place two ice cubes in a highball glass. fill the glass 1/2 with campari. cut the campari with pellegrino or your favorite soda water. then, place two fresh chunks of pineapple in the campari. stir and enjoy.

the campari gets sweetened by the pineapple juices, and the pineapple's crazy sweetness gets nicely balanced with the campari. gets tastier the more you have. :-)

1 cup unsalted butter or margarine

1 cup brown sugar. firmly packed

3/4 cup chocolate chips (Semi sweet is better)

Chopped nuts (optional?)

Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheet with foil, then parchment paper.

Cover sheet with one layer of matzah. Leave as few gaps as possible.

Combine butter and sugar, cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture boils. Continue 3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove and pour over matzah coating evenly.

Place in oven and reduce heat to 350. Bake 15 minutes, checking frequently to make sure it isn't burning. If it is remove from ove, lower temp. 25 degrees, then return for the rest of the 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Let stand 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate with a spatula. Sprinkle with nuts and press lightly. When cool break into pieces and store in a cool place.

2 tilapia filets (or other firm white fish)
½ Vidalia or red onion
½ cup of breadcrumbs
1/3 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for greasing baking dish)
¾ tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
Cumin

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive and oil and sauté onion over low-medium heat until soft (not brown), about 7-10 minutes. 3. Add paprika, salt and pepper to taste. 4. Add breadcrumbs and 1 tbsp of olive oil and mix. 5. Fold in the parsley. 6. Meanwhile, grease a baking dish with olive oil. 7. Salt and pepper and cumin both sides of fish and place in baking dish. 8. Pour onion/breadcrumb mixture over fish and bake for 25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound boneless beef or lamb meat (chuck, or sometimes grocerys will sell "stew meat" which works well)

1 large leek or large yellow onion chopped (about 3/4 cup)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 3/4 cups water

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the meat, leek/onion, cinnamon, turmeric, and nutmeg and saute until the meat is browned, 5-10 minutes.

Add the water, lemon/lime juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick, about 1 1/4 hours.

Just before serving, peel two large apples, and slice them. Saute the apple slices in 2 tablesppons vegetable oil until tender (about 5 minutes), and stir into the stew.

Serve with rice.

Brown 4 (or up to 6) large lamb shanks over medium heat in ¼ cup olive oil & 4 cloves crushed garlic in a oven-proof casserole/Dutch Oven with a tight fitting lid. In order to brown, get your pot hot first, and don't over crowd the meat (if you need to, do the browning in batches). Use tongs to turn the meat to brown the other side. It should take about 15 minutes for each batch of browning.

While meat is browning, mix together the following in a bowl:

• 12 oz. tomato paste

• 2 cups broth (water is ok too)

• 1 cup vermouth or other wine (red is better than white)

• 2 teaspoons dried basil

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• ½ teaspoon thyme

• 1 teaspoon rosemary

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar (or substitute with honey)

Remove meat to another dish temporarily after browning.

In the same pot you browned the meat in, add about a tablespoon or two butter (depending on how much oil is left over from before, or add more oil in addition if necessary):

1 sliced large onion
2 cups sliced carrots
6 tiny potatoes (or cut potato pieces)
Stir constantly. Set aside when crisp-tender
Salt and pepper to taste
Add browned meat and tomato/broth mixture to these vegetables. Give it a stir to mix it up and coat everything.

Cook, covered in 300 degree oven for 3-3 ½ hours

Garnish with fresh minced parsley if you like

Serve with crusty bread to mop up juices, and couscous or kasha and a green vegetable!

preheat oven to 350.
scrub -- don't just wash -- the beets very well. pat them dry with a dish towel.
keep the root stems and any trimmed greenery in tact while baking.
line an 8x10 pan with tin foil, drizzle each with a little oilve oil, and bake the beets for 60-90 minutes depending on size.
all tennis balls being equal, you'll know the beets are done when poking them with a serrated or sharp knife gives no resistance.

wash the cutting board. then peel the ginger root and dice it.
mix the oilve oil and white wine, give it a few whisks, and add the ginger root. add fresh ground pepper (a healthy bunch of twists from the mill).
let this dressing sit while the beets finish.

once removed from the oven, let the beets sit 5 minutes.
slice the root tip and the green tip off, revealing the fleshy yummyness.
the rest of the skin can be peeled at once by squeezing a cooled beet in your hand -- otherwise remove all the skin.
slice each beet into 1/2" slices, then quarter each slice.
add salt to taste.
re-whisk and add the dressing, mix, and serve.
also good cold -- keeps up to 3 days.

add all the above to the cider.
bring to boil, but don't let it boil
simmer down, simmer down to low
THEN add mostly rum, a little vodka, and a little bourbon to taste.

THE SQUASH
preheat oven to 350.
scrub the surfaces, remove all labels, and halve two small-sized acorn squashes (approx 5-6" wide).
de-seed and de-vein (no stringy stuff).
place all four halves cut-side down in a buttered 9x12 pan.
once the oven achieves temperature, pour 1/4" of hot water in the pan.
bake for 45 minutes.
keep the oven on after you remove the squash.
drain the water and set them aside, cut side up.

THE SAUSAGE
i love the pork apple sausage from whole foods. use a cast iron skillet to cook four of dem links. rotate the sausages so they brown, almost blacken, on all sides.
once they're done and cool, slice lengthwise, and then into 1/4" to 1/2" half-rounds.
don't rinse those pan drippings away! with the pan on medium heat, add 1/2 C of cheap bourbon, scotch, or whiskey to deglaze. basically the alcohol will burn off, and as you stir, you incorproate the drippings into the mix. dump it all into the risotto and watch the color change! YUM!

THE RISOTTO
boil 2 C of water in another pan. keep aside and keep hot.
meanwhile, toast 1/2 C of orzo in 1/2 T butter on medium low heat. it can turn medium brown.
rinse 1.5 C of white rice in warm water. drain.
add the rice to the orzo. mix.
once the rice and orzo starts to crackle, add a little (1/4 C) of the boiling water.
stir. once it crackles again, continue to add 1/4 to 1/2 C of the water in stages.
as you make your way through most of the water, add the sliced sausages into the risotto.
the process should take 20-25 minutes to go through all the water. you'll notice the mixture begins to keep its softness. test for doneness -- if the rice is the least bit crunchy, you need to add more water and keep the process going.

THE FINISH
shred or grate all the manchego into the risotto. stir.
peel the skin off the pear.
after the pan drippings and sausage have been added to the risotto, and the all the water has been added and nearly evaporated, dice 3 sides of the pear into small 1/4" cubes. add the dices into the risotto. stir and cook another minute. the 4th side of the pear should be sliced thinly and reserved for garnish.

stuff the now-cool acorn squash halves with the risotto. put back in the oven for 5 minutes. remove and garnish with three thin slices of the pear.

serve with white wine and a light salad. shit yeah.

put two ice cubes in each of the glasses. fill about 1/2" of vodka OR rum. splash some sweet vermouth into the glass (about a tablespoon's worth). fill the rest of the glasses evenly with the izzy. stir and enjoy!

Fill a highball or collins glass one-half to two-thirds full with ice cubes. Add two jiggers of (Christian Brothers) brandy, one to one and one-half jiggers of peach schnapps, and fill the remainder with fresh orange juice. Stir. Drink. Enjoy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
Melt 14 oz. semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate and butter in double boiler over gently simmering water. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat sugar and eggs in large bowl of electric mixer until slowly dissolving ribbon forms when beaters are lifted.
Blend in coffee and vanilla. Fold in melted chocolate mixture. Fold in dry ingredients. Stir in chopped chocolate and nuts.
Drop batter buy heaping tablespoonfuls (we use much closer to teaspoonfuls) onto prepared sheets, spacing evenly.
Bake until tops are cracked, slightly shiny and soft to the touch, about 15 minutes for large cookies, 10 minutes for smaller ones.
Cool cookies slightly on baking sheets before serving.

1.5 oz. Canadian whisky
0.5 oz. Dubonnet rouge
1.5 tsp. Cointreau

Shake all of the above with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail (martini) glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

You'll need (or the equivalent of):
+ 2 tbs. oil
+ 1 onion medium chopped
+ ~750 grams parsnip chopped
+ 1 apple chopped
+ 1 litre vegetable stock
+ salt/pepper to taste

Brown the onion in the oil, preheated (5 min.). Add your chopped pieces of apple and parsnip (3 min.). Add the vegetable stock, bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Finally blend it, or pour the soup into a food processer. Back then my only appliance was a gas stove so I think I just mashed the hell out of it with a potato masher, the back of a spoon or ate it chunky. Oh well.

this dinner takes about ten minutes total LITERALLY:

cut squid bodies WITH SCISSORS (thank you, heather's italian mom) into approx 1 inch strips.
rinse squid in cold water.
combine squid in bowl with enough olive oil to coat and the spices. chop 1-2 fresh garlic cloves and include in bowl.
SLICE as much garlic as moves you-- i recommend at least five cloves.

heat GHEE or butter (ghee is nuttier) in a hefty skillet over high heat until it melts, throw in the sliced garlic and sautee until it begins to brown. toss in squid. allow it to cook, moving it with wooden spoon or spatula, about 1.5 minutes. you want it just the other side of raw. you're done.

serve: with simple greens salad, any basic rice... wine highly recommended.

please note: this will probably work crappily on an electric stove.