YUM.

Meatloaf has a bad rep; in fact, it’s probably one of the most classically loathed dishes in American pop culture. Picture Roseanne Barre cackling over a stove while DJ and Darlene groan in the background. But like every childhood horror- broccoli, brussels sprouts, and spinach- it’s all in the execution. So if you’ve ever eaten bad meatloaf, blame the cook, not the dish.

In its true form, meatloaf should be moist, well seasoned, and delicious. It’s rather like eating an oversized meatball. The trick is to get as much moisture and flavor into it as possible, by way of fresh herbs, deep aromatics, and even plain old tap water.

Instead of using a standard ketchup topping, I decided to do something fancier, which really means I used commonplace ingredients and worded them in a pretentious way. Balsamic glazed caramelized onions are what make this sauce unique. The trick is to incorporate part of the sauce in the actual meat mixture itself. Plain tap water, a method used in making meatballs, gives it incredible moisture.

Everyone loves a good garlic mashed potato dish, but not everyone makes it correctly. If you’ve ever raved about a mashed potato dish at a restaurant, it’s probably because the ratio of butter and cream to potatoes was about 1:1. Rich, I know. But half-and-half can be a worthy substitute. The trick is to alternate applications of cold butter and hot cream to set the perfect texture.

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion (diced)

3 sprigs thyme leaves

1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 lb ground turkey

handful parsley (chopped)

3/4 cup plain toasted breadcrumbs (unseasoned)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup water

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Ingredients for Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 lb yukon gold or red potatoes (halved)

salt

pepper

2 cloves garlic (grated)

1 1/4 cup half-and-half

3 tablespoons butter

Method

In a large pot, over medium heat, add two tablespoons olive oil. Once oil is hot, add onions and season with a pinch of salt. Then add thyme leaves and crushed red chili flakes. Mix well and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until onions are caramelized. Then add two of the three cloves garlic (reserving one for later) and cook for about a minute before adding balsamic vinegar. Mix well and add 1/2 cup ketchup, cooking for another minute or two before removing from heat. Check for seasonings and season with salt and pepper if desired. Then let cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, remaining clove of minced garlic, and olive oil. Moisten with tap water and mix again. Once sauce has cooled, add half of it to meat mixture, reserving other half for topping. Mix well and set aside for about thirty minutes. Then pre-heat oven to 375, form meat mixture into a loaf shape, and place on greased baking dish. Spread remaining sauce evenly over the top and bake for 35-40 minutes.

For potatoes, halve each potato and boil in well salted water for about 12-15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain in colander and set aside. If you have a ricer, or a food mill, pass potatoes through it to achieve a flaky texture. If not, you can use a large sided grater and achieve the same effect. This will result in a creamier mash so it’s worth the effort. Flake potatoes into cooking pot and add grated garlic. Heat half-and-half in microwave for about a minute.  Then alternate applications of hot cream and cold butter until you set the perfect texture. Season well with salt and pepper.

Once meatloaf is cooked, slice evenly and serve alongside or on top of mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Take a walk by the aerobics room of your local gym, that’s not determination you see on your fellow cyclists’ faces, it’s cold hard fear.  Somehow, amidst the holidays and travels and last minute taxes, we forgot all about summer. The interminable snow didn’t help either. So what do you do when you’re bringing more than just dinner rolls to the table?

You adapt.

Everyone loves chicken fingers: juicy white meat chicken battered and fried until it’s crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. But all that extra grease is doing nothing for your “look”.  So I’ve created an alternative. These chicken fingers are baked, not fried, and they have absolutely no oil.

I know: disgusting right? The trick is to marinate them in yogurt, resulting in a tender piece of meat, and roll them in a mixture of ground crackers, toasted almonds, and corn flakes. Seasoned with a hefty dose of cayenne pepper and garlic powder, these chicken fingers are a light and flavorful option for anyone on a diet.

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s very simple. All you need to do is slice two chicken breasts into thin, flat strips, season them with salt and pepper, add two heaping tablespoons of plain yogurt, and marinate them for about thirty minutes. To make the breading, simply buzz about 1/3 of a sleeve of Club Krackers, 1/2 cup of toasted almonds, and two cups of cornflakes. Season with a dash of salt, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and two teaspoons cayenne pepper. Then spread over a shallow dish and coat each chicken tender before baking in a 425 degree oven for about 13-15 minutes.  Serve with a peppercorn ranch sauce for dipping- which is really just ranch sauce flavored with lots of freshly cracked pepper.

Ingredients

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips)

1 teaspoon salt (plush more for breading)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 heaping tablespoons plain lowfat yogurt

1/3 sleeve of Club Crackers (or any salted cracker)

1/2 cup toasted almonds

2 cups corn flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Method

Cut chicken into thin, flat strips, then season with 1 teaspoon salt, dash of black pepper, and two tablespoons yogurt. Mix well and let marinate for thirty minutes. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Over a stove, in a dry pan, toast almonds until slightly browned and fragrant, then set aside to cool. Add crackers, almonds, and two cups corn flakes to food processor and pulse until finely ground. Then transfer to large shallow dish. Season with about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Then remove chicken from marination and begin coating. Place chicken strips on a wire rack sitting atop a baking sheet. (This helps the chicken cook evenly on all sides). Bake chicken tenders for 13-15 minutes at 425 degrees. Serve with ranch sauce for dipping.

Let’s face it: nearly 75% of the social overtures we make are completely false. We don’t want to see you at our homes, and you don’t want to come either. The lunches and dinners and drinks we insist on planning will never happen. Why? Because for some odd reason we can’t seem to tell people how we really feel about them. What happened to good old fashioned honesty?

“I would love to come over this weekend, but your house smells like cat pee-oh, and you can’t cook.”

Over the course of a month, we probably make about five to ten different plans with people we assume will never pan out. So what do you do when someone finally bites the bait?  The answer: panic.

So here’s the scene: it’s Friday night, you’ve just come home from work, and you have Bob and Linda, the cat-pee couple, coming over for dinner. You don’t really have much time to cook, but you don’t want to look a like a slacker for ordering carry-out either. The trick is to compromise. Make an impressive appetizer, serve it with wine, and top the evening off with delicious take-out. At least you did something on such short notice.

Eggplant Crostini with Feta Cheese is a savory, spicy, and tangy first course that goes wonderfully with white wine. Simply roast a whole, peeled eggplant with cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper, then toss it into a food processor and puree.  Toast thin slices of French Baguette drizzled with olive oil, and spread the eggplant puree on top. Finish with some crumbled fresh feta or goat cheese and final dash of chopped herbs and serve!

You might not be able to avoid the Bob and Lindas of the world, or their same five stories about Pottery Barn , but you can have something delicious to eat along the way.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 medium-large eggplant (peeled and cubed)

olive oil

salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1-2 cloves garlic

freshly squeezed lemon juice

handful fresh italian parsley or cilantro

1 French Baguette (thinly sliced)

about 3 oz feta cheese (crumbled) – can be substituted with goat cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice French Baguette thinly and brush with olive oil on both sides. Line onto baking sheet and toast in oven for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. In the meantime, peel eggplant and chop into 1 inch cubes. Spread out over another baking sheet, drizzling with olive oil and seasoning liberally with salt and pepper. Add one teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1-2 cloves smashed garlic. Toss well.

Once bread is done, remove from oven and set aside. Increase temperature to 425 and roast eggplant for about 30 minutes or until fully cooked and slightly charred.  Toss eggplant into food processor and puree until smooth. Fold in fresh chopped herbs and a healthy squeeze of lemon juice.  Check for seasonings and re-season with salt and pepper if desired.

To assemble crostini, simply spread each slice of bread with eggplant mixture, top with feta or goat cheese, and serve. Enjoy!

Who knows how to pronounce it? All you need to know is that it’s delicious. Roasted red peppers, walnuts, garlic, and spices. It’s perfect for dipping with toasted pita or crackers, or as a spread for sandwiches. Muhammara is a Syrian dip, so when you make it for your friends, make sure to tell them that, and when they ask you where Syria is, just smile and walk away.

This recipe is pretty simple. All you have to do is roast 3-4 red peppers in a 425 degree oven for about thirty minutes, or until charred. Then cover them with foil and let steam for ten minutes to help peel the skin. In the meantime, prepare the other ingredients: garlic, cumin powder, cayenne, pepper, and parsley or cilantro (whichever you prefer). You’ll need to dry toast the walnuts in a pan over medium heat until fragrant and golden. Once the peppers are done, simply peel away the skin and toss them into a blender with the rest of the ingredients, puree until smooth and serve with pita or crackers.

Ingredients (serves 4)

3-4 red peppers

olive oil

salt

pepper

1/2 cup walnuts

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

handful cilantro or parsley

Method

Pre-heat oven to 425. Prepare red peppers by cutting down on all sides, discarding ribs, seeds, and tops. Line on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, toss to coat. Bake for thirty minutes or until charred, remove and cover for ten minutes. In the meantime, peel two cloves of garlic and toast 1/2 cup walnuts over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Once peppers are done, remove skin and place into food processor along with walnuts, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Process to a smooth puree. Taste for seasonings and season with salt and pepper

*Note: Red peppers tend to be sweet so you may need to adjust the level of seasoning to balance out this natural sweetness.

Serve with toasted pita or crackers and enjoy!

handful parsley or cilantro

Everyone had those kids in Spanish class who couldn’t pronounce a single word. They were the same kids who thought Mexico was the only Spanish-speaking country in the world. Infinitely worse, were the instructors: quirky white women who didn’t realize that going to Mexican restaurants and speaking the language didn’t make them any less white than they already were.

When we think of Mexican food, we think of tacos, fajitas, and chile rellenos. We think of spicy sauces and creamy dips. There seems to be a generalization of the cuisine. People throw Mexican-themed parties complete with chips and salsa and guacamole. Ole! But Mexican food isn’t always about tortilla-stuffed foods (although they go perfectly with this recipe).

Pollo a la parilla is a grilled chicken dish that you may or may not find at your local Mexican restaurant. It’s seasoned perfectly, grilled, and served with lots of fried onions.

In order to make this dish, you’ll need to butterfly and flatten your chicken breasts. Sometimes you can find breasts that have already been” butterflied” at your local grocery store. If you can’t, don’t worry, it’s actually very easy. Simply take a sharp knife and cut along the curve of the breast and down the center, until you reach the fold. Don’t cut all the way. You don’t want two separate pieces. You want to open it up like a book.

Now that your chicken is open, cover it with plastic wrap and pound it with a tenderizer to thin it out even further. You want the breast to be no more than 1/4 inch thick.

Season your chicken liberally with a spice mix consisting of salt, pepper, cumin powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, mexican chili powder, and smoked paprika. Then vigorously rub this mixture into your chicken breasts and let marinate for at least thirty minutes.

Cook your chicken on a grill or grill pan at medium-high to high temperature for about 3-4 minutes per side, brushing each side with a thin layer of soy sauce for coloring.

Saute onions in a large fry pan until slightly caramelized, seasoning with cumin, chili powder, and salt. Serve your chicken over a bed of these onions with optional warm tortillas and pico de gallo and enjoy!

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon mexican chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 medium yellow onions (sliced)

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder (for onions)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (for onions)

salt

Method

Butterfly and flatten chicken breasts as described above. Combine your spices and salt to make the spice mix, and season each breast liberally on BOTH sides. Then massage breasts with your hands to allow spices to penetrate meat. Set aside and let marinate for at least thirty minutes. In the meantime, slice two medium yellow onions and cook with vegetable oil over medium-high temperature in large pan. Season liberally with salt, cumin powder, and chili powder. Cook for about 5-8 minutes or until softened and slightly caramelized. Set aside.

Heat grill pan or grill to high temperature. In a small bowl, add two tablespoons vegetable oil and two tablespoons soy sauce. Mix vigorously to combine and then paint one side of chicken breasts. Place this very breast onto your grill with the “painted” side down. Then paint the top side. Flip chicken after 3-4 minutes, or until nicely browned on one side. Flip one last time if needed for no more than a minute. You don’t want to overcook your chicken. Make a slit if you’re not sure. Once meat is no longer pink in the center, it’s cooked!

Serve chicken over onions with optional tortillas, pico de gallo, and whatever toppings you desire.

Whatever pilgrims decided to drop their bags in the Midwest and stay there were completely off the mark. It’s no wonder why we’re only known for farming and Oprah. Growing up, I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with the Midwest. We’re landlocked, surrounded by small towns, and subjected to bad weather. But at least we have corn!

Okay, so it’ s not exactly in season anymore, and it doesn’t hold a candle to seventy degree weather and celebrity sightings, but corn is is delicious, and Midwesterners should be proud of it!

My Mexican corn soup is a clear example of this. It’s rich, spicy, and comforting. Don’t have fresh corn? Doesn’t matter. Frozen corn is a worthy substitute.

Begin by preparing your vegetables and aromatics. Here, we’ll be using garlic, lime zest, cumin seeds, cilantro stems, jalapenos, onions, and tomatoes. If you’re wondering about the cilantro “stems”, don’t worry, they’re chopped finely and have way more flavor than the leaves.

The beauty of this soup is that it’s blended, so apart from the cilantro stems, you don’t need to chop anything finely. Start by frying some cumin seeds in a little vegetable oil in a large soup or stock pot, at medium-high heat. Once the seeds begin to sputter, add in your onions. Cook until translucent before adding garlic, lime zest, jalapenos, and cilantro stems. Then cook another couple of minutes before adding tomatoes. Once tomatoes have cooked, you can add the frozen corn.

Add in your corn and some fresh cilantro and begin tossing. Cook this mixture for a couple minutes before adding in your liquid.

Once the soup mixture has cooked, simply ladle into a blender and liquify until a smooth consistency is achieved. Then pour back into soup pot, re-heat, and garnish with green onions. Serve with a drizzle of chili oil and enjoy!

Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

1 2lb bag of frozen corn

3-4 large cloves garlic (smashed)

1 white onion (chopped)

1 large tomato (chopped)

handful cilantro (stems included) finely chopped

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

zest of 1 lime

juice of 1 lime

2-3 jalapeno peppers (chopped)

2 green onions chopped

About 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

4 cups water

salt (about 4 teaspoons, makes alot of soup, or to taste)

pepper (about 1 teaspoon)

Method

In large pot, heat oil and fry cumin seeds until toasted. Add onions, butter, and cumin powder and fry until onions have slightly browned. Next add the garlic and fry for about 2 minutes. Once garlic has slightly browned, add lime zest, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro. Fry for 1-2 minutes before adding tomatoes. Cook tomatoes until softened (about 5-7 minutes). Once tomatoes are cooked, add 2lb bag of corn. Fry until corn is heated through completely before adding your cooking liquid. Add salt and pepper, stir and let simmer until corn is cooked. (About ten minutes) Set aside and cool

Once soup has cooled, transfer to a blender and puree until you achieve a smooth, silky consistency. Squeeze fresh lime juice and fold in chopped green onions and a handful of chopped cilantro. If soup is too thick for your liking, simply add more liquid to thin it.

You may serve with a drizzle of chili oil, or a dollop of sour cream and shredded queso (Mexican cheese).

There’s a secret group of people out there called the “recipe snatchers”.  Creatively stunted men and women who frequent the dinner party circuit, serving other people’s dishes and passing them off as their own. If that casserole tastes familiar, it probably is. You served it at your amazing Christmas party last year. That dip that now has “lemon zest” in it…it’s still yours. Don’t be fooled.

It’s all very easy for Lisa, or Terry, or Kyle to change one simple ingredient and create an entirely “new” dish. But why give them the opportunity? Sometimes you need to be a little selfish.

This Holiday Season…make something a little different. While everyone else is busy making casseroles and gratins, try an herbed rice dish.

