Prepare the clams by giving them a salt bath in cold water and ice.
If alive, they will open and spit out any sand from the shells into the water. Rinse and repeat until the water is clear. If not using immediately, put them in a zip bag in the fridge overnight. I like to do it this way as they relax in the overnight cold and are more tender.
Place the clams on a sheet tray and bake in a 350-degree oven until they have all opened. If you have any that do not open, throw them away. Remove clams from the oven, drain liquid from the pan and save. You can add this liquid to the stuffing instead of the juice from the canned clams. Keep the juice from the cans, as you will need more than what you’ll get from the roasting pan.
Remove the tops of the clams from the base and discard them. (We keep these empty tops for the people that really don’t like the clam and we just fill them with the stuffing). Release the clam from the muscle in the shell with a knife so the clam is free from the shell (easier to eat) – check for any sand left in clamshell base and place the clam back in the shell
Set aside while prepping the stuffing.

Begin frying 4 strips of chopped bacon in a pan
Drain canned clams (1 can each minced and chopped) and reserve liquid (usually 2 cups) – set aside liquid and clam meat
Finely chop or mince 4 garlic cloves (microwave for 17 seconds to loosen the skins. The skins will fall off)
Dice large red and green peppers (use 1 red and ½ green)
Finely chop 1 medium shallot
Add peppers garlic and shallot (once the bacon is halfway cooked) and stir occasionally
Add 3/4 cup of white wine (a nice Chardonnay works well here) to the pepper and bacon mixture
Add 1 teaspoon of dried oregano to pepper and bacon mix
Add both cans of clam meat to bacon and peppers and incorporate
Pour one cup of the reserved canned clam juice into the pan
Add red pepper flakes to taste, just because you’re spicy
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the bacon and pepper mix
Cook until sauce reduces by 1/2

Stuffing:
Chop three raw slices of bacon into small pieces
Add bacon to a new pan
Add 1 cup of panko bread crumbs to the bacon and combine
Toast the panko in the bacon fat Until golden brown

Add pepper and bacon mixture to the toasted panko mixture and combine
Add remaining drained juice from canned clams until stuffing consistency

Evenly distribute the stuffing over the clams, sprinkle with paprika and grate fresh parmesan cheese on top

Place in a preheated 450-degree oven and cook until the topping is toasted and the cheese is bubbling

Top with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges and an ice-cold (from the freezer) Sparkling Rose Prosecco.

8 ounces hummus, store bought or homemade

1 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 tsp chopped fresh dill

Juice of 1/2 small lemon

Pinch kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp red onion, minced

1 cup English cucumber, about ½ large, ½-inch dice

1 cup Roma tomato, seeded, ½-inch dice

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, sliced

1. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
2. In an 8”x8” or 7″ x 11″glass dish, layer the hummus, yogurt mixture, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes, feta and olives.
3. Serve with whole grain pita chips or baked corn chips.

1/2c honey

2c fresh cranberries

2 sprigs fresh rosemary (plus more for serving)

1 tbsp cardamon pods (or 1/2 tsp ground cardamom)

1 bottle (750ml) rose wine

4 oz elderflower liquor

1/3 c pomegranate or cranberry juice

2-3 dashes orange bitters

2 blood oranges (or regular oranges) – sliced

4-6 (12 oz) ginger beers

8 oz vodka

In a medium saucepan bring 1/2 c water, the honey, cranberries, rosemary and cardamon to a boil over high heat. Boil 5 minutes or until the cranberries begin to burst, then remove from the heat and let cool. Remove the rosemary and cardamon pods. In a large pitcher, combine the cranberry mixture, rose, elderflower liquor, pomegranate juice and orange bitters. Chill until ready to serve (up to 2 days). To serve, add mixture to punch bowl or beverage dispenser along with vodka, ginger beer and orange slices. Garnish with rosemary stem stir sticks.

