Stewed Okra and Tomatoes

 Ingredients:

• 4 slices diced into small pieces bacon
• 1 small peeled and chopped onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon chicken base
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 16 ounce bag of frozen, cut okra 
• fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Cook bacon slightly. Sauté onion and garlic with bacon until tender. Add tomatoes, chicken base, sugar and pepper. Stir well and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed. Add the okra and simmer until okra is done, about 18-20 more minutes.

Snickerdoodles

 Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients

• 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/3 cup (267g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Topping

• 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (always recommended for cookies). Set aside.
2. Make the topping: Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
3. Make the cookies: Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
4. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough will be thick.
5. Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of cookie dough each. I recommend this cookie scoop. Roll the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar topping. Sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar on top if desired. Arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
6. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. The cookies will be very puffy and soft. When they are still very warm, lightly press down on them with the back of a spoon or fork to help flatten them out. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Cookies remain soft & fresh for 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Lemon Roasted Broccolini

 Take a bunch of broccolini 

Slice up 2 lemons

Smash 5-6 garlic cloves

Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper

Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese

Roast for 15 minutes at 425

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

 King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 16 tablespoons (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (213g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (14g) vanilla extract
• 2 cups (241g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup (99g) quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon regular table salt
• 3 cups (510g) semisweet chocolate chips
• Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper, or lightly grease with non-stick vegetable oil spray.

2. Beat together the butter and sugars until smooth.

3. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.

4. Whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and add to the butter mixture in the bowl.

5. 1. Mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and mix briefly.

   2. Stir in the chocolate chips.

   3. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes

   4. Use an ice cream scoop for the cookies

   5. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2" to 2" between cookies.

   6. Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes, until they're a light golden brown, with slightly darker edges. Their middles may still look a tiny bit shiny; that's OK, they'll continue to bake as they cool on the pan.

   7. Remove the cookies from the oven, and as soon as they're set enough to handle, transfer them to racks to cool.

Pork Chops with Buttermilk Gravy

 Tyler Florence:

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup buttermilk

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

1. 
   
2. DIRECTIONS:
3. Put the flour in a ziplock bag and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  Shake to mix evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.
4. Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown (closer to 4 minutes if they are thicker like an unpounded chicken breast). Remove the pork chops from the pan and add 4 sprinkles of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Rice Krispy Treats

 

Best Ever Rice Krispie Treats

By Jennifer Segal

A few tweaks to the back-of-the-box recipe make these Rice Krispie Treats the best ever.

Servings: 20 to 24 squares

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: 20 Minutes, plus one hour to cool

INGREDIENTS

• 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
• Two 10-oz bags mini marshmallows, divided
• 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8-1/2 cups Rice Krispies or crispy rice cereal

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Butter a 9 x 13-in pan.
2. Set aside 2 cups of the marshmallows.
3. In a large pot or Dutch oven, preferably with a light bottom so you can monitor the color, melt the butter over medium heat (save the butter wrappers; you'll use them later for pressing the mixture into the pan). Swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly.
4. As the butter melts, it will begin to bubble and foam, and the color will progress from bright yellow to golden to, finally, a toasty-brown. Once you smell that nutty brown butter aroma, take the pan off the heat. (You'll see little bits of golden brown sediment forming; that's okay. However, if the sediment looks almost black, go ahead and pass the butter through a fine sieve to strain it out, then return the brown butter to the pan.)
5. Off the heat, add the remaining marshmallows, vanilla, and salt.
6. Place the pot back over medium heat and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cereal. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until evenly combined.
7. Add the reserved marshmallows and stir until they are softened and partially melted. Don't overmix; you want pockets of goo. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and, using the butter wrapper or damp fingers, press the mixture gently into an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Let cool at room temperature for at least an hour.

Roasted Baby Potatoes

 Ingredients:

3 pounds gold potatoes or red potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon pepper

6 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 Tablespoons parsley (optional to garnish when done)

Directions:

Cut potatoes into quarters.  Combine all ingredients except parsley in a large bowl.  Mix to coat potatoes.  Bake potatoes for 45-60 minutes.  Turn potatoes about every 20 minutes to brown on all sides.

Note:  Try and time with dinner.  If you let them rest, they will get a little soggy.  Still good, but they lose some of the crispy texture they have when they are right out of the oven.