I can’t deny it – I’m a huge potato lover. Mashed, French fried, hash browned, scalloped, and baked: I love them all! (It must be a trait inherited from my Irish mother.)
But, as a product of the microwave generation, preparing the perfect baked potato has always eluded me. Although many have claimed excellent results from the zapper, mine seem to continuously sport an underdone center (yuk!), with a flabby skin.
The answer seems to be in returning to my roots and, like my mama before me, bake these beauties in the oven. To ensure a tender center, I skewered the potatoes with a metal rod to promote even baking. Yes, they take an hour to cook, but it’s worth it.
As a fan of make-ahead recipes, I love STUFFED POTATOES because these can be prepared earlier in the day and then broiled during the last 10 minutes of meal-prep. Also, pototes retain their heat for quite some time afterward. Thus, a perfect side dish for company when the goal is to have all dishes on the table at their peak of flavor at the same time. (In my family, there’s the added challenge of getting everyone seated at that moment.)
NOTE: Unless I have buttermilk on hand (almost never), I always make my own, especially for the small amount called for in this recipe. Just combine milk and apple cider vinegar (see amounts below).
STUFFED POTATOES – serves 4
- 2 large russet potatoes
- 1T butter, preferably room temperature
- 1/4 cup buttermilk (OR, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar mixed with 1/4 cup milk or cream)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 scallions, sliced – both green & white parts
Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit.
Wash potato, then poke a metal skewer through the center, lengthwise. This adds heat to the middle of the potato so it cooks from the inside, too. (If you don’t have a metal skewer, don’t worry – they’ll still cook through without it.) Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until easily pierced with a fork all the way to the center (center should be 106º Fahrenheit). 
Remove skewer and slice in half, lengthwise, along narrow side of potato so they lay flat.
Carefully, scrap out insides, leaving 1/8″ border to support the skin. (If you scrap a bit too much in a section, just take some of the potato and smash it down to form a patch.) Place potato pulp in a bowl.
With a fork, mash the potato, breaking down lumps – you don’t need to make it as creamy as you would with mashed potatoes…unless, you want. 
Add in the butter and stir until melted. Then add the buttermilk, sour cream, salt, pepper, cheese, and scallions. Mix gently, but thoroughly. 
Divide equally and fill potato skins. At this point, you can cover them and complete preparation later.
Just before serving time, broil potatoes about 4″ from heating element 10-15 minutes, until spotty brown on top. Serve hot.
Every now and then I get an idea for a recipe that I think will be a piece of cake (pun intended!) to develop. It never is.
Pour in the HOT coffee. Immediately cover bowl with a plate to retain heat in order to melt the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften, then stir until all chocolate is melted and mixture is well blended. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Into another bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
Line your muffin tins with 18 regular-sized cupcake papers.
Pour egg mixture into cooled melted chocolate and stir. (You don’t want the chocolate to be too hot or it could cook the eggs.)
Add in flour mixture and mix well – this is one instance where you want a little toughness to the cake so it holds up to the caramel. 
Pour 
Bake for 6 minutes (SET A TIMER!!!) in the preheated 350º F oven. Remove from oven. Set a frozen caramel ball on top of each baked cake bit, dead center (do your best).
Then pour batter around and on top of ball, 1/3″ from top of paper. (This is where a spouted measuring cup comes in handy! Use a spoon to catch the drips.) 
Return to oven and bake at 350º F for another 11 minutes. Remove from oven and keep cupcakes in hot muffin tin 10 minutes to set. Remove cupcakes – with papers – to a wire rack to completely cool.
To make ganache frosting, place chocolate chips, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. 
Heat cream until bubbles form along sides – don’t let it boil.
Immediately pour over chips, cover with a plate, and let melt for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. If the chips don’t completely melt, pour mixture into a small saucepan and, over a very low heat, stir until melted. Allow to cool completely so it thickens, stirring now and then. Pipe ganache on cupcakes, or just frost with a knife.
For some reason, Macaroni & Cheese is perceived as a bland, children’s food. (Don’t even get me started on the boxed version!)
Pulse about 7 times to get small pieces.
Pour into bowl and add in 1/2 oz (1/2 cup) Parmesan, 1 tsp salt, and black pepper. (It’s easiest to mix with fingers.) Set aside. 
Into a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a full boil. Add in 1 rounded T salt and the penne. Stir immediately to prevent sticking, then stir every now and then, until al dente. (Don’t overcook – pasta will continue to soften when the cheeses and sauce are added.)
