Venetian Rainbow Cookies

Christmas is my favorite time of year to make these delectable cookies and I get to bake with my sons. Who could ask for more! Yields: 60 cookies 

•          1/2 to 3/4 can solo almond filling
•          1-1/2 cups softened butter
•          1-cup sugar
•          4 eggs separated
•          1 teaspoon almond extract
•          2 cups flour
•          1/4-teaspoon salt
•          5 drops green food coloring
•          8 drops red food coloring
•          1 jar seedless raspberry or apricot (Polaner or

                Smuckers) all fruit

•          2 to 3 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

Grease 3-8 X 12 X 2 pans. (Foil tin section of grocer) Place almond filling in bowl. Add butter, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract. Beat with hand mixer for 5 minutes until well blended. Beat in flour and salt. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into mixture. Dough will be thick like cookie dough and not loose like cake dough. Separate dough into three equal parts. Make one green and one red and leave one white. Spread evenly into pans and bake at 350° for 15 minutes watching carefully so edges don not burn. Let cool. Layer with preserves in between with plain cake in middle. Weigh down and refrigerate for 1 hour. Melt together chocolate chips and 1-teaspoon oil in microwave about 3 minutes. Spread a thin layer on one side and refrigerate until chocolate is hard. Flip over and do other side. Place on cutting board and trim off edges. 60 cookies: 4 rows by 15.

HOLIDAY SIDES - Roasted Carrots with Chestnuts and Pecans

• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped chestnuts
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 pounds small carrots (can use tri-color)
• 3 tablespoons chopped scallions
• Balsamic glaze

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss together pecans, chestnuts, butter, paprika, and pepper in a bowl and lay out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned and toasted, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on pan.

Increase the oven to 450°F. Peel the carrots; trim the carrot tops. Toss together carrots, oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl; spread into a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast, stirring once, until browned about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle hot carrots with balsamic glaze. Arrange the carrots on a serving platter. Sprinkle with pecans, chestnuts and scallions.

HOLIDAY SIDES - Brussel Sprouts Gratin

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts
• 1 white onion halved and sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 oz bacon cooked & crumbled (optional)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup fontina cheese grated

Preheat oven to 425º.

Slice sprouts in half

Place brussels sprouts and onion on a baking tray.

Cover brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Fli once

Bake for another 20 minutes.

Transfer into baking dish and toss with heavy cream. Sprinkle with fontina and bake at 400º for 15 minutes or until golden on top.

HOLIDAY SIDES - Sauteed Mushrooms with Cheesy Polenta

For the Mushrooms:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds baby bella mushrooms, sliced 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• salt to taste

For the Polenta:

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups instant polenta
• 8 ounces fontina, gouda or gruyère cheese, shredded
• salt to taste
• Balsamic glaze

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Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add mushrooms; and cook stirring occasionally for 7 minutes. Stir in thyme, oregano, pepper and garlic; continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in balsamic vinegar, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan, stirring constantly about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, reduce to low. Stir in butter. Salt to taste. Keep warm.

In a saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups milk and 2 1/4 cups of broth to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; gradually stir in polenta; cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Add more liquid (broth, milk or water) as needed. You want a smooth consistency. Remove from heat. Add shredded cheese; stir to combine until smooth. Salt to taste. Serve polenta warm topped with mushrooms. Drizzle with balsamic glaze for an extra special touch!

Air Fryer "THANKSGIVING LEFTOVER" CROQUETTES

These are great in an air fryer if you have one but can be traditionally fried as well!

• 2 cups diced turkey (dark and/or light meat is fine)
• 2 cups leftover stuffing
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 lightly beaten eggs
• Sea salt and Black pepper

• Flour
• Breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs + 2 tbs water

Roughly food process the turkey and mix into the stuffing. 

Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock and two lightly beaten eggs and mix together with turkey - stuffing mixture.  

Gradually add more chicken stock as needed. You want the mixture to resemble stuffing consistency. Don't let it get too wet.  It will  absorb the liquid as it sits in the refrigerator. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

Refrigerate for 2-3 hours to allow mix to set up. Shape into 2" balls.

In 3 separate bowls, place flour, lightly beaten eggs and water, and breadcrumbs.

Roll the croquettes and coat each in flour, egg, and then with breadcrumbs. Place on a plate or baking tray. Be sure to give each croquette space so it can dry slightly.

Spray each Croquette thoroughly with Oil and place as many as you can fit, leaving a little space between each Croquette, into air fryer basket.  

Cook at 380º for 10 minutes, turning over the Croquettes after 6 minutes.  Keep an eye on the Croquettes, because they might need more time.  

Air Fry until browned. Dip in Warm Gravy and top with Cranberry Sauce

Liguine with Shrimp and Broccoli Rabe

Did you know that Broccoli rabe (my vegetable of choice) is a member of the turnip family whereas broccolini is some sort of mesh between actual broccoli and Chinese broccoli. This delicious veggie sports a bitter flavor while the broccolini is a milder alternative. You'd be surprised how well it goes with seafood!

