White Chicken Chili

2 cups great northern dry beans
1 quart chicken stock, or bouillon and water equivalent
1 can of cannery chicken or turkey, with broth
2 TB dried onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 7 oz. can diced green chili
1-2 TB jalapeno (optional)
2 tsp ground cumin seed
1 tsp dried oregano
additional dairy ingredients below

Rinse and sort the dry beans. Soak beans overnight in a generous amount of water.
The next morning, drain and rinse the beans. Return them to the pot and cook them in the chicken stock on low heat until the beans are tender. Add more water as needed to prevent scorching; stir occasionally. (This will take about 2-4 hours, depending on the freshness of the beans.)
Break up canned chicken or turkey and add it with its liquid to the pot. Add all remaining ingredients and cook until the onions are tender.
Just before serving, remove from heat and add:
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Stir to incorporate and enjoy.

Terrific Options:
A faster edition will use canned great northern beans.
We also prefer to use the gorgeous, frozen chilies that Kali and Bobby have sent from New Mexico!
Be sure to grate your own cheese for this recipe; don't use prepared cheese that may contain cellulose (to prevent clumping).
This is a good way to use left-over, cooked poultry.
One chopped, sauteed onion is good for the dried onion.
The crock pot produces a soupier version and perfect for busy days.

Ratatouille

This recipe is a requirement of late summer, when the zucchini and tomatoes are at their peak. It was first introduced to us by a dear friend, Hailey Liechty, and has since become a delicious summer tradition. This is the only reason that I plant eggplants in the garden.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium eggplant, unpeeled and sliced
6 medium zucchini, unpeeled and sliced thick
2 bell peppers, seeded and chunked
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup minced parsley
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 celery stalks, sliced
10+ tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried thyme (I prefer fresh)
1/2 cup fresh, torn basil leaves
black pepper
sliced tomatoes (optional topping)

Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large fry pan over high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until onions are soft but not browned. Stir in eggplant, zucchini, peppers, salt, basil, and parsley; add a little more oil as needed to prevent sticking. Cover pan and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. With a large spatula, turn the vegetables to help preserve their shape.
Add the tomatoes and stir to blend. Add more oil if veggies are sticking. Cover and cook for 15 minutes; stir occasionally. If mixture becomes soupy, remove cover. Garnish with tomato and parsley.
That's the end of the original recipe; however, we prefer to add Hailey's "very yummy topping" and bake the mixture in the oven. Simply layer the partially cooked vegetable mixture in a large, oven-proof casserole dish and spread the following mixture over the top:
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
2 large eggs
Bake in a 350* oven for about 40 minutes, or until top is bubbly and golden.

Note: I love to double or even triple this recipe and freeze some for later in the season. If you choose this option,do not add the cheese topping; just freeze the vegetable mixture and add the cheese topping when it is thawed and served at a later date.

Lemon Cream Pie

Thanksgiving 2010 was wonderful! The Scott Stewart family was in complete attendance! The Jordans trekked in from New Mexico. Ben and Annie came "over the river and through the woods" from Logan. Jenny was on break from BYU. Joe and Scott had a long weekend off. And the Tessems drove over from Provo. The shop was furiously heated with the wood stove and the total guest count was 22 (if you count the dog, Tristan).

The pie to guest ratio was very high this year. There were 16 different pies or desserts to choose from. Needless to say, we ate pie for several days! It was delicious feasting.

Rhonda Marsh brought a new favorite this year: Lemon cream pie. Delicious! This is the only pie that did not make it to Friday; it was gone on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, it was so good that Jenny made it for my birthday just two weeks later. This recipe will definitely be included in years to come.

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp freshly grated lemon peel

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (Rhonda adds an extra 1-2 Tbsp)

3 large egg yolks, beaten

1 cup whole milk

1 cup sour cream

*cream for whipping

*prepared, baked crust



In a medium saucepan stir sugar, starch, lemon juice, peel, butter, and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for two minutes; remove from heat. Pour part of the mixture into egg yolks. Mix and return all to saucepan and bring back to a boil and cook for two more minutes. Let cool slightly and stir in sour cream. Fill pie crust and top with sweetened whipped cream.



I'd like to add another incredible pie recipe here for Joe's chocolate pie. However, the secret ingredients are being held very secret! Maybe next year...

Truly Whole Wheat Pancakes

Scott often prepares breakfast on Saturday morning. These pancakes are delicious and rank right up there with his hash-browns. Delicious!

1 cup whole wheat (wheat, not flour)

2 cups water

The night before, soak the wheat in the water.

1 1/4 cups milk (approximate)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup canola oil

2 TB baking powder

Add the pre-soaked wheat to a blender. Pour the milk into the blender. (There should be enough milk to cover the wheat.)

Turn on the blender and allow the mixture to blend for aobut 3 minutes.

Add teh eggs salt and canola oil. Blend for aobut 30 seconds.

Add the baking powder and blend. Transfer to a bowl. (Have your bowl ready, because the mixure will expand radidly in the blender.)

Allow mixure to sit in bowl for about 3 minutes.

Stir the mixture before cooking; pour pancakes onto preheated griddle.

Cook until golden brown on each side.

Credit for this recipe goes to Chef Bryan Woolley of KUTV Channel 2 News.

Granola

My granola recipe is ever evolving. So, this version includes many years of editing. I'm sure that there will be more versions in the future, too.

4 cups rolled wheat

8 cups old-fashioned rolled-oats (not "quick")

1 1/2 cups ground flax seed
3 cups sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds, hulled, roasted, not salted
3/4 cups raw wheat germ
1 cup honey
6 TB canola oil
ground cinnamon OR vanilla extract
3 cups dried fruit of choice (dates, cranberries, apples, blueberries, chopped apricots)

In a large mixing bowl, combine wheat, oats, flax, almonds, coconut, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ. Stir to combine ingredients.

Combine the honey and oil in a sauce pan. Warm gently to combine; do not boil or overheat. Add ground cinnamon or vanilla extract as the mixture is taken from the heat. (The fruit I choose to add later determines which flavor I use here.)

Pour honey mixture over grain mixture and stir well to combine. The mixture will appear crumbly and not very moist.

Divide the cereal into three greased jelly-roll sheets. Bake in a preheated 300* oven. Bake each sheet for 20 minutes. Then remove the pan from the oven, stir the granola and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Add the dried fruit to the granola after it has cooled completely. Store in a sealed container in a cool, dark place.

I make granola about monthly. Scott says that it sticks with him and lasts longer than cooked cereals. I will often change what nuts I am using by what I have on hand: pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, almonds. To make the granola chewy, add some applesauce to the honey and oil mixture.

September 2013...True to form, I have made another change in this recipe. For the past year I have been trying to find ways to use coconut oil in order to incorporate more medium-chain triglycerides in our diet. This is the perfect place to do that! I have been using this recipe, replacing the 6 TB of oil with 1/2 cup of coconut oil. It is a great improvement! 

Zucchini Relish

This recipe originated with Phyllis Winsor Stewart, Grandma Stewart. I don't like commercial sweet relish, but I love this recipe. In fact, I look forward to our hot dog roasts in the backyard because polish dogs are a great carrier for this relish. There are always plenty of over-grown zucchinis in the garden to initiate this recipe!

10 cups chopped zucchini

4 cups chopped onions

1 red pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

5 TB pickling salt, non-iodized

2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 tsp dry mustard

3 cups sugar

1 TB ground tumeric

1 tsp ground nutmeg

2 TB celery seed

Mix zucchini, onions, and peppers in a large bowl in the evening. (I do this after dinner.) Sprinkle the salt over the top of the vegetable mixture. Cover the bowl loosely and allow it to stand undisturbed overnight. This process helps to draw out the excess moisture.

The next morning, mix up the remaining six ingredients in a large pot to make syrup for the relish. Bring the syrup to a boil; then set the hot syrup off the heat and cover. (You'll want to cover the syrup and don't lean over the pot! It will clear your sinuses!)

Now rinse the salt from the vegetables. I use a fine colander to rinse the vegetables thoroughly in water in small batches and then squeeze out the moisture thoroughly. (An old pillowcase works really well for this.) This rinsed, drained mixture can be added to the hot syrup. When all of the vegetables are incorporated into the syrup, heat the relish to prepare it for a hot pack.

Fill pint mason jars with hot relish, leaving a 1/4 inch head space. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water-bath canner. Be sure to leave the jars on the counter to cool; this is tradition, adding to the anticipation of summer barbecues in the backyard.

Grandma Stewart's original recipe had double the amount of sugar that I use. I find this halved amount quite sweet and sufficient. I also use whatever summer squash I have on hand: gray or black zucchini, crookneck, patty pan. A combination of colors looks the best. I also use a food processor to chop the vegetables. This really speeds up the process.

Sarah Smith's Spinach Dip

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayo

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry (I used 1/2 of a bag of fresh spinach. I couldn't find any frozen spinach and I love fresh spinach in salads, but Ben and I cannot go through the whole package before it goes bad:)

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/4 cup shredded carrots

green food coloring optional

In medium bowl combine sour cream, mayo, basil, black pepper, garlic powder, & salt; mix well. Stir in Spinach, scallions, & carrots; blend well. Tint green if desired. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Tomato Pie

I did an Intranet search recently for recipes that used lots of tomatoes because my little tomato plants had produced a bunch at once. This tomato pie recipe was my favorite. I used early girl and taxi tomatoes and it was DELICIOUS! Because of all the water in the tomatoes I found that it did not preserve too well. I ended up cooking the leftover slices for another 10 minutes or so to try to get rid of some of the juices and I think that helped, but I would make sure to finish the leftovers no later than the next day. I hope you enjoy this recipe next season when your gardens are full of yummy tomatoes!

Ingredients

• 1 (9 inch) pie shell
• 7 ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1 yellow onion
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used a little more than 1/3 cup)
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bake the pastry shell for 8 to 10 minutes or until browned.
3. Slice onion and place in the bottom of pastry shell. Slice tomatoes and arrange over onions. Add black pepper to taste.
4. In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella, parmesan and mayonnaise. Spread this mixture evenly over tomatoes.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooked, garnish with fresh herbs.

Country Dressing

My new favorite salad dressing! I got this from my friend, April, who served it on a spinach, apple, pecan, bacon salad at her tea party. The dressing has only four ingredients--which you probably already have--and it's super delicious!

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Add salt to taste. So simple, so good!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

This recipe is AWESOME! Found it on allrecipes and made just a couple of modifications suggested by reviewers (white wheat instead of soy flour and honey in place of molasses). These turned out even better than the ones I've purchased in the stores! They actually had pockets! It's simple, but a little bit time consuming.

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)

1 (2.5 oz) pkg active dry yeast

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon salt

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1.5 cups white wheat flour

cornmeal for dusting

1. In a bowl, mix together water, yeast, and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, then gradually mix in the flours and add the salt. Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a large bowl lightly coated with cooking spray and cover with a towel. Let rise for 1 hour.

2. Punch down the dough and knead for about 5 minutes. Divide into 6 pieces and roll each piece out into a circle about 1/8" thick. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Warm a baking sheet in the preheating oven for about 2 minutes, then remove and sprinkle with cornmeal.

4. Arrange the dough rounds on the baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the heat and cover with a moist towel to soften. When cooled, slice in half to open the pockets.

I used a pizza stone, which worked great for baking them. And when it says moist towel, don't skimp on the moist! It really is necessary. Also, don't allow any creases when you're rolling them out. That's what prevents them from puffing up into nice open pockets. Enjoy!

Jalapeño Pepper Poppers

One of the CNAs at Logan Nursing and Rehab told me about this delectable treat! All you need are fresh jalapeño peppers, cream cheese, and bacon. I cut the peppers in half, cleaned the seeds out, applied the cream cheese, put the 2 halves together, and wrapped them up in 1 slice of bacon.

Cook at broil for 10 minutes or until bacon is browned.

Cloverleaf Rolls

Yesterday was a looong Sunday of meetings, and Scott wanted bread when he got home in the evening, so we tried this new recipe for cloverleaf rolls from allrecipes.com. Cloverleafs are a favorite here because they carry a maximum amount of butter on top, and then you can pull them apart and put more butter on the inside. ;)

• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
• 1 1/2 cups warm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Beat in milk, sugar, egg, shortening and salt and 2 cups of flour until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Roll into 90 balls; place three balls each in greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

These were pretty simple and turned out fabulously. Happy butterfest! :D

Quinoa with Chard and Cheese

This recipe was an adaptation; I was looking for ways to incorporate quinoa. I rarely have all of the ingredients for a recipe, so I have a tendency to use what I have on hand. This time it was delicious!

