Butterscotch Pudding Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cup cream
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Method

1 Preheat oven to 325°F and set a kettle of water to boil. Set four ramekins or oven-safe bowls out and a large baking dish. In a saucepan melt the butter. Once melted add the brown sugar and salt, stir until well combined. Add the cream and milk to the sugar mixture. Heat to a boil and remove from heat.

2 Slowly, in a thin stream, pour the heated sugar-dairy mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm mixture, but not cooked by it. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour through a fine mesh sieve to catch any cooked bits of egg.

3 Ladle the mixture evenly into the ramekins. Place ramekins in the baking dish and pour the hot water into the baking dish until the water rises an inch from the top of the ramekins. Lightly tent the pan with some vented foil and bake for 50-65 minutes or until set (the sides should be firm and the center a bit wobbly). Be sure to rotate the pan half way through cooking. Allow to cool or, preferably, chill before serving.

Serves 4

Butterfly berm

The butterfly berm is an easy family project with colorful, nectar-rich natives such as New Jersey tea, prairie blazing star and butterfly weed. Add a shallow saucer or old birdbath filled with sand, gravel and water for a butterfly “watering hole.” Berms in general are good design elements for an urban or suburban yard. These independent beds can be created in a day or a weekend by adding a low mound of topsoil. It’s best if there is no vegetation growing in the area where the berm will be placed. This gives you an immediate clean slate, and the slight elevation really sets off plants.

Legend

1. Buttonbush
2. New Jersey tea
3. Rose verbena
4. Purple coneflower
5. Aromatic aster
6. Prairie blazing star
7. Butterfly weed
8. Lanceleaf coreopsis
9. Downy phlox
10. Shining blue star

Hashed purple circle is butterfly watering hole.

1. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

2. New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)
3. Rose verbena (Glandularia Canadensis)

4. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

5. Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
6. Prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya

7. Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

8. Lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolate)

9. Downy phlox (Phlox pilosa)

10. Shining blue star (Amsonia illustris)

Native American Seed pricing

1:  Button Bush, 1 pkt. – $6

2: New Jersey Tea – Not available

3: Rose Verbena (Pink Evening Primrose), 1 pkt. – $3

4: Purple Coneflower, 1 pkt. – $3

5: Aromatic Aster – Not available

6: Prairie Blazing Star, 1 pkt. – $6

7: Butterfly Weed, 1 pkt. – $3

8: Lanceleaf Coreopsis, 1 pkt. – $3

9: Downy Phlox – Not available

10: Shining Blue Star – Not available

If 9’Lx4’D, every 2” deep would be another 6 ft³.  So you would need:

Mulch:  3 bags

Soil:       6 bags

Edging: ~$20 for 25’-40’

Lots of seeds!

Brownie in a Mug

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp cocoa (natural, unsweetened)
• Pinch of salt
• Tiny pinch of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil (NOT extra virgin olive oil, it’s too strongly flavored)
• 1 to 2 drops vanilla extract
• 1 small scoop of ice cream or 1 or 2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream to serve

1 Place flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon in a microwave safe ceramic mug. Stir with a fork or spoon to mix well and break up any clumps.

2 Add the oil, water, and vanilla to the cup and stir until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.

3 Place in microwave and heat on high until the mixture is cooked through, about a 1 minute and 40 seconds for a 1000 watt microwave. You may have to experiment and adjust the time for less or more powerful microwaves. If you don’t know the power level on your microwave, start with 60 seconds and increase until the brownie is done. It should still be moist when cooked through, not dry.

4 Let cool for a minute and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a teaspoon or two of whipping cream poured over.

Basic Soufflé Recipe

I have a particular fondness for foods that are (relatively) easy to cook, but appear to most people as difficult and fancy. The soufflé belongs at the head of this category. Everyone seems terrified of soufflés. Fact is: the soufflé can be forgiving and easy to adapt to your needs. Below I’ve provided ingredients for a 2, 3 or 4-egg soufflé. Here’s a perfect rule of thumb: 1 egg per person/serving. If you are cooking for 3 people, make a 3-egg soufflé! I have a pretty nice Krab soufflé recipe in my cooking pages, with more to follow.

Ingredients (2 egg)

• 2 eggs (white and yolks seperated)
• 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup cheese
• 1/8 tsp creme of tartar (optional)

Ingredients (3 egg)

• 3 eggs (white and yolks seperated)
• 3/4 cups milk
• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 1/4 cup cheese
• 1/8 tsp creme of tartar (optional)

Ingredients (4 egg)

• 4 eggs (white and yolks seperated)
• 1 cups milk
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cup cheese
• 1/4 tsp creme of tartar (optional)

• Pre-heat oven to 350°
• Butter and flour a large baking dish.
• Prepare your basic roux. (Ie. melt butter in a pan, add flour and cook—whisking constantly—until it just begins to turn a light brown color.)
• Heat milk (in microwave) until hot, but not boiling.
• Add a small amount of roux into the milk and mix, then add the milk mixture back into the roux. Surprise! You now have the basic foundation to a simple white-sauce.
• Reduce heat. Whisk a small amount of this hot sauce mixture into the egg yolks, then add the yolks back into the sauce, whisking well.
• Warning #1: Once you have mixed in the egg yolk, you must be very carefull to keep the overall mixture at a low temperature! Otherwise the egg yolks will temper and your sause will either have a mottled texture or the consistency of a mysterious plastic petrolium product. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and keep the sause only warm enough to continue melting cheesese or other items.
• Slowly add cheese and mix until it is melted into the sauce. Surprise! You now have a basic cheese sauce!
• Warning #2: Before the next step (beating the egg whites) it is worthwhile to note how important it is that you didn’t accidentally get any egg yolk into the whites. SERIOUSLY! A couple drops of the yellow stuff with screw your egg whites badly. If you accidentally get a drop of a broken yolk into the whites, carefully and surgically remove it with a spoon. Consider the egg yolk to be KRYPTONITE at this stage!
• Now use a mixer at medium or high speed to beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they are “stiff but not dry”. (Once they peak, they’re done. If you don’t stop immediately they’ll resemble a merange.)
• Add 1/4 of the egg white to the sauce and mix.
• FOLD the sauce into the egg whites. FOLD does not mean mix! This is important: you just barely mix the two together. It is perfectly okay that you see bits of white. The mixture does not need to be homogenous.
• Place mixture in baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Serve IMMEDIATELY. When souffles cool, they begin to collapse. Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal. ALL crepes start to fall the moment they are pulled out of the over. If you serve immediately though, nobody will notice.

It is REALLY easy to modify this recipe. All you need for a souffle is some sort of sauce mixed with beaten egg-white. It can be a cheese sauce, chocolate sauce, peanut-butter sauce, fruit sauce, tomato sauce… anything. During the folding phase you can also add solid ingredients like mushrooms, sausage, pieces of fruit, etc. The souffle makes a perfect leftover-casserole.

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 very ripe large bananas, peeled
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk

Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)
• Chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts (optional)

For cupcakes:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Mash bananas with fork in another medium bowl until smooth. Mix sour cream and vanilla into bananas.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with banana-sour cream mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until blended after each addition. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (generous 1/4 cup for each).

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack and let cool completely.

For frosting:
Sift powdered sugar into large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cupcakes, dividing equally. Sprinkle lightly with chopped peanuts, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Baked Ziti Recipe

If you don’t have Italian seasoning in the pantry, use 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti (can sub penne) pasta
• Olive oil
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage or ground beef or pork
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (or basil), minced
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 large jar of marinara sauce (about 32 ounces) or make your own tomato sauce
• 1/2 pound of mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1 heaping cup of ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

Method

1 Bring a large pot of water to a strong boil. Add about a tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water. Add the pasta and boil, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente—edible but still a little firm. Drain the pasta through a colander. Toss with a little olive oil so the pasta does not stick together while you make the sauce.

2 Pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a large sauté pan on medium-high to heat. When the oil is hot, add the bulk sausage or ground meat. Do not crowd the pan (work in batches if needed). Break up any large chunks of sausage as it cooks. Brown well. Don’t stir that often or it will be more difficult for the meat to brown. If you are using ground beef or pork instead of sausage, add a little salt.

3 When the meat is mostly browned, add the onions and stir well to combine. Sauté everything until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary or basil, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cook 1 minute, then add the tomato sauce and stir well. Bring to a simmer.

4 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole pan, then dot the surface with half the ricotta cheese. Ladle in some sauce with the pasta, mix it well and add the pasta into the casserole.

5 Pour the rest of the sauce over the pasta, dot the remaining ricotta cheese over the pasta, and sprinkle on top both the mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven until the top is nicely browned, about 20 minutes.