Blueberry Breakfast Cake

One of my favorites for breakfast and snacking!

Ingredients:

-2 cups flour

-1 cup sugar

-3 tsp. baking powder

-1 tsp. salt

-⅓ cup butter, softened

-1 cup milk

-1 egg

-1 cup blueberries

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat all ingredients, except blueberries, in a large bowl on a low speed for 30 seconds. Then beat on a medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Grease a 9x13 pan. Spread half the batter in the pan. Sprinkle one cup of blueberries over batter, then top with the rest of the batter. Add streusel topping below, then bake in oven for 40 minutes.

Streusel:

-½ cups pecans, chopped

-⅓ cup brown sugar

-¼ cup flour

-½ tsp. cinnamon

-3 tsp. butter

-Mix all ingredients together until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of cake.

Glaze:

-1 cup powdered Sugar

-2 Tbs. milk

-¼ tsp. vanilla

-Combine all ingredients, drizzle over top of cake. 

Chicken Cacciatore

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound Pasta Or Egg Noodles
• 8 whole Chicken Thighs, Skin On (can Use Any Whole Piece Chicken)
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• ½ cups All-purpose Flour
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Halved And Sliced
• 2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced (not Too Thin)
• 2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced (not Too Thin)
• 5 cloves Garlic, Diced
• 12 ounces, weight Mushrooms (white Or Crimini), Sliced
• ½ teaspoons Ground Thyme
• ¼ teaspoons Turmeric
• ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
• Red Pepper Flakes, Crushed, To Taste (optional)
• ¾ cups White Grape Juice
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Or Diced Tomatoes (with Their Juice)
• Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
• Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling

Preparation Instructions

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
-Cook pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook! Drain and set aside.
-Salt and pepper both sides of the pieces of chicken. Dredge chicken in flour. Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin down in pan, four pieces at a time. Brown chicken on both sides, then remove to a clean plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Pour off half the fat in the pan and discard.
-Add sliced onions and peppers, as well as the garlic. Stir around for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and stir around for 1 minute. Add thyme, turmeric, and salt. (And crushed red pepper flakes if you like things a little spicy.) Add extra black pepper to taste. Stir, then pour in juice. Allow to bubble.
-Pour in canned tomatoes and stir to combine. Add chicken back into the pan, skin side up, without totally submerging the chicken. Place lid on the pot and put it into the oven for 45 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to 375 degrees. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.
-Remove pan from the oven. Remove chicken from the pot and place it on a plate. Remove vegetables from pot and place them on a plate. Return pot to burner and turn heat to medium high. Cook and reduce sauce for a couple of minutes.
-Pour cooked, drained noodles on a large platter or in a big serving bowl. Add vegetables all over the top, then place chicken pieces on top of the vegetables. Spoon juices from the pot over the chicken and pasta (amount to taste.)
-Before serving, sprinkle on chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan.

Halibut Tacos with Honey-Cumin Cilantro Slaw and Chipotle Mayo

Ingredients:

-1 lb. halibut fillet, cut into chunks

-½ cup fresh lime juice

-⅓ cup fresh lime juice

-2 Tbs. honey

-1 Tbs. vegetable oil

-1 tsp. cumin

-½ cup mayonnaise

-1 tsp. adobo sauce with ½ pepper

-¼ tsp. salt

-⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper

-⅓ cup flour

-2 eggs, lightly beaten

-2 cups panko crumbs

-1 cup vegetable oil

-2 cups coleslaw (napa cabbage, 

red cabbage, carrots, all shredded)

-1 tsp. minced cilantro

-4 flour tortillas, warmed

-Place the halibut chunks in a flat dish and pour ½ cup lime juice over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

-Meanwhile, make the honey-cumin sauce by whisking together ⅓ cup lime juice, honey, vegetable oil, and cumin in a small bowl. Set aside until needed.

-To make the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, place the mayonnaise, adobo sauce, salt, and cayenne pepper together in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

-To bread the fish, place the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs in three separate shallow dishes. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Dip the fish pieces first in the flour, coating evenly, and shaking off any excess. Dip next in the eggs, and last in the panko crumbs, patting the pieces to help the crumbs hold. Set the fish aside on a plate. 

-To cook the breaded fish, pour 1 cup vegetable oil into a skillet to ¼ inch deep. Heat the oil to 365 degrees over medium heat. Cook the fish, turning until all sides are golden brown, and flesh is easily flaked with a fork. Drain on paper towels. Brush the fish with the honey-cumin sauce. 

-Mix the coleslaw and cilantro together in a bowl. Reserve ¼ cup of the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, and pour the remaining dressing over the coleslaw mixture. Toss to coat evenly with the dressing. 

-Place the tortillas on a flat surface and spread each with 1 Tbs. reserved chipotle mayonnaise dressing. Divide the fish between the tortillas. Top with the cilantro coleslaw. 

Beef Marinade

Ingredients:

-1 cup soy sauce

-1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

-2 Tbs. brown sugar

-1/2 tsp. ground ginger

-4 garlic cloves, minced

-Mix ingredients in a bag with beef; marinate for 1 1/2 hours

Calico Beans

Ingredients:

-1/2 lb. ground beef
-1 medium onion, chopped fine
-1/2 lb. bacon, cooked, cooled, broken into bite sized pieces, add at the end
-1 qt. can Pork & Beans (Dad uses Bush's baked beans)
-1 can red kidney beans, rinsed 
-1 can butter/lima beans, rinsed
-1/2 cup ketchup
-2 Tbs. vinegar (Dad uses Texas Fig Vinegar)
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup white sugar
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. mustard 

1. Cook bacon, cool and break into bite sized pieces. 
2. Finely chop onion, cook until translucent. Set aside.

3. Brown the ground beef and drain.

4. Rinse and drain the kidney beans and lima beans.

5. Mix in all the ingredients and heat through for about 30 minutes.

Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Bread

This is the mother of the pull-apart bread recipes. It is a must-try!

1 H-Active time

3 H, 45 M-Total time

Makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf

INGREDIENTS

• For the sweet yeast dough
• About 2 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup (2 1/2 fluid ounces) whole milk
• 2 ounces unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• For the lemon paste pie filling
• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)
• 1 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• For the tangy cream cheese icing
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup (1 1/4 ounce) powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

• Make the sweet yeast dough
• 1. Stir together 2 cups (9 ounces) of the flour, the sugar, the yeast, and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter over low heat just until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, add the water, and set aside until warm (120 to 130°F [49 to 54°C]), about 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract.
• 2. Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture and, using a rubber spatula, mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Attach the bowl to the mixer, and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) of the remaining flour, and resume mixing on low speed until the dough is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add 2 more tablespoons flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, about 45 seconds.
• 3. Sprinkle a work surface with 1 tablespoon flour and center the dough on the flour. Knead gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about 1 minute, adding an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons flour only if necessary to lessen the stickiness. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place (about 70°F [21°C]) until doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes. Press the dough gently with a fingertip. If the indentation remains, the dough is ready for the next step. While the dough is rising, make the filling.
• Make the lemon paste filling
• 4. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and the lemon and orange zests. Set the sandy-wet mixture nearby (the sugar draws out moisture from the zests to create the consistency).
• Make the coffee cake
• 5. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Or, lightly coat the pan with nonstick spray.
• 6. Gently deflate the dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 20-by-12-inch rectangle. Using a pastry brush spread the melted butter generously over the dough. Cut the dough crosswise into 5 strips, each about 12 by 4 inches. (A pizza cutter is helpful here.) Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the zest-sugar mixture over one of the buttered rectangles. Top with a second rectangle and sprinkle it with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the zest-sugar mixture. Repeat with the remaining dough rectangles and zest-sugar mixture, ending with a stack of 5 rectangles. Work carefully when adding the crumbly zest filling, or it will fall off when you have to lift the stacked pastry later.
• 7. Slice the stack crosswise through the 5 layers to create 6 equal strips, each about 4 by 2 inches. Fit these layered strips into the prepared loaf pan, cut edges up and side by side. (While there is plenty of space on either side of the 6 strips widthwise in the pan, fitting the strips lengthwise is tight. But that’s fine because the spaces between the dough and the sides of the pan fill in during baking.) Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place (70 °F [21°C]) until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30 to 50 minutes. Press the dough gently with a fingertip. If the indentation remains, the dough is ready for baking.
• 8. Bake the coffee cake until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Make the tangy cream cheese icing
• 9. In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula, vigorously mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the milk and lemon juice until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
• 10. To remove the coffee cake from the pan, tilt and rotate the pan while gently tapping it on a counter to release the cake sides. Invert a wire rack on top of the coffee cake, invert the cake onto the rack, and carefully lift off the pan. Invert another rack on top, invert the cake so it is right side up, and remove the original rack.
• 11. Slip a sheet of waxed paper under the rack to catch any drips from the icing. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the warm cake with the icing to glaze it. (Cover and refrigerate the leftover icing for another use. It will keep for up to 2 days.)
• 12. Serve the coffee cake warm or at room temperature. To serve, you can pull apart the layers, or you can cut the cake into 1-inch-thick slices on a slight diagonal with a long, serrated knife. If you decide to cut the cake, don’t attempt to cut it until it is almost completely cool

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Yield: 2 Loaves

  
 Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/8 cup canola oil
• 2 ½ cup sugar
• 1 ½ cup milk 
• 3 cup flour
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp. almond flavoring
• 1 ½ tsp. butter flavoring
• 1 ½ Tbs. poppy seeds

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Lightly grease two loaf pans
• Beat eggs, oil, and sugar together
• Sift flour, salt, and baking powder. Add alternately with milk to the egg mixture. 
• Add both flavorings and poppy seeds 
• Pour into pans and bake for one hour
• Let cool

Glaze:

*Mix together in this order

• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup orange juice
• ½ tsp. butter flavoring
• ½ tsp. almond flavoring
• ½ tsp. vanilla

*Spoon over cooled bread 

Tropical Muffins

Yield: 1 dozen 

Ingredients:

-1 ⅓ cups flour

-1 cup oats

-1 tsp. baking powder

-½ tsp. baking soda

-½ tsp. salt

-1 cup mashed ripe banana

-1 cup buttermilk

-½ cup packed brown sugar

-2 Tbs. canola oil

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 egg

-½ cup canned crushed pineapple

in juice, drained

-⅓ cup flaked sweetened coconut

-3 Tbs. finely chopped pecans, toasted

Topping:

-2 Tbs. flaked sweetened coconut

-1 Tbs. finely chopped pecans

-1 Tbs. granulated sugar

-1 Tbs. oats

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees

-Combine flour (lightly spooned into measuring cups) and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of flour mixture. Combine banana and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in pineapple, ⅓ up coconut, and 3 Tbs. nuts. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cup coated with cooking spray. 

-To prepare topping, combine 2 Tbs. coconut and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. 

-Sprinkle about 1 tsp. of topping over each muffin. Bake for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in the center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack. 

Blueberry and Cottage Cheese Muffins

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen

-2 1/3 cups flour
-3/4 cup sugar
-1 Tbs. baking powder
-Pinch of salt
-2 eggs
-4 Tbs. oil
-1 1/4 cups milk
-1/2 cup cottage cheese 
-2 cups blueberries
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt with a spoon. 
-In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil, milk, and cottage cheese with a whisk until
smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until nearly combined. Fold in the blueberries, but do not over mix. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pans. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the muffins and cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.