I had been trying to find ways to use quinoa because it is good source of protein. I have read that it is the only complete vegetable protein. Does anyone have a good recipe for quinoa they would share?

Olive oil

1 diced yellow onion

1 tsp minced garlic

1-2 cups left-over, cooked quinoa

2 generous cups chopped Swiss chard

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

In a large skillet, cook the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent and frangrant. Stir in the quinoa to heat it up. Add the chard next and cook over medium heat until the leaves are wilted. Remove skillet from heat and add parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I'm baking these as I type this and the house smells AMAZING! Like fall just kicked in my front door and made itself at home! I haven't actually tasted these yet, but based on smell and the 4.5 star rating the recipe got on allrecipes.com, they're gonna be awesome!

Ingredient:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup water
• 1.5 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour muffin tins or use paper liners.

Mix sugar, oil, and eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Add in wet mixture, then add chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 20 -25 minutes. (Only took about 17 in my oven).

Pumpkin Ravioli

Every bit as amazing as it sounds. I forgot to take pictures, but it's probably for the best because as delicious as it was, I don't make the prettiest ravioli! It was my first time; I'll get better. This recipe is from Food Network's Wolfgang Puck and uses the pasta dough recipe below.

Ingredients:

• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter (heck yeah!)
• 1 lb fresh pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
• 2 cups heavy cream (double heck yeah!)
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 2 Tbsp fresh sage, minced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 recipe pasta dough (below)
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
• Semolina or all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 shallots, chopped

Heat a saute pan over low heat and add 4 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter is foamy, add the cubed pumpkin and cook, stirring often to stop it from sticking and burning, until it softens and falls into a puree.

Turn the pumpkin into a saucepan, add 1/2 of the cream and half the herbs and cook over a low heat for approximately 1 hour, or until the puree is thick and the liquid has evaporated. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat and beat in an additional 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the beaten eggs, season, to taste, with salt and pepper and set a side to cool.

On a floured surface, roll out the pasta as thin as possible. Cut into 2 sheets and brush 1 of them with egg wash. Using a teaspoon, place 24 equal mounds of the pumpkin puree on the egg-washed dough, about 2 inches apart. Cover the mounded dough with the second sheet of pasta and press around the mounds of pumpkin to seal the dough.

Using a ravioli cutter or a sharp knife cut the ravioli. Dust a tray with semolina and place the ravioli on it.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, while you make the sauce.

Prepare the sauce: In a saucepan, reduce the stock with the shallots to 1/2 cup. Add the remaining cream and reduce by half. Over a low heat, whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, a little at a time, over low heat. Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan and add the remaining sage and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the ravioli to the rapidly boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Add the ravioli to the sauce and bring just to a boil. Correct the seasonings.

*I used canned pumpkin instead of fresh pumpkin and a little red onion in place of shallots. I also did not strain the sauce before finishing it. It turned out soooo good! And I gotta say, Joe is one of the best sous chefs a girl could ask for!

Pasta Dough

Super basic, super simple recipe for homemade pasta dough. Modified* from Mr. Wolfgang Puck's recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until dough begins to mass on the blade, 1-2 min. Remove and press into a ball. Wrap ball in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least two hours to rest before rolling and cutting.

I borrowed Grandma's pasta cutter from Mom for this. Man, that's the only way to go! I can't imagine rolling that dough out thin enough by hand. It's so easy with the pasta machine! (I know, I totally sound like an infomercial...)

* The only modification I made from the original recipe was to use just all-purpose flour rather than half all-purpose and half semolina. Because I did not have semolina on hand. And I may or may not know what semolina is... And I'm pleased to say it turned out great without it!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Thanks to Jenny for this recipe, which comes from the "Everyday with Rachel Ray" magazine. We made it for a quick, easy Saturday lunch and it worked great! It could become a weekend tradition. I doubled the recipe and cooked it in twelve regular sized muffin pans. I think we should try it out for a party sometime.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
4 ounced cut up pepperoni
1/2 cup store bought pizza sauce
2 Tablespoons chopped basil
1 red bell pepper, sliced.

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350*. Grease a 24 mini-muffin pan. Mix together flour and baking powder; whisk in milk and egg. Stir in cheese and pepperoni. Let sit for ten minutes.

2. Stir the batter and pour into the muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes, until puffy and golden.

3. Microwave pizza sauce to warm, and stir in 1 Tbsp. basil. Remove pizza puffs from pan and sprinkle with other Tablespoon basil. Serve puffs with red pepper slices on the side and sauce for dipping!

Apple Squares

Most criminally delicious use of fruit...since Kali's peach upside down cake, that is. ;) This is my take on a recipe from allrecipes.com. I doubled the apples from their recipe (and I think I might go crazy and quadruple the apples next time), replaced walnuts with pecans, and added only half the cinnamon sugar. Here's my variation:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 1/2 white sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup apple, chopped
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp white sugar (for topping)
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon (for topping)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x9 pan. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Blend in the mixture of dry ingredients until just combine, then add apples and pecans. Spread mixture evenly in greased pan. Combine the remaining cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the top.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until bars spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pan and cut into squares.

I may or may not have had these for breakfast this morning. Okay, I did. And they were delicious! I also think these would we awesome with whole wheat.

Peach Crisp

We decided to make a crisp with the fresh peaches we got from Atle this fall. The plan had been to dutch oven it, but we ended up making it at home so I used my sweet new ramekins. I tried a new recipe from Anne Burell of the Food Network. Such an awesome crisp recipe! I'm planning on trying it with apples soon.

For the filling:

• 5 large ripe peaches, pitted and cut into chunks
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• Pinch kosher salt

For the topping:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pea sized pieces
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water
• Special equipment: 6 (6-ounce) ramekins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the filling:

Toss the peaches in a large bowl with the zest and lemon juice. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Divide the filling evenly between the ramekins.

For the topping:

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor except the water. Pulse until combined, this will take about 30 seconds. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture is clumpy but crumbly.

Top each ramekin with the topping. Be sure to loosely sprinkle the topping and not pack it down. The idea is to look very crumbly and craggy.

Place the ramekins on a sheet tray and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is hot and bubbly and the topping, brown and crispy.

* I used pecans instead of almonds and left the raisins out. So good!

Pineapple (or Other Fruit) Skillet Upside-Down Cake

By popular demand, here it is, from Rick Bayless' "Mexican Everday" cookbook.

So YUMMY!

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 1/2 cups pineapple, or berries, or peaches, or apples, or nectarines, or... you get the picture
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or soured milk) or plain yogurt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*. Melt butter in a 10" skillet with an ovenproof handle, preferrably non-stick, over a medium heat. Swirl it around until it turns nut-brown then pour into a medium bowl. Without wiping the pan out, sprinkle the brown sugar into the skillet and top with a fruit layer.

In a bowl, mix together the flours, salt, soda and baking powder. Mix the white sugar in with the browned butter. Add the egg and mix; then add buttermilk/yogurt and mix. Pour into the dry indregients and whisk together.

Pour batter over the fruit. Put skillet in oven and bake 35 minutes or until cate is golden brown and springy to the touch. Remove and cool 10 minutes.

Put a plate over skillet, and using oven mitts, flip them over together in one quick movement. Remove the skillet and serve cake!

Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

This yummy casserole is from my latest issue of Cuisine at Home. It's supposed to be for two, but it could have easily fed three or four. It's so yummy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 lb tomatillos, peeled and quartered
• 2 Tbsp minced jalapeño
• 4 corn tortillas (6 inch)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack
• 1/2 cup shredded Manchego*
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1/2 cup minced bell pepper
• Fresh cilantro leaves, torn

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 shallow casserole dishes** with nonstick spray.

Boil water, broth, onion, and garlic for the chicken in a sauté pan over high heat. Season chicken with oregano, salt, and pepper; place in boiling liquid. Cover pan, reduce to medium-low heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken to plate to cool.

Add tomatillos and jalapeños to broth mixture; return to a boil over high and reduce to 1 cup, about 7 minutes. Mash tomatillos with a spoon or potato masher.

Shred chicken with two forks once cool enough to handle. Stir chicken back into tomatillo mixture, then remove from heat.

Brush tortillas with oil and toast in oven until crisp, 5 minutes.

Combine cheeses in bowl and sprinkle a thin layer into each prepared dish. Top cheese layer with a tortilla, divide chicken mixture evenly between dishes. Continue layering with remaining cheese and tortillas, ending with cheese on top. Scatter bell peppers over cheese.

Bake casseroles until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Garnish each casserole with cilantro.

*I couldn't find Manchego, so I used an extra ounce of Monterey Jack and Queso Fresco.

**I don't have individual casserole dishes, so I just put the whole thing in my small Corningware casserole dish and it worked great.

Marion Cunningham's buttermilk pancakes

This recipe has become our favorite when we make pancakes, which is quite frequently. I'm not sure what makes them so good, since it's very similiar to other recipes, but it works for us! The author says it doesn't work well to multiply the recipe, but you can double a batch and have it still turn out.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. butter or oil for the pan

Directions:

1. Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Crack egg into the center and pour the buttermilk over the top of the egg.
2. With a fork or whisk, stir until it forms a lumpy batter and all flour is absorbed. Pour in melted butter and stir until buttter is just dispersed. DO NOT OVERMIX.
3. Spread 1 Tbsp. butter/oil on the griddle. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter on to form pancakes. Turn when bubbles form on the top. Brown the other side.
4. Eat!

No buttermilk? Just add a Tbsp of vinegar to a measuring cup, then pour in milk until it reaches 1 cup mark. Stir, let sit a few minutes, then proceed as normal. :)

Creamy Corn Soup with Chicken and Poblano Chile

This is from a cookbook by Rick Bayless called "Mexican Everyday". I needed more uses for our garden produce and this is a great one for fresh corn from the garden. The roasted chile pepper just seems perfect for New Mexico too.

Ingredients:

• 1 large poblano chile
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
• 1 small white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 cups corn kernels cut from the cob (takes about 5 ears)
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 quart milk
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breats cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• salt
• about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Roast the pepper over open flame or 4 inches below the broiler until blackened and blistered all over.
2. Heat oil in pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until golden. Put into blender or food processor.
3. Add corn, cornstarch, 1 1/2 cup milk to the blender too. Process to a smooth puree. (You can strain the puree through a mesh strainer for a smoother soup). Return puree to pan.
4. When chile is cool enough, peel off the blackened skin. Pull off stem and seed pods. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces. Add to the pan.
5. Add chicken to the puree and additional 2 1/2 cups milk. Simmer until chicken is cooked. Season with salt. Ladle into bowls and add the cilantro as a garnish. Serve!

A few variations the author suggests are replacing the chicken with ham; or zucchini or asparagus for a vegetarian meal. Or add shrimp, crab, bacon, etc.

Chicken Salad

Ben and I are busily packing to get ready to go up to the office. Here is a recipe I like that we will be eating on the road tomorrow. I included the biscuits in the picture because we will be eating the chicken salad sandwich style. I hope you guys like it!

2 cups diced chicken
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup cashews
1/2 cup grapes
1/4 - 1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together. Add ranch a little at a time until moist!

Ham and Cheese Strata

12 slices bread
6 ham slices
6 cheddar slices
6 beaten eggs
3 cups milk
1 TBS finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp dry mustard
salt and pepper

In a greased 9x13 dish, layer 6 ham and cheese "sandwiches". Combine eggs, milk, onion, dry mustard, salt and pepper; whisk well. Pour liquid over the sandwiches. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, remove cover and bake at 300* for 1 hour. Allow casserole to set for 10 minutes before cutting sandwiches in half to serve.

Note: I have also assembled this recipe like bread pudding. In that case, the bread is torn, the ham is chopped and the cheese is grated. This variation is great for older bread.

Cheesefada

This post must start with a disclaimer: I have no idea how to spell the name of this dish! We have just spelled it as it sounded.
We originally enjoyed this breakfast dish in Idaho, when Kurt Johnson made it for us. I understand that it is a Hungarian dish that was passed down in his family. Of course everything tastes better at Grandpa's cabin, but this tasted great when we attempted it at home, too. The best description that I have heard for this dish is "scrambled pancakes".

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 TBS baking powder
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs, separated
milk

Melt butter in a large fry pan and set aside. Beat egg whites to form stiff peaks; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder. Beat in egg yolks, melted butter, and enough milk to form a consistency of very thick pancake batter. Finally, fold in whipped egg whites and pour into the hot fry pan with melted butter. Cook like scrambled eggs, turning and breaking the mixture as it cooks. Serve with syrup, fruit, milk or just as-is.
We have also had success with whole wheat flour; it adds a deliciously nutty taste.

Amish Oatmeal

I can no longer find the original recipe for Amish Oatmeal. However, I remember that the first attempts had extravagant amounts of sugar and butter. No wonder it tasted so good! This version is the one that we often use now and it still tastes great. We love it served with yogurt or milk and fresh or dried fruit.
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, this is a great way to start the day!

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup applesauce
3 eggs
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix liquids in a separate bowl: milk, honey (if not using sugar), applesauce, eggs. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix in the melted butter. Spoon the thick mixture into a buttered 10x14 casserole dish, or several smaller dishes. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot or cold for a great breakfast cereal.
This recipe freezes very well. I like to make it once and serve it multiple times. It's also great to feed a crowd.
Another delicious option is to add fresh, diced apples, frozen blueberries or chopped nuts to the mixture before it is baked.

Pretzel Salad

Layer # 1

3 cup crushed pretzels

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c melted butter

bake 10 min at 350 degrees

Seal the pretzels completly with this 2nd layer (if you don't the pretzels get soggy) but don't do it until pretzels have completely cooled or everything melts

Layer #2

8 oz cream cheese

12 oz cool whip

1/2 cup sugar

Layer # 3

6 oz strawberry jello

20 oz frozen strawberries

2 c boiling water

mix until dissolved

Cool in refrigerator

Stuffed Bell Peppers

This a spin off another recipe I found that used bulgur. Couldn't find bulgur but I did have a box of parmesan couscous that needed used up... so this is a recipe that lends itself to impromptu variations of whatever is on hand!

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1 chopped up and cooked onion
• 1 box cooked parmesan couscous
• some cooked ground up turkey
• a handful dried cranberries
• a bit of monterey jack cheese

Mix together the filling ingredients (like I said, this recipe works with basically whatever as you can tell by my precise measurements). Stuff filling inside 4 green bell peppers, the tops cut off , seeds and ribs removed (think mini jack-o-lanterns and you've got it made - adding a notch in the "lid" makes it easier to line up when cooking too). After they're stuffed, set them in a pot with about a cup of water on the bottom. Bring water to a boil, then cover the pot and let simmer for 5-10 minutes until peppers are tender-crisp and filling is warmed through.

P.S. We had extra filling leftover, but its great eating just by itself. Or just cut up some more peppers later.

P.P.S. No photo since I just ate the last one for lunch. :)

Lemon Chicken Soup

The inspiration for this one came from watching Giada De Laurenttis on the Food Network Channel. She made a lemon chicken soup with carrots and parsley, but I had loftier ideas for lemon chicken soup, so I like to think of this one as a Jesse original. This recipe makes four generous portions.

• 6 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
• Juice of 4 lemons*
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 oz spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, add chicken broth, lemon juice, and bay leaves. On med/high heat, add whole chicken breasts and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from the pot and add the spaghetti. Using two forks, shred the chicken while the spaghetti cooks 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken back in when the pasta is tender. Stir in basil and spinach and cook just until spinach is wilted. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

I don't usually poach chicken, but in the chicken stock and lemon juice, it becomes super moist and savory. This recipe is quick, easy, and healthy. Try it, love it, then tell me how brilliant I am. ;)

*I like LEMON chicken soup. If you're not that into the lemon flavor, I'd just go with a couple lemons.

Black Beans and Rice

This is our favorite beans and rice recipe. It's one I've gradually modified from a Food Network recipe. It's best served with roasted chicken and mole.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup diced green chillies (preferably New Mexican)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 1 cup white rice*
• 2 cups black beans, drained
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes (preferably homegrown)
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Heat oil in a pot over medium/high heat and stir in chillies, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and cumin. Stir and cook about 8 minutes.

Stir in rice, black beans, tomatoes, water, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Cook for about 40 minutes or until rice is tender.

*I always try to make this with brown rice. Don't! Brown rice takes waaaay too long to cook. If you want to use brown rice, I recommend cooking it separately and adding it into the dish towards the end.