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Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 1 diced onion 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp salt 1 cup diced carrots, diced well 2 bell peppers diced (choose different colors) 1 package sliced mushrooms (12 oz) 1 large zucchini, diced 1 tsp oregano 1 cup dry white wine 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes 1/2 cup fresh basil 1 cup steamed asparagus, cut into 1 in. lengths (or peas) 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup flour 2 cups warm/hot milk (can be almond or whatever) Salt and pepper to taste 1-2 tbsp lemon juice (optional) 1 lb fettuccine pasta, cooked according to package directions Grated parmesan Instructions In soup pot on med heat, saute onions, garlic, and carrots for a few minutes. When ~soft add the rest of the veggies and wine. Cover and cook until the veggies are all tender (8-10 minutes) Stir in tomatoes and basil and turn off the heat. (if using asparagus or peas, steam them separately and stir in now) Melt butter in sauce pan on med-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened Stir white sauce into vegetable mixture (in that soup pot) and reheat on low. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in lemon juice if desired to brighten flavor. If sauce is too thick, add a smidge more milk Serve over pasta with parmesan Note Fresh veggies really make a difference here. Also, just use whatever veggies you got

Ingredients 12 oz pasta (long spaghetti or similar works) 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 lb brussel sprouts, cut into half or quarters if they are large 1/2 lb cauliflower, cut into 1 inch pieces Salt and black pepper 1 medium onion, diced small 4 large garlic cloves, minced 4 plump oil packed anchovies, minced (one tin or two if you want) 1 tsp crushed red pepper 1 tsp chopped rosemary 1 tsp chopped thyme 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1 cup parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano (the good stuff NOT the powder) Instructions Boil pasta according to package direction. SAVE 1/2 cup of the cooking water when you drain In a large, deep skillet, heat half the olive oil (1/4 cup) on medium heat and cook brussels, cauliflower, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes until slightly charred on bottom. Add the other 1/4 cup along with onion, garlic, anchovies, red pepper, rosemary and thyme. Cook uncovered until onion is slightly softened (3 minutes). Then cover and cook another 3 minutes until sprouts/cauliflower are tender. Keep warm Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp oil in small skillet and roast the bread crumbs on moderately high heat. Must stir or it will burn. Pull off when golden and crisp Add pasta, reserved cooking water to skillet with veggies. Cook on medium heat until water is nearly absorbed Remove from heat and stir in half the cheese Serve and have bread crumbs and remaining cheese at table to stir in

Ingredients Sauce: 6 tbsp butter 1 huge onion (or two med) diced 7-8 cloves of garlic minced Tbsp red pepper flakes Salt to taste 1-2 6-oz can tomato paste (only one is required) two 14-oz can whole peeled tomatoes 2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup vodka or more to taste 5 oz parmesan cheese (or fancier parmesan if you got it) 1 lb pasta, dealers choice 2 lb meatballs Instructions In a large (3- or 4-quart) saucepan or small Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft but not browned, about 15 minutes; lower heat if needed to prevent Browning. Meanwhile, in oven or toaster oven, cook the meatballs per package directions. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fragrant and thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in canned tomatoes with their liquid. Bring to a simmer, then cook, stirring often and crushing the whole tomatoes roughly with a spoon, until sauce has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Add cream, and stir to incorporate. Transfer sauce to a blender, and blend until very smooth (you may be able to make an immersion blender work, but in our tests the sauce level was too low to safely avoid splattering). Wipe out pot, then return blended sauce to it. Season lightly with salt. In a medium pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until just shy of al dente, about 3 minutes less than the package directs. About 1 minute before you transfer pasta to sauce, add vodka to tomato sauce and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add meatballs and simmer a minute. Using a spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer pasta directly to sauce pot along with 1/2 cup (120ml) pasta water (alternatively, reserve 2 cups pasta water, then drain pasta in a colander, then add to sauce with 1/2 cup of the reserved water). Increase heat to high, and cook, stirring constantly, until pasta is well coated in sauce and reaches the al dente stage, about 3 minutes. If sauce thickens too much before pasta is ready, add more pasta water in 1/4 cup (60ml) increments as needed. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until thoroughly incorporated into a smooth and creamy sauce. Taste for salt, and season with more if needed. If you can’t detect the vodka at all, you can add a few drops more and stir it in before serving; exactly how boozy you want the sauce is a question of taste, but be careful because a heavy hand will ruin the dish. Spoon pasta and sauce onto warmed serving plates and top with additional grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Ingredients Pigs n blanket basic: One 8 oz tube crescent rolls 1 12 oz (all beef) package mini cocktail wieners (little smokies work) (optional) 4 tbsp unsalted butter to drizzle over top before oven Chicago variant: Chopped dill pickles Toothpicks Chicago style relish Sport peppers Tomato, deseeded, diced Mustard Poppy seeds Instructions Preheat oven to 375°F (can use toaster oven if easier). Take a tiny sliver of crescent roll and wrap around each mini weiner. Arrange on baking tray and (optional) drizzle a bit of butter and salt. 12-15 min If just doing wieners, serve with spicy mustard dipping sauce For chicago variant, have all ingredients ready and arrange to each hot dog using toothpick to spear ingredients. Then top with relish, mustard and poppy seeds. Enjoy

