Caprese Pasta Salad

12 oz. fusilli or rotini pasta
2/3 c olive oil

4 pints cherry tomatoes (40-48 oz)

1 tsp fine sea salt

16 oz. mozzarella pearls (or ball of mozzarella cut into small pieces)

1/4 c chopped fresh basil

2 Tbs white balsamic vinegar

Boil noodles according to directions in a large pot of salted water

Once pasta is cooking, combine olive oil, tomatoes, and salt in a large non-reactive skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cover.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the tomatoes have started to burst out of their skins and the olive oil has a light red hue (6-12 minutes).

Remove skillet from heat and stir in the cooked pasta.  Let the mixture cool for a few minutes while you chop the basil.  (You don't want the cheese to melt on contact.)

Stir in the mozzarella and basil.  Add the vinegar, taste and add additional vinegar and salt as needed.  Let it rest for 20 minutes so the pasta can absorb some of the sauce.  (Or refrigerate for future use!)

From Cookie + Kate

Nutella Brownies

1/2 c butter, melted

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 3/4 c powdered sugar

1 c minus 2 Tbs light brown sugar

1/2 c cocoa

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1 C minus 2 Tbs flour

1- 1.5 c Nutella (divided)

chopped hazelnuts (optional) (or mini semisweet chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350.  Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13 cake pan with parchment paper.  Mix fats, sugars, and cocoa.  Add eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour and mix until combined.  Pour into prepared pan.  

Melt 1/2 c Nutella and dollop it around the brownie dough and then use a chopstick to swirl it into the batter.  Bake 17-25 minutes, just until the edges are set.  

Once it's cooled, spread a nice layer of Nutella all along the top, then sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts or mini semisweet chocolate chips.

From Missy's Taste Before Beauty

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

6+ medium sweet potatoes (or russet) (washed)

1.5 lbs ground beef

1/2 c chopped onion

2 large carrots chopped small (about 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 c flour

2 Tbs tomato paste

2.5 c beef or chicken broth

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp thyme

1/2 c frozen corn

1/2 c frozen peas

1-2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Lay out six pieces of aluminum foil.  Rub cold butter all over the center of the foil, leaving about a 2-inch border on all sides.  Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over the butter (garlic powder, too, if you're into it!)

Place a potato in the center of the butter section and roll up the foil, covering the potato completely.  Pierce the potato (through the foil) about 5-6 times with a fork.  Place all the potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake for an hour (or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife).

While the potatoes are baking, make the topping.  In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef, onion, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook, breaking the meat into smaller pieces until it is no longer pink and the vegetables are starting to soften, 5-7 minutes.  Drain any excess grease.

Sprinkle flour over the meat and cook over medium to medium-high heat for a minute or so, stirring constantly.  Stir in the tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, oregano and thyme.  Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer gently for 10 minutes until the mixture is thickened and the carrots are tender.  If you'd like the mixture more saucy/less thick, add more broth as needed and simmer to warm through.

Stir in the corn and peas and simmer until heated through.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Gently unwrap the potatoes, slice down the middle of each one to open it up (you can squeeze the ends towards each other to help create a bowl shape).  Sprinkle with shredded cheese, top with shepherd's pie filling and then more cheese.  Serve immediately.

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Coconut Curry Ramen

4-5 c frozen stir fry vegetables

5 packages instant ramen 

2 cans coconut milk

3 heaping-ish tsp curry powder (or more)

Put the vegetables in a large pot of water and bring to a boil.  Add the ramen noodles and boil for 3 minutes.  Drain most of the water, then add coconut milk, ramen season packets, and curry powder.  Heat and stir to combine.

Modified slightly from Budget Bytes

No Knead Peasant Bread

4 c flour

1/2 Tbs salt

2 tsp sugar

1 Tbs yeast

2 c warm water

Soften yeast in water with the sugar for 5 minutes.  Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl.  Add yeast mixture and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the ingredients form a shaggy, sticky ball and no dry streaks remain.

Cover bowl and let the dough rise until doubled, about 1-1.5 hours.

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat oven to 425.  Generously grease a 9-inch pie plate (or an 8.5 X 4.5 inch loaf pan) with cooking spreay.

Scrape dough away from the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, forming a rough ball in the center of the bowl.  Lightly grease your hands and shape the dough into a circle loaf shape, tucking edges under.  Place in the prepared pan.  It's FINE if the loaf is ugly!

Let dough rest, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes until slightly puffy.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375 and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes or until golden.

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Grandma Hansen's Cranberry Relish

4 c fresh cranberries (1 lb) (these are usually sold in 12 oz. packages, so adjust accordingly!)

2 oranges (seeds removed)

2 c sugar

Put cranberries and oranges (including the rind) through the food grinder.  Stir in the sugar and chill.  Makes 2 pints.  Keeps well in the fridge for weeks.

For extra fun, can also add (for every 1 cup relish): 

-1/4 c shredded coconut

-1 tsp lemon juice & 1/2 c thinly sliced celery

-2 Tbs raisins and 1/4 c chopped walnuts

-1/4 tsp ginger and 1 Tbs thinly slivered orange or lemon rind.

For a molded salad, add relish to red jello and add apples, celery, nuts.

From Grandma Hansen

Grandma's Jello Salad

2 small jello packages-- one lime, one lemon jello

1 c sugar

2 c boiling water

1 large can of pears (chilled)

2 c heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla (for the whipped cream)

Empty the jello packets into a pan with the sugar.  Boil the water (enough for both packets) and stirring really well, dissolve the jello and sugar.  Then drain all of the pear juice into the pan (add cold water if it's not a full 2 cups). 

Put the jello in the fridge to let it set, but not all the way (that way it will be smoother).  

Whip the cream, then add the vanilla at the very last minute.  

Once the jello is soft set, stir in the whipped cream and pear chunks.  

Put it back in the fridge to finish setting.

From Grandma Bentley