8 medium red potatoes – peeled and cut into chunks
3 carrots, peeled & diced
6 celery stalks, diced
2 quarts water
1 diced onion
6 Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1-1/2 cups milk

In a large pot, cook the potatoes, carrots & the celery in cold water to cover until tender – this takes about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid and placing veggies aside. In the same pot, melt the butter & saute onion for about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt & pepper; gradually add milk, stirring constantly until it is thickened.

Gently stir in the cooked veggies. Add 1 cup or more of the reserved cooking liquid until the soup is to your desired consistency. You will probably need to add more pepper & maybe salt – taste test. Ladle into bowls or cup/mugs & serve.

1 loaf French Bread, cut into thin slices
3 eggs
3 cups milk or half-n-half
2 tsp. pure vanilla

3 apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices (use any kind of apple)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter – diced

Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan. Arrange the bread slices on the bottom of the dish, you can slightly overlap them, the objective is to use up most of the loaf of bread. You will probably have a bit left over. Whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla until smooth and blended. Pour this over the bread, cover with plastic and place in the fridge – preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and take the pan out to place on the counter while your oven preheats. Arrange the apple slices on top of the bread. Combine cinnamon & sugar and sprinkle that evenly over the apples, then dot with the butter. Bake for 35 minutes, let rest for 10, then serve.

Feel free to sprinkle chopped nuts such as pecans, walnuts, sliced almonds on top before you drizzle on the butter.

1 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1 package 1.8 oz. Knorr’s leek-vegetable soup mix

Veggies or whatever, for dipping

Thaw the spinach and squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Place in a large bowl. Add everything else and mix very well. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Serve.

A cross between doughnuts and muffins without the frying.  You can really go over the top and sprinkle on a mixture of cinnamon, sugar & butter before baking, if you wish.

3/4 cups (12 Tbsp.) softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 cups flour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, inside the tins and all around the top.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 3 full minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and blend 1 more minute. Add all the rest of the ingredients then stir with a wooden spoon to the count of 20 (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, etc.) you don’t want to over mix.  Remember, while mixing, stir up the batter from the bottom of the bowl and keep mixing in well.

Place dough in the 12 muffin cups and fill each one – you will use all the batter. (if you are going to use a streusel topping the melt 4 oz. butter, mix in 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon - mix well and sprinkle over the top of each muffin before you place in the oven) Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into a middle muffin comes out clean.

Pop out onto a cooling rack and serve.

This is a simple, tasty snack which can be jazzed up by adding some ice cream on the side.  I like it with a cup of hot tea or strong coffee. My sister sifts confectioners sugar and cocoa powder over her slice.

Make the chocolate syrup first:
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil (NOT olive oil)

Now make the batter:
1-1/3 cups sugar
3/4 cup (12 Tbsp.) softened, unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a loaf pan. Take out all the ingredients and set on the counter to come to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes while your oven preheats.

Into a medium sized bowl, whisk together the syrup ingredients and set aside.

Into a large bowl, using a blender or you can even use a food processor, cream the sugar and butter for about 1 minute, add the eggs and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients and blend for about 1 minutes. Add the milk and blend well. Scoop out 1 cup of this batter and whisk into the chocolate batter, then spread the rest of this yellow batter into the loaf pan. Now plop the chocolate batter on top. Using a butter knife inserted into the batter, swirl the knife around.

Place in the oven for 30 minutes; reduce temp to 325 and bake 30-40 minutes more, or until a knife inserted near the middle comes out with a few crumbs – keep an eye on it. Cool for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges and unmold it onto a plate.

Boneless, pork ribs – about 3 pounds total
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
6 large, minced garlic cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
1+ tsp. red pepper flakes

Rinse and pat dry the ribs, place in a pan about 9 x 13. Whisk together all the rest of the ingredients and spread over and around ribs, turning them so they are covered with the sauce. There will not be a lot of sauce, but it will be enough. Cover with foil, place in fridge for several hours.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees and take ribs out of fridge for about 20 minutes while oven preheats. Place in oven, covered, for about 40 minutes, turn ribs, cover, and bake for about 40 more minutes. Remove foil, continue cooking for 10 more minutes. Check for doneness, serve.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
4 links crumbled sausage (pork, turkey, chicken – whatever you wish)

1/2-3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
Kosher salt & pepper to taste
2 bags (about 8 oz. each) frozen cavatelli pasta
1/2 – 3/4 bag of rinsed & squeezed dry baby spinach
1 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Heat the butter and oil; stir in the garlic and sizzle for about 1 minute; add the sausages and crank up the heat a bit to medium-high to cook/brown the meat nicely. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt & pepper, and cook about 10 minutes – or just keep it simmering low until the cavatelli is done.

Meanwhile read the directions on the pasta package and cook accordingly. Drain and put back into pot you cooked the pasta in. Stir the sauce & sausage mixture into the pot, add the spinach then add 1 cup of grated cheese. Mix well over low-medium heat for about 2 minutes. Serve!

Spring & Summer mean lemon pie! What’s great about this pie is that it’s started on the stove top then placed in the fridge for a few hours. Make it in the morning to enjoy after dinner.

Graham Cracker Crust:
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 Cup (about 3/4 stick) melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; Grease a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, cinnamon and melted butter and stir with a fork until blended. Press this mixture into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Bake this for 10 minutes. Let it cool completely.

Filling:
2 Cans (14-oz each) sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh is always better, if not strain it first)

In a medium pot, whisk the milk, yolks and lemon juice until smooth. Cook this custard over medium heat until very hot – this take about 8-10 minutes – stirring it occasionally with a wooden spoon. Do not let this boil.

Strain custard filling through a sieve into the pie crust shell. Smooth the top. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours.

Serve with whipped cream on top (or, use Redi-Whip).

Asparagus – as much as you want
Extra virgin olive oil (Please do not use any other type)
Kosher salt
Pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Cut the tops off the asparagus to 1-inch down the stem. (You may dice-up and use the stems too, if you wish). Spread in a single layer on a rimmed cookie-type sheet. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over. Sprinkle salt & pepper over.

Mix it all up with your hands right on the tray- messy but fun.

Place in the oven for about 15 minutes; stir once during roasting

With a spatula, scrape out onto a serving plate, or we just serve them from the tray on the stove. This is also delicious served over pasta or even over scrambled eggs.

1 cup milk
1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) dry yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
4 cups flour – all purpose or bread
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/3 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) butter – at room temperature
2 large eggs – at room temperature
Icing Glaze:

3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp. milk or half-n-half, or cream

In a small bowl, warm the milk to about 100 degrees. Add the yeast and the 1/2 tsp. sugar – whisk or stir; set aside for 10 minutes – the yeast gets foamy during this time.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, place the flour, brown sugar, all the spices, and stir. Add yeast mixture and beat together. One at a time at the eggs beating well after you add each. Gradually add the butter and mix it very well – until the dough comes together. Don’t get discouraged at this point, sometimes it looks like a sticky blob, but then you dump it out onto a a well-floured counter top and knead it for about 5 minutes. It comes together very nicely. Knead it into a ball. Lightly grease a large bowl, place the dough ball in, and turnover to make sure both side are greased. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm spot until it’s doubled its size – this takes about 90 minutes.

When dough is ready, take it out of the bowl onto a very lightly floured surface and punch it down. Roll it out into a long log-type shape and divide it into about 12 pieces. (You can pinch off 12 pieces from the dough ball if you want to. I use the log method because it works best for me for measuring purposes). Form each of the balls into a nice smooth ball and place on a baking sheet that you have lined with parchment paper or a very lightly greased sheet pan (parchment paper is a very good investment). Cover this with plastic wrap that you’ve lightly sprayed with cooking spray – to avoid sticking – and place in a warm spot for 30 minutes. Your best bet is to preheat your oven now to 400 degrees then place the tray on top of that for 30 minutes.

With a small, sharp knife, make an “X” into the top of each bun. Place baking sheet in oven and bake for about 20 minutes – they will be nicely browned. Place on a rack to cool.

Make the glaze by whisking/mixing both the sugar and milk together in a medium bowl. Pipe the “X” onto each bun or you can ice as you wish.