How To Make Your Weekend Amazing! aka Baked Vanilla Bean Donuts

Homemade donuts on the weekend are pretty special around my house.  I know it is probably easier to buy a box of donuts from the store but they don't have the same fresh taste as homemade.  The cake in this donut is so moist and slightly sweet.  The not too sweet taste might be why I prefer this donut recipe.

This is a tried and true recipe.  I have made this particular one about 5 or more times and each time they are perfect.  The ingredients for this recipe get dumped into one bowl which makes cleanup a breeze.  The cake is lightly brown but tender inside and they fall right out of the pan without sticking.

The glaze for this recipe is new to me but i have to say it is preferred to the others I have used in the past. This glaze recipe doesn't call for corn syrup which is a win in my book.

Confession: I hate to sift ingredients before mixing but I think that it is very important when making a glaze or thin icing. If I don't sift the powdered sugar I end up with little lumps and then my donuts don't look like they belong in a bakery case.

I am posting a photo of what I consider to be essential tools for this recipe.

I love my silicone tipped whisk, donut pan and my icing bags.  If you don't have piping bags for icing handy then you can use a large ziploc baggie and cut the tip off.  I find that this method is almost essential when placing the batter in the donut pan.

Ingredients:

Original recipe here

Servings: 12-14

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 24 minutes (12 minutes each batch)

Donut Batter

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean scraped (optional but recommended)
2 eggs
3/4 milk
2 Tbsp butter, melted



Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Spray pan with baking spray or brush with melted butter to grease (quick painless release of the cake donut is what we want).
Melt the 2 tablespoons butter and set aside to cool. Once the butter is no longer hot, add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir.  Stir just until combined so that the cake remains soft.  Place the batter in a ziploc or a decorator bag, snip the tip and pipe the batter in the donut pan.  Only fill each circle of the pan 1/2 way. Bake for about 12 minutes (should be lightly golden) and then let sit in pan a few minutes before placing the donuts on the cooling rack to cool completely.

*If you don't have the vanilla bean I would still make this recipe.

Glaze:
Original recipe here
Servings: 12-14 donuts
Prep Time: 10 minutes

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp unsweet cocoa powder
2-4 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl with a wide rim.  Add 2 tablespoons of milk and vanilla.  Whisk to combine.  If the glaze is still thick add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until glaze is thin and spreadable but not runny.

Dip each donut top in the glaze and give a twist as you pull up.  Place on foil or wax paper for at least 5 minutes while the glaze firms up.

These should be eaten within 2 days.  If covered for too long the glaze will soften.

Enjoy!!

Roasted Cabbage

My new favorite vegetable side dish is cabbage.  I actually saw the idea on Pinterest and once I realized how cheap cabbage was in the produce department at the grocery I decided to give it a try. I figured since the boys like brussel sprouts that the taste wouldn't be much different.  Too my surprise the roasted cabbage was so much better than brussel sprouts. The biggest difference was.....

Sweetness!

When the cabbage was roasted the inner layers were soft and sweet while the outer layers had a bit of the caramelized crunch you get when you roast almost any vegetable.

Tonight I paired my cabbage slices with some mini meatloaf.  Gavin thanked me tonight for making his favorite dinner ever tonight.  I think for an 8 year old I am doing pretty good if he eats all of this.

You do need a bit of cook time so this isn't a last minute dish but it is delicious.

Roasted Cabbage Slices
Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients
1 medium head cabbage
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.  Slice the cabbage into 6 slices. This should make each slice about 3/4-1 inch thick.  Line the cabbage slices in a single layer on the pan. Drizzle olive oil over the cabbage.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 40 minutes or until edges of cabbage begin to brown.

Barbara's Chicken

Sorry it has been so long since my last post but we were busy setting up the kids in separate rooms and then next thing I knew it was time for school to start.


I felt like over the past few weeks I have been cooking the same things over and over.  Most of my dinner were Tex Mex and I decided I needed to seek out some different recipes for the menu this week.  I had to do some digging to find this recipe card but I knew that this chicken needed to be made this week. This is one of the few recipes that I make and the kids will eat the mushrooms.  Not sure what makes the difference here but they eat every single bite!

What do I like about this recipe?
The flavor is wonderful
I like that the chicken breast is thinner but comes out moist and delicious
Onions and mushrooms are a great combination


I need to give credit to Jon's mom for this recipe.  We were in Fort Wayne visiting and she made this for a dinner one night.  I loved the flavor so much that I asked her to write down the recipe on an old fashioned recipe card. I have of course made some changes to her original recipe but not much. My changes were only for the fact that the ingredients below are what we are more likely to have on hand.

