Martinis & variations

Martini

Gin, frozen, (Hendricks or Venus)	4 ounces
Vermouth, sweet	Splash
Olives or lemon rind	Garnish

1. Swirl the vermouth in a frozen martini glass, tossing any that doesn’t freeze to the glass. 
2. Pour in the gin.
3. Garnish with olives or lemon.

Appletini

Vodka, Skky	1 ½ ounces
Vodka, apple flavored	1 ½ ounces
Green apple syrup	¼ ounce
Lemon  juice, fresh	¼ ounce
Apple slice	Garnish

1. Shake all ingredients (excluding the garnish) with ice.
2. Pour into a chilled glass.
3. Garnish with apple slice, if you’re feeling fancy.

Chocolatini

Bailey’s Irish Creme	2 ounces
Creme de Cacao	1 ounce
Vodka, Skky	1 ounce
Cocoa powder	1 tablespoon
Sugar, brown	1 tablespoon

1. Combine the cocoa powder and sugar on a plate. 
2. Shake all liquid ingredients with ice. 
3. Wet the rim of a chilled glass with Bailey’s, and coat the glass’s rim with the cocoa-sugar mixture. 
4. Pour the chocolatini into the glass, and serve.

Chicken nuggets with roasted tomatoes, olives & asparagus

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 30 minutes; Serves: 4

Tomatoes, cherry, halved	3 ½ cups
Asparagus tips	20
Garlic, halved	10 cloves
Oil, olive	1 tablespoon
Salt, sea	½ teaspoon
Plantain chips, crushed into breadcrumbs	6 ounces
Garlic powder	2 teaspoons
Pesto	7 ounces
Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, sliced into mini fillets	4
Olives, black, pitted, drained	4 ounces

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. 
2. Spread the tomatoes and asparagus on a rimmed sheet pan, and scatter over the garlic cloves. 
3. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt; roast for 15 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the crushed plantain chips and the garlic powder. 
5. Place the pesto in a separate bowl. 
6. Dip each chicken fillet into the pesto, then into the plantain mixture to coat. 
7. Add the olives to the roasted tomatoes, and place the chicken nuggets on a separate sheet pan; bake for 12 minutes, or until the nuggets are cooked. 

Recipe mildly modified from Sheet Pan Dinners by Jenny Tschiesche & Liz Franklin.

Slow-roasted salmon with walnut-olive vinaigrette

Active: 20 minutes; Total 50 minutes; Serves: 6

Olive oil, extra virgin	½ cup + ¼ cup
Paprika, smoked	1 tablespoon
Lemon, zest and juice	1 tablespoon zest + 3 tablespoons juice
Salmon	2 ½ pounds
Salt, kosher	2 ½ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon
Pepper, freshly ground	½ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon
Parsley, flat leaf, finely chopped	½ cup
Walnuts, toasted, finely chopped	¼ cup
Vinegar, champagne or white wine	¼ cup
Olives, kalamata, pitted, chopped	¼ cup
Olives, Castelvetrano, pitted, chopped	¼ cup

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F; set a rack in the middle position. 
2. Whisk ½-cup oil and paprika in a small bowl; set aside 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture, and then stir the lemon zest and juice into the oil mixture in the small bowl. 
3. Place the salmon in a large baking dish; sprinkle both sides with 2 ½-teaspoons salt and ½-teaspoon pepper (tuck the tapered end of the salmon under if needed to fit in the dish). 
4. Pour the lemon-paprika mixture over the salmon; bake until the thickest party of the salmon flakes easily with a fork, about 30 to 35 minutes, spooning lemon-paprika mixture in the baking dish over the salmon every 10 minutes. 
5. Remove from the oven; let rest 5 minutes. 
6. Whisk together parsley, walnuts, vinegar, olives, and ¼-cup oil in a small bowl; season with ¼-teaspoon salt and ¼-teaspoon pepper. 
7. Using two large spatulas, carefully lift the salmon from the baking dish, and transfer to a large platter; discard remaining lemon-paprika mixture in the baking dish. 
8. Spoon the walnut-olive vinaigrette on the salmon. 
9. Drizzle the salmon with the reserved oil mixture. 
10. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Recipe from Food&Wine, by Justin Chapple.

