Roasted potatoes are great comfort food and go great with all types of meats and veggies. This is an awesome recipe because you can get perfect potatoes without turning the oven on. Everything from boiling to browning is done in the pan saving you time and energy, especially during the summer months.

Serve this dish at your next BBQ, family meal or picnic. You can also let the potatoes cool and create a great potato salad.

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Pan Roasted Potatoes

Place all of the ingredients into a large a pan and cover with a lid or tightly fit aluminum foil. Bring the liquid to a simmer and let cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are 3/4 cooked through. To check doneness, stick the potatoes with a knife, and the center should be firm.

Remove the lid from the pan and let the potatoes cook until all of the liquid is gone. Let the potatoes brown in the fat, tossing every 3 minutes until crispy on all sides. Season with salt and pepper then garnish with herbs and lemon if you like.

Kale, Blueberry and Wheatberry Salad

• 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tsp. Honey
• 1 tsp. Mustard
• 1 tsp. Dried Herbs

Place the first 4 ingredients into bowl. Place the next 5 ingredients into a bowl and whisk until smooth. Place 2 tablespoons of the dressing over the salad and toss lightly to coat.

Parsnips are a truly under appreciated root veggie. Whether raw or cooked, steamed, fried, baked, mashed or sautéed, parsnips pack nutritional and flavorful punch that can't be beat. With the sweetness of a carrot with the starchiness of a potato, parsnips can be used in a million different ways and please the whole family. Try this recipe for simple pan roasted parsnips and feel free to add various root veggies like carrots, turnips or even beats.

Pan Roasted Parsnips

Pre heat the oven to 400 F. Place the butter in an oven safe pan, let it melt then add the parsnips, salt and seasonings. Toss this together, then place the pan in the oven and cook for 40 minutes, tossing after 20 minutes. Cook until parsnips are tender and golden brown.

Potato Gnocchi With Butter and Cinnamon

Remove the skin from the cooled potato and shred on a grater. Place 1 cup of flour, salt and cinnamon on a flat surface and make a well in the middle. Place the potato and egg in bowl and start to mix the wet ingredients together incorporating a small amount of flour until the dough forms. Lightly knead the dough on the floured surface adding a small amount of flour until it is light and does not stick to the surface.

Cut off a small portion of the dough, roll into a snake, then cut the snake into small 3/4-inch portions. Roll the gnocchi across the back of a fork to make the indentations, place on a sheet tray and freeze for 10 minutes. Boil the pasta in salted water until they float to the top, about 90 seconds. While that is cooking, warm the butter in a pan over medium heat. When the butter starts to brown add the sage and cinnamon, cook for one minute, add the gnocchi and sauté for one minute and serve immediately.

Baked Cauliflower with Parmesan Cheese

Pre heat the oven to 450 F. Place an oven safe skillet over medium heat, add the butter and let it melt. Place the chopped cauliflower, salt, pepper and chili to the pan and toss to combine. Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes to bake, about 20-30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the cheese on top and a squeeze of lemon. Place under the broiler for 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes & Feta Cheese

Boil a large pot of salted water, add the pasta and cook until al dente. While that is cooking place a skillet over medium heat, add the oil and sauté the garlic and asparagus, cook until golden. Add the tomatoes and cook for one minute then toss in the pasta, feta and herbs. Season the dish with fresh pepper to taste.

Cheesy Mushroom Appetizers

Pre heat the oven to 400° F. Place a skillet over medium heat, add the butter and when it stops foaming add the mushrooms and toss. Cook the mushrooms for 3 minutes and then toss, repeat until the mushrooms are golden brown. Place the sliced bread on a baking sheet; spread the mushrooms evenly on each slice of bread, top with cheese and fresh pepper. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Vegan Mushroom and Pecan Pate (Spread)

Mix together the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl and marinate the mushrooms. Puree the mushrooms, marinade, soaked pecans, dried mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes into a chunky paste. Add a tablespoon of the mushroom liquid if it is too thick. Serve with toasted bread or crackers. Garnish with fresh or dried herbs.

Hanukah time is here my friends and I want to share a great recipe for classic and super authentic potato pancakes or "Latkes". Latkes in this new golden age of the home gourmet can also include spinach, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes and beets. They are easy to make, fun to eat and go well with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

How can you go wrong with fried potatoes? Well, a great latke is thin, golden brown, crispy and best straight out of the pan. A bad latke is soggy, mushy, undercooked, and oil logged.

Follow these 5 tips for great potato latkes and don't forget to make extra to put under your Hanukah bush!

1. Drain the potatoes well so they latkes get crisp and brown.

2. Utilize the potato starch to help thicken the mixture.

3. Use a mixture of chicken fat (schmaltz) and oil to fry the latkes. This will give them that authentic flavor.

4. Make sure you cover the bottom of a heavy skillet with oil and that it starts to smoke a little before you add the potato mixture.

5. Once you drop the shredded potato in the pan, do not touch and let it brown then turn and repeat. When the latkes are done, remove them from the pan, drain on paper towels and keep in a 225 F oven until service.

Homemade Potato Latkes

• 2 lbs Potato, Shredded
• ½ Onion, Shredded
• 2 Eggs
• 3 tbsp Canola Oil
• 4 oz Chicken Skin or rendered chicken fat (schmaltz)
• 1 tsp Salt and Pepper

Place the shredded potatoes and onion into cheesecloth or a kitchen towel and press out all of the water. If you don't squeeze out the water your pancakes will become sticky and gummy. Let the potato water sit for 5 minutes, pour off the water and remove the potato starch from the bottom. The starch will help bind the latkes together. Add the starch, onions, eggs and seasoning to the bowl and mix well to combine.

Place a large pan over low/medium heat, add the chicken skin to the pan and let the fat render until the skin is crispy then remove. Add a small amount oil to the pan and bring up to heat. When the fat starts to smoke, place a spoonful of the potato mixture into the pan and flatten to ¼ of an inch. Allow the latkes to fry until golden brown on one side then turn and repeat. Remove the latkes from the pan, place on paper towels to drain and season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with fresh applesauce and sour cream.

The temperature is dropping and when my bones start to chill the first thing I reach for is a hot bowl of tomato soup. This is a great recipe that uses the spices and flavors in a bottled tomato sauce and mixes is up with canned broth to make a satisfying (better than canned) soup. While this is simmering you can add more flavors like bay leaf and dried Italian herbs for an herbal quality, sugar and chili flakes for a little sweet and spicy and finally balsamic vinegar to boost the tomato flavors. A little drop of heavy cream is added to lighten and enrich the texture and flavor of the soup.

Garnish this soup with your choice of cooked rice or pasta, chopped jalapeño and avocado, chopped tomato, green onion, blue cheese, parmesan, cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon or chopped basil for an extra special kick!

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Easy Tomato Soup

Place the first 6 ingredients into a medium pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the cream then season with salt and pepper to taste. You can add a drop of balsamic vinegar to enhance the flavor as well!