Not-Mindy's Tortilla Soup

***Edit: We prefer this new tortilla soup by far!!!

John ate some delicious tortilla soup at his bi-weekly meeting of boardgamegeeks, and I heard so much about it that I was driven to seek out the same. I still need to get Mindy's exact recipe, but since I haven't, I made a soup cobbled together from lots of other recipes. It's yummy, but if your finances are strapped or you hate meat, skip the chicken entirely. John really liked it, but he would have preferred it meatless, which is fine by me, so next time, I'll cook the chicken to make the chicken broth base and then freeze the meat for another use.

It's a full-flavored, moderately spicy soup with a hint of sweetness from the corn. I'm definitely making it again, only next time I'll have the foresight to bake extra tortillas.

*I used all fresh herbs because we have them growing in the garden, but dried herbs could easily be substituted. Rule of thumb: for every tablespoon of fresh herbs, use one teaspoon of dried.



1/2 of a giant onion, chopped (@ 1 cup?)
@ 10 cloves garlic, minced

Cut up the whole chicken into eight pieces and boil it until cooked (reserve chicken broth for soup base; more than half the chicken can be saved or frozen for another meal)

1 quart canned tomatoes, cut up (or one 28 oz. can diced tomato)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
frozen corn (I used last summer's frozen...about 10 oz.???)
@ 1/4-1/3 cup chopped green onion tops, opt. (we had them in the garden, so I threw them in)
@ 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, then chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 and 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground cayenne

12 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4"-1/2" strips (I'll use more tortillas next time.)

tortilla chips
shredded Monterey jack cheese

Saute the onions in a bit of olive oil. Add the garlic for the last minute. After cooking the whole chicken, skim the fat off of the broth. Shred the desired amount of chicken for the soup and save the remainder for another use. Add all ingredients to the chicken broth and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, it's time to prepare the tortilla strips from which the soup gets its name. Buy a bag of soft CORN tortillas. Stack about six of them on a cutting board and cut them into strips. All the recipes I looked at had instructions for frying them, which you can do, but I baked them with excellent results. Simply spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, lay the tortilla strips on the sheet and spray the tops of the strips with cooking spray. Bake in a hot oven (@ 400-450 degrees?) until golden brown and crispy, turning once midway through.

Serve the soup topped with tortilla strips and Monterey jack cheese, if desired. (I like it with lots of tortilla strips and little cheese.) Break the tortilla strips as you add them to your soup, unless you need to keep them whole in order to take a picture for your recipe blog.

Grilled and Marinated London Broil

My parents gave us a cut of London Broil, and I used a wonderful recipe from Emeril Lagasse. I love beef but rarely have it in any form, and I'm no good at cooking beef cuts properly unless they're marinated or slow cooked, so this recipe was perfect. The flavor is full and mouthwatering. I served potato wedges, but I think the juice would be delicious spooned over mashed potatoes.

Hat's off to you, Emeril!

1 (2 1/2 pound) tri-tip London Broil or flank steak (Tri-tip? I know nothing about beef...)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry red wine (We had no red wine, so I used a bit more red wine vinegar mixed with some beef broth)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Creole mustard, or other spicy whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, smashed


Place the flank steak in a large, plastic resealable bag.
In a large, glass measuring cup, combine red wine vinegar, red wine, olive oil, Worcestershire, soy sauce, mustard, Essence, salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour the marinade into the bag with the steak, seal and place inside a large, glass baking dish to prevent possible spills. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. (I wanted the meat as fully marinated as possible, and I was paranoid of drying the cut through overcooking as I've been known to do, so I cut the meat into cubes before marinating it. Instead of a large hunk of London Broil, we had lots of savory, kebab-sized hunks.)

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat. (Alternately, preheat the broiler). Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Place the steak on the grill (or under the broiler) and cook to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes before carving.

Slice across the grain into thin diagonal slices. Serve steak with sauce.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
(I had some sitting in the cupboard, long leftover from this recipe.)

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thymeCombine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Pesto Lasagna

Thanks to Titi for bringing this delicious lasagna to a get-together at our house two months ago. I've posted this recipe before (tacked onto the recipe for pesto), but here it is again...with a picture!

The recipe makes two 9x13 pans, so either cut the recipe in half, freeze one pan, or eat pesto lasagna for a week. All are acceptable options...


