Tamale Pie

I don't want to call this Mexican food, because it isn't.  I love real Mexican food, but the fake "Mexican" food I grew up on, has its own place in my heart.  This is a great quick meal that mixes up quick and bakes in one dish.  While it bakes, you can put together a green salad, cut up some fruit, and sit down to a great meal.  A friend asked me for this recipe to make for a boy she was trying to impress.  They made this together for their first date and now they are married!

Tamale filling:
1 pound ground beef
1 bell pepper any color
1 onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can corn (or 1 cup frozen corn)
1 can diced green chilies
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 small can sliced olives (optional)
1/4 cup salsa
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cornbread topping:
Recipe below

Toppings:
Avocado
Sour cream
Salsa

1. Dice onion and bell pepper.  Brown hamburger in a skillet, breaking up into pieces with a spatula as it cooks.  When hamburger is partially brown, add onion and bell pepper until onion is translucent and meat is cooked through.

2. Mix remaining ingredients (except cheese) together.  If it doesn't look saucy enough, add the 1/4 cup salsa.  Spread in a 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Pour on cornbread topping* and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cornbread comes out clean.

3. Serve with avocado, sour cream, and salsa.

*I think it is too much to pour all the cornbread batter on top, so take out enough to fill a mini loaf pan and bake it alongside the tamale pie in the oven.  The mini loaf is usually baked after 15-20 minutes, depending on the oven.

Cornbread topping:

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour (I generally use half white, half wheat)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk

1. Mix together dry ingredients.

2.  Add wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Tamale Pie started as my mom's recipe, that I have adapted over the years.  Cornbread recipe is slightly adapted from here.

Healthy Banana Muffins

Have you ever eaten a muffin and thought it tasted like dessert?  Yeah, those muffins are tasty, but this is perfect when you want something tasty that doesn't taste like dessert.  This recipe contains no butter or oil and very little sugar.  Bananas are already super sweet, especially when they are brown, so there isn't really a need to add much sugar.  These are moist and are healthy enough to eat with breakfast.

1 cup flour*
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe mashed bananas
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix wet ingredients together.  Add dry ingredients and stir util just barely combined.  If you over mix muffins or quick breads they will be tough, not the tender muffins that we all love.  Scoop into a greased muffin tin and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins.

*You can use white flour.  To make these muffins more nutritious I usually do half wheat flour.  I strongly recommend using white wheat in this recipe otherwise your muffins will be dense and heavy.  I have also used oat flour.  I often grind oat flour in a grain mill from oat groats, but you can also just put oatmeal in the blender and pulse until it looks like flour!  Either of these swaps will make for healthier muffins.

Bay House Pizza

My husband and I received a pizza stone for our wedding. Well, three to be precise. One went to my sister and we kept two - you know, in case we have a party and need two. That's reasonable, right?  

Anyway we've made homemade pizza a few times since then and are learning to master cooking on a pizza stone. The first few times we used cornmeal on the bottom of the pizza dough and tried to push it onto the stone from a cookie sheet. It was really messy. Cornmeal everywhere. And the pizza usually ended up in really weird shapes or folding on itself. Not awesome when you're sliding it onto a sizzling hot surface. The next time we decided to make pizza I decided it was time to splurge on some parchment paper. It made things so much easier and cleaner. Parchment paper is worth it, even if you only use it for this. Trust me.

Now for the name of the pizza. The ingredients don't necessarily scream bays or oceans, there's no seafood on this pizza. But we call it Bay House pizza because the flavors remind us of this amazing pasta we had at the Bay House restaurant in Lincoln City, Oregon, on our honeymoon. That place was so good, we went twice in the five days we were there. The pasta had a smoked tomato sauce with basil, scallops, thinly sliced garlic and Kalamata olives. The flavors were beyond amazing and we still dream of that pasta. And their cantaloupe sorbet.

I first made the pizza just with the tomatoes simply because I had some that needed to be used. But it didn't have as much flavor as I wanted. I saw a handful of chopped Kalamata olives leftover from our salad and decided to try a bite with the olive. That was exactly what it needed. It had become Bay House pizza on accident. A very happy accident that we will keep repeating.

Bay House Pizza

Crust (from Simply So Good)

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon Instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until combined.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 24 hours.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes:

Put 3 c. cherry tomatoes in a loaf pan and toss with 2 tbs. olive oil, 3 tsp. balsamic vinegar, and a pinch each of salt, pepper and garlic.  Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until burst.  Refrigerate, if needed, until ready to use.

This is a great thing to do when your tomatoes are about to go bad and you don't want to waste them. Once their roasted they can live in your fridge for about a week. What a great way to extend tomatoes shelf life! Plus they are delicious!

Pizza Toppings:

1/2 c. olive oil
2 tsp. oregano
4 tsp. basil 
4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese (I used an Italian blend of Asiago, Mozzarella, Provolone, Romano, Parmesan, and Fontina)
1/4 c. finely chopped red onion
1/2 c. coarsely chopped Kalamata olives
3 c. oven roasted cherry tomatoes

When ready to make pizza, preheat pizza stone to 500 degrees for 1 hour.

Generously flour a piece of parchment paper a little wider than your stone.  The dough is very sticky and will stick if not floured well.  

Divide the dough into two pieces.  This will make 2 medium sized pizzas.  

Roll dough out with a floured rolling pin to desired size (just make sure it will fit on your pizza stone)

For each pizza brush on ¼ c. olive oil.  Sprinkle with 1 tsp. oregano, 2 tsp. basil (or put fresh on at end) and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Evenly distribute the sliced garlic cloves over both pizzas.

Sprinkle cheese on, you can use more or less as desired.

Sprinkle on the red onion, olives and tomatoes.

Carefully put pizza and parchment paper onto the stone and bake for 10 minutes or until bottom is golden brown. Slide out the pizza and parchment paper onto a cookie sheet or cutting board. Enjoy!

If you want really awesome instructions on how to cook a pizza go to Mel's Kitchen Cafe. This page tells you how you can bake this without a pizza stone. If you don't have a stone yet, I highly recommend paying the bit of money for one. They make pizza so much better! You can even reheat pizza on it by putting the pizza on the stone in a cold oven and letting the pizza and stone warm up together at 350 degrees. Take it out when it's warm and it will be much better than if you heated it in the microwave!

Spanish Rice

I created this recipe when I needed another side to stretch a meal.  I didn't want to spend much time and needed something without strange ingredients.  I was quite pleased with the results and have made it several time since.

2 cups rice (Either white or brown rice works well)
2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup salsa
1 1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1. Dump everything into a rice cooker.

2. Stir it just a bit, close the lid, and turn it on.

3. Enjoy!

Wasn't that easy?

Chili

Whenever I make chili, I never find a recipe with exactly what I am looking for.  This recipe is a combination of several recipes.  This chili has vegetables, a variety of beans, a little spice with a subtle sweetness.  It is healthy comfort food and an economical meal at its finest.  This makes a lot of chili, which is good for sharing and it also freezes great.  The last time I made it, I shared it with a group of friends and then froze the rest in individual containers.

1 lb ground turkey (can also use lean ground beef)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cans diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can diced green chilies
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can great northern beans
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Dice the bell peppers and onion.  In a large skillet brown ground turkey, breaking it up into small chunks.  If it starts to stick, add a little olive oil.  When the ground turkey is partially browned, add the onion and peppers.  Continue to cook until onions are translucent and turkey is cooked through.

2. In a large pot, add meat and vegetables and remaining ingredients.  Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Serve with cornbread, garnish with cheese, sour cream, diced onion, cilantro, and whatever else sounds good.

Variations-
If you would like a spicier chili (which I generally do), increase the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper to taste.
You can also brown the meat and veggies and then add everything to a crockpot set on low for up to 6 hours.

The Best Apple Cake with Warm Vanilla Sauce

Valerie was the first one to make this cake.  She brought it to a family gathering a few weeks ago.  Since then I have made it twice.  We had an iron chef competition with my local neighborhood congregation as a Monday night activity.  Our group's secret ingredient were apples.  When I had made this cake a week before and a few people in my group had tried it, so when I suggested we make it, they all agreed it would win.  We got the whole thing mixed up and baked in 45 minutes and everyone loved it.  I have tried a few other apple cake recipes before and this is by far the best.  It is moist, has the right level of spice, and the perfect crumb.  The sauce is butter, cream, and sugar.  Can you go wrong with that?

Cake
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups white flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups grated apples (plus any accumulated juice)*

Beat sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until well combined.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until light and creamy.

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg). I'll explain why this is important at the bottom if you are interested.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until just combined.

Stir in grated apples with any accumulated juices and mix until combined.  Do not over mix.

Spread the batter evenly into a greased 9x13 or two 9 inch cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, which is about 30 minutes if using a 9x13 or 25 minutes if it is in two pans.

*I can't remember what kind of apples I used, but I think they were fuji or gala apples.  I left the skins on to make it slightly easier and healthier, Valerie peeled the apples when she made it.  I didn't notice a difference in taste, but the cake did look la little nicer without the apple skins.  So you choose convenience or appearance!

Vanilla Sauce
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

While the cake is baking combine the butter, cream, and sugar in a small saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a low simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is combined.  Simmer gently for 10-12 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and keep warm until ready to serve.

Cut the cake into pieces and drizzle with the warm cream sauce.  The sauce is what really make the cake!

Notes: So, for those of you who are interested in the science behind mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately, here it is.  I used to think it was just so the baking soda, salt, etc were evenly distributed.  This is only a small part of the reason.  When flour comes into contact with the wet ingredients it starts to activate the gluten.  The more it is mixed, the more it becomes like bread, hence all the kneading when you make bread.  We are going for the small, delicate crumb that we all love in baked goods.  Also, when baking powder/ baking soda gets wet it starts to make things rise.  If it is mixed too much, all of its rising power kind of fizzes out and the cake won't rise enough and will be on the denser side.  Moral of the story, if you like tough, dry, dense cake, mix away!

Slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Pear Salad

I feel like everyone knows how to make a salad, so it seems kind of silly to post a recipe.  But sometimes you just need a little bit of inspiration.  Today's salad inspiration is the pear salad I usually make when asked to bring a salad.  My work typically has leftover pears from our fruit bowl at the end of the week, so I often take them home to create this salad.  I love my salads with lots of toppings and fruit.  This salad has it all.  Enjoy!


Pear Salad

5 oz. spring salad mix or 1 head of your choice of lettuce (but please, don't use romaine)
2 pears chopped or sliced
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. butter (optional)
1/3 cup crumbled feta or blue cheese
1/3 cup craisins

Heat pan on stove to medium heat.  Put nuts and brown sugar in pan and cook until sugar has melted and coats all the nuts.  Stir frequently so they don't burn.  Spread them out on a sheet of wax paper to cool.  (Suggestion: rinse pan and spoon quickly so the sugar doesn't harden.  It makes it much easier to clean.)

If your brown sugar is a little dry like mine was on Sunday you can add the butter with the nuts and sugar to help the brown sugar soften.  It also makes them taste delicious!

To assemble salad put half the greens in the bowl and layer on half the pecans, pears, craisins and cheese.  Layer the remaining greens and then the rest of the toppings.  This way the toppings are more evenly dispersed.  Pour the dressing on right before serving.

Red Wine Vinaigrette (Adapted from Our Best Bites)

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix ingredients in blender and refrigerate until ready to use.  Shake to mix before pouring on salad.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

There is a chain Italian restaurant in Utah called Carrabbas that serves a sausage and lentil soup.  I had never tried the original, but I tried making a copy cat recipe about six or seven years ago.  This recipe was my first introduction to lentils that actually taste good!  Since then I have made it several times and each time I have made some adjustments until it is my own.  A few months ago I tried the original soup and Carrabbas and I think mine is much better!  This soup is quite healthy as it is full of vegetables, fiber, and protein from both the sausage and lentils.  In fact, lentils are the second highest source of plant protein.   This soup is flavorful, slightly spicy, and warms your soul.

Ingredients:
4-5 carrots
3-4 celery stalks
1 large onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 pound hot Italian sausage*
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups dried lentils
3 cans tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf

Optional:
2 cups lightly packed spinach roughly chopped
2 medium zucchinis, chopped

1. Dice carrots, celery, and onion.  Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high and cook carrots, celery, and onion until they start to soften.  Mince garlic and add it to the pan.  Saute until vegetables are almost tender.

2. In a large stock pot add sauteed vegetables, broth, lentils, tomatoes, and seasonings.  Simmer for about 30 minutes or until lentils and tender.

3. While  the soup is simmering, brown sausage in the same frying pan you used to saute the vegetables. Set aside.

4. When the lentils are tender puree approximately 1/3 of the soup in the blender and return to the pot.  If you have an immersion blender, you could use that instead.  If desired, add the sausage, zucchini, and spinach.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the zucchini is soft, remove the bay leaf, and serve.  I like serving this with crusty bread and a green salad.

This makes a lot of soup.  It tastes even better the next day and freezes great for a busy day.

*I highly recommend using a good quality sausage.  It will really make your soup.  My favorite sausage is the hot Italian pork sausage from Sprouts.  It is reasonably priced and the soup tastes so much better than if you use a cheap sausage.  Just remember, garbage in, garbage out.

Galettete Pérougienne

This recipe stems from the delightful cookbook A Kitchen in France: A Year of Cooking in My Farmhouse by Mimi Thorisson.  This isn't your average cookbook.  It is filled with charming stories about Mimi and her family getting used to life in the country after moving suddenly from Paris and the amazing food they cook.  Mimi's husband is a photographer so all the photos are breathtaking.  Most of the food looks so elegant and divine, but way to fancy and time consuming for my working life.  But this recipe caught my attention.  It was simple, yet looked absolutely divine.  And I already had all the ingredients.  So after drooling all afternoon at beautiful French cooking, I decided to go home and make this one for the husband and I.

It was even better than I expected.  The buttery dough infused with lemon would be amazing on its own, but with caramelized sugar on the top, it is to die for.  Though it takes time to let it raise, the rest of the process is very simple and worth every effort.  I'll be making this one again.  Maybe even this weekend now that I've thought of it...

We ate it plain, but I think it would be delicious topped with fresh berries.  It definitely tastes best fresh, so enjoy it right away.

Galettete Pérougienne 

3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup lukewarm water
12 tablespoons of butter at room temperature (I used unsalted)
1 large egg
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

Mix the yeast in the lukewarm water in a small cup. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to dissolve.

In a large bowl, mix together 8 tablespoons of the butter with the egg, lemon zest, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Add the yeast mixture and then gradually add the flour, mixing until you have a soft and elastic dough.  (I did this in my kitchen aid, but you could certainly do it with a spoon.)

Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven, 450°F and butter a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

On a parchment-paper-lined surface, roll the dough into a 10-inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. Fold over the edges to make a raised edge.

Sprinkle the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar over the dough and dot with the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.

Transfer to the baking sheet and bake until golden and caramelized, 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.

Baked Oatmeal

I was first introduced to baked oatmeal when my uncle made it at a family reunion a couple years ago.  I had never heard of it before, but I found it delightful and asked him for his recipe.  About a year ago I started to look for make ahead breakfasts to cut down on the morning rush and this fit the bill!  While the texture of normal leftover oatmeal is gummy and unappetizing the next day, this is perfect.  Baked oatmeal gives you all sorts of good things in the morning- whole grains, eggs and milk for protein, and some fruit.  I have tweaked this recipe until I have it just how I like it.  Not too soggy or dry.  I cut the butter down and added some vanilla and spices to take it up a notch.  This is good cold or hot, with milk or on its own, and if you want it a little sweeter- a drizzle of honey is really good!

Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
4 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Fruit (see below)

Fruit choices- chopped apple, frozen blueberries, peaches, etc.

1. Mix dry first four dry ingredients.  Then add wet ingredients and mix until combined.

2. Pour into a square baking dish and sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on top.  Top with fruit.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes

Since I usually have apples on hand, I will usually peel, core, and chop one large or two small apples and sprinkle them on top.  I also really like frozen blue berries in this.  I will sprinkle about two handfuls of blueberries on top.  During peach season I chopped up a peach and sprinkled that on top with a handful of blueberries.  That was delicious.  I like to press the fruit in a bit with my hands before I bake it.

Adapted from Heavenly Homemakers.

The Best Wheat Rolls

I have tried a lot of roll recipes in my time.  Some have been too dry.  Some recipes claim to be whole wheat, but are mostly white flour.  White rolls have their place, but if you are wanting something slightly less indulgent, but still light, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth-good, this is your recipe.  Don't be intimidated by yeast, yeast is our friend, not foe.  So without further ado, here you are.

2 Tablespoons dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water*
2 cups warm milk
9 cups whole wheat flour, divided**
1 cup melted butter
3/4 cup honey
4 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
Additional butter

Mix yeast, honey, and warm water together in a bowl.  Add 4 cups of the flour, milk, butter, eggs, and salt.  Make sure the milk and butter are just warm, but not hot.  If they are too hot they can kill the yeast.  How do you know if it is too hot?  Well, I shall tell you.  If you can comfortably stick your finger in, it is perfect!  Mix until dough is smooth.  Gradually add remaining flour until dough isn't too sticky.  You may not need to add the full amount.  Here is the trick with adding flour.  If you add too much, you will have dry, dense rolls.  No one likes that.  You want to error on the side of adding too little rather than too much flour.  You will know when you have added enough flour when the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.  Also, if you dip your finger in flour and tap the dough it shouldn't stick too much.

After  all the flour is added continue to knead for 3-5 minutes.  I generally do this in my kitchen aid, but you could do it in a bosch, or even by hand.

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and plop the dough in.  Spray the top with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it rise until it has doubled in size.  You can eyeball it or if you poke the dough and the mark of your finger stays, you will know it is ready.

Divide the dough into six sections and pat or roll until it is a circle a little smaller than a dinner plate.  I spray the counter with cooking spray or spread a little olive oil on the counter to roll it out so I don't add more flour.  Then use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to divide each circle into 8 wedges like a pizza.  Roll them up like crescent rolls and place them on a greased baking sheet to rise again for about 20-30 minutes.  Once they are almost doubled in size bake at 375 for about 10-15 minutes or golden brown.  When they come out of the oven, brush them with some melted butter.

**Wheat flour comes in many varieties.  The most common are red and white wheat.  I prefer hard white wheat.  It has similar nutrition as red wheat, but a lighter texture and flavor than red wheat.  I have found I can often sub out white flour with white wheat flour in other recipes without a dramatic change.  Most of the wheat flour sold in the store is red wheat.  I know gold medal sells white wheat flour and I have seen it at Trader Joe's too or your can grind your own, which is what I normally do.  It is really cheap (if you have access to a grain mill) and much healthier.  You can use red or white wheat in this recipe, but I think you will be more pleased with the results if you use white wheat.  If you are looking for pictures and more information, this explains it in a little more detail.

Adapted from Heavenly Homemakers.

Two Sisters in a Kitchen

This blog will be the recipes coming from two kitchens of two sisters who love to cook.  One sister is married with lots of fancy new kitchen gadgets from her wedding, but a very old kitchen.  She turns her stove on with buttons?!?!  She loves baking (and eating) bread and giving the extra loaves away.  She is addicted to trying new foods and has a special place in her heart for ethnic dishes from around the world.

The other sister has a newer (but not new) kitchen, but lots of old mismatched dishes and gadgets as many single people do.  She loves both cooking and baking and finds food tastes better when it is shared with others.  She likes eating in season and adapting recipes to make them healthier.  She is a frugal cook and can stretch a chicken to feed a crowd.

Welcome to our shared kitchen!