claycantcook

[claycantcook]

this and the potatoes/carrots recipes are baller

[claycantcook]

maybe I'll just do roasted pan potatoes/baked sweet potatoes and separate bean recipe, so I can have more flexibility with leftovers... hmmm..

[claycantcook]

Summer Squash Mac n Cheese

Ingredients

1-2 yellow/summer squash (finely chopped or grated)*

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup butter

a heaping spoonful of flour

about 1/2 cup of milk*

salt

black pepper

paprika

red pepper

nutmeg (just a dash)

herbs de provence (oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil)

about 1 cup of shredded cheese of choice

optional (it can give a weird texture): up to 1/4 cup soft cheese*

about 4 servings of pasta (if cooking ahead of time, lightly toss in oil to prevent sticking)

Recipe

melt butter in large pot over medium heat until melted and bubbling lightly

toss in yellow squash, cooking for a minute before adding in onion and garlic. cook until veggies have softened, a few minutes.

when liquid in pot has slightly reduced, add in spoonful of flour (enough to coat veggies). cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Veggies will become a bit of a mush.

at this point, add in milk and continue stirring until somewhat thickened. add in seasonings and cheeses, adjusting to taste.

when cheese has melted and sauce become creamy, toss in pasta.

Notes

the finer chop on the squash, the better the texture! It cooks down and becomes pretty unnoticeable. It can also be substituted with about 1/2 a can of pumpkin!

feel free to substitute some of the milk with half-n-half or cream!

"soft cheese" can be anything on hand; ricotta, mozzarella, cottage cheese (I'd recommend blending/crushing), farmers cheese, etc

one of my fav recipes to pretend I'm not eating veggies with. hope you enjoy! ~~匸Pヽ(･ω･｀)

[claycantcook]

Grandmas Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:

6 cups sliced zuchinni

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 (8oz) box of herb stuffing mix

1/2 cup melted butter*

1 cup sour cream

1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup*

Recipe:

Preheat over to 350°

Cook zucchini, carrots and onion in salt water for (about) 5 minutes until softened. Drain well.

Combine the sour cream and soup, then fold in the cooked vegetables.

Separately from the veggie mix, mix melted butter and stuffing

Spread half of the stuffing onto bottom of casserole dish. Layer on the vegetable mixture, then top with remaining stuffing.

bake for 25-30 minutes

Notes:

original recipe calls for margarine, feel free to use either of choice

can be easily substituted with any "cream of ___" soup. To make vegetarian, use any vegetable option such as mushroom or celery.

If "cream of ___" soups aren't as accessible, you can probably substitute it with a basic roux and cream cheese/cream or halfnhalf with bullion or seasonings mixed in :)

[claycantcook]

(spiced) brown butter chocolate chip cookies

this is my basic brown-butter chocolate chip cookie recipe, with some additions that I made when I baked them (to get in the fall spirit). Pull out some chai or apple cider and enjoy!

ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup of light brown sugar**

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp molasses**

1 cup white sugar

1 large egg and an extra yolk

2 and 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup of chopped nuts (or replace with more chocolate)

if making spiced, about 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 to 1 tbsp ginger, dash of cloves, nutmeg and allspice to taste*

recipe:

melt half of your butter in a nonstick pan, over medium heat. Let it brown, swirling the butter occasionally as it pops and froths. After brown bits form on the bottom of the pan and the butter stops bubbling, take it off of heat and cool in the fridge (in a separate container) for about 10 minutes, brown bits and all.

optionally: as the butter cools, toss your chopped nuts and a tbsp of your butter, letting cook for a few minutes until you can smell them.

beat together your unmelted butter and brown sugar in a big bowl until smooth

beat in vanilla and molasses, until thoroughly mixed in

pour in cooled brown butter and white sugar, beat until fluffy and lighter in color

mix in eggs and spices, adjust spices to taste.

add flour, baking soda and salt and mix just until combined.

fold in nuts and chocolate chips, and let cool covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

as the dough cools, heat oven to 350 and bake when dough is firm for 12-15 minutes. They might look a little puffy fresh out of the oven, but as they cool they set into themselves.

Notes:

the tbsp of molasses is optional if using dark brown sugar, though changing this may mess with texture

spices are mostly to taste- I'd recommend making unspiced first if you're unsure. if so, try tossing some sea salt on top right before baking for some extra fanciness

[claycantcook]

Beans and Beans

This recipe is just a base, so make any omissions and additions you want (I'd especially recommend any seasonal veggies you have on hand! fresh versions of ingredients or even canned pumpkin could work)

Ingredients

1/2 of an onion

2-5 cloves of garlic

1 stalk of celery

1 carrot

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can of black beans, plus more of choice (chickpeas, red kidney, etc)

orange juice

vegetable broth

Spices: ground chili pepper, ground red pepper, smoked paprika, Adobo, salsa picante/hot sauce, thyme, itallian herbs mix and a bay leaf)

Recipe

In a medium-large pan, heat up a nice coat of olive oil on medium heat

as it heats, chop up the onion, garlic celery and carrot

add in your onion, and let cook for a minute before adding in garlic. Let cook until onion starts looking more transparent, then mix in your celery and carrot and cook until the veggies stop releasing steam. As they cook, toss in a decent pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper

add in your tomatoes (with juice from can) and beans (without juice). add in a splash (maybe 1/4 cup?) or orange juice and enough broth that the beans are covered. Mix in additional spices and herbs.

bring it all to a boil, then turn heat down to low. Let simmer for around 45 min, until liquid is all absorbed and sauce is thick

remove that bay leaf! Serve warm bread or rice of choice :)

[claycantcook]

🎷✨Jazz Bread✨🎷

I also call this "gut bread"! Officially it's "savory herb and cheese pull apart bread" but... what a mouthful! This recipe is best made with some funky jazz and a cup of coffee or tea :)

Ingredients:

2 packs of Active Dry Yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp if you use a jar)

1 tsp of sugar

~1 1/2 cups warm water

3 1/2 cups of Flour (and a bit more for kneading)

1 tsp salt

1-2 tbsp olive oil

shredded parmesan cheese (or others as you'd like)

crushed red pepper

black pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

chopped herbs (I used cilantro, parsley, oregano and thyme)

Recipe:

activate your yeast! Toss the 4 1/2 tsp of yeast with about 1/2 cup of warm water. If possible, make sure it's between 100-110°. Stir in with 1 tsp of sugar till it's all dissolved and let sit for 10 minutes.

using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix in the 2 cups of flour, the oil, salt and extra warm water as needed. mix it until its all one big glob (still sticky)

onto that knead-zone! toss it onto a clean surface that's been heartily floured, then knead until its elastic but not tacky.

let it sit in a greased bowl with a towel covering it for an hour, or till doubled in size

while it rises, mix together your spices and your herbs in a normal bowl with a bit of cheese

get that dough and PUNCH IT!!! then, pull it apart into small balls, about a golf balls worth. roll them directly in your seasoning, greasing them up with oil to help them stick as needed

put em all in a sprayed bundt pan*, loosely next to one another. once the first layer is down, sprinkle with cheese. repeat with the last bits of dough, and sprinkle on top again.

Let the dough rise in pan for another hour or so, at least until doubled and fluffy. preheat oven to 350 during this stage- if your oven gets hot while the dough is rising, it can speed up the process.

bake for about 35 minutes. it'll be light on the top layer but crusty to the touch. Let cool till handleable, and serve with tomato sauce or whatever ya want!