2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups minced onion
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups pesto
4 pounds part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, roasted
32 lasagna noodles
2 pounds part skim milk mozzarella cheese, shredded


1. In a large, heavy skillet, saute the onions in 1 tablespoons of the olive oil until the onions are soft (5-8 minutes). Add salt and pepper in moderate quantities. Remover from heat. Add drained, thawed spinach. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add half the grated parmesan, the pesto, the ricotta and the sunflower seeds. Grind in some extra black pepper. Mix thoroughly.

3. Meanwhile, boil the lasagna noodles until partially cooked. Drain and rinse under cold water.

4. Coat 2 13 x 9 pans with olive oil. Place a layer of noodles in the bottom of each pan. Spread 1/4 of the filling onto the noodles. Sprinkle 1/4 of the mozzarella over the filling.

5. Repeat with remaining filling and mozzarella. Place a final layer of noodles over that.

6. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over the top. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Cover with foil and bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes.

Bean & Tomato Tortillas with Cilantro

We've been eating lots of tortilla/burrito-type meals since John decided he liked them, especially now that fresh herbs grow right outside. We usually make them meatless, but this time I added cubed chicken. This is another throw-together meal with no set recipe, but here's what I put in these.




Half an onion, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
1-2 chicken breasts, cubed, then cooked in olive oil and seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper
4-6 plump cloves garlic

6-8 oz. freshly shredded monterey jack cheese
@ 3/4 cup loose cilantro leaves (then chopped after measuring)
ground cumin
garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of diced tomatoes with chiles OR diced fresh tomatoes and minced chiles OR diced tomato and cayenne powder to taste

12-16 flour tortillas

sour cream and salsa, opt.

*If substituting dried herbs for fresh, use 1 tsp. dried for every 1 tbsp. fresh.

Cook cubed chicken and diced onion together in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the minced garlic for the last minute or two of cooking. Add tomatoes, black beans, and most of the cilantro to the mixture (and chiles, if using). Reserve some cilantro for the tops. Season with cumin, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and additional garlic powder to taste, if desired. We didn't have any, but if you have lime juice, you could splash some in the filling, too. Let mixture simmer for 5 minutes or so until heated through.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Soften tortillas in microwave or briefly in oven, spoon filling into them, top the filling with some shredded monterey jack cheese, and roll the tortillas up. Place seam side down in a greased baking dish and top with more shredded monterey jack cheese and minced cilantro.

Bake in the oven until tortillas are crispy on top and cheese is lightly browned. Eat warm with salsa and sour cream, if desired.

Chocolate Chip Banana Crumb Muffins

I found this recipe for crumb-topped banana muffins on the internet when John's family was visiting. I altered them slightly (adding chocolate chips, extra banana, and a bit of oil), and they ended up being the moistest, most delicious banana muffins I've ever had. I'm not the only one who raved like a maniac over them, either, which is the assurance I needed to post the recipe. (Next time, I may try substitutingf applesauce for some of the butter/oil, but only if I'm feeling annoyingly health-conscious.)

As with all banana recipes, the darker the bananas you use, the more delicious and pronounced their flavor will be in the recipe.

• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 overly ripe bananas, mashed (I used nearly four)
  
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted (I also added 2 or three tablespoons of canola oil)
• 1 cup chocolate chips
  
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers. (***My batter ended up making about 14 muffins.)
   
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter, oil, and chocolate chips. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

* I also added a touch of cinnamon to the muffin batter.

Zingy Pasta Salad with Garlic and Basil

After too many nights of various combinations of rice, beans, and tomatoes, summer's here, and the garden bristles with herbs and fresh vegetables. We're beginning to eat like kings on a dime budget again. (Not that we don't ever eat like kings during the winter...it just costs more than a dime, and guilt ensues.)

If you've a garden, and you like garlic, you've probably made an almost identical pasta, as it's a throw-together of 15 minutes or less. It's "zingy" because I used enough garlic for Annika to complain of its spiciness. John loved the pasta, and corrected her; apparently, it's not spicy, just zingy.

Cook one box penne rigate (my standby Aldi only has white, but to make this healthy, use wheat) until al dente. Cool under cold running water and drain.

In a blender, combine 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, and 6 plump cloves garlic (freshly minced). Blend until liquefied/pureed/whatever it's called when everything is in eensy pieces and coats the pasta evenly. (If you don't have a blender or similar kitchen gadget, just smush everything as small as you can.)

Add to pasta and toss together with one sliced cucumber and several roma tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Eat.

Sugar Delight

As dictated to me by Chef Millie, here's the recipe for her stunning Sugar Delight. (The top picture is after melting in the microwave, but before stirring; the bottom picture is before melting and stirring).

Use your own culinary sense in determining amounts and adding order. If I may offer one suggestion, go easy on the sugar and heavy on the delight.

brown sugar (I saw how much she added. It was about 1/2 cup!)
cinnamon sugar
crisp rice cereal
peanut butter
honey
raisins
semisweet chocolate chips
marshmallows
a "tad" of salt
a tad of water
milk

You stir it and heat it in the microwave until melty. Then stir it again after heating it in the microwave. Whoever makes this could make their own-- 'specially the children-- their own recipe.

For 3+. [Ages three and up. I assume she means the preparers can be three and up, as two year-olds can easily eat this...not that they should).

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzerella

When John came home with portobello mushrooms (which I've never bought before) along with exotic ancho chili powder, asparagus, fresh lemons, fresh basil, and mozzerella, I just about fainted. As much as I loved him for taking the task of supper-making almost entirely off my hands, I knew that we'd move to the poorhouse if this was going to be our typical fare. Well, the other recipes from that particular supper have since passed, but after he made this portobello recipe for the third (THIRD!) time, I gently suggested that we should put our tax refund into a locked savings account before we ate it up in portobello form.

If there's no choice but to eat one's tax refund, though, this surely is the best way to do it.

Even if you don't like mushrooms, make the tomato salad and eat it plain. The flavor is simple and fresh and tastes like a spoonful of summertime. Also, use your judgment with the olive oil application.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing grill pan
4 large portobello mushrooms (about 5 inches in diameter), stemmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 small to medium sized vine ripened tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leavesPrepare the barbecue (medium-high heat).
Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over both sides of the mushrooms. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil on grill pan to prevent mushrooms from sticking. Grill until the mushrooms are heated through and tender, about 5 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, whisk the extra-virgin olive oil and garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Add the tomatoes, cheese, and basil and toss to coat. Season the tomato salad, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Place 1 hot grilled mushroom gill side up on each of 4 plates. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Spoon the tomato salad atop the mushrooms, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil to finish, about 1 tablespoon and serve.

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon and Garlic

I've never eaten asparagus before, or, if I have, I have no memory of doing so. I now have John, our personal chef, to thank for my first (and second and third) helping. This was a yummy introduction to them, and the girls even gobbled them. It may have helped that John took Annie's cue and called them green beans...



My only change if we made this again would be to add more garlic and lemon zest. Their flavor was delicious and present, but I wanted even more of it!

1 pound asparagus
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Trim asparagus. In a small bowl, combine oil, garlic, zest and paprika and stir with a fork. Lay asparagus side by side and pierce on 2 wooden skewers to form a raft. Place rafts on the grill and brush with oil mixture. Cook to desired tenderness and season with salt and pepper.

Seasoned Grilled Potatoes

Sometimes I think our family has eaten potatoes just about every possible way, but this was a new incarnation, thanks to the unique taste of the ancho chili powder that seasons them. Smoky, flavorful, and just plain good. Oh, humble potato. We love you.

Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay. Potatoes for supper courtesy of my husband.

3 pounds Idaho potatoes
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tsp. ground cumin.

Cover the potatoes with cold water in a large saucepan and cook until almost tender. Drain and dry the potatoes. Cut each potato lengthwise into quarters. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and brush both sides of the potatoes with oil. Combine the chili powder, salt, and cumin in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the potatoes. Grill the potato wedges for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown.

Coffee Cake Muffins

Thank you again, Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, for helping us pad our bellies. You should add "Better Bellies" to your title. This is a muffin recipe that's fast and easy and nice to pull out on mornings when oatmeal, eggs, or cold cereal just doesn't cut it.



They're topped with a cinnamon-sugar crumb topping and have a streusel layer of the same in the middle of each muffin.



What? You want the recipe? Alright, here it is.

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
3 tbsp. chopped walnuts or pecans
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 and 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk (1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar and enough milk to make 1/2 cup; let sit for about five minutes before adding to other ingredients)

Grease 12 muffin cups; set aside

For the topping, stir together the 3 tbsp. flour, brown sugar, and the 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Cut in the 2 tablespoons butter or margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in walnuts and pecans; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl stir together the 1 and 1/2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and the 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the 1/4 cup butter or margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another mixing bowl, combine the egg and buttermilk or sour milk. Add egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 1/3 full. Top with half of the topping, the remaining batter, and the remaining topping. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes or till golden. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin cups and serve warm.

* I always double the streusel mixture, and I usually only make 9 muffins out of the batter instead of 12.
**We almost never have pecans or walnuts in the house unless it's near Christmas, so I omitted those.

Cardamom Fruit Dip

Sorry. I have no picture of this easy, yummy dip. We used it on apple slices when we had company over, and it disappeared pretty fast. Next time, perhaps...

4 tbsp. cream cheese, softened
liberal dashes of ground cardamom, to taste (1/2 tsp.?)
lemon or vanilla extract, or both, to taste
granulated sugar, to taste
sour cream, about 8-12 oz.

Blend together the softened cream cheese and the sour cream. Stir in the sugar until incorporated, and then add flavorings, to taste. We've only used this on apple slices, but I think it would be equally good on grapes and bananas.

Chocolate and Berry Cream Cheesecake with Mixed Berry Sauce

Alas, I have no picture of this, either. This is due to the fact that, again, with company, it disappeared pretty fast, plus I undercooked it and the middle was sloppy, which makes for unappealing pictures. Oh, vanity!

This was its test run, though, and I jotted down the amounts I used so I could make it again, whenever I've got a good enough excuse with company coming. It has a chocolate crumb crust, a layer of vanilla cheesecake laced with grated chocolate on the bottom, and a layer of vanilla cheesecake laced with strawberry jam on the top, drizzled with mixed berry sauce before serving.

Crust:
About 3 cups crushed chocolate crumbs (out of thriftiness, I use generic oreos from Aldi, but chocolate graham cracker crumbs might work better, and, if you aren't stingy, add some finely chopped almonds, too.)

If using generic oreos, stir in about 1/3 cup melted butter, enough to help the mixture stick together. If using chocolate graham cracker crumbs, stir in 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup melted butter.

Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake for five minutes in a 350 degree oven and cool completely on a wire rack.


Filling:
4 packages cream cheese, softened
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup strawberry or raspberry jam (I doled out some of my mom's wild strawberry jam for the occasion. I know. Lucky me.)
@ 1/3 cup grated semisweet chocolate

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in flour. Add eggs one at a time, and beat on low speed just until combined. Do not overbeat. Beat in vanilla just until blended. Divide the cheesecake filling into two bowls. Fold the grated chocolate into one bowl and the strawberry jam into the other.

Pour the filling with grated chocolate into the crust, and then gently pour and smooth the strawberry filling on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 55 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for ten minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the crust. Cool for one more hour and then refrigerate overnight to let the flavors ripen.

Before serving, prepare a mixed berry sauce with about 1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds of berries, sugar (to taste, about 1/2 cup), a few tablespoons of cornstarch, and 1/2 cup water. I used a blend of frozen blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. In a small saucepan, mix the water, cornstarch, and sugar and heat through until dissolved. Add berries and gently stir over medium heat until sufficiently thickened. Pour over each slice of cheesecake before serving.

Tips:
Place foil or a cookie sheet under the cheesecake because many springform pans leak, and a houseful of burnt butter's smell and sting isn't pleasant.

Dip a knife in warm water before cutting the cheesecake, and wipe and dip again in warm water before making each cut in order to make clean cuts.

Lemon Meringue Pie

I love lemon meringue pies and, this time, I slightly adapted Martha's Mile High Lemon Pie recipe for the filling, though I just used a standard meringue topping instead of the one that she includes in her recipe. Her filling is unlike other lemon meringue pie recipes I've made as it includes butter in the filling; I reduced the butter a bit, and the filling was still a smooth balance of tart and sweet without being overly rich.

Prepare your favorite single-crust pie dough recipe and pre-bake the crust, lined with aluminum foil and filled with baking stones or beans, or pricked all over with a fork and lined with aluminum foil to avoid shrinkage. Let cool. Prepare filling.

