Grandma Barratt's Meatballs

My dad has been asking me lately if I knew how to make his mother's meatballs, so I did some hunting and I did have the recipe!

Grandma Barratt's Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef
2 potatoes, grated
2 carrots, grated
1/2 of a medium onion, finely diced
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients. I used the food processor so that the carrots and potatoes were ground up very fine, but you don't have to do it this way. Shape into meatballs (this recipe will require a 9x13 pan) or do as I did: 12 mini-meatloaves in a muffin tin. Cover with foil and bake until cooked through (the "Hamburger Muffins," as Bruce christened them, took 45 minutes, so plan on about 35 for meatballs). Grandma Barratt made a sauce with 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup of water that she would mix together then pour over her meatballs before baking, but I skipped the sauce.

Sausage Subs

This was dinner tonight: It came together quickly and everyone seemed to enjoy them.

Sausage Subs
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion
1 garlic clove
6 ounces chicken and sun-dried tomato sausage, thinly sliced (The pre-cooked "long" sausage by the hot dogs, not the uncooked "breakfast meat"-type sausage. I actually substituted turkey sausage.)
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
sliced cheese
4 sub rolls or 8 hard rolls

Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add onion, saute for 4 minutes. Add sausage and garlic and continue to saute until sausage is browned and onions are soft, about 3-5 additional minutes. Pour spaghetti sauce over and heat through. Serve on rolls with the sliced cheese.

Soft Pretzels

Kate wanted to make a treat for our regular babysitter today, and we chose pretzels. I, of course, will thank King Arthur Flour for the recipe. To help me rationalize away the ill effects of using an entire stick of butter for 16 pretzels, I subbed in half whole wheat flour. Tasty- these are soft and chewy.

Buttered Pretzels

1 cup warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Pour all ingredients except flour into the bowl of a mixer. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, letting mixer run continuously. After adding the last half cup, let mixer run for 5 minutes to knead dough. The sides of the bowl should be clean and the dough should be smooth. Flour the dough, place in a gallon size zippered bag and let rest at room temp for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment then lightly spray with cooking spray (yes, both. This are sticky suckers.). Transfer dough to lightly greased work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Let dough rest while combining 1/2 cup warm water and 2 T baking soda in a shallow dish (I use a pie plate). Whisk to dissolve baking soda as much as possible- I can't get mine to completely dissolve but give it a good effort. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope, shape into pretzel shapes, and dip in baking soda mixture (I swirl it around to get a good coating). Place on baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Allow to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes. Brush with 3 T melted butter- use it all up and don't be stingy.

Margarita Chicken

Please, God, let it get warm enough that I can start grilling. Thanks.

Margarita Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups margarita mix (no alcohol)
1 tsp. cumin

Seal above ingredients in a zippered bag or tupperware and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.
Grill until done ( you might like a little salt and pepper as well as the chicken cooks).

Top with:
2 diced tomatoes
2 diced avocadoes
1/2 of a medium red onion, also diced
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 T lime juice

Combine in bowl while chicken cooks. So easy!

Cinnamon-Streusel Coffe Cake

My first thought when I tasted this on Saturday morning was, "Dang. That's good." And of course, we'll thank King Arthur Flour for another winner.

Cinnamon-Streusel Coffee Cake

(Have fun repeatedly explaining to your family that it DOESN'T HAVE COFFEE IN IT. My kids must have asked me about the name 20 times.)

Streusel Topping

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 T cinnamon

6 T butter, melted

Filling

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 T cinnamon

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (this is for color only, so leave it out if you want)

Cake

3/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 1/4 cups milk

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease 9 x13 pan.

Make topping by whisking together sugar, flour, cinammon. Add melted butter, stirring until well combined. Set topping aside ( A note from me: I had read in the comments for this recipe that this topping was a little dry. I cut the sugar and flour in half and threw in a couple handfuls of oatmeal and it came out more like the topping on a fruit crisp. You make the call based on your own preferences.).

Combine filling ingredients and set aside.

To make the cake: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt (I used greek yogurt), and milk until combined. You don't need to whisk out all the lumps. Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk mixture, beating gently to combine. Spread half of the batter (a little less than 3 cups, or 14 oz. if you use a kitchen scale) in the pan, all the way to edges. Sprinkle filling evenly atop the batter. Spread the remaining batter on top of the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as if you were making a marble cake. Sprinkle topping over the batter in the pan. Bake the cake until its a dark golden brown around edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean- about 55-60 minutes. When pressed gently in the middle, the cake should spring back.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving right from the pan.

You can also assemble this the night before, then bake. Add about 5 minutes to total baking time to account for the chilled batter.

Belgian Yeast Waffles

I could surf recipe websites for hours. One of my favorites in the King Arthur Flour site, and that's where this waffle recipe came from.

Belgian Yeast Waffles

1 1/2 cups milk
6 tablespoons butter
2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

Heat the milk until it's very hot. (I microwaved it for 2 minutes and that seemed about right.) Place it in a large mixing bowl (you'll need lots of room for expansion), and add the butter, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla. Stir until the butter melts. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of the flour to cool the mixture. Add eggs and yeast. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temp for 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight. The batter will at least double in size. Cook as usual for waffles. Yield is 5-7 waffles.

Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

I have recovered from the cupcake disaster of yesterday and managed to pull together these cute little devils today. My sad, sad trifle seems so long ago...

These cupcakes start with my favorite from scratch yellow cake. I've modified it just slightly for cupcakes, and thanks to Cook's Illustrated, I've learned a new way to assemble homemade cakes that has give me some really nice results.

Yellow Cake

2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
8 egg yolks, room temperature
3/4 cup milk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Fill cupcake trays with liners (yield is 30 cupcakes). Combine dry ingredients in the bowl of a mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Add butter and mix until mixture resembles moist crumbs. Combine milk, egg, and vanilla in a separate bowl and mix lightly with a fork. Add all but 1/2 cup of liquids to mixer; let mixer run for 1 1/2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl once. Add remaining liquid, run mixer for an additional 30 seconds, again scraping once. Pour batter into prepared cupcake pans, filling no more than half full (Seriously. Half-full. These puff up a lot.). Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool 4 or 5 minutes in cupcake pans then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting
2 oz (squares) unsweetened chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 lb powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 tablespoons milk

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. (I don't bother with the microwave because I never get good results microwaving chocolate to melt it.) Combine melted chocolate mixture with powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. The exact quantity of milk will depend on your desired consistency. Remember: the secret to a delicious buttercream is "Just keep mixing...just keep mixing..."

Lastly, are you jealous of the super-cute flowers that I made? Not for long, because they are so easy! All you need is:

toothpicks
jelly beans
starbursts
crushed chocolate cookies
green sour straws (if you want your flowers to have stems showing. If not, trim an inch off of the bottom of the toothpick before garnishing your cupcakes)

Unwrap a starburst candy and microwave it for 6-9 seconds (8 was perfect for me). Roll it flat with a rolling pin. Poke a toothpick into a jelly bean, then poke the toothpick through the flattened starburst. Gather the candy around the jelly bean like a flower- like so:

For the calla lilies, I cut a round shape out of the flattened starburst with a cookie cutter, then folded it around the jelly bean instead of poking it through.

SO! To assemble the cupcakes at the top of this post:

Make cupcakes and let cool.
Assemble desired number of flowers.
Make chocolate frosting.
Crush chocolate cookies in a zippered bag. Transfer to plate.
Frost cupcake, then lightly dip it in crushed cookies.
Repeat 29 more times.
Garnish with flowers.
Revel in the glory.

Also, are you thinking, "Thanks for the awesome cake recipe. Now what shall I do with EIGHT EGG WHITES, PRAY TELL?" I have the answer- Tres Leches Cake. Stay tuned.

Chicken Chili

I have several chili recipes that I thoroughly enjoy, and this is a mash-up of several of them based on the ingredients I had on hand tonight. It turned out surprisingly good- even my children ate it, and it was fast- maybe 20 minutes start to finish.

Chicken Chili
2 T canola oil
1 small onion, diced
1 diced pepper, any color
1 cup shredded carrots (you don't have to put these in, but I am always trying to find ways to get more veggies in our diets.)
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 lb to 3/4 pound cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fat free half and half

Saute pepper, onion, and carrots in oil until soft. Add spices and saute for a minute more. Add chicken, chiles, beans, and chicken stock. Simmer for a few minutes, then add half and half. You can skip the half and half if you want, but I like the creamy taste that it adds. Serve topped with sour cream and crushed up corn chips.

