Ground lamb, mixed with cinnamon, black pepper and onion juice, then pressed into patties and grilled over hardwood chunk charcoal and served with a sauce of Greek yogurt, minced tomato and minced cucumber.

Ooohhhhhh...that was good.

Last night I pan fried four thick boneless pork chops in peanut oil with Lawry's and white pepper. Once cooked through, I removed them from the heat, placed them on a plate and covered them with aluminum foil. I threw chopped red onion into the pan, and a healthy dollop of butter to both cook the onion and start the deglazing process. As the onions juuuuuuuuuuust started to get tender, I added diced apple and thyme. Once the apple started to turn tender-crisp, I finished the whole thing off with Calvados, making sure that ever last bit of fond made it into the sauce.

Tonight I pan-fried boneless chicken breasts in olive oil. Once done, I removed them from the heat, placed them on a plate and covered them with aluminum foil. I threw chopped red onion into the pan, salt and pepper, toasted pepitas, and a big splash of Stella Artois. I again scraped up all the fond into the sauce, letting it cook down a bit so the onions could cook. In the end I got out my favorite bottled (hush) BBQ sauce (King St Blues, redolent of bourbon and molasses) and stirred a couple of tablespoons into the sauce.

Good stuff.

½ c apple cider
2 lb Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 c packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 T fresh lemon juice
½ t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground ginger
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t ground cardamom
dash ground cloves
dash black pepper

Combine cider and apples in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar and remaining ingredients; simmer 12 minutes, stirring occasionally until mixture is thick. Cover and chill.

1 T olive oil
½ c shredded peeled Gala apple
½ c minced shallots
¼ t freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 c flour
3 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1 c shredded extra-sharp Cheddar
1 12-oz bottle hard cider
2 T melted butter, divided

Preheat oven to 375º. Place shredded apple in paper towels; squeeze until barely moist. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook shallots and apple in oil for 7 minutes, until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Add apple mixture, cheer and cider to flour, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into a greased 9” loaf pan. Drizzle 1 T butter over batter. Bake at 375º for 35 minutes. Drizzle remaining 1 T butter over batter. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until deep golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

6 c ½”-cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2-1/2 lb)
2-1/4 c ½”-cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1 lb)
2 c coarsely chopped onion, divided
1 T olive oil
4 c milk
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1/3 c flour
½ t salt
¼ t freshly ground black pepper
1-1/4 c grated Parmesan
9 packaged no-boil lasagna noodles
1-1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450º. Combine squash, potato, 1 c onion and oil in a roasting pan, tossing to coat vegetables. Bake at 450º for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring once; set aside.

Combine remaining 1 c onion, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and bay leaf in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Return milk mixture to pan. Add flour, salt and pepper to mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently with a whisk. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan.

Preheat oven to 375º. Spread ½ c milk mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9” baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over milk mixture; top with half of squash mixture, ½ c mozzarella, and 1 c milk mixture. Repeat layer with noodles, squash mixture, mozzarella and milk mixture. Top with remaining three noodles. Spread remaining milk mixture over noodles, and sprinkle with remaining ½ c mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake at 375º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

¼ c rice wine vinegar
3 T maple syrup
2 T fresh orange juice
4 6-oz salmon fillets, skinned
¼ t salt
¼ t freshly ground black pepper

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Add fish, seal and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove fish from bag, reserving the marinade. Pour marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2 T (about 5 minutes). Place fish on grill coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily, basting occasionally with marinade. Remove fish from grill; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb baby carrots with tops, trimmed and peeled
1 T butter
1 t minced peeled fresh ginger
1 T chopped fresh cilantro
½ t grated lime rind
1 T fresh lime juice
¼ t salt

Prepare garlic; let stand 10 minutes. Steam carrots, covered, 10 minutes or until tender.

Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in carrots, xilantro and remaining ingredients.

