My husband created this recipe for a pork loin roast stuffed with apples and shallots and a sauce that mirrors the stuffing. If you don't have Calvados or Apple Jack liquor, use apple juice.

Pork Loin Roast with Apples and Shallots

1 1 1/2 to 2 lb. pork loin roast
4 Tbls. olive oil
3 shallots, sliced thin
2 apples, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Tbls. fresh sage, chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbls. Calvados or Apple Jack
2 Tbls. butter

Make a slit horizontally in the pork loin roast for the stuffing.

Saute the shallots in 2 Tbls. of the olive oil until they start to caramelize. Add the apples and cook until the apples are softened but still hold their shape. Add the Sage and 2 Tbls. of Calvados. Saute until most of the Calvados has evaporated.

Stuff the roast with about 1/3 to 3/4 of the apple and shallot mixture - the amount that your slitted roast will take. Tie the roast with string. Heat an oven proof saute pan with the remaining 2 Tbls. olive oil and brown both sides of the roast. Put into an oven preheated to 350 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until done.

Remove the roast from the oven and place the roast on another plate with foil covering it to keep warm. Using the same saute pan, add the remaining apple mixture to it with the 1/2 cup of Calvados. Deglaze the pan. Add the butter and stir until it's melted. Cut the roast into vertical pieces and serve with the sauce.

I serve this "Hungarian style" chicken over noodles or rice. Typically these recipes call for sweet paprika but I've been using half sweet and half hot for a change.

Paprika Chicken

Serves 2

2 chicken breasts, cut into 3 or 4 pieces
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 Tbls. paprika
1 small can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the chicken pieces on both sides until just browned. Remove the chicken from the pan. Saute the onion, garlic and pepper until the onion has begun to wilt. Add the paprika and saute for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stock. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the sour cream and heat until warmed, do not boil.

This dressing packs quite a bite and is terrific just with greens. If you don't normally make your own salad dressings, this might be the recipe that may make you start. In the winter, I substitute canned diced tomatoes for the fresh tomato.

Catalan Vinaigrette

Makes about 2 cups

1 clove garlic
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsps. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sherry vinegar (or red-wine vinegar)
3 to 4 Tbls. water
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 sweet onion finely minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 Tbls. capers
2 cornichon pickles, finely chopped
1 small ripe red tomato, cored, peeled, seeded and finely diced (about 1/3 cup)
3 Tbls. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hard0cooked egg, peeled and finely diced
Freshly ground black pepper

Finely chop the garlic on a cutting board. Sprinkle the salt over it and repeatedly scrape the flat side of the knife over the garlic to mash it to a paste. Scrape the garlic paste into a medium bowl. Add the mustard, vinegar, and water and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Gradually whisk in the oil; the sauce should thicken slightly.

Whisk in the onion, capers, pickles, tomato, parsley and egg. Taste and season, if needed, with salt and pepper.

This is a low-cal recipe with fresh the combined fresh flavors of orange and fennel is really terrific. I usually like to add more than one orange. You could easily substitute other types of fish for the snapper. I also put the orange slices in with the fennel right before serving to warm them up a bit.

Sauteed Red Snapper Fillets with Fennel and Orange

Serves 2

1 navel orange
1 large fennel bulb, fronds reserved for garnish and stalks discarded
2 1/2 Tbls. olive oil
1/2 tsp. finely chopped fennel seed
2 single portion snapper fillets
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Section the orange. Squeeze 1 to 2 Tbls. of the juice from the membranes and reserve.

Quarter the fennel bulb lengthwise and cut out and discard core. Cut quarters lengthwise into 1/8 inch slices.

Heat 1 1/2 Tbls. oil in a heavy skillet, saute the fennel with the fennel seed and salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until edges are browned and the fennel has wilted, about 10 minutes. Cook covered about 8 minutes more. Stir in the reserved orange juice.

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Saute the fish on both sides until done, about 3 minutes on each side.

Sprinkle fish with lemon juice and serve, on top of fennel and orange dices.

This is more like a large, pancake latke but it's the first one I've seen where you add cheese. We had wedges of this as a side dish for dinner and then had the left overs for breakfast with an egg on it - both were yummy. This is the cover recipe for the March 2007 Gourmet magazine.

The trick for me is to make sure that the potatoes get cooked without burning the bottom and top. I kept the temperature on each side on medium low with a cover until the last two minutes - then I turn it up to brown. I would definitely use Yukon Golds - the starchier potato makes it easier to hold together.

Parmesan Hash Browns

Serves 4 - 6 as a side dish

7 Tbls. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
1 oz. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup using a rasp)

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 10 inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat - add the onion and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Peel potatoes and coarsely grate in a food processor. Squeeze potatoes in a kitchen towel to remove excess liquid, then transfer to a bowl. Add the onion mixture, stirring to coat the potatoes, and stir in the cheese.

Heat 2 Tbls. oil in the same skillet over moderate heat. Add the potato mixture, then press firmly into a cake. Cover skillet and cook the potato cake until the underside is crusty, 10 to 12 minutes. Slide the cake out onto a plate. Invert the skillet over the cake and flip into the skillet. Drizzle remaining Tbls. oil around the edge of the cake, then cover and cook until potatoes are tender and underside is crusty, about 10 minutes. Slide cake onto a platter and cut into wedges.