Cherry Cake Pudding

Cherry Cake Pudding
from Pioneer Woman

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 T butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 can cherries in syrup (NOT cherry pie filling!) drained, juice reserved
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

Sauce:
1 cup juice from cherries (add water to make 1 cup if necessary)
1 cup sugar
1 T flour
1 T butter
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a square 9x9 baking dish.

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to mixing bowl alternatively with milk. Add cherries and nuts and mix gently. Pour batter into buttered dish and smooth out surface. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer jiggly (Mine took about 47 minutes).

While cake is baking, make the sauce by whisking together juice, sugar, and flour in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 8-10 minutes, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Drizzle 1/3 of the sauce on the cake as soon as you remove it from the oven. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining sauce and whipped cream.

Oatmeal Bread

I found a recipe for delicious looking oatmeal molasses rolls, and in the intro, the blog author posted that she wasn't an experienced bread maker and she had made a few modifications to the recipe (the original was James Beard). So I made the rolls which had great flavor but were dense and hard little rocks. When will I learn???? After my roll failure I googled the James Beard Oatmeal Molasses Bread and gave the concept a second attempt with the un-polluted recipe- it was a delicious success.

So, although I'm a confessed recipe manipulator, take my advice and leave this one as is.

Oatmeal Bread
by James Beard

2 packages active dry yeast (or 5 tsp)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup lukewarm water (110-115 degrees)
1/3 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup molasses
1 T salt
1 egg
5-5 1/2 cups bread flour (I used white)

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup lukewarm water. Let stand for 10 minutes then stir well. Place butter and boiling water in bowl of mixer and stir until completely melted. Add rolled oats, molasses and salt. Mix thoroughly and cool to lukewarm (don't skip this- you want the oats to dissolve a little). Add the yeast mixture to the oat mixture, followed by the egg, then flour. (Dough should pull away from sides but still stick to the bottom of mixing bowl).

Put the dough in a greased mixing bowl, turning so all sides are greased, then cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Turn out the chilled dough on a floured work surface (I skip the flour and lightly spray my counter with cooking spray). Shape into 2 loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover with a dish towel and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake bread until loaves are nicely browned (here's my only point of contention with the recipe: It said the loaves would take an hour to cook, and mine were done in 42 minutes. Be advised.). Remove bread from pans and cool on a rack, brushing tops with butter if desired.

To my friends who are SAF yeast users (like me): I did switch up the dough making just a hair since I don't proof my yeast: I heated both cups of water to boiling and poured it over the butter, sugar, molasses, salt, and oats, then cooled to lukewarm. Then I added the yeast, egg, and flour.

Caprese Pasta

Caprese Pasta
from Family Circle

1 pound cavatappi pasta (or any short tube shape)
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T capers (I left these out)
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
1 cup fresh basil, chopped or torn into small pieces

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Serve warm or cold. (We ate it hot for dinner, and I ate the leftovers cold for lunch the next day and both were delicious. Also, spring for the best balsamic vinegar you can find- it really makes a difference.)

Chipotle Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Chipotle Chicken Cheesesteaks

12 oz chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper (any color), diced
2 tsp/2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 T chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 cup grated cheese
4 buns
1 T oil

Over medium high heat, saute chicken in oil. Remember your saute "rules:" Don't crowd the pan and don't stir too frequently. When chicken is cooked through, remove to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. To same pan add peppers and onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken back into pan, seasoning with salt and thyme. For the chipotle chiles: you will have to buy a little can of these in the Mexican food aisle. For mild or medium sandwiches, just stir in a tablespoon of the sauce only for a great smoky flavor. For a little more heat, also pull out one chile, finely dice it, and stir that in as well. Reserve the remaining chiles and sauce for another use (I usually divide the remnants into 3 or 4 tiny tupperwares and freeze for later). Sprinkle meat mixture with cheese, remove from heat and cover with lid. When cheese is melted serve on buns.

Jicama Salad

I think the best gifts make you feel like the giver REALLY KNOWS you, and the worst gifts make you wonder who in the hell the giver thinks you are.

Some might think the gift of a giant jicama is a little strange, but my SIL Tiff knows how much I love jicama, so this was a welcome surprise.

I brought it all the way home from Phoenix and crafted this tasty salad.

Jicama Salad

1 extremely large jicama, or 2 medium

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup ranch dressing

2 T barbecue sauce

2 T vinegar (apple cider, red wine...something light colored)

cilantro and Ranchero (queso fresco) cheese for garnish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together ranch, BBQ, and vinegar. Add corn, beans, and peeled and diced jicama. Garnish with fresh cilantro and crumbled Mexican cheese.