Ingredients 3 pounds gold potatoes 4 hard boiled eggs 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup buttermilk (or just milk in a pinch) 2 tbsp yellow mustard 2 dill pickles diced well Salt and pepper to taste 2 ribs celery sliced relatively small 1/4 cup red onion diced small Instructions Simmer potatoes for 20 minutes. Note: if you have potatoes that aren’t small or med, chop them in half before adding to pot. Large ones can take longer to boil Remove water from pan and return to stove under same simmer settings for 10-15 minutes to steam them (add a splash of water if they dry out completely) Optionally peel potatoes. I do not Make dressing: remove the yolk from the hard boiled eggs and mash in large bowl. Then chop the whites and add on top of them (do not mash the whites). Add rest of ingredients and stir well. Add a splash of pickle juice and stir well Chop the potatoes when done and add to the bowl you just made Let chill in the fridge. You can serve whenever but it is best if you let it chill and the flavors meld in the fridge for at least a couple hours or better overnight

Ingredients Broth: 2 tbl vegetable oil 1 large onion, cut in half 1 small hand ginger (few inches at least), roughly sliced 1 bunch cilantro 3 star anise pods 1 cinnamon stick 4 cloves 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 8 cups of water 6-8 chicken drumsticks (or thighs) 1/4 cup fish sauce 2 tbl rock sugar For serving: 4 servings pho noodles prepared according to package directions 1 small red onion thinly sliced 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (white only) 2 cups mixed herbs Cilantro, basil mint 2 cups bean sprouts 1 jalapeño sliced Lime wedges Hoisin sauce and Siracha Instructions Heat oil in pressure cooker (on sauté mode) on high heat until smoking. Add halved onions, ginger, and cook without moving until well charred (~5 minutes). Take this step seriously, more char is good, make it smoke! Lower heat if smoking excessively. Add rest of broth ingredients to pot. Seal pressure cooker and set for high pressure and heat for 30 minutes. Note: time does not include time it takes to get to pressure/temperature. When done, release pressure valve (for electric pressure cookers) and wait until safe to open. Cook noodles according to package directions and set aside. Get ready other serving ingredients and set aside. After opening pressure cooker, remove chicken to cutting board and debone it. Rest of broth should be put through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot. Discard anything caught in the strainer. To serve: split noodles, chicken, sliced onion, green onion into bowls. Pour broth into bowls. Serve and individuals add herbs, sprouts, peppers, lime, and sauces as desired.

Ingredients 1 lb peeled shrimp (can be frozen) 1 lb sliced andouille sausage 1 lb white fish (cod, tilapia, whatever) (can be frozen) 1 bundle of green onions, sliced small 1 bell pepper, diced 1 diced yellow onion 1-3 sticks celery, diced small 2 tbsp cajun seasoning (split usage) 1 tbsp or so tomato paste 1 can diced tomatoes drained (doesn’t have to be drained super well) 8 oz clam juice 4 cups seafood stock (kitchen basics is best, other stock can be substituted if necessary) 1-2 bay leaves 1-2 cups white rice cooked according to package directions Instructions In large pot, brown sausage with oil. After browned, remove sausage but LEAVE drippings Add more olive oil and cook all veggies until mostly soft. Add half cajun seasoning Add tomato paste and cook another minute stirring often Add diced tomatoes through bay leaves and bring to a simmer Add sausage back along with all fish. Add last half cajun seasoning. Add garlic salt and black pepper here to taste if desired (not required) Simmer for 20 minutes. Don’t overcook or the shrimp become rubbery! Serve over white rice

Fresh Greens 2 bunches of kale (or 8 cups), cut into 1/2" or shorter sections 4-5 cloves garlic, minced Olive oil Few tbsps red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper Instructions Fresh Greens: Heat oil and add garlic plus red pepper flakes. Saute for a minute or so. Then add kale as much as you can fit. Add more as it shrinks. Saute and add pepper/salt to taste until greens are limp and tender. Serve immediately as it does not stay warm long.

Ingredients 4 chicken thighs (or two breasts but thighs are better) Salt and pepper 1 tbsp butter 2 tsp vegetable oil 2 inches fresh ginger, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp mirin 4 cups good chicken stock (kitchen basics) Salt to taste 2 packs dried ramen noodles (or equivalent in rice noodles) Veggies (at least 2-3 cups of following, your choice): spinach, green onions thinly chopped, jalapeño, peeled carrot (with a potato peeler), can sweet corn (this is really good in this), diced sweet peppers (the kind that don’t need to be cooked), thinly sliced red onion Instructions With butter in medium sized soup pot, cook chicken on both sides (few minutes each) until golden. Make sure to season generously with salt and pepper. Then transfer to sheet and cook in oven another 15 minutes or so until well cooked. Slice or shred and set aside In same pot on medium heat, heat oil and saute garlic and ginger for a few minutes until soft. Add soy sauce and mirin and cook 1 more minute. Add broth and simmer for 15 minutes Cook noodles separately according to package directions Veggies: If any of them need it, saute briefly with sesame seed oil and rice vinegar. This does add a nice flavor and definitely do this if making vegetarian Assemble bowls with mix of veggies, noodles, and chicken. Pour boiling broth on it all and serve. Top with jalapeño at table as desired Notes To make vegetarian, skip the chicken and use very good veggie broth instead of chicken. In this case make sure you saute briefly any veggies with the sesame seed oil and rice vinegar (not much of each and just enough to get the flavor). This adds a nice richness in flavor Cook the noodles separate and not in the broth to conserve water of broth and stretch this to two servings

Ingredients Olive oil for cooking (just a few tbsp at most) 1.5 pounds chicken thighs cut into 0.5" chunks Salt and pepper to taste (for the chicken) 5 cloves garlic minced 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced 1 onion diced 4 tbsp red curry paste (or most of a small bottle) 2 tbsp grated or minced ginger 6 cups chicken broth 1 can coconut milk (full fat) 7 oz rice noodles 2 tbsp fish sauce 3 tsp brown sugar 6 green onions sliced small 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1/2 cup chopped basil 2.5 tbsp lime juice Instructions In a large pot over med-high heat, heat oil and pan fry the chicken until golden. You don’t have to fully cook. Set aside but leave the drippings in pot Add garlic, pepper, and onion. Cook until tender Ginger and curry paste. Stir for <1 minute until fragrant Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and partly cooked chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes to soak in the flavors and finish cooking the chicken Add noodles, fish sauce and brown sugar. Cook until noodles are tender (~5 minutes or so, check package) Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients and stir well Serve Notes If you want to do bone-in chicken and get much better chicken broth in the process. Add 6 thighs (with salt, pepper, dash of dried basil) to a pressure cooker with 4 cup package of good chicken broth (kitchen basics is the best). Pressure cook high for 30 minutes. Then debone the chicken and add all chicken and broth to pot. This gives it all a richer flavor