Jam Cake

Ingredients

For the Topping

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the Cake

¾ cup whole milk
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup thick berry jam (such as blackberry, blueberry, raspberry or four fruit)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Using some of the melted butter for the topping to generously brush the inside and sides of a Bundt pan.

Make the topping: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Use about a third of the cinnamon sugar to generously coat the inside of the buttered pan, reserving the rest of the melted butter and cinnamon sugar for finishing the cake.

Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the whole milk, melted and cooled butter, eggs and vanilla extract until well combined. Whisk in sugar, baking powder, fine sea salt and nutmeg until smooth. Finally, whisk in the flour until just combined.

Use a spatula to scoop half of the batter into the buttered and sugared pan. Use a spoon to create an indent or hollow in the middle of the ring of batter. Spoon the jam into the hollow (there should be batter on both sides of the jam), making sure none of the jam touches the sides of the pan. (The cake may stick otherwise.) Spoon the remaining batter on top to cover the jam.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed. A cake tester should come out without any wet batter clinging to it. (There may be crumbs and jam adhering to the tester, and that’s fine.) Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Use a knife or offset spatula to loosen the cake from the pan and carefully flip upside down on a rack.

Brush the warm cake with the remaining melted butter and generously dust with more of the cinnamon sugar. Let cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

(from ny times)

Crispy Baked Tomato-Oregano Chicken

Ingredients

2 tablespoons full-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
2 pounds chicken cutlets
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup grated Parmesan
¾ cup panko bread crumbs

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, tomato paste, soy sauce and 1 tablespoon oregano. Add the chicken; season lightly with salt and toss to coat.

Step 2
Add the halved tomatoes to a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, season with salt and the olive oil, and spread out into an even layer. Nestle the chicken on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle the Parmesan and remaining 1 teaspoon oregano over everything. Cover with a layer of panko.

Step 3
Bake in the oven until the top crisps and the tomatoes collapse and get saucy, 20 to 25.

(from ny times cooking)

Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients:

2 tsp smoked paprika
1½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1½ tsp kosher salt 
½ teaspoon black pepper
8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 pounds)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Step 2
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and mix with one of the measuring spoons.

Step 3
Pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel and place them in a large bowl. Drizzle the drumsticks with the olive oil and toss to coat, then sprinkle with the spice mixture and toss again until well-coated.

Step 4
Arrange the drumsticks, evenly spaced, on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes, until the drumsticks are browned and cooked through. (An internal thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of a drumstick should register at least 165 degrees, and preferably closer to 175 degrees.)

Step 5
Serve hot or warm. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, bake at 350 degrees, loosely wrapped in foil, for about 20 minutes, until heated through. To recrisp the skin, adjust heat to 425 degrees, unwrap the foil and cook for 5 minutes more.

(from nytimes cooking)

Snap Pea Salad With Walnuts and Parmesan

Ingredients

• Salt and black pepper 
• Ice, as needed
• 0.5 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 3 cups)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice (from 1 lemon)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 0.5 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1.5 oz Parmesan or pecorino, shaved with a vegetable peeler (about 1⁄3 cup)
• Fresh dill (optional)

Directions:

Step 1
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of salted ice water. Drop peas into the boiling water and cook until bright-green and crisp-tender, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain the peas, then transfer them to ice water to cool completely. Drain well, shaking the colander.

Step 2
Return the snap peas to the empty bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice, mustard and a generous grinding of pepper. Stir vigorously until the peas are evenly coated. Stir in the walnuts, Parmesan and fresh dill, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve at room temperature or cold. The salad can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days. 

(adapted from nytimes cooking)

Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

For the Burgers

½ medium onion
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
¾ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns, preferably whole wheat
1 tablespoon canola oil, or use pan spray
Thin slices of Cheddar, optional

For Serving

Sliced tomato
Sliced onion
Iceberg lettuce
Pickles
Sliced red pepper
Ketchup and mustard

Preparation

Grate the onion on the fine holes of a grater. You should have about two tablespoons of grated onion (and a lot of juice, which you can discard). Place in a bowl with the ground turkey, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper. Using a fork, mix together well. Shape into four patties — the mixture will be quite moist — and press the patties into ½-inch thick rounds.

Heat the canola oil in a nonstick griddle or large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. (Alternately, spray the griddle or pan with pan spray.) When you can feel the heat while holding your hand just above griddle or pan, cook the patties for five minutes on each side, topping with slices of Cheddar, if desired, after the first flip. Serve burgers on buns, with the condiments of your choice.

(from cooking,nytimes.com)

Chicken Au Poivre

Ingredients

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns [optional]
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
3 thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnishing
Crusty bread or egg noodles (optional), for serving

Directions

[optional step!] Place peppercorns in a small resealable bag. Using a mallet or the bottom of a saucepan, gently crush the peppercorns until coarsely cracked. (Alternatively, you can use a mortar and pestle.) Set aside.

In a 12-inch cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat oil over medium. Season chicken with salt. In two batches, sear chicken until light golden all over, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Pour off any remaining oil in the skillet.

Add butter and shallot to the skillet and cook, stirring, until butter is melted and shallot is softened, 1 minute. Add broth, heavy cream, thyme sprigs and cracked peppercorns and mix well, stirring to lift up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add chicken (and any accumulated juices), bring to a simmer and cook, turning and basting occasionally with the sauce, until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes.

Divide chicken among 4 serving plates and discard thyme.

Add lemon juice to the skillet and stir until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and stir in parsley.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken and garnish with more parsley. Serve with crusty bread or egg noodles, if desired.

(from cooking.nytimes.com)

Sheila's Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 can of pumpkin puree 

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/3 cups of oil (vegetable or avocado)
3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

(optional) chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and spray two standard sized breads pans (or 1 mini breadpan + 12 muffins, or 24 muffins). 

Mix eggs, pumpkin puree, sugar and oil.

Separately, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Combine all together and throw in chocolate chips if you want. Bake for an hour (if 2 bread pans), ~45-50 min for muffins.