Goulash

I struggled to find a pretty picture of goulash and I don't really even think I succeeded here- BUT it did taste pretty yummy.  I think this is the sort of recipe that you can pretty much empty your pantry or fridge into- just add whatever you have on hand and it will be OK.  It was satisfying, it was nice that all the veggies and everything was in it already- and I did it with the slow cooker- always a plus.

This is also based on Grandma Squires recipe- but as I said, you can change it to whatever you have on hand.

Goulash
1 lb. ground turkey, cooked
1/2 - 1 onion, chopped
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans chili (store chili weirds me out so next time, I will add two more cans of beans plus cumin and chili powder for flavor)
1 can tomato sauce (or 1 can tomato paste plus 1/2 can of water)
1 can diced tomatoes, if you have it
frozen veggies- mixed, peas, carrots, corn, whatever you have and however much you want
fridge veggies - baby carrots, chopped, whatever else you have
3-5 potatoes, chopped sorta small
Leftover pasta on the side.* 

Put it all in the slow cooker and let it go 8-10 hours on low.  Serve with grated cheddar cheese and enjoy.  The leftovers are fabulous, but you may need to add some water. 

*You can serve this all together with the pasta mixed in, but I don't recommend putting the pasta in the slow cooker as this makes A LOT and if it stays with the leftovers, the pasta will break down and be gross. Much better to just stir it in when you are serving, IMHO.

Pizza Dough

This can be used to make pizza or calzones, or probably breadsticks.  It has to sit in the fridge for 8-24 hours though, so you need to plan in advance- but it is really good if you can manage it!

Pizza Dough

2 1/2 C. flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. yeast
apx. 3/4 C. hot water

Knead all of the above ingredients with flour.  Refridgerate for 8-24 hours, toll out, add toppings.  Let rise for about 30 minutes at room temperature.  Bake on the bottom rack at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 

Yellow Cake

This is a perfect base for Pineapple Upside Down cake, or you can use it as a short cake and add fresh fruit and whipped cream. 

Yellow Cake
1/2 C. margarine
1 1/3 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 C. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients, bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Rum Cake

This seems like a good Christmas party cake- it feels very seasonal.  Of course, I ate it yesterday on a warm May day and it was fabulous.  It is from the Pioneer Woman website, and there are even better directions if you click the link at the bottom of this page.  The rum flavor is strong, but in a good way.  I almost felt a little buzzed from it, which was nice because I was at a faculty lunch at school.  I recommend dark rum and the bundt cake pan worked really well, so I will have to get one of these before I make this.  Enjoy!

Rum Cake
FOR THE CAKE:

1 box (about 18 Oz.) Yellow Cake Mix
1 package (3.5 Oz.) INSTANT Vanilla Pudding Mix
4 whole Eggs
½ cups Cold Water
½ cups Canola Oil
½ cups Rum (dark Or Light Is Fine)
1 cup Chopped Pecans
Brown Sugar (optional)
_____
GLAZE
1-½ stick Butter
¼ cups Water
1-½ cup Sugar
¾ cups Rum

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. If desired, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar over the nuts.

Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter into pan over nuts. Smooth out ’til the top is even. Bake for 1 hour, or a little less if the pan is black. Do not overbake!

When the cake has ten minutes to go, make the glaze.  Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off flame and pour in rum. Stir to combine and reheat for 30 seconds.

Remove cake from oven. Immediately drizzle 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom (top) of the cake. Allow to sit for five minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Prick surface a hundred times with a fork (gently, please.) Slowly drizzle remaining rum glaze all over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Cool to room temperature before serving to ensure glaze has soaked in.

Eat. Enjoy. And don’t feel guilty. It’s Christmastime!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/12/christmas-rum-cake/

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

1 C. water
1 C. butter
3/4 C. cocoa
2 C. flour
2 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 C. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Put butter, water and cocoa in a saucepan and bring to a boil so that butter is melted.  This makes a sort of fudge base.  Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the fudge sauce.  Crack the eggs and add them to the milk and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup.  (This helps the eggs not scramble when you add it to rest.)  Add  the milk mixture to the rest and stir up.  Add to sprayed (and flour dusted) cake pan and bake 25-30 minutes for regular cake, 45ish for bundt cake.  Let it sit for a minute or two after you get out of the oven and the flip onto a plate.  Drizze with ganache or dust with powdered sugar.   I think fresh sliced strawberries would be excellent with this!

Cinnamon Bread (or Rolls, or Pockets)

Cinnamon Bread (or Regular Rolls or Cinnamon Rolls or Pockets)

- 1/2 C. butter
- 1/2 C. sugar
- 1 Tbsp (packet) of Yeast in 1 C. lukewarm water
            Make sure the water is hot enough, should be fairly warm to your wrist.  The yeast will
            change the water to a tan-ish color if it dissolves properly.  Wendy puts the yeast in the
            measuring cup first, seems to help activate it.
- 2 eggs - best if they are at room temperature, so they don't kill the yeast- and make sure to add
            them after you've stirred the yeast water into the sugar and butter.)
- 4 C. bread flour (+1/2 C. to knead)  King Arthur's seems to be the better brand, if you can
            find it- it raises better than the other one.
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 C. brown sugar (roughly)
- 3 Tbsp. cinnamon (yes, its a lot)

Mix butter and sugar, then add eggs. 

Add dissolved yeast and stir in as well as you can- it is OK that the mixture has weird buttery things in it. 

Add flour and salt and stir with the spatula until it looks about right.

Add about 1/2 C. of extra flour to your counter and knead the dough into a ball, probably 30-40 times, folding it in on top of itself, so it is always sort of a ball shape.  The dough should be sort of stiff, not like cookie dough.

Add some flour to the bottom of the pan (so it doesn't stick) and let it rise for about an hour, or use the "proofing oven" trick below.

After it has doubled in size, then roll it in ONE direction into a rectangular shape.  You only need to roll one direction because as soon as you start rolling, it is the right width for a bread pan.  After you have the shape you like, flip it over one last time, so the more floured side is on top.

For cinnamon rolls or bread, roll out dough, brush lightly with water making a good paste (with the flour that is already on the bread) and then combine brown sugar and cinnamon.  Rub mixture into dough before rolling up to form loaf. Most of it should rub in to the bread and sort of stick to it- you don't want too much extra.

As you roll the dough, pull it before rolling so that it makes a nice, tight spiral when you cut it later on.  Use a little bit of water to "glue" the edges shut as well, and then put it in the pan with the edge side down.  

After you place it in a greased bread pan, let it rise for another hour. 

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes (rolls) or 30 minutes (bread).


Proofing Oven Trick:
Preheat oven to 350, then turn it off a minute or so before it reaches it.  Super important that the heating element is OFF.  Boil about 2 C. of water in the microwave (3 minutes in a glass Pyrex is my recommendation) and then place an 8x8 pan on the bottom shelf of your oven.  Pour the boiling water in (you can actually grab the handle, its not hot!) through the oven grates if you need to, and then place the dough (also in a glass pan, not metal) into the oven on the shelf above it.  The moisture from the boiling water should add steam, and the warm oven should help the bread to rise faster.  In the winter months, it might take a little longer than normal.

Makes 24 rolls, 12 cinnamon rolls or 2 loaves of bread.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Christopher loves these and asked that next time, I save a strawberry so that I can garnish it like this photo.  I have friends who say that they blend ALL KINDS of things into their kids smoothies (broccoli, spinach, etc...) and that the kids drink it without ever knowing any better- but I've never actually done that.  I suppose you could... but then y boy eats zucchini and asparagus by the fistful so I don't really see a need.

Strawberry Banana Smoothies

8 large strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 banana, fresh (or frozen would make it more ice-cream-y)
1/2 C. whole milk (I am sure you could use skim)
1 C. yogurt - strawberry banana preferred, but I've been successful with strawberry or vanilla

Blend six strawberries, banana and milk.  Add yogurt.  Serveusing the additional strawberries for garnish. 
Enjoy!