Kolaches

I cannot believe that I do not have this saved anywhere in my computer files.  Perhaps it is because I have made it so many times? It is a Christmas tradition to have kolaches and incredibly rich hot chocolate on Christmas Eve, so I have been thinking about posting this recipe.  Today I received a request for the recipe from a very dear friend, so I decided I needed to take a moment and upload it to the blogJ 

The original recipe comes from a hometown cookbook “Bake and Smile Duncan Style”—Duncan, Iowa. Many of the people who attend the wonderful Catholic church there are of Bohemian descent, and this recipe was submitted by one of my childhood neighbors Mrs. Frank Paca (pronounced pot za).

Combine in a large bowl:

*1 cup milk, scalded and cooled to 105°

*1 TBL dried yeast

*1/3 cup sugar

Let mixture set until bubbly and add:

*1 cup potato water

*1/2 cup mashed potatoes (I cook the potatoes in extra water to obtain the cup of potato water, and I blend the potato water and mashed potatoes in the blender)  Make sure this is cooled to room temperature.

*1/3 cup good oil

*1/3 cup melted and cooled butter (the original recipe called for 2/3 cup melted and cooled lard)

*2 tsp salt

*2 egg yolks

*4 cups flour

Mix this until smooth and add:

*2 – 2 1/2 cup flour (the dough will be sticky because of the potatoes, so do not work in more flour)

Turn out on a floured surface and let rest for 10 – 20 minutes while you tidy up the kitchenJ

Knead until the dough feels like a baby’s bottom – that is what my Aunts taught meJ  Rub some oil on the dough to keep it from drying, cover, and let rise until doubled.

Punch down and let rest for 10 minutes.  Turn out on a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/2 inch (be a little generous).  Cut with a biscuit cutter, place on a greased pan, and let rise until double. Using your thumb, punch down just the center of the dough, and fill with your favorite jam or pie filling. Our favorites are apricot jam and cherry pie filling.  Back at 350° for 15-18 minutes – just until the kolaches take a little color. Drizzle with a simple powdered sugar frosting—that has cream cheese and butter in itJ

I think I have captured all the directions!

Apple Crisp

This is a wonderful way to celebrate fall!  The cooler weather brings on cravings for cinnamon and baked apple goodies. Apple crisp will always be one of my favorites for a gathering of friends or family.

The apple crisp recipe is really easy :)  It is a ratio recipe; 1 part butter, 1 part sugar, 1 part brown sugar, 2 parts flour, 2 parts quick oatmeal.  This means you can make whatever sized pan you want.

For a 9”X13” pan:

Peel and slice enough apples to fill a 9 X 13 pan - I usually plan for 8 - 10 apples (depends on the size and quality of the apples).  Sprinkle the apples with 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 TB corn starch and 1 tsp cinnamon (I usually mix the sugar, corn starch and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over the apples)

Melt 3/4 cup butter

Stir in 3/4 cup white sugar, 3/4 brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon,  1 1/2 cup flour and 1 1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal.  The mixture will be crumbly.  Spread it evenly over the apples and bake at 350 F for 50 minutes or until apples are soft and crumble is nicely browned.  

For a 9”X9” pan:

You will peel and slice enough apples to fill the pan.  You can use a scant 1/4 cup sugar and a scant 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 TBL cornstarch and 1 tsp cinnamon.

The crumble will be 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup flour, and 1 cup quick oatmeal.

If you want the crisp to be more tart, you can sprinkle the sliced apples with 2-3 TBL of lemon juice concentrate.

Basic Meatloaf

Meatloaf—nothing special-just yummy and easy

This is one of my favorite meals because it is simple and easy.  Just pop the meatloaf into the oven along with potatoes, and in an hour, dinner is ready!  And in the meantime, you have a load of laundry folded, helped someone with a school project, or you have the living room cleaned.  Add a simple salad or some cut fruit, and everyone is happy.

1 pound hamburger (the leaner, the better)

½ cup quick cooking oatmeal

1 egg

2 TBL prepared mustard (like you put on hotdogs)

1 cup tomato sauce or diced tomatoes

½ cup finely diced onions

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Mix everything together and bake in a loaf pan at 350 degrees for an hour.

This recipe doubles if you need more than 6 generous servings.  If you double the recipe, I would recommend dividing the meatloaf between two loaf pans.  Leftover meatloaf makes a yummy sandwich for your lunch the next day.

Basic Noodles

Noodles – plain and very simple

As I reflect on this noodle recipe, I can remember rolling them out on the kitchen table with my Mom.  It is such a simple memory of a simple treat.  I am also reminded of how important those simple lessons were from women who had survived the Depression by serving simple noodles when there were eggs and flour + water lump gravy when there were no eggs.  These noodles do not require a pasta machine-just your table or counter and a rolling pin

In a bowl:

Mix 1 cup flour and ½ tsp salt.  (You can add such dried herbs as basil, oregano, etc if you would like to flavor the noodles)

Make a well in the flour and crack an egg and pour it into the well.

Add one ½ shell of water (about 1 TBL if using the cracked eggshell as a measuring tool makes you nervous.

Using a fork, mix until the dough comes together.  Turn out onto the counter or table and knead until elastic.  The dough will start out much like a piece of new gum in your mouth.   The dough will come together as you knead it much like gum will come together as you chew it)

Let rest for 15-20 minutes (or longer if you need to stop to care for a child)

Sprinkle flour to cover about a 20 inch circle.  You may need to add more flour as you roll the noodles out with a rolling pin.  You can have the noodles be as thin or as thick as desired – whatever you like.  Cut them into thin strips with the sharpest knife you have.  Don't worry if they are even as that is part of the look of homemade noodles! 

Cook the noodles in broth or water for 5 – 6 minutes.  If you do not want to cook the noodles right away, let them dry for a couple of hours, put them in a bag, and freeze until you want to use them.

This recipe doubles easily but does not triple easily.  I often made a double batch and froze the extras.

Chicken noodle soup

Chicken broth

The day before you want to actually make the soupJ - or you can freeze the broth.

I usually use 2 chickens to make sure I have enough meat and enough broth.  I cut the chickens into pieces - legs, thighs, halve the breasts, wings, back, and neck.  You can pull the skin off - I usually do. 

Put the chicken in the crock pot and cover with water (I use filtered) plus 1-2 inches.  I cut up all the veggies I am going to use for the soup, put the soup veggies in a bag, and put the rest of what you usually throw away into the crock pot.  (I do the same thing when I make beef stew).  I then add lots of herbs: sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley (the song is a good way to remember what I put into the broth), and a bay leaf or two.  Let all of this cook over night and try not to dream of yummy soupJ

Whenever you are ready to make the soup, just strain everything.  Pull the meat off the bones and put in broth.  You are now ready to make the soup.

Soup

Sauté 2 medium, chopped onions in a couple TBL of olive oil until just starting to take color.  Add bite-sized pieces of carrots and celery - you will probably need 2 cups of each, but you can add more if you want a soup with more veggies.  Sauté everything until celery is just taking a little color.  Add more sage, parsley, rosemary, and thyme - I usually just smell and add whatever I think it needs.  I like lots of herbsJ  Sauté that for a few minutes and then add the broth and chicken pieces.  Let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the veggies are cooked.  Add noodles and let simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.  Adjust herbs and add salt and pepper as desired.

Noodles

Mix one cup flour with 1 tsp of salt.  Make a well and add one egg and 1/2 shell of water.  Mix well - the food processor is a good friend for this.  Knead until smooth and elastic.  Let rest for 20 min and then roll thin and cut.  You can make the noodles as thick or thin as you like.  This doubles easily, and you can freeze whatever noodles you are not using immediately.  They freeze well for a month.

A Cookie Recipe Everyone Should Have :)

Cowboy Cookies 

This recipe comes from a cookbook I received as a wedding shower gift a long time ago.  It is the St. Elizabeth and St. Helena Circles Sacred Heart Church in Oxford Junction, IA cookbook.  The cookbook is one of those cookbook that contains simple recipes for simple, wonderful dishes; there are no ingredients such as imported chocolate, fancy mushrooms, or other exotic ingredients requiring exotic equipment and procedures.  These recipes are tried and true by women who worked hard, loved much, and took great pride in serving family and friends the best these women had to offer from their gardens and simple pantries.

