Watermelon and Feta with Mint Salad

What You’ll Need:

• 1 approx 8 lb. seedless watermelon, chilled
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2.5 to 3 limes, juiced
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 cup fresh chopped mint leaves
• 1 to 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese (recommend “Pastures of Eden” from Trader Joe’s)
• 1/4 cups pine nuts
• optional: 3 cups arugula, 1 cup fresh blueberries, 4 slices of smoked bacon (cooked and crumbled)

What To Do:

• Remove rind from watermelon and cut into 1 inch cubes.  Place in strainer to allow liquid to drain while preparing remaining ingredients.
• In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, salt, and black pepper to make the dressing.
• Toss dressing in with watermelon chunks and add mint, feta cheese, pine nuts, and any of the other optional ingredients desired.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until served.

BEEF SHANK & SAUSAGE RAGÙ

What You’ll Need:

• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds hot Italian sausages, casings removed
• 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 pounds 1 1/2-inch-thick beef shanks with bone (about 3 pieces)
• 5 cups chopped onions (about 3 large)
• 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
• 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 fresh bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds multi-grain or whole grain spaghetti OR, my favorite, Pappardelle noodles
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast fennel seeds in small dry skillet over medium-low heat until slightly darker in color and very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add sausage. Cook until brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil to pot. Sprinkle beef shanks with salt and pepper. Add to pot and sauté until brown, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer shanks to bowl with sausage. Add onions to pot and sauté until brown and tender, scraping up browned bits, about 10 minutes. Return shanks, sausage, and any accumulated juices to pot. Add tomatoes with juice, wine, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, crushed red pepper, and toasted fennel seeds. Bring to simmer.
• Cover pot and place in oven. Braise until shanks are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Transfer shanks to work surface. Cut meat off bones and dice. Discard bones. Tilt pot. Spoon off fat from surface of pan juices. Return diced shank meat to pot. Simmer until liquid is reduced enough to coat spoon, about 10 minutes. Season ragù to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta ( I LOVE to use Pappardelle Noodles best for this) in salted water until al dente.  Drain pasta, transfer to large bowl.  Toss with olive oil, and toss to coat.  Add cheese and parsley, and toss to coat.  Season pasta with salt and pepper.
• DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, before continuing.

**This recipe is compliments of Epicurious.com.

MEXICAN STYLE SEAFOOD STEW

What You’ll Need

• 1/2 lb monkfish
• 1/2-3/4 lb extra large prawns (leave shell on)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 limes (2 juiced, 1 cut into wedges)
• 1/2 pound new potatoes, peeled & cut into 3/4 in pieces or thickly sliced
• 4 small pieces frozen corn on the cob or sweet white corn cut off cob
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dry Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dry cumin
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chile powder 
• 1 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems coarsely chopped
• 1 15-ounce can no-salt-added diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 3/4 cup chicken broth (or water with Better Than Boullion)

What To Do:

• Place fish in a shallow dish and season with salt, pepper and lime juice and toss; set aside.
• Place potatoes cuts in a saucepan, cover with water and season with salt. Bring to a boil; add the corn and cook, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes; reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all but 1/3 cup of the chopped onion to the skillet and cook about 4 minutes.
• Sprinkle in thyme, oregano, cumin, garlic, chile powder and 1/2 of the chopped cilantro and combine well;  Cook until soft, about 2 more minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and chicken broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and corn. Add the fish and lime marinade to the skillet and simmer, spooning the sauce over the fish, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide the stew among bowls and top with the remaining onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.  Basics of this recipe were derived from FoodNetwork.com.

CHICKEN PICATTA with MUSHROOMS AND PANCETTA

What You’ll Need

• 1 lb angel hair pasta
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt, pepper, paprika to taste
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp milk
• about 1/2 cup flour (enough to be able to toss chicken in to coat)
• 8 Tbsp olive oil (total)
• 6 Tbsp butter (total)
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 2 oz diced pancetta
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• juice from 2 1/2 to 3 lemons
• about 1/4 cup capers, drained from juices
• salt/pepper, to taste
• Wondra or flour, to thicken
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian leaf parsley

What To Do:

• Place chicken breasts on chopping board, cover with plastic wrap and pound with a kitchen mallet until about 1/4 inch thick.  Cut each breast in 1/2 to make 4 serving pieces.
• Bring 3 Tbsp olive oil and 3 Tbsp butter to med-high heat; Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika (to taste) on both sides of each chicken pieces, dip in mixture of 1 egg and 2 Tbsp milk, then dredge in flour that has been placed in a shallow bowl.  When oil/butter pan is hot, add chicken to the pan and brown on each side about 2-3 min each side.  Remove from heat, cover and set aside.  Chicken does not need to be cooked through completely at this point… just browned.
• Add a couple more Tbsp olive oil to pan, reduce heat to medium, and add pancetta for about 4 min, stirring occasionally; Add mushrooms and chopped onion and cook until onions and mushrooms are soft (about 8 min), stirring occasionally… Can cover the skillet during this time to keep moisture in.
• Add wine to skillet and deglaze with spatula; Add chicken broth, lemon juice and capers; Bring to slow boil, reduce heat and simmer about 5 min; Thicken with Wondra as needed, stirring throughout, until liquid is “nectar consistency.” Add chicken back to finish cooking during last few minutes of thickening process.  Season with salt, pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
• Serve over angel hair pasta that has been cooked according to directions and seasoned with salt and pepper, and tossed in remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil and about 4 Tbsp butter.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

What You’ll Need:

• 1 pkg boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 thighs)
• about 2 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small, white or yellow onion, chopped
• 1 4.25 oz cans chopped olives
• 4 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 Tbsp dry chili powder
• 1 tsp dry cumin powder
• chicken broth reserved from cooking chicken
• Wondra
• 10 flour tortillas
• sour cream
• fresh cilantro

What To Do:

• Rinse chicken and place in large pot; cover with water (approx about 5 cups total); Add salt. Cook chicken on high heat until boiling, then reduce heat to low to simmer for 25 min or until chicken is cooked through.
• While chicken is cooking, heat olive oil in medium skillet on low-med heat, add chopped onions and saute, stirring occasionally for about 7 min; Remove from heat and place in a large mixing bowl to cool.
• Reserving the broth in the pot, remove cooked chicken from it and allow to cool on a cutting surface.  It may also help to cool more quickly if you cut the chicken into a few pieces.
• Add 2 cups grated cheddar cheese and drained olives to onions in the large mixing bowl; Shred chicken with fingers and a fork, and add chicken to the bowl as well; Mix with hands to combine.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray 9×13 inch baking dish with oil spray.
• Run chicken broth through a strainer and place 4 cups of the broth into a medium sauce pan; Add chili powder and cumin and bring back to slow boil; Slowly sprinkle Wondra in while stirring with a whisk… don’t add too much too quickly or it will get lumpy; thicken sauce to nectar consistency.  When at desired consistency, place into a pouring container like a quart-size glass Pyrex measuring cup.
• Place one tortilla in the oil-sprayed baking dish and add a handful of chicken/olive/onion/cheese mixture into tortilla; pour a few tablespoons of sauce along the inside of the enchilada; Roll up and place at the end of the baking dish; Repeat this step and place enchiladas in a row along the pan until full.  You will likely need a second baking dish for overflow.
• Once all enchiladas are formed and in baking dish, pour remaining sauce over the entire surface of all enchiladas evenly; top enchiladas with remaining 2 cups of cheese; Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool a few minutes after cooking an serve hot with fresh cilantro sprinkled on it, and a dollop of sour cream.

GARLIC SHRIMP & CRISPY KALE PASTA

What You’ll Need:

• 1 1b uncooked large shrimp/prawns with shell on
• 1/2 cup cooking Sherry
• 1 lemon
• 10 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• salt to taste
• 3 bunches of dark organic kale, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• more salt/pepper to taste
• 1 1b angel hair pasta
• olive oil &/or butter (to add to pasta after cooking so it won’t stick, add to your liking)
• Everyday Seasoning or 21 Season Salute (from Trader Joe’s) or multi herb seasoning similar
• Parmesan cheese to taste

What To Do: 

• Combine shrimp/prawns, Sherry, juice from 1 lemon, 7 cloves chopped garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper and a sprinkling of salt in bowl and marinate for 20 minutes minimum (the longer the better).
• Prepare salt water on stove to begin cooking process for pasta.
• Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat; Add kale for about 5 min, stirring occasionally; sprinkle with apple cider vinegar (or a little lemon juice) and season with a little salt, pepper and everyday seasoning or 21 Season Salute; continue cooking and stirring occasionally until kale is crispy (about 15-18 min total); lower heat for the last couple of minutes and add 3 garlic cloves, chopped.  Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.
• Bring med-large skillet to med-high heat; Pour in shrimp/prawns and it’s marinade juices; Cook until underside of prawns have turned pink; Flip prawns over and cook other side until color is pink. Don’t overcook shrimp.
• While shrimp is sautéing, cook and drain pasta and add olive oil &/or butter to moisten. Season with salt/pepper and parmesan cheese to taste.
• On each plate, first place pasta, then a helping of kale, and top with shrimp/prawns; After doling out helpings, pour remaining juice in pan over each serving equally; Season with parmesan cheese or salt to individual liking. (Serves 4)

TURKEY GUMBO

What You’ll Need for Turkey Broth:

• 1 turkey carcass
• 3 ribs celery, cut into 4-inch pieces
• 2 medium onions, quartered
• 4 quarts water, or enough to cover the carcass
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves

What You’ll Need for Gumbo:

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 quarts Turkey Broth
• Reserved turkey meat from broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 3/4 lb prawns (optional)
• white rice

What To Do for Turkey Broth:

1. Place the carcass in a large stockpot. Add the celery, onions, water, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours. Remove from the heat. Skim any fat that has risen to the surface.
3. Strain through a large fine-mesh sieve. Reserve any meat that has fallen off the bones and pick off any meat that may still remain on the carcass.
4. Reserve the onions and celery for gumbo. Use right away or store the broth in quart containers in the freezer.

What To Do for Gumbo:

1. Combine the oil and flour in a large cast-iron pot or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.
2. Season the onions, bell peppers, and celery with the salt and cayenne. Add this to the roux and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, the dried thyme and oregano, and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Add the reserved turkey meat and the reserved onions and celery and cook for 15 minutes. Add the parsley and green onions.
3. Serve in soup bowls with rice. (Filé powder can be added at the table according to personal taste.)
4. Note: If you want to make a Turkey Gumbo and don’t have a carcass, roast 3 1/2 pounds of turkey wings until browned and use them for your broth instead and add roasted turkey to the gumbo.

*** This delicious recipe is courtesy of Emerils.com.***

PERFECT BUTTER PIE CRUST

What You’ll Need (yields 1 9-inch pie crust):

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled extra cold and diced
• 1/8-1/4 cup ice water

What To Do: 

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
2. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Can use a pastry blender or pulse in food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs. **TIP: To make butter extra cold, freeze first and add to flour & salt using a cheese grater!
3. Transfer flour, salt and butter mixture into large bowl & gently toss ice cold water into crumbs 1 tsp at a time with a fork just enough for the dough to be able to hold it together and no more. **TIP: Use water that has been chilled in the freezer until ice crystals form. **TIP: Do not use food processor to incorporate water – it’s too easy to overwork the dough, and too much water will make the crust tough.
4.  Make hands cold by running under very cold water, pat dry and form the dough into a flattened ball. The dough should have small bits of butter… this makes the crust flaky.
5. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours but not more than overnight.
6. As you are ready to roll out the dough, realize you may need to roll out the dough twice. The first roll-out is usually crumbly, uneven, and has large breaks. Gently gather in edges to form another ball, flip it smooth-side up, and roll out again. A smooth, round, even crust should be easier the second roll out and fit into a 9 inch pie plate. Use a dusting of flour on the rolling pin and work surface through rolling process if necessary. Don’t over-flour.
7. Use an extra large spatula and transfer to pie plate.

** Note: This recipe yields only ONE 9-inch pie crust. Repeat ingredients and instructions for dough/crust to place on top of pie filling.  Pinch sides together and poke holes in top dough before baking. Or, if you really want to get creative, cut top dough into strips and place in criss-cross pattern as shown in the demo photo. Enjoy!  And Happy Holidays!!

**Source of ingredients & photo is a combination of recipes and techniques from AllRecipes.com.

CHERRY TOMATO-KALE PASTA with GARLIC SCALLOPS

What You’ll Need:

• 1 lb pasta (angel hair, spaghetti, linguini, linguini fini) – Choose your favorite!
• 1 lb sea scallops (rinsed and cleaned)
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped (4 for cooking with scallops, 4 for the tomatoes)
• olive oil
• crushed red pepper to taste
• salt & pepper
• 1 large bunch of kale, spine removed and coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 16 oz cherry tomatoes (I like using a mix from Trader Joe’s of red, yellow & orange)
• “Everyday Seasoning” from Trader Joe’s (in the grinder) or equivalent multi herb seasoning
• salt of garlic salt
• Parmesan cheese
• 8-10 leaves fresh basil to taste

What To Do:

– Boil salted water and cooking pasta according to directions; and add olive oil after cooking; combine to thoroughly coat pasta with olive oil.

– Bring about 2 Tbsp olive oil to medium-high heat. Add scallops and brown on all sides until cooked through. Throw in crushed red pepper to taste. Add 4 chopped garlic cloves to scallops about 2 minute before total cooking time is complete.

– In the meantime, heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet and add kale. lemon juice, salt/pepper and some Trader Joe’s “Everyday Seasoning”. Cook about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

– Cut cherry tomatoes in half; heat another 2 Tbsp olive oil in large medium-sized skillet under medium heat and add tomatoes to pan with kale. Add a little salt & pepper to the tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes. Add 4 chopped cloves of garlic to tomatoes about 2 minute before total cooking time is complete.

– Combine cooked pasta and tomatoes mixture and toss with Parmesan cheese and fresh, sliced basil. Salt as needed. Add more olive oil to loosen pasta as necessary. Enjoy!