Friday Night--Coffee Cake

Friday nights are usually a simpler meal. Tonight we're going to have Coffee Cake. We like this recipe.

A few notes:

I've never done the foil thing. . . I just spray the pan with Pam then serve from the pan.

You can use only one measuring cup if you eye ball the 1/2 cup on the sugars and you cream the butter with the sugar before adding the sour cream. This doesn't compromise on the texture of the bread and saves two measuring cups. (I'm always all about conserving dirty dishes!)

I've been adding flax seed to many dishes lately because it supposedly helps cholesterol levels--this one I added it in the topping. I almost always add more nuts ---I like them and they are healthy!

Chandler just saw me put this in the oven and asked what it was. When I told him he said, "Are you going to the temple tonight?" I guess I do make it often on nights we go to the temple! Maybe I should rename it Temple Cake instead of Coffee Cake!

Thursday Night--Teriyaki Chicken

This is a family favorite. Here's the recipe:

Teriyaki Chicken
3 lbs. Chicken (whole, breasts or thighs)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp dry ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
3-4 shakes cayenne pepper

Stir all ingredients together except chicken. Mix well. Pour over chicken in baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Turn chicken about every hour or as needed to marinate all sides and pieces.

Bake for 45 minutes-1 hour at 350 or until 165 degrees. Serve over rice with a frozen veggie mix.

Thursday night notes: We had family pictures and I didn't have a lot of time to put something in the crock pot nor would anyone be home to put this in the oven. So I used the crock pot. The chicken was more flavorful, but the sauce was lacking. But perhaps if my chicken had been thawed before I started, that would have made a difference with the sauce. I like the oven baked a little better, but I'll definitely use the crock pot again if I'm in a pinch.

Wednesday Night--Tacos

I used a taco packet for years and years and years. Suddenly I was dissatisfied. Then I found a recipe similar to this, read some others and made some tweaks. Here is our new favorite:

Homemade Taco Seasoning
1 TBSP chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 TBSP corn flour (you could probably use regular, but I've never tried it)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Mix spices together in small bowl. Add to cooked hamburger. I use this entire recipe, but we like things a bit spicy. I also omit the garlic and onion powder and use 1/2 onion and 2 cloves garlic because that makes it healthier.

Wednesday Morning: Pancakes

Pancakes are tricky. They shouldn't be, really, but they are for me. I made a recipe for quite a few years that I derived from a family cookbook. Then one day after a number of complaints from the kids, I also became dissatisfied and switched to a Betty Crocker recipe. A couple of years later, I made another switch. Interestingly, the current recipe has the same ingredients as the BC one, but the method is very different. One thing I've learned about quick breads is that methods are very important and most of them you should only stir until blended. They become tough if they are stirred more than needed. Right now, this is our current favorite.

One note, this recipe has you add vinegar to the milk to 'sour' it. This is just a substitute for buttermilk. I use it almost exclusively when a recipe calls for buttermilk. It is cheaper and that way you can make only what you need so it doesn't go bad in your fridge.

I also make my own syrup. For how easily I get sick of certain foods, maple syrup (and homemade Ranch dressing) are ones I never deviate from. While there are many, many kinds of syrup out there, I only like Maple--and homemade. It's fast and easy:

1 part water

2 parts sugar

Boil together until sugar is dissolved.

Maple flavoring to taste.

Crash Potatoes, Green Beans Tuesday

The menu tonight: Crash Potatoes, Honey Cashew Green Beans and Cantaloupe

Thanks to my friend Jenny Hansen, who pointed out this yummy recipe that has become a family favorite. I have long visited Pioneer Woman's cooking blog, but had missed this simple, yummy recipe. I love it because potatoes are so cheap and this one doesn't use a ton of fats to make the potatoes yummy. I don't often have small red potatoes on hand to make this. . . it works just fine with larger potatoes cut and then boiled (I leave the skin on--love that about this recipe too, cuts back in prep time!). I typically only use sea salt and pepper on these. Simple and yummy!

The green beans are a family favorite. I use a little less butter (by about half), throw in a few more nuts, add a little extra honey and add 1/4 tsp garlic salt. They are also Y.U.M. with 2 slices of crispy, crumbled bacon.

Monday Night Dinner

Tonight for dinner we had spaghetti, broccoli, pickled cucumbers and garlic bread. Here are the specs:

Spaghetti

This is not outstanding spaghetti sauce, but it's easy and in my opinion better than from a jar.

Brown 1 lb. hamburger with 1 chopped onion. Drain then rinse off fat. Add 1/2 packet spaghetti sauce mix, 1 can tomato sauce, 1-2 cans water depending on your preference (you can thicken later if desired) 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and pepper to taste.

Broccoli with Cashews (This was OUTSTANDING! All of my cooked veggie dislikers loved this!!)

1 1/2 lb. fresh broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces

1-2 TBSP butter (The recipe calls for 1/3 cup, I cut back just a little, but it would still be flavorful with much less)

1 TBSP brown sugar

3 TBSP soy sauce

2 tsp white vinegar

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup chopped salted cashews

Cook broccoli, boil for 7 minutes or until tender but still crisp. Drain. Put butter on broccoli, stir until melted. Add remaining ingredients, stir until well coated. Serve immediately.

The first time I made it, I think I forgot the vinegar. The 2nd time, I put the vinegar and didn't like it nearly as much. The third time, I put half the vinegar. I definitely prefer it with half or no vinegar. You can judge that for yourself.

Pickled Cucumbers (not an exact science; tweak as desired)

1 part white vinegar

1 part water

1/2 part sugar

1 garlic clove

pepper

sliced onion (optional)

Add sliced cucumbers and marinate in fridge for a few hours.

Garlic Bread

1/4 cup butter softened

1/2-1 tsp garlic

1 TBSP parsley flakes

Spread on 1/2 loaf of bread. Broil until toasted.

This is my standard white bread--it makes excellent sandwiches, toast, garlic bread, croutons, French toast and yummy to eat just plain.

Homemade White Bread

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup oil (or less--oil gives it a soft texture, sometimes I want a firmer texture and use quite a bit less)

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 TBSP sugar

3 cups bread flour

1 TBSP yeast

Put in bread machine. Enjoy in a few hours!

Blueberry Muffins

I had some blueberries so this morning we had fresh blueberry muffins--a real treat!

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Measure oil into a 1 cup liquid measuring cup. Add egg and enough milk to make 1 cup. Whisk together. Mix with flour mixture until just barely mixed. Carefully fold in blueberries. (I like to cut mine in half so you have blueberries in more bites. If I use frozen, I do a quick chop with the food chopper before adding them.) Fill muffin cups and sprinkle with crumb topping. (below) Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. (sometimes they look done when they are not done in the middle)

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix well.

Fajitas and Fresh Salsa

This is another long time family favorite. I love this recipe because they are simple ingredients that I always have on hand.

Fajitas

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 TBSP cider vinegar

1 TBSP soy sauce

2 tsp chili powder

2 cloves garlic

10 dashes (or more) Tabasco sauce

a few shakes of cayenne pepper

4 chicken thighs or 3 breasts cut into strips

1 TBSP oil

1 onion sliced into thin wedges

1 green pepper sliced into wedges

1 red pepper sliced into wedges

Mix first 7 ingredients together and pour over chicken strips. Marinate 30 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate for several hours. Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Add chicken strips and saute for 5 minutes. Add onions and peppers. Saute for another 3 minutes. Serve on warm tortillas with taco toppings.

Fresh salsa:

4-5 tomatoes

1 green pepper

6-8 green onions

1/4 bunch cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

These amounts can be changed up as desired. Also add garlic, red pepper, jalapeño pepper or regular onion as desired. As is, this is a wonderful mild salsa. I'll share some others with more kick later.