This is my family’s favorite breakfast dish. I love it because it’s quick to prepare, isn’t very messy, I usually have all the ingredients on hand, and it tastes outrageously delicious.

Directions:

Choose your pan carefully. It has to be oven proof and shape will affect the texture. I have a 4 qt pyrex round souffle dish that I always use for this recipe. A paella pan, big frying pan, or large baking dish are best.

Place the butter in the pan and place into oven and preheat to 425ºF.

The butter will melt as the oven preheats, which is crucial. You need to prepare the rest of the recipe in the time it takes to preheat the oven.

Put eggs in a large bowl or mixing cup and blend on high for 1 minute.

Use a bowl from which you can easily pour the finished batter.

I get the best, fluffiest results when I use a stick blender. A food processor or blender are acceptable. Hand mixers just don’t work as well and your finished dish will not be fluffy.

Gradually add your milk, then slowly add the flour until incorporated. Blend for an additional 30 seconds.

When the oven is preheated, pour the batter into the center of the hot pan, scraping the side of the bowl to get all the batter into the pan.

Do this as quickly as you can so that the pan retains the heat. I do this by sliding the rack out of the oven and pouring while the pan is on the rack. If you take the pan out of the oven, do it carefully and keep the oven door closed to keep the heat in.

Let cook for 20 to 25 minutes. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean and the edges should be a toasty brown.

Cut immediately and serve. This dish will settle some as it cools.

Our favorite way to serve this dish is to grate some fresh nutmeg over the pancake, then dust with powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon.

Ingredients:
1 cup wild rice
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (used water and 2 tsp chicken stock and 2 tsp mushroom stock)

5 strips of thick bacon cut into 1/2″ chunks

1 butterflied boneless pork loin chop cut into 1″ chunks
2 medium leeks, cleaned and chopped coarse
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, chunked
1 Tbls finely chopped garlic
1 Tbls dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne

4 tbsp flour
1 cup chardonnay
1 bunch thin asparagus, cut into 1″ segments

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Combine wild rice and broth in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cook rice until tender. This will take approximately 45 minutes.

In a large pot, cook bacon over medium heat until well done. Removed bacon and set aside. Add the pork to the bacon grease and cook for a few minutes until opaque.

Add button mushrooms and leek.  Stir occasionally until the mushrooms soften and create a liquid, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and other spices and cook a few more minutes. This allows the garlic to cook, but not brown and become bitter.

Sprinkle vegetables and pork with flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour starts thicken. Make sure that you are scraping the bottom of the pan.  Add wine along with the cooked rice and broth.

Bring to a boil,  add the asparagus, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in cream and cook until thoroughly heated, about 1 minute.

Serve with a garlic bread and enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat vermicelli broken into 3/4″ pieces
1 cup uncooked rice
3 cloves garlic chopped fine
4 green onions chopped coarse
20 oz chicken stock
13 oz canned white chicken breast
9 oz chopped green chilis
1 cup shredded cheese, Mexican blend
4 avocados
Salsa

Melt the butter over low heat in a large lidded pan and add the vermicelli.  Cook until the vermicelli starts to brown, stirring frequently. It’s very easy for it to burn if left unattended.

Add the rice, garlic and green onions and stir until well mixed and the garlic starts to be fragrant.

Carefully add the broth to the mixture and bring quickly to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Start checking the pan as you get to the 2o minute mark to make sure that the mixture hasn’t cooked dry. Add the chicken and chilis and cook until everything is warmed.

Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Stir thoroughly.

In bowls, cut and chop the avocado into bite-size pieces. Place a generous helping of the rice, chicken and cheese mixture on top. Spoon a little of the salsa on top and enjoy!

*When my mom used to make this, we just used rice-a-roni.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Coriander seeds
2 Tablespoons Cumin seeds
2 Tablespoons Black Peppercorns
2 Tablespoons small Cinnamon stick pieces
1 Tablespoon Cardamom seeds (decort – no shells)
1 teaspoon whole Cloves
1 teaspoon grated Nutmeg

Place all spices except the nutmeg in a small but heavy bottom saute pan. Toast over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes until the fragrance is released and the seeds look toasted. Stir or shake the pan over to prevent burning.

Let the mix cool completely, add the grated nutmeg, then grind fine.

This makes about a 1/2 cup of spice…enough to share!

There is nothing on any shelf that compares to freshly ground spices and fresh herbs.

Saute the leek and mushrooms in a soup pot until soft. Add the garlic and all the asparagus, putting the asparagus tips aside for now.

Add the wine, mushroom stock, and seasoning. Simmer until the asparagus is soft. Using a slotted spoon, remove 2/3rds of the vegetables and put into a food processor until chopped fine, but not smooth. Return to the soup pot.

Add the rest of the asparagus and simmer until soft. Whisk together the flour and half & half until perfectly smooth. Add it to the soup and simmer until it thickens up (15 minutes). Turn off the heat, add the cheese, and stir until completely incorporated into the soup.

Serve with a crusty bread.

