Skinner's Lasagna

serves 6-8

This is the lasagna recipe in my mom's cookbook. The same one on the box of Skinner lasagna noodles. If I'm making it just as a regular weeknight meal for our family, I make the whole recipe, but assemble it into two smaller pans (I use my 8x8 Pyrex for the one I'll be cooking that night and put the other half in my 11-cup Pyrex Rectangular Storage Plus** [because it has a cover]) and then put one in our freezer for dinner another time. I don't cook it before freezing. If it's been frozen, I take it out of the freezer to thaw and just cook it like the recipe calls for. It's my version of frozen lasagna.

I love this recipe. It's not difficult to make at all. Especially since you don't cook the noodles before assembling the lasagna. Plus, it tastes really, really good!


1 lb. ground beef
3 1/2 C. spaghetti sauce (28-32 oz jar)
1-1/2 C. water
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 C. shredded mozzarella
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 C. chopped parsley
1/2 TSP. salt
1/4 TSP. pepper
9 uncooked skinner lasagna noodles


Preheat oven to 350.

In a saucepan, brown meat; add spaghetti sauce and water; let simmer for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, mix ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper.

In 13x9 dish, pour 1 cup of sauce on bottom. Place three uncooked noodles lengthwise on top of the sauce. Pour 1 cup of sauce over the noodles, then add half the cheese mixture over the sauce. Repeat noodles, sauce, cheese. Place the last three noodles on the top and pour the remaining sauce over the lasagna.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50-55 minutes.

Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. (If you like it extra cheesy, you can top with extra mozzarella cheese at this point.)





**I did not know they had other sizes of that pan available! I'm a little too excited about that :)

Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds

makes two cups

I got this recipe out of my Mennonite cookbook, More With Less. I get my pumpkin seeds already shelled from a local co-op and I also buy my shelled sunflower seeds there. I don't make a huge effort to look for shells in the sunflower seeds; I just kind of keep an eye out during the stirring portions of the recipes. Julia and Dax love these.

I suppose you could make them with olive oil rather than butter. I haven't. I like butter. And you don't have to use these seasonings, either. Feel free to branch out.


2 cups seeds (I use pumpkin and sunflower seeds)
1 TBS butter
1 teas Worcestershire sauce
a bit of garlic powder, onion powder and seasoned salt (I use Lawry's)


Turn the oven to 250 degrees.

Put the seeds in a bowl.

Melt butter then stir in Worcestershire sauce and seasonings (to taste). Pour onto seeds. Stir and dump onto cookie sheet. Spread into thin layer.

Cook for one hour (or until toasty brown), stirring every 15 minutes or so.

Cool and eat!

Applesauce Bread

makes one loaf or 12 muffins

Jackie stayed with us for a week after Dax was born helping us adjust to life with two kids. One of the great ideas she had was to cook huge batches of muffins and freeze them thereby providing Julia with a good breakfast even if her mom slacked off the rest of the day :) This recipe was one of Julia's favorites. (I don't know what book she got the recipe from.)

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups applesauce
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 egg whites (or one egg)
1/4 cup low-fat milk


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar, oil, egg whites and milk; mix well. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until blended.

Pour into a 9x5 inch loaf pan that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. (Or a 12-cup muffin pan) Bake for 55 to 60 minutes (25 to 35 minutes for muffins) or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Chicken and Dumplings

serves four

From my mom's cookbook. She says this one has a tendency to boil over if the lid is on too tight. She's right. I would also add that it has a tendency to scorch the bottom of your pan and the chicken if you forget to turn down the stove between browning the chicken pieces and letting them simmer. Learn from my mistakes. I like this recipe, but haven't tried it yet with the new Heart Smart trans-fat free Bisquick. Somehow I bet it won't be as tasty ...


Chicken pieces
1 cup Bisquick mix
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons shortening
1 Tablespoon butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cup milk
Dumpling dough (recipe on Bisquick box**)
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning


Mix baking mix, salt, paprika and pepper in a bag. Shake 2-3 pieces of chicken at a time to coat thoroughly.

Melt shortening and butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Brown chicken thoroughly on all sides and remove from pan. Drain fat.

Stir soup and milk together in pan. Add chicken. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until chicken is tender.

Twenty minutes before the end of cooking time, prepare dumpling dough as directed on baking mix package adding parsley flakes and poultry seasoning before mixing in liquid. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto hot broth. Cook uncovered 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.



**Dumpling Dough
2 1/4 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk

Mix

Caramel Delight

serves 1-15 (depending on if Joanna's eating or not)

This is my favorite dessert of all time. If I only had one dessert I could eat for the rest of my life, this would be it. Really. If I get a craving, but don't want to take up a huge amount of space in my freezer, I'll make the crumb topping and store it in the fridge. Then (as long as I have caramel and vanilla ice cream) I can make an individual portion whenever I like. One of these days I might even get really motivated and make my own caramel sauce.


1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
1 jar (6 ounces) caramel topping (my mom swears by Mrs. Richardson's)


Combine flour, oats, brown sugar and nuts. Stir in melted butter. Spread in thin layer on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until brown. Cool and crumble.

Put 1/2 of crumbs in 9x12 inch pan; drizzle with caramel topping. Cover with softened ice cream, then top with remaining crumbs. (And an extra drizzle of caramel if you're feeling dangerous) Freeze until firm

Crispy Garlic Potatoes

serves four

Yum, potatoes. Any side dish that combines them with garlic is a winner ... it would be perfect if it included cheese :)

2 garlic cloves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds red new potatoes, sliced 1 inch thick

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Finely chop garlic, and sprinkle with salt. Using a chef's knife, press flat side of blade back and forth across garlic to make a paste. Transfer to a small bowl; stir in thyme and 1 tablespoon oil. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes with garlic mixture; bake until browned on underside, 20 to 25 minutes.

Hummus

makes about five cups

We love hummus. And this is some of the best we've had :) I highly recommend making it in advance; it need to chill for about two hours before you do a final taste test and add more lemon or salt.


2 cans garbanzo beans
1 cup tahini
lemon juice (I start with about 2-3 TBS and add more if I need to)
3-4 cloves mashed garlic (I end up with closer to 5 cloves)
salt to taste (I start with about 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon)
olive oil


Drain 1 can of garbanzos. Dump both cans of garbanzos into a food processor; blend until smooth. Add in garlic and blend a bit more.

Put in a large bowl with tahini, lemon and salt. Mix well.

If you need to, you can add some warm water until it reaches the consistency desired. Or olive oil.

Refrigerate for several hours. Garnish with olive oil to serve.

Basic Tomato Sauce

makes six cups

We'll give this one from Everyday Food a try. I've been looking for a good tomato sauce. We eat a ton of pizza and spaghetti in this house so if I could find one that could do double duty, that'd be great. I'll even settle for a good sauce that I can add things to depending on the need: mushrooms for Dave, pizza seasoning for pizzas, etc. So this is on my list to make when I have some time ... I'll let you know how it is in a couple of years.


1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 cans (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in juice
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper


In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Cook 1 small diced onion and 2 minced garlic cloves, stirring frequently, until translucent, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add two 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes in juice and 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano. Simmer, stirring occasionally, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon, until thickened, 20 to 30 minutes. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

Zucchini Quesadillas

serves four

This recipe is from Everyday Food. Martha Stewart's magazine. I know, you have visions of fancy napkins and silver plated frying pans, but it's not like that. I promise. These recipes are quick, simple and (best of all) typically use things you already have in your pantry. Er ... most of them aren't exceptionally healthy though. I'll admit I didn't have very high expectations for these, but they turned out really great! Next summer when the zucchini is abundant as water, we'll have yet another recipe to cook!

Serves four? Well, in our family, it only serves two :) And I didn't even attempt flipping the quesadillas over. I also don't think they need to be brushed with oil. Personal preference. I left out the cilantro and used fresh corn. I've had good luck freezing chicken quesadillas, but haven't tried to freeze these.

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
Salt
4 cloves garlic , minced
2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup frozen corn kernels (4 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups grated pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute more.

Add zucchini and frozen corn kernels; cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is soft and corn is tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro, if using.

Brush one side of all tortillas with remaining tablespoon oil; lay 2 tortillas, oiled side down, on a baking sheet. Place half of the filling on each, and sprinkle with half the cheese. Place remaining 2 tortillas on top, oiled side up; press down gently with a spatula to seal.

Bake until cheese has melted and tortillas are golden brown, turning once, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool slightly. To serve, slice each quesadilla into wedges.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

serves 8-10

My mom gave me this recipe. She got it from one of her friends. It makes an easy, great tasting gumbo. And, yes, you cook most of it in the microwave!! This is our current "company" meal. I try to cook this the night before we're going to eat it. If it's cold enough, I stick the pot (with the lid on!) out in the garage overnight. It it's not cold enough, I store it in the fridge. Then the next day, I just heat it up on the stove and make my rice. To serve, just have the bowls ready and let everyone get a scoop of rice and then top with the gumbo. Leftovers are measured out in one-cup portions and frozen in Ziplocs. (I freeze the leftover rice the same way ... separate bags from the gumbo.) Then I have lunches ready to heat and eat!

I don't add okra because I don't like it. And the Conecuh sausage is a Mississippi or Alabama thing and we can't find it up here in TN. Edit:  I have found it at the "new" Kroger by the church.  So I use either andouille sausage or just some smoked sausage. Word of warning: If you try to use turkey sausage, it turns out pretty dry and not nearly as flavorful. I use chicken thighs (and the boneless thighs are the easiest to prepare).

2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup flour
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup parsley
4 chopped green onions
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp salt
1 can tomato paste
8 cups chicken broth
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 pkg (12 oz) frozen okra
2 lb. chicken, chopped
1 lb. Conecuh sausage

Put oil & flour in container and microwave for 4 min.; add onion, celery, & bell pepper and microwave 3 min.; add parsley, garlic, green onions and microwave 2 min. Put all in large pot and add rest of ingredients. Cook 1 hour.

Couscous Salad

serves 6-8

Yes, indeed, another CL recipe. This is a great side dish when you're serving Greek or Mediterranean foods. Or to take on a picnic during the summer. It tastes great the day you make it, but also as leftovers straight from the fridge! I leave out the scallions and often use a regular cucumber with the seeds removed.

10 ounces couscous
6 scallions, trimmed and sliced
4 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 seedless cucumber, sliced into half-moons
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place the couscous in a large bowl and pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over the top. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Stir in rest of ingredients.

Breakfast Pizza

serves four

This is a recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook. We made this one Sunday to bring to our Sunday School class. We bought two full-sized crusts and used a roll of breakfast sausage (which we browned first) rather than sausage links. We also made one of the pizzas with diced, cooked bacon (one whole package) as a substitute for the sausage. We did not pre-bake the crusts, but we should have. Dave and Julia stopped by Pizza Hut the night before to get two boxes to carry our pizzas to church. :)


1 package (8 ounces) frozen brown-and-serve pork sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 eggs, beaten
4 ready-to-serve pizza crusts, 6 inches in diameter
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (6 ounces)

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Cook sausage in skillet about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Remove sausage from skillet; set aside.

Pour eggs into skillet. As mixture begins to set at bottom and side, gently lift cooked portions with spatula so that thin, uncooked portion can flow to bottom. Do not stir. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until eggs are thickened throughout but still moist.

Place pizza crusts on ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top each with eggs and sausage. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chicken Breasts

serves as many as you'd like

This is my fall back dinner. When I was pregnant, Dave would get a chicken breast with some kind of topping, no side, for dinner at least three times a week. It was not a shining moment in my culinary history. The nice thing is that everyone can fix their own if you have individual baking dishes. Some days, we have "Fix Your Chicken" days and each person can suit his or her own cravings for that meal.

Chicken breasts (number depends on people you are feeding)
Topping (salsa, BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, chopped tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, whatever your mood)
Cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, feta, parmesan, depends on the topping you choose)

Turn the oven on to around 350.
Take a pan big enough to barely fit your chicken breasts. Sometimes I remember to spray it with Pam or grease it with butter.
Place chicken in the pan without overlapping.
Dump topping on top.
Cover and cook for around 30-35 minutes.
Remove cover and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake until cheese is melted.

Dinner Rolls

makes 15 rolls

I make smaller rolls than described in this recipe so I end up with around 32 rolls. My rolls end up about the size of a Sister Schubert's yeast roll ... maybe a little bit bigger. So you can decide how large to make yours based on that. The recipe is from Betty Crocker's Cookbook. I get most of my bread recipes from this book. I use a mix of whole wheat bread flour and all-purpose flour. About 1 cup of the whole wheat bread flour and the rest all-purpose flour. More than that and the rolls don't seem to turn out as well texture- and taste-wise. And I always use butter. I also always use my KitchenAid mixer to knead :)

I combined two different tips for freezing the dough. My MIL told me to freeze cookie dough by shaping the cookies on a cookie sheet and then sticking them in the freezer until hard; move to a plastic bag and you have individual cookies ready to go whenever you'd like to cook them. I read in my Mennonite cookbook that you can do the same thing for rolls. So I only cook about 8 at a time. I form all the rolls and place 8 of them in the pan I use to cook the rolls, the rest I put on a cookie sheet. I brush them with the butter and then stick them in the freezer. Once frozen, I pop them in a plastic bag and store in my freezer. When I need rolls, I take out how many I need and put them in a pan to thaw for about 4 hours at room temperature, then bake. I usually brush with the melted butter again or the tops get a little chewy.

3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 package regular or quick active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 cup very warm water (120-130 degrees)
1/2 cup very warm milk (120-130 degrees)
1 large egg
Butter or stick margarine, melted, if desired

Mix 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, 1/4 cup butter, salt and yeast in large bowl. Add warm water, warm milk and egg. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until dough is soft and springy. Place dough in large bowl greased with shortening, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Grease rectangular pan, 13 x 9 x 2 inches, with shortening.

Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Divide dough into 15 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball; place in pan. Brush with butter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until double.

Heat oven to 375.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cool.

Buttermilk-Brined Pork Chops

serves four

another CL recipe :) We made this last night and it was SO good. Dave grilled the chops on our grill rather than using a grill pan (which I don't have). After reading the reviews about the end result being salty, I made sure I blotted the excess marinade off the meat before cooking. And I didn't have lemon rind so I used some of my orange peel. We also had only three boneless chops rather than four bone-in chops. It was still delicious.


2 cups fat-free buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; shake well to dissolve salt and sugar. Add pork; seal and refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally. Remove pork from bag; discard brine. Pat pork dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle pork with pepper.

Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Bran Muffins

(from my mom)

2 cups boiling water
4 cups All-Bran cereal
3 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups butter
4 eggs
5 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups Bran Buds
1 quart buttermilk

Pour boiling water over All-Bran; set aside. Cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs and buttermilk. Stir in gently flour, salt, soda, Bran Buds and water-bran mixture. Store in covered glass jar or container and keep refrigerated up to six weeks. Do not stir before putting in muffin pans. Add currants, raisins or nuts when mixing ingredients. Bake at 415 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Sauteed Apples

serves eight

Same song, second verse. Another CL recipe. This one is like the middle of the apple pie. The longest part is slicing and peeling the apples. It says it makes 8 servings, so you would probably cut it down accordingly. Thus, less apples, less time spent peeling and slicing! ☺

2-3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
6 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 2 lbs)
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon (more if you like the taste, like me)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple; sauté 6 minutes or until apple is just tender. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Cook 1 minute or until sugar melts.

Fluffy RIce and Chicken

serves four

I got this one from my mom’s cookbook that she made a few years ago for the family. She has a ton of recipes that I remember her cooking when we were young’uns. Most of them are really easy. Those are probably the two reasons this is one of my most frequently used cookbook. This one is super easy, super fast and leaves super leftovers if you’re only cooking for one or two people. ☺ I would recommend sprinkling a little milk or water on the leftovers before reheating so it doesn’t dry out.

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of milk
¾ cup uncooked regular rice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Heat oven to 350°. Mix soup and milk in a bowl, reserve ½ cup of the mixture. In a rectangular baking dish (I always spray mine with Pam first), mix rice and soup. Arrange chicken breasts on top (not overlapping) and pour reserved soup mixture over. Cover and bake for 1 hour (I have in my notes that this is a little long. Check it after 40-45 minutes to make sure it’s not drying out.) Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer.

This does NOT double. (I don’t know why. That’s just what Mom says in her cookbook.)

Granola

makes about twelve cups

I found this recipe when reading one of my random blogs. I leave out the coconut because I don't like it. Same with the raisins. I leave out the nuts for Julia. Plus, it's cheaper without all the extras. And we move through this stuff pretty fast. I also found that 300 was too hot in my oven so I cook it at 250.

12 cups uncooked oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup powdered milk
1 T. cinnamon
1 ½ t. salt
1 cup light olive oil
1 1/3 cup honey
1 T. vanilla
2 cup raisins
2 cups nuts of your choice, chopped


You will need a very large bowl for mixing. Combine oats, coconut, flour, powdered milk, cinnamon and salt well in the large bowl and mix well. In a saucepan heat the oil, honey and vanilla until just warm. This helps the mixture pour easily. Pour this over the oat mixture and stir well. I start out by stirring it with a large spoon, but end up mixing it with my hands to insure that everything is evenly mixed. Spread this in a thin layer on 2 to 3 large cookie sheets and bake in the oven at 300 for 45 to 50 minutes. You will need to stir it about every 15 minutes. I bake two trays at a time and switch the position of the trays each time I stir so that the granola browns evenly. When the mixture is done you can pour it back into the large pan and let it cool. When completely cool stir in the raisins and the nuts. You can store the finished granola in any air tight container or even a couple of large Ziploc type bags. This recipe will make approx. 20 cups of granola.

Bread

one loaf

I make our sandwich bread each week. This makes a whole wheat loaf that has enough sweetness to not be super wheaty. Our whole family likes this bread. I got the recipe here and tweaked it to fit my needs. I mix it and knead it in my KitchenAid mixer. I find that way I actually make the bread. For some reason, kneading it by hand sounds intimidating and I never feel like I have enough time to do it. :)

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soy lecithin
3 cups (minus 3 tablespoons) whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur White Whole Wheat)
3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast (I use SAF Instant)

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; mix with a whisk.

2. Add in one cup of flour and yeast; whisk until smooth.

2. Stir in rest of flour and wheat gluten, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

"Brown" Rice

serves four

This recipe is from my mom’s cookbook. So easy. It doesn’t half very well, though. That’s the only problem.

1 can Campbell’s Double Strength Beef Broth
1 cup rice

Mix the broth and rice in a baking dish (I use an 8x8 dish). Cover and cook at 350° for 20 or so minutes until broth is absorbed.

Baked Chile Rellenos

(from Cooking Light)
Serves 5

5 large poblano chiles
cooking spray
2 ½ cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
2 jalapeño peppers
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast
½ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Place poblano chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet; broil 3 inches from heat 8 minutes or until blackened and charred, turning after 6 minutes. Place in a heavy-duty zip-lock plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and discard skins. Cut a length-wise slit in each chile; discard seeds, leaving stems intact. (I chop off the tops, remove the seeds and stuff from the top. I don’t have any stems left, but I find it easier to stuff without tearing the chile.)
3. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add zucchini and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in ½ teaspoon cumin, jalapeño peppers, tomatoes and tomato sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove and discard jalapeño peppers.
4. Preheat oven to 350º.
5. Combine ½ teaspoon cumin, cheese, chicken and salt in a bowl, tossing to combine. Spoon about ½ cup cheese mixture into each chile, and secure with a wooden pick. Place stuffed chiles in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; pour tomato mixture over stuffed chiles. Cover, and bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake an additional 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Balsamic Orange Salad

serves four

Another one from a Cooking Light compilation book. Very simple, but it looks pretty impressive. Especially if you garnish with parsley or some other green twig. It does need to be a pretty good balsamic vinegar, though. Not $400 a bottle or anything, but a step up from store brand. Although it'd probably taste pretty awesome with a $400 bottle of balsamic vinegar.

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 oranges, peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices

Mix balsamic vinegar and brown sugar together. Bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons, stirring constantly. (I use my all metal 1 cup measuring cup since I don’t have a tiny sauce pan.) Let it cool just a touch while you divide the oranges onto 2 plates, then drizzle over the orange slices.

Mini Banana Apple Bran Muffins

(from The Petit Appetit cookbook)

1 cup organic whole wheat flour
1/2 cup organic oat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup organic applesauce (I use unsweetened)
3 medium organic bananas, 1 mashed (about 1/2 cup) and 2 sliced
1/2 cup packed organic light brown sugar
2 cage-free, organic eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 24 mini muffin cups or 12 regular muffin cups.

With a fork, combine flour, bran, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, applesauce, mashed banana, sugar, and eggs. Mix together with a rubber spatula. Add flour mixture to applesauce mixture and stir until just blended. Batter will be lumpy and very moist.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full. Place banana slice on top of each muffin. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Cool muffins in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes before turning out muffins.

Aussie Meat Pies, Made Quick

serves four

I got Rachael Ray 365 : No Repeats : A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners from a friend for Christmas. I haven’t used many of the recipes simply because most of them contain a list of ingredients that would blow my week’s grocery budget on one meal. Some of the problem is not having a well-stocked pantry, I suppose. The other is the fact that if you’re going to only cook for 30 minutes, you have to have a lot of good quality flavorful ingredients. Anyway, I already had most of the stuff for this one, and it went together very quickly (I had always wondered about that “30 minute” claim!) I cut it in half which was easy for all the ingredients, and I did as Rachael Ray and guesstimated most measurements. It turned out yummy! Dave really likes it.

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, defrosted but kept chilled
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste
1 rounded tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup beef stock or broth
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning
ketchup for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. With a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry sheets into 4 squares each, 8 squares total, and arrange on a cookie sheet. Season the squares with a little salt and pepper. Bake the puff pastry according to the package directions, or until golden brown all over, about 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Let it get really hot so the meat will caramelize when it hits the pan. Add the EVOO, then the butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the beef and really work at breaking it up as it browns—get the bits all nice and tiny. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour. Cook the mixture a minute more.
4. In a small bowl, combine the Worcestershire with the tomato paste and brown sugar, then stir in the stock. Whisk the seasoned stock into the pan. Stir into the meat and combine. Season the meat with the grill seasoning and reduce the heat to low.
5. When the pastry squares are ready, assemble the pies. Place a square of pastry in the bottom or a shallow bowl. Top with one quarter of the meat mixture and another square. Place a large dollop of ketchup in the center of the top pastry and sprinkle the “pies” with chives to garnish, then serve.

Chicken and Sausage Pasta Jambalaya

(from a cooking class)
serves eight

1 link of andouille sausage, diced
1 lb. chicken breast tenders, bite-sized pieces (about 12 tenders)
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
½ bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ c chopped celery
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomato
1 c chicken broth
Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
½ c chopped green onion
¼ c chopped fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon salt
1 lb penne pasta
½ c grated Romano cheese

• Place sausage in a large dutch oven or stockpot, that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray (Pam), over medium heat. Cook sausage until lightly brown and remove. Drain on paper towels.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter in dutch oven and add chicken. Cook until no longer pink.
• Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and celery and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Return sausage to pot and add tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper and cayenne. Cover and cook about 10 minutes.
• Add green onion and parsley and cook 5 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 Tablespoon salt. (Do not add oil to the water!) Cook pasta until al dente (taste test is best). Drain well. (Do not rinse!)
• Mix pasta with chicken and vegetables in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with Romano cheese and let stand about 5 minutes before serving so pasta can absorb the sauce.

**You can substitute pork, ham, shrimp or crawfish for the chicken and/or sausage.
**You can also add ½ c of heavy cream at the end if you want.

Creamy Orzo

serves four

This is a recipe from one of the Cooking Light compilations David and Jackie give me each year. I’ve changed it a bit. I like it because you don’t have to drain the orzo. I haven’t figured out how to do that yet without losing all the pasta through the holes in the strainer. If we’re having a Greek main course, I throw in some feta when I add the salt and pepper. If we’re going Italian, I add parmesan. I cut this one in half for just the two of us with no problem.

1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup orzo
1 ¼ cup chicken broth or stock (or beef, whatever you like)
1 ¼ cup water
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the orzo and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the broth and water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 or so minutes until the liquid is pretty much absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste.