Ella's First Recipe

I am unbelievably proud of my kids' individual strengths and interests! And that Ella loves to cook and bake? Fantastic! With her energy, creativity, and growing set of skills, I can see her being a chef or baker. 

She loves to crack eggs and whip them with a fork, so while I wasn't watching her, she came up with this:

2 eggs, whipped until light and bubbly and then a bit more

2 Tbsp leftover ground beef, cooked and seasoned with onions and cumin

2 Tbsp black bean hummus

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup oil

So the oil was an oops, but we talked about how eggs don't need a lot of oil like a muffin recipe would. She insisted I cook it. As I did, she set the table, plates, forks, knives, spoons, hot pad. Then she took a potholder for the handle of the frying pan (which wasn't hot but she was careful anyway) and brought the pan to the table.

And I ate it. I ate about as much of it as she eats of my cooking. And it was good! It was also green. But who would have thought black bean hummus would be good in eggs? 

I wish I would have saved it and made fried rice to soak up some of that oil... 

Vanilla Pudding Cake

I found this recipe on www.dairygoodness.ca. I've had the chocolate version many times, so vanilla is a nice change! 

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp vanilla

Cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

3 tbsp butter, melted

2 tsp vanilla

(optional) icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Sauce: Pour milk into a glass 2-cup measuring cup. Combine sugar and cornstarch, add to milk, stir. Heat in microwave for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring a couple of times.  Add vanilla. Set aside.

Cake: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together egg, milk, butter and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Spread into prepared baking dish. Gently pour warm milk mixture over cake batter without stirring.

Bake for about 30 min or until tester inserted in centre of cake layer comes out clean. Let cool for at least 15 min. Serve hot or warm. Dust with icing sugar (if using).Scoop cake into serving bowls and spoon pudding sauce over top.

Notes:

The first two tips are from Dairy Goodness:

The pudding forms on the bottom while this cake bakes. It’s best to serve it hot or warm before pudding soaks into the cake so plan to put into the oven before you sit down to dinner and it will be just right at dessert time.

Chai tea pudding cake: Add 2 Chai tea bags to milk in sauce before heating; discard before adding to baking dish. Add 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each ground cinnamon and ginger and 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cardamom to flour mixture.

My personal idea would be to add coconut. I'm not sure if it should go into the milk or the batter, but either way, the liquid content would need to be increased. The coconut will absorb the liquid and could leave everything too dry.

Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken

I was hungry for a flavourful chicken dish and I've seen "garlic and brown sugar chicken" on Facebook so many times, do I thought I'd attempt it. This is very approximate because I was winging it. 

1 Tbsp cooking oil

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 small onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp Montreal Steak Spice

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup water

Cut chicken into small pieces, sprinkle with steak spice. It might seem like it has too much kick, but it's a good balance in the end. For my tastebuds.

On low heat, I used a cast iron pan, heat oil, add seasoned chicken. Add whole cloves of garlic and onion. The low heat allows the onion and garlic to caramelize and mellow as the chicken cooks.

I didn't cover to cook and it didn't get dry or tough. As it cooks, mix brown sugar, cornstarch, and water.

When the onions and garlic were soft, I added the brown sugar mixture. I covered it up at this point. I let it gently simmer a bit to coat the meat. The sweetness and the kick of pepper in the steak spice is a nice combo. Served over mashed potatoes or rice. 

House Dressing

1/4 cup cooking oil

2 Tbsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp white sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp prepared mustard

1/8 tsp garlic powder

Pepper, light sprinkle

1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Stir all ingredients together well in small bowl. Pour over salad. Toss to coat.

Honey Mustard Chicken

Here's another good one from the white recipe book. It's been years since I made it but I wanted something flavourful and (hopefully) kid-friendly for supper. I'm making brown rice on the side, which I may or may not turn into fried rice.

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup prepared mustard

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour half of this mixture over the chicken and brush to cover. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over, brush with remaining half of the honey mustard mixture, and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Let cool 10 minutes and serve.

Notes:

This also tastes great on pork!

Prepare sauce, pour over chicken pieces in freezer bags for future use.

This chicken can be used hot or cold, in salads, with "House Dressing".

This meat can also be barbecued.

Cinnamon buns (with mashed potatoes)

Updated June 16 2023 I've been avoiding seed oils and this recipe works just as well without it! I'll add in the changes I've made to this recipe.

My cousin Joanne introduced this recipe to me. Me to the recipe? These are so fantastic, so soft, even after being frozen and reheated!

Bun dough:

1 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 cup vegetable oil (omit this)
2 tbsp yeast
2 cups warm milk (or potato water)
3/4 cup softened margarine
2 eggs beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour, plus 6 cups of flour (6 cups only)

Inside the buns:
3Tbsp melted butter (to spread onto dough)
1 cup brown sugar (to sprinkle onto melted butter)
1Tbsp cinnamon

Mix potatoes and oil in blender. (Potatoes can be blended with the milk instead of oil.)

Add the other ingredients and mix well. Add 6 cups flour and knead until soft. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Punch and make rolls (with brown sugar and cinnamon). Let rolls rise 1 hour. Bake at 325 degrees F for 20 minutes.



Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp butter
1/4 tsp salt

Mix. Heat to boiling. Pour over rolls when done or just before serving. Enjoy!

Mexican Baked Peppers

This one's just made up with various on-hand ingredients. 

1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb ground beef

1Tbsp taco seasoning
3/4 cup corn (I used frozen)
3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 red peppers
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Fry the onion until it starts to soften; add the beef. Fry until beef is browned. Add taco seasoning. Mix in corn and garlic. Fry until it's all cooked and hot!

Cut red peppers into thirds, vertically. They'll look like long, thick slices of pepper. Top with beef mixture, top with shredded cheese.

I baked these for about 15 minutes. The peppers were still a little crunchy, which I love! I added sour cream to mine, and you could add any variety of things: tomatoes, salsa, green onions, crushed Doritos, etc. I served these with plain brown rice on the side.