Poached Pears with Muddled Wine

Ingredients:
4 ripe pears
1 bottle Pinot Noir
1 lemon
1 cup rasberries
1 2 inch strip of vanilla
3 full cloves all spice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cinnamon (or 1 small stick)

Directions:

1.Wash and core pears.  A melon-baller works best for this step.

 2. Peel Pears

 

3.  Soak pears in a pitcher with cold water and juice from 1 half of a lemon.

4. While the pears soak, prepare cooking liquid by heating the bottle of wine,the spices, the zest of 1/2 lemon, the juice of 1 cup raspberries to a simmer.  Add pears.
 

5. Simmer until pears are easily pierced with a thin knife.

6.  Allow pears to cool in cooking liquid (overnight is best)

 7.  Reheat wine and serve pears with vanilla ice cream.

 

Italian Mini Meat Loaves with Mac n Three cheeses from Rachel Ray 365

Ingredients 
Meat Loaves
1 & 1/3 pounds ground sirloin
1 large egg, beaten
2/3 cup Italian bread crumbs (a couple handfuls)
¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (a handful)
½ small green bell pepper, chopped
½ small onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Mac ‘N Cheese
Salt, to taste
1 pound cavatappi (hollow, corkscrew-shaped pasta) or small shell pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Asiago cheese
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
2 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 to 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


Directions

• Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta
• Preheat oven to 425
• Place meat in a bowl. Make a well in meat. Fill well with egg, bread crumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, bell pepper, onion garlic, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. 
• Mix meat and breading and form 4 individual oval meat loaves, about 1 inch thick. Coat loaves with 2 tablespoons evoo and arrange on a baking sheet. 
• Roast until done, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove meat and switch oven heat to broiler.

•  When the pasta water boils, add salt then pasta. Cook until slightly undercooked-past will continue to cook when combined with cheese sauce. Drain.

• For the mac ‘n cheese, melt butter in a saucepan and stir in flour. 
• Whisk in milk. Bring to a bubble. 
• Cook to thicken milk, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cheddar, Asiago, Parmigiano Reggioano, and black pepper. Stir to melt cheeses. 
• Add pasta and combine with cheese sauce; transfer to a baking dish or casserole. 
• Place bread crumbs in a bowl, add evoo, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Stir to combine and top the pasta and cheese. 
• Place under broiler to brown bread crumbs. Serve mac and cheese alongside meat loaves.

Carrot and Orange Soup

Ingredients
1 lb Carrots
1 oz butter
1/2 cup orange juice (use your favorite, it makes a difference!)
4 cups Veggie Stalk
1 small onion (roughly chopped)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
sour cream for serving

Directions

• Peel and slice the carrots.  
• Place carrots in a heavy pan with butter and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the orange juice, stock, and onion.  Bring to a boil.
• Add Thyme, salt and pepper, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
• Process  in food processor or blender until smooth.  Serve with sour cream.

Easy Chicken & Biscuits from Crookpot Cooking

Ingredients

2 Cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 soup cans of water
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (8 back) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits


Directions

• Combine chicken cubes, soups, water, bouillon, and pepper in crockpot
• Cut biscuits into quarters, stir into mixture
• Cover and cook on Low 4 to 6 hours
  

Vegetarian Shiitake and Vegtable Soup with ch'ckn!

from One Pot Recipes

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 onion, coarsley chopped
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
1 carrot peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 large red bell pepper seeded and chopped
6 oz shiitake mushroom, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cream sherry
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all pupose flour
3 cups vegetable brooth
8-10 ounces seitan, cut into 1 inch cubes
2/3 cup frozen peas
2/3 cup frozen corn kernels



Directions

• Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat
• Add the onion, celery, carrot and bell pepper, cook for five minutes or until slightly softened
• Add mushrooms and sheery, cook for 5 minutes
• season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl

• In the same pot, melt butter and saute garlic for 2 minutes
• Whisk in flour and cook for two minutes stirring constantly
• Whisk in broth and cook for 5 minutes or until it begins to thicken
• Return vegetables to pot, add seitan, peas and corn and cook until heated