Gingerbread Cookies

Copied from Mom so many years ago. I prefer to roll these out a little bit thicker so the cookie is softer, but you can also roll them out thin and have a crispy cookie. Have it your way.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. allspice

1/2 C. yellow shortening
3/4 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. dark molasses
1 egg
2 T. milk

Directions:

1. In one bowl, combine all the "dry" ingredients.

2. In separate bowl, cream butter & sugar together with electric beaters. Beat in molasses, egg, and milk. Stir flour mixture in by hand, 1/3 of mixture at a time. Mix thoroughly, but do not belabor the stirring. Can add a little extra milk if dough is too dry.

3. Chill dough (not necessary but helps firm it up a bit). Roll out to desired thickness, cut shapes out with cookie cutters and bake at 350F 10-12 minutes.

Rice Pudding

This recipe I copied from Mom's collection before I left for college the first time ten or so years ago. Who knows if it is accurate or not. I have only made it twice in that time. The first time I remember it being satisfactory, but this time something was left wanting. Perhaps because I left out the "optional" sugar...

Still, in theory, in memory, I like this rice pudding better than any other rice pudding I have ever encountered. I love the firm yet creamy texture and the skin that grows on top of the pudding from the spices. It is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, ever.

Ingredients:

3/4 - 1 C. raw rice, cooked

1 C. sugar (optional)
4 C. milk
1 T. butter
1-2 tsp. vanilla
2-4 eggs, beaten well
cinnamon & nutmeg to taste

Directions:

1. Mix everything together in a big bowl and transfer to a big lightly buttered casserole dish.

2. Put your casserole dish in a water bath in the oven at 325F and bake it for 1.5-2 hours, stirring every half hour. Cool in the fridge.

Notes: I think next time I will cook it only 1.5 hours and add the 2/3-full sugar and also a little bit of salt.

Old-Fashioned Ham with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

I used this recipe for my second annual ham for Mormon med school dinner. Seems it is always my turn at Christmas, and I always end up baking a ham. Last year's ham was such a success that I wanted an equally good recipe but something different. So I settled for this more classic take on ham from Epicurious. Original recipe here:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Old-Fashioned-Ham-with-Brown-Sugar-and-Mustard-Glaze-241636

Many of the reviewers suggest mixing all the glaze ingredients together and pouring it on top of the ham but no consensus is reached. I did not mix and found assembling the glaze components on the ham to be a bit tricksy, and in the end after baking and before serving I roughly scraped off the glaze components anyway. So take that for what you will.

The reviews of this ham were raving, as they were for last year's ham, so I may be the new official ham-baker around Rochester.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 10-pound smoked ham with rind, preferably shank end
1 cup unsweetened apple juice or apple cider
1/2 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place ham in large roasting pan. Pour apple juice over ham. Cover ham completely with parchment paper, then cover ham and roasting pan completely with heavy-duty foil, sealing tightly at edges of pan. Bake ham until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of ham registers 145°F, about 3 hours 45 minutes. Remove ham from oven. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.

2. Remove foil and parchment from ham. Drain and discard liquids from roasting pan. Cut off rind and all but 1/4-inch-thick layer of fat from ham and discard. Using long sharp knife, score fat in 1-inch-wide, 1/4-inch-deep diamond pattern.

3. Spread mustard evenly over fat layer on ham. Pat brown sugar over mustard coating, pressing firmly to adhere. Drizzle honey evenly over.

4. Bake until ham is well glazed, spooning any mustard and sugar glaze that slides into roasting pan back over ham, about 30 minutes. Transfer ham to serving platter; let cool at least 45 minutes. Slice ham and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Notes: I could not find a non-pre-fully-cooked ham, so I essentially skipped most of step 1. I did cook the ham in the apple juice at 225 for 30-45 minutes, just to get it a little warmed up and let it absorb some of the juices. Then I did the glaze at described above. I didn't really measure the brown sugar, just used what I needed to pat sugar all over the slidy mustard. I think it would be equally good with non-whole-grain dijon mustard and that it might be a little easier to work with.

Had lots of ham left over even with people eating a lot so I froze it in slices. We'll have to see how well that ends up going.

Maple Mousse Pie

Another pie from the NYTimes Thanksgiving list. This pie was not my favorite because the sugar-- if you cook it to 237-- becomes a tad too carmelized/burned which gives the pie not an unpleasant, but certainly a more done, flavor. The chocolate sauce helps to mitigate the effect. The crust is good though, and I figured out how to smash up chocolate cookies better than I ever had before, using a disposable roasting pan and a regular cereal bowl. It was a total triumph to me.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups fine chocolate cookie crumbs

1 cup maple sugar

Pinch of salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B

2 cups heavy cream

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix crumbs with 1/4 cup maple sugar, the salt and the butter. Press into bottom and sides of a 10-inch pie plate. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Bake chilled crust 10 minutes, cool to room temperature, then place in freezer.

2. Beat egg whites until frothy. Place all but a tablespoon of remaining maple sugar in a saucepan, add 1/4 cup water, bring to a boil and cook until mixture is 237 degrees on a candy thermometer. Continue beating egg whites until softly peaked. Then, beating all the while, drizzle in all the maple sugar mixture and beat until egg whites are firm and glossy. Beat in 4 tablespoons maple syrup. Refrigerate.

3. Whip cream until stiff. Fold into egg white mixture. Refrigerate separately until cookie crust is cold. Spoon mousse in prepared cookie crust, smooth top and freeze 4 hours. When frozen, cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

4. Melt chocolate on low heat. Whisk in remaining maple syrup and vanilla. Place in a container, cover and refrigerate.

5. Do not thaw pie for serving. Dust top with remaining tablespoon maple sugar and serve. Spoon some chocolate sauce over each portion.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Pecan Pie

Yet another recipe Mom has been making since I can remember but I don't know the origin of. The Robber specifically requested pecan pie for Thanksgiving, and although this came out of the oven a little overdone due to general hectic-ness, he still ate almost the entire pie before he left! He loved it, and that is good enough for me.

