My aunt and uncle are paying for my cousins college.

My dad had a college fund for me, but he had stipulations like he wanted nothing below a B for grades and to pre approve any classes I take, weekly meetings to discuss grades and a bunch of other stuff. Which would be fine if you have a normal dad. Mine isn't.

My dad has a temper and I spent 6th-12th grade stressed out about grades and being screamed at or grounded over things that sometimes weren't even my fault like a teacher not updating online grading and an assignment being marked "missing" because of it. And getting my back pack and locker randomly searched by him for no reason besides "to make sure I'm not hiding anything ".

I decided to pay for school myself because of 1 not being stressed over getting screamed at 2 I didn't feel like constantly worrying that he'd disapprove of a class or a grade and decide not to pay. Which I could totally see him doing. I'd rather be in debt than controlled for 4 more years.

I just finished my first year.

Well my family got together on the 4th and... well sometimes they're nosey. They were talking about my cousins school and my uncle looked at my dad and said "well how much is - my name- school costing you?"

I said "what are you asking him for I'm the one paying for it?"

Later on my dad was pissed off and said that it was out of line to say that and I embarrassed him.

I didn't do it to embarrass him, I was just being honest. He doesn't even know how much tuition is so he was the wrong person to ask.

AITA

About a week ago, my (39F) family ordered Chinese food for delivery. When the delivery driver came to the door, my daughter (16F) was taking the cat upstairs to put in her room because he always tries to eat the food. My son (13M) loudly says, “Make sure the hide the cat from the Chinese guy!” as I am at the door getting the food from the Chinese delivery driver. He very obviously heard what my son said and was upset by it. I quickly apologized and took the food.

I told my son that racist jokes were completely unacceptable and very wrong and he refused to admit that he was in the wrong. So, later that night I forced my son to write a sincere apology to the delivery driver, (his name was on the receipt) as well as write a one page paper on Chinese culture and a one page paper on why racism is perpetuated by racist jokes and stereotypes. Then the next day I took him to the restaurant and had him read his apology aloud to the delivery driver as well as give him the papers he wrote. The driver was very appreciative of the apology and thanked me for making my son do it. He then told my son about multiple instances where he had faced racist comments and attacks from people while he was a delivery driver.

That night my husband (43M) and I got into an argument about me making our son do this. He told me that it was embarrassing for our son to have to do the apology and that the “punishment didn’t fit the crime”. I told him that it was much more embarrassing for the driver to have to face that kind of racism and racist stereotypes and that our son would get over the embarrassment. I do not condone any kind of hateful thinking in my house, and the fact that my son said that embarrassed me as well. My husband told me that it was “just a joke” and it wasn’t that big of a deal. I feel like I might have over reacted some but I think it’s important to help my son understand how what he said was wrong and hurtful.

We had a family dinner this evening. My family has four kids in total: me, my elder sister (29F), younger sister (24F) and youngest brother (22M).

Extended family attended our family dinner. So all of our significant others, our cousins, aunts and uncles etc. During the dinner my elder sister and youngest brother got into a mild disagreement. My sister seemed (at least to me) to be coming across as very aggressive out of frustration and losing said argument. The two of them were too absorbed in their argument to realise the rest of us were getting a bit fed up.

Eventually my sister got really fed up and said “Shut up, I’m not going to argue with a 22 year old virgin.” My brother hadn’t done any personal attacks up until that point, it was completely unprovoked. I think it might have been the alcohol as my sister is a mean drunk.

Anyway, I immediately told my sister to grow up and that she was making an embarrassment of herself. She replied by saying everyone knows he’s a virgin and she didn’t say anything wrong. This annoyed me as my bro definitely has confidence issues and doesn’t need to be made fun of like this.

So I responded by saying how she slept with well over a hundred men while she was in college, and that since everyone in the family knows this it’s not a big deal right? Turns out her husband didn’t know this amazingly, I genuinely assumed he must have known. he left the party angrily saying my sister mislead him about her past.

Family is blaming me for their marital problems. I refuse to accept I did anything wrong. My sister bullied my brother in front of everyone, all I did was give her a taste of her own medicine.

I have a sister that’s 6 years older than me.

My parents for years cancel on me last min because of my sister. I have a basketball game. Ops sorry sister doesn’t feel like going out. I am graduating ops sorry sister had a bad day at work. They have missed both major and smaller events in my life because of her melt downs.

