Neapolitan Holiday Cookies

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

8 oz. almond paste

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs, separated

2 cups flour

20 drops red food coloring

12 drops green food coloring

1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

1/4 cup apricot preserves

6 oz. dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350° F. 

Coat 3 quarter-sheet pans (9 in x 13 in x 2 in) with cooking spray. 

Line each pan with parchment paper, and coat the paper with cooking spray as well.

Place the almond paste in the bowl of a stand mixer. Break it up into small

pieces with a fork. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and add the butter

and sugar to the bowl. Beat the mixture on high speed until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium, add the egg yolks, and beat until incorporated.

Turn the mixer off and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until

well combined. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.

Clean the mixer thoroughly, and fit the mixer with the whisk attachment.

Beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Fold the egg whites into the batter until thoroughly blended. 

Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the batter to a medium bowl, then transfer 

another 1 1/2 cups of the batter to a second medium bowl.
Add the red food coloring to one of the bowls, and stir until the batter 

is tinted throughout. Add the green food coloring to the second bowl, and stir

until the batter is tinted throughout. Scrape each of the three batters into one of the 

prepared pans, using the spatula to spread the batter to the edges. 

Bake, rotating and switching the positions of the pan halfway through, until the 

edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool in the pans for about 5 minutes,

then invert onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.

To assemble, place the green layer on a large cutting board or a large inverted baking sheet

lined with wax paper. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the top. 

Place the yellow layer on top and spread with the apricot preserves. 

Top with the red layer. Cover with plastic wrap, and place a 

heavy cutting board on top to weigh it down.

Refrigerate overnight. 

Place the chocolate chips in a microwaveable bowl and melt in the microwave 

on low power about 2 minutes. Spread the chocolate on top of the 

cooled cake, and let dry slightly.

Trim the rim of the cake with a serrated knife to make clean edges.
Cut the cake crosswise into twelve 1-inch-wide strips, then cut

lengthwise into 1 1/4-inch strips.

The cookies will keep covered, up to 1 week.

Pistachio Stars

Ingredients:

8 oz. unsalted raw shelled pistachios

1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling

1/4 teaspoon orange zest

2 large egg whites

1 teaspoon corn starch

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

To make the pistachio flour, add the pistachios, orange zest, and powdered

sugar into a food processor until very finely ground. Set aside.

Combine the egg whites and salt in a mixing bowl.

Mix with an electric mixer until the egg whites become foamy.

Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat on high, until stiff peaks form.

Add in the corn starch and mix until combined.

Set aside one-quarter of the meringue mixture.

Fold the remaining meringue into the pistachio flour until a thick paste forms.

Preheat the oven to 300°

Sift a generous amount of powdered sugar onto some parchment paper. 

Add the paste onto the parchment paper, and top with more powdered sugar.

Add another piece of parchment paper on top, and roll out until 1/4 inch thick.

Dip a star cookie cutter in some powdered sugar and stamp out stars.

Add them onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

The cookies should be soft and chewy.

*This recipe can also be made with almond flour.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb farfalle pasta

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Cherry tomatoes

Kalamata olives

Spinach

Pesto

Goat or feta cheese

Red pepper flakes

Basil for garnish

Begin by baking the chicken breasts in the oven at 375° for about 45 minutes.

While the chicken breasts bake, cook the pasta. Add a few pinches

of salt once the water is boiling to flavor your pasta. 

In the meantime, chop up the tomatoes and olives into bite-sized pieces. 

You can use how every many tomatoes and olives you would like in this recipe.

Wash about two handfuls of spinach.

Once the chicken has finished cooking, shred it by using two forks, and set aside.

Heat up some olive oil in a large pan, and add in the red pepper flakes, tomatoes, olives, 

spinach, and shredded chicken until warm and the spinach has wilted.

Add the cooked pasta into the pan along with two spoonfuls of pesto, and 

mix well until combined. 

Add the goat or feta cheese on top of the pasta, and garnish with some basil.

Enjoy!

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 package active dry yeast

4 cups flour

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Vegetable oil, for pan

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Pretzel salt

Combine the water, sugar, and salt in a bowl, and sprinkle the yeast on top.

Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.

Add the flour and butter and mix until combined. 

Knead the dough until it's smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, and oil it well with vegetable oil.

Return the dough to the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.

Let the dough sit in a warm place for ~1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper, and 

lightly brush them with vegetable oil.

Bring 10 cups of water and baking soda to a rolling boil in a saucepan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface, and

divide into 8 equal pieces.

Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope.

Make a U-shape with the rope, cross the ends over each other two times, and 

fold them back onto the curved portion of the dough to make the pretzel shape.

Place onto the parchment-lined sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, one by one, for 30 seconds.

Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula.

Return them to the sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the

egg yolk and water mixture, and sprinkle with pretzel salt.

Bake until dark golden brown in color, ~12 to 14 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy!

Goveda Corba (Bosnian Beef Stew)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds cubed beef

5 garlic cloves

1 onion

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 cups beef broth

2 cups water

1 cup tomato sauce

4-5 potatoes

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons chopped dill

Preheat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, and add a drizzle of olive oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the cubed beef.

Season the beef with a few pinches of salt and brown the meat.

Add in the minced garlic and diced onion. Saute until onion is soft and translucent.

Then, add the seasonings: salt, black pepper, paprika, and cumin,

Cook the mixture for a few more minutes, then pour in the tomato sauce, beef broth, and water.

Bring the liquids to a simmer, close the pan with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the

heat to low, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender.

Once the beef has reached the desired level of tenderness, remove it into a 

small bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the cubed potatoes.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook covered for 25 minutes or 

until the potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the cornstarch slurry.

Combine the cornstarch and heavy cream until smooth. 

Once the potatoes are cooked, add the slurry into the sauce, and return the beef to the mixture.

Stir and cook for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens.

Serve with chopped dill and a dollop of sour cream.

Pavlova

For the Meringue:

4 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1 1/4 cups superfine sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar

A few drops of vanilla extract

For the Topping:

1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered

1/2 teaspoon high-quality vanilla extract

1 teaspoon high-quality balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons superfine sugar

2 cups heavy cream

Preparation:

To prepare meringue, heat oven to 350°.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and draw a circle on the

paper using an 8 or 9 inch cake pan as a guide.

Flip the parchment paper over so the pencil marking is face down (this ensures

that the pencil won't transfer to the meringue).

In bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and salt. 

Begin beating at low speed, slowly increasing to high. 

Continue until satiny peaks begin to form; gradually beat in sugar 

a tablespoon at a time until meringue is stiff and shiny.

Sprinkle in cornstarch, white-wine vinegar and vanilla, and fold gently. 

Mound onto parchment within circle, and shape into a disk, flattening

top and smoothing sides. 

Place in oven, and immediately reduce heat to 300°. 

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Turn off heat, and allow meringue to cool completely in oven.

To prepare topping, in a mixing bowl, combine strawberries, vanilla, 

balsamic vinegar, and sugar. 

Cover with plastic wrap. 

Let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

To serve, carefully peel off parchment and place meringue on a platter or cake stand. 

Gently crack the top with the back of a soup spoon to make a shallow nest

for the whipped cream and berries.

Whip cream until it is thick enough to hold peaks, and spoon it evenly 

over meringue. 

Cover cream with strawberries, allowing a small amount of their liquid 

to dribble onto cream.

Serve immediately and enjoy!