6 tablespoons butter, cubed

4 ounces cooked ham, chopped

1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets

1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Dash cayenne pepper

1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1. Preheat broiler. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add ham and garlic; saute for 4-5 minutes. Add cauliflower, and cook just until crisp-tender. Combine cream and flour; stir into skillet, and blend well. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir 1 minute longer.
2. Pour into a 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil until lightly browned, 2-4 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

2 large sweet potatoes

2 tsp olive oil

1 c grape tomatoes, halved

4 Tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

1 cup pesto

Preheat oven to 425*.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork and place them on the baking sheet.

Bake 45-50 min or until soft and tender.

While potatoes bake, heat oil in a skillet over high heat.  Add tomatoes and cook 1 to 2 minutes until browned.

Slice each cooked sweet potatoes in half lengthwise.  Mash 1 Tbsp of butte into each sweet potato half and sprinkle each with ¼ tsp salt.  Divide chicken, pesto and tomato equally among sweet potato halves.

Serve warm.

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 pound (500 g) boneless and skinless chicken thighs diced into 1-inch pieces

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/3 cup barbecue sauce

Salt to season

10 stand and stuff taco shells

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 of green bell pepper | capsicum deseeded and sliced thinly

1/4 of a red onion sliced thinly

1/4 cup sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons sliced olives

Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking oil spray; set aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet or pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken and sear until golden and crisp. Add the garlic; fry until fragrant (about 1 minute); then add the barbecue sauce and salt to season (about 1/2 teaspoon salt). Cook until chicken is coated and glossy, and the sauce slightly thickens. Turn off heat.

Arrange taco shells in the baking dish. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of shredded cheese into each taco shell to keep them from going soggy. Spoon about 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into each shell on top of the cheese until all the chicken is used. Top with the green pepper slices, onion slices, mushrooms and olives. Top shells with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with the seasoning.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted through. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or condiments of choice.

For the cake

Cooking spray

1 box white cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box

For the filling

1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

4 tbsp. melted butter

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of kosher salt

For the frosting

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 (8-oz.) block cream cheese

4 tbsp. butter, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Make cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9″-x-13″ baking pan with cooking spray. Prepare cake according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, 20 minutes. Let cool.

Make filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

Make frosting: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form.

In another large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until no lumps remain. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth, then add in vanilla and a pinch of salt. Fold in whipped cream until just combined.

Using the bottom of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over cake. Pour filling over and use a rubber spatula to push into holes. Frost with cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate 20 minutes before serving

Caramelized Onions
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Mac and Cheese
16 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked al dente and drained
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk, warmed
1 cup of beef stock
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground mustard powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1 cup sharp gruyere cheese, freshly shredded
½ cup mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

Topping
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
Thyme, chopped (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Caramelized Onions
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and when hot, add the oil, butter, and onions.
Turn the heat to low and cover with a lid and cook for 25-30 minutes until the onions are softened
Turn the heat to medium and cook until the onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally
Cover and remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Mac and Cheese
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1-2 minutes (or until the mixture turns light brown).
Remove from heat and gradually pour in the warm milk and beef stock, whisking constantly.
Return the pan to the heat, whisk another 3-5 minutes or until thickened.
Add the salt, garlic powder, ground mustard, and cayenne pepper and stir to combine.
Add the cheeses and onion mixture, stir until all of the cheese is melted.
Pour the sauce over the top of the cooked elbow macaroni. Stir to combine.
Add the shredded rotisserie chicken and stir until completely mixed together.

Topping
Top with ¼ cup shredded Gruyere cheese
Bake, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Season with salt and pepper, and top with chopped thyme.

2 tablespoons veg oil

4 large garlic cloves, chopped (I use the minced in the jar)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2  teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon tarragon

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

salt & pepper to taste

3 15-ounce cans of Bush’s White Chili Beans (or cannellini beans), do NOT drain

1 cup canned chicken broth

1/3 cup buffalo hot wing sauce

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes, diced

1 (8 ounce) can corn

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat, add garlic, cumin, celery salt and tarragon. Sauté for about 3 minutes. While that is sautéing, season cut chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Add beans, chicken broth, buffalo hot wing sauce and cream to pot, stir to combine. Add ranch dressing mix, tomatoes and corn and stir. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then cook on low for at least 30 mins.

Serve in bowl and top with blue cheese and green onions if you’d like

4 c. fresh or frozen corn, defrosted

1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 c. crumbled feta

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

1/4 c. basil, thinly sliced

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl, then season with salt and pepper.

1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix

2 eggs

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon lemon extract

⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until well blended. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of confectioners’ sugar. Roll them around until they’re lightly covered. Once sugared, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 6 to 9 minutes in the preheated oven. The bottoms will be light brown, and the insides chewy.

2 lbs frozen peas, thawed

½ c red onion, diced

1 ½ c cubed mild cheddar cheese

8 slices bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled

½ c sour cream

3 T mayonnaise

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 T sugar

Salt and pepper

In a large bowl combine peas, onion, bacon, cheese and salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine sour cream, mayo, vinegar and sugar.

Add the dressing to the pea mixture and toss to combine.

Refrigerate 30 minutes.  Serve cold.

Servings: 4

2 cups cut-up fresh asparagus

2 yellow sweet peppers, cut into thin, bite-size strips

2 medium red onions, sliced

8 fresh mushrooms, sliced

4 teaspoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

4 whole wheat flatbreads

½ cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese (2 ounces)

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)

Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl combine asparagus, sweet peppers, onions, mushrooms, oil, and salt. Spoon vegetable mixture onto prepared baking sheet, spreading into an even layer. Roast for 10 minutes; remove from oven and set aside.

Place flatbreads on two large baking sheets; sprinkle Pecorino-Romano cheese evenly over flatbreads. Arrange the roasted vegetables and the cherry tomatoes evenly on flatbreads. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.