It was finally cool enough out today to want to fire up the oven and make a treat for breakfast/brunch.  We had all the ingredients for this recipe so we went for it.  The recipe is super simple and came together very quickly.  It only took about 10 - 12 minutes and the coffee cake was ready to go in the oven.  The flavors in this coffee cake are delicious and remind me of a dutch apple pie.  There is something about the combination of sour cream and apples that just makes my taste buds happy.  You could definitely serve 8 people with this recipe.  We have left overs this morning so I am going to serve up the rest with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream for desert tomorrow night.  Shhhhh, don't tell the company.

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Start to Finish: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Source: I'll Cook When Pigs Flye ... And They Do In Cincinnati

2 Cups All-purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
Dash Salt
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Shortening
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Egg
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 Apples, peeled and sliced
Cinnamon
Sugar
Butter

1.    Combine flour, baking soda and salt.

2.    In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and shortening together until smooth.  Beat in sour cream, egg and vanilla.

3.    Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix we;;/  S[read batter om greased 11 X 9 X 2 - inch baking plan.

4.    Arrange apple slices on batter.  Sprinkle with mixture of cinnamon and sugar adn dot with butter.

5.    Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes.

Here is a nice quick dinner recipe.  We all enjoyed this twist on a sloppy joe.  Jasmine at hers right up and said that it was a keeper.  So if you are looking for a quick easy dinner, or you need to feed a crowd of hungry people give this one a try.

Servings: 6
Source: Healthy Cooking - Taste of Home August/September 2009 (Page 56)

1 Pound Lean Ground Beef
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1/4 Cup Green Pepper, chopped
1 14 Ounce Jar Pizza Sauce
3 Ounces Sliced Turkey Pepperoni, chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Basil
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
6 Hamburger Buns, split
6 Tablespoons Part-skim Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1.    In a large nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain if necessary. Stir in the pizza sauce, pepperoni and herbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.


2.    Spoon 2/3 cup beef mixture onto each bun; sprinkle with cheese. Place on a baking sheet. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 1 minute or until cheese is melted. Replace tops.

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Start to finish: 4 hours 30 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Source: Tacos - 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes

Pinto Beans
2 White Onions, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 Clove Garlic
1 Bay Leaf
3 Cups Dried Pinto Beans, rinsed 3 times and picked oer for rocks
14 Cups Water
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Smoked Salt

Meat
6 Ounces Mexican Pork Chorizo, Bulk or Links
3/4 Cup Diced Bacon
1 Small White Onion, cut in 1/4 inch dice
1/2 Cup Chopped Canned Pickled Jalapeno Chiles, drained
1 Large Fresh Tomato, seeded and chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 Cup Diced Ham
Garnish With Chopped Fresh Cilantro Lives and Lime Wedges

1.    To cook the pinto beans, place the onion, garlic and bay leaf in cheesecloth and tie into a pouch.  In a large soup pot, place the pouch, bans and water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Decrease the heat to medium-low, and gently boil until the beans are soft, but not disintegrating, about 4 hours.  Discard the seasoning pouch.  Stir in the kosher and smoked salts.  The beans can be prepared ahead and reheated, if desired.

2.    To prepare the meat mixture, if the chorizo is in links, slit open the casings, remove the filling, and break it up with your hands.  Bulk sausage is ready to use.  Set aside.

3.    In a large, heavy skillet, saute the bacon, onion, garlic, and chorizo over medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the garlic doesn't burn.  Add the jalapenos, tomato, and ham and cook 2 minutes more.

4.    To serve, add the meat mixture to the beans and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

When I made this one I did not have the called for instant brown rice, so I decided to substitue regular brown rice.  I lengthened the cooking time and used one full can (about 2 cups) of broth.  This is an extremely easy, inexpensive dinner that tasted delicious and was filling.  I had only one regular size serving and had no need to grab a snack after dinner.  If you are looking for a light, healthy and quick dinner, give this one a try.

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Start to finish: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

1/2 Cup Walnuts, chopped
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Onion, chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic, minced
1 Cup Uncooked Instant Brown Rice
1 Cup Vegetable Broth
1 Pound Fresh Broccoli Florets
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place walnuts on small baking sheet, and bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted.

2.    Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in melted butter for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the rice, add the broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 7 to 8 minutes.

3.    Place broccoli in a microwave-safe casserole dish, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover, and microwave until tender.

4.    Spoon rice onto a serving platter, and top with broccoli. Sprinkle walnuts and cheese on top.

This is a great recipe for a crisp, fresh dinner with lots of vegetables and a little Asian flair.  Jasmine helped me make this recipe on Sunday for dinner.  Jasmine (10) even ate the bell peppers and tried the mushrooms and thought that they were good.  Tammy and I found this recipe to be very filling, but both thought that the noodles could use a little more sauce, but sauce equals extra calories. This is a very quick dinner option.

Servings: 4
Source: Weight Watchers in 20 Minutes

6 Ounces Cellophane Noodles
1 Tablespoon Peanut Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 Pound Green Beans, trimmed and halved
8 Shiitake Mushroom, stemmed and caps sliced
6 Scallion, cut into 2 inch lengths
3/4 Pound Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast, cut on the diagonal into strips
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Reduced-sodium Soy Sauce

Put the noodles in a large bowl and add hot water to cover.  Let stand until softened, about 10 minutes; drain.  Transfer to a platter, keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a nonstick wok or large deep nonstick skillet over high heat.   when a drop of water sizzles in the pan, add the garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the bell pepper, green beans, mushrooms and scallions; stir fry until the green beans are crisp tender, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl; keep warm.

Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper.   Add to the wok and stir fry, adding 1 tablespoon of water to prevent sticking if necessary, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes.  Return the vegetables to the wok; add the soy sauce ans stir fry until the vegetables are heated through, about 2 minutes.  Spoon over the noodles.

So this weekend was designed for pancakes.  In addition to the chocolate chip pancakes, we decided to make some banana pancakes on Sunday.  We were all craving our banana muffins (recipe posted earlier) but we did not want to heat up the house first thing in the morning with the stove since we do not have air conditioning.  This was a great alternative!  The pancakes were just the right mixture of cake and banana and the flavors were excellent.  We were all pleased with the results and I think we will be adding this to our list of great recipes for dead bananas.

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

1 Cup All-purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon White Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Egg, beaten
1 Cup Milk
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 Ripe Bananas, mashed

Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil adn bananas

Stir flour mixture into banana mixture, batter will be slightly lumpy.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over meium high heat.  Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.  Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

Jasmine had a friend stay the night, so we decided to wake-up this morning and make something "FUN" for breakfast.  This is a very nice, quick recipe for chocolate chip pancakes.  The batter creates a light and fluffy cake with lots of delicious morsels of chocolate throughout each cake.

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Source: Allrecipes.com

2 Cups All-purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Minature Chocolate Chips

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Combine eggs, milk and oil; add to dry ingredients and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle.  Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until second side is golden brown.  Keep warm.

In the introduction to this recipe the author shares that this is the rice that they have serve at the Coyote Cantina for twenty years.  Take just one bite and you will find out why.  The flavors are explosive and the rice absorbs most of the hear from the chiles.

I actually pulled this one off on the grill.  I followed the directions but placed in on the grill with indirect heat and monkeyed with the other two burners to keep my temperature as close to 400 degrees as possible.  The trick to the grill is to keep the lid of the grill shut and do not open the foil until the recommended time is completed. I think this will be a real favorite in our household to go along with many of our favorite mexican dishes.  The cookbook also has a recipe for Red Rice, which I am looking forward to making soon.

Servings: 8
Yield: 1 cup
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Start to finish: 40 minutes

1 Bunch Cilantro, Leaves From
1 Poblano Chile, oil roasted, peeled, cored and seeded
1 Jalapeno Chile Pepper, stemmed and seeded
3 Green Onions, trimmed
2 Leaves Romaine Lettuce
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
3 1/2 Cups Water
1 Clove Garlic
3 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
2 1/4 Cups Raw Parboiled White Rice

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.    In the jar of a blender, add all ingredients except for the rice and puree.  There should be 5 cups liquid; if not, add more water.  Place the chile puree and rice into an ovenproof container and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

3.    Bake until the rice is tender and all liquid has evaporated, about 40 minutes.  Mix the rice with a spoon before serving to reincorporate any bits of chopped greens that rise to the top during baking.

4.    Serve immediately.  The dish can be made up to 2 hours ahead and held at room temperature.  Reheat in a microwave.

Tacos: 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes by Mark Miller
Wow this is a fantastic cookbook. So far I have made three recipes out of it and they have been just stunning. I am a huge fan of the flavors of New Mexico and these recipes take me right to the heart of the food I enjoy from Taos and Santa Fe.

Mark Miller is an exceptional chef and his restaurant Coyote Cafe has a long reputation for excellence. I am very excited that he has been willing to share some ideas and techniques to energize my taste buds even though I am a long way from New Mexico.

I have made the following recipes from this cookbook:

• Chicken with Apples and Goat Cheese - Page 46 - 5 Stars
• Chicken with Chorizo - Page 48 - 5 Stars
• Beef Ranchero - Page 94 - 5 Stars
• Tomatillo-Arbol Chile Salsa - Page 135 - 5 Stars
• Green Rice - Page 138 - 5 Stars
• Charro Beans - Page 141 - 5 Stars

View all my reviews.

Last month I was in search of a recipe to make and take to at Luau party with friends.  I stumbled upon this recipe. I decided to make this one to try and it was delicious.  I did not take this one to the party because I do not know how authentic it is to the islands.

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Source: http://www.hawaiiforvisitors.com/recipes

4 Ounces Elbow Macaroni
2 Ounces Blue Cheese, crumbled
1/2 Cup Walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 Cup Seedless Grapes, halved
Dressing
1/2 Cup Reduced Fay Mayonnaise
1 1/2 Teaspoons Dijon-style Mustard

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside to cool. Mix together walnuts, mayonnaise, mustard, blue cheese and grape halves. Combine with cooled pasta and refrigerate until ready to serve.