Roast Jerk Chicken

2 green onions                     1 jalapeno chili

1/8 cup canola oil                3 cloves garlic

2 T. lime juice                     2 T. soy sauce                     

1 T. brown sugar                 ¼ tsp. allspice                    

½ tsp. salt                           ¼ tsp. pepper

1 whole chicken

Directions:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line large, rimmed baking sheet with foil; place rack on foil. 

In a blender or food processor, blend green onions, garlic, chili, oil, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, allspice, salt and pepper until smooth.

Arrange chicken on rack.  With hands, gently loosen chicken skin from meat.  Spoon some green onion mixture into chicken cavity and under skin.  Rub remaining all over outside of chicken.  Tuck wings behind breast and tie drumsticks together with butcher’s twine.

Roast 1 hour.  Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Roast another 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked (165 degrees).

Comment:  Not spicy, just flavorful. 

Caramel Shards

2 tablespoons water

150 g (3/4 cup) sugar

Directions: Have a sheet of parchment paper ready on a heatproof surface. Measure the 2 tablespoons of water into a heavy-bottomed pan. Cover with the sugar and place over medium-low heat until the sugar starts to dissolve. Resist the temptation to stir the pan, as this can cause crystallization. Once the sugar starts to dissolve, turn up the heat to medium-high until the sugar is a dark golden brown.

Pour the caramel onto the parchment paper in a thin and even layer. Leave to cool, then use a sharp knife to chop into smallish shards. Be careful, as the caramel can be quite hard.

Use right away or store in a plastic bag or sealed container in the freezer. Do not store in the fridge or it will soften, melt together, and become tacky.

Comment: Use in The Violet Butterscotch Blondie.

The Violet Butterscotch Blondie

250 g (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan

2 eggs

300 g ( 1 3/4 cups) light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

240 g (1 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

125 g (4 1/2 ounces) milk chocolate, broken into small pieces

75 g (2 1/2 ounces) caramel shards

Directions: Preheat the oven to 160 °C / 320 °F (140 °C / 285 °F convection). Butter a 30 by 20-cm (12 by 8-inch) baking pan and line with parchment paper.

Gently melt the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed pan and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until frothy, then whisk in the melted butter.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and add to the egg and butter mixture along with the milk chocolate pieces. Mix until just combined.

Pour the mixture into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top with an icing spatula or rubber spatula. Sprinkle the caramel shards over the top and bake for 30 minutes. The center should be puffed and set but still a little gooey.

Leave to cool completely in the pan, then cut into 12 thick but smallish pieces. These keep well for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Comment: Delectable.-From The Violet Bakery Cookbook. If you don't feel like making the caramel shards yourself, substitute with any caramel candy, like Werther's Originals. 

Multi-vegetable Paella

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 Spanish onion, finely chopped

1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 fennel bulb, cut into strips

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup Calasparra rice (or another short-grain paella rice)

6 1/2 tbsp good-quality sherry

1 tsp saffron threads

salt

2 cups boiling vegetable stock

3/4 cup shelled fava beans (fresh or frozen)

12 plum tomatoes, halved

5 small grilled artichokes in oil from a jar, drained and quartered

15 pitted kalamata olives, crushed or halved

2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley

4 lemon wedges

Directions: Heat up the olive oil in a paella pan, or a large shallow skillet, and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers and fennel and continue to fry on medium heat for about 6 minutes, or until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Add the bay leaves, paprika, turmeric and cayenne to the vegetables and stir well. Then add the rice and stir thoroughly for 2 minutes before adding the sherry and saffron. Boil down for a minute, then add the stock and 1/3 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to the minimum and simmer very gently for about 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Do not cover the pan and don't stir the rice during the cooking.

Meanwhile, pour plenty of boiling water over the fava beans in a bowl and leave for a minute, then drain well and leave to cool down. Now squeeze each bean gently to remove the skin and discard it.

Remove the paella pan from the heat. Taste and add more salt if needed but without stirring the rice and vegetables much. Scatter the tomatoes, artichokes and fava beans over the rice and cover the pan tightly with foil. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Take off the foil. Scatter the olives on top of the paella and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with wedges of lemon.

Comment: I left out and substituted a lot of things in this recipe based on what I had on-hand (including the fennel, saffron, fava beans, artichokes, olives). It still turned out fantastic. I also didn't have rice on-hand so I used tarly, which was no problem. This is a recipe you can play with! Really satisfying and hearty. -Elizabeth

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup white sugar

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp milk

1 TB vanilla

1 11oz bag chocolate chips

Directions: Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir into the wet ingredients. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir for about one minute. Add vanilla and chocolate chips and stir until combined. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop cookies on by the spoonful. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Comment: A huge Thanksgiving 2015 hit! Thanks to Ashley Nicole Reynolds for the recipe.-Elizabeth