Vegetarian Posole and/or Something Meaty

1-2 bags dried white hominy (depending on how much you want :-)
3 containers of veggie broth, plus water (or make your own broth by boiling carrots and celery, including leaves, garlic, onion, and bay leaf in water)
olive oil
garlic (I used ~6 t split between the hominy and then the zucchini/mushrooms)
onion (probably 1 white or yellow onion)
zucchini, sliced
mushrooms, sliced
dried chile ancho
water
course kosher salt (to taste)
fresh oregano (to taste)
fresh cilantro (to taste)
radishes (sliced thin)
green cabbage (shredded)

To make just the veggie posole, saute some garlic and onion in the bottom of a big pot.  Add enough veggie broth and water (in whatever combination you have available) to cover the hominy.  Bring to a boil, then lower and simmer for 3+ hours, adding water as necessary to ensure hominy remains covered (at this point you can either continue on to the remainder of the recipe or remove from the stove and store in the fridge over night, then finish the next day).

When you continue one, in a separate pot, saute garlic and onion in olive oil, once browned, add zucchini and mushrooms.  When vegetables are softened, combine hominy and liquid mixture with sauteed veggies (I like to pour the hominy into the newly sauteed veggies, rather than the other way around, it seems to add to the flavor. But I doubt it really matters.) Add several long sprigs of fresh oregano to the pot and some coarse kosher salt, to taste.  Continue to simmer for another ~2 hours, stirring and scraping the bottom every 20 minutes or so.  (I tend to taste every time I stir to see if it needs more salt.

While simmering, soak dried ancho chiles in warm/hot water.  Be sure to put a heavy bowl or plate on top to keep the chiles under water.  After about an hour or so, dump the chiles along with the water they were soaking in into a blender and blend on high'ish until liquified.  Then pour the mixture through a mesh sieve to filter out the skins and seeds.  Add some of the chile water to the simmering posole for flavor, put the rest in a bowl for people to add to their individual bowls.

NOTE: The chile water will be hot, but how hot will depend on how much water you add and the peppers themselves.  So be sure to test sparingly at first.

Serve in bowls, allow people to add radishes, shredded cabbage, cilantro, cilantro, and oregano as desired.

VEGGIE/CARNIVORE COMBO:
If you want to do a split veggie and meat posole, follow all the same directions above, except use 3 bags of dried hominy.  And in a separate pot saute garlic and onion, then fill with water and simmer a few varied pieces of pork or chicken to make a tasty broth.  When the time comes, split the hominy in liquid mixture between the veggie and meat pots, following the same directions as above for the veggie one.  And adding some oregano and salt to the meat one.  Simmer both simultaneously for another 2+ hours and voila, a perfect meal for a mixture veggie/carnivore crowd.  Just be sure to use different spoons to stir the pots!  :-)

Rolls - Parker Rolls (from Mom- for little sandwichitas!)

These are the rolls mom made at Thanksgiving.  They're crazy good.

1 envelope active dry yeast
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3 T sugar
1.5 t kosher salt
1 egg (room temperature)
3.5 cups flour
vegetable oil to coat bowl
1/4 cup butter (to brush on top)

Whisk 1 envelope of active dry yeast into ¼ cup warm water (110-115 degrees).  Let stand 5 minutes.

Heat 1 cup whole milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just warm.  Combine ¼ cup vegetable shortening, 3 Tbsp sugar, and 1 ½ tsp kosher salt in a large bowl.  Add warm milk; whisk to bloend, breaking up shortening into small clumps.  It may not melt completely.  Whisk in yeast mixture and add 1 room temperature large egg.  Add 3 ½ cups all purpose flour; stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough forms.  Knead dough with lightly floured hands on a lightly floured surface until smooth, 4-5 minutes.  Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. 

Cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Let stand at room temperature until doubled, about 1 ½ hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt ¼ cup butter in a small saucepan.  Lightly brush a 13 x 9 “ baking dish with some melted butter.  Punch down dough; divide into 4 equal pieces.

Working 1 piece at a time, roll out onto a lightly floured surface into a 12” x 6” rectangle.

Cut lengthwise into thirds, then crosswise into thirds again (forming twelve 4” x 2” rectangles).  Brush half of each rectangle (about 2” x 2”) with melted butter, fold the unbuttered side over, allowing 1/4 “ overhang.  Place flat in 1 corner of dish, folded edge against shortside of dish.  Add remaining dough for 4 rows.  Brush with melted butter, loosely cover with plastic, and chill for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.

Bake until golden and puffed 25-35 minutes  Brush with butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Serve warm~  YUM!

Baked Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal (c/o theKitchn)

I haven't tried this yet, but a friend shared it with me after having Marie's baked oatmeal.  It looks amazing!  I can't wait to try it out next weekend.


Baked Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-baked-pu-159872
serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 cups steel cut oats
1 cup pumpkin or squash puree
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 375°F. In a 3-quart (or larger) saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. (Your burner shouldn't be on at full blast, but the butter should melt quickly.) When the butter foams up, stir in the oats and fry them, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until they smell toasted.

Push the oats up against the side of the pan, and drop the second tablespoon of butter in the now clear center of the pan. Dump in the pumpkin puree. Fry it in the butter, only stirring after about a minute. Stir in the sugar and spices and continue frying the puree for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the color darkens slightly and the raw smell disappears. It's OK if a few dark brown spots appear as the puree sticks to the pan.

Pour in the milk and whisk everything to combine. Whisk in the water, vanilla and salt. Put a lid on the pan and put it in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven, and carefully lift the lid (be cautious as steam will billow out). Stir the oatmeal. It will look quite loose still, but the oats should be al dente and tender. The oatmeal will thicken rapidly as it cools.

Eat immediately with a drizzle of cream or milk and maple syrup, or let cool and then refrigerate. Heat up bowls in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Oat Flour Dark Chocolate Cake (Gluten, Dairy, Corn, Gum-free)
Adapted from Kitchen Therapy

3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 dark brown sugar
3/4 cup water or milk
6 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups gluten-free oat flour (I make my own from oatmeal in the food processor)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional (but why wouldn't you?)
1 cup chocolate chips, optional

This cake isn't very sweet and it's pretty dense, so it's perfect for me as it.  But I'm guessing for those with a sweeter tooth might want to add chocolate chips and/or chocolate frosting of some kind.

Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit.

-preheat oven
-grease bundt pan well
-combine all ingredients with a whisk until smooth
-pour into pan
-bake for 30 min, until toothpick comes out clean
-allow to cool completely before removing from pan, since the cake is a little crumbly to begin with you really do need to wait

You say glogg, I say gluhwein... but really it's just mulled wine

You might want to consider making this with baked oatmeal for brunch.  Just sayin'....

4-8 red apples, peeled and diced

2 bottles red wine, we used Cabernet Sauvignon and merlot

3 cups apple cider
a bunch of cinnamon sticks

~10-12 whole cloves pressed into an orange

Warm diced apples over medium low heat for 15 minutes, add two bottles of red wine, 3 cups apple cider, cinnamon sticks, an orange (or apple with cloves pressed into it). Reduce temperature to low (the lowest possible to keep warm), don't let it boil or simmer or the alcohol with boil off.  Drink.  Yum!