Potato and cheese pierogis

Ingredients

Pierogi dough

• 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg and 1 large yolk, beaten
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon salt

Pierogi filling

• ¾ lb. medium Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 1 ½ yellow onions, sliced
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ lb. Gruyere cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste
• minced ham

Instructions

Dough

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together until just combined. 
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until dough is pulled together. 
3. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature while one mixes the filling.

Filling

1. Start to boil a large pot of water. While water is coming to a boil, brown onions in a pan with ½ tablespoon of butter. Continue to brown until onions are completely caramelized. Remove from heat. When water has come to a boil, add potatoes, skins on, and boil for 15-20 minutes or until soft when pricked with knife. Drain, and then peel as soon as possible.
2. Mash potatoes in a large bowl with a fork or potato ricer. Mix in the caramelized onions, sour cream, Dijon, 2 ½ tablespoons butter, and Gruyere. Salt and pepper to taste.

Assembling

1. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a couple of times and then roll out until 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut into 20-25 round using a 3 ½ inch biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Place rounds on a floured baking pan. Scoop a flat tablespoon of filling onto half of each round and brush water on half of each round. Fold round over, sealing the edges and making sure no filling escapes or oozes out. This is very similar to gyoza making, but requires less finesse as crimping is optional.
2. Boil pierogi in boiling water for 5 minutes each. At this point, the pierogi can be stored in the refrigerator for three days or at room temperature for a couple of hours in a shallows baking dish and well coated in vegetable oil. Brown pierogi in butter or bacon fat before serving. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot.

Steamed asian fish parcels

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Light Soy sauce to serve

Parcels

• 150g cod fillet, skinned and boned
• 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into fine batons
• 6 spring onions, trimmed and finely diced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 small red chilli, finely minced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
• 4 Chinese cabbage leaves

Stir-Fry

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin batons
• 6 spring onions, trimmed and cut into equal size strips
• 50g Chinese leaves or white cabbage, finely shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice

Instructions

1. Put the carrots into the centre of a Chinese leaf or cabbage leaf and then sit a piece of cod fillet on top.
2. Scatter the ginger, garlic, spring onions and chilli over the top of the fish fillets and then sprinkle over the Chinese five spice.
3. Gather the sides of the cabbage leaf up and around the fish, to cover it completely and secure the parcels with some tooth picks.
4. Place the parcels in a steamer and steam over boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes, checking to see if the cod is cooked after 10 minutes.
5. Just towards the end of the cooking time for the parcels, heat up a large wok and add the sesame oil, add the prepared stir fry vegetables and Chinese five spice and stir fry for 5 minutes, until they are cooked but still crunchy to the bite.
6. Serve the parcels immediately with stir-fry vegetables on the side with some soy sauce. Be careful as you open the parcels, as steam will escape.

VELVEETA Potato Bites

Ingredients

• 2 lb. baking potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 lb. VELVEETA, cut into 24 cubes
• 1 pkt. SHAKE 'N BAKE Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating Mix
• 1-1/2 cups TACO BELL® Thick & Chunky Salsa

Instructions

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water in large saucepan 15 to 20 min. or until tender; drain. Cool 10 min. Mash potatoes until smooth. Add onions, egg and pepper; mix just until blended.
2. Heat oven to 400ºF. Empty coating mix into pie plate. 
3. Roll potato mixture into 24 balls, using about 2 Tbsp. for each. Insert 1 VELVEETA cube into center of each ball, completely enclosing VELVEETA. Add, 1 at a time, to coating mix; turn to evenly coat. 
4. Place on rimmed baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
5. Bake 14 to 16 min. or until heated through. Serve with salsa.

New Orleans Shrimp and Artichoke Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Large Jar Quartered Artichokes, drained
• 2 Cups Chicken Stock
• 5 Green Onions, Ends trimmed, slice thin green and white parts, reserve a TBS for garnish
• 1 TBS Fresh cut Thyme leaves
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 4 Cups Heavy Cream
• 1 Pound Medium Sized Shrimp
• 2 TBS Cajun Spice Mix
• 1 Pinch Paprika for garnish

Instructions

1. Combine Artichoke, chicken stock, green onions, Cajun spices, thyme leaves
2. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 12 minutes.
3. Combine butter and flour in a large saute pan over medium heat and stir for 5 minutes to make a roux. It is very important to stir constantly while the roux is cooking.
4. Stir in heavy cream to roux and whisk til mixed
5. Add the roux/cream mix to the simmering pot.
6. Continue simmering for 10 more minutes
7. Add shrimp and simmer for 3 minutes only
8. During the three minutes, in a small saute pan over medium high heat, melt 2 TBS butter and combine with 1 TBS of Cajun spices. Saute the remaining few shrimp in the butter/spice mix.
9. Serve with Green Onions and parsley for garnish.
10. Add a little extra heat if desired.
11. Garnish with the spiced shrimp and a bit of paprika.

