Schnitzel

Boneless pork cutlets
1 egg and a splash of milk (1/8 - 1/4 cup should do it, I used the 2% I had on hand)
flour for dredging cutlets
1 Cup of Panko Bread crumbs
1 tsp paprika
2-3 Tbsp of oil (for the skillet)
salt & pepper

Use a mallet or rolling pin (or whatever you have) to pound/roll the cutlets to 1/8" thickness (though mine are usually more like 1/4" to be honest ...) Most recipes call for you to add the salt and pepper to the flour or the bread crumb mixture, but I prefer to put it directly on the meat. I sprinkle both sides and then dredge them in flour to coat. From there they go into the egg mixture - simply whisk together 1 egg and a splash of milk and dunk the cutlets individually and then pop them right into the panko. Now I am sure that panko are not the traditional bread crumbs used by German grandmas, but they sure do make amazing schnitzel - so crunchy! I put the panko into a pie plate and mix in 1 tsp of paprika. Once all of my cutlets are prepped, I heat a large non-stick skillet, add 2-3 Tbsp of oil and then when the oil is nice and hot (as in, when you toss in a few breadcrumbs they instantly sizzle), I add the cutlets. Cook them about 3-4 minutes on one side, flip and cook about 3 minutes on the other and then ... you are done! So easy, so tasty!

Spaetzle

7 eggs
2 Cups of AP Flour
1/4 Cup milk (I use 2%)

I combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well incorporated, then I rest it in the fridge for about an hour - when it comes out of the fridge it should be kind of like elastic-y pancake batter.

To turn the batter into spaetzle, you need some equipment and a large pot of (gently) boiling water or broth. Tradition dictates a spaetzle board - you plop some batter onto the board (it looks like a handled cutting board with a 45 degree slope at the bottom which gets submerged in the boiling water) and use a blade to form individual spaetzle and roll them into the water. As someone who LOVES fussy cooking techniques I really wanted to try this, but the boards are not easy to come by and a friend convinced me that, tradition be damned, it would be far too messy and difficult to put up with. I have also heard tell of pastry bags and using a cheese grater, but a friend of mine has an actual honest to goodness spaetzle press he was generous enough to loan me (naturally he was also invited for dinner!) It worked like a charm!

Now, a word about the spaetzle press: in order to bring a "unitasker" into my already cramped teensy kitchen, it has to be mighty special. Like, my pizzelle press - I can't make pizzelles without it and life without pizzelles is simply not worth living. For realsies! But is it really a unitasker? Kind of yes, but I don't use pizzelles only as cookies - while still hot you can roll them into (non-traditional) cannoli shells, you can turn them into waffle cones and you can even press one inside a small dish to make a waflfle cup for ice cream! So yeah, it IS a unitasker, it only makes pizzelles, but pizzelles can make many things!

But a spaetzle press? What else can I make with a spaetzle press? Well ... my friend's spaetzle press bore a remarkable resemblance to ... a potato ricer! A few years ago my ex purchased one of these (yes, another unitasker!) to make gniocchi and it has taken up precious drawer space ever since. Well, next time I make spaetzle, I am going to try the potato ricer and see how it works! But if it doesn't, a spaetzle press in a unitasker I am more than happy to have - spaetzle, like pizzelles, makes life worth living!

Whatever method you use, the batter has to be released into gently boiling water or broth to cook - when they float, they are done - usually just a few minutes. But before you cook them, you need a plan to cool them! You need to fish them out of the boiling water and stop the cooking immediately. I used an ice bath - simply a huge bowl of water in my sink with ice floating in it. I would occassionally dump the no longer cool water and replace with cooler water and new ice, but it's about as simple as you can get!

So there you have it - spaetzle! So easy and so tasty!

Bisquick Muffins

2 C Bisquick
2 T sugar
1 C milk
1 egg

Add sugar to Bisquick. Stir in milk and well beaten egg. Mix well and fill well greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake in a moderately hot oven (400 F.) for 20 minutes.Amount: 12 fluffy, high muffins

I add in diced apple to make apple muffins - 1-2 apples (3/4 - 1 C approx)

Tempura

I have been thinking about making tempura - between Maki and the Cook's Illustrated recipe posted in the comments, I think this may be the way to go: recipe

Chocolate Chipless Cookies

Something this simple barely merits a post, but these are a big hit with me and Scott, I make them often, the least I can do is acknowlege them! :)

I make chocolate chip cookies according to the Nestle Tollhouse recipe, but when it gets to the part about adding in the chocoalte chips? I don't. Everything else, I do exactly the same!

2.25 C AP Flour
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 brown sugar
3/4 white sugar
1 T vanilla
2 eggs

375 for 9-12 minutes

Bacon Spoon Bread

Oh HELLS yes!

3/4 C Cornmeal, yellow is best
1-1/2 C cold Water
2 C shredded sharp Cheddar (I used sharp white cheddar!)
1/4 C Butter, room temp
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1/2 t salt
1 C milk
4 eggs, separated
1/2 lb. Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a 2-quart casserole/souffle and then coat with grated Parmesan. In sauce pan, combine cornmeal and cold water and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. When thick - after about 60 seconds - remove from heat and stir in cheese, butter, garlic and salt. When the cheese melts, stir in the milk and then the egg yolks, then add the bacon. Beat egg whites until stiff and then fold into batter (rule I was taught was to put 1/3 of the whites into the batter and stir to lighten the mixture overall, then add the next third and fold carefully. When that is fully incorporated, carefully fold in the last third of egg whites, only until incorporated.) Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and level and smooth the top of the batter with a spatula. Bake until browned on top, high and puffy - about one hour or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean - if it does not, bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve directly from baking dish using 2 spoons.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Oven fries on a smaller scale - I am making this up as I go along. This is my plan for a small batch - I am making a roast chicken, pan fried brussels sprouts and bacon spoon bread for dinner tonight so there is no need to make a huge batch of potatoes! I imagine it would be as simple as increasing all ingredients proportionally to make a larger batch.

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled, cut in half and then quartered.
Olive oil - enough to coat potatoes evenly
2 Shallots, roughly chopped
Dried Rosemary
Parmesan, grated
sugar
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 (can go higher). Mix all ingredients together in zip lock bag with most of the air removed until evenly coated. Line cookie sheet with parchment (or not - its just for ease of clean-up) and spread potatoes in even layer. Cook 15 minutes, flip/stir, cook 5-10 minutes longer.