Ingredients:
3 large very ripe peaches peeled & chopped (make sure they are very flavorful)
1 small Onion chopped (I used a Vadalia)
2 Hungarian Yellow Peppers seeded & chopped (leave the veins in for more heat, can substitute jalapenos)
3 cloves Garlic chopped fine
2 cups Ketchup
1 cup Chardonnay
1/4 cup Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 T Light Soy Sauce
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 t fresh ground Cinnamon
1/8 t ground Clove
1/8 t Chipotle powder
1/8 t Habenaro powder

Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan. Bring ingredients to a boil, then simmer until onions and peaches are very soft, approximately 20 minutes. Let cook slightly, then use either a stick blender or food processor to blend all ingredients until mostly smooth.

SOUP BASE
1 pork shank
2 quarts water

VEGETABLES & SEASONINGS
3 medium carrots, sliced thin
1 medium onion, chopped coarse
2 ounces tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoons cumin
1 Tablespoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 Tablespoons Pic-a-peppa sauce
¼ cup lemon juice

LENTILS
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted

Method
Put pork shank in the stock pot and fill pot with water until shank is covered. Approximately 2 quarts. It’s more important to cover the pork shank than measure the amount of water. Set on medium and cook for 4 hours.

Remove the pork shank to a bowl and let cool until you can handle it. Skim off any foam from the liquid in the stock pot.

Remove the meat from the bone and clean off the fat. Return the meat to the pot, shredding it slightly with your fingers while putting it in the liquid.

Put in vegetables and seasoning. Let simmer 2 hours.

Add lentils and cook 15 to 30 minutes, or until soft. (note: add some dry white wine or water to thin out the soup if it becomes too thick)

Ingredients
2 large Acorn Squash
1 lb ground lamb
1 leek, sliced into 1/4″ to 1/2″ slices
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup of cooked rice
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup red beer (like Killian’s)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (or maple sugar) – divided
2 Tablespoons Garam Masala – divided
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Put ground lamb in a frying pan and break it up so that it cooks like ground hamburger. Season with 1 Tablespoon Garam Marsala, both peppers and salt. Add the leeks and garlic as it starts to cook.

When the lamb is cooked through and crumbly, and the leek is soft, drain off any fat. In the pan add the tomato paste, wine, the other Tablespoon of Garam Marsala and 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar. Stir well and add the lamb back in. Add the beer and mix well.

Once it’s all mixed, add the rice and turn off the heat while you prepare the acorn squash.

Slice the squash lengthwise and remove all the pulp and seeds. Rub the insides with the rest of the sugar.

Fill the squash with the lamb and rice mixture until heaping, but packed tight. Put a small square of tin foil over just the filling to protect it from drying out.

Place the squash on a baking pan and place in the middle of the oven. Baking times will really depend on the size and thickness of the squash. Expect a minimum of 45 minutes, up to 75 minutes. Test squash by poking the flesh with a fork. It should be soft and tender.

I like to finish this dish with a sprinkling of fresh ground Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup angel hair pasta broken into 1/2″ to 3/4″ pieces
9 oz chicken broth
1/2 cup raw long grain rice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of salt
Dash of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Optional:
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
slivered almonds

Melt the butter over medium heat until it froths. Add the pasta and brown. This will only take a few minutes. Stir frequently and make sure that you take it off the burner when it’s a golden brown so the pasta doesn’t singe and ruin the dish.

Add the chicken broth, then the rice and seasoning and lemon juice and return to the heat. Keep it on low and cover the pan. A non-stick works best. Check the dish after 10 minutes, and then every 5 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Add slivered almonds as you serve this dish. The great thing about this dish is that there are so many things you could add to make it even tastier, like chopped green onions. I used Basamati rice and whole wheat angel hair pasta. The best part is that you use the quality ingredients you want for a much healthier version.

Cake Ingredients
1 box strawberry cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1/4 cup white sugar (I use sugar that has been sitting with vanilla beans)
1 LARGE package of Instant vanilla pudding (5.9 or 6 oz)
1 cup vegetable oil (I always use a good blend, like Enola)
4 eggs
1 cup chopped strawberries (I used frozen ones that I thawed)
1/2 cup Tequila (I use Jose Cuervo Gold)
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup fresh squeezed lime juice.

Oven preheated to 350°F and you will need to grease and flower a 10″ Bundt pan. (I used Baker’s Delight spray with flour)

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and mix at low for 1 minute and then medium for 4 minutes.

Pour into bundt pan and bake for 1 hour. (toothpick test to insure it’s done)

Glaze
1/4 cup Tequila Rose liqueur
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Mix the liqueur and sugar together until smooth. This should be very pourable.

When you take the cake out of the oven, use a chopstick to poke holes around the middle and all the way to the bottom (what will be the top). Slowly drizzle the glaze into all the holes.

Let the cake cool for 5 minutes then turn out onto plate

Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 Tablespoons of Tequila Rose liqueur
Optional: Red Food Coloring

I made some frosting for the top using a few drops of red food coloring, powdered sugar and enough Tequila Rose to make a glaze type frosting that I drizzled over the top. It should be just thin enough to slowly drip down the sides of the cake. Add more powdered sugar if it’s too thin, or more Tequila Rose if it’s too thick.