Country-Bread Stuffing with Parmesan, Craisins, and Pine Nuts

Country-Bread Stuffing with Parmesan, Craisins, and Pine Nuts
Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 14.5-ounce loaves country-style white sourdough bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 16 cups)
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 1/2 ounces)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 cup cubed butternut squash, browned
2 very large onions, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped celery
2 large red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
8 garlic cloves, chopped
4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
4 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 cup craisins
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 to 3/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
4 large eggs, beaten to blend

Canned low-salt chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 2 large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Place half of bread pieces in large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons oil and toss to coat, then add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss. Spread bread in single layer on 1 prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining bread, 3 tablespoons oil, and 1/2 cup cheese; spread on second sheet. Bake bread until golden, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets. Transfer to very large bowl.
Cook butternut squash with olive oil in pan til brown and soft.
Melt 1/4 cup butter with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and bell peppers; sauté until vegetables begin to brown and are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add chopped garlic, rosemary, and oregano; stir 1 minute. Add craisins and pine nuts; stir 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bread. Stir 1/2 cup basil and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan into stuffing. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mix eggs into stuffing.

To bake all of stuffing in baking dish:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish, depending on recipe. Add enough extra broth to stuffing to moisten (3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cups). Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.
Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup basil over stuffing and serve.

Banana Buttermilk Pancakes

Banana Buttermilk Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 - 1/3 cup milk
(add enough to get pouring consistency)
2 lg eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 ripe banana, mashed

Mix dry ingredients. Add rest of ingredients and mix until blended.

Coconut Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
Bring to a boil in a large pan.

Remove from heat and stir in:
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Mixture will fizz and double in size. Serve hot over warm pancakes.
(Be sure to grease griddle with coconut oil!)

Layer Pumpkin Cake

1pkg. Vanilla Cake Mix
1 can pumpkin (15 oz), divided
1/2 C milk
1/3 C Canola oil
4 large eggs
1-1/2 t pumpkin Pie spice
1pkg cream cheese 8 oz
1 c powdered sugar
8 oz of whipping cream, whipped
Carmel topping

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees, prepare 2 9in round cake pans. Beat cake mix, 1cup pumpkin, milk, oil, and eggs and 1t. of pumpkin pie spice. Divide into 2 cake pans evenly. Bake for 20 to 22 min. Cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and remaining pumpkin and 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice. Add powdered sugar and mix til creamy. Stir in whipped cream.

Cut each cool cake in half horizontally. Stack on plate with cream cheese filling in the middle of each layer. Ending with 3 layers of cream cheese. Cool until ready to serve. Right before serving drizzle with carmel sauce, and chopped pecans.

Carmel Sauce
1 cube of butter
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
Melt in pan over medium heat, when melted add
1 C cream
Cook for about 3 min until sugar is all the way dissolved.

Rice with Chicken, Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onions, halved and sliced in about 1/4 inch slices
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 cups baby arugula, baby spinach or baby kale (if your leaves have long stems pinch off most of them)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups butternut squash , diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 -3 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
2 eggs, beaten
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ cup fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Cook the rice in plenty of salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes or until it's tender but still has just a bit of bite (pull out a few grains at about 9-10 minutes and check). Drain and rinse with cold water. Let it sit in strainer to completely drain, then transfer to a large bowl.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add olive oil, onions, brown sugar and salt. Stir to combine and cook over medium low heat until deep golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Once onions are caramelized, add spinach or argula and stir until greens are just beginning to wilt.

3. Add olive oil to empty pan and heat for a minute or so over medium heat. Add butternut squash (or any other type of squash), sprinkle with sea salt and sauté until tender and golden, about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionallyy. Add garlic, cooking and stirring for 30 seconds longer then add dried cranberries and chicken. Stir to combine then transfer this mixture to pan with rice and squash.

4. Heat pan one more time, there should be enough oil from the squash, if not spray with a bit of cooking spray. When pan is hot, at eggs and let sit for about 30 seconds then start stirring until eggs are cooked and broken up into small pieces. Add eggs to rice mixture.

4. Gently stir all ingredients in bowl to combine, taste and add salt pepper to taste and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

3/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cocoa powder
6 ounces butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
Ganache, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Whisk together boiling water and cocoa. Cover and set aside. With a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and add this mixture, alternately with the buttermilk. Add cocoa and water mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.

Scoop into cupcake pans filling the cup 1/2 full. Add one small scoop of ganache then top off with more batter filling each cup about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Ganache

12 ounces chocolate
12oz heavy cream
Heat cream in pan and add chopped chocolate and mix together until chocolate in melted. Cool in frig for 24 hours or in the freezer for 30 min.
24 medium-sized cupcakes

Carrot Cake

2-1/3 C Flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
3 eggs
1/2 c oil
3/4 c cooked and pureed carrots
1/2 c buttermilk
2 C sugar
2 t vanilla
1 - 8 oz can of crushed pineapple
2 C grated carrots

Combine all ingredients and bake in a 9x13 grease and floured pan.
350 degrees for 55 minuets.

Cool and top with cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting

5 oz of butter
8 oz of cream cheese
2-3 C powdered sugar
Whip together and top carrot cake

Vegetarian Chili

1 onion chopped
3 cans of beans (black, pinto, kidney etc.)
2 cans of stewed tomates
1/3 c ketchup
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sage
2 tsp worchestershire sauce

Brown onion in pot and add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for an hour or so.