I have to admit the origins of this recipe was an accident. I was making home made mashed potatoes for someone who could not eat dairy and was using Soy Milk. I had two jugs available, regular and vanilla, without realizing it I grabbed the vanilla Soy Milk and poured it into the potatoes. I immediately realized the mistake and decided that potatoes with a slight vanilla flavor wouldn’t be too bad and if it was I would just own up to the mistake and we could all laugh at it, so I served them. As I watched each person take a bite I was surprised that instead of a look of disgust they looked delighted. Everyone raved about the unique flavor of the potatoes, and I have to admit they were good. Since then I have tried a very variations and found this one to be my favorite.
Ingredients
- 3 cups potatoes, diced
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbl fresh ginger, grated
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbl butter
- Salt
- White pepper
Instructions:
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Add potatoes to a pot and cover with water until about 1 inch over the potatoes.
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Liberally salt water and stir
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Bring to boil on high and cook on medium-high until potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes)
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Drain potatoes well and return potatoes and ginger to pot over medium heat, shake pan until they stop steaming to remove excess moisture without burning the potatoes and ginger
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Add vanilla, milk, and butter and mash everything with a potato masher until potatoes are the thickness you desire. Stir in extra milk or butter 1 tsp at a time if mixture is too thick
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Add salt and white pepper to taste
Roast chicken is one of those dishes that is an absolute must in any cooks arsenal of recipes. However, it can easily go wrong and often takes much more time than necessary for less than perfect results. Here is a quick and simple method to get a perfect roast chicken, with tender juicy meat and crisp skin, every time
Ingredients:
- Whole chicken
- 1 stick of butter (do not substitute margarine), softened
- 2 tbls fresh rosemary, minced
- 4 stalks whole fresh rosemary
- 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
- salt
- pepper
- Canola oil
Instructions:
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Whip together the butter, minced rosemary, and garlic until well blended and soft
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Butterfly the chicken by cutting out the breast bone laying it out flat
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Brush the bottom of the butterflied chicken with Canola
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Salt and pepper the bottom of the chicken liberally
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Spread out the rosemary stalks on a roasting pan and place the chicken, bottom down on top of them
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Carefully pull up the edges of the skin on the breasts and legs and shove the butter mixture evenly under the skin.
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Brush the top side of the chicken with Canola oil and salt and pepper
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Place in a oven preheated to 450 degrees until the thickest part of the breast reaches between 168 and 172 degrees (45-60 minutes)
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Remove from the oven, tent with foil and let stand for 5-10 minutes
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cut into quarters and serve
I rarely bake, but recently decided to make some traditional chocolate chip cookies, but things went a little different. I started with a very traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe, and made some additions. First I added cinnamon and Brandy and then a tiny amount of baking powder to help keep a good consistency with the additional liquid, I finished by adding half a cup of finely diced fresh Jalapeno peppers when I added the chips reasoning that the sweetness of the peppers along with the heat they would bring should pair well with the chocolate and brandy. I have to admit I was a little unsure about the addition at first, but the cookies were delicious. The flavor of the Jalapeno complimented the sweetness of the cookie and bit of the brandy perfectly and the only heat was a slight tingle on the tongue as an after taste. I highly recommend giving these a try.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp Brandy or Bourbon (optional)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- ½ cup fresh Jalapeno pepper, finely diced
Instructions
- With a mixer, whip the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, brandy, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy
- Add 1 egg and whip until well mixed and then add the second and whip until the mixture is once again well blended, smooth, and creamy
- In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until well blended
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture slowly while continuing to mix.
- Continue to mix until everything is well blended and a sticky dough forms
- Stir in the chocolate chips and diced Jalapeno
- Scoop 24 evenly sized balls of dough out onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper with at least 1 inch between each ball
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until cookies are well set, but still look under done (approximately 15-18 minutes)
- Remove cookies from oven and move immediately to a wire rake to cool
This is a variation on an incredible dish that my uncle taught me years ago. Its basically just a quick cooked onion, but it is delicious and makes a great side dish, snack, entree, or even main course.
Makes 1 serving.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium vidalia onion
- ¼ cup Beef, Chicken or vegetable stalk
- 1tsp Chipotle or Ancho chili powder
- 1 glove of garlic, peeled
- salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Instructions:
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Cut a slice of the top and bottom of the onion so it will set flat with the the open top exposed.
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Place the onion on either an oven safe or microwave safe, depending on which cooking method you are using, root side up.
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Using a pairing knife or grapefruit knife hollow out a ½ inch diameter hole in the center of the onion ¾ of the the way deep.
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Brush the entire onion with a thin layer of olive oil
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Salt and Pepper the entire onion
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Place the glove of garlic in the well you hollowed out in step 2
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pour the chili pepper into the the hollowed out well
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Fill the well to almost the top with stalk
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Either bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until soft or microwave on high for 6-8 minutes until soft.
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Carefully peel of the skin and serve whole
The say that cooking is art and baking is science and because of that I have always steered clear of baking. When I cook I prefer to never follow recipes, instead to learn about the concept and basic structure of a dish and then prepare my own unique version. There are very few rules to cooking, and the few that do exist can easily be broken with good results. On the other hand, baking always seemed ridged and formulaic to me. Deviations from a basic recipe can quickly lead to a disaster. At one point I searched for the basic rules of baking, but never finding them I removed baking from my normal pursuits. That is until I was given a copy of Alton Brown’s book I’m Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking as a gift.
Rather than take the traditional approach to a book on baking and just presenting recipes, Alton Brown takes a more scientific approach and presents the basic techniques and concepts behind baked goods. The book teaches and then illustrates through recipes first the rules of baking and then how to break them. In no time at all I was applying my same cooking techniques to the baking and destroying its rigidity. It is still true that baking is more a science than cooking, but after you know the rules deviations are possible and the results are very predictable. Over the last couple of years I have found that this book is my goto resource for anything I wish to bake. Before starting I read the chapter related to the item I wish to prepare, I learn the basic rules and ignore the recipes. I then start into my general recipe research and slowly build my own deviation based on the basic rules for that items preparations. I have found this method has allowed me to explore baking in the same way I enjoy exploring cooking and with great results.
I’m Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking is not a definitive text on baking, and there are others I have found since that go into much more detail, but I have yet to find a book that is accessible and well written on the subject or as much fun to read. Whether you are just starting out with baking or seasoned at baking from recipes I highly recommend checking out Alton Brown’s book, and using it as a starting point to expand your knowledge and experience on the subject.