Hearty Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS:
 450g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled
 1 tbsp olive oil
 20g polyunsaturated margarine
 1 large onion, chopped
 2 cloves garlic, crushed
 2 bay leaves
 1 tsp Dijon mustard
 850ml hot vegetable stock
 150ml milk
 Chopped chives, to serve

METHOD:
1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and bay leaves. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion has softened, but not coloured.
2. Meanwhile cut the potatoes into rough 2cm pieces then add to the pan along with the garlic. Stir to coat in the butter then cover with a lid. Cook over a low-medium heat for about 8 minutes stirring once or twice to prevent the potato sticking to the base of the pan.
3. Stir in the mustard and pour in the stock, then bring to a simmer and cook with the lid off for 12 minutes until the potatoes are completely cooked through.

Easy Pasta Skillet

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
2 cups water
1 tablespoon McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Italian Seasoning
3 cups uncooked pasta, such as penne or rotini
1 package (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
(2 cups), divided
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
METHOD
1. Brown ground beef in large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain fat.
2. Stir in spaghetti sauce, water and Italian seasoning. Bring to boil. Add pasta; mix well. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover. Let stand 5 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups chicken broth (I used home-made stock, you may want to add salt in with the pepper, the stock had enough flavor that it didn’t need it.)
3/4 cup milk
2 ( 9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
METHOD
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Spray a 9 inch pie dish with cooking spray and gently press one of the crust into the bottom pushing the sides down evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine carrots, peas, and celery in a saucepan with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and reserve broth. Stir the chicken into the vegetable mix.

County Fair Bread
INGREDIENTS
5 to 5 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 package active dry yeast
1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
cornmeal
1 egg white lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
sesame seeds
METHOD
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, salt and dry yeast. Heat milk and melted butter in a saucepan until the milk is warm (not hot.) Add the eggs and warm milk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix very well for 5 minutes using a wire whisk. Then add the remaining flour and mix with a wooden spoon until dough ingredients are evenly combined and stiff. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Form into a ball and place in a large buttered bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. Allow dough to rise until doubled in bulk (1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.)

Corn Dip
For the dip:
1 can (15 ounces) sweet corn, or equal amount thawed frozen corn
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies, undrained
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) Montery Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups (8 ounces) Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo sauce, diced
1 tablespoon Adobo sauce from the can of Chipotle Peppers
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

For the topping:
3 plum tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
Mix the dip ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
While the dip is baking, mix the tomatoes, green onions and cilantro together in a small bowl. When the dip is finished baking remove from the oven and top with the tomato mixture. Serve with corn chips or fritos.

Corn Dip
For the dip:
1 can (15 ounces) sweet corn, or equal amount thawed frozen corn
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies, undrained
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) Montery Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups (8 ounces) Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo sauce, diced
1 tablespoon Adobo sauce from the can of Chipotle Peppers
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

For the topping:
3 plum tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
Mix the dip ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
While the dip is baking, mix the tomatoes, green onions and cilantro together in a small bowl. When the dip is finished baking remove from the oven and top with the tomato mixture. Serve with corn chips or fritos.

Ranchero Breakfast Tostadas
INGREDIENTS
Black Bean Mash
2 cups cooked black beans
1/4 to 1/2 cup light sour cream
2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 slices cooked bacon, chopped (optional)
8 small corn tortillas
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
1 tablespoon coconut oil or unsalted butter
8 eggs
1 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese
2 avocados, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, in wedges
Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
PREPARATION

Rum & Honey Grilled Peaches
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients
 3-4 Peaches, Halved & Pits Removed
 1 Pint Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
 ½ Cup Dark Rum
 ¼ Cup Honey + Additional for Topping
 ¼ Cup Brown Sugar
 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
 1 Tablespoon Almond Extract
 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
 ¼ Cup Almonds for Topping, Salted & Coarsely Chopped
 2-3 Leaves Fresh Mint, to Garnish

Instructions
1. In Large Bowl stir Rum, Honey, Brown Sugar, Extracts, & Cinnamon.
2. Add Peaches, ensuring liberally coated & allow to Chill/Marinate for 1-2 hours.
3. Pre-Heat Grill to Hot.
4. Lay Peaches face-down over the Grill for 4-6 minutes, or until exterior seared & Fruit is tender, basting with the Rum/Honey Marinade.
5. Remove Peaches from Heat.
6. Scoop Vanilla Bean Ice Cream into Bowl.

Potatoes Anna
You’ll need a 10 to 12 inch cast iron skillet with a tight fitting lid.
Preheat oven to 450. Set your oven racks on the two lowest positions in your oven.
Slice about 2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes to 1/16 of an inch thickness and dry each slice thoroughly with paper towels. Melt two sticks of butter in a small bowl and put a couple tablespoons of the melted butter in the bottom of the cast iron skillet. Begin arranging potato slices in the skillet in even rounds, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle each layer with a little salt and pepper, and a generous drizzle of butter. Fill the pan completely, allowing the potatoes to create a dome in the center. Be sure to use all the butter, some of it will be poured off at the end of the cooking process to be used in another recipe if you wish.

Red Tomato and Grilled Chicken Salad.
Lemon Oregano Marinated Chicken
 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
 2 cloves minced garlic
 3 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
 1/2 tsp kosher salt
 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
 juice of one lemon
 zest of one lemon, finely minced
Marinate all together in a large ziploc bag for only 20-30 minutes. Grill until fully cooked, set aside to rest for 5 minutes
Fried Red Tomatoes
 4 medium sized vine ripened tomatoes
 sea salt
 pepper
 panko bread crumbs
 flour
 egg wash (2 eggs whisked together well with 2 tbsp water)
 1/4 cup olive oil
 2 tbsp butter
Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium low to medium heat.

Brown Sugar Shortbread
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. By hand, stir in flour a little at a time. Dough will be crumbly, so dump it out onto a counter top or pastry board and work it together by hand until smooth. Pat or roll dough out into a rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into small squares, rectangles or diamonds (whichever you prefer). Arrange cookies on an ungreased baking sheet (I use parchment paper for easy cleanup) and bake 20-25 minutes in a preheated 325 degree oven until the bottom edges are just starting to brown.
Recipe notes: This recipe assumes you are using regular salted butter. If you choose to use unsalted butter, whisk 1/2 teaspoon salt (or slightly more if using kosher salt) into the flour before mixing the dough.

Turkish or Greek Baklava
INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) Package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup honey
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9×13 inch pan.

2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 – 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 – 8 sheets deep.

3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

White Chocolate Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons white sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 package frozen rasperries
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cornstrached
½ cup water
2 cups white chocolate chips
½ cup half and half cream
3 packages cream cheese ,softened
½ cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
1-In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
2-In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.
3-Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Russian Beet Salad
INGREDIENTS
3 whole russet potatoes
2 large carrots ,peeled
2 beets, washed with tops and bottoms removed
½ yellow onion chopped
1 jar herring fillets,packed in oil
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1-Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the potatoes, carrots, and beets in the boiling water until cooked but still firm, 15 to 20 minutes for the potatoes, 25 to 30 minutes for the carrots, and 40 minutes for the beets. Allow each to cool to the touch before further handling. Remove and discard the skins from the potatoes and beets. Shred the potatoes, carrots, and beets, keeping them separate.

American Potato Salad
INGREDIENTS
5 pounds red potatos
6 eggs
2 cups mayonnaise
1 onion diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small bell pepper ,seeded and diced
3 stalks celery,thinly sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper.
DIRECTIONS
1-Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender but still firm. Drain, cool and cut into cubes.
2-Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
3-In a large bowl, combine chopped potatoes and eggs. Mix together mayonnaise, chopped onion, green onion, green pepper, and celery. Season with salt and pepper, then mix well. Cover, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.