Bacon Balsamic-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 Bacon Balsamic-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Serves 3-4 

Preparation 15 mins 

Cook Time 55 mins

Total Time 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

4 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, cut into pieces

1 pound Brussels sprouts, quartered

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.

Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces and place in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes in preheated oven until crispy but not overcooked.

While bacon is cooking, cut sprouts in half lengthwise, then half them again to create quarters. Place in a bowl with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

When bacon is done, transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain. Arrange sprouts in a single layer on same baking sheet. Roast 20-30 minutes, turning sprouts every 10 minutes or so to help even cooking, until tender and browned.

Remove from oven and add bacon back to pan, arranging it evenly with sprouts. Sprinkle brown sugar over sprouts, then return to oven and roast another 6-8 minutes until sugar is caramelized.

Cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Zucchini “Mock Apple Pie” Bars

 

Zucchini “Mock Apple Pie” Bars

Filling:

8 cups zucchini or summer squash, shredded

1 cup lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

Cook zucchini and lemon juice in saucepan until tender, then drain. Add sugar & cinnamon.

Crust: 

(recommend doubling the crust)

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

¾ cup butter, soft

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients together until crumbly. Put half in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes. 

Add filling, then sprinkle remaining crust mixture on top. Bake for 40-50 minutes longer.

Classic DIY "Stove Top" Stuffing

 Classic DIY "Stove Top" Stuffing

Recipe by Alison Roman

Serves 8

1 loaf crusty white bread (french bread, ciabatta, etc)

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 onions, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsp. finely chopped sage

1 Tbsp. finely chopped rosemary

2 large eggs

2½ cups chicken broth

Tear the bread into large bite-sized pieces (crust and all) and place on a baking sheet. Let it sit out at least 6 hours, preferably overnight (if you don't have time for this, don't panic: just throw bread in a 325° oven, and toss occasionally until croutons feel pretty dry but are not toasted, about 30 minutes).

Once your bread is ready: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the celery, garlic, and onions. Season with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Cook, stirring pretty frequently until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and rosemary and cook another few minutes, until everything in the skillet gets to know each other.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and pour the stock into another bowl. Whisk a little bit of the broth into the eggs. Then pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the stock. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the bread to a large bowl and add your celery-onion mixture and your egg-broth mixture. Using your hands, spatula or spoon, mix everything together. You want to be gentle yet firm — you don't want to mush the bread, but you also want to make sure the bread is absorbing all the wonderful things (for a perfect stuffing experience in every bite).

Preheat the oven to 425°.

Transfer the stuffing mixture to a 9- by 13-inch baking dish (or any 2 ½-3 quart oven-safe vessel) and cover with foil. Bake the stuffing for 25-30 minutes then remove the foil and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes to get the top all golden brown and crunchy (obviously the best part of the stuffing).

Monster Cookies

 Monster Cookies

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients

1 stick butter, softened

¼ cup sugar

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

½ Tbsp vanilla extract

¼ cup peanut butter

¾ cup flour

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp kosher salt

¾ cup oats (quick or regular rolled oats work fine)

¼ cup M&Ms 

¼ cup pecans, chopped (optional)

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup Rice Krispies cereal

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Cream butter with sugars until fluffy. Add egg & beat well. Add vanilla and peanut butter & beat together. 

3. Combine dry ingredients (flour–oats). Add to mixing bowl and mix till combined.

4. Add mix-ins, then mix until just barely combined. Do not over mix!

5. (Optional: Chill dough until firm)

6. Use a cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown (8–10 minutes) then allow to cool on a rack.

Teriyaki Sauce

 

Teriyaki Sauce

Ingredients:

½ cup soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

2 oranges, juiced

2 Tbsp honey

2 tsp ginger

½ cup scallions

2 tsp garlic, minced

Sesame seeds, optional

Meat Marinade

 

Meat Marinade

Grandma Symmons

Ingredients:

½ cup canola oil

1 Tbsp oregano

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp ketchup

Pepper & Salt

Dinner Rolls in Under an Hour

 

Dinner Rolls in Under an Hour

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp warm water

⅓ cup oil

2 Tbsp active dry yeast

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp salt

1 egg

3 ½ cups flour, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine water, oil, yeast, and sugar. Allow the mixture to rest for 15 minutes.

3. Mix 2 cups of the flour, the salt, and the egg into the yeast mixture using a dough hook. Add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time. 

4. Shape dough into 12 balls and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until tops are just golden brown

Sourdough Pizza Dough

 

Sourdough Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1/2 cup starter 113g

4 cups flour 600g

1.5 cups water 354g

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil 26.6

Directions:

1. The morning of pizza night, add the ingredients to a stand mixer bowl.

2. With a dough hook, mix the dough on medium speed until the dough passes the windowpane test, which might take up to 10 minutes.

3. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Rest at room temperature for about 8 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 475.

5. Divide the dough into 4 equal sections and allow to rest while you prepare your toppings.

6. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. I like to create a bit of a ridge around the outside for hand stretched thickness.

7. Spread pizza sauce and top with your favorite toppings.

8. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Finish off with a 3 minute broil to achieve the browning on top of the crust.

Oven-Fried Pork Chimichangas

 

Oven-Fried Pork Chimichangas

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp canola oil

1½ lbs pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch chunks

3 cups beef broth

2 Tbsp white vinegar

4 oz can diced green peppers

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

Cilantro, to taste

½ tsp cumin

¼ cup chopped green onion

10-12 four tortillas

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 can refried beans

Cheese, optional

Directions:

1. Cook pork in Crockpot or Instant Pot with other ingredients. 

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

3. Heat each tortilla in a nonstick frying pan, then flip over to heat the other side, and brush the top lightly with oil. Flip greased side into a 9x13 pan

4. Spread beans in the middle of the tortilla. Add about ¼ cup of pork mixture, and cheese if using. Fold tortilla around filling like a burrito. Place seam-side down in baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

5. Bake until nicely browned, about 12-15 minutes.

Instant Pot Beef Rice Plov

 

Instant Pot Beef Rice Plov

Ingredients:

1½ lb beef, chuck, cubed to 1 inches, fat trimmed

2 tbsp oil

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, medium size, cut to 1/2 inch

1 tsp black ground pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp beef seasoning (optional) (eg, Montreal Steak Seasoning)

1 bay leaf

2 tsp salt

½ cup tomato sauce 

1½ cups beef broth

1½ cup short-grain brown rice, rinsed until the water runs clear , well-drained

1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally

¼ cup chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Turn the Instant Pot to "Saute" function. When the display says "Hot" add 2 tbsp of oil and the diced onion, and saute until lightly golden in color, about 5 minutes. Then add carrots and cubed beef and stir. 

2. Add seasonings, tomato sauce, and beef stock. over the top (do not stir) and spread it evenly with a spoon (so all rice is covered with liquid). Press halved garlic head, cut side into the rice. 

3. Cover the Instant Pot with a lid, turn the steam valve to "sealing." Turn the pressure cooker to "Manual" and "High" heat for 45 minutes. Then once the time expires, cover the steam valve with a kitchen towel and turn it to "venting" to release pressure. Open the lid when the pressure is down.

4. Remove the bay leaf. 

5. After the time expires turn the Instant Pot off and allow to depressurize naturally for 15-20 minutes (this step is important). Then turn the steam valve to "venting" and allow the rest of the steam to escape. 

6. Open the lid, remove the garlic and squeeze it back into the rice (optional), add the parsley, and gently fluff the rice with a fork for the ingredients to be evenly distributed.

Pancakes (from Ready Mix)

 

Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp butter, melted & slightly cooled, plus additional for the pan

1 cup Buttermilk

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups Ready Mix

Directions:

1. Whisk together the eggs, butter, buttermilk, milk, and vanilla in a large liquid measuring cup. 

2. Scoop 2 cups of Ready Mix into a medium mixing bowl and gently stir the wet mixture into the dry. Stir until the mixture is uniform, but there can be a few lumps. Let the batter sit at room temp for 15 minutes.

3. Heat griddle over medium heat. Scoop ¼ cup of batter onto griddle for each pancake, as many as you can fit without them touching. Continue to cook until bubbles pop up on the surface of each pancake, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes & cook for another minute or so. 

4. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding butter to griddle as needed. If reserving cooked pancakes, let cool before wrapping for the fridge or freezer.

Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls

 

Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls

Ingredients

1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth , divided

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 packet taco seasoning

15-ounce can black beans , rinsed and drained

1 cup corn

1½ cups salsa

1¼ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained

Topping ideas:

• cheese

• fresh cilantro , chopped

• avocado sliced

• green onion , chopped

• sour cream

Directions:

1. Spray bottom of IP with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth to bottom of IP.

3. Add chicken breasts.

4. Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning.

5. Add black beans and corn.

6. Add salsa.

7. Add rice.

8. Add remaining 1 cup chicken broth.

9. Press rice into the liquid to make sure it’s fully submerged.

10. Set valve to sealing. Cook on Manual (high pressure) for 8 minutes.

11. Allow pressure to naturally release for 12 minutes, then turn to quick release.

12. Remove IP lid and gently FLUFF rice with a fork (Don't stir it!).

13. Place IP lid back on (with power off) for 5 more minutes to allow rice to rest while you prepare the toppings.

14. Slide rice to the side a bit to find the chicken breasts and pull them out. Shred the chicken. 

15. Add a scoop of rice mixture to a bowl. Top with some shredded chicken, and other desired toppings. Serve with tortillas, if desired.