Broccoki and Cheddar Skillet Flan - Adapted from epicurious.com

Whisk together 6 eggs, 1C milk, 1/4t black pepper, 3/4t ground nutmeg and 3/4t salt. After the eggs are well beaten, stir in 3T grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheest and 1C gratted chedder cheese. Heat 3T olive oil in an oven-proof skillet. Saute a shallot then add potatoes and broccoli. The recipe calls for frozen hash browns and frozen chopped broccoli but we used leftovers. If you do use the frozen products make sure to remove excess ice and water before using. Spread the potatoes and broccoli evenly over the bottom of the skillet then pour in the egg mixture. Sprinkle on 1/3C of Parmigiano-Reggiano and place in a 375 F oven for 12-15 min, until the edges of the flan are firm and the center is loose. Then place under the broiler for an additional 4-5 min until it firms entirely and the cheese is browned. We served the dish with a green salad, bacon strips and chilled white wine.

The dish would make a nice brunch as well.

Chicken Soup with Lentils and Brown Rice

The best way to make this soup or any soup for that matter, in our opinion, is to make your own stock. We start by simmering some chicken necks and backs in water with a carrot, celery rib, and a small onion. Add salt and pepper to taste and some herbs such as garlic, parsley and thyme. Simmer for a couple hours and then strain the broth to remove the solids. We started to cook the rice and lentils seperately from the stock so that we could control the "doneness". When they were almost done, we put them into the stock along with a diced onion, carrot and celery and some diced chicken. Continue to simmer until the lentils are just tender. This is a fairly easy soup especially if you start with prepared stock.

Garlic and Beef Two-Fister Sandwich with Beans and Slaw - Adapted from Cathy Z. Finer Kitchens

This would be a great sandwich for a game day crowd. In a slow cooker mix 2 1/2C beef stock, 1/2C dry red wine, 1/4C soy sauce, 1T thyme, 1t ground black pepper, 1 bay leaf, 25-30 garlic cloves, 2 medium onions, sliced thinly and 5 lbs of beef ( you can use almost any cut, but we prefer something lean such as top round or london broil). Cook for 3 hrs on high and another 2 hrs on low until the beef can be pulled apart with two forks. Return the meat to the juices for serving on a sturdy roll. The hot pepper rings are a wonderful addition but good dill pickles would work as well. We served it with the Dominician Beans featured here previously and cole slaw.