Pan Fried Asparagus

 

Ingredient Checklist

• ¼ cup butter 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed

Instructions Checklist

• Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook garlic in butter for a minute, but do not brown. Add asparagus, and cook for 10 minutes, turning asparagus to ensure even cooking.

Gnocchi Skillet with Chicken Sausage & Tomatoes

Gnocchi Skillet with Chicken Sausage & Tomatoes

• 1 pound frozen or shelf-stable gnocchi
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 9 ounces cooked chicken sausage (about 3 links) , sliced into 1/4-inch-thick coins
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 to 2 ounces fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (1/2 to 1 cup loosely packed)
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1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.

2. Heat a 10-inch or larger cast iron skillet over medium heat with a light drizzle of olive oil. Add the sausages and cook until it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Push the sausages into a pile at the edge of the skillet and turn the heat up to high.

3. When the skillet is quite hot, add the tomatoes, skin down, crowding them in if necessary. Cook until they are blistered, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the sausage and cook until both tomatoes and sausage are slightly browned, about 2 minutes more. Stir in gnocchi and cook just until all is combined, but the tomatoes have not broken down into sauce.

4. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Cream of Soup substitute

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and let cook for 1-2 minutes.
2. Slowly stir in chicken broth, then milk. Whisk until it begins to thicken. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Theresa's Pizza Crust

•1 cup whey + 1 cup HOT water (or add both cool and warm in microwave)
•2 TBS yeast
•3 TBS sugar (under-filled rather than heaping)
•1 tsp salt
•4 cups flour 
Add yeast, sugar, and salt to liquid. Let prove until just starting to bubble. Pour liquid into flour and mix for a sticky dough (I use my stand mixer). Let rise, covered, 30 minutes. Pour out onto floured surface and knead 5-10 times. Make your pizza. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes (i never actually time it). Let rest 5 minutes before cutting.
If I make pizza or ham and cheese roll ups, baking time is 25 minutes.

Stuffed Jalapenos

9 jalapenos
12 ounces cream cheese
2/3 to 3/4 lb bacon
cumin
garlic powder
soft bread crumbs

Slice jalapenos in half, and remove core and seeds.  Cook bacon most of the way, then diced into small pieces (I discard the really fatty parts).  Mix softened cream cheese with bacon, then add a dash of cumin and a few dashes of garlic powder.  Stuff jalapenos with the cream cheese mixture. Spread bread crumbs out on a plate, and press the cream cheese side of each jalapeno into the bread crumbs, then brush off the excess.  Place jalapenos cream cheese side up in a glass pan or on a metal baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  Then move rack up and broil for 1-3 minutes, watching to make sure the bread crumbs crisp and lightly brown, but don't burn. Serve warm.

Samoa Cupcakes

1 box Devil’s Food cake mix
1 box chocolate fudge instant pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a stand mixer, combine all ingredients. Beat for about two minutes. Place slightly less than a 1/4 of a cup of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

*mini cupcakes, a less than a tablespoon of batter per liner, bake 8 to 10 minutes.  Check with a toothpick

Salted Caramel Buttercream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 oz. (1/2 block) cream cheese
1/2 cup good quality salted caramel sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Allow butter to set out at room temperature about 15 minutes (you can gather your other ingredients in the mean time). 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and continue to beat until fully smooth and well incorporated.
While slowly mixing, pour in caramel sauce (should not be warm). Add vanilla.
Continue slowly mixing and add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, allowing the sugar to blend a bit before adding each additional cup.
Scrap down the sides of the bowl and then blend the frosting an additional 30 seconds or so. The frosting should be fluffy, and all ingredients fully incorporated.

Frost cupcakes or cake.

Drizzle frosted cupcakes with the leftover salted caramel sauce, then top with toasted coconut.

Almond Squares

1 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup almond paste
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 ounces sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk (reserve egg white), almond paste, and flavoring; beat until well blended. Stir in flour.

Spread mixture in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Beat egg white (at room temperature) until foamy; brush over entire surface of dough, and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool thoroughly, and cut into 2 inch squares. Store in airtight containers.

Coconut Macaroons

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, coconut and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla using your hands until well blended. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be a little smaller than a golf ball.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is toasted.

Key Lime Pie Tarts

1 23 oz jar Private Selection Key Lime Filling (found at Smith's)

2 eggs

1/2 C sweetened condensed milk

1 pre-made graham cracker crust

whipped cream

lime zest

12 foil cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill muffin pan with 12 foil liners. Divide the graham cracker pie crust among baking cups. Press to bottom and slightly up sides of cup. Beat together key lime fruit filling, sweetened condensed milk, and eggs until well mixed. Fill the cups to the top. Bake 25 minutes. Top with piped whipped cream and lime zest.

Virgin Pina Colada Drink

20 oz can crushed pineapple, pureed
1 can frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
1 can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 can coconut milk
1 can cream of coconut

Mix together!

Apple Ginger Sparkler

adapted from Martha Stewart

2 2 L bottles of club soda
2 apple juice concentrates (frozen section)
1 1/2 C ginger syrup*

Let the apple concentrate thaw, then mix all three ingredients together.  Makes a little over a gallon and a half.

*Ginger Syrup

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 six-inch piece fresh ginger, finely diced
• Place sugar, ginger, and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook about 1 hour, until ginger flavor is quite strong. Let cool; strain before using. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to a week.

Stuffed mini peppers

5 jalapenos
10- 12 sweet mini peppers
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 can black beans
half cup of frozen corn, defrosted
half cup of rice, cooked
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
a dash or five cumin

Cook the bacon most of the way, then dice into small pieces.  Cut the peppers in half and remove veins and seeds.  Grease a cooking sheet, and lay the peppers on the tray open side up (jalapenos in the middle so they get the brunt of heat from the broiler).  Mix together the remaining ingredients, then fill peppers to slightly heaping with the filling.  Broil  on hi in the oven with rack on the 3rd setting down from the top, for around 5 minutes.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Pakrika

Cut the rough ends off the brussels sprouts and cut them in half.  Throw them in a baggie with some olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika to taste, and moosh it all around until the brussels sprouts are evenly coated. Then lay them out on a pan and bake at 400 for 10 mins. Take them out, turn them over and throw it back in for another 8 mins or so.

Landon's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 C chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Combine shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

Mom's Hamburger Stroganoff

1 1/2 lb hamburger
1/2 C chopped onion
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (or homemade substitute!)
4 C dry egg noodles
1/4 C butter
1 C sour cream

Heat water to boiling; pour in noodles.  Cook until tender (approx 10 minutes).

Brown hamburger and onion, draining off fat.  Stir in flour, salt, garlic, pepper and mushrooms; cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly  Stir in soup; heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Drain noodles; mix with butter.
Stir sour cream into meat mixture; heat thoroughly.
Serve over hot noodles.