As featured in the November 2010 issue of Our City Weston:

Homemade Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 bag mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350º.  Place sweet potatoes in large pot with water, bring to a boil. Cook over medium high heat until tender (about 15 minutes); drain and mash.  In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, brown sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix until smooth (by hand or mixer). Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with mini marshmallows.  Return sweet potatoes to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the marshmallows are golden brown.

As featured in the September 2010 issue of Our City Weston:

Lucille's Famous Shepherd's Pie

Mashed Potatoes Ingredients:
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ stick butter
½ cup milk

Filling Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
½ cup peas, frozen
1 carrot, diced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
Salt, dash or to taste
Pepper, dash or to taste

Topping:
1 cup cheddar cheese

Boil potatoes until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and place them in a bowl. Add butter and milk and mix well until smooth. Sauté ground beef and onion together until beef is cooked. Drain well in colander. In a separate pot, boil carrots for 10 minutes. Add peas to carrots during the last 3 minutes. Drain well in colander. Cook butter and flour in a saucepan for 2 minutes to create a roux. Whisk in the beef broth. Allow the gravy to thicken for 1 minute. Mix gravy, beef, peas, carrots together. Pour into a casserole dish. Spread the mashed potatoes over the beef mixture until even. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes.

As featured in the July 2010 issue of Our City Weston:

Grilled Glazed Salmon

Ingredients:
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup prepared horseradish, drained
2 tablespoons honey
4 salmon fillets (6 oz each)
Vegetable oil, for rubbing
Salt & fresh ground pepper

Mix mustard, horseradish and honey in a small bowl. Rub the salmon fillets with oil and lightly salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat, skin side down, until lightly brown (about 3 minutes). Turn and grill the other side for 3 more minutes. Turn once again, glaze with mustard mixture, grill for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Serve with the additional mustard glaze. Lucille’s recommends serving this salmon dish with wild rice.

As featured in the July 2010 issue of Our City Weston:

Grilled Nectarines

Ingredients:
1 pound ripe nectarines, cut into medium dice
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Use four 12 inch square pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil. Spoon ¼ tablespoon of butter in the center of each square of foil. Pour ¼ of the fruit into the center of each piece of foil. Bring two sides of the foil up over the fruit to form a seam across the top. Fold the other two sides to seal the foil pack completely. Grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. Carefully pour the fruit into four bowls. Garnish with your choice of yogurt, ice cream or whipped cream.

As featured in the November 2009 issue of Our City Weston:

Lucille's Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:
3 pounds fresh cranberries, washed and drained
3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

Place all ingredients in large saucepan.  Cook on medium heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Mix well with a wire whisk.  Cool and serve chilled with your holiday meal!  Prepare at least one day in advance.  Yields 1 1/2 quarts (about eight 3oz. servings).

As featured in the May 2010 issue of Our City Weston:

Tomato Bleu Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
2 qts. water
2 tablespoons of chicken base
1 28-ounce can of tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
1 cup heavy cream
6 oz. crumbled Bleu Cheese

Melt butter over medium heat, stir in flour, stirring constantly until roux bubbles, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in water, whisk in chicken base, and then add tomato puree & pepper. Keep stirring until mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce heat & simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in heavy cream & bleu cheese; keep stirring for 3 minutes until mixture thickens slightly. Serve hot and enjoy!

Keeps refrigerated for up to 3 to 5 days. Makes about 13 cups.

As featured in March 2010 issue of Our City Weston:

Homemade Bread Pudding with Cappuccino an’ Glace

Bread Pudding Ingredients:
1 gallon bread, chopped into small pieces
6 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
1 quart heavy cream

Preheat oven to 300°. Prepare a 9x13 baking pan with butter or cooking spray. Place chopped bread into prepared pan. Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Add milk and cream to the egg mixture. Pour mixture over bread and toss to coat and evenly moisten all bread pieces. Cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for one hour. Bake for 45 minutes at 300°. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Bread pudding is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean and dry. Cool, slice, and serve with Lucille’s Cappuccino an’ Glace (below) and vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Cappuccino an’ Glace Ingredients:
1 cup coffee, extra strong
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups heavy cream
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Bring coffee and vanilla to a boil in a sauce pot. Bring heavy cream to a boil in a second sauce pot. Add egg yolks to heavy cream, continuously whipping with a wire whisk. Add sugar to cream mixture. Add coffee to cream mixture. Combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Stir well. Slowly add cornstarch slurry to cream mixture, stirring constantly to thicken. Makes 1 ½ quarts. Serve warm or cold over bread pudding (with vanilla ice cream, if desired).

As featured in the January 2010 issue of Our City Weston:

Lucille’s Famous Three Cheese Baked Macaroni

Pasta:
1 pound elbow macaroni

Cheese Sauce:
4 ounces butter (1 stick)
1 cup flour
1/2 gallon whole milk (warmed)
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon white pepper
2 1/2 pounds American cheese, shredded
1/2 pound mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 pound Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Topping:
1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 cups mild shredded cheddar

Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions for al dente. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Cool completely. In a saucepot, melt butter completely then add flour. Stir constantly until the butter has absorbed the flour. (This is called a roux.) Combine warmed milk (pre-warm in saucepot or microwave), salt, & pepper to roux mixture. Continue to simmer over medium heat until milk and roux form a thickened sauce. (There should be no lumps.) Add cheese to thickened milk mixture. Stir constantly until all cheese is melted into a smooth, creamy cheese sauce. Combine cheese sauce to cold macaroni. Mix well. Transfer into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and shredded cheddar on top. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes or until crust topping is golden brown.