54. Spaghtetti Squash

I had this up at the dining hall at UGA and had to recreate it!  I think I'm gonna end up picking one up every time I'm at the grocery store now :P

INGREDIENTS:
1 whole large spaghetti squash, 'gutted', cut into quarters, then sliced
spray olive oil (or olive oil to brush) (you can also use canola oil or butter)
salt to taste
cinnamon to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice spaghetti squash as instructed above so they look like crescents (see picture).  Place on ungreased cookie sheet along with rinsed seeds if desired.  Lightly spray the squash and seeds with oil and lightly salt.  Bake seeds for about 15 minutes and squash for about 1 hour or until the flesh of the squash is easily separated into 'spaghetti' with a fork.  Be sure to flip the pieces periodically.  Allow to cool and separate squash flesh away from rinds, and separate and fluff the 'spaghetti'.  Serve with more oil/butter, salt and very light sprinkles of cinnamon (its good, trust me! ..just go REALLY light to start with)

53. Tamales (Sweet or regular)

I cannot resist these, they are SO cheap, go SO far, and taste SO darn good!


INGREDIENTS:
SWEET: 
2 pounds (4 cups) masa without salt
enough water to make dough
2 cups sugar 
1 tbsp cinnamon (optional)
1-2 cups raisins (optional)
1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts (optional)
30-40 dried corn husks, soaked in warm water 20 minutes (I usually do without)
UNSWEET:
1 tsp salt 
UNSWEET FILLINGS:
1 pound finely chopped meat cooked with chile powder, garlic, and tomatoes to taste 
-or-
1 can canned green chiles and monterey jack cheese to stuff them

DIRECTIONS:
Mix masa and water (and other ingredients, excluding the fillings) and work the dough until it is only slightly sticky to the touch, but moldable.  Spread a scoop of mix onto the center of a corn husk (or just make your dough less sticky and mold your own 'logs' like I do).  For fillings, add the filling onto the center of the masa spread.  Fold the sides of the corn husk in and fold the bottom up and tie.  Cook in a steamer for 1 hour.  Allow to cool and serve with butter and cinnamon sugar (sweet) or hot sauce and sprinkle cheese (unsweet).

52. Buttery Soft Pretzels

These didn't hang around very long :P 

INGREDIENTS:

4 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp white sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water

5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 white sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda

4 cups hot water

1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

51. Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I am so excited about this! Funny enough, I was inadvertently vegan for the past few days (with the exception of a piece of chocolate now and then) and I realized that it went back to my disgust about a report I saw on dairy cows and how it made all the memories of the poultry farms suddenly flow back into my head :( So I didn't really touch milk or eggs or dairy...and I (most importantly) realized that its a cinch for me to be vegan! I eat oatmeal and coffee for breakfast every morning, snack on nuts, popcorn, and tortilla chips throughout the day, eat tomato soup and veggies for lunch, and eat some sort of vegetable stew for dinner.  So I have been looking into really pursuing this for the past day or so and I am so happy with it so far! There are so many things you can find that are vegan! Oreos are vegan, popcorn in canola or olive oil is vegan, corn tamales are vegan, some chocolate is vegan, oyster crackers are vegan..I have a lot of options! But the one thing I would really have a hard time doing without is chocolate chip cookie dough..so I found a website with a ton of vegan recipes and this one is so tasty considering what it is made of! Take a look:

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups plus flour, unbleached
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoon soy milk
3 blocks Baker's Semi-sweet chocolate


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Sift 2 1/2 cups of the flour in a bowl with the baking soda, baking powder, and the salt. Mix the maple syrup, applesauce, brown sugar, and soymilk in another bowl, Stir the flour mixture into the mixed wet ingredients. Continue to add flour 1/4 cup at a time until dough is no longer sticky. With wooden spoon, mix in chocolate chunks (I cut up three blocks of the Baker's chocolate).  Spoon by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

50. Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temp
1/2 tsp red gel-paste food color
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (or appropriate substitute)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp distilled white vinegar
For Frosting:
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
12 oz (1 block) cream cheese, room temp
1 pound (4 cups) confectioner's sugar, sifted
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk together cake flourm cocoa, and salt.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until just combined.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scrapind down sides of bowl as needed.  Mix in food color and vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each.  Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.
4. Divide batter evenly along lined cups, filling each 3/4 full.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
5. To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread with frosting.
For Frosting:
1. Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Reduce speed to low.  Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth.

49. Rum Cake

Oh my lawd, this was good. Classic New Orleans fav.

INDGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups cake flour (or appropriate substitute, see my post)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 pack instant vanilla pudding (or chocolate for a chocolate rum cake - see substitute for chocolate pudding as well)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark rum, or any you have
4 eggs
For Rum Glaze:
1 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rum
1/2 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease a bundt pan.  Mix dry ingredients, and set aside.  Mix wet ingredients and then slowly add dry.  Bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  To make glaze, boil butter and sugar for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Cool and glaze.

48. Spaghetti with Pinot Grigio and Seafood

Thanks to Alyssa for this one, it was deeeee-vine!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound spaghetti pasta (or 1 box)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 cup Pinot Grigio (or other white wine)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (you can find them in bags in the frozen section now)
2 pounds clams, washed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups arugula

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally about 8-10 minutes.  Drain pasta.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oile in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots and the garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until tender but not brown.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute.
3. Add the wine, shrimp, and clams.  Bring the liquid to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the shrimp are pink and the clams have opened, about 7 minutes.
4. Add the spaghetti to the seafood mixture.  Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Add the arugula.  5. Stir gently and place on a serving platter and serve immediately.