Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned
Straightforward and timeless, this Maker’s Mark old-fashioned cocktail never goes out of style: a simple mix of bourbon, bitters, and sugar.

Muddle sugar bitters orange cherry and water in an old-fashioned glass.

Remove the orange rind and fill the glass 3/4 full of ice.

Add Maker’s Mark Bourbon and stir.

Homemade Irish (Whiskey) Cream
To make this favorite, you’ll need instant coffee granules, almond and vanilla extracts, and Irish whiskey, of course.

Blend the Irish whiskey heavy cream sweetened condensed milk instant coffee granules vanilla extract and almond extract in a blender on high until frothy 20 to 30 seconds.

Chill 24 hours before using.

Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
A delicious, simple-to-make frosting made with butter and cream cheese is enhanced by the flavor and texture of sweetened, shredded coconut. To make a cake even more opulent, add toasted coconut as a garnish.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter and beat until fluffy.

Add the confectioners’ sugar gradually, one cup at a time, and alternate with the heavy cream.

Vanilla extract and salt are added after beating.

Beat mixture continuously until it becomes smooth and spreadable.

If the frosting needs to be thickened or thinned, add more confectioners’ sugar or cream as needed.

Add the coconut and stir.

If preferred, evenly distribute the toasted coconut on top of the cake.

Pasta e Fagioli a la Chez Ivano
This classic soup is flavorful with thyme, basil, oregano, and parsley and contains kidney beans, ditalini pasta, beef broth, tons of garlic, tomatoes, and ground beef.

In a large pot over medium heat cook beef until no longer pink.

Drain and set aside.

In the same pot heat the olive oil.

Cook onion celery garlic and black pepper until vegetables are tender 10 minutes.

Stir in beef broth crushed tomatoes and tomato paste.

Season with thyme basil oregano and parsley.

Cover reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.

(At this point you may put the pot on a back burner to keep warm and continue with the next steps about 1 hour prior to serving if you wish.)

Gluten-Free Cheese and Herb Pizza Crust
Here is a gluten-free pizza crust variation; I’ve discovered that baking it for 10 minutes before adding toppings enhances the texture.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Grease a 15-inch pizza pan with cooking spray.

Stir all-purpose baking flour garbanzo bean flour cornstarch tapioca starch Parmesan cheese baking powder xanthan gum Italian seasoning oregano and salt together in a bowl; set aside.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon of white sugar in lukewarm water in a small bowl.

Sprinkle yeast over top and set aside until foamy 3 to 5 minutes.

Beat egg in a separate bowl with olive oil vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar and garlic until smooth.

Whisk yeast mixture into egg mixture and stir in flour mixture until no dry lumps remain.

Press dough into prepared pan leaving outer edge slightly thicker than the center.

Granny’s Sweet Potato Bread
This sweet, spiced bread gains additional moisture and color from baked sweet potatoes. For a nutty flavor, pecans are added to the batter and sprinkled on top.

Set oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees C).

Wrap the sweet potato in foil.

For about an hour, bake sweet potatoes in a preheated oven until they can be easily pierced with a fork.

Set apart for cooling.

Canola oil and white sugar are combined in a bowl.

Add eggs and thoroughly combine.

Sift the cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour into the sugar mixture.

Add water a little at a time, whisking until combined.

Mash the peeled sweet potato into the batter.

Add in half a cup of chopped pecans.

Oven temperature is decreased to 320 degrees F.

(160 degrees C).

A 9×5-inch loaf pan should be sprayed with cooking oil.

Fill the prepared loaf pan with the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread emerges clean.

Garlic Baked Ham
Whole garlic cloves are baked into this brown sugar-glazed ham.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Rinse ham and pat dry with paper towels; arrange ham cut-side down in a shallow roasting pan.

Make 20 incisions with the point of a knife all over the ham; stuff one garlic clove into each incision.

Press whole cloves into the ham.

Cover ham with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

While ham is baking mix pineapple juice brown sugar dry mustard and ginger in a bowl.

Remove foil from ham.

Pour pineapple juice glaze over ham.

Return ham to oven uncovered and continue baking until glaze thickens about 45 minutes more.

Baste ham every 15 minutes.

Baked Doughnuts
These aren’t like deep-fried doughnuts, but they are a yummy breakfast treat! Shape them however you like – by any other shape, they’ll taste as sweet!

Set oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees C).

Grease a baking sheet or donut pan sparingly.

Mix the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl.

In a different medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, honey, and eggs.

Stir the mixture into the dry ingredients.

Pour the mixture in doughnut shapes onto the prepared pan.

Bake for 12 minutes at 375 degrees in a preheated oven.

Orzo with Chicken and Artichokes
Orzo with Artichokes, Balsamic vinegar and Chicken — as easy as A-B-C! Pancetta, spinach, and toasted pine nuts also play tasty parts in this pasta dish! This is a great way to use up leftover roast chicken (or turkey) meat!

In a big skillet, warm up 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.

Add the pancetta and stir until it is browned.

to paper towels, remove.

In a skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Red pepper flakes, onion, and garlic are stirred in.

Cook the onion until it is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.

Turn up the heat to medium-high, add the white wine, and cook for about three minutes.

Turn the heat down to low and stir in the spinach and chicken artichoke hearts.

Once heated through, cover the pan.

Set a pot of salted water to boil in the interim.

Add the orzo pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente.

Add to the chicken mixture after draining.

Pasta is mixed with pine nuts and balsamic vinegar.

Creamy Snow Cream
Homemade creamy ice cream, or ‘snow cream’ is a quick and fun treat to make in the winter using fresh snow, milk, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk.

Whisk milk sugar sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract together in a large bowl.

Add snow to milk mixture about 1 cup at a time until ice cream is thickened.

Freeze for 2 hours.