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.

Pizzelles

This recipe requires a pizzelle press. Typically, your pizzelle press will come with recipes, this is adapted from one of those (shhhhh! don't tell grandma!) but leaves out the anise - princess haaaaaaaates licorice.

3 room temperature eggs
3/4 C white sugar
1/2 C butter, unsalted, melted and cooled
1 t vanilla
1-3/4 C flour (254 g)
2 t baking powder

Mushroom Risotto

I make this using an on/off style rice cooker. My rice cooker is one of the most useful, versatile kitchen appliances that I own. The model I have comes with a metal steamer basket - I can cook rice in the pot and make a side dish - or even cook an entree - in the basket. It works perfectly as a steamer and I find its the ideal way to heat leftovers evenly without drying out. Some people can't live without a microwave, but I easily gave mine up years ago ... but if you took my rice cooker, I might very well get hysterical!

This is my recipe - I have adapted it from other risotto recipes found in the Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook - if you have a rice cooker, you should have this cookbook. Fantastic information, delicious recipes and recipes for both on/off rice cookers and fuzzy logic rice cookers. A fuzzy logic rice cooker is on my wish list, but my on/off cooker rocks!

Mushroom Risotto

I package of Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
2 med-lg shallots, minced
1 C + 2 T arborio rice
3 C liquid consisting of 1 can of chicken broth (I used the roasted veg flavor and its great!) and water
Butter/Parmesan/salt/pepper to finish

Heat the olive oil and butter in the rice cooker pot, then add shallots. Keep them moving and cook until softened - a few minutes or so. Add the rice and coat with the oil and then add the mushrooms - stir for a few minutes until the rice grains have white spots in the middle and the mushrooms are starting to brown a bit. Add the liquid and cover, stirring several times - the rice cooker will switch to "keep warm" when it is finished. Before serving, let a few pats of butter melt into the rice, then stir in salt, pepper and parmesan to taste.