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Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Recipes

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

by Laura
written by Laura
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 Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Nothing says comfort food like warm, creamy mashed potatoes. My mom used to always whip them with a hand mixer and that is still my preferred way to eat them.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Prepare potatoes by cleaning and peeling them. Cut into 1-1/2" chunks. Place potato chunks into 5 qt pot filled with cold water. Give enough space at the top of the pot to allow for boiling without overflow.
  2. Bring to a boil over high heat. When the water begins to boil, add 3 Tbsp of kosher salt and reduce heat to medium high. Take care to not allow the water to overflow. Boil 10-12 minutes based on the size of your potatoes, stirring occasionally. Drain and place potatoes in a bowl.
  3. Add butter, milk and salt. Beat on low speed with a hand mixer until all ingredients are combined. Turn mixer to high for 30 seconds or until potatoes reach the consistency that you prefer. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes

Starting the potatoes in cold water insures that the potatoes cook evenly.

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Corned Beef Instapot Style
Recipes

Corned Beef Instapot Style

by Laura
written by Laura
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 Corned Beef Instapot Style
Corned beef is beef brisket salt cured, traditionally for preservation. You can find corned beef in the grocery store already cured with a packet of spices. A traditional St. Patrick's Day meal in the US is Corned Beef and Cabbage.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Irish
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2-1/2 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Irish
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2-1/2 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In your instapot, placed sliced onions in the bottom. Place trivet over the onions.; This makes removal of the cooked beef easier. Place corned beef, fat side down on trivet. Sprinkle seasoning packet on the beef. Pour beer and water in the bottom of the instapot being careful not to wash the seasonings off the meat.
  2. Put the lid on the instapot and set it on high pressure for 90 minutes. It will take about 20 minutes to come to pressure. When the 90 minutes is over, allow natural release for 20 minutes and then quick release the rest of the way.
  3. Trim the fat off of the meat then cut in slices against the grain. Serve with steamed cabbage and creamy mashed potatoes.
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Steamed Cabbage
Recipes

Steamed Cabbage

by Laura
written by Laura
Print Recipe
 Steamed Cabbage
This recipe I developed about 10 years ago. We ate it on a pretty regular basis served with "sizzled" kielbasa and mashed potatoes. When my daughter was born and was nursing, I stopped making it because it would hurt her little tummy and totally forgot about it. I am excited to bring it out of the vault and add it to meal rotation again. It tastes amazing with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt and mashed potatoes.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Irish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Irish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Cut onions into large dices. Saute onions in olive oil with 1/2 tsp salt until softened.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the cabbage. Remove outer leaves from the head of cabbage. Cut into quarters and then cut at an angle to remove the core.
  3. Cut cabbage into 1" slices and add to the dutch oven with the onions. Stir to combine and break up the cabbage. Add 1 tsp salt and 1/4 cup of water. Cover to allow to steam. Cook for 15 minutes. Serve as a side dish.
Recipe Notes

If you add 1/2 cup of water instead of just the 1/4, there will be a little more liquid goodness when you spoon it over mashed potatoes.

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Recipes

Swirl Shortbread Cookies

by Laura
written by Laura

Swirl Shortbread Cookies

Laura
There is something timeless about buttery shortbread cookies. I wanted to put a little twist on the standard. Swirling the traditional dough with a chocolate dough adds a something special to the classic.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Total Time 27 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 30 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1-1/2 Cups Unsalted Butter Softened
  • 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
  • 3 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 Pinch Salt
  • 1/4 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
  • 1-1/2 TBSP Cocoa Powder

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
    Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add salt then flour in 2 batches. Mix until dough comes together. Sprinkle powdered sugar on your rolling surface. I use powdered sugar in this recipe vs flour to keep the dough from sticking. Remove half of the dough from mixing bowl and place on your rolling surface. Add chocolate chips and cocoa powder to the remaining dough. Mix until evening combined. Place chocolate dough on rolling surface. 
  • Divide each dough in half and roll into long "snakes". It is okay if on is a little longer than the other.
  • Curl the two dough "snakes" together.
  • Use a rolling pin and roll the dough to about 1/4" thickness. If you like your cookies a little thicker, you can go up to a 1/2". You will just need a little longer baking time. Use a cookie cutter of your choice to cut out your shapes.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes on parchment paper or a silpat. Let cool for 5-10 minutes on the sheet pan before moving to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 
Keyword Cookies, Shortbread

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Santa’s Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies
BlogRecipes

Santa’s Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Laura
written by Laura

Tonight, as I started a fire for the first time this season my kids started asking about Santa and how he fits down the chimney when he is so big. My middle baby asked if we will make him homemade cookies this year when my oldest chimed in that we should make him some oatmeal cookies because they are healthier. Talk about a proud mama moment! I have been making a very conscious effort to make our favorite things a little healthier and it warms my heart when my family is on board!

There are a couple “treats” that my husband does not appreciate my changing. One is his mom’s banana bread and the other is the original chocolate chip cookie recipe. I keep the banana bread recipe pretty genuine, but I have mixed up our chocolate chip cookies. While sugar cookies with icing were a Christmas family tradition for me growing up my hubby strongly prefers chocolate chip in our home. Little does my daughter know, we will be making Santa some of our healthier chocolate chip cookies with ground oatmeal that are just as delicious as the original!

We have a house full of chocohaulics and everyone seems to have a sweet tooth. Some simple substitutions I use in our baked goods are whole wheat white flour (no one can tell the difference) in place of white flour and coconut oil (the extra refined has very little coconut flavor) in place of butter or vegetable oil. For these little pillows of chocolate chip deliciousness I’m also using a bit of oat flour (oatmeal ground up in my food processor. You can also buy oat flour). When using chocolate chips, I sneak in dark chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate and it makes me feel a little less guilty for the indulgence and I’ve had no complaints thus far.  Another option is to use mini chocolate chips since they have a better distribution in these small cookies.

I don’t know about you, but the hardest part for me about making cookies is waiting for the dough to chill before I bake them. My final secret with these cookies is to scoop them out right after you combine the dough and put the sheet tray with the dough balls in the fridge for 30 minutes. They bake up fluffy and soft.

My kids love these cookies.  Because they are smaller, I don’t have to tell them no when they want a second one.

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

Laura
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Chilling Time 30 mins
Course Dessert
Servings 30 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ C Coconut oil
  • ¼ C unsalted butter softened
  • ¼ C granulated sugar
  • ¼ C light brown sugar lightly packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 C White whole wheat flour
  • ½ C Oat flour Rolled oats in a food processor
  • ½ t baking soda
  • ¼ t salt
  • 1/3 C Mini chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Cream coconut oil and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine two flours, baking soda and salt. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat just until combined. Pour chocolate chips into the mixture and use a spatula or wooden spoon to combine.
  • For fluffier cookies, chill the dough for at least 2 hours. I prefer scooping out the dough before chilling with 1 TBSP scoop and placing 1 inch apart on a silpat or parchment lined sheet pan. Chill the sheet pan with the dough for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
  • Makes 2-1/2 dozen small cookies

 

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