Chicken with ricotta dumplings

Active: 10 minutes; Total: 1 hour 10 minutes; Serves: 6

Cherry tomatoes	20 ounces
Olives, Nicoise	3/4 cup
Wine, dry red	1/3 cup
Salt	1/8 teaspoon +
Pepper, freshly ground	1/8 teaspoon +
Nutmeg, freshly ground	Pinch +
Chicken, boneless, skinless thighs	6
Olive oil, extra virgin	1 tablespoon
Ricotta	8 ounces
Parmesan, grated	½ cup + 2 tablespoons
Egg, lightly beaten	1 large
Flour, all-purpose	¼ cup
Oregano, fresh snipped	1 tablespoon

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. 
2. In a 3-quart rectangular baking dish, combine the tomatoes, olives, wine, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; bake 20 minutes. 
3. Pat chicken dry with paper towels; brush with oil. 
4. Add chicken to the tomato mixture; bake 20 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, ½ cup parmesan, egg, flour, oregano, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, and pinch of nutmeg. 
6. Drop dumpling dough from a tablespoon onto the hot chicken mixture. 
7. Sprinkle with 2-tablespoons parmesan; bake 20 minutes. 
8. Let stand 5 minutes, sprinkle with fresh oregano, and serve. 

Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens.

Orange chicken stew

Onion, chopped	1 medium
Bell pepper, red, chopped	1 medium
Carrots, thinly sliced	2 medium
Fennel bulb, trimmed, halved, core removed, thinly sliced	1 medium
Sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks	2 medium
Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless	1 ½ pounds
Salt, kosher
Pepper, freshly ground
Oil, olive	2 tablespoons
Thyme, dried	1 teaspoon
Broth, chicken	1 cup
Juice, orange	½ cup
Olives, kalamata, sliced	¼ cup
Parsley, chopped	¼ cup
Rice, cooked

1. Combine the vegetables in a bowl; set aside. 
2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. 
3. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. 
4. Brown the chicken, 3 to 4 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. 
5. Add the vegetables to the skillet with the thyme, a sprinkle of salt, and a few dashes of pepper, and sauté until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes. 
6. Return the chicken to the pan along with the broth and juice, and bring to a boil. 
7. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken and vegetables are tender. 
8. Scoop the chicken from the pot, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook the liquid and vegetables for another 3 to 4 minutes to reduce. 
9. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and return to the pot with half the parsley and the olives. 
10. Taste, and add more salt or pepper, as needed. 
11. Serve over the rice with a sprinkle of parsley. 

Recipe adapted from One Pan, Whole Family by Carla Snyder.

Boneless leg of lamb with tomato-olive relish

Lamb, boneless leg with a thin layer of fat	2 ½ to 3 pounds
Wine, dry red	½ cup
Oil, olive	¼ cup
Garlic, smashed	5 cloves
Fennel seeds, crushed	1 teaspoon
Salt, kosher	½ teaspoon
Pepper, freshly ground	½ teaspoon
Tomatoes, grape-sized, halved lengthwise, cut into thin slivers, but not seeded	1 cup
Olives, kalamata, cut lengthwise into thin slivers	½ cup
Basil, fresh, minced	3 tablespoons
Rosemary, fresh, minced	2 teaspoons
Fennel seeds, crushed	1 ½ teaspoons
Pepper, red flakes	¼ teaspoon

1. Place the lamb in a resealable plastic bag. 
2. In a small bowl, stir together the wine, oil, garlic, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper; pour over the lamb, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 3 to 8 hours, turning occasionally. 
3. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, basil, rosemary, fennel seeds, and pepper flakes; side aside at room temperature for up to 3 hours. 
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F; arrange a rack in the center of the oven. 
5. Remove the lamb from the marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. 
6. Over medium-high heat, warm enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of a large, heavy, ovenproof roasting pan. 
7. Add the lamb, and brown on all sides, for 6 to 8 minutes. 
8. Place the lamb in the oven, and roast until a thermometer registers 130°F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat, for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the roast. 
9. Remove the lamb to a carving board and tent loosely with foil; let rest for 15 minutes. 
10. Slice the meat ½-inch thick, and arrange the slices overlapping on a platter; serve with the tomato-olive relish. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Sunday Roasts by Betty Rosbottom.