Limoncello Cake
Limoncello Cake is flavored with limoncello, which is an Italian lemon liqueur. I'm not much of a baker, so I prefer to make bundt cakes rather than layer cakes. This recipe starts with a box of yellow cake mix. I basically copied the Harvey Wallbanger Cake, but used lemon as the flavor profile. I have to say, it's spectacularly lemony and delicious. The cake is garnished with powdered sugar and fresh lemon slices.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 45 mins
- Yields: 12 Servings
French Onion Beef Short Ribs
French Onion Beef Short Ribs is a decadent dish that combines the rich, savory flavors of braised beef short ribs with the caramelized sweetness of French onions. It's served with sliced Gruyère toasted baguette.
The key to this dish is slowly braising the short ribs until they are fall-off-the-bone tender. The French onions are cooked low and slow until they are deeply caramelized, adding a rich depth of flavor to the dish.
- Prep: 25 mins
- Cook: 3 hrs
- Yields: 6 Servings
Bunny Mary
The Bunny Mary is a playful twist on the classic Bloody Mary, featuring carrot juice as the key ingredient. It's a savory and refreshing brunch cocktail, perfect for Easter celebrations or any time you're looking for something a little different. Like the Bloody Mary, there are many variations on this cocktail. You can tweak it to your own taste.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Yields: 1 cocktail
Baked Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Artichokes
This Baked Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Artichokes is a delicious and easy vegetarian dish that is made all in one pan. I try to always have gnocchi in the pantry for those nights when I am too tired to cook, but I want something comforting. The combination of pillowy gnocchi, earthy mushrooms, and briny artichokes is a fabulous combination. I actually made this in advance and put it in the fridge, then put it in the oven for dinner.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 35 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Penne alla Vodka
This Penne alla Vodka is so easy and delicious. The penne pasta is tossed in a sauce made with vodka, tomatoes, heavy cream, and onions. The alcohol helps intensify and accentuate flavors in the dish. Apparently, after doing a little research, Penne alla Vodka fell out of fashion, though it seems to be back. Here is a bad Google-translated Italian article about the decline and resurgence of this classic dish.
Penne with vodka? Probably, there is no dish more mortified and out of fashion than the creamy pink pennette.
Finished on the shelf of the “good things of bad taste” of the 80s, along with shrimp cocktails, Russian salad and cream tortellini, penne alla vodka lived three decades ago their quarter of an hour of celebrity, and then took the path of an unstoppable decline that relegated them to a B-class dish worthy only of sleepless students or operetta cooks.
Removed for decades from the collective imagination, their infamous name has been deleted from the menus of all the restaurants in the world, condemning them to an inexorable oblivion in the face of a fault that does not seem so clear.
Yes: have we ever asked ourselves why?
Why has pink penne been forgotten, despite the fact that they can be placed, together with pizza, among the dishes 'always good even when bad'?
Anyway, vodka or non-vodka, the time to redeem the soft pink seasoning has come.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 4 - 6 Servings
American Goulash
American goulash is a hearty, one-pot dish that's considered a classic American comfort food. It's quite different from its Hungarian namesake. Think of it as an elevated Hamburger Helper.It's made in a single pot or Dutch oven. The ground beef is simmered in tomato sauce, beef broth and seasonings. Then, the elbow macaroni is added directly to the pot and cooked until tender, absorbing all the delicious flavors.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Ratatouille Lentil Soup
This Ratatouille Lentil Soup is from Lidey Heuck's brand new fabulous cookbook. The vegetarian soup is hearty, healthy, and filling due to the protein-packed lentils. It makes a big batch that freezes really well, so you can have it at the ready on those days you are just too tired to cook.
- Prep: 35 mins
- Cook: 40 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Rosemary Pecan Raincoast Crackers
My friend Kay sent me this recipe for these Rosemary Pecan Raincoast Crackers. This copycat version is spot on. They are so easy to make and satisfying. Made in one bowl, with no mixer, these taste just like the original at a fraction of the cost. Kay gave me the tip to go to a market that has bulk bins of nuts, seeds, etc., like Sprouts.
- Prep: 25 mins
- Cook: 50 mins
- Yields: Makes about 6 dozen crakers
Orange Kiss-Me Cake
The Grand Prize-Winning Recipe from the 2nd Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1950 was “Orange Kiss-Me Cake.” Mrs. Peter Wuebel (Lily) of Redwood City, California came up with a classic winning recipe and won $25,000 for her idea. That is a hell of a lot of money in 1950! I wasn't actually born yet, my parents were about 12 years old... The reason I made this cake was because we had a spontaneous dinner party for about 10 people (at someone else's house) and we happen to have an enormous orange tree that produces a ridiculous amount of the juiciest oranges. The recipe is very bizarre, in that you grind up an orange with walnuts and raisins and make a sort of paste to stir into the cake batter. I made this cake with a raised eyebrow and it turned out to be the hit of the party. Who knew such a blast from the past vintage recipe could cause so many rave reviews?
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 35 mins
- Yields: 12 Servings
Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Braised Pork With Lime and Ginger
Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Braised Pork With Lime and Ginger takes 5 minutes to throw together and then you add it to a slow cooker. The pork is rich and flavorful with the sweet-salty soy and honey sauce. You can serve it in lettuce cups, or rice, or even tortillas.
- Prep: 25 mins
- Cook: 8 hrs 20 mins
- Yields: 6 - 8 Servings