Chocolate Brownies Recipe (Anastasia’s Choco-Bread )

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 sticks salted butter
  • 12 oz bittersweet chocolate
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 ¼ cup turbinado sugar
  • 1 ¼ cup dark brown sugar
  • 3 tsp vanilla
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 ½ c unbleached flour

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a double boiler.
  2. Add chocolate. Remove from heat. Stir until chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool.
  3. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add sugars/vanilla/salt. Mix well.
  4. While whisking, gradually add chocolate mixture until completely combined.
  5. Add flour.
  6. Grease a 9×13” glass pan. Bake at 350* for 30-40 min.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

  • 16 oz Jif creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1 cup turbinado sugar
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • coarse sugar

Instructions

  1. Mix peanut butter/ in a large bowl.
  2. Add eggs/vanilla/baking soda/cinnamon. Mix until creamy.
  3. Form walnut-sized balls. Flatten slightly on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
  4. Bake at 350* for ~11 min.

Gruyere Grits

Ingredients

  • 5 c water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 ½ cup grits
  • 8 oz gruyere, shredded
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

  1. Boil water/salt in a large saucepan.
  2. Whisk in grits. Bring back to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to med-low. Simmer 12-15 minutes, until thickened.
  4. Whisk in gruyere/milk/butter/pepper.
  5. Simmer until slightly thickened again.

Rice Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Citrus Vinaigrette

Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2-3 sweet potatoes, diced (½-¾ in cubes)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp thyme (dried)
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

  1. Toss sweet potatoes with oil/thyme/salt/pepper.
  2. Spread on a baking sheet. Roast at 450* for ~20 min, until tender.

Rice Salad

Ingredients

  • ½ c slivered almonds, toasted at 350 for exactly ~5 min
  • 4 cups vegtable stock
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups rice (basmati/brown is best)
  • ¾ c flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 2 lemons, zested
  • 1 c green onions, thinly sliced (green & white parts)

Instructions

  1. Boil stock/salt/oil.
  2. Add rice and cover.
  3. Simmer on low ~40 min, until liquid has been absorbed and rice is al dente.
  4. Cool 5-10 min. Fluff with a fork.
  5. Toss with remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • ⅓ c olive oil
  • 2 oranges, juiced (~½ c)
  • 2 lemons, juiced (~¼ c.)
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • ¾ tsp pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine vinaigrette ingredients and allow to sit at least 1 hour.
  2. Pour over rice salad mix and toss to combine.
  3. Top with roasted sweet potatoes.

Lamb Meatballs & Almond Sauce ( Albóndigas en Salsa con Picada de Almendras )

Meatballs

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 2 slices bread (any kind)
  • ½ small onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • olive oil

Instructions

  1. Beat egg in large bowl. Add lamb/bread/ onion/garlic/parsley/salt/pepper. Mix well.
  2. Shape into walnut-sized balls.
  3. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet. Add meatballs. Fry until browned on all sides.

Almond Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 c stock
  • 1 cup dry white wine (or cooking wine)
  • 2 pinches saffron threads
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 2 slices bread
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • ½  tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil. Fry almonds/ bread/garlic until golden brown. Remove solids and cool slightly, leaving oil in the pan.
  2. Combine almond mixture/wine in a food processor and blend until mostly smooth.
  3. Reheat pan. Add almond mixture/ saffron/lemon zest/salt/pepper/stock and bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat and add meatballs. Cover. Simmer ~25 min, until thickened.

Notes:

Great with roasted green beans & rye toast!

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

1 ½ lb beef (flank steak or sirloin)
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ cup sliced mushrooms
flour
½ cup purple onion, diced
4 tbsp butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp tomato paste
12 oz dry egg noodles
2 bouillon cubes
1 tsp salt
½-1 tsp pepper

Instructions

  1. Cut meat into bite-sized strips. Coat in flour.
  2. Cook egg noodles.
  3. Heat a skillet on high. Add 2 tbsp butter.
  4. Once butter is melted, add meat and sprinkle with a little salt/pepper. Brown slightly.
  5. Add mushrooms/onions/garlic. Sautee until meat is medium-rare. Transfer to a bowl.
  6. Add 2 tbsp butter/bouillon/tomato paste/¼ c water. Cook on med-high until bubbly.
  7. Reduce heat to med-low. Add 1 tbsp flour/sour cream.
  8. Add meat/wine. Simmer until thickened.
  9. Serve over egg noodles.

Chili

Ingredients

1 ½ lb hamburger

1 package apple sausage

2 shots bourbon ( for smokiness )

1 sm purple onion, diced

2 tsp chili powder

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 green pepper, diced

3 jalepenos, seeded and diced

1 tomato, diced

1 tbsp salt

½ tbsp pepper

1 tbsp cumin

a few shots of Tabasco™

olive oil

2 tbsp bacon grease

12 oz can diced tomato

½  can tomato paste

1 can pinto beans

1 can red kidney beans

3-4 c water

white vinegar

Fritos™

cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook sausage.
  2. Brown hamburger on high for ~2 min.
  3. Add garlic and ½ the onion. Sautee for 5 min.
  4. Drain ~½ the meat fat. Transfer to a large soup pot.
  5. Add the remaining ingredients, except vinegar/fritos/cheese. Boil.
  6. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2+ hours, stirring frequently.
  7. Season with vinegar to taste.
  8. Serve with Fritos/cheese.

Hummus

Ingredients

  • 1 can chickpeas
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ⅛ tsp cayenne
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 3 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded
  • 2+ tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp veg stock

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 extra large eggs
  • 4 medium spotted bananas (not too brown or too yellow)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • ½  tsp salt
  • 1 ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions

  1. Mash bananas in mixer. Transfer to a large bowl.
  2. Add sugar/oil/eggs/vanilla. Mix well.
  3. Sift in flour/baking soda/salt. Mix well.
  4. Stir in walnuts.
  5. Transfer batter to loaf pans (either 3 small or 2 large).
  6. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 350*.

Apple Pie

Ingredients

6-7 cups apples, peeled and sliced (not too thin because they will turn to mush as they cook)  **I prefer to use about half green (granny smith), half red (usually gala) apples

1/2 – 1 cup sugar

1 – 2 tbsp flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp lemon zest (optional)

1 to 2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 – 3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp butter

pie crust (store-bought or homemade)

Instructions

  1. Pour lemon juice and zest over apples in a large bowl. Stir to coat.
  2. In a smaller bowl, mix together sugar/flour/salt/nutmeg/cinnamon. Pour over the apples. Stir to coat.
  3. Pour apples into pie pan and pack them tightly. Sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture/butter cubes.
  4. Cover with top crust. Press edges down with a wet fork.
  5. Cook at 375* for 45-60 min, until apples are cooked the way you like.

Notes

**Use 1 c sugar for tart green apples, less if using a sweeter variety.

**Cover a cookie sheet with foil and put your pie on it in the oven to catch any juice that boils over, so it doesn’t trash your oven.