Roasted Spaghetti Squash

So easy and a wonderful substitute for pasta for those of us who can't indulge in durum wheat!

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

Method:

Cut the squash in half, lengthwise.

• An easy way to do this is to score it along it's entire length on both sides with a paring knife, then stick your big chef's knife in the groove and on into the middle of the squash.  Ease the knife down the scoring line and it will crack open pretty easily.

Once it's open, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits.

Place face down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put about 1/4 cup water on the pan.

Bake for about an hour at 350*.

Take out, flip the squash over and allow to cool some.

When ready to "make spaghetti," use a fork and ease it around the perimeter of the squash between the skin and the flesh.  You'll see the strands take shape.  Keep loosening it and then "fluff" it with the fork.

This can be served with any kind of pasta sauce.  I usually put butter on it before adding the sauce, kinda like what you do with olive oil or butter on traditional pasta.

It can also be used just as a vegetable side-dish with additions of butter, cinnamon, nuts, seeds, dried fruit.  Use your imagination!

I'm surprised at how good this stuff is!

Cornbread

This is the old standby for Band night dinners.  I wish I could get it to act like Marie Callendar's, but, alas, it's never worked!

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups cornmeal
2 1/4 cups flour
2 T baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk

Method:
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Melt the butter.
Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add the milk.  Mix well.
Add the eggs and milk to the dry ingredients, then add the butter.
Mix until just combined.  Small lumps are okay.

Turn into a large (12") cast-iron skillet that has been greased with butter, or use a 9x13 greased pan.

Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or so.

Potato "Ships"

These are a real treat.  I made them for special occasions as the kids were growing up.

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes (I use Russets)
1/2 cup butter (yes, that much!)
2 green onions, finely chopped

Method:
Scrub potatoes, leaving on the skins.
Cut each potato crosswise into about 3/16 slices, making sure you don't cut through the bottom of the potato so they keep their shape intact.
Put them in a buttered loaf pan or other adequate baking pan, slices up.
Melt the butter and add the green onions.
Pour over the potatoes.
Bake at 425*, uncovered, for an hour.
Reduce heat to 375* and bake 30 minutes longer or until tender and crispy.

These go really fast.  You might want to make a double batch!

This recipe originally came from Sunset's Ideas for Cooking Vegetables.

Cooked Frozen Peas

This is one I grew up with, and I've always liked them.

This will serve 4-5 people

Ingredients:
3 cups of frozen peas
2 lettuce leaves, chopped (I use romaine)
2 green onions, sliced
Coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a medium saucepan.
When it's good and hot, add the chopped lettuce and green onions.
Put the lid on and shake the pan around to evenly heat the veggies.
Let it get hot again and then add the peas.
Put the lid back on and shake the pot again until the peas and other veggies are evenly distributed.
Return to the heat for about 3-5 minutes until the peas are cooked through.
Add a little butter after they're cooked, and salt and pepper to taste.

Note: I use coconut oil to cook them in because it has a high smoke point and I can get it hotter than other oils.  Adding a little butter after they're cooked adds to the flavor, but doesn't risk burning the butter.

Best-Ever Carrots

Here's another "Best-Ever" recipe.  Cooked carrots were never my favorite until we grew our own and I learned a little trick.  Cut them in julienne strips!

For information's sake, carrots are something I never buy unless they've been organically grown.  Inorganically grown ones harbor all kinds of bad stuff.  The mini-carrots you find in the stores everywhere are not necessarily a good bet either, organic or not.  There's a lot of information out there about carrots.  A google search will give you more than you want to know!

Ingredients:
As many carrots as you need to feed your family
Butter
Parsley
Honey (optional)

Method:  
Trim the carrots and cut into julienne strips.
Steam the carrots until tender.
Melt enough butter for the carrots you've steamed, add some chopped parsley (I use a couple of tablespoons for about 8 carrots)
Add a Tablespoon or so of honey if you like.

Toss the carrots in all that and serve.  They disappear rather quickly around here!

Best-Ever Beets

Growing up I did not like beets.  Lunchroom fights with what passed for vegetables usually included either beets or peas, flung from a spoon.  They didn't know how to fix them at all!  I learned this recipe from Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living.  I had this one.  It's been updated a bunch of times.  Anyway, I'm thankful that she encouraged me to try beets.  When we lived in Missouri, we had lots, and we used them well.  Since then, we've grown them in every garden we've had, and currently being "garden-less," this is one of the things we miss the most!  How times change!

