​​When you want an impressive centerpiece for Sunday dinner or a special-occasion meal, you can't go wrong with this golden chicken. The moist, tender meat is enhanced with a hint of orange, savory and thyme. 

• 1 roasting chicken (6 to 7 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried savory
• 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Place chicken on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Carefully loosen the skin above the breast meat. Combine the onion salt, thyme, savory, orange zest and pepper; rub half of the herb mixture under the loosened skin. Rub chicken skin with oil; sprinkle with remaining herb mixture.
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Bake at 375° until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Let stand for 10-15 minutes. Remove skin before carving. Skim fat and thicken pan juices for gravy if desired.

Swedish flop was one of my Gramma Esther's favorites. Found mainly in the Chicago area, this combination of fluffy yeasted cake and buttercream is, like Esther herself, a showstopper.  I have substituted margarine for all but the buttercream frosting.  


1 package (1/4 ounce) quick-rise yeast
2/3 cup warm whole milk (110° to 115°)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

streusel:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

ermine frosting:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup rhubarb or raspberry jam
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast and milk; let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in butter, sugar, eggs, zest and vanilla. With the paddle attachment, beat in flour and salt until shiny, 3-4 minutes (batter will be very loose and sticky). Place in a greased bowl; lightly sprinkle surface with additional flour. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Lightly grease a 13x9-in. baking pan; line pan with parchment, letting ends extend up sides. Transfer dough to prepared pan; cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Meanwhile, for streusel, in a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and salt. Add butter and rub together until coarse crumbs form; refrigerate while dough rises.
Sprinkle streusel evenly over dough. Bake on the center rack until edges start to brown, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

For frosting, whisk flour, milk, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Remove and let cool completely. Whisk butter and extracts on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cooled flour mixture; beat until fluffy and mousse like, about 5 minutes.
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Remove cake from pan. Using a serrated knife, cut 1/4 in. off outside edges; slice cake horizontally into 2 layers. Spread frosting evenly over bottom layer; top with jam. Replace top of cake; dust with confectioners' sugar.

Hummus is my go-to appetizer when I need something quick, easy and impressive. Over the years I've picked up a number of tricks that make this the best hummus recipe you'll ever have.


1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup tahini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cold water
Optional: Olive oil, roasted garbanzo beans, toasted sesame seeds, ground sumac

Place garbanzo beans in a large saucepan; add water to cover by 1 in. Gently rub beans together to loosen outer skin. Pour off water and any skins that are floating. Repeat 2-3 times until no skins float to the surface; drain. Return to saucepan; add baking soda and enough water to cover by 1 in. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until beans are very tender and just starting to fall apart, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender, process lemon juice, garlic and salt until almost a paste. Let stand 10 minutes; strain, discarding solids. Stir in cumin. In a small bowl, stir together tahini and olive oil.
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Add beans to blender; add cold water. Loosely cover and process until completely smooth. Add lemon mixture and process. With blender running, slowly add tahini mixture, scraping sides as needed. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and cumin if desired.
Transfer mixture to a serving bowl; cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. If desired, top with additional olive oil and assorted toppings.

The ingredient list may seem long for this saucy pork, but most of these items are common things you’ll already have in your kitchen. Plus, once the sauce is mixed, the slow cooker does the rest.


1/2 to 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup whiskey
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 boneless pork shoulder butt roast (3 to 4 pounds)
1 medium onion, quartered
8 hamburger buns, split    

In a small bowl, mix the first 12 ingredients. Place pork roast and onion in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add sauce mixture. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until pork is tender.

Remove roast and onion. Cool pork slightly; discard onion. Meanwhile, skim fat from sauce. If desired, transfer sauce to a small saucepan; bring to a boil and cook to thicken slightly.
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Shred pork with 2 forks. Return pork and sauce to slow cooker; heat through. Serve on buns.

Shrimp with lobster sauce is a classic takeout style dish that’s a bit of a misnomer. There’s really no lobster in the dish at all. This fact didn’t stop millions of people from enjoying the dish at many Chinese restaurants over the years, however. The delicious shrimp speak for themselves and the luxurious egg and pork sauce complements everything nicely. The best part? You don’t have to spend a huge amount of money on lobster.

8 oz. shrimp
4 oz. ground pork 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic 
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 1/2 cups  chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground white pepper (to taste)
½ cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed into a slurry with 2 tablespoons water)
1 egg (beaten slightly)
1 scallion (chopped)

Peel and devein the shrimp. Boil 2 cups of water in a large wok and stir in the ground pork. Break up any clumps and cook for about 1 minute, until the pork is no longer pink. Drain the pork in a mesh strainer and give it a quick rinse. This will give you a much clearer, cleaner sauce.

Wash your wok and place over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil, garlic, ground pork, and shrimp and stir-fry for 10-20 seconds. Add the wine and stir-fry for another 10 seconds. Add the chicken stock, sesame oil, sugar, salt, and white pepper. Stir in the peas.
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Once the mixture comes to a simmer, stir in the cornstarch slurry a little bit at a time. Let the mixture bubble and thicken. It should be able to coat a spoon, but it shouldn’t have a gloopy consistency. If it gets too thick, add a little more chicken stock. If it’s too thin, add more slurry.
Spread the slightly beaten egg and scallion across the mixture and let simmer for 5 seconds. Use your spatula to fold the egg into the sauce with a few strokes. Serve over white rice.