1 garlic clove, minced
6 oz Japanese curly noodles (chucka soba), uncooked
1 c frozen shelled edamame
4 oz snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
4 oz whole baby carrots, quartered lengthwise
3 T rice vinegar
3 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T wasabi paste
½ c thinly sliced radishes

Prepare garlic; let stand 10 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain well. Steam edamame, peas and carrots 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge vegetables into ice water; drain. Whisk together garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, oil and wasabe in a large bowl. Add pasta, vegetable mixture and radishes; toss gently to coat and serve immediately.

½ c whole wheat flour
½ c regular oats
½ c packed brown sugar
3 T chopped pecans
1 t ground cinnamon
2 T orange juice concentrate
¼ c + 1 T canola oil
2 T butter, melted
1 c granulated sugar
2 t vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
½ t salt
1 c sour cream
2 c pitted fresh cherries, coarsely chopped

To prepare streusel, stir together first 4 ingredients. Add concentrate and 1 T oil; stir until crumbly.

Preheat oven to 350º.

To prepare cake, coat a 9” tube pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine remaining oil and melted butter in a medium bowl. Add granulated sugar, vanilla, egg and egg white; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.

Combine flour. Baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternatively to egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in cherries.

Spoon half of batter into prepared pan; sprinkle with half of streusel. Spoon in remaining batter; top with remaining streusel. Bake at 350º for 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; run a knife around the outside edge. Cool completely in pan.

1 2# flank steak
1/2 c red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 t dried thyme
kosher salt, to taste
6 oz baby spinach
4 boiled carrots, halved lengthwise
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 small onion, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 c chopped parsley
2 t chile flakes
1-1/2 c beef stock
2 T olive oil

Arrange steak on a cutting board so the long side is parallel to you. Using a long knife, butterfly the steak to within 1/2" of the far edge so that it opens like a book. Put steak between 2 layers of plastic wrap. With a mallet, pound to a 1/4" thickness. Poke steak all over with a fork. Transfer, cut side up, to a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Sprinkle meat with vinegar, garlic, and thyme. Cover with plastic wrap; let marinate for 6 hours or overnight in refrigerator.

Heat oven to 375º. Arrange meat cut side up so that the grain is parallel to you; season meat with salt and arrange spinach on top. Top spinach with carrots, arranging them evenly so that they run parallel to the grain. Place eggs between rows of carrots and scatter onion rings evenly over top. Sprinkle evenly with parsley and chile flakes and season with salt.

Starting with the edge closest to you, roll meat forward to form a tight cylinder. Using kitchen twine, tie the meat at 1" intervals. Heat oil in a 6-qt oval dutch oven over high heat. Sear meat all over until brown, about 10 minutes. Pour in the beef stock and add enough water that it reaches one-third of the way up the meat. Cover, transfer to the oven, and cook until very tender, about 2 hours. Let cool for 15 minutes; slice and serve.

1 12-oz bottle Guinness Extra Stout
1-1/2 c brown mustard seeds
1 c red wine vinegar
1 T kosher salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground allspice

Combine ingredients in a non-reactive mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1-2 days so that the mustard seeds soften and the flavors meld. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a food processor and process, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until the seeds are coarsely ground and the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a jar and cover. Refrigerate overnight and use immediately or refrigerate for up to 6 months.

So there you are, looking at the same old boneless chicken breasts, or pork chops, or fish, and you really are getting tired of doing the same old thing.

Discover the joys of the pan sauce.

Pan sauces are wonderful things, easy concoctions full of flavor. All you need is your protein, something with which to deglaze the pan, and an imagination. Oh, and don't try this with a non-stick pan or you'll miss out on nearly all the flavor.

1. Sear your protein in a pre-heated medium-hot heavy ovenproof skillet in which some sort of fat has been heated.

2. Lower the pan temperature and finish cooking off your protein; this shouldn't take more than ten minutes (if you're working with something particularly thick, feel free to finish the cooking in the oven, then return the pan to the stovetop).

3. Once your protein is finished, move it to a warmed plate and cover with foil to retain heat. Pour your liquid into the pan and let it heat, scraping up all the wonderful browned bits (the fond) and deglaze the pan.

4. Once the liquid is simmering, add your seasonings and continue to simmer until the sauce is reduced to the desired thickness.

