The Funky Oven

Peanut butter blondies with chocolate chips

These are ridiculously good. I could even see chocolate icing on top. They remind me slightly of Reeses peanut butter cups.

If the butter is really room temperature these can be mixed by hand without a mixer.

1 stick of butter at room temperature

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup flour

2/3-3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and peanut butter together. Add the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Gradually add the flour and the finally the chocolate chips. Pour this into a prepared 8×8 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted is removed clean.

Southwest chicken spaghetti

Dinner

I have never been a fan of velveeta. Its okay for queso but I have to admit that even then…. it is not my favorite. This is my spin on chicken spaghetti with some spice and a nice creamy texture that is not overly fattening and creamy.

8 ounces thin spaghetti broken into 1/3

1 poblano pepper

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 can rotel

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups cooked chicken or rotisserie

1/4 cup milk

Roast the poblano in a 400 degree oven. Let cool slightly. Peel, seed and dice the pepper.

Boil the spaghetti in salted water. Drain and rinse the noodles 1 minute before the minimum cook time.

In a bowl, mix the soup, rotel, cumin, raw onion, raw red bell pepper, roasted poblano, milk, and cheese. Add the spaghetti noodles and chicken.

Transfer all of mixture into a prepared casserole pan. Top with additional cheddar cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove the foil. Cook an additional 5-10 minutes to brown/melt the cheese.

Pork lemongrass soup

Soup

We had some leftover smoked pork butt to eat. I wanted something that was very different than the usual bbq pork or pulled pork options.

Here are some of the ingredients I found at the grocery store.

This Thai inspired soup took about 30 minutes to make and it was irresistible. The only portion I did not enjoy were the dried mushrooms. The store I chose did not have fresh mushrooms and a second stop was not an option.

The reason I cooked the noodles separate is because I do not like soggy overcooked noodles. You certainly could boil them in the soup pot.

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 cups leftover shredded pork

5 cups chicken broth

1 can light coconut milk

4 pieces jarred lemon grass

1/2 cup oyster mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 serrano or thai pepper seeded

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

3 green onions sliced

2 cup sliced bok choy

4 teaspoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon miso paste

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice plus for garnish

2 teaspoon honey

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

udon noodles, cooked

Combine garlic and ginger in oil in a soup pot. Cook for 1 minute. Add broth, carrot, red bell pepper, lemongrass, mushrooms, miso, soy sauce, green onion, bok choy, honey, fish sauce, pepper, and lime juice. Bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes. Add cilantro and coconut oil. Add shredded pork. Cook another 5 minutes on simmer. Prepare udon noodles in a separate pot. Remove the lemon grass and peppers (if wanted). Place soup over udon noodles. Garnish with more lime juice and cilantro.

Roasted Brussel sprouts

Dinner, Side dishes

I realize there will be people who disagree with my trick for these. I am not trying to please everyone. Grandma had a trick to her cooking – bacon grease! While it is not always heart healthy, bacon and brussel sprouts sure go well together. You can also use oil or butter but the crispiness and browning are just not the same. I store my leftover bacon grease in a jar in the fridge for a week. I really only use it for brussel sprouts, green beans, and black eyed peas. For these 3 dishes, it makes a world of difference.

Brussel sprouts

1/2 cup small diced yellow onion

2 tablespoon bacon grease

salt and pepper

Clean and wash brussel sprouts. Cut them either in halves or quarters depending on the size. Place the sprouts and onion in an 8×12 baking dish in a single layer. Add bacon grease on top (it will melt later). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a 425 degree for 15-25 minutes stirring every 5 minutes.

Rather than plain black pepper, I really like Jane’s crazy mixed up pepper seasoning for these.

Hot milk cake

Dessert

I am a big fan of cake without icing. This cake seems to be the perfect cake sweetness to not be covered in icing.

A few key points to this are as follows:

Jiggle cake to test firmness before using a toothpick. The cake will deflate if it is not ready.

Make sure to use a stand mixer.

The order of the ingredients in this recipe is very important.

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour plus 1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup whole milk

1 stick butter

Fully grease and flour a 13×9 pan or two 9 inch round pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the eggs and sugar into a mixer and beat on speed 3/10 for 5-6 minutes until light and fluffy in color.

