Twice baked sweet potatoes

From Taste of Home, October 2010

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 oz cream cheese
2 T sour cream
1 T butter
1/4 t salt
2 T brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Scrub potatoes; pierce with a knife or fork to vent.  Bake 50-60 minutes at 425.  Cut a thin slice off the top, scoop out the pulp, leaving a thin layer with the skin, and mash.  Add cream cheese, sour cream, butter and salt. Mix well.

Spoon mixture back into potato shells.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Bake 10-15 minutes longer at 425.

Chai spiced winter squash puree

From myrecipes.com

10 c peeled butternut or other winter squash, cut in 1" cubes
2 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t pepper
1/8 t ground ginger
1/8 t ground cardamom
1/8 t cumin
dash of white pepper
dash of ground cloves
2 large shallots, peeled and quartered
1 large onion, cut in 1" pieces
1/4 c water
1 T brown sugar

Combine all but water and sugar, tossing well to coat.  Place on lined jelly roll pan and bake at 375 for 50 minutes or until tender.  Process with water and brown sugar in a food processor or blender until smooth.

French onion soup

This is really good--never had better in any restaurant.  The recipe is from Southern Living and makes 8 generous servings.  And it's really easy to make.

6 large sweet onions, sliced thin
1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
32 oz beef broth (I used homemade)
2 cans beef consommé
1/4 c dry white wine
1 t thyme

Combine onions, melted butter, salt and pepper in slow cooker and cook 8 hours on low.  Stir in broth, consommé, wine and thyme and cook 15 minutes more (or until hot).

Cut 2" thick slices of French bread and top with shredded Gruyere cheese.  Put under the broiler until cheese melts.

Ladle soup into crocks and submerge cheese bread in broth.

Mulled cider

A great warm spiced cider for the holidays!


Qty Measure Ingredient
------------------------------------------------------------
1 quart cider
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon clove
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 cinnamon stick

Instructions: Heat cider and orange juice in a large saucepan.  Add spices.  Bring almost to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat, cover and let steep for an hour.  Remove cinnamon; reheat and pour into mugs.  Serve with fresh cinnamon stick stirrers.

Avocado tomato mozzarella salad

This is from www.justaspoonfulof.com.  Just in time for tomato season.  This is simple and really delicious.

2 avocados, peeled, pitted and cut in cubes
3 tomatoes, peeled and cut in cubes
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, cut in cubes
2 T olive oil
10-15 basil leaves, chopped or 2 t dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

Put the tomatoes, avocados and mozzarella in a bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Add basil, salt and pepper.  Serve immediately

Roast chicken (slow cooker)

This delicious recipe is from Fix it and Forget It.  Had it last night with one of our fresh chickens.

1 T salt
2 t paprika
1 1/2 t onion powder
1 1/2 t garlic powder
1 1/2 t basil
1 t dry mustard
1 t cumin
2 t pepper
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t savory

2 T butter
2 c chopped onion
(original recipe also calls for 1 c chopped green pepper but I don't use)

1 roasting chicken

Combine the seasonings in a small bowl.

Saute the onion (and pepper, if you use it) and 3 T seasoning mix in butter until onions are golden.  Stuff chicken cavity with cooled onions.  Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with the remaining 1 T seasoning and rub in well.

Put the chicken in the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Put the juice from the chicken, the onions from the cavity, and 1/4 c flour in a saucepan and cook until thickened.  Add broth if you like it thinner.

Blueberry cake

3 T butter
1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 c sour cream
1 c plus 2 T flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c blueberries

Line the bottom of a slow cooker with parchment paper.  Coat the paper and the sides of the crock with cooking spray.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, vanilla and sour cream, beating until well mixed.  Add 1 c flour, baking soda and salt and beat just until mixed (do not overbeat).  Toss blueberries in 2 T flour and fold into batter.  Spread batter in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high until cake tester comes out clean (2 1/4-2 1/2 hours).

This moist, yummy cake is from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker (Hensperger).  I cut back the sugar to 1/3 c and didn't miss it at all.  Great way to use some fresh blueberries.  If you use frozen, they must be thawed before cooking in the slow cooker.