All Recipes
Bakes and treats fresh from the kitchen.
Corn Cake
Pan de Elote is a Mexican semi-sweet dessert. I made a caramel-ish icing on the fly to drizzle lightly on top which added a nice additional sweetness that complemented the corn base and authentic roots. My first attempt was slightly well-cooked so did not have the exact custard-setting that it should. Ingredients: 4 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen, thawed) 1 cup sweetened condensed milk ½ cup whole milk ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted 4 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup fine cornmeal ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ~2 tablespoon butter (for coating pans) 3 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Instructions: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a blender, combine corn, condensed milk, and whole milk. Blend until mostly smooth, leaving slight texture. In a large bowl, combine the blended mixture with melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold until just combined. The batter should be thick but pourable. Butter two 8-inch pans generously. Mix sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle half on the butter in the pans. Pour batter evenly into pans and tap lightly to settle. Sprinkle more cinnamon sugar evenly over the tops. Bake at 350°F for 40–50 minutes, rotating halfway through. Bake until the center is just set and the edges are golden. Remove from oven and let cool at least 45 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Southern-Style Little Chicago Deep Dish
I hail from the East Tennessee Tri-Cities area and currently live in the town of Johnson City, home of Mountain Dew and Bluegrass. JC has some cultural ties to Chicago and bootlegging, giving it the moniker “Little Chicago”. Embracing this mix of community, cultural history, and the local love for pizza, I have developed a signature recipe that is intended to kick off a bold southern pizza brand that is a recognizable evolution of the dish. Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose Flour ½ cup Yellow Cornmeal 1½ teaspoon Salt 1 packet Active Dry Yeast 1 tablespoon Sugar 1¼ cups warm-hot Water ½ cup Buttermilk ½ cup melted unsalted Butter 2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil (for coating pans) Seasonings (Salt, garlic salt, paprika, fennel seeds) Instructions: In a small bowl, combine warm water (105–110°F), sugar, and yeast. Stir and let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, cornmeal, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, buttermilk, and melted butter to the dry ingredients. Mix until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms. Knead for 5–7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 60–90 minutes until doubled in size. Coat deep-dish pan(s) with vegetable oil. Punch down dough and divide as needed. An 8 inch pan should have roughly 14-16oz of dough. Press dough into pan, working it up the sides to form a tall edge. Layer cheese directly on the dough. Add meats and toppings. Spread sauce on top. Apply seasonings (salt, garlic salt, paprika, fennel seeds) directly on top. Bake at 425°F for 25–30 minutes, rotating and covering with tin foil halfway through to prevent uneven cooking and burned tops. Remove when crust is deep golden and filling is bubbling. Top with grated or shredded parmesan, let cool and serve.
Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
These are really good. Dough Ingredients: 1 cup browned butter 1 cup packed brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 2 ¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1 cup frozen blueberries Icing Ingredients 4 oz cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 cup powdered sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1–2 teaspoons milk Instructions: Brown 1-1¼ cup of butter on stove. Pour butter into a large mixing bowl, add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla fully. Stir in flour, then add the oats. Mix until evenly distributed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F. Fold frozen blueberries into layers of the dough to avoid squishing berries. Scoop cookie dough into ~2-tablespoon balls and place them on baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and set in the center. Set cream cheese and butter out to warm, or warm slightly in microwave at 10 second bursts until soft. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and fully combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, mix thoroughly. Adjust consistency of icing with teaspoons of milk, if needed. After cookies have cooled for 10-15 minutes, spread ~1-2 tablespoons of icing on each cookie and let it set for ~10 minutes.
Pistachio Brownies
This brownie recipe is rich, fudgy and has a nice flavor kick from the pistachios and cinnamon. Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 large eggs 1-2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon espresso powder 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup pistachios, chopped Instructions: Heat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8×8 pan. Melt butter slightly. While still warm, stir in both sugars until glossy and smooth. Whisk in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. The batter should thicken slightly. Sift in cocoa powder, espresso, flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. Fold just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and pistachios. Spread evenly in the pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely, slice & serve.
Banana Bread
This is the recipe for the banana bread that I regularly make as a treat for my family. I like to keep it in the fridge for a few days and we will take slices as breakfast or snacks. It can pair well with butters and jams but is sweet and filling enough to eat as it is. Ingredients: 3-4 well ripened Bananas 1 large Egg 1/3 cup melted Butter 1/2 cup White Sugar 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar 1 teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda A pinch of Salt 1 1/2 cups Flour 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips 1/2 cup Walnuts 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar 1-2 tablespoons Heavy Cream or Milk Instructions: Preheat oven to 350°F & butter/oil loaf pan. Mash bananas until smooth. Melt butter in microwave and mix in. Beat egg and mix in sugar towards end of beating. Mix that into banana along with baking soda, salt, vanilla, and spices. Stir in the flour until just combined, then fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for at least 60 minutes, testing with toothpicks to make sure the batter is fully baked. Remove immediately from pan and cool on wire rack. When banana bread is slightly warm to touch, combine powdered sugar in a bowl with cream, milk, or water to create a glaze. Balance the ingredients so it is pourable but thick like a syrup. Move the bread to a plate and cover the top in glaze, letting it run down and coat the sides.