When I  think about my favorite foods, corn is definitely a favorite. Popped corn and cornbread.  That could be a meal for me. Chris loves cornbread as much as me. This is a fantastic sweet cornbread. Nothing fancy, no add-ins. Just plain old, moist, sweet, delicious cornbread.

You’ll Need:
1/2 cup butter, melted (not margarine)

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup corn meal

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375*F

Place butter in an 8X8 baking pan and put it into your oven as it preheats. The butter will melt and make sure your bread won’t stick and you’ll use the melted butter in your cornbread batter.

While butter melts, assemble your ingredients.

Pour buttermilk into measuring cup. (Remember, if you don’t have buttermilk, no worries. Just measure one tablespoon of lemon juice into a one cup measure. Fill with milk to the one cup line.) Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to buttermilk.

After you add the soda, it will start reacting with the buttermilk. Let’s face it- it’s not entirely appealing looking- a little foamy/curdled, but that’s what we’re looking for. No fear.

Pour melted butter in a large bowl. Stir in sugar. Add eggs and beat until blended.

Add buttermilk mixture. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt. Stir until blended, with just a few small lumps remaining. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until lightly browned and toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

How in the world can potato chips made in the microwave be crisp and tasty, you ask? I’m not a scientist, so I don’t know how it happens, it just does.

Don’t poo-poo the idea of making chips in the microwave before you try them. Seriously. There are some things that just don’t work in the microwave, like baking a cake. But you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how awesome microwave potato chips are. Most people always have the ingredients that you’ll need on hand all the time, so there’s not a lot of planning necessary for this recipe.

It takes a bit of time, it’s not like sitting down with a bag of chips and chowing down. It takes a few steps, but it’s totally worth it. I don’t own a deep fat fryer and don’t want all that fat in our diet. Making chips in the microwave is easy, takes only potatoes, olive oil and seasoning and you can determine the amount of oil that goes into the chips.
You’ll need:

potatoes, washed – I use Russet. Approximately 1 per person

olive oil

seasonings- freshly ground salt and pepper, ranch seasoning powder, garlic salt, etc.

First, prepare your plate. Use a large, microwave safe plate. I use a dinner plate. This plate will get hot- make sure you use a pot holder when taking the plate from the microwave. Spray the plate with non-stick spray.

Using a mandolin, slice the potato on the thinnest setting. Lay potatoes on a double layer of paper towel and press another double layer onto the top of the potatoes, making sure that the potatoes are completely dry.

In a large zip-lock bag, toss bags with 2 tablespoons of olive oil per potato. I use olive oil, but other types of oil will work. Infused oils are awesome for this recipe- I especially love garlic and rosemary.

Lay coated potatoes on prepared plate, making sure that they don’t overlap.

Microwave plate on high for approximately 9-10 minutes. Start watching at around 9 minutes. The potato slices near the middle will begin to start darkening a bit before the others. When you first see the inner slices getting browned, continue cooking for approximately another 30 seconds.

Immediately remove from microwave and scrape the hot potatoes into a big bowl and season immediately, so that the seasonings will stick. Toss to coat.

Allow potatoes to cool (they’ll crisp as they cool) then remove to serving bowl. You’ll want to have one bowl for seasoning and one for serving. If you continue to place all the cooked chips into the same bowl, you’ll end up over-seasoning the chips on the bottom of the bowl, so it’s best to season each batch separately.

Feel free to experiment with seasonings. My daughter loves a seasoning we use for bbq called brown sugar mesquite. Using it on the chips basically makes bbq chips. You can make this seasoning by mixing salt, a pinch of brown sugar, onion and garlic powder and smoked paprika.

Since it takes about 10 minutes per plate, I usually have two plates prepared, so that one comes out of the microwave, the other will go right in. You’ll probably want to do this, too, if your family is like mine. They eat them as fast as I can make them!

This is a pretty basic recipe. Use it as a jumping off point and add anything your heart desires – cinnamon chips, chocolate chips, white chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, etc. I love the icing that encompasses this scone, keeping it nice and moist. It’s the kind of icing used on petit fours. Delicious!

You’ll Need:

1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, cold (not margarine)

1 small egg

1 vanilla bean

1/2 cup of  chips, nuts, dried fruit or whatever your  heart desires

Icing Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 vanilla bean, scraped (use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract if you don’t have a vanilla bean)

Preheat oven to 350*F.

In small bowl combine yogurt and baking soda. Set aside.( Sometimes if I don’t have yogurt, I’ll use sour cream. Don’t be afraid to substitute  if you don’t have the exact ingredients called for in the recipe. I used a vanilla bean Greek yogurt today and it was wonderful. Sour cream would have been equally delicious.) Slice a vanilla bean and scrape out the inner bean paste and stir into the yogurt.

