Orange Chocolate Crepes (Milk Calendar) Crepes: 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour 1 tbsp (15 mL) granulated sugar 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt 3 eggs 1 cup (250 mL) 10% half-and-half cream 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, melted Butter for cooking Filling: 2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar 4 seedless oranges, 1 zested 1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped dark chocolate In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. In a measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together eggs, Cream and melted butter until blended. Gradually whisk into flour mixture until very smooth. Add 1 tsp (5 mL) grated orange zest to batter. Cover and let stand for 30 min or refrigerate for up to 1 day. (Bring to room temperature before cooking.) The batter should be the texture of thin cream. Gradually whisk in up to 2 tbsp (30 mL) water to thin as necessary. Heat an 8-inch (20 ml) nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat until a drop of batter sizzles when dropped in pan. Wipe out pan and brush lightly with butter. Pour in a scant 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the batter, swirling the pan while pouring to spread as thinly and evenly as possible. Cook for about 30 sec or until top is no longer shiny and bottom is just golden. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to loosen edges and flip crepe over. Cook second side for about 15 sec or just until golden spots start to form. Slide the cooked crepe out onto a parchment paper lined plate. Repeat with remaining crepe batter, heating and buttering pan between each as necessary. Filling: Using a small serrated knife, cut peel and white pith from oranges. Holding over a bowl to catch juices, break oranges into segments. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine sugar and orange segments and juice; cook, stirring gently, for 5 to 10 min or until warmed and juices are released. Place 1 crepe on each of 4 to 6 serving plates; spoon a heaping tablespoon of the oranges on one-quarter and sprinkle with chocolate. Fold crepe into quarters to enclose filling; repeat with another crepe and filling on each plate. Spoon remaining oranges on top and sprinkle with chocolate. Serve immediately. (There will be a few extra crepes.)

Spice-Rubbed Roast Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce (Fine Cooking) This roast beef tenderloin looks glamorous and tastes amazing, yet it's practically foolproof. The meat gets its deeply browned exterior in the oven at a single temperature; no pre-searing or fussing with different temperatures necessary. Even better: The deeply flavored, thyme-infused red wine sauce can be made days ahead, so there's no last-minute panic when it comes time to serve. Serves 8-10, with leftovers 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme 1 Tbs. ground fennel seed 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds, coarsely ground Kosher salt Freshly cracked black pepper 2 2-1/2-lb. beef butt tenderloins, trimmed Tip: For a crowd serve two partial tenderloins--request butt tenderloins at the meat counter instead of one whole one. This way, there are no thinner tail ends, and the roasts cook evenly. For the sauce 2 Tbs. unsalted butter 1 Tbs. olive oil or canola oil 4 oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (1-3/4 cup) 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot (1 medium) 1/4 tsp. granulated sugar Kosher salt and pepper 3 large sprigs fresh thyme 1 tsp. cracked black peppercorns 1 750-ml bottle dry, hearty red wine,such as Shiraz or Zinfandel 2 cups lower-salt beef broth 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, thyme, fennel, caraway, 1 Tbs. salt, and 1-1/2 tsp. pepper. Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels and coat them with the spice mixture, it will sparsely cover the meat. Refrigerate. (This can be done a day ahead) Melt 1 Tbs. of the butter and the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, shallot, sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the thyme, peppercorns, and half of the wine. Simmer briskly until the wine reduces and just covers the solids, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remaining wine and reduce again until the wine just covers the solids, 10 to 12 minutes more. Add the beef broth and simmer until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve set over a 1-quart measuring cup, pressing lightly on the solids. If you have more than 1-1/2 cups liquid, return the sauce to the pan and simmer until reduced to 1-1/2 cups Melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking often, until smooth and light beige in color, about 1 minute. Slowly add the wine reduction, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the beef from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about an hour before roasting. Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375F. Arrange the roasts on a flat rack on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 120F for rare , 125F to 130F for medium rare, or 135F for medium, 40 to 50 minutes. Serve If the sauce was made ahead, heat gently in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking a few times, until barely simmering. Meanwhile, let the beef rest for 15 minutes before carving crosswise into thick slices. Slice only as much as you plan to serve right away (leftovers keep better unsliced). Spoon the sauce over each serving or pass at the table. make ahead tips The sauce may be made up to two days ahead. Cool to room temperature before storing it airtight in the refrigerator. The beef may be seasoned up to 36 hours ahead of roasting. leftovers Leftover tenderloin makes delicious roast beef sandwiches; slice it thin and serve it on soft rolls with horseradish flavored mayonnaise and a few sprigs of watercress.

That sure looks good Luckygardner!!! Shredded Maple-Mustard Brussels Sprouts (Canadian Living) Shredding the brussels sprouts completely changes the experience of eating them. Combining them with a mix of crispy pancetta and chewy sweet currants might just convert the staunchest of brussels sprouts haters. 2 lb (907 g) Brussels sprouts 8 oz (225 g) pancetta, diced 1/4 cup (60 mL) dried currants 3 tbsp (45 mL) maple syrup 3 tbsp (45 mL) grainy mustard 1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper Trim ends of brussels sprouts; remove any discoloured leaves. In food processor and using slicing blade attachment, shred sprouts. Set aside. In large skillet or wok, cook pancetta over medium heat until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer to small bowl. Add sprouts to pan; cook until wilted, 8 to 10 minutes. Add currants, maple syrup, mustard, pepper and pancetta; toss to coat.

Since I have about 8 lbs. of ham left, I'm going to ground part of it to make ham loaf and thought ham balls would be good, what with all the Bowl games coming up this week. I found the recipe, but if any of you have one you use, I'd appreciate it. I like the idea of the cranberry sauce. HAM BALLS WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE (Cooking with Carla Renee) 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 1 pound ground lean pork 1 pound ground smoked ham 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 1 egg, beaten Mix all ingredients together and form balls the size of walnuts. Make Glaze. Place on buttered baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Pour glaze over meatballs and continue baking an additional 10 minutes. Glaze: 1 16 oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 6 Tablespoons brown sugar 1 Tablespoon prepared mustard Mix all ingredients together. Simmer on low until sugar is dissolved.