Aunt Jay's mashed potato casserole

Serves 10-12

5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut in large chunks

8 oz sour cream

6-8 T butter

1/2 c sour cream

1/4-3/4 c milk/half-and-half/cream

12-16 oz mushrooms, cremini or white, thickly sliced

2 medium sized yellow onions, cut in half, then into 1/4" slices

Boil potatoes in salted water until a knife pierces them easily. Dump in a colander to drain, and throw the butter in the hot pot to melt. As soon as you can handle the potatoes, peel (if desired) and then add back to pot. Pour in a little of your liquid dairy and mash lightly, making sure to incorporate the butter from the bottom. Add sour cream, and more dairy as needed and mash to desired consistency (pretty smooth but not whipped). Season with salt as needed and lightly with white pepper.

While potatoes are cooking, saute mushrooms in enough olive oil to keep them from sticking, lightly salted and peppered. In a separate pan, do the same with the onions. If you cook them in the same pan, they will likely not be done at the same time.

To assemble, butter a large casserole dish and transfer half of the potatoes to it. Spread the onions on the top, then the mushrooms. Carefully put the rest of the potatoes on top of the mushrooms (they may not spread easily so use your fingers if needed). Top with shredded fontina, grated parmesan, or any other cheese that suits your fancy.

Bake covered for 40 minutes, uncover, and continue cooking until hot through and cheese is melted.

Mark Bittman's saffron olive oil cookies

from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Makes about 3 dozen

small pinch (about 1/8 t) crumbled saffron threads
2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t baking powder
pinch salt
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
2 eggs
2 t grated or finely minced orange zest
2 T Grand Marnier, other orange liquer, or orange juice

Preheat oven to 350. Combine 1 T boiling water with saffron threads in a medium bowl, stir, and steep for a few minutes. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Add the sugar and olive oil to the saffron mixture and beat until light, a minute or two. Add the eggs and continue beating until creamy and fluffy, another couple of minutes. Beat in the orange zest and liqueur. Gently stir the liquid mixture into the dry one, just until well combined.

Use 2 teaspoons to drop mounds of dough about 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned on the bottom, 12 to 15 minutes. Immediately transfer the cookies to a rack to finish cooling. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature for no more than a day or two.

Kris's cream cheese cupcakes

From the Penzey's catalog

Makes 2 dozen

8 oz cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 c sugar
1 t baking soda
1/8 t kosher salt
6 oz chocolate chips

1 1/2 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 t kosher salt
1 c water
1/3 c canola oil
1 1/2 t apple cider vinegar
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips and set aside. In another bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat until well-blended. Fill muffin cups lined with cupcake papers 1/3 full with chocolate batter. Top each one with 1 t of the cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Per cupcake: 150 calories, 2g protein, 20g carbs, 7g fat

Leon's Full Service brussels sprouts hash

printed in the AJC "From the menu of..."

1 pound Brussels sprouts, rinsed, dried, ends removed
1/4 pound bacon, diced
2 T unsalted butter
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 Fuji apple, peeled and diced
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 c low-sodium vegetable stock
salt and pepper

Cut sprouts in half and thinly slice. Set aside. In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until just crisp, about 10 minutes. Set cooked bacon aside.

Drain fat from skillet and reserve for another use. Turn heat to medium-high and add butter. When butter stops foaming, add onions and cook until they begin to brown, about 7 minutes. Add sliced sprouts and toss. Continue cooking until sprouts begin to brown, then add apple. Stir in vinegar and scrape up browned bits fromteh bottom of the skillet. Add stock and cook until liquid is almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Add reserved bacon. Taste for seasoning and serve hot.

Per serving: 341 calories, 18 g protein, 28 g carbs, 8 g fiber, 20 g fat

pecan pie muffins

recipe from Mom's friend Esther ????

1 c packed light brown sugar
1/2 c all purpose flour
1 c chopped pecans
2/3 c butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten

mix brown sugar, flour, and pecans. in separate bowl, beat butter and eggs together until smooth. add to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. spray muffin pans with baking spray that includes flour. spoon into muffin cups. bake at 350 for 30-35 mins if using regular muffin pans, 20 minutes if using mini muffin pans.

coconut-almond macaroons with maple sugar

makes 24 macaroons

4 egg whites
pinch of sea salt
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract (optional)
1/3 c maple sugar
1 c almond flour
1 1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut

beat egg whites with sea salt until they form stiff peaks. fold in the vanilla and almond extract, maple sugar, almond flour, and shredded coconut. spoon tablespoon-size mounds of batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. allow to cool for five minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. store in an airtight container.

torn from a magazine (no idea which one) some time between 2010 and 2014.

beef and turkey sausage chili

2 medium onions, chopped
cumin
chili powder
salt
2 lb lean grassfed beef
3-4 links hot italian turkey sausage, casings removed and broken up
2 cans reduced sodium kidney beans
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1.5 T beef better than bouillon mixed with 8-12 oz water
mexican oregano
smoked paprika
medium hot chile powder
cayenne
garlic powder

saute onions, add cumin, chili powder, salt, ground beef and sausages. cook over medium heat until cooked through. add beans, tomatoes, bouillon and simmer for 10 minutes. add additional spices and simmer for at least 30 minutes. taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

pumpkin oat bars

Adapted from a recipe posted by active.com

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup cold, unsalted butter cut into half inch cubes

2 cups pumpkin puree (if using fresh, make sure you let it drain well first)
2 eggs plus one egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, ¼ c brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in the butter to the dry mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Do not over mix, but leave some of the butter in chunks.

