Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

•  1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
•  1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425
• Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. 
• I doubled entire recipe but only used one can of sweetened condensed milk plus one can full of whole milk to adjust sweetness.
• Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. 
• Cool
• Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Chestnut Italian Wedding Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen 1-inch cookies

1 cup cooked chestnuts
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon + additional for coating
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour

Chop-chop-chop those chestnuts as fine as you can, then use an electric mixer to whip the butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Add the vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, flour and chestnuts and beat until well blended.]

Divide dough and wrap each half in plastic, chilling for one hour or until firm. Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and a few pinches of cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside. Working with one half of the chilled dough at at time, roll it into 2 teaspoon-sized balls in the palm of your hand.

Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet but no need to leave more than 1/2 inch between the cookies; they won’t spread.

Bake cookies until golden brown on bottom and just pale golden on top, about 14 to 17 minutes.

Cool cookies 5 minutes on baking sheet.

Gently toss warm cookies in cinnamon sugar to coat completely. Transfer coated cookies to rack and cool completely.

To touch them up before serving, you can sift some of the leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture over them.

Do ahead: Dough can be chilled in the fridge for a day or two, longer in the freezer. Chestnuts can be roasted in advance, kept at room temperature for a day or so. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a week.

Basalmic Glaze Baked Chicken

Marinade:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions:

• Whisk together everything in marinade and place chicken in marinade for at least 20 minutes
• Preheat oven to 425
• Cut up potatoes and mix with olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Toss to mix.
• Coat frying pan in cooking oil and preheat pan
• Sear chicken for 2 minutes on each side
• Dump potatoes on top of chicken
• Bake at 425 for 20 minutes (about 10 minutes in, pour remainder of marinade on top of the chicken)

(I like my vegetables a little more well done, so I cook the potatoes and chicken separately and then combine to serve)