Corn Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 1/3cup milk

Mix dry ingredients. Add milk and egg. Stir until well mixed. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean)

Mexican Wedding Cakes

These are my very favorite christmas cookie, and they are so easy to make

Ingredients

1 c. butter
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 c. flour
1/2 T. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
extra powdered sugar

Instructions

Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in flour and vanilla. Add nuts and mix by hand. Roll into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. These do not spread so you can place them close together. Bake for ~20 minutes at 350. They are best when they are just barely done, so watch them closely. Let them cool for a minute to let them solidify, and then transfer them to a bag of powdered sugar. Gently move them around to give them a good coating of sugar. Let them sit in the bag for around 10 seconds so the steam from the cookies can combine with the coating of sugar. Remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

I like these best refrigerated the next day.

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry kidney beans
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (yes, that's a lot of garlic)
  
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 6-8 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• not quite 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (World Market sells $0.99 packets that are excellent!)
  

Directions

Soak the beans overnight. To prepare, sautee veggies in olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Combine veggies, beans, seasonings, and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium-low for and least 1 hour covered and then 1/2 hour uncovered. Mash some of the beans at the end to improve the texture. Add salt to taste. Serve over rice.

Brownies

2 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup Ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate and cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix the eggs and sugar, then add the butter (so you don't cook the eggs). Mix it up with everything else and bake it for 20-25 minutes at 350

(2245calories for the whole pan)

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Hey! Our fluffy friends need recipes, too!

Ingredients


3 c. flour
1/2 c. oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 c. milk
1-1/2 c. peanut butter
2 T. molasses


Mix everything together, kneed slightly, and roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter (preferably, bone shaped). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Then, turn off the oven and leave the bones in there until cool. If you're making multiple sheets, take the first ones out after their 20 minutes and then put them back in when it's time to turn the oven off. they will not be sticky and you can stack them if you need the space.

Asparagus and Spring Pea Soup

Both Panera and Corner Bakery used to have asparagus and pea soup, which was SO good. Now, they don't have it, but I really wanted some tonight. I made my own version, which isn't the same but was still quite tasty.

Ingredients
1 bunch of asparagus
1 lb bag of frozen peas (or fresh if you're lucky enough to get them)
3 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 onion
1/2 c half & half

Directions

Cut the tips off the asparagus and set aside. Cut the stems into 1 inch chunks. I cut the woodiest part of the bottom and use it in my stock instead of making it part of the soup.

Sautee the onions lightly in olive oil until transluscent. Add peas, asparagus stems, peas, and broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. While the soup is cooking, cook the tips until tender (steam, microwave, broil - whatever).

Add the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. The next step is straining. I strain about 80% of the soup. You may want to do more or less depending on the texture you like. Add the asparagus tips and half & half to the strained soup, add salt & pepper to taste, and reheat until it's simmering.

Serve!

Roasted Asparagus

Bend asparagus spears until they break - the tender part will break off from the woody part of the step. spread the good parts on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt to taste. Spread the spears around to get them thorougly coated. Roast at 450 for 10-ish minutes until tender but not mushy. Great alone or with romesco sauce.

Romesco Sauce

Ingredients 

• 1 7oz jar red peppers 
• 1 small chili pepper or a dash of cayenne pepper to taste 
• 8 oz stewed tomatoes or 2 cooked tomatoes 
• 1 T vinegar 
• 1/4 c almonds 
• 2 cloves of garlic  
• 1T smoked paprika
  

 

Directions In a food processor, blend nuts and garlic. You can substitute other nuts if you prefer. Add tomatoes and pepper and blend until smooth. Add vinegar. If the sauce is too thin, add some white bread to the mix to reach the right consistency.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

8 oz fresh chopped spinach
8 canned artichokes, chopped
8 oz. Philly cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
3/4 c. shredded Parmesan/Romano/Asiago cheese
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack (or mozarella) cheese
1/2 onion finely chopped
2 dashes of balsamic vinegar
salt to taste
red pepper flakes to taste

Directions

This is so so much better if you spend the extra money to get the Parmesan/Romano/Asiago cheese blend from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, rather than the normal kraft style parmesan cheese.

Combine all non vegetables and mix well. Add vegetables and mix. Bake covered at 400 for 20-25 minutes. uncover, sprinkle more parmesan cheese over the top, and bake until golden.
Serve with tortilla chips or bread.

Gingerbread

NGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
3. Add dry ingredients and pour into the pan
   
4. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes in my oven. Allow to cool in pan before serving.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• 1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin (no spices added)
  
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Blend everything together. Pour into pie shell.
3. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. I like my pumpkin pie cold, so after cooling, I refrigerate it overnight.
   

