Coffee shop Cranberry Orange Muffins

2 cups (250g) flour (plus 1 T. for the cranberries)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup (67g) sugar
1/2 cup (100ml) light olive oil or sunflower oil
2 eggs
1 cup (225ml) greek yogurt (I used one small carton of Ciobani Orange Cream greek yogurt making up the difference in extra buttermilk)
2 Tbsp buttermilk
2 cups (300g) fresh or frozen cranberries (cut into quarters)
grated rind of one orange
extra sugar

Start by cutting twelve 5 x 5 inch pieces of parchment paper. Find a cup/glass that will fit into the bottom of the depressions in a muffin pan. Turn the cup upside down and place a parchment square over the bottom of the cup. Crimp the parchment in the same direction on all four sides and press into the muffin pan to form a tulip muffin wrapper.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift the flour, baking powder and soad together into a large bowl, then stir in sugar.

Place the cranberries (toss with a tiny bit of flour) with the grated orange peel in a small bowl, and set aside.

In a large measuring cup combine the eggs, oil, yogurt and buttermilk and whisk to combine. Stir the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients, just until barely combined (DO NOT mix till the flour is completely combined).

Add the cranberries and orange peel, and continue to fold the mixture until just combined. Do not over stir muffins or they will not be light in texture.

Place the parchment tulips in the muffin pan, and using a large cookie scoop (ice cream scoop), fill the 12 muffins then sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.

Spiced Coffee

Add a 1-inch piece of orange peel, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and a pinch cayenne into a French press with the coffee grounds. Let steep according to the coffee maker directions, allowing the flavors to infuse the coffee as it brews.

Pulled Pork Rub

¼ c brown sugar
1 T chili powder
1 T kosher salt
2 t cracked black pepper
2 t smoked paprika (hot or mild, whichever you prefer)
2 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder
1 t ground mustard
½ t cayenne pepper
½ t cumin

Yellow mustard

Trim off excess fat from the pork butt.  Liberally coat with yellow mustard on all sides.   Combine the ingredients and season the pork liberally on all sides and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. If this isn’t possible, just let it sit for 20 minutes.
Set the smoker to 250℉ and preheat, lid closed for 15 minutes.

Place the pork butt fat side up directly on the grill grate and cook until the internal temperature reaches 160℉, about 3 to 5 hours.
Remove the pork butt from the grill.

Stack 2 large pieces of aluminum foil on top of each other, making sure they are wide enough to wrap the pork butt entirely on all sides. Place the pork butt in the center on the foil. Wrap the foil around the pork.

Turn the temperature of the smoker up to 300℉ and place the foil-wrapped pork butt back on the grill and cook until the internal temperature reaches 204℉, in the thickest part of the meat, about 3 to 4 hours longer depending on the size of the pork butt.

Remove from the grill and pour off any excess liquid. Allow the pork to rest for 1 – 2 hours in a cooler.

Place the pork in a large dish and shred the meat. Feel free to add some of the separated liquid back into the meat.

Corn and Zucchini Pancakes

2 cups fresh zucchini, diced in small pieces
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1 tablespoon neutral oil
⅓ cup fresh green onions, chopped (lights & dark)
1 ½ teaspoons fresh jalapeno , seeded and minced
2 medium fresh garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons plain sour cream or yogurt
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 C. crumbled feta or cojita
1/3 C. coarsely grated Parmesan
⅓ cup fresh chives, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoon neutral oil

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and stir until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Should still be crisp-tender. Remove from the head, add the corn, scallions, jalapeno and green onions, stir to combine. Cool.

Add the salt, pepper, eggs and sour cream. Mix well with a fork. Add the flour and baking powder. Add the cheeses and chives. Mix well.

Heat a skillet with 1 1/2 T. oil on medium. When hot, drop 2 1/2 T batter into the hot skillet making about 4 or 5 at a time. Cook over medium heat, turning when lightly brown underneath. Cook on this side and remove to a clean platter.
Serve with additional sour cream and salsa.

J.C. Gregg’s Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

I am a fan of J.C. Gregg and this is his famous Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe as posted in InKansasCity.com


Ingredients:
1 cup room temperature butter
1 cup room temperature peanut butter (your favorite brand)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the first six ingredients and blend on medium low speed until completely combined—with no sign of the eggs present.

Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Blend until combined (roughly two minutes). Remove bowl from mixer and hand stir—making sure to scrape that bottom of the bowl to get anything incorporated that may have not been fulling incorporated with the paddle. (Chef note: Yes, you can make these with a hand mixer or even mix by hand. Just follow the ingredients in order—making sure everything is well blended before you scoop and bake.)

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop up and place on a baking pan lined with parchment. A rimmed half sheet pan can fit eight dough balls comfortably. Bake for 17-20 minutes depending on your oven. (Chef note: If you want them chewy, pull them out at the 17-minute mark as long as they have started to brown slightly. If you want the crunchy, leave in until desired level of darkness is achieved.

Let cool on pan for 5 minutes and remove to a wire rack to completely cool. I bake both, chewy and crunchy. I don’t think there is anything much better than dunking a cookie in my coffee for an evening snack.)

Serve. Share. Enjoy. Repeat. (Chef note: I love to see how others create and am always willing to answer questions and help with any baking needs.)

Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients

Chive-Lime Sour Cream:
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup chopped chives or green onions plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Red Cabbage Slaw:
1 lime, juiced
1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
Kosher salt

Shrimp:
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
Flavorless oil, like canola or vegetable, for frying
Tortillas

Toppings:
Avocado, sour cream

Directions
For the chive lime sour cream: Combine the sour cream, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice, green onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

For the red cabbage slaw: Combine the lime juice, cabbage, onion, oil, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and massage for 2 minutes to soften the cabbage and distribute all ingredients evenly.

For the shrimp: Mix the cayenne, cumin and paprika with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few turns of pepper in a dish and sprinkle all over the shrimp. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a thin layer (about 1/4 cup) of oil. Fry the shrimp until translucent, 4 to 6 minutes.

To serve: Heat the tortillas. Top with the cooked shrimp, cabbage mixture and the sour cream mixture and avocado if desired.

Nadiya's Spice Paste

From - https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/nadiya-hussains-instant-noodles


For the spice paste:
3 medium onions, quartered
2 heads of garlic, peeled
100ml vegetable oil
125ml balsamic vinegar
150ml fish sauce
150ml light soy sauce
100g brown sugar
200g chilli paste

To make the spice paste, blitz the onions and garlic until pulsed but not a smooth paste.

Put the oil into a pan on a medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onions and garlic and cook for 10–15 minutes, until the onions are brown. Now add the vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and chilli paste, and cook until the mixture is a thick paste with no liquid. This should take about 20 minutes on a medium to low heat.

When the spice paste is cooked and cooled, put it into a jar – it should keep in the fridge for 2 months.