Category Archives: Recipe

Snickerdoodles

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I love the flavor of snickerdoodles. The airy sugar cookie is dusted in cinnamon and sugar. Someone told me once that they taste like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Now, whenever I taste them all I can think of is the cereal.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Cookies

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen

  • 2 3/4 cups ap flour
  •  2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp coarse salt
  • 1 cup (2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 2 T sugar
  • 2 large eggs or egg substitute
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon (preferably Vietnamese)

Preheat 350. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer fittered with paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed ot low; gradually mix in flour mixture.

Stir together Vietnamese cinnamon and remaining 2 T sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into twenty 1 3/4 inch balls; roll in Vietnamese cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with silpat or parchment.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored  between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Carrot Cake

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We love carrot cake especially if it is full of grated carrots, raisins and cinnamon. The homemade creamy cheese frosting is smooth, lightly sweetened and compliments the cake well.

Adapted from About.com, Cooks Illustrated and Alton Brown

Cake

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups freshly grated carrots
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350° F / 176° CUse two round 9-inch cake pans, one 9×13 pan or 36 muffin cups for this recipe. If using round cake pans, lightly grease and place a circle of parchment in the bottom of the pan for easy removal. Use paper lining cups if making cupcakes.

Cream sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl with an electric beater or stand mixer. Add oil and vanilla and beat just until smooth.In a separate bowl combine gluten-free flour mix, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until blended.

Stir in grated carrots and raisins. Pour the batter into prepared pans.Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

For muffins, reduce baking time to 30-35 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Cool on a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Yield: approximately 2 cups

  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 9 ounces powdered sugar, sifted, approximately 2 cups

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter on medium just until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar in 4 batches and beat until smooth between each addition. Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

 

Ode to Tyler: Steamed Asparagus in a Paper Bag and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fresh Herbs and Garlic

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Our little sister turned us on to the paper bag steaming technique which Tyler Florence utilizes. She kept saying, “It is so good.” I think she likes Tyler because he is easy on the eyes, but clearly his cooking techniques are quite likeable too.

We also wanted to make baby potato eggs for Easter and used Tyler’s recipe for roasted fingerling potatoes. We made two batches, more rounded egg-shaped ones and then mixed color potatoes including several with bluish purple hues.

Both techniques were unreal and yielded fantastic results. Both the asparagus received compliments for the concentrated lemon flavor and texture and the potatoes had a nice herb flavored skin with the perfect balance of salt .

Adapted from Tyler Florence

  • 1 pound medium asparagus, tough ends trimmed
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
  • 1 lemon, sliced paper thin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Get yourself a lunch brown paper bag or grocery store paper bag (but without the logos or paint) to hold the asparagus. Place the asparagus in the bag and drizzle the outside of the bag with olive oil to keep the bag from burning. Sprinkle the asparagus with the salt and cracked pepper and toss in the lemon slices and bay leaf. Close the bag, folding it over several times and creasing the folds well to hold the steam in. Put the pan on a baking sheet, drizzle it with more olive oil, stick it in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes.

Take the baking sheet out of the oven and set it on top of the stove. Set a serving plate next to the stove. Using a kitchen towel or a pair of kitchen tongs, raise the bag over the plate, open the bag, and slide the asparagus out onto the plate.

Adapted from Tyler Florence

  • 2 pints fingerling potatoes
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (1 tablespoon reserved for sheet pan)
  • Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and place a baking sheet inside to heat.

Add potatoes, rosemary and thyme, and garlic to a medium bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Remove sheet pan from oven, lightly coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan. Place potatoes in oven and reduce heat to 425 degrees F. Roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.

Carolina Grits, Southern Barbeque Pork Roast and Garlic Spinach

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I’ve eaten grits at some brunches and in New Orleans before. However, I have never made proper grits ever. I recently had the opportunity to have proper Carolina plantation stone ground grits and gave it a shot.

Carolina Grits From Carolina Plantation Serves 2

  • 2 1/4 cup of water
  • 1/2 cup grits
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 T butter
Mix ingredients in large sauce pan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. If grits become too thick, just add water.

Boiled over Carolina grits

Barbeque pork roast
  • 4 to 5 pound pork shoulder (butt) roast
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 bottle (16 oz) barbecue sauce, your choice
Add pork roast, water and sauce. Cover and cook 6 to 8 hours on low.

Braised pork with extra bbq sauce

Garlicky spinach Adapted from Food.com

  • 1 1/2 lbs spinach, trimmed,rinsed and patted dry
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 cloves of garlic

Place spinach and garlic in a large pot of boiling water. Cook 3-5 minutes. Then drain. Place in serving dish and sprinkle with salt and dot with butter.

Carolina grits, bbq pork, garlicky spinach and a buttermilk biscuit

S’mores Cookie Bars

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These s’mores cookie bars and cookies are chock full of mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and graham cracker flavor. The lining of full graham crackers makes the cookie base tender and the extra sweetness of the milk chocolate from the Hershey square is delicious. I made some cookies with some leftover dough and they yielded mini s’more cookies, that had a hint of cinnamon.

Adapted from Ice Cream Before Dinner and Beekman 1802

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1/4 t sea salt
  • 1/2 t cinnamon
  • 6 T unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 C brown sugar, packed (or white sugar)
  • 1 large eggs
  • 1/2 t vanilla
  • 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 C mini marshmallows
  • 1/2 package graham crackers, broken into squares
  • 1/2 package graham crackers crushed into crumbs
  • 2 regular sized Hershey’s chocolate bars (1.55 oz. each)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Start by whisking together the flour, crushed graham crackers, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

In the bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar (or white sugar) until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until blended. Slowly add the flour mixture, until it’s just combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and laying graham cracker squares side-by-side. I used two baking sheets and about 8 graham cracker squares total.

Put a scoop (a little more than 1 T) of dough in the middle of each graham cracker and press down lightly with your finger. Pop them in the oven at 375 degrees and bake for about 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and place Hershey’s chocolate pieces on top of each cookie.

Put the cookies back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes.

Your cookies will all be cooking together and the edges will be turning golden. Let cool in pan a little bit and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.