3. Pour half the dry mixture into the baking pan and press in lightly. Bake for at least 15-20 minutes until slightly browned.

4. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, egg yolk, ½ c brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix thoroughly. Pour wet mixture onto partially baked crust, and sprinkle with remaining oat mixture. Bake until the topping is slightly browned, usually about 30 to 35 minutes.

veal and wild mushroom ragu

This is based very closely on Marcella Hazan's recipe in Marcella Says...

I don't think the exact proportions of the different varieties of mushrooms are essential; however, you do want both dried and fresh, as the dried provide an earthy richness that makes the dish much more interesting.

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
2-4 oz sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
8 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
8-12 oz fresh cremini mushrooms
8-12 oz fresh white button mushrooms
olive oil
1 c finely chopped shallots
4 T butter
1 c finely chopped onion
1-1 1/2 lbs ground veal
1 c dry white wine
1/4 c dry vermouth
6-10 fresh ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

The day before, put the dried porcini and shiitake mushrooms in a heat safe container (I use a 3-cup glass measuring pitcher) and pour very hot or boiling water over them. Let soak overnight. Do the same for the tomatoes if they are very dehydrated. If not, maybe soak for an hour or two before preparing.

When ready to prepare, remove and discard the fresh shiitake stems. Brush mushrooms with a damp cloth as needed to clean them, then slice very thin.

Strain dried mushrooms, pouring liquid into a bowl to set aside. Wash the soaked mushrooms, and cut any oversized pieces into bite-sized ones. Pour the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or paper towel to remove grit and dirt.

Heat the olive oil over medium high in a 12" saute pan, and add the shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until colored a deep gold. Add the soaked mushrooms, cook for a minute or two, then add the soaking liquid and cook until liquid has evaporated.

Once liquid is gone, add as many of the fresh mushrooms as will fit, and sprinkle with salt. Turn them over once or twice to coat well, then turn the heat down to medium/medium-low. When the mushrooms have released some liquid and shrunk in bulk, add the remaining mushrooms. Cook, turning over occasionally, until they are very soft and all liquid has evaporated; this will probably take about 90 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, when mushrooms are cooking, put the butter and the chopped onion in a second saute pan. Cook the onion, stirring from time to time, until it begins to brown. Add the ground veal, crumbling it with your fingers or a fork, and turn to coat well. When the meat has browned lightly and uniformly, pour the wine and vermouth into the pan, and add salt/pepper to taste.

Once the wine has bubbled away completely, add the sundried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes, and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible (on your smallest burner). Cook uncovered for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Once both meat and mushrooms are finished, empty contents of both pants into a large bowl, and stir gently but thoroughly to combine.

Wipe both pans clean. Divide the meat-mushroom mixture between both pans, and cook on medium low for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. If not using the sauce the same day, empty the contents of both pans into the bowl, cover and refrigerate. Reheat gently but thoroughly before using.

You can refrigerate the finished sauce in a tightly sealed container for 5 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Bring to room temp before reheating.

fried black eyed peas

adapted from a recipe I found in the paper, and inspired by the fried black eyed peas at Relish, in Roswell

16 oz dried black eyed peas (although, if you're Sherm, use chick peas)
1 carrot, peeled and cut in half lengthways
1 celery, cut in half lengthways
1/2 onion, peeled
1 bay leaf
1-2 t Old Bay seasoning (could use any spicy seasoning blend, such as creole)
canola oil, at least a few quarts
salt
other seasonings to taste

Rinse and drain the peas, pick through for stones or other debris.  Put in big pot and cover with cold water.  Let soak overnight.

In the morning, add the celery, carrot, onion, bay leaf and seasoning to the beans and water, and simmer until peas are almost done (done but still a little firm), usually around 40 minutes.  Drain and chill.

When ready to fry, heat the oil in a deep fryer or heavy, deep pot to 350 degrees.  Fry peas in batches, using a slotted spoon to transfer them to hot oil.  Be careful not to put too many in, because of the high moisture content, the oil will bubble up significantly when you add the peas.  The oil will drop in temp with each batch, so let it heat back up before doing the next batch.

Fry each batch around 2 minutes, until peas are starting to brown a bit.  Remove with a slotted spoon onto a strainer or paper towels to cool.  Sprinkle with salt and other seasonings of your choice.  Creole seasoning is good, as is lemon pepper.