Challah French Toast

This is a wonderful breakfast/brunch recipe especially for Christmas morning. You can prepare it the night before, pop it in the oven for 45 minutes while everyone is opening gifts, then you have a delicious meal to savor, plus no slaving on Christmas morn.

Recipe:

1 large challah bread
8 eggs
3 c milk
1/4 c sugar
1 T vanilla
1 tsp salt

topping: butter, cinnamon, sugar, maple syrup

Cut the challah bread lengthwise and into 2 inch squares. Place lightly side by side in a 13x9 greased pyrex casserole dish. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over challah bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dot with butter and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over top. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Serve with maple syrup.

Optional: add raisins on top before cooking

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Toffee

This is a favorite in my house at holiday time and a great gift for friends. So easy too! This recipe comes from a novelty cookbook called Carol's Collection.

Recipe:

saltine crackers (about 35)

2 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 12-oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10 x 15" jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with a rim) with aluminum foil. Place saltines in tight rows all across foil. Place butter and sugar in a glass bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Afterward, stir with a whisk until thoroughly blended. Pour sugar/butter mixture over crackers and spread out as evenly as you can with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Once they are starting to melt, smooth over with a spatula. Sprinkle the nuts on top. Chill for 30 minutes in the freezer. Pull toffee away from the foil and break into bite-sized pieces. Will keep well in the fridge or freezer. Just enough chocolate to get you through the holiday madness!

Poblano Shrimp Enchiladas

We gobbled down these enchiladas so quickly that I forgot to take a photo! We had an abundance of little poblano peppers in our garden that we picked just before the first freeze. I decided to make these delicious, easy enchiladas.

Recipe:
3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
olive oil
1 large poblano or 2-3 small, halved and seeded
1 large onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c sour cream
8 corn tortillas
1 (10 oz) green enchilada sauce
1 1/2 c shredded monterrey jack cheese

Coarsely chop raw shrimp and set aside. Line a jelly roll pan with foil, then cover with cooking spray. Place peppers (skin side up) under oven broiler for 5-10 minutes until the skin is blistered. Remove from the oven and place peppers in a paper sack for 5-10 minutes to steam. Then the skin should peel easily away. Dice poblanos and place in a skillet with 2 T olive oil and chopped onion. Saute for a few minutes. Add tomato and spices and continue cooking for 4 minutes. Add shrimp. Once shrimp is cooking through, remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream.

Heat tortillas in microwave until malleable. Fill with shrimp mixture, then roll up and place on jelly roll pan. Top with enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Can be made ahead and chilled in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook. Serve alongside a green salad with sliced avocado and cherry tomatoes tossed with Paul Newman's Family Style Italian dressing. Enjoy!

Chocolate Marshmallows

I'm afraid I don't have any Thanksgiving recipes to share since our extended families always host us in Houston. So, I've decided to dive right into SWEETS! Let's call it the Holiday Cookie Countdown.

So, Number One Son was at a friend's house recently where he tasted a homemade chocolate marshallow. That very day he was obsessed with making his own. He found this recipe on http://www.candy.about.com/. While I don't consider it to be "cooking on a whim" because it is time intensive, these marshmallows were so incredible and worth it. (Plus, I hardly had to do a thing.) You should plan to make these a day in advance because they have to sit for 10 hours.

Recipe:

1/3 c + 4 T cocoa powder, divided

1 1/4 c plus 2T water, divided

3 envelopes gelatin

2 c sugar

3/4 c light corn syrup

1/2 c powdered sugar

2 T cornstarch

1) Coat a 9x13 pan with foil and spray liberally with cooking spray.

2) Microwave 1/4 c + 2T water for 2 minutes; pour 1/3 c cocoa over warm water. Whisk.

3) Pour 1/2 c cold water into large mixing bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top of water and let it sit 5 min.

4) Spoon warm cocoa water into gelatin, mix together on low.

5) Combine remaining 1/2 c water, corn syrup, and sugar into a saucepan over med. high heat. Stir to dissolve.

