Ingredients:

-4-5lbs of Chicken Thighs
-Garlic Powder
-Onion Powder
-McCormicks Cajun Seasoning
-Pam Spray
-1 ½ liters of Burgundy red wine
-2 Bay leaves
-1 teaspoon Dried thyme
-2 Garlic cloves peeled and sliced
-8 ounces of bacon
-Olive oil or butter
-2 Carrots peeled and sliced.
-8 ounces button mushrooms
-1 Tbls. Tomato paste
-2 tbls. Cornstarch
-Salt & Pepper

1. The night before, trim fat from thighs but leave skin on. Sprinkle thighs with garlic powder, onion powder and Cajun seasoning – Spray just to coat with Pam. Insert in microwave and only heat for 1 minute 11 seconds. Not enough to cook but just warm and infuse the seasonings. Turn thighs over and sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, Cajun seasoning and spray again, just to coat with Pam spray. Insert in microwave and heat for 1 minute 11 seconds. Put thighs in plastic bag.

2. Add to plastic bag with chicken thighs, wine, bay leaves, thyme, and garlic cloves. Seal and let marinate in refrigerator overnight.

…Next morning –

3. In fry pan, fry bacon until crisp, remove to a paper towel. Keep pan on stove with bacon grease and drippings.

4. Remove chicken from refrigerator, remove from plastic bag, place thighs in fry pan. Brown chicken thighs in fry pan with bacon fat/oil/butter on all sides.  Remove from fry pan and set aside.

5. Place carrots and pearl onions on bottom of crock pot. Add chicken, mushrooms, and bacon.

7. Stir tomato paste in the wine marinade from bag. Pour Tomato/Wine Marinade over all ingredients in crock pot.

8. Cook on low heat for 6 hours.

9. Mix cornstarch with ½ cup water and add to crock pot. Turn on high until mixture thickens.

10. Serve with Pureed Yukon potatoes or rice.

Ingredients:

-5 lbs. Yukon Gold or Fingerling Potatoes
-1/3 C.  Marie's Blue Cheese Dressing
-1/2 Stick of Butter
1/4 C. of Heavy Cream
2 Clove Crushed Garlic

1. You may peel or leave skins on potatoes, cut into smaller pieces and place in a sauce pan with cold water and one clove of crushed garlic. Ensure water line is just above the potatoes. Salt water and potatoes.  Boil on medium high until potatoes are cooked and tender for mashing.  I find it usually takes about 15-20 minutes.  Yukon Potatoes are softer than russet potatoes.  You can test tenderness with a fork.  Remove from heat.

2. Drain potatoes.  Return, potatoes to sauce pan.

3. Add butter, Marie's Blue Cheese Dressing, 1 clove of crushed garlic.

4.With a mixer or masher, mix ingredients and mash ingredients until smooth.  Check consistency, should be smooth and without lumps.  Add heavy cream slowly, only if necessary to ensure consistency is smooth.  Only add cream if needs smoother consistency.  You do not want it to be too loose.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Place in serving bowl and or on each plate as base for Coq Au Vin.

 

Ingredients:

Salad
-16 Oz. Bag of Kale
-16 Oz. Bag of Spring Mix Lettuce
-6 Oz. Cherry Heirloom Tomatoes
1/2 Red Onion sliced into slivers
-McCormicks Cajun Seasoning
-Pam Spray
-4 Oz. Package of Goat Cheese
-3.5 Oz. Package of Candied Walnuts
-Cracked Pepper to Taste

1)Tear Kale if not already into small potato chip sized pieces. 
2)Place Kale on baking sheet.
3)Lightly spray with Pam Cooking Spray.
4)Sprinkle with salt, garlic salt tastes great.
4)Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees in oven until Kale is crispy like potato chips and remove, cool completely and add to spring mix.
5)Add tomatoes, goat cheese, onions and candies walnuts.
6)Dress with homemade or recommended other options for dressing, see below.

A couple options for dressing the salad, you can make your own, see below for recipe or I recommend simply olive oil and balsamic vinegar but also good is Girard's Champagne Dressing

Dressing:
In a shaker add,
-1/3 C. Red Wine Vinegar
-1 Clove Crushed Garlic
-1/3 C. Olive Oil
-1 Lemon juiced
-1 tsp. Cracked Black Pepper

1. Shake, dress and toss salad or place in a small serving vessel, like a gravy boat for guest to dress their own salads. 

Ingredients:

-2 Sheets Puff Pastry
-2 Tbls. Granulated Sugar
-2 Tbls. Packed Brown Sugar
-1 Tsp. Cornstarch
-¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
-3 tart apples peeled and sliced thinly
-3 pears peeled and sliced thinly
-1 Tbls. Raw Turbinado Sugar

1. Cut pastry into 12 squares

2. Lightly grease 2 (6 muffin) Tins or 1 (12 Muffin) Tin

3. Place a pasty square in each muffin tin allowing dough to over hang.

4. Mix together granulated and brown sugar, cornstarch and ground cinnamon in a plastic bag.

5. Add apple and pear slices to sugar mixture in plastic bag and toss until coated.

6. Fill each pastry lined muffin tins with sugar coated apples and pears.

7. Take the corners of each pastry square and fold points into center covering apples and pears. Press to seal so they stay covered during cooking.

8. Sprinkle each tart with turbinado sugar.

9. Place muffin pans on cookie sheets to bake in case tarts bubble over.

10. Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees.

11. Bake in preheated over for 35-40 minutes until Golden Brown.

12. Allow tarts to cool for about 30 minutes.