Laura Grenier

English Walnut Date Cake
A dense, rich cake made with dates and walnuts, similar to a fruitcake.

Set the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees C).

Clean, flour, and grease a 10-inch tube pan.

In a big bowl, mix dates, walnuts, flour, sugar, and baking powder.

Add egg yolks and mix well.

In a thoroughly clean, large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

After removing all streaks, fold in the whites to the date mixture.

Into the prepared pan, spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

After 10 minutes, remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce
This simple and convenient chicken enchilada recipe starts with canned chicken, condensed soup, and Cheddar cheese, with some green hot sauce to kick things up a notch.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Add onion and bell pepper; cook and stir until onion has browned about 5 minutes.

Add drained chicken breast and flake it apart with a fork.

Stir in taco seasoning and cook until until vegetables have softened 3 to 5 minutes.

Mix condensed soup diced tomatoes Greek yogurt milk hot pepper sauce lime juice oregano chili powder and cumin together in a saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Simmer sauce for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Wrap chicken mixture in tortillas and arrange in a 9×13-inch baking pan.

Pour sauce on top and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.

Banana-Blueberry Bread
Whether enjoyed as a sweet breakfast treat or dessert, this banana-blueberry bread is an easy, delicious choice.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

Beat butter in a large bowl until nice and creamy.

Add sugar and mix until smooth.

Add eggs one at a time mixing until blended.

Mix in bananas and vanilla extract.

Sift flour baking soda and salt together in another bowl.

Mix into the banana mixture and fold in blueberries.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate.

Perfect Lasagna Bolognese
Fresh pasta sheets are topped with bechamel and a meaty, slow-cooked Bolognese sauce in this authentic recipe for an epic 8-layer lasagna.

A big Dutch oven with medium heat is where the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter are heated.

Add the pancetta and stir-fry for 8 minutes, or until it has browned.

Add the celery, carrots, and onion; cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beef and pork and stir.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

It takes about 20 minutes to brown everything evenly.

White wine should be added to the Dutch oven and cooked for five minutes to let the alcohol evaporate.

Add sugar, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes in a stir.

Bring to a simmer; lower heat to low; cover, and simmer Bolognese sauce for about 3 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and skimming fat from the surface.

If the sauce seems dry, stir in 1/4 cup of beef broth at a time.

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
These cookies are absolutely the best!! They really should be named disappearing cookies because they won’t stay around long. Set your timer, these cookies are best when they are lightly browned.

Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C).

Grease cookie sheets very lightly.

Butter, brown sugar, and white sugar are smoothed out in a medium bowl.

Add the vanilla after you’ve added each egg.

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together before adding them to the creamed mixture.

The rolled oats, white chocolate chips, and pecans are then stirred in.

Drop the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheets by tablespoons.

Bake in a heated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

Taking out of the oven, cool on wire racks.

Tajin Roasted Nuts
A small amount of Tajin® seasoning will add a nice tangy and spicy touch that your guests will adore to mixed nuts, making them the ideal party snack.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place nuts into a medium bowl.

Mix butter and chili-lime seasoning together in a small bowl; pour over nuts and toss until evenly coated.

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and spread out into a single layer.

Bake in the preheated oven until nuts are lightly browned 18 to 20 minutes stirring every 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place nuts on a paper towel-lined plate.

Let cool completely before serving or storing.

Grilled Halloumi with Herbed Berry Salsa
In this simple appetizer or light lunch, grilled halloumi is topped with a fruit-herb salsa made of sweet blueberries, tart red currants, marjoram, cilantro, mint, and a spicy pepper.

Place blueberries and red currants into a mixing bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons mint 2 tablespoons cilantro marjoram habanero olive oil agave syrup and juice of 1 lime.

Mix and set aside.

Heat a nonstick griddle over medium-high heat.

Cook cashews until browned stirring often to keep from burning 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer cashews to a plate and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium and brown halloumi cheese slices 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Place halloumi cheese onto a plate top with berry salsa mixture and remaining 1 tablespoon mint and cilantro.

Chop cashews and spread on top of halloumi.

Garnish with lime wedges from remaining lime.

Serve immediately.

Prawns Provencale
Baked butterflied prawns topped with garlic-herb breadcrumbs make an easy but impressive appetizer in Chef John’s prawns Provencale.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).

Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Carefully remove shells and legs of prawns; leave the tail attached.

To butterfly the prawns cut a slit with a small sharp knife lengthwise down the belly side of shrimp almost to the skin on the back.

Open out like a book.

Place chopped garlic large pinch kosher salt oregano and thyme in a mortar; pound and stir with a pestle a few seconds.

Add 1 tablespoon fresh parsley.

Pound and stir mixture until it turns into a paste 1 or 2 minutes.

Add 1/3 cup olive oil; mix about 1 minute to infuse olive oil with herbs and garlic.

Wilted Spinach
Delicious wilted spinach with a simple Mediterranean dressing.

In a bowl mix the olive oil vinegar lemon juice garlic salt and pepper.

Place the spinach over boiling water in a pot fitted with a steamer basket and steam 2 to 3 minutes until wilted but not soggy.

Toss spinach in a bowl with the dressing and sprinkle with pine nuts to serve.

Bread Machine Honey-Whole Wheat Bread
This soft whole wheat bread that can be made in your bread machine is perfect for kids; it has no preservatives and can be made in the oven, too.

In the order listed, add the following ingredients to a bread maker: warm water, butter, honey, whole wheat flour, flaxseed meal, vital wheat gluten, salt, dry milk, and yeast.

Run a basic wheat bread cycle, but set the cook timer to 25 to 30 minutes less baking time.

I watch the bread and remove it when I notice that it has not yet turned brown.

You can let it cook for the full amount of time if you prefer crusty bread.

After the cycle is complete, take the loaf out of the machine.