Servings: 2 Ingredients Whole milk (2 cups) Butter (2 tbsp) Brown sugar (3 tbsp) Cornmeal (1/3 cup) Vanilla extract (1/2 tsp) Salt Cinnamon Directions Combine milk, butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and stir gently until the milk starts to bubble. Turn heat to low and slowly add cornmeal while stirring continuously. Stir until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve garnished with cinnamon to taste.
Servings: 1 cup Ingredients Granulated sugar (1/3 cup) Fresh lemon juice (1/3 cup) Lemon zest, finely grated (2 teaspoons) Large eggs, room temperature (2) Butter, room temperature (4 tablespoons) Directions Combine sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and eggs in a small saucepan Add the butter and cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk, until the first bubble appears on the surface and the curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk, about 6-8 minutes Strain the lemon curd through a fine-mesh strainer if you don’t want the lemon zest in the curd Transfer the hot lemon curd to a bowl or jar and cover the surface with plastic wrap Refrigerate until cold, then remove the plastic wrap and replace with a lid Notes The curd keeps fresh in the refrigerator for about 1 week If your lemon curd curdles, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve Use a Microplane zester to finely grate the lemon zest so you don’t have to strain the curd after cooking
Servings: 4 Ingredients Cooked white or brown rice (4 cups) Sesame oil (2 tbsp) Frozen vegetable mix of choice (2 cups) Yellow onions (4) Sliced baby bella mushrooms (2 cups) Chicken breasts (2) Eggs (2) Soy sauce (2 tbsp or to taste) Garlic powder (4 tsp or to taste) Directions Dice onions and chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Sauté chicken until slightly golden, then remove from pan and set aside. Sauté onions and frozen vegetables until onions are soft and translucent. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until mushrooms are browned. Stir in rice and chicken. Clear a space in the middle of the pan and scramble the eggs in the space. Stir in eggs, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Notes Add more oil as needed. Best served with Sriracha.
Servings: 5 Ingredients Heavy cream (1 cup) Fruit puree of choice (1 cup) Directions In a chilled bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Fold puree into cream. Scoop into serving glasses and chill until set, about 3 hours. Notes Wine glasses work well for serving. Keep a close eye on the cream as it’s beaten. Stiff peaks can quickly turn into butter! Some fruit purees that have worked well: Mango (~3 mangoes) Strawberry banana (~1/2 lb strawberries, 1 banana) Peach (~3 peaches) Plum (2-3 plums) If you try with a different fruit, I’d love to hear about it!
Yield: ~2 qts Ingredients Butter (4 tbsp) Vegetable oil (1/2 cup) Brown sugar (1/4 cup) Honey (1/3 cup) Cinnamon (2 tsp) Cardamom (1/2 tsp, optional) Salt (1/2 tsp) Vanilla extract (2 tsp) Old-fashioned oats (5 cups) Assorted raw nuts/seeds of choice (2-3 cups) Assorted dried fruit of choice (to taste, optional) Directions Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter. In a medium bowl, combine butter, oil, honey, and vanilla. In a large bowl, mix together nuts/seeds, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Stir butter mixture into nut mixture until evenly coated. Stir in oats 1 cup at a time. Bake in a 9x13" baking dish until oats are golden-brown, stirring occasionally (25-30 minutes). Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Stir in dried fruit. Notes If you prefer granola less sweet, omit brown sugar. Nut/seed ideas: pecans, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds Dried fruit ideas: cranberries, golden raisins, strawberries
Servings: 6 Ingredients Olive oil (2 tbsp) Beef chuck, cut into 2" chunks (2.5 lbs) Salt (¾ tsp) Black pepper (¾ tsp) Garlic, minced (3 cloves) Onions, chopped (2) Bacon, diced (6 oz) All-purpose flour (3 tbsp) Guinness beer (14.9 oz / 440 ml) Tomato paste (4 tbsp) Beef stock (3 cups) Carrots, chopped (3) Celery stalks, chopped (2 large) Bay leaves (2) Thyme sprigs (3, or 1 tsp dried) Directions Pat beef dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy pot over high heat. Brown beef in batches and remove to a plate. Lower heat to medium. Add more oil if needed. Cook garlic and onion for 3 minutes until softening. Add bacon. Cook until bacon browns. Stir in carrot and celery. Add flour and stir for 1 minute to cook off. Add Guinness, beef stock, and tomato paste. Mix well. Add bay leaves and thyme. Return beef to pot including juices. Liquid should just cover the meat. Cover and simmer gently for 2 hours until beef is tender. Remove lid and simmer 30-45 minutes more until beef falls apart and sauce thickens. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Adjust seasoning. Notes Serve with creamy mashed potatoes Pancetta or speck can be used in place of bacon Adapted from RecipeTin Eats
Yield: 1 serving Ingredients Milk or non-dairy alternative (1 cup) Frozen fruit (1 cup) Cottage cheese (1/2 cup) Directions Blend all ingredients until smooth. Notes This recipe is very flexible. It can be made with fresh fruit instead of frozen, and other flavors can be added in (e.g. 1 tbsp honey, a dash of vanilla, 2 tbsp peanut butter).
Yield: ~3 cups Ingredients Heavy cream (1 cup) Sugar (1-1/2 cups) Unsweetened cocoa powder (1 cup) Butter (1/2 cup) Vanilla extract (2 tsp) Salt (1/4 tsp) Directions In a 2-quart saucepan, combine cream, cocoa, and sugar until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in butter and continue to boil until mixture thickens (~5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool for 5 minutes. Notes Cream can be replaced with half-and-half or whole milk. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Reheat in microwave 30 seconds at a time.
Servings: 6 Ingredients Oil (1 tbsp) Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (1½ lbs) Andouille sausage, cut into ¼" thick slices (1 lb) Butter (2 tbsp) Yellow or white onion, chopped (1) Green bell pepper, chopped (1) Celery ribs, chopped (3) Garlic, finely minced (4 cloves) All-purpose flour (2 tbsp) Diced tomatoes (14.5 oz can) Chicken broth (2½ cups) Long-grain white rice (1¼ cups) Cajun seasoning (1½ tsp) Dried basil (1½ tsp) Cayenne pepper (¼ tsp) Kosher salt (1 tsp) Fresh ground black pepper (½ tsp) Green onions, chopped (4, for garnish) Directions Heat oil in a large skillet with a fitted lid over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, flipping once or twice to brown on all sides (don’t cook through). Remove to a bowl. Add sausage to the skillet and cook until browned on both sides. Remove to the bowl with the chicken. Melt butter in the skillet. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute more. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, rice, Cajun seasoning, basil, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Return chicken and sausage to the skillet. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Garnish with green onions. Notes Adapted from Tastes Better from Scratch
Servings: 12 bars Ingredients Graham cracker crumbs (1-1/2 cups) Butter (1/2 cup) Sweetened condensed milk (14 oz) Topping mix (4-6 cups, see notes) Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter and mix with Graham cracker crumbs. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 13x9" baking pan. Pour condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Pour topping mix evenly over condensed milk and press in with a fork. Bake for 25 minutes. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm, then cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars and serve or freeze. Notes The topping mix is any mix of dry ingredients. Here’s one idea to get you started: Semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup) Peanut butter chips (1/2 cup) White chocolate chips (1/2 cup) Chopped pecans (1 cup) Heath bar pieces (1 cup) Sweetened coconut flakes (1-1/2 cups)