I met the love of my life. We decided to tie the knot. From the beginning I told my parents how I am worried my sister will ruin another special moment in my life. My mom told me over and over again it would not happen.

The day of my wedding. I received a voicemail from my mom saying they couldn’t come because my sisters dog was sick and she was upset.

I was hurt, my best man however is a jokester. He took my phone then went to my fiancé and asked if he could post a video of our wedding as a gift? On social media. She loved his idea.

I had no idea about it until I came home. Our honeymoon was at a lake side cabin. No cell service.

The post caption was “My best friend. He is an amazing person even if his parents NEVER showed up for him. video was still pictures of us next to her parents, me on the dance floor, cutting the cake. Where you would normally see both parents in wedding pictures. The sound behind the video was my moms voice mail explaining how they couldn’t come because my sisters dog was sick.

I came home a week later to hundreds of messages. Family members from both sides insisting I take it down. I was told my sister hasn’t stopped crying. My mom is refusing to leave the house.

I maybe the A here. I didn’t take it down when I got my messages. I didn’t call my family back right away. I waited until my vacation time was over at work and enjoyed my time with my Wife. In our new home. Before I contacted anyone.

My dad told me to take down the video. It was “just a bad night for them”. That they will make it up to me and my wife for not coming. My reply was exactly how do you plan to “make up” my wedding? It’s a once in a life time thing. You choose to ignore my feeling on the whole matter.

Then he just repeated he will make it up to me. I told him I would take down the video only when he made up missing my wedding. Flustered we both hung up the phone before we both said things we shouldn’t have.

Am I the A here. I could have just taken down the video.

I am a nurse practitioner and I am the primary care provider for a lot of the low risk maternity cases at the practice where I work. I also work hand in hand with the doctors and midwives to create a healthy maternity, birth, and postpartum situation.

My fiancee is completing her residency. We live together and have for a few years now. We aren't in any hurry to get married. We originally had plans to do so a couple of years ago but then we got really busy for two years.

It is driving my very religious parents crazy that their youngest son is living in sin. I don't really care. I'm an adult and I do what I want. We are getting married in June.

So we are visiting my parents for Christmas. The way it came together this year everyone is at my parents house. So that's my folks, my three siblings, myself and fiancee, and seven grandchildren. So seventeen people.

At dinner my mom starts going on about how she is so glad that we are finally getting married and she won't be embarrassed at church any more. And my dad says how proud he is of his three older kids who all either waited to get married before moving in together or got married right away after moving in together. My fiancee was getting embarrassed and I was getting mad over this stupid argument we have had too many times. And a family dinner was the last straw.

I have asked them repeatedly to just accept that they cannot control how I live my life. I refuse to stay with them when I visit even if I come alone. Hotels are just easier.

So I started talking about a premature baby I had been reading about. It was almost three months premature and weighed about 1.6 pounds. It was super strong and healthy for being born so little and the NICU had high hopes for the baby doing well.

My mom and dad both got deer in the headlights looks on their faces. To bad. Should not have fucked around with my fiancee's feelings.

So I asked about my oldest brother. He was born almost four months premature. Is there a chance that we could check out the family album where we keep all the records of family births and stuff.

I already know my brother was over 9 pounds and almost 23" long when he was born. My grandmother told me all about it the first time my parents tried to shame me.

The subject gets changed very fast. After supper my parents told me that I should not try to embarrass them with private things that are not my concern. I told them that if I heard anything about my living arrangements ever again for the rest of my life I would make sure to keep bringing up the FACT that my mom was in her second trimester when they got married.

My parents are mad at me for telling them how to behave in their own home. But my fiancee is happy that they seem to be off the subject for good.

AITA?

I am a high schooler with a weekend job at a coffee shop. My coworkers who work weekends are:

James - the owners son, he goes to my school. He's a shift manager but it's not a real formal thing, he's a friendly guy.

Danielle - A college student who sometimes works weekends too.

So sometimes customers will come in and just be angry about such little stuff. Like literally blow up about nothing. I dunno if theyre in a bad mood already and looking for someone to take it out on or what, but it's a lot... Like how sad so your have to be to be a grown-ass man taking your anger out on high school and college kids.

So James and I were joking about having a little fun with them and hopefully getting them off our backs.

So one day I was at work and some guy was having a temper about how we don't make the coffee hot enough... Which I couldn't do a thing about because I gave it to him right out of the machine.

