Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a dutch oven, over medium heat, fry:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup chopped pancetta or bacon
4 shallots, halved
2 garlic cloves, sliced

After cooking for about 4-5 minutes remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Add to the dutch oven:
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 chicken thighs, skinned, bone in (seasoned with salt and pepper)
Brown chicken, cooking for about 3 minutes on each side. Reduce heat to low. Add the pancetta, shallots and garlic back to the dutch oven along with:
6 springs fresh oregano
6 springs fresh flat leaf parsley
2 bay leaves
1 cup Marsala wine

Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil and cover. Put in the oven and cook for 2 hours. Meanwhile, mix together:
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
1 teaspoon flour
salt and pepper to taste

After 2 hours of cooking remove dutch oven from oven and add mascarpone mixture along with:
1 1/4 cup black seedless grapes. Cover and return to oven for an additional 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6

The key to a good pizza is the dough, and while making pizza dough seems like an easy excercise, it can sometimes be a frustrating task. This is an easy pizza dough recipe that should help start the foundation of a great pizza.

Easy Pizza Dough Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Easy Pizza Dough Steps

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups of flour, yeast and salt.

2. Add water an oil.

3. Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30-45 seconds.

4. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.

5. Remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface.

6. Knead in the remaining flour to make pizza dough that is smooth and fairly elastic (5-6 minutes of kneading)

7. Put the pizza dough back in a bowl and cover with a towel.

8. Put on a warm surface (top of the dryer works great for me) 30-60 minutes until the pizza dough slightly rises.

From there find your favorite pizza recipe for sauce and toppings.  My family loves the Roasted Pepper and Prosciutto Pizza.

In a large mixing bowl add:
1/3 cup lemonade flavor drink mix (I like Country Time)
1/2 cold water
2 cups softened vanilla ice cream

Beat until mixture is well blended on low speed. Gently stir in:
8 oz. of lite cool whipped topping

Spoon lemonade and cool whip mixture to prepared graham cracker crust. Freeze at least 4 hours or until pie is set. Before serving allow pie to stand at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes and use a warm knife when cutting.  Garnish with lemon zest or sugared lemon slices if desired.

Serves 8

Nothing compares to the taste of a freshly cooked homemade hamburger. The following classic hamburger recipe is easy to make and is one of the best hamburger recipes I have come across.

Serving Size: 4 Delicious Hamburgers

Tools: A BBQ or Grill Pan

Ingredients:
4 hamburger buns
Lettuce
1 large sliced tomato
1 sliced red onion
8 slices of cooked bacon
4 slices of cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & Pepper
2 lbs ground beef
Olive oil
Your favorite bbq sauce

Step 1:
Mix the ground beef, onion powder and garlic powder in a large bowl. Season to your liking with salt & pepper. Divide the mixture into four portions and firmly press each portion into a round patty with your desired thickness. Cover and chill for 15-30 minutes.

Step 2:
Heat the grill or barbeque to medium-high heat. Brush the hamburger patties with a little olive oil. Cook the patties for 4-6 minutes on each side depending on how well you like them cooked.

Step 3:
In the last minute of grilling, place a piece of cheddar cheese on top of each burger.

Step 4:
Take the hamburger patties off the grill, place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Place the buns face down on the grill for 45 seconds to a minute.

Step 5:
Assemble the hamburgers with the bottom bun, two slices of bacon, a little bbq sauce, the burger, two slices of red onion, sliced red tomato, the top bun.

Enjoy!

Baked beans are a great side dish to serve at any picnic or BBQ.  They are an easy side dish to make and go great with burgers or ribs.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium sized casserole dish, mix together and set aside:

3 cans white beans, such as navy (rinsed and drained)

1 and 1/4 cup chicken broth

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook:

4 slices of bacon, roughly chopped

Once bacon begins to release it’s fat, add to the skillet:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

Cook bacon, oil and onion for about 5-7 minutes or until onion begins to soften.  Stir in:

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon chile powder

1 teaspoon dry mustrad

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Stir to combine.  Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Pour bacon mixture over bean mixture in the casserole dish and stir to combine.  Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 1 hour.   Remove lid or foil and stir, adding more chicken broth if needed.  Continue to bake with no lid or foil for about 30 minutes or until top is browned and bubbly.

Serves 6-8

Heat grill or skillet to high heat.  In a small bowl whisk together:

1/4 cup molasses

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

salt and pepper to taste

Using a meat tendorizing mallet, pound thin:

2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins, cut into long pieces (about 10 pieces total)

Once meat has been pounded thin, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place meat on the grill or skillet, brushing glaze on every minute.  Cook pork for about 3 minutes on eash side and brush with glaze again just before serving.

Serves 6-8

In a slow cooker, layer:

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1 inch pieces)

2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced

4 large carrots, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 dried apricots, coasely chopped

In a medium bowl, whisk together:

2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon pepper

Pour mixture over chicken and vegetables.  Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours.  Garnish with toasted pine nuts, if desired.

Serves 8

In a large saucepan, over medium, add:

3 tablespoons olive oil

Once oil is warm, add:

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onion begins to soften.   Then add:

1 and 1/4 cups uncooked long grain rice

Stirring, cook the onion and rice mixture an additional 2-3 minutes or until the rice becomes translucent.  Then add:

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup white wine

Stir to combine and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low, cooking for about 15 minutes or until the rice is almost tender.  Stir in:

10 oz package of fresh baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup chopped basil

Stir and cover.  Cook for another 8-10 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.  Turn off heat and stir in:

2 tomatoes, chopped and seeded

1 cup feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Serves 6 as a side dish

In a small bowl, combine:

2 tablespoons peppercorns, coarsely ground

2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds, coarsely ground

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Rub peppercorn, mustard seed and salt mixture onto 5 lbs of beef short ribs.  In a large pot, over medium high heat, add:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Once heated, add ribs and brown on all sides.  Should take about 10 minutes for all ribs.  Transfer to a slow cooker.  Using the same pot as you browned the ribs in, add:

1/4 cup bourbon

Once reduced by half, add:

1 additional tablespoon of vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

Reduce heat to medium.  Cook onion for about 7 minutes, then add:

3 celery stalks, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Cook for another 5-6 minutes and then add:

3 tablespoons of honey

3 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Bring all ingredients to a boil then remove from stove and pour over ribs in crock pot.  Cover and cook for 8 hours on lowest setting or 6 hours on highest setting.  About 20 minutes before serving, transfer ribs to platter.  Puree crock pot liquid, including vegetables, using a standing blender or immersion blender.  Pour pureed sauce over ribs and garnish with chopped parsley or chopped green onions.

Serves 6

In a large food processor (or small food processor, working in batches), add:

3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 oz. of shiitake mushrooms

6 oz. of assorted mushrooms (white, brown, or cremini) cleaned

3 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

Pulse vegetables until finely chopped but still a little chunky.  You do not want a puree. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add vegetables and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and add:

4 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup vegetable broth

Stir to dissolve the tomato paste and then increase heat to medium high and bring the liquid to a boil.  Once it is reduced by half, add:

1 more cup vegetable broth

Turn to low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally.  In another pot, bring water to boil for pasta.  Add salt once boiling and cook 1 pound of penne or rigatoni according to al dente directions.  Just before the pasta is done, to the simmering vegetable sauce add:

*1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

Stir cheese into sauce until just melted.  Drain pasta and add cooked pasta to sauce.  Toss pasta and sauce,  remove from heat and serve immediately.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

*Mascarpone Cheese is Italian cream cheese.  It has the same texture, but it slightly sweeter and richer tasting.  You could substitute cream cheese if you can’t find mascarpone, but it gives the sauce a richer flavor so it is worth looking into.

Serves 6-8