Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Note: You may add pecans to the recipe to add some crunch.

Yummy Bread Pudding

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (16 oz.)
4 cups milk
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup raisins
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract


Bourbon Sauce

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, well beaten
2 tablespoons Bourbon

Directions

Combine bread and milk in a large mixing bowl; set aside for 5 minutes.

Add eggs, sugar, raisins, butter and vanilla; stir well.

Spoon mixture into a greased 3 quart casserole.

Bake, uncovered, at 325°F for 1 hour or until firm.

Cool in pan at least 20 minutes before serving.
Spoon into individual serving bowls; serve with Bourbon Sauce.

For Bourbon Sauce: Combine butter and sugar in a small saucepan; cook over medium, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves.

Add egg, stirring briskly with a wire whisk until well blended.

Cook over medium heat 1 minute.

Remove from heat, cool slightly; stir in bourbon.

Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
One 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Hot sauce, optional
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced leeks (sliced lengthwise)
Baguette slices or assorted crackers, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray an 11 by 7-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the artichokes, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and hot sauce if desired. Stir well. Spoon into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan on top. Bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

In a small skillet, heat the oil until hot. Add the leeks and fry, stirring constantly, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt if desired. Sprinkle over the dip before serving. Serve warm with baguette slices or assorted crackers.

Note: Dip can be made ahead up to 24 hours, refrigerated and reheated. Sprinkle with the minced green onions.

Onion Dip

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving.

Ratatouille

Original recipe by smittenkitchen, altered by me

Ingredients
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (my store sells these “Italian Eggplant” that are less than half the size of regular ones; it worked perfectly)
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving

Altered:
I hate goat cheese so I took it out of my ingredients. I added mushrooms to the mix, instead of red peppers I substituted mine with green peppers.

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)

Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.

*I serve mine with brown rice or whole wheat pasta noodles. 

Wasabi Mayo Salmon

Ingredients
1 (3pounds) salmon fillet
1 cup mayo
1 tablespoon of wasabi powder
1 bag of crushed potato chips






Directions  
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). 

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and wasabi powder. Place the salmon on a greased baking tray, skin side down. Spread the mayonnaise mixture evenly over the top. Press crushed potato chips into the mayonnaise. 

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish flakes with a fork.

Simply French Toast

Ingredients
6 slices of bread (any kind)
2 eggs
2/3 cups of milk
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
a dash of vanilla extract
salt to taste
powdered sugar (optional)


Directions 
Beat together egg, milk, salt, desired spices and vanilla. 

Heat a lightly oiled griddle of skillet over medium-high flame. 

Dunk each slice of bread in egg mixture, soaking both sides. You can choose to dip it whole or cut it into sticks then dip.

Place in pan, and cook on both sides until golden. Serve hot. Topped with powdered sugar(optional) or a side of fruits.