– 1lb Frozen Sage Sausage (We use Jimmy Dean)
– 1 Carton Chicken Broth
– 1 Yellow Cooking Onion Diced
– 2 Green Peppers Coarsely Chopped/Diced
– 5-6 Celery Stalks Coarsely Chopped/Diced
– 1 Loaf Country Wheat Bread
– 1 Loaf Country White Bread
– Poultry Seasoning
– Olive Oil (3 turns in pan)

Directions:
– Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
– Start by hand tearing bread into small pieces. Intermix bread types by hand.
– Brown sausage and remove from pan.
– In same pan add olive oil and add onions and simmer a few minutes.
– Add chopped peppers and celery at same time to cooking onions and stir.
– Cook vegetables stirring as needed until they get slightly soft.
– As needed add a 1/2 cup of water and cover and let vegetables continue to cook stirring as needed until they are cooked.
– Remove pan from heat and add torn bread to vegetable mixture and mix together.
– Add sausage to bread and vegetable mixture and mix together.
– Add Poultry Seasoning to taste.
– Distribute chicken broth to wet bread (about 1/2 carton, reserving other 1/2 for later).
– Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes, checking and stirring every 10-15 minutes to avoid top layer of bread drying out too much. Pour more chicken broth and add poultry seasoning as needed.
– Serve in the pan it was cooked in or transfer to serving dish when ready.
– Great with gravy or by itself…but go for the gravy, I mean it’s Thanksgiving.

For the Rub:

• 8 Tablespoons brown sugar, tightly packed
• 2 Tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 Tablespoons Old Bay
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the Ribs:

• 2 Racks Baby Backs
• Dijon Mustard
• Rub of Choice

1. 24 hours prior to cooking, rinse the ribs in cold water. Remove the silver skin on the back side.
2. Place ribs on heavy duty foil. Rub both sides with Dijon mustard. Then sprinkle rub, generously, on both sides. with a good 2 T. of Dijon mustard (optional but delicious makes them super tender). Rub with rib rub next. Wrap tightly and place on sheet pan. Refrigerate overnight.
3. Let ribs set on counter one hour prior to cooking. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cook 2 hours at 325 then turn the oven completely OFF and let them sit for another hour. Don’t open the oven. If you have two sheet pans rotate the pans in the oven after the first hour of cooking.
4. Open the foil and hit with the broiler for 1-2 minutes.
5. Alternatively, place on grill for 5-10 minutes for a little char.

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 cups of gluten free flour (all purpose flour will also work perfectly) + 1/2 a cup
2 teaspoons of salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork, and then bake them for 40-50 minutes or until tender. You’ll know they’re done when a fork can be pressed into the center rather easily. Set aside to let cool enough for you to handle them easily.
Combine the salt and 2 cups of the flour. Flour a work surface and pour your flour mixture onto the surface. Make a well in the middle of the flour.
Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skin and place them, one at a time, into the potato ricer. Rice both of the potatoes right on top of the flour.

Once all of the potato has been riced, flour your hands and begin working the sweet potato into the flour. Continue to work the mixture until it’s fully combined. You don’t want the dough to be sticky so keep adding flour until you get a nice dry dough. This *could* take a decent bit of extra flour if your potatoes were on the larger side.

Once fully combined, roll the dough into a ball and cut it into eight even pieces. Roll each piece into a long log that’s about 1/2 an inch thick. Cut pieces the gnocchi into 1 inch pieces. Gently toss each piece into flour to ensure that it’s dry and not sticky at any edges. Continue until you’ve cut out pieces from all of the dough.

Optional: using a gnocchi board or fork, press grooves into each piece of gnocchi.
The gnocchi can be stored in the fridge for 3 days, the freeze for a few weeks, or cooked right away.

Heat a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the gnocchi and let cook for a couple minutes. Once the gnocchi floats to the surface of the water, let it boil for 30 more seconds and then remove it from the water using a slotted spoon. Toss in your favorite sauce (I like to toss mine in a bit of dairy free butter and fresh herbs) and ENJOY!

A container of Cool Whip
A cup of shredded coconut
Half a cup of sour cream
A can of Mandarin oranges, drained
Pineapple chunks, sliced small
Maraschino cherries
A bag of multi-colored mini marshmallows
Mix the ingredients in a bowl (preferably Pyrex), cover, and let set in the fridge overnight
That’s it!

Note: To bring this recipe into the 21st Century, use fresh ingredients and homemade whipped cream

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup whole milk
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted
1 package (12 oz.) mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine cake mix, flour, milk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir mini chocolate chips into batter.

Drop by teaspoons onto lined cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to brown.

Cool cookies fully on cookie sheet before removing.

Yield: Approximately 4 dozen cookies

• 1 Pound Butter
• 1 Pound Brown Sugar (light or dark)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground clove
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• Hot Water
• Dark Rum

1. In a saucepan, melt one pound of butter, slowly.
2. Pour brown sugar into a bowl. Mix spices into brown sugar.
3. our melted butter over mixture. Stir until completely combined.
4. Chill in refrigerator until hardened.
5. Use one tablespoon of mix to one cup hot water and 1 1/2 or two shots of dark rum.
6. Start telling Dad jokes!

