Trotter's Zesty Cornbread - Makes one 9x9-inch loaf.

This is a wonderful, moist cornbread that can be as zesty as you'd like to make it.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1 cup white flour
1 cup corn meal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional add-ins:
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
1/3 fresh or canned green chilies
2 tablespoons chopped hydrated sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9x9-inch square or 9-inch round pan.

Whisk together eggs, oil, honey, and buttermilk. Set aside.

Combine flour, corn meal, baking powder, and salt. Blend together. Add wet ingredients to the dry mixture. Stir to combine. Fold in optional ingredients if desired.

Pour batter into greased pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350° F. Serve with honey butter or Minnesota syrup and butter.

Trotter's Sweet Potato Oat Currant Bread -
Makes two loaves.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons yeast
1-1/4 cups warm water
1-1/4 cups pureed sweet potatoes (see below)
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 cup oats, Minnesota organic (plus a little more to sprinkle on top)
1 cup currants
4-1/2 cups white flour, organic
1 cup whole wheat flour, organic
1 egg white

Dissolve yeast in 100° F to 110° F. warm water; allow to activate.

Add sweet potatoes, molasses, and 1-1/2 cups white flour. Mix until smooth. Add salt, oats, and rest of flour. Knead for five minutes, add currants, and knead for seven minutes more.

Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size. Form into pan-size shaped loaves (this dough is too soft for a free-form loaf). Place in two 8x4-1/2-inch greased loaf pans, cover, and let rise again until almost doubled in size.

Brush egg white on top of loaves, sprinkle with oats, and bake at 350° F. for 30 to 35 minutes.

Pureed sweet potatoes: Cut a small slit in 2-3 sweet potatoes and place on baking sheet (otherwise they'll ooze sweet sticky juice all over your oven). Bake at 350° F until soft, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool to room temperature, peel, and process flesh till smooth in a food processor with a steel blade.

Trotter's Triple Fruit Scones - Makes 12.

Ingredients:
3 cups white flour, organic
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 oz. butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup craisins
1 egg
1 egg white
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons orange rind

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl. Add butter, apricots, and craisins. Mix until butter is in pea-sized pieces.

In another bowl, combine egg and egg white, buttermilk, and orange rind. Add this to dry ingredients and mix until it just comes together.

Using your hands, knead several times in bowl, then place dough on lightly floured board. Form dough into 12x6-inch rectangle. Cut into 12 triangular pieces. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350° F for 13 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned.

Trotter's Carrot Dill Soup - Makes 12 servings.

This soup is best when made with early, sweet carrots - not too large. Delicious chilled too!

Ingredients:
12 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
Half a medium onion, diced small
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh dill, minced
1 to 2 cups 2% milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and carrots in butter for 10 minutes. Add dill, and cook for five more minutes. Add enough water to cover vegetables and simmer until carrots are tender. Process with liquid - use either immersion blender or process in batches with upright blender - and return to pan. Add milk until soup is the consistency of a cream soup and heat to serving temperature. (Can also be served cold.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.