apple dijon kale salad

another great recipe from Budget Bytes. i usually steer clear from anything dijon but it is really subtle in the dressing and you could even decrease the amount you put in. it went great with the teriyaki salmon i made but is also a great easy lunch salad. i added some feta cheese i had because who doesn't like feta cheese?

apple dijon kale salad

$5.53 recipe / $1.38 serving

otal Recipe cost: $5.53 
Servings Per Recipe: 4 large salads (or 6 side salads) 
Cost per serving: $1.38 (for four) 
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 0 min. Total: 30 min. 

INGREDIENTS		COST
1/3 cup	olive oil	$0.96
1/4 cup	apple cider vinegar	$0.24
1 clove	garlic	$0.08
1.5 Tbsp	dijon mustard	$0.16
1/4 tsp	salt	$0.02
10-15 cranks	fresh cracked pepper	$0.03
1 bunch	kale	$0.99
1 medium	granny smith apple	$0.87
1/4 cup	raisins	$0.36
1/2 cup	walnut halves	$1.82
TOTAL		$5.53

STEP 1: Tear the kale leaves from the stems. Cut the leaves into thin slices and then rinse well under cool water (in a colander). Allow the kale to drain as you prepare the rest of the salad.

STEP 2: In a blender combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, clove of garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until the garlic is minced and the dressing is smooth.

STEP 3: Wash the apple and chop it into chunks. Roughly chop the walnut halves. Make sure the kale is as dry as possible and then combine it in a large bowl with the apples, walnuts, and raisins. Pour the dressing on top, starting with half, and toss to coat. Add more dressing as desired (I used the whole batch). 

Teriyaki Salmon w/ Siracha Mayo

OK OK I know the Jewkes are known for their distaste for all things seafood. In fact I noticed that the "seafood" label on the sidebar only has 1 post while "desserts" has 98. do you think that says anything about us jewkes girls?? but I made this salmon the other night and it was REALLY good- and that is coming from someone who has a general distaste for seafood but gets a craving every once in a while. It is really simple and doesn't have a "fishy" taste at all. It is from the website budget bytes which I have mentioned before- love it.

side note: whoever thought in their right mind that i would seriously post beaus special dinner is smoking dope. but when grandma becky was here to visit she mentioned that she thought it was serious and that i must be bored. well just to clear the air it was beau who begged to post something in my name and when i finally relented i found a post about macaroni and he begged me not to take it down. so just to clear the air i think we are all capable of making a box of mac n cheese, if you found it insulting to your intelligence i apologize :) the annoyances of your little brother live on!

teriyaki salmon w/
sriracha mayo

$13.94 recipe / $3.30 serving

Total Recipe cost: $13.94
Servings Per Recipe: 4 
Cost per serving: $3.30
Prep time: 10 min. Marinate time: 30 min. Cook time: 10 min. Total: 50 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 lb.	salmon filet	$11.49
1/4 cup	soy sauce	$0.24
2 Tbsp.	water	$0.00
1/2 Tbsp.	toasted sesame oil	$0.28
1 inch	fresh ginger	$0.13
1/2 tsp	minced garlic	$0.04
2 Tbsp.	brown sugar	$0.06
2 Tbsp.	rice wine	$0.27
1 tsp	corn starch	$0.02
1/4 cup	mayonnaise	$0.42
2 Tbsp.	sriracha hot sauce	$0.24
TOTAL		$13.94

TEP 1: Make the teriyaki marinade by whisking together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, brown sugar, rice wine, and corn starch (use a vegetable peeler to remove the ginger skin and then grate with a fine toothed cheese grater).

STEP 2: Cut the salmon filet into four equal sized portions and place in a large zip top bag. Pour the marinade over top, remove as much air as possible and close up the bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, mixing the bag occasionally to redistribute the marinade.

STEP 3: Heat a large, well oiled skillet over medium/high heat. It's a good idea to use a non-stick surface here too just to be safe (teflon or well seasoned cast iron). The teriyaki sauce gets thick and sticky when cooked. Once the skillet is hot, add the fish, face down. Cook on all four sides for 2-3 minutes each side or until the fish has reached your desired doneness.

STEP 4: In a small bowl, mix together the sriracha hot sauce and mayonnaise. Serve the fish with a dollop of sriracha mayo on top!

Golden Crusted Pork Loin

Well, I guess I've been a little MIA lately, which is a little funny since all I've been doing is a lot of sitting around waiting for this baby to decide to come into the world. Granted, that means I haven't been doing a huge amount of experimental cooking since my feet balloon up to gargantuan proportions when I'm on them too long these days. I've been mostly sticking with the quick and easy "sure-things" when we aren't doing take-out or delivery. My due date has come and gone and we're just waiting for the little guy to decide to make an appearance. I'm not sure if its been a "nesting" thing or what, but the last two days, I've been very energetic and productive. Maybe that's a good sign? Please be a good sign. I'm ready to have my body back!

Last night, I had some pork tenderloin thawed out and was looking for a quick and tasty way to prepare it. I often butterfly my tenderloins and stuff them, but I just couldn't get up the gumption for that. My husband was dreaming of a pork tenderloin sandwich, but I was also wanting to forego any pounding and frying. I thought a nice crunchy crust might be found another way. Perusing through the pantry, I found what I was looking for... Panko (the perfect breading standby) and French fried onions (you know, the ones you put on top of green bean casserole). At that point I was on my way to a fabulously flavorful and easy dinner.

The breading goes on easy and stays on well through the cooking process. It comes out golden and crispy and very flavorful. I highly recommend it!

Golden Crusted Pork Loin
Yield: serves 4-6

1 package pork tenderloin (usually contains two loins)
2-4 TBS all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup French fried onions
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 TBS dried parsley
1/4 tsp salt
spray cooking oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. If the loin looks excessively marbled, consider using a roasting rack to keep the loins from sitting in the excess fat as it cooks. Remove the loins from their packaging, rinse and pat dry. Prepare the egg wash by cracking the two eggs into a large, shallow container and beat gently. Then prepare the crunchy coating. In a food processor, pulse the French fried onions until they are similar in texture to the Panko. Mix the fried onions, Panko, Parmesan, parsley, and salt together on a shallow dish or tray.

Sprinkle the loins with the flour until all surfaces are lightly covered. Gently tap off any excess. Then dip each loin into the egg wash and roll around in the crunchy coating until they are evenly coated. Place on the baking sheet. Spray lightly with cooking oil spray. Place in the top third of the preheated oven and roast until a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the loin reads 150F. Remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes before slicing and serving.

Meatball Glaze

adapted from: atasteofhome.com/recipes/suprise-meatball-skewers

We had meatballs the other night and looked up a glaze. This was delicious and super easy. We grilled the meatballs on skewers on the grill and just brushed this glaze on top. Served over rice. Pretty Tasty!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons apple juice
• Dash cayenne pepper  

Directions

• In a saucepan, combine the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-7 minutes or until onion is tender and sauce is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.

Green Enchilada Sauce

Seth made this tonight, gourmet,  I know! It was delicious. It makes a ton so we froze the left overs for future use. 

Green Enchilada Sauce (Kate’s Knockoff Cafe Rio Recipe)
Recipe by Our Best Bites

2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and membranes removed if desired (and I desire. Always.)
1 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered or halved
1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
4 c. chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp. sugar (optional and to taste; the sauce Cafe Rio uses seems to be slightly sweet, so if I’m using this sauce for enchilada-style burritos, I generally add a little sugar, but for everything else, I leave it out.)

In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender and fragrant.

While onions are sauteeing, combine tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro in your blender. Process until smooth; you may have to do it in batches and/or add some chicken broth to make things blendable.

Pour the tomatillo mixture over the onions and garlic and add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer 15 minutes-1 hour, depending on the consistency you want. I usually turn the heat to high and boil it uncovered until I reach the consistency I want; it makes things go a lotfaster. The sauce can also be simmered in a slow cooker all day.

Serve over tacos, as an enchilada sauce, inside burritos, or as a dip for chips.

Mom's Beef Stew

Yummmm....just what you need on a cold winter's day!

Mom's Beef Stew

adapted from favfamilyrecipes.com

2 lbs. steak, cubed (or buy stew meat)

Tabasco sauce

Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 cups beef broth

2 large potatoes, cleaned and cut into large cubes

3-4 carrots, peeled and cut

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 small can tomato sauce (or to taste)

cornstarch (optional)

Braise beef in oil until just brown on all sides (turning only once if possible).  Add Tabasco, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper to taste.  Add onions and saute until onions become clear.  Transfer to a *large pot and add beef broth, potatoes, and carrots.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for **about an hour (or until potatoes are cooked through).  If you want the beef to be really tender, simmer for even longer.  About 20 minutes before serving, add corn, peas, and tomato sauce and simmer until ready to serve.  If you like your stew nice and thick, add about 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch to some beef broth, stir until smooth, then stir into the stew.  Add beef broth to thin out and cornstarch to thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.  

*you can also throw everything in a crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours

**The potatoes cooked much faster than I expected, so I would suggest adding them later so they only cook for about 45 minutes.  Otherwise they will get mushy.

Classic Bran Muffins

photo courtesy of allrecipes

So, living in the "country" definitely has it's benefits, but also it's drawbacks.  Last night we ran out of propane, and no propane = no heat or hot water.  This morning our house was 53 degrees.  Brrr!  Outside it is 19 degrees and it is supposed to snow today.  I was craving something warm for breakfast, so I was happy to find this bran muffin recipe.  I made it vegan by substituting rice milk for the buttermilk, and it turned out delicious!

Classic Bran Muffins
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups wheat bran (I used bran flakes)
1 cup buttermilk (substitute rice milk or any other milk)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line muffin cups or spray with cooking spray.  Mix together wheat bran and milk.  Let stand for 10 minutes.

Beat together oil, egg, sugar, and vanilla and add to milk/bran mixture.  Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Stir flour mixture into bran mixture, just until blended.  Fold in raisins and spoon into muffin cups.

Bake 15-20 minutes.  Enjoy!

Chinese Fried Rice

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE!

Hi everyone, today's recipes is one of the most requested recipes on my channel, Fried Rice Chinese style, so I hope you all enjoy this one. It's super easy and it taste as good as it looks, so hopefully you will give it a try.

Serves 4-5 side dishes or 3 main dishes.
Ingredients:

• 2 cups cold cooked rice
• 2 large eggs
• 4 slices of bacon cut into small pieces
• ¼  cup Shredded Carrots
• 3-4 Green Onions cut into small pieces
• ¼  cup diced Bell Peppers any color, I'm using red Bell Peppers
• 1 ½ cups Broccoli cut into small pieces
• 1 minced Garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon fresh Ginger finely chopped
• 3-4 tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2-3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

I'm serving this rice with Shrimp for that we need:

• 1 lbs. shrimp  peeled, cleaned, deveined
• 1 tablespoon Asian Seasoning, (Buy it at the grocery store or make your own with: ½ tablespoon minced ginger and ½ minced garlic, ground black pepper to taste and a pinch of crushed red pepper)
• 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• ¼ tablespoon of Sesame Oil

Prepare the shrimp: Season the shrimp with ¼ Tbsp Sesame Oil, 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce, and 1 Tbsp Asian Seasoning. Mix well and set aside until ready to use.

Make the eggs: Combine the eggs, and season them with a pinch of salt and pinch of black pepper, beat the eggs together. Heat up a skillet or Wok on medium low add a little bit of oil, cook the eggs for about 2 minutes or until cooked. Remove the eggs from the skillet and set them aside for a moment.


Reheat the skillet or wok and add 2 more tablespoons of Vegetable oil, add in the ginger and bacon and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add in the garlic and continue to stir fry for 30 seconds. Add in the Broccoli and stir fry for 2 more minutes, then add in the bell peppers and the green onions, stir fry for about 1-2  minutes and add in the carrots, stir fry for 30 more seconds, just to warm up the carrots. (If you like your vegetables to be softer, cook them for 2 more minutes or until you are happy with their texture.) (You can add 1 more tablespoon of Vegetable oil if necessary.)

Once the vegetables are cooked, add the rice and the eggs back into the skillet, season with 3 tablespoons of Soy Sauce. Stir everything together, taste the flavor and add 1 more tablespoon of Soy Sauce if needed.  Continue to stir fry for about 2-3 more minutes or just until the  rice is heated through.

While the rice continues to cook.  Heat up another skillet on medium high and cook the shrimp for about 2½ minutes on each side or just until cooked. And that's it, once the rice is heated through and the Shrimp is cooked, you are ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Green Chile and Potato Chowder

 Photo credit Eat, Live, Run

Oh my goodness. This soup was so good. Christian even loved it (and that's saying something for a non-vegetable eater). Now, I just wish it would stay cold long enough in Texas for me to make it again soon!!

Cheesy Green Chile and Potato Chowder
adapted from Eat, Live, Run

Ingredients:
1-2 poblano peppers (I used less b/c my hubby doesn't like peppers)
1 large yellow onion, small diced
1 green bell pepper, small diced
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 stalks celery, small diced
3 slices bacon
2 tsp minced garlic
1 quart chicken broth
2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese {plus additional for serving}
thinly sliced green onions (optional- I didn't use)
Directions:
First, fire roast the peppers.
To do this, place poblano peppers right over the flame on your burner if you have a gas stove. Flip occasionally until every inch of the pepper is charred. If you don’t have a gas stove, place peppers underneath the broiler on a lined sheet tray {also flipping occasionally} until charred. Once charred all around, immediately remove peppers from heat and zip up in a plastic zip-loc bag. Let sit for 20 minutes then remove charred skin with the back of a knife and roughly chop up peppers.
While your peppers are cooling, fry the bacon in a large dutch oven or heavy  bottomed pot. Fry until crispy then remove bacon from the pot and drain on pepper towels. Keep grease in the pot!
Add your onion, bell pepper, garlic and celery to the hot grease. Saute for about six minutes over medium heat until veggies are just tender. Add cubed potatoes to the pot, as well as the poblano peppers, and toss well so everything is combined.
Pour in chicken broth and add the salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 35 minutes until potatoes are very tender {be sure to “test” with a fork or knife…nothing worse than biting into an uncooked potato!}. Add milk and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together so that no flour clumps remain and bring back to a simmer. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Turn off heat completely and add cheese to the pot. Stir well so cheese melts. Serve immediately with crumbled bacon, sliced green onions and additional cheese.
Time:
1.25 hours

Italian Crock Pot Chicken

Mom made this at Emily's house while I was visiting in Albuquerque to see the triplets! It was delicious! I came home and wanted to make it but its nowhere to be found on the blog. It's in our cookbook so I thought I would post it. Jennefer submitted the recipe but doesn't know how to post on the blog so I'll do it for her!


Italian Chicken
8 oz cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mushrooms (optional)
4 chicken breast
Italian dressing packet

Cook chicken and dressing packet with 1/4c. of water for 3 hours on high in crock pot (chicken can still be frozen). Mix cream of chicken soup, mushrooms, and cream cheese and blend into crock pot. Cook for one more hour. Serve over rice or noodles.

Perfect Baked Potatoes

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE!!

Hi Everyone! Today's recipe will show you have to make a perfect baked potato, I stuffed these babies with cheese, bacon, green onions butter and sour cream! They are a great side dish for any kind of meat, or if you are like me, you will enjoy having one of them all by itself! I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 4 Idaho potatoes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For garnish -filling:

• 6-8 pieces of bacon
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 green onions finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Wash the potatoes. Dry them with paper towels.  With a knife or fork, poke the potatoes about 5-6 times each, this will allow the steam to flow throughout the potato, if you don't poke the potato, the steam will build up inside the potato and it might cause it explode in the oven! So don't forget to poke each potato with a knife a couple times each.

Drizzle the potatoes with the olive oil, and season them with plenty of salt and ground black pepper to taste. Rub the oil, salt and pepper all over the potatoes. Massage them really well to get the oil and seasoning all over potato skin.

Bake them at 375ºF for about 90 minutes. (If you prefer bake them at 400ºF for 60 minutes).

After 80 (or 50) minutes in the oven, the potato should be nice and crisp on the outside, and soft and fluffy in the inside.

Remove the potatoes from the oven, and with a knife make a large cut right in the center of each potato, without cutting all the way through the potato.  You want to create a pocket right in the middle of each potato.



 


Now with a fork, mash some of the potato inside that pocket, without tearing the skin apart. You want to deepen the cut, to be able to stuff the potato with cheese. But remember,  do not tear the skin apart!

 

Now fill the potato pocket with Cheddar cheese and crumble ½ teaspoon of butter over the cheese, place back in the oven for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese.





After the cheese has melted, stuffed the potato with more Cheese, bacon pieces, sour cream, green onions and top it with even more cheese! That's it!

Enjoy!!! 

Wine Steamed Mussels

I find it amazing how sometimes the dishes with the most flavor are the quickest to prepare. Take this dish, for instance. In less than ten minutes, you end up with a super flavorful broth and perfectly tender mussels. I had never prepared mussels before last night. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and delicious they were to prepare.

They're especially easy if you purchase fresh cultured blue mussels. These mussels are "farmed" up in Canada off Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, but really they're not so much farmed as managed. The mussels grow in waters in which they are native, they are simply "encouraged" to grow in specific places. They eat their natural food (i.e. the "farmer" does not feed them in any way). They are then allowed to grow naturally. Lastly, they are harvested year round to end up perfectly fresh at your supermarket's fish counter. Why are these cultured mussels easier to cook with? Because they've already cleaned them for you! No need to soak or remove those pesky beards. I can appreciate that!

Being a mussel buying newbie yesterday was, I'll admit, a bit embarrassing. I asked for three pounds of mussels; it is recommended that you plan for a pound per person. Since we're big eaters, I figured I'd get an extra pound. They were surprisingly cheap, even at Whole Foods. I got them on sale for $1.99 a pound here in the D.C. area, but even their regular price is less than $4.00 per pound. So the fish monger weighed them out for me into a plastic bag, placed the price tag on it, and proceeded to attempt to hand me the bag... with it hanging open. I looked at him like he was crazy and asked, "Are you really trying to hand me this bag of messy shellfish without any further packaging?" He rolled his eyes (very politely, I might add) and told me that they needed to breathe and that if I closed the packaging up, I'd kill them. Oh. Duh. Okay.

I did manage to get the little buggers home without killing or spilling them everywhere. When it came time to prepare dinner, I simply rinsed them off and picked through them to be sure there weren't any damaged or dead ones. If you come across a mussel with a broken shell or one who is open and won't close with a little tap, discard it. Let the mussels hang out while you prepare the broth: garlic, onion, tomato, white wine, and water is all that's in there, but once the mussels add their juices and it all cooks together a bit? Divine!!

Steam the mussels over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes, until the vast majority of them open. The amount of time it will take to cook them depends on the heat, obviously, but also how many mussels you've got in the pot. Although I've read conflicting reports, the prevailing wisdom states that you should also discard any mussels that don't open during the cooking process. It seemed best to me to be safe rather than sorry, so I followed that suggestion. Be careful not to overcook the mussels or they can become rubbery and unappealing. They're ready when they've opened so keep and eye on them. Once the mussels are done steaming, stir the pot and ladle them up. Be sure to serve them with some rustic bread to sop up those perfect juices!

Wine Steamed Mussels
Yield: 3 servings

2 TBS butter
1 TBS minced garlic
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup white wine (such as Pinot Grigio)
1/2 cup water
3 pounds of mussels, cleaned and debearded
salt and pepper to taste

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until they are slightly softened. Add the tomato, wine, and water and bring to a boil. Add the mussels and cover the pot. Let steam for 5-10 minutes, until most of the mussels have opened. It is recommended that you discard the mussels that do not open during the cooking process. Remove from the heat and give the pot a stir. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper to taste. Be cautious about salting the broth before cooking and tasting as the mussels give off a salty brine when cooking. Serve immediately with crust bread for dipping.

Farro Love

Curiosity about new foods is a key aspect of how I operate in the kitchen. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to get around to trying something than I might like to admit, but I'll get there eventually. Sometimes I get a little prompt by being presented a food while eating out elsewhere, and that's usually never a bad thing. Take this grain, for instance. I first had it about three months ago at a catered event and immediately fell in love. What a wonderfully flavorful, easy to cook, chewy, tasty delight!

Farro is a grain within the wheat family, but is botanically different enough that some people who are allergic to the modern wheat variety found most commonly in the grocery can tolerate farro. Farro is also known as emmer wheat, and while it appears to have been cultivated in antiquity (i.e. thousands of years ago), its modern resurgence is fairly recent (as in the early 1900s). Most farro available for purchase today in the United States is grown in Italy.

While farro berries look very much like wheat berries, they cook very differently because most farro you'll find has been pearled (had the outer husk and much of the bran removed). Removing this bran casing allows the grain to cook much more quickly. You can visually judge how much of the bran has been removed by looking at the color of the grain; the more bran that has been removed, the lighter in color the grain will be.

So, how do you cook farro? Easily! I usually cook about one cup of the grain at a time. This will leave you with between 2 and 2 1/2 cups of cooked farro. You can round out the taste of the farro by dry toasting the grain in the pot first before adding the water. Simply turn the heat to medium, add the grain, and stir periodically until the grain gives off a nice toasty aroma. At that point, add water to cover, about 2 cups if you are cooking 1 cup of farro. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. I have had equal success with cooking my farro covered or uncovered. Simmer until the grain is tender, about 30 minutes. It will still be chewy, but pleasantly so. Drain off any excess water and let sit for a few minutes to absorb any remaining moisture after draining.

You can then use the farro in any number of ways. I like it very much as is and there are plenty of recipes for farro salads that are really excellent. My favorite way to serve it, however, is as a side dish with a slight flavor boost. After draining, I add salt and pepper to taste. I then drizzle a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and a tiny drizzle of fresh squeezed orange juice into the grain and stir. Be cautious not to overdo it with the oil and juice; you want to highlight the natural flavor of the grain, not mask it. Stir and serve! Farro is another great way to include more whole grains into your diet!

Full-o-Beans Chili

A stick-to-the-ribs-not-the-waistline chili.  Great served with all the usual toppings: chopped red or green onions, chopped cilantro, and shredded cheddar cheese.  Serves 6+.

Full-o-Beans Chili

adapted from Bon Appetit

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 large onion

8 garlic cloves, chopped

2-14 1/2 ounce cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes

1-15 ounce can black beans, well drained

1-15 ounce can kidney beans, well drained

1-15 ounce can garbanzo beans (chick-peas), well drained

1 can white and/or pinto beans

1 corn on the cob cut off (I use frozen corn)

 3 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. ground cumin

Cayenne pepper

1 tsp. or more red wine vinegar

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions, then add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add next 8 ingredients and bring to simmer.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until flavors are blended, about 30 minutes.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Add vinegar to taste.

Minestrone (Vegetarian Style)

I make soup all winter long, and this is going to be a long winter in Maryland.  This is a great vegetarian soup, and filling enough that it won't leave you feeling like you missed out on your meat!  I also love that it's made in the crockpot and it makes enough for a large family and then some.

Minestrone (Vegetarian Style)
from my friend, Lily Pearson

Put things into the crockpot in this order:
3 cups water or vegetable/beef broth
1 medium to large onion, chopped
3-4 large carrots sliced
3-4 celery stalks sliced
2-14 1/2 ounce cans chopped tomatoes
1-10 or 16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables
1-1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1 clove minced garlic
1 Tbs. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 zucchini, sliced

Place all ingredients in crockpot, except for the zucchini.  Stir it all up and then add the zucchini to the very top, or add it for the last hour of cooking.  It needs to cook on low 10-16 hours or high 6-7 hours depending on how soft you want your vegetables.

Whole Wheat Bread

After trying several whole wheat bread recipes, this is the one I like best.  It's incredibly soft and makes 4 loaves, so that will usually last our family for about 10 days (if I can keep everyone's hands off of it when it comes right out of the oven, otherwise one loaf is gone in about an hour).  I love it because it's 100% whole wheat healthy!

Whole Wheat Bread
from my sister-in-law, Cathy Ostergar

4 cups lukewarm water
1 tablet crushed or 1/4 tsp. ascorbic acid (or Vitamin C powder)
2 Tbs. yeast
1/2 cup gluten flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
5 cups whole wheat flour

Mix above together and let rise 10 minutes.

Then add:
1/3 cup of oil
1/3 cup of honey
1 Tbs salt
3-4 cups whole wheat flour

Knead in mixer for 10 minutes or by hand 15 minutes.
Let dough rest 10 minutes.
Divide and shape into loaf pans, then let raise 'til beautiful.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Fiesta Chicken Salad

Fiesta Chicken Salad

3 cups red leaf lettuce
3 cups napa cabbage
1 cup cooked, diced chicken
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/3 cup tortilla chips, crushed
1/4 cup corn (fresh)
pumpin seeds, toasted (or pepitas)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Cojita cheese, crumbled

Mix together and add dressing (below).

Cilantro Lime Dressing:
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 cup oil

Blend.

Vanilla Cupcakes with American Buttercream Frosting

A couple of months ago, my husband came up with this idea that sharing the gospel is a "piece of cake".  At the time we were both serving as ward missionaries, so the idea evolved to become a plan to make cupcakes for all the adult members of our ward and give them out with only a promise by the recipient that before the cupcake was eaten, the gospel would be shared in some sort of "easy" way.  Knowing that I am a cupcake connoisseur (or you could call me a cupcake snob, or just plain obsessed with cupcakes), I got the assignment to bake these 150+ cupcakes.  Really, I was actually excited for an excuse to try different cupcake recipes and frostings.  If I could come up with something even remotely resembling a Sprinkles cupcake, then I would be thrilled!  Fortunately, it didn't take long for me to find these recipes.  The cake is somewhat dense and the frosting is perfect (that is, of course, if you must do buttercream and not cream cheese frosting, which I will always prefer).  Oh my, I just wish I had another excuse to bake these again!

Vanilla Cupcakes
adapted from Pioneer Woman


1 cup Vegetable Shortening

1-3/4 cup Sugar

2-1/2 cups Cake Flour

1-1/4 teaspoon Salt

2 whole Large Eggs

1 cup Buttermilk

2-1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1-1/2 teaspoon Vinegar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liner papers.

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Set aside.

Sift together flour and salt. Set aside.

Mix eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda, and vinegar in a separate bowl.

Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the shortening mixture, mixing after each addition. Mix until totally combined.

Pour batter into cupcake liners. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until just done.  Remove from oven, then remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely. *I made the mistake of overcooking them almost every time because I waited until they looked brown and done before removing them from the oven.  They will still be almost white and look under-done in the middle of the cupcake.  They will finish cooking on the counter.  Trust me! 

American Buttercream Frosting

adapted from GloriousTreats.com

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (salted, or unsalted)
1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (best quality available)
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream, half and half or milk
1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa (if you want chocolate instead of vanilla)

* In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter (on medium speed) until completely smooth (30 seconds to a minute). (If you are adding cream cheese, add it now, then beat until smooth)
* Add salt (if needed).
* One cup at time, add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating after each addition.
* Add vanilla, or other flavorings and beat to combine.
* Add about 1 tablespoon of cream, and continue beating.
* Add the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar, one at a time.
* Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons cream until desired consistency is reached.  If you want to pipe the frosting on cupcakes, the frosting should be nice and thick.  Continue to beat another minute or so.  The frosting should now be smooth and fluffy.

Troubleshooting-
* If your frosting is not smooth, it is likely because the butter was not fully smooth before adding the other ingredients.
* If your frosting will not hold up when piped on cupcakes, your frosting has too much liquid or is too warm.  Put entire bowl of frosting in the fridge for 15-20 minutes and it will stiffen up.  If it is still too thin, then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar, beat well.

Easy Artisan Bread

I love this bread, and it's about the easiest thing in the world to make!  Perfect for Sunday afternoon when you have a little time.  I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but you get the idea!

Easy Artisan Bread
from the book "Artisan Bread in Five minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Makes 4 one pound loaves, unused dough can stay in the fridge in a lidded container for up to 14 days.

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tbs granulated yeast (any kind)
1 1/2 Tbs Morton's kosher salt
6 1/2 cups (2 pounds) unbleached all-purpose flour

Mixing the dough:
In a 5 quart bowl, dump in the water and add the yeast and salt.  Because we are mixing in the flour so quickly it doesn't matter that the salt and yeast are thrown in together.

Dump in the flour.  Stir until all of the flour is incorporated into the dough, it will be a wet rough dough.

Put the lid on the container, but do not snap it shut.  You want the gases from the yeast to escape.

Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to rise.  When you first mix the dough it will not occupy much of the container.  But, after the initial 2 hour rise it will have doubled in size  Do  not punch down the dough!  Just let it settle.

The dough can be used right after the initial 2 hour rise, but it is much easier to handle when it is chilled.  It is intended for refrigeration and use over the next two weeks, ready for you anytime.  ( iIt gets a little iffy around day 13-14, so use before then).

About 1 1/2 hours before dinner:
Pull the dough out of the refrigerator.  Dust the surface of the dough with a little flour, just enough to prevent it from sticking to your hands when you reach in to pull a piece out. You should notice that the dough has a lot of stretch once it has rested.

Cut off a 1-pound piece of dough using a serrated knife and form it into a ball.  (Don't handle the dough too much, just shape it into a ball and smooth the front of the dough by pulling dough to the back).  Place the ball on a silpat (or some parchment paper) and let it rise for about 40 minutes.  No big deal if it sits for 60 or 90 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place a metal cookie sheet/roasting tray on the bottom rack (never use a glass vessel for this or it will shatter), which will be used to produce steam.  Let it preheat for 20 minutes.

Cut the loaf with 1/4 inch slashes using a serrated knife in a tic-tac-toe pattern.  (If your slashes are too shallow you will end up with an oddly shaped loaf and also prevent it from splitting on the bottom).

Before you place your bread in the oven, dump a cup of hot water into the cookie sheet/roasting pan you placed on the bottom rack (be forewarned, sometimes this causes the pan to warp).  Then place your bread in the oven (on it's cookie sheet or silpat) on an upper or middle rack and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a deep brown color.

Allow the loaf to cool for a bit before serving.

Dutch Hot Cocoa

I am not sure why but blogger is not letting me upload a picture! Sorry for that! But we all know what hot cocoa looks like! This hot chocolate is a recipe of my mother-in-laws. It has been served at two of my children's blessings. THAT'S how good it is! It might as well be considered a dessert.

DUTCH HOT COCOA
1 gallon whole milk
3 c. half and half or cream
1 c sugar
5 squares semi sweet baking chocolate (I bet you could use semi choc chips!)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 c Nestle hot chocolate mix (or whatever you have on hand)
Garnishes: Whip cream, cinnamon, shaved chocolate

Directions:
Combine first five ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat making sure chocolate is melted. Discard cinnamon stick.. Add brown sugar, hot chocolate mix and vanilla. Heat through. Top each cup with whip cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon and chocolate shavings.