Cheri's Easy Pound Cake

Ingredients:

2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
2 sticks butter
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon, almond or vanilla extract
5 large eggs

Instructions:

Put all of above ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Beat for 10 minutes.  Pour into a 12 cup Bundt pan that has been greased & floured.

Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes. Then loosen edges before taking out of pan.

Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 Tble. butter softened
1 Tble. lemon zest

Beat until well combined, pour half on cake while warm.  Then use other 1/2 when cake is cooled.

Chocolate Banana Bread or Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2-3 medium bananas, mashed (just a little over 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup milk
• ½ cup milk chocolate chips
• Chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set bowl aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat sugar and butter together until creamy. Add 2 eggs and mix well. Add in bananas, vanilla, and milk and stir until completely incorporated.
5. Add the wet banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts (optional).  Spoon batter into prepared baking pan.
6. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove bread from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Remove from pan and enjoy.

FOR MUFFINS: fill lined cups 3/4 full.  Bake 18-20 minutes.

Tom's Mac and Cheese

Tom’s Over-Engineered Macaroni and Cheese

This is the general idea/recipe.  Make sure to keep an eye on it while baking, as the times are approximate.

Ingredients:

2 cups 2% milk

1 stick real unsalted butter

4 Tbs all purpose flour

Salt

Pepper

Barilla elbow macaroni (1 package/box - buy 2 boxes to be safe, they’re cheap)

8oz package Tillamook extra sharp cheddar

8oz package Tillamook medium cheddar

Small amount of plain firm havarti cheese from the deli/cheese counter (2 oz)

Small amount fresh parmesan cheese from the deli/cheese counter (1 oz) (optional)

Box of Cheez-its

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Pasta:

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil
2. Slowly add the pasta, and stir.
3. Stirring occasionally, cook pasta for approximately 75% of the recommended “al dente” cooking time.  For example, if it says cook for 7-8 minutes for “al dente”, your cook time should be 5 ½ minutes (7 * .75).  Pasta should still be slightly undercooked and just a little bit crunchy.
4. Drain undercooked pasta and set aside.

Béchamel Sauce (w/ Cheese):

1. In a heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over low heat.
2. Blend 4 tablespoons of flour into the melted butter.
3. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
4. Over medium-low heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 5 minutes. Cooking for this length of time will minimize 'flour' taste.
5. SLOWLY add 2 cups of milk, whisking constantly and quickly.  If you don’t wisk briskly (a lot), the flour will likely clump up and you’ll have to start over.  If you add too much milk at once, the flour will probably clump up, and then you’ll have to start over.
6. Once combined, continue cooking the sauce slowly until smooth and thickened.
7. Once sauce is thick, SLOWLY add approximately 1 to 1.5 cups (more to taste) of grated Tillamook medium Cheddar Cheese.  Add a little bit, let it melt into the sauce, then repeat.  Don’t add the cheese all at once, or it will probably clump up, and you’ll get to start over… 
8. Slow and methodical is the common theme with this sauce.  Also, the sauce needs to be stirred almost the entire time that you’re making it.  This sauce is like a needy girlfriend and requires lots of attention, sweet talk, and compliments.
9. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Assembly:

The assembly is similar to lasagna or other layered casseroles.  There are layers of 1) pasta, cheese sauce, and shredded cheese, then 2) pasta, cheese sauce, and shredded cheese, then 3) another layer and so on, until the pan in filled.  See text diagram below.

1. Grate 1 ½ cups of extra sharp cheddar, ¼ cup havarti, and 2 Tbs parmesan.  Keep grated cheese in separate bowls. 
2. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a glass 8x8 baking dish.  Don’t go crazy with the butter.  This is just to keep everything from sticking.
3. Spoon several tablespoons of the cheese sauce on the bottom of the pan and lightly spread around.
4. Spoon some of the pasta previously cooked into the bottom of the pan.  There should be approximately ¾ of an inch of pasta covering the entire bottom of the pan  Pasta layer should be several noodles thick (ie: don’t just do a thin layer of noodles.  If stacked, noodle layer should be about 3 noodles high)
5. Poor some cheese sauce over the pasta.  The sauce should work its way in-between some of the noodles. Don’t worry about covering every single noodle, just poor over the top and let gravity do the work. Do make an effort to poor a little sauce around the edge of the pan/pasta, but do not over-sauce. 
6. Cover the first layer of sauced pasta with shredded sharp cheddar cheese.  You don’t need to go crazy with the shredded cheese either.  Just a nice, even layer over all of the pasta. 
7. Lightly sprinkle some of the havarti into/onto the sharp cheddar.
8. Cover the pasta, sauce and shredded cheese, with another layer of pasta (again, about ½ inch)  Repeat the process by covering the pasta with sauce then shredded cheese
9. Repeat the layering until you get to about ½ from the top of the dish.  There should be about 3 layers of pasta, maybe 4 layers if you didn’t make the pasta layers thick enough.
10. The very top layer is slightly different.  Crush up some cheez-its and sprinkle them over the shredded cheese.  Then sprinkle a very light layer of parmesan over/around the cheez-its. 

