Start with a small (5-inch or so) oven safe baking dish and spray with no-stick spray. Put either a slice of cheese, or about an ounce of shredded cheese. I used a slice of provolone and it fit perfect in the bottom of the dish I used.

Next add some toppings, like I said, I chopped up some left over turkey then added 1 cup of frozen broccoli that I thawed out a bit. What ever you add, limit it to about a cup and a half or it won’t fit in the dish, but try your favorites; chopped bacon, cubed ham, diced onion and peppers… whatever floats your boat.

Then for each omelet, scramble up one egg with a couple tablespoons of milk, salt, pepper, and whatever seasonings you might like. Pour this over your meat/veggies and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes until the egg sets. If at 25 minutes the eggs still look runny at all, give them another couple minutes.

Don’t hold on to this just for breakfast either, it can be a great brunch item or even dinner. Serve it with some fresh fruit and toast and you’re good to go. And believe it or not, using turkey or chicken, 1oz cheese, 1 large egg, and 1 cup of broccoli this thing has less than 300 calories, and about 11 grams of carbs, 14 grams of fat, and 23 grams of protein.

Pour the following in to a punch bowl and server over ice.

1 liter raspberry schnapps
1 liter lemon sour
2 liters Sprite

You can also make this as a high-ball drink. Fill glass with ice, add 1 shot schnapps, 1 shot sour, and fill the rest with Sprite. If you don’t want it so sweet, try club soda instead of Sprite.

Now this is the bread machine version for a 2 pound loaf - my machine you put wet stuff in first followed by dry, so that’s the order I have things listed. Check your machine directions to see if it’s the same, or if you want to make it by hand you’ll have to figure that part out.

What ya need:

1-1/2 cups water (bout 80 degrees)
2 Tbsp butter, softened
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp dry milk (you can sub room temp milk for this and the water)
2 cups whole wheat bread flour
2 cups bread flour (I used a stone ground, organic flour)
2 tsp active dry yeast

Use the whole wheat setting on your machine if it has one. Personally, I’ve never cared for how the machine actually bakes, so I do mine on the dough setting, turn it out on to a floured surface and shape the loaf I want. Then cover it with a towel and let it rise in a warm spot 60-90 minutes until it about doubles in size. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. If you make rolls, only bake about 20 minutes.

This turns out a very hearty bread with a rich, but for me not over-whelming wheat flavor. It is great fresh, and toasts very well.

The all-nut crusts I tried are pretty good, and the pie I did a couple weeks back worked well, but was… just a bit lacking.  I’ve always wondered about doing a pumpkin pie with a Graham cracker crust, but I think I’ve found an even better alternative. A blend of chopped walnuts (pecans if I make it for my Aunt Andi as she’s allergic to walnuts) and shortbread cookie crumbs. Even with the honey, the all nut crust was just… there… holding in the pie filling. It really didn’t add anything to the taste. Graham crackers would probably work well too.

Now for the filling, I decided to go really ultimate, and use actual sugar pumpkin, fresh - not canned. I found one that weighed about 3 pounds at Trader Joe’s today. Now a warning… don’t buy one of these to make a jack-o-lantern out of.

Sweet pumpkins have a VERY hard shell like skin on them. Nearly every recipe I read on-line talked about cutting the thing in half and baking, but taking my cleaver to it only managed to slightly chip it. But you need to do this, and punch a couple holes through so the steam can escape when you put the thing on a cookie sheet and pop it in a 350-degree oven for about 90 minutes to cook. Give it up to 2 hours if it’s larger than 4 pounds. The pie I did for Thanksgiving this year I ended up with two smaller pumpkins, about 2 pounds each… and I ended up taking my cordless drill and putting three holes around the top of each one to let steam out. Now IMHO, any time you can use power-tools in the kitchen… all the better

Do the pumpkin a day or two ahead of when you plan to bake this.Once that pumpkin comes out of the oven, the shell will be cooked enough that you can crack it open… but first grab a towel or hot pads and hold the thing over sink and turn it so the water from inside can drain out one of the holes you put through the shell. Then crack it open and carefully scoop the seeds and stringy stuff out of the middle. Clean up the seeds if you want to roast them, or just toss them. Then scoop the meat into another bowl and use a mixer to purée it all. This will help get any stray “strings” out as they get caught up on the mixer blades. Fresh pumpkin has a LOT more water in it than the canned stuff… so put the puree in colander (one with small holes or lined with cheese cloth) over a bowl and let it drain for awhile, even overnight, getting as much of the excess water out as you can. Once it’s cooled to about room temp you can just pop the whole thing in the fridge until you are ready for the rest.

The Crust

4 ounces Scottish short bread cookies
4 ounces walnut pieces
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp honey

In a food processor or blender or what-have-you, chop up the cookies in to fine crumbs and the walnuts into small crumbs. You want the biggest nut pieces to be smaller than your average Grape Nuts kernels. Put both those in a bowl, pour about half of the melted butter in to your tablespoon then put in the bowl followed by measuring out a tablespoon of honey. The melted butter coating the spoon will help the honey slide right out. Repeat with the rest of the butter and do the second teaspoon of honey.

Mix well then press the crumb mixture in to the bottom of your pan. If using a pie plate, work almost all the way up the sides… and press well in to the bottom so you don’t get a build up at the corner. Try to get as even a covering as possible and then pop this in a 350 degree oven for 11-13 minutes. The top edges of the sides should just start browning if you are using a pie plate. This “roasts” the nuts a bit and help get some of the excess moisture out of the crust.

Now you can work on the filling…

What ya need

16 ounces pureed pumpkin
2 oz banana, mashed (about 1/2 banana)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
10 ounces plain yogurt
5 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground clove

Start by creaming the banana and sugar to make sure you get rid of any lumps of banana. Then start adding the other ingredients and mix it all well with your mixer. Pour over the crust and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Do the toothpick test to see if it’s done all the way through.

You’ll want to let it cool before serving, but don’t serve it cold. Make it the day before and store in the fridge, but let it sit out a bit before serving, and don’t forget the whipped cream!

A few last notes;

If you don’t want to do work for the fresh pumpkin, use a can, but make sure it’s not pumpkin pie filling that already has the spices. The usual can is 15oz, and should work fine. You want the banana to be easily mashable, so grab an older one. If it’s too firm, try popping it in the oven when you bake the crust. I found Greek style yogurt at Trader Joes, and it seems to have made a pretty big difference, so look for that if you can find it. If I need to make one of these again, I’m still tempted to try it with Graham crackers, or maybe ginger snaps…?

If you go with a springform pan, you can reduce the cookies and walnuts to 3 ounces each if you want, unless you want a thicker crust. If you go that route, put a piece of parchment over the bottom before putting the ring on it, that will just make it easier to get the pie out later. Also, this is a custard like filling, it will more than likely crack a bit as it cools, it’s not a big deal.

Most, but not all bread machines have you put liquids in first (especially if you’re doing a delayed cycle), so that’s the order I have the ingredients. Double-check your machine to see if you have to do something different.

What you need…

1-1/3 cup milk.
1 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 Tbsp olive oil (measure this, then the honey to help keep the honey from sticking to the measuring spoon)
1 Tbsp honey (or more to taste)
3-1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons yeast

Like I said, I usually set my machine to the dough cycle, so when it is done turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and shape to a loaf, put in a loaf pan, or divide into rolls or something. Let rise again 1 to 1-1/2 hours until the dough about doubles in size.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, brush the top of the loaf lightly with butter, oil or water and bake about 45 minutes. Closer to 30 for rolls.

Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Makes a 2# loaf.

What you need

2.5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Put this all together in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Toss this with some chopped, mixed veggies and put in a foil bag and roast on the grill, or baste it on chicken breasts you’re grilling. I may try this next as a sort of glaze/baste on a pork roast.

Well, recently I was going through grandma’s recipe box, and I found this… “John’s Ice Cream”, grandpa’s recipe for that great ice cream he would make for us.

We’d all take a shot at turning that crank, helping out as he would have to add ice or salt, but he did the bulk of the cranking. And as soon as it had thickened up we’d be dishing that up and diving right in.

I don’t have an ice cream maker, if you do… you’ll have to check any specific directions for how to make this, but here’s the ingredients, in my grandma’s own writing.

Start out with some onion and garlic. About 1/2 cup of diced onion - sweet yellow or green onions work well without being overpowering, and about 1-2 diced cloves of garlic. Sautee these in a bit of butter or extra virgin olive olive oil in a 3qt pot.

Just as the onion turns soft, add in two cups of chicken stock. I usually use some made from a good boullion or base, but a 15oz can of either chicken or vegetable stock works fine when you’re pinched for time. Then add in one large baking potato (bout 1/2pounder), peeled and diced up. This is going to give the soup a bit of thickness. Cover the pot and let this simmer over medium-hight until the potato is soft.

While that is happening get your mushrooms ready, you need about 1/2 pound. I used a container of sliced baby bellas this last time but feel free to mix it up. I would love to try this with some morrells mixed in. Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt a couple tablespoons of butter or use extra virgin olive oil and sautee the shrooms just until soft, then take off the heat. I season the shrooms with a pinch or two of sea salt while cooking. Kind of separate them in to two groups in the pan by size - larger on one side of pan, smaller pieces on the other.

By this time, that potato should be about cooked, so lower the heat to the low side of medium and add a pint of half-n-half and the larger pieces of mushroom that you sauteed. If you have a stick blender, great! Use that to blend up everything, pureeing the potatoe and mushroom in there. If you don’t have a stick blender - get one! Or use a regular blender or food processor. Be very careful when transferring hot liquids! Add the rest of the shrooms and put back on the stove over that low heat until warmed. Depending on personal preferences, you can add some different seasonings here… a bit of pepper, thyme, basil, and tarragon all can add to this, but don’t over do it, it’s supposed be about the mushrooms here.

Once it’s head, bowl it up and you’re good to go! Serve with some fresh bread… yum.

I had some extra celery burning a hole in my fridge and decided to try something… anything with it. And this is what I came up with.

What you need…

3 stalks celery, washed, dried and sliced thin - about 2 cups
1 small red onion (smaller than a tennis ball), chopped small - about 1 cup
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
2 tablespoons butter
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup milk (try half and half or even heavy whipping cream for an extra creamy taste)
nutmeg (optional)

Heat up a large skillet over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the celery and sautee for about 5 minutes, then add the onion.

While you start the celery, put the frozen corn in a strainer and run it under cold water for a minute or so. You just want to wash off any frost that might have formed on it and start it thawing out. Let sit in the strainer to drain. About 3 minutes or so after you’ve added the onion, the celery should start getting a bright green and the onions just start turning transluscent - add the corn and the other tablespoon of butter to the skillet and stir occassionally while sauteeing for another 3-4 minutes. Add the choped garlic, stir it up a bit and then measure out your milk.

Pour the milk in the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Stir things up a bit and add a couple shakes of nutmeg if you’d like. Let this simmer on low about 5-6 minutes, stirring occassionally as the milk reduces. This is not going to be anything like the creamed corn you get in a can. Let the milk reduce until it almost becomes basically just a sort of creamy glaze.

Pull off the heat, add a bit of salt and pepper to taste and dish it up! Maybe sprinkle with a bit of paprika for color when serving.

This should give you four decent servings, and the celery should still have a bit of a crunch too it, not be all soggy. And play with some of the ingredients. I probably added a bit more garlic, and I used red onion because that’s what I had. Try sweet yellow onion, or even a white onion to add a bit more oomph to the flavor. And if you’re tired of corn… maybe try it with peas? hmmm… I still have some celery left.

This particular version is seafood, but feel free to try it with some shredded chicken. And since it uses canned and other ready to go ingredients, they are super quick to whip together.

What you need

6 taco size flour tortillas
1 10-3/4 oz can cream of onion condensed soup
8 oz sour cream
4 oz can of chopped green chilis
1-8 oz package artificial crab meat
2 oz salad shrimp
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese
4 green onions, chopped

Start by heating the oven to 350. Then in a small bowl combine the soup, sour cream, and can of chilis, don’t drain them, the liquid helps thin out the soup. If you don’t like cream of onion, try cream of chicken or cream of mushroom. And you can use only half the can of chilis if you want… it’s just you usually don’t have anything else to use the other half for, so might as well use them up. If you want to kick up the heat a bit, use the chopped jalepenos instead.

Put the shrimp in a small strainer and run them under cold water for a couple minutes while you shred up the imitation crab meat and put it all in another small bowl. By this time the shrimp should be thawed, fold them up in a paper towel and pat them dry before adding to the crab. Then add about half the cheese, about half the chopped green onion, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the sauce and mix it all up. You don’t want the crab/shrimp mix soupy, use just enough to coat it all. My cheese preference is marble-jack, but go with what you prefer.

Take 3 of the tortilla and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds. Take them out and spoon a scant half-cup of the crab mix in the middle and spread it out a bit. Roll them up, you can do open ends, or close ends like a buritto. I did closed cause they fit my 6×9 baking pan better. Spritz the pan with some non-stick spray before laying the filled tortillas in there.  If you’re using an 8×8 or other wider pan, feel free to roll them up open ended, just spread the crab mix out more.

Once the first three are done, do up the other three. Then pour the remaining sour cream sauce over the top of them all and top that with the rest of the cheese. Pop this in the oven about 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Serve up a couple per person garnished with some of the chopped green onion and a side dish like the skillet corn shown in the picture.

This recipe will make six very filled enchiladas, enough for dinner for a couple people with left overs for lunch the next day. This recipe doubles very easily, you can skip doubling up on the chopped chilis if you want.. or not.