Buttermilk Cornbread

I've never really liked the cornbread recipe I've used in the past, so I decided to find a new one. And I'm so glad I did. It was so good! I never have buttermilk, so I usually use the sour milk trick. Where you put a tsp of lemon juice to the measuring cup and add milk until it's 1 cup. Let is sit for a good 5 minutes so it can sour. Do it first, then get everything else ready. this was just sweet enough, and just dense enough. Of course top it with honey butter. I served this with chili.

Buttermilk Cornbread

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pasta, Broccoli and Chicken

I made this Saturday night with some fresh made pesto. It was really good. I used farfalle (bowtie) pasta instead of rigatoni. I had fresh tomatoes from a friend's garden. I didn't have a lot of Parmesan cheese so I used mozzarella instead, and it was delicious. It made a lot, so there were left overs.

Pasta, Broccoli and Chicken

• 12 ounces rigatoni pasta
• 1/2 pound fresh broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large pot with boiling salted water cook rigatoni pasta until al dente. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, blanch broccoli florets in a medium size saucepan, remove with slotted spoon. In same pan saute the minced garlic and pesto sauce in the olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and set aside.
3. In a large bowl toss cooked pasta with blanched broccoli, cooked chicken, and garlic/tomato mixture. Add grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and ground black pepper and mix well. Serve warm.

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Bars

I made this for dessert with the missionaries last night. It was so good. I didn't use the right size pan. So my cookie bars were thicker, and thus took longer to bake, and didn't need as much frosting. It's another great recipe from The Cook Next Door!

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Bars

1 c. peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. Coach's Oats

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. white flour

1/2 tsp. soda

In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter, egg, butter and brown sugar until light an whippy. Add remaining ingredients, then press into a small cookies sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for exactly nine minutes. Don't overcook it! It might look a little soft and gooey, but it will set as it cools. Allow to cool before frosting & cutting into bars.

Whippy Cocoa Fudge Frosting

2 sticks butter, softened

4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. milk

1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips just until barely melted. Using and electric beater/mixer, beat in the butter, then slowly add the powdered sugar and just enough milk to make the frosting a nice, spreadable consistency. Frost cooled bars. Allow frosting to set up for about 30 minutes before cutting. ENJOY!

Chocolate zucchini muffins

I acquired some too large zucchini which was perfect for this recipe today. I made it pretty close to the recipe, except that I didn't have cardamom, so I added a little extra cinnamon. I skimped on the oil a bit and added a little more zucchini. Next time I might add some chocolate chips. And fill the cups more full.

Chocolate zucchini muffins

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar and oil. Add the cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. Mix until just moist.
4. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Store loosely covered.

Avocado Salsa

I made this the other night because I had some corn (fresh off the cob) and avocados that needed to be use up. I didn't add the olives because I didn't have an open can. It wasn't really spicy at all, but it was great with chips. I also served it after only 30 minutes of sitting, but it was great the next day too. I only had 2 avocados that were ripe, so I halved it. The full recipe would be great for a party.

Avocado Salsa

• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 (2.25 ounce) cans sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced

1. In a large bowl, mix corn, olives, red bell pepper and onion.
2. In a small bowl, mix garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cider vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour into the corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Stir avocados into the mixture before serving.

Mexican Chicken casserole

I found this recipe in my MIL's neighborhood cookbook. It was really easy, and delicious. I used shredded cheddar cheese, and I used close to a cup of cheese, because I thought it said 1/2 # oops! I only used 2 chicken breasts, and there was plenty of chicken. I also reduced the amount of salsa to 1 cup, and added 1/2 c of water to make up the difference.

4 chicken breast halves, cut into small pieces
1 Tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper (or 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red bell pepper), finely chopped
1 small bag frozen corn (I used 12 oz is that small??)
2 c. mild salsa (or medium)
2 c. cooked rice
1/2 c. shredded Colby Jack cheese (or whatever you like)
1 c. chicken broth

Heat oil; add chicken, onion and pepper. Cook until chicken is done. Add corn, broth and salsa; bring to a boil, then stir in rice and cheese. That's it!

Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast

I made this last night with a roast just over 2 lbs. It was really good. I added some cornstarch to the juices afterward (about 3 Tbsp to 1/4 cup of juices, then whisked it into the rest of the juices) to make a gravy/sauce for the pork and the pasta I served it with. It was simple, easy and delicious. I reduced the sugar, using brown instead of white, and increased the garlic powder. I also turned the roast a few times throughout, to make sure all of was soaking in the juices. I put a link to to original recipe below.

Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste

1. Arrange onion slices evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker, and then place the roast on top of the onion. In a bowl, mix together water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and hot sauce; pour over roast.
2. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours.