Potato Rolls

1 tablespoon yeast (1 pack)
1 cup warm milk
1/3 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
.5 cup instant potato flakes (1 oz)
.5 cup cold water
1 egg
4 cups flour

Directions:

Make dough in bread machine.

Form into rolls (20 2.5oz rolls fit nicely on a half sheet pan); place in greased pan(s), and let rise until doubled in size.

Brush with melted butter.

Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until rolls are browned.

Brush again with melted butter, if desired.

Sweet Red BBQ Sauce

I prefer a Lexington (vinegar-based) sauce, but the rest of the family loves this one.

Makes 1.75 cups

Ingredients
1 cup (9.5 oz) ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider or malt vinegar
2.5 tablespoons (3 oz) light brown sugar
2.5 tablespoons (3 oz) sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Egg Nog

3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup light rum
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Beat egg yolks until thick, add sugar slowly, then add bourbon slowly, add rum & milk, then chill

Beat egg whites & whipping cream separately & fold in with the rest.”

Squash & Potato Casserole

3 potatoes
1 butternut squash, peeled
.5 c. cream
.5 c. parmesan

1 c. breadcrumbs
1 c. chopped walnuts
2 T. melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350F

slice the potatoes and squash
place a layer of squash in a 9×9 pan, cover lightly with cream, sprinkle
with salt, pepper, and parmesan. Repeat with potato, continue until you run out of squash and potato.

Bake covered for about 1.5 hours, until the vegetables are tender.

Mix together next three ingredients, sprinkle over casserole, bake for another 15 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes or so.

Raised Waffles

Raised Waffles

Use a large mixing bowl…the batter will double in volume.
Put ½ cup warm water in the bowl and sprinkle with one package dry yeast

Let stand to dissolve for 5 minutes

Add:
2 cups milk, warmed
½ cup (I stick) butter, melted
1 teas. Salt
1 teas. Sugar
2 cups flour
To the yeast mixture and beat until smooth and blended

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand overnight at room temperature.

Just before cooking the waffles, beat 2 eggs and add ¼ teas. Baking soda and stir until well mixed.
The batter will be very thin.
Pour about ½ to ¾ cup batter into a very hot waffle iron and bake until they are golder and crisp.
The batter will keep well for several days in the refrigerator.

Corn Pudding

From Cooks Illustrated

INGREDIENTS
6 ears corn (medium, fresh), husks and silk removed (I tend to use leftover cooked corn)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter plus extra for greasing baking dish (I use olive oil Pam)
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/3 cups whole milk
4 large eggs , beaten lightly
1 tablespoon cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cut kernels from 5 ears of corn into medium bowl, then scrape cobs to collect milk in same bowl (you should have about 2½ cups kernels and milk). Grate remaining ear corn on coarse side of box grater (you should have about ½ cup grated kernels). Add grated kernels to bowl with cut kernels.

2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place roasting pan or large baking dish on rack, and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter 8-inch square baking dish. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in kettle or saucepan.

3. Heat large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add butter; when foaming subsides, add corn kernels and grated corn. Cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is bright yellow and liquid has almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add cream, salt, sugar, and cayenne; cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spoon leaves a trail when pan bottom is scraped, about 5 minutes. Transfer corn mixture to medium bowl. Stir in milk, then whisk in eggs and cornstarch. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish.

4. Set dish in roasting pan or large baking dish on oven rack; fill outer pan with boiling water to reach halfway up inner pan. Bake until center jiggles slightly when shaken and pudding has browned lightly in spots, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove baking dish with pudding from water bath; cool 10 minutes and serve.

Bulgur Salad with Edamame and Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)
1 pound yellow and red cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
1. Combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 1 hour or until bulgur is tender.

2. Cook edamame in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Add edamame, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients to bulgur; toss well. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Tomato Soup

From Cook’s Illustrated

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus more for drizzling
1 medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
Pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
1 bay leaf
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 large slices good-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

2. Transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil. Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in chicken broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

Peach Ice Cream

From Cook’s Illustrated

Makes about 1 quart.

Ingredients
3 medium-size ripe peaches , peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
pinch table salt
1 cup granulated sugar (divided)
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vodka

Stir peaches, lemon juice, a pinch salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in medium-size nonreactive saucepan to combine; let stand until a pool of syrupy liquid accumulates and peaches soften slightly, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Position sieve over medium bowl set in an ice-water bath; set aside.

Heat milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar in medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steam appears, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn off heat.

Meanwhile, whisk yolks and remaining 6 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until pale yellow.

Stir half the warmed milk mixture into beaten yolk mixture until just blended.

Return milk-yolk mixture to saucepan of remaining warmed milk mixture. Heat milk-yolk mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon until steam appears, foam subsides, and mixture just begins to thicken or instant-read thermometer registers 180 degrees (mixture must not boil or eggs will curdle). Remove from heat and immediately strain custard into prepared bowl.

Cool custard mixture to room temperature, stir in vanilla, then cover and refrigerate until instant-read thermometer registers 40 degrees, at least 2 and up to 24 hours.

Meanwhile, heat softened peaches and their liquid, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until peaches are tender and flesh has broken down, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl, stir in vodka, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 and up to 24 hours.

Strain chilled peaches, reserving liquid. Stir reserved peach liquid into chilled custard mixture; pour into ice cream machine canister and churn, following manufacturer’s instructions, until mixture is frozen and resembles soft-serve ice cream, 25 to 30 minutes. Add peaches; continue to churn until combined, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer ice cream to airtight container. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

Zucchini Bread/Muffins

From The Joy of Cooking

7.5 oz (1.5 cups) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz (~2 cup) grated zucchini
1.5 cups chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350F

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk well to combine.

Combine sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt in a food processor. With the food processor running, add the oil.

Transfer the sugar mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the zucchini and nuts.

Fold the zucchini mixture into the flour.

Makes a single 9×5 loaf (45 minutes), about a dozen muffins (25 minutes), or about four dozen mini-muffins (15 minutes).

Our household is split on the nuts issue so I scoop out half the muffins, then add nuts, then scoop the rest.