1/3 c butter
2 1/4 c flour
1 T sugar
1 T baking powder
3/4 t salt
1 c milk
Melt butter on a cookie sheet in a preheating 375 degree F oven – watch to be sure it doesn’t burn. Stir together dry ingredients, add milk. Stir gently until dough clings together. Knead on a floured counter about ten times. Roll to 3/4 inch thick and cut into strips. Dip in butter, sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds and bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven.
3/4 c cocoa
1/2 t baking soda
2/3 c oil, divided
1/2 c boiling water
2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 c flour
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
3/4 c chopped walnuts
2/3 c chocolate chips
Whisk cocoa, baking soda and 1/3 c oil together in a large bowl. Add boiling water and stir until thickened. Add remaining oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla – mix until smooth. Add flour and salt – blend completely. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.
Naomi tried this 2025 — super good! She mostly followed the recipe here: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/fig-bread/ except she used canola oil and pecans and more than doubled the figs.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Apply baking spray to 8×4 loaf. Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon) in a large bowl. Combine and whisk together wet ingredients (olive oil, brown sugar, honey, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla). Mix the wet into the dry and stir in the chopped figs. Pour into pan and top with the quartered figs and chopped nuts. Bake 60-70 min. Let cool 15 min before dumping from pan.
1 2/3 c coconut milk (13.5 oz can)
1 c skim high protein milk (lactose free)
2/3 c heavy cream
2/3 c sugar
2/3 c almonds, cut in ~ quarters
1/2 c semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1/3 c sweetened coconut flakes
2 T coconut extract
1 1/2 T coconut oil
1 T butter
1/8 t salt + a pinch, divided
For the chocolate flakes, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in the microwave on low, stirring frequently. When completely melted and blended, spread on a piece of parchment paper laid on a cookie sheet into an approximately six-inch by nine-inch rectangle. Put it in the freezer. When it is hard, keeping it on the parchment paper, chop quickly into half-inch strips. Return it to the freezer for 5-10 minutes until hard again. Then chop in the other direction to make approximately half-inch squares. Return it to the freezer.
For the toasted almonds, put almonds, butter, and pinch of salt in a cast iron pan over medium heat, stirring off and on until toasted. Place in freezer to chill.
For the ice cream base, mix the coconut milk, milk, cream, sugar, 1/8 t salt, and coconut extract, stirring with a whisk until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Pour into an ice cream maker turn it on. When it is the consistency of soft-serve ice cream, move it to a large, airtight container. Very gently, fold in the chilled almonds, chocolate flakes, and coconut flakes. Freeze for three or more hours before serving.
1 pear, cored and cubed
1 banana, peeled and cubed
3 strawberries, deleaved and cubed
1 orange with seeds, peel, and white parts removed, cubed
1/2 c Greek yogurt
1/4 c cream
1/4 t vanilla
2 T watermelon rind preserves
Mix, wait 20 minutes, serve.
1/2 c water
1 1/2 c chopped dates
1/4 brown sugar
1/2 c oil
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 c walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 large eggs
1 c sourdough starter, unfed
1 1/2 c flour (use half whole-wheat)
Combine and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until boiling: water, dates, sugar, oil, and vanilla.
Remove from heat and stir in cranberries, walnuts, baking soda, salt, and eggs.
Stir in the starter and flour until evenly combined.
Add 1/4 c batter to each space of a greased or paper-lined muffin pan. Bake at 400 for about 18 minutes, until a knife inserted into a muffin comes out clean. These can be stored at room temperature for several days. (To make bread instead of muffins, bake in a 9×5 inch pan at 350 F for about 45 minutes.)
Adapted from the King Arthur Baking recipe “Sourdough Date Nut Cranberry Muffins” recipe here: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-date-nut-cranberry-muffins-recipe
2 very ripe bananas
½ cup almond flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
zest of one orange
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups quick oats
⅓ cup chocolate chips
⅓ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
¼ cup craisins
Beat bananas with a hand mixer until most of the chunks are gone. Add the almond flour and beat for another 30 seconds or so. Add the egg, peanut butter, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, orange zest, and salt and beat until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.
Mix in the oats with the hand mixer, then add the chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut and craisins and mix with a spoon. Put heaping tablespoons on a cookies sheet and flatten to about a 1/2 inch.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until the edges and bottoms are browned. Makes 2 dozen.
Once, cool, store in the refrigerator.
Per cookie: 92 calories, 11 g total carbs which includes 5 g sugar, 5 g fat and 2 g protein
Grits:
2 cups water
1 T butter
½ cup grits
Bring to a simmer, turn down heat and cook until creamy, add:
¾ grated cheddar cheese
Shrimp:
Mix and set aside:
juice of one large or two small lemons
1 t Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup cream
Dice and put in bowls together:
1 jalapeno and 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bell pepper (yellow or orange is prettiest) and ½ cup green and greenish-white parts of green onions
Put a tablespoon of butter or oil in a cast iron pan and heat until sizzling. Add the jalapeno and garlic and cook for a minute. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook for one more minute.
Add:
1½ pounds peeled, with tails removed shrimp
1 can petite diced tomatoes
Cook for about two minutes, then turn the heat down, add the cream mixture and simmer until the shrimp is cooked through. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve the shrimp over the grits.
2 cups bread flour
½ T yeast
½ cup warm water
2 T sugar or honey
2 T melted butter, cooled to about room temp
1 egg (divided)
½ t salt
sesame or poppy seeds (optional)
Mix water, sugar and yeast in a bowl.
Whisk egg in a soup or cereal bowl. Add ⅔ of the egg and the melted butter to the yeast mixture, then the flour and last, the salt.
Mix until it pulls away from the sides and forms a ball. Knead until smooth. Put in an oiled and covered bowl to rise until doubled.
Punch the dough down and divide into 6-8 even balls. Roll into round balls for burger buns or logs for hot dog buns. Place on a greased cookie sheet 3 inches apart and cover for a second rise.
Add about a tablespoon of water to the remaining egg and lightly brush egg wash on top of each bun. Garnish with sesame or poppy seeds if desired.
Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes until golden brown.
Adapted from https://simpleisgourmet.com/quick-homemade-hot-dog-and-hamburger-buns
Makes 8-10 servings
2 T butter
1 T oil
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
9-10 c water
1 small to medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds when peeled and cubed)
1 c masoor dal/red lentils
6-8 T tomato paste
2 T better than bullion, chicken or vegetable
3/4 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper (or less if you don’t want the after burn)
1/8 t black pepper, freshly ground if available
1/2 c cream
Add butter and oil to a 4-qt sauce pan. Add diced onion and sauté until soft and translucent, then add garlic and celery and sauté for a few minutes longer. Add 9 c water and the squash. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the lentils and continue simmering until the lentils and squash are soft, adding up to a cup more water if necessary. Remove from heat, mix in the tomato paste, better than bullion, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Puree with a stick blender. Return to a low heat until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat, mix in the cream, and serve.
1 T oil
2 medium jalapenos, (1 seeded, veined) diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t salt
Heat oil in a pan, add jalapeno and cook until it starts to soften, add the other ingredients above and cook 1 minute.
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
In a separate pan over medium heat, stir butter and flour together continuously about 2 minutes to form a roux.
1.5 cup whole milk (or 1.5 c water plus 3 T cream)
1.5 c grated cheddar cheese
Whisk in the milk, half at a time, and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly 2-4 minutes until it thickens. Whisk in the cheese and jalapeno mix.
Serve over tortilla chips, topping with diced tomatos, sliced olives, shredded lettuce. Eat with fingers.
Ripe pear, diced
A little shredded coconut
Plain yogurt
Mix, using just enough yogurt to cover the pear pieces to prevent browning.
9 eggs
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
green part of 2 green onions, diced
3 T oil
1/8 t salt
1/4 c shreeded cheese
a little parsley
Beat eggs and add salt. Heat oil in a pan until shimmery. Add bell pepper and green union, sprinkle lightly with salt, and stir about a minute until bright red/green. Dump in the eggs. Stir slowly after they start to solidify but before they begin to brown. Turn off the heat just before they are all solidified. Once solidified, top with shredded cheese and parsley for garnish.
Made by Naomi from this recipe: https://cookieandkate.com/vegetable-soup-recipe/
Thaw and dry chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in a baking dish loosely covered with foil at 350 until internal temperature reaches 165 F (use probe thermometer extending by cable into the oven).
WHITE SAUCE
Melt 1 T butter in pan over medium-low to medium heat, stir in 1.75 T flour until thickens (stir and scrape constantly to prevent burning), then keep stirring for another 2 minutes for flavor, then stir in 1 cup liquid (1/8 c cream, 7/8 c water, 7 squirts tabasco sauce, 1/4 t salt) until thickens. Then stir in grated cheddar cheese (3 cups?). Add black pepper if desired.
PASTA AND BROCCOLI
Bring water to a boil, add 12 oz (340 g dry macaroni, then add broccoli 4 minutes before the pasta is done (add the broccoli then wait until it starts boiling again before starting the 4 minute timer). Drain, then stir in the white sauce. Adjust the salt (may need to add another 1/4 t).