Handmade Eggnog in Quantity

One of my favorite memories of living in Paris is making eggnog with my dear friend, Sue. What made it special was that we made the entire recipe and beat the large quanity of egg whites to a beautiful fluff by hand with a tiny wooden-handled egg beater. After all the hard labor that entailed, we figured we weren't required to let it "rest" for the requisite 3 hours the Joy of Cooking recipe suggests...

Beat 12 egg yolks.

Gradually beat in 1 lb. of confectioners' sugar.

Add 2 cups of brandy very slowly, beating constantly.

Still beating constantly, add 2 quarts whipping cream.

Refrigerate covered for 3 hours.

Beat 12 egg whites until stiff (not dry).

Fold lightly into the other ingredients.

Serve sprinkled with freshly grated nutmeg.

The recipe actually suggests that you might wish to add a little more spirit to the recipe, quoting Mark Twain's observation that "too much of anything is bad, but too much whiskey is just enough!" Once you try this stuff, you'll never drink that nasty store-bought goo again. Make plans for a nap...

Slippery Pea Soup

I'm not entirely certain how split peas became slippery peas in my family, but it's stuck for a few generations now and no matter the nomenclature, it gets slurped up by the bowlful. Serve with crusty oven-warmed French bread.

Ingredients
6 bacon slices, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 large onions, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
64 oz chicken broth
1 3/4 cups green spilt peas
1/2 teaspoon dried Spanish rosemary

Directions
Sauté bacon in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Do not discard grease. Add onion, carrot and garlic and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add broth, peas, and rosemary and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until peas start to break down, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove lid for last half hour. Season with slat and pepper. Easy-peasy!

*Cook's note: to reduce time, mess, and calories, skip bacon and use nonstick oil to coat pan and saute veggies. Add a small amount of precooked picnic bacon for flavor. This is four not-so-generous servings, so I usually double or triple the recipe.

Zucchini Zoop!

This recipe is embarrassingly easy, but there's never a drop left of this soup, and kids especially seem to love it. Take 6-7 medium zucchini, cut them into 5-6 chunks each, bring a quart of chicken broth to a boil, and simmer the zucchini until fork tender. Puree with a hand blender, then throw in 5-8 wedges of Laughing Cow cheese (depending on how thick and creamy you want your soup to be) and blend until smooth. Serves 4, or 3 really hungry people. I promise you, someone will wipe the pot clean with a piece of bread...

Tuscan Chicken Salad

I just named this recipe "Tuscan Chicken Salad" because calling it "My Friend Heidi's Babysitter Sloan's Boyfriend Who's a Chef Who Got it in Italy Chicken Salad" seemed way too complicated. Whatever you call it, it's hands down the best chicken salad recipe I've ever tasted. Basically, a gremolata extraordinaire...

1 roast chicken, diced

1 entire lemon, diced very small (I pulsed mine in the food processor)

1-2 celery ribs, sliced thin

1 bunch of parsley, chopped

1 handful of toasted walnuts

olive oil

salt and pepper

You'll really "wow" folks with this one! Next time I'll try adding some garlic, and garnish it with some julienned sun dried tomatoes...

Cuban Chicken Two Ways

Both of these recipes are called Cuban Chicken, but they're very different. The first recipe is adapted from Nicole Aloni's Secrets from a Caterer's Kitchen, and the second is from an old issue of Good Housekeeping. My kids ask for seconds and thirds of both.

Recipe #1

Marinate 4 pounds of boneless chicken thighs for at least 2 hours in:

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup minced garlic

1 jalapeño, minced

2 Tbsp grated orange zest

Remove chicken breasts and reserve the marinade. Sauté chicken lightly to brown in a heavy Dutch oven. Remove the chicken from the pan and sauté the following for 15 minutes until the onions are translucent:

4 cups chopped onion

1.5 cups chopped red bell pepper

1.5 cups cubed potatoes

Return the chicken to the pot with the vegetables and add:

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup seedless raisins

3/4 cup pitted olives

The reserved marinade

Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Add ½ cup chopped parsley as a garnish. This one's even better the second day, reheated.

Recipe #2

Ingredients

3 pound(s) bone-in skinless chicken thighs
2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon(s) smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon(s) ground allspice
1 cup(s) chicken broth
1/2 cup(s) salsa
3 clove(s) (large) garlic, crushed with press
2 can(s) (15 to 19 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 pound(s) sweet potatoes, peeled cut into 2-inch chunks
1 jarred roasted red pepper, cut into strips (1 cup)
1/3 cup(s) loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Lime wedges

Directions
1. Sprinkle chicken thighs with 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot; add chicken thighs and cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Remove skillet from heat.

2. In same skillet, combine smoked paprika, allspice, chicken broth, salsa, garlic, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin.
3. In 6-quart slow cooker, combine beans and sweet potatoes. Place chicken on top of potato mixture in slow cooker; pour broth mixture over chicken. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook as manufacturer directs, on low 8 hours or on high 4 hours.
4. With tongs or slotted spoon, remove chicken pieces to large platter. Gently stir roasted red pepper strips into potato mixture. Spoon mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Slurp!

Raspberry-Lemon Corn Muffins

My friend Deb introduced me to this recipe, and it's been a family favorite ever since. Here they are, all dressed up for Valentine's Day.

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1 whole large egg
1 1/2 cups raspberries (6 ounces)
2 to 3 tablespoons sanding (coarse) or granulated sugar
paper or foil muffin-cup liners

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F and line 15 (1/3-cup) muffin cups with liners, dividing evenly between 2 pans (muffins cook more evenly with empty cups among them). Whisk together flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and zest in a large bowl. Whisk together butter, milk, yolks, and whole egg and stir into flour mixture until just combined. Gently stir in berries and divide batter evenly among cups (each cup will be about three fourths full).

Bake in middle of oven (or upper and lower thirds if necessary) 10 minutes, then sprinkle tops evenly with sanding sugar. Bake muffins until tops are golden and a tester comes out clean, about 7 minutes more. Remove muffins from pans and cool on a rack.