Drinks

Appetizers

Main Courses

Breakfast

Desserts

Drinks

Jen's Peach-Pom 'Rita

  • 2 shots of Tequila (a peppery kind; recommend Sauza or better)
  • 1 shot Peach Schnapps
  • 3/4 shot Gran Gala or Gran Marnier

  • 3/4 shot Key West Lime Juice (this stuff rocks, it's good to have around the house for many purposes)
  • 1 - 1.75 shots of Pomegranate juice

In a shaker, add ice, then add ingredients. Shake, then pour into glasses. Should serve one tumbler or Mason Jar or two martini glasses.

Raspberry Mint Margaritas

  • 5-6 leaves fresh mint from the garden
  • 1 tsp raw cane sugar
  • 2 shots white tequila
  • 1 shot Peach Schnapps
  • 1 shot Gran Gala
  • 3/4 shot Key West Lime Juice
  • handful of raspberries
  • handful of ice

Muddle together mint and cane sugar until mint is a rough paste. In a shaker, add ice, mint-sugar muddle, raspberries, and alcohol. Shake vigorously, then pour (or strain, if you like) into two glasses. Optionally, use large tumblers and top off with seltzer for a lighter, more summery drink.

Jen's Favorite Pom & Gin

In a large tumbler, add ice, then add the following ingredients:

  • 2 fingers gin (I like Hendrick's, but it doesn't much matter)
  • 2 fingers Pomegranate Juice
  • 1 finger Key West Lime Juice
  • Splash red wine (optional)
  • Seltzer/sparking water to the top of the glass (any flavor is good, I've been happy with lime, lemon-lime, black cherry, raspberry...)

Mix w/spoon or knife or mixing stick or what have you. Drink.

Steve's Sage Cider

Muddle 1 tsp finely chopped sage with 1 shot bourbon and 1 tsp powdered sugar. Add 1 shot Gran Gala (cognac might also work), 1/3 shot Key West Lime Juice and 1/2 shot orange juice. Shake and strain into a martini glass -- hopefully little pieces of sage will strain through as a garnish.

Steve's Sage Praline

Add 1 shot cheap Scotch, 1 half shot of Praline Liqueur, a few leaves of fresh, finely chopped sage. Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass.

Appetizers

Pepperoni Rolls

This is a modified family recipe from the West Virginia side. I think they were invented by coal miners' wives, an easy food to transport.

  • Pepperoni (my grandmother uses a large sausage cut into long quarters, but slices are just as good)
  • Bread dough (my aunt uses frozen, but I am partial to the recipe at PizzaTherapy.com . I use this recipe for pepperoni rolls, thin-crust pizza, thick-crust pizza, calzones, bread bowls, and probably something else I don't remember)
  • Mozzarella cheese, cut into small squares or triangles (optional)

There are two ways to do this:

  • The traditional way -- roll the dough into roll-sized portions and allow to rise. Poke a hole in the middle, insert the pepperoni stick, and close the hole back up. Bake in the oven at 350 F for 20-30 minutes.
  • My weird way -- roll the dough out to about 1/2 thick. Cut into triangles. Place pepperoni slices (two is the best, but one is fine) and mozzarella pieces on the dough and fold over, pinching at seams to close it up. Spray with olive oil cooking spray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Granny Gene's Hush Puppies

  • 3/4 cup white corn meal
  • 1/2 cup self-rising flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp grated onion
  • 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
  • 3 tbsp minced pepper (red & green)
  • milk

Add milk until the batter is the consistency of cupcake batter. The batter should cling to a spoon and have to be pushed off with a finger. In fact, this is what you should do -- repeatedly, into a deep fryer of peanut oil @ 350 F.

Creamy Bacon Vinaigrette Salad

  • 1 head lettuce (butter lettuce is yummy, but any kind you like is fine)
  • Misc favorite salad ingredients (cherry tomatoes, carrots, croutons, etc.)
  • 6 strips bacon
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed or crushed
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp light mayo
  • 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp confectioner's sugar
  • Dash ground pepper

Rinse and tear up lettuce, set aside. Heat skillet to med-high heat. Cut bacon into 1/2 inch squares and place in skillet. While bacon is frying, use wisk to thoroughly mix vinegar, mayo, mustard, adding ground pepper to taste. When the bacon is crispy, remove it from the pan, placing it on paper towels to drain. Turn the heat off and pour all but 3-4 Tbsp of bacon grease into another container for disposal or later use (bacon grease is an excellent popcorn oil!). When the grease in the pan has cooled down a bit, add crushed garlic, stirring until lightly browned. Pour bacon grease into vinegar and mayo mixture, add confectioner's sugar, and wisk until smooth and cool. Mix dressing with lettuce and any other salad vegetables and refrigerate. When ready to serve, add bacon and croutons to salad and serve.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

  • 6-7 fresh raspberries
  • 1/4 cup red wine/bordeaux vinegar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp italian seasoning (oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, sage)
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 3-4 grinds salt
  • 3-4 or more grinds coarse pepper

Add ingredients to small tupperware container with tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until all ingredients are mixed and raspberries have come apart into small pieces. Pour as desired over salad (great over fresh mixed green salad with red peppers and leftover baked chicken!).

Easy Sausage Pasties (AKA "homemade HotPockets")

A "we had nothing in the house" take on British 'pasties'--these are delicious and can be filled with pretty much anything.

For dough:

  • 4 1/2 tsp yeast (2 Fleischman's packages)
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water

Filling:

  • 1/2 lb fresh chorizo sausage
  • 1/2 lb hamburger
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large shallot, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, diced
  • 2 cups frozen vegetable mixture of your choice
  • boiled potatoes cut into slices and quartered (optional)
  • paprika
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup red wine
  • cheese of your choice cut into thin strips (gruyere is great, smoky cheddar also works)

In a large bowl, add yeast and honey. Add 1/2 cup warm water and stir. Leave for five minutes or until bubbly. Add olive oil, salt, the rest of the water, and mix the flour until you get a big ball of dough. Let sit for awhile.

Remove casings from chorizo, cut into slices, and in a food processor, grind until mixed. Mix hamburger and chorizo together, adding a little pepper and some salt.

In a frying pan, heat olive oil under medium heat. Add garlic and shallot, stirring until brown. Add burger and sausage mixture, adding paprika, salt, and pepper. After meat is browned, add vegetables and red wine and cook until veggies are no longer frozen, wine is cooked down.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F and grab a fist-sized chunk of dough; roll out round--about 2 cm in thickness and 6 inches in diameter. Place 1/2 to 1 cup of the meat mixture into the middle of the dough, spreading towards the sides. Top with cheese. Fold dough over and squish edges. You can then scallop with thumbs or twist edges from outside inwards to close the pocket. Set aside on baking sheet to rise or cover in plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for later (can be frozen as well).

Depending on your oven size, bake for 12-30 minutes (in my oven, it took 10 minutes, but in my Grandmother's, it took about 25) .

Should make about 7 pasties--which could feed 14 people if you split 'em, but no one ever wants to split them, so more likely serves 5 with 2 for overhead/gluttony. :)

Butter & Sage Whitefish on Angel Hair with Broccoli

Pre-heat oven to 350. Slice the garlic thinly, dice the sage, and cut the butter into slices and put it all into an earthenware pot. Place it in the oven while it's heating to get it all melted together. In a small bowl, mix up some olive oil, lime juice, and lemon juice. Add oregano, a little salt, some pepper, maybe some lemon pepper. Pull earthenware pot out of oven and place 1lb hake fish on top of butter/garlic/sage. Drizzle oil mixture over fish, place in oven for 30 minutes. 25 minutes in, boil up some thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta. Also, steam some broccoli and grate about 1 cup parmesan into a bowl. Take out fish, remove fish from butter sauce and place pasta, broccoli, and cheese in. Mix up. Add pasta, cover, and return to oven for ~3 minutes.

Andouille & Sometimes-Chicken Rice

Add 3/12 cups of water, rice, boullion, and butter to pot and heat to boiling. After it starts boiling, stir to get butter and boullion mixed in, cover, and turn down the heat to Low.

In a skillet, heat up olive oil, then add garlic, then add onions. Add some basil and a splash of balsamic. After onions turn translucent, add sausage and chicken. Add pepper, splash of lime, a little more balsamic, and red wine. When everything's done, remove from heat.

Check the rice--if it's been 12 minutes, it should be done. If it's done, stir in Asiago cheese and mix well. Then add rice to meat mixture and mix well.

Random Chili

Add olive oil to giant pot over low to low-medium heat. Add garlic and onions. If you've got jalapenos or other peppers around, toss 'em in. Add andouille, then add hamburger or steak. Add salt, pepper, basil, lots of paprika, and chili powder so that it coats the burger/steak when it's cooking. When the meat's cooked, add tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, allow to cook down a bit until they're kind of mushy. Pour the beer in. Add cayenne, red pepper, maybe a little more paprika. Add a dash of cinnamon and the cocoa powder. Simmer for an hour or so; longer is better, but it's also alright to eat even after 20-30 minutes.

Peach Beefaroni

Pre-heat oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat up a big pot of water, add some kosher salt to it. Slice the sides of the peach such that it has no skin. Nibble on them while you cook. Cut what's left of the peach off the pit and dice (should be about 1/2 cup). Add olive oil to a skillet w/heat on low-medium. Add garlic. Add peaches. Add onion. Mix herbs into the onion mixture. Add hamburger. Add dash of salt and some pepper, then add paprika, dash of chili powder and some red pepper flakes while browning.

After the hamburger's browned, add tomatoes. Add cayenne and more herbs. Let it simmer awhile. At this point (or before), water should be boiling, so add pasta and cook for 9 minutes or so.

When the pasta is done, drain and add to very large bowl. Mix 3/4 cup cheddar and 3/4 cup asiago into pasta until melted. Pour tomato sauce mixture over the pasta and mix. Pour entire mixture into a large dish, grate some cheddar and asiago or parmesan over the top of it, then cook for 30 minutes.

Spicy Instant Meatloaf

Adapted from another recipe, but the secret ingredients: barbeque sauce instead of ketchup, and stuffing instead of bread crumbs. You might have to search the entire aisle to find a sauce that doesn't have high fructose corn syrup, but your meatloaf and your conscience will thank you.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a casserole dish.

Mix everything in a large bowl with your meathooks (fingers). Put the slimy lump on the casserole and drizzle a little more sauce on top. Stick it into the oven for an hour; you should have a nice brown crispy top.

The nice part of this recipe is that the sauce and the stuffing should take care of the seasoning, so as long as you like how they taste, your meatloaf should be pimpin'.

Vegan Guacamole Grits

A nice way to get creaminess if butter, cream, and cheese are not allowed.

  • Grits 
  • 1 avocado
  • lime juice 
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 garlic clove, ready and willing for the evil garlic press
  • salt
  • pepper

Add amount of water and grits as described in package, placing the sprig of rosemary in the boiling water. While boiling, peel and place pieces in bowl--mash with fork, adding a few squirts of lime juice, pressed garlic, salt, and pepper. When the grits hit their near-end stage, remove the rosemary sprig and add the guac. 

New Year's Day Choucroute

A good recipe for New Year's Day--traditional, uncomplicated, delicious, and a great way to put any leftover champagne to good use! Adapted from James A. Beard's "Choucroute au Champagne" recipe.

  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 package lean bacon, chopped
  • 1 1/2-2 cups ham, cut into cubes
  • 6 Bratwurst sausages
  • ~ 2 cups of champagne
  • 1 beer (dark is good, used Yeungling Porter)
  • 4 lbs (2 packages) sauerkraut
  • Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp peppercorns
  • Cube of frozen chicken stock (optional)
  • Liquid smoke (can be omitted--definitely if you use smoked bacon instead of the lean)

In a large pot with a lid (or dutch oven) over medium heat, brown the bacon, ham, onion, and garlic until onion is clear and bacon is a little crispy. Lower the heat to low-medium, add a little bit of champagne to the pot to deglaze, then add the sauerkraut. Add champagne and beer until liquid reaches the top of the sauerkraut. Add the chicken stock, liberal amount of ground pepper and peppercorns. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until boiling. Set the heat to low, then add the bratwurst (note that the bratwurst will get very tender and will break apart easily--if you want it cooked less, wait and add to mixture 20-30 minutes before serving). Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or more.

Organic Italian Meat Sauce

A good sauce for spaghetti, pizza, stromboli, etc!

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
  • 2 onions, diced or rough cut
  • 1 lb organic spicy italian sausage, cut from casings
  • 1 lb organic lean hamburger
  • 2 16-oz cans organic tomatoes (diced or whole--if you've got 'em you can use 10 fresh tomatoes instead)
  • Assorted fresh and dried herbs (sage, thyme, oregano, basil)
  • Paprika
  • 2 Turkish bay leaves
  • Dash cloves
  • Dash cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup red wine
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Red pepper flakes (optional, recommended for spicy version!)

