Today is National Calms on the Half Shell Day, National Oranges and Lemons Day and National Tater Day.

Parisienne Potatoes

1. Place the potatoes in a resealable plastic bag.
2. Add the ½ cup of oil and coat well.
3. Add the spices and shake well. Let marinade in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Coat a glass baking dish with the 2 tbsp olive oil..
6. Spread marinated potatoes on bottom of dish in a single row.
7. Bake 1 hour turning potatoes half way through cooking.

Here is the link to my homemade turkey soup.

Today is National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day.

Lemon Chiffon Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
3. In another bowl mix together the oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla, and lemon peel.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Beat until smooth and creamy.
5. Combine egg whites with cream of tartar in another bowl and beat until it forms stiff peaks.
6. Pour egg yolk batter in thin stream over entire surface of beaten egg whites carefully folding just to blend. Pour into cake pan.
7. Bake for 55 minutes then increase the heat 350 degrees and cook 10 minutes longer. Invert pan and let the cake cool. Frost with your favourite icing.

Today is National Something on a Stick Day and Black Forest Cake Day.

Serve these kabobs with pita bread and a nice greek salad for a perfect light meal.

Chicken Souvlaki

Souvlaki Marinade:

Tzatziki:

1. In a small bowl, mix the balsamic vinaigrette, lemon juice, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. 2. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over the chicken, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
3. To make the Tzatziki, toss the with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and allow to sit at least 5 minutes. This will help pull the water from the cucumber.
4. In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, fresh dill, and Greek seasoning.
5. Squeeze the cucumber to remove any excess water then stir into the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Remove chicken from marinade and thread on metal skewers. Cook chicken until juices run clear, about 10-15 minutes and grilled on all sides.

Today is National Spanish Paella Day.

Spanish Paella

1. Heat a splash of oil in a large saute pan or traditional paella pan.
2. Add the chicken and sausage and cook until brown. Remove to a plate.
3. Add the onions to the hot pan and another small splash of oil and saute until golden.
4. Add the garlic and stir for a few moments.
5. Add the tomatoes breaking them up with a wooden spoon.
6. Add rice, stock, wine, bay leaves, rosemary, red pepper, the reserved meat and the shrimp.
7. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat until the liquid has absorbed and the rice is tender, about thirty minutes.

Today is National Spinach Day.

Spinach and Cheese Manicotti

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, onion and egg. Stir in the parsley, pepper and garlic powder.
3. Mix in 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan and ¼ cup Romano cheeses.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together spaghetti sauce and water.
5. Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
6. Stuff shells with the ricotta mixture, and arrange in a single layer in the dish.
7. Cover with remaining sauce then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella, Romano and Parmesan.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until noodles are soft.

Today is National Waffle Day, National Lobster Newburg Day and National Pecan Day.

Sometimes its just easier to take a shortcut. Most people don’t really care if everything you make is from scratch. And in this day and age anything we can do to give us a few more minutes in our day we grab at. That’s why for this recipe I used frozen tart shells. They are made and sold for a reason. You can definitely make your own pastry and form it into your own tins but really? Who will really notice a difference? And if they do say something, snatch the tart out of their hands and say “no more treats for you!”

Pecan Butter Tarts
makes 30 tarts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a bowl cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla.
4. Stir in the pecans.
5. Place the tart shell in each muffin tin hole and fill halfway with the pecan filling.
6. Bake in the oven 25 minutes until golden. Let cool.

Today is National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day.

Real simple recipe to make but you can personalize it by the combinations you use. Try white chocolate and golden raisins, or add nuts to the mix. Homemade is definately better than store bought anyday.

1. Melt chocolate in bowl over boiling water.
2. Once completely melted stir in the raisins.
3. Pour mixture on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and spread out evenly. Use two sheets if you need to.
4. Let cool then break into smaller pieces.

Today is National Water Day and National Coq Au Vin Day.

This classic dish is a warm rich saucy dish that tastes better the longer it sits. It perfect for a dinner party since it can be made the day before and will taste phenomenal when reheated and served to your guests. When cooking any dish with wine its always good practice to serve that same wine at the meal. So don’t be cheap and use a really good full bodied red for this recipe.

Coq Au Vin

1. Put the flour in a shallow dish. Season all sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper then dip each into the flour to lightly coat.
2. In a heavy pan big enough to hold all the pieces of chicken, heat the oil and butter together over medium-high heat. If you don’t have a pan that large, you can cook the chicken in batches.
3. Add the chicken pieces in the pan and cook until they are golden about 5 minutes on each side. Remove to large platter.
4. To the same pan add the bacon, onions, and celery and cook about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and cook about 3 minutes more.
5. Return the chicken and any of the juices to the pan. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf to the pan. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
6. Add the wine and carrots and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, simmer on medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken and vegetables are tender.
7. Discard the Bay leaf and remove the chicken to a platter.
8. Continue cooking the sauce unitl thickened another 2 minutes then pour over the chicken. Season with salt and sprinkle with the parsley.

Today is National French Bread Day.

This is a great recipe for any party. Feel free to change up the cheese combinations like Monterey Jack, Asiago or Romano. Even some grated cheddar or marble will work.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the butter, mayonnaise, green onions, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and Mozzarella cheese in a large bowl.
3. Cut each half of French bread into 4 pieces.
4. Spread the cheese mixture evenly on the bread pieces.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.
6. Broil for 2 more minutes to make the cheese bubbly and golden.