine. Add grapeseed oil (I do this through the top of the processor- there are two very small holes) very, very slowly- process until emulsified. Transfer the aioli to a bowl and add gorgonzola or blue cheese crumbles, the whole grain mustard an...

This recipe comes from Food & Wine magazine-- beyond delicious! I served it with hummus and pickled veggies and olives from the grocery store olive bar. The magazine recommends rosé (which I didn't have on hand) but I had a Côte du Rhône and it went quite well. I want to try it in the crock pot using boneless, skinless chicken thighs and see how that turns out. You could also use the wildly flavorful marinade for chicken breasts and grill them. 2 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs 1/3 cup EVOO 6 T lemon juice 5 garlic cloves, minced 1 t kosher salt 1 T sweet paprika 2 t ground cumin 1 t ground coriander 1 t cinnamon 1/2 t crushed red pepper 1/2 t turmeric 1/2 t black pepper 2 red onions, cut into wedges Whisk all ingredients up until the red onions and marinade the chicken and red onion wedges overnight. Preheat oven to 450º and arrange the chicken and the red onions on a rimmed baking sheet- scrape any excess marinade onto the chicken and onions. Don'...

This recipe comes from a friend in my bunco group; April is an amazing cook/baker and I often badger her for recipes. I love these because they are dainty, tender and very very lemony. I picture having these at Downton Abbey with tea... 2 1/4 cup flour 1/2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 3/4 cup sugar 3 heaping tablespoons lemon zest 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp 1 egg 1 t vanilla extract Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl (or not). Combine sugar and lemon zest; rub with your fingers to work the zest into the sugar until very fragrant. Add the butter and cream until very light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla until smooth and then flour mixture; beat only until combined. Preheat oven to 350º; using a 1 T cookie dough scoop, scoop onto parchment lined rimmed baking sheets (I was able to get 48 cookies if I didn't eat any dough). Press down gently with two fingers to flatten the dough a bit. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool and then spread glaze on top. Gla...

This is another modified Rachel Ray recipe. You feel like you're eating buffalo wings but much healthier! If you want to unhealthy it a bit, serve with Fritos, sour cream and a beer!!! 1 T olive oil 2 T butter 2 lbs ground chicken 1 large carrot, finely diced 3 ribs of celery, finely diced 5 cloves of garlic, minced 1 T smoked mild paprika 1 bay leaf 2 t kosher salt 1/4-1/2 cup Frank's hot sauce (to taste) 1- 15 oz. can tomato sauce 1- 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes or fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 bunch cilantro, chopped Toppings: blue cheese crumbles shredded lettuce shredded carrots sliced celery sour cream? Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large pan and add the chopped vegetables; I cook those for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and softened. Add the paprika and stir to coat the veg. Add the chicken to the veg and increase heat to high; cook the chicken, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Add both types of canned tomatoes, s...