Avocado Bacon Penne

Avocado and bacon... a match made in heaven. This luscious and creamy pasta harnesses the same mystical powers that make avocado bacon burgers so delicious, and turns them away from the dark side, and toward the light! Forget all that cream, butter, and cheese, and savor the natural, buttery creaminess of avocados!

Ingredients 
12 ounces penne
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon, chopped
½ tsp red pepper
ground black pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 avocadoes, sliced

Instructions
Bring a large pot of water with salt to a boil, and cook the penne until pasta is about two minutes from being al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining it. Heat oil in large skillet and crisp the bacon. Add black pepper, red pepper, and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and wine. Bring to a boil then simmer for ten minutes. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley. Add the almost cooked pasta to the skillet and finish cooking in there. Add about ½ cup of the reserved pasta water (add more if it is dry). When the pasta has cooked, top with the slices of avocadoes, letting the slices melt into the pasta.

Orange and Fennel Salad

There are many epic love stories throughout history - Romeo and Juliet, Napoleon and Josephine, Cleopatra and Mark Antony. None of these, however, compare to the perfect pairing of orange and fennel. The blend of citrus notes with the peppery, anise flavor of the fennel is a match made in heaven. Ahh, true love!

Ingredients 
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced with a mandoline
1 orange, supremed and cut into chunks
1/2 cup thinly chopped Romaine lettuce
1/4 cup chopped parsley
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Toss fennel, orange, lettuce, and parsley together. Sprinkle lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Breaded Chicken with Coconut Sauce

Add some tropical flair to your weeknight dinner with this Brazilian-inspired dish. The spice and crunch of the breading combined with a tang of citrus and softness of coconut milk give this meal a pleasant tastiness that screams summer.

Ingredients
Breaded Chicken:
1 lb chicken
2 pieces of bread, toasted
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup packed basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
pinch salt
zest from 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1 egg, beaten

Coconut Sauce:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 scallions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon minced ginger
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
2 talespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
pinch white pepper
salt to taste
handful chopped basil leaves
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions
Heat oven to 350. Blend all ingredients except the egg in food processor. Transfer to a shallow bowl. Place beaten egg in a shallow bowl as well. Cut chicken into strips, and dip in egg and then in the breading. Repeat until all the chicken is coated. Brown chicken on all sides over medium-high heat then place in oven to finish cooking.

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium heat. Saute onion, scallion, and peppers for two minutes. Saute ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add white wine and chicken stock and reduce (about 7 minutes). Stir in coconut milk, white pepper, and salt. Add basil leaves and lime. In small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and stir. Add to the coconut sauce to thicken. Serve over rice and breaded chicken.

Pierogies

Growing up in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania means that you get to eat lots of yummy food that has its roots in Eastern Europe. Pierogies were always one of my absolute favorite things to eat. These pockets of dough are stuffed with a cheesy mashed potato-like mixture then sauteed with some sliced onions and butter...deliciousness!

Ingredients
Filling:
1 1/2 lbs potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 shallots, minced and sauteed
1/4 cup cabbage, chopped and sauteed
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Dough:
3-4 cups flour
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup water
1 egg yolk
2 eggs

Instructions
Filling:
Bring large pot of water to boil and cook potatoes for about 15 minutes, until soft and able to be pricked by a fork. Remove potatoes from water and mash. Add heavy cream and sour cream. Mix. Stir in the cheeses, chives, shallots, cabbage, garlic, salt and pepper.

Dough:
Whisk together flour, salt and pepper. Make a well in the middle and add wet ingredients. Stir and work the dough until it is no longer sticky. Refrigerate in plastic wrap for about an hour. Roll out the dough until it is 1/8 inch thick. Cut into individual circles about 3 inches in diameter. Place filling in middle and pinch closed. Once they are all made, boil the pierogis in water for a couple of minutes before pan frying them.

Pan fry the pierogies over medium-high heat with a sliced onion and butter.

Blood Orange Pound Cake with Orange Ginger Sauce

After recently spotting blood oranges at a local farmer's market, I immediately made sure to pick up a few. I was so excited - blood oranges are such a beautiful fruit! Most of the time, their rinds are a typical orange color, but inside, they are a bold and vibrant fire-red. I decided to use some of these beauties in this tangy cake and serve with an orangey, slightly spicy sauce.

Ingredients
Blood Orange Pound Cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 cup sugar
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon blood orange zest
1/4 cup fresh blood orange juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

Orange Ginger Sauce:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder or chop up some pieces of crystallized ginger
 whipped cream, for serving

Instructions
for blood orange pound cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and cardamom. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, yogurt, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, vanilla, and eggs. Gently mix the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients. In loaf pan, bake for about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

for orange ginger sauce:
Over low heat, bring marmalade, water, cardamom, and ginger powder to a boil. Drizzle over slices of pound cake. Top slices of cake with whipped cream.

Avocado Salad

Some taste combinations are just magical - like that of avocado and lime. These refreshing flavors shine in this simple salad.

Ingredients
3 avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions
Mix chopped avocado, tomato, and parsley together. In small bowl, whisk vinegar, lime juice, sea salt, and pepper. Pour vinegar and lime juice mixture over the vegetables and toss.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy

Add some homemade treats to your Easter basket this year! This candy has a smooth and creamy middle and is coated in a lovely, delicate chocolate. I have fond memories of eagerly awaiting the arrival of Easter each year, since that was the only occasion for which my mom would make these for my sister and me. Hope you enjoy these as much as I have!

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate wafers for coating (I use E. Guittard's 61% cacao semisweet wafers and love the results I get)

Instructions
With mixer, beat butter and cream cheese. Add egg, sugar, salt, and vanilla, and continue beating. Mix in peanut butter and beat until well combined. Chill batter for 1/2 hour. Form batter into egg shapes (or whatever shapes you want) and chill again for 1/2 hour. Melt chocolate, and coat peanut butter shapes with the chocolate.