6) Using a candy thermometer (we cheated and used a meat thermometer), cook sugar mixture until the temperature reaches 240 degrees. This will turn into a hot candy syrup. Occasionally run the mixer over the separate bowl of cocoa/gelatin mixture to keep it from setting.

7) Pour hot syrup (from the saucepan) gradually into the cocoa/gelatin mixture. Take care because the syrup is very hot. Start mixing on low then gradually increase to high. Whip for 15-20 minutes until stiff and shiny. (This is the part where your child comes in real handy because that is a long time to mix! Unless you are one of those with a self-propelled mixer.)

8) Pour into the foil lined pan and let sit at room temperature for 10 hours.

9) Sift powdered sugar with 4T cocoa and cornstarch. Sprinkle onto a large sheet of wax paper. Flip pan of marshmallows onto this dusted surface. Using a sharp knife (coated with cooking spray and powdered sugar mixture), cut in squares and roll in powdered mixture.

10) Store in dry, airtight container for about a week.

Serve marshmallows with fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries topped with whipped cream for a delicious light dessert.

Multi-Grain Scones with Lemon Topping

Breakfast is the most challenging meal for me. My kids dislike cereal and we tend to have an unhealthy dependence on refrigerated crescent rolls. So, when I find something that is tasty, yet has fiber, a little protein, and a reasonable amount of sugar, I jump up and down (but not until after I've had my coffee.) This recipe is adapted from The Healthy Kitchen cookbook. Trust me, they taste much better than they look!

Recipe:
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
5 T grapeseed or canola oil
1/8 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
2 T poppy seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk

Zesty lemon topping:
3 T lemon juice
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk egg, sugar, and oil together in a bowl. Mix lemon zest and dry ingredients together in separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet and create a thick dough. Add milk and mix well.

Cover a pan in parchment paper (or grease pan). Plop a scoop of dough (about the size of a small donut) onto the pan with 2 inches between mounds. Bake 15-20 minutes until crust is barely golden. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Mix lemon topping with fork and drizzle over each scone. Can be made the day before and warmed in the oven before serving.

Chili

Chili is the perfect hearty meal for these cold autumn nights. I love this recipe adapted from The Family Chef cookbook. I always find chili recipes too sweet but this one had just the right spice and flavor.

Recipe:
2-3 lb. beef sirloin cut in very small pieces
Seasonings: 4 T chili powder
4 T cumin
1 T garlic powder
salt, pepper
2 sweet onions, chopped
4-5 peppers (combined yellow, green or orange bell, stemmed seeded, diced small)
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 serrano chilis, chopped fine (I didn't use these in my recipe)
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large can diced or crushed tomatoes
5-6 c beef stock
2-3 cans beans (any kind you like)

In a large pot, brown the meat with a little olive oil, using half the seasoning mixture. Remove meat and set aside. In same pot, saute all veggies except tomatoes. Add rest of seasoning. Return meat to pan, add tomatoes and beef stock. Simmer 10 minutes. Add beans and simmer 30 minutes to an hour. Add salt or pepper if needed. The longer you cook it, the better.

We serve ours with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar and a little hot sauce (like Tobasco) on top. There was enough for us all to have a smaller side cup of chili the following night. Delish!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I heard "ughs" from my kids when I mentioned we were having a side dish of acorn squash.
But then...they ate every bite and admitted they liked it. Love it when that happens!

Recipe:

2 acorn squash (serves four)
melted butter (about 4 T)
salt
feta or goat cheese
chopped pecans
maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seedy middle. Brush the interior of the squash with butter and sprinkle with salt. Place squash cut side down on either parchment paper or foil on a jelly roll pan (rimmed baking sheet). Cook for 30 minutes.

In a bowl, combine pecans with a glug of maple syrup. Turn the squash cut side up and fill with half the pecan mixture. Crumble the feta or goat cheese on top of the pecans, then the rest of the pecan mixture. Bake upright for 10 more minutes.

I served these with baked salmon, green salad, and sliced sourdough bread. It was a savory autumn meal.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

It's that time of year when anything made with squash, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes seems to hit the spot. These sweet potatoes cook quickly and are a nice combination of sweet and savory. This recipe is adapted from The Family Chef cookbook.

Ingredients:

two sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" disks

fresh thyme, rosemary, chopped fine

salt, pepper

1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 c orange juice OR soy sauce

Mix sweet potatoes with other ingredients. Heat up the outdoor grill nice and hot. Turn down to medium as you place the sweet potatoes directly on the grill. Turn after 5 minutes and cook 5 minutes more. If you don't like them a little blistered, then check the grill often. Cover with foil to keep warm. Serve with chicken, fish, or a grilled veggie plate.

Easy Homemade Pizza Crust

I love crispy pizza crust and it seems like when pizza is delivered, it always has soggy or doughy crust. No matter how you try to crisp it up in the oven, it doesn't seem to work.

Our friends, Tom and Mia,shared a simple

pizza/salad/wine dinner with us while

our kids were at football games.

I dug this recipe out of my old recipe box and thought I would give it another go. I also had another inspiration from a Food Network cooking show. (While walking on the treadmill at the gym, I watch the cooking shows--an oxymoron if ever there was!) The cook on the show made pizzettas--very thin pizzas. I used my pizza crust recipe and it turned out great.

Recipe for Pizza Crust:

1 1/2 cup flour (divided)

1 (1/4 oz) package dry yeast (quick rising)*

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup water, heated until hot

1 T olive oil

parchment paper

*Very important that the yeast package says "quick-rising"

Whisk 3/4 cup flour with yeast and salt. Add water and oil gradually. Add the remaining 3/4 cup flour. If too dry, add 1 T water. Place dough in a clean bowl sprinkled on the bottom with flour. Sprinkle more flour on top of the dough. Cover with a warm, damp tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Knead the dough to soften it up before rolling out. If you want to make one pizza, roll the dough out as one piece. If you want to make "pizzetas", divide the dough into three sections. Roll the dough into a ball, then place it on a large square of parchment paper. Add a little flour to the dough so that it doesn't stick to the rolling pin. Press the dough down to make a large circle, then start slowly rolling it out from middle to edges. Keep doing this until you end up with a very, very thin crust. (Remember it will still rise a little more.) You can slide the pizza and parchment paper onto a cooking sheet or place in a shallow baking pan (still on the parchment.)

To make Olive Tampenade/Pecorino Cheese Pizzetas:

Spread olive tampenade (store bought--can find near refrigerated pestos) on pizzeta, drizzle a little olive oil, then add thinly sliced pecorino cheese on top.

To make Pizza Margherita:

Top with sliced Roma tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle some parmesan, salt, pepper (You will add mozarella during the last 10 minutes of cooking.)

To make Spinach, Sun dried Tomato, and Feta Pizza:

Drizzle olive oil lightly on crust, then top with sauteed, slightly wilted fresh spinach, sliced sun dried tomatoes, and feta cheese crumbles.

Before cooking pizzas or pizzetas, let rise for 7 minutes after you have topped them. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Add mozarella if desired and bake for 10 minutes more. The crust should be crispy and delicious!

Shrimp and Grits

A couple of years ago, I visited Charleston, SC and not only loved the city, but mostly the food which was simply divine! The signature dish was shrimp and grits, unbelievably delicious. This is a version from Whole Foods website. Unlike most recipes for shrimp and grits, this one has less fat and no cream. My husband deemed it blog worthy. (Not every I recipe I try makes it to this blog. It has to be something we enjoyed enough that we would definitely make again.) This recipe serves about 4-5 people.

