Donut Army

I was listening to some comic was making fun of the fact that some party guest had brought corn pudding to a party. And the audience groaned in disgust - ugh! Corn pudding ! And, of course, I thought, "Yum - I haven't had corn pudding in a while -- and I have those 3 ears of corn in the fridge!" So, corn pudding on Saturday night it was! Corn Pudding Penzey's One 2 1/2 c corn (fresh or frozen) 1 1/2 c half and half 1/2 c heavy whipping cream (I used milk, since I was out of whipping cream) 2 T butter, melted 3 eggs, beaten 1/4 c flour 1 tsp salt 1 T sugar 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp white pepper  Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole. If you are using frozen corn, place corn in a food processor and pulse 3-4 times to break up some of the kernels and release the starch. If using fresh, score the kernels with a fork before removing them from the cob. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the dairy, butter, eg

In spite of last year's horrible drought, the Texas peaches this year have been fantastic! We have had a large supply of peaches in the fridge for days. When some started to get a tad too soft, I thought it was time for cobbler. Note that I assembled this cobbler after a long day, and misread one of the ingredients -- instead of 11 cups of peaches, I grabbed 11 peaches . This means I had enough filling only for a bread loaf pan, instead of the casserole pan called for.  I used only enough topping that was necessary for this sized pan, and saved the rest for an apple cobbler later in the week Cobblers don't require particularly close measurements....one of the reason they are so easy! Oatmeal Cookie Peach Cobbler Cooking Light Cobber: 11 c peaches, peeled and sliced (5 lbs) 1/3 c sugar 2 T flour 2 T lemon juice Topping: 1/2 c sugar 1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 c butter, softened 2 tsp vanilla 1 egg 1 c flour 1 c rolled oats 1/2 tsp ba

The potato varieties from my CSA farm box this year have been very interesting, and have provided a lot of color to otherwise fabulous dishes. This is no exception - easy to assemble, good for using up a large quantity of vegetables, and delicious beyond belief.    Dilly Harvest Potato Bake Penzey's One 4 potatoes 2 carrots 1 onion 2 T butter 1 tsp dill 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp salt 2 T cream or whole milk Preheat oven to 350. (If already cooking another dish, this casserole will turn out fine at 325 or 375, too.) Peel and shred carrots and potatoes. Squeeze the potatoes and discard extra liquid. Butter a small baking dish, toss the potatoes and discard extra liquid. Butter a small baking dish, toss the potatoes and carrots with minced onion and place in the dish. Sprinkle with dill, pepper and salt. Cut the butter into bits and dot the dish, pushing some butter bits down into the potatoes. Drizzle the cream/milk over the top and bake 60 minutes. 

I am the first to admit that making dishes with dried beans can be risky - especially if you don't do it every day, and if you have other things you might want to do with your life. But ever since I have discovered the Parson's method, I have at least one batch of beans in my fridge at all times. FOOLPROOF. Foolproof! You gotta try it. The below soup is based on the Parson's method of cooking beans. Seriously tasty - ridiculously easy! Pasta and Bean Soup The Frugal Gourmet 2 c small white beans, dried 1 bay leaf 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced 1 carrot, unpeeled and diced medium fine 1/4 c lovage or celery leaves 1/2 c tomato sauce 6 c water 1 c stock 1 c pasta, small, like stars or shells Prepare beans using the Parson's method: place 1 c beans in a Dutch oven and cover with 2 c water. Add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and place in a 350 oven and bake for 1-2 hours, depending on the freshness of the bean

This is one of the few things I make where I don't really have a recipe. I just follow Mom's general instructions: - chop apples, put in pot, add enough water to not scorch, and cook about an hour. Once apples are cooked, add about 1/4 c sugar for every 4 c apples (depending on preference, and on types of apples used). Where my Mom would just mush the cooked apples with a spoon (or a potato masher works well), or would have avoided cooking them with their skins on in the first place. I just run them through a food mill after cooking. But this is also optional - if you prefer a chunkier applesauce, skip this step. Add cinnamon or vanilla or cardamom - optional.

Slightly savory cookies are always intriguing to me. This one includes anise, quick makes for funny faces from all your guests as they try to place the flavor. This particular batch came out a bit flat and spread out - my kitchen was too warm the day I made these. Cinnamon Anise Crisps Cooking Light, December 2007 1 1/2 c cake flour 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon, divided 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp anise seed, crushed 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 c sugar 1/4 c butter, softened 1 T orange juice 1 egg 1 1/2 tsp sugar Combine flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, baking powder, crushed aniseed, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Set aside. Place 3/4 c sugar and butter in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add juice, vanilla, and egg beat until combined. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into two 6"-long logs wrap each log in plastic and

Experimenting with various vegetable excesses one day, I tried to make beet chips. Based on my past success with roasted kale chips , I treated the beets in a similar fashion. Peel beets and slice them paper thin with a mandoline or very good knife. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Lay the beet slices in a single layer. Lightly spray the beets with with a mist of olive oil and season with salt and/or herbs. Place another baking sheet on top of the chips. Bake the chips for until dried and crisp, about 20-25 minutes.

This is one of my favorite go-to dinners. Need something with a little special oomph, but not many supplies on hand? This should fit the bill nicely. Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts Cooking Light , January 2009 1 16-oz package gnocchi 2 T butter 2 T pine nuts 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 10-oz package spinach, torn 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 c Parmesan cheese, shredded (about 1 oz) Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts to pan and cook 3 minutes or until butter and nuts are lightly browned. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add gnocchi and spinach to pan. Cook 1 minute, or until spinach wilts. Stir in salt and pepper, sprinkle with Parmesan, and serve.

Variations on basil pesto can be surprisingly jarring. People often expect a classic fresh basil pesto. But it's ok to mix things up every now and then! For an interesting twist on classic pesto and a twist on classic mac and cheese, try this casserole. Arugula Pesto and White Cheddar Mac and Cheese How Sweet Eats blog (the original blog has far better pictures, FYI) 4 c pasta, uncooked 2 T unsalted butter 2 T flour 2 c milk 1/4 c heavy cream 10 oz white cheddar cheese, grated pinch nutmeg salt and pepper 1/3 c arugula pesto 1/3 c panko Arugula Pesto: 4 c arugula 1/3 c asiago cheese 3 cloves garlic 1/4 c olive oil To make the pesto: In a food processor, combine garlic, arugula and cheese. Pulse until combined. Stream in olive oil a tablespoon at a time until the pesto becomes smooth. To make the casserole: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions. I always shave a few