• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 3–4-lb. chicken parts (just boneless breasts worked fine)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2-3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 qt Peanut oil (for frying)

A cool, refreshing side dish. Inspired by these two recipes, but mostly a notional recipe.

1 large English cucumber, sliced on a mandolin to 1/8" thick
1/2 small red onion, also sliced on a mandolin to 1/8" thick (optional)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup mix of your favorite vinegars (I used mostly white vinegar + cider vinegar + red wine vinegar)

• 6 medium sweet potatoes (more or less, depending on size) Skin-off or on per choice
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Marshmallows

Do-ahead option: pre-roast the sweet potatoes: Wrap them in foil and bake them whole for 1 hour at 400 degrees before slicing them - this provides a softer texture.

Alternatively, slice the raw potatoes thin and add them directly to the casserole; this method results in a firmer texture.

Makes one 9-inch cake, serving 12 to 16

Cribbed from a co-worker's recipe:

This has been adapted from a few recipes. I made a bourbon glaze, but you can also just put
the bourbon into the batter as described here.
!
Also, two points from Cooks Illustrated:
!
- For a smooth and creamy texture, we blotted the canned pumpkin puree with paper
towels to remove excess moisture before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. (see
step-by-step instructions below)
!
- Baking the cake in a water bath in a moderate oven also helped give our pumpkin

1 large egg (or two medium)
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. vinegar
½ c. milk
1½ c. sugar
1 c. shortening
Flour (see below, but about 3 cups in the mix)

Mix all ingredients except flour. Gradually add flour until the shortening is mixed in and the dough is stiff enough to roll out. Roll on floured surface. Cut cookies out and bake at 400 degrees until brown, 10-12 minutes. Top with sprinkled sugar or icing:

Black And White cookie style frosting:

(Let cookies cool completely before starting)

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup boiling water

Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated, with our pie crust.

Via WhatIHaventCookedYet, a recipe for corn fritters (not unlike Venezuelan cachapas):

This is a slightly modified, and halved, version of the recipe.

1/4 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cups buttermilk
1/8 cup melted butter
1 Tbsp honey
2 ears corn, kernels removed
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
Olive oil for frying

Mix together dry ingredients – salt, baking powder, flour and corn meal – in a large bowl.

A great and easy blueberry muffin recipe that doesn't need milk - perfect for the weekend. Also, the raw batter is addictive.

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Heavy pinch of salt
Dash of Nutmeg

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 generous cup plain, unflavored yogurt (throw in extra if you want)
Vanilla Extract

2 cups fresh blueberries
Softened Butter, for muffin tins
Turbinado sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 385 degrees.

In a medium bowl sift flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend together:

• 1 c. sugar ( a little less if you are using the syrup from the rinds)
• 2T. butter, melted.

Then add

• 2 eggs and mix well.

Stir in

• 3 ¼ c. flour
• 3 t. baking powder
• ½ t. salt
• 1 c. chopped pecans (or more)
• 1½ candied orange peels (recipe follows)

Mix well then add

• 1 c. milk, or milk and syrup to measure 1 c. (no more than half syrup)
• 1 t. vanilla

If the syrup has become solid, put the jar, uncovered, into the microwave for 30 second intervals until thin. Let cool some before adding to milk.

Courtesy of Nan.

I use the recipe that is on Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime container. It can probably be found at the grocery store with the canning good--like jars, lids, etc. You'll need that lime.

Briefly (as can be) I cut them up a tad LESS than 1/4 inch thick into a large non-reactive pot or big bowl--something that will fit in your frig. (with a plate on top you
can put other stuff on top of it).

Mix 1/2 cup lime with a gallon of water and pour over them. If you are doing a huuuuuuge amount in biiiiig bowl you can make more or this. Let this sit in frig overnight.

This recipe, courtesy of our friend Ian (though we promised to keep it a secret...thus not promoting it on the Recipe Box) is really tasty. I mean, it's made from cans (which is sort of anti our whole food philosophy), but it's good... really good. So, I collect the recipe and will one day make it on some turkey-centric holiday and take credit for making it from scratch!

Makes a 9 inch by 9 inch glass baking pan.

• 1 16oz can of corn (with liquid)
• 1 16oz can of cream corn
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup butter (melted)

Yield: 5 pints

~12 medium sized beets (ideally, your beets are the same diameter as your jars)
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar

Wash beets well. Trim roots, but leave attached to vegetable so the beet doesn't bleed too much when cooked.

Put beets in boiling water for 30-45 minutes (until they peel easily).

Peel beets. Put in cold water to cool.

While beets are cooling, mix water, vinegar, and sugar. Warm on stovetop until hot, but not boiling.

Meanwhile, warm jars and lids. Use mandolin to slice beets ~1/8-1/4" thick.

This was adapted from a NYTimes article in search of an improved shrimp and grits recipe:

For the grits:

• 1/2 cup grits
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1 t salt
• 1 t minced garlic
• 1/2 cup grated cheese (a 50/50 mix of cheddar and jarlsberg works great)
• dash paprika

The vintage Joy of Cooking book I have had always held the answers to almost any question in the kitchen - the last stop before a call to Mom, basically. I've always found its biscuit recipe lacking, though. So when I stumbled across this one when trying to make a biscuit-topped cobbler, I wanted to keep it for posterity:

Biscuit Dough

1 tablespoon shortening
1 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients; cut shortening in with pastry blender or knives. Add milk gradually to make a soft dough. If too soft, add a little more flour.

• 1 rack of Pork Spare Ribs (not the "country style" which are thicker and harder to cook thouroughly)
• Salt and pepper
• Sauce (recipe follows)

Salt and pepper (with smoked salt, if available) a rack of ribs as it comes up to room temperature, 30 minutes to an hour ahead of BBQing.

Over a medium flame, sear the ribs on both sides. Move away from direct heat, add wood chips, and let cook via smoke and indirect heat at 250° for ~4 hours (2-3 for baby back ribs, more if you're smoking multiple racks). This brings in the smoke flavor and slowly cooks the rack.

This is Audrey's family's brisket recipe. Sort of like a potroast, but made on the stovetop. It has a sweet and savory sauce. It's really easy to freeze leftovers and reheat - almost better that way!