Donut French Toast

I feel empty calories are always the most fun. Who doesn’t love donuts, apples, and French toast.? All in one! This is like a fall trip to the cider mill while still in your pajamas. (Get that image out of your head.) I used a sour cream donut as the base, added some custard (milk…

Baked New Orleans Pierogi

This was for a pot luck, and I had to make 3 dozen pierogi all at the same time. Baking was the only reasonable solution. How to impart a unique flavor: creole seasoning and butter with a whole lot of caramelized onions. I also did some special chipotle sour cream to really amp up the…

Fall Squash Hash

Fall is vegetable season; the Warrenton farmers market bounty is both colorful and flavorful. This week’s bounty created a different fall forward breakfast. Butternut squash, Granny Smith apples, poblano peppers, fresh basil, and sorrel all bring unique flavor, but you need bacon, sausage and goat cheese to be complete. Sweet, herbaceous, salty, tart, a little…

Faux Lobster Roll

I like illusions in food. This looks like a lobster roll but in reality is a yellow cake with strawberries shaped like lobster parts. The yellow cake has butter instead of oil for better browning and extra vanilla for more flavor and cooked in mini muffin pans to resemble buns. Strawberries mixed with cream cheese…

Italian Lamb Shank

I was at the farmers market, and one of the vendors had just gotten some lamb shanks in, and I knew what was for dinner. I used everything: Italian seasoning, crushed tomatoes, fresh basil with some red wine to tie everything together. I hope you like it. 2 10-ounces lamb shanks1 yellow onion, roughly chopped1…