Ingredients:

• 2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
• 3 cups fresh or frozen peas
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 cup half-and-half cream

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-12 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, place peas and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Drain.
3. In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended; gradually add milk and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in potatoes and peas; heat through. Yield: 12 servings.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large onion, preferably red, chopped
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh hot chili, like jalapeño
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 cups cooked black beans, drained (canned are fine)
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put sweet potatoes and onions on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; keep on pan until ready to mix with dressing.
2. Put chilies in a blender or mini food processor along with garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until blended.
3. Put warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.

Ingredients:

• 20 large (4″) jalapeno peppers
• 1 package of cream cheese (8oz) at room temperature
• 200 g of extra old cheddar cheese (about 1/2lb)
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1.5 cups panko
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with one egg until it is smooth and well combined.
2. Shred the sharp cheddar cheese on the finer holes of a box grater so that the shreds are nice and fine. Mix this in with the cream cheese mixture, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Slice each jalapeno in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds and as much of the rib as you like out of the peppers.
4. Stuff each jalapeno half with a heaping mound of cream cheese. The egg will bind with the cheesy interior to keep everything in it’s place.
5. Lightly grease a shallow cooling rack which is small enough to sit on top of your baking sheet.
6. Preheat the oven to 400F.
7. To bread the jalapenos, flour goes in the first bowl. In the second bowl, beat the two remaining eggs and season liberally with salt and pepper. The panko goes in the third bowl.
8. Grab a jalapeno pepper and roll it around in the flour. Dip the whole thing into the whisked eggs and turn it to make sure that the whole thing is well coated. Shake off any excess. Roll the eggy jalapeno in the panko, pressing down just gently as you turn, to coat it with crumbs.
9. Lay the jalapenos onto the lightly oiled rack making sure that they don’t touch.
10. Bake the poppers for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and the crust is crusty.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. brussels sprouts
• salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup cream or milk (I used milk, and the sauce was still creamy)
• 1 egg yolk
• a touch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Clean and trim the brussels sprouts, making a shallow incision in the shape of a cross on the stem end. Place the sprouts in a skillet, add cold water to cover, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain.
3. Melt 2 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir with a whisk until smooth. Add the milk or cream, stirring vigorously until thickened and smooth. Season with salt and nutmeg. Remove from the heat, and stir in the egg yolk.
4. Select a casserole dish large enough to accommodate the brussels sprouts in a single layer. Melt the remaining butter in the casserole, then add the sprouts. Carefully spoon the sauce over the sprouts, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Run the dish under the broiler for a few minutes to ensure a crispy, brown finish.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup oil
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2-cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup corn kernels

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 12-cup muffin pan.
2. In a bowl, cream oil and sugars. Beat in eggs and salt. Mix in flour, cornmeal, baking powder. Stir in milk and mix batter is smooth. Fold in corn kernels.
3. Spoon into prepared muffin tins.
4. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes (or 8-10 minutes convection at 350), until tops of muffins are lightly browned.

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups corn meal
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Add-in's:

• kernals from 2 ears of fresh corn
• 5-6 roasted serrano chiles, diced
• 4 thick slices of bacon, cooked crispy then chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded

Wet Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare several muffin tins by either spraying with non-stick spray or lining with muffin liners.
2. Add all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly.
3. Place all of the add-ins into the dry ingredients. Stir to combine evenly.
4. In a separate bowl, add the eggs. Whisk to break up the yolks. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the bowl with the eggs. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and add-ins. Stir batter until just combined. Over-stirring will lead to tougher muffins.
6. Pour the cornbread batter into the prepared muffin tins. Fill each muffin tin nearly to the top with batter. The muffins won’t rise too much while baking.
7. Place the muffin tins into a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake in the upper half of the oven for about 20 minutes or until just baked through. To test the “doneness” of a muffin insert a toothpick into the center of one of the muffins. If it comes out clean the muffins are done.
8. Let the muffins rest in the tins on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before removing. Great Served warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 c long-grain rice (I used 1-1/2 c Basmati rice)
• coarse salt
• 1/2 c fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove (I used 4)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 1-1/2 c water to boil. Add rice and 1/4 tsp salt; cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until water is absorbed and rice is just tender, 16 to 18 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, oil, garlic and 2 tbsp water. Blend until smooth. Stir into cooked rice and fluff with a fork.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds medium carrots, peeled, cut on diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 2 cups (or more) water
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Combine carrots and 2 cups water in heavy large skillet. Add all remaining ingredients except parsley. If needed, add enough water to just cover carrots. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil just until carrots are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, 8 to 9 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer carrots to medium bowl; cool. Boil cooking liquid in skillet until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover carrots and cooking liquid separately; chill.
2. Bring reserved cooking liquid to boil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and boil until just tender and liquid is thickened to light syrup consistency, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of haricot vert, trimmed and tailed
• 2 teaspoon butter
• 1 small shallot, sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons diced tomato
• Wedge of lemon

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of well-salted water to boil. Boil haricot vert for 3.5 minutes. Plunge them into an ice bath and drain the beans.
2. In your empty pot, melt two teaspoons of butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute them until they’re just translucent, not browned–about one to two minutes.
3. Add the drained and cooled haricot vert back into the pot and reheat them in the butter and shallots. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread haricot vert and shallot onto a plate, throw the diced tomato over them and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice (will discolor if not eaten quickly) over the dish. Serve immediately.