Oven-Roasted Baby Red Potatoes

1 pound baby red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered or halved (depending on the size of the potato)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon flour

 Heat oven to 425° F.

Place potatoes in roasting pan, and toss with oil, then with remaining ingredients.  Roast until somewhat browned and easily pierced by a fork.

Makes 4 servings.

From Spark Recipes website

Sweet Potato Biscuits

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter or solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1 cup buttermilk, or 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Heat the oven to 375° F. 

Steam the cubed sweet potato until soft, approximately 10 minutes.  Mash, and measure out 1/2 cup.  Reserve the remainder for another use.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.  Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl.  Cut in the butter or shortening until the mixture resembles rolled oats.  

Make a well in the center of the mixture, add the buttermilk, sweet potatoes, and honey, and stir vigorously until the dough forms a ball.  Knead lightly for about 30 seconds, until the dough just begins to look smooth.

On a floured surface, pat the dough out 3/4-inch thick, making a 7-by-8-inch rectangle.  Cut into 2-inch rounds, re-rolling the scraps and cutting out more biscuits.  Transfer to the prepared pan, brush the tops with egg wash, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.


Makes 12 biscuits.

From Bobby Flay Cooks American by Bobby Flay (with a few changes)

Chicken and Caramelized Vegetable Pot Pie

12 pearl onions, skins removed, cut in half

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

16 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

6 tablespoons olive oil

Approximately 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 quarts chicken stock

3 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon chipotle puree

1 tablespoon honey

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Heat oven to 375° F.  In a roasting pan, toss the vegetables in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil.  In another pan, coat the chicken thighs in the remaining 3 tablespoons oil.  Place both pans in the oven and roast until the vegetables are browned and caramelized and the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.  Set the vegetables aside.  Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes.  

Meanwhile, make the sauce.  Pour the chicken stock into a large saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, and boil until reduced to 3 cups.  Pour the cream into a nonreactive saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and simmer until reduced to 1 cup.  Add the reduced cream, chipotle puree, and honey to the reduced chicken stock and cook for 2 minutes over medium-low heat.  Add the vegetables, chicken, peas, and parsley, and cook for 2 minutes more.  Season with pepper and salt to taste.

To assemble the dish: Heat the oven to 350° F.  Place the chicken mixture in a casserole dish and top with the biscuits.  Warm through in the oven, about 20 minutes or as needed.

Makes 4-6 servings.

From Bobby Flay Cooks American by Bobby Flay (with a few changes)

Homemade Yogurt

4 cups of fresh, organic 1% or 2% milk
1/3 cup of powdered milk (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 cup organic yogurt with live cultures 

Slowly heat the milk on the stove over low-medium heat. (You can choose to add powdered milk at this point; powdered milk creates thicker yogurt that takes less time to ferment.  It's optional if you are using whole milk or two percent.  Some skim and one percent milk include added milk proteins which make the product taste less watery and will behave the same way as if you added powdered milk.)  Heat the milk to 170° F, but not have it boil; then, remove from heat and wait for the milk to cool to 108-112° F.

When the milk is cooled to the proper temperature, mix a small amount it in with the yogurt, then mix all the milk and yogurt together.  Place in the warmed yogurt maker for 4-8 hours. Refrigerate before serving.  

Makes one quart.

From 101 Cookbooks blog

Mango Lemonade

Juice of 8 to 10 Meyer lemons (or regular lemons)
About 4 cups (32 ounces) mango juice
About 1 cup Simple Syrup

Mix lemon juice with mango juice.  Add water and simple syrup to taste.

Simple Syrup

Combine equal parts water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir just until the sugar dissolves; when the sugar granules are no longer visible, stop stirring.  The syrup will continue to clear as it approaches a boil.  As soon as it comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature.  Store the syrup in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to 2 months.


From Homemade Soda by Andrew Schloss

Roasted Gobhi Aloo

1 medium-sized cauliflower, trimmed and divided into florets

1 pound baby red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters (or 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks)

3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature

Heat oven to 425° F.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Add the florets and cook until they are slightly softened but still retain some crispness, about 4 minutes.  Drain.

Place the cauliflower and the potatoes in a roasting pan and toss them in the oil.  Sprinkle with the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and salt, and mix until the vegetables are well-coated.

Roast (uncovered) in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until somewhat browned, stirring once or twice so the pieces will brown evenly.

Remove from the oven and mix in the yogurt or sour cream.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from Lord Krishna’s Cuisine by Yamuna Devi (originally “Cauliflower and Potato Surprise/Gobhi Aloo Bhaji")