Barbara's Chicken

Adapted from a recipe by Jon's mom, Barbara Stedge
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast (thin boneless, approx. 1 lb)
1 Tablespoon butter
8 oz. sliced portabella mushrooms
1/2 small onion, rough chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup broth (chicken or veggie)
splash of red wine vinegar
*1 cup shredded mozzarella, optional
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
Season your chicken breast with salt and pepper.  Place your butter in a skillet on medium heat until melted. Swirl the pan to make sure the butter is distributed. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the skillet and cook turning once until both sides are brown.  Spray your baking pan (I used a 1 1/2 quart ceramic baking dish) and place the chicken breast in a single layer in the pan.  Set aside while you prepare the rest of the dish.  Place the onions and the mushrooms in the same skillet that you cooked the chicken.  Add the garlic and a bit more salt/pepper to taste. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the onions begin to soften.  Pour in your 1/2 cup broth, vinegar and cook a few more minutes to distribute the flavors.
Pour the mushroom and onion broth over the chicken.  Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

*If you plan to add the shredded mozzarella, take the pan out after 10 minutes, sprinkle the cheese, cover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

I always say to add salt to taste along with the pepper but to tell you the truth I hardly ever add salt to anything. We prefer to use pepper and other spices/seasonings.

Enjoy!!

Quiche for Breakfast, Dinner or Both!

This week I had a little trouble coming up with a fast dinner for a busy evening.  I remembered that it had been quite a while since I made our favorite quiche.  I figured that whatever we didn't eat for dinner would be gobbled up for breakfast the next morning.  Our preferred add-ins for the quiche are bell peppers (gives a rainbow of color) and sausage.  I like to use the cook and serve sausages so that I end up only getting one mixing bowl dirty in the prep process. I take the sausages and simply snip them into small bits using my kitchen shears.

Side Note: Having kitchen shears is an easy way to chop sausages or chicken into smaller pieces prior to cooking.  They are one of my favorite tools in the utensil drawer.

I have used this recipe as a make ahead breakfast.  Making the quiche on a Sunday evening makes it easy to slice and package to reheat for breakfast throughout the coming week.

There are only 3 base ingredients to this recipe but then you can mix and match the add-ins to cater to your own family preferences.

Easy Crustless Quiche
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Optional:
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell peppers

1 cup (total) of additional ingredients, suggestions below:

sausage
bacon
broccoli
zucchini
carrots


Preheat oven to 375 degrees and generously grease a 9 inch pie plate. Whisk the eggs and milk until thoroughly mixed, light and fluffy. The more you whisk the eggs, the fluffier the quiche will be in the end.  Add the shredded cheese, salt and pepper, mix again.  The base of your quiche has now been created and you can start to add your extra ingredients.  My favorite combination is 1/4 cup onion, 1/4 cup bell pepper and chopped cook n serve sausages.

Whatever additional ingredients you choose, the total measurement should be about 1 1/2 cups.
Once all your ingredients are mixed together, pour into your prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes.  The quiche should look a little brown on top and puffed up.  Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

Corn Tortilla Stacks

My family and I eat a Tex Mex meal at least once a week.  When I was making the menu for this week I realized that I had a can of black beans and some corn tortillas in the pantry.  I decided to make these tortilla stacks for a quick weeknight option.  The kids love this recipe and it is easy, what more could I want on a Monday!

Yes, I am that kind of mom that makes a weekly menu so that I don't have to think about what I have in the fridge or the pantry.  I like to be prepared and don't want to run to the store every other night to get a few ingredients to make dinner.  Getting your kids to help in making the menu is great too.  I usually ask the boys to pick a night and it seems if I do that then they are more willing to try a new recipe I make later that week.  I used to be diligent with our weekly menu to include a Meatless Monday option but after a month or so I got kind of loose with the menu and would just include one meatless option any day of the week.

Corn Tortilla Stacks
Adapted from: Martha Stewart's Tortilla Pie
Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients
12 corn tortillas
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp cumin
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinse and drained
1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
6 oz bag of baby spinach
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Optional toppings:
Sour cream
Salsa
Avocado

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment or foil, set aside.
Heat oil in skillet, add chopped onion and cook 3-5 minutes or until soft.  Add the cumin, pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Add the tomato paste and stir again to make sure the paste is distributed evenly throughout the onion.  Once thoroughly combined add the garlic, black beans and corn.  Cook until the beans and corn are warmed through, just a few minutes.  Add the spinach by the handful and stir.  Once the spinach is wilted, add a few more handfuls and repeat until all spinach has been added.

Place 4 tortillas on the prepared pans.  Add about 1/4 cup filling onto each tortilla, sprinkle each with cheese just to cover filling.  Place another tortilla on top and gently press down to distribute the filling evenly.  Repeat the process with the filling, cheese and another corn tortilla.

