sugar & spice

Ingredients:

* 3 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
* 1 can (440g) sweetened condensed milk
* 1/4 cup butter or margarine
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans
* 1/2 cup Skor bits

Directions:

Place all ingredients except nuts in a large bowl. Microwave at medium (50%) until chocolate chips are melted, 3-5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Stir in nuts and candy. Pour into foil-lined square baking dish 20×20cm (8×8in.) Refrigerate until set.

4 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins, 2 packages with 2 tenderloins in each package
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, cracked
Steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and black pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves stripped and finely chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Trim silver skin or connective tissue off tenderloins with a very sharp thin knife.

Place tender loins on a nonstick cookie sheet with a rim. Coat tenderloins in a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, rubbing vinegar into meat. Drizzle tenderloins with extra-virgin olive oil, just enough to coat. Cut small slits into meat and disperse chunks of cracked garlic cloves into meat. Combine steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and pepper with rosemary and thyme and rub meat with blend. Roast in hot oven 20 minutes.

Let meat rest, transfer to a carving board, slice and serve.

Yield: 10 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Difficulty: Easy

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray.

2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained
1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
20 oil-cured black olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers
1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
A few grinds black pepper
1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente (with a bite)

Crusty bread, for mopping

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano, for passing, optional

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Saute mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes: your kitchen never smelled so good! Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.

Toss sauce with cooked pasta. Pass bread and cheese at the table and serve with a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray.

1 pkg beef Ramen Noodles
1/2 cup salted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup toasted almond slivers
1 batch chopped scallions
1 pkg cole slaw cabbage.(you can buy it in a bag like salad)

Dressing:
1/2 cup salad oil
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
flavor packet from noodles

Combine everything except noodles-put those in at last minute.

Combine dressing ingredients and put over top.

I also like to add shredded red cabbage to give this dish extra color.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
Coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Crusty bread, for passing

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.

Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Difficulty: Easy

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray.

* Equal parts of white vinegar and water, bring to a boil.
* Drop asparagus in boiling vinegar/water for about 3-4 minutes.
* Remove asaparagus and drain well. (Dry on towel).
* Add olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a little crushed red pepper.

This dish tastes better if you refrigerate it to let the flavors blend, and then let it warm to room temperature.

2 cups cold milk
2 cups whipped topping
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
48 graham cracker squares

Mix pudding and milk according to package directions and refrigerate until set. Fold in whipped topping and chocolate chips. Place 24 graham crackers on a baking sheet; top each with about 3 Tbsp. filling. Place another graham cracker on top. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm. Wrap individually in plastic wrap. Store in freezer bag.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped (or you can use minced garlic - as much as you like )
1 medium pepper, chopped (1/2 red & 1/2 green if you like)
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp celery seed - a little less is better I think
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup vinegar (less is OK, as long as the pickles are covered)

Cut cukes into 1/8? thick slices. Thinly slice peppers & onion. Mix cukes, onions, peppers & garlic with salt & seeds. Mix, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

After 1 hour: mix sugar & vinegar. Pour over veggies and mix well. Cover and refrigerate over-night. Makes approximately 5 cups (1 quart jar).

6 cups chicken broth
3/4 c. orzo
1 Tbps. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
2 eggs
Juice of 1 1/2 fresh lemons
1 Tbsp. oregano
lemon zest
black pepper
salt
parsley

Bring the broth to a boil and add the orzo. Boil for about 8 min. Remove pot from heat. (I actually forgot to do this and it still came out fine). In a bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 c. water. Whisk in eggs, lemon juice, and oregano. With a ladle, remove about 1 c. hot broth from saucepan. Gradually whisk broth into egg mixture. Add a little lemon zest if you want a more intense lemon flavor. Return mixture to the saucepan and stir well. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until soup is thickened and creamy. Season with salt and pepper as desired and garnish with parsley.

1 (8 oz.) pkg. Baker’s Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Squares, chopped
1 oz. (2 tablespoons) Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups sweet butter
3/4 cup finely ground Starbucks Espresso beans
3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips or dark
chocolate chunks (or substitute your favorite chopped nuts)

Preheat oven to 300 F. In a medium-size pot over low heat, melt butter. Add baking chocolate and the 1 oz. of chocolate chips, stirring constantly over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl of a Kitchen Aid mixer, stir sugar and ground espresso on low speed until well incorporated. On medium speed, gradually add the melted chocolate-butter mixture, salt, eggs and vanilla. Beat until well blended.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour until everything is incorporated; add chocolate chips last, just to blend.

Spread batter evenly into a buttered and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 70 minutes, or until center comes out clean when toothpick is inserted. Since cooking times vary, start checking after about 55-60 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.