Pecan Tarragon GF Shortbread Cookies

Pecan Tarragon GF Shortbread Cookies

1 cup room temperature unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar

2-1/2 cup gf 1:1 flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 finely chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Cream butter, extracts, and sugar. Set aside. Measure remaining ingredients into a separate bowl. Stir to blend all. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture until just blended. Grab dough and pat into a flattened ball. Cut dough in half and roll into logs. Refrigerate logs for 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 300 F. Remove one log and cut cookies into half inch pieces. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake cookies for 30 minutes. Keep watch on them so they don't brown. Remove cookies sheet from oven and cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Then move cookies to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely. Do the same for the second roll of dough. So delicious and makes at least 30 cookies. If you don't need that many cookies at one time, the second cookie roll can be frozen and baked at a later time. Just make sure the dough is completely thawed before baking the frozen cookies.

Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin

3-4 boneless chicken thighs, cut in half or quarters
3 strips of bacon cut into small pieces
1 small onion chopped medium fine
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 whole thin carrots cut crosswise on the diagonal
8 ounces button mushrooms quartered
8 ounces pearl onions, skins removed

32 ounces of vegetable stock

1/4 cup brandy
1/2 bottle of red wine, burgundy, merlot, or cabernet
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground thyme or fresh sprigs if you can fine them
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large stock pot, sauté bacon and chopped onion till onion is soft. Set aside. Add olive oil to pot and brown the chicken thighs on both sides. Set aside. Add vegetable stock, wine, brandy, carrots, and pearl onions to pot. Precut packaged carrots are too tough for my liking. Cook till carrots and pearl onions are soft. Add browned chicken to pot and cook for 15 minutes. Next add mushrooms, and butter. Cook till mushrooms are soft and cooked down. Remove thyme sprigs if you've used them whole. Serve over polenta, pasta, or mashed potatoes. You'll want something to soak up all that delicious broth. There will be left overs in our house since it's just the two of us.

Chocolate Dipped Pears

Chocolate Dipped Pears

1 ripe pears per person, sliced in eights
1/2 package of chocolate melts or chips
1/2 cup nuts of your choice chopped very small

Everyone thinks of chocolate dipped strawberries. Why not try different fruits, even bacon. Wash ripe pears and slice into eights. Melt chocolate. If chocolate is too thick, add a bit of heavy cream. Dip end of each pear in warm chocolate. While chocolate is still warm on the pear, dip the end in chopped nuts. Dessert will be ready in a little bit of time.

How about bacon dipped in chocolate. Be adventuresome. You might like it!

Mascarpone Scrambled Eggs

Mascarpone Scrambled Eggs

2 large eggs
2 heaping tablespoons mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

salt and pepper to taste

Crack eggs and beat well.. Add marscapone cheese and beat into eggs till mostly smooth. Add olive oil to small frying pan and the butter. Heat on medium low till butter is melted. Add egg mixture and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook on low while using a rubber spatula and folding edges of eggs into the middle slowly going around the eggs till just cooked through. Eggs should be soft and creamy. Serve immediately. This is one serving, double or triple the ingredients if more servings are needed.