Grease and line the bottom and sides of a standard loaf pan with parchment paper. Cream the butter thoroughly until it turns a lighter color. Gradually add the sugar and continue creaming until well incorporated. Beat in one egg at a time. Add vanilla. Stop here if you don’t want a marble cake. To make the marble cake, remove about 1 cup of the prepared batter and place in a separate bowl. Whisk in about 2 ½ T of cocoa powder until completely combined. Pour ½ of the plain batter into the prepared pan, then add the chocolate batter. Add the remaining ½ of the plain batter on top of the chocolate batter. Swirl with a butter knife. Place the pan in a cold oven, and heat the oven to 325° and bake for 1 ½ hours or until done. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out of the pan and remove the parchment paper. Finish cooling right side up uncovered on a wire rack.

In a steamer, add chicken broth with a bunch of parsley (tied). Add black pepper, Hungarian paprika, and cut up vegetables in the steamer basket and steam from 5-15 minutes, however texture you want your vegetables. Use the broth to prepare the boxed couscous (not what Grandma did, but a lot easier). Arrange the couscous on a plate, then top with the steamed vegetables and game hens.

For the game hens, combine the black pepper, Hungarian paprika, cumin, salt, bay leaves, garlic, flour, and water in a large sauce pan. Add 3-4 game hens and cook over medium heat 35-40 minutes. Remove hens and dry on paper towels. Cook sauce over high heat to reduce – thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. Heat 1 c vegetable oil in a deep-sided skillet and brown hens on all sides until crisp. Arrange on top of couscous platter and cover with paprika sauce.

Mix gelatin into slightly boiling soup, add cream cheese and whisk to combine.  Add to other ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour into greased mold and chill overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350° with a 10” or 12” cast iron skillet inside. In a large mixing bowl, beat
the eggs with the salt and pepper until well combined. Using a food processor fitted with the
grating plate (or by hand), grate the onion. Drain the peeled potatoes, then grate them either in
the food processor or by hand. Add the lemon juice to prevent browning, if desired, or work
quickly to prevent the potatoes from turning brown. Add the potatoes and onions to the eggs, and
add the oil, flour and baking powder. Mix well. Carefully remove the hot cast iron from the oven,
and slick it with oil. Carefully but quickly add the potato mixture, smoothing it out on top so it is
as even as possible. Bake for two hours or until crisp and brown on the outside and creamy in the
middle.

Combine the water, butter or margarine (if using), and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, place the buckwheat in a wide saucepan or skillet, add the egg or egg whites, and stir to combine. The buckwheat will clump, but don’t worry about it. Set the pan over medium-high heat and stir continuously until the clumps break apart into individual grains and start to give off a nutty aroma, about 5-7 minutes.

Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 7-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions. Drain and combine with the kasha and onions. Toss until everything is combined, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Hints: Substitute olive oil or schmaltz for the butter/margarine. You can reheat the kasha varnishkes in a baking dish with ½-1 cup of broth; cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Combine water, brown sugar, honey, and yeast into a Kitchen-Aid mixer bowl.  Mix with a whisk attachment for about 15 seconds until combined. Let sit about 10 minutes and let the yeast bloom. Begin to whisk at low speed and add the oil, 4 eggs, turmeric, and salt. Mix well, then add the first two cups of flour, mixing until smooth, until it becomes the consistency of pancake batter. Switch to the bread hook and add flour ½ c at a time until it forms a ball around the bread hook and sides of the bowl are mostly clean.  Grease another large bowl with oil and add the dough ball, making sure to oil all sides.  Cover and proof for 1 hour and punch down.  Proof for another hour, punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured counter.  Knead until dough is no longer sticky.  Braid and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a towel, and let rise for another 40 minutes while preheating the oven to 300 degrees.  Brush with egg wash, add any toppings, and bake 25 minutes.  Remove and brush the center of the braids with another thin coat of egg wash, turn sheet and bake another 20 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat the eggs, sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla until light and thick. Lower mixer speed and add flour to combine. Add optional nuts or chips. Use a plastic dough scraper to remove the dough and form into a log on the parchment paper about 14” long and 2 ½” wide. Use wet hands or a wet dough scraper to smooth the top. Bake 25 min, remove from oven and cool 15 min. Using a spray bottle, lightly mist the light with water 5 minutes before cutting. This will make slicing easier. Cut the log on the diagonal into about ½” slices. Set the biscotti upright back on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack. 

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan, line it with parchment paper or foil and grease the liner. Sift flour with cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger into a bowl.

Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add sugar and honey and beat until mixture is very smooth and lightened in color. Gradually add oil and beat until blended. Beat in orange rind. Stir in flour mixture alternatively with water, each in two batches. Last, stir in walnuts. 

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake about one hour or until a cake tested inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack and carefully peel off liner. Wrap in foil when completely cool. Keeps for two weeks at room temperature if tightly wrapped. Serve in thin slices.

Line the base and sides of an 8” or 9” springform pan with parchment paper. Crush the Oreos either by hand in a plastic bag or in a food processor. Pour into a bowl and mix with the melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of the lined pan and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the filling, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a heat proof bowl over a bowl of gently simmering water, stirring constantly.

While the chocolate melts, put the silken tofu, sugar, lemon juice, plant milk and cocoa powder into a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Add the melted chocolate mixture and blend again until smooth. 

Pour the filling mixture on top of the chilled Oreo base and chill for at least 3 hours. Once set, sprinkle with a few sea salt flakes before slicing and serving.