Classic Red Chili

2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 teaspoons salt
2 to 2 1/2 pounds ground beef or lean ground turkey
3 large cans (29 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
46 ounces tomato juice
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup (8 ounces) ketchup
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup water
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, brown the ground beef (or turkey) with the onion and salt until the meat is cooked through. Drain excess grease, if needed.

In a large pot, combine the pinto beans, tomato juice, tomato sauce, and ketchup. Stir in the bay leaves, water, garlic salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne, cumin and brown sugar.

Add the cooked meat/onion mixture.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, over medium-low heat for an hour (or up to 4-5 hours), stirring occasionally. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed, before serving.

(Source: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/my-moms-classic-chili/)

Thai Curry Vegetable Soup

2 Tbsp cooking oil*
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 small sweet potato
1 bunch baby bok choy
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
13 oz can coconut milk
1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
3.5 oz rice vermicelli noodles

Prepare the vegetables for the soup and garnishes first, so they're ready to go when needed. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger using a small-holed cheese grater. Peel and dice the sweet potato into one-inch cubes. Wash the bok choy well, then chop into one-inch strips, separating the fibrous stalks from the delicate green ends. Thinly slice the red onion and roughly chop the cilantro.

Add the cooking oil to a large soup pot along with the minced garlic, grated ginger, and Thai red curry paste. Sauté the garlic, ginger, and curry paste over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.

Add the diced sweet potato and chopped bok choy stalks to the pot (save the leafy green ends for later) along with the chicken or vegetable broth. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

** (my change) Cook the vermicelli noodles in the soup to give it more flavor.

Once the sweet potatoes are tender, add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar to the soup. Stir, taste, and adjust the fish sauce or brown sugar if needed. Finally, add the bok choy greens and let them wilt in the hot soup.

Top with red onion, cilantro, a wedge or two of lime, and a drizzle of sriracha.

(Source: https://www.budgetbytes.com/thai-curry-vegetable-soup/#wprm-recipe-container-30867)

Oatmeal Cookie Baked Oatmeal

INGREDIENTS
1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 large egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp melted butter
1.5 cups milk
1/2 cup raisins
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the apple sauce, egg, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and melted butter. Once whisked smooth, add the milk and whisk until smooth again.

Add the raisins and dry rolled oats. Stir with a spoon until the mixture is combined. Lightly coat a 9x9 casserole dish (or any 2-3 quart casserole dish) with non-stick spray, then pour the oat mixture into the dish.

Bake the oatmeal uncovered in the fully preheated oven for 45 minutes. Divide into six portions and serve. Baked oatmeal is good warm or cold and tastes great with cold milk poured over top.

(Source: https://www.budgetbytes.com/oatmeal-cookie-baked-oatmeal/#wprm-recipe-container-31267)

Buttermilk Syrup

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon Light karo syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot or saucepan over medium heat add the butter, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla and karo syrup.

Heat until everything is well combined and bring to a boil.

Quickly remove the pot from the heat and add the baking soda, place back over the heat, stirring constantly. The syrup will grow large and threaten to boil over which is why a large pot is essential. If it gets too close to the edge remove from the burner and continue stirring to bring it down.

Stir for 30 seconds over the heat (I often just take mine off so I don’t risk boiling over) and serve immediately.

(Source: https://ohsweetbasil.com/buttermilk-syrup/)

Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls

BISCUITS:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
13 tablespoons very cold butter
2 cups buttermilk (plus a few tablespoons more, if needed)

FILLING:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) light brown sugar
1/2 to 1 tablespoon cinnamon

ICING:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Splash of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor (you can easily do the following steps in a bowl by hand, using a pastry blender to cut in the butter). Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is like coarse meal and the butter is in small, pellet-sized pieces (slightly smaller than a pea). This will take a few short pulses in the food processor.

Pour in the buttermilk and mix/pulse only until just combined. The dough should start to come together but you don’t want to overmix the dough. If there are lots of dry patches throughout the dough, add a bit more buttermilk, just a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough comes together (it’s ok to have dry bits here and there).

Scrape the dough out of the food processor or bowl onto a lightly floured counter.

Gently pat (do not roll with a rolling pin!) the dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Gently fold the dough in thirds (see visual below), repeating three times and pressing gently to 1-inch thick after each fold. These folds, combined with the cold butter, are what help to create flaky layers.

With a lightly floured rolling pin (or pressing quickly with your hands), roll the dough into a 1/4-inch rectangle, about 18X10 or thereabouts. Roll quickly – the more the dough is worked with and processed, the less flaky and tender the rolls will be.
Spread the melted butter over the top. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and spread evenly over the butter.

Start rolling up the cinnamon rolls, beginning with one long edge, rolling tightly without pulling and stretching the dough.
Reposition the long roll until it is seam side down.

Use a serrated knife, dental floss, or a bench knife/scraper to cut into 1- or 1 1/2-inch rolls. Tuck the loose end of each roll underneath and place an inch or so apart on the prepared baking sheets.

At this point the rolls can be covered and refrigerated for up to two days. To bake immediately, bake for 12-15 minutes. If baking straight from the refrigerator, add a couple minutes to the baking time.

Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes or so before drizzling with the icing.

For the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, heavy cream and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

(Source: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/buttermilk-biscuit-cinnamon-rolls/)

Overnight French Toast Casserole

1⁄2 cup butter
12 slices white bread
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 -6 eggs
1 1⁄2 cups milk

Melt butter in a 9 x 13 baking pan. Put 6 slices of bread in bottom of pan.

In a bowl mix 1 cup brown sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/2 of this sugar mixture over bread. Add another layer of 6 slices of bread.

In a bowl, whisk eggs with milk until well blended. Pour over bread layers. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake covered at 350F 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 15 minutes or until set and browned.

(Source: https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/overnight-french-toast-casserole-42292)

Thanksgiving Turkey

1 12-20 pound turkey
1 onion , peeled and quartered
1 lemon , quartered
1 apple , quartered
.75 ounce container fresh rosemary
.75 ounce container fresh thyme
.75 ounce container fresh sage

For the herb butter:
1 cup unsalted butter , softened
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6-8 cloves garlic , minced
fresh chopped herbs

If the turkey is frozen: Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.

Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Make the herb butter by combining room temperature butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, one tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, and half a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage. (You’ll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey)

Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.

Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion and apple and leftover herbs.
Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan*.

Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 30 seconds (it doesn’t need to be completely melted--just really softened). Use a basting brush to brush the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey, legs and wings.

Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees.

(Remove the turkey from the oven once it reaches 160 degrees. Then tent it with foil, and let it rest on the counter. It will continue cooking under the foil, to reach 165 degrees F.)

***Check the turkey about halfway through cooking, and once the skin gets golden brown, cover the top of the turkey with tinfoil, to protect the breast meat from overcooking. Alternately, you could start cooking the turkey with it tented in foil, then during the last hour or so of cooking you can take the foil off to let the turkey brown.

Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
Reserve any drippings and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.

(Source: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/easy-no-fuss-thanksgiving-turkey/)

Bacon & Spinach Pasta w/Parmesan

6 oz bacon
1 small onion
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 lb pasta
1/4 lb 3-4 cups fresh spinach
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Cut the bacon across the strips into one-inch pieces. Sauté the bacon in a large skillet until it is brown and crispy (no extra fat needed). Remove the browned bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Carefully pour the fat off into a separate bowl, leaving about one tablespoon in the skillet.

While the bacon cooks, dice the onion. Once the bacon is removed and the fat is drained from the skillet, add the diced onions and sauté until they are soft and transparent. Allow the moisture from the onions to dissolve some of the browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.

Add two cups of chicken broth to the skillet and dissolve off any remaining browned bits of bacon drippings from the bottom of the skillet.

Finally, add the uncooked pasta to the skillet, place a lid on top, and let the skillet come to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, give it a quick stir, turn the heat down to low, and let simmer for 10 minutes with the lid in place. Give the skillet a stir to loosen the pasta from the bottom every few minutes or so, replacing the lid quickly each time. After 10 minutes the pasta should be tender and most of the broth absorbed. There should be a little bit of thick, saucy broth remaining in the bottom of the skillet.

Add the fresh spinach to the skillet and stir until it has wilted into the pasta. Turn off the heat, add the cooked bacon back to the skillet, sprinkle the Parmesan over top, stir to combine, and then serve.

(Source: https://www.budgetbytes.com/bacon-spinach-pasta-parmesan/#wprm-recipe-container-31664)

Chorizo & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS
1 sweet potato
1 poblano pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 links 3/4 lb. chorizo
8 7- inch tortillas
15oz can red enchilada sauce
1.5 cups shredded cheese
3-4 green onions, sliced

Peel the sweet potato and cut it into small cubes (about 1/4-inch). Remove the stem and seeds from the poblano and also dice into 1/4-inch pieces. Mince the garlic.

In a large skillet, sauté the sweet potato, poblano, and garlic in vegetable oil over medium heat until they begin to soften (about 5-7 minutes). Squeeze the chorizo out of it’s casing into the skillet. Continue to sauté over medium heat, breaking up the chorizo into pieces as you stir, until the chorizo is cooked through (5-7 minutes more).

Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick spray and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Scoop about 1/2 cup of the chorizo sweet potato filling into each tortilla, then roll into a cigar shape. Place the filled and rolled tortillas in the baking dish, seam side down. They should fill the dish and fit tightly against each other to prevent unrolling.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the the rolled tortillas and top with shredded cheese. Bake in the oven until the edges begin to bubble (about 20-25 minutes). Top with sliced green onions after baking. Serve hot.

(Source: https://www.budgetbytes.com/chorizo-sweet-potato-enchiladas/#wprm-recipe-container-33266)

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

INGREDIENTS
1.5 cups chopped cooked chicken
15 oz can black beans, drained
1/4 red onion
1 jalapeño
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce
10 7 inch flour tortillas

Add the chopped chicken and drained black beans to a large bowl. Finely dice the red onion. Remove the seeds from the jalapeño, then finely dice. Pull the cilantro leaves from their stems and roughly chop. Add the onion, jalapeño, cilantro, shredded cheddar, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and BBQ sauce to the bowl with the chicken and beans. Stir until everything is evenly combined.

Place about 1/3 cup of the BBQ chicken mixture on each tortilla and spread it evenly over one half of the surface. Fold the tortilla closed. Cook the filled and folded tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, until the outside is brown and crispy, the filling has heated through, and the cheese has melted. Cut each quesadilla in half and serve.

(Source: https://www.budgetbytes.com/ultimate-bbq-chicken-quesadillas/)

Brown Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup mashed banana (from 1 large ripe banana)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

First, brown the butter. Cut the butter into tablespoons. Place in a medium skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling it in the pan occasionally. The butter will foam and pop, so be careful. Continue to swirl the pan often. Remove pan from heat once the butter starts to brown and smells nutty. There will be small brown bits on the bottom. The butter should be an amber color.

In a large bowl, combine the browned butter and brown sugar. Stir until smooth. Add in the egg and stir until combined. Stir in the mashed banana and vanilla extract and stir until smooth.

Add the baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and flour. Stir until just combined. Don’t over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan, spreading into an even layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set and edges are light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting into squares.

(source: https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/brown-butter-banana-chocolate-chip-bars/)

Apple German Pancakes

1 apple , thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
5 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a small bowl, toss apple slices, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice together; set aside.

Cut the butter into pieces and place in a 9×13-in. baking dish.

Place in oven, just until the butter has melted. Remove from oven. Sprinkle brown sugar over melted butter, and top with sliced apples mixture.

In a blender add the eggs, milk, flour, salt and vanilla; cover and process until smooth.

Pour batter over apples .

Bake, for 18-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown and puffy and center is set.

(source: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/apple-german-pancakes/)

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature, slightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

DIRECTIONS:
Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth and combined.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, don’t overmix. Stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the top of the bread.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out mostly clean, you might have some melted chocolate chips on the toothpick and that is fine. You just don’t want a lot of gooey batter.

