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. 

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.

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!)

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. 

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.

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. 

My "Super Secret" Scones

I'm becoming known for my scone.  I made scones for the first time about a year and a half ago, for a friend's baby shower. They were a huge hit (hint, they included chocolate) and I've perfected them since then.  One family in my church, in particular, spreads the word about my scones whenever they can. If you've only had dry scones in your lifetime, try my "super secret" secrets and let me know if they convert you.

"Super Secret" Buttermilk Scones

adapted from M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tsp orange or lemon zest (optional)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon heavy cream, for brushing

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Optional Glaze:
1/2 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
about 1/4 cup fresh orange or lemon juice

Combine powdered sugar and juice in a small bowl. Whisk well to blend. Add more powdered sugar if consistency is too runny- you want the glaze to be somewhat runny but not watery.  Drizzle over, spread on, or dunk slightly cooled scones in the glaze.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and zest (if using) in a large bowl. Add butter and mix with your fingertips to a coarse meal. Add 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (and chocolate chips, if using) and mix just until combined. If the dough looks dry, add more buttermilk, up to 1/4 cup more. (This is the secret, friends! Add more liquid!)

Transfer dough to a floured board and divide into 2 parts. Wrap each dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.  Roll or pat each gently to 3/4 inch thick rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges (I like slicing it like a pizza, but you could do squares, circles, whatever!) and place slightly separated on a greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with the cream, and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm, split in half with butter and marmalade. 

My absolute favorite combination is an orange scone with raspberry jelly.  YUM.

Mom's Broccoli-Rice Casserole

My Thanksgiving plate would not be complete without this dish. My mom always made it and, now that she's gone, I have taken the torch. No one in my family loves it as much as she and I, but that never stopped us from making the entire recipe every year.
While some of the ingredients are not found in my pantry at any other time during the year, I often make an exception, since it's a very special occasion.  This year, however, I tweaked things a bit for my own peace of mind (and to avoid paying $6 for a jar of Cheese Whiz!).
What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish?  Share it in the comments!

Mom's Broccoli-Rice Casserole

1 package frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup instant rice (1 1/2 cups cooked)--This year, I used 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice.
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
8 oz jar Cheese Whiz (you read that right)--This year, I used this cheese-sauce recipe.
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup--I know you can make this from scratch, but I didn't. 


Preheat oven to 350. Bring broccoli and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil for 6 minutes, add the rice and turn off the heat. (If you're using already cooked rice, just add it to the dish with everything else.) Set aside while you saute onion and celery in the butter until soft- about 10 minutes. Add the vegetables, the broccoli and rice to a large bowl. Add the Cheese Whiz and soup and mix well. Pour into a 9*13 casserole dish. Bake 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and lightly golden brown on top.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles

Chicken Noodle Soup is about as basic as it gets, right?  Even the simplest of homemade versions is infinitely superior to anything out of a can.  Even so, I've been bored with mine for a while now.  So to amp it up a bit, I scoured the Internet for a homemade noodle recipe and tried the first one I found.  Egg noodles from a bag will never again float in my chicken noodle soup.  (Well, never say never.  But these are really, really good and well worth the effort.)  

Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles

noodle recipe adapted from eHow

For noodles:

2 large eggs

4 tbs heavy cream (I used half and half- I'm sure you can use whole milk and they'll be fine)

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, then slowly add the cream and salt.  Add flour to the egg mixture, about half a cup at a time.  Blend well with a fork or pastry cutter.  Continue to mix with a fork or by hand until smooth.  On a floured surface, divide the dough into two balls.  Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is as thin as possible.  

Slice dough into thin strips, using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife.  Cut those strips into 2 inch lengths.  Place the dough strips on wax paper.  Allow to dry at room temperature for 30 minutes.  (Don't do what I did and assume they'll be fine if they overlap a bit.  They won't.  They'll stick together and you'll lose quite a few noodles this way.)

For the soup:
12 cups chicken stock- preferably homemade (I only had 8 cups so I used 4 cups of water and added more salt and pepper to the end result)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 dry bay leaf
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
parsley to finish, if your family doesn't scream at the sight of green things in their soup

In your biggest pot, heat 2 tbs olive oil over medium-low.  Add carrots and celery and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add chicken stock and bay leaf and raise heat to medium-high.  Bring to a boil.  Add noodles to the boiling broth and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.  Add chicken and warm through, about 2 minutes more.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove bay leaf. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

(My soup pictured above is obviously veggie-free, simply because my house was veggie-free that day.  Even so, that bowl of chicken, broth, and homemade noodles is probably the best bowl of soup I've ever had.)  

Crispy Rosemary Chicken

These simple baked chicken thighs are becoming a staple in our house and are almost always met with the same reaction from the husband, "Is that Shake and Bake?"  While I grew up on a steady diet of Shake and Bake and turned out just fine, I assure you that these little beauties have substantially better flavor and require no more effort than their boxed counterpart.  Try them out and let me know what you think!  And Katherine, I've included the freezer-friendly instructions for you!  

Crispy Rosemary Chicken

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1 large lemon (or 3 tbs red wine vinegar)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
1- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper

In a large baking pan or a ziploc bag, combine olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Stir together and mix well.  Add chicken thighs and let marinate 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 2 hours in the fridge.  Preheat oven to 375.  Pour the breadcrumbs onto a plate and season with salt and pepper.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and coat both sides in the breadcrumbs.  **At this point, you can move the chicken to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and move the whole thing to the freezer.  Allow the chicken to freeze completely on the rack, about 3-4 hours.  After that time, remove the chicken and place in a clean ziploc bag and stash in the freezer for dinner another night!**
Place chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet.   Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through and gorgeously brown and crunchy.
**If baking from frozen, simply up the cooking time by about 10-15 minutes!**

Granola

Besides the great friendships I formed, my favorite thing about the college I attended my freshman and sophomore years was the cafeteria.  My BFF and I love food, and we never complained about the options available.  It was in college that I learned to love granola, though never as a breakfast cereal.  It was often dessert.  I would melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in the microwave and then toss it with granola.  Alongside a big glass of milk, I was in heaven.  

These days, granola is a staple in my house.  I eat it for breakfast (dry), washed down with my coffee.  I use it to make granola bars.  I toss in some chocolate chips and eat it for a late night snack, glass of milk on the side.  You can use any nuts you like, leave them out, chop them up.  Sometimes I toss in raisins, but not often.  The cinnamon and ginger add great flavor and just the tiniest hint of spiciness.  

Granola

adapted from Molly Wizenberg

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup almonds
1-3 tablespoons raw sugar (or brown sugar)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil


Preheat oven to 300°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Place honey and oil in a microwave safe dish and heat until smooth, about 45 seconds. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; toss. Spread on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 35-40 minutes. Place sheet on rack. Stir granola; cool. Store airtight for up to one week.

Honey Cornbread Muffins

I'm an Okie, so I eat a lot of cornbread.  I grew up eating my Grannie's cornbread, made in a cast-iron skillet.  I still love it to this day, but these beauties are the favorites in my house.  My husband loves the crunchy exterior that the muffin pan lends, I love the sweetness of the honey.  I make them a lot in the winter to eat with stew, but they're also perfect with my favorite budget-saving meal (and another childhood favorite), beans and cornbread.  

Honey Cornbread Muffins
from Real Simple Magazine

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted, plus more for the pan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup honey

Heat oven to 375° F. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, honey, and melted butter. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine.
Divide the batter among muffin cups and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes (mine take about 20-23).

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

My friend Sarah makes the best chocolate zucchini bread ever.  She shared it with my sister a few years ago and I've been making it ever since.  My sister is allergic to dairy, so if I'm making it for her, I use oil instead of butter.  However you make it, it's delicious!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

½ cup canola oil or butter (1 stick), room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar (or 1 cup honey)
2 eggs
1 cups shredded zucchini, squeezed of excess water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Cream sugar (or honey) and butter (or oil) – add eggs, then zucchini and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients into wet. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour. Makes 1 loaf.
If using honey, cook at a lower temperature.

Baked Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Maybe, just maybe this will be my last chicken nugget recipe. First there were the buttermilk whole wheat nuggets. Then the lemony chicken nuggets. Now I give you my latest and greatest recipe yet. These are tasty, crispy, and require less baby-sitting than the other two. They're kind of a mash up of my other two recipes and they are my picky-eaters' favorite.

To keep the panko from falling onto the baking sheet and burning during the cook time, I dredge them on the wire rack set over the sink. Brilliant? Sometimes I am.

Also, although they say to never reuse your dredging materials, I almost always have some leftover, and I do save them. *Gasp!* I just label them, stick them in the freezer and ONLY use them for the same application next time.

Baked Crispy Chicken Nuggets

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized nuggets

salt and pepper

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

about 1/4 tsp garlic powder

2-4 tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.
Season nugget pieces with salt and pepper. Place in a large bowl and cover with buttermilk. You can do this a couple of hours ahead of time, if needed. On a plate, season the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Drain the buttermilk from chicken and coat with the breadcrumbs. Place breaded nuggets on a wire rack set over the sink (if possible). Drizzle with olive oil. Place wire rack onto a baking sheet. Bake nuggets 18-20 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown and crunchy.

Hash Brown Waffles

These beauties are such a favorite in our house. I make them whenever we have breakfast for dinner (unless we're having waffles and the iron is already occupied), but they're just a super simple side dish perfect for any night of the week.

Hash Brown Waffles

from Cooking for Isaiah

3 yukon gold potatoes (or russets, or sweet potatoes, etc)- peeled, grated, and wrung dry

1 tbs olive oil

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Combine ingredients in large bowl. Preheat waffle iron to med-high. Grease or spray with cooking spray. Mound 1/2 cup of potatoes into waffle iron. Cook about 10 mins.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Here's another recipe for you that has literally changed our lives. Ok, that's a bit dramatic, but no less true. I haven't had to buy granola bars in probably 3 months. My boys love these, and even my husband snacks on them. (The same could not be said about the store-bought variety.)

The greatest thing about these is how much you can control the flavors and sweetness. The texture is great- most of the other granola bars I made at home came out cakey, which made them much less transportable. These are great to grab and go.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

adapted from Back to the Cutting Board (check out the notes above the recipe, especially about adjusting the amount of brown sugar you use)

Notes from my kitchen:

* I start by making my own granola, a very simplified version of this recipe.

* The best batch I've made (pictured above), used a combination of raw (turbinado) sugar, and brown sugar.

*You can use rice krispies for your puffed cereal, but I found this at our health food store and we love it!

Sweet Potato Spice Muffins

We just can't get enough of these muffins around here. While I realize they're pumped full of sugar, my boys are also getting whole grains, flaxseeds (which have tons of Omega-3's) and sweet potatoes in these little beauties. They've quickly become a favorite among my picky eaters.

(They like to think they're good to dunk in hot chocolate. I leave that up to you)

Sweet Potato Spice Muffins

adapted from Joy of Cooking

2 cups all purpose flour (I use half AP flour, half whole wheat)

1 tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp ground flaxseed, if you have it

2 large eggs

1 cup milk or cream

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup cold mashed sweet potatoes (I bake them to use for this recipe, but you could use canned or baby food!)

1/2 cup butter, melted (or 1/2 cup canola oil)

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400. In large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add to the flour mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until combined. Do not over mix. Divide among lined or sprayed muffin cups. Bake about 17 minutes (shorten your cooking time if making mini-muffins). Let cool 2-3 minutes before removing from the pan.

Basic Cheese Pizza

So when it's time to make the boys a pizza, I keep it simple but try to use good ingredients so that they will always like my pizza better than any we could buy. :) The best way to do this is to use fresh mozzarella cheese. Once I started doing that as opposed to using the pre-shredded kind, my pizzas were taken to another level.

The other thing that made a huge difference in taste was cooking at a really high temperature. I was scared at first, but it's needed! Just make sure your oven is clean so you don't make your entire house smoky.

Basic Cheese Pizza

1 recipe basic pizza dough

1 recipe basic tomato sauce

fresh mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced thinly

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

cornmeal for the pan, optional

Preheat oven to 500. Sprinkle a handful of cornmeal on baking sheet. Roll out pizza dough on a lightly floured surface as thinly as possible without tearing it. Place on baking sheet. Spread tomato sauce as liberally as you please. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired, for flavor and color. Bake about 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and golden and crust is lightly golden. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.