This recipe, from Sandra Lee of Semi-Homemade Cooking, is from www.foodnetwork.com.

For the tea:

4 Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea bags

4 cups water

½ cup simple syrup, or to taste (see accompanying recipe)

½ orange, cut into wedges

½ lime, cut into wedges

8 frozen raspberries

Put tea bags in a heatproof pitcher. In a saucepan bring water just to a boil and pour over tea bags. Steep tea 5 minutes and remove tea bags. Cool tea and chill, covered, until cold, about 1 hour. Stir in simple syrup, to taste. Squeeze orange and lime wedges into tea and add wedges. Serve tea in tall glasses. Garnish with frozen raspberries. 

For the simple syrup: 

¼ cup sugar

½ cup water 

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Add sugar and water to a microwave-safe bowl, then microwave for 1 minute. Stir in vanilla. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Let syrup cool. 

Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

To get your taste buds ready, give this recipe, from www.cooks.com, a try. Since rhubarb is now in season, you should have no problem finding it.

Crust: 

½ cup chopped walnuts 

1½ cups rolled oats 

1 cup brown sugar 

¼ teaspoon salt 

1½ cups flour 

1 cup butter or shortening 

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Filling: 

3 cups chopped rhubarb 

1½ cups sugar 

2 tablespoons cornstarch 

¼ cup water 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Combine all ingredients for crust and mix until crumbly. Pat half of the mixture into a 13-by-9- inch baking pan. To prepare the filling, combine rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is clear. Stir in vanilla. Pour filling over crust. Sprinkle with the remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool before slicing into serving sized bars.

2 pounds Yukon gold or russet potatoes

Salt

2 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup half-and-half

15 ounces ricotta cheese

Place the potatoes and about 2 teaspoons salt in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest, covered, until potatoes are very tender when pierced with a skewer (20 to 30 minutes). Scoop out a half cup of cooking water for later use. Drain the potatoes and water from the pot. In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Saute the garlic until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and return the potatoes to the pot. Break up with a potato masher, then gradually mash in water. The potatoes should be light and fluffy. Add salt to taste, reheat if necessary and serve. Make 6 servings.

Maple Mustard Salmon With Crispy Skin

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 6-ounce salmon fillets with skin, patted dry

2 tablespoons maple syrup

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Coarse sea salt or kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon minced chives (optional)

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and give it a few seconds to heat up. Place the salmon on the oil, skin-side down. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the skin is crisp, about 5 minutes. Cover the pan but leave the lid slightly ajar for steam to escape. Remove from the heat and let rest 3 to 5 minutes until the salmon is cooked through but still slightly rare. Stir the maple syrup and mustard together until combined. Drizzle the sauce over the serving plate and add the salmon, skin-side up. Garnish with sea salt, pepper and chives, and serve. Makes 4 servings.                 

 

A serving of this healthy recipe is low in calories (380) and high in carbohydrates (39 grams) and protein (13 grams). It is from Yahoo! Food.

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, quartered

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided

1 cup sour cream (use low- or no-fat to further reduce calories)

1 cup small curd cottage cheese

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon salt 

¼ teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)

3 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained (increase the fiber count by using whole-wheat noodles)

½ cup soft bread crumbs

Place the Brussels sprouts and a small amount of water in a saucepan; cover and cook until tender. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute the onions in 2 tablespoons butter until golden brown. Remove from the heat; stir in the sour cream, cottage cheese, garlic, paprika, salt and caraway seeds. Drain sprouts; add to onion mixture with noodles. Spread into a greased shallow 2-quart baking dish. Melt remaining butter and toss with bread crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6 servings.

This recipe is from www.foodnetwork.com.

1½ pounds Brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

This recipe is from Macaroni & Cheese, by Joan Schwartz.

6 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the baking dish

¼ cup cornbread crumbs

1 pound elbow macaroni

1 quart whole milk

6 tablespoons flour

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 ¼ cup (5 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese

1  cup (5 ounces) grated mild white cheddar cheese

1  cup (5 ounces) grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 3½-quart deep baking dish or a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spread the crumbs in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Bring the milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the 6 tablespoons of butter, add the flour and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk and continue whisking until smooth. Raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spoon. Season with salt and pepper and strain through a fine strainer.

Add the sauce to the cooked macaroni. Add 1 cup each of the Gruyere, cheddar and Grana Padano and mix well. Taste, and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Pour the macaroni mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. At this point, the macaroni and cheese may be cooled on the counter, covered and refrigerated for one day. Before proceeding, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the toasted cornbread crumbs evenly over the casserole and cover with foil. Bake on the middle shelf until heated through, about 20 minutes; remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown, an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

1 large loaf Italian bread

3 tablespoons dried basil

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

¼ cup grated Romano cheese

¼ cup dried parsley flakes

3 tablespoons garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice bread, spread out on a large baking sheet, and toast lightly until it is crisp and crumbly, but not dark. Set bread aside to cool. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, grind toasted bread into fine crumbs. In a large mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs with remaining ingredients. Store in a dry, airtight container in a cool, dry place. For best results, use within one week because like bread, breadcrumbs will become stale. Makes 3 cups.       

1/3  cup olive oil

6 ounces salt pork left whole or pancetta, coarsely chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 (28-ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes in juice, San Marzano variety preferred

½ cup (4 ounces) tomato paste

½ cup water, to rinse tomato paste can

½ bunch fresh basil, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper.

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the salt pork or pancetta. Add the onions and garlic and cook, without browning, until soft and translucent. Place the tomatoes in a bowl, squeeze tomatoes through your fingers and add to the pot. Stir in the tomato paste. Fill the tomato paste can with water, swirl it around to get all the paste and pour it into the sauce. Add the basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove salt pork. Makes 3 quarts.

“This is just my interpretation of Clams Casino, a popular appetizer invented right here in the Empire State,” DeCuffa writes. “I love the way the smoky bacon plays off the sweet shrimp in this dish.”