Chicken with Fresh Morel Mushrooms

Chicken with Fresh Morel Mushrooms, Pine Nut Polenta and Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

Here in Michigan, foraging for Morel Mushrooms can be all consuming for fans of this wild prize. A warm March gets the blood lust going and by April and mid-to-late May, talk of the hunt for the curly headed little marvels can rival even deer hunting fever. The Morel, like its snooty, upper-crust cousin the Truffle, has an earthy taste that doesn’t suit every palette. But since the Morel presents itself to the world by standing tall where it grows and not requiring trained pigs to locate it, they do give more folks the opportunity to learn to love them.

Holiday Mushroom Soup

This recipe is based on the soup my sister-in-law Jean prepares for her family for Wigilia – the traditional Polish Christmas Eve meal. Wigilia is basically “the vigil” and is full of symbolism and family and good food. Mushroom Soup is a traditional dish served as part of the meat-less Wigilia meal so this version, made with both Chicken and Beef Stocks, doesn’t technically qualify for Vegans. For the rest of us, this is a rich, hearty and delicious soup to enjoy the year 'round!

Fluffy, Lumpy Mashed Potatoes

Remember your Grandmother’s mashed potatoes? Those stiff peaks of potato-ey goodness with a dollop of butter melting in the crater on top! Then came Mom’s whipped potatoes… just shy of the wallpaper paste that nestled in the tinfoil corner of a TV dinner. What happened between those two generations? Convenience food happened, electric mixers happened! Love ya Mom, but whipped potatoes? No thanks!

Bourbonator Chicken

Cajun food makes me happy. Okay any food that I find delicious makes me happy but, when food triggers good feelings from past experiences, I get really happy.

Food memories, for me, are not always connected with a specific dish. Often just a combination of spices or flavors will remind me simply of a place or a time that has nothing to do with the dish I’m eating. When I eat any food that makes me think of New Orleans, I immediately think of my very first “fine dining” experience, at the Commander’s Palace. I was twelve years old and I realized then, as I ate Turtle Soup and shared Floating Island with my parents, that I was gonna like good food.

Spicy Bolivian Chicken

Slightly sweet with a little bit of fire, just like a Gaucho. Well not really just like a Gaucho because cowboys don’t taste like peanut butter. You probably have most if not all of the fixin’s for this quick, simple dish at home now. It will probably become a go to favorite for last minute family dinners.

Mussels with Chunky Marinara

Mussels, like most shellfish, require virtually no additions other than some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Garlic to make them a tasty treat. So why do we add other ingredients? To allow them to be flavored by the mussels!

"Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you like chocolate, then you will be in chocolate heaven with these unbelievably delicious cookies. The only change I would make is the amount of dough used for each cookie. A rounded Teaspoon makes the cookie about 2 1/4" in diameter giving you about 5 dozen. If you want larger cookies for a bigger chocolate rush, double the amount of dough for each cookie. You should get about 2 1/2 dozen out of a batch. This recipe is from our friends at Hershey's Kitchens. Happy Chocolate!