Gazpacho (or is it a Bloody Mary?)

This gazpacho recipe takes advantage of one of my favorite bottled beverages... Spicy V8! Honestly, add a little vodka and this Mexican favorite comes dangerously close to a perfect Bloody Mary. If your taste buds can't handle the heat, I recommend trying it with basic or low-sodium V8.

Ingredients

32 oz. V8

1 cucumber, seeded & chopped

1 green pepper, seeded & chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 tsp. vegetable bouillon base

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp. parsley, chopped

1 tbsp. onion, chopped

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

avocado, to garnish

sour cream, to garnish

vodka (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients and blend using an immersion blender. Serve with sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream.

Tammy's Fall Fling Corn Chowder

Back in my days at M&T Bank, our team used to have an annual fall fling. Tammy only had to make her corn chowder once... it was an instant favorite. I believe I ate so much soup the first time around, I didn't make it to dinner : ) Recently, I substituted yams for the russet potatoes and added one chopped chipotle pepper (in adobo sauce) for a southwestern twist... scrumptious!

Ingredients

3 carrots, finely chopped

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 cups vegetable broth

1 small shallot, minced

1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

1 tsp. sweet paprika

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and diced

6 cups frozen corn, thawed

2 cups heavy or light cream

1/4 cup corn starch

1/4 cup dry white white

1 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

Saute carrots, celery and onion in butter for about 10 minutes. Add broth, shallot, basil, thyme, paprika and garlic. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes and corn. Bring to a boil again. Add cream. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Mix cornstarch and wine in a bowl until smooth. Add a little soup liquid to thin the roux and then stir into soup. Add salt. Cook, stirring, until thickened (about a minute). Serves 8, but freezes well!

Cornbread

Unlike the "johnny cakes" of yesteryear, this cornbread recipe is sweet and moist... perfect with Aunt Herta's Vegetarian Chili recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups cornmeal

2 cups flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

2 cups buttermilk

3/4 cup butter

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine first five ingredients in a bowl. Separately, beat eggs in a bowl. Add honey and buttermilk to eggs and mix. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Melt the butter, pour into mixture. Add cheese and mix. Pour into a greased plan -- the recipe should fit into a 9x14 glass baking pan or two 9x9 pans. Bake for 25 minutes.

Perfect Oven-Roasted Chicken

Ingredients
thyme
salt
ground pepper
sage
3.5 lb. roaster chicken
lemon juice
butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean, rinse and pat dry chicken. Put a few pats of butter on the chicken in a oven-safe dish. Sprinkle herbs inside and outside of bird. Bake for 2 hours (30 minutes per lb. if refrigerated until cooking). As it starts to brown, sprinkle some lemon juice over the bird.

Creamy Chicken

This might be the easiest recipe I know.

Ingredients
1 can cream of mushroom or celery soup
6-8 oz. sour cream
1/4 cup white wine
Mrs. Dash
olive oil
4-6 chicken breasts
egg noodles or rice

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season chicken with Mrs. Dash and saute in olive oil until golden brown. Mix soup, sour cream and wine together. Pour over chicken in a casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve over noodles or rice.

Classic Pot Roast

At home, if we had the opportunity to choose a meal, this was always my pick. I've always liked the meat pulled apart, served mixed in with the carrots, onions, noodles and gravy. Mom's comfort food at its best!

Ingredients
bottom round of beef (or non-fatty chuck roast)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 spanish onion, chopped
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 cups water
ground pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. brown sugar
3-4 tbsp. lemon juice
2 cubes beef boullion
1 lb. carrots, peeled & julienned
Wondra flour
1 lb. egg noodles

Directions
Brown beef in a pot with olive oil, garlic and ground pepper. Take out the beef and brown the onion. Put the beef back in the pot, add 2 cups of water (cover about 3/4 of the beef). Add ketchup, brown sugar, lemon juice, boullion. Simmer for about an hour per pound. Add carrots to the pot about an hour before the meat is expected to finish. Remove meat from pot and slice as needed. Remove carrots and most of the onions. Make gravy following Wondra flour instructions. Serve over egg noodles.

