Fancy Potatoes

Who doesn't love potatoes...but after a while you get bored with the same old mashed,baked or fried potato. I call these my Fancy Potatoes they are also called Fondant Potatoes.

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds of Yukon Gold mini potatoes

about 2-3 cups of Chicken or Vegetable Stock (Kitchen Basics)

3 TBSP of Butter/Margarine

Salt and Pepper - To Taste

About a hand full of chopped fresh parsley

2 cloves of garlic (peeled and cut in half)

Method:

In a deep skillet add in the potatoes and garlic and pour in the stock until it comes half way up the potatoes so roughly 2-3 cups. Next add your butter and some salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil then let it simmer on medium/low temperature until potatoes are almost tender about 7 minutes. Next remove lid and let cook until all the stock has evaporated. Next take a small glass and press the potato down so that it cracks and is flattened slightly. Let the butter brown up those potatoes, while potatoes are browning mash up that garlic right in the pan so that flavor gets into those potatoes next add some salt and pepper and toss in parsley and serve!

Butternut Squash Soup & Sweet & Salty Panini

Butternut Squash Soup & Crunchy Sweet & Salty Panini

Ingredients for Soup:

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 large or 2 small butternut squash (peeled, cubed & seeds discarded)

3 cloves of garlic (peeled and chopped)

1-2 Serrano chilies, seeds removed and diced (optional)

2 TBSP light brown sugar

3 cups vegetable stock

1/2-3/4 cups of half and half (depends on how thick you want your soup to be)

Salt & Pepper - to taste

Basil sliced into thin strips (stir in at the very end)

Method for Soup:

1. In your soup pot on medium heat melt your butter with the olive oil and saute the garlic and chilies just until soft.

2. Add in the butternut squash and cook until it is very tender about 8 minutes.

3. Pour in the vegetable stock & brown sugar, bring to a boil and then simmer until squash is soft and completely cooked about 10-15 minutes.

4. If you have an immersion blender; put that directly into your pot to puree this soup. If you don't have one it is okay just use your blender. Make it as smooth or as chunky as you like.

5. Next stir in your basil and your half and half turn off heat.

*Tips for this soup: Season with S&P as you go. Once you add the half and half turn off the heat, if you need to keep it warm keep it on very low. You don't want your soup to curdle!

Sweet & Salty Panini Ingredients: Makes 4 sandwiches

8 slices of sliced Italian bread with one side brushed with extra virgin olive oil

8 slices of deli ham

4 slices of Swiss cheese

Cranberry Apple chutney (as needed)

Method:

Preheat your panini press. On 4 pieces of the bread olive oil side down on plate spread a generous amount of cranberry apple chutney layer on 2 pieces of ham and 1 slice of Swiss per sandwich. Top with other slice of bread with olive oil side facing up. Place and press into the panini maker until golden brown and cheese is melted.

*Tip for this recipe, if you don't own a panini maker just prepare this sandwich the same way you would make a grilled cheese.

Fluffy Banana Bread Muffins

What is the secret to my fluffy muffins you ask? It is with some reluctance that I share my baking secrets...but this blog is all about sharing so I will have to give it up. When I crack my eggs I separate them and I mix my yolks in with the wet ingredients, but with the whites I whip them up to stiff peak and gently fold them in at the end.

Fluffy Banana Muffins:

Step one: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl measure your dry ingredients and then set aside.

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Step two: Wet ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

1 stick of room temperature butter

3 ripe bananas

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs separated : yolks in one bowl and whites in an another small mixing bowl and whip until at a stiff peak and set aside.

Step three: Method

In your stand mixer cream butter and sugar until fluffy to this; add your egg yolks, bananas and vanilla and mix until combined. In stages of threes by hand alternately fold in flour and egg whites (Be gentle when folding in whites because volume = fluffy muffins) ending with the whites. Scoop out batter into prepared muffin tins and top with a little brown sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup. You can also mix chocolate chips or walnuts into batter. Bake for about 20 minutes until done.