Sloppy Joe's

• Recipe FOUND HERE
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• 1-1/4 pounds 90% lean ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 (14-oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste (or 1 small can)
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco 
• 1-3 teaspoons brown sugar (optional, if you like a sweet sauce)
• Hamburger buns
• butter

In a medium bowl, using your hands, combine the beef with baking soda. Let it sit on the counter for 20-25 min to tenderize. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position.

1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until bubbling. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Add the beef, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until mostly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, butter the inside of the buns and place on a baking sheet, butter side up. Toast in the oven until warmed through and lightly crispy, about 5 minutes.
4. Spoon the mixture onto the toasted hamburger buns and serve.

Smitten Kitchen Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Recipe Found Here

1/2 cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (25 grams) turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (165 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Heaped 1/4 teaspoon (or, technically, 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon) fine sea or table salt
1 3/4 cups (220 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 pound (225 grams) semi- or bittersweet chocolate, cut into roughly 1/2-inch chunks with a serrated knife
Flaky sea salt, to finish

Heat oven to 360°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating until incorporated, and scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in salt fine sea or table salt and baking soda until combined, then the flour on a low speed until just mixed. The dough will look crumbly at this point. With a spatula, fold/stir in the chocolate chunks.

Scoop cookies into 1 1/2 tablespoon (I used a #40 scoop) mounds, spacing them apart on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle each with a few flakes of sea salt. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, until golden on the outside but still very gooey and soft inside. Out of the oven, let rest on baking sheet out of the for 5 minutes before transferring a cooling rack.

Baked Potato Garlic Herb Sour Cream Topping

Sunny A.

Recipe Found Here

1 cup sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh dill
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 Tablespoon flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Add the sour cream to a small bowl. Add garlic, dill, chives, parsley, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix to combine.

Cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled until ready to serve. Slice potatoes in half and pinch sides to open. Add garlic herb sour cream and serve.

Amazing Pecan Pie

Recipe Found HERE

1 chilled 9-inch pie crust shell, unbaked 

1 1/2 cups pecan halves (I use a mixture of chopped pecans and halves) 

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed 

1/4 cup granulated sugar 

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

cinnamon, generous pinch 

1 cup light corn syrup 

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

3 large eggs (room temperature) 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Spread pecans in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes or until toasted. Be careful not to burn them. 

 Remove pecans from oven and let cool. They will become crunchier as they cool. Set aside. 

In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon until well combined. 

Add light corn syrup, melted butter, and vanilla extract and stir with a rubber spatula until everything is combined and smooth. 

Add eggs to a separate bowl and whisk until uniform in color. 

Add the eggs to the mixture and stir until completely combined. 

Spread the toasted pecans on the bottom of the pie crust into an even layer. 

Gently pour on the filling. 

Let the pie sit for about 5-10 minutes until the pecans have floated to the top. 

Bake on the middle rack for 65-75 minutes (or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the pie reads 200 F.) Tent loosely with aluminum foil at the 30-minute mark if the pie begins to get too dark. Be careful that the foil does not touch the filling or it may stick. 

Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 2-3 hours or until the pie is at room temperature. (This is very important since the pie will be slightly jiggly in the center once removed from the oven and needs to cool in order to set. If the bottom of the pan is still warm the pie is not cooled enough.) 

When the pie has cooled completely, slice and serve. 

Refrigerate leftovers and bring the pie to room temperature before serving. 

-Tips For Making The BEST Pecan Pie Recipe Toast the pecan: Don’t skip this step! Toasting gives pecans a crunchier texture and deeper pecan flavor. 

-Let it cool completely. Seriously, don’t cut this pie until it is 100% cooled off. If the bottom of the pan is still warm, it’s not cooled off. I usually make my pecan pies a day ahead so that they sit in the fridge for a firmer set.

Best Pumpkin Pie

Recipe Found Here

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs, beaten
Canned  pumpkin (15 oz)
1 1/4 cups light cream (half & half)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars, flour, salt, and spices.

In a large measuring cup, beat together the eggs, pumpkin, and cream. Whisk into the dry ingredients. For best flavor, cover and refrigerate the filling overnight before baking.

Lightly grease a 9" pie pan that's at least 1 1/2" deep. Roll the pie dough out to a 13" circle, and transfer to the pan. Crimp the edges above the rim; this will give you a little extra headroom to hold the filling when it expands in the oven. Refrigerate the crust while the oven preheats to 400°F.

When the oven is hot, place the pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is set 2" in from the edge. The center should still be wobbly. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a rack; the center will finish cooking through as the pie sits.

TIPS
This recipe makes enough filling to generously fill a 9" pan that's at least 1 1/2" deep. If your pan isn't quite that big, you can bake any leftover filling in custard cups; it will take 25 to 30 minutes to cook.

Pumpkin pie filling is basically a custard; the eggs in the filling will continue cooking as the heat from the edge of the pie moves toward the center, which is why it's important to remove the pie from the oven before the center is completely set. Leaving it in the oven too long will cause the eggs to overcook, tightening the proteins and causing the pie to crack in the center.

Mixing the filling a day in advance (refrigerate until using) will improve the flavor of this pie by giving the spices' flavors a chance to blend.

SPICY Chicken Tikka Masala

Recipe found HERE

1 1/2 Lbs chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces

Marinade
1 cup plain yogurt
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoon red pepper
2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon methi powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Sauce
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoon methi powder
2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon
 salt
1 can (14.5oz) tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste (8 oz)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup cilantro (optional)

Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes. Put the chicken in a dish or large ziploc bag, and add all of the marinade ingredients. Put in the fridge for 1-2 hours then discard the marinade.

Cook the chicken in a high sided skillet about 5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink inside. I cook it with some butter in the pan.

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1 minute.

 Add coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala, methi powder and salt. Stir to combine Stir in tomato sauce and paste and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened

Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and stir in the cream. Serve with white rice, naan and mango chutney and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread or Muffins

Recipe found here 

3 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup (115 grams) butter, melted
3/4 cup (145 grams) brown sugar (I use dark here; either light or dark work)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup (about 6 ounces or 170 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips

Heat your oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or spray it with a nonstick baking spray. Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. (You’ll have a little over 1 cup mashed banana total.) Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.

Place baking soda, salt, cinnamon (if using), flour and cocoa powder in a sifter or fine-mesh strainer and sift over wet ingredients. (My cocoa is almost always lumpy, so this is essential for me.)

Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. Muffins bake 15-20 min.

Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. The banana bread will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature.

Pictured with Pumpkin Muffins