Broth

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 chicken cut into pieces
• 1 onion
• 3 large carrots cut into thirds
• 3 stalks celery cut into thirds
• salt & pepper to taste
• bay leaf or a pinch of poultry seasoning optional

Dumplings

• 1 ¾ cups flour plus extra for dusting
• ⅓ cup shortening
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ teaspoon salt

Broth Instructions

Combine chicken, onion, carrots and celery in a large pot. Season to taste.

This Kitchn recipe was a nice way to use up some leftover summer produce, and tasty to boot. We don't usually grill our pizzas, and this turned out just fine using our standard Neapolitan pizza cooking process.

Ingredients
1 ball pizza dough (about 1 pound), store-bought or homemade
2 to 3 tablespoons tomato sauce, store-bought or homemade
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or to taste

Wow. Thank you, Kitchn, for introducing this into our lives.

Makes 12 sliders

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
~ 4 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 (12-ounce) package Hawaiian sweet rolls, such as King's
~ 12 slices Swiss cheese (about 7 ounces)
~ 12 slices deli ham (about 10 ounces)
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

This Bon Appetit recipe would be a great side to bring to a summer BBQ or to have as a light weeknight meal. It's also easy to prep in advance.

1 cup almonds
1 cup fregola, Israeli couscous, or whole grain of your choice
3 ears of corn, husked
2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup olive oil, divided
16 ounces Halloumi cheese, sliced lengthwise ¾-inch thick
3 scallions, thinly sliced
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup basil leaves
¼ cup mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

This New York Times cooking recipe was very easy (as promised), and seems easily adaptable. Want SW flavors? Replace herbs with peppers and lemons with limes. Looking for Levantine? Try oranges, cloves, and cinnamon! (Disclaimer: we used fresh herbs; I'm not sure which dried spices would be okay if you decide to mix it up.)

3-4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each)
½ cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds discarded

A delightful Bon Appetit summer side.

Serves 2

2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 large, ripe peach, pitted and thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime
Flaky sea salt
Aleppo pepper

Combine.
Toss.
Eat.

I wouldn't necessarily make this again if I didn't have pumpkin puree in need of a home. But it was a great use for a bag of frozen pumpkin puree! Mildly adapted from Food and Wine.

1 pound lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for tossing
1 onion, finely chopped
2 pounds Swiss chard, stems discarded and leaves chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Three 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree (or whatever is lying around in your freezer!)

This is a delightfully easy and delicious rendition of a creamy (vice baked casserole style) macaroni and cheese. I will admit that it is reminiscent of boxed mac n' cheese, but it is one of the few hot dishes our toddler will share with us. And although I have included ham here, it is entirely optional (and frankly just a great way to use up leftover Christmas ham). A tweaked version of this Southern Living recipe.

A tasty summer pasta recipe, courtesy of The New York Times.

Fine sea salt
6 ounces dry orecchiette or farfalle
1/2 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 bunch scallions (about 4), trimmed and thinly sliced (keep the whites and greens separate)
2 large ears corn, shucked and kernels removed (2 cups kernels)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, more for serving
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, more to taste
1/4 cup torn basil or mint, more for garnish

A few years ago I started making sephardic-style charoset for Passover... and I never stopped. Although it is not the classic apple and walnut dish of my youth, I like the flavors better and I find it easier to manage on a piece of matzah with horseradish.

This year, I discovered this Serious Eats recipe, which I found not only tasty but also easy to make. Win win!

A tasty and easy (if somewhat time-consuming) Bon Appetit recipe. Bonus - our toddler loved it!

Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 pounds assorted summer squashes and zucchini, quartered lengthwise, sliced
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon Aleppo-style pepper, plus more for serving
8 ounces paccheri, fusili, or other non-noodle pasta
2 ounces Parmesan, grated (about ½ cup), plus more for serving
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup basil leaves, divided

A terribly delicious Midwestern staple. Recipe by way of my coworker Kat.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 package (8-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1 small can green chiles (optional)
Pepper jack cheese (optional)

Courtesy of Cowgirl Creamery. Could easily be made vegetarian.

Ingredients
1 lb. Andouille Sausage - small diced
1 medium Onion - small diced
3 stalks Celery - small diced
1 lb. Cremini Mushrooms - small diced
1 Tbsp. Garlic - minced
2 Tbsp. Thyme - chopped
1 lb. Stale Bread - large diced
6 Eggs
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup Chicken Stock
4 oz. Cowgirl Creamery Crème Fraiche (plus more for serving)
8 oz. Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel - grated
Salt & Pepper - to taste
1/8 lb. Butter
1 bunch Chives - thinly sliced

• cherry tomatoes halved or heirloom tomatoes, sliced
• chopped red onion

• diced celery, optional

• 3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar, divided

• 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Based loosely on http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/flank-steak-with-bl...

Some untried pumpkin-based recipes from one of our local farmer's market vendors.

½ lb mushrooms
1 leek
2 cloves garlic
kale or spinach
1 medium white potato
grated cheese
5-6 eggs, well beaten

Pre-heat oven to 375°

Slice the white part of the leek, combine with diced garlic.

In a large, oven-safe sautee pan or cast iron, sautee in olive oil until soft and lightly browned. Add in muchrooms and more olive oil as needed, continue until mushrooms are cooked, soft, and reduced in size. Add in balsamic vinegar kale an continue sauteeing until fully wilted and reduced. Remove from pan and set aside.

Courtesy of the internet and tweaked to address some errant sweet potato purchases. The tweaked version was a big hit!

Fills a ~9x13 oval dish.

Base
1 pound purple or white sweet potatoes (about 2 medium)

Filling
2.5 pounds orange sweet potatoes (about 4-5 medium)
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk or heavy cream

Topping
1/8 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup melted butter

2 ripe Fuyu persimmons (wide, tomato/pumpkin shaped)
3 tablespoons Roughly Chopped Toasted Hazelnuts or walnuts
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
balsamic vinegar or pomegranate molasses, for drizzling, optional
Maldon sea salt or other flaky sea salt, for garnish
1 piece fresh burrata cheese

Thinly slice persimmon and distribute on a plate. Serve with burrata (or sliced fresh mozzarella), and nuts, pomegranite seeds sprinkled on top, lightly drizzle with olive oil.

Via http://saltandwind.com/recipes/417-persimmon-carpaccio-burrata-r...

A recipe I've been wanting to make for a long time, with some tips from Martha.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, DIVIDED
3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
4 cups nectarines cut into very thin slices or pieces (about 4 medium)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
a little over 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or Greek yogurt

A cool, refreshing side dish. Inspired by these two recipes, but mostly a notional recipe.

1 large English cucumber, sliced on a mandolin to 1/8" thick
1/2 small red onion, also sliced on a mandolin to 1/8" thick (optional)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup mix of your favorite vinegars (I used mostly white vinegar + cider vinegar + red wine vinegar)

• 6 medium sweet potatoes (more or less, depending on size) Skin-off or on per choice
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Marshmallows

Do-ahead option: pre-roast the sweet potatoes: Wrap them in foil and bake them whole for 1 hour at 400 degrees before slicing them - this provides a softer texture.

Alternatively, slice the raw potatoes thin and add them directly to the casserole; this method results in a firmer texture.

Makes 16, 2-inch Brownies -- add food coloring (like yellow and red) to make it seasonal!

Cream Cheese Filling

• 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Brownie Batter

• ⅔ cup (3 1/3 ounces) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine (Giaredehli or Hershey's)
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Via http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/carrot-tart-with-ricotta-and-herbs

2 cups ricotta
¼ cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 large carrots (about 8 ounces), scrubbed, thinly sliced into coins
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, beaten to blend (optional)
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons small dill sprigs

Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk ricotta and cream in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

This sauce was AWESOME, and I made it all by myself.

Makes about 1 cup:
2 cups unpacked parsley
1 cup unpacked mint
1 cup unpacked basil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon

Blend all ingredients, preferably with an immersion blender, until smooth.
If needed, add more oil (and/or vinegar, to taste) to help blend.
Alternatively, double (or triple!) the ingredients to make it easier to blend in a conventional blender. Trust me, you'll eat it all.

For Crust (enough for two crusts - note, Jon finds this recipe difficult to work with, especially when doubled, and would consider using a different crust recipe next time)
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

For Quiche:
5 large eggs
3 heads of garlic, cloves peeled
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
dash nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper

Why didn't I do this sooner? These proportions make about a quart.

6 medium apples (honeycrisp are a good choice)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple juice/cider (substitute water)

Core apples.
Slice into wedges.

In a large saucepan, combine juice, sugar, and apples.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for approximately 30 minutes, until apples are soft.
If necessary, allow to cook with cover off for a few minutes to reach desired liquid level (remember it will leech a little liquid when pureed).

Allow to cool.

Merging some thoughts and recipes from http://www.audreyandjon.com/recipes/fruit-cobbler , http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/marilyn-batalis-blackberry-pie , and http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/02/mixed-berry-pie-made-... :

2 discs of Pie crust
4 cups fresh or frozen berries
½ cup sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 T lo/no sugar pectin (modify thickener choices to your preference)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Easy and delicious Bon Appetit recipe. Also keeps well in the fridge for several days and, in some ways, improves over time.

4 ears of corn, husked
1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings
1 red chile (BA recommends Holland or Fresno, but a Jalapeño will do), optionally deseeded, thinly sliced into rings
¼ cup fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 oz. fresh Cotija cheese or queso fresco, crumbled
¼ cup cilantro leaves with tender stems

A really nice alternative summer gazpacho. If you don't like vinegar as much as I do, feel free to reduce the vinegar and/or lime juice proportions to taste. Courtesy of Bon Appetit.

¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt, plus an optional ½ cup or serving
½ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 oz. ciabatta or country-style bread, crust removed, bread torn into 1” pieces (about 2½ cups)

Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated. Easy and delicious!

Beef
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 (1.5-1.75 lb) hangar or flank steak, cut against the grain into pieces that are approximately 4"x2"x1/4"

Basting Sauce
3/4 cup coconut milk
3 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
3 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 shallots, minced
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and minced
2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1.5 tsp ground coriander

Makes 6 cupcakes (I hope)
http://www.bakingisascience.com/red-velvet-cupcakes/

1¼ cups cake flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ teaspoons salt
¾ cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoons baking soda
dash tsp. espresso powder (optional)
2/3 cups canola oil
1/3 oz. red food coloring
½ teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoons red apple cider vinegar
1 large eggs
½ cup buttermilk

Cream cheese icing: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html

1 lb shrimp
2 Cups shrimp or seafood stock (you can make it from the shells of the shrimp)
4 Tbsp lard/fat/unsalted butter
1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Onion, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
1 Cup fresh Tomatoes, diced
1/2 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp minced Italian Parsley
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 bundle of Fresh Thyme
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
4 T Creole seasoning (I added extra cayenne, Herbs De P, oregano, and smoked salt)
salt and pepper to taste

From Bon Appetit 2014 Food Lover's Cleanse

This combination and modification of three Bon Appetit recipes goes excellent together and produces a follow-up salad for lunches or a dinner later in the week. The Tahini sauce needs to be done at least 1 day in advance, and the vegetable roasting can largely be done ahead as well.

Serves 2 with leftovers for a salad (see below).

Bon Appetit comes through with another winner. We made this for Christmas 2013, and it was great. While total cooking time (roughly 5 hours) is a bit steep, most of that is hands off, and all but the last 30 minutes can be done ahead of time and frozen. Serves 8. Great for a dinner party.

• 8 skin-on, bone-in duck legs
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more freshly cracked
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 10 sprigs thyme, divided

These rolls from the The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook are deceptively easy to make and great par-baked and frozen. We make these for Thanksgiving - they're one thing we can check off our list a few weeks in advance.

Dough Recipe

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Makes one 9-inch cake, serving 12 to 16

Cribbed from a co-worker's recipe:

This has been adapted from a few recipes. I made a bourbon glaze, but you can also just put
the bourbon into the batter as described here.
!
Also, two points from Cooks Illustrated:
!
- For a smooth and creamy texture, we blotted the canned pumpkin puree with paper
towels to remove excess moisture before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. (see
step-by-step instructions below)
!
- Baking the cake in a water bath in a moderate oven also helped give our pumpkin

My goodness was this delicious. You have to give Martha credit where credit is due.

8 oz smoked salmon, roughly chopped, divided
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup mayonnaise (for texture; can be omitted if you don't like mayo)
2 Tbsp diced red onion
1 Tbsp capers
1 tsp prepared horseradish
Juice of half a lemon

1 large egg (or two medium)
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. vinegar
½ c. milk
1½ c. sugar
1 c. shortening
Flour (see below, but about 3 cups in the mix)

Mix all ingredients except flour. Gradually add flour until the shortening is mixed in and the dough is stiff enough to roll out. Roll on floured surface. Cut cookies out and bake at 400 degrees until brown, 10-12 minutes. Top with sprinkled sugar or icing:

Black And White cookie style frosting:

(Let cookies cool completely before starting)

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup boiling water

Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

A nice Bon Appetit recipe that is a great summer side.

1 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 ripe beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Freshly ground black pepper
3 fresh medium basil leaves, torn into approximately 1/2-inch pieces

Combine shallots, vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil to blend. Set vinaigrette aside.

No real recipe here; we used, from the bottom up:

1. leftover refried pinto beans
2. Shredded cheese
3. guacamole
4. sour cream
5. pico de gallo
6. Olives (optional)

...and layered them in a flat-bottomed glass dish. The pico counts as two layers. Really.

In our area, white nectarines have two seasons - an early and a late. While most people prefer the perfumed, very sweet white nectarines of August/September, I prefer the tart and slightly sweet white nectarines of July. My fruit man thinks I'm crazy.

Recipe in progress, using these two as guides:
http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/recipes/strawberry-fennel-g...
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/strawberry-tomato-and-fennel-...

A delightful spring salad from Bon Appetit. We didn't feel the peas added much, so they are listed here as optional.

1/2 cup Marcona almonds
2 tablespoons white wine or rice vinegar (or pomegranate vinegar if you have it)
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups baby arugula or watercress, thick stems trimmed
2 cups pea vines
8 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered if large (about 2 cups)
1 cup shelled fresh peas (Optional, can also sub in blanched asparagus)
1 ounce Parmesan, shaved

A great and easy blueberry muffin recipe that doesn't need milk - perfect for the weekend. Also, the raw batter is addictive.

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Heavy pinch of salt
Dash of Nutmeg

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 generous cup plain, unflavored yogurt (throw in extra if you want)
Vanilla Extract

2 cups fresh blueberries
Softened Butter, for muffin tins
Turbinado sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 385 degrees.

In a medium bowl sift flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Rémoulade

1/2 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce

Pulse the first four ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped. Add mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce; process until smooth. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Shrimp

This recipe yielded our best ham results yet: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58445/best-... :

• 1 (10-lb.) fully cooked whole ham (boneless or bone-in)
• ½ c. packed brown sugar
• ¼ c. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1½ c. apple cider

Preheat oven to 325º. Place ham cut side down on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan and score diagonally.

Cover with foil and bake until warmed throughout, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

For the salad, toss lettuce, avocado, diced red bell pepper, onion, and tomato with a sour-cream or mayonnaise based dressing spiked with a bit of tabasco sauce.

Mix 1:1 flour and cornmeal with salt, cayenne and cajun seasoning to taste. Toss in pre-shucked, drained oysters and shake until coated. If using shrimp, toss shrimp first in a scrambled egg, then in the breading.

Fry in hot oil until golden brown, drain and cool slightly, serve on top of the salad.

Via http://www.bhg.com/blogs/delish-dish/2013/02/05/dorie-greenspan-... , see also http://discoveringblog.com/httpdiscoveringblogcom/discoveringsmo...

ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds, toasted

In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, smoked paprika and salt; set aside.

We primarily used this extensive guide at Simply Recipes, with some tips from Bon Appetit and with consultations to the WaPo article, Julia Child, and my vintage Joy of Cooking from the 60s.

1 Goose (8-10 lbs, ours was 8.77)
salt, pepper, thyme and sage for rubbing
1 lemon
1 head of garlic, unpeeled, with the top cut off to expose cloves
1/2 medium onion, peeled and quartered

This is our default brine recipe for turkey.

• 1.5 cups kosher salt
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 large onion, peeled, diced
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 large sprigs thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Bring salt, sugar, and 1 quart (4 cups) water to a boil in a very large (16-qt.) pot, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved. Add remaining ingredients to brine base. Turn off heat.

Refrigerate, uncovered, until cold.

Add 7 quarts cold water to pot.

1 lb dried beans, soaked overnight
1 hamhock
2 hatch peppers, roasted and sliced
bacon grease
pepper, smoked salt

I'm not sure it's possible to really make beans without a hamhock.  I've tried. 

Soak the beans overnight; rinse.  Place back in large pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer. Add hamhock, bacon grease, and peppers.  Let simmer for as many hours as possible.  Add pepper and smoked salt close to the end to taste.

Courtesy of Nan.

I use the recipe that is on Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime container. It can probably be found at the grocery store with the canning good--like jars, lids, etc. You'll need that lime.

Briefly (as can be) I cut them up a tad LESS than 1/4 inch thick into a large non-reactive pot or big bowl--something that will fit in your frig. (with a plate on top you
can put other stuff on top of it).

Mix 1/2 cup lime with a gallon of water and pour over them. If you are doing a huuuuuuge amount in biiiiig bowl you can make more or this. Let this sit in frig overnight.

Adapted from The Santa Monica Farmers Market Cookbook.

Makes 10 large crabcakes or as many small ones as you can roll

1 lb lump crabmeat
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (can sub regular)
2 eggs, beaten
4 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Few drops hot sauce (like Tobasco)
Generous dash of Old Bay seasoning
Generous dash of Garlic Powder
Generous dash of Onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

I basically don't eat steak out anymore. It's just... I can make it better, reliably.

Quick guide: Sear :30/:30; Near heat: 3/3m Smoke 1.5/1.5, Sear :30/:30, Rest 3

Sourcing

I only buy the "Natural" (no antibiotics, grass fed, grain finished) prime, bone-in delmonico (ribeye) steak from Canales Quality Meats in Eastern Market here in DC. Grass fed beef is much leaner than grain, but with an amazing taste - and, it's better for you, with a much better balance of Omega fatty acids. Get the most marbled cut you can find, but realize that it'll still be about half as marbled as a grain-fed steak. And for the love of all things tasty, get the bone in.

Preparation

Up to four days ahead, but ideally at least 24 hours, rinse the steak and pat dry. Wrap in cheesecloth (~1 layer per day). Place it on a rack in the top back of your fridge. This is an at-home method to dry-age your cut, and it tenderizes the meat and deepens the flavor. Watch a video on the technique here: http://lifehacker.com/5865849/dry+age-steak-at-home-for-steakhou... . Vary the smoke/indirect heat time by the aging length - the more aged the meat, the closer to 1.5mins/side you want. For a steak you bought today, I'd move that to 2-3 mins/side.

Two hours before you're going to put it on the grill, take it out and unwrap the steak. Plop it down on some waxed paper and salt both sides (I like using a bit of alderwood smoked salt and some kosher salt, about a teaspoon or two per side). Let it sit - it will juice and then re-absorb, bringing in the smoke and salt flavors deep into the meat.

Adapted from Tart and Sweet:

Yield: 4 half pints

Some amount of garlic scapes, cut ends trimmed (I have no idea how many garlic scapes yielded this - it was about a medium-sized bowl full, not packed tightly; maybe 2 pounds?)

1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp kosher salt

Per half-pint jar:
1/2 Tbsp minced shallots
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons brown mustard seed
1/2 tsp black peppercorns

I made a tweaked version of this Bon Appetit recipe. It was good, especially from a mac and cheese perspective - gooey and all the rest of that. I'm not sure how I actually felt about the spicy pimiento cheese aspect of it. Perhaps next time I will downplay the spicy pimiento and just use the basic recipe as a base for a more traditional mac and cheese dish.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

This is Jon's Mom's Sour Cream Cake recipe

1 cup butter (softened)
3 c. sugar
Cream together until well blended.

Sift together in a large bowl:
3 c. flour
¼ t. baking soda
½ t. salt

6 eggs (may be separated, beat egg whites until almost stiff and fold in last) Or just add one whole egg at a time (this is what I do)
1 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla

Add one egg at a time to butter/sugar and beat well after each.

A recipe of my own creation, but inspired by this one.

I don't have measurements, but sort of just made this using the following ingredients until it tasted right and balanced.

Cooked chicken, chopped or torn into smallish pieces (I always start with a rotisserie chicken from Eastern Market, but any chicken will do)
Apple, diced into small pieces
Red onion, diced into small pieces
Raisins (I'm partial to golden raisins, but it doesn't matter; dried cranberries could be used here too)
Cilantro, finely chopped

We had some leftover pre-shucked oysters and used them to make this Bon Appetit recipe. The recipe here originally used an entire 16-oz jar of pre-shucked oysters, but we halved it; serves two.

Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup whipping cream

2 slices thick bacon (preferably applewood-smoked), chopped
1 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese

2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; from 2 large leeks)