Recipes

Yield: 1 pie (12 servings) Ingredients Pie crust (1 single 9-inch crust, unbaked; or store-bought deep dish) Granulated sugar (3/4 cup) Ground cinnamon (1 tsp) Salt (1/2 tsp) Ground ginger (1/2 tsp) Ground cloves (1/4 tsp) Eggs, large (2) Pumpkin puree (1 15-oz can) Evaporated milk (1 12-oz can) Whipped cream (for serving, optional) Directions Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out the crust and fit it into a 9-inch pie pan, crimping the edges. Beat eggs and pumpkin together in a large bowl. Combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves in a separate bowl, then add to the pumpkin mixture. Stir in evaporated milk gradually. Pour filling carefully into the unbaked crust. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350°F and bake until set, 40-50 minutes more. The center may still jiggle slightly; a knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream. Notes The filling is sized for a 9x2-inch pie pan; a shallower pan won’t hold all of it. Make ahead: bake the pie the day before and refrigerate, or make the crust and filling a day ahead, store separately in the refrigerator, and bake the next day. Refrigerate if not eaten within 2 hours. Cool completely, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Baked pie can be frozen, well covered, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Adapted from Tastes Better From Scratch (filling originally from Libby’s), without the caramel pecan topping.

Yield: 20 to 24 squares Ingredients Unsalted butter (1½ sticks) Mini marshmallows (two 10-oz bags, divided) Vanilla extract (¾ teaspoon) Salt (½ teaspoon) Rice Krispies (8½ cups) Directions Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside 2 cups of the marshmallows. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally to ensure even cooking. Save the butter wrappers for later use. When butter begins to brown and smells nutty, remove from heat. Add the remaining marshmallows, vanilla, and salt. Return the pot to medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until marshmallows fully melt. Remove from heat and add cereal. Stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until evenly combined. Add the reserved marshmallows and stir until softened and partially melted. Avoid overmixing to retain pockets of gooiness. Transfer to the prepared pan and press gently into an even layer using the butter wrapper. Cool at room temperature for at least one hour. Lift treats onto a cutting board and cut into squares. Notes Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days Freezer-friendly: layer with wax paper in an airtight container and freeze up to 6 weeks; thaw at room temperature for about an hour

Servings: 4 Ingredients Whole milk (2-1/2 cups) Uncooked white rice (1/3 cup) Salt (1 pinch) Egg (1) Brown sugar (1/4 cup) Vanilla extract (1 tsp) Cinnamon (1/4 tsp) Golden raisins (1/3 cup, optional) Directions Add the rice, milk, and salt to a medium, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until rice is tender (about 25 minutes), stirring frequently to prevent rice from sticking to bottom of pot. Whisk together egg and sugar until well mixed. Add 1/2 cup of rice mixture to egg mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. Add egg mixture to rice mixture and stir until thickened. Stir in the vanilla and raisins. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon. Serve hot or chilled.

Servings: 8 Ingredients Italian sausage without casing (1 lb) Yellow onion (2 medium) Garlic (2 cloves) Pasta sauce (26 oz) Frozen ravioli (25 oz) Shredded mozzarella cheese (1-1/2 cups) Shredded parmesan cheese (1-1/2 cups) Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Chop onion and mince garlic. Sauté sausage, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until sausage is no longer pink. Remove from heat, drain grease, and stir in pasta sauce. In a 13x9" baking dish, spread just enough sausage mixture to cover the bottom. Arrange half of the ravioli on top and evenly sprinkle with half of each cheese. Top with remaining sausage mixture, ravioli and cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 10 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Notes You can use whatever kind of ravioli you like. Cheese and mushroom are both fine choices. This recipe is relatively easy to make and tastes decent but not great.

Servings: 6 Ingredients Sausage (1 lb, see notes) Yellow onion (1) Garlic (3 cloves) Flour (3 tbsp) Dried basil (1 tsp) Oregano (½ tsp) Cayenne (1 pinch) Mustard powder (½ tsp) Black pepper (½ tsp) Red pepper flakes (1 pinch) Hot sauce (1 tsp) Chicken broth (5 cups) Heavy cream (1 cup) Kale (2 cups) Tortellini, refrigerated or frozen (2 cups / ~10 oz) Directions Dice onion and mince garlic. Cook sausage and onion over medium-high heat until onions are soft and sausage is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add basil, oregano, cayenne, mustard powder, pepper, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce. Stir to combine. Add chicken broth, scraping bottom of pot with spatula. Slowly stir in heavy cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add tortellini and kale, then continue simmering for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Notes This recipe originally called for ground Italian sausage, but I’ve tried it with medallions of other types of sausage and that worked fine. Go with whatever you like/have on hand. You can use spinach instead of kale. If you do, add it just a minute before serving instead of at the same time as the tortellini.

Yield: 12 muffins Ingredients Vegetable oil (1 tbsp) Raw breakfast sausage without casing (1/2 lb) Baby spinach (3 oz, optional) Cooking spray Flour (2 cups) Baking powder (2 tsp) Baking soda (1/2 tsp) Salt (1/2 tsp) Black pepper (1/4 tsp) Butter (6 tbsp) Buttermilk (1-1/4 cups) Eggs (2) Shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 cup) Apple (1) Chives (1 tbsp chopped, optional) Directions Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and sauté until browned while breaking meat into small pieces (~5 minutes). Add spinach and cook until wilted (~2 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously grease a muffin pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. In a separate bowl, melt butter and set aside to cool to room temperature. While butter cools, peel and dice apple. When butter is cool, add buttermilk and eggs to butter and whisk until combined. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in sausage, spinach, cheese, and apple until just combined. Divide the mixture evenly among the greased muffin cups. Chop chives and sprinkle over mixture. Bake until tops begin to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean (~25 minutes). Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Continue to cool to warm or room temperature before serving. Notes Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for 3 months. Reheat cold or thawed muffins in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes before serving if desired.

Yield: 12 servings Ingredients Russet potatoes (2 lbs) Butter (4 tbsp + 4 tbsp) Yellow onions (2) Garlic (2 cloves) Carrots (2) Canned corn (15.25 oz) Peas (1 cup) Ground beef (1-1/2 lbs) Beef broth (1/2 cup) Worcestershire sauce (1 tsp) Salt Black pepper Shredded cheddar cheese (optional) Directions Peel and quarter potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender. Continue recipe meanwhile, then drain. Peel and dice onions and carrots. Mince garlic. Drain corn. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions and carrots until onions are slightly translucent. Add garlic and continue sautéing until onions are translucent and carrots are tender. Add corn and peas and continue sautéing for 1 minute. Add beef and cook until no pink remains. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add broth and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Mash potatoes with 4 tbsp butter and salt and pepper to taste. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread beef mixture into a 13x9" casserole dish. Spread potatoes over beef mixture. Rough up surface with a fork. Sprinkle cheese over potatoes. Bake until bottom layer is bubbling and top is browned (~30 minutes). Notes Add other seasonings as desired when salt and pepper are called for. Something to try: use creamed corn, and layer it between beef and potatoes. For a healthier and flavorful option, use sweet potatoes instead of russet.

Ingredients Soy sauce (1/4 cup) Lemon juice (2 tbsp) Onion powder (1/8 tsp) Garlic powder (1/4 tsp) Salt (1/2 tsp) Black pepper (1/4 tsp) Crushed red pepper (1/4 tsp)

Yield: 5 servings Ingredients Spaghetti (1 lb) Salt Oil-packed anchovy fillets (4) Garlic (6 cloves) Crushed red pepper (1/2 tsp) Olive oil Parsley (1/2 cup finely chopped) Panko breadcrumbs (1 cup) Grated parmesan cheese Black pepper Directions Finely chop garlic and parsley. Cook spaghetti al dente according to package directions. Drain spaghetti, reserving 3 tbsp cooking liquid. Return spaghetti to pot, stirring in a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking. Cook 1 cup oil, anchovies, garlic, red pepper, and a pinch of salt in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When anchovies dissolve and garlic is tender, stir in parsley and remove from heat. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and cook until golden, stirring often. Stir anchovy mixture, reserved cooking liquid, and breadcrumbs into spaghetti. Cook over medium until heated through. Serve topped with parmesan and black pepper to taste.

Yield: ~1 qt Ingredients Heavy cream (1-3/4 cups) Cocoa powder (1/3 cup) Sugar (3/4 cup) Semi-sweet chocolate chips (1/2 cup) Whole milk (1-3/4 cups) Vanilla extract (1 tsp) Salt (1/8 tsp) Cinnamon (1-1/4 tsp) Chili powder (2-3 tsp, to taste) Directions Freeze freezer bowl for at least 24 hours. Whisk together cream, cocoa, and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Continue whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and immediately add chocolate chips. Whisk until chocolate chips have completely melted. Stir in milk, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and chili powder. Cover and refrigerate until chilled (at least 2 hours). Churn in ice cream maker for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm.