Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Mashed sweet potatoes are easy to make with just four simple ingredients in 40 minutes. Boil them until tender, add warm milk and mash until smooth and creamy, then stir in some butter and maple syrup for a deliciously sweet and simple side dish.

Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Total Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 3⁄4 cup warm 2% milk, or as needed

1⁄2 cup softened butter, cut into chunks

3⁄4 cup maple syrup, or to taste

Directions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add sweet potatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl.

Step 2

Mash potatoes with a potato masher. Slowly mix in 1/2 cup warm milk at a time until desired consistency is reached. Stir in butter and maple syrup until well blended and butter is melted. Serve warm.

Grandma Zenzel’s Italian Sweet Sausage & Zucchini

 

Found in an old notebook, this recipe was one I made sure my mom told me how to make, as her mother did. Glad I finally did last night, for Sunday dinner it was great! Did not allow to simmer the full 45min but that is fine. Served with spaghetti and fresh basil, Parmesan to sprinkle on top. Heated a sliced rosemary loaf wrapped in foil. Had a side salad with good seasons Italian dressing. I think this would be great to make ahead. Definitely need a big pot, I used a large Dutch oven. 

King Arthur “Easy” Cheesecake

 This cheesecake is delicious! Showcase your favorite seedless jam by spooning on top. 

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups (150g) graham cracker crumbs, 9 to 10 whole graham crackers, crushed
• 1/4 cup (28g) confectioners' sugar
• 6 tablespoons (85g) butter, melted
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling

• two 8-ounce packages (452g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract

I Instructions

1. Select a pie pan whose inside top dimension is at least 9", and whose height is at least 1 1/4".

2. I used a 9" springform pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

3. To make the crust: Stir together all of the crust ingredients, mixing until thoroughly combined.

4. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan, making a thicker layer on the bottom than on the sides.

5. To make the filling: Mix together the room-temperature cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the eggs and vanilla, again mixing until smooth. To avoid beating too much air into the batter, use a mixer set at low-medium speed. To avoid lumps, make sure the cream cheese is softened, and/or at room temperature.

6. Set the pie pan onto a baking sheet, if desired; this makes it easier to transport in and out of the oven, and also protects the bottom of the crust from any potential scorching. Pour the filling into the crust.

7. To bake the cheesecake: Place the cheesecake in the oven. Bake it for 20 minutes, then add a crust shield; or shield the crust with strips of aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 10 minutes (for a total of about 30 minutes). A digital thermometer inserted into the filling 1" from the edge should read between 165°F and 170°F; the filling won't look entirely set in the center.

8. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and set it on a rack to cool. Once the cake is cool, refrigerate it, covered, until you're ready to serve it.

9. Serve cheesecake in wedges, with fresh fruit if desired.  

10. Storage information: Store any leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for several days; freeze for longer storage.

• To make a raspberry swirl cheesecake: Spoon or pipe 1/4 cup (85g) seedless raspberry jam onto the top of the filling once it's in the crust, before baking. Gently (and briefly) swirl the jam into the filling with a butter knife or toothpick; you don't want to combine jam and filling completely, just create a pretty pattern. Be careful not to go too deep, as you don't want to risk scraping the bottom crust. Bake as directed.

• Want to serve the cheesecake with a tasty raspberry topping? Place the contents of a 12-ounce bag frozen raspberries (a scant 3 cups) in a bowl to thaw. You can hasten the process with a quick trip through the microwave, but don't let the berries cook. Add 1 tablespoon Instant ClearJel to thicken, and stir until well combined. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, to taste. Add a pinch of ground cinnamon, if desired. Spoon the topping over the cheesecake.

• To make individual cheesecakes, divide the crust mixture and filling evenly among four 4" mini springform pans. Bake the cheesecakes for about 30 minutes, until the edges are set and a digital thermometer inserted into the center of one read 165°F to 170°F. Proceed with the recipe directions as written.

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Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

 Serve with Corn bread and Soda bread

 

Ingredients

·       1 5 to 6 pound flat cut corned beef (with pickling spices)

·       4 to 6 small red potatoes, halved if they are larger than 2 inches 

·       1 large onion, quartered

·       6 carrots cut in 1” pieces

·       6 turnips, peeled and cut into quarters

·       2 ribs of celery, cut into 3-inch pieces

·       3 cloves garlic

·       2 tablespoons pickling spice (optional)

·       2 to 4 cups beef broth

·       1 medium head cabbage, cored and cut into 1 inch wedges

Instructions

1.              Place the potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic cloves in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.

2.              Add the corned beef to the slow cooker on top of the vegetables with the fat side up. I also add any juices from the package to the slow cooker as well for extra flavor. Add the packet of pickling spices that came with the corned beef. If you like lots of flavor, add an additional 2 tablespoons of an all-purpose pickling spice.

3.              Add enough beef broth to just barely reach the top of the corned beef. I used 1 32oz carton of Swanson beef broth.  Amount can vary based on the size of your slow cooker and the size of your corned beef. Cover and cook on low for about 9 hours.

4.              About an hour before serving, add the cut cabbage into 1 inch wedges and add it to the broth around the brisket. Cover and cook for about an hour or until the cabbage has reached your desired tenderness.

5.              Once done cooking, remove the brisket from the slow cooker and remove the fat layer, if desired. Shred or slice the beef against the grain and serve with spicy mustard or a horseradish sauce along with the cabbage and other vegetables.

I forgot to pick up a horseradish sauce which would have been great. Instead I used squeeze green Wasabi Mayo and it was great! Did that after taking this photo. I add salt & pepper to everything but felt seasoning here was spot on. It helps that the brisket came with a nice seasoning packet. I picked up on mustard seeds, dill seeds and coriander seeds in it. 

After I easily pulled the fat off, I remarked how red and the meat consistency was different than usual roasts. It was in its own bowl for serving atop the veggies. 

It was very satisfying meal and cornbread with it, a nice touch. 

This is a special meal I can make every year when corned beef roasts arrive in the market. 🍀

 

Fried rice

 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020857-gingery-fried-rice-with-bok-choy-mushrooms-and-basil

Great recipe to start from! Used broccolini and baby bok choy, supermarket marinated Chinese pork, scrambled eggs. Did not use basil or white pepper. Doubled the recipe since I cooked up 2 cups (uncooked) rice. When the jasmine rice was done cooking I cooled it off spread out on a cookie sheet in our freezing sunroom (it’s below freezing out). It took me longer than 5 minutes to fry it (more like 10) but I was patient and moved it around a lot, in two fry pans. Yummy and with leftovers! 

Bittersweet Chocolate Tart

Bittersweet Chocolate Tart  with chocolate wafer crust

I haven't made this yet but found the recipe in email from The Lost Kitchen and will get around to it. 

Ingredients:

FOR THE CRUST:
1 (9oz box) of chocolate wafers, such as Nabisco
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE GLAZE:
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Maldon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

MAKE THE CRUST: 
In a food processor pulse the chocolate wafers and sugar until well ground (it's ok to have some larger bits of chocolate crumbs). Transfer the wafer mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the melted butter until well incorporated. 

Press the crust mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake until the crust is set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely. 

MAKE THE FILLING:
Put the chocolate chips in a large bowl.  

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate bits and let the mixture sit for 1 minute to melt. Stir gently until the mixture is smooth. 

In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs and vanilla. Whisk the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then pour the filling into the cooled tart shell. 

Bake the tart until the edges being to puff and the first ctack appears - the center will still be jiggly - 18to 20 minutes. Let cool completely, until set. 

MAKE THE GLAZE:
Put the chocolate chips in a small bowl. 

In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it simmers gently and then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute then whisk until smooth. Pour over the tart and allow to set, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Maldon salt, cut and serve in thin slices. 

Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

 

Great for a cold winter night. Serve with apple sauce, roasted brussels sprouts and potato pancakes. 

INGREDIENTS

  

·       2 pounds kielbasa smoked sausage

·       1 28-oz jar sauerkraut

·       2 tablespoons brown sugar

·       1 tablespoon dried minced onions

·       1 teaspoon garlic powder

·       ½ teaspoon black pepper

·       2 tablespoons butter cut into smaller pieces

·       ¼ cup water or apple cider

INSTRUCTIONS

1.                   Preheat oven to 350°, and grease a baking dish with cooking spray

2.                   Slice larger ropes of kielbasa into smaller pieces, about 3 inches long

3.                   Rinse and drain sauerkraut, then place on bottom of baking dish

4.                   Season with brown sugar, onions, garlic and pepper, and add water

5.                   Place butter evenly over sauerkraut, and top with kielbasa

6.                   Cover and bake for 45 minutes or until sausage is cooked to 160 degrees