Ingredients:

1/4 c butter

1 c light corn syrup

1 c brown sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

1/2 t lemon juice

1 t vanilla

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 c whole pecans

cinnamon

Unbaked pie crust

Directions:

1. In separate bowl, add corn syrup, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, salt. In saucepan, brown butter till golden brown-- don't burn. When butter is ready, add browned butter to the corn syrup mixture.

2. Roll pecans in cinnamon, coating well, and arrange in bottom of pie crust. Pour mixture over pecans. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then 325 for 45-50 minutes.

Consider reducing sugar/corn syrup if too sweet for your taste.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Mom's recipe, again I don't know originally from where. The only recipe lemony enough I have ever encountered! One of my favorite pies ever, I hope some day to master a meringue recipe to go along with it.

Ingredients/Directions:

Bake a nine inch pie shell.

Sift into a 2 or 3 quart saucepan:

1 1 /2 c sugar

6 T cornstarch

1/4 t salt

Gradually blend in:

1/2 c cold water

1/2 c fresh lemon juice

When smooth add, blending thoroughly:

3 well-beaten egg yolks

2 T butter

Add:

1 1/2 c milk

Bring mixture to a full boil, stirring gently. As it begins to thicken, reduce the heat and allow to simmer slowly 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1 t lemon zest or about 1/4 t lemon oil. Preheat oven to 325 or 350. Pour it into the pie shell and cover with meringue (meringue should completely cover lemon filling):

2 egg whites, whipped till frothy

add: 1/4 t cream of tarter

Whip till stiff but not dry; peaks should lean over slightly. Beat in 1 T at a time:

3 T sugar or 4 T powdered sugar and 1/2 t vanilla.

Pie should bake for 10-15 minutes at 325-350 until meringue begins to turn golden-brown.

Dinner Rolls

Mom's roll recipe: the best! When I make this recipe I usually halve it and make 2 dozen rolls out of it, but the original recipe will make 2-4 dozen rolls depending on how big you want them to be.

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c warm water
6 T sugar
2 T yeast
3 t salt
1 c dry milk powder
1/2-3/4 c yellow shortening (or vegetable oil)
2 eggs
~9 c white bread flour

Directions:

1. Pour water over sugar. Dissolve yeast. When foamy, add milk.

2. Alternate 1/2 c additions of flour with salt, eggs, fat and stir.

3. Knead 10 minutes with additional flour. Double. Punch, form into rolls and let rise on baking pans/dish until doubled again.

4. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Can put melted shortening on the tops of rolls to make them shiny while still hot.

Cranberry Jello Salad

This is an old recipe that my Mom has made for years and years for Thanksgiving, I don't know from where she originally got it, but it is one of my favorite foods to eat at Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I didn't make it exactly like Mom does for some reason and got a slightly different result but nonetheless it was tasty and well loved by our other male guest who declared it the best jello he had ever eaten.

Ingredients:

6 oz raspberry Jell-O
2 c water
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 c sour cream
1 c chopped pecans

Directions:

Follow the jello package. Note that the jello package will call for 2 cups hot water, 2 cups cold water. Heat the 2 cups of water used in this recipe for your hot water and use your cranberry sauce in lieu of the called for cold water. You can add in the pecans whenever. Swirl in sour cream when the rest is partially set. I suspect Mom just cuts in the sour cream minimally, rather than "swirling" as the directions suggest.

Roasted Cauliflower With Butter & Sage

It might not sound like the most exciting dish... but honestly this NYTimes-recipe cauliflower was so aromatic and delicious I could just eat the whole batch happily! The recipe itself is a bit fussy so I don't know that I would make it on casual occasions, but it would fit well into a dinner party and definitely into Thanksgiving again. I would consider the lemon zest essential to its success, so don't skip on the lemon, add a little bit of juice if you must.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup sage leaves, loosely packed

1 tablespoon coarse salt, more for tossing

3 heads cauliflower, cut into florets

About 1 teaspoon table salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 lemon, zest finely grated.

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a small pan until rippling. Add sage and cook, stirring, just until crisped, about 2 minutes. Lift out sage and drain on paper towels; transfer oil to a large bowl. Let sage cool and crumble with fingers into a small bowl. Stir in coarse salt and set aside.

2. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place roasting pan with an inch of water in oven bottom. Add cauliflower to bowl with oil, add about 1 teaspoon table salt, and toss gently until coated. Spread out on two large baking sheets. Bake until browned, 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. When foam subsides, watch closely and stir often. When white solids are brown and butter smells toasty, turn off heat, squeeze in juice of lemon and stir well.

4. Transfer cauliflower to a bowl, pour butter over, and add lemon zest. Add half the sage salt and toss. Taste and season with remaining salt as needed.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Corn with Mint

Thanks again to the NYTimes, I tried like a third of their recipes this year. This recipe produces a corn dish with a very interesting texture due to the frying. While the texture perhaps is not my favorite (it makes the kernels more rubbery), the toasted flavor of the corn is quite inviting and I found the mint to be an underwhelming complimentary flavor, I might even consider adding in a little bit more. I halved this recipe, used frozen corn thawed in advance, and thus only cooked it in one batch.

Ingredients:

4 to 5 cups fresh corn kernels, white or yellow (from about 12 cobs), or two 16-ounce bags frozen white corn

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Salt.

Directions:

1. If using frozen corn, drain between layers of paper towels until thawed, about 30 minutes.

2. In a wide skillet, melt half the butter over high heat. Add half the corn and cook, stirring often, until golden and browned (kernels may begin to pop), about 10 minutes. Stir in half the mint and sprinkle with salt. Transfer to a serving bowl. Repeat with remaining corn, butter, mint and salt.

Cornbread Stuffing

Again from the NYTimes this Thanksgiving. I usually don't like stuffing, but somehow I got it into my head that I would like stuffing if it involved cornbread so I couldn't resist trying this recipe, even though all the Robber wanted to eat was Stove Top. I made him make his own, while I made and ate this lovely recipe. So glad I gave it a try, as it is delicious!

Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably organic stone ground

1/2 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt or buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon mild honey

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 9-inch cast iron skillet, a heavy 2-quart baking dish or a heavy 9-inch square baking pan in the oven while you prepare the batter.

2. Place the cornmeal in a bowl, and sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the mixture with a spoon or whisk to amalgamate. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, yogurt (or buttermilk), milk and honey. Whisk the cornmeal mixture into the liquid mixture. Do not overwork the batter.

3. Remove the pan from the oven, and add the butter to the pan. Swirl the pan so that the butter melts quickly before it gets too brown, then quickly whisk the butter into the batter. Brush the sides of the pan with any butter remaining in the pan.

4. Quickly scrape all of the batter into the hot pan, and place in the oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It will be quite brown on the edges. Allow the bread to cool in the pan, or serve warm.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings. This is easily doubled for a larger quantity of stuffing. Bake it in a 3-quart baking dish (it will take about 45 to 50 minutes) or in two 9-inch pans.

Variation: Sage Cornbread

Stir 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon rubbed dried sage into the batter before turning into the pan.

Cornbread and Sage Stuffing

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or 1 tablespoon each olive oil and unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

Salt to taste

4 stalks celery, cut in small dice

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons rubbed sage, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground pepper

A double batch of cornbread (see above), crumbled (you can do this in a food processor fitted with the steel blade)

1/2 cup milk, or as necessary, for moistening

4 tablespoons unsalted butter if baking separately

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil (or oil and butter) over medium heat in a large, heavy, nonstick skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the celery. Cook together for another few minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic, and stir together for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Combine well. Taste and adjust salt. Moisten as desired with milk.

2. Stuff the cavity of the turkey, or transfer to a buttered or oiled 2-quart baking dish. Dot with butter. Cover with aluminum foil, and heat through in a 325-degree oven for 30 minutes.

Yield: Makes enough stuffing to fill an 18-pound turkey.

Advance preparation: You can make the cornbread several days ahead and the stuffing a day ahead.

Notes: I made the cornbread two days in advance and crumbled it one day in advance without problems. I used the whole 1/2 cup milk to moisten it, as I like a softer stuffing. I forgot the sage in the cornbread but used the full complement of fresh sage in the stuffing, and I think it might have been overwhelmingly sagey otherwise, so I was just as happy to have done it that way. You can bake it in a 13 x 9 glass pan.

Mashed Potatoes

This is how to do it, Mom says.

Select your potatoes according to the number of eaters-- one potato per eater. Peel, wash, and cut them in quarter (or smaller) pieces. Cover them with salted water. Boil them for 25 minutes. Adjust the time depending on your altitude. While they boil put in a bowl (here's where you can get creative): salt, pepper, powdered milk, butter, and a little paprika for color. Pour the water off, saving a little in a cup. Put them in the bowl. Beat them up with the beaters and add a little extra water if you need to.

Dry-Brined Turkey

I cooked my very first turkey this year. I am rather proud now to be a real adult person. And I am very proud to say that my turkey was a total triumph, following (sort-of) this recipe courtesy of the NYTimes Thanksgiving section this year.

Ingredients:

1 12- to 16-pound turkey, preferably a heritage or pasture raised bird

1/2 cup kosher salt, more if needed

1 tablespoon black pepper

10 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley

2 small onions, halved

2 small apples, cored and halved

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white wine (optional)

Directions:

1. Two days before serving, rinse turkey and pat dry. Rub all over with kosher salt, slipping salt under skin where possible and rubbing some into cavities. Use about 1 tablespoon per four pounds of bird.

2. Wrap bird in a large plastic bag and place in refrigerator. On second night, turn turkey over. A couple of hours before cooking, remove turkey from bag and pat dry. Place in roasting pan and allow to come to room temperature.

3. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle half the pepper into main cavity of turkey; add thyme, parsley, half the onions and half the apples. Truss legs with kitchen twine. Put remaining apples and onions in neck opening and tuck neck skin under bird.

4. Rub butter under breast skin and onto thigh meat. Sprinkle bird with remaining pepper.

5. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove turkey from oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees and cover breast of bird and wing tips with foil. Add a cup and a half of water or white wine to bottom of roasting pan and roast bird for another two hours, depending on size; figure 12 minutes a pound for an unstuffed bird. Remove foil in last half-hour so breast browns.

6. When turkey has roasted for two hours, begin to test for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer (digital is best) into two places in thigh, making sure not to touch bone. It should be at about 160 degrees.

7. When roasting is done, tip turkey so interior juices run back into pan. Remove turkey to a separate baking sheet or serving platter, cover with foil and then a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.

8. Pour fat and drippings from pan into a measuring cup. Deglaze pan with white wine or broth and pour that into same measuring cup. Fat and drippings can then be used to make gravy.

Things I did differently:

I didn't make the onion/apple stuffing, but I did use some pepper. thyme, and parsley on the outside of my bird & did rub the bird with butter. I used half water with the other half portioned with white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar-- the apple cider vinegar gave a sweet flavor to the turkey but ruined the gravy apparently, so I don't know if it is the wisest thing to try again, maybe just use the apples. I was inspired to try this recipe after eating a dry-brined bird at my sister's this year, and this recipe did not disappoint, producing a turkey that was This recipe makes a turkey that is just the right amount of salty and just the right amount of moist.

Peppery Bean Salad

From the Best Ever Indian Cookbook by Baljekar et al.

Ingredients:

15 oz. can red kidney beans
15 oz. can black-eyed peas
15 oz. can chickpeas
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 green bell pepper
6 radishes
1 T. chopped scallion

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 T. ketchup
2 T. olive oil
1 T. white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

Directions:

1) Drain the red kidney beans, black-eyed peas, and chickpeas and rinse under cold running water. Shake off the excess water and put them in a large bowl.

2) Core, seed, and chop the bell peppers. Trim the radishes and slice thinly. Add the bell peppers, radishes, and scallion in the bowl.