• 1 pound broccoli rabe with tough ends cut off
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb of your favorite Linguine ( I like Barilla )
• 1 lb. large shrimp cleaned and deveined
• 1/4 stick salted butter
• 1/4 cup of good olive oil

Salt the water and boil the pasta. Prepare the broccoli rabe while you are waiting for the pasta water to boil.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Scatter the garlic over the oil, and cook, shaking the pan, until almost brown, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli rabe, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour 1/4 cup water into the skillet and cook until almost all of the water has evaporated. Cover the skillet tightly and cook until the broccoli rabe is tender for about 13 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper and set aside. 

Add pasta to boiling water and prepare your shrimp. Melt butter in a pan big enough to hold 1 lb of pasta and rest of ingredients. Once the butter is melted, add the olive oil. Keep a medium to high flame and saute the shrimp, about 2 minutes on each side. It is important to start with shrimp that has been dried using paper towels to remove the moisture, you will get a better sear.

Add the broccoli rabe to the shrimp pan and continue to saute until flavors mesh. Drain your pasta and add to the pan, tossing to mix all of the delicious flavors together. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. You can even throw in some crushed red pepper if you like!

Chunky Eggplant Caponata

I was recently at a restaurant with friends and they served a "chunky" Caponata with Burrata on the plate. I have to say, it was quite good! Here is my original recipe, edited. I think you will love it!

• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 long thin eggplants, unpeeled, cut into large cubes
• 1 medium onion, sliced
•  4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 14 oz.  can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons drained baby capers
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 squeezed lemon
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Extra olive oil to finish it off
• salt and pepper to taste
• 10 coarsely chopped pitted green olives
• 10 coarsely chopped pitted black olives
• 1 red vinegar pepper diced
• 1/4 cup pignoli nuts (optional)
• 2 stalks celery, sliced (optional)

Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add eggplant, onion, and garlic cloves. sauté until eggplant is soft, about 15 minutes. Add diced tomatoes reserving the juice, then drained capers. Cover and simmer until eggplant and onion are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Season caponata to taste with salt, pepper, lemon, and vinegar. Mix in fresh basil. At this point, you can add the optional chopped olives and red pepper. Add some of the reserved tomato juice if needed. Transfer caponata to a serving bowl. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. (Caponata can be made ahead of time and canned/jarred. It's delicious with Burrata (a fresh Italian cow milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella, while the inside contains stracciatella and cream, kind of like ricotta.)

Note: Drizzle some fresh good olive oil on it before you serve it!

The Rum Runner, Sea Bright, NJ - Run the Other Way!

One of my favorite places to dine in the summer used to be The Rum Runner in Sea Bright. In case you haven’t noticed I said: “used to be”. An escalated price tag came along with the elevated rebirth of the old McLoone's. I don’t mind paying a hefty price for a good meal and as much as I appreciate the restaurants' desire for a fine dining experience, it just doesn’t cut it. 

Let’s talk about the staff. Well, the staff looked like spring break revisited. One young boy brought bread to the table and gave us one bread plate for four people. Needless to say, we had to ask for more plates. While the bread came with a very tasty oil and tomato dipping plate, they did not offer us butter for our bread, again we had to ask for it.

My friend inquired about how a particular entree was prepared because she was thinking about ordering it but our "waiter boy" had no idea and was of no help. He didn’t even offer to go back to the kitchen and find out for her. My thoughts on this? Fine dining is about the whole experience. The wait staff should be ready to answer any questions and be attentive to the tables needs.

Another guest ordered a specialty drink and our waiter informed him that it was unavailable and couldn’t even recommend something else. It seemed like our waiter was a high school student who had no clue about being a professional. Not good.

I ordered the Seafood Risotto and the ratio of risotto to seafood was off. When I think of risotto, I think of a warm steamy bowl of creamy risotto with add-ins and what I got was a small, and I mean small clump of risotto in the center of the dish that stood up on its own surrounded by 3 shrimp, 3 clams and 3 mussels. It did, however, have a scrumptious juice that surrounded the risotto, but nothing to soak in all that deliciousness.

Another at our table ordered the pork chop and it came out raw and had to be sent back. The salmon was overcooked and the Mahi was so-so. Overall, the food execution was inconsistent.

Let me summarize by saying, I felt that this restaurant takes advantage of its fabulous location and views of the water and it is not ok to serve mediocre food and employ a young inefficient staff that does not know how to serve. Train your staff! I will finish by saying overpriced and underwhelming. No plans to go back.

Mongolian Beef

This tastes VERY close to PF Chang's recipe and its one of my favorites!

• 1-2 pounds beef, cut into strips 

Marinade

• 1/2-teaspoon baking soda
• 1-teaspoon sugar
• 1-tablespoon cornstarch
• 1-tablespoon soy sauce
• 1-teaspoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons oil

Sauce

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2-cup soy sauce
• 1/2-cup water
• 1/2 cup + 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1 tablespoons cornstarch
• Sliced green onions & sesame seeds

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Pour into a plastic-lock bag with beef strips, seal and chill 1 hour or overnight. Drain marinade from the bag and set beef aside. 


In a medium saucepan combine sauce ingredients. Stir and heat over medium-high heat until the brown sugar has dissolved. While sauce is cooking, whisk together cornstarch and water in a small bowl until cornstarch is dissolved. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cornstarch-water mixture. Allow sauce to thicken slightly, and then remove from heat. 


In a large pan or skillet, cook beef strips over medium-high heat until cooked through (5-8 mines) turning strips over throughout to ensure even cooking, reduce heat to medium. Add the sauce. Stir and cook 1-2 minutes longer. Serve over rice with green onions and sesame seeds. 


Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins with just 3 ingredients and NO flour at all! 

• 9 mashed bananas
• 1 1/2 cups of nut butter (peanut or Almond) 
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder 

Makes 1 dozen. 
UNBELIEVABLE!

12 Farms Restaurant Gets 5 Suzie Stars!

12 Farms Restaurant

120 N Main St, Hightstown, NJ 08520

www.12farms.com

12 Farms is a locally sourced farm-to-table restaurant right in the heart of downtown, Hightstown, NJ. The atmosphere is homey and quaint and gives off a farmhouse vibe. The staff is very professional and so friendly! We had the pleasure of meeting Chef and owner Rennie who took the time to visit us at our table. He cares about his customers and the food he serves.

Kudos to Chef Rennie who also supports the local artists.  Their art is showcased around the dining room and they are available for sale. The wall mural of the “12 farms” in the restroom also deserves mention.

Ingredients found from local growers are the chef’s inspiration. The menu changes regularly to showcase what’s best in season, and it most certainly does! The pasta dishes are also made from scratch with super fresh ingredients. Oh, and did I mention the olive oil and the bread? One of the best; hands down!

There were 8 in our party and we booked in advance. Everything we had on the menu was outstanding. Our meals consisted of a homemade fettuccini dish, mushroom risotto with grilled shrimp, homemade gnocchi, beef cheeks with vegetables, a Thai inspired dish, all of which I have to say was beautifully plated and well crafted! 

Lest we forget there's Pie Girl, server and baker extraordinaire! Dessert at 12 Farms includes pie and really, really good pie. The chocolate pecan, yum and the banana cream, double yum! Be sure to say hi to Pie Girl when you visit.

The food was amazing and its definitely the place to go for a fine meal - truly a wonderful evening! FYI - BYOB. What a great find in Hightstown, I give it 5 Suzie Stars!

East Meets West at Ae's Thai & BBQ

It's been a while since I have been inspired to blog about a restaurant, but that changed this evening! We came across a little Gem right in Hazlet NJ called Ae's Thai & BBQ. Two people from two different cultures married and so did the food! 

The casual atmosphere is very warm and inviting. The menu is quite unique, offering authentic Thai cuisine as well as good old American BBQ fare. There is something for everyone including Vegan and Gluten Free dishes. Family friendly and also an enjoyable BYOB night out with friends. 

There are noodles and rice dishes, sweet and spicy dishes, chicken, pork and fish options and even ribs and mac & cheese, how about that! The menu has lots to offer and the service was great! 

I ordered my favorite soup Tom Kah, a creamy coconut broth with lemon grass, mushrooms and chicken as a starter. It was one of the best Tom Kah I've ever had. Others at the table ordered the Vegetable Spring Rolls with Plum Sauce. You get a generous portion of six crispy rolls filled with deliciousness.

The main meal included Chicken Pad Thai (thin rice noodles with vegetable and peanuts) and Pad Kee Mao (broad noodles with spicy pepper and sweet Thai basil), both of which were super fresh and bursting with flavor.

Great service and great menu choices. Very tasty and just like it should be - you choose your heat. Great value for the money and good serving sizes.

I can't wait to return and try the BBQ menu! 

Go there, you won't be sorry! 

thaiandbbq.com

Gluten Free Corn Fritters

All I can say about this recipe is... "Easy and Delicious"!

• 1 Bag Trader Joe's roasted corn, defrosted
• 1 Cup GF flour
• 1Cup yellow corn meal
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 Stick butter, melted
• 2 Eggs
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Fresh Cilantro (optional)
• Thinly sliced scallions (optional)

Combine all ingredients until well blended to a thick "pancake mix" consistency. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Use a scoop tool and scoop a generous amount into the heated oil in your fry pan forming consistent rounds. This will ensure even and consistent fritter size.

Cook the fritters for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip them once and cook them an additional 3 minutes until they’re golden brown and cooked through. 

Transfer the fritters to the paper towel-lined plate, season them immediately with scallions, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Serve will sour cream or garlic aioli!

Enjoy!