Lemon Snickerdoodles

original recipe found here

Lemon Snickerdoodles

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1/4 cup of cinnamon sugar (1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon)

DIRECTIONS:

1. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the electric mixer bowl until you get a nice smooth dough.
4. (Refrigerate the dough while the oven preheats.)
5. Preheat oven to 375F.
6. Roll out cookie balls and toss them in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Place them on a well greased cookie sheet and then slightly flatten them with your palm.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
8. Let them cook on a baking rack, store in an airtight container.

-Alyssa

Creamy Deviled Eggs

Martha Stewart's recipe can be found here

Creamy Deviled Eggs

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Paprika, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Place eggs in a medium saucepan; add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil. Remove pan from heat; cover, and let stand 13 minutes. Drain, and run eggs under cold water to cool them.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, shallot, and hot sauce.
3. Peel eggs, and halve lengthwise; remove yolks, leaving whites intact. Transfer yolks to bowl with mayonnaise mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Mash with a fork until smooth.
4. Cut a corner of a plastic sandwich bag and fill with yolk mixture.  Use the bag to pip mixture into the whites. 
5. Sprinkle with paprika just before serving, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 8 hours.

-Alyssa

Giada's Lemon Chicken Soup

Giada's original recipe found here

Lemon Chicken Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups homemade turkey stock (or low-sodium chicken broth)
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces, *see Cook's Note
• 2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken, preferably breast meat
• 1/2 to 1 cup grated Romano cheese (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind, if using, to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the carrots and simmer until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the broken pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind and discard. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

-Derek

Italian Wedding Soup

Ina Garten's recipe

Italian Wedding Soup

INGREDIENTS:

For the meatballs:

• 3/4 pound ground chicken (I subbed in ground white turkey.)
• 1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
• 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 10 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
• 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
3. In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

-Alyssa

Beef Shank Egg Casserole

original recipe found here

Beef Shank Egg Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons fine, dry, plain breadcrumbs
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced cooked beef shank, diced/shredded
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 8 oz. sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk 
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Fresh chives on top

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in middle.
2. Butter quiche dish, then sprinkle all over with breadcrumbs. Create a prefitted foil top (in case of overbrowning).
3. Cook onions with ham in butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 5 to 8 minutes. Spread in dish over breadcrumbs, then evenly sprinkle cheese on top.
4. Whisk together eggs, cream, milk and pepper and pour over cheese. Sprinkle top with chives.
5. Bake until top is golden and custard is set in center, 35 to 40 minutes. If it's overbrowning on top and the center still in not set, loosely cover with the prefitted foil and place back into the oven for five to eight minutes or so.
6. Cool slightly before cutting into wedges.

**Note: To reheat the quiche, do so with foil on top at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes or until it's hot. Always let it sit a bit before cutting.

-Alyssa

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

pumpkin bar recipe found here

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp Allspice
• 1/8 tsp Cloves
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1 bag Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 13×9 pan.
2. Mix together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt. (You could use 2 tsp pumpkin pie instead of all the spices if you had it).
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add in the egg & vanilla. Beat in the pumpkin puree. (It will look chunky and gross, but don’t worry, that is what it is supposed to look like).
4. Add the in the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Spread the batter into your pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. A toothpick will come out mostly clean. Cool completely in pan before cutting.

-Alyssa

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Ina Garten's original recipe

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries, cleaned
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Cook the cranberries, sugar, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the skins pop open.  Add the apple, zests, and juices and cook for 15 more minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the raisins and nuts.  Let cool, and serve chilled.

-Alyssa

Roasted Butternut Squash

Ina Garten's original recipe

Roasted Butternut Squash

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled and seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Place the squash on a sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss well. Arrange the squash in one layer and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the squash is tender, turning once with a metal spatula.

-Alyssa