By Laura
Curried Purple Carrots & Lentil Soup
Pairing carrots with my favorite flavors of ginger and cumin – I made a hearty soup with the addition of lentils. This is dairy free, gluten free, nutritious, and suitable for both vegans and vegetarians. Pair this with a healthy salad for a fine plant based lunch. Try it!
Water Buffalo or Beef Short Ribs Perfection for an Early Spring
Short Ribs are one of my favorite meals. I usually make them on a special occasions. And with two snow storms behind us and one looming in our future I think three snow storms in April constitutes something special.
The Tradition of Marmalade – The Perfect Blend of Sweet and Sour
It is a long standing tradition in Europe to give a gift of preserves – especially marmalade during the holiday season. We have had a number of customers from the British isles tell us that they are sure to buy a “special pot” every year and some insist on saving it for breakfast on Christmas, Boxing Day or New Years day to welcome in the New Year.
Apple Tarte Tartin
Apple Tarte Tartin – Quite simply, a decadent desert – sweet with caramel dripping off tart apples. Just enough work at the end of a dinner to delight both family and friends, filling the house with a lovely fragrance of baking apples.
All Butter Pie Crust
I have made this food processor pie crust since I was in college – tweaking it thru the years. It’s just as easy to make two crusts as one, so my general recommendation is to make two as the dough freezes well. Having the dough on hand for a impromptu fruit tart or quiche is always nice.
Newtown Pipin – The Real Big Apple?
We purchased a house off Shinnecock Bay on Long Island half a lifetime ago. The house was recommended to us by a friend in the dead of winter. You could barely see the formal flower beds but the fruit trees and the Long Island cedars soared over the cover of burlap and snow. The house itself was not even open for us to see. It was small and clearly an accessory to the garden. We were told it was “quite the find”….and yes, I have to say it was.
Kabocha Chili
Here is my version of a Chino-Latino/Asian-Fusion meal – combine this with brown rice or a polenta for an excellent vegetarian meal. Or use it as a side this alongside salmon or shrimp.
Polenta d’Amour – Rack of Lamb
Make Polenta d’Amour – a Baby Rack of Lamb Drizzled with Pomegranate Syrup on Rosemary Polenta for Two. A creamy dish of rosemary polenta and a touch of pomegranate syrup add a tart but strong sweet “kiss” of flavor.
Pomegranate Syrup
Pomegranate Syrup is not always easy to come by – but with a little time it is quite simple to make and brings a tart clear fruit filled flavor to salads, lamb and even fish. Here’s the Recipe…
Jo Jo’s Sunday Morning Breakfast Bars
Jo wanted to make a gift for her friend’s birthday – a store bought present won’t do. Because she is our in-house Foodie, Jo searched her Pinterest pages and came up with a long list of recipes to cook the morning of the party. A terrific idea except there simply wasn’t enough time. We chose what we could make with the food in our kitchen pantry and with a time limit of one hour. We cobbled together several recipes to make the perfect Sunday Morning Breakfast Bars. We were lucky enough to have organic blueberries in our freezer, but any of our jams could be substituted for a delicious “fruit” filled layer.
I have to admit – this is a great recipe and I later made a batch using JF 24 Karat Granola and substituting the blue berries with JF Four Berry Preserves. The baked the bars were sensational with a sophisticated flavors of the 24 Karat Granola dancing around the luscious berry flavors captured in the preserves.
After the bars are cooked, they can be cut, wrapped in wax paper or parchment and placed in ziplock bags in the freezer. Reheat in a 325 degree oven or toaster oven for 10 to 15 minutes for a crunchy, warm sensational breakfast on any cold snowy day – not just Sundays. I also love to cut this bar in half and serve it with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream as a perfect quick little desert.
Sunday Morning Granola Bars
Time: about an hour
Yield: 12 to 16 breakfast bars
Ingredients
1 cup Butter
2 1/2 cups Rolled oats or JF 24 Karat Granola
2 1/2 cups Flour
3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 t Cinnamon (optional)
1/2 t salt
If you are using fresh berries
3 cups Fresh or frozen blue berries
1/4 c sugar
1 T corn starch
If you are using preserves
1 c JF Four Berry Preserves
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt the butter and reserve
3. Combine oatmeal or granola with the flour, light brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon (optional) and salt in a bowl. Pour in the butter and mix well. Use a wooden spoon or clean hands
4. Press 1/2 the mixture in the bottom of a 10″x10″ baking pan.
5a. If you are using fresh or frozen blue berries:
Mix the berries with the sugar and the corn starch. Pour over the crust.
5b. If you are using preserves – spoon the preserves evenly over the crust
6. Place the remaining mixture over the fruit/preserve layer. Press
7. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes or until lightly golden in color.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes and cut into evenly spaced bars.