Here's a tip on cooked chicken- whenever chicken breasts go on sale for a good price, I buy quite a bit. I freeze some raw, but I also fill my crock pot with chicken breasts and cook them on low for 4 or 6 hours. Then I shred the chicken into freezer bags (about 2 cups each) so that whenever I need cooked chicken for a recipe I have it all set to go. For this soup I didn't even bother to defrost it because I knew it would cook in the soup.

Berry Vanilla Trifle

I had it all planned out in my mind that I would perfect and post a couple of delicious cake recipes this week. It will suffice to say that my plans have not come to fruition. So, I present to you:

Berry Vanilla Trifle

First, ruin 21 cupcakes by thinking maybe this time you should weigh the flour instead of measuring it out like you usually do. Then, eat 3 ruined cupcakes while you wallow in misery and frustration. Then, layer the broken cupcakes with vanilla pudding and cut up berries. It will help if you mourn the loss of your time and ingredients while doing so.

I layered in this order: cake, vanilla pudding, strawberries, cake, vanilla pudding, raspberries.
Trifles are actually really handy for these sorts of disasters, but I still think: HARUMPH.

Strawberry Almond Cream Tart

This one came from Cooking Light via Rose. I owe her BIG TIME for this one because this is the perfect dessert for summer when you want something light.

Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart

Crust:
9 sheets graham crackers
2 T sugar
2 T butter, melted
4 t water
cooking spray

Filling:
2/3 cup light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract

Topping:
6 cups small fresh strawberries, divided
2/3 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 T lemon juice
2 T sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350.

To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2T sugar, butter, and water; pulse just until moist. Place mixture in a 9-inch round tart pan (I used a pie dish) coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to 3/4 inch. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, combine filling ingredients in a small bowl, whisking until smooth. Spread evenly over bottom of tart shell. (I heated my filling in the microwave for 20 or 30 seconds so it was really soft and easy to spread.)

To prepare topping, place 2 cups strawberries in food processor; process until pureed. Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute. Remove glaze from heat, cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Combine 4 cups strawberries and lemon juice, tossing to coat. Combine berries with glaze and pour into tart shell (if you want to be fancy, after you hull the berries, stand them up on the tart and then pour the glaze over. If you want to be lazy, just mix it all up and dump it in there. I'm lazy. At least tonight I was.) Sprinkle with nuts. Cover and chill 3 hours.

A few items: Rose told me to add an 2 T of almonds to the food processor with the graham crackers, and I think she's on to something there. Second, the recipe said to use only half of the glaze mixture, but I used all of it and it didn't seem too "glazy" at all, so use your judgement on how much of the pureed strawberry mixture you are going to need. Third, this yields 10 servings at 289 calories each, but I did some calculating and if you sub Splenda for all your sugar, and stretch it to 12 servings, this little devil comes in at 186 calories per serving. If you don't mind the artificial sweeteners and are thinking about swimsuit season, this could be worth it.

Sugar-Coated Pecans

Perhaps you are familiar with those delectable sugary nuts sold at malls and fairs? I know how to make them.

Sugar-Coated Pecans

1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound pecan halves (I've subbed walnuts and cashews, but pecans are my favorite)
1 cup white sugar (counting carbs? You can use Splenda. The results aren't identical, but your end result is still very good.)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, whip the egg white and water until frothy. Add nuts to egg whites and stir until nuts are coated evenly. Add sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until combined. Spread nuts out on a greased baking sheet (as usual, I use parchment paper). Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

I will warn you that the first couple of time you stir these nuts, they will seem like a sticky mess. Fear not. Things will come around by the 45 minute or 60 minute mark.

Pineapple Chicken

This recipe is one I received from my mother-in-law, but I've tweaked it a little for crock pot cooking.

Pineapple Chicken
4 chicken breasts, diced
1 large onion, diced
4-5 celery stalks, sliced
2 green peppers, diced
2 cans pineapple chunks, including juices
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T ginger
salt and pepper to taste.

Combine everything in crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours, high for 4. About 30 minutes before serving, combine 1/4 cup cornstarch with a little water, whisking well to remove lumps, then add cornstarch to chicken mixture. Whisk well and cook until thickened. (If you've had your crock pot on low, this would be a good time to turn it up to high.) Serve over rice.

