Stuffed mushrooms

 Based on https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/15184/mouth-watering-stuffed-mushrooms/

24 oz mushrooms

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp minced garlic (from a fridge jar)

1 package cream cheese (8 oz), softened

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (maybe also a bit of the powdery Parmesan cheese for texture)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp onion powder

Scant 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Maybe add 1/4 cup bread crumbs next time

3 tbsp butter (optional)

Clean mushrooms; separate steps and caps, lay caps out to dry, mince/chop stems. Sauté oil, minced stems, and garlic until stems stop releasing liquid and start to brown. Put into a small bowl to cool. Put butter into still-warm pan to melt. Mash everything else together (cream cheese through cayenne/bread crumbs). Once mushroom stems have cooked, mix them in as well. Spray baking sheet, lay out mushroom caps, fill with filling. Optionally sprinkle with more bread crumbs. Brush mushrooms with melted butter to keep from drying out (optional — it does help, but they’re still good without it). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, until mushrooms are tender and tops are golden.

Broccoli bites

Based on this recipe: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/broccoli-cheddar-tassies/

They’re like homemade freezer snacks. And it says you can freeze them and reheat.

Crust:

- 1 cup butter, softened

- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened

- 2 cups flour

Filling:

- 16 oz frozen broccoli

- 1 egg

- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

- 1/4 cup milk

- 1/4 cup mayonnaise

- 1/2 cup any shredded cheese

Combine the butter and cream cheese. Then add flour. This dough can be refrigerated for two days before use; if you do, you’ll have to let it warm up enough to be workable.

Put 1 inch balls of dough into a sprayed mini muffin pan. Press into a crust, normal pie crust thickness.

Cook broccoli according to bag (4-6 minutes, covered, with less water than broccoli). Drain and let cool. Combine everything else. If the broccolis are big, break them up so they will fit in the crusts. Mix broccoli with everything else. Scoop into crusts.

Bake at 350 for 22 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and no longer soupy.

This made 24 bites plus a small Pyrex container. The Pyrex container took a lot longer to bake.

Quick vegetable curry

Based on https://www.budgetbytes.com/15-minute-vegetable-curry/ with the curry powder from https://minimalistbaker.com/diy-curry-powder/

Curry

- 16 oz frozen veggies (I used “California style”)

- 1 cup veggie broth

- 1/2 can coconut milk

- 1/2 tbsp curry powder (I’d double this next time)

- 1 tsp garam masala (may not be necessary with the extra curry powder)

- salt to taste

Curry powder (makes way more than you need for this recipe)

- 1 tbsp ground coriander

- 1 tbsp ground cumin

- scant tbsp ground turmeric

- 1 tsp ground ginger

- 1/2 tsp dry mustard

- 1/4 tsp black pepper

- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp cardamom

- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Put frozen veggies and broth into a pot over high heat. While it heats up, mix up the curry powder, and if you’re making microwave rice, start that too. Once it’s boiling, let it go for a minute or two, then add all the other ingredients over low-medium heat. Simmer until the veggies are cooked and the flavors are melded.

For the curry powder, just mix it all together and store the extra for another recipe.

Bran muffins

Bran muffins that aren’t good for you but are delicious. Crispy top, very moist center.  Like the ones I used to eat almost daily.

Based on this recipe; site has ~no ads, definitely worth browsing more.

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sour cream (use less of this or less butter next time, maybe sub in some apple sauce or mashed banana?  moisture was perfect but muffins were too oily/heavy/rich.)
• 1/4 cup molasses (use less next time)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (use more next time)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup bran
• 1/2 cup raisins (or any other mix-ins, this could support 1/2 cup each of 2 mix-ins I think)

Mix together the wet ingredients. Add all the dry ingredients.  Add the raisins.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Makes 12 normal-sized muffins.