Mexican Burgers

1 pound ground beef
2 T taco seasoning (recommended: McCormik)
4 slices pepper jack cheese
1/2 c salsa
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
4 hamburger buns

Heat grill to medium high. Mix beef with taco seasoning. Divide into 4 equal patties and place on grill. Cook until well browned, approximately 4 minutes. Carefully turn over, lower heat to medium and cook 4 minutes. Top each patty with jack cheese and cook 2 minutes until cheese is melted. Place cooked patties on bottom half of hamburger bun, add salsa and avocado slices. Top with remaining half of bun. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Szechuan Beef

1 pound steak, thinly sliced (top sirloin used in photo)
1 T soy sauce
1 t dry wine
2 t cornstarch
4 T vegetable oil
1 t garlic, minced
2 dried red japanos peppers
3 green onions, diced
Sauce:
1 t sugar
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t ground ginger
1/2 t sesame oil

Mix beef with soy sauce, wine, and cornstarch and set aside. Heat wok (or large saute pan) and vegetable oil over high heat approximately 3 minutes. Stir-fry garlic and japanos until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add beef and sauce ingredients and stir-fry over high heat just until beef is no longer pink on outside, about 2 to 3 minutes. Top with green onion and serve over steamed rice. Serves 2.

Chef's Note: Remove japanos peppers prior to storing leftovers as they will increase in heat over time.

Turkey Brie Panini

4 slices sourdough bread
8 oz brie
1 apple, seeded and thinly sliced (recommended; Granny Smith)
4 slices smoked bacon, cooked
8 slices deli turkey
1 T dijon mustard
2 T butter
*special utensils: grill pan, foil wrapped brick

Heat grill pan 5 minutes over medium heat. Butter one side of each slice of sourdough and place on pan, butter side down. Add dijon mustard and top with brie, bacon, sliced apple and turkey. Top with additional sourdough, butter side up. Place foil wrapped brick on sandwich and press down. Grill until bread is golden and brie is melted; flip to opposite side and top again with brick. Continue cooking to desired brownness. Serves 2.

Chewy Molasses Cookies ~ Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 c flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c sugar, divided
3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 c molasses

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside.

In stand mixer fit with paddle attachment, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg, then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually add dry ingredients, mix just until dough forms.

Using cookie scoop, drop balls of dough into reserved sugar and roll to coat. Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart and bake until edges of cookies are firm, approximately 10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on sheet; transfer to rack to cool completely. Store tightly covered. Yield 3 dozen cookies.

Sausage Minestrone

1 pound turkey Italian sausage (sweet or hot)
1 T garlic, minced
3 c beef broth
1 ~16 oz can white beans (drained and rinsed)
1 ~14.5 oz can diced Italian tomatoes
1 c spaghetti sauce
3 small zucchini, diced
2 carrots, grated
2 t Italian seasoning
2 c cooked pasta (elbow or rotini)

Remove sausage from casing. In large saucepan, crumble and cook sausage and garlic over medium heat until sausage is browned. Remove from pan to drain on paper towel.

Add remaining ingredients except pasta to saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and return sausage to pan. Simmer for a minimum of thirty minutes, for best flavor allow to simmer several hours.

Ladle into large bowls, add pasta and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Serves 8.

Turkey Dijon Sandwich

8 oz smoked turkey, deli sliced
4 slices muenster cheese
1 T dijon mustard
1 t honey
1/8 t dried oregano
2 French sandwich rolls

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix mustard and honey well; divide evenly between French rolls. Place two slices of muenster on bottom of each roll, allow to overhang edge slightly. Add 4 oz turkey and top with roll. Wrap loosely with aluminum foil and bake 10 minutes. Serves 2.

Extreme Chocolate Cake ~ adapted from Allrecipes.com

2 c sugar
1 3/4 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 square unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 eggs
1 c milk
1/2 c plus 1 T vegetable oil
2 t vanilla
1 c boiling water
double recipe chocolate buttercream frosting~ recipe to follow

Preheat oven to 350°; grease and flour three 9 inch cake pans. Melt unsweetened chocolate in microwave, per package instructions. Set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and mix on medium high 3 minutes. Stir in melted chocolate and boiling water by hand and mix well. (note: batter will be extremely runny, this is okay.) Divide evenly between prepared pans.

Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1/2 c butter, softened
1/4 c milk
1 t vanilla
16 oz powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder

Beat with electric mixer on medium high 3 minutes, scraping bowl often. Frosts one 8" layer cake.