Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 stick butter, softened
1 fresh bay leaf, available in produce department
4 ribs celery and greens, from the heart, chopped (save time and purchase celery already washed, trimmed and cut into sticks, this makes chopping fast work)
1 medium to large yellow skinned onion, chopped
3 McIntosh apples, quartered and chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
8 cups cubed stuffing mix (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
2 to 3 cups chicken stock, available in paper containers on the soup aisle

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil to skillet and 4 tablespoons butter. When butter melts, add bay leaf and add the vegetables as you chop them, celery, onions then apples.
3. Sprinkle the vegetables and apples with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Cook 5 to 6 minutes to begin to soften vegetables and apples then add parsley and stuffing cubes to the pan and combine. Moisten the stuffing with chicken broth until all of the bread is soft but not wet.
4. Butter 12 muffin cups, liberally with remaining butter. Use an ice cream scoop to fill and mound up the stuffing in muffin tins. Remove the bay leaf as you scoop the stuffing when you come upon it.
5. Bake until set and crisp on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove stuffin' muffins to a platter and serve hot or room temperature.

Makes 12 muffins.

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Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
1 pound flank steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 head napa cabbage (1 pound), thinly sliced crosswise
1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup coarsely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

Directions

1. Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, oils, red-pepper flakes, and garlic.
2. Pierce steak all over with a fork; place in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag. Pour soy sauce and half of lime-juice mixture over steak (reserve remaining half for dressing), and marinate at room temperature, 10 minutes (or up to overnight in the refrigerator).
3. Lift steak from marinade (discard marinade), and place on prepared baking sheet. Broil, without turning, until medium-rare, 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Slice thinly on the diagonal, across the grain.
4. In a large bowl, toss cabbage and cucumber with reserved dressing; divide among four plates. Top salad with steak and peanuts.

Serves 4.

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Ingredients

2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 orange bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. black linguine or spaghetti (squid or cuttlefish ink pasta)
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F with rack in middle.
2. Toss squash and bell peppers with garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, oil, and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper in a 17- by 11-inch 4-sided sheet pan. Roast, stirring once, until vegetables are just tender and browned in spots, 25 to 35 minutes.
3. While vegetables finish roasting, cook linguine in a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return to pot.
4. Remove sheet pan from oven and pour reserved water over vegetables, stirring to loosen from pan. Stir in olives, then add vegetable mixture to pasta in pot and toss to combine.

Serves 6 as a main course.

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Ingredients

11 mint leaves
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1.25 oz rum
1 Tbsp pumpkin
1/2 lime
2 oz soda

Directions

1. Muddle mint leaves and sugar.
2. Add rum, pumpkin, and juice from 1/2 lime. Mix well, add ice, top with soda, and garnish with extra mint leaves.

Makes 1 drink.

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