Recipe:

3 slices bacon

1 cup grits (I used yellow)

3 cups water or chicken broth

salt, pepper

1 small yellow onion, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 bell peppers sliced thin (I used one yellow, one red)

1/2 to 1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 T lemon juice

2 tsp hot sauce (like Tobasco not salsa)

Cook bacon in a wide skillet. Remove bacon and leave some of the grease in the pan but set aside 1-2 T to use later in the recipe. Bring 3 cups water with 1 tsp salt (or substitute chicken broth) to a boil in a deep pot. Add grits, stir well, and lower heat to medium or med. high. Cook for 5 minutes (or according to package directions.) Stir often and you may need to slightly cover with a lid to keep the grits from popping up at you. When done, cover tightly with the lid and set aside.

Cook garlic, onions and peppers in skillet in bacon grease until very soft and wilted. Add a little salt and pepper. Remove pepper mixture from skillet. Add the rest of the bacon grease and cook the shrimp with a little more salt and pepper. After the shrimp is cooked through, put the pepper mixure back in, add the lemon juice and hot sauce. Mix well. For each plate, place a mound of grits topped with the shrimp mixture. Crumble the bacon on top.

I boiled the grits in water but my husband and I agreed that the grits could use a little more flavor. So, next time we're going to use chicken broth instead. I served this meal with a green salad. It was very filling. Make sure you include a little Southern hospitality with your meal!

Super Fast Stir-Fried Rice

You know those nights when you've just walked in the door after your kid's soccer game or football practice or whatever and you want to feed them something quick but healthy. You want to get some vegetables in those growing bodies too. This is the perfect thing! My new secret is this new already cooked brown rice called "Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice" and you buy it in the grocery aisle with the rest of the rice products. It must already be selling like hotcakes because when I went back to my H-E-B to purchase more, they were out. They sell "flavored" rice just like this, but I got the plain kind for this recipe. Stir-fried rice is great when you have some leftover cooked chicken, pork, steak or shrimp from a previous meal.

Recipe:

Two packages Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice (each package comes with two individually wrapped containers)

oil (whatever you prefer--grapeseed, canola or olive)

toasted sesame oil (optional)

soy sauce

frozen peas

chopped carrots

chopped white onion or green onion or both

can also use other veggies like broccoli or asparagus cut up small

2 eggs

cooked chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp (optional)

Coat a wide skillet with oil and heat to medium or medium high. If you like, add a little bit of toasted sesame oil for flavor. Saute the carrots and onion until soft. Add the peas and any other veggies you want to use and cook for a little bit or until done. Push the vegetables over to the far side of the skillet. Whip the eggs with a whisk then pour into the empty side of the skillet. Quickly stir the eggs until done, breaking them up into small pieces. Add 2-4 individual packets of the rice (don't have to precook it). Mix all together in the skillet and cook until the rice is heated thoroughly. Douse with soy sauce. If the rice gets too dry, then add a little more oil.

Wa-la -- you're done! And hungry people can be fed.

Favorite Cookbooks

Check out the new slideshow below my profile. These are all my favorite cookbooks. If you want to order one from Amazon, you just click on the cookbook.

The Family Chef is my newest cookbook and so far, I love it. The Barefoot Contessa can do no wrong. Her recipes always turn out well. Fonda San Miguel is like an art book because the photos are as beautiful as the restaurant here in Austin.

I will be talking about paninis soon because I live for my Breville panini press! Simple Italian Sandwiches is my panini bible. The Healthy Kitchen and The Omnivore's Dilemma will keep you from straying down the wrong path too often!

Finally, Stop and Smell the Rosemary has some really great recipes from the Houston Junior League.

Jewels' Delicioso Arroz on Pollo

Just love my new cookbook, The Family Chef by Jewels and Jill Elmore. Finally something new to do with chicken! I know arroz con pollo has been around for a while, but I've never actually had a recipe to try. Plus this has brown rice which is much better for your family than white rice.

It really helps to have a paella pan with a lid. I use mine for countless things because it's roomy and wide and will fit across two burners. Plus it goes straight from the stove to the oven without having to mess up two pans.

