Recipes for "from scratch"

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x2 ½-inch round cake pan.

Combine brown sugar and ¼ cup melted butter in a bowl; spread evenly into the prepared pan. Place 10 pineapple pieces around outer edge of pan, facing the same way, place remaining 2 pieces in the center. Place 1 cranberry between each pineapple piece.

Beat white sugar and ½ cup softened butter together in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in baking powder, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, and salt until combined.

Add flour and milk to batter in 3 additions, adding ½ cup flour and ¼ cup milk at a time, mixing well after each addition, until thoroughly combined.

Pour batter over pineapple slices, making sure batter gets between them. Spread and smooth batter using an offset spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.

Cool cake on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen. Place a plate over pan and quickly invert to release cake, waiting a few seconds and tapping the pan several times if it doesn't immediately separate from the pan.

Pour 4 cups seafood stock into a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Add lobster tails and boil until flesh is opaque, about 5 minutes. Remove tails and reserve all broth. Shell all tail meat and set aside.

Melt butter in another pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until vegetables are starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, 30 to 40 seconds. Pour in sherry; let it reduce by half. Pour in reserved seafood stock. Add rice and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low. Let simmer until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Blend all contents of the soup until smooth using an immersion blender. Add tomato paste, tarragon, salt, thyme, pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes more. Pour in cream and stir in well for that trademark pinkish/orange bisque color. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with a generous lump of lobster meat.

Gather all ingredients.

Pour pan drippings into a large measuring cup. Scrap the browned bits into a 2 cup measure.

Skim and reserve fat from drippings.

Pour 1/4 cup of the fat into a medium saucepan. If you don’t have 1/4 cup fat, add enough butter to equal 1/4 cup. Set over medium heat.

Whisk in flour. Continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

Add stock or broth to the remaining drippings in the measuring cup to equal 2 cups.

Slowly whisk in stock mixture until fully incorporated.

Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, Cook and stir 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Beat egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar. Beat until mixture thickens. Stir in milk and rum. Pour into a large punch bowl and chill for 3 to 4 hours.

Fold in lightly whipped heavy cream with vanilla before serving.

Lightly grease a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt) with vegetable oil; set aside.

Make dough: Combine warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar in a large bowl. Let stand until bubbly and foamy, about 5 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup flour, warm milk, egg, 3 tablespoons sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla extract until combined. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups flour. Mix and knead until dough comes together in a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down gently to deflate. Divide dough into small or medium balls.

Make coating: Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Dip each dough ball in melted butter, remove with a fork, then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture until well coated.

Arrange coated dough balls in the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Invert onto a large plate; cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Gather the ingredients.

Place water, tomatoes, and olive oil in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Transfer tomato mixture into a large pot.

Stir sugar, garlic salt, and vinegar into tomato mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 1 to 2 hours.

Pour tomato mixture into a clean blender or food processor no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend until very smooth. Repeat with any remaining tomato mixture.

Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Beat sugar and butter together in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, egg, and vanilla extract; beat on low speed to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl to evenly incorporate.

Combine 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; beat into sugar mixture on low speed until just incorporated. Beat in remaining 2 tablespoons flour.

Place ½ cup confectioners' sugar in a small bowl; drop in teaspoonfuls of dough and roll until coated.

Place on the prepared baking sheet, 1 to 2 inches apart.

Bake in the preheated oven until edges are light brown, 9 to 11 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Melt butter and chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. Remove top of double boiler and stir sugar, flour, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract into chocolate mixture until batter is smooth. Fold walnuts into batter; spread into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cut brownies while warm.

Make the dumplings: Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Combine flour, baking powder, parsley, and salt in a bowl. Add milk mixture and club soda; stir until dough forms a ball, making sure not to overmix. Cover dough and let stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the chicken mixture: Bring chicken stock and condensed soup to a simmer in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, potatoes, onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, peas, lemon slices, and thyme. Poach until chicken is no longer pink in the center and vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the chicken should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken to a plate to cool. Transfer vegetables to a bowl, leaving stock in the pan. Discard thyme and lemon.

While the chicken is cooling, boil remaining stock over medium-high heat until reduced by one-third, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour cream into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced by about half, 7 to 10 minutes. Whisk into reduced stock. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Chop cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir into stock mixture and add chicken and cooked vegetables.

Bring soup to a simmer over medium heat, adding more stock if necessary. Drop in teaspoonfuls of dumpling dough. Cover and let simmer for 7 to 8 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with parsley and green onion.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Grease a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®) with 2 tablespoons butter. Add 1/4 cup sugar; shake pan gently until sides are evenly coated with sugar.

Combine remaining 2/3 cup butter and 1 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Beat flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating batter well after each addition.

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture over the batter. Repeat once more. Pour remaining batter on top. Swirl batter with a butter knife.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes; invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Mix flour and baking powder together in a small bowl. Mix milk, egg, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil together in a large bowl. Stir flour mixture into milk mixture until batter is smooth. Set aside to allow batter to thicken, about 1 minute.

Heat about 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, add blueberries, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining oil and batter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Spread wheat germ over a baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until toasted, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly, then transfer wheat germ to a large bowl.