Mac and cheese with bacon and caramelized onions

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 onions, medium or large, sliced
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 8 strips of bacon
• 8 oz elbow pasta
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup to 2/3 cup milk
• 1 cup freshly shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• a pinch of paprika, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on high heat in a large skillet, when oil is heated, add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with spatula. The onions should start to brown, but without burning. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add just a pinch of salt over onions. Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn. Total you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle onions with a small amount of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. Using spatula, mix the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan and coating onions with a pinch of balsamic vinegar you just added.
2. While you’re caramelizing the onions, cook bacon
3. Bake it in the oven at 350 until it just turns crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and chop into small pieces.
4. Cook elbow macaroni according to package instructions. Rinse the macaroni under cold running water, drain. Set aside.
5. In a large saucepan, add heavy cream, milk, sharp white cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt on medium heat, stir and mix, until cheeses start to blend. Add black pepper, Cayenne pepper and paprika to your taste, or omit them if you don’t want them. Add elbow macaroni to the creamy sauce, stir to coat on low heat for about 5-10 minutes until cheeses melt completely and coat the macaroni.
6. Add caramelized onions and chopped bacon to the creamy macaroni.
7. Serve on warm plates as is, or with more cheese sprinkled on top.

SESAME CHICKEN POTSTICKERS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 3 ounces shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 36 won ton wrappers
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Soy sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, mushrooms, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, rice vinegar and white pepper.*
2. To assemble the dumplings, place wrappers on a work surface. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture into the center of each wrapper. Using your finger, rub the edges of the wrappers with water. Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, pinching the edges to seal.*
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potstickers in a single layer and cook until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.
4. Serve immediately with soy sauce, if desired.

Skillet Chicken with Bacon Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 chicken thighs
• salt and pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 8 strips bacon
• 5 thin lemon slices
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 green onions, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Generously season chicken thighs with salt and pepper - make sure to season under the skin too. Add chicken thighs skin side down to the hot skillet. Cook for about 5-7 minutes on high-medium heat, covered, skin side down, without flipping, checking occasionally, until the skin side is very well browned.
2. Remove chicken from the skillet.
3. Add minced garlic and a small amount of chicken stock to deglaze the pan and cook the garlic for about a minute. Add the remaining chicken stock. Add half the bacon.
4. Add chicken back to the pan, on top of bacon and in the chicken broth. Arrange 5 thin lemon slices around chicken thighs - and cook, simmering, covered, for about 20 minutes, until chicken is done and is no longer pink in the center.
5. After chicken is cooked, remove it from the skillet. Remove lemon slices from the skillet - it's very important that you remove them now, do not leave them in for the sauce otherwise it will be too sour. Add 2/3 cup heavy cream to the skillet. Bring to boil and mix everything well, scraping from the bottom. Immediately reduce to simmer, add chicken thighs back to the skillet and reheat.
6. To serve, spoon some of the sauce over the chicken thighs, and sprinkle with remaining chopped bacon and chopped green onions.

Red Pepper and Baked Egg Galettes

Ingredients

• 2 large or 4 small red bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 2 small onions, halved and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
• fresh sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• handful fresh parsley, chopped
• handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten, for brushing the pastry
• 12 tsp sour cream
• 4 large fresh eggs
• salt and fresh cracked pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Set oven to 400F
2. Mix together the pepper, onions, thyme and spics in a bowl. Add the olive oil and toss well so that everything is coated with the oil and spices.
3. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring and rearranging the veggies a few times so they don't burn.
4. Sprinkle the veggies with half the fresh herbs and set aside.
5. Turn the oven up to 425. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it reaches a 12x12 inch square. Cut into four 6 inch squares. Transfer to two parchment or silpat lined baking sheets.
6. Take a dul knife and score a little 1/4 inch frame around each square of pastry. Don't cut all the way through. Prick the inside of the squares all over with the tines of a fork. Put back in the fridge for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the pastry from the fridge and brush all over with a beaten egg. Spread the inside of each square with 3 tsp of sour cream.
8. Top each with some of the veggie mixture, spread it out evenly, leaving the borders free, and leaving a shallow depression in the center for the egg, which will go in later.
9. Bake for about 10 minutes until rising and starting to brown.
10. Remove and carefully crack in egg into the center of each galette.
11. Put back into the oven for about 10 minutes until the egg is set.
12. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and remaining herbs. Drizzle with some good olive oil and eat right away.