Here is the recipe with a few changes or additions from me:

Serves 6

2 chicken breasts with bone and skin, each cut in half (ending up with 4 pieces)

2 or more chicken thighs (this way you have light and dark meat covered for those picky people)

salt, pepper, cumin, paprika

grapeseed oil for browning

1 onion diced

2 shallots diced

2-4 cloves garlic diced

2 1/2 cups brown rice

4 cups chicken stock (or water and chicken stock mixed which is what I did)

small handfull of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Season the chicken pieces liberally with salt, pepper, cumin and paprika

Heat pan (high med. heat). Add a couple of glugs of oil to coat the pan. Place chicken in pan skin side down first. Brown both sides. Remove chicken and set aside. Lower heat. Add onion, shallots, garlic, and rice and saute for a minute or two. Add stock and stir. Place chicken back in pan, skin side up, spoon stock over the top of each piece, and cover with a lid or foil. You can either simmer on the stove or put in the over at 375 degrees (what I did). Cook about an hour.

Check on the rice to make sure it doesn't dry out too soon and spoon broth on top of chicken halfway through. After removing from oven, let stand for a few minutes. Sprinkle parsley over the top. Serve with a beautiful crisp salad. Enjoy!

White Bean Soup

I have a new cookbook called The Family Chef by Jewels and Jill Elmore. They are two sisters who've been cooking their whole lives and they work as personal chefs in Los Angeles. What I like about this cookbook is that they try to incorporate a lot of vegetables into their recipes. We all know we want to do this and sometimes it's hard and takes more effort. Their mantra is "A salad a day keeps the pounds away."

This soup recipe was also featured in the October 2009 issue of House Beautiful. It's easy and not too many ingredients which is my mantra! This is supposed to make enough for 6-8 people but I found that I had to add some chicken broth and it fed my family of four each a hearty portion. I only had a little bit leftover. The kids even asked me to make this again.

3 15-oz. cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed (can probably substitute navy beans or Great Northern beans too if you can't find cannelloni

6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water (I used chicken stock)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

1 med. onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

4 ripe tomatoes, cut into small pieces (or can of chopped tomatoes)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

grated Parmesan

Place beans, stock, garlic in a large pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Heat a large skillet over med. high heat. Add olive oil and saute the onion and celery for 5-6 minutes until translucent. Add tomatoes and salt and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add veggie mixture and parsley to beans. Cook for 15 minutes more to meld flavors. Serve with parmesan sprinkled on top.

I served this with a big green salad and sourdough bread crisps. These are good to make with sourdough that is a 2-3 days old.

Sourdough bread crisps:

4 slices sourdough bread cut lengthwise in half

olive oil

parmesan

Flatten the sourdough pieces in a heated panini press. Remove and place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Brush each piece with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes or until slightly brown and crispy. If you don't have a panini press, then flatten with a mallet and follow the same steps. You may need to turn the bread in the oven and cook it a little longer to get crispy. More on the panini press in the next blog!

Grouper Fillets

Finally, I saw the movie "Julie & Julia" which I loved. (Sorry friends at lunch last week. I know we talked about going together, but oops, already saw it!) If that movie can't get you in the mood for cooking, then nothing can! I couldn't get over the delicious fish that Julia Child ate at a French restaurant at the beginning of the movie. So the next day at the grocery store, I scanned the fish selections. The fish butcher (I guess that's what you call him) steered me toward the grouper which was flown in that morning from northern Mexico. The intact fish stared at me from the refrigerated case. Not a very pretty mug, but nonetheless, the butcher offered to fillet the fish on the spot for me. (Took about 15 minutes, by the way.) I've had mixed results cooking grouper before, but after making this recipe, I realized it's all about the freshness of the fish. I adapted this recipe from one that I found on a blog called Sugar and Spice with Celeste. Coincindentally, she had a quote from Julia Child on her page.

Ingredients:

4 grouper fillets (these were on the thin side)

lemon butter (melt 1/2 stick with squeeze of half lemon)

kosher salt

pepper

garlic powder

paprika

flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Place a piece of foil across a broiler pan. Brush lemon butter on top of the foil. Place fillets on foil, then dribble lemon butter and season with spices and parsley. Turn filets over and repeat. Cook at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the fish flakes.

I served these fillets with store bought HEB mashed potatoes (my kids die for these), steamed broccoli (where the lemon butter sauce did double duty) and warm sourdough bread. You should always serve bread with fish just in case there is a bone here or there. Fortunately, these fillets had not a bone in sight. Good job HEB fish butcher!

Vietnamese Beef Lettuce Wraps

This is a refreshing dinner on a warm summer night. The lettuce wraps are crunchy and the beef is tender. I usually serve these with store bought potstickers or rice on the side . The recipe for the Oriental Flank Steak comes from the Houston Junior League Cookbook, Stop and Smell the Rosemary.

Ingredients:

1/2 c soy sauce

2 1/2 T brown sugar

2 T lemon juice

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic salt

2 lb. flank steak

1 head green leaf lettuce

cilantro sprigs

fresh basil, mint (optional)

shredded carrots and/or sliced cucumbers

crushed peanuts or cashews

1 jar of Asian peanut sauce (any brand)

Combine marinade: soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger and galice salt in shallow dish. Place steak in dish, cover and marinate for 6-8 hours in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

Wash lettuce and keep in whole pieces. Wash other vegetables. Arrange veggies on a platter and place in the center of the dining table. Put peanut sauce in a small ramekin for each person at their place on the table. (You might want to water down the peanut sauce just a tad if it seems too thick.) Place the crushed peanuts in another small bowl and set on the dining table.

Heat the outdoor grill on high. Cook steak 5 minutes on each side or until done. Can also be cooked in the oven on the broiler setting. Slice meat diagonally and serve it alongside the platter of vegetables. To make a lettuce wrap: lettuce, meat, veggies, peanuts, and peanut sauce. Roll the lettuce leaf together like a taco and take a bite. Crunchy and savory!

Banana Muffins with Glaze

I found a banana muffin recipe in O Magazine but I changed it up a little bit and added a yummy glaze. These are really delicious, fairly healthy, and perfect for a harried morning breakfast (made the night before, of course!)

Banana Walnut Muffins

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c brown sugar

1 stick butter softened

3 very ripe bananas mashed

1/4 c unsweetened applesauce

1/2 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/4 c chopped walnuts

1/4 c mascarpone cheese

1 T honey

Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin tin. (I use a Kitchen Aid muffin pan that has these removable rubber muffin inserts. It is so easy to pop out the muffins once they are done.)I still spray them with cooking spray first.) Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and set aside. Pur sugar and butter into a second bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add bananas, applesauce, zest, vanilla, and egg to the sugar/butter mixture. Beat until combined. Add flour mixture to banana mixture, stirring well. Fold in walnuts. Spoon batter into muffin tin and bake abou 25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Makes about 12 muffins.

Before serving, combine mascarpone cheese with honey and spread on top of muffins. Microwave for 20 seconds. The glaze will dribble over the sides. Yum!

Al Fresco Ka-Bobs

Finally, after our wretchedly hot 100 plus degree days, we got a little break. We had a refreshing day with a high of 97. Woo-hoo! So we celebrated and ate al fresco. I had tons of veggies and one large steak (not really big enough for the four of us to have a substantial piece) so I decided to make ka-bobs. My kids love vegetables this way and ate every bite! (Okay, except for my daughter, the Cookie Diva. She just doesn't like mushrooms...yet.)

