In this household, I cook just for myself quite a lot, and though I love corn on the cob, I don’t usually cook it since it either requires a big pot of boiling water, or a grill.

Recently (okay, the other day), I picked up some corn at the market and as I was doing so, spoke with a woman who was selecting her corn.  She and I got into a conversation on how to cook corn for one person — the microwave.  I have done this before — a bit of water on a plate, covered with microwavable plastic, and cooked for 3-4 minutes.  Her suggestion was just as easy — wrap the cob in a wet paper towel and cook for 3-4 minutes.

This worked out fantastically.  I’m pretty sure I’ll be eating a lot more corn this summer.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie

Quick and easy to make, this ice cream cocktail can be “spiffed up” to be super fancy, or something just to surprise the kids on a spring or summer day.

Orange Juice & Vanilla Ice Cream Cocktail, for the Kids

Orange Juice & Vanilla Ice Cream Cocktail, for the Adults

Use any of the “Orange” flavored liquor that’s on the market.  Cointreau, Grand Mariner, Absolute Mandrin, etc.

One easy solution is to lower the temperature.  However, that does not always produce the desired results.  There are two solutions I usually use, and both are pretty simple to do:

1.  Add a teaspoon of oil for every 2 tablespoons of butter.  This immediately raises the burn and smoke points to an acceptable non-burning temp.  The most common high burn temp (Over 400F) oils are:  canola, olive, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rapeseed, peanut, sunflower, sesame.

2.  Make Clarified Butter or what is also known as Ghee.  Two different methods below:

Method One:

In a sauce pan, melt butter slowly.  without stirring at all.  Allow to cool and separate.   The milk solid foam will stay at the top, and milk solids will form at the bottom.  What is in the middle is the clarified butter.   Once the butter has cooled enough (it will begin to thicken), skim this foam off the top. Pour off the butter, leaving the milk solids in the pan.  Discard the milk solids, and store the clarified butter in a cool place.

Method Two (Alton Brown’s method) is just as simple:

Place butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring butter to boil. This takes approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium. The butter will form a foam which will disappear. Ghee is done when a second foam forms on top of butter, and the butter turns golden. Approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Brown milk solids will be in bottom of pan. Gently pour into heatproof container through fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Store in airtight container being sure to keep free from moisture. Ghee does not need refrigeration and will keep in airtight container for up to 1 month.

**Although using clarified butter does raise the burn point, butter will eventually burn if too high of a temp is used

The scent, and flavor of maple is one of my favorites.  I like to make oatmeal, with a touch of maple flavoring; add it to apples just before baking; warm milk with maple flavoring is just yummy, and numerous other recipes.

This one I made today.  I’ve made “blondies” many times.  I usually use chocolate chips and pecans.  But today I decided to use walnuts, white chocolate chips, and maple flavoring.

Maple Walnut Blondies

1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted and cooled (not cold)
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons maple flavoring
6 ounces white chocolate chips (I use Guittard, if possible)

If you have the time, roast the nuts on a baking sheet at 350 for bout 15 minutes.  Cool before using.  If not, no worries.  Roasting gives deeper flavor, as the oils are already released. 

Line a 13×9 baking pan with foil, and then spray or grease well. 

Mix together flour, baking powder and the salt in a bowl and put to the side.

In a larger mixing bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar, and whisk together until smooth.  The sugar will still be grainy, but the mix will look smooth. 

Add in the eggs and maple flavoring and mix well.

Add in the flour mixture.  Don’t over mix — just mix until blended.  You don’t want this to be gluey or doughy.

Add in the nuts and chips.  Pour into the baking pan.  Bake at 350, between 22 and 26 minutes, until the top is shiny and cracked.  It should be a light golden brown.  Be careful not to over bake these, as they get dry and crumbly, and aren’t all that great. 

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, and then lift from the pan by the foil edges.  Allow to cool and then cut into small squares. 

If you have any left over chocolate, melt it, and then before cutting into squares, drizzle over the top of the blondies.  Melt the chips in the microwave for 30 seconds, remove, stir, and repeat in 30 second increments, until the chips have melted.  Stir in between every time.  Then, using a fork, dip the fork into the chocolate and drizzle over the blondies.  Allow to cool, and then cut into squares.

Variations:

• Use Pecans and Chocolate
• Add in coconut (the unsweetened kind)
• Use the above recipe, with vanilla in place of the maple
• Use Hazelnuts and Hazelnut chips (I can only occasionally find these at the health food store)

I will admit, though, that as a child, I hated these green balls of nastiness.  As an adult, I learned to cook them properly (my mother over-boiled them to mush – NOT the right way!!), and have come to really look forward to them in spring.

My usual way of cooking these is just to steam them until they are soft, but still have a but of crunch left in them.  I really dislike these when they are over-cooked bits of mush. 

The recipe here was shared with me by a co-worker.  She had brought these in as leftovers from the night before, and everyone tasted them..and we all wanted more.

Brussels Sprouts, with Apple Cider Vinegar

1 pound fresh brussels sprouts, cleaned and trimmed.  Cut each in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup of vegetable stock (or water)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a sauté’ pan over medium heat.  When hot, add the brussels sprouts and salt.  Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts become golden – 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size.

Add in 1/2 cup of the stock and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat, cover and simmer with the lid slightly ajar, until the sprouts are almost tender, and most of the stock/water has simmered away.

Remove the lid, and add in the last of the stock, the sugar, and the apple cider vinegar.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced.  About 5 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper. 

These can be served either hot or cold.

Not all of the pots and pans I have are the same make — I bought the best I could find, the best pan for the job, as I found them on sale.  For example, the list price on the Calphalon Everyday Pan is $169.00.  !!!!  No way is that even near something I can afford.  However, Amazon (link) sells this regularly on sale for somewhere between $29 and $40.  Much more in line with my budget.

I recommend getting every pot and pan with a lid.  You won’t always want it, but when you do, it’ll be there.

• 1 8 Quart Pot, with steamer
• 1 Saucier, with lid
• 1 12 inch Everyday Pan, with lid
• 1 3 or 4 Quart sauce pan, with lid
• 1 10 or 12 inch Non-stick fying pan, with lid

By far, the pan I use most is the Calphalon Everyday Pan.  I can saute, fry, braise, broil, bake, roast just about anything in it.  It most litterally is used every time I cook.

The Everyday pan is made of heavy-guage hard anodized aluminum, heat safe up to 450F; it’s not officially non-stick, but “less” stick. Included with the pan is a dome shaped lit, also made of anodized aluminum. As with all of Calfalon’s products, it has a lifetime warranty.

About the only thing that I dislike is that, with a lot of use, it discolors.  Other than that one complaint, I would make this my first purchase when buying.

The pluses to this pan are numerous — Use it to make risotto, fried chicken, delicately cooked cream sauces, pancakes, omelette’s, stir fry, or roast a chicken in the oven.  Just anything.

Traditional Egg Bread (Challah)

NOTE:

If you are using this for Runza, after the first rise, roll the dough, follow the Runza directions – rolling the dough, fill, and seal.  Allow these to sit for about 20 minutes for the second rise.  Bake per the Runza directions.

This recipe is really similar to Williams-Sonoma.  I didn’t use dark or semi sweet chocolate, though, as I had milk-chocolate chips in the house already.  I also could not find “Peppermint” extract in any of my local markets, so I ended up using a genera “Mint” extract.

The original recipe has you melting the chocolate over a double boiler.  I find that to be a bit fussy, and so stick to the microwave method.  The trick to melting chocolate in the microwave is to stir it every 30 seconds, or it can burn or separate.

I made this for New Years Eve and everyone loved it.  Yummmy goodness!

Peppermint Bark

12 ounce bag chocolate chips, any – dark, semi or milk
16 ounce bag white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup peppermint candy, crushed

Preheat the oven to 250F (121C).

Crush the peppermint candy.  I used about 10 candy canes when I did this.  I tried crushing these with a wooden mallet, and then ended  up putting the candy into a ziplock, and getting out the hammer!!  Do what works for you.

Line a 9×13 pan (cake pan) with foil.  Let the foil hang over the edges and wrap it around.  Spray the foil with non-stick spray, or, using vegetable oil, spread the oil lightly over the bottom of the pan, as well as the sides.

Pour in the chocolate chips and spread them out evenly.  Try to put them in as evenly as possible the first time, so you don’t get oil on the top of the chocolate.  Place the pan in the oven for 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  The chips will look glossy, but will be melted.  Spread the chocolate out evenly.  Place in the refrigerator until firm – 20-30 minutes.  Remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Remove any condensation that may occur with a paper towel.

Once the chocolate has been out for the 10 minutes, place the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.  Place in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Remove.  Stir.  Replace and set for another 30 seconds.  Do that until the chocolate has melted.  Add in the peppermint extract and stir well.

Once the white chocolate has melted, pour it over the chocolate in the pan, and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with the crushed peppermint.   Refrigerate about 1 hour.  Lift the foil out of the pan and remove the excess peppermint and the foil.  Break or cut this into pieces.  For a more “formal” look, cut it into 2 inch wide strips.   You can store this in a cool, dry place for a couple of weeks or longer in the refrigerator.  Place the pieces in a container, layer with parchment paper and store tightly sealed.  This makes about 2 pounds.

Variations:

Replace the peppermint extract and peppermint candies, using a variation below:

Almond Bark – Use 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring, and 1/2 cup of blanched, chopped (or sliced) almonds.

Cherry Almond - use 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring, 1/3 cup dried cherries, minced, and 1/2 cup blanched, chopped (or sliced) almonds

Maple Walnut Bark – Use 1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring, and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Cranberry & Pistachios – 1/3 cup of dried cranberries, minced, and 1/2 cup of pistachios

Toasted Coconut and Almonds – 1/2 cup blanched, chopped (or sliced) almonds, and 1/3 cup of shredded coconut

Other variations:

Peanut Butter-  Replace the white chocolate, mint and peppermint candies with  16 ounces Peanut butter chips and  1/2 cup salted peanuts

Butterscotch – Replace the white chocolate with peanut butter chips, the chocolate with butterscotch chips, don’t use the peppermint extract, and replace the candy with peanuts and broken pretzels

Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties

1 egg white
4 cups powdered sugar (10x)
1/3 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
cornstarch
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips (either semi-sweet, or milk)

Beat the egg white until frothy, but don’t let it get stiff.

Begin adding the powdered sugar, blending with a mixer, if you have one. A fast whisk if you don’t.

Add in the corn syrup and the peppermint extract. You will need to knead this with your hands — add in more powdered sugar if you need to, until the mix isn’t sticky.

Cover a surface with cornstarch, and roll our the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter (think fun shapes for holidays), cut out the dough. If you use a 2 inch cutter, you should be able to get about 20. Set the cut out pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If refrigerating overnight, cover with plastic wrap.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. Use a microwave, and do short 30 second burts, stirring in-between, so the chocolate melts slowly, and isn’t broken.

Remove the peppermints from the refrigerator. Grab a second baking sheet, and line it with more parchment paper. Dip each piece into the melted chocolate (use a couple of forks, drop the piece in, lift out with the forks, and remove the excess chocolate by tapping the bowl. Place the peppermints on the parchment to cool. If this goes slowly for you, reheat the chocolate, again using the 30 second method, until the chocolate is melted again. Continue to dip the peppermints until you are finished. Don’t forget to lick the forks when you are done ;)

Refrigerate the peppermints for 30 or so minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened up. Wrap in candy wraps, and store in a cool dry area for up to 2 weeks.