In large pot over low heat, heat olive oil, then add garlic until translucent. Add onions until translucent, then raise heat to medium/medium-high, add sausage, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Add hamburger, paprika, salt, and pepper, breaking hamburger as it cooks. Add sage (fresh if you've got it), thyme (fresh if you've got it), basil, and oregano. Stir occasionally until all meat is browned and well-mixed with onions, garlic, and spices.

Add tomatoes and wine, bay leaves, dash of cloves, dash of cinnamon, and more paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. If you like your sauce spicy, add red pepper flakes and cayenne.

After sauce begins to boil, set heat to low and cook until tomatoes are broken down (30 minutes or more--longer's always better for flavor).

Serve over pasta, pizza, or use in a stromboli!


Breakfast

Apple Cider Pancakes

  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 4 Tbsp canola oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • handful chocolate chips or blueberries (optional)

Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, oil, 1/2 cup each milk and cider. Add liquid ingredients to dry, then mix in the extra 1/2 cups of milk and cider. Mix until all ingredients combined, but still a bit lumpy.

Add in 1/4 cup increments to pre-heated griddle or skillet (medium, depending on your stove and skillet--a smudge below medium works for me, medium-high burns). Optionally, add chocolate chips or blueberries to top of pancake after adding to the griddle. After bubbles form and the pancake seems stable enough to flip, flip. Watch pancake expand--when at its full height, remove from heat and add the next.

Makes ~20 4" diameter pancakes.

Pain Perdu (French Toast)

  • French bread, cut into 3/4" slices and set out overnight to get stale
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup apple sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp Gran Marnier/Gran Gala
  • Cinnamon
  • Butter (for frying)
  • Confectioner's sugar
  • Maple Syrup

Thoroughly mix eggs, milk, orange juice, apple sauce, sugar, vanilla, liquor, and cinnamon. Dip bread in the egg mixture, coating each side and allowing the egg mixture to thoroughly penetrate the bread. Set aside to drain. Heat skillet or griddle to medium and coat with butter. When the butter starts to lightly brown, place toast on the griddle. Allow to cook 2-3 minutes each side, being careful not to burn. Remove from heat and serve with confectioner's sugar and/or maple syrup.

Desserts

Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my favorite cookie recipe; I adapted it from two other recipes, halved the butter, and made a few other modifications. The cookies end up soft and chewy--when stored in an airtight container, they stay soft for a week (if they last that long!). You can freeze any excess dough for use later--like store-bought dough, just better.

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3 Tbsp cocoa
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional, add for the holidays!)
  • 3/4 cup oatmeal
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar (regular Domino is good, muscavado is awesome, just don't try that "granulated brown sugar" stuff--it made the cookies come out rock-hard, though they were revived by my brother's ingenious "Bread slice in the cookie container" trick!)
  • 1 cup organic cane sugar (or white)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Tblsp vanilla
  • 1 package chocolate chips (you can also mix chocolate and butterscotch)
  • 1 cup crushed walnuts

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter, allow to cool a few minutes. Mix dry ingredients. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla, then add the eggs. Combine dry and wet ingredients (this should end up being a pretty dry mixture--more effort to mix, but softer when baked!). Once the ingredients are thoroughly mixed (i.e., no more flour visible), add the chips and walnuts. Place on cookie sheets in whatever method you like best, using cookie scoop, spoon, or even hand-shaping into small dough balls, refrigerating the unbaked cookie dough between batches (you can also freeze any excess cookie dough and bake later). Bake for ~12 minutes, then remove and allow to cool. Store in airtight container.


Easy Truffles

  • 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk (fat free is okay!)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp Gran Gala or Gran Marnier (or any other kind of liqueur you like)
  • 1 tsp dark coffee
  • Assorted ingredients for dusting (espresso, cocoa powder, hot chocolate powder, crushed walnuts...initial taste tests indicate that espresso-coated and walnut-coated truffles are the best)

In a sauce pan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips, stirring until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla, liqueur, and coffee. Cool in the refrigerator for 1.5 hours.

Assemble dusting ingredients in bowls. Remove chocolate from refrigerator and roll into small balls. Roll into balls, then roll in dusting ingredient(s) of your choice. Return to fridge for 1 more hour.

Chocolate Icing from White Lily

Not mine, from White Lily, whitelily.com, but posting here so I don't forget it, 'cause it's simple and goood.

  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine softened
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

In mixing bowl, combine butter or margarine, milk, cocoa, 2 cups confectioners sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.