Fruit Jam Cookies

Ingredients:

 • 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

 • 1 cup sugar

 • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

 • 1/4 teaspoon salt

 • 1 egg beaten for egg wash

 • 7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut

 • Apricot jam or fruit jam of your choice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. In an electric mixer, combine butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the flour and salt. Mix well. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 minutes or until the coconut is golden brown. 

Baked Fish in Foil

Ingredients:

• 1 portion of fish filet such as salmon or mahi mahi
• 3 tablespoon of asian-style barbeque sauce
• 3 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of water
• White pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon of fried onion

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Place fish filet in a foil lined baking dish. Prepare sauce by mixing barbeque sauce, soy sauce, water, whiter pepper, sugar, and fried onion pieces. Pour sauce over the fish filet.
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes depending on the fish filet's portion size. 

Apricot & Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

 • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

 • 1/2 cup sugar

 • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 • 1/4 teaspoon salt

 • 1 egg

 • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

 • 1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

 • 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

 • 1 cup confectioners' sugar

 • 7 tablespoons almond flavored liqueur or Amaretto

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour until just blended. Mix in the apricots and almonds.
2. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350º. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Cut the dough log crosswise into 1/2 inch-thick slices. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool. To make icing: place the confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually whisk in the almond flavored liqueur or until the mixture is of drizzling consistency.

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

 • 1 1/2 cups pecans

 • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

 • 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

 • 1 cup granulated sugar

 • 2 eggs

 • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

 • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

 • 1 teaspoon baking powder

 • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 • 1 teaspoon salt

 • 3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

 • 1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes. Cool and chop.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and then vanilla.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix just until combined.
5. Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

White Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Ingredients:

 • 1 teaspoon baking powder

 • 1 teaspoon baking soda

 • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

 • 1/2 teaspoon salt

 • 2 sticks butter, softened

 • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

 • 1 egg

 • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 • 1 cup quick cooking oats

 • 3/4 cup shredded coconut flakes

For garnish:

 • 8 ounces white chocolate, melted

 • 3/4 cup toasted, shredded coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, flour and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Fold in the oats, vanilla extract and shredded coconut flakes.
3. Form walnut-sized balls of the mixture and drop 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined sheet pans. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. 
4. When the cookies are cool, dip them halfway into the melted white chocolate and then into the toasted shredded coconut flakes. Set them down onto parchment paper-lined sheet pans to dry completely.

Belgi Galettes

Ingredients:

 • 2 pounds dark brown sugar

 • 1 pound butter

 • 7 eggs

 • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

 • 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

 1. In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar and butter until smooth and creamy; then add eggs and vanilla, and beat well. Gradually stir in flour. Set bowl over a hot water bath, and stir to blend ingredients. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

 2. Preheat the galette iron.

 3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place in the galette iron. Close the iron and cook the cookies. This should take about 30 seconds in an electric galette iron or 2 to 4 minutes in a handheld iron over a medium flame. Carefully remove cookies and cool on wire racks.

Madeleines

Ingredients:

 • 2 eggs

 • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

 • 1 cup confectioners' sugar

 • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

 • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

 • 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

 1. Preheat oven to 375º. Grease twenty-four 3-inch Madeleine molds.

 2. In a medium bowl beat eggs, vanilla and lemon zest with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar. Beat for 5 minutes or until thick.

 3. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Sift one-fourth of the flour mixture over the egg mixture, gently fold in. Fold in the remaining flour by fourths. Then fold in the cooled butter. Spoon batter into the prepared molds, filling 3/4 full.

 4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden. Cool in molds and loosen cookies with a knife. Invert cookies onto a rack and cool. 

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients:

    •    1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

    •    1/2 teaspoon salt

    •    1 teaspoon baking soda

    •    1/2 cup butter, softened

    •    1/2 cup white sugar

    •    1/2 cup peanut butter

    •    1/2 cup packed brown sugar

    •    1 egg, beaten

    •    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    •    2 tablespoons milk

    •    40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups

Directions:

    1.    Preheat oven to 375º.

    2.    Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.

    3.    Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture and mix well.

    4.    Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan. Bake for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Romania Peach Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 9" Graham cracker crust
• 1 container ready to eat cheesecake filling
• 1 can of peaches in light syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 of lemon, juiced
• fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Spread cheesecake filling into prepared crust. Chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
2. In a small saucepan, add the peaches, sugar, and lemon juice. Simmer for 7 minutes or until peaches begin to break down. Leave to cool.
3. After the cheesecake is chilled, transfer to a cake plate. Spread the peach mixture topping over the surface with a spatula. Garnish with fresh peach slices and fresh basil leaves before serving.

Baked Rigatoni

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 quart whole milk, at room temperature
• Sea salt and white pepper
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
• 1 pound dry rigatoni
• 3 tablespoons butter, diced

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon which will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fontina and prosciutto. Season with salt and white pepper. Set aside.
2. In a large pot of salted water, boil the rigatoni and cook for about 5 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander. Return pasta to the pot and pour in bechamel sauce then mix well.
3. Place pasta with sauce into a baking dish. Top with diced butter and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Roasted Veggies

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch thick circles
• 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts halved
• 1 pound red bliss potatoes, cut into thick slices
• 3 medium parsnips, cut into thick slices
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Sea salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400º. 
2. Grease a baking sheet pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Place vegetables in baking sheet and add the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil.
3. Spread the vegetables evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes.

Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells
• 1/3 cup crushed Ritz crackers
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients. Shape into patties and dust with flour. 
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Carefully place crab cakes, in batches, and fry until browned which is about 5 minutes. Flip crab cakes and fry the other side until golden browned which is about 4 minutes. Serve warm with preferred sauce.