Our Favorite Recipes

Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup

This is a very simple but delicious recipe for a cold night indoors

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen or fresh broccoli florets

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• Salt and pepper to taste

• A drizzle of olive oil

• Pinch of chili powder

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Directions:

• Place the broccoli in a large pot with enough water to cover the broccoli, approximately 2 1/2 cups

• Boil until the broccoli is tender

• Remove the broccoli from the water, but be sure to keep the water, don't throw it out!

• Place the broccoli in a blender until pureed

• Return the broccoli to the pan with the water and add cheese, chili powder, salt, and pepper

• Gently stir until cheese is melted, then add a drizzle of olive oil 

Baked Butternut Squash

From The Wiccan Cookbook

Recipes, Ritual, and Lore

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut or acorn squash

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

• Dash of ground cinnamon

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Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

• Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds

• Place the squash in a shallow baking dish and dot each half with butter or margarine

• Drizzle the orange juice and sprinkle with cinnamon

• Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes until you can easily put a fork in the squash

• Slice each half into thirds and serve

Mabon Apple Bread

Submitted by Terri Coffman

Mabon Apple Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Sift together:

2 C AP Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tbsp Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Cardamom

In mixer combine:

1/2 C veg or coconut oil

3/4 C Brown Sugar

Mix until creamy, Add-in:

1 C Apple Sauce

2 Eggs

1 Tbsp maple extract

Add in dry ingredients 1/3 at a time

Until mixed, Stir in:

2 C chopped Apples

( Skin & core removed )

Sprinkle Top with Cinnamon & Sugar

and love

Line Loaf pan with parchment paper

Bake for 40-50 minutes

Let cool in pan 15 min, remove carefully 

Finish cooling on a rack - Enjoy

White Chili

From Betty Crocker's New Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 cup finely chopped onion

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

• 4 cups chicken, shredded or cubed

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 2 tablespoons cilantro

• 1 tablespoon basil

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 2 cans Great Northern beans

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Dirctions:

1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot and cook the onion and garlic, stirring until tender.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, and cover and simmer for 1 hour.

3. Serve and enjoy!

Classic Meat Spaghetti

A hearty and simple meal for the whole family

Ingredients:

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• One pound ground beef or plant-based meat alternative​

• One jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

• One package of spaghetti noodles

• One tablespoon minced garlic

• One teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

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•  Bring to a boil a large pot of water.  Once it is at a roiling boil, place the noodles in the water.  When they are done, drain the water, and drizzle with olive oil.

• While the water is coming to a boil, combine the meat and spices in a large skillet.  When completely cooked through, add the pasta sauce.

• Serve and enjoy!

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Sauteed Apples

Submitted by Lili Burrup

Ingredients: 

Any number of apples, sliced or diced (could also use pears or other firm fruit)
Cinnamon, to taste 
One or more tablespoons butter

Directions:  

In a medium to a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add apples, occasionally stirring for 3-5 minutes, or until the apples have wilted and decreased a tad in size. Add the cinnamon and continue occasionally stirring for another 10-30 minutes, depending on the desired level of doneness. Enjoy! (Top with crumbled graham crackers and fresh whipped cream to make a yummy dessert)

Poultry Stock from Christopher Child

I call this “Poultry Stock” because I use the same basic recipe with whatever bones I have on hand: chicken, turkey, and even duck (which makes an interesting flavor, but also renders out more fat, and duck fat is liquid gold).

Store the bones and scraps from roasted poultry dinners and kitchen prep in the freezer. 

This is a good use for flabby/rubbery veggies that have sat a little too long in the fridge.

Poultry Stock

Makes about three quarts

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Ingredients: 

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3-4 lbs chicken bones/scraps

3-4 ribs celery, roughly chopped

One or two yellow onions, UNPEELED and quartered

3-4 carrots, unpeeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp. whole black peppercorns

Two bay leaves

Three cloves

1-2 sprigs fresh thyme, or ⅛ tsp. dried

2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley or 1 tbsp. dried

Directions: 

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• Throw all of this stuff in a pot. See? Easy!

• Cover it with 3-4 quarts of cold water, slap a lid on it, and bring to a simmer on medium-high heat. This is a low-n-slow kind of thing; don’t rush it.

• Once it is just beginning to boil, reduce the heat and simmer it, uncovered, for, oh, I don’t know, four hours, anyway. This is where it can get tricky, because while the flavor will be there after only a few hours, it’ll take much more time to extract the collagen (super-rich, velvety-textured sauces, and soups LOVE this stuff) from the bones, and that’s where the magic is. If you’re in a hurry, you can call it a day. If you’re not going anywhere and you are falling in love with smells that remind you of autumn festivals and family, keep it on the stove at the lowest heat possible and just let it go. I’ve simmered stock for 13 hours before, and I got every bit of collagen out of those bones; once the stock had chilled, I was able to stand a spoon up in it. It was like jello, but tasty and natural. Awesome.

• If you simmer for a long time, you might have to add some water to cover the bones every once in a while. That’s fine. I use boiling water, so the temp in the pot remains stable.

• This is the hardest part: strain the stock using a fine sieve (or a colander lined with cheesecloth if you are feeling super awesome), and cool it down as quickly as possible. I usually fill my sink with ice and water and set the pot down inside. I then stir the stock occasionally and let heat transfer do the rest. Once the ice is more or less melted, I store the stock in 2-cup containers and freeze; I find that I use stock in 2-cup increments. You can store it how you like, though, because you’re now a stock goddess/god, and you can do what you want. It keeps in the freezer for a year, but you’ll use it WAAAY before then.

Cheers!

Chris

Christopher Child is a stay-at-home dad and a working musician in the greater Denver area. He’s the default cook in the house and loves to express his love for his family and friends with good food and drink. He has been known to brew beer and enjoys making mead as well. The Covid-19 situation is keeping him from public music performances, but currently, he can be found live streaming a weekly concert on twitch. Tv every Wednesday night, 6-8 pm Mountain Standard Time. He’d love to hear from you!

twitch.tv/christopherchildmusic

One-Pan Pasta

From Marta Stewart Living

Ingredients​

• 12 ounces linguine

• 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large

• 1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

• 2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

• 4 1/2 cups water

• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

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Directions

• Step 1

  Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes.

• Step 2

  Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among 4 bowls, and garnish with basil. Serve with oil and Parmesan.

Sweet Potato Fries

Submitted by Lili Burrup

Ingredients: 

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3-5 large sweet potatoes (could use potatoes)

Thyme, to taste

Rosemary, to taste

Salt, to taste

Black Pepper, to taste

Olive Oil

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Directions: 

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Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil or a silicone mat. Wash the sweet potatoes, and julienne or dice them, then arrange them in a single layer on the tray. Drizzle evenly with olive oil, sprinkle with spices, and toss to coat thoroughly. Bake for about 14 minutes. Enjoy!