Orange Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry

Orange Beef and Asparagus Stir-Fry

3/4 cup orange juice
3 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 T cornstarch
1 lb flank steak, cut into thin strips (freeze it for 10 or 15 minutes, then cut ACROSS the grain)
2 T oil
2 cups asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 cup shredded carrots
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (I substitute dried and no one has left my table in disgust)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts
Steamed rice

In a ziploc, combine orange juice, soy sauce, honey, cornstarch and steak. If you are thinking ahead, let it marinate a few hours. If not, go on to the next step.

Heat 1 T of oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add asparagus and stir fry 4 minutes. Add bell pepper, green onion, and carrots, stir fry 1 minutes. Add ginger and garlic, stir fry 1 minute. Remove vegetables to a bowl.

Heat remaining 1 T of oil. Add the steak mixture and stir fry until steak is done. Add reserved vegetables and peanuts. Serve over rice.

Two-Corn Polenta with Tomatoes and Cheese

I'm always a little stymied by side dishes. It's a simple enough matter to grill a piece of meat, throw together a side salad, and obviously I'm a bread fanatic, but a side dish is something of a struggle for me. I've been very pleased by this one, especially when the tomatoes Bruce grows are ripe. If you can't find (or can't be bothered to find) polenta, you can substitute corn meal. It is close to the same thing and easily found at any grocery store.

Two-Corn Polenta with Tomatoes and Cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups corn kernels (frozen or fresh)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup instant dry polenta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan, cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth, corn, and garlic; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Slowly add polenta (whisk away as you slowly pour it in, lest you find your polenta lumpy), whisking constantly until polenta is thick (about 5 minutes). Add cheese, salt, and pepper; stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat, sprinkling each serving with tomatoes and basil. Serve immediately. Yield: 7 (1 cup) servings.

A word about this recipe: First, sometimes I substitute in 2 cups of milk for 2 cups of the broth for a taste that is a little creamier. Second, polenta will begin to firm up soon after you cook it. This is normal. If you have any leftovers, shape them into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. To reheat, slice the polenta and pan fry to reheat it. It's tasty both ways.

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

My kids are the biggest food wasters and it drives me NUTS. I thought I might flip out yesterday when I noticed that both girls had pulled a banana off of the bunch, opened it, and then set it back down on the counter, completely untouched. "As God is my witness, I will never waste a banana again!" is what I thought. I went digging through my recipe binder to find something (ANYTHING!) that would use 2 bananas, and came across this muffin recipe from, of course, Cooking Light.

Banana Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 bananas)
3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Streusel:
6 tablespoons regular oats
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare the muffins, lightly spoon whole wheat flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine banana and next 4 ingredients (through egg) in a bowl; stir well. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened; fold in walnuts. Place 12 muffin cup liners in muffin cups. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups.

To prepare streusel, combine oats and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Blend with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle streusel over batter. (It works out to 1 T of streusel per muffin). Bake at 375° for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Buttermilk Banana Bread

It seemed to me that every time I purchased a bunch of bananas, we would eat them until there were only 3 left, and then all of a sudden, Bruce wouldn't touch them. I thought this a mysterious phenomenon until I sorted out that Bruce knew that banana bread takes 3 bananas, and he was leaving them in hopes that I whip some up.

With calculation like that on his part, he definitely deserves the best banana bread I can make, and here's my favorite recipe:

Buttermilk Banana Bread
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
3 mashed bananas
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash baking soda
1 cup nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Combine oil, sugar, bananas, eggs, and buttermilk. Whisk in dry ingredients until combined. Divide batter into greased bread pans (I find this recipe makes about 1 regular loaf PLUS 4 mini-loaves, or I divide the mixture evenly between two loaf pans. It's just a little too much to fit in a single bread pan). Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (about 25 min for mini-loaves). Let cool for 5 minutes in pan, then remove loaves to cooling rack.

The other reason I like this recipe is to do with my vanity. The loaves come out a beautiful blond color with none of those weird brown flecks that banana bread is so frequently afflicted with.

Lemon Pasta with Squash and Bacon

We just ate this for dinner: the Bruce has given his seal of approval. I loved this dish because it tasted so summery with the lemon, the zucchini, and the yellow squash. So when your garden is overflowing in a few weeks with zucchini, you can have this delicious pasta.

