May 12, 2023
by Ashley
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Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cups all purpose flour
Jam

Beat the butter and sugar on high speed for 3 minutes. Separate eggs. Add yolks and vanilla to the butter mixture. Reserve the egg whites for another use.

Add the flour and salt into the mixture and mix until just combined.

Chill for at least 30 minutes. I have chilled for an entire day and let the dough warm up enough to roll into balls later.

Preheat the oven to 350^oF. Line a baking sheet with a silpat. Roll out the cookies into 1 inch balls. Place the balls on the cookie sheets spaced a few inches away. Press down each ball to make a thumb print deep enough for the jam. Fill each indent with 1/2 tsp jam (of your choice).

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until slightly firm. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

May 10, 2023
by Ashley
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Spicy Cheese Bread

This recipe is from American Test Kitchen that we tried and loved. I made a few small changes but it is basically their recipe.

Ingredients
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup warm water
4 tbsp melted butter
1 egg yolk, egg white reserved
2 eggs
12 oz. cheese (mix of cheddar, provolone, Monterey jack, mozzarella) cut into blocks

Mix dry ingredients in mixer bowl. Whisk wet ingredients (water, butter, egg yolk and 2 eggs). Turn on mixer to medium speed and add in wet mixture carefully to the flour mixture. Mix for 8 minutes until the dough comes together. Let the dough rise in a greased bowl for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Test dough to make sure it has risen enough.

Roll out to 12″ x 18″ rectangle. Spread cubed cheese out leaving an inch on all sides. Roll dough carefully over the cheese and pinch ends to prevent the cheese from melting out. Roll log until 30″ long and then curl around folding tail under.

Rise again in a silcone cake pan (or greased cake pan) for another 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Brush with reserved egg white & sprinkle more crushed red pepper flakes over the top.

Bake at 350^oF for 50 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking (25 minutes) and cover the bread with tin foil to prevent bread from burning.

Let rest before cutting into bread at least 45 minutes.

May 2, 2023
by Ashley
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Pepper & Parmesan Crackers

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan (or Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano)
8 tbsp cold butter, diced

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a mixer. Add the cheese and mix to incorporate. Add the butter and mix until the butter has been distributed throughout the dough. (You could also use a food processor to pulse the dough together). Slowly drizzle in 1 to 2 tbsp of cold water, and mix until dough has formed a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (I typically use a silpat) and shape into a 12 inch long log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.

Preheat oven to 350^oF.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or a silpat. Cut the log of dough crosswise into 1/2 or smaller rounds. Transfer to the baking sheet and bake until the crackers are very lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Store the crackers in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Recipe is from Edible DIY book by Lucy Baker.

April 14, 2023
by Ashley
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Oat Milk

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole rolled oats
3 cups water
2 tsp honey powder (or maple syrup)
⅛ tsp kosher salt

Blend together for 30 seconds. I used the batter button on my blender. Strain through a mesh strainer and use.

Primary use today was for overnight oats. Perfect amount for three overnight oat recipes.

April 6, 2023
by Ashley
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Dates Stuffed with Pistachio Paste

I got this recipe from the Living magazine. It is really good and easy to make.

1/4 cup pistachios
1 tbsp sugar
pinch Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp orange blossom water
1 tsp vegetable oil
8 large Medjool dates, cut lengthwise
1/3 cup dark chocolate (melted) – optional

Pulse the pistachios, sugar, salt and orange water together in a food processor until it becomes a fine paste. Add in oil, half teaspoon at a time, to achieve a butter like texture. Fill each hollow date half with pistachio paste splitting it evenly between the date halves. Drizzle the dark chocolate over the dates and let stand until chocolate sets. About 15 minutes. The original recipe calls for adding a small sliver of candied orange peel to these, which would be a wonderful addition, but we like them without as well.