Bergie's Stuffed Polenta Peppers

My first and best vegetarian friend, Bergie, taught me that you don't need meat for substance. Now that Sky and I don't cook meat at home, I appreciate her wisdom (and her recipes) every day!

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup yellow corn mea
1 tsp. dried basil*
1 tsp. dried oregano*
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt, to taste
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder*
1 tsp. parmesan cheese
2 large red bell peppers, cut lengthwise through stems & seeded
1-15 oz. jar of meatless spaghetti sauce (or homemade!)
2 oz. shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese
* If using fresh herbs, use more!

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring 1 1/4 cup water to boil. Reduce to medium heat. Place cornmeal in a small bowl with spices and slowly add remaining water. Mix well and stir into boiling water. When it boils, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking dish. Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce and spoon remaining sauce into pan. Fill peppers with polenta. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, spoon sauce and top with cheese. Bake uncovered until golden brown.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
3 lbs. butternut squash, halved & seeded
2 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1 leek, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
100 liquid oz. chicken or vegetable broth
2 large russet potatoes, peeled & quartered
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. ginger
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sherry
1 cup half & half
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour a thin layer of water in a baking dish. Place squash flesh-down and bake for 40-50 minutes (or until a fork can pierce the flesh). Cool slightly and remove peel. Mash squash.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and garlic. Saute for a few minutes, until tender. Pour broth into the pot. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until soft. Add the mashed squash and mash with potatoes or until chunks are small. Puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender until smooth. Return to the pot.

Season the soup with cayenne pepper, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper. Then stir in sherry and half & half. Heat through, but do not boil. Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Serves a gaggle of guests.

Hot Toddy Extraordinaire

An excellent use for your crock pot on a cold, autumn day.

Ingredients
2 qts. apple juice or cider
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. orange concentrate
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 bottle red wine
1 orange, sliced thinly for garnish

Directions
Heat all ingredients (except wine) over stove set to medium low. Pour into crock pot, draining off cloves in the process, set to "warm" or "low," add red wine and sliced oranges. Serve warm.

Vegetable Pizza

Ingredients
2 pkg. crescent rolls
2 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
2/3 cup sour cream
1 pkg. Hidden Valley ranch mix
3/4 cup each broccoli, cauliflower, red bell pepper, carrot, chopped small
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
paprika, for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out and smooth crescent rolls onto baking sheet (no perforations should remain!). Bake for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Whip together cream cheese, sour cream and ranch mix. Spread evenly on cooled pastry. Evenly disperse chopped veggies (placing one veggie at a time). Gently press veggies into ranch mixture, sprinkle cheddar cheese and paprika. Use kitchen scissors to cut into squares.

Old Fashioned Coleslaw

This is a creamy Southern coleslaw PERFECT for serving alongside pulled pork.

Ingredients
2 bags of coleslaw mix
carrots, shredded
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 to 3/4 cup vinegar, to taste
1/4 sugar
1 tbsp. minced onion
ground pepper, to taste
paprika, for garnish

Directions
Add as much shredded carrot as you like to the cabbage for flavor and color. Combine mayonnaise, cider and sugar. Taste it and add more of each ingredient as necessary. Pour over cabbage and carrots, add ground pepper and mix. Store in refrigerator for several hours before serving, stirring occasionally. The cabbage will reduce down quite a bit. Add paprika for garnish.

Kinda Sorta Sours

Pickles are among our favorite snacks in the Compter-Kalkman household. This Alton Brown recipe for refrigerator pickles (with a few adjustments) has been a hit here in Rochester. It makes only one large jar, so feel free to multiply!

Ingredients
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
5-6 pickling cucumbers, speared
1 cup water
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. ground tumeric
1 tsp. celery seeds
1 tsp. pickling spice
4 whole garlic cloves, smashed

Directions
Combine the onion and cucumber in a clean spring-top jar. Combine the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the garlic, in a non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for four full minutes to wake-up the flavors. Add the garlic cloves to the jar. Slowly and gently pour the pickling liquid over the onion and cucumbers, filling to the top of the jar. Cool to room temperature. Top off the pickles with any remaining pickling liquid and refrigerate. Pickles should keep for about 2-3 months.