Mile High Lemon Pie (filling) from marthastewart.com

• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup sifted cake flour (I used regular, but a hair less)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I omitted this b/c I used salted butter)
  
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (I'm lame and used bottled)
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon rind
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I used 3 tablespoons and think even less could be used without harm)

1. To make filling, combine cornstarch, cake flour, salt, and sugar in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 2 cups cold water. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, about 4 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from heat. Temper egg yolks by beating a small amount of hot mixture into the yolks before adding them to pan. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from heat, and whisk in the lemon juice and rind. Add the butter one piece at a time. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, and let cool.
4. Pour the filling into the cooled shell and refrigerate, covered with aluminum foil, until firm, about 1 hour.

Standard Meringue Topping (Non-stovetop)

5 egg whites, allowed to sit until at room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
3/4 cup sugar

Combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla and beat until soft peaks form. Continue beating and gradually add the sugar, beating until glossy, stiff peaks form. (Don't be in a hurry like me and only reach stiffly soft peaks...) Spread the meringue over the cooled pie, taking care to spread all the way to the crust's edge to avoid weeping. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden-brown. Cool completely and serve. Lemon meringue pies are best the day they're made, otherwise the crust becomes soggy and meringue may fall.

(This picture, though, was taken the next day, and the pie was still finger-lickin' good.)

Sticky Caramel Rolls

Millie wanted to try sticky rolls for Easter morning, so I made these- sans pecans that we didn't have-- and they're yummy. But then, I imagine it's hard for a food that is mostly sweet dough, cinnamon-sugar, and caramel to be anything but yummy.


After being inverted onto a plate, in wan, electric light, they look like this.



A trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook was the source for this recipe.

Rolls4 to 4 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast (about 2 and 1/4 tsp.)
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, softened (I used a bit more)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I increase the cinnamon-sugar mixture by at least a third, and I use brown sugar rather than white for a richer flavor.)

In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour and the yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat and stir milk, the 1/3 cup sugar, the 1/3 cup butter, and salt just till warm (120 -130 degrees) and the butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed three minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic. Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double in size.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. cover and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the caramel below and spread in the pans.

Roll each portion of the dough into a 12x8 inch rectangle. Spread the softened 3 tablespoons (or more) butter over dough, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from a long side. Seal the seam and slice each roll into 12 equal pieces. Pl;ace in prepared pans and let rise in a warm place till nearly double.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Do not overbake. Immediately inverted baked rolls from the pan. Eat. (I believe these are best eaten fresh.)

***These may be prepared the night before, as I did. Simply cover shaped rolls loosely with plastic wrap, leaving room for them to rise. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, uncover them and let them stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking.

Caramel
(I usually increase this to 1 and 1/2 of a batch)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
2/3 cup chopped pecans, opt.

Heat and stir over medium heat until combined. Divide between two 9 1/2-inch round baking pans. Sprinkle 1/3 cup chopped pecans in each pan, if desired; set aside until rolls are shaped.

Streusel-topped Cheesy Broccoli

I really liked this broccoli, and it's my new favorite way to eat little trees. It's much more flavorful than the typical cheesy broccoli casserole, due mostly to the savory streusel topping seasoned with garlic, onion, spicy mustard, and parmesan.



1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds of broccoli florets

Streusel Topping
2 tablespoons butter
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 -1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
@ three slices of fresh bread (I used oat) broken into smallish crumbs
Parmesan cheese, salt, and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cheese Sauce
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
@ 2 cups milk
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
salt, freshly ground pepper, ground cayenne, and ground nutmeg, to taste

Cook broccoli in boiling water for about 3 minutes until slightly cooked but still firm. Drain and set aside.

Saute onion and garlic in butter over medium-low heat until onion is translucent. Add the mustards and the bread crumbs. Fry until crumbs begin to turn golden and then season with salt, pepper, and parmesan. Set aside.

For the sauce, prepare a basic white sauce by melting the butter in a pan and then stirring in the flour. Whisk in the milk and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens, whisking constantly. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne and add the grated cheese. Stir until cheese has melted and is incorporated completely, forming a smooth sauce.

Layer the broccoli in the bottom of a baking dish and spread the cheese sauce on top before sprinkling the bread crumb topping over it all. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the topping is nicely browned and toasted.



I added more mustard, garlic, etc., to taste as I made this, and the cheese sauce is just a guide. I usually just wing cheese sauces, so I'm not entire sure how much milk I added. It wasn't as thick a sauce as I'd normally make, but since it had additional baking in the oven, it turned out to be a perfect consistency.

Sour Cherry Sauce for Ham

This is a most excellent fruit sauce for ham. My mom's been serving it to us every holiday ham dinner since I can remember, and the tart sweetness of the sauce combined with the salty sweetness of the ham is heavenly. I'd love to give you her exact recipe, but I can't, because she doesn't have one. Here's the basic idea, though, thanks again to the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

A jar of sour cherries, canned by Mopsy, pitted and drained (Okay, I guess the cherries don't have to come from my mom)
3 tbsp. brown sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
dash of ground cloves
1 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
a few drops of red food coloring, opt.

In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir in apple juice, vinegar, and, if desired, food coloring. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Stir in as many of the drained cherries as looks right (the cookbook recommends 16 oz.). Heat through. Serve warm spooned over ham. Makes 2 and 1/4 cups sauce.

Spiced Honey Glaze for Ham

The glaze I used for the ham this year couldn't be simpler, and it's yummy, to boot. Any amount of brown sugar, honey, butter, and cloves could be used, depending on which flavor you want to be most pronounced, and a bit of ground mustard could also be added.

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp. cloves, plus more to taste
a few smidges of ground mustard
dash nutmeg

Increase these amounts depending on the size of your ham, and before placing ham into the oven, stud it all over with whole cloves.

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, while stirring, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.

Baste the ham with the glaze before placing in the oven and continue to baste about every fifteen minutes until the ham is done. (I wasn't home to do this, so I just basted it once at the beginning and then liberally slapped more on when I got home for the last 1/2 hour of cooking.) The heat may be turned up for the last ten minutes or so of cooking time if the glaze hasn't caramelized sufficiently.

Cream-Filled Crepes with Blueberry Sauce

Sundays aren't included in the forty days of Lent, so I've been using blueberries frozen and hoarded from last summer to make special breakfasts. Even I think I erred on the side of sweet this past Sunday. We ate these for breakfast, but in the future, I think I'll reserve this recipe for guests, fancy brunches, or dessert. (Ha! Like I've EVER hosted a fancy brunch...)

Growing up, I always made, and still make, what we Johnsons called "Swedish Pancakes" for breakfast. We'd drown them in syrup or spread them with jam and eat them all rolled up in a coil. It turns out that our "Swedish Pancakes" were essentially other people's crepes, which are used for breakfast dishes and-- you guessed it-- desserts.

So, here's a sweet-lover's breakfast meal or a sourpuss's dessert. Either way, it's pretty decadent.

Cream Filling

8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used light)
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (almond or lemon could be substituted)

Blend well and set aside.



And here's the Johnson recipe for Swedish Pancakes, or, if you're fancy, crepes. I doubled this amount to make about 8-10 pancakes of medium thickness.

3 eggs
1 and 1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Whisk eggs and milk together. Sift dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture. Whisk until well-blended. Alter the amount of flour or milk depending on your desired consistency. Heat a lightly greased pan and add batter. The amount of batter you add depends on how thin you want your crepes/pancakes. For very thin pancakes, use 2 tablespoons batter for an 8-inch pan. I usually use more because they're easier to flip and handle for impatient people like me when they're a bit thicker, but don't make them so thick that they turn into rubbery regular pancakes. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat the bottom with batter. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer for thin pancakes. Keep warm in a slightly heated oven.

When the pan-crepes are finished, spread a dollop of the cream cheese mixture in the center and fold from each side until the folded pan-crepe is rectangular in shape. If not serving immediately, place seam side down in a lightly greased baking pan and return to the warm oven, otherwise place on a plate and serve immediately with blueberry sauce spooned on top.

* A few alterations I may make next time:
The filling was quite rich and sweet. Don't misunderstand me; it was good, and we smacked our lips through breakfast, but next time, I might substitute half of the cream cheese with cottage cheese to lighten it up.

* I also might use less sugar in the berry sauce, to taste, but by then my sweet tooth could have adjusted in response.

Blueberry Sauce

Clarence Scrivner of Hartsburg, Missouri sent this recipe into a cookbook and called it Blueberry Sauce Supreme. Thanks, Clarence. It has a hint of orange due to the concentrate, and it works well over the crepes. Reduce the sugar if you desire, perhaps to 1/4 cup.

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

In a saucepan, combine sugar, orange juice concentrate, and cornstarch; stir until smooth. Add blueberries and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes, stirring constantly. Spoon over crepes and serve.