Egg-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

These turn out really crisp and good. Unfortunately, my son who is the egg allergic one, doesn't like them too much. I love them, however, so make them for myself even though I can still have egg.

• 1 cup butter, softened
  
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cream butter and sugars together.
3. Add peanut butter and buttermilk and mix well.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together, then add to the peanut butter mix and blend well.
5. Drop by tablespoon fulls on cookie sheet, flattening each cookie with a sugar-dipped fork.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes and cool on a wire rack or sheet of foil.
   

Cream of Celery Soup

Like yesterday's cream of mushroom soup, this is a staple in my house and serves as a base for easy meals.

• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 diced potato
• 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk (1 12-ounce can)
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon tarragon

1. Sautee onions and celery in butter.
2. Add broth and potato to sauteed onions and cook on low for 15 minutes.
3. Use a potato masher or hand held blender to break down potato, or process mix in blender until it has reached the thickness you like. I like it a bit chunkier, so I just use my potato masher.
4. To that mix, add the rest of the ingredients, stir and cook over medium heat until everything is heated through.
   

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Never again will I buy a can of mushroom soup. This recipe is great, too, because it's corn-free, unlike the canned.

• 1 8-ounce package mushrooms, chopped
• 6 tablespoons butter
  
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1-2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (or use 1 1/2 cups cream, milk or half-and-half)
• 2 teaspoons pepper
  

1. Sautee mushrooms in butter.
2. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add stock and stir well to break down any floury mushroom globs.
4. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat and add evaporated milk and pepper.
5. Cook 5 more minutes and serve.

Tip: If you're looking to make this like condensed, canned soup, like the kind you'd use in recipes (like mock stroganoff, etc.) then only add 1 quart of stock. If you're looking to eat it like soup, then add the full 2 quarts.

This freezes great! I have also used the 1 quart version and cut up some chicken or beef, sauteed it right then and then I throw in during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Pour over rice or noodles. Yummy.

Tomatoes, Cucumber and Onion Salad

This salad is even better after it's soaked for a bit in the dressing.

• 1 sliced cucumber
• 1/2 sliced onion
• 3-4 quartered tomatoes
• 1/4 cup dressing like Italian or a vinaigrette
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Mix everything together and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Mushroom and Spinach Pasta

I haven't tried this recipe, but I've been throwing together a heap of recipes to try out this summer when my veggies come in. This one sounds like a winner.

• 8 ounces bow-tie pasta
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Cook pasta.
2. Toast pine nuts. (I do this in the toaster oven or in a dry cast iron skillet.)
3. Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet at medium to medium-high heat and saute mushrooms.
4. Reduce heat and add tomatoes and garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
5. Stir in wine to deglaze pan.
6. Stir in pasta and spinach, cooking only until spinach is wilted.
7. Add salt and pepper and top with cheese and pine nuts.

Pie Crust in the Food Processor

When I hurt my arm really badly, I was pretty fond of this no-roll pie crust. Now that my arm is better and I can wield a rolling pin, I'm back to regular crusts. They have a little more substance, so I'm happy for the return. I just got a food processor, though, and I've never used one to make a pie crust. I've seen it done a hundred times on cooking shows, just never had the machinery. Now I do, and my first pie crust turned out amazing. Bonus: It was super easy to get flakes by eliminating all the time and touching that causes the butter to melt. Hoody Hoo.

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup butter, cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons or more of ice water

1. Freeze the butter cubes for about half an hour.
2. Outfit your food processor with the chopper blade (not the disks).
3. Put the flour, salt and sugar into the food processor and pulse a couple of times.
4. Add the frozen butter cubes and pulse it (this takes me about 10-15 times or so) until the butter bits are about pea sized or smaller.
5. Start adding the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until it starts to clump up a bit.
6. Open the lid and pinch some of the dough. If it stays together, it's ready.
7. Dump out onto a cutting board or other surface and knead dough until it's all held together.
8. Divide in half and pat each half into a disk.
9. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerate for an hour.
10. After an hour, roll out dough. This is enough to make a top and bottom crust for a 10-inch pie, 2 bottom crusts for a quiche or tart or to make a nice, thick pot pie crust (top only) in a 9 x 13 inch dish.

Chicken Pot Pie

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup potato, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup carrot, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken stock / broth
• 1 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence, Italian Seasoning, Spike, Mrs. Dash or whatever mix you like
• 4 cups cooked chicken, diced
• pie crust (enough to cover the top of a 9 x 13 pan)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Saute all vegetables and garlic in butter for 10 minutes.
3. Add flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
4. Gradually stir chicken stock into vegetables.
5. Add evaporated milk or half-and-half and stir.
6. Cook over medium heat until thickened.
7. Add spices and chicken and heat through.
8. Pour into 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
9. Top with pie crust and seal around the edges.
10. Cut slits in the crust to allow steam to escape.
11. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.
12. If edges of crust brown too much, cover them with strips of aluminum foil so they don't burn.

When I'm really busy, I like cooking a ton of chicken and then packaging it up for the week so it's ready to just be popped right into a casserole, curry, etc.



My cutting board is just about perfect for rolling out a crust to cover a 9 x 13 pan.

No Roll Pie Crust

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
   
2. Mix dry ingredients together in pie pan.
3. Make a well in the center and pour in the oil and milk
4. Mix together until the dough starts to come together and form a ball.
5. Press with fingers, the back of a spoon or measuring cup until the dough covers bottoms and comes up sides.
6. Flute the edges.
7. Bake 10-15 minutes or according to your pie recipe.