A Creative Mind in the Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups homemade limeade
• ¼ cup cherry juice or grenadine
• 3–4 tablespoons triple sec
• ½ cup tequila
• Maraschino cherries

Homemade Limeade

• 1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• ¾ cup extra fine granulated sugar
• 2 ½ cups water

Directions

For the Limeade: Pour fresh squeezed lime juice through a strainer. Mix with sugar and water until dissolved.

For the Margarita: In a small pitcher combine 1 ½ cups limeade, cherry juice, triple sec and tequila. Stir to combine. Serve over ice, garnish with cherries and additional lime slices if desired.

** For a non-alcoholic version: Remove the triple sec and tequila; replace it with your favorite lemon-lime soda

This recipe will make the equivalent of a 750 ml store bought bottle.

Ingredients

• 2 cups vodka or Everclear (use a quality brand)
• 5 lemons (you will only use the peels)
• 1 cup water
• 3 ¼ cup flour
• ¾ cup white sugar

Instructions

This comes together in three phases. None of it’s complicated but just takes a little time. Phase 1 is the longest, as you need to allow time for the flavors to develop.

Phase 1: Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, remove the peels of the lemons and set them aside. You need these. (Note: You want to have mostly just the yellow parts of the peels where the oils of the lemon are, that’s where all the flavor lives. Avoid as much of the white pith as possible as it can add bitterness).

Place the lemon peelings in a jar and cover them with the 2 cups of vodka. Put a lid on your jar and then let the vodka and lemon peels sit for at least a week for the flavor to infuse into the vodka. (I like to let it go for 2-3 weeks, and by the end of this steeping time your vodka should be a pretty yellow color.)

Phase 2: Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a small saucepan and heating it on the stove until the sugar is dissolved. This should only take a couple of minutes. Pour the syrup into a small bowl and then let it sit for a couple of hours overnight—however long it takes to cool completely. If there is any heat left in the simple syrup when it’s added, it can evaporate away the alcohol which you don’t want to happen.

Phase 3: Combine the infused vodka and the simple syrup. Using a strainer, pour the vodka into a large bottle. You can discard the lemon peels at this point. Add the completely cooled sugar syrup to the lemon vodka and stir/shake a bit to combine them.

Additional notes

Limoncello is usually served cold and is often kept in the freezer. If it’s freezing up then your ratios could be off or you need a higher-proof alcohol that won’t dilute as easily with the simple syrup. If you don’t want to increase the alcohol content, simply store it in the refrigerator instead of the freezer.

You can play with the sweetness level. This recipe uses ¾ cup of sugar for the simple syrup but you can add a little more or less for the sweetness level you prefer. The same applies to the lemon flavor. Want more or less? Adjust the amount of peel being used.

Everyone loves this dip. Even people who think they don’t like clams. Once you have it in your life, you won’t want to be without it.

Ingredients

• 2 cans minced clams
• 2 8-oz blocks of cream cheese
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed
• 1–2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Several dashes of hot sauce
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• Dash of white pepper

Directions

In a bowl, let the cream cheese soften.
Drain the juice from the clams; reserve the juice in a separate bowl.
Mince the clams (I know, they came minced but you want them fine). Set aside.

Add approximately 2-3 Tbsp of the clam juice to the softened cream cheese and blend to desired consistency. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, and mix well. Add the garlic powder and white pepper, and mix well.

Add the clams and parsley. Stir to combine. Chill for at least 2 hrs before serving. Continue to reserve the leftover clam juice to loosen the dip and/or add flavor, if needed. Feel free to also plus up the other seasonings to preference.

Serve cool to room temperature with ripple potato chips that will hold up to the dip. Lays Ripple Chips in the red bag work really well.

This hearty dip is a crowd pleaser and perfect for football games and cold weather gatherings.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. hot bulk pork sausage
• ½ cup onion, finely chopped
• ½ lb. mushrooms, thinly sliced or chopped
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp paprika
• Tortilla chips

Directions

Cook sausage and crumble. Remove sausage from skillet and set aside; drain the grease but reserve a little to saute the onions and mushrooms.

Saute the onions and mushrooms in the reserved fat. Cook rapidly until onions are soft and mushrooms cooked out. Drain any remaining fat and add the sausage back to the pan.

In a small bowl, whisk flour and sour cream together. Add milk and remaining ingredients. Blend well. Add this to the meat mixture and cook over medium heat until thickened.

Serve hot with tortilla chips.

This recipe is traditionally made in a 2-quart round casserole pan.

Ingredients

• 3 ¼ cup flour
• 2 pkg dry instant yeast
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp thyme
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 ¼ cup warm water
• 1 egg

Directions

In a medium to large bowl, combine 1 ½ cup of the flour with the yeast, sugar, salt, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Mix well and set aside.

In a small pan, saute the onion in butter until golden. Add to the flour mix. Add the warm water and egg. Blend with a hand mixer on low speed until moist; turn speed up to medium and blend for another 3 minutes.

By hand, gradually stir in the remaining flour until the batter is stiff. Spoon into a butter-greased, 2 qt casserole dish. Cover with a damp dish towel and let rise for about 1 hr.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35–40 minutes until golden brown. When you remove the bread from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan while warm.

Notes

The bread will have a soft consistency that is too delicate for a traditional sandwich, but this is an amazing accompaniment to any soup or main course.

We love it sliced, buttered, and pan-grilled (add a little cheese to one side for an open face grilled cheese).

It’s a very friendly bread. Don’t be afraid to play with it. I’ve swapped out the sage, rosemary, and thyme for an Italian version with oregano, basil, marjoram, and garlic. I’ve even made a version with black olives, red onion, sage, and rosemary with coarse salt on top. Delicious.

This one comes from Taste of Home and is one of my all-time favorite salads. I love to share this one—it’s light, refreshing, and unexpected.

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 ¼ pounds pork tenderloin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• ¼ cup sliced red onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ cup seedless raspberry preserves
• ⅓ cup raspberry vinegar
• ½ tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• ½ tsp rubbed sage
• 4 cups spring mix salad greens
• ½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• ½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
• ½ cup grape tomatoes

Directions

Slice pork into 16 pieces. Season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook pork in 1 tablespoon oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, saute onion in remaining oil for 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add the broth, preserves, vinegar, rosemary, and sage. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Place greens in a salad bowl; toss with a third of the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, pecans, and tomatoes. Top with warm pork slices; serve with remaining sauce.

This recipe should feed 6-8 people, depending on their appetites. If you have leftover sauce, use it to make a lasagna. You won’t be sorry.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 ½ lb. pork shoulder, quartered
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper
• ¾ cup pancetta, diced
• 2 cup onion, diced
• 2 small bulbs fennel, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 ½ lb. mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 cup of your favorite red wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp Pernod
• 1 lb. pappardelle pasta

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. On the stovetop, heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour. Shake off excess flour. Brown pork on each side—about 8 minutes in total, per piece of pork. Transfer pork to a plate. Do not clean the pan.

Lower heat to medium and brown the pancetta for 3-5 minutes. Remove the pancetta, set aside and reserve the fat to cook the vegetables. Add the onions, fennel, and carrots to the pan. Cook until everything is soft—about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and blend with vegetables.

Raise the heat to medium-high; add another tablespoon of the oil, if needed. Add the mushrooms and cook for 8-10 minutes. Add in the tomatoes, paste, wine, stock, Pernod (if using), plus salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer and add the pancetta and pork into the mixture. Place the lid on the pan. Keep covered and place in the oven for at least 2 hours. It’s done when the pork is tender and falling off the bone.

When you think it’s ready, remove the pieces of pork, shred with a fork and place the meat back into the sauce and blend.

Serve with cooked pappardelle pasta.

Chicken Cordon Bleu is an easy, French classic made of chicken stuffed with savory ham and melty cheese. It looks impressive and tastes like it took a really long time to prepare. You can prepare the chicken rolls ahead of time so they are ready to bake. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or freeze for up to 3 months.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breast halves, skinless, boneless, and pounded thin
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 8 slices Gruyere cheese
• 4 slices cooked ham

Sauce

• 1-2 Tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• ½ – 1 lb mushrooms, sliced thin or chopped
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• ¼ cup favorite white wine
• Milk, as needed (for consistency preference)
• 2 Tbsp currant jelly
• 1-2 Tbsp parsley, fresh chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the chicken breasts into 4 thin cutlets. Pound thin.