I am not sure where the name of the cookies originated, but it is what the kids' Grandma Brunscheen called them :)

This recipe has been prepared hundreds of times as it was a favorite of the kids and their friends.  I would often bake a batch and take the cookies to wherever they were gathered as the cookies came out of the oven.  It was years later that Stacy figured out that I brought out the cookies one pan full at a time because it allowed me to interact with them and their friends in a very positive way.  Who does not welcome someone bearing a plate full of hot chocolate chip cookies - even if it is your mom?

Here is the basic recipe with variations though beware of baking the raisin version as it may cause trust issues:

Cream together until light and fluffy:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter

Beat in until light and fluffy:
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp soda
2 tsp vanilla

Stir in:
2 cups flour
2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz package)

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 13 minutes.

These are streamlined directions designed to enable you to have the dough mixed together before the oven has finished preheating :)

Variations:

Chocolate Chips cookies:
Eliminate the oatmeal and increase the flour to 3 - 3 1/4 cups flour

Sugar cookies:
Eliminate the brown sugar and increase sugar to 2 cups, add 2 tsp cream of tartar, and eliminate the oatmeal and increase the flour to 3 - 3 1/4 cups flour.  Let the dough cool for a couple of hours, so you can shape the dough into walnut-sized balls and roll those in sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 11 - 12 minutes or as long as it takes for them to start to brown on the edges.  They will puff up in the oven and then settle as they cool.  They are best when they have been slightly under baked.  They freeze very well--if they make it that far :)

Oatmeal Raisin cookies:
Eliminate the chocolate chips and add 2 cups raisins.  You can add 1 tsp to the flour mixture if you would like - that is how my Dad likes them.  You can also add 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups raisins, but my kids will tell you it will create trust issues.  They do not like raisins and do not like to be disappointed when they think they are eating a chocolate chip cookie only to discover there are raisins in the cookies :)

Crackle top Ginger Cookies

Crackle Top Ginger Cookies

 These will always be one of my favorite ways to welcome my favorite season - Fall :)

1 cup shortening

2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

1 egg, beaten

1/2 - 1 cup sorghum or molasses (I used sorghum most often because it is not as strong and only used 1/2 cup)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp soda

1 - 2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon (opt) I usually put that in because I love cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

4 - 4 1/2 cup flour.  The dough will be sticky until you cool it for a couple of hours.

Roll into balls and roll in sugar.  Slightly flatten before baking or they will not flatten out like they should.

Bake at 350° F just until set; these freeze well - if they make it that long :)

 

Chocolate Sauce that will permanently change your life

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

¼ cup cocoa

1-cup sugar

½ cup whipping cream (I use the whole Half pint)

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp vanilla

Measure cocoa, sugar, cream, syrup, butter and salt into a heavy saucepan, about 1 ½ quart size. Stir until blended. Bring to a boil over moderate high heat. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add the vanilla.

Pudding

Pudding

In a pan (if using the stove) or a microwave safe bowl, mix:

2 cups milk

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

3 Tablespoons of corn starch

1/2 tea salt

Stove: stir constantly over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble

Microwave - cook on high for 4 minutes; take out and stir and cook another 4

         minutes

Remove from microwave or stove and add:

1 egg that has been mixed with 1/2 cup milk or half and half

Stir and:

Stove - stir over medium heat until mixture starts to bubble

Microwave - cook on high for 2 minutes

Remove from stove or microwave and add:

2 Tablespoons of butter

1 tea vanilla

Banana - You can take out the cocoa and add a sliced banana when you add the butter and vanilla.

Butterscotch - add brown sugar instead of sugar and cook over low heat

Vanilla - take out the cocoa.  Instead of using 1 egg, you will use 1 egg and 1 yolk,  and add 2 tea vanilla

Aunt Evelyn's Christmas cookies

Aunt Evelyn's Christmas cookies

Some of my fondest Christmas memories as a child are going to Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Harold's place for New Year's Day to watch the parades on TV.  Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Harold had a color TV, so it was something wonderful to see all the beautiful floats in color!!!  One of Aunt Evelyn's holiday specialties was her frosted sugar cookies.  Baking and decorating the cut cookies will always be some of my fondest memories - even though most of the kids hated decorating them :)  One of the funniest memories was watching Shane and Stef try to teach some missionaries the find art of decorating cookies correctly.

