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Fake Sourdough Pizza Crust
I still buy the kids pizza from Little Caesar’s every Saturday, but I won’t eat it. Unfortunately, I’m too lazy and inconsistent to keep a sourdough starter alive (even though I only have to deal with it every 3 months or so) or plan and start pizza crust dough for myself 18 hours in advance. So, this is my attempt to get a decent tasting crust in under 2 hours without a starter.
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Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce
My mother and sister swear by this recipe. I’m just exstatic that it doesn’t require me to peel the tomatoes. Peeling tomatoes sucks. And peaches. Removing thin skin from soft fruit is awful, and having to dip them in boiling water to do so is even worse. Good ridance!
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Air Fryer Chicken Wings
I love wings, but I hate deep fat frying. While not as crispy as the real thing, these wings are a good substitute. The air fryer renders the fat out of the skin, and the wings are still juicy and flavorful. The sauce is a simple buffalo sauce, but you can use any sauce you like.
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Air Fried Fair Foods
As I’ve stated before, with the exception of Elephant Ears, I almost never deep fat fry anything at home. But this year as fall rolled around and I started craving foods from the state fair, I decided I needed to come up with some alternatives. There is no way I’m driving for an hour, paying to get in, then standing in line and paying what they command for abberant food experiments. I no longer have that kind of energy or patience.
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Simple Air Fryer Doughnuts
I almost never deep fat fry anything at home. It’s just not worth the effort and mess. But I do like doughnuts. So I searched around until I found something that would work in the air fryer. They’re far from gourmet, but they’re quick and easy, and my youngest daughter even told me that they were better than what I usually get from the grocery store bakery.
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Tiramisu Overnight Oats
When I got tired of eating All-Bran Buds with fruit every day for breakfast, I moved to this high protien alternative.
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Reduced Calorie Funeral Potatoes
Among Latter-day Saints, this is a common dish served for the family at funerals. Usually made with cream of chicken soup and sour cream, I needed a lower calorie version that still tasted good. This is reasonably good, and pairs well with lean ham or turkey.
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Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is still a small batch of cookies, but with a much more complex (maybe even acquired) taste. The sourdough starter adds a tangy flavor to the cookies, and the texture is a bit chewier than the classic version. This is solely for flavor, not leavening.
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Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
When I want a small batch of cookies, without oatmeal.
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Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
I’m not sure I’d ever made a real gumbo before, but when I realized it was Marti Gras, I decided I had to do something. This is true comfort food, and much more in my wheelhouse than beniets or king cake.
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Instant Pot Rice
Every time I just need “basic” white rice, I end up searching online for this method. So I’m putting it here to be able to easily find it and tweak it to my liking.
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Super Lazy Sourdough Bread
I love sourdough, but most of the methods I’ve seen for it are time and labor intensive. This method, adapted from Ben Starr, is incredibly flavorful, but requires very little active work. However, like any sourdough, it does require time to develop and do the work itself.
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Esquites (Mexican Corn Salad)
I love elote, but fresh corn on the cob is only available for a few months each summer, and it’s a pain to eat. This deconstructed version is much easier to eat, is just as tasty, and I can make it in the winter.
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Zucchini Texas Sheet Cake
This is great for using up the zucchini my well meaning neighbors sometimes foist on us.
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Potsticker Sauce
I don’t bother to make my own potstickers; it’s just too much effort. I buy them frozen from the store. But I do make my own sauce, and it’s so much better than the stuff that comes in the bag. Unfortunately, it only keeps for a week or so in the fridge, so this recipe makes just enough for a meal or two.
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Oven Smoked Barbecue Chicken
This method gives a passible version of smoked chicken, without the need to buy a smoker. It works great with a convection oven, but I’m not sure how well it would work with a conventional oven. This can also be done in an air fryer, though you’ll probably only be able to fit one leg quarter.
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Microwave Brownies
I know, I know; yet another brownie recipe. But I wasn’t really happy with my single serving brownie recipe, so I found something better. This one works quite well in the microwave, but is even better in an air fryer (preferred) or conventional oven.
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Single Serving Brownie
After finding that I could make myself carrot cake in 15 minutes, I decided I needed to do the same for a brownie. Dessert for one is awesome! Just double it if your significant other can have some, too.
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Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
I haven’t had a written recipe just for rolls, so I decided to fix that. These are also great for ham sliders, especially with cranberry mustard.
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Spinach Artichoke Dip
I love this stuff at Applebee’s, but the version I used to make, based on sour cream, just wasn’t very close. My mother brought this version that she got from my sister-in-law to a family function, and I begged the recipe from her. It’s a real crowd pleaser.