English Nut Bars

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg white

1/4 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter. Gradually add sugar. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla.  Add flour and salt. Pat evenly into a 13"x 9" baking pan. Brush lightly with egg white. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for about 30 minutes. Cool slightly, cut into one inch bars.  Cool completely.

Easy & Delicious Frosting

I adapted this from the birthday cake Matt made me. You might have to play around with it a little to make it what you like. 

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy whipping cream (very cold)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
First, put the bowl in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes (I also put the cream in there).  Whip the cream with a hand or stand mixer until peaks form.  I aimed for somewhere between soft and stiff because you mix it a little bit after.  Add the sugar, cocoa, and vanilla and mix until blended.  Scrape the sides of the bowl, and you are ready to go.

I used this to frost 2 dozen cupcakes.  But we prefer to have a lighter coating of frosting.  You might want to double the recipe if you like extra frosting.  I also lightly dusted them with cocoa powder for decoration (on a side note:  do not put the cocoa powder in the sieve while it is above the cupcakes or it will be a heavy coating not a light dusting).

Matt's recipe called for cream cheese and instant coffee (it was a tiramisu cake).

Winter's White Chicken Chili

Easy and super tasty!

 

 

SAUTE:
1 medium onion, diced
1 TB olive oil
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 chicken breasts, grilled and diced
ADD:
2 cans garbanzo beans
1 can white northern bean
1 can creamed corn
5 cups chicken stock
8 oz chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt
2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
SIMMER FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES THEN ADD:
1/2 cup half and half mixed with 1 cup sour cream

Serve hot w/ crackers or crusty bread of choice.  Can top w/ cheese or avocado.

Banana Nut Muffins

Banana Nut Muffins

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

½ cup oil

1 cup mashed bananas

2 cups flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease bottoms only of 12 regular sized muffin tins.

Beat egg; stir in milk, oil and banana.  Stir in remaining ingredients all at once, just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy.  Fill muffin tins about ¾ full.  Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Immediately remove from pan.

"My Hero" Sandwiches

This is an upgraded version of a super-simple sandwich recipe.  Matt and I made some changes, and I am so glad we did!

Ingredients:

French Hero Rolls (we used ciabatta)
~1 lb. cheap steak
Worcestershire sauce
season all
thick sliced mozzarella
olive oil
1 red pepper, sliced thinly
1/4 of a red onion, sliced thinly (I would probably do half of that...it was pretty onionly)
~6 fresh mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
white wine vinegar

For the Sauce:
1/2 cup mayo
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish sauce (I have the zesty instead of hot)
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 garlic cloves, minced (I used the garlic press)

Tenderize the steak by forking or using a tenderized with tines.  Pour Worcestershire sauce on it.   Marinate for about 15-20 minutes (or as long as you have)

Make the sauce by mixing or whisking all ingredients together.  Then chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to make up the sandwiches.

If you are lucky, you can have your husband grilling the steak while you are working on the veggies.  If not, you will have to do them in stages or broil the steak.  When it is the done-ness that you like, let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes.  Then slice it very thinly across the grain.  I think of it as the slanting or angled cut.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.  Cook the onions for about 5 or so minutes.  Then add the red pepper.  Cook for about 5 more minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to shrink and turn brownish.  When it gets dry, add a splash of white wine vinegar and add the salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until the veggies are the softness that you like.  Cover to keep warm. 

Now that all the parts are cooked, it is time to assemble the sandwiches.  We got two big ciabatta sandwiches from it.  Put a thick layer of the mayo mix on the bottom, and if you like, put a little on the top too.  You might want to taste it to see how hot it is for you.  Lay the rolls on a broiling rack with the insides up.  Put the steak slices on the bottom of the roll, then the mozzarella on top of the steak.  On the top, add the vegetables.  Broil in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes, until melty and delicious. Be careful to watch it so it doesn't burn!  After pulling them out of the oven, let them rest for a minute, until you can handle them.  Then put them together, slice them in half at a fancy angle, and serve. 

This is probably the best sandwich recipe we have ever made!

Easy Ranch Eggs

This is my version of Huevos Rancheros. It was pretty easy and can be left to simmer until you are ready for the eggs.   We like our eggs cooked through and solid, so I mixed each one before adding them to the sauce (I also flipped them).  You can do them softer or over-easy if you prefer.

1/2 onion chopped finely
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of tomatoes with diced chiles
1 can of diced tomatoes (I usually get the no salt added version)
1 can of diced chiles (if you like it with less heat, don't add this part)
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
4-5 eggs
Olive oil
Large skillet with a lid

Using a large skillet, saute the onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until soft.  Add the garlic until fragrant (about 30-60 seconds). Don't let the garlic burn!  Add the cans of tomatoes and chiles along with the cayenne pepper.  Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, to reduce down. If you are letting it simmer for a while, you probably want to put the lid on it so it doesn't get too thick.  About 5 minutes before you are ready to eat, add the eggs.  Make a little bowl in the sauce, add an egg.  Repeat until you have about 4-5 eggs in their own respective sauce bowls.  I give mine a quick stir right before I put them in.  If you want to flip them, wait until they had solidified enough and be very careful.  I wasn't careful last night, and they didn't turn out very pretty (although they were still delicious).  If you don't want to flip them, you can scoop some of the sauce on top (after they had cooked for a while).  When you serve, try to remove the eggs intact, if you are interested in appearances.  My eggs looked messy, so I just served them with the sauce on top.   I also thought it was a bit too hot, so I served it with a dollop of sour cream to mine.

Kim's Favorite Oatmeal

I eat oatmeal almost every morning.  Eventually, I came up with this recipe.

1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 cup Original (sweetened) Almond Milk
1/2 cup water
Raisins and whole Almonds to taste

Make sure to use a big bowl with tall sides or you will have a huge mess to clean in your microwave!  Measure oats with dry measuring cup and put in bowl.  Shake your almond milk, using the same measuring cup, and put it in with the oats.  Now use the measuring cup to measure the water and put it in (with a quick rinse, now the measuring cup is clean [well, clean enough for me]).  Microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Add raisins and almonds right away.  Let oatmeal sit until it is cool enough for you to eat.

*I have tried all three kinds of oats.  And I like the old-fashioned best.  Plus, you get more of the delicious, chewy grain and less mush.  If you choose to use a different kind, check the package for the correct amounts and use half water and half milk. 

**You can use regular milk too.  But I just tried the almond milk and it is my favorite!  I use the sweetened but you could use the unsweetened.  You might want to add some sugar then.  The almond milk (1/2 cup) is only about 30 calories.  I think that unsweetened is about 20.  Vanilla flavor is optional and I haven't tried it.  I think there are a few more calories in it.  I might try the unsweetened vanilla next.