Dad's Favorite Fudge Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1 lb semi-sweet chocolate, chips or block chocolate chopped up
• 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

METHOD

1 Prepare everything in advance and have ready to go - chopped chocolate, chopped nuts, best to have marshmallow cream already out of the jar and in a bowl that you can easily scrape out with a rubber spatula. Line a 13"x9"x2" baking pan with foil, butter the inside (alternatively, line the pan with waxed paper).

2 In a 3-quart, thick-bottomed saucepan, bring sugar, butter, and milk to a rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly once the mixture begins to bubble. Once the mixture reaches a boil, set your timer to 4 minutes. You will want to remove the mixture from the heat once it reaches 234°F on a candy thermometer (234°F at sea-level, adjust for altitude) which should take about 4 minutes. If you don't have a candy thermometer, just go with the four minutes.

3 Remove from heat. Quickly stir in chocolate and marshmallow cream. Once those have melted and are well mixed, stir in the vanilla and then the walnuts.

4 Pour into prepared pan.

5 Cool to room temperature before slicing (about 4 hours). You may want to chill in the refrigerator to get it more firm.

Gingerbread Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup molasses, unsulphured
• 1/2 cup honey (preferably a dark variety such as buckwheat, avocado or wildflower)
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (can substitute light brown)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 tablespoon candied ginger, minced
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and lightly flour an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Fit a piece of parchment or baking paper inside and allow some to hang off the sides (this will make it easier to lift the cake out of the pan later). Lightly butter and flour the paper as well.

2 In a medium sauce pot over medium heat place the butter, molasses, honey, water, and brown sugar. Stir to melt the butter. Do not allow to simmer or boil. Once the butter is melted take the pot off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Be sure to stir the mixture every so often as the the sugar and fat will form skin on the surface.

3 Once room temperature whisk the eggs, grated ginger, and candied ginger into the molasses mixture. Set aside.

4 Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Add the flour to the molasses mixture in three or four additions and whisk until it just comes together.

5 Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes. Loosely place a piece of foil over the top and bake for another 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for ten minutes, then lift the cake out of the pan and continue to cool on the rack. You can serve this fresh out of the oven, but the flavor is much better if you give it a day to sit and allow the spices to intensify the cake.

5a A loaf pan can also be used for this recipe. Simply place foil over the top at 25 minutes, and then increase the continuing baking time by 5-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I find, however, that a loaf pan often results in slightly crispier, more well-done crust.

Beef Roast Braised in Zinfandel Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 (3 1/2 pound) chuck roast, boneless
Salt and ground black pepper
4 oz pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 medium onions, chopped medium (about 2 cups)
2 medium carrots, chopped medium (about 1 cup)
2 ribs celery, chopped medium (1 cup)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 (750 ml) bottle Zinfandel wine (can substitute Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

METHOD

1 If your roast is very fatty, trim some of the fat. But it is important to keep some fat, as this will keep the roast moist while braising. In many supermarkets chuck roasts will already be properly trimmed. Salt the roast well and set aside at room temperature while you prepare all the other vegetables.
2 Pour a little water into a Dutch oven or other heavy, lidded pot. Set the pot over medium heat and add the diced pancetta. As soon as the water begins to simmer, lower the heat to medium-low and slowly crisp up the pancetta; the water allows some of the fat in the pork to render out without charring the pancetta. When the pancetta is crispy and brown, remove it with a slotted spoon and set asid
3 Preheat the oven to 300°F. Pat the beef roast dry with a paper towel, increase the heat to medium and brown all sides in the pot. Once the meat has browned remove it to a bowl and add the onions, carrot and celery. Sprinkle salt over the vegetables while they cook. Increase the heat to medium-high and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

4 Add the tomato paste and stir well, sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes, the pancetta, herbs and red wine. Nestle the beef roast into the pot, cover, place in the 300°F oven and cook for 3 hours. At the halfway point, use tongs to turn the beef roast over.

5 Remove the pot from oven and transfer beef to a large bowl; tent with foil to keep warm. Allow the liquid to settle in the pot for a few minutes, if you'd like, skim off some of the fat with a wide shallow spoon. If you have an immersion blender, use it to blend the contents of the pot. If you don't, use a whisk to help break down the vegetables. Boil the sauce until it is reduced to about 3 1/2 cups. Strain liquid through large fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids with spatula to extract as much liquid as possible; you should have a couple cups strained sauce. Add any accumulated juices from the bowl you have the beef in. Boil the sauce again until it has reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

6 Cut the meat into roughly 1/2-inch-thick slices and pour the sauce over them. Serve with a bold red wine and crusty bread or mashed potatoes.

Arroz Con Pollo

INGREDIENTS

Chicken

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 broiler-fryer chicken, about 2 1/2-3 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of chicken thighs or breasts, bone-in, with skin on, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup of flour for dredging
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Paprika

Rice

2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
3 cups* chicken stock
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained
Pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon salt
*Check the instructions on the rice package for the proportions of liquid to rice. They can range from 1:1 to 2:1. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, then for this recipe, use 4 cups of stock for 2 cups of rice.

METHOD

1 Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet (a skillet that has a cover) on medium high heat. Put the flour in a wide bowl, mix in a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge the chicken pieces lightly in the flour mixture and put in the pan to brown. (You can skip the flour dredging part if you want. It just makes a nicer coating for the chicken.) Cook a few minutes on each side, just enough so that the chicken has browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan and set aside.
2 Add the rice to the pan to brown. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Stir first to coat the rice with the olive oil in the pan. Then don't stir too much or you will prevent it from browning. Let it brown and then stir a little to let more of it brown. Then add the onion and garlic. Cook the onion, garlic and rice mixture, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, about 4 minutes.

3 Place the chicken pieces, skin-side up, on top of the rice. In a separate bowl, mix together the stock, tomato, salt, and oregano. Pour the stock mixture over the rice and chicken. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Let cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package, until the rice and chicken are done. Fluff the rice with a fork. If you want you can sprinkle with some peas. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4-6.