Fried Chicken and Cheesesteaks

3 1/3 cups jasmine rice 6 cups chicken stock 1 12oz bag frozen chopped butternut squash large handful (about 1/2 cup) of craisins / dried cranberries 1/2 an apple sliced dash of salt (depending on the salt level of your stock/broth) First, you must get up at 6:30and slice about ten apples for the homeschool group.     Make sure you save about half an apple from the kids lunch, then bring it home, let it age on the counter for about two hours, and then chop finely for the rice.     (or you could just chop an apple, skin on, but what fun is that??) Throw ingredients into Instantpot, stir exactly four times (ok, it doesn't matter) and hit "rice" button.  

A variation on the Pioneer Woman's Pumpkin cake - more spices, added blackstrap molasses, doubled the recipe for two 13 x 9 (two potlucks same weekend), and adjusted to use one large can of pumpkin: - preheat oven to 350, prep two 13 x 9 pans - grease or spray them with cooking spray  - fill and start tea kettle - Melt 1 pound of butter stir in: 1 29oz can pumpkin puree add: 2 Tbs blackstrap molasses 1 Tbs cinnamon 1 Tbs ginger 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1 tbsp vanilla some freshly ground nutmeg (would have added the cardamon if I found it quick)  stir in: 1 3/4 C boiling water meanwhile whisk together in a big bowl: 4 cups flour 4 cups sugar 4 tsp baking soda and in a small bowl mix: 1 cup plain kefir  (or milk with a bit of sour cream or plain yogurt equaling 1 cup) 4 eggs Fold it all together the give up and get out your hand mixer until blended (this is cake!  not too much mixing!).  Divide batter b...

(at the moment this is just notes for me ... I'll try to expand soon) Per 1 lb box of risotto: olive oil & butter, add risotto 3/4 cup white wine dash of Worcestershire sauce bit of saffron 1 small or 1/2 large onion, sauteed 4 portabello mushrooms, chopped and sauteed 4 cups broth (chicken and mushroom if possible) 7 min manual, wait 5+ min before you release 1.5 cups/Parmesan

As we dive into a new school year, quick breakfasts are a big help for busy mornings.     I made a BIG batch and wrapped most individually for the freezer!   3 sticks butter, softened 4 cups sugar (I did 2 white, 2 brown) 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cloves 1/4 tsp allspice   3 T ginger (yes tablespooon) 1 teaspoon cinnamon 6 eggs 1 Tablespoon baking soda 2 teaspoon baking powder 10 super ripe bananas, smooshed 2 carrots, grated 1 1/2 cups plain kefir*  * or buttermilk, or milk and a little sour cream or a mix of milk and plain yogurt or even just milk ... 2 cups rolled (old fashioned) oats 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour Cream together butter, sugar, spices and baking soda/powder.       Add eggs, then bananas, then kefir.    Mix in grated carrots.        Then mix in flour and oats WITH A LIGHT HAND. Scoop into muffin papers - th...

Life with three kids gets interesting.    Someone, probably someone with the same last name, left the freezer open a little bit ... enough that the ice bucket had chilled water and most of the food thawed.     Including a whole quart of New Jersey blueberries frozen for a winter pie.   I also had three ready-for-baking overripe bananas.  So I decided the only course of action (besides tossing thawed meat and cleaning the freezer) was to make muffins - a LOT of muffins: Melt (or better yet brown !) a two sticks of butter.    Stir in three mushed overripe bananas.  Cool a little bit then stir in 1 1/2 cups of milk and a cup of sour cream, then 5 eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla and if you have it on hand a dash of orange oil .     Then add one cup of brown sugar and one cup of white sugar.  In a separate bowl measure 7 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 Tablespoons of Baking powder (YES TABLES...

A most excellent addition to a late Winter or Spring Brunch menu.    It's a lighter chicken salad - no mayo or dairy in the dressing - so pairs well with a buttery croissant.     Serve a scoop in the center of a strawberry and pecan salad or just with some saltines for a quick lunch.   1st:   roast two chickens   (or grab a rotisserie from Wegmans or Costco or your favorite place) 2nd:   make the dressing: 1 Tablespoon roasted garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon rosemary powder or some chopped FRESH rosemary.   (if you only have dried needles skip them) 1 tsp dried chives 1 tsp dried savory 2 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp salt    1/4 C toasted dry onion pieces OR one large sweet onion, chopped and caramelized Add enough water to reconstitute the dried herbs (and onions if applicable) add:  1 cup whole grain dijon mustard 3/4 cup honey 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil Pick the m...

 So Philadelphia, the home of my youth and my home again now, has a rich culinary heritage.       Pies and chicken and veggies from the Pennsylvania Dutch influence.    Breads and salamis and cheeses from the multiple European influences.   Soft Pretzels from German immigrants.   And of course spectacular pizza, pasta, hoagies and cheesteaks on every block, normally by 2nd or 3rd generation of family ownership with a Greek or Italian surname.    What you don't find too often here ... BISCUITS.    But I married a man of Southern heritage, South Carolina to be precise, and I decided 2017 would be the year of the biscuit.    A few things I've learned: 1)  Self rising flour expires.    Of course in most cases if flour is in a Tupperware canister it doesn't really go BAD ... so I didn't worry about how old mine might be.   (only later I realized it was p...

My husband asked recently about a mushroom soup, so when I was at the grocery store recently I picked up a big package each of sliced baby portabellas and sliced white button mushrooms.    This their story.   1st, starting yesterday, roast a chicken and make stock overnight from the bones.     WHAT?   You didn't want to roast a chicken just to make mushroom soup?   Ok.  In that case you'll need about 1.5 quarts of chicken or veggie broth.    Rinse the mushrooms well, while your soup pot or dutch oven heats with a turn of olive oil.     Add the mushrooms, cover and let them cook down.    Stir once in a while.      Meanwhile crush up a good handful of a more flavorful dried mushroom into some hot stock.   I had dried porcinis on hand, but there are lots of different ones available.    Once the mushrooms are...