Text Diagram for 3 layers:

TOP OF DISH

Shredded Parmesan

Cheez-its

Small amount shredded havarti

Shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

Cheese Sauce

¾ inch Pasta

Small amount shredded havarti

Shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

Cheese Sauce

¾ inch Pasta

Small amount shredded havarti

Shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

Cheese Sauce

¾ inch Pasta

2 Tbs Cheese Sauce

Buttered dish bottom

BOTTOM OF DISH

Baking:

1. Cover the assembled 8x8 mac & cheese dish with aluminum foil. 
2. Place in a 325 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes. 
3. Take the mac and cheese out of the oven and carefully remove the aluminum foil.
4. Place the dish back into the oven, and bake for approximately another 10 minutes, or until the top starts to get a little color.

5.     Remove dish and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (16 oz.) angel hair pasta
3/8 c. olive oil
6 medium cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. pecan halves coarsely chopped
2/3 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 c. fresh snipped parsley
ground black pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in skillet heat  oil.  Add garlic and pecans; sauté 3 minutes. Drain pasta.  In large serving bowl combine pasta, garlic-nut mixture, cheese, parsley and pepper; gently toss to coat.  Serve immediately.  Yield: 4 main or 6 appetizer servings.

Coconut Streusel Muffins w/ Strawberry Butter

Muffins:

1/2 C. Butter, melted, cooled slightly
1/2 C. Half & Half (I have used Coconut Milk)
2 eggs
1/2 tea. Almond extract
1 3/4 C. All-purpose flour
1/2 C. Sugar
2 tea. baking powder
1/2 tea. salt
1/2 C. Sweetened flaked Coconut
1 C. Finely chopped fresh Strawberries

Streusel:

3 Tble. All-purpose flour
3 Tble. Sugar
3 Tble. Sweetened flaked coconut
1 Tble. Butter, melted

(I double this because I like more streusel on my muffins.)

Strawberry Butter:

1/2 C. Butter, softened
2 Tble. Powdered sugar
1/3 C. Finely chopped fresh Strawberries


Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin pan cups or line with paper baking cups; set aside. (This usually makes at least 18 for me.)

Combine 1/2 c. melted butter, half & half, eggs and almond extract in large bowl;  beat with whisk until smooth.  Add 1 3/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt; stir just until moistened.  Gently stir in 1/2 cup coconut and 1 cup finely chopped strawberries.  Spoon evenly into prepared muffin cups. (to 2/3 full).

Combine all streusel ingredients  in small bowl; mix well.  Sprinkle over muffin batter.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 5 minutes; remove to cooling rack.

Meanwhile, combine all strawberry butter ingredients in small bowl; beat at medium speed until well mixed.  Serve with warm muffins.

Quinoa Burgers

2 rounded cups cooked quinoa (*see note below for cooking instructions)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or other variety, if you prefer)
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 medium carrot, finely grated (OR 1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed dry)
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
2 green onions, chopped including white parts
1/2 teaspoon sugar or Splenda
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or 1-2 cloves minced
Coconut oil for frying; olive oil may be used as well

*To cook quinoa for the above recipe:

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan bring the 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat.
Add quinoa and reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and the seeds are tender.  Allow to cool for a few minutes.



In a large bowl combine 2 rounded cups cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, carrot, eggs, flour, green onions, sugar, pepper cumin, salt and garlic powder.

(To help make sure they stay in patty form and don't fall apart I cook them slowly on med-low so they have time to set up without burning.  Makes them easier to flip too!) Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons of oil over medium-low heat (I use more oil to actually fry them).  Mixture will be slightly sticky, so using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, drop mixture into pan and lightly flatten to 1/2 inch thick.  Fry until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side.  Makes approx. 8-10 burgers.

Serve with Tzatziki:

3/4 C. thick plain Greek-style yogurt (or drain plain reg. yogurt very well)
3 Tble. sour cream
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded & grated-squeeze off excess water
1/4 tea. garlic powder or 1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tea. sugar
1 tea. dried or 2 Tble. fresh dill weed
1 tea. or less Kosher salt, to taste  
Black pepper to taste

Combine and chill.  This is best if made a couple of hours in advance.

Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

2 tea. Peanut or olive oil (I use toasted sesame seed oil)
1 package (about 12-14 Oz. size) Firm Tofu
2 ears Corn (or 1 1/2 cups Frozen Corn Kernels*)
1/4 tea. Chili Powder (more To Taste)
1/4 c. Soy Sauce
Romaine Lettuce Hearts
2 Whole Avocados
1 tea. Balsamic Vinegar (optional)

Prep. Instructions

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Throw in the tofu, then break it up into very small pieces (I use a potato masher).  Cook Tofu for several minutes, until much of the liquid cooks off and tofu starts to turn golden.

Cut kernels off the cobs of corn (I use frozen corn*) and throw it in with the tofu.  Cook for a few minutes (corn can remain crunchy).

Add chili powder and soy sauce, then cook until most of the liquid has be absorbed.  Turn off heat and stir in vinegar if using.

Pile mixture into romaine hearts, then add slices of avocado. Fold up and chow down!

My "tweaks": Saute in 1-2 tea. sesame seed oil (this is in addition to what recipe calls for), 2-3 green onions chopped, 1-2 cloves minced garlic, 3-4 chopped mushrooms and corn.  Add to tofu mixture as recipe states.  I have served it also over a pile of rice and shredded cabbage (mixed with vinegar and pepper) and then topped with avocado slices.