Great for Mother’s Day, Graduation, Summer Pot-luck and more!

Marzipan, made from almond paste, gives these muffins a delicious center.

Lemon Marzipan Muffins 

Ingredients:  

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

½ cup butter, room temperature

3 large eggs

¼ tsp. almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Zest of one lemon 

Muffin
Center:  ½  Cup Marzipan 

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375?F. 

Cream together butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and mix to incorporate.   Add almond extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest.   

Add dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Do not over mix. 

Divide batter into 12 paper lined muffin cups.   

Divide marzipan into twelve equal parts and roll into a ball.  Place ball into the middle of the muffin batter in each cup making sure the batter is beneath and over the marzipan ball.  

Bake muffins until top is spongy to the touch, approximately 15 minutes.  

Ingredients

Curried Chicken Salad
Ingredients:

¾ Cup mayonnaise
6 Tablespoons plain yogurt
2 ½ teaspoons red curry powder
1 Cup Sultanas (golden raisins)
3 Cups finely diced grilled chicken breast
½ Cup diced red onion
½ Cup diced cucumber
½ Cup slivered Almonds
Salt and pepper

Fennel Salad
Ingredients:

1 large head of romaine lettuce, thoroughly washed, dried, and torn into bite sized pieces
1 large head of fennel thoroughly washed and thinly sliced.
5 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
6 Tablespoons of Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Curried Chicken Salad Instructions:

1. Whisk together mayonnaise, curry, and yogurt in a large bowl. Mix in all other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Serve with savory pooris bread or on a bed of fennel salad.

Fennel Salad Instructions:

1. Whisk together oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper.

2. Toss together lettuce and fennel. Mix together lettuce, fennel and dressing.

3. Place on a plate and top with curried chicken salad.

I love this dessert because it is so easy and not too sweet.  The strawberries really take center stage in taste!

 Ingredients

1 box Ready Made Pie Crust (two pie sheets)

 2 quarts Fresh Strawberries, ripe

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream 2 eggs

1/3 tightly packed light brown sugar 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Par-bake the pie shells by doing the following. Place each shell on a 9 inch pie baking pan.  Scallop the edges.  Dock the dough of the shell or weigh it down with pie weights.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until shell is lightly golden brown.Remove pie from oven. Remove weights if used and allow shell to cool. Slice washed strawberries and place in the cooled pie shells.  In a kitchen mixer, whip together eggs, brown sugar, and cream for 3-5 minutes. 

 Pour cream mixture over strawberries in pie shell leaving a ¼ inch of space at the top of the shell.  This allows the filling to expand without overflowing the pie.

Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes until edges of custard turns a golden brown.  Center will remain slightly liquid.  Allow pie to cool and then place in a refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill.

Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

 **** If you prefer sweeter pie, mix an additional ¼ of light brown sugar with the strawberries prior to placing in the pie*****

Puff Pastry Wrapped Asparagus and Prosciutto

Ingredients:

12 Asparagus Stalks

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

6 thin slices of Prosciutto di Parma or ham

Egg Wash:

1 egg

2 Tablespoons water, whisked together

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Wash Asparagus, peel skin of stalk if necessary.
3. Cut each Prosciutto slice into two thin strips
4. Cut each puff pastry sheet in half and then each half into three strips each
5. Wrap Prosciutto around each asparagus leaving the asparagus top exposed
6. Wrap each puff pastry strip around each asparagus leaving the asparagus top exposed.
7. Brush puff pastry with a little egg wash
8. Place asparagus on a parchment lined baking sheet
9. Bake for 10-20 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown.
10. Remove from oven and serve warm with red pepper coulis.

Note: You can blanch the asparagus first to make the green color brighter.  Do this by place the asparagus in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, and then immediately stopping the cooking process by placing the asparagus in ice water. Pat the stalks dry and proceed with the recipe above.

Red Pepper CoulisIngredients:

Pumpkin Biscotti for Dogs 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp. canola oil

1/4 cup 100% pumpkin puree

4 Tbsp. honey

2 large eggs

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup sunflower seeds  

Preheat oven to 350. 

Stir together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the canola oil and honey until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring to combine. Add pumpkin to wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to form smooth dough. Mix in half the sunflower seeds. 

On a well floured surface, divide the dough in half and form each half into a log.  Spread the rest of the seeds over the top of the biscotti logs.  

Bake logs approximately 15 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet, or until golden brown and firm when pressed in the center of the log.  

Cool biscotti logs.  Slice each log at an angle creating individual biscotti. Place the slices flat back on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes. 

Remove biscotti from the oven and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months (Thaw before serving). 

Butterfly Pasta Primavera

Serves 6 

Bowtie pasta in Italy is called Farfalle pasta named after the Farfalla which means butterfly in Italian.  What better way to say good riddance to winter and hello to spring than with a pasta dish that celebrate all the new vegetables.  

Ingredients: 

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup green onions, chopped finely

2 sweet red or yellow peppers, core, trim & sliced thin

2 zucchini, peeled and sliced thin2 carrots, peeled & chopped

6 asparagus stalks, chopped

1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 teaspoon fresh basil, minced

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

½ pound bowtie pasta

1 teaspoon Italian parsley, minced

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 

Instructions: 

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan.   

Add all vegetables to the sauté pan. Cook over medium heat for 7 minutes.  

Add wine and broth.  Cook at high heat for 10-15 minutes to reduce sauce. Add basil, oregano, and half the parmesan cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.    

Bring a 12-quart pot of water to a boil.  Add salt, then pasta and cook until “al dente”.   

Drain pasta and toss with sauce.   

Sprinkle with parsley and remaining cheese, and serve. 

Easter Bunny’s Carrot Walnut Cupcakes  

2 eggs

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 pound grated carrots

1 cup walnut pieces (optional) 

Directions:·       

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a bowl, Combine the eggs, sugar, salt, vegetable oil, and milk and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Stop the mixer, add the dry ingredients, and beat on low speed until absorbed.  

Remove from the mixer and fold in the carrots and walnuts.  

Pour the batter in the prepared cupcake pans, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cake is firm, but not dry. Cool cupcakes in pan. 

 Once cooled, frost or pipe colored cream cheese frosting onto cupcakes.  

Pastel Colored Cream Cheese Frosting 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions: 

Beat the butter at medium speed until soft and light.  

Beat in the cream cheese and continue beating until very smooth.  

Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Continue beating for about 5 more minutes to aerate.  

Divide batter into four bowls and to each bowl add 1-2 drops of food color.  Mix until color is fully incorporated.  

I love crackle cookies but never was able to get them to actually look crackly.  They would just spread thin and the powdered sugar would melt into the cookie.  With the addition of almond paste, the cookies keep a nice shape to them.  By rolling the cookies in granulated sugar then powdered sugar, you create a sugar barrier that prevents the powdered sugar from melting into your cookie.  The results are delicious cookies that will disappear quickly!

Chocolate Almond Crackle Cookies 

7 oz Almond Paste1 cup powdered sugar¼ cup cocoa powder2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour¼ tsp. salt2 oz. egg whites1 tsp. vanilla extract 

For coating: 

½ cup powdered sugar½ cup granulated sugar 

In a kitchen mixer, blend together almond paste, sugar, cocoa, flour, and salt until smooth.  Add egg whites and vanilla. Mix until well incorporated. 

Remove bowl, cover and chill in refrigerator for minimum of one hour. (Can be chilled overnight). 

When ready to make cookies, place granulated sugar in a small mixing bowl and powdered sugar in another small bowl.  

Preheat oven to 325?F.  

Using a #100 ice cream scoop, scoop batter into bowl of sugar, and then powdered sugar coating well.  Place dough ball on a parchment lined cookie sheet leaving 2 inches around each cookie.  

Bake cookies until firm on top and outside is crackled, approximately 15 minutes.  

I LOVE this recipe and use it often for breakfast, lunch, dinner, anytime I am hungry and have only a little of this and a little of that in the fridge.  Change this recipe up to include your favorite vegetables and ingredients.  And, if you don’t want to include the pancetta, you can substitute ham, turkey, sausage, or no meat at all.

Vegetable Pancetta Frittata

Ingredients

3 Cups  Diced Vegetables of Choice (sliced mushrooms, diced red, green and yellow peppers, three bean salad, fresh baby spinach, grape tomatoes, zucchini)   

½ cup pancetta (Italian bacon)

½ Cup provolone, shredded

¼ Cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage (or use 2 teaspoons of dried sage)

2 Tablespoons blended oil (half olive oil, half vegetable oil)

8 whole large eggs

¼ Cup of heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Italian parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Heat 2 Tablespoons of blended oil in a large oven safe skillet.
3. Add pancetta and vegetables to skillet, sauté until vegetables are just tender. Add sage.
4. In a mixing bowl whisk eggs, cream, cheeses, and salt and pepper together.
5. Pour egg mixture into skillet.  Incorporate ingredients so egg mixture surrounds vegetables.  Cook until sides are firm and slightly golden.
6. Place skillet in oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until firm in center and rich golden brown in edges. Be careful when removing skillet from oven as handle is hot!
7. Transfer to serving dish and serve warm garnished with fresh Italian parsley.

 Ingredients: 

1 ½ lbs medium Yukon Gold potatoes

1 cup heavy cream

1 garlic clove, finely minced

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 Granny Smith Apples

1/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (optional) 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1. Peel potatoes and apples and slice them 1/8 inch thick. Mix potatoes and apples with the heavy cream, garlic, salt and pepper in a skillet.

1. Cover with foil and roast until potatoes are very tender. Approximately 25 minutes.

1. Remove from oven and preheat broiler. Remove foil and sprinkle potatoes with cheese and walnuts. Broil until top is browned, 2 to 3 minutes and serve warm.