1 cup whole milk

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2  teaspoons pepper

1.5 teaspoons salt (plus more for pasta)

1 pound elbow macaroni

1/2 cup of cider vinegar (see note)

4 scallions (thinly sliced)

1 large carrot (peeled and grated)

1 celery rib (finely chopped)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine milk, mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of table salt. Whisk them together until well combined.

2. In a large pot, bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 tablespoon of salt and elbow macaroni and cook until very soft for 15 minutes. Drain the pasta and shake to remove excess water and return the pasta to the pot. Slowly add 1/2 cup of cider vinegar, and toss until absorbed. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

3. Add the remaining dressing to the pasta and stir until combined. Next, stir in thinly sliced scallions, grated carrots, and finely chopped celery until well combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about an hour until fully chilled. 

Note:  Use filtered apple cider vinegar for this recipe.  If you use Bragg’s unfiltered apple cider vinegar (the one with the mother at the bottom), use only the vinegar that has none of the mother.

Ingredients

For the potatoes:
3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes*
1 cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs well beaten
1/2 cup butter melted

For the topping:1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup butter melted

Method
Preheat oven to 350.

Put the baked sweet potatoes into the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the paddle attachment, stir on low speed until the potatoes are mashed. (If you are using sweet potatoes, this step is a must so that you remove the stringy bits. If you use yams, there will be few to no strings.). Once the potatoes are smooth, add the sugar, salt and vanilla and stir for about a minute. Next, add the room temperature eggs and melted butter to the bowl and stir slowly until the ingredients are combined. Once the mixture is thoroughly combined, beat for about 3-4 minutes to increase the fluffiness of the sweet potato mixture. Tip the mixture into a 2 to 3 quart backing dish, depending on how thin or thick you want it.

Using the same mixing bowl, add the sugar, chopped nuts, and flour. Place the bowl back onto the stand mixer and stir these ingredients until they are combined. Add the melted butter while the mixer is on low speed. Continue stirring slowly until the mixture is crumbly but not overly mixed.

Spoon the crumble topping onto the potatoes being sure to cover the potatoes to the rim of the baking dish.

Cook at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

* The taste of the potatoes improves significantly if you bake the a day or two ahead of time. The natural sugars in the potatoes will caramelize and thicken some if the potatoes are cooked and cooled. You may use yams or sweet potatoes, tho I prefer sweet potatoes for this recipe.

Note: you can prepare the potato mixture ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to use it. You can also prepare the entire casserole ahead of time and keep it refrigerated until you are ready to bake it. If you put the cool or cold casserole into the oven, it will take around 45 minutes to cook so that the potatoes are thoroughly hot.

Ingredients

Cornbread

▢ 1 cup plain cornmeal
▢ 1/2 cup plain flour
▢ 1 tsp backing powder
▢ 1/4 tsp baking soda
▢ 1/2 tsp salt
▢ 3/4 cup buttermilk
▢ 2 eggs
▢ 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil

Cornbread Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make the cornbread first, preferably a day or two in advance. To make the cornbread, mix cornmeal, flour, backing powder, soda and salt in a bowl and mix well. Add the eggs and milk and stir until a soft batter forms. Add the oil and stir gently to avoid interrupting the leavening. Pour into a lightly greased 9-inch cast iron pan or a 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the cornbread out immediately onto a cooling rack so the top of the bread doesn’t become soggy.

Dressing

▢ 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
▢ 3 medium onion, chopped
▢ 4 stalks celery, chopped
▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
▢ 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
▢ 3/4 teaspoon salt
▢ 1/2 teaspoon pepper
▢ 3 pieces toast, crumbled (I use brioche bread)
▢ 1/2 cup milk

▢ 3 eggs, lightly beaten
▢ 2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
▢ 2 tablespoons butter

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add celery and onion and cook until soft making sure the onions do not brown. Add sage, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper to onion mixture and heat until the sage is fragrant. While the onions and celery are softening, crumble the corn great and toast in a large bowl.
Whisk together milk and eggs and add to bowl. Stir in 2 cups of chicken broth.
Stir in onion mixture. Mixture should be very moist. Add more broth if necessary.
Transfer to a greased baking dish. Cut butter into small slivers and scatter on top of dressing.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until it turns light brown

Ingredients

FOR THE FILLING

• 1 pound mixed-variety sweet cherry tomatoes, each cut in half
• ½ cup finely diced celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon hot mexican chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lime
• ¼ cup minced scallions, plus 2 tablespoons minced green scallion tops for garnish

FOR THE CRUST

• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup yellow cornmeal
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter (see headnote)
• 1 cup whole or low-fat milk
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar

Directions

Place a medium (10-inch) cast-iron skillet in the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F.

For the filling: Cut each tomato in half and place all of them in a mixing bowl, along with the garlic.

Combine the chili powder, celery salt, kosher salt and cumin in a small bowl, then sprinkle the mixture over the tomatoes. Stir in the lime zest and juice and 1/4 cup of the minced scallions.

For the crust: Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

Add the vinegar to the milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes so the milk clabbers. (You can use buttermilk instead of whole milk if you prefer.)

Once the skillet is hot, add the butter. Watch closely; when the butter is melted and bubbling, stir the milk into the flour mixture to form a somewhat lumpy batter.

Transfer the skillet to the stove top just long enough to pour in the batter, spreading it evenly.

Immediately top with the tomato mixture. Return to the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the cobbler is crisped on the edges and has started to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Remove the cobbler from the pan quickly after taking it out of the oven.

Cut into wedges; serve hot or at room temperature, garnished with the minced scallion tops.

Peel, seed and dice the butternut squash. (Some grocery stores have pre-peeled and diced butternut squash in the produce section of the store. I generally buy the prepared squash since it saves time.) Spray a cookie sheet with a light coating of cooking spray. Place the diced squash and the red onion slices on the pan and sprinkle with about 2 tbsp olive oil. Toss gently to coat the squash and onions. Bake in a 350 oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the squash and onion are tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the spices and vinegar or orange vinegar (If using white wine vinegar, add the orange juice here). Using a whisk, slowly mix the oil with the vinegar/spice mix until emulsified. Add the chipotle adobe and mix.

Put the cool squash/onion, diced red peppers, corn, and dried cranberries into the dressing and toss. Set aside for at least an hour (overnight if possible) so the flavors blend.

1 1/2 pounds golden or red beets, trimmed and halved horizontally
1 1/4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Method

1. Place beets, cut side down, in single layer in large sauté pan or Dutch oven. Add water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer and educe heat to low. Cover and simmer until beets are tender and tip of paring knife inserted into beets meets no resistance. Cooking time depends on the size of the beets. Larger ones may take up to 40 minutes to cook while smaller ones will only take around 30 minutes.

2. Transfer beets to cutting board. Increase heat to medium-high and reduce cooking liquid, stirring occasionally, until pan is almost dry, 5 to 6 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar; return to boil; and cook, stirring constantly with heat-resistant spatula, until spatula leaves wide trail when dragged through glaze, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

3. When beets cool enough, rub off skins with paper towel and cut into bite sized wedges. Combine beets, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to glaze and toss to coat. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over the beets and give them one final quick stir. Transfer beets to serving dish.

1.5 cups water

1 tsp. salt

4 whole cardamom pods

4 whole cloves

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 raisins (optional)

Scented rice is served with chicken curry.  Mix all ingredients in a pot deep enough so the rice does not boil over.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low for 15 minutes or until the water has evaporated.  Remove from the heat and allow the rice to sit for about 5 minutes.  Use a fork to fluff the rice.  Remove the cardamom pods and cloves before serving.

• 6 ripe red tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 3 Tablespoons shallots or green onions
• ½ cups grated parmesan cheese
• 4 Tablespoons fresh basil and parsley
• ⅛ teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup bread crumbs

Preparation

• Heat oven to 400°F
• Cut the tomatoes in half.  Remove seeds.  Add salt and pepper to tomato halves
• Mix ingredients (other than tomatoes) in a bowl.
• Add 1 to 2 spoonfuls of mixture on top of each tomato half
• Sprinkle several drops of olive oil on top of each tomato half
• Place tomatoes with toppings in a shallow, oiled roasting pan
• Place pan with tomatoes in top of pre-heated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until tomatoes are tender but hold their shape and the bread crumb filling has browned slightly.

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package (small box) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 1 cup milk
• 1 can Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1½-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Sauté onion in butter/margarine
2. Mix all ingredients into casserole dish
3. Base at 350ºF for around 30 minutes or until bubbly

• 1 lb. ground beef
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ⅓ cup chopped green pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup rice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

Preparation

1. In skillet, cook beef, onions, green peppers, and garlic until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain grease.
2. Add remaining ingredients and cook covered over low heat until rice is tender, 20 minutes or so.