Strawberry Shortcake

Recipe & photo credit: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/strawberry-shortcake/?_cmp=TOP10&_ebid=TOP103/8/2017&_mid=140448&ehid=A426E0550A685187DB9024680A9754BEE1498399&pmcode=IVBJJU101

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• Whipped cream
• 1-1/2 quarts fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced

Directions

• In a bowl, cream sugar and shortening. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with milk to the creamed mixture. Spread in a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
• Cut into nine servings. Split each serving horizontally and fill with whipped cream and strawberries. Replace top of cake; garnish with more berries and a dollop of whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 231 calories, 7g fat (2g saturated fat), 22mg cholesterol, 188mg sodium, 39g carbohydrate (20g sugars, 2g fiber), 4g protein.

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Caipirinha Cocktail

Photo and recipe credit: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/caipirinha-cocktail-recipe-1916023

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• Ice cubes
• 2 shots Cachaca or white rum
• Club soda

Directions:

Crush sugar and lime wedges in bottom of glass. Add ice cubes then top off with Cachaca and a dash of club soda.

Chocolate-Dipped Rocky Road Ice Cream Bars

Photo and recipe credit: https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/chocolate-dipped-rocky-road-ice-cream-bars-29578

INGREDIENTS (4)

• 2 pints (4 cups) premium or homemade chocolate ice cream, softened until just spreadable but not melted
• 1 cup whole almonds or walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 2 pounds semisweet chocolate couverture or coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Line a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with plastic wrap, overlapping as needed to completely cover the bottom and sides and leaving at least a 5-inch overhang. (If possible, use a pan that does not have sloping sides.)
2. Place the ice cream in a large bowl and add the nuts and marshmallows. Working quickly, fold the nuts and marshmallows into the ice cream with a rubber spatula until evenly combined.
3. Drop the ice cream in large dollops into the prepared pan and spread to the edges with a rubber spatula. Cover with the overhanging plastic wrap and press on the surface of the ice cream with the bottom of a measuring cup until it’s packed into a smooth, even layer. Freeze until solid, at least 3 hours.
4. Meanwhile, line 2 baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Tape each corner of the paper down and place the baking sheets in the freezer.
5. When the ice cream is solid, remove the pan and 1 baking sheet from the freezer. Grasping the plastic wrap, pull the ice cream slab out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. Remove and discard the plastic wrap. Slice the slab into 9 even squares.
6. Using a flat spatula, transfer and evenly space the squares on the baking sheet. Freeze until solid, at least 2 hours.
7. Fill a large bowl with 2 inches of cold water, add 3 to 4 ice cubes, and set aside.
8. Bring a medium saucepan filled with 1 to 2 inches of water to a simmer over high heat; once simmering, reduce the heat to low and maintain a bare simmer. Place 24 ounces of the chocolate in a large, dry, heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over the saucepan and stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and has reached 118°F. (Make sure the chocolate does not come into contact with any water or exceed 120°F. If either happens, start over, as the chocolate is no longer usable.)
9. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Add the remaining 8 ounces of chocolate and stir constantly, scraping against the bottom of the bowl, until all of the chocolate has melted and the temperature has cooled to 80°F. To speed the cooling process, after all of the chocolate has melted you can place the bowl over the reserved cold-water bath.
10. Return the bowl to the saucepan and stir until the chocolate reaches 88°F; immediately remove from heat. Do not remove the thermometer from the bowl; check the temperature periodically to make sure it stays between 87°F and 89°F. (The chocolate must remain in this temperature range or it will not set up properly.) Keep the saucepan over low heat and use it to reheat the chocolate as necessary.
11. To test if the chocolate is properly tempered, spread a thin layer on parchment or waxed paper and place it in the refrigerator for 3 minutes to set. If the chocolate hardens smooth and without streaks, it is properly tempered. (If it is not properly tempered, let the melted chocolate harden and start the tempering process over again: Bring the chocolate up to 118°F, then down to 80°F, then up again to 88°F.)
12. Have a fork and flat spatula ready. Remove the empty baking sheet and the baking sheet with the ice cream squares from the freezer. Working quickly, use the flat spatula to drop 1 ice cream square into the chocolate. Using the fork, flip the square, making sure the edges are covered in chocolate. Lift the square out of the chocolate with the fork and tap the fork several times on the edge of the bowl to even out the coating. Scrape the bottom of the fork against the edge of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Place the coated square on the empty baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining squares and chocolate, tilting the bowl as needed to pool the chocolate in one area, and spacing the squares as close together as possible on the baking sheet without touching. (If the ice cream squares start to melt, return them to the freezer until firm before continuing.)
13. Freeze the dipped ice cream bars until the chocolate coating has hardened and the ice cream is solid, at least 2 hours. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then foil, and store in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

NY Times Doughnuts

Photo and recipe credit: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017060-doughnuts

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ¼ cups milk
• 2 ¼ teaspoons (one package) active dry yeast
• 2 eggs
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
• 2 quarts neutral oil, for frying, plus more for the bowl.

PREPARATION

1. Heat the milk until it is warm but not hot, about 90 degrees. In a large bowl, combine it with the yeast. Stir lightly, and let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, beat the eggs, butter, sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Add half of the flour (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons), and mix until combined, then mix in the rest of the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, if the dough is too wet. If you’re using an electric mixer, the dough will probably become too thick to beat; when it does, transfer it to a floured surface, and gently knead it until smooth. Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover. Let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
3. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and roll it to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the doughnuts with a doughnut cutter, concentric cookie cutters or a drinking glass and a shot glass (the larger one should be about 3 inches in diameter), flouring the cutters as you go. Reserve the doughnut holes. If you’re making filled doughnuts, don’t cut out the middle. Knead any scraps together, being careful not to overwork, and let rest for a few minutes before repeating the process.
4. Put the doughnuts on two floured baking sheets so that there is plenty of room between each one. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until they are slightly puffed up and delicate, about 45 minutes. If your kitchen isn’t warm, heat the oven to 200 at the beginning of this step, then turn off the heat, put the baking sheets in the oven and leave the door ajar.
5. About 15 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and heat it to 375. Meanwhile, line cooling racks, baking sheets or plates with paper towels.
6. Carefully add the doughnuts to the oil, a few at a time. If they’re too delicate to pick up with your fingers (they may be this way only if you rose them in the oven), use a metal spatula to pick them up and slide them into the oil. It’s O.K. if they deflate a bit; they’ll puff back up as they fry. When the bottoms are deep golden, after 45 seconds to a minute, use a slotted spoon to flip; cook until they’re deep golden all over. Doughnut holes cook faster. Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared plates or racks, and repeat with the rest of the dough, adjusting the heat as needed to keep the oil at 375. Glaze or fill as follows, and serve as soon as possible.

Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Photo and recipe courtesy of: https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/salty-oatmeal-chocolate-chunk-cookies-1

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1¼ cups old-fashioned oats, such as Quaker
• 3/4 pound bittersweet chocolate, such as Lindt, chopped in chunks
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• Fleur de sel

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed, add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl again.

Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix in the oats. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. Don’t overbeat it! With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate and cranberries until the dough is well mixed. With a 1¾-inch ice cream scoop (or two spoons), scoop round balls of dough onto the prepared sheet pans. Sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until nicely browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Basic Empanadas

Recipe & Photo credit: https://www.marthastewart.com/337617/empanadas

INGREDIENTS

For the Filling

• 2 pounds ground pork or beef
• 2 medium onions, finely diced
• 2 jalapeno chiles, minced (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) tomatoes, diced
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

For the Dough

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (do not beat until ready to bake)

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the filling: In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, cook meat until no longer pink, breaking it up into small pieces, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add onion and jalapenos; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder and tomatoes. Cook over medium until mixture has thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in cilantro. Let cool.
3. Make the dough: In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Using your fingers, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add just enough cold water so dough comes together.
4. Form empanadas. If desired, freeze on a baking sheet until firm, 2 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic; freeze in plastic bags.
5. To bake fresh or frozen empanadas, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops with egg wash, avoiding crimped edges. Bake until golden brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 30 to 40 minutes.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

Recipe & Photo Credit: https://www.marthastewart.com/315845/peanut-butter-cupcakes-with-peanut-butte

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Peanut Butter Frosting
• Strawberry jam, for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in peanut butter. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
2. Reduce speed to low. Mix sour cream and vanilla in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
3. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. (Unfrosted cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.) Once cupcakes are cool, frost tops with peanut butter frosting. Place a dollop of jam in center of frosting. Decorated cupcakes will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days.