• 9 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups rabbit, shredded, previously cooked
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound assorted mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup rabbit broth
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 12 ounces linguine
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1 cup grated Mozzarella
• 1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Directions

1.) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2.) Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

3.) Place the shreded rabbit into a large bowl.

4.) Add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to a large, cast iron skillet.  Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the rabbit.

5.) Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

6.) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the rabbit mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

7.) Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

I must admit that I have been falling down on the job of posting the photos and the recipes from the 52 week project.  The project is not dead!  It has been going on, and I have pictures and recipes of everything that we have done so far.  I have stopped posting because I have been dreading this one post.  I just can’t seem to make the ravioli thing work for me.  I have made them several times in the past, each time its own disaster.  So, when my sister suggested that we make raviolis for the food for week 10 I was excited that I might have the opportunity to make it work our for once.  I spent the better part of the afternoon creating the perfect filling for the raviolis and creating the pasta by hand.  They looked wonderful and delicious.  I oiled the pasta and set them aside for dinner to be cooked in an hour.  Turns out, that was a bad idea.  They got soggy from the filling an in that hour the pasta all molded together into a solid ball of dough with filling oozing out from every direction.  I did end up cutting them up and boiling the pasta in big chunks.  Jared said it ended up tasting OK, which I agree with, but it was nothing like the decadent and graceful raviolis that I had in mind.  We will just call this one a FAIL and move on.

I developed this recipe when I was looking for something healthy and exciting for breakfast.

1 cup water
1/2 cup oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp half and half or cream
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp hemp seeds
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/4 cup rasins or chopped dates
2 tbsp maple syrup

1.) Put the water, the oats, the chia seeds and the blueberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Allow to warm and thicken. Add in the maple syrup and the half and half or cream. It is done when the chia seeds have expanded.

2.) Garnish with the hemp seeds, poppy seeds and raisins or dates.

I can’t believe that I have never made a meatloaf! Luckily, this recipe turned out the best meatloaf I had ever had.

4 ounces hard white cheese (cheddar, fontina, etc.), grated
1 tbsp butter
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup broth
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon gelatin
2/3 cup crushed crackers (ritz or saltines)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
1.25 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.) Cover a cooling rack with aluminum foil, poke some holes in it and place it over a cookie sheet.

3.) Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions start to turn brown, 15 minutes. Add the thyme, paprika and garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Set the heat to low and add the tomato sauce. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until thickened, about 1 minutes. Put in a bowl and set aside to cool.

4.) Wisk the broth and the eggs together in a large bowl until combined. Add the gelatin and allow to bloom for 5 minutes. Stir in the crackers, parsley, soy sauce, mustard, onion mixture, salt and pepper. Mix in the cheese. Add the beef and the pork and mix thoroughly. Use your hands if that makes it easy.

5.) Form the meat into a loaf and then place it on the covered cooling rack for baking. The loaf should measure about a foot long and 2 inches tall.

6.) Bake for 55 minutes or until it measures 16 on an instant read thermometer.

Glaze

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar

1.) Combine the glaze ingredients in a sauce pan and cook, stirring until it thickens, about 5 minutes.

2.) Spread half of the glaze on the meatloaf and place it under the broiler until it begins to brown.

3.) Remove from the oven and spread the rest of the glaze on the meatloaf. Return it under the broiler for another 5 minutes until the glaze begins to brown.

Early in the fall, I knew I was going to be changing a lot of diapers on the go.  That coupled with the H1N1 virus scare, I decided I would make my own hand sanitizer to keep myself and others safe.  I decided to make my own sanitizer so that I knew exactly what went in it.  I am sharing the recipe for anyone who is as do-it-yourself as I am.

5 ounces grain (ethyl) alchol

2 ounces witch hazel

1 ounce water

5 drops tea tree oil

5 drops essential oil of choice

Mix all ingredients together and PRESTO, you have made your own hand sanitizer.  Shake before using to ensure everything has been distributed well.  I have one in a spray bottle in the diaper bag, and it sure has come in handy for me.

Please don’t hesitate to try this delicious scampi!

2 tbsp olive oil
2 pounds large shrimp 20 ct. per pound
2 tablespoons butter, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp brandy
Pinch cayenne
Salt and Pepper

1.) Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over high heat until hot. Add half the shrimp and cook only until it is red and opaque, only 1 minute. Remove with a spoon and add the remaining oil until hot. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 more minute.

2.) Set the heat to medium low. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30seconds. Add the brandy and the lemon juice. Wisk in the remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Add the cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. Return the shrimp and coat with the sauce.

There are many, many people in the world observing Lent, during this time of the year.  It makes it difficult to find tasty things to eat.  Luckily, lentils are a food that can be eaten at any time.  My husband is a big fan of my lentils and gobbles them up quickly when I make them.  This is my classic, Lent friendly version.

2 medium onions, chopped

2 1/2 cups lentils, soaked overnight

1 pint canned roasted tomato sauce

1 quart chicken, beef or vegetable broth

1 quart water

6 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1.) Place 2 1/2 cups of lentils in a container and allow to soak overnight on the kitchen counter.

2.) Rinse and drain the lentils and place them in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the water and salt and allow to boil for about 25 minutes.  If the lentils start to run out of water, go ahead and add more, but this should not happen.  Drain the lentils.  Sweat the onions in 2 tbsp of oil until soft.  Add the lentils, the roasted tomato sauce, the herbs and the broth.  Allow to come to a boil and then turn the heat down.  Leave the lid on the dutch oven and allow the lentils to cook for at least 1 hour more and up to 4 more hours.  Check every 1/2 hour or so to ensure that there is enough liquid so that the lentils will not burn.

Serve with a nice piece of warm bread. Bon Appetite!

I set out to make a classic French Onion soup and oh BOY did I succeed!  I made the bread bowls for the soup myself with my new found sourdough baking skills.

Though this was my first attempt at this beautiful classic soup, I have no reason to ever try to seek out another.  The carmelization method is from the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook.  It makes this soup brilliant to make, even if it does take all day.  It is totally worth it.

3 tbsp butter

4 pounds onions, sliced into strips

2 cups water

1/2 cup brandy

6 cups chicken, beef or vegetable broth (or any combination of broths, I used lobster broth)

6-8 springs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Coat the inside of a 4 quart dutch oven with vegetable oil.  Add the butter, onions and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Place on the bottom rack of the oven.  Cook covered for 1 hour.  remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions scraping any bits off the bottom.  Return the lid to the pot slightly ajar.  Return the dutch oven to the oven and let cook for 1.5- 1.75 more hours, stopping to scrape the bottom of the pot at the 1 hour mark.

2.) Remove the dutch oven from the oven and place over medium-high heat.  Cook the onions, stirring frequently and stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot until all liquid has evaporated and the onions start to brown, about 20 minutes.  Continue to cook stirring frequently until the bottom is coated with a crust, about 8 minutes.  Stir in 1/4 cup of water to deglaze the bottom.  Ensure you get up any crusty bits.  Continue to cook until the bottom is again coated with a crust and deglaze again.  Continue this about 2-3 more times until the onions are very  dark and carmelized (but not burnt)/

3.) Stir in the 2 cups water, the broth, the thyme, the bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of salt ensuring all browned bits have been scraped up.  Increase the heat to high and allow the soup to simmer for about an hour.  Remove the herbs.

4.) Add the soup to a bread bowl.  Grate cheese over slices of bread floating in the top until browned and delicious.

I had the pleasure of making potato Gnocchi at my sister’s house with her help. As always, we made a delicious meal that made both of us happy. Our dad even came over to share a rare meal with us as a family.  I am going to post only the recipe for the dumpling part of the gnocchi because there are SO many things you can do with it.  So many tasty possibilities.

4 medium potatoes, peeled

1 egg, beaten

3 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 to 2 cups flour (depending on the day)

1.) Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Cook about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Drain the water off.

2.) Put the potatoes through a ricer into a medium sized bowl.  Stir in the egg and 2 teaspoons of salt.  Gradually mix in the flour until you have a firm, elastic and manageable dough.

3.) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 15 minutes.  Roll the dough out into ropes about 1/2 inch wide and cut into pieces that are  1 inch long.  Roll the pieces off a gnocchi board or press them gently with a fork.

4.) Bring 1 gallon of water to boil.  Add the remaining salt.  Cook the gnocchi in small batches of boiling water for 5 minutes or until they float on the top of the water.  Remove immediately and serve with your choice of sauce.