Chocolate totally helps.

I know, I KNOW. This is not a Friday Wine Goodness post. Partly because I wrote one last week on my own blog, and also partly because this has been one weird week, people. Why not continue the trend?

Instead of wine, today I'm going to talk about chocolate. Specifically, how to make the easiest chocolate cake in the history of civilization.

No. I don't think that is an overstatement.

I like to bake, really I do, when I have time. I'm not terribly good at it, I'm better at cooking, because with cooking you can kind of just throw a bunch of random stuff together that sounds good, and it usually works out okay. But with baking, you have to measure, and measure means math, and "It was my understanding there would be no math" is pretty much my Life Statement.

But this, this is easy. Lucinda Scala Quinn, of my favorite recipe book Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys, includes this cake in her repertoire: Busy Day Chocolate Cake. If a renowned chef, caterer, and Friend of Martha makes an easy cake, well, so should you.

The entire recipe is posted here at MarthaStewart.com, but I will put it here for all of you, too. (Warning: clicking around over at Martha's place can make you feel both exhilaratingly motivated and creative or a completely incapable failure. Is kind of a bipolar place.)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 cup cold water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8-inch square baking pan, whisk together all-purpose flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and coarse salt.

2. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add vegetable oil, pure vanilla extract, white vinegar, and cold water. Whisk until well combined. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

You guys, I don't even put frosting on this cake, it's so moist and yummy. Just plate it up with a scoop of ice cream and you're good to go.

And, while vegan cooking is not really part of my priority list, because it has no dairy this cake doesn't have to be refrigerated. It can just sit covered in plastic wrap on your counter for days, if it lasts that long.

So there you go. Yesterday I was feeling blue, disorganized, and creeped out by the weather. Today, I'm feeling better. Chocolate cake helps. So does wine, but I'll leave that for another day.

Super-Easy Calzones

photo credit: tvol

If you're looking for a Friday-night winner, this one gets BIG POINTS from my kids.  And it's easy, so I like it, too.  Rolling out the dough is a little time consuming, but other than that:  easy as pie.

Ingredients:

• Frozen pizza dough (I find that 1 lb usually makes 4 calzones)
• Contadina pizza sauce (or your fav)
• Shredded mozzarella
• Favorite toppings: my kids like italian sausage & pepperoni; you could use anything you like on pizza

Take the dough out of the fridge in the morning so it has several hours to thaw.  It will grow a little, so take it out of the bag!

When you're ready:  Preheat the oven to 450.

Slice the dough into 4 equal pieces.  Sprinkle counter with flour and roll each piece out into a circle.  Place the circle of dough onto a cookie sheet before you add anything else or you will have a mess on your hands.  Trust me, this is the voice of experience.

Spoon a layer of sauce onto half of the dough circle.  Leave a margin around the edge with no sauce.  Add toppings - sausage, green pepper, whatever you like.  Don't make it TOO full!  Sprinkle mozzarella over the toppings, and close the calzone into a semicircle.  Fold the edges together and use a fork to seal the dough together and create the edge.

Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes.  Voila!

Serve with salad and enjoy your Friday night!

That Infamous No-Knead Bread Recipe everyone's been going on and on about

You know the recipe I'm talking about. You must know about it. According to urban legend out there on the web, it's the most emailed recipe out there. I can believe it because I've had it sent to me no less than five times. And at least two people have actively campaigned to try to get me to try and make it. What's that? You say you don't know which recipe I'm talking about? Why, no-knead bread. Bread that's supposed to taste exactly like the fabulous kind you tried in Europe with cheese and wine. Bread that you can never find in the US unless you go to a super duper bakery and pay big bucks for it (I can only find it for $10+ at my local bakery).

I think it was the New York Times that published the recipe that first began the frenzy. I received a version of the recipe via a facebook post by a friend in upstate New York that convinced me to finally try it. It was a great explanation of the process and step by step recipe published at Mother Earth News. You can find the recipe and directions here. I'll reproduce them here step by step, with photos of my first attempt. See, when I thought about doing this and blogging about it, I figured that whether it was a success or a complete flop, it would still be entertaining.

Here goes.

The idea is you take four basic ingredients -- active dry yeast, warm water, all-purpose flour, and salt -- add some interesting flour for dusting (I used yellow cornmeal), and you get a rustic loaf of bread -- crunchy, thick crust encasing a moist, chewy, yeasty, and slightly sweet inside. Lovely. Other than the ingredients, you need some kind of big, heavy, dutch oven that will retain moisture. I used my Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. (No, I am not a consultant, I just have a lot of friends who are. So I have a lot of the stuff.)

Start by dissolving 1/4 tsp yeast in 1 1/2 cups of warm water in a large bowl. (Yes, that's my Pampered Chef Classic Batter Bowl.)


Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended.


Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12-18 hours at warm room temperature. (I let mine rest for about 20 hours and my indoor house temperature during Michigan winter was warm enough.)


The dough is ready when it's surface is dotted with bubbles.




Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it.


Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice.


Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.


Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. (Again, I used cornmeal. And my laptop to see the recipe.)


Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal.


Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. (I let it rise for 2 hours.) When it's ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot in the oven as it heats.


When the dough it ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. the dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that's OK. give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don't worry if it's not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.


Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid...


...and bake another 15 to 20 minutes (I baked it another 15 minutes), until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.


Then, you can slice it and enjoy it :-)






This was by far the easiest experience I have ever had making yeast bread, including using a bread machine. And this was my first attempt. I'd say give it a try; you won't regret it. I sure didn't.

Easy Enchiladas

I am all about easy and quick when it comes to cooking.  Here is an Easy Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas recipe I use that gets gobbled up by all my picky eaters!

prep: 10 minutes      bake: 40 minutes 

ingredients
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (we use cream of celery sometimes)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup pace picante sauce (I use my favorite salsa "Archer Farms rasperry thick & chunky salsa) feel free to use your favorite salsa
2 tsp. chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (we sometimes use mexican cheese)
6 flour tortillas (6") warmed (I use 8 or more)
1 small tomato chopped
1 green onion sliced

1. stir soup, sour cream, picante sauce, chili powder in medium bowl.
2. stir 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese in large bowl.
3. divide chicken mixture among tortillas. roll up the tortillas and place seamside up in 2qt shallow baking dish.  pour remaining picante sauce mixture over filled tortillas.
4. bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until enchiladas are hot and bubbling.  top with tomato and onion.

please note, it takes me more than 10 minutes of prep because 1-4 of my kids wants something from me that just can't wait. much like the second I get on the phone:)

Easy Appetizers

My dad first made these simple appetizers for our family when I was in high school. I often forget about making them for years then suddenly am reminded of them and feel the need to make them.

I'm told my nephews really like them, but when I made them last week all three of my kids turned their noses up at them. Even Ms. D who is willing to eat pretty much anything refused them. Go figure.

They are the easiest things in the world to make. Stuffed mushrooms. All you need are some button mushrooms and sausage. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, push some sausage in the hole and bake on a cookie sheet at 425 for 20-25 minutes until the sausage is done.

Sprinkle a bit of salt on top to taste and serve!

I have to admit I'm not a big mushroom fan, but one in a while I do like these mushrooms.

How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate and the Best Sugar Cookies Ever

Oh my goodness, it's almost midnight on Wednesday!  How did that happen?

1.  Laundry.
2.  Basketball game (mine).
3.  Grocery shopping.
4. Turning above-mentioned groceries into meals for laundry-generating family.
5. Laundry.
6. Coaching 6th grade basketball.
7. Cub Scouts.
8. Sliding on ice and hitting Cadillac in parking lot of Cub Scout event.
9. Basketball games (8th graders)
10. Auto Body Shop for above-mentioned fender bender.

And all of this happened on Monday and Tuesday.

That said, we've had a patch of lovely weather here in the Midwest.  The Northeast is getting slammed with snow yet again, but we've just had a slow steady snowfall, blanketing our yards and trees.  It's sparkly and beautiful.

When the kids come in for a break from the snow, here are two of my favorite recipies:  homemade hot chocolate (throw that instant stuff in the trash!), and the best sugar cookies ever.

Hot Chocolate

photo credit: Stepheye

1 mug of warm milk, not quite boiling
1 small spoonful of sugar
1 slightly bigger spoonful of cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Warm milk in saucepan.  Mix sugar and cocoa in mug.  Add small amount of warmed milk to sugar & cocoa and stir until dissolved.  Add remaining milk and stir.

Best Sugar Cookies Ever
My mom's friend Dolly Fischer gave her this recipe when I was a little girl (KG, maybe?).  While I was still a girl, Mrs. Fischer died from breast cancer, but her recipe has lived on in our family for all these years.  I think of her and her family every time I make them.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift:
2 c flour
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Cream:
1/2 c margarine
1/2 c shortening
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Also need:
melted butter
extra sugar

Sift together the first 4 ingredients.  In a separate bowl, cream the last 5 ingredients.  Add sifted ingredients to creamed ingredients and mix by hand.  Roll into very small balls; press flat with the bottom of a glass dipped first in a bowl with melted butter, then a bowl with the extra sugar.  Bake @ 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.  Don't bake for too long!  If you want to get creative, you can add food coloring to the cookie dough or used colored sugar.

These are thin, airy, and absolutely delicious!

Pumpkin Seeds: Roast 'Em!

As you prepare to carve your Halloween masterpiece, don't forget to save the seeds.

I know, yuck!

But it's a great snack the kids (and you) can enjoy for a day or two.

I ago for the the classic roasted pumpkin seed, myself:  just clean, salt, and bake.  But if you're more creative (the kind of person who thinks of adding candy corn to popcorn, for example), or adventuresome, there are lots of other choices.

Go Spicy!
In addition to a little salt, sprinkle chili powder and garlic powder on your seeds.

Go Sweet!
What about skipping the salt altogether?  For a sweeter seed, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Get Crazy!
Just open your spice cupboard and think about the flavors you like.  Mix and match, or make a few different batches.

Whatever you choose to add, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are a great fall treat.  Heat a little cider, light a fire, and you're practically guaranteed a happy day!

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

I will put the disclaimer at the top here: 2 of my 3 kids refused to eat this. Granted, my son was sick so he may have eaten it if he was feeling better. Our toddler, who eats pretty much anything, LOVED it. My husband and I commented how tasty it was to one another.

My Aunt found a version of this recipe in our local paper and made it. She received rave reviews so I asked for the recipe. My cousin sent it to me in Cliff Notes version and I made it my own wrong way.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup butter
4 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 med head of cauliflower
1/2 lb. Velveeta
dash pepper
2 cubes chicken bullion
1 T minced garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots

I grabbed my trusty Pampered Chef Microwave steamer/cooker thingie ...let me see if I can find a link...Okay, it's like this but bigger and doesn't have the long handle. My mom and dad gave it to me for a wedding shower present. Love it!

Back to the recipe...I chopped up my head of cauliflower, added the butter, minced garlic, minced onion, carrots and about 1/4 cup of the milk and threw it in the Micro steamer and cooked (nuked) until the veggies were soft. Once they were soft, I used a fork to mash up the cauliflower and mixed it all together well.

While the veggies were cooking I added the remaining ingredients to a large pot on my stove and stirred continuously (well, sort of) until the cheese was melted and the bullion dissolved.

Finally I combined the veggie mixture from the micro cooker in the pot on the stove and mixed well.

You will be surprised how tasty this soup is...though if you don't like cheese you'll probably want to skip it...but who doesn't like cheese?

Strawberry Shortcake: My Favorite Recipe

When these biscuits come out of the oven, the happiness in my house is palpable.  Everyone loves strawberry shortcake.  Can you think of a better summer treat? It's always good, whether you use the spongy store-bought cakes or an elaborate from-scratch family recipe, but I think the latter are best.   My recipe?  Not so from-scratch, but very, very tasty...I use the one from the Bisquick box (!) with one small addition. 

 Here's their recipe for delicious strawberry shortcake biscuits:
2 1/3 c Bisquick baking mix
3 T butter, melted
1/2 c milk
3 T sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 425*.  Stir all ingredients together until a soft dough forms.  Use a large spoon to drop biscuits onto a greased baking sheet (usually can get 6, depending on how big you want them to be).  Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

**My addition:  Before I put these into the oven, I sprinkle them with a little bit of a cinnamon-sugar mixture that adds just a touch of sweetness.

You'll also need, of course, some sliced strawberries, soaked in a healthy amount of sugar,  whipped cream, and vanilla ice cream.

For a delicious end to any meal, begin by slicing the biscuit in half.  Top the bottom half with strawberries, ice cream, then cool whip in that order.  Place the top half of the biscuit onto the whipped cream.  Add a bit more whipped cream and a top it all off with a few more sweetened strawberries.

Come back for seconds!


photo credits:  ozmafan and karindalziel.

Catering to a meat-less diet

This weekend I'm hosting friends from out of town. They are vegetarian. I am not. But I have a lot of people in my life who are. Thus, I have my fair share of recipes that cater to those with no need for meat.

It's somewhat intimidating to try to go meat-free, especially if your having to serve vegetarians who are somewhat intolerant. You know, the people who make a lifestyle choice and then make you feel bad for not making that choice too? It doesn't have anything to do with choosing to be a vegetarian; you can be intolerant without ever having to think about food. We've all come across all kinds, and I've always been grateful for the people who are kind and thoughtful, making choices for their lives without shaming those around them for not making the same choice.

For what it's worth, my friends who are visiting now are motivated to practicing a completely meat-free diet due to sustainability concerns. How many acres of land does it take to feed the cow that eventually becomes the burgers we scarf down every week? What about chickens and chicken feed? And I just heard on the BBC World Service last (via Michigan Radio) Wednesday night that blue fin tuna are likely to be extinct outside of farms in the next 3-4 years. That's something for me to contemplate.

My sister went meat-free decades ago. She's raised three kids on the diet. So it stands to reason that when I was faced with entertaining on vegetarian cuisine, she would be a great person to advise me. She emailed me her trusted and true recipe for peanut butter pasta. Tasty, hearty, filling, nutritious. It goes great with fresh steamed broccoli and iced tea in the summer time. Enjoy!

**************

Peanut Butter Pasta

1 lb. uncooked spaghetti
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lime juice (or lemon)
1/2 cup water (depending on consistency desired)
3 tbsp. chopped peanuts, salted
optional:
1 tbsp. red chili flakes or dash hot sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed

Cook spaghetti according to the instructions given on its packaging. Drain, rinse, set aside. Mix together in a large bowl peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and water. If using optional chili flakes, hot sauce, or garlic, add to the peanut butter mixture at this time. Once the mixture is well blended, add spaghetti and toss until all the noodles are coated. Serve immediately. Serves 6-8.

**************

Though this is a great dish, tonight the kitchen is closed at my house and we are going out to our favorite local vegetarian kitchen, Seva. 'Cause they do vegetarian and vegan better than I could ever dream of!

Adobo Dip

If you need a party dip, this is a great go-to for any occasion.  The chipotles give it just the right amount of kick.  Serve it with blue corn chips, and all colors of bell peppers. 

Adobo Dip

• 2-3 small chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
• 1 scallion
• 1/2 c or more fresh cilantro
• 1 c low fat mayonnaise
• 1/2 c low fat sour cream
• 1/3 cup shredded pepper cheese
• 1/2 c black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 t fresh lime juice
• 1/4 t salt

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend to desired consistency.  I like it a little chunky, but you can process it longer for a bit of a smoother dip.  I also like to make a double batch so I can use all of the black beans & more of the chipotles.  Give it a try!

The original recipe calls for dicing these ingredients, using regular mayo and sour cream, and uses Monterey Jack (not Pepper Jack).  In addition, rather than  dropping them into the food processor and pressing "go," it calls for slicing and dicing.  Either way is good, but my way is much easier!  The original recipe is from the Junior League's Grand Temptations cookbook, a fantastic mix of top-notch recipes from throughout West Michigan.  If you'd like one, you can get an order form or find a MI store that carries it, here.

Dilly Chicken Salad

One of the small local grocery stores/butcher shops in town here makes delicious chicken salad that I have had dreams about at night. Seriously. It’s kind of sad. A couple of months ago I decided to try to make some salad myself that was just as good if not better. I think I succeeded. The recipe is simple so I feel a little silly that I didn’t try it sooner…but it is delicious so I thought I’d share it with you.

You will need:
1 lb. cooked cubed chicken (I’ve been getting frozen chicken that is already cooked…either in strips or grilled chicken breasts…or grill your own. It is better if it’s grilled chicken.)
4 stalks of celery, finely diced
4-5 green onions, finely diced
1 heaping tablespoon dill weed
½ cup of light mayo

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.

That’s it! It’s so delicious even our 22-month-old loves it.

A contented bedtime treat

There's a restaurant in town that we used to frequent, way back before we had a baby again. Before the current recession set in. You know, the kind of place where you don't bring children and where you splurge on all the courses because you want to spend four hours looking across the table at your dining companion? For the most part, we like it because they serve up food that we can't manage to prepare at home. Gruyere custard served with handmade poppy seed crackers for starters, then confit of duck leg or bourbon pork tenderloin for an entree. They'd usually throw in a small bowl of butternut squash soup in the autumntime just because it's the perfect complement to any meal. We used to splurge on a bottle of wine since it was the only place we'd spend enough time dining to actually drink the whole bottle. It was always a good time.

For dessert, however, we always skipped their specialty of the house. They assured us it was made to order and delectable. We believed them. But the amazing dessert they urged us over and over to try was something we knew we could master just as well at home...and that we'd enjoy it far more at home. The masterpiece? A plate of freshly baked, warm cookies with two cups of warm milk.

Yes, baked cookies are a mainstay at our humble abode. Right now we have gingerbread men and triple chocolate chip cookies in stock. When I was younger, I was all for scarfing them down without discretion at any time of the day. It was my husband who taught me the fine art of savoring one or two along with a warm cup of milk before bedtime. It helps calm your body right before sleep and gives you a moment to be still and reflect.

Warm milk is easy; just put about 6 ounces in a coffee cup and warm in the microwave for 30 seconds on 20% power. For the cookies, I'll share a recipe. Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies. This one is a bit labor more intensive than simple stuff, so try this when you want to enjoy time baking. The result is worth it! I didn't invent the recipe, though I can't remember where I found it. (I'm betting it's Martha Stewart for all the many, detailed steps.) If someone recognizes it and would like me to credit it, please let me know and I'll edit the post!

************

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (like chocolate chips)
1 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. boiling water
2 tbsp. water
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1) Line baking sheet(s) with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4" chunks, set aside. (Or alternatively, use 7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips and set aside.) In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa powder.

2) In a bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter until softened, about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

3) In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into batter mixture. Beat in baking soda-mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until dough firms. Mix in chocolate; turn out on a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1" thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.

4) Roll dough into 1 1/2" balls; place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake about 12-13 minutes; take out of oven and press flat; bake 3 minutes longer; let cool 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

************

Enjoy, and sleep tight.

green recipe

i'm going to share with you my all time favorite recipe. not a recipe for the kitchen but the laundry. 

after my first set of twins were born, i started looking for more natural non toxic, no chemical laundry detergents.  five years ago, the cost was higher than the typical chemical laden detergent.  then i found recipes to make my own, which seemed complicated until...i found this super duper easy one

darks
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup salt

whites
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup washing soda (different from baking soda)

its easy, its cheap, its environmentally friendly, its natural and above all...its non toxic!

Fast, friendly food

I know that this is typically the recipe posting day, but I wanted to change it up a little bit and talk about types of food. There is a push right now for organics and local food - and I have to say, I am in agreement. Our budget doesn't allow for all organic all the time, and our lifestyle doesn't allow for all fast food to be eliminated. From December on, I've been more intentional about getting the crap out and the good stuff in and it has made a difference, not just on our grocery bill, but on our mindset.

Our non-negotiated items are milk, eggs, chicken and cereal. Those are the items we eat every week, so we want them to be as pure as possible. A gallon of organic and local milk cost me $3.79 at our local good foods store, and it is yummy milk (3 year old approved). And the local farmer's market provides us fresh eggs and veggies year round. There is nothing like fresh pico de gallo, you know? yum. So I'll leave you with that recipe and encourage you to buy organic if you can - the wax free pepper and tomato are nice to chop up.

Pico de gallo

4 organic roma tomatoes washed and chopped
1 organic green pepper chopped
1/4 C organic white onion chopped
1/8 C cilantro chopped extra fine
1 T lemon or lime juice

Mix together and enjoy :)

Mashed Potato Bake

I first made this in high school for an easy meal. The great thing about it is that you can prepare the parts of it before you need it and refrigerate until you're ready to assemble your casserole (or whatever you want to call this).

Ingredients:

8-10 servings of instant (or real) mashed potatoes, prepared

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey, browned

cheese (whatever kind you like in whatever amount you like)

I prepare this in a 9x13 baking dish. First, spray the dish with cooking spray to ease cleaning.

Layer the beef or turkey on the bottom. Sometimes I do a layer of bread crumbs first if I feel "fancy." (ha ha)

Next, using a rubber spatula, spread a layer of mashed potatoes on top of the ground meat. Use only about a half of your potatoes.

Add your layer of cheese. I usually use a few slices, and add some grated cheese and whatever I have around that I want to use up. The blocks of Velveeta work well for this.

Finally, cover the cheese with another layer of potatoes.

Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes and enjoy.

The kids always eat this and it is very easy to make.

Baked Apples, done the easy way

If you'll recall from my first Foodie Friday post here at Midwest Parents, I am not a great cook. What I cook well must be simple and fast and please the masses. For this installment, I ask you to imagine, if for only a moment, the following scenario:

You find yourself living in post-Soviet-era Russia, yea, Siberia, in a small flat with barely-a-kitchen(ette). Your barely-12-month-old is along for the ride while you are teaching English a few days a week. In the kitchen(ette), where you cook almost all the meals for yourself and said baby, you have a non-stick frying pan, a sauce pan and a few utensils to cook with. It's winter and, it is a bit of an understatement to say, the fruits and vegetables available at market are scarce. Sure, you've brought along packets of Hi-C mix from the United States so that the baby can at least get a regular dose of vitamin C, that is, once you boil the water to remove any bacteria and you grind the coarse sugar you can afford at market into powder that will dissolve and you make the drink mix and let it cool down and then you give it to the baby. But a baby can't live on Hi-C alone. She needs more vitamins. But the only fruits that are easy to find are apples, bananas, and lemons.

I'm not making this up. The year was 1995, the baby is now almost 16 years old, and me? Me? I was crazy for ever taking on such a challenge. But nonetheless, I did it, and there I was in Siberia in the winter with a baby. There are only so many days in a row that the baby can eat bananas and apple slices before it gets a little old. So I started getting creative. (Necessity is the mother of invention, afterall.) One afternoon I came up with "baked" apples.

I put "baked" in quotation marks because these are not the kind of apples that are carefully cored and then peeled just around the edge and filled with sugar and cinnamon and baked in the oven. No, these "baked" apples are made in a frying pan in 5 minutes. Great for a crazy and adventuresome new mom in Siberia...and great for a more reserved mom 15 years later in the midwest.

You'll need:
1 honey crisp apple
1 tablespoon salted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
(+ sour cream or vanilla ice cream to complement the apples when served)

Let's start with the apples. Since we're in the midwest where our varieties are aplenty (unlike Siberia), indulge yourself in some Honey Crisps.


I just found out about honey crisp apples this fall. Turns out that they are hands down the best apples for baking that there are out there. They retain their texture well, their flavor is good and tart, and their color holds even after being heated.

One apple will be enough for 2-3 people. Slice it into quarters and take out the core. Then slice each quarter into thin slices, giving you 20 or so total slices to cook.

I had a cutting board in Siberia too. This one looks much like the one I had there. Um, eep.
No matter, it works well.