Brush the inside of each cutlet with melted butter and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Top with a slice of cheese, then a slice of ham and a second slice of cheese. Roll carefully then pin closed with toothpick and place seamside down in a prepared baking dish.

Bruch each chicken roll with melted butter and season with salt, pepper, and paprika again. Bake for 35-40 minutes until chicken is cooked to 165 degrees. Make sure to let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Sauce

While the chicken is baking, make the sauce. In a medium saucepan, saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter until the onions are golden and mushrooms are cooked through.

Continue heating on medium; add in the chicken soup, wine, and milk, if needed. Add the currant jelly and stir to make sure all is combined. You should be able to see flecks of the onion, mushrooms, and currant jelly. Add in the parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon over each piece of the Chicken Cordon Bleu.

Notes

Chicken – If the chicken breasts are large enough you may not need the toothpicks. The idea is to not let the cheese melt out of the chicken roll as it heats so if you can roll and secure w/o the toothpicks, go for it! Another option is to place a pocket in the chicken breast and place the ham/cheese in the pocket. In this instance, place it in the pan so the opening of the pocket is on top while it bakes.

Cheese – If you don’t like Gruyere cheese, any soft white cheese works well. Try Havarti, Mozzarella, or Provolone. They’re all delicious.

Ham – The ham you used should be savory. Blackforest works well. You want something with a very subtle smoke. But again, it’s all about personal preference. Use what you like!

This one comes together so quickly and takes very little effort but it’s loaded with flavor and goodness.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup milk (use whole milk, if possible)
• 2 cup blueberries
• 2 Tbsp flour

Crumble Topping

• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ – 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup butter

Directions

In a medium-large bowl, blend all cake ingredients (everything but the blueberries) until well combined and smooth. Toss the blueberries in 2 Tbsp flour and add into the wet batter. It helps the berries float in the cake instead of sinking to the bottom.

In a separate bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients (should be crumbly).

Pour the cake mixture into a grease 8×8 pan; sprinkle the topping and bake in a preheated oven at 375 for 35 minutes.

So there is a particular soup and sandwich joint that has a cookie in their bakery lineup that’s almost impossible to say no to… This one is the result of reviewing several recipes on Pinterest with the base recipe adapted from Ashley Manila/Bake By Nature.

Serves: an average of 20, depending on the size you make them

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter, melted and browned
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp. sea or flaske salt +
• ¾ cup broken pretzels +
• 1 ½ cup caramel bits +
• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips +
• ¾ cup milk chocolate toffee bits +

Note: + means you’ll want a little extra to top the cookies with before baking. With the exception of the salt, mix all of these together in a small bowl, so you can grab a pinch and sprinkle when needed.

Directions

Brown the butter and while it’s hot pour into a large bowl. Use a spatula to scrape all the little brown bits into it as well. (You want those…there is amazing flavor in those little babies.)

Add the vanilla and sugars into the butter and beat using a hand mixer for a couple minutes. Add the eggs and beat until combined.

Add the baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, and about half of the flour. Mix slowly, and add in the rest of the flour slowly, until just combined. Stir in the pretzels, caramel, chocolate chips, and milk chocolate toffee pieces until evenly distributed.

Size is up to you but I do recommend using a scoop so that the cookies are consistent and should be at least 2 Tbsp – ¼ cup in size. Place scoops of dough on a parchment lined sheet leaving plenty of space in between for the cookies to spread while baking.

You don’t want a perfectly round ball here. With your fingers or the backside of a spoon, press the cookies down just slightly. Add a little more of the broken pretzel pieces, caramel bits, chocolate chips, and toffee to the tops of the dough (amount to preference). Sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 for 10-12 minutes (time will vary, based on the size of your cookies, but just until golden around the edges. When in doubt, I pull them slightly under vs slightly over, so that I don’t risk losing the chewiness. Once you pull them from the oven, allow them to sit on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve right away or store in an airtight container … but they won’t last!

^*These will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you do freeze them, all you need to do is reheat them for a couple of minutes to bring them back to their original, glorious state.