Whole Wheat Molasses Doughnuts

Ok, so the whole wheat isn't really that healthy when you fry it...but it makes us feel better:)

2 1/2 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C white flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t ginger
2 t cinnamon
1/2 cloves
1 egg
3/4 C molasses
2/3 C milk
1/4 C vegetable oil

Combine dry. combine wet in separate bowl, then mix together. Don't overmix, it is more tender if you don't mix too much. It will be sticky.

Turn out to floured board, roll to 1/2 inch thick. Fry in deep fryer, drain on paper towel then roll in cinnamon and sugar. Yum!

Cornbread with Honey Butter

1 C flour
1 C cornmeal
2 T sugar (or splenda)
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 beaten eggs
1 C milk
1/4 C canola oil

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl, add to dry, mix until just combined. put in 8X8 pan, bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Honey butter - 50% honey, 50% butter. Soften butter and whisk together. Awesome with cornbread!

Chili

We love this in the winter!

1 lb dry pinto beans
1lb ground beef
2 T chili powder
1/2 t cumin
1 large onion
1 or 2 bell peppers (green, red, orange, whatever)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 bag good frozen corn (I like trader joes brand)

Toppings: shredded cheese, fritos (our favorite), mustard, sour cream, green onion, or whatever else you can think of!

Soak beans overnight or boil for 5 minutes then allow to sit covered for one hour. Cook beans in chicken broth in pressure cooker for 25 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In large dutch oven or saucepan, saute diced onion and pepper. Add beef when veggies are starting to soften. Brown and break up. Add chili powder and cumin. Once beef is browned, add tomatoes and beans (adjust amounts until you like the way it looks). Add corn, simmer for 1/2 hour, serve with toppings:)

Barbeque Roasted Salmon

This recipe is a favorite at our house. We just tell Pearl it's "pink party fish" and she gobbles it right up. Sam is a little more difficult to convince...

6 pieces salmon (I cut the frozen ones, from Costco, best quality, by the way, in half for each serving)

Marinate salmon for an hour or so in 1/2 cup pineapple juice and 2T lemon juice (approximate measurements)

Topping:

2 T brown sugar
4 t chili powder
2 t lemon rind
3/4 t cumin
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon

I usually double or triple it and keep it in a jar in my spice cupboard.

Discard marinade. Place Salmon in a baking dish. Sprinkle generously with topping. Bake at 425 for about 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. This is seriously yummy.

Black Bottomed Cupcakes

These are really my favorite!

1 pkg chocolate cake mix

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 egg
splash vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix cake mix as directed. Fill each cupcake 2/3 full (I use pampered chef large scoop)

Cream cream cheese and sugar, add salt, egg and vanilla and mix till blended (I like to use the kitchen aid, mixes faster)
Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by heaping tablespoonful into cupcakes (I use pampered chef small scoop), they will sink as they cook.

Bake at 350 for approx 35 minutes or until cream cheese is just a little bit golden on top.

Once cool, you can serve as is, or squirt a bit of chocolate frosting on top or dust with powdered sugar

Pizza

Crust:

1/2 cup lukewarm water
1T yeast
2t sugar

Allow to sit at room temp until foamy (5-10 min)

Put 4 C of flour into your stand mixer with the dough hook. Add yeast mixture and another 1 1/2 cups of water (I use the same container yeast was sitting in to rinse all the parts that stuck on the glass in really good). knead, I find a few minutes at a higher speed (like 4) helps it ball faster. Dough should be pretty soft, just barely forming a ball. The softer the dough, the puffier the crust. Trust me:) Add a little flour or water to get it to a nice soft dough, dough should be slightly sticky.

Once it forms a ball, add 1T Kosher salt and knead for 2-3 minutes longer. (can reduce speed to 2)

Allow to rise (in the fridge overnight is best, or you can leave it on the counter for a few hours. I usually make the dough after lunch an leave it until dinner). Cut dough in half, oil your hands, and handling the dough as little as possible (we're talking gently pull into a circle, place on pan, and pat out to the edge... if it's too stiff/elastic, let sit for a minute while you start the other one then gently pull dough to the edges again), spread into two perforated pizza pans, making sure you spray them first. Let rise again (for like half an hour... then longer, the puffier, the yummier). Top with your favorite toppings! (we love fresh motzerella and tomato with pesto sauce, the pepperoni from trader joe's is the BEST!!!!)

Bake pizza at 475 for 10 minutes or so, the middle should be firm and pretty dry.

Sauce:

One can of Trader Joes tomatoes (whole, salted, with basil), drained and pureed
olive oil
crushed garlic (maybe 3 cloves? How much of a garlic fan are you?)
basil (maybe 1/4 cup loosely packed leaves)

Saute garlic in oil, add tomatoes and basil. Simmer.

If I'm really lazy, I puree tomatoes and simmer with a scoop of homemade pesto. Done.

Greek Cucumber Salad

Two cucumbers, halved and thinly sliced
assorted ripe tomatoes (maybe three?) diced or cut into bite sized wedges
Thinly sliced red onion
kalamata olive
crumbled feta

Mix until you get proportions you like.

dressing:
50% olive oil
25% lemon juice
25% white balsalmic vinegar
salt
oregano
crushed garlic

Toss in dressing - it really doesn't need much, especially if your tomatos are juicy!

Dilled Potato Salad

This is one of our summer favorites, and the way we use up all those garden cucumbers. If the pickle is your favorite part of the potato salad, you'll love this one!

Peel and thinly silce two large cucumbers (I don't peel the ones straight from the garden, it's optional).

Put in a gallon ziploc bag with 2T kosher salt, 4T white wine vinegar, and some (like, 1/2 a bunch? I like a lot) chopped fresh dill. Shake to dissolve the salt, and refrigerate overnight (or at least all day) shaking once or twice to make sure all of the cucumbers are soaking in the vinegar.

Boil, peel (optional, I sometimes leave on for a more rustic, ok, lazy but more vitamin filled salad) and thinly slice about 3 lbs yukon gold potatoes. I have also used reds, and in the picture is a mix of red, gold, and blue potatoes.

Thinly slice one bunch of radishes and about 1/2 a red onion (make long, thin strips, um, I guess vertical slice?)

Drain the cucumbers but do not rinse. (I sometimes leave just a little extra vinegar in to go in the salad...). Combine potatoes, radishes, onion, and cucumber with about 1/2 to 3/4 cup mayo (it really doesn't need too much, just enough to help it come together). Yum!