THE Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

 

It's been a long time since I have found a THE recipe, but after trying for years to find a good lemon poppyseed bread/muffin, the New York Times recipe is a winner! There's a glaze in that recipe, but honestly, the texture is so good with the perfect amount of sweetness that I didn't bother making the glaze.

NYT Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

2½ cups all-purpose flour 

1½ teaspoons baking powder 

½ teaspoon baking soda 

½ teaspoon kosher salt 

¾ cup granulated sugar 

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly 

½ cup whole milk (I used 2%)

½ cup sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)

2 large eggs 

2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons) 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

4 teaspoons poppy seeds (I only had 1 T)

Step 1 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners. 

Step 2 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, butter, milk, sour cream, eggs, lemon zest and juice, and poppy seeds until well combined. 

Step 3 With a large rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cups and bake until puffed and set, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer the muffins, in the tin, to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the muffins and let cool completely on the rack.

Pasta with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

 I love Mel's recipes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. This one is a keeper! I made a couple adjustments to this recipe based on what I had.

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/skillet-chicken-with-broccoli-pasta-and-parmesan/

 

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares (I used the Instapot to quickly cook 3 frozen chicken breasts and then, shredded the chicken in my KitchenAid mixer)

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 medium onion, minced 

4 medium cloves garlic, minced 

½ teaspoon dried oregano 

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 

12 ounces ziti or penne pasta 

3 cups water 

2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth 

4-5 cups broccoli florets (i thawed frozen broccoli so I didn't need to steam it beforehand)

½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, drained and chopped coarse (I used 1/2 cup of oven roasted tomatoes I froze from this summer)

¾ cup heavy cream (I used 1.5 c of whole milk)

1 teaspoon cornstarch (1 T cornstarch)

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 lemon, juiced and zested

Prepared chicken as mentioned above.

Soften onion in canola oil, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

Add the pasta, water and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes. I added the lid to my skillet. There should still be a little bit of liquid in the bottom of the skillet, but the pasta should be tender. I added water a couple times because I had pasta sticking to the cast iron skillet.

Add the broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir lightly to incorporate them into the pasta mixture. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 2-3 minutes. While the broccoli is cooking, whisk the milk and cornstarch together. Uncover the skillet and stir in the milk, Parmesan, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and zest. Then, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, topped with extra Parmesa

Aileen's Holiday rolls

 Aileen’s White Rolls

Aileen's White Rolls

Every year, I frantically text my BIL for this recipe. Why didn't I put it here yet?

Dissolve 2 Tablespoon dry yeast in

½ cup warm water

½ teaspoon sugar

Mix with KitchenAid mixer:

2 cups scalded milk (about 180 degrees)

Scant ½ cup oil

2 eggs

½ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoon salt

Add about 6 cups flour. Knead. Let stand until double in bulk—about an hour at

75 degrees.

Roll out and dip in melted butter. Freeze immediately for later use of let rise

1 ½ hours or more.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

If frozen, remove from freezer 3 hours before baking.

Orange, Beet, and Goat Cheese Kale Salad

It may be so 2015, but I still love a good kale salad. The individual portions keep in the fridge for a couple days, which is good because the rest of my family is sick of them.

Even though I have made them forever, unlike lettuce salads, kale salads aren't something I just wing. Tonight, I didn't have all the components to make one of my usuals (Fig and Blue cheese; Apple, Feta, and Craisin; Butternut Squash, Pomegranate, and Hazelnuts; Lentils with Apricot Preserves), so I needed to figure out a new recipe with what I had. This is when I realized I should just list the core components of a good kale salad, so I can refer to it here whenever I have a hankering. Below are the basic components, which I then used to create the orange, beet, and goat cheese salad recipe below:

Dressing

1/4 c good quality olive oil (FAT)

1/4 c whatever fruit type preserve you would like (I have done apricot/fig preserves, blueberry jam, and orange marmalade) (FRUITY)

3 T  acid (I have done apple cider vinegar, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice--I did orange juice once, but didn't love the results) (ACID)

1/2 t kosher salt

Whisk ingredients together.

Kale

1 bunch lacinato kale, washed, dried, and chopped (lacinato is less bitter, but curly works too)

The key is you want to massage the dressing you just made into the kale. It makes the kale tender, and I think it gets rid of some of the bitterness. Set aside

Other salad components

2 c 1 inch chunks of a sweet fruit or vegetable--how's that for vague? (I have done pear, apple, oranges, roasted beets, roasted butternut squash, roasted sweet potatoes)

2 c of another sweet fruit or veg (optional--favorite combos include apple + sweet potato/butternut squash, orange  + roasted beets)

1/2 thinly sliced red onion

I massage the kale first, chop these items, then, add them in with the kale and toss until everything is covered in that lovely sweet dressing.

