Culinary Goods

So this is my go-to recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. There may be a better version out there, but I like this one well enough that I don't care to look. I think I got this recipe from Melly about 12 years ago. 2  C. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 heaping tsp. cloves 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 C. brown sugar 1/3 C. white sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. ginger 1 tsp. baking powder 2 heaping tsp. cinnamon 1/2 heaping tsp. nutmeg 1/4 C. butter, softened 1/4 C. olive oil 1 heaping C. canned pumpkin 2 eggs 1 1/2 C. chocolate chips Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter. sugar, egg, vanilla and pumpkin together. Add dry ingredients. Bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

So, this is a classic, but super good. I made this up—you’re welcome. I would give this an 8. Essentially, you saute the following in a few Tbs. of butter or oil: 1 onion 4 cloves garlic 2 cups carrots, diced 1 cup-ish celery, diced 1 potato, diced small optional 1-2 tsp. poultry seasoning salt and pepper When this is about 75% cooked, you add: 2-3 cups green beans, snapped in small pieces A few minutes later, add 4 Tbs. of flour, stir Pour in: 1 cup milk 1 cup gravy Boil. Add: 2 cups turkey, cubed 2 cups corn 2 cups peas You put this in a pie crust you have rolled out and put into a 12 inch cast iron skillet. Spoon the filling in, then I put pulsed leftover stuffing bread crumbs on top. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 400 for about 45 minutes

This is one of the favorite recipes from my childhood, and I would give these a 9. I think the original recipe came from my Grandma Peterson. This is the original recipe, but I have noted my changes in bold. Orange Rolls 2 Tbs. yeast 1/2 cup sugar I cut this in half and I can’t tell a difference 1/2 cup butter I use 50% olive oil 4 1/2 cup flour 3 beaten eggs 2 tsp. salt Filling: 1 cube butter 1 cup powdered sugar 3 Tbs. orange rind (do not pack) Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water and 1 Tbs. sugar. Then pour 1 cup hot water (I use 50% milk) over sugar, butter. Add eggs and salt. Chill overnight. Then roll out in rectangle and spread filling over dough. Roll up and cut with dental floss or string. Let raise double and bake at 425 for 8-12 minutes. My directions are different. I put flour in the bottom of the Bosch, and then add the sugar and salt. I then add the wet ingredients, and for the 1 cup hot water I do 50% milk. I melt the butter in the microwave and just use ...

This is a classic recipe from my Dad, and it’s the best I’ve had. It’s still super sweet and rich, but it’s so very good. I would give this a 9. Here is the original with my changes in bold. Pecan Pie 4 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 2/3 cup sugar 1 cup pecans (crush with rolling pin) I use way  more than this 1/4 tsp. salt 1 cup light corn syrup 1/3 cup butter Combine ingredients then pour into uncooked pie shell. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes and at 350 for 35 (45 at least) minutes. Don’t under bake and make sure oven is preheated thorough. Cook until the crust is brown.

This is the best version I have ever had. I used my Dad’s recipe as a base, but I have tweaked it by removing a can of tomatoes and this version is better because it is more flavorful. I give this a 9. In a food processor, pulse: 1/4 onion you can use green onions if you like it more mild 4 cloves garlic handful cilantro 1 jalapeno (seeds and ribbing removed) Then, add: 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained (14.5 oz. size) 1 tsp. salt pepper to taste juice of 1 lime juice of 1/2 lemon (or more if you like lemon a ton)

This is a classic recipe from my Dad, and it’s the best I’ve had. It’s so very good. I would give this a 9. Here is the original with my changes in bold. Pumpkin Pie 2 large eggs Sometimes I add an extra egg yolk 3/4 cup sugar I only use 2/3 1- 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. cloves ½ tsp. ginger ¼ tsp. nutmeg, generous I put mine through a sieve 1 can evaporated milk ½ can pumpkin (1 ¾ cups) Mix all ingredients. Makes 1 pie. Don’t poke holes in crust, bake at 425 for 8 minutes, then dump in filling. Bake an additional 15 minutes, then change temperature to 350 and bake for 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

I think this version is my favorite so far—I give it an 8. So, you take about 25 apples, add 1 tsp. kosher salt, and then put 2-4 Tbs. of lemon juice in the bottom and then a few Tbs. of apple cider. You steam them down, then puree with a stick blender. Add 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp. cloves, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and a dash of ginger. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar. You simmer this until it’s really thick.

This was so very underwhelming. It’s beautiful, and I think it tastes fine, but I would never take this over a layer cake, or a tart, or a piece of pie. I don’t actually know that I would make this again. John liked it, but I would give it a 7. My main complaint is that buttercream should not be a layer. Mousse can be a layer. Jam can be a layer. Not buttercream. I often scrape the outside buttercream off a piece of cake because it’s not worth the sugar. I would totally go for a coffee mousse over a coffee buttercream. Anyway, enough of my complaints. I didn’t change anything on these recipes except that I basically just substituted coffee for the water in both the buttercream ad the simply syrup. It turned out fine. The glaze recipe is a winner. I would absolutely use that again. The recipes came from my awesome friend Rebecca. Opera Cake Jaconde (cake part) 170 ml eggs (about 3) 120 g powdered sugar 120 g ground almonds (just grind them in food processor or blendtec. make...

My friend Lisa shared these with me, and they are great. They are like a truffle consistency, hence the name. I would give these an 8. The notes on here come from her dad, Dave. Chocolate Truffle Cookies By Posie Harwood Adapted by David Erickson Makes about 15 cookies 1 ½ cups bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped bittersweet chocolate), about 60% cacao 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I use salted with no discernable bad effect) 2 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, for enhanced chocolate flavor) 3 tablespoons flaky sea salt, or course kosher salt Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl set over boiling water. Beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stream in warm chocolate. Combine dry ingredients and add to batter. Put a generous tablespoon of batter on a pan and sprinkle with flaky seal salt. Bake for about 7 or 8 minutes at 350. Once they lo...

So I have made orange chocolate chip cookies before, but wanted to make some changes since, even though the ones I made before were good, they had a lot of sugar (2 cups) and flour (3 1/4 C.) in them. I combined a few recipes for this, and really liked these. 1/2 C. sugar 1/2 C. brown sugar 1 cube butter 1/2 C. oil 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 2 1/4 C. flour 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. orange extract 1 TBS orange zest 1 1/2 C. chocolate chips I creamed the butter, sugar and oil together for about 3 minutes and then added the eggs, vanilla, orange extract, and orange zest. I then added the dry ingredients and added the chocolate chips last. I baked them at 350 for about 9 1/2 minutes.

I've looked for a coconut thai soup recipe for 6 months. This is the best one I've found. The base is made of lentils (orange) and sweet potatoes. It's heart, filling, and can have a spicy kick if you want. The first time I made it I used green lentils so the soup came out looking like cat shit. A sad day, indeed.  I give this a 7. I would pair it with any other Thai side dish like a meat or veggie stir fry. The recipe came from a Thai cooking book called Pok Pok. Pok Pok is a Portland restaurant with authentic stuff made by a white dude. He wrote the recipe book and it's considered some of the best Thai food in the PNW. Here's his restaurant: https://pokpokpdx.com/ Ingredients ·       1 Tbs olive oil ·       1 diced onion ·       3   garlic cloves, sliced ·       1 Tbs. galangal (white on the inside), peeled and diced or 1 Tbs. ginger, peeled and diced - you c...

This was good. It was easy and fancy and I still like pumpkin pie better, but it was a nice change. I give it an 8.5, and the recipe came from Fine Cooking magazine. Double-Ginger Pumpkin Tart By Abigail Johnson Dodge Fine Cooking Issue 68 6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature 3/4 cup very firmly packed light  brown sugar I did 2/3 cup 3/4 cup solid-pack pumpkin purée  (not seasoned pumpkin pie filling) 1-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground ginger I was generous with this and I also added 1/4 tsp. of both nutmeg and cloves 1/4 tsp. table salt 1 large egg yolk 1 large egg 3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 Tbs. finely chopped crystallized ginger; more for garnish I left this out because I did a gingersnap crust You beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, add pumpkin and spices. Then add the eggs and vanilla, and scrape intro crust. So, she gives a recipe for a cookie crust, and I chose to do gingersnaps instead of what she suggested. I wou...

My Dad made these growing up, and I loved them. It’s hard to re-create something when people don’t have a recipe, so these didn't taste as good as his. So, I need to keep working. These were a 7. He said essentially to put whatever vegetables you want (onions and peppers in my case) in oil and saute them. Salt and pepper are essential. Then, you add cubed baked potatoes and coat them in the oil and warm them through for about 5 minutes, trying to not stir them too much. This vagueness was not enough. Here are some things to keep in mind: 1. The potatoes need to be uniform size, and not massive chunks (my mistake) 2. You need more oil than you would think 3. Don’t crowd the pan or they won’t brown properly (my mistake) 4. Coat them in oil 5. Don’t cook your onions too hot or they will get too brown by the time the potatoes are done I took my vegetables out to leave more room in the pan, and I’m not sure whether that was good or bad. I might need a larger pan, but they w...

This picture is terrible (and the doughnuts were day-old, so don't judge them by the picture). This recipe and tradition came from my old piano teacher, Suzanne Price. When John was growing up, she would fry doughnuts all day and everyone would come to her house and get a doughnut. I only make these for friends because it’s just so much work as it is. These are delicious—I give them a 9. Doughnuts 2 cups evaporated milk 2 cups water 6 Tbs. yeast 1 cup shortening It has to be shortening 1 1/2 cup sugar I only use 1 cup 6 beaten eggs, room temperature 1 Tbs. salt I am generous with this measurement 1 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. mace 1 1/2 tsp. lemon flavoring 1 Tbs. vanilla 10-12 cups flour Mine uses at least 12 cups So, in a pan you heat 1 cup of the water, add the shortening, salt and sugar, and heat until the shortening dissolves. Put some flour in the Bosch, then take the other cup of water and add the 6 Tbs. of yeast to it. Once it starts to bubble, add it to the f...

Apples hold a special place in my heart since my grandfather was an apple farmer (among other things). I have very distinct memories of watching my grandmother peel and core apples for various things in her kitchen, so having my girls help me core and peel apples for this this just felt nice and familiar. I got this recipe from my dad, but he doesn't remember where he got it from. This is good on toast, waffles, and pancakes (really anything you would put jam on). 24 apples (I used a variety) 2 C. water 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 1/2 tsp. cloves 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 3 (!) C. sugar I use 1 C. only (1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 C. white sugar) and it's just right for me. If you like things a bit sweeter, you could add 1/2 C. more Peel and core apples, then put them in a big stock pot with the water. Simmer until they're soft, about 40 minutes. Drain them, then puree in a blender. Put apple puree back in the stock pot and add sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, and simmer until ...