Chocolate Puddle Cookies

Chocolate Puddle Cookies could be called accidentally gluten-free, because they are gluten-free, but without the weird texture that gluten-free desserts can have. In addition, they don’t require any of the goofy alternative flour products typical of gluten-free recipes. Everything on the ingredients list, I already have in my pantry for baking.  I buy walnuts at a big-box store and keep them in the freezer. The best part is that everyone in the family loves these, both those who are gluten-free and those who are . . . (What’s the opposite of gluten-free? glutinous?) not. This includes my teenage nephew and my own two girls, ages 9 and 11. I use regular table salt instead of sea salt.  The goofy measurement of cocoa powder in this recipe has always bothered me, “1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons” so I recently tried an even 3/4 cup to simplify the measuring and it seemed to work fine; otherwise I do these as written.

Looking at the reviews of this recipe, there does seem to be some variation in results in cooking time, perhaps because of brand of confectioner’s sugar, perhaps because of measuring technique, and there is always a possible element of user error as well. I myself make these a bit smaller than in the original recipe, closer to 1 tablespoon drops than to 2 tablespoons, and yet they still bake for the full 15 minute baking time.

Fabulous with a cup of coffee!

Tequila-Glazed Grilled Chicken Thighs

Tequila-Glazed Grilled Chicken Thighs is a great summer weekend or holiday recipe. It requires a simple rub and a glaze, and grilling takes extra time, but the added effort is totally worth it. This chicken is slightly spicy and slightly sweet, which is one of my favorite combinations. If you can’t find chipotle powder, you can purchase whole dried chipotles, chop them roughly, and run them through a spice grinder. (Our spice grinder is really just a cheap hand-held coffee grinder, kept separate for that purpose) It’s great on every piece of chicken as well, not just thighs. We often just purchase a whole chicken and cut it up. You will need both lime juice and lime zest for the glaze; it amounts to about one lime. Buy a few limes at the store and pair with a wonderful lime margarita!

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

Rosemary Ranch Chicken is a kabob recipe, but I’ve never done it that way. I was introduced to this recipe at a barbecue, and I enjoyed it so much that I asked the host for the recipe. The marinade makes chicken breast tender and flavorful. I appreciate the fact that it calls for an amount of minced fresh rosemary, rather than a number of sprigs. How long is a sprig when your rosemary bush is four feet tall? I use homemade ranch dressing, but there’s no reason not to use bottled if that’s what you have. To re-imagine leftovers, slice the leftover chicken thinly. Spread the cut side of a hamburger bun, perhaps a Beautiful Burger Bun, with olive oil and toast under your broiler. When the bun is just starting to brown, put a slice of white cheese on the top half and continue to toast until the bun is well browned and the cheese is melted. If your chicken is cold, zap it in the microwave for 15 seconds or so. Then put the chicken on the bun and eat. Crunchy and gooey and flavorful!

Who Loves Ya Baby-Back?

Who Loves Ya Baby-Back? isn’t just a tasty way to prepare meaty, juicy baby back ribs, but it’s also a versatile rub recipe that you can use on virtually any protein. We have used the rub from this recipe on chicken, shrimp, various cuts of pork and beef. Fish might be the only thing we haven’t tried it on, but then again, I think it would be great on salmon. It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and a tiny bit spicy. It’s also an incredibly forgiving recipe. We don’t have the jalapeno seasoning that this calls for, so we add some extra cayenne and throw in a bit of paprika as well. We make big batches of the rub and keep it in the pantry sealed in a container. I find that “times four” is a nice, round number. For crock-pot pulled pork, rub your pork butt with the rub 24 hours before you want to cook it, and add 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke in your crock-pot. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Maple Chipotle Sauce

Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Maple Chipotle Sauce is one of two recipes for which I keep canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce on hand at all times. I blend an entire can in the blender — peppers, adobo sauce and all — and then freeze in ice cube trays. For this recipe, we use about 1/2 a cube. We have purchased and used the grade B maple syrup before, but in the end, decided it was easier just to use the regular syrup we keep around for pancakes. It is real maple syrup, but not a special grade. Mixed into the sauce, it’s not really that different. This recipe is also fantastic done with a pork loin. Mashed potatoes make a nice side because you can pour the sauce on the potatoes as well.

Poor Man’s Gumbo

Poor Man’s Gumbo is one of the reasons I keep halved, seeded jalapenos in my freezer in a freezer bag. Since I also have those baggies of bacon, four slices apiece, in my freezer, this becomes a pantry dish that we can make anytime we aren’t sure what to make for dinner. The bacon is sprinkled on top, so the amount can easily be cut down, as well. Either way, the only real change I make to this recipe is I add salt, a couple of times. Once with the sauteed celery and onion, again once everything is in the pan, and possibly a third time at the end to adjust for seasoning. A bit of pepper doesn’t hurt it, either. Leftovers make a great lunch for the next day.

Rum Punch

a small batch of Rum Punch

Rum Punch is great fun for summer parties. I like it as written, but some of our guests dilute it with plain seltzer water; I recommend having some on hand. A small batch is a nice addition to our Friday night’s Snack Plate.

Wilted Kale with Bacon and Vinegar

Wilted Kale with Bacon and Vinegar is one of the reasons we started buying bacon several pounds at a time and freezing some 4-slice portions in individual baggies. You can really use any kind of kale – we grow several kinds in our winter garden. My kids will still only eat a bite of this when forced, but I love it. If you don’t like kale, then you aren’t using enough bacon.

Foolproof Oven Baked Brown Rice

Foolproof Oven Baked Brown Rice is the only way I ever cook brown rice. We do own a rice steamer, which I am utterly devoted to for jasmine or California calrose rice, but this oven recipe gives brown rice an extra something that it doesn’t get in a rice steamer. I even made this for a party once, and it was a big hit. Sometimes I freeze individual portions in baggies for those times when I don’t have a whole hour to devote to cooking my rice; it freezes well.

Roasted Garlic Chicken

Roasted Garlic Chicken served with corn on the cob and chicken jus on the side

Roasted Garlic Chicken is the only reason I keep oregano growing in my backyard.  I recommend using dark-meat, skin-on, bone-in chicken for this. If you have the time, dry off the skin with paper towels, and let the chicken hang out uncovered on a platter in the fridge for two or three days before you prepare it. Doing this will allow the skin to dry out, resulting in extra crispy skin.  Serve with fresh corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, or bread so you have something to drizzle your garlicky chicken juices onto.