While this is mixing, heat the milk and butter in a saucepan on medium heat until fully melted but not boiling.

Add the flour and baking powder into the egg mix. Mix on the lowest speed for 30 seconds.

Add the heated milk. Mix on low 2-3 minutes. It will become very liquidy.

Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-35 minutes. The center of the cake will not jiggle when ready to test. Ultimately remove when a toothpick inserted into the center is clean. Cool in pan at least 10-15 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack.

Crab and leek chowder

Dinner, seafood, Soup

I recently made steamed crab for dinner and for some reason bought way way too much. I had about 10-16 ounces of leftover crab legs to use. I ended up using one of Rachel Ray’s recipes and It was a true keeper. I only changed a bit of seasoning and I will certainly make this more often. Next time I will try to find the leeks already cleaned. They are a real pain to deal with, but worth it for the flavor.

3 leeks, trimmed, wash and diced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

3 ribs celery, washed and chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 slices bacon chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced

3 tablespoons flour

3-4 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1/2-1 pound crab meat

1/2 tablespoon old bay seasoning

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 tablespoon cajun seasoning

Cook the bacon in a large soup pot. When crisp, remove.

Add the olive oil to the pan. On medium heat, saute the leeks, carrots and celery for 5-6 minutes.

Add the dry seasoning. Add the flour. Slowly add the chicken broth while stirring constantly to prevent forming lumps.

Add the potatoes and bacon. Bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes. If the potatoes are not tender, boil a minute or two longer.

Add the cream and crab. Stir well and serve.

Corned beef

Dinner

This is great either with sides or sliced for reuben sandwiches. If you do not care for the saltiness of the beef, soak it overnight in water.

Spices:

packet mix included with the beef

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Rinse the beef fully.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the meat fat side up on the foil. Mix all seasonings and place it on the fat layer. Leave the foil open. Cook for 4 hours.

Add 1/2 cup water. Close the foil. Cook another 2-3 hours until beef temerature is 185 degrees. Rest at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Strawberry coconut cream bread

Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

This strawberry coconut bread is really amazing and easy to make. It has coconut oil and a touch of sour cream.

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced

1/3 cup coconut flakes, toasted

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan with baking spray or grease and flour.

Mix together all wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Add the berries in last.

Place the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool at least 10 minutes in pan and then invert onto wire rack to finish cooling.

Tomatillo chicken enchilada casserole

Dinner

This sauce is for chicken enchiladas.

2 large tomatillos husk removed and cleaned

1/4 yellow onion, roughly chopped

2-3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sauzon seasoning (optional)

4-6 ounce can diced green chilis

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

2 cups cooked chicken

8 ounces shredded Monterey jack cheese

corn tortillas

Roast the tomatillos for 10 minutes under the broiler. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove any skin that might have turned black.

While cooling, place the olive oil in a skillet with the roughly chopped onion and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Place the tomatillos, cooked onion, uncooked garlic, green chilis, cumin, and cilantro into a food processor. Process fully.

Return the mixture to the skillet. Add the chicken broth and salt. Cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the heavy cream. Allow the mixture to cool.

To assemble the casserole, in an 8×8 pan, place 1/3 of the sauce. Then (breaking the tortillas if needed) place a layer of corn tortillas. Then 1/2 of the chicken and 1/3 of the cheese. Add another layer of tortillas. Then add more sauce. Add the remaining chicken and another 1/3 of the cheese. Top with more tortillas. Finish with remaining sauce. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and cook another 10 minutes.

Beef fajita marinade

Dinner, Marinade

The three most important things to remember are as follows:

1. Marinading the meat is the longer the better

2. Grill the meat on high heat for a short time just like a steak

3. Slice the meat against the grain

1 flank steak (1-2 pounds)

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoon worchestershire

3 cloves garlic, sliced

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Place the meat with all ingredients in a ziploc bag. Refrigerate for 3-24 hours or until ready to cook. Allow meat to come to room temperature before cooking.

Cook the flour tortillas in a skillet on high heat flipping to both sides until they poof like the photo above. This makes the most flavorful tortillas.

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