A word about mascarpone cheese: it is a little pricey. However, you can make your own quite easily, here is a link that can help you out with that. You can substitute cream of tartar for the tartaric acid by doubling the amount called for. Just think of the amazement you will inspire in your dinner guests when you inform them that you made your OWN CHEESE. (Or you could just use one of the simple substitutions also available on the link above.)

Lemon Pasta with Squash and Bacon

1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
3-4 sliced green onions
2 oz. bacon, finely diced (I used about 4 slices)
1 lb summer squash (zucchini or yellow, or a combo), cut into bite sized pieces
12 oz pasta (I used rigatoni)
Grated Parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions. Add squash for the last 3 minutes of cooking time. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

While pasta is cooking, in a large saucepan, saute green onions and bacon over medium heat until bacon is crisp. Whisk in lemon juice, salt and pepper, and mascarpone cheese. When sauce is smooth, add pasta/zucchini mixture. Toss to combine, adding cooking water if needed for desired consistency (my dish tonight did not require it.). Top with Parmesan.

Also, I was trying to bulk this meal up a little, so I browned some turkey cutlets seasoned with lemon pepper, thinly sliced them once cooked and cooled slightly, and added that to the pasta as well. You could do the same with chicken.

French Baguettes

This is Bruce's favorite bread that I make (except for cinnamon rolls). He should thank his sister for introducing me to this recipe. I always double this so that I have leftovers for French Toast the next morning.

French Baguettes
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour (high gluten/"Better for Bread" variety)
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

If you have a bread maker, put these ingredients in the pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer and use the dough setting. For everyone else (like me, who prefers her mixer):
Place water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a mixer. Begin running mixer with dough hook attachment; add the salt. With mixer running continuously, add the flour 1 cup at a time, allowing each to incorporate before adding the next. When all the flour has been added in, let the mixer run for an additional 5 minutes or so. (If you are hand kneading, do so for 10 minutes. I hope you have something good to watch on TV while you are at it.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 16x12 inch rectangle. The measurements don't need to be exact, but really try to get the shape right. Cut dough in half, creating (2) 8x12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning on the 12" side (you want a long and skinny loaf). Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place loaves seam side down 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet (as usual, I prefer parchment paper). Make deep diagonal slashes (about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch) across loaves every two inches. Cover and let rise for 30-40 minutes, until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix egg yolk with 1 T water; brush over tops of loaves. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

***A note from me: When I double this recipe, I still just make two BIG loaves instead of 4 little skinny ones, and I stick closer to the 40 minute rise time and the 25 minute baking time.

Waffles

Maybe your mom would like a homemade waffle for Mother's Day (hint, hint.) These are always a hit around here.

Waffles

2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cornmeal

Whisk together wet ingredients, add the dry, mixing well. Cook on heated waffle iron (or make pancakes).

Sometimes, when I feel like I'd like to button my pants later in the day, I make a somewhat healthier version using canola oil instead of butter, and whole wheat pastry flour.

French Toast Casserole with Buttermilk Syrup

I've been informed by my friend Lisa that this recipe blog has zero legitimacy until French Toast Casserole has been added. She's got a point: My SIL Cheryl sent this recipe my way, and since I've started making it, this recipe's been passed around like a sleazy head cheerleader. Don't skip the syrup- even if you are a little iffy on buttermilk, you won't be after you try this heavenly concoction.

French Toast Casserole
1 loaf bread (regular bread, french bread, whatever.)
2 cups milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 (8oz) cream cheese (I've used lowfat with success.)
1 dozen eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Cube the bread and place in greased 9x13 pan. Blend the remaining ingredients in the blender then pour over bread. Unless your blender is very large, you will have to do this in 2 batches. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To Bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 45 min, until golden brown. Serve with buttermilk syrup.

Buttermilk Syrup
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (no substitutions. Keep your margarine away from my delicious syrup.)
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, buttermilk, and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil and whisk in soda and vanilla. The syrup will really expand when soda is added, so use at least a 3 or 4 quart pan or you are going to be scrubbing your stove instead of enjoying breakfast.

Meal Braid

The Bruce and I have a little inside joke about "Get Rich Quick" infomercials, and that's that they can never quite explain how you lay your hands on the seed money that is supposed to start you on your path to riches. Every time we see one, we laugh and say, "First, you take your million dollars..."

This recipe is a little like that, because, "First, you take a loaf of homemade bread dough..."
It can be any kind of dough (try this one), even a thawed out Rhoad's loaf or something. I just find that while we love homemade bread, we also like a little variety, so I was really happy to learn this handy skill at Enrichment one night.

So. Roll out your bread dough thin enough to fill a cookie sheet. Here's a tip: I don't roll out my doughs in flour, I use cooking spray (like Pam.) I use my mad skills trying to get the consistency of my dough just perfect, so I don't like to jeopardize that by accidentally incorporating too much flour when shaping the dough. Spray away, then! Just a couple shots on your counter, then on your dough, then roll away. Once your dough is in the pan, cut strips down each side about an inch a part. (I'm using a 4" plastic paint scraper. It's just the right length and doesn't scratch the pans. Get one at Walmart or Home Depot for less than a dollar.)

Then pile whatever you want (Read: LEFTOVERS!) down the middle.

This one has chive and onion cream cheese, cooked chicken, and Italian cheese blend. You can use whatever your family likes- cold cuts and cheeses of any kind, pizza fillings, or I've grilled steak, onions, and peppers and made a "Philly Braid." Also tasty are dessert varieties: think cream cheese, jam, and a little powdered sugar glaze on top.

Fold the strips over to the opposite side, pressing it in a little. Alternate sides for the braid effect.

When it's all braided, pinch the ends together and tuck them under a little so they look nice, then let rise for a few minutes (or skip it, like I always do), and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Slice and enjoy!

Homemade Noodles

I used to be really scared of homemade noodles because I figured you needed a whole bunch of serious equipment to make them, and who has time/storage for that? But, I've ran across a couple of good recipes, and now I just LOVE a homemade noodle. The weather here has stayed cold, so we had chicken noodle soup with this egg noodle recipe, and there aren't very many things that seem cozier than that. Here's a couple of my favorite noodle recipes (ingredients for both first, then the directions since it will be roughly the same):

Homemade Pasta:
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup water
1 tsp cooking oil or olive oil

Spinach Noodles
1 large plastic container (1 lb. aka "the Costco size") of spinach, steamed, excess moisture pressed out
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour

For the spinach noodles: process cooked spinach, eggs and salt in a blender until smooth. For both kinds of noodles, place wet ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and gradually add flour, letting mixer run constantly, for a total of 6-8 minutes. Hold out the last 1/4 to 1/3 cup of flour- sprinkle it on a clean surface, turn out dough to floured surface, and knead until all the flour is incorporated. (You can make these noodles by hand, total kneading time will be about 10 minutes). When dough looks smooth and seems elastic, cover with saran wrap and let rest for 10 to 30 minutes. The rest is very important: when you come back to your dough after the resting period, a little miracle will have taken place.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion out until thin (like 1/16 of an inch). Use plenty of flour, and flip it over several times as you roll. Cut as desired: I usually use a pizza cutter and cut into little squares if I am making soups, or long noodles if I am serving them with sauce. Also, you can roll the dough up jelly roll style (again, give it a nice sprinkle of flour before you roll it up) and then slice it thinly. My kids then love to unroll the noodles and make them into little nests.

Cooking in boiling water or soup for 8-12 minutes.

P.S. You can freeze extras- spread them out on a jelly roll pan, freeze, then transfer to a plastic bag.

P.P.S. We call them "green noodles" around here, since that sounds delicious to my children, yet "spinach noodles" sounds like a death sentence to them.

Green Curry Chicken

I love a recipe with only a few ingredients, especially if they are ingredients that I generally have on hand, so this one from Cooking Light (of course) was a winner with us. I think the next time I make it I might jazz it up a little with some onions cooked with the chicken, and maybe some peanuts sprinkled on top, but here it is as published:

Green Curry Chicken
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 pound chicken breast, cubed into 1" pieces
2-3 teaspoons green curry paste
1-14 oz. light coconut milk, divided
2 cups chopped bell peppers (any colors)

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Stir in 1/4 tsp. salt. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp. salt. Add chicken to pan; saute 4 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned. Stir in curry paste (I used 2 teaspoons- it was a little hot but I could stand it, and I'm a wimp); cook 1 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 1 cup of coconut milk, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 4 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally. Stir in bell peppers, 1/4 tsp. salt, and remaining coconut milk; cook 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve chicken mixture over rice. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro if desired. Yield: 4 servings at 282 calories each.

A note from me: Make sure to buy the light coconut milk unless you are looking to pack on some serious weight.