Sweet Potato Casserole

Cooking spray
2 1/2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
water
1/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 1/2 c. pecans, chopped
1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish with the cooking spray. Set aside.

Add the diced sweet potatoes to a pot of water. Boil until the potatoes are very tender. Drain then mash in a large bowl.

In a small bowl combine the milk and lemon juice. Let stand for 5 minutes. This will make a homemade version of buttermilk.

When the milk is ready, add to the potatoes. Also add in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and butter. Stir to combine.

Scoop the potato mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

While it's baking, make the topping.

To make the topping: Combine all the topping ingredients in a bowl. Stir.

When the sweet potato casserole is done baking, sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Let cool about 20 minutes before serving.

Here is a link to the recipe I adapted: http://bakedinaz.com/2013/11/sweet-potato-casserole.html 

Thank you, Heather Smith, for finding this gem!

Epic Broccoli Salad

2 crowns of broccoli, cut into small florets
Raisins
Bacon, diced and cooked crispy
sunflower seeds

Dressing:
3/4 c. mayo
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vinegar

Combine the broccoli florets, raisins, and bacon in a large bowl.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients. If the dressing is too sweet, add a bit more vinegar.

 Drizzle all the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Add the sunflower seeds to the top.

Add however many raisins, bacon pieces, and sunflower seeds you want. Go by what tastes good to you!

Recipe courtesy of Erica Hayworth

Texas Roadhouse Rolls

Plan ahead... lots of resting and rising for the dough...

2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water (about 110 degrees F)
1 c. milk, scalded then cooled to lukewarm
1/4 c. + 1/2 tsp. sugar, divided
3 1/2-4 c. flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted and slightly cooled, more for brushing
1 egg
1 tsp. salt

Dough rising

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with the 1/2 tsp. of sugar. Mix in the scalded milk, remaining sugar,  and about 1 1/2 c. of the flour. Mix thoroughly. Let stand about 10 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add melted butter, egg, and salt. Beat well. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out on a slightly floured surface, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

While dough is resting, lightly grease a bowl. Set aside.

Knead dough until smooth, about 5-10 minutes. Place in the prepared bowl and turn over to coat both sides. Cover bowl and set in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the rectangle in half, the short way, so it's now about 1 inch thick. Lightly roll to seal the sides together.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Rolls ready to bake

Cut the dough into rolls. There should be about 18-21 rolls, depending on how big you cut them. Place rolls on a greased baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise until double in size, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Brush with melted butter. Serve with Cinnamon Honey Butter.

Here's a link to the original recipe: http://365daysofbaking.blogspot.com/2012/02/day-343-copycat-recipe-texas-roadhouse.html

Cinnamon Honey Butter

1/2 c. butter, room temperature
1/4 c. confectioners sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a small bowl, cream the butter until lightly whipped, about 30 seconds with a mixer. Add the rest of the ingredients, and beat until smooth on medium high speed, about 2-3 minutes. Serve with rolls or biscuits or toast or...

Try it with Texas Roadhouse Rolls

Smoked Salmon Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c. or more of sour cream
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried dill
Several large dashes of Chipotle Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
lots of black pepper
8 oz. or more of smoked salmon

Cream the cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add everything else but the salmon. Process until mixed together. Add the salmon. Blend until all mixed well. Taste test to make sure it's to your liking. When it's how you like it, chill then serve with crackers.

Here is a link to the recipe I adapted: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/smoked-salmon-spread-recipe3/index.html

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

2 lbs. sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
salt
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
pinch of cayenne pepper

Toss together. Layer on a cookie sheet. Roast at 425 F about 20 minutes. Turn once.

Zucchini Fries

Cooking spray
2 large zucchini
1/2 - 1c. flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. dry bread crumbs
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded (or more if you want it)

Heat oven to 425°F.  
 
Cut off ends of zucchini. Cut each zucchini in half crosswise; cut each half into 8 (3-inch) spears. 


Line cookie sheet with parchment paper; spray paper with olive oil cooking spray. Place flour in shallow bowl. Beat eggs in another shallow bowl. Place bread crumbs and Parmesan mixed together in third shallow bowl. Coat each zucchini spear with flour; dip into eggs and coat with bread crumbs and cheese. Place on cookie sheet.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. You may want to flip the spears over half way. I didn't and they turned out well, so it just depends. Serve warm.

Sweet and Spicy Broccoli

No measurements, I just threw these things together as a side dish, and it was really good!

Olive oil
Broccoli, cut into florets
Red pepper flakes
Garlic powder
Brown sugar
Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Saute the broccoli in olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and brown sugar. Cook until the broccoli is tender (but not too tender!). Remove from heat. Sprinkle with bacon. Serve.

I was more liberal with the red pepper flakes than with the garlic and brown sugar. Just a light dusting was good, but you can adjust it to whatever tastes good to you!

Colcannon

2 lbs. of potatoes
1 lb. of cabbage
1 c. milk (or half and half)
1/2 c. butter
salt and pepper

Cook the potatoes, drain, and mash. Cook the cabbage, shredded, in boiling salted water for about 15 minutes. Drain, cool slightly, and chop. Stir the cabbage into the potatoes. Stir in butter and milk. Season with salt and pepper.

From The Irish Pub Cookbook

Yorkshire Pudding

4 eggs
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C). In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until well blended. Whisk in the flour one cup at a time until frothy and well blended. Set aside. Distribute the oil equally among 12 muffin cups, a little over a tsp per cup. Place in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until smoking. Remove from the oven and quickly ladle about 1/4 c. of batter into each cup. Bake for 18-25 minutes. Serve immediately (with gravy). You can turn the oven off and leave the door partially open with the yorkies inside to keep them from deflating while waiting for everyone to ask for seconds. Yield: 18 yorkies

Recipe courtesy of Angelina Lee

Hummus

2 cans garbanzo beans
juice of one lemon
5 cloves of garlic (or more!)
1/2 c. tahini
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin (at least!)
black pepper (lots and lots!)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp olive oil

Drain beans, reserving the liquid. Add all ingredients to food processor, and process till smooth. Add reserved garbanzo bean liquid until desired consistency. Sometimes I'll add more tahini or spices depending on the taste. We usually serve hummus with saltines and baby carrots, but you can use whatever you want!

Recipe courtesy of Joel Kimsey