1 C active potato flake sourdough starter
1 1/2 C water
1/2 C corn oil (or vegetable oil)
1 Tbs salt
1/4 C sugar

1. Remove sourdough starter from the fridge
2. Create mixture of 1 cup of water, 3 tablespoons of potato flakes, and 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
3. Combine original starter and the mixture together and let sit out for about an hour before making the dough

1. Remove 1 cup of your freshly fed starter from the original container and return the starter to the fridge
2. Combine 1 cup starter with 1.5 cups water, half cup or corn oil (vegetable oil also works well), 1 tablespoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar
3. After the starter, water, oil, salt, and sugar are well combined, start to add cups of bread flour one at a time – first stirring with a wooden spoon, but switching to kneading on a floured surface once a sticky, but stiff dough forms (should be around 7-9 cups of flour depending on the humidity, your brand of flour, etc.)
4. Once your dough has come together, cover it, and let it rise overnight
5. In the morning, punch it down and divide it into two greased bread pans and cover them
6. Let those rise all day
7. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown (less time if the oven is pre-heated)

• 2 lb. dried navy beans
• 1 meaty ham bone or 2-3 meaty ham hocks
• 4 carrots, diced
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 Bay leaves
• Sea Salt and Coarse Black Pepper to taste
• Pinch of garlic

1. Cover navy beans with cold water and soak overnight. The next day, drain and rinse beans in cold water.
2. In large soup pot, add ham bone or hocks and cover with water. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer, cooking for 1 hour.
3. Remove bones and pull meat off. Add bone back to stock. Add pulled ham, carrots, beans, onion, bay leaves, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon coarse pepper. Cook on low, stirring occasionally for about an hour. Remove bay leaves before serving.
*Even better the next day!

2-8 oz. pk. cream cheese

1-15 oz. ricotta cheese

2 eggs

4 cups of sugar

3 tablespoons of flour and 3 tablespoons corn starch

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice

Add 1/4 soft butter, mix for 10 minutes, add 1 pint sour cream, mix 10 more minutes, preheat oven to 375 degrees, 1 hour baking. When done, leave in oven two more hours to cool. Let it cool overnight in room temperature.

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound linguine
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Head of garlic, bulbs removed and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine, (Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 pounds Littleneck clams (Soak/scrub clams if not farm raised) for 30 minutes.
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• In a very large sauté pan over low heat, add olive oil and garlic. Reduce heat to lowest possible and sweat the garlic in the oil for 30 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium. Add the wine, red pepper flakes, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, clams, and ¼ cup of the parsley; bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the clams open, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
• While clams are cooking, make the linguine. Cook slightly under al dente (it will cook more with the clams)
• Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water from the pasta. Drain the linguine in a colander (do not rinse).
• Add the pasta to the sauté pan with the clams. Increase the heat to medium and cook the linguini with the clams, tossing occasionally, until the pasta absorbs most of the sauce and is just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add some of reserved cooking water to keep moist. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley; toss to coat.
• Serve with crusty bread and more wine!

COOKIES:
· 2 packages Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
· 2 sticks butter
· 2 eggs
· red sugar crystal sprinkles
FROSTING:
· 3 3/4c Confectioners Sugar (= 1 box Domino’s brand Confectioners sugar)
· 1 stick butter, softened
· 3-4 tbsp milk
· ½ tsp vanilla extract
· ½ tsp peppermint extract
ALSO:
· crushed candy canes (buy in the bulk section of the grocery store pre-crushed or use the mini candy canes and crush in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or can)

TIP: Let the butter soften and the eggs come to room temperature before starting (at least a few hours – butter should be REALLY soft, but not melted), especially for the frosting.

COOKIES:
(I usually make the cookies in advance so they’re totally cooled before you assemble the sandwiches.)
Preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare the sugar cookie dough according to the directions on the package. When you put the dough on the cookie sheets (teaspoon sized drops – I use a cookie scoop to get evenly sized cookies), put a sprinkling of red crystal sprinkles on each one. Bake as directed and let cool completely before making the frosting.

In a large bowl with mixer at low speed, combine sugar, softened butter, milk and extract. Beat at medium speed 1-2 minutes until creamy. If desired, add more milk until frosting is spreading consistency.

Before the frosting sets, use a knife to spread some frosting on the underside of a cookie and top with another cookie. Roll the edges in the crushed candy cane. Refrigerate overnight so the frosting sets up. After that, they can be stored at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash sweet potatoes and while still damp wrap each in aluminum foil.
Cook for about 1 hour.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
Remove from foil and cut a 3 inch slit in the top of each potato.
Add about 1 teaspoon of butter to each working butter into the potato.
Add sea salt and pepper.
Top each potato with 5-6 mini marshmallows.
Place back in the oven on a baking sheet for an additional 5-8 minutes, remove when marshmallows are golden brown and slightly melted.

2 1/4 cups (532 ml) filtered water
1 3-inch cinnamon stick, ceylon or cassia are both fine
3 whole cloves
4 green cardamom pods, cracked open and deseeded (I throw seeds & pods in)
3 black peppercorns
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, optional
1/2- inch (~4 g) fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
3 black tea bags or sub 3 tsp loose leaf black tea, depending on brand, tea bags/leaves vary in strength (See Note 1)
1 cup (8 oz) whole milk, or 2% reduced fat milk
4 tsp (20 g) turbinado cane sugar, or raw cane sugar

Medium (1-2 Quart) Saucepan – preferably nonstick
Strainer

Here’s how to make the perfect cup:
Step 1: Place a saucepan over high heat and add water. If you’re using a larger pan, add an extra 1/4 cup water to account for the extra evaporation. Add the whole spices & ginger while the water is coming to a boil.
Step 2: Throw in the tea bags (or leaves) and reduce the heat to a simmer so the tea and spices have time to infuse the water. Stop and smell the aroma of the spices here.
Step 3: Add the milk and sugar. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes or so.
Step 4: Raise the heat to high and allow it to come to a rolling boil for a minute or so, depending on how ‘cooked’ you like the milk. There is no right or wrong, it simply boils down to 😉 preference.
Step 5: Pour into cups through a strainer and discard tea bags & spices.

Tips for the perfect cup:
The type of tea you use is extremely important to the overall flavor. I usually use Tapal tea, but this may be more because we’re used to it than for its quality.
If the color is not deep enough or the chai is not strong enough after you’ve allowed the milk to simmer for a few minutes, feel free to add more tea bags/tea leaves.
Lastly, like with any drink, you’ll discover your ideal cup over time. Even while (gladly) testing this recipe many times, my preferences evolved and fluctuated.

• 2 Sticks Butter or Oleo
• 1/2 Cup Crisco
• 3 Cups Sugar
• 5 Eggs
• 3 Cups Flour (Do Not Sift)
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 3/4 Cup Evaporated Milk
• 1/4 Cup Water
• 3 Teaspoons Butter Nut Flavor (You can get on Amazon. Don’t use imitation.)
• 1/2 Cup Walnuts (chopped)

1. Cream butter and Crisco together. Add sugar and mix until smooth. Add eggs – one at a time mixing until blended.
2. Add dry ingredients alternating with liquids – be sure to begin and end with dry ingredients.
3. Fold in butter nut flavor and nuts.
4. Grease and flour tube pan and pour in batter.
5. Put into cold oven. Set oven to 325 degrees. Bake for one hour and 45 minutes. Do not open oven door while baking.

– 3 28-ounce cans of Contadina Sauce. Two crushed and one sauce
– Add spoon full of tomato paste
– Add in seasonings: Onion, parsley, basil, crushed red pepper, and salt to taste
– Let the sauce come to boil (the best is to cook your sauce for over 24 hours)

– 2 pounds of ground beef
– Italian bread crumbs
– 1 egg
– 1 cup of your sauce
– Salt

– Box of rigatoni (cook until al dente)
– Place the rigatonis at the bottom of the pan and then add the meatballs on top of the first layer of rigatoni)
– Add sauce covering the meatballs and the rigatonis
– Add fresh parmesan cheese on the top
– Bake in the oven at 350 until the cheese is melted

Pie crust for a 9-inch double crust pie – store bought is just fine!

Filling:
2 cups peeled and diced apples
1½ cups fresh cranberries
2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed – fresh can work well, too
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
¼ teaspoon salt

Crust Wash:
1 egg yolk
Coarse sugar for dusting

Heat oven to 375°F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts.
In a large bowl, stir together all filling ingredients until well combined.
Roll out remaining crust and cut into strips. Use strips to form a lattice pattern on top of the crust, going over and under every other strip. Trim off excess crust and pinch edges together to finish.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk. Brush onto lattice and edges and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 45-60 minutes, until filing is bubbly and crust is golden brown. If necessary, cover crust edges with a pie crust guard or aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
Let cool before serving.