Ingredients:

1 large sirloin steak (or the cut you prefer)

2 zucchinis and/or summer squash sliced thickly

1 onion

assortment of bell peppers

whole mushrooms

cherry tomatoes

soy sauce

worcesterhire

olive oil

Paul Newman's Family Style Italian dressing

balsamic vinegar

salt, pepper

If you are using wooden skewers, then place them in a dish with water to soak. Cut the sirloin steak into bite sized pieces and place in a bowl. Douse generously with soy sauce, add about 1-2 T each of worcestershire and olive oil. Stir into the meat and set aside. Chop all veggies into bite sized pieces and place in another bowl. Douse generously with Italian salad dressing (I LOVE this dressing and use it all the time), then add a little balsamic vinegar, a little soy sauce and a little salt and pepper. (I always say "a little" because you can always add more.) Stir and set aside. Let the meat and veggies absorb the marinades for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the outdoor grill to high. Pierce the veggies and meat alternately onto the skewers. When you are ready to cook, lower the grill heat to medium and then place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 4-5 minutes then turn and cook 4-5 minutes more. Check to see if done and if you want to cook them longer, just check them every 3 minutes or so.

Serve with a big salad and garlic bread or your favorite rice. Here's to better weather ahead for us Texans! Serves 4.

Asian Grilled Chicken Salad

The best thing about this dish is that there are no messy pans to clean. With the heat in this town still at triple digits, this meal was light and easy to throw together. No slaving over a hot stove.

Ingredients:

Raw chicken breast tenders or chicken breasts sliced thinly
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T worcestershire sauce
1/2 lime
2 garlic pods roughly chopped
1 box Spring Mix salad or head of butter lettuce
1/2 cup sliced or shredded carrots
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup crushed peanuts (put in plastic bag and hammer with a mallet)
SASS sesame-garlic salad dressing

Make a marinade for the chicken with soy sauce, worcestershire, lime juice, and garlic. Marinate chicken tenders for 30 minutes to an hour. Cook on the grill on medium heat for about 4 minutes per side or until done. Careful not to overcook. While chicken is cooking, combine lettuce with carrots and bell pepper. Pour SASS dressing over salad and toss.

On plates, place a generous salad portion, then top with crushed peanuts. Lay chicken tenders over salad and serve. Yum!

Toffee Crunch Brownies

My daughter, the Cookie Diva, loves to bake. She is always on the hunt for the best chocolate chip cookie and brownie recipes. She found Paula Deen's Toffee Brownies on the Food Network website. Cookie Diva tweaked it a little and switched out applesauce in place of the cooking oil and one egg. These brownies are unbelievable (and easy!)

Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines Family Style Brownies Dark Chocolate Fudge
1 egg
2 T water
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 regular or 2 over-sized Symphony Candy Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 pyrex pan with foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, egg, water, and applesauce until well blended. Spread half the brownie mixture on top of the foil lined pan. Break up the candy bar pieces and lay them on top. Then spread the other half of the brownie mix over the candy bar layer. Bake for 27-30 minutes. After the brownies have cooled completely, pull them out of the pan with the foil for easy cutting.

Gigi's Banana Bread

My kids could have a quick-bread meal for breakfast every day. This is a low fat version of banana bread. My mother-in-law gave me this recipe and I think it might have originated in a Neiman Marcus cookbook.

3 ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1 egg room temperature
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 applesauce
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
chopped nuts (optional)

Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Lightly grease and flour the loaf pan. Pour batter in and bake at 325 degrees for 60-80 minutes.

Red Chicken Tacos

My sister used to work with a woman who gave her this recipe years ago. This is supposed to be an authentic Mexican dish, not really Tex-Mex. I try to cook my chicken the day before so it's ready to throw into the skillet the following night.

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts with bone or one whole chicken pre-cooked (either boiled or roasted). De-bone meat and set aside.
3 T olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 green bell pepper finely chopped
2-3 pods garlic finely chopped
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth
1 small can tomato sauce
cumin
salt, pepper
flour tortillas
shredded sharp cheddar
shredded lettuce
sour cream (optional)
guacamole (optional)

In a skillet on medium heat, cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, bite-sized chicken pieces, a big sprinkle of cumin, salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, then simmer until liquid is reduced (about 15 minutes). If the liquid dries up too much, add more chicken broth.

Fill warm flour tortillas with chicken mixture and top with shredded cheese, lettuce, and sour cream or guacamole. Ole!

If you have chicken mixture leftover, then make tostadas the following night. Top them with refried black beans, chicken mixture, sauteed peppers, and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

My internet service died on Saturday but has recently come back to life. More recipes to come later today.

Basil Hummus

My kids really like hummus but I usually get the store bought kind. I saw this recipe in the Austin American-Statesman last week and since I have a ton of basil growing in the garden, I wanted to try it out. I have the tiniest food processor you've ever seen but all the ingredients fit at the same time. This is the perfect sized appetizer for a small group. The basil flavor gave it a nice summery tang. (The original recipe calls for 3 Tbsp. sesame tahini. I couldn't find it at the grocery store so I just left it out. It's your call on that one. It's my motto that if I don't have it and it's not a major ingredient, then it's my prerogative to leave it out!)

Ingredients:

1/2 can garbanzo beans, rinsed

4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled

large handful of fresh basil leaves

generous pinch of salt

Pita chips and/or cucumber slices

Put all ingredients in the food processor and blend until creamy smooth. Serve at room temperature or chill for 1 hour. Serve with pita chips or cucumber slices.

Coming soon: Desserts!

Tex-Mex Zucchini and Summer Squash

I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of plain jane steamed veggies. I like them with a little style. Over the years, I have lured my kids to new vegetables by disguising them with cheese, spices, sauces, oils, broths, and even tortilla chips. So, on this note, I give you my version of this plentiful pair of summer vegetables -- zucchini and summer squash. This is quick to make and nearly impossible to mess up. The kick of jalepeno makes it a zingier side dish. Plus, it's colorful and you can serve it with just about anything!

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini

1 large summer squash

1 small onion

1/2 jalapeno, minced and seeded

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil

salt, pepper to taste

1/2 cup sharp white cheddar, grated

1/2 crushed tortilla chips

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Slice zucchini, squash and onion and saute in the skillet with the minced jalapeno. Add salt, pepper to taste. Once the veggies are softer but still a little crunchy, place them in an oven proof dish. Sprinkle cheese over veggies with tortilla chips over all. Bake 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Simple Crock Pot Chicken

My new hangout on Saturday mornings is the Farmer's Market. It's like a big party. People even bring their dogs. There are food samples, fresh bakery items, cheeses, pomegranate iced tea, beads, someone writing on-the-spot poems, and oh, vegetables too. I recently started to buy my meat, chicken and eggs there because I read The Omnivore's Dilemma. Need I say more? I bought a whole chicken from Dewberry Farms and it really was tasty.

You know how the pre-roasted chickens at the grocery store can be swimming in grease? The chicken from the Farmer's Market was juicy and tender and not greasy at all. Here is the simple recipe that I found on the internet at http://www.csppcooks.pbworks.com/. Put that crock pot to work so you don't have to!

Crock Pot Chicken Recipe:

4 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

1 medium or large roasting chicken
1-2 sliced onions
1 sliced lemon

Put onions in the bottom of the crockpot. Stuff the lemon slices inside the chicken cavity. Mix the spices together and rub all over the chicken liberally. Place chicken on top of onions in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8 hours. Enjoy!

Refreshing Summer Cocktail Sans Alcohol

Temperatures are climbing to 105 degrees or more in our humble little town. Why do we live here? Oh yeah, because January is divine. So, I'm always looking for something cool and tasty to drink while I'm slaving over the stove.

I'm cutting down on my previous nightly, little co-conspirator glass of wine while cooking and trying some non-alky drinks instead. At first I felt deprived, but then I came up with this oh-so-refreshing concoction. Your taste buds will be tricked into thinking they are drinking a spritzy wine cooler because the Pom juice has a little hint of red wine flavor. Imagine you are on a tropical beach with a nice breeze. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

La Croix Sparkling Water Grapefruit Flavor
Pom Blueberry Juice
Squeeze of Lime

Fill a wine glass with ice cubes, pour the La Croix into the glass so it's 3/4 full, then splash the Pom juice and fill it to the top. Squeeze the lime over all and stir.