Add some warmth to this cold February and make a powerhouse mushroom soup—complex and well-rounded. Or, with Valentine’s Day around the corner, try something different and make this soup for your significant other.     
    Mushrooms are edible and delectable fungi that can keep you healthy throughout the year, especially in the winter. They are known to boost many vital components of your immune system and prime your immune cells to be more responsive to future attacks, inflammation and infections.  
    Unfortunately, mushrooms have a bad rap because of what they look like and most people tend to overlook them, when in fact, they are flavorful and offer endless culinary possibilities. Smooth, luxurious and earthy, when cooked, this overlooked fungi tantalizes the taste buds with something called, Umami. Umami is the fifth element of taste after sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. Not only does it cater to your taste buds, it’s loaded with vitamin D, full of beta-glucans (a fiber beneficial for blood sugar and cholesterol management) and has strong anti-cancer effects. The best benefit of all? It contains ZERO calories! 
    No need to worry about ruining your New Year’s resolution. If you’re trying to stick with your 2020 vision, adjust the recipe accordingly and experiment with substitutes. Want to cut the butter? Use fat free ½ and ½ or fat free broth. Voila! Boost your senses and your health. 
    If my best friend Frank was still with us, he would try to find the rare European white truffle – the world’s most expensive mushroom (priced at $3,600 per pound!). (If I have, I’ll add a few drops of white truffle oil to this recipe.) He’d also say, “Ok, Nip cut the Bull and Lets Eat! Bon Appétit!” Xoxo Denise

Ingredients
5-6 cups a variety of dried and fresh mushrooms (dried mushroom variety should sit in a bowl with boiling water for 30 minutes to soften)
2  potatoes, peeled, diced
½ cup half & half
½ cup of Sherry (for: sweet) or Vermouth (for: dry)
1 T Soy sauce
2 T Butter
2 T Extra virgin olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, diced
2 T plus 1 T fresh thyme, fresh parsley, and fresh chives for garnish
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup flour
Splash of white wine
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste
A few drops of white truffle oil (optional)

Boil potatoes and drain. Also, prepare mushrooms.
Melt butter with olive oil in pan. Add salt, pepper, potatoes and mushrooms; cook for a few minutes. 
Add broth, soy sauce and fresh herbs; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes. 
Stir in flour and mix, then deglaze pan with alcohol. Remove from heat and blend 1 ½ cups in blender (or food processor). 
Add back into pot and add half & half. 
Garnish with buttery croutons, parsley, thyme, chives and pepper. Enjoy!

    Let’s change up the Valentine’s Day scene this year.  Yes, if you are attached, you should celebrate LOVE with your significant other.  But, ladies, what about the love you feel for your best gal pals?  I mean, they are there for you throughout the year and they GET IT (you know what I’m talking about). Why not celebrate the love and appreciation of your friendship also!?
    So, this month, I’m bringing you my best Galentine’s Day dinner.  One that is so pretty to look at it (your girls will totally appreciate the way the pink and green go so well together!), easy to make, and absolutely delicious to eat.  If you’ve ever been to Cheesecake Factory, this is a little spin on their dish (of the same name), so you know it’s going to be extra fabulous.  Let’s get into how to make this beauty of a dish…Happy Galentine’s Day!

Ingredients

Pesto:
• 4 cups basil leaves, lightly packed
• 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup olive oil, separated
• A little salt

Cream Sauce:
• 1 cup light or heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, separated
• Salt and Pepper

Remaining Ingredients:
• 1 box of spaghetti
• Cooked chicken cutlets (see my website to learn how to make the BEST chicken cutlets)
• Baby Arugula
• Very thinly sliced ham
• Pecorino Romano cheese for serving

Instructions:
Put up a large pot of water for the spaghetti.  Preheat the oven to 350° to reheat the chicken.
   Make the Pesto:  Add the basil, cheese, garlic, a small amount of oil, and a little salt to a food processor. Cover and lock the processor and start it up!  Drizzle in 1/4 cup of olive oil through the spout at the top of the processor as it’s going.  Continue the processor until everything comes together and is fully chopped.  Set aside.  (This can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge).
   Make the Cream Sauce:  Add the heavy cream and butter to a medium pot and cook over medium-high heat.  Bring to an almost boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer for about a minute or two.  Add salt and pepper–light on the salt, heavier on the pepper.  Whisk in 6 tablespoons of cheese.  Set aside.  (Cannot be made ahead of time).
   Add the pasta to the pot and reheat the chicken in the oven, if you haven’t already. 
   In a small pot over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the pesto and heat. The pesto should be a bit loose, not chunky.  Add enough olive oil a little at a time until the pesto is on the looser side. Set aside.
   Slice the chicken as seen in the photos above.  Drain the pasta completely.  Add the rest of the Pecorino Romano from the cream sauce ingredients.  Then add the cream sauce. Combine well.
   Assembly: Take some spaghetti and add it to the plate. Top it with small spoonfuls of pesto. Lay the sliced chicken on top of the pesto and pasta. Top with a handful of baby arugula and 1-2 slices of ham. Serve with Pecorino Romano.  Enjoy!

I would love to see pictures of your Galentine’s Day dinner!  Send me your photos via email at whatchacookinggoodlooking@gmail.com or tag me on Instagram @whatcha_cooking_good_looking.  
For more delicious recipes and cooking tips from Tiffany, head on over to www.whatchacookinggoodlooking.com 

    When fall rolls around, I am just itching for Apple Pie. Apple Crumb Pie to be exact.  When we go apple picking in September/October, I make so many Apple Crumb Pies that by the time the holidays are here, I seriously cannot look at another. 
    This pie is the BEST for a few reasons. (1.) There’s no pie crust on top. I am not a pie crust fan. Instead, pile on the brown sugar butter topping please and leave the pie crust to the bottom. (2.) This recipe really has such simple ingredients: Apples, cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, butter, flour, salt, and a frozen pie shell (which brings me to number three). (3.) You use a frozen pie shell. Can you beat that? No, because if you buy a good quality one, it’s delicious, and allows you to make a lot  in a little amount of time.
    So, this apple pie really speaks to me in a number of ways.  It’s super easy to make and the result is so outrageously good. All crumby and sweet on top with a delicious apple-cinnamon inside—exactly what my fall dreams are made of!
    P.S. serve warm with vanilla ice cream for droolworthy effects!

Ingredients
Prep Time: 20 mins  Cook Time: 60 mins  Total Time: 80 mins Yield: 8 
• 1 frozen deep dish pie shell, thawed (My favorite is Oronoque Orchards by Mrs. Smith’s)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups peeled and thin sliced apples (about 4-6), Gala apples are my favorite in this pie
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• Vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

Instructions
    Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with tin foil (you’ll thank me later) and place the pie shell on top. Set aside.
    In a mixing bowl or your stand mixer, combine the flour, butter, brown sugar and salt. If you’re using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on medium low. Watch the crumbs because they come together in one clump within the blink of an eye! When everything starts coming together, you’ll see crumbs form. If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a fork to create the crumbs. Smush down the butter and mix. Smush mix, until crumbs start to form. Then use your hands by delicately scooping up some of the mixture and letting it fall between your fingers, squeezing lightly before they fall. Keep this going until you have crumbs. Set the crumbs aside.
    Add the sliced apples to another mixing bowl (see Notes below for tips about cutting apples.) Add the cinnamon and sugar and mix until all the apples are coated. Don’t let the apples sit too long—it will create too much juice.
    Add the apples to the pie shell, arranging them so that there are no big holes or gaps between the apples (don’t let them hang off the edge).  
    Working in parts, place the crumbs on top of the apples and arrange so that the apples are covered and there are no holes. Do not press down on the crumbs. Cover the pie edges with a pie crust shield or tin foil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 425°. Then, keeping the pie in the oven, lower the heat to 350° for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown. If you see the crumbs browning too much too fast, place a sheet of tin foil right on top (don’t tuck it in, just tent it). 
    When the the pie comes out of the oven, immediately and carefully remove the pie crust shield or tin foil. Otherwise, it will stick to the pie. Let the pie sit for a little bit before serving.  Serve with vanilla ice cream (optional). Enjoy!

NOTES
Cutting the Apples: I take the apple and hold it upright to make a square around the core, cutting off big chunks of the apple. Then I take those chunks and make slices, maybe about a 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick. 
Reheating Note: If you cut into the pie while its still hot, the juices will come running out and the pie won’t be as good. Wait for the pie to cool.  
Additionally, you can always turn the oven back on when you’re ready to serve and heat on a 350° oven for about 10 minutes until the pie is warm.