Total Time: 4 hours; 40 minutes | Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 pounds brisket, trimmed
• 1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes, with juice
• 4 large onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

Preparation

• In a small bowl, combine paprika, salt, oregano and pepper. Rub the seasonings all over the brisket.
• In a medium heatproof bowl, cover the dried mushrooms with the boiling water and set aside until softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid, and reserve the liquid. Squeeze out any extra liquid and coarsely chop the mushrooms.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Place a large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and drizzle in the olive oil. Add the brisket, fat side down, and cook over until well-browned, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a platter and pour off any excess fat. Add the white wine and beef stock, then pour in the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, stopping before you reach the grit at the bottom (discard that). Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and stir in the tomatoes, mushrooms and bay leaves.
• Return the brisket to the casserole, fat side up. Scatter the onions and garlic over the meat and into the liquid and bring to a boil. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Uncover, spoon the onions on top of the brisket and cook for about 1 hour to brown the onions. Cover and braise for about 2 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.
• Transfer the brisket to a carving board and cover loosely with foil. Simmer the sauce for a few minutes on the stovetop, to thicken slightly. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaves.
• Carve the brisket across the grain into ½-inch-thick slices and serve topped with onions and sauce.

Serving Suggestion

• There’s ample sauce in this dish, so serve with cooked noodles, rice or dinner rolls to mop it up.

Nutritional Information

Total Time: 90 minutes; 5 active minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 quart apple cider
• 2 cups tart cherry juice
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Preparation

• Place cinnamon sticks and cloves in a spice bag or a piece of cheesecloth. Tie to secure.
• In a slow cooker, combine the cider, cherry juice, maple syrup and the packet of spices.
• Set the cooker on high and let cook for 1 hour or until hot. Taste, and if you want a little more syrup, stir it in.

Serving Suggestion

• Want even more cherry flavor? Add a handful of dried cherries to the slow cooker. They will plump as they soak up the cider and release their flavor, leaving you a tender morsel to enjoy at the bottom of your mug of cider.

Nutritional Information

Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 48 (makes 4 dozen cookies)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup milk

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and soda.
• In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix well. Slowly blend in half of the oat and flour mixture, then add the ¼ cup of milk and mix well. Add the remaining oat and flour mixture along with the cranberries and pecans, and stir just enough to combine. Drop cookie dough by the heaping teaspoonful onto lined sheet pans and slightly flatten each cookie. Bake 12-14 minutes until cookies are just beginning to brown. Remove from pans and cool on racks before storing.

Serving Suggestion

• Easy to make and transport, these cookies are a great choice for holiday office get-togethers or home-baked gifts. Make smaller coin-sized cookies for the kids; just drop scant teaspoonfuls of dough on the baking sheet, and reduce the baking time to 7-9 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Total Time: 60 minutes; 20 minutes active | Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

Hot honey

• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Chicken

• Vegetable oil spray
• 3 cups crispy rice or wheat cereal
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour

Preparation

• In a small pot, combine the honey and red pepper flakes. Place over medium heat and stir until it starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Stir the cider vinegar into the honey and reserve.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with foil, then place a baking rack on the pan, spray oil on the rack and reserve. Place the cereal in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin to make crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Combine the eggs, thyme, smoked paprika, salt and pepper in another medium bowl and whisk to mix. Place the chicken breast halves on a cutting board. Sprinkle each with flour and turn to coat, rubbing it in with your fingers. Dip each breast half in egg mixture, then in the cereal crumbs, and press to coat. Place each breast on the oiled rack. Spray the crumb coating with oil to help it brown.
• Bake on the upper-middle rack in the oven for 35 minutes, until the chicken registers 160 degrees F when pierced with an instant-read thermometer.
• Plate the chicken and serve with hot honey on the side.

Serving Suggestion

• Serve with classic fried chicken sides, like mac and cheese, greens, coleslaw or mashed potatoes and gravy.

Tips & Notes

• Don’t have a food processor? No problem. Seal the cereal in a large plastic freezer bag and pulverize it with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pot.

Nutritional Information

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes; 15 minutes active | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup room-temperature, unsalted butter, plus 1 teaspoon for pan
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus some for pan
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, approximately

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 300 F. Butter and flour a Bundt pan and reserve.
• Place the butter in a stand mixer with the batter paddle attached or use a large bowl and an hand mixer. Beat the butter until softened, then pour in the sugar and mix. Cream the butter and sugar for 5 to 7 minutes, or until fluffy and pale.
• Set to medium speed and add the eggs one at a time, beating well in between.
• In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then mix into the butter mixture. Add lemon zest. Scrape down and mix well. Combine the buttermilk, vanilla and almond extract in a cup and pour in with the machine running. Scrape down and mix just until smooth.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out with no wet batter attached.
• Cool the cake on a rack, then gently loosen with a small knife. Place a cake plate on top, hold tightly to the pan and invert to flip the cake onto the pan.
• For the glaze: In a cup, stir the powdered sugar with lemon juice to make a thick paste, adding just enough juice to make a pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cooled cake and let dry for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestion

• A slice of this cake goes perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea. Add fresh berries for a colorful presentation. 

Nutritional Information