Ingredients:
As many beets as you want to feed your family
Butter, melted
Green onions or chives, chopped
Garlic, minced
Salt

Method:
The key here is to make sure you leave about an inch of tops on the beets and not cut off the root.
Wash them up and get the dirt off.
Put them in a large enough pot that you can cover them with water by an inch or so.  They cook long enough that the water reduces.

Bring them to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and continue to boil them for about an hour.  It they are big ones, it'll take longer.  Stick a sharp pointed knife in them after an hour and if there's no crunchy resistance, they're ready.

Drain the water and then cover the beets with cold water to cool them down a bit.

Now, cut the tops and roots off of each beet and slip the skins.  They'll come right off.

Cut the beets into about 1/2" dice.

Melt enough butter in the bottom of the pot for the amount of beets you've cooked.
Add the onions or chives and garlic and saute for a bit.
Add the beets, toss them in the butter and onion and garlic and get them warmed back up.
Salt them to taste.

Voila!  Best-ever beets!!

Pecan Pie

One of my pet peeves about pecan pie recipes is the continued use of corn syrup in the filling.  Yuck!  So this is my solution.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell of your choice

Method:

Put the chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie shell.

Mix other ingredients together, melting the butter and honey together if necessary.
Whisk well and pour over the pecans.

Bake at 425* for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350* and bake for another 30 minutes.

An addition to this recipe that is rather heavenly, is to mix 1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate in with the nuts and then add 2 Tablespoons of bourbon or whiskey to the wet ingredients.  Old South Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie in a trice!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp - Gluten Free

This means summer to me!

Ingredients:

Filling:
1 pound of strawberries, cleaned, hulled and sliced
1 pound of rhubarb, cleaned and sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 Tablespoon tapioca flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oats ground to flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

Put the strawberries and rhubarb in a large saucepan and sprinkle with tapioca flour, sugar and salt.
Heat over medium heat until soupy, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat, pour into a greased 9-inch square pan.

To make the topping, grind 1/2 cup oats into flour in a food processor.  Add remaining ingredients and process until the butter is dispersed but the mixture still has butter lumps here and there.
Sprinkle the mixture over the strawberries and rhubarb and evenly distribute it.

Bake at 375* for 25-30 minutes.
Coconut Milk Ice Cream is good with this!

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

One of the most common sayings in our family surrounding biscuits is, "Can you ever make too many biscuits?!"  And I'm always asked how many each person gets whenever I serve them.  When my answer is "Four," I get grins and happy sighs.  :-)

Ingredients:

4 cups unbleached flour

2 Tablespoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter

1 1/2 cup buttermilk (or half and half)

Method:

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl..

Cut in the butter until it looks like coarse meal with some pea-sized chunks still in it.

Add the buttermilk and mix until the dough is in a ball.  You want it soft but not overly sticky.

Flour the counter or cutting board and roll out the dough.  I do a long thin strip instead of a round one, like pie dough, so it's quicker and easier to cut out the biscuits.

Cut circles using the size you most prefer and place the cutouts in a cast iron pan.  Cast iron makes the best biscuits, as far as I'm concerned.

Bake at 400º for about 20 minutes, or until golden.

Serve with butter and honey or jam.

And chicken soup!

Gluten-Free Soaked Granola

One of the things that bothers me about traditional granola is that it is made with unsoaked oats.  Not good for digestion.  So, I came up with this one and it works.

Ingredients:

5 cups water
Juice of 2 lemon (or 4 Tablespoons whey)
10 cups Gluten Free thick oats

Soak the oats overnight in the water and lemon juice or whey

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup honey
2 Tablespoon vanilla
1 T salt

Method:

After the oats are soaked, melt the butter, coconut oil and honey together.  Add vanilla and then pour it all into the soaked oats.  Mix well until all the liquid is incorporated into the oat mix.  This takes a bit as the oats are kind of dense.  I divide the oats into two bowls, which makes the stirring easier.

When it's all mixed up, transfer the mixture to cookie sheets or jelly roll pans that have been lined with parchment paper.

Bake at low temperature, 250*, until the granola is dry and crunchy, usually several hours.

Tips:

While it is baking, it is helpful to turn the mixture over in sections to allow it to dry on all sides.  This should be done at intervals throughout the baking time, say every 30-45 minutes.  This also helps to break it up and separate the oats.

Once it's baked and crunchy, you can add in your choice of nuts and fruit.

Store in an airtight container or in the freezer.

Gingerbread

Fall brings back the use of the oven for wonderful-smelling treats like this one.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
3 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and ginger
3/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups hot water

Method:

Cream sugar and butter together.
Beat in the egg.
Beat in the molasses.
Sift the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture.
Stir in the hot water.

Scrape batter into a greased 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350* for 35 minutes.
May be served with whipped cream.

"Good Cobbler"

I'm not sure what makes a good cobbler, but this one works for me!

Ingredients:

8 cups frozen blackberries (or other berries or fruit)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
Berry juice and water to make 2 cups

Method:

Thaw the berries and reserve the juice.

Combine 3/4 cup sugar and butter and mix well.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt and add to the sugar and butter mix.

Add the milk to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened.

Spread dough in a greased 9x13 pan.

Top with the berries and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup sugar.

Combine the berry juice reserved from thawing and enough water to make 2 cups.
Bring to a boil and then pour it over the cobbler.

Bake at 350* for 1 hour.

Baked Apples

This is a great one for fall!

This can be done in the oven or the crock pot.

4 baking apples (Cortland, Empire, Honeycrisp, Idared, Northern Spy, Rome, Winesap)
4 teaspoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons raisins or Craisins
4 Tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons butter, divided in 4 parts
1 cup water

Peel the apples about one-quarter of the way down from the top.
Core the apples.
Put them in an 8x8 baking dish.
Sprinkle lemon juice in each apple.
Mix raisins or Craisins with nuts and cinnamon and stuff in the hole in the apple.
Drizzle 1 Tablespoons of honey over each and top with butter.
Pour water in around the apples.

Bake at 375* for about 60 minutes, or on low in the Crock pot overnight.

Best Ever Brownies

I came across this recipe somewhere quite a few years ago....I don't remember where......but it has become the standard favorite around here.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
1 t vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method:

Melt butter, unsweetened and bittersweet chocolates together in a saucepan over low heat.

Whisk in the sugar, vanilla and salt and continue whisking until smooth.

Whisk in the eggs until well combined.

Add the flour and stir gently until just combined.
Mix in the semisweet chips.

Spread batter in an 8x8 inch pan that has been greased and lined with greased parchment paper.

Bake at 375* for 30-35 minutes.
Cool 30 minutes.
Freeze 30 minutes.
Cut into squares.

Alfredo Sauce

I use this for making Chicken Alfredo.  Easy-Peasy.

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup cream or 1/2 and 1/2
2/3 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
5 cloves of garlic, minced

Melt cream cheese in in heavy-bottomed sauce pan.*
In another pan, melt the butter and add the garlic and warm it until fragrant.
Add butter and garlic to the cream cheese and stir to blend well.
Add the cream or 1/2 and 1/2 and mix well until blended.
Add the grated cheese last and stir until well blended and smooth and warmed through.
Don't boil!!

*The key here is to make sure the cream cheese is totally melted before you add the butter and garlic.

Scottish Shortbread

This is the easiest cookie/dessert to make, ever.  And they will make you look good, in the bargain!

You'll need a shortbread pan something like this:

They can be gotten here or here, or try yard sales and second hand stores.

And for fun, this a great website for looking at pan designs and finding recipes.

However, they don't sell the pans.

Okay, here's the recipe:

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour

Yep, that's IT!  Amazing how flour, butter and sugar make amazing tasting goodies.  I think every country has their own version of this kind of cookie.

Now, for the flour part, you have to get the feel for the dough.  If I'm using all purpose flour, I use 2 Tablespoons less than a full cup.  If I'm using pastry flour, I use the full cup.  If I'm using half wheat flour and half gluten-free flour blend, then I try 1/2 cup each and then play with it.  If I'm using just gluten-free flour blend, I start with a cup and then see if it needs to be a bit denser.  So.  Once you get the flour amount figured, it's easy-peasy!  The dough needs to be stiff but not dry.  If it's dry, it will fall apart.  If it's too wet, it doesn't bake up well.

I usually make at least a double batch and I use my food processor.  I have been known to make 10 batches at a time in my Bosch.  That's fun.

So, add the butter and sugar to the food processor and process until smooth.  Then add the flour and process until it forms a ball that runs around with the blade.

Grease the shortbread pan with melted butter, but don't get it on too thick.

Press the dough into the pan using your hands and pushing down on it pretty well so the dough goes into all the pretty little indentations of the mold.

Bake at 325* for about 30 minutes.  I usually let it go a bit longer in my oven until the top is really golden brown.  If it is underbaked, the dough will stick to the mold and all the beauty of the design is lost.  I've had that happen too many times, and it's disappointing.

Take it out of the oven, loosen the side edges with a knife and then let it cool in the mold for ten minutes.

Take a cutting board and lay it over the top of the mold, then flip the whole thing over and lay it on the counter.  Carefully lift the mold and then drop it on the cutting board to pop the cookie loose. Then remove the mold completely.

Cut the shortbread on the cutting lines built into the mold and then cool on a cooling rack.

My family likes them while they are still warm, but they also freeze well. I've done that for wedding receptions in the past.

Enjoy!

"Cream" of Vegetable Soup

This is a wonderful soup for fall.  I freeze some of the summer's bounty of zucchini and yellow squash so I'll have some for this soup after the warmth of the season has fled.

1 sweet onion, or a leek, peeled or cleaned and chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
4 Tablespoons butter (or olive or coconut oil)
2 pounds of potatoes, scrubbed and chopped.  I leave about half of the skins on.  I most often use Russets, but Yukon Golds or Red Potatoes are awesome.
2 quarts chicken broth
Several sprigs of fresh thyme tied together
4 summer squash (zucchini, yellow crookneck, etc.) sliced
Sea salt
Sour Cream or creme fraiche

Saute the onions or leeks and the carrots in the butter or oil until they are very soft.

Add the sauteed veggies to a stock pot, along with the chicken broth and potatoes, and bring to a boil.
Skim the foam and then reduce the heat and add the thyme sprigs.
Cover and cook until the potatoes are soft.
Add the summer squash and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until it is tender.

Remove the thyme.

Puree the soup with a stick blender.

Add water if the soup is too thick.

Season to taste.

Serve topped with sour cream or creme fraiche.

Win's Zippy French Bread

This one goes by WinZippy bread in our family and circle of friends.  My mom's name was Winifred, and when she gave this recipe to her best friend, Martha, it had the above title on the card.  Without the benefit of seeing the title written out, her family thought of it as WinZippy, as opposed to Win's Zippy, and the new name was born.  Martha made recipe cards for this and brought them to distribute at Mom's memorial service.  A fun reminder of how much my mom loved people and feeding them in her home.

1 long loaf sourdough French bread, cut in half, long ways
1/2 lb. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 clove garlic, minced (I use more)
1/2 lb. butter, softened
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients, except bread, until well blended.
Spread on bread loaf halves and let stand an hour or two.
Heat under broiler until bubbly and just turning brown.

Hint: Watch it! It can burn quickly!  I know this from experience!

Dutch Baby

I don't often make this anymore because of gluten issues, but my son does!

This is a table that gives the different proportions for various servings.

Pan                  Butter           Eggs                 Milk            Four          Salt

1 Quart             3 T                2                  1/2 cup        1/2 cup          1/8 t
2-3 Quart         1/4 cup          3                  3/4 cup        3/4 cup          1/4 t
3-4 Quart         1/3 cup          4                  1 cup           1 cup             1/4 t
4-4.5 Quart      1/2 cup          5                  1.25 cups     1.25 cups       1/2 t
4.5 - 5 Quart    1/2 cup          6                  1.5 cups       1.5 cups         1/2 t

I like to use cast iron skillets for baking them.  I use a 15" for the 6 egg version.

Melt the butter in the skillet or baking dish in the oven while it's preheating.

Meanwhile, mix the other ingredients well, but leave a few flour lumps in the batter.

When the butter is melted, add the the batter to the pan and put back in the oven.

Bake at 425* for about 20 minutes, until it is puffed and beautifully golden brown.

Additional possibilities!

After the butter has melted, I like to slice apples in on top of it in the pan and then sprinkle with cinnamon.  Let them cook for 10 minutes of so in the oven while preparing the batter and then just pour the batter over the apples and bake as usual.  It's a real treat!

Broccoli with Garlic and Butter

A family favorite.  I never in my wildest dreams thought that broccoli would be the vegetable that every member of my family likes!

2 heads of broccoli

4 cloves of garlic, minced, or if you're short on time, garlic powder will work

3 Tablespoons of butter

Cut the broccoli into florettes

Trim and peel

Steam for 5 minutes or so, or for as long as you desire.  I like mine a bit crisp rather than mushy.

(This works well, but something like this is ideal!)

At this point, the broccoli can be set aside and finished at mealtime.

Prepare the butter and garlic by melting the butter in a small skillet or saucepan over low heat.

Add the minced garlic (or garlic powder) and let simmer in the butter for 10 minutes or so.  

Pour the butter over the broccoli and warm them together if you've prepared the broccoli earlier.