We're talkin' 'bout meatloaf (meatloaf, yeah)

My mom is seriously one of the best cooks on the planet.  Seriously.  And, even though she made meals that were freaking da bomb delicious, I was a ridiculously picky eater as a kid.  It's a crying shame when I think of all the meals I turned my nose up at in my youth because I didn't like the texture of beans, or whatever.  Never fear all you moms of picky eaters, eventually I came around with age.  I'm still texture sensitive and can't eat bananas because of it, but, all in all, I'm good with most foods.

I'm not sure why I talked about picky eating as the intro to this post, except for the possibility that a picky eater may not find the idea of eating meatloaf particularly appealing.  You guys.  This meatloaf is so amazingly good, it might, just might, turn your picky eater around, and get them on the meatloaf bandwagon.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 tsp minced garlic (or two cloves, minced)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix brown sugar, ketchup and 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce in a separate, small mixing bowl.

Pour half of the ketchup and brown sugar mixture into the bottom of a 9x5 loaf pan.  Set rest of the mixture aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf.  Place on top of the brown sugar/ketchup mixture.

Pour the remaining brown sugar/ketchup mixture on top of the loaf.

Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes until juices run clear.


-recipe inspired by 71toes.com (I've made a few changes according to my tastes)

Chicken Pad Thai

I'm a huge fan of Thai food, and I'm always tempted to get take out at our local Thai restaurant during the week, when everyone is away at school or work.  Making a comparable chicken pad thai has been something I've tried to master over the years, but I often get discouraged by many of the recipes that call for a huge ingredient list and just too much darn work for a simple dinner to serve at home.  So, when I happened upon this recipe, I gave it another try and was surprised at how easy it was to make and delicious it was.  I made a few adjustments to the recipe to suit our tastes, but the original recipe is inspired by Joanna Cismaru from the blog Jo Cooks.

Chicken Pad Thai



Ingredients

1 T sesame oil
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 green bell pepper sliced
3/4 cup sugar snap peas
2 T minced garlic
2 cups cooked chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
salt and pepper to taste
4 green onions chopped
1/4 cup peanuts chopped
12 oz Asian style rice noodles- I prefer the thin ones



For the Spicy Thai Sauce

1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 T brown sugar
1 T sriracha sauce
1 t red chili paste (I didn't have this on hand so I omitted it)
1 t fresh minced ginger



Instructions:

Cook noodles as directed on package.

Heat sesame oil in skillet over medium/high heat.  Add garlic, peas and peppers and saute for 3 minutes until they begin to soften.

Whisk the spicy thai sauce ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Add cooked chicken to the skillet and toss together.  Pour in sauce and stir.  Cook for 2 more minutes until sauce comes to a boil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add cooked noodles and toss.

Garnish with chopped green onions and peanuts.

My family loved this meal and it was great as a leftover lunch the next day!

**If you ever want to print off any of these recipes you can scroll to the very bottom and there is a print feature available**

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

I've been gone.  Maybe you've noticed?  If you're unaware of the reasons please check out my personal blog HERE and you'll see whats been up and why I've needed a break from posting my favorite recipes.

I just finished eating three delicious scones, so I thought I'd do a quick write-up on the recipe in case you're looking for a semi-healthy scone recipe that just screams summer.

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 stick of cold unsalted butter cut into small chunks
1/2 cup non fat greek yogurt
4-6 tablespoons of buttermilk
1 egg
zest of one lemon

Icing:

juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet with either a silpat or parchment paper.

In a food processor, put both flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds.  Pulse to combine.  Add the lemon zest and pulse.  With the processor on, gradually add the chunks of cold butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Pour it all into a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together the greek yogurt, buttermilk and the egg.  Add it to the flour mixture in the large mixing bowl.  Using a mixing spoon stir it all together until it forms a sticky dough.

Roll it out onto a floured surface and with a rolling pin roll the dough until it is about 1 inch thick.  Cut it our however you choose (I used a biscuit cutter).  Place them on the baking sheet and bake them in the oven for 15 or so minutes.  Keep a close eye on them and take them out when the edges are starting to lightly brown.

While the scones cool, whisk together the icing ingredients in a small bowl and spoon it over the tops of the scones when they are slightly warm.  Enjoy!

Banana Cake

I happen to not like bananas much.  I'm a texture sensitive eater, and bananas score quite poorly with my particularness.  It takes a large amount of peanut butter to accompany a banana if I'm going to eat one straight out of the peel.

Yet, I do like banana flavor.  I eat half of one (frozen) with each smoothie I drink, So, I guess you could say our relationship is fussy, but not terrible.

This past weekend I made a banana cake for my mom's birthday party with a recipe that she has used before and had great success.  Her favorite cake is the Beaverton Bakery banana cake, and we all agree that this cake is as good, if not better than it.

The recipe is based off of one from Cooking Light, but the ingredients have been altered a bit in order to make a larger cake.  This one feeds 16-20 people.

Banana Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
3/4 cup buttermilk


frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk


remaining ingredients:

4 tbsp finely chopped pecans, toasted
4 tbsp flaked sweetened coconut, toasted



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make cake, coat two 9 inch round cake pans with cooking spray.  Line each pan bottom with parchment paper, and spray paper with cooking spray too.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  Stir well with a whisk.  Put granulated sugar, oil, vanilla extract, egg whites, and egg into a mixing bowl with paddle attachment.  Beat well.  Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-37 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes on wire racks then remove from pans.  Peel off parchment paper and let cool completely.

To make the frosting, Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with a paddle attachment until well blended.

Once the cake layers have cooled, place the first layer on a cake plate and put 1/2 cup or so of frosting on top and smooth it over the first layer.  Then add the second layer and finish frosting the entire cake.

Once frosted sprinkle the toasted pecans and coconut on top.  Keep cake covered and refrigerated until serving.

Enjoy!

Oh, and of course, you can serve this with a spot of ice cream or whipping cream.  I take mine with whipping cream because I'm addicted to that stuff.  It's my kryptonite.

Bacon Mac and Cheese

Yo, yo, yo, I'm back and I'm sorry.  Life sorta grabbed me by the throat and shook me around for the past few weeks.

When I was a child, my mom was a real health nut.  We were the only family on the block to eat whole wheat bread, non-sugar cereals, homemade soups and sauces and very little processed food.  So, I spent my childhood craving everything I couldn't have.  Gimme some good old Wonder bread, processed cheese slices and a can of Pepsi and I would have thought I'd found nirvana.

One processed food item my mom did purchase, on occasion, was macaroni and cheese.  But, she bought the more fancy one that had the cheese in a prepared pouch that was already cheese-like, instead of the kind with the powdered cheese that you added water to.  I loved it.  It was something she might serve along side a hamburger patty and salad.

When I had kids, I bought the same type of macaroni and cheese and they scoffed.  They preferred the one with the powdered cheese, and, well, my high-flatulent palate could not handle such nastiness, so I pretty much stopped eating mac and cheese, until...I started making it from scratch.

This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman, but I do change some things in it, to make it more to our family's liking.

Bacon Mac and Cheese

4 cups macaroni noodles
1/4-1/2 of a red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
1 heaping cup of grated pepper jack cheese (I have substituted sharp cheddar for this and it's still good)
1 spoonful of minced garlic
1 cup heavy cream
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
4-6 stripes of cooked bacon, crumbled


Boil pasta until al dente.

In a large skillet (use cast iron if you can!) saute the onions, pepper, garlic and corn in some olive oil on medium heat for a few minutes.  Add chilies and stir.  Take off heat.

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet.  Pour in cream and cheese.  Give it a good stir to let it all melt and get gooey.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add crumbled bacon and mix.  

You can serve this as a side dish, or a main dish.  Sometimes, I make it a little early in the day, and I cover the cast iron skillet with aluminium foil and keep it warm in the oven until dinner.  It does well as a left over for the next few days if you refrigerate the remaining amount.

Ginger Snaps

I admit to being the biggest fan of ginger snaps in our home.  I make them fairly infrequently simply because I cannot control myself when they are around.  These ginger snaps are more of the chewy variety, rather than the crisp.  For some reason, I love to pair a couple of cookies with a good cup of tea on a gray, rainy day, to brighten myself up.  Perhaps you will too.

Ginger Snaps 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

2 t ground cinnamon

 1 T plus 2 t ground ginger

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (can use light brown)

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup unsulphured molasses

1 T grated lemon zest

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line several cookie sheets with parchment, or use a silpat mat.

Sift flour, baking soda, slat, cinnamon and ginger together in a small bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy (2 minutes)

Add egg and beat on medium until blended (10 seconds)

Add the molasses and lemon zest and blend until incorporated.

Fold in half the dry ingredients with mixer on low speed.  Then fold in the remaining half until incorporated (20 seconds)

Measure out scoops of dough and roll them into balls with your hands.

Roll balls in granulated sugar and place them 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges are lightly golden.

Place them on a rack to cool.

Makes about 2.5-3 dozen cookies.

*recipe is out of the book- All-Butter Fresh Cream Sugar-Packed No-Holds Barred Baking Book by Judy Rosenberg.  One of my absolute favorite dessert books.

Chorizo and Egg Hash plus- Cast Iron Love!

Y'all, I've had the most circuitous relationship with cast iron, it's bananas.  We did not use cast iron cookware in my home growing up.  My only experience with it was when I was cooking over an open fire at girls camp.  Honestly, I pictured it as the old-timey stuff people hung on a stick between two posts as some sort of mutton stew brewed above an open flame.

Then I married Wes. And, not only gained a handy-dandy husband, but gained a stockpile of cast iron cookware that he had acquired as a single man(?).

He had:

1 6 inch skillet
2 8 inch skillets
1 small dutch oven with no legs
1 small dutch oven with legs
1 large dutch oven
1 huge wok

No joke.  I was like, what the heck?  What do I do with all of this?  It seemed complicated (can't throw it in the dishwasher?  Can't even clean them with dish soap????).  So, I dealt with it by nicely stacking them in our cupboards and ignoring them.  Sorry babe. :(

I was young.  I was in my last year of college.  I could barely cook.  It makes sense.

Now, fast forward 20+ years, and I'm like, whoa baby, thanks for contributing all of this amazing cast iron to our family!  He's like, yeah, sure.  It's been here all along.  Glad you finally warmed up to it.  And, warm up, I have.

I have added a bit to our collection:

1 10 inch skillet
1 12 inch skillet- family size!
1 reversible griddle/grill
1 large enamel coated dutch oven

Except for the griddle/grill, and the enamel coated dutch oven, all of our cast iron is the Lodge brand.  Its great.  I love it.  As long as I do the simple (and frankly, easy) steps of keeping it clean, well-seasoned and used, it works super well and is quickly becoming my go-to cookware.  I get the most use out of the 10 and 12 inch skillets, with the large dutch oven (not enamel coated) coming in a close third.

So, with my newish passion for all things cast iron, it is easy to see why I've been giving a lot of cast iron skillet recipes a try at home.

This Chorizo and Egg Hash recipe is so easy.  So quick (30 minutes, start to finish) and tastes great.  My two kids gave it huge thumbs up last night, and frankly I was a bit surprised by their reactions.  Both of them are fairly adventurous eaters (Spencer told me last night he had caviar at a friends house after school and loved it?! European friend- fancy eaters.  At my house its popcorn after school, c'mon), but chorizo was new for them, so my expectations were on the lower end.  But, they both dug in and told me they loved it.  Awesome.

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic (I used a spoonful of minced garlic from the fridge)
1/2 package of chorizo (120 g)
2 potatoes cooked and chopped into bite sized pieces (I used russets and left the skin on- fiber!)
1/2 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a cast iron skillet (I used a 12 inch, could probably get away using a 10 inch) add olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes.  Add chorizo and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

Add pre-cooked chopped potatoes (and a bit more oil if you think its needed) and cook for 5 more minutes.  Let the potatoes fry, so don't stir often.

Crack eggs on top and transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until the egg white is set but the yolk is still runny.

Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and parsley.  Serve (we added a bit of ketchup too).

You guys, this is so good.  And, so easy.  Get yourself a cast iron skillet, season it up and get cooking.  You'll love it!!!

Oh, and thanks again Wes for bringing so much amazing cast iron to our marriage.  I'm endlessly grateful.

Dinner Rolls

There is nothing as delicious as a fresh out of the oven homemade roll slathered with butter.  It is one of life's great pleasures, and you cannot buy it.  It must be made.  The following is my mom's homemade dinner rolls recipe.  I've been eating these rolls my entire life- every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter for sure.  Other times as well.  This recipe makes around four dozen rolls, so if that is more than you need, it is perfectly fine to half it if you're making rolls for a smaller gathering.


Dinner Rolls

2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 eggs, plus enough scalded and cooled milk to make 2 cups of liquid
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of sugar
6 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in a mixing bowl.  Let sit for about 5 minutes until yeast starts bubbling and is activated.  Add eggs, milk, butter, salt and sugar and stir until blended (I just stir this with my dough hook).  Stir in 3 cups of flour and combine until smooth.  Continue adding the rest of the flour until a smooth soft dough results.  Knead dough for about 5 minutes by hand.  Place into a buttered bowl and cover until dough has doubled (around 2 hours).  Punch down.

To make rolls, divide dough into smaller sections (4-5) and roll out each section into a circle.  Use a pizza cutter to cut circle into 8 triangle shapes and roll them into crescents.  Place on baking sheets and cover with dish towels.  Let rolls rise again (45 min or so) and then bake them at 375 degrees for 15 or so minutes.  I usually set my timer for 13 minutes and then watch the rolls carefully until the tops begin to brown some and they look done.

Enjoy!

P.S. this dough can also be used as a base for cinnamon rolls if you'd like.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

In our corner of the world, it rained over two inches yesterday.  Weather like this stirs something inside me and I start cranking out soups and stews like there's no tomorrow.  A warm soup on a soggy day makes for the best of dinners, and perfect leftovers for tomorrows lunch.

The following recipe is a family favorite that is on a regular rotation in our home.  It's easy, relatively quick- for soup, and makes enough to feed all four of us while leaving a good portion that can be dedicated to leftovers for the next day or two.



Loaded Baked Potato Soup (recipe comes from here)

6 medium sized Russet potatoes, scrubbed and washed
4 tbsp unsalted butter
6 green onions (if I don't have these on hand, I use yellow onions, diced)
5 cups of chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 heads of broccoli, chopped (I use one bag of frozen broccoli from Costco. It is one pound, I think.  I microwave it before putting into the soup.)
cooked bacon for topping (I used 4 strips and I cook them ahead of time.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Once preheated, place potatoes in oven, and cook until done (1 hour?)  After the potatoes bake, take them out of the oven and place them on a plate and let them cool a bit before you start chopping them up.  Once cool enough to handle, slice open and scoop out the meat of the potato and chop it into bite sized pieces.

In a large heavy duty dutch oven, melt butter on medium heat.  Add green onions and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add chicken broth and turn heat to high and bring it to a boil.  Then turn heat down to medium and allow to simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Add cream and sour cream.  Make sure to temper the cream!  You can find out how to do that here.  Add cheese and broccoli to soup.  At this point I take an immersion blender and I blend the heck out of the soup.  Not everyone will want to do that (if you are more partial to chunky style soups), but my kids do much better with soups if they are smoother.  The broccoli will become fine and blend throughout all of the soup and become less noticeable to a picky eater.  Keep soups simmering for another 20-30 minutes before serving.

Top with crumbled bacon.

Enjoy!


(BTW, this soup keeps in the fridge for a few days following, but does not freeze well)

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I grew up in a home where my mom always made our spaghetti sauce.  Not once did the likes of Prego or Ragu touch my lips during my youth.  Now, of course you might think it is simply too great a hassle to make your own spaghetti sauce, but trust me, once you have a delicious batch of the good stuff, you'll never go back.  Interestingly enough, Spaghetti is Alice's favorite dinner, but Wes' least favorite.  Wes doesn't like pasta much, so I solved this dilemma by buying a small spaghetti squash that I prepare and make available to him and he is quite satisfied.  I thought I'd throw out that option in case you have a family member who isn't a fan of pasta, or are trying to prepare meals in with a low carb option.  Also, I make a batch large enough that it makes a full five quarts and it can be used in the months to come.

Ingredients include:

4 large cans tomato sauce (ignore the tomato paste- I didn't use it.  You can use it though if you are running low on tomato sauce.  Just make sure you have enough tomato goodness to fill up your pot!)

2 reg. cans of diced tomatoes

4 packets of spaghetti sauce seasoning (I like Lawry's or McCormick's)

1 package of mild Italian sausage

1 pound of ground beef

1 small onion

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

oregano

basil

salt 

pepper

Dice up your onion and brown the ground beef and the Italian sausage in a large skillet.  Add garlic and let it all cook until the meat is completely done.

In a large pot, or dutch oven (I use a 7 quart Le Creuset and that is as small as I would go), pour all of the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and spaghetti seasoning into it.  Stir it all together.  At this point you can turn the burner on low/medium.  

Add 1 tablespoon of basil and 1 tablespoon of oregano to the tomato sauce.

Once the meat/onion/garlic mixture is finished cooking drain any excess fat from the meat mixture and add it to the dutch oven,  Stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Let your sauce simmer on the stove for an hour or so, stirring every so often. 

**tip**  If your children are opposed to "chunks" in their sauce (i.e. tomato chunks, meat chunks, etc...) grab an immersion blender and give the pot of sauce a good blend.

When you are all done you'll have 5 quarts of sauce that you can freeze for later use.

Fancy Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I'm not sure why I started calling these sandwiches "fancy grilled cheese", but whenever my kids ask me what we are having for dinner, and I say "fancy grilled cheese", they know exactly what I'm talking about and start reminding me of exactly how they like theirs to be made- sliced avocado, mushed up avocado, more ranch dressing, not too crispy, etc...

Even though I really do enjoy cooking and baking very much, there are days when I just don't have time in my schedule to spend more than 20 minutes on dinner.  And, it's those days that dinners often look more like sandwiches or spaghetti, than pot roasts or beef stroganoff.

Fancy Grilled Cheese:

Bread (any kind of bread will work, but I've got to suggest that a sturdier bread than sandwich bread is definitely my preference.  I usually have a loaf of Portland City Sour wheat bread (from Costco) on hand for making grilled cheese sandwiches, and it is perfect for this meal.)

Bacon- fry some up (usually 2 slices per sandwich) before you start constructing the sandwiches.

Avocado- one large avocado will be enough for 3-4 sandwiches

Cheese- I won't judge.  I love almost all cheeses (except American).  But, I strongly encourage the sharpest cheddar cheese you can handle for this sandwich.  If you have kids that only eat mild or medium cheddar, fine.  Make their's with that.  But, for you my friend, don't go any lower than sharp, and my recommendation is extra sharp.  Be a man.

Ranch dressing.

Salted butter.

Okay, you can grill these any way you'd like- in a frying pan, on your George Forman, on an electric griddle.  I do it on a cast iron griddle/fry pan that sits on two gas burners on my stove.  It looks like this:

I use the smooth side, not the grill side for these sandwiches. It works well and you can cook up to for sandwiches at time on it.

Construct sandwich by buttering first side of bread and lay it on warm/hot griddle.  Layer cheese, bacon, avocado and ranch dressing.  Then top to with another slice of bread, buttered on the outside.  Cook both sides until the bread is browned and the cheese it melted.  

Serve and enjoy!

Biscuits and Gravy

This meal is high on the rotation chart.  Biscuits are a quick bread, so they're quick and easy to make (although, if you accidentally substitute baking soda for baking powder they will be disastrous, trust me).

You may already have a favorite biscuit recipe that you are loyal to.  If you do, go ahead and use that.  We all have our favorite when it comes to baked goods.  If you don't have a favorite biscuit recipe, let me introduce you to mine.  It comes from a dear friend, Hildie, who is one of the best cooks I know.  She put it up on her blog years ago, and once I gave it a go I became a loyal fan of these biscuits.  Check it out here.

BTW, Hildie is totally hilarious, smart and talented.  IMO, her blog is a must read.  Also, she is as authentic and lovely in real life as she is online.

So, to go with the delicious biscuits, I make The Pioneer Woman's sausage gravy.  You can find that here.  Now, let me tell you that I do make two alterations to her recipe because it just tastes and works better that way.  First, I use whatever milk I have on hand (usually 1% or skim) because this household cannot have whole milk just sitting around.  A certain someone, who will remain nameless, has a crazy addiction to whole milk and we just don't buy it.  Second, her recipe calls for two teaspoons of black ground pepper.  That is a lot of pepper my friends.  I made it once this way and my non-spicy loving family couldn't handle the heat.  So, I cut it down to a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and that is plenty.

This dinner can easily be served with a side of steamed veggies and you'll have rounded it out quite nicely.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Quiche

Y'all, real men eat quiche.  Seriously, its so good, and easy to make.  I'm guessing a lot of you have never attempted making quiche because it is something you'd only eat at a fancy brunch or at your snobby aunt's house, but truly, it's not for the rich and famous, it's for the masses.  And, it's not "girl" food.  Geesh.

This recipe comes from King Arthur Flour.

First, make a pie crust.  Come on.  You can do it.

My favorite recipe is this:

In a food processor put the following:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Pulse to combine

While on, add 1 stick of unsalted butter (cold and chopped into small cubes).

Combine until the mixture is crumbly and course.  Then, while food processor is on add:

2-3 tbsp ice water

mix until the dough forms into a ball almost.  It should come together and be a bit on the sticky side.  Take it out and flatten the dough into a disc shape.  Wrap in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Roll the pie crust out and form it to fit your pie pan.  No need to be overly fancy, but you can if you want!  Prick the crust with a fork 15 or so times and prebake the crust for 10 min at 375 degrees.

To make quiche filling:

3/4 pound bacon (I've used less before) precooked and chopped up

1 small onion

2 tbsp butter (or bacon fat)- this is for sauteing the onions

salt and pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup milk

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar (or whatever kind of cheddar you like) grated

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dice the onion finely and saute it until translucent.  Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the cream, milk and eggs.  Add to it the bacon, onions, cheese, salt and pepper.  Pour it into your prebaked pie crust.  Don't over fill.  If you have too much filling place the excess into small custard cups and cook those along side the quiche.

Bake the quiche for 40 minutes.  The edges should become golden brown and the center should feel just set.

Remove quiche from oven and let it cool on a rack.  You can serve it warm or room temperature.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

Recipe courtesy of Six Sisters' Stuff

These are so scrumptious.  The recipe makes a boatload, so if you want to half it you can use a half sheet baking pan instead.  

Cookie base:

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

2 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Middle layer:

1 1/2 cups peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

Frosting:

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) softened

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp cocoa powder

2-3 cups of powdered sugar

To make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, cream the butter and two sugars together until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla, eggs, and 1 cup of peanut butter.  Mix until combined.  Add oats, flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix for 30-60 seconds or until well combined.

Spread base cookie batter onto a greased baking sheet (18x13x1).  Bake for 15 minutes.

Once the base cookie is done, remove it from the oven.  Wait 10 minutes or so and spread the 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter on top as the second layer.  You can do this a bit easier if you drop the peanut butter on by the spoonful over the top of the cookie layer and spread it once the peanut butter is warm.

Let cool.(I put it in the fridge to cool faster)

While cooling, make the frosting by mixing all ingredients in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer.

Spread evenly over the cooled bars.

These cookie bars are delicious warm, room temp and straight out of the fridge.  You can also freeze them for up to a month.  And, since they have oats and peanut butter, you might even be able to consider them energy bars!

Baked French Toast

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman.

I acknowledge that this meal is not the healthiest of options.  It is a bit of a dessert-type meal.  But, I only make it once a month or less and it is undoubtedly a smashing success every time I do.  The greatest thing about baked french toast, besides how delicious it is, is that you can make it ahead (the night before, or the morning of) and then when it's time to pop it in the oven, dinner will be ready in just 30 minutes.

Baked French Toast

1 loaf of crusty sourdough or french bread (I've used both, and sometimes pugliese, and it all tastes wonderful).

8 eggs

2 cups whole milk (I use what's on hand- usually skim or 1%)

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp vanilla extract

For the topping (I usually make this right before it goes into the oven):

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter cut into small pieces

To make:

Grease a 9x13 inch pan with butter, or cooking spray.  Tear or cut bread up into chunks and evenly distribute in pan.

In a medium sized bowl mix eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla.  Pour over bread.  Cover tightly and put into fridge for several hours (or overnight).

To make topping- mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Add butter pieces and cut them into the dry mixture until it resembles little pebbles.  

When you're ready to bake, sprinkle topping on top of bread mixture and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  If you like it a bit firmer, with less liquid, bake for one hour.

Serve with maple syrup.

Lazy Daisy Cake

A newer family favorite, this cake became a popular dessert for families in the 1930s.  The cake is a light and moist sponge with a delicious caramel and coconut topping.  It is a relatively quick bake that includes ingredients commonly found in the pantry.  The following recipe is from the book American Cake by Anne Byrn.

Cake:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk (please use real buttermilk.  It is far superior to using sour milk- milk with a bit of vinegar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center of the oven.  Lightly grease your 9x13 baking pan with butter.

For cake, beat granulated sugar and 1 stick of unsalted butter (softened) in a large mixing bowl until creamy (2 min).  Add eggs and beat on medium until smooth and light- 2 min.

In another medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  Add it to the batter alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla extract- end with flour mixture.  Beat on low until everything in incorporated, then increase speed to medium for 30 seconds more.  Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top.  Place in oven for 28-33 min, until golden brown and top springs back when lightly pressed.

Once cake has baked remove it from oven and turn oven broiler on.  Place rack 4-5 inches below broiler.

For topping, melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat- 1 min.  Add brown sugar and cream.  Let mixture come to a boil and boil for 2 min or until it thickens slightly.  Remove pan from heat and add coconut, vanilla and salt and stir.  Pour the topping over the warm cake, spreading evenly.  Place cake in oven, under broiler and watch carefully.  Let the topping broil until it bubbles up and the coconut carmelizes- 30 to 60 seconds.

Remove pan from oven and let it rest for 15 min before serving.  Enjoy!

Makes 12-16 servings.

Pesto Chicken Enchildadas

This recipe is a perennial family favorite that I was introduced to by my dear friend, and fabulous cook, Christy.  Endless thanks dear!

Combine and fill flour tortillas with:

3-4 chicken breasts (or equivalent in chicken tenders) - cooked and shredded
4 oz cream cheese
1 T milk
1 T pesto (homemade is best, but jar is just fine. I use pesto from a jar)

Place in a 9x13 glass baking dish and cover with sauce:

Mixed together-
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
1 cup milk
2 T pesto

Top with 1-1 1/2 cups of cheese (I used a combo of pepper jack and cheddar, but this can be up to you), chopped tomatoes (I omitted because a couple of my kids don't like tomatoes), and cilantro.

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Served with a green salad (romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, sliced almonds and ranch dressing).

Serves 4-6


***most photos will be taken with an iPhone 6 because I'm busy and that's what's handy.