Dark Chocolate Apricot Granola Bars

1                                                                                

       

Time needed: 25 minutes

Serving: 5

                                  Ingredients

·         Brown sugar: ½ cup

·       Coconut oil: 2 tbs

·       Wheat flour: ¾ cup

·       Rolled oats: 1.5 cups

·        Dark chocolate chips: ½ cup

·        Apricots, chopped: ½ cup

·        Ground cinnamon: 1 tsp

·         Egg whites, beaten: 2

·         Applesauce: ¼ cup

·         Vanilla extract: 1 tsp

                                       Directions

1

          Preheat your oven at 350 F.
 Grease baking pan with oil.
 Take a bowl and mix coconut oil and brown sugar. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
 Take another bowl and mix oats, raisins, flour, cinnamon and apricots.
  Now stir in the refrigerated mixture in this mixture and add vanilla, applesauce  and egg whites. Mix well.
  Pour this batter into greased baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. Cool down  for 1.5 hours and then cut into bars.

• 
  
• 
  

Lobster Mac & Cheese

This dish is a comfort food with style! Outstanding choice for someone who needs an attractive dish without breaking the budget or needing a culinary degree. Sure to impress your guests!

Ingredients:

o Butter: 7 tbsp plus for greasing
o Bread crumbs: 1 cup
o Salt & pepper
o Flour: 1/3 cup
o Milk: 4 cups
o Cheddar, grated: 2 cups
  o Grated nutmeg: 1 tsp
o Mustard: 1 tsp
o Elbow pasta: 1 lb
o Steamed, shelled, cut lobster in pieces: 3 lb
o Chopped parsley: 2 tsp


Directions: o Heat oven at 325 F. Grease baking dish.
                  
                   o Take a skillet and heat 2 tbsp butter on medium heat.
                       Stir in bread crumbs and cook for 2 minutes.
                      

     o   Take a saucepan and heat remaining butter and stir in flour. Cook for 2  minutes.

     o   Add milk, cheese, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

     o   Remove from heat and close the lid.

     o   Boil water in a pot and cook pasta with some salt.

     o   Drain pasta and put into a bowl.

     o   Now put over cheese sauce and lobster. Mix well.

     o   Put this mixture into baking dish and top with crumbs topping.

     o   Bake for 30 minutes.

     o   Garnish with parsley.

Serve warm with garlic bread and a glass of  crisp Prosecco or a pink fuzzy slipper!

Crusted Herb Lamb Chops

Crusted Herb Lamb Chops

Prep Time: 3-5mins     Cook Time: 8-10mins      Serves: 4

Ingredients

        Cooking spray 

         1tbs mixed dried herbs

         1/2 tsp kosher salt

         1/4 tsp ground black pepper

         2tbs Dijon mustard

         1 garlic clove, minced

         8 - 4oz lamb loin chops, trimmed

Instructions 

       Turn on the grill to heat.

        Now take all the ingredients, apart from the lamb, and the spray oil, blend together.

        Once mixed smear over the lamb on both sides.

        Add the meat to a greased rack, put under the grill and cook for around 4-6mins either side,

        depending on how you like it cooked.

        Serve with vegetables or salad.

      

Pumpkin Pie Brisket

Pumpkin Pie Brisket

The best season for comfort food is the fall months! This one is for the slow cooker. This cooks really really slow.....24 hours slow! It is worth the wait if you are a pumpkin lover! I know... pumpkin and brisket?? Give it a try you will enjoy1 I used spinach and white potatoes but personalize with your favorite greens or sweet potatoes. This recipes serves a generous 4.
.
Gotta have:

4 white potatoes, cubed
2 sweet onions, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 beef brisket...about 4 pounds
1 package of onion soup mix
3/4 cup of bourbon
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
5 cups of fresh spinach
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4  cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

How to assemble in a 5 quart or larger slow cooker:

Place onion slices in the bottom of the cooker. Massage the package of oinion soup mix into the meat and place on top of the onions.

Mix together the bourbon, worcestershire sauce in a mixing cup and pour over the brisket.

Cook for 20 hours on the low setting of the slow cooker.

Remove lid and add spinach. In a medium saute pan heat, warm the orage juice, presevsre and spice. add pototoes and fold until coated. Remove from heat and place on top of brisket.

Cover and cook or an additional 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Place brisket to a cutting board and rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

Serve with greens, potatoes and left over juices.

Rotini with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

I love Broccoli Rabe! This recipe is a perfect simple meal that has a quick prep time and a goes amazing with a sprinkle of Asiago cheese!

This recipe makes 4 servings.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 pound of sweet sausage with cassing removed and crumbled

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 large bunch of broccoli rabe , stems cut, rinsed and cut into 2 inch peices

1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teas dried organo

1/2 teas black pepper

1 16 oz box of rotini

Italian Wedding Soup

It is getting cold now, so I tried to think of another comfort food for winter months. Growing up in my house this was just my mom's chicken soup, but in the past decade or so it has been titled "Italian Wedding Soup".

This is great as a first cource . Reserve some extra chicken and make chicken salad for soup and sandwiches!

Chicken Broth

1 3 lb soup chicken

1 small onion

2 tbsp salt

6 qts water

Meatballs

1 lb ground chuck

2 garlic clove

1/4 cup of water

2 tbsp parsley

1 cup bread crumbs

1 small onion

2 eggs

3 cups of chopped streamed escarole

1/4 cup romano cheese mixed with 2 eggs.

Chop garlic, onions and parsley very fine and add to ingredients. Mix well and form into very small meatballs.

Boil chicken, salt and onions in water until tender. This can be anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. Remove chicken from broth. Let chicken cool and shut broth. Debone chicken and ct into small pieces. Set aside. Skim off any fat off the broth, and bring it to a boil. Drop in meatballs, lower heat and heat for 15 minutes. Add chicken and escarole. Cook 10 minutes more, then add cheese and egg mixture while soup begins to boil again. Cook for another 10 minutes. Serve hot.

</div>

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a yummy sweet comfort food dessert! Great this time of year with some eggnog or hot toddies...see the links below!!

16 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 vanilla bean

2 1/4 cup of unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons powdered instant espresso

1 teas salt

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/3 cups chopped pecans

Place oven racks near the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.

Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the mixing bowl. Mix well.

Sift the flour. Mix the sifted flour with the espresso powder, baking soda, and sat. Slowly beat into the butter mixture until fully mixed.

Mix the chopped chocolate and pecans into the dough

For big cookies, drop the batter heaping tablespoonful on the cookie sheets. For smaller cookies, drop heaping teaspoons. For flatter cookies pat the dough with the back of a spoon before baking. Bake 10 to 12 minutes for the larger cookies. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets and then remove to racks.

Now for the drinks to eat them with..talk about comfort!!!

Apple Pie Hot Toddy

 

Cooked Eggnog