1 cup wheat berries (soaked overnight and drained)
3 cups water
sea salt
1 large (2 pound) acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeds scooped out
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
nonstick cooking spray
freshly ground black pepper
6 cups green leaf lettuce, cleaned and dried
¼ cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Go-To Vinaigrette
¼ cup pecans, toasted
1 ounce blue cheese, crumbled
¼ cup dried cranberries

Combine wheat berries and water with a pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until tender. Drain off any excess water and set aside.

While wheat berries are cooking, preheat oven to 400. Place squash halves flesh side down in a microwave safe dish and cover with a paper towel. Microwave on high for 12 minutes (if your microwave doesn’t have a rotating dish, rotate the plate every 2 minutes). Remove squash (be careful of steam) to a cutting board and let cool flesh side up until cool enough to handle (1-2 minutes). Carefully cut into 1/2-inch wedges and peel off skin. Microwave the butter and syrup in a bowl for 30 seconds and stir to mix.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Lay the squash wedges down, brush with maple glaze and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip and repeat on the other side. Bake for 5 minutes. Carefully flip wedges over and bake another 5-6 minutes.

While squash is cooking, mix together lettuce, scallions and drained wheat berries and toss with vinaigrette. Divide evenly onto four plates. Top with squash wedges, pecans, crumbled blue cheese, cranberries and a twist of freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 4

2 ounces prosciutto
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 slices whole grain sandwich bread
1 medium Anjou pear, halved, cored, and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 ounces creamy goat cheese
Cooking spray

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook prosciutto 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside on paper towel.
Spread mustard on one side of all 4 slices of bread. Spread goat cheese on 2 slices. Add a layer of pear and prosciutto on top of the goat cheese and top with the other slices of bread (mustard-side down). Press down lightly with your palm to seal sandwiches.

Lightly coat both sides of sandwiches with cooking spray.

Wipe out the skillet you used for the prosciutto and heat over medium heat. Toast sandwiches 4 to 5 minutes per side, pressing down with the spatula, until golden brown on both sides and cheese is melted.

Slice sandwiches in half and serve.

Serves 4

2 cups Celery Root, Potato and Apple Mash
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg
¼ cup scallions, chopped
1-½ ounce gruyere cheese, grated (or a hard, aged gouda)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Stir together potato mash, flour, egg, scallions and cheese until well mixed (should be the consistency of a stiff batter).

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Use a measuring cup sprayed with cooking spray to spoon a slightly heaping 1/4 cup potato mixture around the pan (allow space between them for air to circulate–you may have to cook in batches). Flatten gently with the back of the measuring cup.

Cook for 5-7 minutes, until bottom is crispy and browned when you peek, and then carefully flip each one. Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes on the second side. Remove from skillet and arrange on a platter or plates.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 cup onion, diced (roughly 1/3 of a large onion)
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups orange-fleshed sweet potato (also called garnet yams), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 pounds, or roughly 2 large sweet potatoes)
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
sea salt
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Heat peanut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, sweet potatoes, coriander, cumin and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until onions are translucent.

Pour in 2 cups broth and peanut butter and stir until smooth. Add remaining broth, tomato paste and pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until sweet potatoes are soft, but not mushy. Season with additional salt (amount will depend on how salty your peanut butter is … you should add enough so that the flavors “pop,” but it doesn’t taste overtly salty).

Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serves 6

My husband claims to not be very fond of egg salad . . . but he loves deviled eggs. I, on the other hand, can’t be bothered with filling those fragile egg white shells. So this is my compromise. An egg salad that tastes like deviled eggs (with a little added heft from minced celery). Heaven.

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and mashed
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1/4 cup celery, minced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
dash of Tabasco to taste

Mix together all ingredients together. Serve scooped onto crackers and dusted with additional paprika, or in whole wheat pitas lined with lettuce.

Serves 4

5 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2-1/2 cups low-fat eggnog
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons toasted chopped walnuts

Position 1 rack in middle of oven; position second rack in top. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Whisk together the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Place eggnog in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat; heat to 180 degrees F or until tiny bubbles form around the edges (do not boil). Gradually pour eggnog into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large 4-cup measuring cup or clean spouted bowl. Skim any foam from surface of custard.

Arrange 8 (5-ounce) ramekins in a 9x-13-inch baking pan. Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet. (This will make it easier to maneuver the pan in and out of the oven.)

Pour maple syrup evenly into ramekins. Top evenly with custard. Skim any bubbles from surface of custard. Fill pan with hot water to a depth of 1-1/2 inches. Place pan on middle rack of oven. Place a second baking sheet on top rack (this prevents the tops of the flans from browning). Bake 45 minutes or until set. Carefully remove ramekins from pan. Cool to room temperature. Cover, and refrigerate 24 hours or up to 3 days.

To serve, run a thin, sharp knife around the edge of each flan. Place a dessert plate upside-down over each flan. Invert to unmold flan, allowing maple to drizzle over flan. Garnish with nuts.

