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   A traditional savory French appetizer

Please read the recipe and prepare the “additional ingredients” before you begin.

Grease & flour a 9”x5” loaf pan. (I also line the pan bottom with parchment paper)

Center a rack in the oven, and preheat oven to 350°

Dry ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

Wet ingredients:

 3 eggs

 ½ cup milk

 ¼ cup olive oil

Additional ingredients:

½ cup garlic stuffed green olives, thickly sliced 

¾ cup thick sliced bacon, cooked & cut into small pieces

½ cup spring onions, thinly sliced

½ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped (I use the kind packed in oil and pat them dry)

½ tbsp dried basil

1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, coarsely shredded

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk wet ingredients in a small bowl. Now, add wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir and then set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine prepared additional ingredients. Fold the combined additional ingredients into the dry and wet mixture. Spread this mixture of all ingredients evenly into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove loaf pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Loosen the cake by running a table knife around the edges. Remove cake from the pan & cool completely on a wire rack before slicing

             A classic Russian soup

Ingredients

2 medium beets, peeled & coarsely grated

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 carrots, coarsely grated

8 cups water

1 small cabbage head, shredded

1 cup dry lentils, rinsed

3 medium potatoes (Yukon gold), peeled & diced

2 tbsp tomato paste

Salt & pepper to taste

Sour cream

Dry or chopped fresh dill

Cooking Directions

Step 1: Combine beets & vinegar in a large 

frying pan over low heat. Cook, while

stirring, until soft, about 15 minutes.

Step 2: Heat oil in another large frying pan

over low heat while beets are cooking.  

Add onions and garlic and stir for 2 minutes. 

Add carrots and cook, stirring 

occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. 

Set aside.

Step 3: Meanwhile, bring water to a simmer in a large soup pot. Add cabbage 

and lentils. Cook for 15 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for 15 minutes more. Stir

 in cooked beets-onion-garlic-carrot mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add 

 tomato paste and simmer another 15 minutes or more until all vegetables are tender.

 Step 4: Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill.

PS. Leftovers freeze well.

 Recommended wine: Jetty Cat Red, Westport Winery, Westport WA

     Inspired by Hector's Piano Rescue & 

                   Fey Creek Theatre

Ingredients

1/3 cup honey

1 ½ tbsp butter

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp lemon extract

Ground cinnamon

½ cup walnuts

3.2 oz bag of microwave popcorn

Directions

Spread walnuts on a baking sheet & lightly toast in 325° oven for 4 minutes.

Cool completely and finely chop.

Prepare popcorn according to directions.

Cool in a large bowl. Remove any un-popped kernels. Set aside.

Mist a glass measuring cup with cooking spray so the mixture doesn’t stick.

Add honey & butter. Microwave 20-30 seconds until melted. Stir in vanilla extract, lemon extract, & a dash of cinnamon. Combine well. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 300°

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper & mist with cooking spray.

Drizzle a little of the honey-butter mixture on popcorn and toss. Continue drizzling & tossing until popcorn is evenly coated.

Spread honey-butter popcorn evenly on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of the honey-butter popcorn.

Bake 5-10 minutes at 300°

Cool completely, and break into bitesize pieces before serving.

An Italian-American seafood stew that originated in San Francisco in the 1930's

Ingredients

Tomato Base:

1 large onion chopped

¼ cup olive oil

1 large fennel bulb thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic chopped

1 bell pepper chopped

3 large shallots chopped

½ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp parsley flakes

1 can (28 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes

3 medium zucchini sliced

1 ¼ cup white wine

1 can tomato paste

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

5 cups fish stock

Seafood

2 whole Dungeness crab legs & bodies, with the crabmeat intact

1 lb. small (manila) clams

1 lb. mussels, cleaned & debearded

1 ½ lbs. large shrimp- peeled & deveined

1 ½ lbs. salmon (or other firm fish) cut in 2-inch chunks.

Cooking Directions

Heat oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add onion, shallots, & fennel. Sauté until onions are translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add bell pepper, garlic, & red pepper flakes. Continue to sauté for 2 more

minutes.

Add white wine, fish stock, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, tomato paste, tomatoes, zucchini, & salt & pepper. Mix well. Cover & simmer until the flavors blend for 30 minutes.

You can make this broth ahead of time and add the fish the next day.

Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5-7 minutes. 

Add the shrimp, fish, & crab. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). 

Season the soup to taste with more salt and red pepper flakes.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve with warm sourdough bread.

Recommended wine: Jetty Cat Red, Westport Winery, Westport WA

       A healthy vegetable hors d'oeuvre

(Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch squares)

Heat oven to 350º.

Grease or spray 9x13x2” pan.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl:

Ingredients:

4 small thinly sliced unpared zucchini (about 3 cups)

1 cup Bisquick mix

½ cup. dry grated Parmesan cheese

½ c.up chopped onion

½ c.up chopped mushrooms

2 tbsp. parsley

½ tsp seasoned salt

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Dash pepper

2 tbsp. finely chopped garlic

½ cup vegetable oil

4 eggs lightly beaten

Spread in pan.

Bake about 25 minutes until golden brown.

Cool.

Cut into 2 x 1” pieces.

Serve warm or cold.

Refrigerate leftovers.

  A twist on an Italian twice baked cookie.

Preheat oven to 325°

Toast nuts 5 minutes and cool

Cream together in a mixing bowl:

     1/2 cup. soft butter

     1 cup sugar

Add:

    2 eggs

    2 tsp. vanilla

    1 tsp. almond extract

Mix together in a separate bowl:

    2 c.ups plus 2 tbsp. flour

    1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

    1/4 tsp. salt

Add dry ingredients to creamy ingredients and mix well, but don’t overwork the dough.

Fold in:

    1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

    1/2 cup dried cranberries

    1/2 c.up plain M&M’s

On a large greased and floured cookie sheet, shape this dough into two flattened logs about 2 inches wide, by 1/2 inch thick, and however long. (It helps to flour your fingers!)

Sprinkle with white sparkling sugar before baking

Bake 325° for 25 minutes. (Watch carefully for signs of doneness as ovens bake differently.)

Cool for 10 minutes. Place logs on a cutting board and slice on the diagonal 1/2-inch wide. 

Return slices to the cookie sheet with a little space between them, and put them back in the oven for about 8-10 minutes so they crisp up a little.

Cool completely and enjoy