old and new

Now that the holidays are over, I’ve gone back through my recipes and dusted off a few gems that I haven’t made in a very long time. I prepared a wonderful one pot meal perfect for a weeknight supper, Chicken and Dumplings. The recipe is from the original “Gourmet Magazine,” circa February 1994. The chicken parts are simmered in chicken stock containing leeks, shallots, carrots and celery along with a bay leaf, thyme and apple cider. The accompanying light and tender dumplings are flavored with fresh dill.
 
Although I complain how expensive it is to make, Crockpot Beef Barley Soup is one of our favorite soups. The broth is rich and hearty as it’s  made with oxtails, beef marrow bones and beef chuck roast. Crushed tomatoes, pearl barley, carrots, celery and seasonings of freshly ground black pepper, fresh thyme sprigs, and a fresh bay leaf enhance the soup that eats like a meal.

​Turkey Sloppy Joes on Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits is from “Gourmet Magazine,” September 2004. This tasty dish uses ground turkey and is seasoned with onion, celery, red bell pepper, fresh garlic, black pepper, whole tomatoes in juice, ketchup, molasses, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco to create a warm and hearty meal. The homemade cheddar biscuits are easy to make and really pull the whole dish together.
 
Skillet Turkey Meatloaves with Mushroom Gravy is a terrific one pan meal cooked in an oven-proof skillet making this a good weeknight meal. Roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots get nicely browned in the pan when cooked along with the meatloaf. Onions, Worcestershire sauce, EVOO, fresh garlic, fresh thyme, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper ensure the ground turkey is packed with flavor. The accompanying mushroom gravy is the perfect garnish for the meatloaf.
 
I’ve also played with a few recipes by changing an ingredient. I recently made Spiced Turkey Chili and swapped the cayenne pepper for The Spice & Tea Exchange’s Chipotle Pepper Powder which provided  smoky,  slight sweet and spicy notes to the dish. Another dish where I played with ingredients was Macaroni and Cheese from the “Betty Crocker Cook Book.” I used thinly sliced and sautèed leeks in place of a diced yellow onion.  I normally use cheddar cheese, however, this time I swapped half the cheddar for Gruyère. The results yielded a creamy dish with wonderful pull of cheese.
 
For the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to make an Apple Galette with Apple Butter and Frangipane from The Wall Street Journal. However, my daughter suggested I hold off making it as she was bringing desserts. Now that the holiday is over, I decided this was the perfect time to test this recipe. I already had the butter pastry made and frozen in the freezer. For the frangipane, I followed the King Arthur Flour recipe. The apple butter is made with two Honeycrisp apples, unsalted  butter, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. The frangipane gets spread on the bottom of the pastry, followed by the apple butter and finished by placing sliced Honeycrisp apples in a overlapping spiral. Before baking, it’s either brushed egg whites or heavy cream; I used heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. The galette bakes for 40-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden. While it bakes, an apple glaze syrup is made and is brushed on the galette before serving.
 
Oh, my goodness, this was absolutely scrumptious! I love any dessert that contains almond frangipane. The apples were perfectly cooked and the glaze added a subtle sweetness. The frangipane and apple butter became one and added a lovely soft texture against the slightly crisp crust and baked apples. I shared half of the tart with our neighbor who said, “OMG! That was delicious! Thank you!!😊”
 
For the past several years, my go to breakfast has been Wegmans 5% fat Greek Yogurt topped with sliced, fresh strawberries with either Healthy Dark Chocolate Granola with Clusters or Honey Pecan Granola that I make. While reading last week’s “Wall Street Journal”(Saturday/Sunday January 10-11, 2026), Sarah Karnasiewicz had a recipe for Citrus Olive Oil Granola with Golden Berries. After reading over the recipe, I found I had the ingredients on hand, enough to make half a batch. Golden berries are better known as cape gooseberries, but Ms. Karnasiewicz suggested substituting golden raisins and chopped crystallized ginger, which I had . Other ingredients needed are olive oil, maple syrup, dark brown sugar, orange zest, rolled oats, unsweetened coconut flakes, cashews, pumpkin seeds, kosher salt and an egg white.
 
What a yummy granola! As it baked, the aroma of oranges filled my kitchen. The raisins provided a chewy texture, while the crystallized ginger provides some spicy heat and subtle sweetness. The cashews added a nice crunch while the combination of oil, maple syrup and brown sugar gave a soft chewy texture to the granola. I really enjoyed the flavor combination in this granola and now I’m off to purchase some of the ingredients I’m low on to make this again.
 
This April marks the 10th anniversary of “Donna’s Daily Dish.” My goal was to find and prepare recipes that are family friendly, perhaps a few to  stretch your culinary chops, and inspire you to try the recipes I’ve found. Over the years I’ve heard from some of you and I hope that you continue to 

​Apple Galette with Apple Butter and Frangipane
The Wall Street Journal, November 8-9, 2025
Recipe by Louis Thompson, Spring, London
Adapted by Odette Williams
 
 
Total Time: 2-1/4 hours
Serves: 8 to 10
 
For the pastry
1-3/4 cups (230 grams) cold flour
1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) kosher salt
2 sticks (230 grams) cold unsalted butter
1 teaspoon (5 grams) apple cider vinegar
Ice water
 
For the almond frangipane
1/3 cup (50 grams) whole almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons (30 grams) soft butter
2 tablespoons (30 grams) sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
 
For the apple butter
2 medium apples, such as Honeycrisp
1 tablespoon (15 grams) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
 
For assembly
5 medium apples, such as Honeycrisp
1 egg white or heavy cream
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
 

1. Make the pastry: in a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse to form pea-size pieces. Add vinegar, then add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, just until dough comes together. Flaten dough into a disc. Wrap in plastic, and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. Make the frangipane: in a food processor, finely grind almonds. Add butter, sugar, yolks, vanilla and salt. Pulse to combine.
3. Make the apple butter: Peel, core and quarter apples. (Reserve peels and cores.) in a saucepan, combine apple quarters and ¼ cup water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring and mashing frequently, until thick and spreadable, 10-12 minutes. Stir in butter, sugar and vinegar.
4. Roll the dough: on a floured surface, roll dough out evenly to a 14-inch circle. Carefully fold dough into quarters. Use a sharp knife to trim about 1 inch from edge to make a neat 13-inch circle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and unfold rolled dough onto it. Chill dough 15 minutes more.
5. If pleating the pastry: Working with a 1-inch boarder, using the width of your finger as a guide between each pleat, pinch a small section of dough border and fold it over to form a pleat. Repeat, turning dough as you go, to create an overlapping pleated edge.
6. Assemble and bake: Preheat oven to 350°. Core and slice apples 1/8-inch thick. (Reserve cores.) Spread frangipane, then apple butter over pastry, keeping withing pleated edge or unpleated 1-inch border. Overlap apple slices, working from outside in, a spiral. Brush apples with egg white or heavy cream, and sprinkle with sugar. If you have not pleated the dough, fold 1-inch border up and over apples.
7. Bake until crust is gold and apples are soft, 40-50 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack.
8. Make the glaze: in a saucepan over medium-high heat, boil reserved peels and cores in 3 cups water, 15 minutes. Strain, return liquid to saucepan, add sugar and reduce to a glaze, 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Brush glaze liberally over galette before serving. 

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​Citrus Olive Oil Granola with Golden Berries
Adapted by Sarah Karnasiewicz
From the article, “This Citrus Granola Is a Breakfast Reset for Burned-Out Cooks”
The Wall Street Journal, January 10-11, 2026
 
Total Time: 45 minutes
Makes: 5 cups
 
Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
½ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Zest of 3 oranges
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cups rolled oats
1½ cups unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup cashews, chopped
¾ cup pumpkin seeds
1¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg white, beaten
1 cup dried golden berries*, or a mix of golden raisins and chopped crystallized ginger
 
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large measuring cup, combine olive oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, orange zest and ginger, and stir until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, coconut, cashews and pumpkin seeds. Pour in olive oil mixture and toss until oats are completely coated. Sprinkle with salt, and stir in egg white.
3. Spread granola evenly over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake, rotating pan and stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet, then break into chunks. Stir in golden berries.
4. Eat as a snack or a topping for yogurt and seasonal fruit. Granola keeps in an airtight container 2-3 weeks.

 
*Golden berries are better known as cape gooseberries

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