In Good Company

• Mix the mix, egg and milk (or whatever ingredients your pancake mix calls for). (You can add a banana, crushed with a fork, oatmeal, a bit of cocoa, dash of salt, pink himalayan or black hawaiian salt are ideal, and a tiny touch of oil to the batter._
• Pre-Heat pan. Add a bit of oil and butter. (Good if it's a bit hot, so the batter hits the pan and gets that nice little crunch around the edges.)
• After many bubbles appear in each cake, flip them till done.

• Break up a sheet of matzo into a bowl
• Pour just enough boiling water over the matzo pieces to soften it, lightly press matzo down with a fork (there should not be much excess water)
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg
• Once matzo is softened, pour in the beaten egg with the matzo and mix
• Heat a pan with oil or butter, and pour in the mixture
• Fry until golden brown (flipping is optional, but note that matzo brei rarely will look as good as it tastes)
• Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with honey

• Melt butter into milk in the microwave in a small bowl. Be very careful not to overheat. Do a little at a time and keep checking. If no microwave you can do this on the stovetop but keep the heat very low and be careful not to overheat.
• Set the melted mixture aside to cool.
• Crack eggs in a medium bowl. Once butter and milk mixture has cooled, mix into the eggs.
• Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) and pour the wet ingredients (butter, milk, eggs) into the middle well.
• Stir well with a wooden spoon.
• Once combined, add raisins.
• Turn dough onto floured surfaced and sprinkle more flour on top.
• Knead briefly as you form it into a ball. (Too much handling toughens the dough.)
• Cut dough ball in half, and form into two balls.
• Flatten gently by hand to about an inch thick.
• Cut each round into eight pie wedges.
• Arrange in two rows on half-sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or till golden brown.
• While baking, brew a pot of tea.
• Slice and butter scones while hot, and serve with tea.

White Rice

• Put 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of water into a pot. Add the salt and olive oil, and stir gently. Bring to boil, uncovered.
• When the water has evaporated enough that you can pretty much see the rice, turn the heat down to 2 and cover.
• Let cook for about 15 minutes or until soft and tender.

Beans

• Empty the can of beans into a small pot. Fill the empty can halfway with water, and pour the water into the pot. Add the sofrito, salt, pepper, olive oil, tomato sauce, olives, and potatoes. Stir gently, bring to a soft boil, and then lower to a simmer.
• Let cook for about 10 minutes, or until beans are soft.

Picadillo

• Cut the half potato into cubes.
• Put the ground beef in a pan. Season with the Adobo, salt, sofrito, oregano, tomato sauce, and lemon juice, while stirring. Add the potatoes!
• Cook until browned! Be careful not to dry it out. It should only take about 7-8 minutes.

Once everything is cooked, put them in a bowl! I like to mix all the ingredients to get a good bite every bite.

• Put the black eyed peas, the halved onion, the carrots and 3 bay leaves in a large pot. Cover it all with the water. Put the pot over high heat, bring it to a simmer, then turn the burner to medium low and continue to cook until the beans are tender, about 60 to 90 minutes. Add two or three teaspoons of salt midway through the cooking. (Add more water if the water level goes below the beans.) Make sure that you hang on to two cups of the cooking liquid. Strain the peas, picking out and discarding the onion, carrots and bay leaves.
• While the peas are cooking: get a second big pot, and then cook the bacon in there over medium low heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned.
• Add the medium diced onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook over until the onion is softened and translucent and beginning to brown, five or ten minutes.
• Add the cumin and black pepper, turn the burner to medium and stir to combine the seasonings with the onion.
• Add the juice from the tomatoes first. Then take each tomato and squish it in your hand, like you're crushing it and then throw it all in the pot. (This is my children's favorite part. Be sure they squeeze over a big bowl before you put it in the pot, or you're gonna make a huge mess!)
• Add the last bay leaf and then bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or so to reduce and thicken the sauce.
• Stir in the black eyed-peas, and cook to heat through. I like to let it all sit for a while at a low heat, just to maximize the flavor.

• Cook whole box of macaroni al dente.
• Drain and set aside in a bowl.
• Heat butter, evaporated milk, cream of mushroom soup, salt and pepper in a saucepan until smooth and even.
• Then, pour over cooked macaroni and stir until all pasta is evenly coated.
• Pour mixture into a skillet or baking dish and top with a good amount of grated parmesan or gouda cheese.
• Cook in the over for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Then, using the broiler, cook for an extra two minutes to brown the top.
• Let stand for 5 minutes. Then, enjoy!

• In a large pot, boil water and cook noodles according to box directions. When cooked, drain well and allow to cool in non-metal bowl, stirring every so often.

  If using rice noodles, rinse a bit with cold water. 
• Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients - except carrots - with 3/4 cup of tap water in a blender and blend to smooth. Taste and adjust as desired (see note). 
• Pour sauce over cooled noodles - it will look way too runny and saucy for the volume of noodles but rest assured it'll absorb! Gently mix in carrots. 
• Cover and keep in fridge for at least an hour, stirring and tasting every so often. When serving, shower each serving with chopped scallions, peanuts & sesame seeds.

• Heat a pot over medium/low heat. Once the pot is hot, melt the coconut oil.
• Once the coconut oil has started to shimmer, add onion, garlic, and ginger. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and nearly translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Add the sweet potato, garam masala, turmeric and red chili flakes. Stir and cook until the potato has softened slightly, about 7-8 minutes.
• Add the chickpeas and coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium high until the mixture starts to bubble. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until the potato has cooked through and the flavors are melded, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare two cups of rice. (Jasmine is preferred here, but whatever type you have is fine)
• Serve by creating a layer of rice in the bottom of a bowl, smothering in curry, and topping with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Serve with naan or another flatbread, if desired.

• Pre-heat oven at 350°.
• Mix the eggs, cream cheese, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and a splash of vanilla in blender until the ingredients have been fully liquified (about 1min).
• On a saucepan, put the sugar, sprinkle some water and in low heat turn sugar into caramel. Stir continuously as the sugar melts.
• Once the caramel is ready, pour it into your flan pan or pyrex dish. Move the pan around to make sure the caramel fully covers the bottom of the dish.
• Pour the mixture into the pan with the caramel.
• Cook for 45min at 350° in a bain de Marie or bain-Marie (or Baño de María in Spanish). NOTE: A bain-marie is the fancy French term for a hot water bath. It’s used for cooking delicate dishes like custards to provide uniform heat around the food. Find a baking dish with high sides that will hold your flan pan. I usually use a large baking dish or casserole dish. Place the flan pan with the mix inside the casserole dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then pour the boiling water into the larger baking dish and around the flan pan. Avoid splashing water into the flan! The water should come about halfway up the sides of the flan pan. You can also use hot tap water instead of boiling water. It is easiest to do this last step with the dish in the oven already. By pulling out the oven rack and filling the dish with water right there, you avoid the danger of splashing hot water into the flan when transferring the dish to the oven!
• After 45min at 350° take a knife and insert it at the center of the flan. If the knife comes out clean, the flan is ready. If it is not ready, give it an additional 5min of baking time. Check with a knife again!
• Once the flan is done, take it out of the oven and let cool down on your counter for 30min-45min.
• Once the flan is cooler (yet still somewhat warm), use a knife to lightly separate the side edges of the flan from the pan if needed, then carefully flip the flan into your serving dish. The some liquid caramel should cover the flan. Drip any remaining caramel from the pan into the flan or around the dish.
• Optional: garnish the center of the flan with a couple raspberries, cherries, or strawberries, and some mint leaves.
• Place flan in the refrigerator for about 1hr. Then pull out and you are ready to serve.

• Melt butter, then cool.
• Mix all ingredients, except coconut milk and butter. Blend well. (Mix dry and wet ingredients a little at a time).
• Add coconut milk and butter.
• Top with sesame seeds.
• Bake in greased pan (preferably 9x13 inch) at 350 degrees for one hour.

• In heavy saucepan (over low heat), melt chips with sweetened condensed milk.
• Chill 2 hours or until firm.
• Shape into 1-inch balls, roll in any of the coatings.
• Chill 1 hour or until firm. Store at room temperature.

Cake

• Mix dry ingredients together.
• Add oil, apple sauce and vanilla and mix.
• Add eggs one at a time and mix well.
• Mix in carrots, walnuts, pineapple, coconut and raisins.
• Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350o for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Toothpick in center will be moist but clean when done.
• Let cake cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Icing

• Cream together cream cheese and margarine.
• Add powdered sugar. Blend well. (Frosting can be made in a food processor following the same order for the ingredients.)

• Preheat oven to 300ish degrees. Cooking hotter and faster will make crispier cookies.
• In a bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt together.
• Add chunks of butter and mix with your fingers until it all comes together in a ball.
• Dump on a flat surface and slap, roll, or pound it out to about 3/8" thick. Thicker will be crumblier, thinner will be crisper.
• Cut into whatever size or shape you wish - I vary sizes because it's funny - and place on a cookie sheet. They won't expand much so can be placed fairly close together.
• Bake for around 30 minutes. They'll only take a little color on top but when the underside of one is golden brown, you're done.
• Take off cookie sheet to cool, on the counter or rack or whatever. Store in a tin if you have one.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift flour and baking powder, set aside.
• In a mixer, blend oil and 1 1/3 cups sugar.
• Add eggs, one at a time, and mix thoroughly.
• Beat in vanilla and lemon juice. Blend in flour mixture and nuts.
• On a heavily floured board, using extra flour as needed, knead and roll dough until well blended and no longer sticks to the board. It should not be too hard or too soft.
• Divide dough into 6 parts and roll each into a long roll. Arrange rolls onto two cookie sheets, three to a sheet.
• Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over top and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove pans and cut dough into 1/2 inch strips, diagonally.
• Return to oven and bake for additional 8-10 minutes.
• Cool and enjoy.

The Crust:

• Mix your flour, salt, and sugar.
• Then add crisco and mix, until mixture resembles small peas.
• Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing until the mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and mix again.
• Shape the dough into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days. (Do not over kneed the dough.)

The Filling:

• Wash sweet potato.
• Then using a fork, poke a few holes in the potato, and bake the potato on a lined baking sheet.
• Remove skin after done.
• Mash and strain the potato (I use a mesh sieve).
• Using a large spoon add butter, vanilla, and egg.
• Add a little milk.
• Add sugar, nutmeg, salt, and flour.
• Add more milk if necessary (for loose consistency).
• Mix/Whip with a large spoon.
• Pour into a pie shell (bottom crust only).
• Bake 400 (Approx. 1 Hour),

• Make the schmaltz. Cover the chicken fat in water (just enough) and simmer low, stirring often, until the skin is brown and crispy, a little less than an hour. Reserve the skin (called gribenes) for the end of the recipe.
• Heat a couple of tablespoons of the schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) in a skillet and brown the chicken livers (don't overcook them! They should still be pink in the middle!). Remove the livers to a bowl that can collect any juices. Discard the liquid in the pan.
• Heat a couple more tablespoons of schmaltz and add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook them on low until caramelized, 30-45 minutes.
• While you let the onions cool, hard boil the eggs and then chop them.
• Place the livers and their juices in a food processor for a smoother texture, or chop by hand if you prefer a coarser texture.
• Add the onions and the eggs to the liver (I save a little egg yoke to crumble on top).
• Top with some gribenes, a little crumbled egg yoke, and if I have it, I throw some parsley on there too. The presentation of this dish needs all the help it can get. Serve with matzoh crackers (my mom always served it with Carrs Table Water crackers which is especially delicious).

• Soak the cod in cold water overnight to rehydrate it and remove excess salt.
• Remove any bones and skin. Flake and shred the fish into small pieces and set aside.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and pepper into a large bowl. Add the diced tomatoes, green onions, and flaked cod. Pour in 1/2 cup water and stir until everything is blended.
• Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, drop rounded spoonfuls of batter into the skillet. Fry on each side until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

• Preheat oven to 320 F.
• Prepare 9" cake tin by lining base and sides with greaseproof paper. Leave 2-inch gap between base and sides.
• Combine all dry ingredients into large mixing bowl.
• Add butter and milk, and mix together until a dough forms. Do not knead!
• Scrape the dough into prepared cake tin, and place a sheet of greaseproof paper lightly on top of dough.
• Put on the middle rack of oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Turn heat down to 300 F and bake for another 90 minutes.

• Mix all dry ingredients.
• Add yeast mixture, eggs and oil; mix thoroughly. This makes a sticky dough.
• Press into greased angel food pan (or two/three loaf pans).
• Let rise for 2-3 hours.
• Bake at 350 in a preheated oven for exactly 45 minutes.

NON-BAKE WEEK SOURDOUGH STARTER INSTRUCTIONS:

• Take your starter out of the fridge. Let it rise to room temp (~3 hours).
• Feed the starter with filtered water (room temp) and all-purpose, unbleached white flour. Ratio is 1:1:1 (starter/water/flour).
• Mix gently until the flour is incorporated.
• Let it do its thing on the counter for ~3 hours. Place it in a bowl and crack the lid to prevent explosions/leaks.
• Refrigerate at least a ½ cup for the next bake plus a little extra, and give the rest to a friend, flame, or neighbor so they can bake too.
• Repeat weekly.

BAKE WEEK SOURDOUGH STARTER INSTRUCTIONS:

• 24 – 48 hours before baking, take your starter out of the fridge. Let it rise to room temp.
• Feed the starter with filtered water (room temp) and all-purpose, unbleached white flour. Ratio is 1:1:1 (starter/water/flour).
• Mix gently until the flour is incorporated.
• Let it do its thing on the counter for ~3 hours. Place it in a bowl and crack the lid to prevent explosions/leaks.
• Keep ¼ cup for the recipe below, refrigerate at least a ¼ cup for the next bake, and give the rest to a friend, flame, or neighbor so they can bake too.

~12 hours before you want to bake:

• Wash your hands.
• Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix.
• Combine sourdough starter and water in a different container. Mix gently until fully incorporated (it’s a living thing).
• Combine wet and dry ingredients. Mix well for 3 – 4 minutes. You want a sticky, wet, shaggy mass. Not runny.
• Note that the next step, the first rise (or bulk fermentation) should result in twice the volume of dough, so if your mixing bowl isn’t big enough to hold twice the amount, transfer now.
• Cover with proofing bag, seal with a rubber band, set in a stable temperature environment (tip: place inside oven with oven light on), and let it do its thing until doubled (12 – 15 hours).

~90 minutes before you want to bake:

• Wash your hands.
• Liberally flour the interior of the chosen container for the second rise.
• Sprinkle flour over your work surface, pour/scrape dough onto work surface. Sprinkle flour on the top of your dough, and onto your hands.
• Pat dough lightly to de-gas it.
• Shape dough into a round loaf (tip: the plastic scraper helps here). As bubbles form on the exterior, pinch them to release gas. You want holes in the loaf, but mostly of a uniform size and on the interior.
• Transfer the dough to the container for the second rise. Cover with proofing bag, seal, set aside for 90 minutes.
• You’ll need to preheat your oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit, so depending on how long your oven takes to reach that temperature (mine takes 15 minutes) you may want to preheat now. If you choose to bake your sourdough loaf in an oven-safe pot, insert it into the oven to let it rise in temp when you pre-heat.
• Tip: I bake the bread in a pot in order to control and contain à la a baking bell, and to give the loaf a rigid, uniform shape. It’s not necessary, but I find makes it more manageable.

Bake Time:

• Wash your hands.
• Remove the container for the second rise from the proofing bag. Place parchment paper on top of container. Place sheet pan on top of parchment paper. Invert tray, parchment paper and proofing container upside down to encourage dough to fall from container onto parchment paper.
• Score the exterior of the dough with a sharp knife or blade. You can do any pattern you want, but a single line or an X is sufficient. This controls the rise of the dough when baking.
• Optional: if using oven-safe pot: put on oven mitts, open oven and place the pot-that-is-hot on stove burner grate or cooling rack. Remove lid. Lift the parchment paper on which the dough sits, place dough and parchment paper inside pot. Restore lid to pot and cut off excess parchment paper with scissors.
• Tip: to keep the crust of the bread from becoming too hard, mist it with water using a spray bottle right before baking.
• Put the dough in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove lid from pot and vent oven for the final 5 minutes of the bake.
• If you have a food/meat thermometer, insert it into the loaf. When the internal temperature is between 200 – 205 degrees Fahrenheit your bread is baked.
• Remove pot from the oven, remove loaf from pot, set on cooling rack.
• Wait until cool. Wash your hands. Enjoy!

• Steam many clams and save the resulting clam broth. Strain broth through a cheesecloth or other fine mesh strainer to remove sand and impurities, and put aside.
• Take clams out of shells, and - if using steamers - strip the "foreskin" from neck and put aside. Chop larger clams to size - ideally, 2-4 clam pieces would fit on a regular soup spoon. I sometimes supplement the steamed with good quality frozen clams, chopped. The key is to have lots and lots of clams.
• Chop a piece of fatty pork into small cubs and sauté over medium heat until the fat is drawn out. Discard the pork pieces.
• Chop 2 large Vidalia or other sweet onions and sauté in pork fat until translucent. Do not brown!
• Peel and cube potatoes. Par boil for a few minutes (not too much since they will simmer for a few hours in the chowder.)
• Combine clams, clam broth, potatoes, onions and some ground pepper in a chowder pot and simmer for several hours over low flame. Stir occasionally.
• Five minutes before serving, add whole milk. Do not allow the chowder to boil as it will curdle the milk. If you are serving the chowder all day, keep the flame very low and stir to prevent boiling. Season to taste and serve with chowder crackers or Saltines.

• Open the oysters & put them & their juice with the butter in a pan. Cook the oysters on low slowly stirring frequently watching for the oysters’ edges to curl.

  If you’re adding onions, cook them with the oysters.
• When the oysters are ready, stir in milk & half'n'half. Simmer, but don’t let this boil as the milk will curdle. It’s a simmer, stir, stir, stir dance.
• When it’s heated through, add seasonings to taste and serve with oyster crackers. Enjoy!

• Sprinkle a little of the salt and pepper on the board and crush with knife.
• Chop garlic into the salt & pepper. Add capers and anchovy to chop down into a coarse paste.
• Finely chop chili and scallion next and add to mixture.
• Mint and flat parsley should be next for a rough chop. It should NOT feel like it's been blended in a food processor.
• Squeeze juice of 1/2 a lemon over mixture and add a good 2-3 glugs of olive oil.
• Add the arugula and go in for a final chop.
• Transfer everything into a bowl, squeezing in other 1/2 of lemon, mix with fork and add a few more glugs of olive oil until texture is saucy but not sloppy.
• Season to taste and serve with pretty much anything except your morning cornflakes. Actually, strike that - it's probably great on cornflakes!

• Chop up the ingredients and put in blender.
• Blend until smooth and puréed.