Mojito twist

5 sprigs of thyme

1teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons key lime juice

1 oz. spiced rum

Tonic water

1. Place thyme, sugar and lime juice in a glass and muddle. 

2. Top with rum and tonic water. 

Stuffed Cornish Hen

So, Matt's putting his apartment together and guess what we have. A. PROFESSIONAL. TABLETOP. YAY!!!!

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 1 hr 45 min

Servings: 2 half hens


1 Cornish hen
2 tangerines
1 big stick cinnamon
4 whole cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pinches fleur de sel
2 pinches orange peel spice mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cover hen all over with oil. Rub with pepper and fluer de sel.
3. Take 1 clementine, peel and remove all strings. Cut each slice in two width-wise.
4. Stuff hen with clementine pieces, cinnamon stick and cloves.
5. Place hen in roasting pan breast-side up, place slices of second clementine around bird and sprinkle with orange peel spice blend.
6. Roast for 1 and a half hours.

Cranberry-Pinenut Kasha

1 egg
1 cup Kasha
2 cups beef broth
Salt and pepper
Dried cranberries
Pine nuts

1. In a small bowl, beat egg and stir in kasha to coat.
2. Boil in beef broth for 7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, toast pine nuts.
4. Stir cranberries into kasha during the last minute of boiling.
5. Top with pine nuts.

Chicken with mushroom cream sauce

1 pound sliced button or cremini mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup vodka
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken

1.Sauté onions, garlic, and mushrooms in 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat until the mushrooms are browned - about 10-15 minutes. 
2. Add the sherry, increase the heat to high, and boil down until the liquid is reduced to almost a glaze, about 4 minutes.
3. Add the beef stock and bourbon, boil until reduced by two thirds. 
4. Add the cream and simmer several minutes until the sauce thickens.
5. Add chicken breast and stir.

6. Serve with Cranberry-pinenut kasha

Pretty Good Pasta

So we had a lack of food in the house, which sometimes is the best situation for a chef. Also, we had just ordered a boatload of bomba (Italian hot pepper sauce) and couldn't wait to open it.

I am ashamed to say that I just learned the correct way to make pasta, but I had just learned to correct way to make pasta.


Sauce:

10 cherry tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
1/4 Bomba hot sauce
1/4 cup Cento hogie spread
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 stems fresh rosemary
2 stems fresh thyme

NB (Nota bene): I know were all chefs here, but just in case you're not, don't throw in the stems of the herbs. Just gently roll between your fingers to get the leaves off.

Pasta:
 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 box whole grain spaghetti

1. Start boiling the water. Preferably in a pot with a colander in it so you can drain the pasta and save some starchy water.
2. Stew the tomatoes. Saute the veggies. Combine the sauces and spread.
3. When all sauce components are ready, combine and add the herbs.
4. When pasta is ready, pour out into a colander. DO NOT pour all the starchy water out of the pot or run cold water over the pasta.
5. Combine pasta, sauce and oil.
6. Buon appetito