In large bowl, mix together the chicken, celery, onion, and raisins. In separate bowl, blend mayo, lemon juice, vinegar, tarragon, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Pour half of dressing over chicken mixture and toss together; add remaining dressing to desired moistness. Chill thoroughly. Before serving, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir in toasted almonds.

I use this chicken salad as a filling for sandwiches or as the crowning glory of a delicious green salad.

Graham cracker or pastry shell for single crust pie, baked and cooled (I prefer the graham cracker shell!)

1 ½ quarts fresh strawberries (3 pints)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
½ cup water
1 pkg cream cheese, softened (use 3 oz. for thinner layer, 8 oz. if you love cream cheese, which we do!)
2-3 Tbsp sugar
1/2-1 tsp grated orange peel

Wash berries and lay on towel to dry. Hull them and cut off any unripened tops. Slice and mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup, leaving remaining berries whole. Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Gradually stir in water and mashed berries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute, until shiny. Cool to room temperature but still pourable.

Beat cream cheese with sugar and orange peel until smooth. Spread into piecrust bottom. Top with remaining whole strawberries, cut side down. Pour cooked and cooled strawberry mixture over top. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until set. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream on each slice. Store covered in refrigerator.

Combine water, sugar, and butter in small saucepan (or use the microwave); bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand until mixture cools to a temperature between 120-130 degrees.

Meanwhile, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, walnuts, cranberries, oats, yeast and salt in large mixing bowl; add water to mixture and stir until well blended. Turn dough out onto heavily floured surface and knead in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.

Cover dough with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or until double in bulk.

Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead lightly 4 or 5 times. Roll dough into 14×7-inch rectangle. Roll up dough, starting at narrow end, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch ends to seal. Place dough, seam side down in a well-greased 8×4-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 40 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack before slicing.

1 pkg. dry yeast
1  2/3 cup very warm water
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Dissolve yeast in water. Add oil. Add flour and salt, stirring until moistened. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until it forms a smooth ball, about 2 minutes. Put in lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double, about 1 hour.

Divide into 2 portions. Preheat pizza stone or pray pizza pans with cooking spray; dust with cornmeal. Roll or press dough to form crust. If it’s too elastic, let dough rest for a few minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Top crusts w/ desired toppings and bake on lowest oven rack for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

For the Muffins:
1 lb. (3-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
5 oz. (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1-1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (no need to thaw)
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted (optional)
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Glaze:
3 cups confectioners sugar
6 Tbsp. water

Instructions for the Muffins:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil (or spray with cooking spray) the top of a standard 12-cup muffin tin (cups should be 2-3/4 inches across and about 1 inch deep) and line with paper or foil baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter, milk, crème fraîche or sour cream, eggs, and egg yolk until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold gently with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are mostly moistened (the batter will be lumpy)–there should still be quite a few streaks of dry flour.

Sprinkle the blueberries, pecan pieces, lemon zest, and vanilla extract onto the batter, and fold them in until just combined. (The batter will be lumpy; don’t try to smooth it out.) Do not overmix.

Use an ice cream scoop if you have one with a “sweeper” in it; otherwise, use two spoons to spoon the batter into the muffin cups, distributing all of the batter evenly. The batter should mound higher than the rim of the cups by about 3/4 inch. Bake until the muffins are golden brown and spring back lightly when you press the middle, 30 to 35 minutes. (The muffin tops will probably meld together.) Let the tin cool on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes.

For the Glaze:
Put the confectioners’ sugar in a small mixing bowl. Add 6 Tbs. of water and whisk until smooth. The glaze should be thin enough that it will drip off a spoon; if it’s more like a spreadable icing, thin it with more water, 1 Tbs. at a time.

When the muffins have cooled down but are still slightly warm, use a table knife to separate the tops, and then invert the pan and pop out the muffins. Put the muffins on a rack over foil to catch any glaze that drips off. Dab the glaze on the muffins with a pastry brush, or spoon the glaze on and let it drip over the sides. It should leave a smooth, somewhat translucent coating. You may not need all of the glaze. Wait 20 to 30 minutes for the glaze to set; it won’t dry completely.

Topping:
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
pinch of kosher salt
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix egg whites, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Set aside.

Cake:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until blended, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly. Stir in flour mixture alternately with sour cream in three additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix only until just blended, then gently stir in chocolate chips. Spoon evenly into greased 10″ tube pan, smoothing top with spatula. Spoon topping evenly over batter, but do not stir in. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto plate, then invert again onto plate so that nuts are on top. When cool, drizzle with glaze if desired.

Glaze:  (optional)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp sour cream
Milk to thin

Blend until smooth and of desired consistency. Drizzle over cake.

1/2 cup wild rice, cooked
2 1/2 cups white rice, cooked
2 Tbsp. butter
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 onion, coarsely chopped
8 oz chicken broth
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add celery and onion; saute until tender. Add shredded carrot, chicken broth, cranberries and seasonings. Simmer gently until cranberries are plump, about 10 minutes. Stir in cooked white rice and wild rice. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until thoroughly heated. Taste; adjust seasonings if needed.

1 pkg turkey sausages, casings removed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 (15 oz) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
32 oz chicken broth
10 oz fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Remove sausage from casings, breaking into small pieces. Cook sausage in olive oil; drain and crumble. Add onion and garlic to pan; saute until soft. Add turkey back into pan, then add beans, tomatoes, and broth. Cover pan and simmer until hot. Add spinach and heat until just wilted. Serve with Parmesan shavings and crushed red pepper for a little heat.

Cut potatoes into small, bite-size cubes. Dice peppers; chop onions. In large pot, saute onions and peppers in reserved bacon fat until soft. Add chicken broth and potatoes; bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat, cooking for about 10 minutes. Uncover, stir in corn and creamed corn; cook until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Whisk flour into milk. Strain into soup, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Add bacon; stir in parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls; garnish with shredded cheese.

Optional: Instead of bacon, add diced fully-cooked ham.

Toss first 7 ingredients in a large bowl to mix and coat.

To serve, line a large serving platter with lettuce; top with ham mixture and sprinkle with almonds. Serves 4