Mom's Spaghetti

1 lb hamburger
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cans tomato sauce
1 bottle mushrooms (and juice)
3 Tbl yellow mustard
6 Tbl red wine vinegar
1/2 bottle Italian seasonings
2 Tbl sugar
salt and pepper

Brown the meat with pepper and onion. Drain fat and then add everything to a big pot. Simmer for as long as you can (all day preferably)

Pumpkin Risotto With Wild Mushrooms

1lb Risotto
8 oz. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves or garlic—minced
1 onion—finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 lbs wild mushrooms—golden chanterelles (may substitute Portabellini or Crimini and add dry porcini mushrooms for added flavor)
1 qcorn squash or pumpkin
2 qts chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1 cup parmesan—grated
Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish:
1 oz. toasted pinenuts
thyme sprigs

Pumpkin:
Peel and seed pumpkin, cut into 2 inch squares.
Toss in bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper
Place in a baking dish with ¼ cup chicken stock. Cover and bake for approximately 45 minutes at 350 degrees
Remove from the oven and let cool
Pass through potato ricer or lightly pulse in food processor, set aside

Mushrooms:
Clean mushrooms. If small Chanterelles are used, leave whole. If domestics are used (Portabellini or crimini), cut into fours
In large sauce pan heat 4 oz. of extra virgin olive oil. When hot, add minced garlic and fresh thyme, stir quickly as not to burn garlic. Wooden spoon works great, especially for risotto stirring.
Add mushrooms and stir occasionally, let edges brown (4-5 minutes)
Season to taste with salt and cracked pepper
Remove from heat and set aside

Risotto:
Heat 4 oz. extra virgin olive oil in large sauté pan
Add onion, stir until translucent (3-4 minutes)
Add rice (DO NOT PRE-RINSE). Either Arborio or Carnarolli
Stir quickly using wooden spoon
Add 1 cup white wine and stir
Slowly add your stock in 1-2 cup increments and continue to stir
When liquid is nearly incorporated, add more stock and continue to stir
When all stock is nearly used, the risotto should be creamy in consistency, but still firm
Add pumpkin and stir
Add mushrooms and stir
Add salt and pepper to taste
Add additional tock if necessary
Add parmesan and one last final stir!

Garnish with toasted pinenuts and thyme sprigs

Seared Ahi Tuna

2 (6-8 ounce) ahi tuna steaks (3/4 of an inch thick)

2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce (or 2 teaspoons of wheat-free tamari for gluten-free option)
1 Tbsp of grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion (scallion) thinly sliced (a few slices reserved for garnish)
1 teaspoon lime juice

Method
1. Mix the marinade ingredients together and coat the tuna steaks with the marinade, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high to high heat. When the pan is hot, remove the tuna steaks from the marinade and sear them for a minute to a minute and a half on each side ( even a little longer if you want the tuna less rare than pictured.)
3. Remove from pan and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Sprinkle with a few green onion slices.

Can serve plain, with white rice, or over lettuce or thinly sliced cabbage or fennel. Shown served over sliced fennel salad.

Baked Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

1 1/2 lb. smoked kielbasa
1 lg. onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 lb. sauerkraut
3/4 c. chicken broth
2 tbsp. Dijon style mustard
1/4 tsp. allspice

Slice kielbasa into 1/2 inch rounds. Rinse the sauerkraut briefly and drain thoroughly. Place the kielbasa in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir until sausage has rendered its fat and is lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.

Stir in onion. Saute until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in sauerkraut into skillet. Stir in broth, mustard, and allspice. Heat to boiling. Stir kielbasa into sauerkraut mixture. Transfer to a deep 12-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees until juices are bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing, divided
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

PLACE large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing. Refrigerate 10 min. to marinate. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade.

GRILL chicken on uncovered side of grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing.

TURN chicken over; place, cooked-side up, on foil on grill. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill an additional 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).

Chicken Au Champagne

Serves 4

Start with the best and most flavorful fresh chicken you can find. Organic, free-range chicken is more widely available than ever. As for the Champagne, I recommend Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut. (Quelle surprise!) Okay, here's my disclaimer: I work for the company, but I am also addicted to its rich, full-bodied style and quality. Lots of good sparkling wines are made around the world, but they don't taste the same as French Champagne. And even Champagnes vary a good deal, depending on the grapes used, winemaking, and aging. Champagne has two reliable properties for cooking (or drinking). The first is dryness. Champagne is an austere wine, high in acidity. With chicken, I am not looking for sweetness, so Brut is the style of Champagne that works best. Second, I consider the flavors the wine imparts to the chicken. Veuve Clicquot is notable for its rich, full body and full flavor, having been made mostly from red grapes (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) with about a third Chardonnay.

4 chicken breasts (with skin and bone)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Chervil, tarragon, or thyme (optional)
1 shallot, quartered
1 cup Champagne (Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut recommended)

1. Place the chicken breasts in a roasting pan, and season them. Pour 1/2 cup of the Champagne over breasts. Make a slit in each breast and insert a piece of shallot.
2. Place the pan under the broiler, skin-side down, for 3 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned. Turn and broil the other side for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken from the broiler, baste with the pan juices, and add the remaining 1/2 cup of Champagne. Adjust the oven temperature to 475 degrees and bake the chicken for 30 minutes, basting once or twice.
4. Serve over brown rice. Sautéed mushrooms add a special touch and go beautifully with Champagne. (In a warm frying pan with a touch of olive oil, add clean, roughly chopped mushrooms, and cook for a few minutes. Add a few drops of lemon juice, freshly chopped sage, seasoning to taste, and 1 tablespoon of butter.) Pour the cooking juices from the chicken over the meat and rice. Serve the remainder of the bottle of Champagne (about 6 glasses) with the meal.