pimento cheese stuffed sweet potatoes

This was one of my Thanksgiving creations this year.

3 large sweet potatoes

Preheat oven to 375. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and then in the oven. Bake for an hour, until they feel soft to the touch. Set aside.

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 small jar pimentos
1 tsp bourbon
black pepper

Ritz crackers, crumbled

Mix the ingredients together. Cut the potatoes in half and scoop them out into a bowl, leaving enough in the skins for them to hold their shape. Add the cheese to the potato in the bowl and mix them together. Put the filling back into the skins and place them side by side in a baking dish. Cover the tops with the cracker crumbs. Lower the oven temperature to 350 and put them back in the oven for twenty minutes.

Peace,
Milton

white chocolate, craisin, and pumpkin seed cookies

This started from a recipe that had the white chocolate, craisins, and macadamia nuts, but I didn't want to spring for the macadamias, so I began thinking of other options. The roasted pumpkin seeds seemed a good replacement, bringing a little crunch and savoriness to the cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream butter in electric mixer and then add sugars and mix until fluffly. Take your time: let the mixer run a good 6-8 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well. Add vanilla. Add the flour mixture gradually, mixing until just mixed. Then add

1 pkg (11 oz) white chocolate chips
1 cup Craisins
1 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds

Mix just until the added ingredients are well distributed throughout the dough. Drop on to a cookie sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes.

Peace,
Milton

figs stuffed with goat cheese

1 dozen figs
4 oz. goat cheese
4 oz. cream cheese
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
honey

Cut the figs in half from top to bottom.

Mix the goat cheese, cream cheese, and balsamic vinegar together in a food processor or mixer until thoroughly combined. Spoon about a teaspoon of the cheese mixture into each half of each fig and lay them out on a baking sheet. Heat in a 325 degree oven for about four or five minutes. Place on a serving platter and drizzle with honey.

Peace,
Milton

blackberry french toast

1 12 oz. loaf French bread, cut into half inch cubes
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, cut into half inch cubes
1 cup blackberry preserves
1 cup fresh blackberries

Heat the jam and berries in a small saucepan over medium heat for four or five minutes until jam is melted and smooth and berries are softened a bit. Stir occasionally, so things don’t stick, but not too much. Put bread cubes and cheese cubes in a big bowl and toss with blackberry mixture until everything is coated. Pour into a 13 x 9 greased pan.

4 large eggs
2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Whisk eggs, cream, cinnamon, and vanilla and pour slowly over bread mixture, taking time to let the break soak it in a bit. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of everything. Wrap it tightly and chill it for at least eight hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake the casserole covered for twenty minutes and then uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until mixture is set and browned a bit on top. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

Peace,
Milton

P.S. -- This recipe is adapted from one I found in Southern Living's Best
Fall Recipes.

vegetarian frittata

I made this dish for a wedding reception this weekend that required it to be dairy-free, gluten-free, and soy-free. It rocked.

I started with veggies I had on hand:

1 bunch fresh asparagus
4 or 5 fingerling potatoes
4 parsnips
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

I sliced the parsnips into thin rounds, tossed them with olive oil and salt and pepper, put them on a baking sheet, and put them in a 400 degree oven for about ten minutes. While they were cooking, I grilled the asparagus on my stove top, tossing it with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. When they cooled a bit, I cut them into one-inch segments and layered them in the bottom of the dish. I then thinly sliced the potatoes and sautéed them in a bit of olive oil for about five or six minutes; I removed them from the pan and layered them on top of the asparagus. The parsnips were ready, so I took them out of the oven, lowered the temperature to 350, and layered them on top of the potatoes. I diced the tomatoes and put them into the same pan I used for the potatoes, adding a bit of oil, and let them cook till most of the liquid was gone and then layered them on top of the other vegetables.

(Again, I used the vegetables that looked best to me at the market. Use whatever you wish. I think it made a difference to roast or cook them before they went into the frittata.)

I made a big recipe (for 60), but for a 9x9 pan I would use

6 eggs
2 T almond milk

Whisk the eggs and almond milk together and then pour over the top of the vegetables. Move the veggies around to make sure the egg gets all the way to the bottom. Put in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until it’s set.

NOTE: After I saw this recipe, I realized this would also work great in muffin tins for individual servings.

Peace,
Milton

gluten-, sugar-, and dairy-free dinner rolls

I have been on a bit of a culinary learning curve these days because I have been cooking for friends who require the food to be sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free. This recipe met all the requirements and made pretty good rolls, if I do say so myself.

First, make a batch of the flour mix:

1 3/4 cup brown rice flour
1 3/4 cup white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
2 scant teaspoons xanthan gum

Sift ingredients together. (If you make this ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator.)

Now, on to the rolls.

Prepare muffin tins by brushing them with olive oil and dusting with tapioca flour.

1/3 cup agave nectar
2 cups warm (not hot) almond milk
3 packets active dry yeast, such as Red Star

In a small bowl, whisk sugar into warm milk. Add yeast and whisk to dissolve. Set aside to allow the yeast time to proof -- you'll know this is happening when it starts to get foamy on top.

3 cups Jeanne's gluten-free all-purpose flour mix (recipe above)
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2 large eggs
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

In bowl of stand mixer, beat together eggs, apple cider vinegar and oil. Add yeast mixture, beat well, then add flour mixture, beating on high with paddle attachment for 3 minutes. (Time this part; the beating is crucial.)

Spoon dough into prepared muffin tins, filling to 3/4 of each cup. (I did this in two or three spoonfuls, so they came out as pull-apart rolls. The recipe should make about twenty-four rolls.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put muffin tins on top of stove to rise in close proximity to warmth of the preheating stove. Let rise until they have just about doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes. Once rolls have risen, brush the top of each with olive oil and bake until the tops are a nice golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove rolls from tins and place them in a towel-lined basket to keep warm.

This recipe is an adaptation of one I found here and who gave primary credit to this blog.

Peace,
Milton

red velvet whoopie pies

You heard me right.

I made them for a fundraiser for children's cancer research at Fullsteam Brewery tonight. They just seemed perfect for Valentine's Day.

1 1/2  ounces chocolate chips
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. I do it in thirty second increments until they are done. Whisk until smooth and set aside.

Mix the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring in a bowl until combined (I used my Kitchenaid mixer). In another bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four equal batches, mixing each batch completely before adding the next. Stir in the melted chocolate.

Scoop tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets and smooth the tops with a damp finger. They spread out a bit, so make them a bit smaller than you want them to be. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies spring back when you gently press. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

While they are cooking and cooling, make the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped

Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla seeds. Sandwich a heaping tablespoonful of filling between 2 cookies; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

They are awesome.

Peace,
Milton

P. S. -- This recipe was adapted from one at the Food Network.

lemon blueberry pound cake

Mix together

1/3 cup milk
6 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream together

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

until they are light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture alternately with the egg mixture, starting and finishing with the flour. Beat the batter after each addition until everything is combined. Add your last ingredient

3 cups picked over blueberries, tossed with 1 1/2 tablespoons flour

in stages. Fold 1 1/2 cups into the batter. Spoon one third of the batter into a greased 10-inch bundt pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle a half a cup of blueberries over it and then add another third of the batter and another half a cup of blueberries. Add the rest of the batter and the last of the blueberries. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven at 350 for 60-70 minutes, or till it is golden brown and the tester comes out clean.

While the cake is cooking, mix together

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar

and heat until the sugar is dissolved. When the cake comes out of the oven, put it in a cooling rack and poke a bunch of holes in the bottom of the cake with the tester or a toothpick and then pour half of the liquid over the cake slowly, so it soaks in. After ten minutes, invert the pan and remove the cake, leaving it on the cooking rack. Poke holes all over it and brush with the remaining sauce.

I adapted this recipe from here.

Peace,
Milton

red velvet waffles

I made these and served them as white chocolate ice cream sandwiches and blackberry-balsamic sauce. They rocked.

In a bowl, mix together

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

In another bowl, mix together

3 egg yolks (save the whites for later)
1 oz. red food coloring (the little bottle)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups milk

Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and combine until just mixed (may still be a bit lumpy). Now, beat the egg whites you saved until they are stiff and then fold them into the batter. Cook according to your waffle maker's instructions.

NOTE: To make the ice cream sandwiches, I divided the waffle into quarters and then sliced each quarter through the middle, as if they were buns and then put a scoop of ice cream in between the halves because I thought two full waffle pieces would be too thick.

Peace,
Milton

blackberry balsamic sauce

1/2 cup blackberry preserves
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Bring it to a simmer and let it reduce by half. Let it cool a bit before serving.

Peace,
Milton

white chocolate ice cream

1 cup white chocolate powder
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups half and half
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 oz. egg yolks (9-10 large yolks)

Heat the white chocolate powder, sugar, cream, and half and half in a double boiler. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and then temper them by adding a ladle of the cream mixture at a time and mixing into the eggs until at least half of the cream mixture is incorporated. This will warm up the eggs without cooking them. Then add the new egg mixture back into the remaining cream and cook over moderate heat until the mixture thickens to almost a pudding consistency. Pour into a bowl and put the bowl in an ice bath and stir until cool. Chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, until mixture is very cold and then follow your ice cream maker's directions to finish the job.

Peace,
Milton