Extra Schmaltz!

This might not justify posting an entire recipe if it weren't for the fact that it was AMAZING. It's mostly a variation on Mom's original pancake recipe , but it's more than the sum of its parts, and is perfect for fall weather. They turn out really fluffy- you can make them with normal milk, but the buttermilk really makes them that much better. Ingredients Dry: 2 c. flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda (optional) 2 Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1-2 tsp. cinnamon to taste Wet: 2 eggs beaten. 2 Tbsp. oil or melted butter Buttermilk (which combined with wet ingredients equals 2 cups total, so ~1.5 cups) or milk + 1 Tbsp. acid 1 large apple (I used one of those giant Jonagolds) cored and either grated or food processed. Walnuts, crushed. Preparation Combine wet ingredients with each other, dry ingredients with each other, then mix wet into dry until combined with some lumps left. Fold in apple. Pour the pancakes into a greased pan - add the crushed walnuts to the panc...

These cupcakes are completely bonkers. Moist, springy, flavorful, but not overly rich. They are based on my Apple Cupcakes recipe with a vanilla-bean version of Frances Frosting.  The basic principle could be used with any flavor--and I've had it as a sheet cake with orange jello and mandarin oranges, which was fantastic. You can go 100% trailer trash and frost it with Cool-Whip, but I recommend the frosting variation below. You can see the incredibly moist strawberry interior of a completed cupcake in the lower right. 1 recipe Apple Cupcakes (or other white or yellow cake) 1 package strawberry Jell-O 1 c. boiling water 12 strawberry fruit snacks for garnish foil cupcake liners with paper lining pink sprinkles ~2 c. frosting (see below) Place the paper liners in the cupcake pan, saving the foil liners for later. Fill each cup to within 1/4" of the rim. Bake as directed (22 minutes). Allow to cool to about room temperature in the pan. Poke 10-12 holes in each c...

These are based on a Texas sheet cake recipe and turn out unbelievably moist and springy, ready for whatever frosting tickles your fancy. They have the added advantage of not needing the tiresome butter-creaming step. This recipe also makes a great sheet cake, but may need a couple more minutes. Makes 12+ cupcakes. Preheat oven to 350° 1/2 c. unsalted butter (1 stick) 3 apples, peeled 1.5 c. sugar 1/2 c. buttermilk or sour cream 2 eggs 1 Tbsp. vanilla 2 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. salt Grate the apples into a bowl. Squeeze them dry, retaining the juice in a measuring cup. Add water (if needed) to reach 1 c. liquid. Place the juice and the butter into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. While mixture is still warm, whisk in the sugar, then buttermilk and vanilla. Allow the mixture to cool while you sift together the dry ingredients. When it is cool enough not to cook the eggs, whisk in the eggs. Mix in the flour gradually, bl...

This is such a simple recipe, but it turned out just the way I wanted it to - almost exactly like Great Harvest's Honey Wheat bread, without the bother of grinding my own flour. I don't think their version has oats in it, but I like them and they tend to keep the bread nice and soft. This recipe produces two loaves, since if you're making bread by hand, you might as well make two. Honey Wheat Oat Bread 2 c. white flour 2 c. wheat flour 2 c. oats 1/2 c. honey 1/4 c. oil (I mixed olive and salad) 2 Tbsp. molasses 2.5 tsp salt 3 tsp yeast 2.25 or so cups of water Optional: Flax seeds Sunflower seeds Standard bread procedure: Mix, knead, let rise, punch down, let rise again, shape into loaves (I made two loaves), place in greased loaf pans, let rise a bit in pan, bake at 350 until done.

Pozole is a hearty Mexican soup or stew that come in several different styles (with pork or chicken, red, white or green). This recipe can be made either as a pozole, using hominy, or as a white chicken chili, using cannellini beans (or heck, use both). The tomatillos are optional, but add a nice tartness and more color.  You will be surprised that all the green chiles don't make it very hot, so feel free to up the spice level if you like. This serves 6 hungry people.  This is the chicken chili style, which uses beans instead of hominy.   3 lbs bone-in chicken, skin removed 2 large red onions, one half reserved for garnish 3 jalapeño chiles, one reserved for garnish 3 anaheim chiles 2 poblano chiles 5-6 tomatillos, husked 7 garlic cloves, crushed 1 heaping Tbsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. ground coriander 2 cans white beans or hominy, rinsed and drained 1/2 bundle cilantro, chopped Salt and black pepper Oil or lard Garnishes : 3 limes, quartered (reserve jui...

Or "How to Make Brown Lentil Soup that Doesn't Taste Like Dirt". Here in Morocco, Melanie and I have had the problem that we can't find anything other than brown lentils - she's asked locals, and looked around pretty extensively, and hasn't been able to find the much tastier red variety. However, after a lot of travel, we were desperately craving something simple and vegetarian like lentil soup, and so I did my best to come up with a recipe that wasn't just edible, but delicious. Ingredients 1 smallish head cauliflower, cut into very small pieces 1 large carrot, cut into small pieces 1 medium onion, minced 4-7 cloves garlic, peeled but whole 2 Tbsp olive oil 1.5-2.5 c. brown lentils, picked over and cleaned if they're sketchy Water or broth sufficient for the quantity of lentils (I always just eyeball this) 2-3 bay leaves (depending on size and quality) 1/2 tsp cumin (optional) S&P Parsley (flat leaf is best), minced, 1-2 tsp per bowl of soup Lemon...

I found this recipe partly by experimentation, partly by accident. Baking while distracted, I accidentally added too much flour, which gave the cookies more body and kept them from spreading out too much. I intentionally used part shortening to further prevent spreading, and some corn syrup to keep them moist. I drizzled them with leftover chocolate glaze from Chocolate Meringue Gondolas . If you click to enlarge this picture the cookies look more delicious. Preheat oven to 375° and place parchment paper on two baking sheets. 1 lb. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 4 oz. unsalted butter, softened (1 stick) 4 oz. shortening, softened 3/4 c. white sugar 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/4 c. light corn syrup 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used half white chocolate) 1/2 c. roasted walnuts, finely chopped Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and shortening until they ar...