World's Best Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage  
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed 
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste 
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce 
• 1/2 cup water 
• 2 tablespoons white sugar 
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning    
• 2 teaspoons salt
•  1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 
• 12 lasagna noodles 
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese 
• 1 egg 
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced 
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 quart water
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces.
2. Brown sausage in your soup pot.
3. Remove sausage and place on plate with paper towels to absorb oil. 
4. Wipe out soup pot with a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. 
5. Add chicken broth and water to pot and stir.
6. Place onions, potatoes, and garlic in the pot.
7. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
8. Salt and pepper to taste.
9. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
10. Turn to low heat.
11. Add kale and cream.
12. Heat through and serve.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter (salted is fine) 
• 2 onions, finely chopped 
• 1 teaspoon paprika 
• 1 cup red lentils 
• 1/2 cup fine bulger (can substitute with quinoa)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
•  8 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1 tablespoon dried mint leaves 
• 4 slices lemon  
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Cook the onions in the hot butter until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
2. Stir the paprika, lentils, and bulgur into the onions and coat with the butter.
3. Add the tomato paste, vegetable stock, and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil and cook until soft and creamy, about 1 hour.
4. Crumble the dried mint leaves into the soup; stir the soup and remove from heat.
5. Ladle into bowls and garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint to serve.

Carribbean Rum Cake Recipe

 
Ingredients:

• Cake Base:
• 2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup pastry cream filling mix or instant vanilla pudding mix, dry
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup white or golden rum (Mount Gay works great)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon butter rum flavor (optional but excellent)
• 1/4 cup pecan or almond flour, for dusting baking pan. You can substitute this for getting almonds and running them through the food processor. 

• Rum Syrup:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup white or golden rum
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

 
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spritz a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan with cooking spray or baking flour spray (very important to get this right, don't miss any spots or it will stick). Sprinkle on the pecan or almond flour and turn the pan to coat evenly. Set aside.
2. Place all of the cake ingredients except the rum, vanilla and butter rum flavoring in the bowl of your stand mixer and blend on medium speed for 2 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the bowl after one minute.
3. Add the rum, vanilla and flavor if using to the batter and blend for another minute. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread level with a spatula.
4. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes. You may smell the nut flour toasting at first, especially those not covered in cake batter. When done, the cake will test clean on a cake tester. Bundt cakes are difficult to test properly with a short toothpick. Instead try a piece of dry uncooked spaghetti or linguine.
5. Leave the cake in the pan to cool slightly while you make the soaking syrup.
6. In a medium-sized saucepan combine the syrup ingredients, except vanilla. Bring to a rapid boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
7. Use a long skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Pour about 1/4 of the syrup over the cake (still in the pan). Allow the syrup to soak in, then repeat again and again until all the syrup is used.
8. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow the cake to sit out overnight to cool completely and soak in the syrup. When ready to serve, loosen the edges of the cake and invert on to your serving plate. If the cake is stuck in the pan put it back in a warm oven (325°F) for about 5 minutes. It should then release and come out of the pan. 

Pomegranate Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/3 cup tequila
• 2 tsp agave (add more if you like it sweeter)

Directions:

1. shake, shake, shake 
2. serve over ice with a sugar/salt rim

Puff Pastry Apple Tart

Ingredients:

• 1 whole sheet puffed pastry, cut into half
• 4 whole apples, cored, halved, and thinly Sliced. Leave the skin on.
• 1 cup brown sugar (or raw sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• A pinch of nutmeg
• A pinch of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
2. Place puffed pastry rectangles onto a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray. Add sugar, salt, spices and lemon juice to apples and combine in bowl. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
3. Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go. If you want to make it more "Christmassy" simply alternate between red and green apples. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown. Note: the sugars and juice will drip down if your pan does not have a lip. Place a pan below to catch the runoff. 
4. Remove from pan immediately and let cool. Serve plain, or with ice cream. 

Thanksgiving Turkey

Ingredients:

• Turkey (12-14 lbs)
• Salt & Pepper
• Sage
• Olive oil/butter

Directions:

1. With turkey breast side up, using boning or paring knife, cut through skin around leg quarter where it attaches to breast. Bend leg back to pop leg bone out of socket. Cut through joint to separate leg quarter. Repeat to remove second leg quarter. Working with 1 leg quarter at a time and with skin side down, use tip of knife to cut along sides of thighbone to expose bone, then slide knife under bone to free meat. Without severing skin, cut joint between thigh and leg and remove thighbone. Reserve thighbones for gravy.
2. Rub interior of each thigh with ½ teaspoon sage, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Truss each thigh closed using wooden skewers and kitchen twine. Place leg quarters on large plate, cover, and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.
3. Using kitchen shears, cut through ribs following vertical line of fat where breast meets back, from tapered end of breast to wing joint. Using your hands, bend back away from breast to pop shoulder joint out of socket. Cut through joint between bones to separate back from breast. Reserve back for gravy. Trim excess fat from breast. Dissolve ¾ cup salt in 6 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge breast in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.
4. Remove breast from brine and pat dry with paper towels (leave leg quarters in refrigerator). Tuck wings behind back. Brush surface with 2 teaspoons oil. Place turkey breast skin side down in a hot skillet and roast in oven for 30 minutes at 425 degrees.
5. Remove breast from oven and, using 2 wads of paper towels, flip breast and place in roasting pan. Arrange leg quarters on the pan and brush with oil.  Lightly season breast and leg quarters with salt. Tuck any large sections of exposed stuffing under bird so most of stuffing is covered by turkey. Transfer pan to oven and cook for 30 minutes.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until thickest part of breast registers 160 to 165 degrees and thickest part of thigh registers 175 to 180 degrees, 40 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes longer. Transfer breast and leg quarters to cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes.
7. Carve and serve.

Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste