Donut Army

Sometimes, cooking in a crockpot can be such a convenience! There's nothing nicer than coming home to a dinner that is already cooked for you. But often, crockpot recipes yield dishes that have strange pungent qualities -- not bad, just really intense. I found this dish to have quite a nice balance of flavors -- simple, yet warm and tasty. Perfect for coming in out of the cold! Basil Chicken Merlot with Wild Mushrooms crock-pot.com 3 T olive oil 1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut into pieces 1 1/2 c mushrooms (white button or baby bella), cleaned and thinly sliced 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 c chicken stock 6 oz tomato paste 1/3 c merlot, or other dry red wine 1 tsp oregano (dried) 2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 2 T basil, fresh, minced 3 c ziti pasta, cooked, drained romano cheese, grated, for garnish Heat a large skillet on the stovetop and add oil. Brown chicken pieces about 3 minutes per side. emove chicken a...

I made this delightful cardamonny cake for visitors recently. Great after dinner, and lovely the next morning for breakfast. Finnish Sour Cream Cake (Kermakakku) Submission to Penzey's spice catalog 2 eggs 2 c sour cream 2 c sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp almond extract 3 c cake flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 tsp ground white pepper 3/4 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp cardamon powdered sugar, for dusting Preheat oven to 350. Grease a tube or fluted tube pan and liberally sprinkle with sugar and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine eggs, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda, salt and spices. Add the dry ingredients in thirds to the wet ingredients and beat well until the batter is smooth and combined. Pour into the pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until set in the middle. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting to cool completely. Dust liberally with powdered suga...

Bored with my stash of various nuts in the refrigerator, I wondered what I could do to use up some of my pecans. Behold, the lovely banana pecan muffin - easy to assemble, and a delight for breakfast and mid-afternoon snack. Banana Pecan Muffins The Prepared Pantry 1 3/4 c + 2 T flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 T baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 eggs 1/4 c vegetable oil 1/3 c brown sugar 1/3 c sugar 2/3 c sour cream 2 T milk 1 c banana, mashed 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 c pecan, finely chopped Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, salt, powder and soda together in a bowl In a separate bowl, begin to combine your wet ingredients -- mash the bananas, then whisk in the eggs. Add oil, and  milk. Add both the brown sugar and the white sugar. Add sour cream and stir in the nuts. With a spatula, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. Spoon batter into well-greased muffin tins. (The original recipe said this would make 10 muf...

OK - I totally loved this. I have many, many variations of macaroni and cheese. And, I largely use mac-n-cheese as an opportunity to clean out the fridge. (Have vegetables that may be slightly past their prime? Chop them up in mac-n-cheese! Have milk or cream suspiciously near its expiration date? Add them to your mac-n-cheese!) Now that no one I know will ever eat my mac-n-cheese again for fear of their health safety, let's proceed with this recipe. The poblano cream sauce is a nice addition -- not too hot, but definitely different from your standard mac-n-cheese. And, the addition of corn? Who knew I would love that so much! It gives a very sweet addition to those otherwise completely savory dish. It may be my new favorite add-on to mac-n-cheese. Before you read any further, you do need to reflect on your own personal mac-n-cheese philosophy. I find that mac-n-cheese fans fall into one of two categories -- stovetop vs oven-baked. Sure, the stovetop method is quicker and all...

As I was making these this morning, I muttered to myself "These aren't going to be worth all this effort." How wrong I was! These are bright and fluffy, and come out almost like stuffed pancakces -- stuffed with ricotta cheese! And, the texture is substantial -- so much so that I wound up tearing off bits with my fingers and dipping the chunks into maple syrup, which turned out to be a great solution for soggy pancakes. Highly recommended! Lemon Ricotta Pancakes Chow 5 T butter 1 c milk 1 1/4 c flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp table salt, divided 3 eggs, separated 2 T sugar, divided 1 T lemon rind 1/2 tsp vanilla 3/4 c ricotta Place butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until butter has melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. In a medium bowl, combine flour, powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Sift together and set aside. Place egg yolks, 1 T sugar, lemon zest and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Whisk in a...

This clever version of leek and potato soup comes from Cook's Illustrated , one of the best cooking magazines out there -- if you enjoy knowing why things cook the way they do. The folks at CI came up with a version of this soup that is rich and creamy, but doesn't rely on any fatty cream. Instead, the creamy texture comes from including some bread crumbs into the soup before pureeing - brilliance! And tasty to boot! Creamy Leek-Potato Soup Cook's Illustrated 4 medium leeks, white and light-green parts both 2 c chicken or vegetable stock 2 c water 4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 c) salt 1 small russet potato (about 6 oz), peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4" slices 1 bay leaf 1 4" sprig fresh thyme or tarragon 1 large slice of high-quality sandwich bread, lightly toasted, and torn into 1/2" pieces pepper Separate leeks into white and light green parts. Begin with the dark green parts -- half them, r...

Do I hear trumpets blaring in the background? I should! Because this recipe should be introduced with great fanfare. What a tremendous surprise -- to cook and guest alike. Blueberries? In cornbread? To be eaten with the entree? Rest assured, everyone - this is delish. And, was such the hit at my neighborhood chili cook-off this week that they created a cornbread category just for this. So, let's hear the trumpets again as I bring you: Sweet Corn and Blueberry Corn Bread Canadian Living , August 2008 1 1/4 c cornmeal 1 c flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 c corn, cooked or thawed, in kernels 1/4 c brown sugar 1 c buttermilk 2 eggs 1/2 c butter, melted 1 1/4 c blueberries (using frozen is just fine) 2 tsp sugar (I used turbinado) Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a food processor or blender, puree the corn kernels with the brown sugar until lumpy. Add buttermilk and eggs. Puree to combine. ...