Whole Wheat Apple Cake

A trip to the orchard left us with a peck of apples. We will eat them all eventually, but I decided to use a few for baking. This cake is delicious, not too sweet and therefore mostly guilt free (until you eat half the pan). It's even good with milk for breakfast.

Recipe from cuisinebymae at food.com.

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 apples
2/3 cup milk
1 cup walnuts or 1 cup pecans, chopped (I left these out. Don't really care for nuts in my baked goods)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in nuts, if using. Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Stir in vanilla. Peel, core, and chop apples. You should have about 3 cups. Stir dry mixture and milk alternately into creamed mixture, starting and ending with dry mixture, making 3 additions of dry and 2 of milk. Fold in the chopped apples.
Bake in the greased and floured 13x9-inch baking pan in a preheated 350°F oven for about 35 minutes, or until a tester poked in the centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan before cutting. Cut into 32 pieces (or 4, whatever works for you).

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/whole-wheat-apple-cake-157960#ixzz1aVRm5AZU

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

I combined two recipes from Allrecipes to create this taco soup for a potluck. It was delicious!

1 lb ground beef or turkey
some chopped onion
some chopped green pepper
taco seasoning
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 can tomato sauce
a pinch of brown sugar
some powdered ranch dressing mix, or a squirt of ranch dressing
a tomato sauce can of water

Brown the beef with the onion and green pepper, then season with the taco seasoning. Dump it in the slow cooker, then add the rest of the ingredients. If it looks like it needs more water or more of something else, go for it - it's versatile! Cook on low 4-6 hours, or more. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips.

Got zucchini?

Need some ideas for that glut of zucchini you have lyin' around? Here are some ideas for your perusing pleasure.

Veggie Pasta Stir-Fry - simple, light summer supper

Zesty Veggie Enchiladas - heartier and more filling

Sicilian Lentil Pasta Sauce - make some for the freezer!

My Favorite Muffins

Super Stuffed Tortillas - use corn, onions and peppers from your garden too!

Creamy Garden Spaghetti - yum

Veggie-Packed Chili - recipe to come!

Zucchini Bread - This is the best recipe I've tried

The following recipes I haven't tried, but I plan to.

Stealth Zucchini Dinner

Zucchini Apple Crisp

Summer Lentil Salad

I've also been blanching and freezing zucchini dices and slices for use in future stir-fries and recipes. I also heard that you can thinly slice, season and dehydrate them to make zucchini chips. Don't let any of this green goodness go to waste!

Sicilian Lentil Pasta Sauce

This pasta sauce is hearty, filling, and cheap. I like to make a batch (or two) and stick it in the freezer for a couple of later meals. It's also a great food storage recipe!

2 t olive oil
1 c chopped onion
2 c fresh sliced mushrooms
1 small zucchini, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry lentils
3 cups water
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1.5 t white sugar
1/2 cup water

Saute vegetables in oil in a large saucepan. Add lentils and water and simmer 45-60 minutes, until lentils are tender, but not mushy. Stir in tomato sauce, paste, sugar and water, Simmer 20 minutes.

Recipe Review: Chicken Stir-Fry from Dash

Once a month (I think it's the second Thursday of the month), the Dash magazine comes in the daily paper. I always browse through it and usually end up clipping some of the recipes to try. I find they are very accessible and use things I have on hand. When I saw this chicken stir-fry recipe, I knew we would be trying it. Boneless skinless chicken thighs can be hard to find (and pricey), but I had some Gold 'n Plump thighs on hand that I got at at a BOGO free sale, so we were able to try it right away. Everybody liked this! The flavor was good with the ginger and green onions. I wasn't sure about the eggs at first, but they really added to the recipe (and I even tricked Lauren into eating some). I adjusted some of the measurements, so here is the recipe and my notes.

It tastes better than it looks - I'm a lousy photographer!

3 scallions (or green onions), minced, divided
4 T soy sauce, divided
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced crosswise (I used less than this - 10 oz, I think)
1 tsp cornstarch (I skipped this - I haven't found it helpful in the past)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger (Helpful Hint: see Our Best Bites for tips on using fresh ginger)
3 T plus 1 tsp peanut oil, divided (I just used vegetable oil)
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups cooked brown rice (I cooked one cup of brown rice, which yielded about two cups)


Mix 2 scallions, 2 T soy sauce, chicken, and cornstarch (if using) in a medium bowl. Marinate 10 minutes. In a non-stick skillet, stir-fry ginger and garlic in 2 T oil for 10 seconds, then add chicken and cook 4 minutes, or until chicken seems done. Remove chicken and wipe out skillet. Then, cook the eggs in 1 t oil without stirring. When mostly set, flip and cook until set throughout. Remove to a plate or cutting board and dice. Stir fry 1 scallion in 1 T oil for 15 seconds; add rice and stir fry 7 minutes (I don't think I made it that long), then add in chicken, eggs, and 2 T soy sauce. Mix and cook until heated throughout.


I am keeping this recipe close to make again soon! Check out dashrecipes.com for more dinner ideas!

Roasted Vegetables

Roasting vegetables is quickly becoming one of my favorite methods of preparation. It's easy and the flavor and texture of the veggies is so much better than when they are boiled or steamed. To roast vegetables, simply cut them in pieces that are more or less the same size, drizzle olive oil over them, and sprinkle on some salt and pepper, or whatever spices you think would be good. Then place the pan in a very hot oven (400+ degrees) for 8-10 minutes, or however long you decides works best for your tastes.

Some of the best veggies for roasting:

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Asparagus
Carrots
Parsnips
Sweet Potatoes

What would you try?

Pasta Carbonara

I'm sure this technique has been around for a long time, but I just found out about it. It makes a quick and cheap dinner. You can vary the amounts depending on the size of your crowd, but this is what I did.


1/2 box pasta Note: We pretty much only use Ronzoni pasta now. They have three different varieties: Smart Taste, which is regular white pasta enriched with calcium, vitamin D, and fiber; Garden Delight, which is made with vegetables (a regular serving has 1/2 serving of vegetables); and Healthy Harvest, which is whole grain. I like all three. I usually do whole grain spaghetti, the garden type of penne or similar, and Smart Taste macaroni. I can usually get this brand free or close to free with coupons, so we always have a decent supply on hand.


2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup parmesan (I use the cheap kind in a can)
salt and pepper to taste
crumbled bacon


Cook the pasta according to package directions. While it is cooking, beat the eggs with the parmesan and salt and pepper. When pasta is done, drain it and immediately return to the pan. Dump in egg mixture and mix. The hot pasta will cook the eggs. Top with crumbled bacon and more parmesan if desired and serve.


Note: Theoretically, the pasta will completely cook the eggs. I'm not sure how thoroughly I believe that, so use caution in serving to young children. I always just pull out a serving before I put the pasta back in the pan, and serve it with butter and cheese.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know how I like my chocolate chip cookies - like Grandma's. Soft and chewy and chippity and perfect. But my chocolate chip cookies don't taste like Grandmas. I usually get one of two results: 1 - Doughy, cakey blobs, or 2 - completely flat crunchy cookies that I have to cut apart before removing from the sheet. Grandma must have a secret ingredient (love?).

Anyway, when I feel like making cookies I don't make chocolate chip. Until today. These cookies from Joan at Allrecipes are just the way I like them. They are not traditional chocolate chip cookies, but they are delicious and chocolatey and peanut buttery. And isn't that what everyone really wants?

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oat Cookies (or in Joan's words, Outrageous CC Cookies)

1 stick butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (use natural!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oats
1 cup semisweets

Cream butter and sugars, add peanut butter, vanilla, and egg and mix well. Mix flour, baking soda and salt separately, then add to wet ingredients. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. A plus with these cookies is that they are quite filling due to the peanut butter and the oats. Two or three and I don't want any more (that's rare!), at least not for an hour or so.... Happy eating!

Helpful Hint: If you want cookies, but don't want to spend hours in a hot kitchen rolling cookies, you can mix up the dough, make just one sheet (or however many) and freeze the rest of the dough. Just double wrap it in Saran Wrap and it will keep for quite a while (not that it ever lasts very long in our house...). To use later, defrost in the refrigerator, or slice while frozen and cook a minute or so longer (but watch it carefully). I like doing this because I can control how many cookies are available to us at one time. And, of course, the next time I want cookies, I don't have to dirty any bowls or do any mixing!

Weekly Menu Planner

Monday: Red Beans & Rice - this was on the menu last week and it didn't happen. It did happen tonight, however. I thought it was okay, but several factors (I roughly cut the recipe in half, but didn't measure very carefully; I used turkey polska kielbasa; I did it on the stove top instead of the crock pot) made it not as good as it could be. It's worth another try, though.

Tuesday: Chicken Tortilla Soup using the leftovers of last week's chicken tacos - another recipe I just wasn't wild about, but I'm optimistic about the soup.

Wednesday: Lasagna. From a box. From the freezer. Requested by the hubby and I am not about to buy lasagna noodles, ground beef, ricotta, cottage cheese, tomatoes, whatever else goes in lasagna and spend all afternoon cooking it. Some things are not worth cooking in my book (although I usually don't complain when other people cook them...).

Thursday: Baked chicken drumsticks with a corn flake coating, along with some vegetable sides.

Friday: Stir fry - this will be one of those weeks when I throw together whatever's in the freezer. I know we have pork, zucchini pieces, red pepper, carrots, snap peas.

Saturday: Turkey burgers. I don't know what possessed me to buy extra lean turkey burgers a few weeks ago, but I did, and they are in the freezer, and they do not taste good. But we will top them with bacon and avocado and be grateful we have food on our plates.

Sunday: Something in the crock pot. Probably Spicy Pintos unless I think of something more toothsome (Definition 1, if you please). Any ideas?

What are you having for dinner this week?

Recipe Review: Pineapple Pork Stir Fry

We tried this stir-fry from Taste of Home for dinner tonight and I'm glad we did. Overall, I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. The mixture of vegetables was nice - I cut three carrots into thin strips and used a bag of frozen broccoli and cauliflower, half of a small onion (what was in the fridge) and the pineapple. I liked the sauce in that it wasn't too sweet, but Preston commented on how he preferred the sweetness of the sweet and sour pork recipe below. That being said, however, the sauce was a little spicy for my taste. Next time, I will probably just add a shake of cayenne pepper. Plus, I will probably only use about half of the sauce mixture. I don't like to drown my stir-frys in sauce, although a plus is that the sauce made the brown rice I served it with more palatable (I prefer brown rice, but hubby hasn't quite converted yet). I wasn't quite sure about the soaking the pork in the cornstarch mixture - I don't know that it really did much except make a mess on the bottom of the pan. Next time, I will probably skip that step. But, there will be a next time, so I consider it a success.

Just a note on stir-frying in general. I don't always follow a recipe - sometimes I just throw whatever vegetables are around and whatever protein is around together and serve it over rice. I also don't always make a sauce - sometimes I just want to taste the food as it is, although like I mentioned earlier, if you are trying to get used to the taste of brown rice or don't like vegetables, a sauce can help add a different flavor.

So, get your woks ready and try this one soon. It's a keeper!

Weekly Menu Planner

Our computer was out of service for quite a while, so this blog got put on the back burner (pun intended). But I plan to start posting here regularly again, most likely for my own eyes only, but I'm okay with that.

Here is our meal plan for this week, with links to specific recipes where possible. I am only posting dinner because we usually have oatmeal or something equally simple for breakfast and lunch is usually leftovers or sandwiches.

Monday: Fish, sweet potatoes, spinach

Tuesday: We will be out of town and will have dinner out

Wednesday: Pineapple Pork Stir-Fry - I will definitely report back on this stir-fry recipe.

Thursday: Spaghetti Carbonara - excited to see how this turns out and is received

Friday: Red Beans 'n Rice - We have a bunch of half bags of beans sitting in the cupboard, so I am devising a plan to rid us of them. Plus, I've been wanting to try this.

Saturday: Crock-pot Chicken Tacos

Sunday: Ham, Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus

I also have a sweet bread recipe to try out sometime this week. What are you having for dinner this week?

Sweet and Sour Pork

We have stir fry once a week and I have been looking at recipes that are different from our usual, which is whatever vegetables we have in the freezer and whatever meat we have in the freezer, usually chicken. So today I share this recipe from Cathy at noblepig.com. We have had it two weeks in a row and between the 2 1/2 of us, we managed to devour this in about 10 minutes. It is easy, quick, and tasty!

Honey Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Got bananas? Are they brown beyond eating? Make these. They are very, very, very delicious.

The recipe is from A Messy Cook on food.com. I halved it to make the proportions fit us better.


1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 T wheat germ
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup olive or canola oil
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup hot water

Mix together dry ingredients. Beat oil and honey together and mix in eggs and banana. Add dry ingredients to wet, alternating with hot water, mixing after each addition. Don't overmix.

Bake at 325 for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Add in chocolate chips if you like. Enjoy!