Chocolate Banana Bread

As much as I'd like for this to be justified as breakfast, a giant slice with a huge cup of coffee, Tyler Florence plants this firmly in the dessert category in his book, Tyler's Ultimate. It's true. The ingredients are mixed together like a cake, it comes together like a cake, it's scrumptious like a cake.

Breakfast? Dessert?

I'm not one to care too much about labels. Unless that label is totally delicious.

Chocolate Banana Bread

from Tyler's Ultimate

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted (I use chocolate chips, and I don't melt them all the way, leaving some chips whole.)
2 eggs at room temperature
1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9×5-inch loaf pan. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in large bowl.

Beat butter in a large bowl at medium speed until lightened. Beat in chocolate, eggs, bananas and vanilla at low speed. Stir in flour mixture, just until combined. Pour into pan.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. 

Lasagna with Meatballs

I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of ricotta cheese. So my favorite lasagnas do not include it. This is by far the favorite lasagna (besides Victoria's in Norman, OBVIOUSLY) of all my picky eaters. It's a time-consuming dish to make, yes, but this one is worth it! 

Lasagna with Meatballs
from America's Test Kitchen : '09

for meatballs and sauce:
1 lb ground beef
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup minced basil or parsley (or a combination of both)
3 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes

for noodles and cheese:
12 dried lasagna noodles
1 lb whole-milk mozzarella, shredded
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450. Mix meatballs- ground beef, cheese, breadcrumbs, eggs, and up to 5 tbs basil, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Roll into 1 tsp sized meatballs. Place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, gently heat garlic and olive oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add tomatoes, cook 10-15 minutes. Off the heat, add 3 tbs basil, season with salt and pepper. Stir meatballs into sauce and cover to keep warm.
Lower oven temperature to 400.
Boil pasta. Drain and cool under water.
Spray a 9*13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Ladle 3 tbs sauce on the bottom. Top with 3 noodles, then 1 1/2 cups sauce/meatballs, then 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat with 2 more layers. On the fourth and final layer, cover pasta with 1 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.
You can also cover well (before baking) and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.

Pizza (or anything!) Rolls

Remember those delicious little Garlic Knots I came up with? I've become a bit obsessed with them, but my kids aren't complaining. I love to make them for a quick bread to go with dinner, but lately I've been stuffing them with various ingredients and giving them to the kids for lunch.
Again, no complaints. Except that time I used spinach. (I ended up eating those, of course.)

Pizza (or anything!) Rolls

1 pizza crust (homemade or store bought)

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

ham, pepperoni, chopped fresh spinach, etc.
1/2 stick butter, melted
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a standard sized muffin tin with cooking spray. Tear the pizza dough into 12 pieces and flatten each piece into a circle. Stuff with cheese, pepperoni, ham, spinach, etc. Pinch the dough together to completely cover the ingredients. Place roll, seam side down, in the muffin tin. Top generously with melted butter. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. 

Best Drop Biscuits

If you're a biscuit lover, like every single member of my family, please step away from the can right now. I promise you, these are the easiest and most delicious biscuits, and you can have them whipped together in less time than it takes your oven to heat up. (I promise. That's what happened to me this morning.)
These biscuits are unusual in that you use melted butter instead of cold butter that you have to "cut into" the flour. This trick makes them pretty much fool-proof as well as super light and flaky.

Best Drop Biscuits
From Best of America's Test Kitchen- 2009

Makes 12 biscuits

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup cold buttermilk (you can make buttermilk by combining whole milk with a splash of lemon juice or white vinegar, which is what I almost always do.)
1 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes)

Preheat oven to 475. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the dry ingredients- the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine completely, being careful not to over-mix.
Using a 1/4 cup measure (or large ice cream scoop), scoop out the batter onto a greased or lined cookie sheet. Bake biscuits 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden. If desired, brush with melted butter when you remove them from the oven.

Shredded Beef Taquitos

Back when I used to watch Glee, there was an episode about "mash-ups;" two songs put together to make a new song. Consider this your recipe mash-up. It's a keeper.

Shredded Beef Taquitos
makes 20, or more

20 small flour tortillas
1 recipe- Ridiculously Easy Shredded Beef (see below)
grated pepper jack cheese
canola or olive oil

Ridiculously Easy (and versatile!) Shredded Beef

2 pounds cubed chuck meat for stew
salt and pepper
1/2 cup barbecue sauce- the finished product did not end up tasting overwhelmingly like barbecue
1/2 cup water

Combine ingredients in crock-pot. Cover and cook on high 4 hours, until tender when pierced with a fork.
After 4 hours, remove meat from crock-pot with a slotted spoon. Add to the bowl of a Kitchen-Aid mixer fitted with the paddle. Mix on low speed until meat is shredded.

For taquitos: 
Heat tortillas in microwave in batches of 4 or 5, for 30-40 seconds.
When all tortillas are warmed, start assembling. Spread about 1 tbs. of shredded beef onto tortillas, top with about 2 tsp. of cheese. Roll up, place seam side down on baking sheet. Repeat until all the tortillas are filled.
Bake 15-18 minutes at 425, or until browned and crispy.
Serve with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

Bacon (or Sausage), Egg, and Cheese Muffins

Early last Sunday morning, I was serving breakfast to the 14 people who make up our church Leadership Team. So Saturday evening, I was preparing said breakfast, so that I didn't have to wake up any earlier than necessary. I was bringing yogurt, granola, and fruit to make parfaits, muffins, and mini-donuts for any kids who might be there, but I knew that if it were me, I would want something savory and something substantial. I'm not a huge breakfast casserole fan, plus they take forever to cook, so I ruled that out. I finally landed upon the best solution: a riff on the Sausage Biscuit Things that my boys always loved.
On Saturday, I fried bacon, browned sausage, and scrambled eggs. I had stumbled upon the most awesome creation ever, crescent roll sheets. Have you seen these? A thing of beauty, I tell you. They made this breakfast almost too easy.

Bacon (or Sausage), Egg, and Cheese Muffins

2 packages crescent dough sheets

4-5 slices bacon, cut into small pieces, fried to crispy perfection

1/2 pound breakfast sausage, fully cooked

6 eggs, scrambled

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Spray 2 standard sized muffin tins with non-stick spray. Onto a lightly floured surface, or a plastic cutting board, unroll one package of crescent dough. Distribute half of the scrambled eggs evenly across the dough, then the bacon, then 1/2 cup cheese. Roll up the dough "jelly-roll" style. Cut the log in half, then half again, and into 12 equal pieces. Place 1 piece in each section of the muffin tin. 

Repeat the process with the remaining dough, using the breakfast sausage, remaining eggs, and remaining cheese. (If making these ahead, simply cover the pans with plastic wrap or foil, park them in the fridge overnight, and bake them the next morning!)

Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. 

Garlic Knots

We had some delightful friends over for pizza last week. I used Pioneer Woman's crust this time around, as opposed to my old standby. PW's was delicious, and probably my new go-to. I doubled the recipe, and got 4 crusts out of the dough. However, I guess I was a bit too generous (if there is such a thing) with the cheese, because I ran out after topping 3 pizzas. So I stuck the last of the dough in the freezer to use another day. Well, "another day" became the next day, when I thawed the dough out and made these garlic knots (so called because they are similar to the garlic knots we've had from a pizza place in my in-laws town) to serve with spaghetti.
They got rave reviews. They might just be an excuse for making extra pizza dough next time.

Garlic Knots

1 pizza crust (homemade or store bought)

1/2 stick butter, melted

garlic salt, to taste

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a standard sized muffin tin with cooking spray. Tear the pizza dough into pieces and place in the muffin tin, using 2-3 pieces in each cup. Top generously with melted butter, sprinkle with garlic salt to taste. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Top with additional melted butter when they come out of the oven. 

Go-to Chocolate Cake

My oldest turns 7 tomorrow. We celebrated with his grandparent's over the weekend, and I made the cake for which he drew me blueprints. As is the case with most of my cakes, this one didn't look good but it tasted good. The red icing bled during the 1 hour drive to the grandparent's house.

I've used this recipe for cupcakes in the past, but my son requested a cake this year, and the recipe has an option for that. This is the only chocolate cake I will ever make. It's ideal in every way- rich, chocolaty, never dry. Your search is over, this is the perfect chocolate cake.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

makes 2 dozen cupcakes, or a 13*9 inch cake, or a 2 layer cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 large whole eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1/2 cups plus 2 tbs vegetable oil

1 1/4 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups warm water

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare your pan, depending on which cake you are making: Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Or spray a 13*9 inch pan with cooking spray. Or spray two 8*2 inch round cake pans liberally with cooking spray, line bottoms with parchment paper; spray parchment. 

Into the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; add the egg and yolk, the milk, oil, vanilla, and warm water. Beat on low speed until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Or pour into prepared 13*9 inch pan. Or divide evenly into two round cake pans. 

For cupcakes, bake 20-25 minutes, rotating pans half-way through cooking time. 

For 13*9 inch cake, bake 45-50 minutes.

For round layer cake, bake 45 minutes, rotating pans half-way through cooking time. 

Cool cake on a wire rack before frosting with your favorite frosting. (I'll share my favorite tomorrow!)

Maple-Oatmeal Scones

I've been disappointed in my "famous" scones as of late. People ask me to make them for an event and I am almost ashamed to bring them! I haven't heard any complaints, but I know that they should and could be better. So when a friend asked me to make some last week, I decided to try a new recipe. Actually, I had made these once before and remembered loving them.
The great thing about these scones is their texture. Where as the others are more like a biscuit, these scones are cakey, like those scones that we all love from Starbucks. It's Ina's addition of eggs to the scone dough. I plan to experiment with my go-to scones and see if I can improve upon them. Until then, these are a delicious change.

Maple-Oatmeal Scones
from Ina GartenI usually make a half recipe and get 8 triangle scones out of the dough.


For the Scones:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg wash

For the Glaze:
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup and eggs and add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky.

Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1 inch thick. (I roll the dough into a round and cut it into triangles.) You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of the glaze. I like to sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, for garnish. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.

Mondays With Mom- The Weekly Shake and Bake

My Mom always had to work, but she always took a job that would allow her to be home when my sister and I got out of school. For a few years, she even worked in the cafeteria of my elementary school. I was never embarrassed to see her there, in her hairnet. She was hilarious and all my friends loved her. It wasn't until a sociology class in college, while researching my family's educational history, that I learned that my mom had two master's degrees and was pretty wicked smaht. She had been an educator most of her life, so slopping mashed potatoes on an endless line of plastic trays was a truly sacrificial move on her part.

Throughout my childhood, in the mornings, mom would grab some kind of meat out of the deep freezer and set in the sink to thaw throughout the day. Not in a sink filled with cold water, just the sink. When I commented on this when I became an adult who cooked and who knew that this really wasn't a safe way to thaw out meat, she responded, "Nothing bad ever happened, right?"
I don't remember a lot of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which are a staple in my house today. I remember a lot of pork chops. I'm sure they were a cheaper option. If there were pork chops in the sink, you could count on one thing for supper- Shake and Bake. I loved Shake and Bake nights, because of course, I helped!

These days, I still rely heavily on a weekly dose of "shake and bake" chicken. 25 minutes in the oven, a side of brown rice and some veggies? Done. And everyone loves it. Growing up, the cast of characters would have included a bag of Lipton Rice and a salad. There was always salad on the table. 

Crispy Rosemary Chicken is my go-to version of mom's weekly favorite. It requires little more effort than the boxed variety and it tastes infinitely better. This meal has completely taken the place of Parmesan Chicken as my family's favorite meal.  

I think mom would have loved it. I'm willing to bet your family will, as well. 

Shortbread Cookies

Sometimes, you just need to bake cookies.
And sometimes, you just need to bake cookies and you don't have any eggs.
And that, friends, is why God gave us shortbread. A buttery, slightly sweet, flaky little morsel of goodness.  I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure these bad boys would be delightful with some Nutella sandwiched in between.

Shortbread Cookies
from Ina Garten

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt; then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and roll shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Place the hearts on an ungreased sheet pan and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Note: The edges of the shortbread are ever so slightly sharper if you chill the cookies before baking them. I cut out the cookies days ahead and bake them the day I serve them.

Roasted Sausages and Vegetables

AKA- The night that Facebook saved dinner.

I bought some Italian sausage because it was on sale and I had a coupon which doubled. Cheap dinner is always a good idea. I usually use it to jazz up our standard cheese pizza, but I didn't want to walk back over to the opposite side of the grocery store to get mozzarella cheese. So last night, the sausage was staring me in the face, taunting my nearly empty fridge and cabinets. I turned to my friends on Facebook for inspiration. What we hit on was, in a word, success. An easy, delicious, success. You can basically throw whatever you have in here and it will probably taste pretty darn good.

Roasted Sausages and Vegetables

1 package Italian sausage links, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 russet potato, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large carrots, peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
fresh rosemary or thyme, if you have any- I had rosemary

Preheat oven to 400. In a baking dish or on a large baking sheet, toss together the vegetables with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place the sausage pieces on top, along with 3 sprigs of rosemary (I didn't even strip the leaves off the stems- just threw the whole thing in there!). Roast for 30 minutes, stirring everything about half way through the cooking time, until the sausage is cooked through, the veggies are softened and starting to caramelize beautifully.
Serve with Easy French Bread.

Veggie Spaghetti

My kids LOVE Daniel Tiger. Perhaps I should be able to appreciate him a bit more, as I did grow up on Mr. Roger's, but I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Daniel. (Mostly hate.) For the most part, the show annoys me. The songs are so catchy, I sometimes find myself singing them in the middle of the night. But I have Daniel to thank for one of my kids most requested meals- Veggie Spaghetti. "You've got to try new food, cause it might taste good!"  That's the song my boys sing to one another on a regular basis. And this Veggie Spaghetti has them eating more vegetables in one meal (and without complaint) than anything else I've ever tried.  Sing on, Daniel. Sing on. 

Veggie Spaghetti

1 box whole wheat pasta
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into pieces
1 stalk celery, cut into pieces
1/2 cup fresh spinach
3/4 - 1 lb ground beef
2 tbs tomato paste
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp dried basil

Put a big old pot of water on to boil for your pasta.
Place 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. In a food processor (I only have a mini-chopper, and it works fine. Sometimes I have to do this in batches.), combine garlic, onion, carrot, celery, and spinach. Pulse until everything is finely minced. Add mixture to the pan with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste and let the veggies soften, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef, season again with salt and pepper and cook until meat is no longer pink- 7-10 minutes. When meat is browned, add the tomato paste and stir to distribute it. Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, and dried herbs. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat while the pasta cooks- about 10-15 minutes.
Drain the pasta, top with the veggie-fied sauce and parmesan cheese.
Serve with the world's best French Bread.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

These little beauties are a favorite around here. Chocolate and peppermint? Match.made.in.heaven.

My husband started his own physical therapy practice last year, and he regularly delivers a batch of these cookies to doctor's offices...to sweeten them up. If I were a doctor and someone delivered these to me, I would send all of my patients to him. 

Chocolate Mint Cookies
adapted from McCormick

2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Peppermint Extract
6 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped (or 1/2 bag chocolate chips)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in chocolate and walnuts.

Drop by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets sprayed with no stick cooking spray.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or just until cookies are set. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Nacho Spuds

I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe already. I've been making it for years and it's a firm family favorite. 

I also can't believe that, for the second year in a row, I succumbed to serving heart-shaped food for dinner on Valentine's Day.

Nacho Spuds
from Rachel Ray

2 large baking potatoes (1-1/2 pounds total), sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound lean ground beef sirloin (Omit this and you have a really tasty vegetarian dinner.)
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (I make my own- chili powder, cumin, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder)
1 8 ounce package shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
Sour cream and shredded lettuce, for serving

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees . On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the beans, taco seasoning and 2 tablespoons water. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring, until heated through, about 10 minutes.  (Because of my picky eaters, I don't add the beans to the meat mixture. I just top half the potatoes with meat and half with meat and beans.)
Transfer the potatoes to an ovenproof platter. Sprinkle half of the cheddar on top, spoon on the meat mixture, then top with the tomatoes and remaining cheddar. Place in the oven and turn off the heat. Let stand until the cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the sour cream and lettuce.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I came across this cookie recipe about a year ago but never made them until last night, when I took them to our small group. They were a hit with everyone (except my husband!) and I'll definitely make them again. Leslie mentioned adding oats to the original recipe, which I tried and heartily recommend. Pumpkin cookies are soft and cakey, and the oats keep them from absolutely falling apart. 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Leslie @ Cake and Cotton

makes 2 dozen large cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour
1 cup old fashioned oats

1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 bag (6 oz) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a stand mixer (or a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer), cream the butter and sugar together until creamy and light, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, pumpkin, and vanilla and mix well.  In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk together well.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Add chocolate chips and mix well. 

If making large cookies (with a large ice cream scoop, or about 3 tbs each), place 6 at a time on a cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, until lightly browned. 

Easiest French Bread Ever

A sweet friend makes the world's best French bread. She brought it to me after my third child was born and I immediately hit her up for the recipe. It is so easy, so delicious, and (almost) completely fool proof. I say almost because I made it for dinner a few weeks ago when we had friends over and the bread didn't rise very well. Fickle yeast.
Just this week, I decided very late in the day that I wanted to make this bread to go with dinner. I started the process at 4:50 PM and we ate it with dinner at 6:30 PM. Seriously. Homemade bread in that amount of time? Sign me up.

Janna's French Bread

makes 1 large loaf or 2 smaller loaves

3 1/2 cups flour- I consistently have the best results with bread flour, but you can use all-purpose flour or a combo of AP and whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs olive oil

1 1/4 cups warm water (as hot as the tap will go)

1 package of active-dry yeast

1 tbs sugar

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and oil. In a large measuring cup, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Set it aside to get foamy and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. (You can also do this in your stand mixer.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes, until smooth.  Return the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 375. Punch down the dough and shape into loaves (however many you're making. We prefer 1 big one). Place on a baking sheet and bake 25-30 minutes, until beautifully browned on top and sounds hollow when tapped. Let rest about 5-10 minutes before slicing and devouring. 

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I get pretty excited when I discover something that I can make from scratch instead of buying premade. However, so often the excitement is short-lived because the time required is too great to justify it. Case(s) in point- homemade noodles, homemade sandwich bread.  Maybe some day. Not right now. 

However, these flour tortillas are super simple and super delicious. So much so that I find it very hard to justify buying a package of them- complete with 12 or 15 ingredients.  The secret is to roll them out as thinly as you possibly can. And I have the best results when I use a large nonstick skillet. 

Homemade Flour Tortillas
from Joy of Cooking

2 cups bread flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening or lard
3/4 cup hot (115-130 degrees) water- I just let the tap get as hot as it can.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Mix by hand or on low speed until the dough comes together. Knead by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until smooth, 4-6 minutes.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll them into balls. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Roll out each ball of dough into a 6-8 inch round about 1/8 inch thick. If the dough is resistant, move to the next piece and return later to finish rolling.
Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Slide the tortillas into the skillet one by one, cooking until brown spots appear, about 30 seconds on the first side, 15 seconds once flipped. Cover the cooked tortillas to keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve warm.

Picky-Eater Approved

Ridiculously Easy Shredded Beef

The meat was thawed, but I just wasn't motivated to make our favorite Beef Stew. So I threw it in the crock-pot at around 2:00. By 6:30, we were all devouring the easiest, most mindless after-thought of a dinner ever. 

Ridiculously Easy (and versatile!) Shredded Beef

2 pounds cubed chuck meat for stew
salt and pepper
1/2 cup barbecue sauce- the finished product did not end up tasting overwhelmingly like barbecue
1/2 cup water

Combine ingredients in crock-pot. Cover and cook on high 4 hours, until tender when pierced with a fork.
After 4 hours, remove meat from crock-pot with a slotted spoon. Add to the bowl of a Kitchen-Aid mixer fitted with the paddle. Mix on low speed until meat is shredded.

Serving ideas-
*Scoop into a hot dog or hamburger bun. Top with more barbecue sauce, ketchup, or mustard.
*Use for a taco or taquito filling, or top nachos with it!- I used it for nachos at lunch today and will definitely try it in taquitos soon!
*Stuff a baked potato with the shredded beef and top with cheese! YUM.

Beef Minestrone--AKA Spaghetti Soup

My dear friend Rachel brought me Minestrone a couple of weeks ago. I had three sick children, all down with the stomach bug, and one who had just been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  It was a rough week. She brought her favorite soup for our family and I unashamedly admit that I ate every single spoonful myself.  I still need to get her recipe, but last night I made Giada's version, which I've wanted to try for a while. A few tweaks to make it to our liking and we've got another delicious soup in our rotation. 

Beef Minestrone--AKA Spaghetti Soup (whatever makes it more kid-friendly, right?)

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 rib celery, trimmed and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces lean (8 percent fat) ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4-6 cups low-sodium beef broth--I used homemade chicken stock- (if you use pasta, like I do, it will thicken the soup. Use more broth if you want it soupier.)
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes--I used crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup small cut pasta- elbows, penne, rotini, etc.
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add the oil and heat over medium heat. Stir in the onion, carrot and celery and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add the ground beef and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and mix to combine. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add 1/2 cup pasta, if using. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced and pasta is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan.