When you can't decide, make 'em ALL!

This became my motto last Tuesday when I looked through my cookbooks for a new and yummy recipe to make for our small group Bible study.  I found three that looked good and when I couldn't make the decision between the three, I chose to make them all.  I don't work on Tuesday, so a day of baking seemed like a good idea, especially since my 4 year old loves to help me in the kitchen and he's good at it.  These recipes come from my "Family Circle Cookbook" with a few adaptations from yours truly.  They were all a hit, as far as I could tell from the small group peeps.  Here is the first installment of the 3 recipes I made.

Here's to hoping this satisfies your sweet tooth!

Sour Cream Apple-Cranberry Coffee Cake 
Ingredients:
Dough:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 envelope of active dry yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sour cream
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour (white or whole wheat, depending on your personal preference)
Fruit Filling:
3-4 apples (pealed, cored and cut into 1/4 inch cubes)
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter, cold

Method:
1.) Prepare dough:  Combine 1 Tbsp. sugar (from the 1/4 cup) & warm water.  Sprinkle yeast over the top; stir to dissolve yeast.  Let stand until foamy (about 10 minutes).
2.) Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, until warm.  The butter should not melt completely.  Let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
3.)  Beat together yeast mixture, remaining sugar, milk mixture, sour cream, egg, vanilla, salt and flour in large bowl until smooth.  Beat mixture for 1 minute.  Scrape down side of bowl.  Cover bowl with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour)
4.)  Grease a 13X9X2 inch baking pan.  Stir down dough; spread evening in pan.  Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 45 minutes)
5.)  Prepare fruit filling by peeling, coring and cubing apples.  Melt butter in a large skillet and add apples; saute 4 minutes or until partially cooked and very lightly browned.  Cool slightly and stir in cranberries.
6.)  Prepare streusel by combining flour, sugar and spices.  Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
7.)  Spoon the filling evening over dough, then spread the streusel topping over the filling.
8.)  Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and top is slightly crusty (about 30 minutes).  Serve Warm.

Click here for printable recipe

Ode to Pat & Oscar's

Okay, there are a few things I miss about living in Southern California, along with some dear friends and family, those things include Rubio's and Pat & Oscar's.  I can't make fish tacos and don't even want to try at this point, but I have been trying my hand at recreating the bread sticks and pasta dishes at Pat & Oscar's.  They have a delicious pasta called "Mato-Fredo" there that combines their marinara pasta sauce with their alfredo sauce.  It makes me hungry just typing this!!!  Well, I decided to get going on a copy-cat version of my own.  It turned out pretty darn good!  I call it, "Spi-mato-fredo" because I added spinach to the dish as well.  It's been given the official  "stamp of approval" from my amazing friend Stacy, who generally makes me feel like the most fantastic cook ever placed in a kitchen!  To top it all off, this dish is EASY!!!  So if you are looking for a quick, hot and satisfying meal to make for your family, you've got it in this recipe!  If you have to have meat for dinner in order to feel like it's really dinner, chicken is a wonderful addition to this dish!

Enjoy the extra time with the family this easy recipe will give you!

Spi-Mato-Fredo 
Ingredients:
1 box of your favorite pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium sweet onion (optional - but we like onions at our house), finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jar/can of your favorite pasta sauce (or you can make your own, but that would defeat the purpose of the quick & easy part of this recipe. :))
1 jar of your favorite alfredo sauce (again, you can make your own, but if you're going for quick and easy...)
1 bunch of fresh spinach (washed with stems removed) or a box of frozen spinach
Parmesan Cheese for garnish

Method:
1.)  Prepare pasta according to the box directions
2.)  In a seperate pan, heat olive oil and saute onions until tender, add garlic for the last minute.
3.)  Add pasta sauce & alfredo sauce and heat through
4.)  Add spinach and heat until spinach is soft
5.)  Mix pasta with sauce & garnish with parmesan!

Click here for printable version

Use your noodle!

