Apple Cake with Warm Butter Sauce

I got this recipe from my mom.  I took it to a dinner with friends tonight.  Everyone raved over it.  They said it was a dessert to be savored and I completely agree.  It is very similar to a coffee cake and very rich so one cake serves 12-16 people.  A very good choice for a cold January day.

3 C. Flour
2 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
4 C. Chopped Apples (4-5 apples)
2 Eggs
1 C. Oil
1/4 C. Buttermilk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Nuts (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together.  Add eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix until batter looks like cookie dough.  It will be much dryer than normal cake batter.  Fold in apples and nuts with a large spatula or wooden spoon.  Grease and flour a bundt pan then transfer batter evenly into pan.  Press batter down a little bit to make sure it is evenly distributed.  Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Let cake cool at least 30 minutes before serving so it won't crumble.  Serve with warm butter sauce drizzled over each slice.

Warm Butter Sauce
1 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Sour Cream
1/2 C. Butter

Boil all ingredients together for 1 minute then let cool slightly before serving over cake. 

Buttermilk Waffles with Buttermilk Syrup

I have been hearing about this syrup for years from friends and on the web.  I finally decided to give it a try and it is very good.  The waffles, likewise, were very good.  The perfect level of crispness for me.

2 C. Flour
2 C. Buttermilk
2 Eggs, separated
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 C. Butter, melted

Separate egg yolks and whites into two bowls.  Combine yolks and buttermilk and whisk together.  Add dry ingredients and blend well.  Add melted butter and mix with a spatula until combined.  Using an electric mixer, whip egg whites until soft peaks form.  Fold into batter.

Syrup
1/2 C. Butter, melted
1/2 C. Buttermilk
3/4 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Vanilla

Combine butter, buttermilk and sugar in a small sauce pan.  Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla.  It will foam up quite a bit.  Give it a stir every few minutes until the foam goes down a bit.  Serve over hot waffles, pancakes or french toast.

Sweet Dinner Rolls

So the other day I wanted rolls, but I wanted to try a new recipe (just so I could post one). I found this recipe and it sounded great. Plus it went into a bread machine which was even better! I decided to tie the rolls into knots like Andrea did with her Cinnamon knots (which by the way are fantastic) just so that they would look a little nicer then a normal roll. Anyway- they were great and now I am fat because I am pretty sure I ate 10 of them. So if you want to be fat like me or want some delicious rolls make these! :)


1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 3/4 cup flour
1 TBS yeast

Place all ingredients in bread machine. Choose dough cycle. When cycle is finished flour flat surface and roll dough into a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter cut into 18 equal strips. Roll each strip into a rope and tie into a loose knot. Place into greased muffin tin. Bake @ 350 for 10-15 minutes. Butter tops while still hot.

Asian Lemon Chicken

I decided that I wanted to fire up the grill in the snow. Let me tell you how good it smelled outside! I am sure that my neighbors were loving me! This chicken was great!


4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup lemon juice (I squeezed a fresh lemon)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp dried onion
1/2 tsp ginger
3 garlic cloves (minced)


Place all ingredients in ziploc for at least 1 hour. Place on preheated grill and cook until juices are clear.

Blueberry muffins with lemon icing

I have been making these muffins for 7 years! This recipe is adapted from one in Martha Stewart Living June 2002.

8 T butter

1 3/4 cups flour

1 T baking powder

1 1/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups blueberries (they can be frozen)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a muffin tin. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. In a small pan melt butter on low and take off heat. Add vanilla, sugar, milk and egg, whisk to combine. Add wet mixture to the dry, along with the blueberries. Stir just until combined. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each cup. Bake for 12-15 min. Drizzle with icing and enjoy.

Lemon Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

2 T. lemon juice

Mix until smooth.

Fried Halibut Fillets with Homemade Tartar Sauce

I really doubted I could make fish and chips that tasted restaurant quality but I had to give it a shot and I must say that this was pretty darn close.  The batter is very good.  It's an all purpose batter you can use with shrimp, chicken or any rock fish like halibut or cod.  Tonight I used the batter for halibut and for chicken strips.  My kids, of course, thought this was the best dinner ever.  

Halibut Fillets, cut into portion sized pieces
1 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 C. Corn Starch
1 C. Water
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Oil + more for frying
1 1/2 tsp. Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Mix all ingredients together and stir until there are no lumps in the batter.  It will be thick like pancake batter.  Heat oil in a skillet or a deep fryer until very hot.  Frying them at a high temperature makes them crispy but not greasy.  When the oil is rippled put each of piece of fish in one at a time so they don't stick together.  Fry until browned then flip them over and fry the other side until browned.  Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and place on a serving plate lined with paper towels.  If you are frying a lot of fish you can heat your oven to 200 degrees and place the fish you have already fried in the oven on a cookie sheet until you are done cooking all the fish.  Serve warm with tartar sauce. This recipe will be enough for quite a bit of fish, maybe 3 pounds or a combination of fish and chicken pieces. 

Tartar Sauce
 1/4 C. Mayo
2 T. Sweet Pickle Relish
1 t. Lemon Juice

Mix all ingredients together and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve with the fish.  

Raspberry Valentine Pancakes

I thought I would post this well before Valentine's Day to give you an idea for a special holiday breakfast.  We really enjoyed these this morning.  The buttermilk made the pancakes extra moist and delicious and I loved the taste of raspberries in every bite. 

1 C. Flour (I used whole wheat)
1 T. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 C. Buttermilk
1 Egg
1 1/2 T. Butter, melted
1 C. Fresh or Frozen Raspberries (thawed)

Mix butter, buttermilk and egg together.  Add flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until batter is smooth without lumps.  Fold in berries with a spatula.  Cook on a hot griddle.  Makes 12 pancakes.

Oven Rice

I got this recipe from a friend when I first got married. I love it because it gives some variety to normal white rice without a lot of effort. I like to make this when we have company because makes a lot of rice.


1/4 cup butter
2 cups rice
2 tsp dried onion
2 TBS parsley
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups water

Put butter in 9x13 dish place in oven while preheating. When butter is melted mix all other ingredients in dish, cover and bake @ 400 for 1 hour.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Andrea and I tried this a while back and decided it was not for us, but I think it was because the fish was too old so I decided to give it another try. It was really good. I have never tasted Tilapia before. It is a really mild fish. The topping really made it taste great. So if your like me and would like to try something new,that takes little preparation and time to cook, give this a shot.



1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter,softened
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion salt
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia filets

Preheat broiler. Grease broiling pan or line with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl mix together Parmesan,butter mayonnaise and lemon juice. Add the basil,pepper, onion and celery salts. Mix well and set aside.
Arrange filets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fish over and broil for a few more minutes. Remove the fillets from the ove and cover them with the parmesan mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook the fish.

Mom's hot cocoa

A tradition that will live on in my family for many years! I have and will always love this hot cocoa! My boys always get excited when the cocoa pot is steaming because it means that this tasty stuff is inside!


1 1/2 cups sugar
3 TBS cocoa powder
6 cups of water
1 can evaporated milk

Place sugar and cocoa in pot and stir together. Add water and bring to boil. Turn to low and pour in milk! Drink on a cold snowy day or a warm one if you live some where like San Diego.

Barbecued Ribs

While Andrea was visiting with her cute family over Christmas we decided we wanted to wow the men in our lives with something delicious for New Years Eve dinner. We decided that our guys are carnivores. They like lots of meat. So we drove to Costco and loaded up on boneless pork ribs. They were soooo delicious and so easy.


1 Package of boneless ribs(I used pork)
1 bottle of barbecue sauce (I used Bull's eye)
Brown sugar
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

Spray your pan with cooking spray. Put your ribs in pan and spread barbecue sauce in liberally turning them over to really coat them. Put brown sugar on top and sprinkle garlic powder and onion powder all over. Cover with tin foil and put in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour then lower heat to 280 degrees and let cook for 2 more hours.  You can also make this recipe in your crock pot by layering all the ingredients and cooking them on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

These were so tender and delicious you could say they were falling off the bones but there were no bones just yumminess if that's even a word.

Almond Brittle

I made this candy this year after not having made it for a while. It is pretty fast to make and so delicious to eat. The thinner you spread it out the better it is. This is pictured with the peanut butter centers.

1 cup sugar
2 cubes butter
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Use a heavy pot.

Grease cookie sheet with one of the butter papers. Have everything measured and ready to mix.
Turn heat on high, melt butter almost, add sugar and water stirring constantly. Stir until it smokes. You have to watch carefully for this. Take off heat. It should be getting thick. Cover for 1 minute, add almonds stir constantly. At this point it should be getting shiney and real thick and brown color. Take off stove and pour in pan. Work quickly to spread it as thin as you can. let cool for 1/2 hour. Wipe candy with a paper towel on bothe sides. Break into pieces and store in a air tight container.

Peanut Butter Centers

These little gems have always been one of my family's favorites since the kids were small. It never seemed quite right to have Christmas with out them. We are now finding out that our grandchildren are fans too. One thing that made them easy as pie to dip this year were the dipping tools I found at Michaels Craft store.


Melt: 2 cups crunchy peanut butter
2 cups butter
Mix 1 lb. powdered sugar
1 1/2 pkg. graham crackers (crushed very fine)
Pour melted ingredients into dry mixture. Mix thoroughly.
Roll into small balls and put in the refridgerator to get hard.

Melt chocolate in microwave until melted. (I use the candy melts found at Michael's)
Dip balls in chocolate and put on wax paper to set up.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

These were very good.  I usually don't care for homemade blueberry muffins because the blueberries always seem a little juicy inside the muffins.  However, I think I figured that problem out.  It's all about thawing the blueberries completely.  I had been adding them in frozen before.  The sugar tops are completely optional.  The muffins are not too tart to stand alone. 

2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 T. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Lemon Zest (zest of 1-2 lemons)
1 C. Milk
1/2 C. Butter
1 Egg
1 C. Frozen Blueberries, thawed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together the dry ingredients.  With an electric mixer, combine milk, butter, lemon zest and egg until foamy.  Add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Fold in blueberries with a spatula until well distributed throughout the batter.  Drop heaping spoonfuls into a greased 12 cup muffin tin.  Bake 25 minutes.  If you would like to do the sugar tops juice lemon and add 1/4 C. melted butter to juice.  In a separate bowl measure 1/2 cup sugar.  When muffins come out of the oven, remove muffins from tin and allow them to cool for a few minutes until they cool off enough that you can handle holding them in your hand without getting burned.  Dip tops of muffins in butter/lemon juice then in sugar.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

I have seen this recipe, or versions of it, everywhere on the web.  I finally decided to try it after reading about all these people winning first place in chili contests.  I was really impressed.  It was a delicious alternative to traditional chili and I loved the creamy taste of the sour cream stirred in at the end.  My kids liked it but it was a little spicy for them.  Next time I will cut the cayenne down to an 1/8 tsp. and add only one can of chilies. 

3-4 Chicken breasts or a combination of breasts and thighs (I cooked mine in the crock pot earlier in the day.)
2 Cans Great Northern beans
2 Cans Chopped Green Chilies
1 Can Chicken Broth
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Large Onion, chopped coarsely
1 T. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 C. Sour Cream
1/2 C. Heavy Cream (you could also use half and half or, in a pinch, just regular milk)

If you have cooked your chicken ahead, shred it and set it aside.  Saute the onion in oil until translucent.  If not then cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and transfer to a soup pot.  Add onion, garlic powder and oil then cook on medium high heat until chicken is cooked through. Add all ingredients to pot except sour cream and whipping cream.  Simmer on medium low for 30 minutes.  Add sour cream and heavy cream to pot and stir until all the sour cream is dissolved into broth.

Oatmeal sandwich cookies

I love oatmeal cookies, but always had a hard time finding the right recipe. These are awesome! Frosting just makes them better!


Cookies
1/2 cup crisco
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs whites
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups oats

Cream crisco, butter and sugar. Add vanilla and egg whites and mix. Next add flour, baking soda, and oats. Mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Let cool 30 second before removing.

Frosting

1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
milk

Beat butter with electric mixer then add sugar and vanilla while mixing. Add milk until desired consistency.

Chicken Quesadillas with Spanish Rice

Nothing fancy. The rice takes a little bit of time, but it is easy. Once again this was made from stuff that I already had on hand. I used canned chicken to save time and it worked great!


Spanish Rice

1 1/2 cups white rice
2 TBS butter
2 cups water
2 cups salsa
2 tsp beef bullion
1 1/2 tsp garlic
1 TBS dried onion
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
dash ground red pepper

Melt butter in pan. Fry rice until brown. Pour in water and salsa. Add all spices and bring to a boil. Turn down to low and cook until rice is done.

Quesadillas

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 onion sauteed
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded chicken
1 cup cheddar cheese
small can diced green chilies

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Spread evenly on corn tortilla and cover with second tortilla. Cook on a frying pan.

Northwest Blueberry Waffles

I grew up in the Northwest but I have never had these in my life.  I feel jipped.  These were amazing, the best waffles I have ever had in my life and trust me when I tell you that is saying something!  They are extremely decadent with a melt in your mouth kind of texture.  I couldn't stop eating them this morning.  With whipping cream instead of milk they are a splurge for sure but I will definitely make these again.

2 C. Flour
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
2 Eggs
1/2 C. Butter, melted
1 3/4 C. Heavy Cream
3 T. Sugar
3/4-1 C. Frozen Blueberries, thawed

Preheat waffle iron.  Whip heavy cream and sugar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.  Don't over do it, you only want soft peaks.  Fold in blueberries.  In a separate bowl whisk together eggs and butter until foamy.  Add to whipped cream mixture and mix until smooth.  Add all other ingredients and blend with a spatula until a smooth, thick batter forms.  I used a couple of tablespoons of milk to thin mine down a bit because it was too thick.  It will be thick but it should still form a batter.  Pour by 1/2 cupfuls onto your hot waffle iron and cook until browned.  Repeat until you have used all your batter.  Makes about 14 waffles.  I served them with a small amount of maple syrup drizzled over top but they were honestly good enough to eat plain.  YUM!

The Perfect Raspberry Muffins

A really good friend of mine gave me a breakfast cookbook for Christmas.  A cookbook made up entirely of breakfast recipes?  Are you kidding!?  I had no idea such a thing existed.  So I have been eagerly trying all kinds of new things from this book.  It's called Beyond Oatmeal by Carlene Duda.

By now, you know that I am a muffin freak!  I love them.  I have been on the hunt for a couple of months now for the perfect lemon raspberry muffins.  I have tried 3 different recipes, hoping each time to have found the perfect one only to be disappointed.  I had just about given up on raspberry muffins all together but I stumbled across this recipe and decided to give it another try.  These are PERFECT!  They have the most perfect rounded tops, perfect texture, the perfect amount of sweetness and I added lemon to mine so I was basically in heaven this morning.  So were my kids.  My son asked if we could have them again tomorrow!

2 1/2 C. Flour
1 C. Sugar
2 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 Eggs
3/4 C. Sour Cream
1/4 C. Milk
1/2 C. Butter, melted
1 1/2 C. Fresh or frozen raspberries (frozen berries must be thawed and drained well)
*I added the zest of 1 lemon.  I also added the fresh lemon juice in place of the milk. 

Crumb Topping:
1/3 C. Flour
2 T. Sugar
2 T. Butter, softened
*I added some lemon zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix sour cream, milk, eggs and butter with an electric mixer until smooth and well blended.  Add all dry ingredients but don't over mix!  Just blend until moist.  If you are using lemon zest then grate it in now.  Fold in berries (and zest) with a spatula.  Spoon into a greased or lined muffin tin.  Mix together ingredients for crumb topping with a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles small crumbs.  Spoon over top of batter and bake muffins for 20 minutes.  Makes 18 muffins.

Cinnamon Knots

Oh. My. Gosh.  Really, these were so fantastic. And pretty too.  Rarely do I make cinnamon rolls for breakfast but these, oh, I will make these again and again.  There are a couple of differences that make these way more attractive to me than traditional cinnamon rolls.  First of all, the portion sizes are smaller so you don't get sick gorging yourself like I do with cinnamon rolls.  Secondly, every single one is like that coveted middle cinnamon roll without the crispy outside edges.  I loved how soft these were.  And last, you make them the night before and just bake them up in the morning- genius!  It was a completely gorgeous, delicious breakfast with no morning effort.

Your favorite bread dough recipe.  (I used this one.)
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 T. Cinnamon
1/4 C. Butter, melted

Icing:
1 C. Powdered Sugar
1 T. Butter, melted
2-3 T. Milk
1 tsp. Almond Extract (or vanilla)

Once your dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface and then cut it into 18 equal pieces.  Roll each piece out into an 8" rope.  Melt butter in one bowl and mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.  Grease muffin tins with cooking spray.  Roll each rope in butter then in cinnamon and sugar.  Tie each rope into a loose knot and place each into a muffin cup.  If you are doing this the night before like I did, cover muffin tins with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator.  The next morning, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and then bake the Cinnamon Knots for 15-20 minutes.  While the rolls are baking, mix up all the ingredients for the icing with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Icing will be kind of thin.  Once rolls are done, remove to a serving plate and drizzle with icing while still warm.  YUM!

Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

I love, love cinnamon.  Especially in this muffin, it makes recipes seem sweeter and extra delicious.  This recipe is ultra healthy in my opinion.  With very little fat, no white flour, no white sugar, and oatmeal baked in, I had to try this one to see if it would taste "healthy".  You know what I mean, "heathy" usually doesn't taste very good.  Well I was pleasantly surprised at the sweet taste and texture of this muffin.  It gets 9/10 from me and I consider myself pretty picky.  I liked it even better with some raspberry jam on top.  I will certainly make this one again.

1 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour (you can use regular flour if you want to.)
3/4 C. Quick Oats
1 T. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
2/3 C. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 C. Milk
1/3 C. Applesauce
1 1/2 tsp. Oil
2 Eggs (or 3 Egg Whites)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix milk, applesauce, oil, and eggs until well blended.  Add dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.  Spoon batter into a 12 cup muffin tin, greased or lined with muffin papers.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Remove muffins from pan as soon as they come out of the oven and serve warm.

Apple Orchard Waffles

My kids love waffles.  I think that is because they are kind of a treat in our house.  It just seems like a lot of waiting around between batches.  However, these waffles were worth the wait.  They remind me of something you would eat at a bed and breakfast. 

1 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Sugar
1 T. Baking Powder
1 C. Chopped Apples
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 Eggs
1 C. Milk
1/4 C. Butter, melted

Preheat your waffle iron while you mix up the batter.  Mix eggs, milk and butter with an electric mixer until frothy.  Add all other ingredients and blend with a spatula or a wooden spoon.  Cook waffles and serve with maple syrup. 

Funnel Cakes

Bring the fair home! These taste just like the real thing. We make them often and love them every time!


3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 2/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Mix eggs, milk, and sugar. Then add half of the flour. Mix until smooth. Mix salt and baking powder with the rest of the flour. Pour into egg mixture and mix. Heat oil for frying. Pour batter into gallon size ziploc. Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag. Pour desired amount in circular motion into hot oil. Fry until golden on both sides. Sprinkle with powder sugar or other topping and enjoy!

Trusty Brownies

These are good every time. Can't understand why anyone would buy a brownie mix when you could have these. I make these whenever I need a chocolate fix!


1 cup butter
3 TBS oil
9 TBS cocoa powder
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups flour

Melt butter, oil, cocoa together. Pour into a bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating with each addition. Mix in vanilla and sugar and flour. Pour into greased 9x13in dish. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.

Potato Cheese Soup

This is a recipes I have made since before I was married. I make this whenever I am in the mood for a meatless meal. Always a hit with the kids.


5 potatoes
3 celery stalks
3 carrots
1 small onion
2 tsp chicken bullion
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter

Cut up vegetables and place in crock pot. Fill with water until just above vegetables and add the bullion. Cook on high for 5 hours. Melt butter on stove and whisk in flour. Add to soup. Add cheese 15 minutes before serving.

Taco Soup

We love taco soup! I almost always have all of the ingredients and our kids love to eat anything that has chips with it. Fast, easy and tastes great!


1 lb. ground beef (browned)
3 cups water
3 TBS taco seasoning
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans tomatoes
2 cans tomato juice
tortilla chips
cheddar cheese
sour cream

Place all ingredients in large pot and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer until ready to serve. Top with chips, cheese, and sour cream.

Pear Crisp

I took this over to a friends house and everyone loved it. I like this better then apple crisp because it is super easy and everyone thinks it is apple crisp. We LOVE this recipe!


3 cans of pears (drained)
1/2 cup sugar
2 TBS flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter

Grease a 9x13, dump pears in dish. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon in a bowl. Sprinkle over pears. In a bowl mix oats, flour, brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Spoon over pears. Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes. Serve with ice cream!

Sweet Pork Burritos

A friend of mine gave me some creamy tomatilla dressing she had made.  It is a copy cat recipe from Cafe' Rio.  So, I decided to make some pork burritos to use the dressing with.  They were so good!  Our family has a great Cafe' Rio Burrito recipe that tastes really close to the real thing.  This is completely different so don't be expecting Cafe' Rio if you try these.  Still good, just different.  My kids did not love the dressing but my husband and I did.  It is pretty strong and it's got a lot of cilantro flavor so if you decide to give it a try you might want to half the recipe and use it sparingly.  Or, if you would rather, just use your favorite brand of ranch dressing.  

The Pork:
1 Boneless Pork Roast (3 lbs or less)
2 C. Salsa or Green Enchilada Sauce
1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar

Put the roast in your crock pot and pour the salsa or enchilada sauce over top.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and cook for 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high.  (If you cook it on low it will be much easier to shred.)  About an hour before you are going to serve dinner, shred the roast and return the meat back to the crock pot until serving.

The Dressing:
1 pkt. Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
1 C. Buttermilk
1 C. Mayo
2-3 Tomatillas (peeled)
1 Clove Garlic, peeled
1/2 Bunch Cilantro
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
Juice From 1 Lime
Salt and Pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in a blender and refrigerate until serving.

The Rest of the Burrito:
Soft Tortillas (I really like the uncooked Costco ones but you can use the regular ones too)
1 C. Cooked Rice (you could do spanish rice, rice cooked in chicken broth, whatever you like)
1 Can Black Beans
Shredded Lettuce
Diced Tomatoes
Shredded Cheese

Drain the beans and use some salt and pepper to flavor them.  To assemble the burritos begin with a flour tortilla and layer shredded pork, a small amount of rice, beans, a small amount of dressing, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.  Then roll up and enjoy!

Banana Cinnamon Pancakes

This was a new recipe to me and I thought it was a really nice change from the traditional.  These are not fluffy like regular pancakes, they are actually quite dense and cook up pretty flat.  I loved the cinnamon flavor.  There are a lot of great things about this recipe.  First of all, it comes together really fast.  Secondly, there is absolutely no butter or oil in the actual recipe.  I also liked that the recipe only makes 12 pancakes so there aren't leftovers hanging out on my counter. 

1 C. Flour
2 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 C. Milk
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Banana, mashed
1 T. Butter (optional)
1 T. Olive Oil (optional)

Sift the flour, sugar and cinnamon together into a medium sized mixing bowl.  Add milk, egg, vanilla and mashed banana and mix with an electric mixer until batter is smooth.  *This part is optional but I liked the crispy edges on the pancakes.  Melt butter in a small bowl and add olive oil.  Heat skillet, then brush with butter/olive oil mixture.  Pour batter onto griddle and cook each pancake until golden on each side.  Serve with maple syrup.