Here is my recipe for “Chocolate Chip Scones”

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 stick of Cabot butter (cold and cut into 1/4 inch thick squares)
• 12 oz Hershey’s semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla extract (not the imitation)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Get yourself a large mixing bowl, and whisk together the following ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Now add the squares of butter using a fork to incorporate it into the dry ingredients. You want to press the butter into the flower with a fork until the dry ingredients start to become crumbly. It is ok if you have some chunks of butter still whole. Add your chocolate chips and mix to ensure an even distribution.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the following ingredients: eggs, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Once all the liquid ingredients are well mixed, add them to the dry mixture. Youwill mix them together until they are all moistened and hold together.

Get a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper orgrease it lightly with some butter. Sprinkle with some flour to prevent sticking. Divide your dough into 2 balls and press them down onto the pan until they form a circle which is about 6 inches around and about 1 inch think. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Using a cold knife, divide each cirlce into 6 or 8 wedges. Spread the wedges apart so there is about a 1/2 an inch between them.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 mins, or until they are golden brown. Remove the scones from the oven, and allow them to cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm. When they’re completely cool, you can wrap them in plastic and store at room temperature for up to several days.

When I asked my girlfriend what she wanted for her Valentines Day dinner, she told me “Heart-shaped Ravioli with a Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo. At first, I thought she was crazy. Buying them premade somewhere was absolutely out of the question and I had never made either one before. So I did a little research on the web and found Tyler Florence’s recipe, “Pasta Dough for Ravioli”. This looked fairly easy. The recipe is very easy to follow. However, I do recommend that you have the use of a stand mixer and a pasta machine to make it easier. You can get by without them, but it will take you quite a bit longer.

It took me a good bit of time to figure out what I was going to fill the ravioli with. If I was going to go all out and make this from scratch, it was going to be extraordinary. What would really make this dish? I decided on a filling of spinach, ricotta cheese, and ground sage sausage. It was amazing!

I would recomend making the filling first and allowing it to cool in the fridge. This way it will be ready once you are done making the ravioli.

Sausage, Spinach, and Ricotta Filling

Ingredients

• 16 oz  whole milk ricotta cheese
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach
• 2 cups ground sage sausage

Brown the sausage, making sure to break it up into very small crumbles. Season with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drain the fat and set aside to cool. Cook the spinach, drain to remove all excess water. Put your ground sausage, chopped spinach, and ricotta cheese into a blender or food processor. You will want to blend it until it has the consistency and look of a very thick pesto sauce. Cover and refrigerate. This will make alot of filling. I usually will just reserve whatever I have left over for other dishes. It would be an excellent filling in a lasagna or manicotti.

Making the Ravioli

For the sake of brevity, I won’t type out the recipe for the ravioli dough. You can use the link listed in the intro or click here. Once you have made the dough and allowed it to sit in a ball for about 30 minutes, you can proceed. Roll a potion of the dough out very thin on a floured flat surface. You want to get the dough to be less than one-eighth of an inch thick. The thicker the dough, the longer it will take to cook. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many ravioli as you wish to make. Remmber it will take two hearts to make the ravioli.

Make an eggwash using one egg and a tablespoon of warm water. Brush the bottom heart with the egg wash, then add a small amount of the filling. Place the second heart on the top, making sure to remove any excess air. Press along the edges with the tines of a fork to ensure a good seal. Repeat as many times as necessary. Place into a large zippered plastic bag and allow to cool in the fridge until they are ready to be cooked. It will only take approximately 5 mintues to cook in boiling water. They will float to the top when they are done.

Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
• 1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
• 3 tbsp minced garlic
• 6 oz parmesean cheese (grated)
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato halves (julienned)
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. While the butter is melting, put the garlic, heavy cream, and sun-dried tomatos into the blender. Blend for 1-2 mintues, making sure all the ingredients are mixed. Add the mixture from the blender into the butter and add the parmesean cheese. Simmer for 1-2 minute, whisking constantly. Pour over cooked ravioli and serve.

Heart-shaped Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo (The picture does it no justice)

Ingredients

• 6 medium size russet potatoes (sliced into one-quarter inch slices)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup Cabot extra sharp white cheddar (shredded)
• 1 cup Cabot extra sharp yellow cheddar (shredded)
• 1/4 cup parmesean cheese (grated)
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  While you are waiting for your oven to heat up, you can make the cheese sauce that will be mixed in with the potatoes.

In order to make the sauce you will need a medium sized sauce pan. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and salt, mixing for at least a minute or two. Slowly stir in the milk. Continue cooking the mixture stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add your shredded cheese and grated parmesean all at once, stirring until all is melted.

Now, you place a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the casserole dish. Ladle some of the cheese sauce over it. Repeat until you are either out of room or ingredients. I like to leave about one-half to one inch of room at the top of the dish to allow for expansion. Place foil over the top of the casserole dish. Bake in the oven for approximately 90 minutes.

she plays the chords
sorrow and despair
in the D-major keys.

while in the ice field
pruning blossoms
hanging on the roof,
I start to realize
I’m halfway there.

Copyright ©2009  Thomas Snyder

sitting on a horizon not far from my train of thought
i ponder my existance and why they are here
there is no understanding and no compassion
for those that dont belong
the ones who just exist

why
does it take a life
to give meaning to that

something so surreal something
so potent yet something so basic

something that should have always been there
but never is

it is expeceted that i feel this way
but how do i feel

i dont know
you tell me

Copyright ©2009  Thomas Snyder

Ingredients

• 6 Large green bell peppers
• 3/4 cup onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz zucchini (shredded)
• 3/4 lb italian sausage (casing removed)
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup romano cheese (grated)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• kosher salt and cracked pepper (to taste)

Slice tops from peppers and reserve. Remove seed and veins. Blanch peppers and tops in boiling water for about 5 mins. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking process. Pat dry and set aside. Saute onions and garlic in butter and olive oil for 4-5 mins or until soft. Add zucchini and saute for about 5 mins, tossing frequently. In a separate pan, cook sausage, drain the fat, and then add to vegetables. Add breadcrumbs, grated cheese, and egg. Season with the salt and pepper. Mix well. Spoon the stuffing mixture into the peppers. Places stuffed peppers with the tops on them into a greased baking dish. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25-30 mins.

Not Your Typical Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 lb box of Farfalle (Bowtie Pasta)
• 8 oz “Seriously Sharp” Cabot White Cheddar Cheese (Grated)
• 8 oz “Extra Sharp” Cabot Yellow Cheddar Cheese (Grated)
• 3 oz Asiago Cheese (Grated)
• 1 brick of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• Approx 3 oz Plain Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 c grated Parmesean Cheese
• 1/2 to 1 c of Whole Milk
• 1 stick of butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Boil the pasta for about 5-6 minutes. Drain, but do not rinse. Put the pasta back into the hot pot and add the cream cheese and 3/4 of the butter. Stir the pasta, butter, and cream cheese until its all melted and coats the pasta. Add the milk, stir and apply very low heat. Slowly add the grated cheeses, stirring constantly. Once the cheeses are all melted, remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a buttered 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the mixture with the bread crumbs and parmesean cheese. Dot the topping with a few small pieces of butter. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until topping starts to turn golden brown.

Ingredients:

• 1 package kielbasa
• 2 cups rice (precooked or leftover)
• 5 slices thick cut bacon
• 1 can of beans (your choice)
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp creole seasoning
• 1/2 to 1 tsp chipotle powder

Coarsely chop and brown the bacon slices in a large skillet over medium-heat. Remove bacon pieces and drain away the fat, reserving about a teaspoon of it in the pan. Add the slices of kielbasa, browning on both sides. Lower the heat and add the can of beans and the diced tomatoes. Add the creole seasoning and chipotle powder. Add the rice and mix well. Cover and let simmer for 3-4 mins. The rice will begin to soak up the liquid and seasonings. Add the crisp bacon pieces and you are ready to serve.

CrazyTom’s Hoppin’ John

Ingredients:
-5 or 6 slices of think cut bacon (coarsely chopped)
-1 large onion (finely chopped)
-1 rib of celery (finely chopped)
-2 cloves fresh garlic (crushed or pressed)
-20 oz canned black-eyed peas (drained)
-1.5 cups of instant rice (white or brown)
-1 cup water
-1 cup chicken stock
-Chipotle Powder
-Paprika
-Salt
-Fresh cracked black pepper

Heat non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Saute bacon pieces, stirring frequently until browned and crisp. Remove bacon pieces from pan and drain on paper towels. Discard all but a few teaspoons of the bacon drippings. Add celery, garlic, and onions. Saute until they are just softened. Add beans, rice, stock and water and bring to a boil. Add chipotle powder, salt, and peper to taste. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand until rice is tender (approx. 5-6 minutes). Top with the bacon pieces and sprinkle with paprika.

CrazyTom's Hoppin' John