Herbs like thyme and parsley, and aromatics like lemon zest and garlic make this rice incredibly flavor. For a holiday spin, add some toasted walnuts and dried cranberries.

Begin by frying onions in a little olive oil and butter. Add some thyme, garlic, and lemon zest. Then toast basmati rice until it’s evenly coated. Add your cooking liquid and bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cover. Let cook until all of the liquid has been absorbed and fluff with a fork.

Your guests will love this dish, so serve it at your next holiday gathering. But don’t give up the goods. Sometimes, you have to be a little sneaky.

Oh…and if I see this dish at your next party. I’m claiming it.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 cup Basmati rice

1 medium sized yellow onion (chopped)

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 tablespoon thyme

2 cloves garlic (minced)

zest of one lemon

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1/4 cup walnuts (toasted and chopped)

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

handful parsley (chopped)

optional: green onions chopped

Method

Rinse Basmati rice and set aside. Begin frying onions in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes before adding thyme and butter. Cook for another couple minutes or until onions have softened. Then add lemon zest and garlic and cook for about a minute before add rice. Toss and let toast for a minute or two until all grains are coated with oil. Then add cooking liquid, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. As soon as rice is boiling, reduce to heat to low and cover. Let cook until liquid has dissolved and rice is tender. Do not overcook. In the meantime, dry toast walnuts in a small pan over medium heat until lightly golden. Remove and chop. Chop parsley and set aside. Once rice has cooked, add walnuts, cranberries, and parsley and fluff with fork. Serve and enjoy!

It’s one thing to spend time with your own family over the holidays, spending quality time with the in-laws is quite another. Topping the list of inconveniences is the inability to tell them what you really think of them. From your Father-in-Law’s corny jokes to your Mother-in-laws blue hair to the time you caught your brother-in-law modeling high heels. Perhaps even more annoying is the different style and tastes in food. Every family as their own arsenal of holiday recipes. Perhaps the most controversial of these is stuffing, or “dressing” as it is often called. So what’s the difference?

Stuffing is exactly like it sounds: a savory mixture of bread and herbs that are stuffed inside some form of meat. Dressing is essentially the same, the major difference being that it’s cooked separately, in some kind of baking dish. We all have our methods, but frankly, dressing is better. When executed correctly, it has a crisp, browned topping and a moist and flavorful center. Here is a recipe for Apple, Sausage, and Sage dressing. The sweetness of Fuji Apples are balanced with salty Italian sausage and tangy sourdough bread.

To prepare this delicious dressing, simply cube a loaf of sourdough bread. Toast it in the oven at 375 until the cubes are crisp but not yet golden. Remove and set aside. Brown 1lb of Italian, sweet or spicy sausage until fully cooked. Set aside. Then get started on your aromatics. Saute onions in olive oil and butter with a little thyme. Add celery, diced Fuji apples, onions, and a little chopped fresh sage. Then add more butter, and season with salt and pepper.

Once your flavorings have cooked, simply toss with bread cubes and add 2-2 1/2 cups chicken broth and one beaten egg. Check for seasoning and season well with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for about thirty minutes, covered, and then uncover and let bake or broil until top has turned golden brown.

You may not be able to choose your family, or your significant other’s family, but you CAN choose your stuffing…or dressing. Choose right people! Until next time…

Ingredients (Serves 10-12 fat people)

1 loaf sour dough bread (about 1lb) (cubed)

1 lb uncooked Italian sausage

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion (diced)

1 tablespoon dried or fresh thyme

1/4 stick butter plus 1/4 stick more

2 fuji apples (diced)

2-3 stalk celery (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage plus 1 more

big handful chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon salt plus 1 more

freshly cracked black pepper

2- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 egg (beaten)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 375. Begin by cubing bread into 1/2 inch pieces and toast in oven until crisp. Then begin browning sausage in batches, breaking up into about 1 inch sized pieces. Once sausage has browned, set aside and reserve. In same pot, cook 1 diced yellow onion in sausage drippings. Add thyme and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add 1/4 stick butter. Toss until melted and fold in chopped apples, celery, 1 tablespoon sage, and garlic. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and let cook for another few minutes before adding another 1/4 stick butter. Once apples, celery, and onions have softened, remove from heat.

Combine ingredients from cooking pot with bread cubes, mixing well. Fold in cooked sausage, chopped parsley, and 1 more tablespoon chopped sage. Measure out 2 cups chicken broth, and to that, add 1 beaten egg. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper and whisk until incorporated. Pour liquid over stuffing mixture and mix well. Season with extra salt and pepper.

Pour entire contents into a 9X13 baking dish with reasonably high sides. Then top with a few pads of butter, cover with foil, and bake in oven at 375 for about thirty minutes. Remove foil at this point and let bake on center or top rack (broil) until top is golden and crisped. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Thanksgiving is the time of year when families across the country come together to do one very sacred thing: BITCH. Emotions are scarred, verbal daggers are thrown, and someone will invariably get drunk and dig up the “past”. But isn’t that what family’s about? Buried resentment and deep-rooted guilt?

So if you’re the only “normal” person in your family, here are some tips to make it through Thanksgiving day:

1. Never look anyone directly in their eyes.

2. Excuse yourself to go to the restroom for long periods of time.

3. Refrain from commenting on anyone’s appearance. Good or Bad.

4. Keep glancing at your cell phone with a worried expression. You might need an “out”.

5. Drink heavily.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Eat, Drink, and don’t be surprised if cousin Mark is now cousin “Mary”! Enjoy the day with your family, friends, and loved ones. And take pictures of the crime scene.

If you’ve ever been to dinner at Todd and Marie’s, with their fancy Viking stove and their bratty kids who look like fun-house versions of themselves, you’ve probably had Crostini. You’ve also probably heard it pronounced differently each time they’ve invited you over. If you ask them what’s in it, they’ll give you a blank look and serve you a martini. Crostini is the dish of choice for people who watch Food Network and like to try out fancy new words. But here’s the thing about Crostini: it’s the perfect appetizer.

Why? You might ask. That’s simple: take a piece of toasted bread, slap on a few sweet or savory toppings, serve it up with some wine, and suddenly you’re the one who served “Crostini” at your dinner party. Because let’s face it, there’s only ONE Todd and Marie, and everybody loves to hate them.

Often times, people attempt complicated dishes that end up failing in the process. But why bother when all anyone REALLY wants is some good crusty bread? Got a creamy topping to slather over it? Even better. That’s the method behind this dish.

To make the pesto, simply puree garlic, parsley, walnuts, and olive oil. Season with a little salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Then combine with goat cheese. Finally, brush thin slices of French baguette with olive oil and toast in the oven at 375 until just golden. Spread with your toppings and you’re done!

So the next time Todd and Marie come over for dinner, be cordial. Accept the over-priced bottle of wine they’ve brought. Ignore the fact that they never removed the price tag. Compliment Marie on her orange hair. “What a lovely shade,” you’ll say.  “Makes me think of Fall.”

Take a piece of that golden bread, with that pesto you’ve made from scratch, and offer them a “Crostino”.

“Cro-stee-NEE!” they’ll say, snidely, to which you’ll smugly reply, “Crostino. Crostini is the plural form.”

Ingredients

2 cups flat leaf parsley (rough chop)

2 cloves garlic (smashed)

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

fine sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

4 oz Chevre goat cheese

1 French Baguette (thinly sliced)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 375. Over medium heat, dry roast walnuts in a small fry pan until golden and fragrant. Set aside. Smash two cloves garlic with blunt end of your knife and discard the peels. Add parsley, garlic, and walnuts to a small food processor. Stream in olive oil. Cover and process until a smooth paste is formed. Add parmesan cheese and check for seasonings. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Mix pesto with 4 oz goat cheese. Check for seasonings and reserve. Then thinly slice french baguette and brush with olive oil on both sides. Bake in oven until golden and toasted (5-8 min). Remove from oven and let cool before spreading with goat cheese mixture. Enjoy!