Sweet Cornbread

Sweet Cornbread via Carlsbad Cravings

Malted Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

Malted Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Tart via King Arthur Flour

The Best Lemon Loaf

The Best Lemon Loaf at Averie Cooks

Simple Drop Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter + 2 Tbsp for pan

Method:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and melt 2 Tbsp butter in a glass baking dish in the oven.  When butter is almost totally melted, remove pan to have ready for biscuits.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Melt butter, mix with milk, and pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Mix until just moistened.  Drop by large filled tablespoons into the buttered baking dish, or use an ice cream scoop with a trigger mechanism for a rounder, more uniform biscuit.  Bake 8-12 minutes til biscuit tops begin to brown and the bottoms are golden brown.  Makes about 8 medium-sized biscuits.

Beer, Herb, and Cheddar Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley (1 Tbsp fresh)
3/4 tsp dried rosemary (2 tsp fresh)
3/4 tsp dried thyme (1 Tbsp fresh)
1 1/2 cups or 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese blend
12 oz beer of choice

Method:

Combine flour, soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Add herbs and most of the cheese (reserve a good handful to top the loaf before baking) and combine once more.  Pour in beer slowly and mix all til just combined, making sure all flour has been incorporated.  You may need to turn the dough with your hands a couple times to do that.  Press dough into a greased loaf pan, stretching to the corners and leveling the top.  Cover with the remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped.  Cool before slicing and use a serrated knife.

Butternut Bread with Walnuts and Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:
*1 cup butternut squash purée
2 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp orange extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease (vegetable shortening or butter) and flour one 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl (KitchenAid mixer with paddle attachment), mix together the butternut squash puree, eggs, oil, water, orange extract, and sugars until thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butternut squash mixture in two additions. Combine just until incorporated; do not over mix. Mix in walnuts and chocolate chips gently.  Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 65-75 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

*I prefer to roast my own honeynut butternut squash for the best tasting bread.  Those little dickens can be hard to find, so you can substitute canned butternut, pumpkin, or sweet potato puree with similar, delicious results.

Chicken Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker

• Ingredients:
• 1-1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 
  
• 12 ounces red potatoes, sliced and diced thin
• 1 sweet onion, diced thin
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced thin
• 2 cups corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
• 
  
• 4 cups chicken broth or bone broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 
  
• 1/2 cup half and half (milk mixed with heavy cream)
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1 package of bacon, baked in the oven til crisped and browned, then diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or scallions
• shredded cheddar cheese
• a crusty, crackling baguette

• 
  

This will be a 7-8 hour event, with 3 hours of slow cooking the chicken, then 4-5 hours slow cooking the soup.

I started with putting uncooked chicken breasts in my slow cooker, then poured about a cup of bone broth on top of them. Take the 3 cloves of garlic and sprinkle/spread on top of the chicken. Add some salt and pepper on top, then close the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours. I turned my breasts twice while cooking because I can't let things alone, but it's not necessary to do that.

With about 20 minutes left on the breasts, I chopped up all the veggies. I used a bag of mixed baby potatoes, so there were red, gold, and purple in there. You can use all red if you like. I always dice onions and celery very small and thin, so that upon cooking they kinda melt away into the liquid, or at least you never bite into a big chunk. Usually I keep the shredded carrots on hand, because peeling and chopping them is just another thing that takes time. Whatever carrot shape you like works here -- shredded, waffle, or thin rounds.

When the chicken is done, put the breasts on a plate and shred with two forks. The goal is medium bite-sized pieces. You can leave some bigger pieces, because that's fun. However, refrain from turning it into confetti -- not really what we're going for.

Dump all the things back into the slow cooker -- chicken, potatoes, celery, onions, carrots, and frozen corn. Pour the rest of the broth in. Sprinkle in the thyme, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Give it a few tosses with a large spoon to mix the seasonings and the veggies. Cook on high for 5 hours, stirring every hour.

The last 30 minutes of cooking are when you add the last ingredients to make the soup thick and creamy. Stir the half and half, cornstarch, and butter in a small bowl. When it's totally smooth and combined, stir it into the crockpot. If your soup seems too thin, you can add little amounts of cornstarch to thicken it. Always go slow when adding things to thicken soups, and give it a few minutes rest to absorb and recheck. Your soup may thicken suddenly after a minute and could end up TOO thick if you added too much.

Now is a good time to cook the bacon in the oven. Carefully line a large pan with foil, making sure the foil comes up the sides of every side of your pan. That keeps bacon grease from leaking under the foil and making a mess. Lay bacon strips flat side-by-side, and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes until brown and crispy. After baking, crumble or dice the cooled bacon for the top of the finished soup. This will be a lot of bacon -- save some for tomorrow! Also -- now is the time to chop your scallions or chives.

Serve hot chowder with crumbled bacon, chopped scallions, sprinkles of your favorite cheddar cheese on top, and a hunk of a crusty, crackling baguette on the side. Cool the leftover chowder and freeze in small containers to have simple meals ready for reheating later.