Aunt Evelyn’s Christmas Cookies

Cream together:

2 cups white sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup sour cream

Beat in:

2 eggs

1/2 tsp lemon extract

1 tsp vanilla

Stir together in a small bowl:

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking power

1 tsp baking soda

3 cups flour

Add the dry ingredients to creamed ingredients

Add 2 additional cups of flour, one at a time, mixing thoroughly before adding 2^nd cup

Let cool 1 – 2 hours –do not cut this step

Roll out to about 1/4 inch – these are a little thicker than normal

Cut and bake at 350°F just until the edges start to take color.

This batch makes lots of cookies!

Cool and frost with the following:

2 oz cream cheese - softened

1/4 cup – softened

1/2 cup half and half

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

Enough powdered sugar to make thin frosting

Add coloring as desired

The cookies are better after they have been frozen.  It is tradition to add red hots as part of the decorations :)

Christmas Caramels

Caramels

The original recipe was a Christmas gift from the Tray and Tammy Thomas family.  Tray was our home teacher for many years and faithfully filled that responsibility; he and his family will always have a fond place in my memories.  

3 cups sugar

3 cups white Karo syrup (corn syrup)

1 cup evaporated milk (do not substitute regular milk as the extra milk solids help the caramels to set)

1/2 cup butter

1/8 tsp salt

2 cups heavy cream (room temp)

1 tsp vanilla (use the best quality you can find)

2 cups chopped pecans

Mix together the sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, butter, and salt in a heavy Dutch oven pan (4+ quart).  Bring to a boil and cook to 220°F.  Stirring constantly, add cream slowly so the mixture does not cool enough to quit simmering.  Continue stirring until mixture reaches 242°F or so.  Spoon a little caramel into a cup of ice water to check if the caramel is done.  The caramel will thicken and darken.  Stir gently but continuously to keep the caramel from scorching.

The trick with the caramels is to cook them long enough, so they do not stick to your teeth but not overcook. I use both the thermometer and the ice water test to check the caramels.  I start using the ice water test when the temperature is about 235°F. A degree makes a huge difference when you are cooking candies, so be very watchful.  

Remove from heat and add vanilla and nuts.  Pour into a 10”X15” buttered pan.  Let cool, cut, and wrap in wax paper sheets.

11/2014 - Shane, Paul, and I used organic sugar and the cooking time was shortened.  The caramel was had a very delicate flavor well worth the price of the organic sugar.

12/04/2018 - Today I helped a friend make the caramels.  She had pruchased a new candy thermometer, so we used both her new one and my old one.  My thermometer registered  8°F higher than hers.  Check your thermometer reading when the mixture starts to boil - it will give you an idea of how accurate it is.  Mine about 20 years old, so that may be the problem.  I think her new thermometer registers lower, so we cooked the caramel to 242°F on my thermometer and 234°F on hers.  The variance in accuracy is why I always double check using the ice water check!

Mom's Basic Recipes pt. 4

Morning Glory Muffins

Mix together in a large bowl:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar (brown works best)
3 tea cinnamon
2 tea soda
1/2 tea salt

Stir together in another bowl
3 eggs
3/4 cup applesauce (I use 2 grated apples instead of this and 1 apple)
1/2 cups oil
1 tea vanilla
2 cups grated carrots
1 medium apple
8 oz crushed pineapple
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup raisin
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix wet ingredients into flour mixture. Makes 24 muffing

Mom's Basic Recipes pt. 3

Apple-Nut Coffee Cake

(using doubled)

1 cup flour
1/2 baking powder
1/2 soda
1/8 salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick margarine
1 egg
1/2 tea vanilla
1 large apple grated
1/2 cup sour cream

Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg and add grated apple and vanilla and sour cream. Add dry ingredients and pour into greased pan.
In a separate little bowl:
melt 1 TBL butter and add 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup chopped nuts and 1/2 tea cinnamon. It will be crumbly--crumble over batter and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes

Mom's Basic Recipes pt. 2

Sweet roll recipe

You can use this for either cinnamon or orange rolls
This will make 2 dozen rolls

2 cups very warm tap water
1 TBL yeast
½ cup sugar
Let sit unti mixture is bubbly—yeast is active

Stir in:
4 cups flour
½ cup dried milk ( you can use warm milk for the 2 cups water or 1 cup water and 1 cup
buttermilk)
1 TBL salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup oil
(for orange rolls: add 1 tsp orange zest)
Beat together until mixture is smooth and elastic

Add:
2 ½ - 3 cups flour
It is best if the dough is a little sticky. That will diminish as the dough rises.
Turn out onto the counter, let rest 5 minutes and knead until smooth.
Let rise. Punch down. Let rest 5 minutes and roll into long rectangle

Filling:
Cinnamon - melt ½ cup butter and spread over dough. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3
cup brown sugar—drizzle corn syrup over the whole thing (about 1/3 cup) and sprinkle
generously with cinnamon. Roll and cut into ¾ inch pieces. Let rise and bake.

Orange - directions are the same except use 2/3 cup sugar and add orange zest—
I usually mix the orange peel in the sugar and process with the food processor. It is
probably 2 tsp. I also drizzle the dough with 1/3 cup thawed orange juice concentrate.
It will be messy.

Mom's Basic Recipes pt. 1

I can't believe I have yet to post the following recipes.
Like usual, I am in the mood to bake and cook different things that were common to our breakfast/lunch/dinner table growing up. When I first moved to Salt Lake, I requested my mom send me an email with all of these recipes now that I had to make them on my own. Now, one would think that I would save these emails in places that are a) memorable and b) accessible. However, I am not the most technologically savvy person and forget to remove them from my old email accounts (that continue to just receive SPAM throughout the year while I'm not ever checking it).

Anyway. That was a lot of exposition to some pretty basic/staple recipes.

Creamed Soup Base

This is the original recipe that I have adapted into the cheese/broccoli or potato soup

1 potato, diced
½ large onion
Saute in 2 TBL butter or olive oil until the potatoes just start to brown on the edges.
Add:
4 cups chicken broth
You can add any combination of the following:
Potato soup:
2 more potatoes, diced
1 cup sliced celery
cooked bacon—as a garnish
Cheese/broccoli:
1 lb package of chopped borccoli
Orignial Recipe:
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup diced carrot
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Whatever you have chosen, let simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Add 2 cups milk
¼ cup corn starch
¼ cup cream
8 oz. grated sharp chedder cheese

Let simmer 10 minutes and serve

A couple of special links

Alas, I do not have any recipes to share at this moment. Though Nik made an impromptu dinner featuring a meatloaf that is both incredibly delicious and packed full of vegetables. I need to have him tell me what was in it, then I promise to post it up.

However, today I have some special links to share with you.
As you may or may not know, I have a deep devotion to dairy. It is hard for me to think of anything more sad than the idea of living a life of being lactose intolerant. My mom told me not long ago that I was lactose intolerant for the first few years of my life; which might explain the subconscious need to make up for lost dairy. My interest in dairy currently only extends as far as the consumption of it- though one of my life goals is to make artisan cheese. And artisan mustard. But that is another story.

You may not share my intense feelings about cheese and dairy, but I feel you will delight in some of the links that I am sharing today...

http://cheeseunderground.blogspot.com/
An entire blog. About cheese. I think it is sounds miraculous. She is a clever writer, so Midwestern that you can almost hear the accent through the text. There is nothing pretentious about it: just a person sharing their love for and experience in the dairy world of Wisconsin.

http://www.wicheesefest.com/
A festival in Wisconsin- where else?!- that features locally-made cheese. This year it is the weekend of my Dad's birthday, so I don't think I'm going to be able to make it. BUT- trust, I will find a way to be there in the years to come...

That is all for now. I needed to post these before I lost them!

My First Cake

Can you believe it? I've never made a cake before.
They scare me: entire blogs exist that mock the amateur crafting of a cake. Yes, ones like Cake Wrecks often make fun of the design and spelling aspects- but I still find myself nervous while thumbing through cake recipes. Oh, and my frosting is always a hot mess. SAD.

Add all these elements together and you will understand why I love making pies instead of cakes.

Yesterday, though, I decided that Nik's completion of the Chicago Marathon merited a little bit of celebrating: I brined and grilled a chicken from my grandfather's farm, made pumpkin biscuits, and fried sweet potatoes for dinner... all topped off with a cake! AS far as cakes go, I knew that if I attempted a multi-layer, filled cake for my first time- it risked being a mess. I had guests coming over and refused to disturb Nik's "cooling down" time after coming home from the marathon. So what kinds of cake are nearly impossible to mess up? Ones with a form other than a simple round... also known as BUNDT cakes.

