Apple Butter

6 quarts apple sauce
4 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon canned minced ginger or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cloves


Combine and cook on low until it thickens to a spreadable butter — or until a spoonful of hot apple butter is poured onto a cold plate and no liquid forms around the edge. Can, freeze, or enjoy warm out of the pot on fresh made bread!


(Via: http://littlepinkhouse.net/2010/12/apple-sauce-and-butter/)

A Redhead’s Oriental Chicken Soup

2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 cup brown rice chicken broth (or water & bouillon) as needed
sweet and yellow onions, chopped
jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 head of garlic, minced
ginger (dried powder, canned or minced)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
white pepper
fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and boil until rice is soft. If one should accidentally make it a bit too spicy, add a bit of honey to each serving—not only will it cool down the broth, it will soothe the throat as well.

(Via: http://littlepinkhouse.net/2010/10/recipe-for-a-change-in-schedule/)

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

1 squash (or butternut, acorn), peeled, seeded and cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups of chicken stock
1/2 of cream/half and half
1 teaspoon curry powder
Brown sugar, some amount thereof
Salt & pepper
Cinnamon

Saute the onion and garlic long enough to get soft and translucent, but not to the point of browning. Put your squash pieces in a pan, add the onion and garlic (or take out the garlic now that the onion has soaked up the flavor), pour in your 2 cups of stock/broth and bring it to a boil.

Cook until the squash is mushy, then mash it up with a spoon.

Add the cream, curry powder, and brown sugar. Stir, then season with salt and pepper and just a dash of cinnamon.

Toss a few bleu cheese crumbles and red pepper flakes on top.

(Via: http://www.sundrymourning.com/2010/10/09/halloween-things-to-do-this-weekend/)

Cupcakes

This recipe, from Alice Water's book, The Art of Simple Food, is the most thorough one I've ever read. It talks about the temperature of the ingredients, the importance of accurate measurements, the specific order for combining the milk and the flour into the batter--it's exactly what I needed.

(Via: http://2000dollarwedding.com/2010/06/cupcake-recipe.html)

Five Minute Mug Cake

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (Microwave Safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly before pouring in the milk and oil in.  Keep mixing. Add the optional chocolate chips next and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for three minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed! Allow it to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.


(Via: http://www.grouprecipes.com/73892/5-minute-chocolate-mug-cake.html)

Focaccia Bread

2 teaspoons rapid-rising dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Cornmeal, for dusting


Toppings:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
10 Kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary


In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.


Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or other warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.


Coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil and corn meal. Once the dough is doubled and domed, turn it out onto the counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to an oblong shape about 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.


In the meantime, coat a small saute pan with olive oil, add the onion, and cook over low heat for 15 minutes until the onions caramelize. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add caramelized onions, garlic, olives, cheese, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Bake on the bottom rack for 15 to 20 minutes.


(Via: http://mycakies.blogspot.com/2010/09/fabulous-focaccia.html and http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/fabulous-focaccia-recipe/index.html)

Pumpkin Cake

-4 eggs
-1 2/3 cup sugar
-1 cup oil
-2 cups canned pumpkin
-2 cups flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-2 teaspoons cinnamon
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon soda

Mix together eggs, sugar, oil,  pumpkin. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, soda. Add to the wet ingredients.

Grease and flour a 9×13 pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour.

Frost with cream cheese frosting: 1 block of cream cheese (at room temp), 1/2 stick butter (at room temp), 1- lb. bag powdered sugar, and a 1/2 t. vanilla.

(Via: http://www.feminagirls.com/2010/09/23/first-day-of-fall/)