So James came in and was like "sir is there a problem here" and the guy started ranting at him too. So he was just like "OP, this is unacceptable, you're fired."

I started acting real sad, like "no please don't fire me, my family needs the money, I need this job, pleaseeee" and he played up being a hard-ass, telling me to take off my apron and leave.

The angry guy started to backtrack, like "It isn't that big of a problem, you don't need to fire her over it. I didn't mean it" and James was like "No, we pride ourselves on the best customer service"

Of course after all that drama I still had my job, we were just acting. And we've done it a couple times, whenever a customer will lose their temper at Danielle or I, James will storm in and "fire" us. And almost every time, the person who had come in angry will apologise and say that they didn't mean it. It's kind of satisfying, making people realize their actions might actually have consequences.

Anyway, I was telling my friends from school about this and a few of them thought it was a mean prank, to let someone go away thinking they'd gotten someone who desperately needs the money fired.

AITA for this joke?

I'll try to keep this short. I had a 1967 Impala 4 door that I bought in Feb 2019. A couple months ago I bought my first house that had a 2.5 car garage. I moved the car in and started tearing it down for a complete restoration. I had the body in one bay and the chassis in another, plus the whole garage filled with parts. About two months ago my girlfriend came to live with me during this whole crisis and the whole time has hated that car. She wants to park in the garage but I have 2 acres of land with a lot of nice places to park under shady trees or hell even in the barn if it has to be inside. I tell her tough luck its my house and its not like I can just throw it back together real quick. Anyways I was out of town for a couple days on a business trip for the small local company I work for. When I got back, my girlfriend was all smiles. Making me food all the time, doing all the chores, all that. I though maybe she just was happy to have me home but then I realized that I didn't see her car in it's usual spot. I asked her where she parked so I could make sure I mow that area and keep it clean and she said not to worry because she parked in the garage. I asked how and she told me to go check it out. Turns out that while I was gone she hired some people to come over and move everything related to that car, including the drivetrain, body, and chassis and all parts, and take it to the local dump/scrapyard. I was absolutely dumbfounded. I had spent over 11k on that car including new parts, services, and the car itself. I told her that I was going to be taking her to court for that and she brushed me off like I was being dramatic. I told her that its done between us and to pack her things and leave. I admit I was a really angry but I did end up getting a lawyer, and as I have all the receipts for all that money spent and I have her on my house's security cam footage letting the guys in and watching them take it all I think I can win. Her family and friends are absolutely blowing me up saying its just a stupid old piece of junk and that she cannot pay back all that money I spent, and that I should just let it go. But I have been putting all my time, effort, and money into that car for a year and a half now and goddammit if I am not going to get justice for what she did. AITA

Edit: Thank you all so much for the support and awards and everything. I'm glad I have some people on my side. I got a call from her mom about 20 minutes ago and she told me that i was ruining her daughter's life over a stupid car. I told her she ruined her own life. I've been gathering documentation and stuff and I'm about to head down to the police station and file a report, as suggested by lots here. Once again thank you all

UPDATE : went to the police station last night, was told to come back in the morning. just got back and filed an official report against her for grand larceny and grand theft auto. i showed them all the receipts i had for the car and the footage of her letting the guys come and take it as well as the title for the vehicle in my name. they said they will be in contact with all 3 parties (me, ex gf, and junkyard guys) soon and they will hopefully be able to recover some or all of the car. just have to wait now

HUGE UPDATE : THEY FOUND MY GODDAMN CAR!! the junkyard guys apparently were in the middle of hiding it when the police came to ask them questions. it was on a forklift and they were gonna put it on top of a pile of cars that was hidden behind more piles of cars. they said it was theirs and they had the title, but obviously didnt have the title for it and since they matched the vin on the chassis and body to the vin on my title, it was obviously mine. I know at least one person there has been arrested, i think he was in the camera footage i talked about earlier but idk if it was the boss or whomever or even his specific charge, they also told me they would be looking into this specific junkyard for any other vehicles reported stolen. they said they haven't been able to get in contact with my ex just yet but they're working on it. im just so glad they found my car. luckily i made quite an album of pictures detailing me tearing down the car and so i can use that to prove what parts they had were mine so i can hopefully get most or all of it back. police haven't let me take it back home yet as they say it is evidence or something so hopefully i can get it back eventually. thank you all so much for the support and advice! SHES GONNA BE ALRIGHT

My brother in-law (Sammy) lost his home shortly after his divorce 10 months ago. He moved in with us and brought his twin daughters (Olivia & Sloane18) with him a couple of months ago. His sister (my wife) and I have one daughter (Zoey 16) and she and her cousins aren't close but get along fine.

Olivia & Sloane have no respect for Zoey's privacy, none. they used to walk into her room and take everything they get their hands on. Makeup, phone accessories, clothes, school laptop etc. Zoey complained a lot and I've already asked the girls to respect Zoey's privacy and stop taking things. My wife and Sammy saw no issue with this. After all, they're girls and this's typical teenage girls behavior. I completely disagreed.

Last straw was when Zoey bought a 60$ m.a.c makeup-kit that looks like a paintset that she saved up for over a month and one of the girls, Sloane took it without permission and ruined it by mixing shades together while using it. Don't know much about makeup but that's what Zoey said when she found the kit on her bed, and was crying. I told my wife and she said she'd ask Sloane to apologize but I got Zoey a lock after I found she was moving valuable belongings out the house because of this incidence!!!

Sammy and his daughters saw the lock and weren't happy, the girls were extremely upset. Sammy asked about it and I straight up told him. He said "my daughters aren't thieves!!! it's normal that girls of the same age borrow each others stuff" he said Zoey could easily get another makeup kit for 15 bucks from walmart and shouldn't even be buying expensive - adult makeup in the first place and suggested my wife take care of this "defect" in Zoey's personality trying to appear older than she is. He accused me of being overprotective and babying Zoey with this level of enablement.

I told him this's between me and my wife but she shamed me for putting a lock on Zoey's door for her cousins to see and preventing them from "spending time" with her saying I was supposed to treat them like daughters, then demanded I remove it but I said this lock does not get removed til her brother and his daughters are out of our house.

She got mad I was implying we kick them out and said her family'll hate me for this. so I reminded her that I let Sammy and his family move in which's something her OWN family refused to do so she should start with shaming/blaming them for not taking their own son and nieces/granddaughters in. if it wasn't for her family's unwillingness to help we wouldn't be dealing with this much disturbance at home.

Everyone's been giving me and Zoey silent treatment and my wife is very much upset over this.

Ingredients

4.5 cups water

8oz elbow pasta

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp butter

1.5 cups sharp cheddar, grated

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp thyme

1.5 teaspoon onion powder

1 pinch of dried parsley

Salt, add to taste

Directions

Boil water in a pot. Add pasta and cook for 7 min or Al Dente. Drain and set aside.In a deep pan add the butter on medium low heat and saute garlic for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Slowly pour in whipping cream a little at a time until simmering. Whisk in shredded cheese a little at a time making sure it's melted before adding more. Add seasonings and simmer until thickened.Add pasta to cheese sauce and stir.Serve hot.Serves 3-4 people. :)

edited to add whipping cream

“Marry Me” Chicken & TortelliniTime: 40 mins

Original Recipe: https://craftycookbook.com/marry-me-chicken-tortellini/

Note, I didn't name this dish. "Marry Me Chicken" has been around for a while, it always features pan fried chicken breast served in a sun dried tomato cream sauce. This version serves it up over tortellini tossed in extra sauce.

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast16-20 oz fresh or frozen cheese tortellini2 cups half-and-half, or 1 cup cream + 1 cup whole milk1 ½ tsp chicken better than bouillon, or chicken bouillon cubes⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped fine½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, or sub basil or parsley1 tbsp freshly minced garlic¼ cup all-purpose flour½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (add more to make it spicy, or omit if very sensitive to spice)½ tsp dried oreganoolive oilgarlic powderfreshly cracked black peppersaltInstructions

Fillet the chicken breast(s) and pound to a thin, even thickness. Season all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour flour onto a shallow plate and dredge the chicken in it, shaking off any excess.Warm 2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat, sear breasts for about 3 mins per side, until golden, then remove to a cutting board. Slice into the largest piece to ensure it’s cooked through, then tent with foil to keep warm. Do not wipe the pan clean. Turn off the heat to allow the pan to cool slightly.Meanwhile, begin boiling a large pot of salted water. Cook the tortellini per package instructions while preparing the rest of the meal. Drain and cover to keep warm until needed. (Most cook times are short, so wait until the sauce is almost done)In the pan you cooked the chicken, cook the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium heat until fragrant (about 1 minute), add more oil if needed. Next, add the half-and-half and reduce heat to medium low. Add the bouillon and oregano, mix well and scrape any browned bits into the sauce. Once simmering, add the parmesan (reserving a little for garnish) and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is the consistency of thick cream, about 10 minutes.After simmering, add the chopped sun dried tomatoes and mix well. Add the chicken back to the pan and spoon sauce over it until it’s coated. Warm it in the pan for 1-2 minutes, then remove to a cutting board and cut into bite sized pieces.Toss the tortellini in the sauce, then plate into serving dishes. Top with the chicken, then garnish with the reserved parmesan and fresh thyme.If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went and any feedback you have in the comments section!

A. Meat Sauce

- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

- 3 large carrots, peeled & finely chopped

- 1 large onion, diced

- 4 large cloves garlic, minced

- 1 green bell pepper, diced

- 16 ounces lean ground beef

- 8 ounces ground pork

- ¾ cup red wine

- 2 cans, or fresh (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

- 1 tablespoon tomato paste

- 1/2 tablespoon ketchup

- Course kosher salt (Diamond Crystal Brand) and fresh, or dried, Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, thyme).

INSTRUCTIONS

In a 10 or 12 inch heavy-bottomed stainless steel or cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until sufficiently pre-heated. Add onion and carrots, season slightly with a healthy pinch of kosher salt. Sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes.Add garlic and bell pepper. Continue cooking until garlic is fragrant but not scorched.Increase heat to high. Add beef and pork and cook, breaking apart the meat with a wooden spoon until mostly browned. Approximately 10 minutes.Add wine and deglaze. Boil off the wine until it is mostly evaporated, 3-4 minutes at least.Stir in tomatoes with all liquid if using canned. Reheat to boiling and then reduce heat to medium-low.Add ketchup and tomato pasteSeason with more salt and select italian herbs to your liking.Simmer the now mostly completed sauce, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened sufficiently.Preheat oven to 375.B. Béchamel

- Metal whisk

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 3 tablespoons flour

- 2 cups of milk, heated to just under a boil

- Salt and white pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

In a 2 or 3 quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat.Once butter is completely melted and covering the bottom of your saucepan, blend in the flour by small amounts, stirring frequently with whisk.Once all flour is blended in, continue cooking for 2 minutes without browning or coloring the mixture.Remove from heat. Allow to slightly cool and then pour in the heated milk in one swift motion. Immediately and quickly blend the mixture together with whisk.Return saucepan to the stove over medium-high heat and continue stirring quickly until the sauce comes to boil.Boil for about 1 minute, while stirring, until sauce is thick enough to coat and cling to the back of a spoon.Remove from heat and season slightly with kosher salt and white pepper. Careful not to over-season as to avoid overpowering the dish.If sauce is too thin, boil it down while stirring continually until reduced and thickened. If sauce is too thick, simmer and thin out with milk added in a tablespoon at a time. If sauce is lumpy, either strain or blend it and then simmer for a few minutes.C. Filling

INSTRUCTIONS

- 1-2 cups freshly made béchamel

- 7 ounces, approximate, ricotta cheese

- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.

In roughly equal parts, combine all ingredients, stir well, and taste.Reserve some parmesan to both top unbaked lasagna and garnish completed lasagna.D. Assembly

INSTRUCTIONS

- 1 package (8 to 9 ounces) of no-boil lasagna noodles.

In the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish, ladle about 1 cup of meat sauce to evenly coat the bottom of the dish.Arrange 3-4 (depending on width of noodles) noodles over sauce, careful not to overlap or touch sides of the dish.Ladle 1 ½ cups meat sauce over noodles.Spread about ¾ - 1 cup of filling over meat sauce. Best method is to use a tablespoon, dropping dollops across the layer and then spreading slightly. The filling will loosen while cooking so it does not have to be perfect.Repeat steps 2-4 with all remaining ingredients until you finish with a final layer of meat sauce.Top assembled lasagna with filling and freshly grated parmesan.Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes in preheated oven at 375.Remove foil and bake for 15 additional minutes.Remove dish from the oven and raise oven rack to the highest position. Set broiler to high and place uncovered lasagna on topmost rack directly under heat elements. Broil carefully, with over door ajar, until the top is perfectly crisped and brown.Turn off heat, remove from oven and rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.With a serrated knife, divide lasagna into equal portions and guide your cuts by the small gaps between noodles.Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. Pair with peperoncinis and the rest of that bottle of red wine.