A year or two ago, we got this beautiful Bundt cake pan from Williams-Sonoma, but it had since disappeared into the back of the "cake cupboard"- full of dozens of cake pans of various shapes and sizes. I pulled it out and whipped together this lovely cake (that was not originally a Bundt cake recipe)...

Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
For the cake:
4 large carrots, grated
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground mace
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups canola oil or applesauce (I used the oil this time)
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup raisins, plumped in hot water and drained
1 cup pecans

Over a sheet of parchment paper or a plate, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and mace. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil and orange zest and whisk thoroughly to combine. Stir in the carrots. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture until almost completely incorporated. Add the raisins and nuts and fold to mix thoroughly. Pour the batter into the well-greased pan.

Cook at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. Take a thin knife or bamboo stick to insert into cake- if it comes out dry, the cake is done. This Bundt pan didn't take very long.

For the FROSTING:

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup of white chocolate chips melted
2 TB butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3/4+ cup of powdered sugar
2 TB milk

Mix together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, milk, and melted white chocolate until smooth. Then add the powdered sugar until it is the consistancy you desire- I wanted mine thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to not just drip everywhere.

Et voila. Delicious and Beautiful Cake!

I should totally post pictures...

More Fall-like Food

I've been considering the following biscuit recipe for quite some time- on some days, the concept seemed like a fantastical combination. Other times I felt a little bit squeamish adding elements of pumpkin pie to a kind of food that I hold a little sacred.

You see, one of the most delicious and Midwestern dishes I can think of is fluffy buttermilk biscuits douced in a ladle-full of sausage chunks and gravy. Yes, several orders of McDonalds fries are probably more healthy and less full of various starches and fats- which is why you only consume it maybe once or twice a year. But that is clearly a tanget. I love biscuits- and almost all varieties of quick breads. As their name suggests, they are much quicker and easier than negotiating yeast bread recipes.

After sampling one straight out of the oven (PLAIN, mind you), I couldn't help but grab two or three more immediately.

Pumpkin Biscuits. WHO KNEW?!

Ingredients
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice***
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons honey
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill 10 minutes.

3. Combine buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk until well blended; add canned pumpkin. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds (as if folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Reroll dough into a (1/2-inch-thick) 9 x 5–inch rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with a 1 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to form 14 dough rounds. Place dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400° for 14 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm.

***I didn't have pumpkin pie spice. While at the store, I saw a small plastic jar (McCormick Brand) cost a whopping $6. Highway robbery! So I did some quick research and decided that about 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, a dash of ground cloves and another of mace- all substituted just fine. Granted, I do have the majority of the Penzeys store in the cupboards next to my range.

Magic of Lasagna

While I'm searching around in my head and on various cooking websites trying to find something delicious for dinner, I often find myself skipping over or dismissing "classics" like various casserole and one-pan/pot dishes that I had often while going up.

Yesterday I felt found a great recipe for a lasagna that wasn't your usual variety- nor did it stray too far from the classic kind. Unfortunately, to make an excellent and authentic lasagna, you have to have a significant chunk of time set aside. Between all of my work and practice, I barely have time to squeeze in 30-60 minutes of pilates or yoga... nevermind the 5-6 hrs of cooking and preparation required for this classic.

And yes, it does occur to me that I don't have food critics or native Italians sitting at my dinner table on a regular basis- or ever. So really, I shouldn't be too concerned about the consistancy of noodles or the texture of the filling. But why spend time cooking if you can't be proud of the final result?

So here is my adapted recipe of Sausage & Kale Lasagna. Quick, easy, delicious. *Be sure to read through before starting, I was trying to lay out the recipe in a coherent way- this one does allow you to multi-task fairly easily, so there are two parts.

Ingredients-
3/4 pound of hot Italian sausage, removed from casing and broken up into small chunks
1 small onion chopped
5 cloves of garlic chopped into medium-sized chunks
1 bunch of kale (1- 1 1/2 lbs), chopped
1 TB fennel seeds- optional
1 TB chopped or crushed rosemary
1 TB olive oil

About 9 lasagna noodles
1 TB olive oil
Ricotta Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Sharp Cheddar Cheese

In a medium or large pot over medium heat, cook the sausage thoroughly. While cooking it, I found it helpful to break it up into fairly small chunks- almost a crumble. Once cooked, put into a large mixing bowl.