In a saucepan melt the butter over low heat. Turn off heat and mix in the flour, making sure you smoosh any lumps – this is your only chance to remove them. Cook 2 minutes over low heat, stirring continuously, to prevent that flour-y taste. 
Add in the cream and remaining 1 tsp salt. Increase the heat slightly to medium/low and stir until thickened. 
By now, the pasta should be cooked. Drain in colander, but don’t shake strainer. Immediately pour hot pasta over cheeses in bowl. 
Pour hot sauce on top. (Don’t stir yet.) Cover – I use a cookie sheet. Let set for 3 minutes to melt the cheeses. Remove cover and stir everything together. 
Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle on breadcrumbs. 
Bake at 500º F for about 7 minutes, until breadcrumbs are browned. 
Sprinkle on a little chopped parsley, if desired. Can be served immediately.
Cornbread often doesn’t live up to expectations. While it may look buttery-moist with it’s vibrant yellow color, one bite sends you reaching for the water glass. The other side of the coin is the cornbread you get at some restaurants, so full of sugar and fat that’s it’s really just a slice of cake.
Melt the butter and set aside to cool a bit.
Into the workbowl of your food processor (If you don’t own one, put it on your birthday or holiday list, which is becoming longer by the minute!)), add the corn, sour cream, eggs, and hot sauce. Pulse about 6 times to break up corn.
Pour the corn mixture into the cornmeal mixture and gently stir a few times. (The dry mixture will buffer the eggs so they don’t cook when the hot butter is added.) Then add in the butter and complete blending the ingredients just to the point where the flour in incorporated. Don’t over mix – overmixing a quick bread (which this is) will produce a tough bread.
On the stovetop, heat the oil in a 10″ cast iron skillet over high heat until shimmering. Turn off heat and pour in batter (you’ll hear sizzling), spreading it out evenly and smoothing top. 
Place in hot oven and bake at 450º F for 18-25 minutes. (Set your timer for 18 minutes and test with a toothpick – when done, it should come out clean. Reset timer and cook longer, if need be.) 
When done, remove from oven and let cornbread set in skillet at least 20 minutes before slicing.
It’s autumn – that time of year when the days get shorter, the air a little brisker, and the markets display all kinds and colors of winter squash. While, of course, we appreciate them for their beauty – and sometimes cuteness – they’re actually edible, delicious, and filled with nutrients and fiber.
Add in the seeds and fibers. Sauté another 4 minutes on medium. 
Add in the water and salt, bringing to a boil. 
While liquid is heating, slice the squash (unpeeled) into chunks. Place them cut side down on a steamer basket. 
When the liquid has come to a boil, drop in the steamer basket and cover. Decrease flame to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove basket from liquid, letting squash cool enough to handle.
Once squash is cooled, scrap squash from its peel, discarding peel. Put squash into a blender and add enough of the liquid to purèe squash. (Depending on the size of your blender, you may have to do this in batches.) 
Empty purèe into the now-empty stockpot. Add in brown sugar and cream. Heat over medium to just before boiling. Taste for seasoning.
You know that feeling at the end of a filling meal when you want just a little something sweet? TIRAMISU is the perfect solution. Although it looks rich and creamy, it’s actually very light. In fact, give me a fork and I could easily ingest the entire pan. (Thank goodness for will power.)
In the small bowl of your electric mixer, put the egg yolks. Beat on low speed about 5 seconds, just to break them up. 
Add in the sugar and salt. Turn mixer to medium speed and beat 1 minute. The yolks will turn pale and thick. 
Pour in the remaining 2 T rum and beat on medium 30 seconds. Add in the cold mascarpone and beat on medium for about 30 seconds, until there are no lumps. 
Empty mixture into a large bowl.
In the now-empty mixing bowl (you don’t have to clean it), pour the cream. Beat on high until soft peaks form. 
Stir 1/3 of whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to loosen texture. Fold in remaining whipped cream. 
Have ready an 8″x8″ pan (or it’s equivalent), the ladyfingers, and the coffee mixture. Holding a ladyfinger at the midsection, quickly dip one long, flat side into the coffee (submerge less than 1/4″ – don’t go midway), turn it over and dip the other side. Shake off any excess liquid. (The goal is to get just the outside portion of the cookie wet so it will remain crispy in the center – you want the coffee flavor, but not the mush.) 
Then place the dipped ladyfinger in the pan. Continue on, lining up the ladyfingers in the same direction, until the bottom is covered. By the time you get to the last one, they will have become somewhat softer. You can probably shove them together to make room for one more in each row. 
Cover ladyfingers with half of the mascarpone, smoothing evenly. 
Place 1 T cocoa powder in a small sieve. Stir the cocoa with a spoon to sprinkle cocoa evenly over mascarpone. (Cocoa tends to clump – the spoon breaks them up.)
Add the second layer of ladyfingers, dipping as above, laying them in the opposite direction of the first layer. Fit as many cookies as you can, although you may not need them all. Save the undipped ones for future use. 
Spread on remaining mascarpone evenly, then sprinkle on the remaining 1 T cocoa. 
Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 6 hours. (I make it the night before.) You’ll notice the cocoa will turn a deeper chocolate color due to condensation.
Keep TIRAMISU in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Recently, I had a fabulous pasta salad topped with teriyaki sauce. The promised recipe never came, so I decided to create my own. The most difficult thing was developing the right taste for the dressing. (You can, of course, buy bottled teriyaki sauce, but as I keep saying, I like cooking from scratch so I know what’s in my food.)
Bring about 1½ inches of water to a boil in the now empty saucepan and add peapods. Let boil for 2 minutes – SET A TIMER! (You don’t want to over cook!) Drain and rinse to stop cooking process.
Pull the peapod body towards you. If there’s a string, it will come away from the peapod.
Then rotate the peapod 180º and do the exact same thing to the other tip to remove string on the other side. (Sometimes there are strings on both sides – they’re unpleasant to eat.)
At serving time, add remaining 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce and cashews. Stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Add in soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. Turn on burner to medium and stir while bringing to a boil. Turn down heat to keep a simmer. Continue cooking until thickened – about 4-5 minutes.
There will be a little teriyaki sauce leftover. Save it to revive leftover Teriyaki Pasta Salad, freeze it, or use it on something else. (Waste not, want not!!!)
One thing I love about egg dishes is they can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – kind of a one-size-fits-all meal of the food world. (Even though one size does NOT fit all in the clothing world!)
If you’re using fresh spinach, thoroughly wash, dry, and coarsely chop. If you’re using frozen, thaw.
Add in spinach, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp salt. 
Cook over medium heat, stirring until spinach is wilted – about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
In the now empty pan, pour in the white wine. Cook over medium/high to reduce it to 1/4 cup. This happens fairly quickly so keep an eye on it. Remove from heat.
Spread on half of the spinach. 
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese. 
Add another layer of bread, the remaining spinach, and 1/2 cup cheese.
In a bowl or large measuring cup for easy pouring, whisk the eggs, half & half, reduced wine, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Pour on top of spinach/bread/cheese. 
Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto food. Weigh it down with whatever will fit. (I use another 8″ x 8″ pan weighted with bowls). 
Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Bake at 325º F for 50-55 minutes, until starting to brown (I bake for 50 minutes). Remove from oven and let set about 15 minutes before serving.
I love skillet dinners – everything is cooked in the one pan. They’re generally fast and easy, and this one is particularly tasty!
Cut into 1″ pieces.
In a 12″ skillet, heat 
Remove mushrooms and extruded liquid to bowl and set aside. 
Heat remaining 
Add in garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Turn off heat. Add oregano, red pepper flakes, uncooked pasta, vegetable stock, and the water.
Turn heat to high and let cook, uncovered, about 12 minutes (stirring now and then) – until most of liquid has cooked out. 
Add in the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and Kalamata olives. 
Cover and cook over medium/high for 2 minutes to steam broccoli (it will turn bright green). Don’t overcook.
Decrease flame to low and add in cream and Pecorino. Stir to blend and let cook uncovered about 1 minute to heat through. Turn off heat and taste for seasoning (I like to add 1/2 tsp salt.) Cover, and let set 5 minutes before serving.
Put the chopped beans in the bowl and add in remaining ingredients. Stir to blend. 
Cover and refrigerate at least an hour, preferably several hours.
Flip burgers and add remaining 1 tsp oil to skillet. (I flip them onto another spatula then nudge them onto the skillet.) Cook about another 4 minutes, until well browned. Once both sides are well browned, the crust holds them together.
Vegetarian Cooking For Carnivores BLOG 