The original recipe with more details and images can be found here.

https://delightbaking.com/chocolate-cheesecake-aka-russischer-zupfkuchen/

Total ingredients needed

300 g All-purpose flour250 g White sugar350 g Butter4x Eggs10 g Baking powder30 g Cocoa powder – Unsweetened2 packages (~16 g) Vanilla sugar500 g Farmer’s cheese (40% fat)1 package (~37 g) Instant vanilla pudding mix1x Vanilla bean1. Mix chocolate dough

300 g All-purpose flour30 g Cocoa powder – Unsweetened10 g Baking powder125 g White sugar1 package (~8 g) Vanilla sugar150 g Butter (softened)1x EggsStart by sifting in the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder and baking powderMix with a hand mixer using dough hooksAdd white sugar, vanilla sugar, softened butter and egg and mix until well combined2. Rest

Form a ball out of the chocolate dough Wrap it in cling film Place in the fridge for 30 minutes3. Melt butter

Place 250 g butter in a pot and bring it to low / medium heatStir while cookingAfter whe whole butter is melted put it aside to cool down4. Coat springform pan

Grease a 26 cm springform pan with butter on bottom and all sidesTake the chocolate dough out of the fridge and divide in halfPut one half aside and use the first one for coating the springform panPress the previously created dough into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan tightly5. Mix filling

3x Eggs125 g White sugar1 package (~8 g) Vanilla sugarPreviously melted butter500 g Farmer’s cheese (40% fat)1 package (~37 g) Instant vanilla pudding mix1x Vanilla beanMix all of the mentioned ingredients together with the hand mixer on low speedStart by adding the vanilla sugar and eggsAfterwards add the previously melted butter, farmer’s cheese, instant vanilla puddingScrape the insides of the vanilla bean and also add them to the mixtureYou want to have a homogenous mass so don’t mix too longAs the last step, pour the whole mixture into the coated springform pan6. Scatter chocolate dough

Take the other half of the chocolate dough you previously have put asideScatter it around the top of the filling7. Bake

Put a bowl with about 500 g water on the bottom of the oven and a baking grill in the middlePreheat it to 165°C (329°F) with the upper and lower heat functionAdd the chocolate cheesecake and bake for 60 minutesAfter 60 minutes of baking turn the oven off and slightlty open the oven door8. Cool

For a good result you want to cool down the chocolate cheesecake very slowlyAs mentioned before start the cooling down process by slightly opening the oven door for 60 minutesAfterwards place the cake on the counter for further cooling of 3 hoursAs the last step, put it in the fridge and let it chill for at least 4 hours

I thought it would be cool to make a very traditional Ragu alla Bolognese; i.e. the sauce that was the catalyst for the famed 'Spaghetti Bolognese' dish a lot of us know and love. This dish is said to have originated in Italy's Bologna region hence the name. For anyone interested it was Pelligrino Artusi who first published ragu as a recipe back in 1891.

The below recipe is just for the ragu sauce - it will make enough to top 6 servings of pasta. Best pasta to serve this with is tagliatelle, fettucine, or pappardelle.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3+ hours

Total Time: Approx 6 hours

Servings: 6

EQUIPMENTSaucepanINGREDIENTS• 250g beef, hand minced (chuck, brisket, short rib, shank all work)⁣• 250g pork, hand minced (shoulder is best)⁣• Extra Virgin Olive Oil⁣ (EVOO)• 1 onion, diced⁣• 1 rib celery, diced⁣• 1 carrot, diced⁣• 2.5 tbs tomato paste (concentrated)⁣• 1 cup red wine⁣• 1 cup stock (chicken or beef) + more for topping up ⁣• 1 cup whole milk⁣• 1 cinnamon stick⁣• 1 bay leaf⁣

• a largish segment of lemon peel⁣• A little pinch of nutmeg⁣• Salt & black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONSUse a sharp knife or a heavy cleaver to finely chop the meat into a course mince.Heat a heavy bottomed pot on high-heat add enough EVOO to cover the bottom about 1/4 inch thick then add beef and saute for 6-7 minutes until browned on the outside. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon ensuring you leave rendered fat in the pot and set aside.Repeat the above step for the pork.Add onions, carrot, celery and saute for 15 - 20 minutes.Add red wine, then the beef and pork back in, then tomato paste, stock, milk, cinnammon, bay leaf, nutmeg, lemon peel. Give everything a good stir and season with salt (about 1 tbs) and black pepperSimmer on low heat for 3-6 hours - taste every half an hour; if it gets dry top up with either water or stock. It's done when the meat is tender and no longer chewy; obviously the longer you cook the more tender/melt in your mouth it will get. TO SERVETagliatelle Egg Pasta (cook according to packet instructions and add as much ragu as you like and a dash of reserved pasta water to make it a little saucy)Grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheeseCracked Black pepperGlass of Red Wine! For those interested, below is a 2 min video of cooking process end to end.

I was inspired by vineyardbaker on Instagram and decided to try focaccia bread art for Easter. I used the recipe from this site for the focaccia.

https://www.inspiredtaste.net/19313/easy-focaccia-bread-recipe-with-herbs/

>Ingredients

>1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

>2 garlic cloves, finely minced [I used 5, but my husband and I are garlic fiends]

>1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

>1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried

>1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

>1 cup (235 ml) warm water

>2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)

>1/4 teaspoon honey

>2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour

>1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

In a cold medium skillet, combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and the black pepper. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until aromatic, but before the garlic browns. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and honey. Stir a few times then let sit for 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of the flour and a 1/4 cup of the infused garlic-olive oil mixture to the bowl with yeast and honey. Stir 3 to 4 times until the flour has moistened. Let sit for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour and the salt. When the dough comes together, transfer to a floured board and knead 10 to 15 times until smooth.

Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 1 hour. (It’s best to let the dough rise in a warmer area of your kitchen).

After 1 hour, heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use two tablespoons of the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture to oil a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. (See above if you do not have this pan size).

Transfer the dough to the baking sheet then press it down into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough then drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic-olive oil mixture. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes until it puffs slightly.

This is where I slightly deviated from the website's recipe.

I added sliced bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, black olives, green olives, cauliflower, and sprigs of thyme, rosemary, dill, and chives for the springtime decor. Just pressed slightly down into the dough. Then back to the original recipe.

Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool baked focaccia bread on a wire rack. [I ended up lowering the heat to 350 after 15 min and continued baking for another 6-ish minutes. It was slightly hard to the touch at this point instead of springy and I was worried I had overcooked it, but once it cooled and we cut into it, it was PERFECT.]

Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch

For full recipe, tips, & tricks, visit: https://maplewoodroad.com/food/easy-homemade-chicken-and-dumplings-from-scratch/

INGREDIENTS2-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast2 Tbsp vegetable oil1/2 medium onion, chopped1-1/2 stalks celery, chopped3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped1-1/2 c peas2 cloves garlic, minced4 c chicken broth1/3 c heavy cream6 Tbsp salted butter, melted1 tsp thyme2 bay leaves1/2 c parsley, roughly chopped1/2 c all-purpose flourSalt and pepper to tasteDumplings (makes 10)1 c all-purpose flour1/2 tsp baking powder3/4 c heavy cream1 Tbsp unsalted butter, meltedPinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONSAdd 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil to a saute pan over low-medium heat. When the oil begins to sizzle, add the chicken breasts and brown on each side, for a total of about 10 minutes. Then, remove the chicken and set aside.In the same pan, saute onion, celery, and carrots for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.At this point, add butter and flour to the pan, whisk it together quickly, and then add the stock. Add the bay leaves, thyme, parsley, peas, and cream. Add the chicken back to the pan. Simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.After 30 minutes, remove the chicken and using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Add the shredded chicken back to the pan.DumplingsIn a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt).Next, add in the heavy cream and melted butter.Mix everything together with a fork until it becomes a slightly sticky dough. Knead the dough with your hands for about one minute.Using a tablespoon, scoop out balls of dough and form them into small meatball-sized balls.Drop the dumplings into the thick sauce in the pan, making sure they’re not touching each other, as they'll puff up a bit while cooking.Cook for an additional 30 minutes.Serve in a deep pasta bowl, garnished with some fresh parsley and thyme. Enjoy!

Ingredients for pumpkin gnocchi, from this recipe

8 ounces pumpkin puree1 cup all-purpose flour1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese1/2 cup ricotta cheese1 large egg1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmegWhole cloves, to help mimic pumpkin stemsToothpicks or food safe string, for shaping

Instructions

Prepare the pumpkin by draining some of the liquid out. To do this line a bowl or a strainer with a few layers of paper towels, then place the pumpkin puree on top of the paper towels. Let this sit for 10 minutes.Gently mix together all of the ingredients in a large bowl. A soft but pliable dough will form, if the dough is too wet or sticky, add additional flour as needed 1 tablespoon at a time.Sprinkle a little flour on a clean countertop or cutting board.Taking about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, roll the dough between your palms to create a ball shape, set the ball onto your floured surface. Repeat this until all the dough has been rolled.Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil, season the water with a pinch of kosher salt.Using the side of a toothpick or a piece of string to create pumpkin markings on each dough ball, then very gently press down the top just a bit to make the ball a little more squat in shape.Once all of the gnocchi are shaped and the water is boiling, carefully slide them into the pot of water.Let the gnocchi boil until they begin to float, once they are floating give them another minute or two then take them out of the water.Place a whole clove into the top of each gnocchi to look like a pumpkin stem. Serve gnocchi with your favorite sauce! (it is recommended to remove the clove before eating.)

Ingredients for creamy spinach sauce

2 tablespoon unsalted butter2 tablespoon flour1 teaspoon garlic minced¾ cup whole milk1 cup heavy cream1 teaspoon Italian seasonings½ each Salt & pepper to taste8 oz baby spinach¼ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese1 teaspoon red chili flakesFresh basil to garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium flame. Add butter, once butter is melted, sprinkle the flour and cook for a minute.
Add the minced garlic along with the milk, heavy cream, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce thickens for 4-5 minutes.
Add the baby spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted.
Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the sauce. Cook for a minute until everything comes together. Place [pumpkin 
gnocchi] in the sauceLayer the skillet with mozzarella cheese on top and sprinkle some red chili flakes. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheeses are melted and bubbling.
Garnish the cheesy [pumpkin gnocchi] skillet with fresh basil and serve while it is still warm.


Just followed the recipe from Cafe Delites: https://cafedelites.com/creamy-tuscan-chicken/ Super easy and can be done with many sides. I personally made some buttery mashed potatoes. I used:

4 chicken breasts

salt&pepper to taste

1 1/2 tsp paprika

3 tbs oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar

For the sauce:

6 cloves minced garlic

jar of sun-dried tomatoes

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 cup double cream

3 cups spinach

1/2 cup grated parmesan

some parsley to top with

(i didn’t use onion powder even though it’s mentioned in the recipe)

Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and paprika and then sear on the pan until golden and cooked-through. Set aside.In the same pan, heat up the rest of the oil and fry the garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the mustard and mix it in.Reduce heat and add in the cream, cook to a gentle simmer. Add some more salt and pepper.Add the spinach and cook until the leaves are wilt in the sauce. Then add the parmesan. Cook for another 2 minutes.Add the chicken, top up with parsley and serve :)

Shortbread Crust:

100g or 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, soft.

50g or 1/2 cup Sugar

150g or 1 cup + 2 tbsp All Purpose/Plain Flour

Caramel Filling:

200g or 2/3 cup Condensed Milk

150g or 2/3 cup Unsalted Butter

50g or 1/2 cup Sugar

50g or 3 tbsp Golden Syrup, can also use Honey or Maple Syrup

Chocolate Topping:

200g or 1 cup Chocolate Chips/Squares

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter.In a bowl, beat sugar and butter to form a smooth paste. Add flour and gently mix it all together. Use your hands to knead and mop up all the crumbs.Flatten crust inside pan and try to level it as much as you can. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until your crust is a light golden brown around the edges. Let it cool in the pan.While your crust is baking, start the caramel. Put all filling ingredients into a saucepan and place on medium-high heat, stirring gently. Watch it closely as you stir. If you see little brown slivers at the bottom of the pan, stir them in vigorously and turn the heat down to a low-medium. Simmer it gently until it reaches a deep, golden brown color. It should take around 15 minutes.When ready, pour the caramel over the cooled biscuit crust and spread evenly using an offset spatula or knife. Let this cool for at least an hour. You don’t want the caramel to be warm or it’ll ruin your chocolate. Don’t cool in the fridge or else you’ll end up with a hard mess.Melt chocolate using microwave or double boiler and pour over cooled caramel to finish off.To serve, heat up a knife using hot water (make sure you dry it) or a blowtorch. This will ensure you get a nice clean cut. Cut into whatever size slices you want; I usually go for 1-inch squares.If you want to watch the video of it being made, feel free to check it out here:

https://www.thesulkychef.com/home/millionaires-shortbread