Classic Oatmeal Cookies

Joy of Cooking

1 3/4 cups AP flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 lb unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins, chopped
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350. Grease a cookie sheet or prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Place the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a mixer and beat on medium speed until well blended. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until blended and smooth. Stir in the raisins and oats.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet, spacing about 3 inches apart. With lightly greased hands, lightly press the cookies down to form 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Bake until the cookies are lightly browned all over and almost firm when lightly pressed in the center of the top, 6 to 9 minutes; rotate the sheet halfway through baking for even browning. Remove the sheet (or the parchment) to a rack and let stand until the cookies firm slightly, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool.

Spicy Bean Dip

15 oz. refried beans (1 can)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper (less if you don’t like the spicy)
3 scallions, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt, to taste
Tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the beans, cream cheese, sour cream, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and scallions in a 1 quart oven-proof dish (mix well). Taste and adjust seasonings. Spread the cheese evenly over the top.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 10 minutes more or until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned around the edges. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chicken Liver Pate

1 lb chicken livers, rinsed and drained
2 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1-2 Tbsp parsley, chopped roughly
3-5 leaves fresh sage, chiffonade
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch of sugar, if needed

Melt the butter and oil together in a large pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and saute until golden and soft, about three minutes. Add the chicken livers, broth, and wine to the pan. Stir, chopping up the liver with a wooden spoon or spatula. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan with lid, and let cook until the pink is almost out of the livers, about ten minutes. Uncover and raise the heat back to medium. Let the liquid reduce and the rest of the pink to leave the livers. When there is only a little liquid left, take off the heat and pour/scrape into a food processor. Add parsley, sage, salt, and pepper. Puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings- if it’s bitter, add a little bit of sugar.

Banana Bread

1 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup banana pulp (~2 bananas)
1 1/2 cup minus 2 tbsp AP flour (so 1 3/8 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and beat until light. Add baking soda and sour cream. Beat well. Add bananas, flour, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Mix well with mixer on low power. Bake in buttered bread pan at 350. Start checking on it at 45 minutes, although it may end up taking closer to an hour. It’s finished when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

the hussy’s mini twice-baked potatoes

1.5 pounds small red potatoes (9-12)
3 slices bacon, diced
3/4 cup shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp buttermilk
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook potatoes in boiling water 15-20 minutes or until tender; drain.

Brown bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and bacon; turn heat down to medium and saute for five minutes or until softened.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut potatoes in half; carefully scoop out pulp, leaving a quarter-inch shell. Add the butter, sour cream, and buttermilk to the potato pulp and mash with a fork; stir in cheese. Add to onion mixture, stirring well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put about one tablespoon potato mixture into each shell. Arrange stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes. At the end of baking, turn on the broiler and let the tops brown and puff up a bit, 3 to 4 minutes.

Parmesan Potato Bites

12 small round red potatoes (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup or 2-3 slices uncooked, diced turkey bacon (I used real bacon)
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated fresh parmesan cheese
1 tsp rubbed sage (I didn’t have this)

Cook potatoes in boiling water 15 minutes or until tender; drain.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bacon, pepper, and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender.Preheat broiler.

Cut potatoes in half; carefully scoop out pulp, leaving a quarter-inch shell (this was hard). Mash potato pulp with a fork; stir in cheese and sage. Add to onion mixture, stirring well. Spoon about one tablespoon potato mixture into each shell. Arrange stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat 3 minutes or until lightly browned.