• 2¼ LB boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3 TBS unsalted butter
• 3 LG shallots (diced)
• 9 cloves garlic (minced)
• 3 TSP fresh thyme (chopped)
• 1½ TSP fresh rosemary (chopped)
• 3 TBS all-purpose flour
• 4½ C chicken stock
• 2 TSP Dijon mustard
• 1½ C orzo pasta
• 1 bunch kale (stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces)
• ½ C grated Parmesan
• 3 OZ heavy cream
• 1½ TBS lemon juice
• 1½ TSP lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Season chicken with 1 TSP salt and ¾ TSP pepper.
2. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the Dutch oven in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165˚ F, about 4-5 minutes per side; set aside.
3. Add shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Stir in garlic, thyme and rosemary until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
6. Stir in chicken stock and Dijon, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in orzo; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in kale, Parmesan, heavy cream, lemon juice and lemon zest until the kale has wilted, about 3 minutes.
8. Serve chicken over orzo.

Yields 6 servings. 433 calories per serving.

https://damndelicious.net/2023/10/20/one-pot-lemon-chicken-and-orzo

• 219 GR all-purpose flour
• 1 TSP baking soda
• ½ TSP salt
• 5 LG very ripe bananas (~2¼ pounds) (peeled, frozen)
• 1 LG ripe banana (peeled, fresh)
• 8 TBS butter (melted & cooled)
• 2 LG eggs
• 165 GR light brown sugar
• 1 TSP vanilla extract
• ½ C walnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped)
• 2 TSP granulated sugar

Oven: 350° F

Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even black) bananas in this recipe. This recipe can be made using 5 thawed frozen bananas; since they release a lot of liquid naturally, they can bypass the microwaving in step 2 and go directly into the fine-mesh strainer. Do not use a thawed frozen banana in step 4, it will be too soft to slice.

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and set oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in large bowl.
2. Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife. Microwave on high power until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to fine-mesh strainer placed over medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes (you should have ½ to ¾ cup liquid).
3. Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in eggs, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla.
4. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in walnuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice remaining banana diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving 1½-inch-wide space down center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf.
5. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yields one 9×5″ loaf.

• 1 MED russet potatoe
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Temperature: 425

Place a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of your oven to catch any mess. Preheat oven.

Wash the potatoes and pat dry. Use a fork or a sharp knife to poke a few holes into the potatoes. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper all over.

Place the potatoes directly onto the oven shelf over the foil. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until the potato is fork-tender and the skin is crisp.

Ingredients:

• 220 GR (~2½ C) medium roast coffee (coarse ground) (~ 8 OZ whole bean)
• Water

Equipment:

• 1 GAL pitcher with cover
• Fine mesh “nut milk” bag
• Fine-mesh reusable drip coffee filter
• Paper coffee filters (optional)

1. Put the grounds into the bag, tie the top securely.
2. Place the bag into the pitcher and fill with water to 1 GAL.
3. Allow to steep in the fridge for 24 hours, or at room temperature for 16-18 hours, giving the pitcher a shake every ~8 hours.
4. Remove the bag and allow to drain.
5. Allow the sediment time to settle then strain through a fine-mesh reusable drip coffee filter – if less sediment is desired you can use an actual paper filter as well but this will take much longer.
6. Dilute to desired strength (1:1) and server hot or over ice. Store in the fridge.

30 OZ canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper
½-1 LG onion
6 cloves garlic
2 egg
⅜ TSP chili powder
1 TBS cumin
1 TSP dried oregano
½ TSP dried thyme
1 TBS dried parsley
1 C bread crumbs
¾ TSP salt
⅛ TSP black pepper

Oven: 350

Mash black beans in a medium bowl with a potato masher or a fork until thick and pasty. Finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a food processor. Stir chopped vegetables into mashed beans.

Stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, oregano, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add to the mashed beans and stir to combine. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together.

Divide the mixture evenly into eight patties and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until they reach 165° internal, flipping halfway through.

• 250 GR unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 TBS cornmeal (optional)
• 1 TSP table salt
• 2 TSP baking soda
• 2 pinch cream of tartar
• 2 eggs (separated)
• 2 C buttermilk
• ½ TSP vanilla
• 4 TBS butter, melted

The secret to great waffles is a thick batter, so don’t expect to pour this one. Make toaster waffles out of leftover batter – under-cook the waffles a bit, cool them on a wire rack, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze. Pop them into the toaster for a quick breakfast.

• Heat waffle iron.
• Whisk dry ingredients (except cream of tartar) together in a medium bowl.
• Whisk yolks with buttermilk, vanilla and butter.
• Beat egg whites with the cream of tartar until it just holds a 2-inch peak.
• Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients in a thin steady stream while gently mixing with a rubber spatula; be careful not to add liquid faster than you can incorporate it. Toward end of mixing, use a folding motion to incorporate ingredients; gently fold egg white into batter.
• Use 2 level 3.25 OZ scoops of batter per waffle, and spread into the waffle iron. Cook for 7 minutes at the #2 setting or until crisp and golden brown.

Yields 4 large Belgian waffles.

Peach Syrup:

• 1½ LB fresh ripe peaches (peeled, pitted, chopped)
• 2 C water
• ½ C sugar

Other Ingredients:

• 3 OZ lemon juice
• 3 C water water

1. Combine the chopped peaches, sugar, and 2 C water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes.
2. Blitz to a pulp using a blender (stick or traditional). Strain through a fine sieve, forcing as much through and eliminating any lager pieces (pulp making it’s way through is expected and desired).
3. Combine lemon juice and remaining water with the syrup. Put in the fridge and allow to cool before serving – although at least 24 hours in the fridge will let the peach flavor develop fully.

Optional 1: if using fresh lemons, add the zest to either the syrup or the final mix.
Optional 2: skip adding the remaining water and mix 50/50 with chilled sparkling water as you serve.

Yields ~1½ QT.

• 2 OZ olive oil
• 4 – 5 boneless chicken thighs (cut into ½ – ¾” pieces)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 bell pepper (chopped)
• 12 cloves garlic
• ½ TSP ground oregano
• 1 TBS parsley
• 1 TSP paprika
• 1 TSP ground cumin
• 1½ TSP salt
• ¾ TSP black pepper
• 2 TBS tomato paste
• ½ C white wine
• 2 C long grain white rice
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 C low sodium chicken broth
• 1 5.5 OZ can concentrated tomato juice
• 1 C frozen peas

1. Turn Instant pot on sauté setting. Add oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Brown chicken. Remove chicken to a plate.
3. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, oregano, parsley, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper and tomato paste to the pot. Stir well and sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Add white wine to the pot to deglaze the pan, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 1 minute until most of the wine has evaporated. Turn the pot OFF!
5. Add chicken broth, tomato juice and bay leaf to the pot and stir. Add the chicken and the rice, and stir to combine.
6. Secure instant pot lid, with valve turned to the sealed position. Cook on manual, high pressure, for 15 minutes. When the timer beeps allow the pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes before removing the lid.
7. Remove the instant pot lid and pour the frozen peas on top of the mixture. Return lid and allow to rest for a few minutes.
8. Gently fluff rice with a fork, then serve.

15 large jalapenos
1 LB cream cheese (room temperature)
1 LB ground sausage
30 strips bacon (thin, inexpensive is best)

Temperature: 225°

Brown off the ground sausage, drain the excess fat, then combine with the cream cheese. Allow to cool then move to a large pastry piping bag (or a gallon ziplock bag).

Wash and dry the jalapenos, remove the stem, then cut in half lengthwise. Using a melon-baller or small spoon remove the seeds, membranes and stem end plug.

Snip the end off of the pastry bag (or corner of the gallon ziplock) and fill each jalapeno half generously with the sausage filling. Wrap a slice of bacon around each filled jalapeno half, stretching as needed to completely encase it and the filling, securing the loose end with a toothpick. Arrange on a cooling rack to avoid touching.

Cook in a smoker using low heat until done (pecan and apple-wood give a nice, rich smoke without being overpowering).

• 1.5 boxes (73.5 GR or 30 sachets) Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger Herbal Tea
• 2.25 QT (~1.5 kettles) boiled water
• 6 OZ (255 GR) honey dissolved in 12 OZ boiled water

Place the tea bags in a 1 GAL pitcher then add the 2.25 QT of boiled water. Steep 30 minutes, stir occasionally. Drain tea bags using a sieve placed over the pitcher. Squeeze to get the last of the liquid out.

Add the dissolved honey, stir, then top the pitcher to 1 GAL.

Chill, serve over ice.

The original (unmodified) recipe from NOLA.com: To duplicate Rosemint, steep Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea until it’s strong, then add unfiltered Louisiana honey. Owen’s ratio is 1 cup of dried tea per 1 gallon of water, plus 1 cup honey.