Root Beer Bourbon Glaze

This recipe comes from one of my favorite chef's. Emeril Lagasse. I have a hard time watching his show, but he has some really good recipes out there. This one needed a couple of tweaks to make work (Sorry Emeril), but is delicious on various meats. I've used this on ribs (as the original recipe calls for), chicken, pork chops and shrimp. All of them, were great and have gotten numerous compliments.

Glaze:
1 (12-ounce) cans root beer
4 tablespoons hot pepper jelly
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 teaspoon Caribbean Pick-A-Peppa sauce
1 stick cinnamon
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 teaspoons bitters (recommended: Angostura)
1 cup bourbon
1 cup sugar

Dry Rub:
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions
To make the glaze, place all of the ingredients for the glaze in a wide bottom pan, and cook over medium-high heat. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and allow the mixture to reduce to a glaze consistency, about 25 to 30 minutes longer. Remove the glaze from the stove and strain though a fine mesh strainer. Reserve and keep warm, until ready to use.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir well to incorporate, and use 1 tablespoon of the spice rub to cover each of the ribs. Rub the mixture into the meat and allow it to sit undisturbed for at least 20 minutes.

Depending on the meat you are using, there are different steps to follow. If using pork ribs or bone-in chicken follow the steps below:
Preheat oven to 275*. Rub meat down with dry rub. Place in baking pan and add 1/2 c chicken stock. Cover pan with aluminum foil and cook for 2 - 2 1/2 hrs. Remove from oven, and place on a plate. Heat grill to med-high heat. Place meat on the grill and baste with glaze.

For all other cuts of meat, heat grill to med-high heat, add meat and baste with glaze, and cook until done.


For all other meats

Seared Ahi Tuna Steaks over Ginger-Soy Noodles

A couple of weeks ago my husband took a trip to go tuna fishing off the coast of Hatteras Island, NC. He had a great time, and came home with 80 lbs of fresh from the sea tuna. What does someone do with 80 lbs of tuna. Why slice it up and give most of it away. However that still leaves a good amount of meat left over. Well of course there is the obvious shashmi. Mix up a little wasabi paste, mix with soy sauce, and just dip the tender raw strips, and enjoy. Now I would be happy with never making it any other way. What could be more perfect? No cooking, dinner done in about 30 seconds flat. However, I don't think my family would let me get away with that everyday. So I came up with this. This is actually an accumulation of several recipes, adjusted to meet our tastes. It actually was really good, and even my pickiest eater the 3 year old, tore this meal up, and asked for more.


Tuna Steaks


3 Tuna Steaks (sushi grade)
1 tbsp Dark Sesame Oil
1/4 c Soy Sauce (Low Sodium)
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
2 cloves minced garlic
2 scallions (thinly sliced, diagonally)
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix together, in a large plastic bag, the oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, lemon juice and green onions, leaving a couple of tablespoons of the onions
out for garnish. Add the tuna steaks and marinade
in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.


Ginger Soy Noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp Minced garlic
2 tbsp Minced fresh ginger
1 Serrano pepper (seeded and minced)
1/2 ts Minced lemon zest
1/2 c Rice wine vinegar
1/3 c Reduced-salt soy sauce
1/2 c Chicken stock
2 ts Sugar
1 lb Soba or somen noodles
1/2 c Diagonally-sliced scallions

Add the oil to a small saucepan and saute the garlic and ginger over medium heat until they just begin to color. Add the Serrano pepper, lemon zest, vinegar, soy sauce, stock and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside. Keep warm. Cook the noodles in lightly salted boiling water until just al dente, according to package directions.

Drain and toss with half of the ginger-soy sauce mixture and the scallions.

In a large pan, spray with non-stick spray, and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Remove steaks from the marinade and sear steaks for 1-1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and slice in 1/4" slices.

Serve the tuna steaks on a bed of noodles drizzled with the remaining ginger-soy sauce and sprinkle with remaining green onions

Jerk Pork Tenderlion

Yesterday we received over 2 feet of snow. I love the snow, but really this is enough now. This is the second historic storm this season. In our house we decided to have a luau. We are done with the snow now, and need a little warm weather inspiration. And what better way to spice it up than with some jerk seasoning.

3 lbs Pork Tenderloin
1 bunch green onions
3/4 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp espresso ground coffee
1 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup lime juice
7 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lime zest
1 tbsp habenaro pepper sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425* Place all ingredients (except pork), into a food processor and blend until a paste forms. Rub the tenderloin down with the paste on all sides.

Please meat in the oven and bake for 15 minutes to sear meat. Reduce heat to 325* and cook until internal temperature reaches 160*. Slice and serve.

This will make a a delicious sauce that you can use to pour over the meat when serving.

London Broil Roulade

Marinade:
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
3 cloves of Garlic
2 Tbsp parsley

Roulade:
2 lbs London Broil (Cut thin lengthwise)
6 strips of bacon (cooked)
1/2 lb Shitake Mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
2 cups fresh spinach (collapsed)
1 large onion (sliced)
1/4 lb Provolone Cheese (sliced)
4 cups Arugula leaves
1 tbsp Brandy

Prepare marinade. Combine all ingredients for the marinade and place meat and marinade in a plastic bag and let sit at room temp for 4-6 hours.

In a small saute pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Saute the onion rings until tender. Remove from pan and set aside. Add mushrooms to the same pan, add 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar and one clove of garlic and cook until tender.

Lay the meat on flat surface. Line meat with a thin layer of spinach, then layer bacon, add a layer of cheese, mushrooms and onion. Note: You won't use all of the mushrooms or onions. The remaining mushrooms and onion will be used later. Roll meat and secure with toothpicks. Sear the roulade in a large frying pan, seam side down first to seal it. Then cook on each side until done, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large saute pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and heat 1 tbsp olive oil, add arugula leaves and remaining mushrooms. As leaves start to wilt add the brandy.

When roulade is cooked through, remove from heat and slice approximately 1" thick.

Place wilted leaves on a plate, then add sauteed onions, and top with a slice of the roulade.

Chicken-Mushroom Rice Bake

Mushrooms, Chicken, Garlic and Wine, are there really any flavors that go so well together? Well sure there is, but this recipe is easy and delicious and that my friends make it the perfect meal.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast (pounded and split)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/4 cup long grain rice (uncooked)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 small onion sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic minced (divided)
1 cup dry white wine (divided)
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (grated and divided)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, papirka


In a saute pan, melt butter and heat oil. Add mushrooms and onions and saute until almost done. When mushrooms are tender and opaque, add 2 cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup white wine, and cook until mushrooms and onions are done and lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a bowl combine cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, remaining wine, 3 cloves garlic, 1 1/2 cup cheese and whisk. Stir in onions and mushrooms.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour in soup mixture, then stir in rice. Top mixture with chicken breast. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder and papirka.

Bake at 375* for 35 min. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of chicken and cook an additional 10 min.

Scallops in White Wine Sauce

A Black Friday Special. The day before Thanksgiving I had fixed beef. No sense in fixing poultry when the next day there would be 13 lbs of fowl on our dinner table. So for Black Friday dinner, I couldn't fix beef again, well because we just had that 2 days before, and no poultry for obvious reasons, so the only logical thing to cook is seafood. However the trick is to come up with something that a picky 3-year old would eat. Pasta!!! What toddler turns anything down with pasta in it?

I sort of just threw this dish together, because I had been out shopping since 4:30 am and well, I was NOT going out for some groceries to cook dinner. Thankfully I keep an assortment of yummy things on hand. It didn't turn out half bad.

1 lb of Argetine scallops

1 lb linguini (cooked)

1 head of fresh broccoli (stalks removed, and cut into florets)

2 shallots (finely chopped)

3 tbsp butter (divided)

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

1 tbsp flour

6 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 c water

1/2 cup heavy cream

garlic powder

black pepper

cayenne pepper

In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter. Add shallots and garlic. Saute until tender. Then add the wine and , and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, at a gentle boil and until reduced by half.

While wine is cooking, in a small skillet, heat olive oil and melt 1 tbsp butter, and saute scallops. Sprinkle with garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook until done and set aside.

In a microwavable bowl, add broccoli, water and lemon juice, and microwave on high for 6 minutes until tender but crisp.

Back to the pan with the wine, add flour and stir until smooth. Stir in cream. Add scallops and broccoli, and stir to coat. Serve over pasta.

Real Green Bean Casserole

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is still full from all the good eats. And what holiday meal would be complete with out a green bean casserole. However I just can not bring myself to make the Campbell's version. I don't like, it is bland and boring. So I make my own. I know it looks like alot of ingredients and like alot of work, but trust me in this, it is alot easier than it appears, and the taste is soooo worth it.

1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans (cleaned & cut)

1/2 c flour

1/2 c + 2 tbsp butter (melted) divided

2 cups swiss cheese (shredded)

2 cups sour cream

1/2 lbs white mushrooms (cleaned & sliced)

4 slices of bacon (cooked and crumbled)

1 shallot (finely chopped)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup French's Fried Onions

spray oil

In a small frying pan, add olive oil, and 2 tbsp butter. Once butter is melted, add mushrooms on med-high heat and cook until almost done (about 4-5 minutes). Then add the shallots and garlic. Good until tender (about 2-3 minutes). Set aside.

In a large sautee pan, melt remaining butter, slowly start adding flour, stirring constantly, until you develop as very thick roux. Add sour cream until completely blended. Then slowly add in the cheese, stirring contantly so it becomes completely melted and blended into sour cream mixture. Once the cheese is melted all of the other ingredients (except fried onions) one at a time, until everything is coated.

Use spray oil to coat a 2 qt casserole dish. Pour mixture into casserole dish, top with fried onions and back at 400* for 45 min.

Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp with Cheese

Last week, we spent some time with my family in Seattle. We did some sightseeing, some shopping and ate some amazing food. You think my cooking is good. You should try some of my father's cooking. So of course I brought some of those recipes home. Dad, if your reading let me know if I got it right.

This recipe was one of my favorites. Make sure you make extra sauce, it doubles as a great veggie dip.

The beauty of this dish, is it is so versitale. You could use a pepper jack cheese, and wrap the shrimp with bacon instead of proscuitto. You could use a slice of roma tomato, wrap it with proscuitto and top with mozzeralla cheese and fresh basil.

1 lb Colassial Shrimp (peeled (tail off), cleaned, deveined)

4 oz of sliced Prosciutto

1/4 lb sliced Provolone Cheese

1/4 lb sliced Smoked Gouda Cheese

1 cup Mayonnaise

1 6 oz container of plain yogurt

15 cloves garlic minced (fresh not jarred)

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Take a piece of shrimp, top with a thin slice of gouda cheese. Wrap with a slice of prosciutto, and top with a slice of provolone cheese. Repeat this process for all of the shrimp.

Once all of the shrimp are assembled, back @ 400* for 10 min.

While the shrimp are cooking. Add mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor. Chop until completely blended. Serve over cooked shrimp.

Cozy Coffee

I finally got a chance to sit and go through some of the mail that came in last week. Usually when my Wegman's Magazine comes in, I immediately sit down and go over all of the recipes. I'm not sure why I do this, because I'm guaranteed to spend $200 and gain 10 lbs on my next visit to this meca grocery store. And of course my trip is stratically timed, to coincide with the wine tastings at noon.

In this issue of Wegman's Magazine, there is a recipe for "Cozy Coffee". I read this recipe, and said to myself, "Now there is a sleep aid!!" And let me tell, one cup of this coffee, and you might not make it off of the couch. Every muscle in your body will relax, and become incoherant to your brain's instructions.

20 Mini Marshmellows

2 tbsp vanilla vodka

2 tbsp Godiva chocolate liqueur

2 tbsp half & half

1/4 c chocolate martini cocktail mixer

1/2 c warm coffee

Preheat oven to 400*. On a piece of parchment paper or non-stick foil, pile marshmallows in a pyramid shaped piles. Bake for 4 min or until slightly toasted, and set aside.

In a large coffee mug, add mixer and half & half, and microwave for 30-45 seconds, add vodka and liqueur, stir in coffe, and top with a marshmellow form.

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

For this cookie I used the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chips bag. But plain ol' chocolate chip cookies sounded...well...plain, so filled the cookie with a sweet, creamy peanut butter filling. I don't do peanut butter, but I asked my boys if the they were good, the answer was, "Mmmmm-Hmmmm" I think that means delish!!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Filling:

3/4 cup smooth peanut Butter

1/4 cup salted butter (softened)

2 tablespoon half-and-half

1teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup confectiners' sugar

In a small bowl make filling, combine peanut butter, butter, half and half, vanilla extract and confectiner's sugar, and set aside.

Prepare dough according to the package. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Spread a thick layer of peanut butter mixture on the cookie dough, and top with another slice of cookie dough.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Parmsean Crusted Chicken Breasts

These are ridiculously easy and taste incredible!!! My 3 year old, decided that these were "big chicken nuggets", and ate every morsel he could get his hands on. This boy never eats his meat at meals. When this was served, he didn't eat anything else. Even the highly revered brocolli with cheese sauce was ignored.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (halved)
3/4 c flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp rosemary (crushed)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 eggs (beaten)
2 cups shredded parmsean cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter





Clean chicken, and pound to 1/4" thickness and pat dry. On a plate, combine flour, garlic powder, salt, rosemary and pepper. In a seperate bowl, beat eggs. On another plate put shredded cheese.



In a large non-stick frying pan, add olive oil and butter. Heat until oil is warm and butter is melted.



Dredge chicken breasts in flour. Coat with egg and cover with shredded cheese. Put chicken in pan and cook over med heat. Cook until golden brown and juices run clear (approx 8 min on each side)

Smashed Garlic Red Potatoes

2 lbs red creamier potatoes (cleaned and quartered)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup butter (sliced)

1/2 pint sour cream

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsely

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring potatoes to a boil and cook at a gentle boil for 15-20 mins until tender. Remove from heat, and add remaining ingredients. Smash all together in until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Garlic-Lemon Broccoli

This side dish pairs nicely with a prime rib roast, and evens out the richness of the roast nicely.

2 heads of broccoli (stalk removed, and cut into florets)

3 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon rind
salt and pepper to taste

Steam broccoli until tender but firm, about 5 to 7 minutes. Heat the butter in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat; add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the cooked broccoli, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, cooking briefly to combine. Sprinkle with lemon rind and serve.

Prime Rib Roast

Who needs to go to the local steak house for succulent prime rib steaks, at $25.00 a head, when you can make it at home and serve the whole family for the same price. In fact, age it yourself and save even more.

If you have the time and the space in your refrigerator, you can dry age the rib roast for a few days to bring out additional flavor and produce a more buttery texture in the muscle (aging allows the natural enzymes to break down some of protein in the meat).
Place the roast, uncovered, on a wire rack over a large pan to catch any drippings for at least a day and no more than 7 days. You need good air circulation around the roast. Your rib roast may be aged up to a week (7 days) in the refrigerator.

When you are ready to cook the roast trim off any dried pieces after the aging. A roast will lose about 10% to 15% of its weight during a week of aging.

Before cooking be sure to bring your roast to room temperature. Because this is an exceptional cut of meat, very few spices are needed. Just some salt, pepper and some garlic.

Preheat the oven to 425*. Drizzle roast with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and rub 2 cloves of minced garlic into the meat.

Place on roasting rack, rib side down. Cook at 425* for 15-20 mins to sear your meat. Then reduce heat to 325* and cook until internal temperature is 120* (rare). Refer to time chart below. Remove from oven and let sit for 10-15 min.

2-ribs - (4 servings) 60-70 mins

3-ribs - (6 servings) 1 1/2-1 3/4 hrs

4-ribs - (8 servings) 1 3/4-2 1/4 hrs

5-ribs - (10 servings) 2 1/4-2 3/4 hrs

Rare - 120-125* - red center, pinkish toward the exterior portion

Medium Rare - 130-135* - center is very pink with slightly brown towards exterior

Medium - 140-145* - center is light pink, outer portion is brown

Medium Well - 150-155* - not pink

Well Done - Cook Chicken or Pork

Peanut Butter Brownies Bites

Oh sweet yumminess, cometh to me!!!

1 pkg brownie mix

Chocolate chips

peanut butter candy melts

Prepare brownie batter according to package. Using a mini muffin pan, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1 tbsp of batter into each cup. Push 3-4 chocolate chips into the batter.

Bake @ 350* for 15-17 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before removing bites from pan.

After brownies are cool, melt half a package of candy melts in a microwave safe bowl, for 1 minute @ 50% power. Stir well. If not completely melted, cook an additional 30 seconds.

Spoon a small amount of candy on the top of the brownie bites and spread around. Top with additional chocolate chips, and place in freezer for 10 min or until candy has gotten hard.

Corn Chowder

This morning we packed up the family, and headed out to the pumpkin patch. Oh the kids had a blast. Moon bounce, pony rides, and of course pumpkin picking. My 3 year old felt the need to touch every pumpkin in the field, either by rolling, or picking it up and throwing. I guess he was just testing their sturdiness. If it didn't smash into a pile of goo, then it was good enough to bring home. This was the first time I really noticed the colorful leaves. Nothing puts you in the mood for cooking like driving down, a highway lined with splashes of orange and bright read. We got home and the oven came on.

1 lb bacon

1 onion (finely chopped)

2 celery stalks (halved, and sliced)

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cans (14.75 oz) of creamed corn

2 cans (14.75 oz) of corn kernals (Iuse one can of sweet corn and one can of bread & butter corn)

1 can (12 oz) of evaporated milk

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tsp garlic (minced)

salt and pepper to taste

Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut bacon in to strips. In a large dutch oven pot, cook bacon pieces until crisp. Remove bacon, and discard all but 2 tablespoons of grease.

In remaining grease, saute onion, celery and garlic until almost tender. Add basil, oregano, and garlic. Put bacon back into pot. Add the chicken broth, and vegetable broth to pot. Bring to boil and let simmer for 15 min. Add cans of corn, and creamed corn. Bring to boil and let simmer for another 15 min. Add the can of evaporated milk.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve. I like to keep mine simmering for several hours.

Turkey Brine

Psst - Hey did you realize that Thanksgiving is a month away? Thats right, we are quickly approaching the day of culiary magic. The day where families every where gather and have but one thought, from the moment they get up in the wee hours of the morning, to the moment the tryptophan kicks in, FOOD!!!! And what sits in the center of that table? Turkey!!

In our household, we prefer to go the deep fried turkey route. What other way can you cook an entire turkey in 35 min and still leave the oven open for all the sidedishes? Which ever way you choose to cook your turkey, fried, grilled, or roasted, there is always prep work, that needs to be done. Starting with brining your turkey to ensure the juiciest bird on the block.

Now, when selecting your turkey, be sure you don't have one that is not already injected or brined. It should say "natural" on it, otherwise you will end up with a bird that is too salty to eat.

Depending on the size of your turkey, the following recipe has always produced amazing results for us.

1 gallon of chicken stock

1 gallon ice water

4-6 cups of ice

1 1/2 cup of sea or kosher salt

1/4 c sage

1/4 c savory

15 garlic cloves (peeled and sliced)

In a large pot, bring to a boil stock, salt, garlic, sage and savory. Cook until salt is disolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temprature. Pour into a 5-gallon bucket, and add ice water. Be sure to remove any innards of the turkey, and add turkey to bucket, make sure the cavitiy is full of liquid and the turkey is fully submerged. Fill one or more gallon size ziploc bags with the ice, and place on top of turkey. Place in refrigerator. Allow 1 hr per pound of turkey for brining.

Remove turkey from brine. And rinse thoroughly. Pat turkey completely dry. Especially if you plan on deep frying!!

Season as you normally would, and cook using your prefered method.

Twice Baked Potatoes With Bacon & Scallions

These are the ultimate loaded potatoes.


4 med baking potatoes
1 stick salted butter
1 pint sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
3 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/4c shredded monterey jack cheese
2 scallions (thinly sliced)
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (more if you like spicy)
salt and pepper to taste
paprika

Preheat oven to 425*. Wash potatoes thoroughly and pierce. Bake in oven for 45 min or until done.


Once potatoes are done, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the potato leaving the skins intact. Put scooped out potato in a large bowl. Add butter and sour cream. And mash until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Using a large spoon, fill the potato skins with mixture. Top with additional shredded cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Place back in the oven for 15-20 min.

Spinach And Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This past week, instead of the 70* sunny weather we normally see in the DC Metro area, whe have been thrown straight into winter. Because of this weather change, I have been in full on comfort baking mode. Everything comfort, is the mood this weekend.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (pounded to 1/4" thickness)

8 oz cream cheese (softened)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

3/4 cup chopped fresh spinach

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1/2 shallot (finely chopped)

3 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Sauce

1 cup white wine

1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (oil packed)

2 tbsp shallots (finely chopped)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

5 basil leaves (fresh and thinly sliced)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup butter (cubed)

In a small bowl, mix together, cream cheese, mozzarella, spinach, shallots and garlic.

. Let breasts cool, until just warm to the touch. Spoon some of the spinach mixture on each breast and roll the breast enclosing the spinach and cheese. Secure with toothpicks. In a large skillet, melt butter and add olive oil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and paprika, and brown both sides of chicken breast, then place in a shallow baking dish. Bake at 400* for 20-25 min.

While chicken cooks make sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the wine tomatoes, shallots, garlic and basil. Bring to a boil over medium-heat; and cook until reduced by half. Add cream and butter. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and let simmer until thickened. Serve over chicken.

Hot Buttered Rum

This my personal remedy for the symptoms associated with H1N1 Swine Flu. If you have a sore throat, fever, and achy bones, there is no cure, but you can still find comfort.

1/2 c butter (softened)

2/3 c brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp all spice

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dark Rum

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients except rum. Put 1 tbsp batter in a mug and add 7 oz of boiling water. Add 1 oz rum, and stir using a cinnamon stick.