Cornbread Muffins

1 c milk
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 c butter, melted
2 eggs
1 1/4 c cornmeal
1 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat together milk, vinegar, butter and eggs. Gradually stir in the remaining ingredients, just until moistened. Pour into muffin tin lined with liners (or lightly greased muffin tin). Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.

TIP: Can substitute buttermilk for the milk and vinegar.
TIP: Can bake in 9" pie plate for about 25 minutes.

Oven-Baked Chicken Wings

12-14 chicken wings
garlic powder and onion powder

1/4 c butter
1/4 c hot sauce (Frank's)
garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse wings and pat dry. Place wings on a wire rack which is seated over a cookie sheet. Season wings with garlic and onion powder. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Combine butter, hot sauce, and garlic powder in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted and sauce is combined. Toss wings with sauce and return wings to the wire rack and return to oven. Decrease temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and toss wings in sauce again.

TIP: Try the sauce from Asian Chicken Wings if you don't like hot wings

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c butter, softened
1 c packed brown sugar
1 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1 c oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 c canned pumpkin
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually alternate adding flour mixture and pumpkin into butter/sugar mixture. Mix until flour is just moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto lightly grease cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes until bottom is lightly browned and top is no longer wet and springs back when touched lightly.

Basic Potato Salad (Hawaiian inspired)

4 large potatoes
2-3 pickles, chopped
3-4 TBSP pickle juice
3-4 TBSP zesty Italian dressing
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 TBSP prepared mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Dash curry powder
Ground black pepper to taste

Optional add-ins:
3-4 slices of ham, chopped
2-3 hard boiled eggs
1 c. frozen peas
2 celery stalks, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
2-3 thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup finely diced red onion

Bake and then peel & chop the potatoes (or peel, chop, and then boil the potatoes). Once cooked, and cut into cubes, top the potatoes with pickle juice and Italian dressing while still warm - stir to coat. Allow potatoes to cool and then mix in the remaining ingredients.

TIP: I like the basic version without add-ins (as does my daughter) - the add-ins require more time and more ingredients, but it also tastes great with some or all of the add-ins.
TIP: Add 1 c. of cooked macaroni (measured dry) to make a potato mac salad. You will need to increase the amount of mayo, pickle juice, and dressing accordingly (perhaps even doubling the.amounts of each).

Pumpkin Scones

2 c flour
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 stick (1/2 c) cold unsalted butter
1/2 c canned pumpkin
1 large egg
3 tbsp heavy cream (or milk)
1 tbsp molasses (or honey)
2 tsp vanilla extract
Sugar or cinnamon/sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Cut in butter (or use food processor) until butter is in pea-sized clumps. Combine pumpkin, egg, cream, molasses, and vanilla. Gradually mix pumpkin mixture into flour mixture, mix just until combined. Dump onto floured surface and knead gently until dough comes together into a ball. Break into two even pieces and pat each into a 5-6" diameter circle (about 3/4 inch thick). Cut each circle into 6 equal pieces. Place onto lightly greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar (or cinnamon sugar). Bake 12-15 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool a couple of minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

TIP: Try lining cookie sheet with parchment paper for easier clean-up.
TIP: Can omit the sprinkling sugar and top with glaze after the scones are cooled (Plain glaze: 1 c powdered sugar plus 2 TBSP milk; Spiced glaze: 1 c powdered sugar, pinch nutmeg; 1/4 tsp each of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, 2 tbsp milk). Can spread with plain glaze and then drizzle with spiced glaze over top.

Chicken Strips

1 lb chicken breast tenders
1 egg
1/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 c flour
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oil in deep fryer to 375 degrees (or heat oil in frying pan). Whisk egg and buttermilk in one bowl. In another bowl, mix flour and remaining ingredients. Dip chicken tenders into egg, then coat with flour. Fry in deep fryer for 6-7 minutes (or in frying pan for 2-3 minutes on each side).

TIP: If desired, can dip each piece of chicken twice to make the chicken strips more crunchy.
TIP: You can substitute regular milk for buttermilk (or add a little vinegar to the milk to make it more like buttermilk).

Roasted Honey Glazed Carrots

12-15 small carrots (or 24-36 baby carrots)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and peel carrots. If carrots are thin, roast them whole, if they are thick, slice in half lengthwise. Toss carrots with olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper. Place in sheet pan and roast in preheated oven for about 25 minutes until carrots are just tender.

Wild Rice and Arugula Salad

1 c wild rice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c toasted sliced almonds
4 c arugula
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
1/2 c dried sour cherries, chopped
1/2 c crumbled feta

Dressing:
3 TBSP olive oil
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper, or to taste

Cook wild rice according to directions on package, adding 1/2 tsp salt to water when cooking the rice (or boil rice in about 2 cups of water for 35-45 minutes until tender, drain any excess water). Let rice cool. Combine all ingredients of dressing. Mix rice, almonds, arugula, basil, sour cherries, feta, and dressing.