April 4, 2023
by Ashley
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Eggroll Bowl

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakes or sriracha

3 cups shredded cabbage
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, shredded
1 pepper, sliced thinly
4 green onions, sliced
3 eggs, beaten

Sesame seeds
Cooked Sushi Rice

In a large, high sided skillet, heat up the olive oil and add the turkey. Break it up in the pan and fully cook. Once the meat is cooked through, add the garlic & ginger and let cook 1 minute. Add oil, vinegar, soy & red pepper flakes and cook 1 more minutes. Add in veggies (cabbage through green onions) and cook until the cabbage has wilted and is cooked through.

In a separate saute pan, cook the three eggs omelette style (don’t fold over). Slide out onto a plate to cut into strips. Add the cooked cook into the egg roll mixture. Serve over rice with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

March 4, 2023
by Ashley
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Chili

I make chili a few times each fall and winter, and this is usually how I do it. Sometimes I sub in fresh tomatoes if I have some from the summer that need to be used. Sometimes I skip the green peppers.

Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
4 lbs ground beef
4 cups chopped onions
2 stalks celery, diced
1-2 green peppers, diced
4 cans (28oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cans (19oz) red kidney beans
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
3 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 green onions, thinly sliced
8oz mild cheddar, shredded
Sour Cream
Corn Chips

In a large dutch oven, add the olive oil and cook the beef and onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the meat is cooked through. Add in the celery and green peppers and cook for another 3 – 5 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and liquid, chili powder, brown sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Depending on the crowd, you can add a little cayenne pepper for spice. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours or until the desired consistency.

Serve with a sprinkling of green onions, cheddar, sour cream and corn chips. Cornbread is also a wonderful additional to the chili with honey butter.

March 2, 2023
by Ashley
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Meatloaf

2 tbsp butter
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
1/3 cup ketchup, plus extra for top
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced up

Preheat the oven to 350^o F.

Cook the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large, thick bottomed skillet, on medium heat. Cook the finely chopped onions, celery, carrot, green onions and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.

Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, until the carrots are tender. Take off the heat a let cool for a few minutes before adding to the meat mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, add the meat, salt & pepper, Worchestershire sauce and ketchup. Add in the bread crumbs, eggs and parsley. Pour the cooked vegetables over the meat and carefully mix everything together with your hands.

Grease a loaf pan. Put the meatloaf mixture into the pan. Cover the meatloaf mixture with ketchup.

Bake for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer reads 155^oF. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. The meatloaf will loosen from the sides of the pan. Carefully use a metal spatula to gently slide the meatloaf out of the pan and onto a serving plate.

Cut into 8 slices and serve with mashed potatoes.

February 28, 2023
by Ashley
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Avalanche

This is a play off of the Adriatique Cocktail just made with Campari.

1 fl oz Montenegro Amaro
1/2 fl oz Campari
1 fl oz Orange Juice (freshly squeezed)

Shake all three ingredients together and serve with a orange peel.

January 15, 2023
by Ashley
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Puerco Pibil with pickled red onion

Ingredients
1 1/4# boneless porkloin
1 1/2 tbsp achiote paste
1 1/2 oz fresh squeezed OJ
1 1/2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 oz white vinegar
1 chili in adobo with 1/2 tsp sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Pickled onion
1 medium to large red onion, sliced thin and separated apart
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Pibil Directions

Rub porkloin with achiote paste until dissolved. Mix rest of ingredients together and put into a ziploc bag. Add the porkloin into ziploc bag, close and marinate for 4 hours in the fridge.

Put the porkloin, any marinade and 3/4 cup of water in a pressure cooker. Cook at pressure for 45 mins, then let cool naturally. Shred while still warm and mix any liquid from pressure cooker into meat. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve as tacos with pickled onion (recipe below) and optional avocado.

Pickled onion directions:
Boil vinegars and mix in salt and sugar. Place the thinly sliced onion pieces into a glass jar. Pour the vinegar mixture over the onions. Let sit at room temp for 30-60 minutes covered, then place in fridge.