Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line 8x8" pan with parchment paper (criss cross two strips to make it easier to remove cooked brownies from pan). In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add vanilla, oil and eggs. Beat until just combined. Pour into prepared 8x8" pan. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

Homemade Yogurt

From JCasa

Ingredients
8 cups milk
1 cup plain yogurt

Directions
Bring milk to a simmer on medium-high. There will be a skin on top. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool until it's bearable to hold your finger in it.

Pour the milk into a bowl that has a lid. Stir (don't whisk) the yogurt into the milk.

Put the lid on the bowl and wrap the bowl in towels.

Leave it on the counter for 8 hours. After 8 hours check to see if it has gelled. Put some cheesecloth or paper towel on the surface to absorb the whey and put it in the fridge. Replace the cheesecloth when it can't absorb any more liquid.

Notes:
The longer you leave it on the counter the more tangy the yogurt will be. 8 hours was perfect for just a slight tang.

The more you change the paper towel the thicker the yogurt will get.

Save 1 cup of the yogurt for a starter for your next batch.

Blogged here.

Corn Bread

1-¼ cup flour
¾ cup cornmeal
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add wet ingredients. Stir to combine. Pour into an 8 x 8 baking pan. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Cool in pan for a few minutes, then turn out onto rack.

Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 (29 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 - 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can mixed beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup chili powder

Directions

1. Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.
2. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. Or combine all ingredients in a large pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1-1/2 hours.
   

Serve with sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips (yum) and corn bread on the side.

Pesto Lamb Lasagna

Modified from the Pesto Lasagna recipe in the Best of Bridge's - The Best of the West.

Tomato Sauce
1 onion, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
28 oz. can (796 ml) crushed tomatoes
500g (1 lb) ground lamb (found in a tube in the freezer section)

Pesto - Classico Basil Pesto (small jar)

Bechamel Sauce
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups milk

fresh lasagna sheets (uses 3)
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Brown lamb (drain). Add tomatos and onions. Simmer until thickened. Set aside.

To make the bechamel sauce: Melt butter, add flour and seasonings and stir for a few minutes. Add milk, stirring constantly. Cook slowly until thickened.

To make lasagna: Ladle 1/3 of bechamel sauce into bottom of 9"x13" pan. Then layer pasta, tomato sauce, cheese and pesto. Repeat layers and top with sliced mozzarella and grated parmesan.

Bake at 350 F. for 40 minutes. Serves 12.

Orzo Salad with Grilled Vegetables

Makes 6 to 8 servings (it made WAY more than that)

Ingredients:

3 cups orzo or bow tie pasta
2 tsp (10 mL) olive oil
½ cup (125 mL) olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano leaves
3 tbsp (45 mL) lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon peel
2 tsp (10 mL) salt
½ tsp (2 mL) pepper
2 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into ½-inch (1 cm) thick strips
2 yellow peppers, quartered (I used red)
3 large ears of corn, husked and wrapped in tinfoil
1 cup (250 mL) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1 ½ cups (375 mL) feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup (125 mL) toasted pine nuts
½ cup (125 mL) basil leaves, torn

Directions
1. In a large pot, bring about 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Add orzo pasta and cook according to package directions, about 6-8 minutes, until al dente (firm to the bite). Drain and rinse under cold water. Let orzo sit in colander to drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with about 2 tsp (5 ml) olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, oregano, lemon juice, lemon peel, salt and pepper until well combined. Set aside.

3. Preheat a barbeque or grill to medium-high heat. Brush zucchini strips and yellow pepper with a little olive oil. Place these, along with corn, on barbeque and grill for 4-5 minutes on each side until grill marks appear and vegetables are tender. Remove and set aside on a baking tray to cool. Once cool, cut the kernels off of the corn husks (there should be about 2 cups) and chop the zucchini and yellow peppers into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces.

4. To the orzo pasta, add the zucchini, yellow pepper, corn, cherry tomatoes, feta and pine nuts. Drizzle over lemon vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Garnish with torn basil leaves.

5. In a hurry? Chop zucchini and yellow pepper into ½-inch dice. Place in large bowl along with cherry tomatoes and 1 cup corn (canned). Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Spread evenly onto a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool to room temperature and then toss with orzo salad as above.

Recipe from Today's Parent.

Sweet Cereal Mix

Inspired by: http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2010/06/perfect-snacksweet-cereal-mix.html

(cereal measurements are approximate)

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup syrup (I used 1/2 light corn syrup & 1/2 maple syrup as it was what I had in the cupboard)
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 box Crispix
1/3 box Corn Bran Squares
2 cups mini pretzels
1/2 box cheerios

Preheat 250 degrees. Grease a deep roasting pan. Mix all the cereal and pretzels. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and then add in the syrup and brown sugar. Pour the mixture over the cereal and mix to coat well. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Spread cereal onto GREASED waxed paper to separate and cool.

Another blog to check out

A friend of mine just sent me the link to her new food blog....it looks like there are some yummy recipes on there, too.

www.dollopofcream.com

Danika

Turkey Chimichangas

This is actually a Weight Watchers recipe that I've been using for years. Mark loves them as does Jacob!

Ingredients
2 spray(s) cooking spray (or 1 tsp vegetable oil)
1/2 pound(s) lean ground turkey
16 oz fat-free canned refried beans
1 3/4 cup(s) salsa
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup(s) shredded cheddar
8 large burrito-size wheat flour tortilla(s)
1 cup(s) salsa
1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream

Instructions
* Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Coat a 13- X 9- X 2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

* Add turkey to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from pan and then add beans, 1 3/4 cups of salsa and chili powder. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

* Assemble chimichangas by spooning about 1/2 cup of turkey mixture onto each tortilla; adding grated cheese; fold in sides and roll up.

* Place chimichangas, seam-side down, in prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until tortillas are crisp and browned, about 20 minutes. Serve each topped with 2 tablespoons of salsa and 1 tablespoon of sour cream.

From WeightWatchers.ca

Lentil Soup with Lemon

Yum ... yum ... yum!!

I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com while searching for an easy lentil soup recipe! It's easy and really, really good! Instead of carrots, I used 1 smallish sized yam and diced it. I also scooped Jacob's serving out before I added the lemon juice.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• 
  
• 1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 1 pinch chili powder

Directions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Pour half of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.
4. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, then season to taste with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of chili powder to serve.

From AllRecipes.com