Right before you serve the salad top individual portions with

1 c small morsels of fruit (pomegranate, blueberries dried or fresh, sliced fig, dried cranberries, currents)

1/2 c roasted nuts (pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds)

as much cheese as you like (feta, blue cheese, gruyere, goat cheese)

In the past, I have added a cup of cooked and cooled garbanzo beans, lentils, or quinoa, but lately, that feels like more trouble than it's worth.

Using this basic template, here's what I made tonight:

Orange, Beet, and Goat Cheese Kale Salad

Dressing

1/4 c good quality olive oil 

1/4 c orange marmalade

3 T  apple cider vinegar

1/2 t kosher salt

Whisk ingredients together.

Kale

1 bunch lacinato kale, washed, dried, and chopped (lacinato is less bitter, but curly works too)

The key is you want to massage the dressing you just made into the kale. It makes the kale tender, and I think it gets rid of some of the bitterness. Set aside

Other salad components

3 roasted beets, cooled and diced

4 oranges with segments cut out

1/2 thinly sliced red onion

1 shelled pomegranate

I massage the kale first, chop these items, then, add them in with the kale and toss until everything is covered in that lovely sweet dressing.

Top individual portions with

1 oz goat cheese crumbled

2 T toasted pistachios

Serve immediately.

Easy Squash Casserole

This takes a lot of time, but it's easy and uses a ton of zucchini/yellow squash. I wonder if I salted the squash and rung out the water and then, sauteed onions and zucchini if I could skip the initial bake. https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a36700256/squash-casserole-recipe/ 

Ingredients
3 lb. yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices I mixed zucchini and yellow squash
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 large eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 tbsp. butter, melted, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 sleeves round butter crackers (such as Ritz), broken (about 3 cups) I used bread crumbs
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400˚. Combine the squash and onion on a large tray. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt and black pepper. Toss well to combine. Cook for 25 minutes, until the squash is slightly softened and has released its liquid. Drain the mixture through a colander. Press gently with paper towels to soak up any extra moisture. Let cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚. Place the eggs in a large bowl and whisk. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, thyme and black pepper and stir together. Gently fold in the squash and onions (they can still be warm when you fold them in, just be sure they're not piping hot). Transfer the mixture to a lightly-greased three-quart baking dish. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, cracker pieces and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle in an even layer all over the top of the casserole.

Return to the oven for 25 to 30 minutes more, until the crackers are golden brown and the edges are bubbly. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Greek Zucchini Bake

I roast a vegetable with some canola oil and garlic salt nearly every night for dinner. I wondered if I could add enough variety to make it worthy of a main dish.

I've tried Thai-inspired, teriyaki, and Mexican. So far, this Greek one is my favorite.

Greek Zucchini Bake
Serves 4-6

2 zucchini sliced to about 1/2 inch coins
2 yellow squash sliced the same
1 red onion roughly chopped (to size of squash)
1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper chopped to size of squash
1 cup cherry tomatoes whole
1/2 cup Kalamata olives whole
2-3 T canola oil (or whatever oil you prefer)
1 1/2 t Lawry's garlic salt

6-8 oz crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 415 degrees. Wash and chop vegetables. Then, toss all veg with oil and garlic salt on sheet pan. Bake 20-30 minutes. Toss about halfway through. 5-10 minutes before you're ready to take the veg out, sprinkle feta over sheet and bake until feta just begins to brown.

Vegetarian Burrito Filling

Instead of stuffing zucchini, I just diced the zucchini, largely borrowed from this recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and I found this to be a really tasty burrito filling. My additions and notes are in italics.

Ingredients

2-3 T canola oil
1 medium onion diced
1 lb plant based crumbles
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and membrane removed if you want less heat)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground coriander
chicken stock as needed ok, so not totally vegetarian, but I found that the veggies needed some stuff
1 c frozen corn thawed
16 ounces tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, or a combination
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions 

In a large cast-iron skillet, soften the onion first with 2-3 T canola oil. Then, add plant based crumbles for about 5 minutes. Then, add spices, jalapeno, garlic, and zucchini. Keep adding chicken stock or water as needed to keep stuff from sticking. Add corn; it will cook quickly. 

Stir in the tomato sauce, and bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. I added a handful of chopped cilantro and cooked a bit longer.

Add to burritos with avocado, pickled onions, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime.