Recipes

Servings: 32 Ingredients White sugar (1 cup) Brown sugar (1/2 cup) Corn syrup (1/3 cup) Honey (1/3 cup) Water (1/3 cup) Baking soda (2 teaspoons) Directions Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper. In a saucepan, combine white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey, and water. Stir over low heat until sugar is fully dissolved. Increase heat to medium until mixture reaches 270°F. Reduce heat to low and maintain temperature of 270°F for 15 minutes. Immediately remove pan from heat. Remove thermometer and let bubbles subside. Sift and quickly stir in baking soda. Immediately pour the mixture into 8x8" pan. Allow to cool completely, then break into pieces. Notes My preferred method of breaking up the candy is to turn it over on a cutting board and hit it with a wooden spoon, using the parchment paper to catch crumbs.

Ingredients Sriracha (3 tbsp) Soy sauce (3 tbsp) Honey (1.5 tbsp) Sesame oil (1.5 tbsp) Salt (1 tsp) Notes Olive oil can be used as a substitute for sesame oil, but will give less richness of flavor.

Servings: 8 Ingredients Round steak (2 lbs) Flour (1 tbsp) Lard (3 oz) Bacon (8 slices) Onions (5) Sliced baby bella mushrooms (1/4 lb, ~1-1/4 cups) Irish stout beer (12 oz) Parsley (1 tbsp chopped) Brown sugar (1 tsp) Double-crust pie pastry (1 package, thawed) Directions Preheat oven to 325°F. Mince onions. Finely chop bacon. Cut steak into 1/2-inch cubes. Coat steak with flour. Add lard and bacon to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until lard melts and bacon starts to sizzle. Add steak and cook until steak and bacon are browned. Transfer steak to a casserole dish, leaving fat in the skillet. Add onions and mushrooms to skillet. Cook until onions are lightly browned and mushrooms are tender. Add contents of skillet to casserole dish. Chop parsley and stir beer, parsley, and brown sugar into casserole dish. Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil. Bake until steak is tender and liquid has thickened into gravy, stirring occasionally (~2-1/2 hours). Remove casserole dish from oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a pie tin with a pie crust and bake until crust is lightly browned (~10 minutes). Fill pie crust with contents of casserole dish. Cover pie filling with second pie crust, pinching crusts together to seal. Bake until top crust is golden brown (10-15 minutes). Notes If the liquid in the casserole dish becomes too thick, stir in a little water.

Yield: ~1 qt Ingredients Strawberries (2 cups) Honey (1/3 cup) Strawberry jam (3 tbsp) Vanilla extract (1 tsp) Buttermilk (1 cup) Heavy cream (3/4 cup) Directions Freeze freezer bowl for at least 24 hours. Hull strawberries. Purée all ingredients together. Churn in ice cream maker for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm. Notes Adjust amount of honey to taste.

Servings: 9 Ingredients Heavy whipping cream (1-1/2 cups) Mascarpone cheese, room temperature (8 oz) Granulated sugar (1/3 cup) Vanilla extract (1 tsp) Cold espresso (3/4 cup) Coffee liqueur such as Kahlua (1-1/2 tbsp, optional) Lady fingers (1 package, ~24 cookies / 7 oz) Cocoa powder, for dusting Directions Beat whipping cream on medium speed, gradually adding sugar and vanilla, until stiff peaks form. Fold in mascarpone until combined. Set aside. Pour espresso and liqueur into a shallow bowl. Quickly dip lady fingers on both sides, avoiding soaking, and arrange in a single layer in an 8x8" pan. Spread half the mascarpone mixture over the lady fingers. Add another layer of dipped lady fingers, then top with the remaining mascarpone cream. Dust generously with cocoa powder using a fine mesh strainer. Refrigerate at least 3-4 hours or overnight before serving. Notes The espresso and liqueur are halved from the original recipe (which calls for 1-1/2 cups espresso and 3 tbsp liqueur) for a less soaked, less boozy result. Dip fast and shallow so the liquid stretches across both layers. Instead of coffee liqueur, dark rum, brandy, or marsala wine work well. It can also be omitted entirely. Keeps refrigerated 2-3 days; flavor improves with time. To freeze, assemble without the cocoa dusting, wrap tightly, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and dust with cocoa a few hours before serving.

Yield: 12 servings Ingredients All-purpose flour (1-1/2 cups) Baking powder (1 tsp) Room temperature butter (1 stick) White sugar (1 cup + 1/2 cup) Eggs (5) Vanilla extract (1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp) Whole milk (2 cups) Sweetened condensed milk (14 oz) Evaporated milk (12 oz) Heavy cream (3/4 cup) Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13" baking pan. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside. Cream butter and 1 cup of sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and beat well. While gradually adding flour mixture, continue to mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Pierce cake all over with a fork. Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Pour the milk mixture over the cake. Wait until milk mixture is completely absorbed. Whip cream, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1/2 tsp of vanilla until thick. Spread whipped cream over top of cake. Notes To store leftover cake, cover with foil and refrigerate.

Yield: 8 servings Ingredients Vegetable oil (1 tbsp) Ground turkey (1 lb) Condensed tomato soup (21.5 oz) Canned beans of choice (45 oz) Yellow onion (1) Chili powder (2 tbsp) Crushed red pepper (1 tsp) Garlic powder (1/2 tbsp) Cumin (1/2 tbsp) Black pepper (1 pinch) Allspice (1 pinch) Directions Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add turkey to skillet and sauté until browned. Drain turkey and beans. Chop onion. Mix all ingredients into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. Notes Salt to taste. Good beans to use: red kidney, cannellini, black. Best served topped with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Yield: ~1 qt Ingredients Whole milk (1 cup) Sugar (3/4 cup) Heavy cream (1 cup + 1 cup) Salt (1/4 tsp) Vanilla bean (1) Egg yolks (6) Directions Freeze freezer bowl for at least 24 hours. Mix milk, sugar, salt, and 1 cup heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Split vanilla bean. Scrape seeds from pod and add both seeds and pod to saucepan, then cover saucepan. Continue heating until just before boiling, then immediately remove from heat. Let sit for 20 minutes, then remove vanilla bean pod. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly add milk mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer mixture back to saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir constantly and scrape bottom of pan with a spatula until mixture thickens. Pour 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl. Strain contents of saucepan into cream and whisk to combine. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Churn in ice cream maker for ~30 minutes, being careful not to over-churn. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm. Notes Vanilla bean can be substituted with 1 tbsp vanilla extract. In this case, skip step 5, and add vanilla extract in step 10.

Yield: 36 large cookies Ingredients Vegan butter (1 cup, softened to room temperature) Brown sugar (1½ cups, packed) Molasses (½ cup) Vanilla extract (1 Tbsp) All-purpose flour (3¼ cups) Baking soda (1 Tbsp) Salt (½ tsp) Ground ginger (1 Tbsp) Cinnamon (1 Tbsp) Nutmeg (½ tsp) Sugar (1 cup, for rolling) Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a hand mixer, beat softened vegan butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add molasses and vanilla, beating until smooth. Add 2 cups flour, then sprinkle baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg on top. Mix on low speed. Add remaining 1¼ cups flour and mix until incorporated. Fill a small bowl with the cup of sugar for rolling. Scoop about 2 Tbsp of dough for large cookies and roll into a ball. Coat each ball completely in sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets and bake 11-12 minutes until they begin to crack on top. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before enjoying. Notes Optional: Add 1-2 cups of candied ginger chopped into small pieces to the dough. Cookies will look very soft when done, but they firm up a lot as they cool. Avoid overbaking to prevent crispiness.

Servings: 8 Ingredients Elbow or shell pasta (16 oz) Raw cashews, unsalted (1-1/2 cups) Water (3/4 cup) Fresh lemon juice (2-3 tbsp) Nutritional yeast (1/4 cup) Fine sea salt (1-1/2 tsp) Chili powder (1/2 tsp) Garlic powder (1/4 tsp) Turmeric (1/4 tsp) Spicy brown mustard (1/2 tsp, optional) Cayenne pepper (pinch, optional) Directions Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salting it with about 1 tsp sea salt, and cook pasta per package directions. While the pasta cooks, combine cashews, water, 2 tbsp lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, turmeric, mustard, and cayenne in a high-speed blender. Blend until silky smooth, adding 1-2 tbsp more water if needed. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in the sauce over medium heat until warmed through and well coated, adding water as needed for desired creaminess. Adjust with additional salt or lemon juice to taste and serve warm. Notes Without a high-speed blender, soak the cashews in 1 cup boiled water for at least 10 minutes, then drain before blending. Non-dairy milk can be substituted for the water in the sauce. For a baked version, thin the sauce with an extra 1/4 cup water, bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then broil until the top is golden. Good with steamed broccoli stirred in or on top. Leftovers keep in an airtight container up to 1 week; the sauce thickens when chilled.