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 c orange juice
1/2 c water
1 c sugar
12 oz fresh cranberries

Instructions

Boil water, juice, and sugar. Add cranberries. Return to boil then reduce heat to medium. Cook until cranberries pop (about 5 minutes)

Paper Bag Apple Pie

Prepare and set aside one unbaked pie shell.

Pare and core about 8 cooking apples. Cut into eighths. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine and mix well: 1/2 C. sugar, 2 T. flour, 1/2 t. cinnamon
Sprinkle over apple chunks and toss slightly. Spoon
into prepared shell. Sprinkle over top: 2 T. lemon juice.

Combine in bowl: 1/2 C. sugar, 1/2 C. flour. Mix well and add 1/2
cup butter or margarine. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or
two knives until mixture is coarse, like cornmeal. Sprinkle this
mixture evenly over top of pie.

Slide pie into a large, heavy supermarket paper bag. Fold open
end twice and fasten with paper clips. Place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 425 for 70 minutes. Remove from oven, split bag open and cool
pie on wire rack. DO NOT open bag while baking!

Yellow Cake

(still working on this one - my last version was not too moist. Maybe will try another with pudding)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred before measuring
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

PREPARATION:

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Cream sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add half of the flour mixture then half of the milk.

Add vanilla. Mix until blended; add remaining flour and milk and beat until smooth. Fill 2 greased and floured layer cake pans or a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with the batter. Bake at 375° for 25 to 35 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched near center.
Frost as desired.

White Rice

2 cups water
1 cup white rice
salt

Boil water (with salt if desired). Add rice. Cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Test rice and if it's crunch, simmer a few minutes more. Don't uncover in the middle of the simmering process.

Lentil Potato Cheese Bake

This recipe serves one person.

1/4 c. dry lentils
one red potato
1/4 c cheddar cheese
1 T. tomato sauce
1/4 c skim milk
salt and pepper

Boil lentils until soft. Slice potatoes thinly and boil until cooked through (I do the lentils on the stove and meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a bowl of water in the microwave for about 7 minutes). When the lentils are done, drain them. Return them to the pan and add tomato sauce and milk, and heat until warm. Add salt and pepper to taste(and any other stuff - basil or oregano are good, and also sauteed onions or mushrooms) Add lentil mixture to a oven proof dish (I use a glass bowl). Layer the sliced potatoes on top, and add the cheese on top of that. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and brown.

Lentil Curry

* 1 cup lentils (brown or red)
* 1/2 large onion, diced
* 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon curry paste
* 1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon ginger root, minced
* 1 c tomato puree (use basic spaghetti sauce if you don't have any puree)

DIRECTIONS

Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear. Bil lentils until lentils tender (about 40 minutes for brown lentils, and 30 for red).

Meanwhile, caramelize the onions in vegetable oil. When they are finished, add spices and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes. Then add the tomato puree and reduce heat. If it is not too thick, summer it until the lentils are ready.

Drain the cooked lentils and mix with the sauce. Serve with white rice.

Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1.5 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t baking soda

3/4 c. orange juice
1 egg.
2 T softened butter

1.5 c fresh cranberries
1/2 c. walnuts


Mix dry ingredients. Add juice, egg, and butter. Mix until you have a good batter. Stir in cranberries and walnuts. Spread evenly into a loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup crushed gingersnaps
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
3/8 teaspoon ground cloves


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F or 300 degrees F for convection oven.

To make the crust: Place the butter in a small saucepan and melt over moderate heat. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, gingersnaps, brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and mix together with a fork. Line bottom and side of 10-inch springform pan with parchment or wax paper. Spray with nonstick pan spray. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom.

Filling: Pour the heavy cream into a medium bowl and beat just until soft peaks form. Refrigerate. Beat the cream cheese (in large bowl) with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, beating well. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat the mixture until it is fluffy and pale. Stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Remove the whipped cream from the refrigerator and whisk lightly to re-blend. Using a spatula or flat spoon, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese-pumpkin mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Wrap one continuous sheet of aluminum foil around the springform pan and press firmly. Put wrapped pan in a baking pan and fill with hot water halfway up the spring from pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.

Cool the cheesecake to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours to chill thoroughly.

Remove the sides of the springform pan. Just before serving, place the pecan halves on top of the cheesecake, in a ring around the edges, to garnish.

Sundried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients

1 cup of sundried tomatoes (*not* oil packed)
2/3 cup grated paremesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. olive oil

Instructions

Dump it all in a food processor and mix. It's great over hot pasta (I like it with whole wheat rotini), but it also can be mixed with butter and used as a spread.