Serves 8

A trio of root veggies, in lieu of traditional potato, make these latkes a touch sweet while exotic spices add a bit of heat.

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups peeled and grated carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
2 cups peeled and grated parsnips (about 3 medium parsnips)
2 cups peeled and grated golden beets (about 1 large beet)
1/4 cup peeled and grated onion
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup olive oil

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, ginger, coriander, cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper. Fold in carrots, parsnips, beets and onions and stir to coat well. Add eggs and mix well, until evenly moist.

Heat 3/4 cup of the olive oil in a large, nonstick pan over medium to medium-high heat (test the oil with a pinch of the batter–it should sizzle when it hits the pan). Using a 1/2-cup measure, drop a heaping dollop of batter into the pan, leaving enough room between each for air to circulate (you’ll probably get 5-6 mounds at a time).

Let batter set for 2 minutes, then flatten gently with a stiff spatula. Cook for 3-5 more minutes, until crisp on the bottom, and flip. Cook 4-6 minutes on the second side, until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate as they’re done.

When first batch is complete, add remaining 1/4 cup olive oil to pan and swirl to coat. When hot, repeat with remaining batter.

Makes 12-16 latkes (serves 6-8)

Half of a bone-in turkey breast (3 to 3-1/2 pounds)

BRINE
½ gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
4 cups apple cider

RUB
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced sage
freshly ground black pepper

GLAZE
1 cup cider
1 teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
2 star anise

To make the brine, heat water, salt, sugar and spices in a large stock pot over medium heat just until the salt and sugar dissolve. Pour in cold cider. Submerge turkey, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together all the ingredients for the rub in a bowl. Place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of a roasting pan. Remove the turkey from the brine and place in pan. Pat thoroughly dry with a paper towel.

Wedge your fingertips just under the skin to carefully separate skin from meat. Use your fingers to smear the rub under the skin, then massage it (I find it easier to press on the skin to move the rub underneath, so the butter doesn’t stick to my fingers) to evenly coat the meat. Roast turkey for 30 minutes.

While turkey is roasting, bring the cider and spices for the glaze to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for 5-7 minutes, until the consistency of a light syrup.

When turkey has cooked 30 minutes, brush all over with glaze. Roast another 15-20 minutes (an instant-read thermometer should read 165), glazing every 5.

Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Serves 8-12

* Carving Note: It’s easiest to cut the breast into nice, neat slices after you’ve sliced it off the bone. Turn the breast upside down to study the bone. Then carefully cut along it to release the meat. Turn the breast right side up again and cut against the grain into thick slices.

2-1/2 tablespoons five spice powder
1 tablespoon coriander
½ to 1 teaspoon ground Szechwan pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3–4 pound boneless pork shoulder roast

Preheat oven to 275. Mix together spices and salt in a small bowl. Take pork out of its netting and rub the spice mixture all over, getting it into the nooks and crannies.

Place pork in a Dutch oven, cover and bake in the oven for 3–1/2 to 4 hours, until pork falls apart with the touch of a fork.

Serves 12

Note: If you’d like to crisp up either medium-sized chunks or fully-shredded meat, saute in a bit of the pork fat or canola oil.

Soaking the hardwood is crucial for successful barbecue. As you may have learned while camping, wet wood produces lots of smoke–bad for camp-outs but just what you want for barbecue. For brisket and other relatively lean cuts, basting is necessary to keep the meat moist; any kind of high-quality beer will work well in this recipe. Hardwood chunks are ideal, since they burn slowly and produce gentle, consistent smoke.

Rub:

1 whole (8-pound) beef brisket, cleaned and trimmed
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup stone-ground mustard
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons freshly black pepper
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2 tablespoons ground cumin

Baste:

1/2 cup good beer
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

24 to 36 hours ahead:

To prepare the rub, slather beef with mustard. Combine sugar and next 7 ingredients (through cumin); press evenly onto meat. Cover, and refrigerate at least 12 and up to 36 hours.

24 hours ahead:

Soak 10 pounds of hardwood chunks in water. (If you use hardwood chips, they only need to soak for 2 hours.)

To prepare the baste, combine beer, vinegar, and Worcestershire in a clean spray bottle; refrigerate.

12 hours ahead:

If you have a smoker with a side firebox, you probably already know how to stoke it. If you’re using a charcoal or gas grill, build the fire on one side of the grill. Add some of the soaked hardwood to the hot coals (or place it in a smoker box or foil pouch if using a gas grill).

When the temperature has reached about 200 F, place brisket in smoker or on the unheated side of the grill and cover.  Mind the fire to maintain this temperature throughout the cooking process. Baste the meat with beer mixture and add new wet wood every hour or so, for a total cooking time of 10-12 hours.

The beef is ready when the internal temperature registers about 170 F on a meat thermometer.  It will be completely charred black on the outside (don’t worry, that’s a good thing).  Let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing it across the grain. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce and plenty of cold beer.

Serves 24