*Meanwhile, start cooking the noodles and prepare about 2 minutes less than what directions on the box say. They will get done about the same time that you are done prepping the filling.

In pot used for cooking sausage, pour in 1 TB olive oil. Allow it to heat before adding the onions. While sauteeing the onions, I covered the pot with a lid for the first minutes to soften them and then uncovered them while I turned up the heat to medium-high in order to carmelize them. In this last part of the process, add the garlic. Once carmelized, pour onions and garlic into bowl with sausage. Mix all together with oregano, fennel, rosemary or whatever Italian herbs you would like. Cayenne or chili pepper would probably be an exciting way to make it spicy; you might also consider a little nutmeg.

In same pot, pour in about 1/2 cup of water and add the chopped kale. Turn down heat to medium and cook with lid over. The kale uncooked takes up a suprising amount of space, but will shrink considerable while cooking.

At this point, the noodles were done cooking for me. I poured into my collander and then rinsed with cold water so I could touch them without getting burned. In a casserole dish, I poured a little bit of olive oil at the bottom and then placed one layer of noodles.

Once the kale was cooked, I put a layer on top of the noodles and then spooned on a layer of the sausage and onion mixture. Then I added a bit of ricotta and shredded parmesan cheese before placing another layer of noodles and repeating the layering process. After the top layer, I put a little extra ricotta and parmesan cheese and then finally added the shredded cheddar cheese.

Put in the over for about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
E presto- dinner is served!

I only wish I had breadsticks and some bright fruit gelato to serve with...!

Convenient Food

Welcome to my lunch break:
Triscuits dipped into some of the left-over taco meat and cheese from the other night. And some of my salsa verde to go along with. Washed down with hot chocolate from the breakroom. Not exactly 5-star quality lunch, but it will do for today...

Inspired by my humble at-my-desk lunch, I felt like writing some ideas down for convenient food- that has nothing to do with McDonalds or Corner Bakery or whatever commercial perservative-filled food chain you resort to when short on time.

Quick Risotto. Using ingredients you probably have.

1/2 cup of arbiorio rice
3 cups chicken stock
3 TB butter
1/2 an onion chopped up into small-ish bits
4 gloves garlic chopped up
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp rosemary (fresh or dried)
*other assorted additions: mushrooms, chives, artichoke hears, cubed squash, parmesean cheese, asparagus, italian sausage slices, chicken, etc
*if you are the martini drinking type, and I am, you probably have some vermouth around, but it isn't necessary :)- couple splashes of vermouth

-In a medium-sized sautee pan that has a lid, melt the butter and sautee the onions until slightly browned; throw in the garlic cloves and sautee a little more until the garlic is softened and the onion has carmelized
-Add the rice and cook in the butter/onion/garlic mixture until slightly browned (I know, it makes it kind of like a pilaf- but I never said this was ultra-authentic-Italian risotto)
-Pour in the chicken stock and vermouth and cook with the lid on for about 8-10 minutes on medium-low heat

-In a small pan, melt a little butter and add whatever other veggies or meat you happen to have on hand. I had sliced chicken breast, fennel seed, rosemary, a little more garlic and artichoke hearts in a jar. After sauteeing all these together (making sure my chicken was thoroughly cooked), I added all these to the rice. I did save adding the chives to the end, considering how dainty chives are as a plant and flavor.

Once the rice was cooked along with my "additives," I went ahead and added finely-grated parmesean cheese. Because I think it is delicious. I also grated on top some nutmeg because I was feeling fancy.

All in all, it was a pretty quick/easy dish. Made enough for two people- or in my case, one person with some left-overs for the next day.
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I need to sit down and think of more things like this that are delicious for dinner as well as the next day after a quick spin in the microwave. Pasta dishes don't always do well with the reheating- especially cream-based sauces. Today's mexican left-overs are yummy... I did add some more cumin to the meat before taking off today- and some sharp cheese.

When finding yourself in the world of Corporate America, occupied with a somewhat monotonous job (even if it is enjoyable), lunch is the time of day that you need something exciting. Sandwiches, soup, and salads can only be repeated so many times before going a little nutty...