Memorable Quotes:

"A Bearnaise sauce is simply an egg yolk, a shallot, a little tarragon vinegar and butter, but it takes years of practice for the result to be perfect." Fernand Point

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Chicken Kiev (Milk Street)

 

  • 10

    tablespoons salted butter, room temperature

  • cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, divided

  • 5

    teaspoons grated lemon zest, divided, plus lemon wedges to serve

  • 1

    tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

  • 1 ½

    teaspoons sweet paprika, divided

  • teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 2

    pounds ground chicken

  • ¾

    teaspoon dill seeds, crushed (optional)

  • ¾

    teaspoon granulated garlic

  • 2

    tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, plus more for coating your hands

  • 1

    cup panko breadcrumbs

  • ½

    cup all-purpose flour

  • 3

    large eggs

  • 1

    ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated (½ cup)



    Step 1

    In a medium bowl, combine the butter, ⅓ cup of the dill, 4 teaspoons of the lemon zest, the ginger, 1 teaspoon of the paprika, the cayenne and a pinch each of salt and black pepper; stir well. Using 2 soupspoons, divide the mixture into 8 portions, shaping each into a rough oval, and place on a plate; reserve the bowl. Freeze, uncovered, until solid, at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle position.

    Step 2

    Remove the frozen butter from the freezer. In the reserved bowl, combine the chicken, dill seed (if using), granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Using your hands, mix well; it will be sticky. Divide into 8 portions (about ⅓ cup each) and place on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly oil your hands, then scoop up 1 portion and, in the palm of one hand, press the mixture into a rough 4-inch oval. Place 1 butter portion in the center, then enclose the butter in the meat. Using both hands, oiled as needed, form the butter-filled chicken into a 4-inch football shape; return it to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken and butter. Freeze, uncovered, until the exteriors are firm to the touch, 35 to 45 minutes.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, put the panko in a 9-inch pie plate; set in the oven to toast until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Set aside to cool; leave the oven on. Put the flour in a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon water.

    Step 4

    To the cooled panko, add the Parmesan, oil, remaining 2 tablespoons dill, remaining 1 teaspoon lemon zest, remaining ½ teaspoon paprika and ¼ teaspoon black pepper; stir well.

    Step 5

    Remove the partially frozen butter-filled chicken from the freezer. One at a time, roll each in the flour, turning to coat, then shake off excess flour and coat all sides with egg. Allow excess egg to drip back into the bowl, then coat all sides with the panko mixture, pressing lightly so the breadcrumbs adhere; return to the baking sheet. (At this point, the filled and breaded chicken can be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 4 hours before baking.)

    Step 6

    Bake the chicken, using tongs to turn each about every 10 minutes, until golden brown on all sides, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then serve with lemon wedges.






Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Cindys Cranberries

 Ingredients:

  4 Cups of cranberries (1 bag)
  2 Cups Sugar
  1 Cup Water
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of baking soda


Directions:
Place all the ingredients in a small sauce pan (1 1/2 quart) and place over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar and allow to come to a soft boil.

Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 15 minutes.


Remove from heat and KEEP COVERED until completely cooled.

Place in refrigerator prior to service

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Chicken Paprikash (Bill Paresi)

This one-pot Hungarian chicken paprikash dish comes together in 1 hour and is served with a delectable creamy sauce to go over the top.
Servings: 
Prep Time: 10minutes 
Cook Time: 1hour 

INGREDIEntS

  • 1 whole fryer chicken broken down into partsbreasts, thighs, drums, wings
  • 3 tablespoons rendered bacon fat
  • ½ peeled small diced large yellow onion
  • 1 seeded small diced yellow bell pepper
  • 2 finely minced garlic cloves
  • 2 roughly chopped Roma tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  • If you are using a whole chicken, start by separating it into separate parts and season them on both sides with salt and pepper.
  • Heat the rendered bacon fat in a large rondeau pot over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke lightly.
  • Next, add the chicken, skin down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
  • Remove the chicken and set it aside on a plate.
  • Add the onions to the pan and cook for 15 to 20 minutes over low to medium heat while stirring until they have become caramelized.
  • Add the peppers and sauté over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic and cook it until it’s fragrant, which takes about 30 seconds.
  • Pour in the tomatoes and cook for 4 to 5 minutes to stew them and break them down.
  • Stir in the paprika until combined.
  • Pour in the chicken stock and season it well with salt and pepper.
  • Place the cooked chicken back in, place on a lid, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken is very tender.
  • In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream and flour until combined.
  • Pour about a ½ cup of the chicken braising liquid into the bowl with the sour cream and mix.
  • Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and whisk in the sour cream mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. It should be thick and creamy like alfredo sauce.
  • Add the chicken back to the pan and heat up for 2 to 3 minutes before serving with additional sour cream and optional chopped chives.

Saturday, September 6, 2025

Spanish Chicken in Crock Pot (Cindy)

 Ingredients:

  • Whole chicken approximately 4 pounds with giblets and organs removed. Rinse and drain on paper towels.
  • 1 bottle or can of beer
  • 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste
  • One jar of pitted green olives and juice

Directions:
  • Place chicken in crock pot with breast side up
  • Mix the beer and tomato paste in a mixing bow then add to the crock pot.
  • Dump the entire jar of olives and juice into the crock pot. Then cover.
  • Baste chicken with sauce every hour.

Cook on low for 6 hours then turn to high for about 30 minutes. Carefully remove chicken from crock pot and place on cutting board and separate white and dark meat. Reserve the sauce and place in a gravy boat and allow fat to rise to surface. Reserve olives to serve with the ckicken.

Serve the chicken and olives with steamed rice and pour sauce over both the chicken and the rice.

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Classic Stuffed Green Peppers

 Ingredients (Serves 4)


  • 4 large green bell peppers
  • 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey/chicken for lighter option) or Beyond Burger
  • 1 cup cooked rice (white or brown)
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese, divided
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning (or oregano + basil)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup tomato sauce (or marinara)






Instructions




1. Prepare the Peppers



Cut the tops off the green peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. To soften them, boil in salted water for 4–5 minutes, then drain.



2. Make the Filling



In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking until fragrant. Stir in the ground beef and cook until browned, draining excess fat.

Mix in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, cooked rice, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in half the shredded cheese and let everything simmer together for 5 minutes.



3. Stuff the Peppers



Place peppers upright in a baking dish. Fill each one generously with the beef-rice mixture. Pour tomato sauce around the peppers in the dish.



4. Bake



Cover with foil and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle remaining cheese on top, and bake uncovered for another 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden.



5. Serve



Spoon some of the sauce from the baking dish over each pepper before serving.




✅ Tip: These also reheat beautifully the next day, making them great for meal prep.




Skillet Corn Lasagna (Aug 2025 Food and Wine)

Ingredients:

3 ears fresh yellow corn, husked
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, choped about 1 1/2 cups
2 large jalapeno cchiles, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles (about 9 noodles) broken in half
3 cups of whole milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil and chives, divided
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 ounce Parmesan cheese grated, about 1/4 cup
2 tsp grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
4 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into large pieces (about 3/4 cup)

Directions:
1. Cut kernels from corn coba; set kernels aside. Working with 1 cob at a time, pace cop over a medium bowl, and scrape cob with the back of aknife to release as much corn milk as possible. Repeat with remaining cops to yield about 1/4 cup corn milk. set corn milk aside. Discard cobs.
2. Melt butter in a 12 inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapenos, garlic, and rserved corn kernels; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer 1/3 cup of onion mixture to a small bowl; set aside.
3. Stir broken noodles, milk, 1/2 cup water, balck pepper, 2 tablespoons mixed herbs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and reserved corn milk into remaining onion mixture in skillet; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionaly. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occcasionally and ensuring noodles remain submerged until noodles are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to broil with rack 6 inches from heat. Stir together ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, remaining 2 tablesppons mixed herbs, andd remaining 1/2 teaspoonn salt in a medium bowl until combined.
5. Dollop ricotta miixture evely over sillet; sprinkle evenly with torn mozzarella and reserved onion mixture. Broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes.
Garnish with additional herbs and black pepper.