Now, get a non-stick skillet and heat it over medium heat. Add butter to skillet and melt it. Once it is melted, spread the butter throughout the surface of the skillet. Add the apples right away and spread evenly on the skillet surface. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, sprinkled generously over the apple slices. Then sprinkle 1 teaspoon cinnamon over the sugar-covered apple slices.


Let this cook over the heat for about 3-4 minutes. Since the apple slices are thin, they will cook quickly. Don't stir the apples at all until they get a chance to cook.

Some of the sugar will gradually slip off the apples and mix with the butter in the skillet. When you notice it start bubbling and creating a syrup, stir the entire apple mixture, trying to flip each slice over.


Cook the apples for only one minute longer. Remove from the skillet immediately and put into a covered dish to keep warm until serving.


Once you are ready to dole out the apples, garnish the fruit with a dollop of sour cream. The homemade sour cream in Siberia, smetana, was incredible, as creamy as it was biting. It was the perfect complement to any sweet fruit. Since we don't have smetana in the United States, if you want to try the apples as a smooth desert, try serving them with vanilla ice cream instead (yum!).


While in Siberia, the baby loved these apples, and so did her mom ;-) Now I have a new baby. My guess is that once she starts solid food, she will like them just as much as her older sister did. Also, not only is the taste of the apples kid-approved, the recipe is as easy as it gets. Just so I can convince you of how easy this recipe really is, when I prepared and cooked them for this post (as well as photographed them), the baby was wrapped around me in her baby sling. That's an instant winner for me.

I hope you enjoy!

New Year's Breakfast: Sausage and Cheddar Quiche

Happy 2010!

Here's a special recipe my family likes, in lieu of the traditional egg, cheese and bread casserole.  Add some fresh fruit, orange juice, and mimosas and you've got a fantastic breakfast for New Year's Day.

photo credit:  fooooey 

Ingredients:
1 pie shell                                                   1 cup half and half (or milk)
3/4 - 1 c cooked pork sausage                    1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 c green onion (I use less)                      1/8 t pepper
1 T minced parsley                                     1/4 t salt
1/4 c chopped green pepper                        1 1/2 c cheddar
3 eggs                                                         1 T flour

Preheat oven to 325°.  Combine cooked sausage with green onion, green pepper, parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper and flour.  Mix well.  Spoon into pie shell and top with cheese.  Combine half & half (or milk) with eggs, beating until foamy.  Pour evenly over cheese.  Bake in 325° oven for 50 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and quiche is set. 

Serves 6.

You can bake the quiche the night before and keep it in the refrigerator overnight.  Reheat at 250°/275° for 30-40 minutes.  (Check quiche after 15 minutes and increase temperature if middle is cold; raise to a maximum temp of 325°.)

I'm Corny

This recipe is a hit with kids and adults alike, travels well, and is great for the holidays. It's so darn easy. And it's CORN! You can't go wrong with CORN!

Corn Casserole
1 can whole corn
1 can cream corn
1 stick margarine
1 small carton sour cream
1 Jiffy muffin mix

Are you ready for how easy this is?

Seriously.

It's so stinking easy. But prepare to be celebrated for this dish.

Here we go.

Instructions are...

(drum roll, please)

Stir all together and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour in a 2 qt buttered casserole dish.

Yummy Crab Appetizers

A former coworker brought these to the office one time and they were so yummy that everyone was asking her for the recipe. They're easy to make as well, and you can make them up in advance and freeze them...just bake them the day you need them.

One thing they are not is low-cal!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (5-oz) jar Old English cheese spread
1 1/2 tsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 (7-oz) can crab meat
6 English muffins, split

Combine the butter, mayonnaise, cheese and seasonings. Once these are combined, stir in the crab meat.
Half the English muffins.

Spread mixture on muffin halves.

At this point you can place the muffins on a tray and freeze, repacking them in freezer bags once the mixture is solid.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

To serve, cut the muffins into 4 to 6 pieces and arrange on your serving tray.

I'd like to add a photo of the finished product but I forgot to take one! But they look mostly like the above photo, except a little browner.

Also, little note: I discovered that I was out of garlic powder so I just used garlic salt and skipped the seasoned salt. They still tasted yummy.