3) Make the dressing. Mix together the cumin, ketchup, oil, vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl. Add a little salt and hot pepper sauce to taste and stir again thoroughly.

4) Pour the dressing over the salad and mix. Cover the salad and chill for at least 1 hour before serving garnished with the sliced scallion.


Notes:

For the salad I used 1 15 oz. can black beans instead of black eyed peas, used 1 whole red and 1 whole green pepper for extra vegetables and omitted the radishes.

For the dressing I omitted the ketchip and hot pepper sauce and added in chili powder and lemon juice to taste.

Robber and I both agree this would be delicious when served along with some hot cornbread.

Mom's Homemade Pizza

Even better than the biscuits, this sent Robber off into his own kind of Robber-land. On my pizza I had pepperoni and pepper and onion, but Robber had pepperoni and pepper and onion and ham and pineapple and mushroom and everything. He was so happy. He raved on and on about the crust. I guess we'll be doing this one again...

To make 2 14-inch pizzas:

Ingredients (crust):

1 T. sugar
1 T. yeast
1 C. very warm water
1/4 powdered milk
2 eggs
3 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 T. olive oil

(Can also make a simpler dough just using flour, salt, yeast, water, oil)

Directions:

1) Pour water over sugar. Dissolve yeast. When foamy, add milk. Alternate 1/2 c additions of flour with salt, eggs, fat. Knead 10 minutes. Allow to rise until dough has doubled. At this point you can punch it down and put it in the fridge overnight to use the next day or move forward.

2) Divide the dough in two and pat it out into greased 14-inch pizza pans. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle them with parmesan cheese.

3) Put the pizzas in an oven preheated to 400F. Bake them for 10 minutes, switching their positions halfway through. During that time, mix:

8 oz can tomato sauce
salt
pepper
herbs of your choice: Mom uses thyme, oregano (sometimes marjoram instead), basil, and sometimes parsley.

4) When the crusts are out, spread the sauce evenly over the two of them. Sprinkle on grated cheese (1 pound of mozzerella, 1/4 pound cheddar, mixed). Put on pepperonis or peppers and onions or whatnot.

5) Put them back in the oven for about 15 minutes. Switch their positions halfway through. Remove and eat after they have cooled just a little bit!

Cajun Chicken

Another recipe from kt-recipe-box.blogspot.com. This recipe is one her father, the illustrious D.T., uses and as he is a fine cook, I decided to invest in this recipe for lunchtime eating at school when the Robber is here which proved to be a wise choice.

The recipe is solidly good and appropriate for many occasions, especially if you are feeding a crowd, but it wasn't-- in the end-- exciting for me. Hmmmm. I wonder why. I didn't use lemon pepper or black pepper, so maybe it had less zing? Maybe I expect too much zing out of everything?

I ended up with one big container that we ate and one that I froze for later. You could easily half it and end up with enough.

Ingredients:

16 ounces linguine pasta
4 green onion, chopped
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
3 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
8 tablespoons butter
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
2 green bell peppers, sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Note from D.T.: I have to do the final cooking in two batches as my skillet is not large enough to hold all of it...

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in bowl-toss to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).

3. Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat.

4 Add the sour cream, basil, lemon pepper, garlic and ground black pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Buttermilk Biscuits

From The Joy. The Robber loved loved loved these. We used them to make BAT (bacon, avocado, tomato) sandwiches. So good! My favorite. Mmmmm.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. double-acting baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 C. lard or 5 T. butter
3/4 C. buttermilk

Directions:

1) In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and baking soda. Cut in lard/butter.

2) Add buttermilk and mix only as necessary with minimum number of strokes.

3) Turn the dough onto a floured board. Knead it gently for 1/2 minute. Pat the dough to the thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut with a biscuit cutter.

4) Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 450F.

Note: The Joy says this recipe make 24 1 1/2 inch biscuits. I find that it only makes 11 biscuits worthy of BAT sandwiches. Who wants to eat that tiny of a biscuit? I suggest doubling the recipe if you are feeding a crowd, or making just one for yourself so you can have leftovers as they are delicious after a few days in the fridge as well.

Drop Biscuits

I taught the Robber to make these on the last night of his stay and they were, as always, delicious with creamy tomato soup for dinner one day and re-warmed for breakfast the next. We used half milk/half buttermilk for a little extra flavor and because I had buttermilk left over from the baked biscuits I had made for the beginning of his stay. These are a staple from the past, and I'm unsure of their origin. Probably from one of the cookbooks in my mother's collection.

Ingredients:

3 C. flour
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. yellow shortening
1 1/2 C. milk

Directions:

1) Grease each cup in a 12-cup muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 450F.

2) In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the shortening.

3) Stirring minimally, pour in the milk and combine with flour/shortening mixture until just moistened evenly. Divide into 12 cups of muffin tin. Bake 15 minutes at 450F until tops are golden brown.

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm never quite happy with these when I make them, but somehow when Mom makes them they come out as the perfectest cookie ever. Hmmmmm.

Ingredients:

1 c yellow shortening
3/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
2 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
12 oz (2 c) chocolate chips
1 c chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Sift together flour, soda, salt.

2. In separate bowl, cream shortening with sugars (brown and white). Mix in eggs, vanilla with beaters.

3. Fold dries into wets by hand; stir in chocolate chips.

4. Line outside of cookie sheets with foil. Bake at 350 F, on the upper shelf.

Squash Fries with Chili Cumin Salt and Maple Sour Cream

Here's another recipe I made from RebEatWorld. We ate these fries with homemade pizza and the Robber just about died and went to heaven. He loved them and the sauce, which is a perfect counter-point to the salty seasoned fries. He downed a boatload of them, so the next time I am willing to wrestle with a butternut squash I think I will make these again.

Ingredients:

2 lbs butternut squash, halved, seeded, and peeled
2 T olive oil
1/2 c sour cream
2 T maple syrup
salt
cumin
chili
2 limes, wedged

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425. Cut squash to half-inch wide fries. Coat with olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until tender and crispy at the edges. I even like them quite brown at the edges, about 35 or 40 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, stir some maple syrup into sour cream to make a dipping sauce, and mix the salt with the spices. Sprinkle some of the spiced salt over the squash fries and squeeze some lime juice over them, pretty liberally.

Creamy Tomato Soup

>This recipe comes to me via RebEatWorld, who says of it:

"I do not like tomato soup. I love grilled cheese, but even grilled cheese cannot redeem tomato soup. And yet tomato soup was the second soup I decided to hazard in my vegetable soup-making quest. For one thing, the picture of "Italian Tomato Soup" in Ms. Forster's Soups book didn't look like Campbell's. It looked redder, and chunkier. And spicy! So I made the soup-- and it didn't look red, or chunky, or spicy. It looked like Campbell's. But it actually tasted heavenly! Especially when I added bottled artichokes the next day."

I made this recipe at great risk: Robber states all the time that he DOES NOT LIKE soup. But I thought, "It's going to rain! And tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on a rainy day sound fantastic! I care not what the Robber says, it is time learned!"

Then Robber came, and I mentioned the soup in a long line of things to eat, and lo and behold he chose it all by himself.

It turns out he likes creamy tomato soup. And creamy mushroom soup.

I said, "Robber, you will not be getting creamy mushroom soup from me."

But we ate of this soup with fresh drop biscuits and were pleased.

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
6 tomatoes (2 lbs?), coarsely chopped
3 C chicken stock
1/2 C nonalcoholic white cooking wine (I used 1/4 C. white vinegar, 1/4 C. water)
2 T tomato paste
1 T shredded fresh basil
1 C heavy cream
salt
pepper

Directions:

Heat oil and butter in pan until foaming. Add onion and saute 5 minutes, until softened but not brown. Stir in tomatoes and garlic, then add the stock, cooking wine, and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, half-cover pan, and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring now and then so that the tomatoes won't stick. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup somewhat. Add the heavy cream and heat through, stirring. Do not allow the soup to near a boil ever again. Adjust the seasoning and the consistency with stock, if desired.

Original Plum Torte

I haven't made this recipe, but it is the plum torte recipe from Marian Burros that made the rounds of Jewish homes for two decades after its publication in the 1980s. R. made it last year and it was very good, if not as interesting as her plum-ginger torte. I am blogging this recipe here for future use and variation on the plum theme.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 24 halves pitted purple plums
• Sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon for topping

Directions:

1.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.

Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.

3.

Spoon the batter into a spring form of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with (about) 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon.

4.

Bake one hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream.

5.

To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.

YIELD

8 servings

• NOTE

  To freeze, double-wrap the tortes in foil, place in a plastic bag and seal.

• NOTE

  Nutritional analysis per serving: 278 calories, 13.3 grams total fat, 7.6 grams saturated fat, 99 milligrams cholesterol, 56 milligrams sodium, 3 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrate

Here's a link to the best cake recipes from the NYTimes of the past couple years, for future perusal:
http://www.nytimes.com/info/cake-recipes/?inline=nyt-classifier

Crunchy-Topped Whole-Wheat Plum Cake

From the NYTimes Rosh Hashanah section (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/dining/08apperex.html?ref=dining.) I made this for lunch with friends and ate the remainder the rest of the week. I am on a plum kick recently in a major way, and loved every minute of this. So plummy. So good.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more to grease pan

1 1/2 pounds plums, preferably several varieties, pitted and sliced

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Whipped cream, for serving (optional).

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

2. Place the plum slices in a bowl and gently toss with 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining whole-wheat flour with the baking powder and kosher salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together 1/2 cup butter, sugar, Cognac or brandy and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until thoroughly combined.

4. Add half the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Pour in the milk and continue beating, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined.

5. Scrape the dough into the pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Scatter on the plums in an even layer. Sprinkle the Demerara sugar on top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving, with whipped cream if you like.

Yield: 8 servings.

Happy New Year!

Tomato-Watermelon Salad with Feta and Toasted Almonds

See link below. I made this for Mormon med school dinner. I added in some plums and pears, which I really loved in the salad, used grape tomatoes cut in half, and substituted balsamic for the red wine vinegar. I also omitted the arugula with no regrets. I venture to say that this was probably much, much better without it. Fabulous, but very watery so it is best eaten all in one sitting!

Ingredients:

• 8 cups 1 1/4-inch chunks seedless watermelon (about 6 pounds)
• 3 pounds ripe tomatoes (preferably heirloom) in assorted colors, cored, cut into 1 1/4-inch chunks (about 6 cups)
• 1 teaspoon (or more) fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons chopped assorted fresh herbs (such as dill, basil, and mint)

• 6 cups fresh arugula leaves or small watercress sprigs
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 5 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Directions:

1) Combine melon and tomatoes in large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fleur de sel and toss to blend; let stand 15 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar, and herbs to melon mixture. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired.

2) Toss arugula in medium bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Divide arugula among plates. Top with melon salad; sprinkle with feta cheese and toasted almonds and serve.

I tossed the watermelon with regular salt and placed it in a colander for some time while I cut up the plums, tomatoes, etc. I think this helped to reduce a little bit of the extra liquid, but even then it was still a pretty liquidy salad!

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tomato-Watermelon-Salad-with-Feta-and-Toasted-Almonds-235588#ixzz0yavoNMRa

Apricot Bread

From Beard on Bread, a book I picked up at the library book sale lo these many years ago.

Because I had dried apricots, and because I am on a freezing-bread-and-eating-it-later-because-I-have-a-whole-freezer-to-myself kick.

James Beard says of this bread: Like all of the fruit breads made with baking powder, the apricot loaves are quite rich and have beautiful color and rather tight texture. They also have a wonderful bouquet. Don't be disturbed if the loaves crack slightly in the middle as they bake. This seems to be par for the course.

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups dried apricots
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp double-acting baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1) Pour the boiling water over the apricots and let stand until just tender, don't oversoak them. Drain off the water and reserve it (if you don't have enough, add more water until you have one cup.) Roughly chop the apricots.

2) Pour the liquid into a large mixing bowl, add the baking soda, sugar, and eggs, and mix well with a wooden spoon. Then add the apricots, flour, baking powder, and nuts and mix well again.

3) Butter and flour two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf tins. Divide the batter into two equal parts and pour into the tins. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 45 minutes, or until the breads have risen, are dark in color, and a straw or knife comes out clean when inserted in the center. Cool on racks and serve.


Beard also says: With baking powder or soda breads you will notice that very often the bread cracks across the top, although otherwise it gives you a beautiful even crumb and slice. Don't worry! Such breads are wont to break during the baking period because they are usually somewhat heavier. If you find doughy or hard lumps in the slice it is certain that you did not mix the original dough well.

Teatime Popovers

From Epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Teatime-Perfect-Popovers-351609

Ingredients:

2 T. unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
2 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
1 C. whole milk, at room temperature
1 C. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400F. Place 1 piece of butter in the bottom of each of cup of a six-cup popover tin (or six 1/2 custard cups). Place the popover pan on a baking sheet.

2) In a smaller bowl, lightly whisk the eggs until they change color. Whisk in the milk.

3) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and the salt until well blended. Gently whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until only small lumps are left, and set aside.

4) Place the popover tin and the baking sheet into the oven for 4 minutes. At 3 minutes, give the batter a light whisk. Using an oven mitt, remove the popover tin and baking sheet from the oven and immediately divide the batter into the six cups equally. Bake for 25 minutes without opening the oven door. The popovers will be puffy, with crisp brown crusts and hollow, moist interiors. Serve immediately.


Note: I make these in 9 muffin tin cups using the above recipe. I also think the amount of butter can be reduced, as these popovers come out quite buttery and drippy. I also made them once with heavy whipping cream instead of milk, and they did not pop at all, but were rather dense but entirely delicious and in fact the Robber prefers them that way.

Chicken Pilau

From Baljekar et. al, the Indian cookbook I am borrowing from Rebekka. We made this recipe together. We used brown basmati rice and subsequently had to adjust the timing of the cooking and things didn't turn out 100% correctly. The rice was too wet and the potatoes not quite done enough, but the dish was still good. I expected it to be more interesting, and wished it had a higher chicken:everything else ratio, but it is nice to have dishes that provide everything all in one place. Meat, vegetables, carbs. These pack well for lunch and are keeping me alive in medical school. So I suppose I will be making this again because it is fairly easy and is nutritiousy.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
6 T ghee or unsalted butter
1 onion, sliced
1/4 tsp. mixed onion and mustard seeds
3 curry leaves
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 potato, cubed
1/2 C. frozen peas, thawed
6 oz. chicken breast fillets, skinned and cubed
4 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 fresh green chiles, chopped
3 cups water

Directions:

1) Wash the rice thoroughly under running water, then let soak for 30 minutes. Drain in a strainer or colander and set aside.

2) In a pan, melt the ghee or butter and fry the sliced onion until golden.

3) Add the onion and mustard seeds, the curry leaves, ginger, garlic, ground coriander, chili powder, and salt. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes over low heat.

4) All the sliced tomatoes, cubed potato, peas, and chicken cubes and mix everything together well.

5) Add the rice and stir gently to combine with the other ingredients.

6) Add the cilantro and chiles. Mix and stir-fry for 1 minute. Pous in the water, bring to a boil and then lower the heat. Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, leaving the lid in place, and let the pilau stand for 6-8 minutes. Serve.

Serves 4.

Nutrition Notes per serving

Energy 603 cal
Fat 16.8 g
Saturated Fat 10 g
Carbohydrate 91.9 g
Fiber 2.1 g

Nutty Salad

From The Best Ever Indian Cookbook by Baljekar et. al.

I started making this salad and looked into the bowl dejectedly. "This will never make enough!" I thought to myself. "I think I will double it." "Heck," I thought, "I will triple it!"

A few minutes later when I had a huge entire pot full of salad, I realized that after marrying the Robber my life will never be the same. I have already forgotten how to cook for myself.

It is now one week later and I still have a half-pot of salad left.

Ingredients for the salad:

5 ounce can red kidney beans, drained
1 medium onion, cut into 12 rings
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow squash, sliced
2/3 C pasta shells, cooked
1/2 C cashew nuts
1/4 C peanuts
fresh cilantro and lime wedges, to garnish

Ingredients for the dressing:

4 ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
2 T. plain low-fat yogurt
1 fresh green chile, chopped
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed dried red chiles
1 T. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Drain the kidney beans. Arrange them with the onion rings, kidney beans, zucchini slices, and pasta in a salad dish and sprinkle the cashew nuts and peanuts over the top.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, yogurt, green chile, fresh cilantro, and salt. Beat well using a for until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. You may find it easier to add the cilantro leaves a few at a time and mix in to let their flavor permeate the mixture and ensure the resulting dressing is smooth in texture.

3. Sprinkle the crushed peppercorns, red chiles, and lemon juice over the dressing. Garnish the salad with fresh cilantro and lime wedges and serve with the dressing.

Serves 4.

Nutritional notes from the book, per portion:

Energy 199 cal
Fat 11.6 g
Saturated Fat 2.63 g
Carbohydrates 15.2 g
Fiber 2.9 g

Mary's Lemon Bars

These were served at my bridal shower and came to SLO by way of R.-A. Daines. These are the best home-made lemon bars I think I have ever had. I have tried before in the past to make lemon bars and failed, hopefully when I have the chance to try this recipe personally I will have better results!

Ingredients for Crust:

1 C butter
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 C flour

Directions for Crust:

Mix and press in a 9 x 13. Bake at 350 for 15 mins. Then remove. Cool slightly until warm.

Ingredients for Filling:

1/2 C flour
2 C sugars
4 beaten eggs
6 T fresh lemon juice and a little zest

Directions for Filling:

Pour liquid over crust. Bake at 325 for 20-25 mins until feels fully firm when touched. DON'T OVERBAKE. Let cool. Sift powdered sugar on top.

Mark Bittman's Rhubarb Crisp

I first saw this recipe in the New York Times two days before my wedding and liked it so much that I emailed it to Bob and asked him if I could make it for him when we were married. Then marriage was so good I didn't get around to it until the last full day we were together, when I put it together in between running errands and crying. Thank goodness it was worth it, possibly one of the most tasty foods I have ever put on a plate. Even better was that Robber loved it so much too, so perhaps I shall make it again for him when he comes in August. This is so fast and easy to make.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing pan

2 1/2 to 3 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, tough strings removed, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 5 to 6 cups)

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice

1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste

Pinch salt

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup pecans.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking or gratin dish with a little butter. Toss rhubarb with white sugar, orange or lemon juice and zest, and spread in baking dish.

2. Put the 6 tablespoons butter in a food processor along with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt, and pulse for about 20 or 30 seconds, until it looks like small peas and just begins to clump together. Add oats and pecans and pulse just a few times to combine.

3. Crumble the topping over rhubarb and bake until golden and beginning to brown, 45 to 50 minutes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Note: I left out the pecans and just used a simpler topping, this was fine. I also used the orange flavoring, this was delicious! I 1 and 1/2d this recipe and still cooked it in the 8 x 8 pan for the same amount of time and was well pleased with the result.

Chocolate Cream Pie

This recipe came by way of my old roommate KT, who sent it to her friend Kim, who published it on her pieloveyou.blogspot.com blog. The recipe itself is adapted from Gourmet Magazine in 2004. I made this for the Robber for Minnissippi Founders' Day.

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (you can use the accompanying recipe for chocolate wafers, or I just used one package of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers which are delicious and worked just fine for this recipe)
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
3 cups whole milk
5 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
1 pint chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Use a food processor to crumb the cookies or put the cookies in a resealable plastic bag and press the air out before sealing. Roll over the bag of cookies with a rolling pin until they form fine crumbs.

3. Stir together crumbs, chocolate, and sugar. Pour hot melted butter over the top and combine (The butter will melt the chocolate). Firmly press onto the bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes and before cooling on rack, use the back of a spoon to press the hot crust back up the sides of the pan. Cool completely.

4. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and yolks in a 3-quart heavy saucepan until combined well, then add milk in a stream, whisking. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking, 1 minute (filling will be thick).

5. Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl (I skipped this step, it was fine!), then whisk in chocolates, butter, and vanilla. The pudding should still be warm hot enough to melt the chocolate. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap (make sure there are no air bubbles between the pudding and the plastic wrap) and cool completely, about 2 hours.

6. Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.

7. Just before serving, beat cream in a bowl using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks add vanilla and sugar and spoon on top of pie. Top with chocolate shavings for additional effect.

Chocolate Wafers (for Chocolate Cream Pie)

This recipe came with the Chocolate Cream Pie recipe from Kim at pieloveyou.blogspot.com. The recipe is adapted from Bubby's Homemade Pies and is used to make wafers that become part of the crust for the chocolate pie. I haven't made the wafers myself, since I used Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers for my crust, but I imagine that these are good so I'm blogging the recipe for future use if needed.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Shape the dough into a 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap it well and chill completely—at least two hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Slice the dough into 1/8-inch slices and place them 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake them for 8 to 10 minutes, until they smell good and remain firm when lifted with a spatula.

3. Cool the cookies on a wire rack, uncovered, overnight or until they are completely dry and wafer-like.

Rebekka's Jambalaya

This jambalaya recipe is adapted by Rebekka from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen and can be found on her blog: rebeatworld.blogspot.com. This makes a very spicy dish, but that is part of what makes it so grand.

Ingredients:

2 whole bay leaves
1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t white pepper
1 t dried thyme leaves
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t rubbed sage

2 T butter
1/2 pound chopped andouille sausage, about 2 cups
3/4 lb boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, about 2 cups
1 T minced garlic
1 c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped green bell peppers
1/2 c canned tomato sauce (I just use a whole little can of tomato sauce)
1 c chopped tomatoes
2 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 c uncooked converted rice

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add sausage and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken and continue cooking until chicken is brown, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and scraping pan bottom well if it's not nonstick.

2. Stir in seasonings (bay leaf through sage), garlic, and 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables start to get tender, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring.

3. Stir in tomato sauce and cook about 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in the remaining 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers and the tomatoes. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the broth and rice, mixing well. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan (I found that the recommended 8x8 was much too small). Bake uncoverd in a 350 F oven until rice is tender but still a bit crunchy, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Stir well and cool a bit before eating.


Note: The seasonings really are quite flexible. I haven't yet used the bay or the white pepper and it has turned out plenty spicy!

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry With Spicy Peanut Sauce

This is a recipe that the Robber found that we have now made twice together. It is tasty and a nice meal all in one dish, with the meat and rice and vegetables. I especially love the peanut taste! It comes from here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1627,158167-247199,00.html, but we alter it by adding in a whole can of coconut milk to dilute the otherwise very strong peanut taste and to make the curry a little bit thinner. The recipe is quite versatile, really you can throw in anything you want. Onion, pepper, whatever in addition to the broccoli.

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned & cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 to 4 c. sliced broccoli or spinach

Directions:

In a small bowl, blend peanut butter, water, soy sauce and sugar; set aside. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add garlic and pepper; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir-fry until firm and white, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli or spinach, stir-fry until bright green, about 3 minutes. Stir in peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Serves 4.

Coconut Cream Pie

From The Joy: The Robber LOVES this pie. I made it on our ninth day of marriage and it just about blew his socks right off his Robber body. I love this man. Check out the bottom for a sweet picture of our pie!

Ingredients:

2/3 C. sugar
1/2 C. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 C. milk (Note: I use 1 C. coconut milk, 1 C. cow's milk)
2 whole eggs or 3 egg yolks
2 T. butter
2 t. extract -- vanilla, coconut, etc.
1/2 - 1 C. coconut

One baked half pie shell

1/3 C. toasted coconut
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
Directions:

1. In saucepan, combine sugar, flour, salt, milk. Beat in eggs/egg yolks and heat, stirring continuously until thickened. Take off heat, add butter and extract.

2. Stir in coconut. Pour into pie shell, cover completely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for three hours or until completely cooled and solidified. Cooling overnight is best.

3. Just before serving, toast coconut on cookie sheet in oven at 400F until it barely changes color. Whip cream and add a bit of sugar to sweeten it. Spread whipped cream over surface of pie and sprinkle toasted coconut over the whipping cream. Enjoy!

p.s. Check out this sweet pie plate the Robber's labbies gave us!

Buttermilk Waffles

I was packing and found, to my delight, a slip of paper with KT's dear buttermilk waffles recipe on it. Lacking a place to put the paper, I'm converting it to electronic form. Ah, the loss of the handwriting! But how lucky to be able to preserve it online for reference anywhere!

Ingredients:

4 C. buttermilk
4 eggs, separated
4 C. flour
1 T baking soda
1 t salt
1 C oil

Directions:

1. Combing dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oil, buttermilk, and yolks.

2. In separate bowl, whip egg whites and the fold into the milk/oil/flour mixture.

3. Cook in the waffle iron and eat fresh!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Another Epicurious recipe which I pulled out for Mormon med student dinner when I needed to make a vegetable side. Not truly a casserole, this is more accurately described as just twice-baked mashed sweet potato. This was easy, straight-forward, and good as far as sweet potatoes go. I, like the author of the recipe, like the simplicity of the recipe. No mini marshmallows, just the potatoes and a little orange juice*.

Original recipe here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sweet-Potato-Casserole-350516

Ingredients:

3 cups firmly packed unseasoned mashed sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Directions:

1. Pierce each sweet potato with a sharp-pronged kitchen fork, set on a baking sheet, then bake on the middle oven shelf for about 1 hour at 400° F. or until you can pierce a potato easily with a fork.

2. Cool the potatoes to room temperature, peel, then mash until light and fluffy.

3. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 2-quart casserole and set aside.

4. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, beating until smooth. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.

5. Scoop into the casserole, spreading to the edge and roughing the surface. Bake uncovered on the middle oven shelf for about 45 minutes or until tipped with brown.

6. Serve hot as an accompaniment to roast turkey, chicken, or pork. Good, too, with pork chops.

We ate these with pork chops and Caeser salad and rice pilaf and had was a lovely meal.

*Unlike most recipes, I actually followed most of the instructions exactly as is with this recipe. Except.... I substituted orange-peach-mango juice for the OJ! Just for a little kick, you know. And because it's what I had on hand. And that little move got universally approved. So feel free to experiment yourself.

Potato-Apple Pancakes

From Epicurious. First the original recipe, then my modifications:

Ingredients:

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, peeled, quartered
1 2-inch cube peeled celery root (celeriac)
1 medium Granny Smith apple (unpeeled), quartered, cored
1 large egg
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Vegetable oil (for frying)

Garnish

1 8-ounce container crème fraîche or sour cream
2 tablespoons drained prepared white horseradish
8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
Chopped fresh chives

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Place colander in large bowl. Line colander with kitchen towel. Using processor fitted with shredding blade, coarsely grate potatoes, onion, celery root and apple at the same time. Transfer potato mixture to towel. Gather towel tightly around potato mixture and squeeze out as much liquid as possible into bowl; discard liquid. Place potato mixture, egg, green onion, marjoram, salt and pepper in same bowl; toss to blend. Mix in flour.

Pour enough vegetable oil into heavy large skillet to cover bottom. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop 1/4 cup pancake mixture into skillet for each pancake. Using bottom of metal spatula, flatten each mound to 3-inch round. Fry until cooked through and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer pancakes to baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining pancake mixture, leaving behind any liquid that collects in bottom of bowl.

Mix crème fraîche and horseradish in small bowl. Arrange 2 pancakes on each plate. Garnish pancakes with dollop of horseradish cream and smoked salmon. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Apple-Pancakes-with-Smoked-Salmon-and-Horseradish-102616#ixzz0kH1q6Yqh

Hmmmm, let's see, I:

Used 3 large russet potatoes
1/2 one large onion
Omitted the celery root (like virtually all the reviewers)
1 large fuji apple
2 large eggs
Omitted the green onion and the marjoram
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Added some various spices

I also did not make the garnish. I served these with cherry salsa and sour cream at an Easter dinner and they were well received! Not my favorite ever, but a good exercise in using what I already had to make something new.

Note, I think these cook better with less oil in the pan than with more.

Linzer Cookies

My sisters made these over the Christmas break for the Rawle-Matheson bash. They are so good! My sister-in-law R requested the recipe, so Mom sent me this and I blog it here in case I want to make these cookies some time in the future.

Linzer Cookies

Cookies inspired by the famous jam-filled Linzetorte. These are ideal for any occasion. This recipe taken from the insert which came with the linzer cutters.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups of whole nuts, hazelnuts or almonds
1 c. butter
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1 t. lemon zest
Confectioner's sugar for dusting
1 c. seedless jam

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Place nuts in a food processor and process until medium fine in texture.

3. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside until ready for use.

4. Beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium high until light and creamy in texture.

5. Add eggs and beat until smooth.

6. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.

7. In a separate bowl, combine flour, nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest.

8. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat to combine.

9. Place in freezer until firm, approximately 30-40 minutes.

10. Dust a clean surface generously with flour, and roll out the dough to approximately 1/8 inch thickness.

11. Using the linzer cutter without an insert, cut out cookies (at least 36) and transfer to the prepared cookie sheets--these will be bottom pieces.

12. Next cut out 36 more with an insert shape in cookie cutters--these will be the top pieced of the cookies. You can either re-roll the cutouts or bake them.

13. Bake all cookies for about 8 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.

14. Sift confectioners sugar over top pieces of the cookies.

15. Spread about 1 t. jam on each of the bottom halves and place the top half (cut out piece) on jam covered bottom half.

15. Cookies can be stored carefully in an airtight container for up to one week.