Dalí Sangria

3 750 ml bottles of Viña Borgia Rioja (Agricola de Borja)
1 cup brandy (use something cheap: E&J or Christian Bros.)
1 cup Triple Sec (I like Marie Brizzard, but a cheaper one will work fine)
1 cup simple syrup (sugar and water, equal parts, shaken till dissolved)
1/2 gallon of orange juice (get a no-pulp variety)
cut up oranges

Mix ingredients (I never bother to make it ahead), ladle over a lot of ice; be sure to include some fruit pieces.

Peanut Butter Pasta

This recipe is from Beth's friend Nancy Barton:

1 pound Fine Egg Noodles

1 bunch scallions, Chopped

1 bunch asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces

½ cup smooth peanut butter

6 tablespoons water

6 tablespoons soy sauce

6 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons sherry

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

Cook noodles, toss with a little sesame oil and chill.

Cut asparagus into bite sized pieces and microwave or steam.

Mix all ingredients except peanut butter.

Wisk in peanut butter.

Add sauce to chilled pasta.

Can be made a day ahead

Tuna Noodle Casserole

1/3 cup pine nuts
6 sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil
6 oz dried wide egg noodles
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 stalk celery, quartered
1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 9-oz can white tuna in water, drained and flaked
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
2 Tbls finely chopped fresh parsley or basil
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread pine nuts in a shallow pan and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly browned; set aside.
3. Increase oven temperature to 425. Lightly oil a 3-qt baking dish or coat it with nonstick spray.
4. In a small bowl, soak sun-dried tomatoes in hot water until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
5. Cook noodles in boiling salted water until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse reserved tomatoes, onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic until finely chopped.
7. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add vegetables and cook, stirring accasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add milk and bring to a boil, stirring, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in mayonnaise, tuna, cheese, and parsley (or basil). Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
8. Gently mix reserved noodles into tuna mixture and spoon into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved pine nuts. (The casserole will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.)
9. Bake casserole for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbling. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

6 servings

265 calories per serving: 21 grams protein; 11 grams fat (2.6 grams saturated fat); 33 grams carbohydrate; 385 mg sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fiber

Split Pea with Sausage Soup

• 1 pound dried split peas
• 10 cups water
• 1 pound smoked sausage of your choice, sliced
• 5 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrot
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion, chopped
  

1. In a 5 quart slow cooker, combine the peas, water, sausage, bouillon, carrot, celery, potatoes, garlic powder, oregano, bay leaves, and onion.
2. Cover, and cook on High for 4 to 5 hours. Remove bay leaves before ladling into bowls.

May also be simmered on the stove for several hours, stirring occasionally.

Apricot Bars

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 sticks (regular, salted) butter, cut into pieces
1 10-12 ounce jar Apricot Preserves

Mix all ingredients except Apricot Preserves. Press one half of the mixture into a buttered 8″ square (or small rectangular) pan. Spread with a 10-12 ounce jar of apricot preserves. Sprinkle second half of mixture over the top and pat lightly. Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely, then cut into squares. Eat as many as you want because they don’t have any chocolate in them and therefore, they’re totally healthy and non-caloric.

Pear Coffee Cake with Ginger Pecan Crunch Topping

This recipe is originally from The Inn on Sea Street, a bed and breakfast in Hyannis, MA. I found it on Recipezaar when I was searching for something to do with pears. It is very easy and delicious.

2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup oil
2 cups chopped ripe pears
1 slightly beaten egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Topping
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 pan with PAM or similar cooking spray.

Mix together the flour, both sugars, salt and nutmeg. Stir in the oil to incorporate thoroughly; then set aside 1 cup of the mixture in a smaller bowl for topping.

Fold the pears into the remainder of the flour mixture. Stir in the egg, buttermilk, baking soda and baking powder. Pour into prepared pan.

For the topping, add the ginger and pecans to the 1 cup of reserved mixture. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Notes:
1. The original recipe called for dark brown sugar, but I made it with light, as that's what I had on hand.
2. Also, I didn't have buttermilk, so I just added lime juice to sweet milk.

Peanut Butter Cookies

The brilliance of these cookies is that they have include two different formats for peanuts–three if you use chunky peanut butter. They’re crisp on the outside, and almost cakey on the inside. Bake a batch and then hide the results in the furthest and most forgettable reaches of your kitchen. You’ll thank me later.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth is what we used, but I am pretty sure they use chunky at the bakery)
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling) sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crissscross pattern (I used the back of a palette knife to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.