Baked Pancake

Whenever I was sick growing up, my mom would make me a baked pancake. It's soft, easy to digest and delicious. Today, it's still a comfort food for me, even if I'm not sick.

Baked Pancake
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tsp sugar
drop vanilla
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
2 Tbs butter

Set oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in ovenproof 6"-8" skillet and let melt in oven while it preheats. Whisk all other ingredients together. Once oven is preheated, pour the batter into the pan and bake for 8-10 minutes. The pancake will be puffy and the sides high and dry. Serve with fruit, jam or plain with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Curry Chicken

My husband spent a year in South Africa where he developed a love of curry. While I'll probably never get it quite like the ones he had in Africa, he's a fan of this one. I adapted it from a few recipes I found and what he's told me he remembers about the curries he had in Africa. It's especially delicious served over rice and with naan bread.

Curry Chicken
1/4 cup (4 Tbs) curry powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp smoked paprika (regular is fine, too)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, in bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, chopped
1 Tbs tomato paste
6 oz plain yogurt
1 15 oz can coconut milk


Heat a pan on medium heat. Toast the curry powder, onion powder cinnamon, paprika, and bay leaf over medium high heat for about 45 seconds stirring constantly. Add chicken, salt and garlic. Cook for just a few seconds, then add tomato paste, yogurt, coconut milk and carrots. Stir together. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Pie Crust

The perfect pie crust is hard to find. There are many theories bakers prescribe to; all butter, all shortening, both shortening and butter. Don't touch the crust with your hands, etc. I'm an all butter baker myself. The flavor can't be beat. I also touch the crust. This particular recipe is adapted from Sur La Table's The Art and Soul of Baking. Even though pie crust can be daunting, this one has yet to fail me. This recipe is for a single crust, but can easily be doubled for a double crust pie.

Pie Crust
1 stick of very cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2-3 Tbs cold water

In a food processor, pulse the butter, flour and sugar together until it resembles course sand and peas. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until dough forms a ball. Form the dough into a disc and place on a well floured board. With a flour rolling pin, roll from center to the top. Turn dough 1/4 turn, and roll from center up again. Keep repeating this, turning 1/4 turn until the dough is the appropriate size for the pan.

These are cherry pocket pies I made with my lattice mold. A single crust recipe makes 4 of these pocket pies. And excess pie dough is also delicious sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked.

Mexican Chicken

Did you grow up with a weird dish that none of your friends ever heard of? This is that dish from my childhood that no one else ever had or heard of. It's really simple, but delicious. The original recipe calls for Fritos to cover the top before you bake it. However, if you have any leftovers, they get soggy. So I leave them off and just add them to my plate.

Mexican Chicken
2 cans refried beans
1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 1/2 cups cheese (cheddar, jack, etc)
1 small can red enchilada sauce
Fritos or Tortilla chips

Other possible toppings:
sour cream
guacamole or avocado
lettuce
salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8x8 or 9x9 oven-safe dish, spread beans on the bottom. Top with chicken, then cheese. Pour enchilada sauce over. Cover and bake for 35 minutes. Top with Fritos or Tortilla chips.

Tacos

Tacos are my favorite food. It's a very rare occasion that I'll turn down a taco, especially homemade ones. These certainly hit the spot.

Carne Asada Tacos
1 lb carne asada (skirt or flank steak will also work)
1/4 cup oil, olive or vegetable
juice of 2-3 limes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cloves garlic, minced
dash of cayenne
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
8 corn tortillas
any toppings you like (cheese, lettuce, salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, avocado, etc)

Mix the oil, lime juice, cumin, oregano, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper together. Add meat and marinate for at least an hour. Grill or cook on high heat on the stove. Carne asada is sliced very thin, so it takes no time at all to cook. Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes. Cut into small pieces.

Grill the tortillas. I did this by just laying them over the gas flame of our stove for a few seconds. You can do this on your BBQ. Fill each tortilla with meat and the toppings of your choice. If you like more heat to your meat, add some finely chopped chiles to your marinade, such as jalepano or serrano.

Enjoy!

Fruit Dip

This is a wonderful addition to any fruit platter. It's also my secret to fresh fruit pies. A layer of this on the bottom of a fresh strawberry pie really sets it apart. The best part is that it takes hardly any effort at all.

Fruit Dip
1 8oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 7oz jar of marshmallow creme
1 Tbs orange zest
A dash of ground ginger

Beat all the ingredients together. Best served chilled.


Nothing to it, but it adds so much.