Easy, right? There really is no limit to what you can do with a pan sauce. Here are some of my favorites; use them as is, or as a guide to creating your own.

* Olive oil and butter 50/50, dry vermouth, shallots, rosemary or tarragon and thyme

* Butter, rice wine, shallots, spinach

* Olive oil, white wine or dry vermouth, garlic, tomatoes, black olives

* Peanut oil, lime juice, rice wine, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds

* Peanut oil, rum, caramelized onions, sesame seeds

Enjoy the creativity. :)

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic, chopped
kosher salt
2 T chopped thyme leaves, plus 12 sprigs
1 T chopped tarragon
4 thin slices prosciutto
4 slices raclette cheese, about 1 oz. each
ground black pepper
3 T olive oil
2 lemons, halved
1/2 c chicken broth

Using a knife, make a deep, 3"-wide cut into thickest part of each breast, to form a pocket. Smash garlic with the side of a knife. Add a pinch of salt; scrape garlic against cutting board to make a paste. Pile chopped herbs on top of garlic; chop together. Smear each prosciutto slice with garlic mixture. Wrap each piece of cheese with a prosciutto slice; stuff into breasts and use kitchen twine to tie breasts securely closed. Tuck three thyme sprigs under twine of each breasts. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat oven to 475º. Heat oil in a 12" ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, skin side down, and brown 6-8 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and roast for 18 minutes. Flip breasts and cook until skin crisps, about 5 minutes. Transfer breasts to 4 plates; remove and discard twine. Place skillet over high heat; add lemons, cut side down. Cook until browned, 3 minutes. Add broth and reduce by half. Serve chicken garnished with sauce and lemon.

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine, 10/08 issue; this can easily be adapted for vegetarians by subsituting soy bacon, olive oil for the fat, and vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

6 center-cut bacon slices
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
3 c washed and torn greens
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dried brown lentils
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add carrot, greens, thyme, and garlic; cook for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender and greens are wilted. Add broth, lentils, and 1 cup water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until lentils are just tender. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high; cook 6 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon.

I'm all about an excuse to do anything frozen with the nectar of the gods, lemon juice; even better when it means I get to play with power tools small appliances.

2 c boiling water
4 regular-sized green tea bags
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c fresh lemon juice

Combine the boiling water and tea bags in a large bowl; steep five minutes. Discard tea bags. Add sugar to tea mixture, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cool completely. Stir in juice and 1 c ice water; chill 1 hour.

Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm.

This is equally good with either shredded cabbage or the bagged broccoli slaw mix, and is fabulous on top of shredded pork or beef BBQ sandwiches.

7 c finely shredded green cabbage
1 c thinly sliced red onion
1 c grated carrot
1/4 mirin
2 t sugar
2 T brown mustard
2 T mayonnaise
1/8 t cayenne
1/8 t black pepper
1/8 t salt

Toss the vegetables together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whis together the remaining ingredients to form an emulsion. Toss the cabbage mixture with the dressing, making sure to coat well. Cover ad chill for about 20 minutes and stir before serving.

I admit it. I stole this recipe from some UI Irish foodie site; I switched the cloverleaf pasta in the original for mini farfalle or anything else that strikes your fancy.

3 t butter
2 t chopped shallots
3/4 c Guinness
2 c heavy cream
1/2 c Swiss cheese, grated
1/2 c Cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 c Dubliner cheese, grated*
3 1/2 c mini farfalle, cooked and cooled
3/4 c plain bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 t of the butter. Add the shallots and cook until soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the Guinness and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Melt remaining 2 t of butter.

In a bowl, combine the cooked pasta, cheese, and cream mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Top with bread crumbs and spoon melted butter over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until bread crumbs are lightly browned and sauce is bubbling.

*I'll bet this would be just as good with manchego...

2 c cooked rice
4 4-6 oz halibut steaks or filets, fresh or, if frozen, thawed
lemon pepper
1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 c thinly sliced red onion
1/2 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 t grated fresh lemon zest
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T dry white wine
2 T olive oil
1 - 1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 c crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 450º. In the middle of each of one of four 12" x 18" foil sheets (sprayed with Pam), place 1/2" rice. Rest one piece of halibut on top of each pile of rice. In a bowl, toss together the remaining ingredients. Divide evenly between the halibut and drizzle any juice left in the bowl onto the fish.

Seal the packets by bringing up the sides and double-folding the top and ends. Seal well, but leave enough room inside the packet for air circulation. Put the packets carefully on a cookie sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until fish is just opaque throughout.

I make a version of this about every two months or so; sometimes I'll substitute sweet vermouth for the sherry and feta for the cheese and oregano for the nutmeg, or cheat and use frozen vegetables if it's a weeknight and I'm lazy or cranky from work. And if I don't have any heavy cream on hand, I'll just pour in some evaporated milk and make do with a thinner sauce. This is a very forgiving casserole, as any casserole worthy of the name should be.

2 lg boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3 T vegetable oil
1 lg head of broccoli (approx. 2#), stemmed and broken into 1" florets
5 T butter
1/4 c flour
1 c chicken stock
1 c milk
3 T sherry
1/8 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 c finely grated parmesan
1 c slivered almonds
1/2 c heavy cream

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, 13-15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool slightly. Cut chicken lengthwise on the bias into 1/4"-thick slices and set aside.

Meanwhile, put broccoli into a large pot, cover with salted water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until barely tender, 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375º. Rub the inside of a 2-qt casserole dish with 1 T butter; set aside. Melt remaining butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually pour in stock and milk while whisking constantly. Cook until very thick, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, sherry, nutmeg, and half the cheese; stir until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Remove cheese sauce from heat and let cool slightly.

Arrange broccoli in the prepared dish in a single layer; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Arrange chicken evenly over the top and sprinkle with almonds. In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream into soft peaks; fold into the sauce. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake, with a baking sheet underneath to catch any drips, until golden and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Adapted from The Constance Spry Cookery Book, 1956, by Saveur magazine

1 T butter
3-1/2 c fresh white bread crumbs
2 c dried currants
1-3/4 c seedless sultanas
1-3/4 c seedless raisins
1-1/2 c light brown sugar
1 c self-rising flour
1/3# cold beef suet, membranes removed, grated
2/3 c stout
1/4 c finely chopped candied lemon peel
1/4 c finely chopped candied orange peel
1/4 slivered almonds
1 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 t ground allspice
1/2 t salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Granny Smith or other tart baking apple, stemed, cored, peeled and coarsely grated
juice and finely grated zest of a small orange

4 c milk
1/2 c sugar
8 egg yolks
1/4 T flour
1 vanilla bean, halvd lengthwise

1/3 c brandy

For the pudding: Grease a 10-c pudding basin or a heatproof ceramic bowl with butter; set aside. Put bread crumbs, currants, sultanas, raisins, sugar, flour, suet, stout, peels, almonds, nutmeg, allspice, salt, eggs, apple, and orange juice and zest into a large bowl; mix well. Transfer mixture to basin; pat down to remove any air pockets. Cover basin with 2 layers of waxed paper and 2 layers of foil; tie tightly with twine.

Put basin on a rack in a wide deep pot. Add enough water that it reaches two-thirds up the sides of the basin. Cover; bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer; steam for 8 hours (replenish water as necessary). Carefully remove basin; let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove twine, foil, and paper. Runa a knife around edge of pudding to loosen it; turn it out onto a serving platter.

For the custard: Whisk together milk and sugar in a small pot; bring just to a boil over medium-hight heat. Whisk yolks in a medium heatproof bowl until frothy. While whisking constantly, gradually pour in hot milk mixture; whisk in flour and vanilla. Pour water into a medium pot to a depth of 2"; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place bowl of egg-milk mixture over simmering water; cook, stirring constantly, until it resembles a thin pudding, about 35 minutes. Strain custard through a fine sieve into a pitcher or bowl.

To serve: Warm brandy in a pot; carefully light brandy with a match and pour over pudding. When flames die out, serve with custard.