* Cooking spray
* 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
* 1 (16-ounce) package light smoked turkey sausage (such as Hillshire Farm), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 bay leaf
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
* 3 (1-ounce) slices white bread
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and turkey sausage to pan; sauté for 5 minutes or until browned. Add garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in 2 tablespoons brown sugar, tomato paste, dried thyme, freshly ground black pepper, cannellini beans, and bay leaf. Add ground red pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 1/2 cups.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over bean mixture, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until browned. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley.

* 1 rabbit, cut into serving pieces (see How to cut up a rabbit)
* Salt
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 2 large shallots, chopped
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/2 cup grainy country mustard, like Dijon
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Method

1 Salt your rabbit pieces well and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.

2 Heat the butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan with a lid. Pat the rabbit pieces dry and brown them in the butter. Do this at a moderate pace – you don’t want the butter to scorch – and don’t let the rabbit pieces touch each other. Do it in batches if you need to.
Once the rabbit is browned, remove it to a bowl. Add the shallot and brown it well. This will take 3-4 minutes.

3 Pour in the white wine and turn the heat to high. Scrape off any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the mustard and water and bring to a rolling boil. Taste the sauce for salt and add some if needed.

4 Add the rabbit pieces, coat them with the sauce, then drop the heat to low. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes. You want the meat to be nearly falling off the bone. It might need more time, but should not need more than an hour total. Wild rabbits sometimes need more time.

5 When the meat is ready, gently remove it to a platter. Turn the heat to high and boil the sauce down by half. Turn off the heat and add the cream and parsley. Stir to combine and return the rabbit to the pan. Coat with the sauce and serve at once.

Serve this dish with crusty bread and a big white wine, such as a white Bordeaux, white Cotes du Rhone blend or a buttery California Chardonnay. If you prefer beer, try pairing this with an unfiltered wheat beer.

* 1 (4 1/2- to 5-lb. ) whole chicken
* 2 celery ribs, cut into 3 pieces each
* 2 carrots, cut into 3 pieces each
* 2 1/2 to 3 tsp. salt
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, pressed
* 1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
* 1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup
* 2 (10-oz.) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon Mexican-style chili powder*
* 3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
* 12 (6-inch) fajita-size corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips

Preparation

1. If applicable, remove giblets from chicken, and reserve for another use. Rinse chicken.

2. Place chicken, celery, carrots, and salt in a large Dutch oven with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 50 minutes to 1 hour or until chicken is done. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from broth; cool 30 minutes. Remove and reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Strain any remaining cooking liquid, and reserve for another use.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper and garlic, and sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in reserved 3/4 cup cooking liquid, cream of mushroom soup, and next 5 ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes.

4. Skin and bone chicken; shred meat into bite-size pieces. Layer half of chicken in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of soup mixture and 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Cover with half of corn tortilla strips. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.

5. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*1 tsp. chili powder and 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper may be substituted for Mexican-style chili powder.

Lightened King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Reduce butter to 1 Tbsp. Substitute reduced-fat cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup for regular and 2% reduced-fat cheese for regular. Prepare recipe as directed through Step 4. Bake, covered, at 350° for 50 minutes; uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Cracker Barrel 2% Milk Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese.

Quick-and-Easy King Ranch Chicken Casserole: Substitute 1 (2-lb.) skinned, boned, and shredded deli-roasted chicken for whole chicken, 3 cups coarsely crumbled lime-flavored white corn tortilla chips for corn tortillas, and 3/4 cup chicken broth for cooking liquid. Omit celery, carrots, and salt. Prepare recipe as directed, beginning with Step 3.

* 2 pounds flank steak
* Salt
* Olive oil
* Black pepper
* 2 pounds mixed mushrooms (if you can, make sure the assortment includes some shiitake mushrooms, they’re especially flavorful), cleaned, rough chop
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup minced shallots (or onions)
* 1 cup red wine (or beef broth)
* 1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary

Directions:

1 Salt the steak well and let it come to room temperature.

2 Dry sauté the mushrooms. Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan, as is (no butter or oil). Stir the mushrooms occasionally, and shake the pan a bit. You should hear the mushrooms squeak when they move in the pan. Continue to cook until the mushrooms release their moisture. Add a large pinch of salt and stir to combine.

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3 Add the butter, rosemary and shallots. Stir to combine and sauté over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the red wine (you can substitute beef broth) and boil until the sauce has reduced by half. Turn off the heat.

4 While the mushrooms are cooking, prepare the grill for high direct heat. If you are using a gas grill, turn it on, cover it, and let it heat up for at least 10 minutes. (You want the grill to be very hot, which can difficult to do on a gas grill if the grill hasn’t pre-heated long enough.) If you are using a charcoal grill, get the coals very hot. The grill is hot enough when you put your hand about an inch over the grill and you can only hold it there for 1 second. When the grill is hot, clean the grill grates with a wire scraper and then moisten a paper towel with vegetable oil. Using tongs, wipe down the grill grates with the oil-soaked towel.

5 While the grill is heating up, massage olive or other vegetable oil into the flank steak. You want the steak well coated. When the grill is hot enough, place the flank steak on a hot part of the grill. Sear for 4-6 minutes without moving. If you want a cross-hatch pattern of grill marks, about halfway through grilling, gently lift up a corner of the steak to check for grill marks, if you have them, pick up the steak with tongs and put it back down on the grill at a 90° angle (a quarter turn) from where it had been.

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6 Turn the steak over. touch it to test for doneness (see the finger technique for checking for doneness). You might only need a couple minutes on this side, depending on how thick your flank steak is. Flank steak is best rare or medium rare; it becomes tough if it gets too well done. Try to undercook the meat just a little, as it will continue to cook a bit while it is off the heat resting. When the flank steak is almost done, take it off the heat and let it rest. Grind black pepper over it.

7 Finish the mushrooms. Turn the burner on high and boil down the liquids almost to a glaze. Add any meat juices that have accumulated with the resting flank steak. Taste for salt and add any if needed.

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8 If you have a large steak, it may be easier to first cut it in half along the grain of the steak fibers. Then slice it thinly, on an angle, against the grain. Serve immediately with the mushrooms.

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 4 potatoes, thinly sliced
* 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 2 cups frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination
* 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
* 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
* 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium high heat. Cook potatoes, stirring frequently until tender-crisp. Stir in chicken, and cook until no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in condensed soup, milk, onion, and garlic powder. Arrange vegetables on top, and sprinkle with parsley, marjoram and basil. Cover, and simmer over low heat until chicken is cooked through, and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in Parmesan.

* 2 tablespoons butter
* 3 fresh mushrooms, sliced
* 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup chopped cooked turkey
* 1/3 cup frozen peas, thawed
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium low heat, cook butter until golden brown. Saute mushrooms until tender. Stir in flour until smooth. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in cream, turkey and peas. Reduce heat to low, and cook until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

How to:

Combine all ingredients together in a large zip lock bag. Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large OVEN PROOF skillet over medium high heat. Coat the skillet with olive oil cooking spray. Once the skillet is hot, lay the chicken thighs smooth side down in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and place in the oven. Cook for 8 minutes or until cooked through. Let the meat rest for a few minutes. While the meat rests, pour the marinade into the skillet and cook over high heat until it boils rapidly, about 1-2 minutes. Place the chicken on a serving plate and pour the boiled marinade on top. Enjoy.

* 2 racks lamb, 6 to 8 ribs each, approximately 1 1/2 to 2-pounds each
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 6 cloves garlic, minced
* 4 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
* 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
To french the racks of lamb:

Make a cut on the fat side of the ribs, perpendicular to them, about 2 1/2-inches down from the rib ends. Cut through the fat down to the rib bones.

Turn the rack on end, with the bones facing up and push a knife through the flesh between each rib, using the initial cut as a guide for the knife. Cut down the side of each rib to remove the excess fat in between each rib. Using strong kitchen twine, wrap the twine around each rib at the base, nearest the meat and pull to remove all of the remaining fat and sinew from the rib bone.

Bend each rack into a semicircle (meat side in and fat side out) and using kitchen twine tie them together at the base and center, in order to hold the racks together. The rib ends should be pushed outward to create the look of a crown.

Rub the lamb with the olive oil. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and coriander and press all over the lamb. Place the roast in a Bundt pan with the center of the pan coming up through the middle of the roast.

Place on the middle rack of the oven and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. This is approximately 8 to 12 minutes per pound. Remove from the oven, transfer the roast to a rack, cover with aluminum foil and let the meat rest for 20 minutes. While the meat is resting add the sherry vinegar, mustard and rosemary to the juices that accumulated in the Bundt pan while cooking. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Cut the string away from the roast and place cooked stuffing, rice or barley in the center if desired. Serve the warm sauce with the roast.

* 1/2 bunch thyme, leaves only
* 1/2 bunch fresh sage, leaves only
* 2 cloves garlic, gently smashed and paper removed
* kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 10 pounds pork rib roast (about 12 to 14 ribs)
* Apple Pecan Stuffing, recipe follows
* Gravy, recipe follows
* Watercress, for garnish, optional
* Special equipment: roasting pan fitted with roasting rack

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set rack on the bottom third of the oven so the roast will fit completely inside.

In a small mixing bowl or mortar and pestle, combine thyme, sage, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste, and mash to break up herbs and garlic. Add oil, about 1 cup, and combine with pestle.

Take crown roast of pork and if your butcher hasn’t already prepared it, clean the bones of meat with a boning knife (French them) and make a small cut into the meat in between each rib so you can wrap it into a circle easily; save the scraps. Rub the pork all over with the herb mixture. With the ribs on the outside, wrap the rack around onto itself so the ends meet and secure with kitchen twine so it holds its crown shape. *Cook’s note: if you are doing this by yourself, using a skewer to help hold its shape while you wrap the kitchen twine around the roast.

Place in a roasting pan. Add the scraps into the bottom of the pan alongside the roast. This will help add flavor to your sauce. Set aside to bring the pork to room temperature prior to cooking.

Fill the cavity with Apple Pecan Stuffing.

Cover the stuffing and the tips of the rib bones with foil then place the whole roast in the oven and bake for 2 hours and 20 minutes, an instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should register 150 degrees F when done. About 30 to 45 minutes prior to doneness, remove the foil to brown the stuffing and create a crust. Remove from the oven, loosely cover with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes before cutting. Serve with Apple Pecan Stuffing and Gravy. Garnish with watercress, if desired.