Stir flour, baking soda, and salt into wheat germ. Beat buttermilk, eggs, and oil in another bowl until smooth; pour egg mixture into flour mixture and stir until batter is just blended.

Heat griddle over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup portions of batter onto the griddle and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, about 3 minutes more. Repeat with remaining batter.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees C (190 degrees C).

Mix flour, yogurt, Italian seasoning, garlic, and salt together in a large bowl until it forms a ball. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking, 2 to 3 minutes. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls.

Layer dough balls and cheese in a small (5-inch) nonstick springform pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until bread has risen and is baked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Rinse beans. Combine with 3 quarts of cold water in a large pot. Soak 8 hours to overnight.

Drain beans and return to the pot. Add 3 quarts fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until tender, 1 to 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a 4-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and stir until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, stir for a minute, then add bison and cook until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir tomatoes and liquid into stockpot.

Combine red pepper flakes, cumin, oregano, chili powder, sea salt, white pepper, and paprika in a small container and stir to mix. Add to the stockpot and stir through. Add 1 cup water and stir gently while bringing water to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Taste bison mixture and adjust seasoning as desired. Add beans and mix through. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon masa flour on top and gently stir in to achieve a medium-thick consistency. Cover and simmer chili over low heat for 1 hour.

Uncover chili, stir, and add another tablespoon masa flour. Continue simmering, uncovered, over low heat to desired consistency, 60 to 90 minutes. Cover the pot or add a teaspoon of masa flour to control consistency.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

Beat sugar, butter, and dry strawberry gelatin together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl; stir into butter mixture alternately with milk.

Blend in strawberry puree and vanilla.

Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes; run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Spear the potatoes with fork tines in several places around each potato to vent moisture as the potatoes cook.

Bake the potatoes in their skins until tender, about an hour. Let cool on a rack, cutting them open to help cool and let more moisture escape.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Work with the potatoes when they are still warm. Scoop out the potatoes from their skins. Mash the potatoes and fluff them up with a fork into a large bowl.

(It works great to pass the potatoes through a potato ricer if you have one.)

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Add the flour, beaten egg yolks, and pinch of salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough. Do not overmix.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 3/4 inch in diameter.

It is very important to keep a light touch while you are rolling the dough! Gently roll the dough with your fingertips while exerting the lightest pressure outwards, not down, to draw the dough out.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about 1 inch long. Using either the tines of a fork or your fingertip, press against a piece of the dough and roll it slightly to form an indentation (good for catching the sauce).

As you make the gnocchi, place them on a flat baking pan that has been lightly dusted with flour or lined with waxed paper.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

At this point, you can freeze the gnocchi ahead of time. Freeze them first on a floured or lined tray; once frozen, you can put them into a freezer bag for more easy storage. To cook, just put the frozen gnocchi into the simmering water for the next step.

Bring 4 quarts of salted water (1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water) to a boil in a saucepan.

Gently place the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the water. As soon as the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon or spider strainer, shaking off excess water.

Place the gnocchi on a warm serving dish. Cook the remaining gnocchi the same way.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Top the gnocchi with your favorite (heated) pasta sauce and serve immediately.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Beat sugar and shortening together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.

Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating just to combine. Stir in vanilla and pour cake batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Cool cake completely and top with your favorite frosting.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place green beans in a saucepan and fill with about 1/2 inch water; bring to a boil. Cover and steam until beans are tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain.

Combine drained beans in a bowl with mushrooms; toss to combine.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and parsley; cook and stir until onion is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk in flour until blended, then mix in lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in milk, stirring constantly, so that no lumps form.

Add sour cream and stir until combined. Warm over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble. Dump in green beans and mushrooms, stirring to coat.

Remove from the heat and toss briefly with 1/2 of the Cheddar cheese and 1/2 of the French-fried onions. Spoon into a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish; top with the remaining Cheddar and onions.

Bake in the preheated oven until Cheddar is melted, about 15 minutes.

Gather all ingredients.

Beat together sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Whisk together eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl until combined. Beat into butter mixture slowly on low speed.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add to egg mixture slowly on low speed until just combined. Do not overbeat; dough will be sticky. Cover and chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes; it will still be sticky after chilling.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Form dough into balls using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, then roll each in confectioners' sugar. Place 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Lightly smash each ball down using your hand.

Bake in the preheated oven until the centers are just barely set, 11 to 12 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack completely before storing in an airtight container.

Place 1 tablespoon of chicken stock in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onion and garlic in the broth until they are softened, about 3 minutes. Pour in the rest of the broth and 1/2 cup of milk, and whisk in the salt, black pepper, parsley, lemon pepper seasoning, allspice, and paprika. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk together the remaining milk and the flour until smooth, and whisk the milk mixture into the hot stock mixture. Keep whisking continuously to avoid lumps until the soup comes almost to a boil and thickens.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish.

For a Yellow Cake: Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute, then on high for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl frequently. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan. Slowly stir in milk and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in vanilla.

Pour hot pudding into dessert glasses or molds that have been rinsed in cold water. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours. Unmold if desired and serve.