Kitch n Therapy

Courtesy of Food52

Ingredients:

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks, 140 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 ¹/₄ cups (250 grams) sugar
• ³/₄ cup plus 2 tablespoons (80 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
• ¹/₄ teaspoon salt
• ¹/₂ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cold large eggs
• ¹/₂ cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour (unsifted, measured by stirring briefly, spooning into the measuring cup until it’s heaped above the rim, then leveling it with a straight-edged knife or spatula — it should weigh nearly 2.5 ounces)
• ²/₃ cup (65 grams) walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
2. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. (It might look gritty here but don’t worry, it will smooth out later.) Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.
3. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.
4. Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.
5. Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Adapted from Food52 and Chef Nancy Silverton

Yields 2/3 cup

Ingredients:

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

2 ¹/₂ tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons dried oregano

Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon (1 tablespoon), or more to taste

2 medium cloves garlic, 1 smashed flat and 1 grated

¹/₂ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

¹/₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 ¹/₂ cups extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Whisk together the vinegar, oregano, lemon juice, the smashed garlic and grated garlic and the salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes (to marinate the oregano). Add the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to form an emulsified vinaigrette. Taste for seasoning, and add salt or lemon juice as needed. The yield is a generous 1 1/2 cups; can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Recipe courtesy of Melissa d”Arabian from Food Network

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped

Directions:

Whisk the Parmesan, mustard, vinegar and garlic in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil. Sprinkle the vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Toss the lettuce with the vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

INGREDIENTS:

1 garlic Glove, crushed

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup Champagne Vinegar

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried, crushed oregano

3/4 cup Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk together the garlic, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, frozen, plus more, for the pan
• 2 ¹/₂ cups (310g) all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping the dough (if measuring by cups, be sure to stir the flour in the container first, scoop into the cup, then level off, without tapping the flour down)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹/₂ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, at room temperature
• 1 ¹/₂ cups whole-milk buttermilk, cold

Directions

1. Butter a half-sheet pan.
2. To make the dough with a food processor: Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times, until well mixed. Add the shortening and pulse until fine crumbs form. Switch to the grating disk attachment. With the machine running, push the frozen butter through the feed tube.
3. To make the dough with a food processor (continued): Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and toss to make sure all the butter shreds are coated with the floury crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour, add most of the buttermilk, and fold in using a rubber spatula, running the flat edge of it through the center of the mixture like a hash mark and then around the edge while you rotate the bowl. Keep at it, while being as gentle as possible, until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened—it will look wetter than you think it should. If there are still dry crumbly bits, stir in the rest of the buttermilk.
4. To make the dough by hand: Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl with an open hand, using your fingers to whisk. Add the shortening and use your fingertips to pinch and rub it completely into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, making sure you scrape around the bottom of the bowl to coat all the flour in shortening. If you feel any lumps of shortening, rub the flour through the palms of your hands to work it all in.
5. To make the dough by hand (continued): Roll your frozen butter in the dry ingredients to make it easier to handle. Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter on the large holes into the flour. Anytime the butter warms up and gets slippery, roll it in the flour again. As you go, shake the grated butter into the flour once or twice and toss to coat it evenly. When you’re done grating, make sure all pieces are coated with flour, then quickly and lightly pinch them into the flour. Make a well in the center of your flour, add most of the buttermilk to the flour mixture, and fold using a rubber spatula, running the flat edge of it through the center of the mixture like a hash mark and then around the edge while you rotate the bowl. Keep at it, while being as gentle as possible, until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened—it will look wetter than you think it should. If there are still dry crumbly bits, stir in the rest of the buttermilk.
6. Lightly coat your work surface with neutral oil or nonstick cooking spray, then flour. (The spray keeps the flour in place.) Sprinkle a little more flour in the center of the board.
7. Turn the dough out onto the prepared surface and gently toss it around like a cat playing with a ball of yarn, until the sticky ball of dough is covered in a thin layer of flour. Pat into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with flour, then fold it in thirds like a letter. Repeat the patting, sprinkling and folding twice, rotating the dough 90° each time. Pat the dough into 3/4-inch thickness. It should no longer be sticky.
8. Flour a 2-inch-round biscuit cutter (or clean, hollowed out can) and press it straight down to cut the dough, then twist to remove the biscuit. Transfer the round to the buttered pan, placing the bottom side up. Repeat, cutting the rounds as close together as possible, and spacing them 1 inch apart on the pan. Gather the scraps, smoosh them between your palms to 3/4-inch thickness, lay the dough flat, and cut again. Refrigerate the rounds until cold, at least 15 minutes.
9. In the meantime, heat the oven to 450°F.
10. Bake the biscuits until the tops are golden brown and crisp, about 16 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the pan before serving hot.
11. To make ahead: You can let the biscuits cool completely, then freeze them for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw them and then bake in a 350°F oven until toasted and warm.

Courtesy of Tamar Adler from An Everlasting Meal.

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup cornichons

3 tbsps capers

3 tbsp roughly chopped parsley leaves

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

optional: 1 tbsp EVOO

single drop hot sauce

salt

Directions:

Mix everything lightly into the mayonnaise and add EVVO only if it looks thin. Taste for additional salt.

Creamy and light recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate

Yields 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cupscooked chickpeas
• ½ teaspoon baking soda (if you’re using canned chickpeas)
• ¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 ½ to 2 lemons), more to taste
• 1 medium-to-large clove garlic, roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
• ½ cup tahini
• 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, more as needed
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Any of the following garnishes:  drizzle of olive oil or zhoug sauce, sprinkle of ground sumac or paprika, chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan and add the baking soda. Cover the chickpeas by several inches of water, then bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling, reducing heat if necessary to prevent overflow, for about 20 minutes, or until the chickpeas look bloated, their skins are falling off, and they’re quite soft. In a fine-mesh strainer, drain the chickpeas and run cool water over them for about 30 seconds. Set aside (no need to peel the chickpeas for this recipe!).
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process until the garlic is very finely chopped, then let the mixture rest so the garlic flavor can mellow, ideally 10 minutes or longer.
3. Add the tahini to the food processor and blend until the mixture is thick and creamy, stopping to scrape down any tahini stuck to the sides and bottom of the processor as necessary.
4. While running the food processor, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water. Scrape down the food processor, and blend until the mixture is ultra smooth, pale and creamy. (If your tahini was extra-thick to begin with, you might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water.)
5. Add the cumin and the drained, over-cooked chickpeas to the food processor. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until the mixture is super smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary, about 2 minutes. Add more ice water by the tablespoon if necessary to achieve a super creamy texture.
6. Taste, and adjust as necessary—add another ¼ teaspoon salt for more overall flavor and another tablespoon of lemon juice for extra zing, or even roasted jalapeño!
7. Scrape the hummus into a serving bowl or platter, and use a spoon to create nice swooshes on top. Top with garnishes of your choice, and serve. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.

Courtesy of The New Pillsbury Family Cookbook 1973

Makes twenty 4-inch pancakes

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose Flour

1 package active dry yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter

3 eggs

Directions:

In large bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt.  In saucepan, heat milk and butter until very warm (120-130).  Add flour mixture along with eggs.  Beat until smooth.  Cover and store in refrigerator up to 4 days, adding 2 additional tablespoons sugar after second day of storage.

Poor onto lightly greased hot griddle.  Cook until bubbles form and edges are dry; turn and brown other side.

I remember visiting my Aunt in a small Michigan town, nearby where I grew up, and loving her cookies.  I recently acquired her recipe, which made me very happy!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

2 eggs

1 tsp soda dissolved in 1 teaspoon of boiling water

2 cups regular Oatmeal

1 tsp vanilla

Any amount of chocolate chips

Walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Cream Butter and Sugar, then add eggs one at a time.

Add soda and vanilla, then add flour and oatmeal.

Finish adding chocolate chips and walnuts and stir to mix.

Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.