Remove the pan from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the bread and carefully remove from the pan. Let the bread cool on the wire cooling rack until slightly warm. Cut into slices and serve.

(source: https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/chocolate-pumpkin-bread/)

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup craisins
2 tablespoons hot water
11/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup salted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk, lightly whisked (eggs should be at room temperature.)
11/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour, sifted
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a small bowl add the craisins, hot water and baking soda. Stir and set aside.

In the bowl of the standing mixer, cream the butter and sugars for 1 minute. Add the vanilla and egg mixture and mix again. Add in the raisin mixture and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cornstarch. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and just before it’s done mixing add the chocolate chips.

Wrap tightly with saran wrap and set in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Pull it out for 10 minutes and then scoop onto cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven.

(Source: https://ohsweetbasil.com/white-chocolate-cranberry-cookies-recipe/)

Fajita Steak Marinade

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Canola Oil
4 Cloves of Garlic, minced
2 1/2 Teaspoons Cumin
2 Teaspoons Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Coriander
2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/3 Cup Chopped Cilantro
2 Pound Flank Steak

1 Each Red, Yellow, Green and Orange Bell Peppers, cored, seeded and sliced
1 Onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil, plus more if needed
1 Teaspoon Homemade Taco Seasoning



DIRECTIONS:

In a plastic storage bag or baking dish, whisk together all of the marinade, adding the cilantro at the end.
Set aside 1/4 cup of the marinade.

If you wish to cook the flank steak whole, add it to the marinade, cover or seal and refrigerate for 2-24 hours, otherwise slice the meat against the grain very thin and add to the marinade.

When you’re ready to cook the meat, heat a grill to medium high heat and add the meat to the grill, carefully laying it across the grates so it does not fall through.

Cook for 6-7 minutes per side or until desired temperature.

Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest with a piece of foil draped over the top for 5 minutes.
Slice thin and serve with peppers.

(Source: https://ohsweetbasil.com/favorite-steak-fajitas-marinade-recipe/)

German Pancakes

6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
dash salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 Tablespoons butter
Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

As oven preheats, put the butter in an un-greased 9x13-in. baking dish and place in oven, just until melted.

Place the eggs, milk, flour, salt and vanilla in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour batter into baking dish, over melted butter.

Bake, for 20-23 minutes or until edges are golden brown and puffy.

To serve, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and syrup.

(Source: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/german-pancakes-2/)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups oats (not instant)
1 1⁄2 cups raisins


Preheat oven to 350°.
Whisk dry ingredients; set aside.

Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low.

To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens.

Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible.

Add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate.

Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top.

(Source: https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/oatmeal-raisin-cookies-35813)

Crockpot Madras Lentils

2 cups of cooked lentils*
2 cups of canned tomato sauce
1/2 a large onion
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
3 Tbls butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste

Lightly grease the sides of your crock-pot then dump everything into the slow cooker. Set to high for 3.5-4 hours.

Once time is up, taste and add any additional seasonings your taste buds prefer. This dish comes out super thick but you could thin it a bit with some additional coconut milk or veggie broth as desired. Simply amp up the seasonings to compensate!

Garnish with an optional sprinkle of parsley or basil and serve over a bed of fluffy rice, quinoa, or alongside a big green salad!

*** Prefer to used dried lentils? Simply add 1 cup of raw dried lentils to your crock-pot and increase the amount of tomato sauce used to two 15 oz cans total of sauce, plus add 1/2 cup of veggie broth to the mix. The lentils will soak up the extra liquid as it cooks.

(Source: https://peasandcrayons.com/2012/08/madras-lentils.html)

Ultimate Waffles

1 3/4 Cup Flour
2 1/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
3 Tablespoons plus 1 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
3 Large Eggs
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, corn starch, sugar and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and heavy cream.

Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a few streaks of flour remain, but the batter is almost mixed together.

Add the butter and stir until just combined. Important!! Allow to rest for 15-30 minutes.

Heat a waffle iron. Brush butter on both sides of the waffle iron. Pour about 1/3 cup onto the iron and cook per instructions.

(Source: https://ohsweetbasil.com/ultimate-waffle-recipe/)

Melt In Your Mouth Buttermilk Pancakes

1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups of sifted flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, slightly whisked
2 cups of buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted and melted

Preheat a griddle to medium heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the salt, baking powder, baking soda, flour and sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Drizzle in the butter as you continue to whisk. Switch to a wooden spoon and make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.

Pour in the wet ingredients and stir until almost completely combined. The more you stir pancakes the more flat and tough they will be so please mix until a few streaks of flour are remaining.

Butter the griddle and scoop 1/3 cup of batter and cook until bubbles begin to form, flip and cook until golden.

(Source: https://ohsweetbasil.com/melt-in-your-mouth-buttermilk-pancakes-recipe/)

Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
1/2 (8-ounce) package rice noodles
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.

Add garlic, bell pepper and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Stir in red curry paste and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in chicken broth and coconut milk, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Stir in chicken. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced, about 10 minutes.

Stir in rice noodles, fish sauce and brown sugar until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in green onions, cilantro, basil and lime juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

(source: https://damndelicious.net/2018/04/18/thai-red-curry-noodle-soup/)

Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas

Fajitas
1 1/2 pounds medium uncooked/thawed shrimp shelled, deveined, tails removed*
3 bell peppers sliced (any color combo)
1/2 large red onion thinly sliced
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 pineapple chopped (optional)
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)

Fajita Seasoning
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, salt
1/2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk the fajita seasoning together. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a Jelly Roll Pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. If you are not using pineapple, then use a regular size baking sheet.

Add pineapple and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar to prepared pan. Toss until evenly coated. Push to one side of the pan and spread into an even layer.

Add onions and bell peppers to pan. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Fajita seasoning. Toss until evenly coated then spread evenly on baking sheet next to pineapple. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Stir veggies and pineapple separately and place back into an even layer.

Meanwhile, add shrimp to a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining Fajita seasoning. Stir until evenly coated.
After veggies/pineapple have baked 10 minutes, remove from oven and place shrimp evenly on top of veggies.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 6 minutes then broil for 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.

Serve shrimp and veggies in a tortilla as fajitas OR see my serving options in the Notes. However you serve them, don't forget the freshly squeezed lime juice!

(Source: https://carlsbadcravings.com/shrimp-fajitas/)

Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken

2 pounds chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup mild salsa (medium if you like spicy)
3-4 tablespoons brown sugar **
1 4 oz. can mild diced green chilies
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp EACH ground cumin, garlic pwdr, onion pwdr,
1/2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, dry oregano, pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper (optional for more heat)
1 teaspoons liquid smoke
Hot sauce to taste

Rub chicken breasts with oil and place in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the hot sauce. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours or until chicken is tender enough to shred.

Remove chicken to a cutting board, and let rest 5 minutes before shredding (there will be liquid remaining). Return shredded chicken and let cook on low for an additional 20 minutes to absorb some of the liquid/juices. Drain all excess liquid. Taste and add hot sauce to taste if desired.

(source: https://carlsbadcravings.com/easy-slow-cooker-shredded-mexican-chicken-recipe/)

Chicken Marinade

1⁄4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lime, juiced
1⁄2lemon, juiced
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
ground black pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves


In a large, non-reactive container, whisk together ingredients beginning with cider vinegar through salt.Then whisk in olive oil and pepper.

Place chicken in the mixture. Cover and marinate chicken in the fridge 8 hours or overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade just before you turn on your grill or broiler to let come up a few degrees. Discard marinade.

Lightly oil your grill or broiler pan. Grill or broil about 10 minutes per side.

(source: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/amazing-chicken-marinade-29598)

Instant Pot Black Beans

1 (1-lb.) bag (2 cups) black beans, rinsed and sorted
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 bay leaf
6 cups unsalted vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water

Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot. Cover, twist to lock the lid, and turn the valve to sealing. Press the Beans/Chili button.

When the timer beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 20 minutes. Then, turn the valve to venting.

(Source: https://www.camelliabrand.com/recipes/instant-pot-black-beans/)