Ingredients
1/4 pound butter
1 pound chicken livers
1 medium onion, chopped
3 shallots chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
12 large mushrooms
1 granny smith apple, cut into pieces
1/4 cup brandy
salt and pepper to taste
hard boiled egg
parsley, finely chopped

Instructions
Using 2 tablespoons of cherry wood chips, smoke the chicken livers over medium heat for 25 minutes. Reserve all liquid. Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onion, shallots and mushrooms until soft. Add the livers to the skillet, then carefully add all liquid from the drip pan. Add thyme and rosemary and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Transfer to a food processor and add brandy and apple. Process until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a serving dish. Chill. Garnish with chopped hard boiled egg and chopped parsley.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 potatoes, scrubbed and diced
4 ribs celery, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cups alder smoked corn kernels
2 tablespoons port
1 pound flaked crab meat
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
oyster crackers

Instructions
Sweat potatoes, celery, onion, and red bell pepper in the oil and butter. Add bay leaf, salt, pepper, and Old Bay. Sauté veggies 5 minutes, then stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in broth, milk, Worcestershire sauce, port, and corn. About 20 minutes before serving, add crab meat, and parsley. Remove bay leaf and adjust seasonings. Serve with oyster crackers.

Ingredients
2 ounces bourbon
2 T minced shallots
1/4 t thyme
1/4 t cracked black pepper
2 T butter
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sour cream
1 t Dijon mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
Sea Salt

Instructions
In a saucepan heat the whiskey, shallots, thyme and cracked pepper. Reduce by half over high heat. Add 2 T butter and melt. Stir in mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms darken. Add, sour cream, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and reduce by half. Remove from the heat and season with salt, to taste.

Ingredients
5 large russet potatoes, peeled
1 medium onion
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
canola oil, for frying

2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup fresh apple cider
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
parsley

Applesauce
Sour Cream

Instructions
Grate potatoes and onion into a bowl or pulse in food processor. Drain any excess liquid, then add the eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon the mixture into hot oil forming small pancakes. Cook until underside is golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until other side is golden and potatoes are cooked through, about 2 minutes more.

To make the sauce, heat cider vinegar and shallots in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the vinegar by 2/3; the finished reduction should be as thick as syrup. Add the apple cider and reduce by half. Add the cream, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Just before serving, stir the mustard into the sauce, and spoon a little onto each serving plate. Place a potato cake stack on top of the sauce, and finish each stack with dollop of applesauce and sour cream. Garnish with remaining parsley.

Ingredients
3 pounds apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1/2 cup water
3/4 sugar
Juice of half a lemon

Instructions
In a large saucepan combine the apples, 1/2 cup water and sugar, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Use a whisk to break the apples into chunky applesauce. Serve.

It's been a year since I made Scot one of these abominations. Click here if you want to be caught up on the whole story.

Scot's been mentioning the Garbage Plate lately. I've been ignoring him. Monday, I was on the phone with him and he said, "What about tomorrow?" He caught me off guard. I agreed without thinking. Crap. So, the Tuesday night plan included game three of the World Series, some beer, and cooking up "a mess" of garbage plates. I've spent worse evenings.

I've gotten pretty good at these things if "good" is the right word to use. I invited several people to join us. Butch was excited about coming down for the game and some beer. When I told him about the evening's menu he made up some excuse not to come. I got similar responses from everyone else I asked. Ken, a guy I sail with and a coworker of Scot, and all-around good guy, like Scot, is a Rochester Institute of Technology alumnus and has been to Nick Tahou's. He was in.

So, to cut to the chase, the garbage plates were the "best" (read authentic) I've ever made. Scot was very happy. So happy, in fact, he almost puked. Seriously. Hands on his knees over the toilet happy. I tried to get him to move outside so I wouldn't have to clean up what would be an unimaginable mess. He spent some time in my garage (it was cooler out there) and survived without serious incident.

So the time was right. I had to stop this tradition of annual garbage plates. I suggested a new Leap Year Tradition. I'll make Scot a garbage plate every February 29. He thought this might be a good idea. Only 493 days to go!

Ingredients
1 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups cooked and drained spinach, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup coarsely grated mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg, beaten lightly
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
8 manicotti shells
Parsley for garnish if desired

Marinara Sauce

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet set over moderate heat cook the onion in the butter, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Add the spinach, garlic and cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, or until heated through. Transfer mixture to a bowl, add remaining ingredients (using only 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan) and gently stir to combine well.

Cook the manicotti in boiling salted water until just al dente. With a slotted spoon transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and pat dry. Gently stuff shells with filling and arrange in a buttered baking dish.

Cover the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan with marinara sauce. Layer in the filled manicotti, cover with sauce and sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh Parsley.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1) can crushed plum tomatoes
10 basil leaves, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)

Instructions
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the oil. Saute the garlic, salt, and pepper for 5 minutes or until the garlic is softened. Add the remaining ingredients, then raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds carrots, peeled and roll cut
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
In a steamer set over boiling water steam the carrots for 4 to 8 minutes, or until they are just tender, and transfer them to a bowl. In a skillet melt the butter with the sugar and the lemon juice, stirring until the mixture is smooth, and add the carrots. Cook the mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the carrots are glazed evenly and heated through, and season it with salt and pepper.

Ingredients
2 cups flour, all-purpose
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
15 ounces pumpkin puree

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin purée. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter -- at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese -- at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons candied ginger

Instructions
Beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Add the candied ginger and spread on cake.

It's a perfect day for soup. I made this recipe by adjusting a fresh tomato soup recipe I've made before with extra garlic, onions, and cream. Alex proclaimed it, "the best tomato soup in the world." That may be a stretch, but it was good. I used purple and green basil for the chiffonade. For the grilled cheese sandwich, I spread raspberry and apricot jams on one slice of bread and havarti cheese on the other. Delicious.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots
4 cloves minced garlic
1 small can tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chopped, peeled, seeded tomatoes
1 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup vodka
1/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
basil, for garnish

Instructions
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the stock and vodka and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Use a hand-held immersion blender to puree the soup. Add the cream and cook for 3 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, add the vinegar and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add to the soup.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with basil chiffonade.

I've been pretty lax in posting recipes and descriptions lately. For that matter, it seems like I haven't been cooking that much either. I have the boys all weekend and my only plans are running them to their various activities, cleaning house, cooking a few meals, and updating some web pages for a couple friends. So, when I'm posting here, I'm NOT cleaning house. Everything's a trade-off.

These pancakes were terrific. They probably could have been a bit sweeter but the pumpkin flavor was very nice. I'll make these again. They could develop into a fall favorite. Now, I have a couple cups of unused pumpkin. Maybe, I'll make cupcakes tomorrow.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg - lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Instructions
Mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Heat a lightly oiled griddle to medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.