Butter Almond Thumbprint Cookies

1 cup butter, room temp
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (you could try a little more, maybe? up to 1 tsp)
2 cups flour
Jam of some sort

Cream the butter in a mixer until beaten.

Add the sugar and extracts and beat an additional couple of minutes, scraping the bowl, until thoroughly mixed.

Turn the mixer off, add all of the flour, and then turn on low until mixed together.

Compact the dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for, I dunno, an hour? A day? Seemed to work either way.

Roll into balls of dough, press into the center to leave a little hole.

Fill little hole with a dollop of jam (don't overfill).

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes on a silpat mat. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter (half a stick), softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until well blended.  Sift powdered sugar and add gradually to cream cheese mixture until combined.

Wonderful on it's own, or as a base for flavors such as chocolate, pumpkin, and cinnamon sugar.

Lasagna II (Bechamel Lasagna Bolognese)

1 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork (optional)

1 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

2 jars marinara sauce

1 box lasagna noodles (i used no boil)

16 oz fresh mozzarella, shredded

8 oz shredded parmesan

bechamel sauce

2.5 tbsp butter

1/8 cup flour

2 cups whole milk

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz shredded parmesan

Preheat oven to 375. Grease bottom of 13x9 pan. Pour in enough marinara sauce to just cover the bottom.  

Heat olive oil in a large skillet at medium heat. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add beef/pork and sprinkle with onion powder and Italian seasoning. Brown.

Add marinara sauce to meat mixture. Reserve about 1/2 jar of the two jars for later. Set meat mixture aside.

Begin the bechamel sauce. Add butter to medium saucepan over medium heat. Once butter melts, quickly whisk in flour until smooth. Keep whisking for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is a golden color.

Increase the heat slightly. Slowly add the milk while whisking. Bring to a boil and whisk continuously for about 5 minutes. Continue to simmer over low heat while whisking for about 15 minutes to cook the flour taste out. When sauce has thickened*, remove from heat and add salt and parmesan cheese. Whisk.  

Cover bottom of pan with layer of noodles. Layer as follows: 1/3 of the meat mixture, 1/3 of the bechamel sauce, 1/4 of the mozzarella. Cover this layer with noodles and repeat. Cover the final layer with noodles and cover with the remaining marinara sauce (if using no boil noodles, make sure that the sides of the noodles are covered in sauce or they will not cook through). Cover top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Cover lasagna with aluminum foil (tented, if necessary, to avoid touching the top).  Bake for 35 minutes.  Check to see that sides are cooking--if not, baste in the sauce that will boil up from the sides. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes.  

When finished, remove and let sit for 15 minutes before enjoying.

*If sauce doesn't thicken, you can do so by adding a cold roux.  Knead 1 tablespoon butter with slightly less than 1 tablespoon flour.  Add a few chunks at a time to the sauce while whisking and sauce should thicken.  

coconut rice (like sripraphai)

1 1/2 c jasmine or basmati rice
3 c. coconut milk (2 cans)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 c. sugar

rinse rice, set aside.

bring milk, sugar and oil to a boil, add rice, stir, cover, wait for boil to return, turn down heat to low, cook for about 20-30 minutes, until milk is absorbed. tis all.

personal bread loaves

1 packet dry active yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp sugar

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
cheese!

in a small bowl, put in sugar. heat water up to about 100 degrees (very warm to the touch, but not hot), and stir into the sugar using your finger.
pour in active yeast, stir with finger. set aside in a non-drafty place for ten minutes while yeast activates. you can tell it's activating because you will hear it start churning and smell a strong yeast smell after about 30 seconds. you'll then see it roiling and bubbling up.

in a mixer, pour in 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and oil. mix until flour is all mixed in. add yeast mixture, and then 1/2 cup flour and cheese. slowly put in the rest of the flour (1/2 cup at a time) until it's a solid dough ball. spill out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about five minutes until elastic-y (it will spring back when you touch it). if the dough is sticky, add more flour.

oil up a large bowl, put dough ball in it, turning it to cover it with oil. cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place where it won't be disturbed for about 40 minutes. once it's doubled in size, punch it down, then make 4 individual loaves. put the loaves on a sprayed cookie sheet and let double again in a draft-free area (about 30 minutes). preheat oven to 375. bake for about 15 minutes.

optional: you can add an egg white coating (1 part egg white, one part water) if you want it to be shiny on top. doesn't make a difference for taste or texture.

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Olive oil for browning
2 cloves garlic
1.3 lb ground turkey
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 15 oz cans kidney beans, both drained, one mashed
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 4.25 oz can green chilies
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
½ Tbsp Ground cumin
1 tsp table salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp paprika
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
6 oz hard cider or beer

Optional for spicier chili:
1 cup canned jalapeño peppers
½ tsp cayenne pepper

Mince garlic and heat briefly in olive oil. Add ground turkey and onion powder and brown.

Drain meat. Add all ingredients (except cayenne pepper) to crock pot and cook for 6 - 8 hours on low.

If using, add cayenne pepper 30 minutes before done cooking. I read something about it burning if you add it in the beginning and dammit, I believe it!

Location:35th Ave,New York,United States

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c.butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
orange juice from one orange (scant)

2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

zest of 2 oranges
chocolate chips

Cream together butter, sugars, eggs and orange juice until well mixed (about 2 minutes)

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add dry mix to butter/sugar just until mixed. Fold in chocolate chips and zest. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for an hour. 

Preheat oven to 350.

Bake cookies for about 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheet for a few minutes before switching to cooling rack.

END OF RECIPE