Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 ounces pancetta slices, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook brussels sprouts about 3 minutes then drain.
2. Heat a large skillet with butter. Add pancetta and saute until crisp which is about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute until golden. Add brussels sprouts and saute until it begins to brown which is about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and simmer until the broth reduces til it's just enough to cover the brussels sprouts. Serve immediately.

Ritzy Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cup Ritz cracker crumbs

Directions:

1. Slice chicken breasts into 7 slices or nugget sized pieces.
2. Pour buttermilk and chicken slices into a zip-lock bag. Leave in the refrigerator to marinade for 1 hour or up to 1 day.
3. Preheat oven to 425º.
4. Place cracker crumbs into a large bowl. Remove chicken nuggets from the bag and shake off excess buttermilk then dip them in the cracker crumbs. Coat well and place chicken nuggets on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf French or Italian bread
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• 5 cloves garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Slice bread in an angle and place in a baking pan. Drizzle melted butter on each bread slice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 5-10 minutes.
3. Remove bread from oven and immediately rub garlic on the toasty bread. Bon Appetit!

Fresh & Easy Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 medium russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 pound hot dogs, pierced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• Sea salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Boil the potatoes whole until tender which is about 10 minutes. Drain and cool. Peel skin and cut potatoes into bite-size pieces.
2. Place the hot dogs into a hot grill pan and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cut the hot dogs crosswise into bite-size pieces.
3. Toss potatoes, hot dogs, basil leaves, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil if salad seems dry. Toss well and serve!

Minty Fruit with Wine

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups dry white wine
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cantaloupe, cut into cubes
• 8 ounce fresh strawberries, sliced in halves
• 1 cup green grapes, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1. Combine the wine and sugar in a small saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Prepare the cataloupe, strawberries, grapes, and mint then combine in a large bowl. Pour the warm wine mixture over and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Rosenmunnar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fruit jam of your choice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375º.
2. Cream together butter and sugar in mixer. Add flour and vanilla extract then mix for 2 minutes. Shape dough into 1 inch diameter balls and place on cookie sheets. Imprint your thumb in the center to make an indentation. Fill with your favorite fruit jam.
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

French Pound Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Cream butter, milk, and sugar together in a mixer. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Turn mixer to low setting and add in flour, baking powder, and vanilla extract. Turn mixer to medium setting and mix for 5 minutes. Pour batter into a greased cake pan or bundt cake pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Test cake by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean then it's ready. Garnish with powdered sugar and serve.

Seafood & Pinot Grigio Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 1 pound spaghetti pasta

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 3 shallot, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

• 1 1/2 cup Pinot Grigio

• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 2 pounds clams, washed

• Sea salt and ground black pepper

• 2 cups arugula

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until tender but don't let it brown. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add the wine, shrimps, and clams. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, cover and cook until shrimps are pink and the clams have opened which takes about 7 minutes.

1. Add the pasta to the seafood mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add the arugula last. Serve and enjoy immediately.

Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

• 5 sweet potatoes, cut into about 1 by 4-inch fries shape
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 400º.
2. Place the sweet potato fries on a foil baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until golden which is about 40 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice.
4. Sprinkle baked sweet potato fries with sea salt and pepper. Serve with garlic mayonnaise alongside for dipping.

Baked Dijon Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 4 salmon fillets
• salt and pepper
• 1 lemon for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. In a small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, and honey. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs and pecans.
3. Brush each salmon fillet with honey mustard mixture then sprinkle the top of each fillet with the pecan crumb mixture.
4. Bake salmon for 12 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with a wedge of lemon.