Larry’s Cookbook

* about 4 large Russet Potatoes (2lbs)
* 4 tbsp fat free cream cheese (2oz - 60g)
* 1/2 cup (4oz) fat free low sodium chicken broth
* Pinch of Kosher Salt & Pepper to taste

Peel and cut the potatoes. Add them to a large pot filled with water (covering the potatoes by at least an inch) and cook over high heat until the potatoes are tender when forked. Note: time will depend on how small you cut the potatoes.

Drain the water.

Add cream cheese, broth and a pinch of salt & pepper. Beat on high until desired consistently. For “husband smooth” about 5 minutes.

Credit: Thanksgiving Prep: Creamy Mashed Potatoes | GreenLiteBites

Serves 4 – 6

CI Note: We prefer to use a combination of pinto, black, and dark red kidney beans in this chili. The texture of the pureed diced tomatoes with their juice is very important here – do not substitute crushed tomatoes or tomato puree.

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans beans (see note), rinsed
2-3 teaspoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1) Puree tomatoes: pulse tomatoes and their juice in food processor until slightly chunky, about 5 pulses.

2) Heat tomatoes with beans: bring tomatoes, beans, chipotle chile, sugar and ½ teaspoon salt to boil, covered, in large saucepan. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook until needed in step 4.

3) Saute aromatics: heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, chili powder, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4) Combine and simmer: stir in tomato-bean mixture, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

5) Finish chili: stir in corn and cilantro and return to brief simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Credit: Cheap Healthy Good: Easy Vegetarian Bean Chili: A Play in Two Acts

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8th inch thick
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 bay leaf
2 ounces grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Heat a large iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter. When melted, add the onion. Cook for 4 minutes, or until soft.

2. Toss in the garlic and thyme, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Dump in the potatoes, chicken broth, cream, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Remove the cover, sprinkle the cheese on top, and place the iron skillet in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Credit: Serious Eats

Ingredients:
2 cups of yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup of flour plus more for dusting on the hot dogs
1 heaping teaspoon of fresh baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg lightly beaten
2 cups of buttermilk
2 tablespoons bacon drippings or peanut oil
8 hot dogs
Thin sticks with pointy ends (some people use chopsticks, I used sticks designated for candy apples.)
1 quart of peanut oil

Method:
1. Mix the cornmeal, and 1/2 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Beat the egg in the buttermilk and add to dry ingredients.
3. Pour the batter into a tall glass or quart-sized Mason jar.
4. Heat the peanut oil in a large pot or Dutch oven until it gets to 365 degrees.
5. Gently poke the sticks into the hot dogs about half-way, leaving enough sticking out to be a suitable handle.
6. Put some flour on a plate (you can start with 1/ 2 a cup) and roll the hot dog in it until it’s coated (doing this helps the batter stick to the dog).
7. Dip the hot dog into the batter and then add to the oil.
8. Cook for three minutes, turning occasionally.Drain on paper towels.
Serve immediately.
Notes: The best thing about homemade corny dogs is you can jazz up the batter if you wish, with jalapenos or chipotles, and you have control over the dogs you use—you can use turkey, chicken or tofu pups, if you prefer. Or you can get fancy and make a corny dog out of a fancier sausage—it’s up to you!

Credit: Homesick Texan: Making corny dogs at home

Ingredients

* 3/4 pound flank or sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain
* 3/4 pound broccoli florets
* 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil
* 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced or smushed through garlic smusher
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

For the beef marinade

* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
* 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

* 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
* 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1/4 cup chicken broth

Method

1 Marinate the beef: Stir together the beef marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the beef slices and stir until coated. Let stand for 10 minutes

2 Prepare the sauce: Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

3 Blanch the broccoli: Cook the broccoli in a small pot of boiling, salted water until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

4 Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and instantly evaporates upon contact. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the beef and immediately spread the beef out all over the surface of the wok or pan in a single layer (preferably not touching). Let the beef fry undisturbed for 1 minute. Flip the beef slices over, add the garlic to the pan and fry for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until no longer pink, Pour in the sauce, add the blanched broccoli and bring to a boil. Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, 30 seconds.

Credit: Simply Recipes

Adapted from Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue by John Shelton Reed & Dale Volberg Reed

Ingredients

1 gallon cider vinegar
1 1/3 cup crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons black pepper
1/4 cup salt
Procedure

Mix the ingredients and let stand for at least 4 hours.

Credit: Serious Eats

Ingredients

For the marinade:
1 cup Coke
1 cup brown sugar
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 cup lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 lbs of pork shoulder or chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
Wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes before use.
Procedure

1. Place all marinade ingredients in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Place chicken or pork cubes in a large Ziploc bag and pour marinade all over. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, and set in the refrigerator to marinate overnight, turning the bag over at least once during the process.

3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly.

4. While the fire is lighting, thread meat onto the skewer. Each piece of meat should touch the next, but not pushed tightly together.

5. Grill directly over a hot fire, turning every 3 to 5 minutes until each side is nicely browned and the meat is cooked through.

Credit: Grilling: Filipino Barbecue | Serious Eats

Serves: 6 to 8 servings

For the soup:
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 large carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 bay leaf
4 fresh thyme sprigs
3 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
5 parsley stems, plus 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
4 black peppercorns
Kosher salt
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish

For the meatballs:
1 medium onion, diced
Olive oil
6 links organic chicken-apple sausage meat
1 egg
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 handful fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 pounds frozen cheese tortellini, store bought
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

Set a large stock pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, half the garlic, carrot, onion, celery, bay leaf, and thyme and gently saute until fragrant, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, add parsley stems, black peppercorns and salt, to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer while you work on meatballs and tortellini.

For the meatballs:

Caramelize the diced onion in a saute pan with a little olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, egg, onion, thyme, parsley, and cheese to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they all come together. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil until just smoking. Use a small ice cream scoop to drop meatballs onto skillet. Cook, turning, until golden brown.

Drop tortellini straight from freezer into soup. Cook until they float. Once meatballs are browned, add to pot of chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Give soup a final seasoning and serve in shallow bowls with a small shower of Parmesan, olive oil, and parsley.

Credit: Tyler Florence

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole rye flour
1/2 cup coarse cornmeal
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Oil as needed.

1. Combine flours, cornmeal, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Oil a standard loaf pan (8 or 9 inches by 4 inches; nonstick works well). Lightly oil your hands and shape dough into a rough rectangle. Put it in pan, pressing it out to the edges. Brush top with a little more oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 1 hour more.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread about 45 minutes, or until loaf reaches an internal temperature of 210 degrees. Remove bread from pan and cool on a rack.

Yield: 1 loaf.

Credit: Recipe - Fast No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread - NYTimes.com

3 cups bread flour
1 packet ( 1/4 ounce) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Oil as needed.

1. Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more.

3. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-to-8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under dough and put it into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

4. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: 1 big loaf.

Credit: Speedy No-Knead Bread - NYTimes.com