Taste of Tuesday: Baked Mexican Penne

Normally I'm a skeptic when it comes to fusion cuisine. It's just weird to me. The extent of my fusion interests barely extend to Tex-Mex food. So when I first saw this recipe, I was uncertain. It looked and sounded really good, but it was salsa, ground beef, and black beans -- mixed with pasta. Hmmmm...



I gave it a try, and I'm so glad I did. It's yummy, and not at all weird. I've made it a few times since then, and it's definitely a keeper.

The first time I made it, as I was pouring it into the pan I thought, "this would lend itself well to a Dutch oven." We sat down for dinner, Ben took one bite, and said, "You should make this in the Dutch oven for our campout next month."

The second time I made it was for a Relief Society emergency preparedness activity, and I did do it in the Dutch oven.

The third time was for our camping trip...in the Dutch oven. It's a hearty meal for being outdoors and needing energy -- it's got good protein, but also good carbs in it, especially if you use whole wheat pasta.



Baked Mexican Penne
adapted from Recipes to Run On

1/2 pound penne (1/2 box)
1 pound ground turkey
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
salsa
salt and pepper
2 cups shredded cheese
cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Boil pasta according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, saute garlic, onions, and peppers in the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add ground turkey, spices, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until browned. Drain (if necessary) and add to a large bowl. Add the beans and pasta. Stir to combine. Add salsa gradually, until it looks good to you. (The original recipe called for way more than I would ever use, and I think I've ended up using around 16 oz each time.)

Spray a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour half the pasta mixture into the pan. Top with 1 cup cheese. Cover with remaining pasta. Then top with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is golden.

Top with chopped cilantro, if using.

Taste of Tuesday: Basic Bread/Roll recipe

Okay, I'll admit it. I've been holding out a bit. I've had this recipe for many many years. I think I've had it since the Summer I graduate high school. Possibly the next one after that. I haven't actually used the recipe in 3-4 years because it's become second nature to me. This is probably the most versatile recipe you will ever make.

I got this recipe at a Relief Society super Saturday thing. My mom wasn't able to attend, so she asked me to go and take notes for her in this class. To this day, I don't know if she's ever actually made it, but I know I sure benefited from going that day. There are some hints I remember from the initial workshop, and others I've figured out myself along the way.

(1) You can do just about anything with this recipe. Except scones. I've never tried them -- that's just what I was told. I've also learned that it's not ideal for just plain bread. It ends up being a little too dense for just bread, and it doesn't ride the way you're used to with bread. The flavor is good (the sugar makes it just a little sweet), but the texture isn't great.

(2) Make sure you do not use active dry yeast. I cannot emphasize that enough. Rapid rise yeast is an absolute MUST in this recipe. As I came to make it more often, I got tired of buying strips of three packets, and I now buy jars of "bread machine yeast" which works the same as the rapid rise.





(3) You cannot "kill" this yeast with water too hot. In fact, for this recipe, you want your water pretty darn hot. There's no need to microwave it or boil it -- the hottest water you can get straight from your tap is adequate.

(4) The bread will come out fine without eggs, but I find that the eggs give an extra lightness and take away a little from the heavy density. In short, try it both ways, but I prefer it with eggs.

(5) The dough has a good flour-to-water ratio when it begins to pull away from the edge of the bowl after each kneading.

(6) A full recipe makes a lot of dough. You can make a full savory dish, a full dessert dish, and likely still have some leftovers at the end. I usually only make about half a recipe, and still do two separate batches. I've put my own measurements in italics in parentheses in the recipe, after each ingredient.

(7) Almost all of the sample ideas listed with this recipe are ones that came with the recipe. I actually haven't done a whole lot with it. On the sweet side, I've made cinnamon rolls. That's about it. On the savory side, I make taco rolls and pizza rolls pretty often. I've made taco rolls with ground beef, shredded chicken, and thin steak strips. Everything it really personalizable. I've also made BBQ chicken rolls and broccoli & spinach rolls. Usually I just roll the dough out flat, spread the toppings on, and then roll them up and slice them like cinnamon rolls. Sometimes I roll the dough out flat, spread the toppings on the center third of the dough, then use a pizza cutter to slice strips in the sides, and criss-cross them in a braid pattern. Sometimes I make pockets, but I'm not crazy about them, because by the time they bake up in the oven, it's way too much bread, and not enough filling. I've also made just plain dinner rolls, brushed with butter on top.

(8) This is not your mom's all-day bread. Once you get the hang of it, you can do it in under an hour. It takes me about 50 minutes from start to finish to make the dough, let it rise for 10 minutes, roll it out, fill it, roll it up and cut it, and bake it. It's totally doable.

(9) If you like a more sour flavor, the dough will freeze well, or even refrigerate overnight. I prefer to use it all on the same day. Finished products (depending on the fillings) freeze pretty well, though. I've frozen plain dinner rolls, taco rolls, and pizza rolls with great success.

(10) Be creative! I made up the broccoli and spinach rolls myself one day. The possibilities with this recipe are just about endless. Don't be afraid to experiment!

Basic Bread/Roll Recipe

7-8 cups flour (3.5-4 cups)
1/2 cup sugar (1/4 cups)
2 packets (or 2 tbsp) rapid rise yeast (1 package or 1 tbsp)
2 tsp salt (1 tsp)
3/4 cup oil (about 1/3 cup)
2 1/4 cup hottest tap water possible (a scant 1 1/4 cups)
2 eggs (optional) (1 egg)

In large bowl, combine 4-5 cups flour, sugar, dry yeast, and salt; mix well. While stirring, add oil and water. When moistened, add eggs; mix well. Add enough additional flour to make a soft workable dough. Knead in bowl 2-3 minutes. Let dough rest, covered with a clean kitchen towel, for 10 minutes. Shape as desired, and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes for rolls. Thicker items, like braids, may require longer baking times.

Sweet rolls

• Cinnamon rolls (melted butter spread on dough with fingers, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon to taste) (or, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cube butter, and cinnamon to taste, whipped together and spread on dough)
  
• Shaped sweet rolls (animals, hearts, etc.)
• Fruit-filled butterfly rolls (don't use jam -- pie filling only)
• Swedish tea ring
• Cinnamon raisin bread (it's heavy and it cracks on top)
• Elephant ears/fried bread (a good save-all for bad dough -- deep fry in one inch of oil)
• Orange rolls (butter, white sugar, orange zest)
• Sticky caramel rolls (brown sugar, butter, water, nuts)
• Pull-aparts (little sweet balls squished together)
• Cinnamon twists
• Braids (fill three strands individually, then braid together)
• Fruit pockets (circle shape, place pie filling on half, then fold over and vent with fork)
• Chocolate rolls (butter, sugar, chocolate chips)
• Christmas tree rolls (cinnamon rolls positioned in the shape of a tree)

Dinner rolls

• Chili rolls (canned chili, onions, cheese, garnish with sour cream)
• Taco rolls (refried beans, salsa, meat, cheese)
• Pizza rolls (pizza sauce, toppings, shredded Mozzarella cheese)
• Tuna rolls (cream of mushroom soup, tuna, celery, onions, cheese)
• Rueben rolls (corned beef, sauerkraut, 1000 Island dressing, Swiss or Gruyere cheese)
• Pockets (pizza, BBQ pork, etc.)
• Wiener wraps (pigs-in-a-blanket)
• Pizza crust (will turn out like a deep dish or breadstick crust)
• Cabbage & beef-filled rolls (hamburger, onion, cole slaw mix -- steam together and stuff dough)
• Chicken or turkey rolls (stuffing, berry sauce, meat; serve with leftover mashed potatoes & gravy)
• Broccoli & spinach rolls (chopped broccoli, loose-leaf spinach, Provolone)
• BBQ chicken pizza rolls (BBQ sauce, shredded chicken, crumbled bacon, carmelized onions, Monterey Jack cheese)
  

Taste of Tuesday: Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

I made this for dinner on New Year's Eve Eve this year. I'd made it once or twice before, but I haven't quite yet gotten my timing down right. The first time, we ended up eating at about 8:15pm. This time it was still about 7:30 when we finally sat down. Methinks I need to start preparing at 3:00 in the afternoon.

I got the recipe first from Michelle at Scribbit, which if you're not familiar with, you totally should be. She is an award-winning mom blogger, without the whole "mommy community" thing going on, which at times, can be quite cloying. The recipe as she found it was called Chicken Caesar Lasagna, but there's absolutely nothing Roman about it. Definitely no anchovies here. Just creamy, cheesy, vegetable-y goodness. I've made a couple of edits in the way of recipe helps.

Original recipe

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

1 box lasagna noodles (about 15 noodles)
2 bottles light Alfredo sauce
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3 cups cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup diced onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water; drain again. (Hint: if you don't have a pot large enough to boil lasagna noodles in, and don't want to wait for half to soften enough to bend and fit the other half in the water -- they cook unevenly that way -- use a roasting pan. It's okay to get it out more than just for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.)



In a bowl combine Alfredo sauce, lemon juice, and black pepper. In a skillet saute onion, pepper and carrots in olive oil. Once onions are translucent (about five minutes) stir in spinach and cook one minute more.

Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add a scoop of sauce mixture to the bottom of the pan and smooth around to coat. Stir spinach mixture and chicken into Alfredo sauce. Arrange 4 noodles in bottom of dish. Top with one-third chicken mixture then 1/2 cup grated cheese. Repeat layers twice more. Use the last three noodles on the top of the last cheese layer. They won't overlap, but will provide a good guide for cutting up and serving later. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top layer of noodles.

Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until heated through and browned on top. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.


(This second picture was taken of cold leftovers the next day.)

Taste of Tuesday: Chocolate Chex Mix

My husband's family has a New Year's Eve tradition of making large batches of Chex Mix, and watching movies all afternoon and evening. He looks forward to that Chex Mix and relaxation. Try as I might, I haven't been able to get the Chex Mix recipe. It's not quite the original, which easily can be found online, but my mother-in-law has been making it for so many years that she no longer uses a recipe and doesn't know the measurements. So I've been unable to replicate the tradition. I've tried several substitutes -- Barbecue Chex Mix (FAIL!), Chex Muddy Buddies (too sweet and not munchy enough), and others. This year, a friend gave us some white chocolate Chex Mix as a Christmas treat. It was pretty good. Mind you, Ben does not like white chocolate at all, and since we've been married, I've lost my taste for it because it's so rarely, if ever, in the house. But this snack was really good. We gobbled it up almost entirely in one night.

So I decided to try to make it for New Year's Eve this year. I thought that Chocolate Chex might be a yummy twist on an original, so I bought that.


I also did little pretzel rods, dry roasted peanuts, M&M's, and, at the last minute, I added marshmallows.





I thought I had a bag of white chocolate chips in the cupboard, so I didn't buy any with the rest of the goodies. I'd forgotten that I had used about 2/3 of the bag on a yummy cookie recipe for a church activity at the beginning of the month. I still had a little less than 2/3 cup left. I also had about half a bag of vanilla-flavored white baking chips in the freezer. I'd asked my friend about her white chocolate coating. She said she just heated the white chocolate in the microwave with a little oil.

It didn't work. Not for me. For one thing, the baking chips are most definitely not the same as white chocolate chips (despite the ingredients being just about the same). They cooked differently, and I ended up burning the whole thing.

Crap.

My husband suggested that I just make a chocolate coating instead.

Duh.

I decided not to take anymore chances (read: waste anymore chocolatey goodness), so I Googled "chocolate candy coating recipe." The first hit was a dipping recipe from Hershey. Chocolate chips and shortening. Not oil. Not butter. Not margarine. Shortening. I wasn't sure I had any. The last time I remember buying any was probably two years ago.

Fortunately, that stuff has a shelf life longer than Twinkies. Yay!



So I made the chocolate coating -- in a double boiler, instead of in a less reliable microwave -- and poured it over the dry mix. I spread the whole thing out on parchment paper on two cookie sheets and stuck them in the fridge to solidify quickly, since it was already about 7:00pm on New Year's Eve.



Verdict: It was really good, but a little too sweet. I think my mix would have been fine if I'd been able to go with the white chocolate coating. The chocolate chocolate was good, but I'd have made a few modifications if I'd known I was going that route. First, I wouldn't have used Chocolate Chex. Second, I would have used less M&M's and more peanuts and pretzels. Either way, I should have used more marshmallows. The world can always use more marshmallows. I might also add a little peanut butter to the coating. Mmmmm...

8 cups Chex (though by the time I was done snacking before adding the chocolate coating, this may have been down to 7 cups...ssshhhh!!!)
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
2 cups pretzels (I'm a little anal and didn't want big pieces, so I used mini rods and broke them in half first)
2 cups plain M&M's
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 cups chocolate chips
2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp shortening

Mix the cereal, peanuts, pretzels, M&M's, and marshmallows in a large bowl or roasting pan. In a double boiler over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips and shortening together. When smooth, pour over dry mix. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the boiler bowl and get every bit of yummy goodness! Mix the wet and dry ingredients together thoroughly, until all the dry goodies are well-coated.

Line two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spread half of the Chex Mix on each one. Leave out to harden, or put in the fridge to harden more quickly. I think it only took 20 minutes for me in the fridge. Break into pieces and store at room temperature.


(Sorry I didn't get a dry picture -- the coated pictures are still while the chocolate was hot and melty.)

Taste of Tuesday: Peach Pie

I made a peach pie. Yep, that's right -- me. I'm actually quite pleased with myself for it. I'd never made a dessert pie before, and I was a little nervous, but it turned out really yummy.


I'd attended a canning activity at church, at which we canned both tomatoes and peaches. There were lots of ugly (bruised, mushy, discolored) parts of the peaches that got cut off and set aside, merely because they weren't very pretty. We only canned the pretty peaches. I took home with me the bowl of loser peaches, and let it sit in the fridge for a day or two, while I decided what to do with them. I was talking to my mom about it, and she suggested I make a pie. The idea had never occurred to me. I didn't want to let them sit another day though, and I didn't have a pie crust at home (and was too intimidated to make one), and Ben had the car. Then I remembered reading and bookmarking a recipe almost two years ago on one of my favorite food blogs. It was for an unusual -- but really yummy-sounding -- pie crust, for which I knew I had all the ingredients.


That decided it. I was making a peach pie. Only, I didn't know how to make the filling. So I spent about an hour and a half looking up recipes in my cookbooks and online for peach pie filling. Then I decided to just wing it, based on everything I'd just read.

I made the crust, and the I set to the filling: the peaches, white sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a very little bit of ginger. It was a risk, but I trusted my instincts.


They paid off. The filling could have been a touch sweeter (a couple tablespoons more sugar), but it wasn't objectionable at all. I had gone easy on the sugar, knowing that the crust would be sweeter than a typical pie crust, and not wanting to go too sweet overall.

Taste of Tuesday: Tortellini Chowder

I had some red potatoes that really needing using, so I broke the eyes off and diced them up.


I threw them in a pan with some gorgeous bell peppers.


I sautéed them in bacon grease until the potatoes got a little soft.


I added some water and a can of evaporated milk and waited for it to come to a boil. Then I threw in the tortellini and cooked the whole pot for a few minutes longer. Once the pasta was ready, I poured in a few tablespoons of potato flakes just to thicken things up a little.

Then I ate it. I was too busy eating to get a good picture, so this will have to suffice.



Tortellini Chowder

2 slices bacon (or more, if you're a fan)
1 lb small red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup green bell pepper
1/3 cup each red, yellow, and orange bell peppers
12 ounces evaporated milk (1 can)
9 ounces tortellini
1 scallion, sliced
2-3 tbsp potato flakes, optional (I just poured until I thought there was enough -- eyeball it. And if you like the soup runnier, leave this out.)

In pot over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp (6-8 mins). Drain on paper towels.

To drippings in pan, add potatoes and stir-fry. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes start to soften (5 mins).

Stir in 1 1/2 c water, evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Bring to boil.

Add tortellini, cook until tender (8-10 mins).

Remove from heat, stir in scallion.

Serve sprinkled with crumbled bacon.

Taste of Tuesday: Rainbow cupcakes

I made these rainbow cupcakes for the Young Women New Beginnings program this past weekend. I cheated and used a boxed cake mix, so this is more tutorial than it is recipe.

I recommend using plain white cupcake liners, instead of colored ones.

Cake mix, eggs, oil, and water as directed. Mix well.

Divide the cake batter equally into six different bowls. Get a separate spoon for each bowl. Add lots of food coloring. I used a lemon-flavored cake mix, so it was yellow to start with. My most difficult colors, the ones that required more drops than others, were the red and blue. I finally got good shades though. Don't be afraid to use a lot of food coloring to get the depth of color you really want.

Once your colors are shaded to your satisfaction, decide if you want to start at the top or bottom of the rainbow. I meant to do purple first, but spaced and did red first. It doesn't really matter much, though. Spoon all of one color into the bottoms of your cup liners. Repeat with the remaining colors. The layers won't really stay in even layers. They'll each squish each other a little farther down and cause a little more spreading to the outside, but all unevenly.

Bake according to package directions. (If you don't have enough batter to fill all the cups in a pan, fill the empty cups about 1/3 full of water, to help heat things more evenly.) When they come out of the oven, turn them out onto a cooling rack.

They'll be pretty, but maybe not exactly what you were expecting. That's okay. Let them cool completely.

I used Joy the Baker's recipe for brown sugar cream cheese frosting. I halved the recipe and still had a lot leftover. I didn't pipe the frosting on, though -- nothing fancy. I just spread it on and then added some colored (and white) sprinkles. The cupcakes look very unassuming.

Even unwrapped, they aren't very exciting yet...

Until you open them up. Then, it's a party on your plate, and in your mouth!

Taste of Tuesday: Tuscan Macaroni & Cheese Bake

This should be subtitled, "Or, the best and last Mac & Cheese you'll ever eat."

Okay, so that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. This is such good stuff. It's great winter-time food. The first time I took a bite, I thought I was in heaven. It was not only hot out of the oven, but it tasted warm. Does that make sense? It had a warm comforting taste to it. That's why I say it's great winter-time food -- major comfort food here.

I originally found the recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe. I have only a couple of alterations/notes on it. (1) It calls for a cup (a whole cup!) of olives. I'm not particularly fond of olives, so I just used one can, which is probably somewhere between 1/3 cup and 1/2 cup. (2) The recipe calls for 12 ounce of sausage. I only found 14 ounce packages. (3) I used two tomatoes on top, to cover the whole thing. (4) The recipe calls for 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and I agree with the author's note on it -- don't be afraid of it. I think the cayenne is what gives the warm flavor illusion, so don't be stingy with it.


Tuscan Macaroni and Cheese Bake

12 ounces precooked smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick (you can substitute the same amount of Italian sausage - just cook and drain it)
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 cup sliced olives
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (don't be afraid of this! It won't make it spicy, I promise)
1 ½ cups milk
1 tomato, sliced thinly
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions but undercook the pasta by 1-2 minutes since it will continue baking in the oven. In a large bowl, combine the sausage, cooked pasta, cream cheese, olives, and mozzarella cheese. In a small bowl, mix flour and spices together.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter, then whisk in flour and spices. Allow the flour/butter mixture to cook without browning for about 30 seconds while whisking/stirring. Slowly add the milk and stir until slightly thickened, this may take about 5-6 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan. When slightly thickened, pour the milk mixture over pasta mixture and mix well.

Pour into an 11X7-inch (or circular) lightly greased casserole dish. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove cover and add tomato slices on top then sprinkle parmesan cheese over and bake uncovered for 10 minutes more. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

So, what are you having for dinner tonight?

Taste of Tuesday: Crockpot Southwestern Chicken

This is for my non-gourmet friend with growing boys to feed. This recipe is really about as easy as it gets -- I always have these ingredients on hand, and there's almost no work to it. It's a slow cooker recipe, so you do have to plan ahead, but it's not an all day one.

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken (click for recipe)

1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 16-oz jar medium salsa, such as Pace medium picante sauce
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
sour cream
chopped cilantro (optional)
diced avocado (optional)

Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place frozen chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of medium salsa. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks. Serve with tortilla chips and add toppings to individual servings.
**It is very important that you use at least MEDIUM salsa in this. Mild simply isn't flavorful enough. Be sure to serve with tortilla chips, and not tortillas. The salty crunchy chips make this so good!

That's it! If you forget to put it in mid-morning, and it's lunchtime and you're thinking about what to do for dinner, you can still use this. Just throw it all in the crockpot, and cook it on high for about 3-3 1/2 hours, and it'll be ready for dinner.

Taste of Tuesday: Really yummy meal with a really long title

I love this meal. It goes together really easily, and it's really yummy. Originally found here at Picky Palate, this is a very filling and hearty meal. My one alteration is that instead of buying a can of chilies that has adobo sauce in it (and subsequently letting the chilies go bad), I buy a jar of adobo sauce, and keep it in the fridge. It doesn't scoop out easily, but it's not wasteful either.

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Tortellini with White Beans and Cilantro

8 oz pkg cheese filled tortellini
4 Tablespoons butter
¼ Cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 Cups skim milk
2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Tablespoon adobo sauce, from can of chipotle chilies
2 cooked, shredded chicken breasts
14 oz can navy or cannellini beans, drained
¼ Cup chopped cilantro leaves

1. Prepare tortellini according to package directions

2. Melt butter into a medium dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper until combined. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Increase heat to medium high while continuously whisking. Continue until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to low and stir in 2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese. Stir until melted and smooth then add the adobo sauce. Add drained tortellini to pot along with chicken, beans and cilantro. Reduce heat to low and serve.

Taste of Tuesday: Cornbread

I'll be honest. My cornbread is better than yours. And I'm okay with that. Because I'm going to share my recipe with you. Get ready, though, because it's really complicated.

1 box (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix
2 boxes (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix

Mix each according to directions, combine, bake.

That's it! Seriously.

Unfortunately, you don't really ever want to make that much unless you're cooking for a crowd, because it'll probably make two 9x13-inch pans.

I have all my dry goods in clear acrylic canisters, and after I discovered this recipe, I had to get a new one to keep dry mix in. Whenever I need more, I just open up the dry mixes, dump them into a big bowl, and mix them with a fork, then pour the dry mix into my canister. Starting with that, here are the portions you need to know for making a single meal amount of cornbread.

1 3/4 cup dry mix
1 egg
8 tsp milk (2 Tbsp + 2 tsp)
4 tsp oil (1 Tbsp + 1 tsp)
1/3 cup water

Bake in a greased 8x8-inch pan at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. My oven runs cool, so it usually ends up being about 25 minutes for me.

I grew up eating Marie Callenders cornbread. We went there a lot for dinner when I was a kid, and I'd always order either the chili and cornbread, or the potato cheese soup and cornbread. As an adult, increasingly dissatisfied with dry flavorless cornbread, I did a search online one day for a MC copycat recipe for cornbread. This was what I found. I haven't looked back since.

Taste of Tuesday: Caramel Apple Bars

This recipe is just so yummy. I made it for the first time last year, and I had to make it again this year. I tweaked it only slightly this time around, but it's really just to die for.

You may know that I always add more cinnamon than a recipe calls for. My mother taught me that whatever the recipe says is never enough. In my house, we usually double it. So that's what I did with this recipe (and pretty much anything I ever make that calls for cinnamon). Here's the tweak: This recipe has you make your own caramel to drizzle. It makes more than you actually need, so you can just chill the rest to cut up and wrap individually later. The recipe has you drizzle 1 cup over the top of the apples. This time around I did about 1 1/2 cups, just because I didn't distribute it very evenly to begin with, and it actually made a difference. Last year when I made these, I noticed that the crust -- although still delicious -- started to get soggy on the second day. This time, it stayed pretty crunchy/chewy instead of soggy until the third day (and by then there was only one or two bars left anyway!). So use as much of the caramel as you need to cover the whole thing -- don't be stingy!

Caramel Apple Bars

HOMEMADE CARAMEL:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups brown sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt

CRUST:
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon (Double up!)
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup ground pecans
2 cups rolled oats

FILLING:
3½ cups sliced apples (about 24 ounces) (I used Granny Smiths, and it was about 2.5 apples)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon (Double up!)
1 cup homemade caramel

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 9x13-inch pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. Prepare caramel: Mix caramel ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until it reaches soft-ball stage (230-234 degrees). Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, beat the brown sugar and the next 4 ingredients (through baking soda) until thoroughly combined. Mix in the flour, ground pecans and oats until crumbly. scoop out 1 cup and set aside. Place the remaining crumbs into your prepared pan and press down firmly to coat the bottom.

Toss apples in a large bowl with the salt and cinnamon. Arrange them over the crust. Drizzle 1 cup of warm caramel over the top and the sprinkle with the remaining crumbs you set aside.

Bake 35- 40 minutes until bubbly and the apples are just tender. Remove and let cool until they are just warm to the touch. Cut into squares. Try and let the bars rest until the caramel has set before serving.

(Original recipe here.)

Taste of Tuesday: Chicken Cream Cheese Soup

I love Fall for so many reasons, one of them being that it's time to make soup again. This soup is pretty easy to make (it requires a lot of chopping, but it's nothing difficult), and it's so good. There can be hardly a better comfort food.

I found it on The Sisters' Cafe about a year ago, and knew it would be good. I have an eye for good recipes, but this one surpassed my expectations. The original recipe can be found here, but I've tweaked it just a little.

Chicken Cream Cheese Soup

1 lb chicken (breasts or combination)
1-2 Tb butter
1 onion, diced
2 handfuls baby carrots (about 2 cups sliced small)
2-3 stalks celery, sliced
4-5 potatoes, diced small
1 c milk
1/4 c flour
8 oz package cream cheese, softened and cubed

Put chicken in pot and cover with water, add seasonings (I use salt pepper, sage, basil, poultry seasoning, and onion); boil until cooked. Take chicken out of water but keep the broth. When chicken is cool, shred.

Saute onion in butter. Put onion in pot and add carrots and potatoes. Add 3-4 cups of broth or enough to cover vegetables. Add bouillon cubes or soup base for flavor (I add 4 bouillon cubes). Bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are tender.

Mix flour with milk and add to soup. Add chicken. Add cream cheese to soup and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Taste of Tuesday: Hummus

I decided that I want to share weekly recipes on here. It may be something I've made for my weekly cooking challenge blog, or it may just be something else I've made and want to share. Recipes will be posted on Tuesday, with a picture whenever possible (since I have a camera again!).

Today, because I'm just wanting to get this going, but haven't really made anything in awhile (due to being out of town), I'll share an old standby. Hummus is a great alternative to ranch dressing for dipping veggies into. It's also great with pita chips or bagel chips. And it's really easy to make at home. Here's the recipe I use, from the Whole Foods website (source).

Simply Delicious Homemade Hummus

Serves 6

This homemade hummus makes an absolutely delicious dip, perfect for entertaining or a snack. Pair with lightly toasted pita bread, crisp veggies, feta cheese, stuffed grape leaves and a selection of olives. Cannellini or Great Northern beans can be substituted for the garbanzo beans.
Ingredients

2 garlic cloves
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Ingredient Options: Add minced chipotle peppers (canned), sliced pimentos and cilantro. Add toasted pine nuts. Instead of garbanzo beans, use cannellini beans and season with thyme.
Method

Put garlic in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop. Add garbanzos, tahini, water, lemon juice, salt, cumin, coriander and a pinch of cayenne (you may add more later to increase the heat), and process until creamy and smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Before serving, let hummus come to room temperature. Mix in the parsley and serve.