Creamy mashed potatoes

The secret?  Cream cheese!

Who doesn't love potatoes?  Especially if they house little craters of butter?!  Two of my favorite ingredients!  The secret is the cream cheese!  I have tried sour cream, which you could also add, but the cream cheese works great!

Ingredients:

5 lbs Idaho, or Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and quartered

2 (8oz each) packages cream cheese

sea salt, pepper

1/2 - 1 stick unsalted butter

1/2-3/4 cup milk

Wash, peel and quarter potatoes and place in a large pot of water.  They should fit in an 8 QT stock pot.  Boil till fork tender.  Drain and return to the pot with the heat OFF.  Add cream cheese, milk, butter, salt and pepper and mash with a hand masher.  Or you could just use a mixer and beat them till they are of a consistency you like.  I like them thick and creamy.  After mixing, I dot the top with butter so they form these cute little craters.  YUM!!  You can do these the day before and just heat in the oven when you have available oven space.

Honey roasted squash

Oh how I love squash.  Any kind, any way.  This is an awesome side dish for Thanksgiving.  I would also use it for squash risotto or for squash soup.  I always use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the seeds.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, quartered
1 acorn squash, quartered
drizzle of olive oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 TB rosemary, chopped
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Clean, scoop and rinse squash.  Line a cookie sheet with foil. (shiny side DOWN)  Place quartered squash on the cookie sheet, skin side down and drizzle with olive oil.  Put about a half inch of water on the cookie sheet as well, it will help keep the squash moist.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  While the squash is baking, make a paste with the honey, brown sugar, rosemary, and butter.  Brush honey mixture on the squash (save a little for the end) and return to the oven to roast for another 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and gooey.

Artisan bread

This is so easy!  Recipe adapted from Natasha's Kitchen.  This version is a no knead recipe.  I think the next time I make it (which will be very soon!), I'll add some rosemary to the dough.

Ingredients:.
1 1/2 half cup warm water ( 100- 115 degrees)

1/2 TB salt
1/2 TB sugar (I used sugar in the raw)
3/4 TB yeast
3 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 TB cornmeal 
plus extra flour for dusting

Directions:

Add sugar and salt to a large bowl.  Add water and sprinkle in yeast.  Let sit a couple of minutes, then mix well.  Measure out and add flour.  Stir until well blended.  Let sit 2 hours  in a warm place till it is 2-3 times the size.  Turn dough onto a floured surface and fold dough over twice.  Sprinkle cornmeal onto counter (or surface you are working on)  and place dough on top of cornmeal.  Let sit uncovered 40 minutes.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Make 3 slits with a very sharp knife in the top of the dough ball.  Fill a pan (not glass!) with 1 cup hot water and place on the BOTTOM rack of the oven.  Place the dough ball on a pizza stone, or a lightly greased cookie sheet turned upside down.  Bake at 450 for 20- 25 minutes or until golden brown.  I use a pizza stone that has been very well seasoned.

The browner or blacker the stone, the better!  

Let cool before cutting!  Enjoy!! 

Chicken & dumplings

This recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.  Its was full of flavor, easy to make, and hearty.  I added sage to mine because I love the taste of sage with any chicken dish.

Ingredients:

2 TB unsalted butter

2 TB olive oil

1 cup all purpose flour

1 whole chicken, cut up

1/2 tsp sea salt, pepper and paprika

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup onions, chopped

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp rubbed sage

6 cups chicken broth

1/2-1 cup apple cider

1/2 cup heavy cream

Dumplings:

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal 

1 heaping TB baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 - 1 1/2 cup buttermilk (or half & half)

Directions:

Mix flour, sea salt, pepper and paprika in a large mixing bowl.  Dredge chicken in flour.  Heat olive oil and butter in a large stock pot.  Brown chicken in oil/butter.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Brown celery, carrots and onion in the same oil/butter you used for the chicken.  You should have some crispy goodness floating around in the pan by now.  I never peel my carrots, just wash them thoroughly.  Stir, and let cook for about 8 minutes.  Add the chicken back into the pan and add chicken broth, thyme, sage, apple cider and heavy cream.  Let simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes.  While the chicken is cooking, make the dough for the dumplings.  Mix together dry ingredients, then add buttermilk a little at a time.  Don't over mix.  The dough should be moist, but not wet.  Remove the chicken from the pan and pick the meat off with two forks, or just use your hands like I do.  You have to remember to let it cool a little first!  Ouch!  Put the shredded chicken back into the pan, and drop in the dumplings making them tablespoon size.  Or you can just use your hands (again) like I do and just pick out little balls of dough and drop it in the pan.  Let simmer for 15 minutes.  Complete goodness!

Banana bread

This is by far the best recipe I've tried!  It comes from Cook's Illustrated July/Aug 2010.  It's a little more labor intensive, but so worth it.  The secret to this recipe is the reduced banana juice.  Let me preface this recipe by saying I freeze my old bananas.  They're great for smoothies, and now, this bread recipe!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 large bananas, peeled

8 TB unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray.  If your bananas are frozen, pull them out and let them thaw for 5 or so minutes before you peel them.  Peel and slice bananas and put them in a glass bowl covered tight with plastic wrap.  Cut a few slits in the plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes.  While the bananas are in the microwave, mix flour, soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.  Set aside.  When bananas are done, strain them over a small sauce pan and simmer that lovely "banana juice" for about 5 minutes until it reduces.  While the juice is simmering, put the bananas in a food processor and process till smooth.  Place the banana mash in a large mixing bowl, then mix in the banana juice.  Add eggs, butter, brown sugar and vanilla and whisk till well mixed.  Fold in dry ingredients, just until the dry ingredients are blended in.   Fill loaf pan half way with batter and sprinkle the top with sugar.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.  My batch made a large loaf, plus 12 mini muffins.  I absolutely love the stone loaf pans for baking bread!