Author: LauraGrenier

French Toast Cupcakes
The ideal breakfast or brunch appetizer for entertaining is French toast cupcakes with maple syrup and raisins.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

Whisk flour milk yogurt white sugar butter raisins brown sugar maple syrup vanilla extract baking powder cinnamon baking soda and salt together in a bowl until a batter forms.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed 20 to 25 minutes.

Sesame Cabbage and Mushrooms
Chewy shiitake mushrooms and crunchy napa cabbage are sauteed together and tossed with Asian seasonings in this quick and easy stir-fry.

Heat a large skillet over high heat.

Add 2 tablespoons sesame oil; swirl to coat.

Saute mushrooms until browned about 4 minutes.

Add cabbage; saute for 2 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat.

Mix in 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil soy sauce and black pepper until well combined.

Top with cilantro and sesame seeds.

Pati’s Spinach and Boysenberry Salad
Fresh spinach is tossed with a homemade berry vinaigrette and topped with fresh boysenberries and toasted almonds.

Make the dressing by combining the olive oil horseradish rice vinegar brown sugar and boysenberry jam in a blender.

Blend until smooth.

Place the spinach in a large bowl.

Drizzle the dressing over the spinach and toss until leaves are evenly coated.

Sprinkle boysenberries and almonds over top of the salad; serve immediately.

Meemaw’s Bourbon Balls
These pecan and crushed vanilla wafer balls are mixed with a little bourbon. For additional flavor layers, roll them in coconut and confectioners’ sugar.

Grind cookies in a food processor into fine crumbs; transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Grind pecans in the food processor; add to cookie crumbs.

Stir 1 cup confectioners’ sugar bourbon whiskey cocoa powder and corn syrup with the cookies and pecans until the mixture holds together; roll into 3/4-inch balls.

Spread coconut onto a plate and 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar onto a separate plate.

Roll balls in coconut and sugar to coat.

Arrange balls onto a platter cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until hardened at least 1 hour.

Mexican Chorizo and Potato Casserole
This hearty, cheesy potato and chorizo casserole recipe with lean ground beef and black beans is perfect for feeding a hungry crowd!

Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C).

Over medium-high heat, warm up the olive oil in a big skillet.

Cook and stir the ground beef, chorizo, and onion for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the meat is browned and crumbly.

Black pepper, coriander, salt, cumin, paprika, and chili powder are used as seasonings.

Cook and stir the corn, tomatoes, and black beans for about five minutes, or until heated through.

Mixture should be transferred to a 2-quart baking dish.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter.

Microwave on high for one minute, or until melted.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the meat mixture after thoroughly mixing it.

Hash browns are layered over the cream cheese mixture, then Cheddar cheese is added.

Chef John’s Crème FraÃche
The taste and texture of homemade creme fraiche are far superior to those of store-bought sour cream and are simple to make with only two ingredients.

Combine cream and buttermilk in a glass jar.

Cover tightly with cheesecloth (or any breathable material) and let sit at room temperature (70 to 75 degrees F (21 to 24 degrees C)) until thickened about 24 hours.

Farro Perlato Cereal
Emmer wheat, also known as farro, is a whole grain that can be prepared in a variety of ways. Pour some milk and a vanilla bean in and simmer it for a decadent morning treat.

Put the farro in a bowl, add several inches of cool water on top, and refrigerate for eight to twelve hours.

Drain.

In a saucepan, cover the farro with water, add a little salt, and bring to a boil.

For about 15 minutes, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer the food until tender.

Drain.

In a saucepan, combine milk sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and a dash of salt.

Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until milk is warm.

After removing the vanilla bean, mix the milk with the farro.

Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

Chicken Stir-Fry
You can use any vegetable you like in this quick and simple chicken stir-fry recipe! Red pepper flakes, fresh ginger, and garlic add heat.

Bring water and rice to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile combine soy sauce brown sugar and cornstarch in a medium glass or ceramic bowl; stir until smooth.

Stir in ginger garlic and red pepper flakes; add chicken and stir to coat.

Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add broccoli onion carrots water chestnuts and bell pepper; cook and stir until just tender about 5 minutes.

Transfer vegetables into a dish; set aside.

Rob Roy
the Manhattan’s blended Scotch variation. Rob Roy was a Robin Hood-like character and was named after the main character in a Sir Walter Scott novel.

Pour Scotch and vermouth over ice in a glass.

Add bitters, stir, and top with a maraschino cherry as garnish.

Salted Peanut Cereal Cookies
With the addition of oats and corn flakes cereal, a traditional recipe for salted peanut cookies from the 1940s has been modified, creating a fresh take on an old favorite.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Sift flour baking soda and baking powder together in a medium bowl.

Cream white sugar brown sugar shortening and eggs together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.

Gradually add flour mixture to the wet ingredients mixing it in on low speed until combined.

Mix in oats cornflakes and peanuts by hand.

Drop tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets; flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass.

Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool on the baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.