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Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon soy sauce
10 cups torn red leaf lettuce
1 cup torn fresh spinach
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup halved green grapes
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced

Directions

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the first six ingredients; shake well. In a large salad bowl, toss the lettuce, spinach, oranges, grapes and almonds. Add dressing and toss to coat. Garnish with avocado.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 large shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 roma (plum) tomato, chopped
1 pound carrots, chopped
3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
1 1/4 cups Merlot wine, divided

Directions

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat; cook and stir the yellow and red onion, shallots, garlic, tomato, carrots, and mushrooms until the onions are translucent and the carrots have softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour in the beef broth and 1 cup of Merlot, and bring to a boil, scraping and dissolving any browned bits of flavor from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat, and simmer until the vegetables are very soft and the pan juices have reduced by half, about 20 minutes.

Strain out and discard the vegetables from the sauce. Return the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, stir in 1/4 cup of Merlot wine, and reduce heat. Simmer the sauce until it is reduced to 1/4 of its original volume, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Ingredients

2 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil or vegetable oil
5 tablespoons chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine, or chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a skillet, cook chicken and garlic in oil for 4-6 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons broth, wine or additional broth, lemon juice, basil and oregano. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Transfer chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and remaining broth until smooth. Stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Spoon sauce over chicken.

Ingredients

1 pound dry lasagna noodles
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 (28 ounce) can Italian whole peeled tomatoes (such as La Valle(r))
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 pound sweet Italian sausage links, removed from casing and crumbled
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 (16 ounce) container ricotta cheese, broken apart with a fork
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the water is boiling, stir in the lasagna noodles, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink. Drizzle the cooked noodles with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil to prevent them from sticking together.

Place the tomatoes, juice and all, into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse to puree, about 1 minute. Set the tomatoes aside. Place the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, sage, and rosemary into the food processor, and pulse several times, until the vegetables are minced.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat until smoking hot, and add the minced vegetables. Reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir until the vegetables have softened and are just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the ground beef and Italian sausage, and brown the meat, breaking it apart into crumbles as it cooks, about