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 Baked Cinnamon Donuts - Courtesy of Ty at Elmwood School 

Preheat to 350 degrees.

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I add about 1/2 teaspoon)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I add 1/2)

1 teaspoon salt

next 3/4 cup milk (I use skim)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon shortening (I don't bake with shortening, so I substitute 2 tablespoons melted butter alternative- I can't believe, etc. You can use real butter or margarine if you want.)

Once it is all mixed, grease donut pan (I use cooking spray) and fill molds a little over 1/2 way full. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Just like baking a cake, when they spring back, they are done. Place on drying rack to cool. When cool, dip in melted butter ( I lightly brush with melted butter alternative) and then roll in cinnamon sugar (Take sugar and stir in cinnamon until it is the color you want.)

I checked in myfitness pal, 175 calories (sorry not 125)

I always refrigerate the leftovers or they get too soggy the next day.

You can also ice them if that is your thing.

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is from Simply Recipes, I don't actually use one when I make Chicken Pot pie, I just wing it but I know that a recipe is sometimes necessary and this is the close to what I do when I make this pie.

Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS
Chicken and stock ingredients:
1 (3 1/2 pound) frying chicken
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 small onion, halved
2 teaspoons salt
Pie crust ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (best to chill cubes in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before using)
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
3 to 4 Tbsp ice water
Filling ingredients:
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
3 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup dry sherry
3/4 cup green peas, frozen or fresh
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Egg wash:
1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water
Special equipment needed:
6 10-ounce ramekins
METHOD
1 Cook the chicken and make the chicken stock. Combine the chicken, carrot, celery, onion and salt into a large stock pot. Add cold water until just covered and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool for 15 minutes. While the chicken is cooling, continue to boil the remaining water and vegetables in the pot. When the chicken has cooled enough to touch, strip away as much of the meat as you can. Place the meat on a dish, set aside. Return the chicken bones to the stockpot and continue to boil, on high heat, until the stock has reduced to a quart or quart and a half. Set aside 2 1/2 cups of the stock for this recipe. The remaining stock you can refrigerate and store for another purpose.
2 Prepare the pie crust dough. Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the chilled butter cubes and pulse 5 times to combine. And the shortening and pulse a few more times, until the dough resembles a coarse cornmeal, with some pea-sized pieces of butter. Slowly stream in ice water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough sticks together when you press some between your fingers. Empty the food processor, placing the dough on a clean surface. Use your hands to mold into a ball, then flatten the ball into a disk. Sprinkle with a little flour, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days, before rolling.
3 Prepare the filling. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, one minute more. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock. Whisk in the milk. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken meat, thyme, sherry, peas, parsley, salt and pepper and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Divide the warm filling among six 10-ounce ramekins.
4 Prepare the crust. Roll out dough on a lightly flour surface to a little less than a quarter-inch thick. Cut into 6 rounds, slightly larger than the circumference of the ramekins. Lay a dough round on each pot pie filling. Fold the excess dough under itself and use the tines of a fork to press the dough against the edge of the ramekins. Cut a 1-inch vent into each individual pie. Use a pastry brush to apply an egg wash to each pie. Line a baking sheet with foil, place the pies on the baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Yield: Serves 6.

Chili with Cornbread

This is not the version of chili I grew up with but it is a delicious recipe!

JAMAICAN CHILI
Vegetable cooking spray (Pam).
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
2 1/2 cups chopped sweet pepper (green, yellow, whatever)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp hot Hungarian paprika (if you don't have this use more chili powder).
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves


2 (14 oz) cans no salt added stewed tomato, don’t drain
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained (I don't drain them)
1 (15 oz) can cannelloni beans, drained (any white bean will do).
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1 cup water
2 tbsp no salt added tomato paste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro (optional).

Coat a dutch oven or heavy 4 qt pan with cooking spray; add oil. Place over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Add green pepper; saute until tender. Add cumin and next 5 ingredients; saute 1 minute.
Stir in tomatoes and next 5 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer at least 20 minutes. I usually cook longer than that. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar, Sprinkle with cilantro. (This, of course, is optional).

Corn Bread

The recipe I use is from the Pioneer Woman blog and it is wonderful, the link is here.

Pot Roast

Pot Roast
I have never used a recipe for this so this is just an approximation. Lots of different things can be done with Pot Roast and you can use several different cuts of meat.

Chuck Roast or other appropriate roast
2 or 3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp flour
salt and pepper
parsley
thyme
red wine
1 large onion
4 or 5 large potatoes
4 or 5 carrots


Mix together flour and herbs. Dredge meat in flour mixture until well coated. Heat olive oil in large dutch oven and brown meat on all sides. Remove meat to a dish and pour the wine in the pan and use it to loosen up all the browned bits in the bottom. Put meat back into the wine mixture, add vegetables all around and add 2 or 3 cups of water or broth. Cook on a low heat for 3 or 4 hours until meat is tender. If you want to use a crock pot, you must put in vegetables first and place meat on top. Add 2 cups of water heat all day on low.

Variations:

Add Lipton onion soup mix to crock pot or dutch oven after water is added.
Add Turnips or parsnips for another root vegetable.

Macaroni and Cheese

This is updated just a bit from the Mac and Cheese my mom made when I was little but even comfort foods can be updated and fancied up just a bit!

Ingredients (Serves 4)
2 cups coarse crumbs from good quality bread, crusts removed
5 T butter, divided
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely minced
3 T all-purpose flour
1/8 t smoked sweet paprika
2 t Dijon mustard
1 quart whole milk
½ t freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. elbow macaroni or corkscrew pasta
4 cups cheese, grated, divided (combination of sharp cheddar, gruyere and Colby) Use the grating disk of food processor or large holes of box grater.
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
(white truffle oil optional)

Directions

1. Lightly sauté the breadcrumbs in 2 T butter and set aside.
2. Sauté shallots and garlic in 3 T butter in a 4-quart saucepan just until translucent. Add flour and stir over medium heat for two minutes. Stir in smoked sweet paprika and mustard.
3. Slowly add and stir in milk. Add pepper.
4 Set aside ½ cup of cheese mixture for topping
5. Cook macaroni 2 minutes fewer than package directions instruct. While macaroni is cooking, add 3 ½ cups of cheese mixture to milk mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly. Set aside ½ cup for topping. Taste for salt. You may not need any as the cheese is salty.
6. Stir well-drained macaroni into cheese mixture and pour into an oven-proof casserole dish. Sprinkle reserved cheese, including Parmigiano-Reggiano, over macaroni and then sprinkle on the breadcrumbs. Bake covered in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 10 minutes until there is a light crust on top. Guests can sprinkle a few drops of white truffle oil on top if they like.

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Miss Donna's Microwave Toffee

I had a very good friend who made this toffee for me every year around the holidays. We moved away and I simply had to have this recipe so that I could make it myself. It is so good and so easy to make.

One thing I should say, most modern microwave ovens handle this very, very well but older ones that are losing power frequently just won't get the candy hot enough. I had that problem the first time I made it.

Ms. Donna’s Microwave Toffee

1/2 C pecans chopped
1/2 C butter no substitutions
1 C sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 C water
3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 C chopped pecans

Place butter, salt, sugar and water in microwave proof bowl. Butter top 2 inches of bowl. Cook on high 9-11 minutes depending on microwave until light brown, do watch carefully as all microwaves are different. Some of them may take less than 9 minutes so the very first time watch it after about 6 or 7 minutes to make sure it does not burn. Do not stir. While this is cooking, butter a 9 inch circle on cookie sheet, sprinkle with pecans (you can do this on foil or wax paper). Pour mixture after cooking over the pecans then sprinkle hot toffee with chocolate chips. Allow chocolate chips to sit for 1 minute, chips will melt and then spread evenly over toffee. Sprinkle remaining pecans on top. Let cool and break into pieces. Have fun.

There are a lot of fun options with this candy, you can put white chocolate on it, peanuts are great instead of pecans, so are walnuts. You could add dried fruit to it, raisins are delicious!