In the end, you should have 3 corn tortillas and 2 layers of filling for each stack.  You may sprinkle each stack with the remainder of the cheese or place in the oven without the topping.  Place in the oven for about 15-20 or until the top starts to brown.
Serve immediately.

 *Note: I highly recommend getting the tomato paste in the tube.  You will use it more than you think and it stays fresh longer than the paste in the can.

Fantastic Brownies

First, before I get into the nitty gritty of the recipe I want to talk about my preferences when I bake.
I like to use the least amount of dishes.  Most of the time I hate to bake because I don't feel like cleaning up.  This is a one bowl recipe so win, win.  Also, when I bake I like to use parchment paper.  I don't like to grease my pans because sometimes it will leave a greasy residue.  I am including a picture of my favorite brand of parchment which can be found in Bloomingfoods or Goods for Cooks in Bloomington.  This brand is unbleached and seems to be more pliable than the Reynolds brand I use to buy. 

Lastly I like to use unsalted butter all the time. My family rarely uses salt and so I buy the sticks of generic unsalted butter for all my recipes, then I can salt to my liking if necessary.  Now on to the recipe.....

I have been using the same brownie recipe for years now and I have kept this label off the Nestle cocoa box.  You would think by now that I would have it memorized but I keep the recipe handy in the cabinet right next to my vanilla.  I frequently use two other variations of this recipe, one using instant espresso and the other with toffee bits (see below for variations).

These brownies are of the thinner, fudgier variety.  I make this recipe when I want to make my fluffy peanut butter frosting (recipe soon) or a trifle.  I plan to use bits of this batch in my first attempt at ice cream.

Recipe: Chewy Cocoa Brownies, original recipe by Nestle
Servings: 24 brownies
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 18-25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp. water
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 13x9 inch pan with parchment paper. 
Cut the butter into large chunks and place in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup.  Microwave in 20 second intervals until melted.  Usually I can do this for about a minute and everything will be melted.   Set aside to cool as you start to measure out some other ingredients.  Combine the sugar and the water in a larger mixing bowl.  Add the melted butter to the sugar and water, mix with a whisk.  Once everything is incorporated you will want to add the egg one at a time.  You want the butter to be cooled enough that the eggs don't curdle when combined.  Then add the vanilla and mix once again.  Now I add my flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Whisk just until everything is combined. Now  place into your prepared pan.  The batter will be thick so I usually use an offset spatula in order to level the batter and make sure that the batter reaches each corner of the pan.  
Bake for 18 to 25 minutes.  My oven is spot on with the 18 minutes but temperatures of ovens do vary.  I always use the toothpick test method if I am unsure.
Cool completely before cutting. 

Variations:

Mocha flavor: 1 Tbsp. instant espresso (add with rest of dry ingredients)

Toffee brownies:  1 cup toffee bits (sprinkle on top of batter before baking)

Chicken Burrito Bowls-Crockpot Style

I am always looking for an easy crock pot meal that my kids will enjoy.  I am one of those people that will make a weekly menu but one weekend we were out of town so I wasn't prepared on Monday for a family dinner.  On that Monday morning I was looking through the cabinets to see what I had available and so I threw in some ingredients that I thought would make a great rice bowl.

I seriously wasn't disappointed at dinner time when the kids asked for a second helping.  Keep in mind this is a make ahead meal because it cooks for 8+ hours on low in the crock pot.

Chicken Burrito Bowl-Crock Pot Style
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8+ hours
Serves: 6

Ingredients
1.5 lbs of chicken breast (approx. 2 large) fresh or frozen
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15oz) black beans
1 packet taco seasoning, mild (or 1-2 T homemade seasoning)
1 cup water, optional *see note below

Rice: You will need 6 cups prepared rice
2 cups uncooked rice
3 1/2 cups water

Additional suggested toppings: Salsa, avocado, shredded cheese, peppers, onion and crushed corn tortilla chips.

Place the chicken breast in the crock pot, pour the diced tomatoes and black beans, water over the chicken breast (do not drain), sprinkle the taco seasoning over the top and give it a stir until combined.
Cook on low for 8+ hours until you can shred the chicken. You can cook for 4-6 hours if you chicken breasts are not frozen.   Use two forks and shred the chicken, give a stir and serve over rice.

*Note: The water is optional because with the first 4 ingredients you could have a thicker base more ideal for nachos.  Since I served this with rice, and I know my man likes his meals saucy, I added extra water.

This is really a base recipe and I suggest that people change it according to taste and budget.  This could be made with fresh and non canned items but be sure to add liquid so that the mixture doesn't burn in the crock pot.

                        Enjoy!