4 lbs yukon gold potatoes – peeled and quartered

3c heavy cream

1c whole milk

8 fresh sage leaves

3 sprigs fresh thyme

4 cloves garlic – smashed

1 parmesan rind

8 tbsp salted butter

salt and pepper to taste

In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine the potatoes, parmesan rind, heavy cream, milk, sage, thyme and garlic. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, until the potatoes are fork tender. Switch the slow cooker to warm. Drain the potatoes, reserving all of the cream. Discard the thyme, sage and parmesan rind. Press the potatoes through a potato ricer, adding them back to the slow cooker. Alternatively, you can add the potatoes back to the slow cooker and mash with a potato masher. To make brown butter, add butter to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it starts to smell nutty and is brown in color. Add 1-1/2c of the reserved cream and the browned butter to the potatoes and stir to combine. Continue to add more of the reserved cream until your desired consistency is reached. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and serve. The potatoes can be kept covered, on warm, for up to 4 hours.

• 2 cups Duke’s Mayo
• 2 cups vidalia onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups Swiss cheese shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly grease an 8″ x 8″ or round baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the ingredients together until fully incorporated. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
3. Remove from the oven and use a paper towel to gently blot any excess oil on top. Serve warm with crusty bread or crackers.

½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup shortening
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red food coloring
½ cup crushed peppermint candy
½ cup granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix butter, shortening, confectioners’ sugar, egg and flavorings. Blend in flour and salt. Divide dough in half; blend food coloring into one half.

Shape 1 teaspoon dough from each half into 4 inch rope. For smooth, even ropes, roll them back and forth on lightly floured board. Place ropes side by side; press together lightly and twist. Complete cookies one at a time. (Or do them fast and messy). Place on ungreased baking sheet. Curve top down to form handle of cane.

Bake 9 minutes or until set and very light brown. (Or until burnt and dark brown and falling apart). Mix candy and granulated sugar. Immediately sprinkle cookies with candy mixture; remove from baking sheet.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

In the largest bowl you can find in your kitchen, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, chopped celery, garlic powder, chopped scallions, and an egg (or 2 depending). You don’t want the mixture to be too wet, just enough to bind it. And yes, there are no measurements, it’s an eyeball and feel-it-out kinda process. Or as my great-grandma would say “ya know, until it’s right.” And no one actually knows “when it’s right.”

Most grocery stores in Central New York will have frozen calamari tubes and tentacles around the holidays, but if not, an Italian grocer should have them as well. Defrost the tubes overnight and lay out in a sheet pan to prepare to stuff them (the fun part).
Side note: when my dad was a kid he said you would have to buy the squid whole and, by hand, pull the tentacles from the tubes and then remove the spines. Which I guess was an entire project in and of itself.

Have ready your big bowl of breadcrumb mixture, the tubes laid out on a baking sheet, an extra one to place the completed ones on, and a whole bunch of toothpicks.

Grab a tube in one hand, turn it upside down so the opening is face up, and then grab a bunch of breadcrumbs in the other and start stuffing! It will get messy… You’ll want to fill them about 3/4 of the way full (don’t over stuff or they will burst later, but not the worst thing in the world). Then, take a toothpick and pin it closed at the top. Lay it on the tray until the rest are stuffed.

To cook our red sauce (we go meatless for this one), my dad just sautés garlic, adds some red wine, reduces that down and then adds a ton of passata. Let it simmer, add all the stuffed tubes and let it cook in the sauce for at least three hours. The longer you cook them, the more tender they will be.

Serve with your choice of pasta (we do angel hair), and it’s the best calamari dish you’ll have ever tried, promise!

Calamad Salad: (if you’re feeling brave) We boil the tentacles and some of the broken tubes in salt water then mix them together with olives, celery, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic to make a “calamad salad;” which I could devour an entire bowl of solo. This dish is not for the faint of heart, haha!
For dramatic effect (and a visual of me as a child), chase the squeamish family member around the house with some tentacles hanging from your mouth.

Select as many or few fingers foods and appetizers you love, cook ’em all up, grab a beverage, and take it on either a flimsy paper plate or nice holiday-themed plate to your living room, den, wherever you congregate with family around the holidays. 1980’s style TV trays optional.

CRUST
• 2/3 cup Crisco, chilled
• 2 Tablespoons butter, chilled
• 2 cups flour + more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoons cold water+
FILLING
• 7-8 cups Macintosh apples [around 10 apples usually]
• 3/4 cup white + brown sugar [mixed half and half, brown sugar packed]
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, heaping
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch [can substitute 3-4 Tablespoons flour]
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
*Serve with Breyer’s vanilla ice cream!

pastry cutter

3 mixing bowls

sharp knife

cutting board
plastic wrap

wax paper

rolling pin

~9” pie plate

CRUST
1. Mix flour and salt.
2. Cut half of the Crisco [shortening] and half of the butter into the flour mixture, using a pastry cutter, until the mixture has the texture of cornmeal.
3. Cut the other half shortening and butter into the mixture, until it has the texture of small peas.
4. Sprinkle the cold water over the mixture and mix with a fork. Add up to an additional 1 Tablespoon of water as needed, until dough collects into a ball.
5. Divide dough in half – rolling into two balls. Cover with plastic wrap while preparing apples.
FILLING
1. Pare, core, and slice 7-8 cups of Macintosh apples into a large mixing bowl. [Slice down each side around core, pare [skin] each slice with knife, slice into 1/4” slices. Half-way through slicing, preheat oven to 450º.
2. In a small mixing bowl combine: sugars, salt, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. Stir sugar spice mixture into sliced apples.
ASSEMBLY
1. Lay out square of wax paper on work surface. Generously flour.
2. Unwrap one half of crust dough. Place on floured wax paper, and flour top.
3. Flour rolling pin, and roll dough out into a circle, around 12” diameter, eyeing your pie dish [should fit with some overhang].
4. The tricky part: place pie dish right next to wax paper with rolled out dough. In one motion, flip wax paper over and into pie plate -as centered as possible [wax paper side up, dough side down]. Make any adjustments necessary to center it, pulling wax paper gently this way or that. Carefully peel off wax paper.
5. Spoon apple filling mixture into pie plate with bottom crust, drizzling with juices. Arrange apples to heap in center, they will cook down when baked.
6. Repeat step 4 with other half of crust. Seal bottom and top crusts with fingers [you can also press with a fork around the edge to seal]. There may be some overhang you can remove and piece into other places that may need it.
BAKING
1. Prick top of pie crust in 6-8 places with a fork to vent. Sprinkle lightly with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar [using ratio 1/2 cup sugar to 1 Tablespoon cinnamon – or to taste].
2. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet to catch any drippings.
3. Rip off 2-3” strips of foil and cover pie plate rim. Otherwise, the edges will burn.
4. Bake at 450º for 10 minutes, lower to 350º and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 20-30 minutes to cool and set.

• This recipe was adapted from The Joy of Cooking. Mom is very specific about which apples to use; the spice mixture she formulated goes exactly with Macintosh tartness. We don’t like overly sweet apple pie.
• If you are not particular about the size you slice your apples, you may have an over-baked mushy filling, or underbaked crunchy apples. Mom is so particular; she thinks the automatic corer/slicers slice too thin.
• Glass pie plates are preferable to aluminum [they bake more evenly], but either can be used. If the size of your pie plate is slightly off, chop a little more or less apples, and roll your crust according to the size.
• What makes the difference between good pie and bad is a homemade crust and non-canned filling. Don’t make any shortcuts there or you might as well just buy a frozen pie.
• Make a stellar pumpkin pie using half the crust recipe with the recipe for filling on the Libby’s can.

• 48 Hershey Kisses or Peanut Butter Cups or Mix of both
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup Reese’s creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Additional granulated sugar for dusting cookies before baking

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap kisses and/or peanut butter cups and place in freezer.
• Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended.
• Add 1/3 cup sugar and brown sugar. Beat until fluffy.
• Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat well.
• Stir together flour, baking soda and salt in separate bowl.
• Gradually add dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture and beat well.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
• Roll in granulated sugar, place on ungreased cookie sheet or in mini muffin tins.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Immediately place a kiss or cup into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around the edges.
• Remove from cookie sheet immediately or if using cups, remove after cooled.
• Makes 48 cookies.

Serves: 10 (I usually double this recipe)
1-1/2 cups – whole wheat bread cubed (buy the cheapest loaf)
2-3 cups – white bread cubed (buy the cheapest loaf)
1-2 16 oz tubes – ground turkey sausage (if they have the Italian flavored one, I use that)
1 cup – chopped sweet onion
1 cup – chopped celery
2-3 – golden delicious apples, cored & chopped (depends on the size)
2-1/2 teaspoons – dried sage
1-1/2 teaspoons – dried ground rosemary
1/2 teaspoon – dried thyme
1 cup – dried cranberries
1/3 cup – minced fresh parsley
3/4 – 1 cup – turkey stock (or chicken stock)
4 tablespoons – unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the cubed bread in a single layer on a large cookie sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes until toasted. Transfer toasted cubed bread to a large mixing bowl.

In a skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly brown. Add the celery, sage, rosemary and thyme; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl, mix in chopped apple, dried cranberries and parsley. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter.

Bake in 350 degrees oven for 35-45 minutes. Serve.

2 medium zucchini shaved or thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups)

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

1 ¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. lemon zest plus 2 ½ tbsp. fresh juice (from 1 lemon)

½ cup plus 4 tbsp. extran virgon olive oil

1 tsp. black pepper

All purpose flour, for work surface

1 lb. fresh prepared pizza dough

12oz. ricotta cheese

½ cup torn fresh mint

½ cup torn fresh basil

1oz. romano cheese or Parmigian-Reggiano cheese, finely grated (about ½ cup)

1. Position oven rack in center of oven; place pizza stone on rack.  Preheat over to 500 degree F.  Toss together zucchini, tomatoes, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, ½ cup of oil and ½ tsp. pepper in a medium bowl until coated.  Set aside.
2. Generously flour a work surface.  Gently roll out 1 of the dough halves with a floured rolling pin, rotating dough about 45 degrees after each roll from the center out, until about 10 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick.  Brush surface of dough with 2 tbsp of oil.  Place dough onto hot pizza stone in preheated oven.  Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes.  Transfer baked crust to a cutting board; top with half of the ricotta cheese.  Set pizza aside, and repeat the process the remaining dough half, 2 tbsp of oil and ricotta cheese.
3. Sprinkle both pizzas even with mint, basil grated cheese, zucchini-tomato mixture and remaining ½ tsp pepper.   Cut each pizza into 8 slices, and serve immediately.

1 lb. unsalted butter-softened
3/4 c. powdered sugar (+will need the whole bag)
1 egg yolk
1/2 shot glass (1tblsp.) whiskey-optional
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 dash ground cloves
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 c. finely chopped and lightly browned almonds
4-8 c. all-purpose flour-sifted

Cream butter and sugar till fluffy, about 10 min.
Add egg yolk and mix in.
Add whiskey, vanilla, and mix.
Slowly add flour and mix well. Add first 4 c. of flour.
Add baking powder, chopped almonds and ground cloves.
Then by hand, knead in 1 cup flour and mix well until dough no longer sticks to sides of bowl. This will end up being 5-6 cups flour in total.

Shape into round balls the size of a quarter.
Bake in a preheated oven 350* until bottoms are light brown and tops of cookies just start to crack. About 20-25 min.
Note-no need to grease the cookie sheet (but my mom does).

Sift powdered sugar and spread in a large flat pan (or countertop covered with paper). Place the warm cookies on bed of powdered sugar and use a sifter with sugar to cover the tops of them. Let them cool there, so sugar sticks to cookie. Place in small paper cups.
Makes 50-60 cookies.

Rolling the dough into perfect and uniform size balls is key not only to a pretty presentation but also important so they all cook evenly the same.

Some people put a clove in the center of each cookie instead of the crushed almonds, but our tradition is the almonds.

When serving, we always use paper baking cups in Christmas colors, of course, to hold the cookie and all the loose powdery sugar. They look like little snowballs.

These cookies are dense, moist, and buttery with a soft sweetness that melts in your mouth. If it doesn’t stick to the roof of your mouth, you probably made them wrong! They are especially good with your coffee, at breakfast, or dessert…Enjoy!

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 cups cooked chicken shredded

1/2 cup Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce

8 oz (250g) g block cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup white Cheddar cheesefreshly shredded

1/4 cup American cheddar freshly shredded

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese(optional to serve)

2 teaspoons green onions, sliced ( or chives)

Celery sticks carrot sticks, tortilla chips, crusty bread pieces, potato chips, for serving

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Arrange oven rack to the middle of your oven.

In an 8-inch cast-iron skillet (or an ovenproof pan), melt the butter over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic until fragrant (30 seconds). Add the chicken and hot sauce and simmer until sauce has thickened and reduced by half (about 2 minutes).

Reduce heat to low and stir in cream cheese; mix until combined. Take off heat, stir through sour cream and top with both cheddar cheese(s) over the top.

Bake until bubbling around the edges and the cheese has melted (about 10 minutes). Broil (or grill) for a further minute to brown on top.

Immediately garnish with blue cheese and green onions. Serve with vegetable sticks, chips, crusty bread pieces for dipping.

If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet or oven-proof pan: prepare all ingredients as per recipe instructions above in a regular pan on the stove. Then transfer buffalo dip to a 1-quart (1-litre) baking dish.

You can use rotisserie chicken.

Don’t like blue cheese? Feel free to omit it.

Halve the hot sauce amount for a milder dip.

Add more hot sauce for spicier dip.

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g

8 ounce can artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained and chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic , minced
dried dill weed, to taste (fresh or dried)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
To a mixing bowl add sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, garlic and 1 cup of parmesan cheese. Combine until smooth.
Stir in chopped artichoke hearts and a little bit of dill weed, to taste.
Place in a greased baking dish (most pan sizes around 8×8 in or a little smaller will work. You could even use a pie pan).
Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese on top. Sprinkle with a little extra dill weed, if desired.
Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with crackers, bread, or veggies.

8oz cream cheese – softened

1/4c bleu cheese – crumbled

1c sharp white cheddar cheese – shredded

1 tbsp red onion – finely chopped

1 clove garlic – minced

1c cranberries

1/4c sugar

3 tbsp frozen apple juice concentrate

3 tbsp frozen cranberry juice concentrate

Combine cream cheese, bleu cheese, shredded white cheddar cheese, red onion and garlic. Form mixture into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap or spread into a container and refrigerate. In a small saucepan combine cranberries, sugar and juice concentrates. Cook over low heat until cranberries “pop” – stirring occasionally. Continue to cook 3 more minutes. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until cooled. Before serving, remove cheese mixture from refrigerator and allow to soften. Spread cranberry mixture over cheese mixture and serve with crackers. Spread is best if made a day in advance to allow flavors to combine.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
Two 14.5-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
1/4 cup finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh dill
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juices thicken. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the parsley, dill, and shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the feta over the top. Bake until the shrimp are cooked though and cheese melts, about 12 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

Per Serving:
Calories 295; Total fat 10.5g (Sat fat 4g, Mono fat 4g, Poly fat 1g); Protein 34g; Carb 12g; Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 235mg; Sodium 645mg

Excellent Source of: calcium, copper, iron, niacin, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin K

Good Source of: magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B6, zinc

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, frozen

2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Save a couple of handfuls of whole pecans to decorate the top of the pie before baking

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup dark corn syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses (non-sulphured)

½ stick of butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons good Bourbon (optional, but nice flavor!)

Prep = 30 mins
Bake = 75 mins

For the crust, make things easy on yourself.  Just buy a frozen pie crust.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
   Preheat the oven and position a rack in the center.

2. Mix the filling:
   In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, melted butter, vanilla and Bourbon until smooth. Mix vigorously with a spoon — no need for a mixer.

3. Fill the pie shell:
   Reserve some whole pecans (about ½ cup)

   Spread chopped pecans on the bottom of a frozen pie shell.

   Pour the filling over the pecans. They will rise to the surface.

   Arrange whole pecans the surface of the pie in a decorative pattern. Dip them a little below the wet filling to coat them with the filling. They’ll rise again to the top.

   Be sure and put the whole pie into a glass pie dish before putting into the oven. The aluminum pie tins that frozen crusts often come with will fold on you when you pull the warm pie out.

4. Bake the filled pie:
   Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

   After 30 minutes tent the pie loosely with aluminum foil to keep the crust and pecans from getting over-browned.

   Bake for another 35 to 45 minutes until the filling has set. The pie will still be a bit soft and will shift if you tilt it (watch out).

   Remove from the oven and let cool completely

The pie is best served warm, so if you can time this for dessert, perfect!  If not, rewarm with foil tent for 20 minutes at 250.

Make your favorite classic macaron and swirl with red gel food color in a piping bag. (Don’t water down your batter with normal food color!) Bake, then fill with Peppermint Bark ganache (melted white chocolate mixed with heavy cream and crushed peppermint candies)

It’s right on the bottle:
3 parts Aperol
2 parts dry Prosecco
1 part (a dash) club soda
Pour into a glass with ice & garnish with an orange slice
(I added a cherry cause I’m fancy like that).