Since I’ve had the flu or something very close I’ve spent a lot of time perfecting my hot toddy recipe. There really is no medicine out there that makes all of your symptoms go away so I attack the final remaining symptoms with alcohol. I drink until I’m barely able to keep my eyes open and then proceed to watch documentaries until I slip quietly into a coma. I was talking with a friend the other day reciting my very special hot toddy ingredients and she suddenly came up with the most obscure reference. I researched and found the Lord MauntBatten was a very special military character in the British Forces and find that yes indeed his name can grace the tonic for all that cures me.

The Last Viceroy

**1/2 shot Brandy or Kentucky Bourbon
1/4 lemon juice (fresh)
Fill cup with hot brewed Oolong Tea (Revolution Dragon Eye Oolong)
1/2 Teaspoon of honey
optional - cinnamon stick.

**Here at LATC.com we practice safe drug and alcohol combination and usage. Otherwise I would fully endorse an entire shot of alcohol.

4 boneless pork loin chops (thick cut)
1 cup of merlot 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, grounded or chopped fine s
Salt and pepper to taste
Honey, ready to use throughout cooking process

Prepare chops in a glass or metal Pyrex baking dish Salt and pepper chops pour 1-2 cups merlot over the chops drizzle honey over the top of the chops until they are covered break up rosemary and sprinkle over chops in dish Let sit for 20-30 minutes Place entire dish with marinade into 425 degree oven. Let the chops cook on each side 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness. Turn them over at the 5 to 10 minute interval and drizzle honey on the other side. When the chops are finished cooking turn on the broiler and drizzle honey over the top of the chops again.

Broil until just browned.

Served with roasted potatoes, grilled asparagus and syrah

We are a bit heavy handed with the dairy in this house. Of course, we may die of heart disease but it won’t be with an empty stomach. I believe good food goes a long way for your health and happiness. Why kill yourself with processed foods when you can kill yourself with whole, rich, natural goodness.

4 to 5 Large Russet Potatoes: sliced thin with or without skins
1/2 pound of Emmental cheese: grated
1/2 pound of Gruyere cheese: grated
1 cup of finely chopped onions
1 Smoked pork joint or ham hock: cut from the bone in small pieces
2 Tablespoons of rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Layer the potatoes in a 8 X 16 baking dish. Over each layer of the potatoes, salt and pepper, layer cheese, ham and pour about a 1/4 cup of cream and repeat until all the potatoes are in the dish. On the top layer sprinkle the rosemary. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 for 30 minutes; cover the potatoes and turn the oven down to 350 - bake until finished. Depending the the depth of your layers and thickness of your slices it could be up to another 30 minutes to an hour. 

Serve with a Riesling or buttery Chardonnay. A heavily oaked chardonnay may compete with the earthiness of the cheese.

Variations:
Dairy friendly vegetarians - leave out the ham, its just as delicious and rich without it.
Ham hock phobic? - use a high quality black forest style ham.
Cheese lovers - Use all gruyere if you can afford it. Gruyere is expensive especially the real thing, that’s why I mix it. Plus the cheese can be quite pungent and rich if you aren’t prepared for it.
Can be served as a main dish or side dish.

You know you’ve turned your children into food snobs when life circles around brown bags of groceries. The last time I brought bok choy home you would have thought my daughter found a new car in the bottom of the bag. Last night as I wandered the grocery looking for something to go with my rib steak again I heard the faint begging sound tinged with excitement; “honey would you make some bok choy?” from my best friend.

This type of green is simple and fast. You could almost sauté it with anything and it would taste lovely. I have a recipe that my daughter and I developed together.

Ingredients
2 bunches of baby bok choy or 1 bunch of regular bok choy
4 Tablespoons of Worcestershire
2-3 cups of organic beef broth
2-3 strips of bacon
1 cup of sliced mushrooms (preferably, dark mushrooms. Last night I used Shitake which were divine in the past I’ve used crimini and porcini)
1/4 cup of pine nuts
1/4 cup of sliced onions
1 Tablespoon of garlic

Preparation
Cut bacon into small pieces and sauté until brown
Add onion, garlic, Worcestershire and pine nuts sauté for 2-3 minutes
Add broth and mushrooms and bring to fast boil
Add bok choy stems first and allow to cook over high heat for 3 minutes (baby bok choy) or 5 minutes (regular bok choy)

Present on a large plate with with the mushrooms, bacon and pine nuts heaped onto the top.
Ladle a bit of the sauce onto the plate.
This is a really healthy and filling dish - you can serve it as a side dish or eat it as a main dish.

Variations:
- Its not necessary to use the bacon however I find pork fat makes everything better.
- You can use Vegetable broth with Worcestershire if you are a vegetarian, use darker mushrooms for more flavor.
- Safe the sauce for roux or stew or as a soup base. Its easy to freeze and will last for a week or two.

Served with:
Grilled and marinated rib steak
Baked potatoes

Wine:
1 Bottle of southern French Red

Ingredients

2 large containers of organic beef broth
2 cups of red wine (generally a merlot, syrah or blended red works well)
1 pound beef, I use round steak or any good quality stew meat and cut it into large pieces
3 tablespoons of flour (adding additional flour at the end if you like it thick) or you can use corn starch 
1/4 cup tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of basil
1 tablespoon of rosemary
1/2 tablespoon of oregano
3 whole cloves of garlic
1/4 of red onion (cut into small to medium pieces)
4 large potatoes (cut into medium pieces, skins on or off)
6 carrots (peeled and cut into medium pieces)
Salt/Pepper to taste ( I recommend salting at the beginning and then in the middle if it isn’t salty enough)

 While I’m cutting the other ingredients I let the beef steep in the wine, spices, onions and Worcestershire. All the spices are fresh or dried fresh and really make your house smell lovely.

(At this point if you haven’t already start drinking the rest of the bottle of wine in a ration of two for the cook, one for the pot.)

Once you finish cutting the vegetables, turn the heat up on the beef and add flour. Stir vigorously until a roux of sorts is made with the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Begin to add beef broth and drink more wine. After all of the broth is added begin to add potatoes and carrots. Let the mixture come to a boil and then turn down on a low heat until the carrots and potatoes are cooked through. Drink more wine…. Add the corn starch mixture according to the directions on the package or add more flour until you get desired thickness.

Drink more wine Serve stew with red wine a baguette with butter and a creamy French cheese. And its always better the second day.

Drink Count: 1/2 Bottle of Organic Spanish red wine