Noodles are a number one favorite in our house.  Pasta or Chinese, doesn't matter, I know it will be a hit if it involves noodles.  I got this recipe a while ago from my friend Andrea.  It was so flavorful, so simple and SO QUICK!  I added a few ingredients and a step or two.  You really could do whatever you want with it.  Add the vegetables, or meat, your family likes best.  I made a double batch last night and there was nothing left to show for it this morning.  I'll let that last statement speak for itself.

Japanese Noodles with Tomatoes (& lots of other vegetables now) 
**Adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health cookbook"
Ingredients:
8 oz soba noodles
2 Tbs sesame oil (toated)
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 Cups diced tomatoes (I used whole grape tomatoes)
1 Lg. Red Pepper (Roasted in oven until slightly blackened & sliced)
1-2 Cups of broccoli florets
1/4 Cup slices scallions/green onions
1 Cup Edamame

Method:
1.)  Cook Noodles according to package directions.
2.)  Roast red pepper @ 500 degrees (about 5 minutes) until slightly blackened, then slice
3.)  Saute broccoli & edamame for about 3 minutes
4.)  Add in sliced green onions & saute one more minute
5.)  Add vegetables to drained noodles & mix in sesame oil, olive oil & soy sauce.

*** The noodles will be cold from the rinse following boiling.  If you'd prefer a hot dish, throw everything back into a large skillet for a couple of minutes. 

Click here for printable version

Comfort & Peace

This is my "does everything" bread recipe. You can use it to make loaves of bread, rolls in various forms and best of all... cinnamon rolls. It's from my mom and it's what bread has meant to me my whole life.  When we made bread, this is what we made, every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and every special event in between.  Our family's favorite use for this bread dough was cinnamon rolls.  They are fantastic, as many of my friends will attest to; I'm thinking of a certain red-haired music minister and his soon-to-be-wife as I write this post.  In my own family they have become a Christmas morning tradition.  This year, Christmas was riddled with illness, so I'm a little late in making them.  Better late than never though and my house smells absolutely amazing at the moment.  There is something so utterly peaceful and comfort-filled in the act of making home-made bread.  From the time it takes to rise -you can't rush it and knowing that you've set aside time to focus on this is calming - to the kneading of the dough, my mind and my body calm and focus on all that's important in my life.  It's as if I've gotten back to an elemental state.  I think this is why I've loved having a garden this year and making food from scratch.  It's slower paced, it's full of thought and patience, it takes you back to memories of family and it brings your family in to help, to watch, to enjoy. 

Take a moment to step out of the frenetic pace of life and let peace and comfort rise up in you with this delicious bread.

***A tip:  Kneading the dough is crucial.  The more time spent kneading, the better and lighter your bread will be.  It's also one of the best parts of making bread, so don't skimp on it!

Sweet Bread Dough/Cinnamon Rolls 

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
4 cups milk
1 cup shortening

8 cups flour (I use whole wheat)

2 pkgs. of yeast (dissolve in 1/4 cup water & 1 tsp. sugar)

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

***For Cinnamon Rolls

butter

brown sugar

cinnamon

Method:
1.) Heat sugar, milk & shortening, until melted & sugar is dissolved.
2.)  When mixture is cool, add 8 cups of flour & yeast
3.)  Let rise until dough doubles in size

4.)  Mix together the remaining 4 ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt)

5.)  Punch down dough and add the flour/soda/powder/salt mixture.

6.)  Knead and shape into desired shapes (loaf, rolls or cinnamon rolls)

****For cinnamon rolls:  Take a ball of dough and roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness, spread melted butter over rolled out dough, sprinkle brown sugar & cinnamon over it (also delicious to add nutmeg, ginger &/or cloves to this mixture!).  Once butter, brown sugar & spices are spread over the rolled out dough, roll dough up into a long log.  Cut into desired size slice and place face up in a baking dish.  Make sure you leave enough room between the rolls in order for them to rise. 

7.)  Let dough rise again (proofing)

6.)  Bake at 350 degrees until bread sounds hollow when tapped with a finger.

Click here for printable version

Follow Your Heart

When I asked my friend Shannon how she made Taco Soup, a deliciously enticing soup I'd been hearing about in our church for a few months, she gave me a few main ingredients and then laughed and said, "Just follow your heart!".  I loved that statement and the sentiment behind it.  The best things I've concocted in the kitchen often come from following my heart and pouring not only great ingredients into the dish, but also my love; love for the food I'm cooking and love for my family.  So on Christmas Eve, when time was crunched and I wanted a meal that we could sit down together and enjoy, I took Shannon's advice and followed my heart to this amazing tasting and wholly satisfying soup.  You can use the recipe below as a general guide, but take my friend Shannon's advice and go with those ingredients in your cupboards that make your heart sing!

Make some hearts, and mouths happy tonight in your home!

Taco Soup   

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey (or meat of your choice)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup taco seasoning (or 1 packet)
2 tsp. Mexican chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 cans (or 4 cups cooked) beans (I used red kidney & black beans)
1 can (or 2 cups frozen) corn
1 20 ounce can of tomato product (I used crushed, but you can used chopped or stewed for the flavor and consistency you'd like best).
2 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable) - I used this to thin out the crushed tomotoes and make the soup less "chili" like.

Method:
1.)  Brown the ground turkey in 1 Tbsp of olive oil.
2.)  When meat is mostly browned, add onions and saute until tender.
3.)  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute more
4.)  Stir in taco seasoning and spices
5.)  Add beans and corn, mix well
6.)  Add crushed tomatoes & broth.
7.)  Bring to a boil
8.)  Serve & garnish with shredded lettuce, grated cheese, sliced green onions, sour cream & tortilla chips - basically anything you love on tacos tastes fantastic on this soup!

Click here for printable version

Cinderella's Soup

I've had this recipe since high school, when I visited Germany for a month.  My host mother made this soup and I loved it so much that she gave me the recipe.  It took a bit of time for us to figure out amount conversions and English names for certain ingredients, namely the boullion, but we did it!  I've always thought of this as "Cinderella's Soup" because of the name.  We often have this on Christmas or New Year's Eve.  It's a hearty and flavorful soup that satisfies on a cold evening.

This is another simple recipe, but with HUGE flavor.  I hope you enjoy it, anytime of the day!

Mittenacht Suppe (Midnight Soup)
Ingredients:
Pat of butter or olive oil
2 lbs. chicken tenders, cooked & cubed
3 bunches of green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 8 ounce can tomato paste
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can kidney or black beans, drained
1 cup red wine
2 chicken boullion cubes (I've also used 1 - 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock here for a thinner soup).

Method:
1.)  Brown onions, pepper & garlic in a pat of butter.
2.)  In a large soup pot, mix beans with tomato paste.
3.)  Add all other ingredients.
4.)  Simmer for 20 minutes.
5.)  Garnish with sour cream if desired.


Click here for printable version

Winner, Winner, Chickpea Dinner!

When my husband decided he wanted to change his diet to "mostly meatless", I scoured cookbooks and the internet for recipes that sounded like they would be filling and delicious as well as vegetarian.  I found this very simple recipe in my "Express Lane Meals" cookbook by Rachael Ray.  I love her and I love meals that you can make quickly!    The chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in this sauce make it very creamy and filling.  My youngest, who can be very hard to please when it comes to dinner, scrapes his plate clean after this meal. 

Enjoy a "Roman Holiday" tonight with your family!

Spaghetti alla Ceci
"Spaghetti with Chickpeas"
Ingredients: 
Salt
1 pound spaghetti (I also like to use whole wheat penne pasta)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I cut this in half for my little guy's sake)
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
1 14- ounce can of chickpeas, drained
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Black pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken/vegetable stock
1  14-ounce can crushed tomoatos
Grated Parmesan cheese.

Method:
In a large pot, bring water for pasta to boil.  Salt the water & cook the spaghetti according to box directions.
While the spaghetti cooks, heat olive oil in a  large skillet.  Add the red pepper flakes & garlic.
Place the chickpeas in a food processor & pulse until finely chopped.
Add the chickpeas to the skillet with the garlic & season them with thyme, salt & pepper.
Saute them for 3-4 minutes.
Add the wine or stock & cook down for about 30 seconds, then stir in the tomoatoes.
Drain the pasta & toss with the sauce.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese
ENJOY!

Click here for printable recipe