Chiken and broccoli pasta

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch dried oregano
18 ounces dry penne pasta
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and add chicken; cook until slightly brown. Add onion and garlic to cook for about 5 minutes or until garlic is golden and onions are translucent.
Add tomatoes, broccoli, salt, pepper and oregano; stir well and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down heat to simmer for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender; drain and add back into pot. Pour chicken sauce into pot and mix well.
Add basil and toss well; top with Parmesan cheese. Serve.

Ground Chiken Basil

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 pound ground chicken breast
12 Thai chiles, sliced into thin rings
2 teaspoons black soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 cup fresh basil leaves


DIRECTIONS
1. Heat a wok over high heat until smoking. Pour in peanut oil, then immediately add garlic. Stir-fry garlic until it begins to turn golden brown, about 20 seconds. Mix in the ground chicken and continue cooking and stirring until the meat is crumbly and no longer pink, about 2 minutes.

2. Stir in the sliced chilies, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Cook for about 15 seconds to soften the chilies, then add the basil, and continue cooking until the basil has wilted.

Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Ingredient note)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1 1/2 cups diced peeled carrots
1 1/2 cups diced peeled parsnips
1 1/2 cups diced peeled butternut squash
1 cup diced peeled beet
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 head garlic
1 cup crumbled creamy goat cheese, divided
1 egg mixed with
1 tablespoon water for glazing

Cooking Directions:
To prepare crust: Combine all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse several times. Mix water and oil; sprinkle over the dry ingredients and pulse just until blended. Add olives and pulse to mix. (Alternatively, combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the water-oil mixture, stirring until well blended. Stir in olives.) Press the dough into a disk; if it seems dry, add a little more water. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
To prepare filling: Combine carrots, parsnips, squash, beet, 1 tablespoon oil, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spread the vegetables on the prepared baking sheet. Cut the tip off the head of garlic. Set on a square of foil, sprinkle with a tablespoon of water and pinch the edges of the foil together. Place the packet on the baking sheet with the vegetables. Roast, stirring the vegetables every 10 minutes, until they are tender and beginning to brown and the garlic is soft, about 35 minutes. (The garlic may take a little longer.)
Transfer the vegetables to a bowl. Unwrap the garlic and let cool slightly. Squeeze the garlic cloves into a small bowl; add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and mash with a fork. Add the mashed garlic to the roasted vegetables and toss to mix. Add 3/4 cup goat cheese and toss to coat.
To assemble galette: Roll the dough into a rough 14-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and place the dough on it. Arrange the roasted vegetables on the dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold the border up and over the filling to form a rim, pleating as you go. Scatter the remaining 1/4 cup goat cheese over the vegetables. Stir egg and water briskly; brush lightly over the crust.
Bake the galette at 400 degrees F until the crust is golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Yield: 8 servings

Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground lamb
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup beef broth
1 cup tomato puree

Cooking Directions:
In a bowl, mix the lamb with the egg, bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon of the mint. Season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls.
Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet. Add the meatballs and fry over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 4 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate.
Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of mint and puree.
Return the onion puree to the skillet. Add the broth, tomato puree and meatballs and simmer over low heat until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Yield: 4 servings

Fudge Torte

Ingredients:
1/3 cup low-fat sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 (18.25 ounce) package Pillsbury(R) Moist Supreme(R) Devils Food Cake Mix
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup oil
1 (15 ounce) can sliced pears in light syrup, drained
3 eggs
1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts or pecans
2 teaspoons water
1 (17 ounce) jar butterscotch caramel ice cream topping
1/3 cup milk

Cooking Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9 or 10-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. In small saucepan, combine filling ingredients; cook over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally.
In large bowl, combine cake mix, cinnamon and oil; blend at low speed for 20 to 30 seconds or until crumbly. (Mixture will be dry.)
Place pears in blender container or food processor bowl with metal blade; cover and blend until smooth.
In another large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of the cake mix mixture, pureed pears and eggs; beat at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Spread batter evenly in sprayed pan. Drop filling by spoonfuls over batter. Stir nuts and water into remaining cake mix mixture. Sprinkle over filling.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool 10 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Cool 1 1/2 hours or until completely cooled.
In small saucepan, combine sauce ingredients; cook over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until well blended, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, spoon 2 tablespoons warm sauce onto each individual dessert plate. Top each with wedge of torte. If desired, serve with ice cream and garnish with chocolate curls.
Yield: 12 servings

Chessecake

Ingredients:
8 graham crackers (about 5 inches x 2 1/2 inches)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 lemon, zested and juiced

Cooking Directions:
Make the crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Crimp overhang under rim of pan.
In a food processor, blend graham crackers with sugar until finely ground; add butter and pulse until moistened.
Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and pat in gently (wipe processor bowl clean, and reserve for making filling). Bake until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. While crust is baking, make filling.
Make the filling: Place cream cheese in food processor; blend until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice; blend until smooth.
Pour mixture onto hot crust in pan; smooth top. Return to oven, and bake until set (filling should jiggle only slightly when pan is gently shaken), 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool completely in pan. Cover very loosely with plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days). Use foil overhang to lift cheesecake out of pan. With metal spatula, lift cheesecake from foil; cut into 16 squares.
Yield: 16 servings

Meatloaf

Ingredients
3 slices white bread
1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 stalk celery, strings peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
1/2 cup ketchup
4 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
8 ounces ground pork
8 ounces ground veal
8 ounces ground round
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more needles for sprinkling
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch-thick rings

Cooking Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove crusts from bread, and place slices in the bowl of a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form, about 10 seconds. Transfer breadcrumbs to a large mixing bowl. Do not substitute dried breadcrumbs in this step, as they will make your meatloaf rubbery.
Place carrot, celery, yellow onion, garlic, and parsley in the bowl of the food processor. Process until vegetables have been minced, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. (Chopping vegetables this way saves time and ensures that vegetables will be small enough to cook through and not be crunchy). Transfer vegetables to bowl with the breadcrumbs.
Add 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, pork, veal, beef, eggs, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and rosemary. Using your hands, knead the ingredients until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. The texture should be wet, but tight enough to hold a free-form shape.
Set a wire baking rack into an 11-by-17-inch baking pan. Cut a 5-by-11-inch piece of parchment paper, and place over center of rack to prevent meat loaf from falling through. Using your hands, form an elongated loaf covering the parchment.
Place the remaining 3 tablespoons ketchup, remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the glaze over loaf. Place oil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. When oil is smoking, add red onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden in places. Add 3 tablespoons water, and cook, stirring, until most of the water has evaporated. Transfer onion to a bowl to cool slightly, then sprinkle onion over the meatloaf.
Bake 30 minutes, then sprinkle rosemary needles on top. Continue baking loaf until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160 , about 25 minutes more. Let meatloaf cool on rack, 15 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings