Waffles

Another Better Homes and Gardens recipe that I use often.

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat waffle iron.
2. In medium bowl, stir together dry ingredients.
3. In another bowl, beat eggs slightly. Stir in milk, oil and vanilla.
4. Add egg mixture all at once to dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened.
5. Bake according to manufacturer's directions.

Basic Muffins

This recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens, and since I use it quite frequently, I decided I needed to have it handy. I often mix 1/3 cup chocolate chips in the batter. Other options include: grated cheese (1/3 cup), blueberries (3/4 cup), cranberries (1 cup chopped cranberries and increase sugar to 1/2 cup), poppy seeds (1 tablespoon seeds, maybe increase sugar to 1/2 cup), banana (reduce milk to 1/2 cup), oatmeal (reduce flour to 1 1/3 cups and add 3/4 cups oats).

1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil

1. Preheat oven to 400. Grease 8-10 muffin cups.
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In another bowl combine eggs, milk and oil.
4. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffins cups. Top with streusel topping, if desired.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Streusel Topping

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

Double Chocolate Bars

This recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens Cookies and Candies cookbook (1966), a wonderful cookbook that somehow made its way from my mother's kitchen to mine. These used to be a movie night staple for us and are responsible for a number of extra pounds.

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 eggs
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla til fluffy. Add syrup and continue creaming. Beat in eggs and chocolate. Sift together dry ingredients and stir into batter. Fold in chocolate pieces and walnuts. Spread in greased 9x9x2" baking pan. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Cut in bars when cool.

Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

Crust

1⁄2 cup chopped nuts
1 1⁄2 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla

Filling

3 cups chopped rhubarb
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1⁄4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Crust:

1. Combine all ingredients until crumbly.
2. Pat half of mixture into 13x9" baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes before pouring filling on top.

Filling:

1. In saucepan combine rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and water.
2. Cook until clear.
3. Blend in vanilla.
4. Pour over baked crust.
5. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.
6. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

These are a variation on Babs' Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, from allrecipes.com. They aren't overly healthy, but they are delicious!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. (NOTE: I made 10 muffins, instead of 12.)
2. Stir flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl.
3. Cream the sugar and butter together in a large bowl. Add the egg.
4. Stir yogurt, vanilla, lemon peel, and lemon extract into the sugar mixture until well combined. Add flour mixture to yogurt mixture and stir until just moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes (takes longer here in the Midwest). Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

I found this on allrecipes.com, and it's surprisingly tasty. We ate the burgers with carmelized onions and fry sauce (although your favorite spicy mayo would be equally yummy).

Ingredients

1 Can black beans, rinsed and drained (15 ounce)
1/4 Cup quinoa
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Cup bread crumbs (use gluten free crumbs, if necessary)
1/4 Cup minced yellow bell pepper
2 Tbsp minced onion
1 Large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot )
1 egg
3 Tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Roughly mash the black beans with a fork leaving some whole black beans in a paste-like mixture.
3. Mix the quinoa, bread crumbs, bell pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, hot pepper sauce, and egg into the black beans using your hands.
4. Form the black bean mixture into 5 patties.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
6. Cook the patties in the hot oil until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Steve's Awesome Roast Turkey

This recipe comes from our friend Steve Sahlin. Make sure you start with a 14-16 pound turkey that is NOT pre-brined or frozen. You will brine the turkey the day before and then apply a rub before roasting.

Brine 

1 1/2 cups table salt (or 1 cup per 2 gallons of brine)

4 large yellow onions

2 garlic heads (if Russian variety with purple stripes; if white garlic, use 3)

2 navel oranges (use organic, if you can)

1 package poultry herbs (fresh rosemary, thyme, sage)

1 cup honey or maple syrup (grade B is best, if using syrup)

1 1/2 cups sugar (use cane sugar)

14-16 pound turkey (NOT pre-brined and preferably never frozen)

1. Fill a food-grade, 5-gallon plastic bucket (Home Depot orange buckets work) a little less than 2/3 full with water. Add the table salt.
2. Cut onions in half, then in thirds. Cut garlic heads in half and smash (no need to remove skin). Add onions and garlic to water. 
3. Zest the oranges. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons zest for rub. Cut oranges in quarters and put in the water.
4. Pull the leaves of the herbs off the stems. Chop the herbs, saving 1/2 of the mixture for the rub. Put the rest in the water.
5. Add the maple and sugar to the water. Stir to mix.
6. Remove the neck and giblets, etc. from the turkey and cut into 2" bits for the gravy. Remove the thermometer, if there is one.
7. Add the turkey to the brine bucket and store in fridge or cool place (40 degrees or less) for 9-12 hours (depending on size of turkey).

Rub

1 stick organic unsalted butter (cut into chunks)

2 or 3 pieces thick peppered bacon (raw and cut into chunks)

herbs (use the other half of the herbs you chopped for the brine)

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 teaspoon paprika (Hungarian is best)

salt (optional, 1/4 teaspoon at most)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons orange zest

1. Place all ingredients into a blender (preferably something like a Vitamix) and blend.
2. To apply the rub: starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Rub herb/bacon mixture under loosened skin and into body cavity. Tie ends of legs with cord. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under bird.

Roasting the Bird

I'm guessing a little at cooking times. A Cook's Illustrated recipe for an 18-20 pound bird suggested 3 hours roasting (breast down) at 250, flip breast up for another hour at 250, then at 400 for about an hour. I'm using a 13-14 pound turkey this year, so I've adjusted the times for that.

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Bring turkey legs together and perform simple truss; by using the center of a five foot length of cooking twine, tie the legs together at the ankles. Run the twine aound the thighs and under the wings on both sides of the bird, pulling tightly. keeping the twine pulled snug, tie a firm knot around the excess flesh at the neck of the bird. Snip off excess twine.
2. Set heavy-duty V-rack, adjusted to widest setting, in pan. Brush entire breast side of turkey with butter, then place turkey, breast side down, on V-rack. Brush entire back side of turkey with butter.
3. Roast 2 hours, basting back side every hour or so. Remove pan from oven (close oven door); baste with butter. With wad of paper toweling in each hand, turn breast side up. Continue to roast 3/4 hour, basting once or twice. With turkey still in oven, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees; roast until skin has browned and internal temperature of legs and breast registers about 165 degrees, about 1/2 to 3/4 hour longer. Transfer turkey to platter; let rest 20 to 30 minutes.