Easy Turkey Chili

For this recipe you will need:

•  3 tbsp EVOO
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• kosher salt
• 1 tsp chili powder (add more if you like it HOT)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 chipotle chili en adobo, coursely chopped with 1 tbsp sauce
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 (12 oz) mexican lager-style beer (I used Dos Equis)
• 1 (14.5 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice
• 1 (15.5 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

To use as garnish:

• grated monterey jack cheese, sour cream 

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, 1 tbsp salt, chili powder and oregano.  Cook, stirring until fragrant - about 3 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste and chipotle chili and sauce; cook for about 1 more minute.  Add ground turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until meat begins to brown.  This should take about 3 more minutes.  Add beer and simmer until reduced by about half.  This should take about 8 minutes.  Once the beer is reduced, ass tomatoes - crushing them through your fingers into skillet, along with their juices.  Add kidney beans and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Ladle chili into bowls and serve with garnishes of your choice.  Enjoy!

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel

This one will knock your socks off!  You can chill this up to a week in an airtight container.  Make sure you bring them to room temperature before eating or you'll have a hard time sinking your teeth into them!

For this recipe you will need:

For the Blondie Bars:

• 1 1/2 cups high altitude all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Peanut-Pretzel Caramel:

• 4 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed
• 1 1/2 cups mini pretzels, coarsely crushed

To make the blondie, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 13x9x2" metal or glass baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about an inch of overhang on the long sides of the pan.  Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.  Stir butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned bits form at bottom of pan, 7-8 minutes.  Transfer to a medium bowl and add the brown sugar.  Using an electric mixer, beat until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, this should take about 2-3 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy and well combined, this should take another 2 minutes.  Add in dry ingredients and beat until smooth ( batter will be thick!).  Using a spatula, evenly spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake blondie for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, edges pull away from sides of pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.  Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

To make the Peanut-Pretzel Caramel preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread peanuts over sheet in an even layer.  Bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.  Set aside.

Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat; boil without stirring! Occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is deep amber, this should take about 12-15 minutes.  Add honey; return to a boil, stirring often, about 1 minutes longer.  Add butter; stir until blended.  Add the warmed heavy cream (warming it keeps it from bubbling over and helps the mixture blend together); whisk until smooth.  Stir in peanuts and pretzels.  Pout over cooled blondie.  Chill until cool, about 30 minutes.

Run a knife around short sides of the pan to release blondie.  Using parchment paper overhang, lift from pan.  Cut lengthwise into 4 strips.  Cut each strip crosswise into 10 bars.  I like to cut mine even smaller to make them super easy bite size finger food.

Stone Fence

This is a delicious cocktail I found in a discarded magazine.  It's wonderfully festive for Christmastime or winter time in general.

For this recipe you will need:

• 3 cups apple cider (you can mull your own, or buy store-bought that has already been mulled/seasoned)
• 3/4 cup Apple Jack
• 1/8 tsp dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 bottle Martinelli's sparkling cider

Combine first 4 ingredients in a pitcher.  Serve over ice.  Yield: about 8 servings.  You can also make these cocktails individually (I do - it's more convenient and it keeps everything nice and carbonated.)  When making individually pour in the apple brandy first - as strong as you like (usually 1-2 shots).  Then add bitters, followed by apple cider then topped with a dash of Martinelli's.

Cheesy Baked Zucchini Crisps

These are so unbelievably easy to make and even those who aren't such big fans of zucchini tend to like these!  Zucchini can be plain on its own, but it makes a fabulous base for blending with other flavors.  The sharp taste of Parmesan cheese pairs beautifully with the seasoned bread crumbs, turning some plain sliced zucchini into a really great side, snack or appetizer. 

I used a little bit over half of a very large zucchini, which yielded about 2 1/2 cups of sliced zucchini.  If you find that you have more than this, increase the ingredients as you see fit.

For this recipe you will need:

• 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 1/2 cups slices zucchini (1/4-inch thick)
• solid vegetable shortening (for greasing)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper using a whisk.  Place the milk in a shallow bowl.  Dip the zucchini slices first into the milk and then into the breadcrumb mixture, being sure to coat them.  Place the coated slices on a wire rack coated with solid vegetable shortening or cooking spray.

 
Place the rack on a baking sheet, this will keep the zucchini from getting soggy.  Bake at 425 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until brown and crisp.  Serve immediately or store in the fridge - they're great cold too!

Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

These are a perfect main course or side to breakfast.  The preparation is simple, but can be tedious if you don't have a food processor.  To achieve the best texture, use the shredding blade of your food processor.  Avoid grating the potato and onion with a cheese grater if possible, the end result will not be nearly as fluffy as you want it to be.  The recipe below makes about 8 Latkes.

For this recipe you will need:

• 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled (baking potatoes are also OK)
• 1 small onion, peeled
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (high altitude flour is also OK)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup parsley (this is optional, they taste amazing plain too!)
• 3 tbsp canola oil, divided

Using the shredding blade of a food processor, shred the potato and onion.  Combine the shredded ingredients in a colander over a large bowl, tossing well to combine.  Let the mixture stand 15 minutes, pressing occasionally with the back of a spoon until most of the liquid drains off into the bowl below the colander. 

Remove the colander and set aside.  In the bowl, carefully pour off the potato liquid, reserving a thick white layer of potato starch in the bottom of the bowl.  The potato liquid can be discarded.

Combine the eggs, flour, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add the egg mixture to the potato starch using a whisk to combine.

Add potato and onion mixture and parsley to the bowl, tossing well to combine. 
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium - high heat.  Add about 1 1/2 tbsp of canola oil to the pan, swirling to coat.  Add potato and onion mixture in 1/4 cupfuls to pan to form 4 potato pancakes.  Use the back of your spatula to flatten the cupfuls slightly.

Cook for about 4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Repeat procedure with remaining canola oil (1 1/2 tbsp) and remaining potato mixture.

Oatmeal Bars With Cranberries

These are perfect for a summer picnic.  There's nothing to melt everywhere when the weather is hot and they make a great healthier snack option.  There are three layers to this bar, but each layer is fairly simple and doesn't take too much prep work.

For this recipe you will need:

For the Crust:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda (increase to 1/4 tsp for sea level)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 6 tbsp butter, melted
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• solid vegetable shortening (for greasing pan)

For the filling:

• 1 1/3 cups dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp high altitude or all purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp orange zest (about 1 orange)
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
To make the crust, measure the flour into a medium bowl.  Add the next five ingredients (through cinnamon) to the flour mixture, stirring with a whisk to combine.  Drizzle the butter and juice over the flour mixture, stirring until moistened (the mixture should be crumbly).  Set 1/2 cup of the oat mixture aside to be used later.  Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch square baking dish coated with a thin layer of solid vegetable shortening.

To make the filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.  Spread the cranberry mixture over the layer of prepared crust.

Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of reserved oat mixture evenly over the filling. It may be a bit doughy, just carefully break it apart into smaller crumbles to avoid creating large clumps.

Bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  Let cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares for serving.

Grilled Polenta - From Scratch

Polenta is very easy to make and in this form makes a wonderful side to just about anything.  It also makes a wonderful component in salad!  My favorite thing to eat with polenta is a nice juicy piece of meat, the polenta soaks up the juices beautifully and tastes delicious.  This recipe makes 8 servings, if you don't need that many just put the un-grilled portions of polenta into a container to store in the fridge (or freezer) until you need it.

For this recipe you will need:

• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/4 tsp salt 
• freshly ground pepper
• olive oil for brushing

Measure the cornmeal into a deep saucepan.  Gradually mix in the water.  Once the water is mostly absorbed, whisk in the salt.  Place over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking often (almost constantly).  Reduce the heat to low and cover partially with the lid to the pan.  Cook at a very slow simmer, stirring often, until the polenta becomes very thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan.  This should take about 25 minutes.  Remove from the heat and season generously with pepper.

Lightly brush an 8-inch square baking pan with oil.  Spoon the hot polenta into the pan and smooth it evenly to the edges with the back of a spoon (to ease the spreading, dip the spoon in warm water).

 Let cool completely before covering and refrigerating for about 24 hours.

Invert the pan of polenta onto a cutting board, tapping the bottom of the pan to release the polenta.  Trim the edges even with a long knife - this will make it easier to achieve even portions for serving.

Cut the polenta into 4 squares, then cut each square in half on the diagonal, making 8 triangles.

Pat dry with paper towels, then it's ready to grill!  You can grill these on the grill or on a grill pan, which works just as well.  I happened to use a grill pan this time, but feel free to fire up the grill!  The grilling technique for this is the same whether you use charcoal, gas, or a grill pan.  Grill the polenta directly over the heat elements you are using (this should be the hottest part of the flames on a charcoal grill), carefully turning once with a large spatula, until crisp and dark grill marks are visible on both sides.  This should take about 5 minutes per side.