If you don’t have a vanilla bean, simply add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract with equally delicious results.

In large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Divide butter into tablespoon-sized chunks, then cut into dry ingredients using pastry blender or forks.

Combine egg and yogurt, then stir into dry ingredients, mixing until just moistened. It will pull away from the sides of the bowl and be just slightly sticky. Mix in chocolate, raisins, nuts or desired add in. (This is a great recipe to use up left over holiday chocolate. I chopped up Dove chocolate and Hershey’s Kisses from Easter and they worked perfectly)

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead 8-10 times. Roll or pat into 3/4 inch thick rectangle-I use a pizza cutter, which works well.

Cut into triangles and place on baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart. (Do as I say, not as I do, if you care about having perfectly shaped little triangles)

Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown.

In a medium bowl, scrape vanilla paste from one vanilla bean and stir into milk. Add powdered sugar, stirring until smooth.

When scones have cooled, one by one turn them upside down, dunking the top into the icing, coating the top and sides. Place them on cooling rack placed on a baking sheet, to catch the run-off icing.

Let’s face it- when you’re trying to eat healthy, it doesn’t always mean that you will be eating tasty food.  Sometimes I think I’d rather just not eat as opposed to eating something that tastes like cardboard, even if it’s nutritional value is off the charts. I saw this recipe for zucchini chips. Hey, the word “chip” sounds appealing, let’s give it a try. I was glad I did!

You’ll need:

2 medium zucchini

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 T Parmesan cheese

2 egg whites, or 1 whole egg

Preheat oven to 475*F.  Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray.

Wash zucchini, cutting off ends. Slice zucchini into very thin slices.  I would suggest using a mandolin to slice the zucchini into uniform slices (I used the setting for the thinnest slices). In small bowl, slightly beat the egg whites/egg. ( or you could use Eggbeaters). In medium bowl, combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. If you’re using seasoned breadcrumbs, you really won’t need to add additional seasoning. If your breadcrumbs are unseasoned, season to your taste, perhaps onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and fresh cracked pepper.

Dip zucchini slices first into egg, then breadcrumb mixture, then place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes, then turn over and bake another 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy.

I love sausage biscuit and gravy. Some eat the goodness for breakfast. I prefer it for a weekend dinner. It is my wife’s go to meal in the event she doesn’t know what to cook or doesn’t want to spend a lot of time fixing me something to eat.

I’m never disappointed.

The biscuits are always homemade. As is the sausage gravy. The biscuits are soft and the gravy is smooth and creamy.

No dinner or supper is complete without some vegetables so she adds some green beans on the side. And I usually have a small bowl of grapes as well. This is a great meal. It’s a miracle to me and tastes delicious. To the wife it’s just another boring plate of food that she was happy to make but was not very challenging or exciting.

I love popcorn. In any form – salted, buttered, extra movie butter, caramel, kettle, etc. It’s “What’s for Dinner” every once in a while and I’m always good with that. I’m not a big movie person, just ask my family.(It’s nap-time for me) The main reason I  even go to the movies is for the popcorn.

I stumbled across a new recipe for a popcorn snack mix. It’s super versatile – think chex mix. You can toss in anything you like/have on hand and it will just add to the “delicious-ness”. Be prepared to double the recipe – this stuff is addictive.

You’ll need:

6 cups popped pop corn

1 cup chex (or other dry cereal of your choice)

1 cup thin pretzel sticks

1- 12 oz package white chocolate chips

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup honey-roasted peanuts

First, make your popped corn. I recommend using pan/air popped popcorn, rather than microwave. Microwave is fine and it will be tasty, but popping it yourself is awesome. I love my whirly-pop pan. I use an all-in-one popcorn packet. The oil, popcorn salt and popcorn are all premeasured and come out perfect every time.

This next step is vital. Your teeth will thank you. You have to sift through the pop corn, removing any unpopped kernels.

In large bowl or pan, combine pop corn, cereal and pretzels. (I like to use the big, throw away aluminum roaster. I wash it out and keep it on hand specifically for this recipe. It makes mixing everything together much easier).

In medium microwave safe bowl, combine chips and oil. Microwave at 50%, 30 seconds at a time, stirring every time, until smooth. I found really good white chocolate on sale, so I just chopped up my chocolate. Either form of chocolate will be great.

Pour melted chocolate over pop corn mixture. Stir to coat. Toss in peanuts. Spread on cookie tray to set. I usually pop the tray in my fridge and it’s ready in less than 10 minutes. Break up into small pieces.

In this recipe, there are really only three necessary ingredients - popcorn, chocolate and oil. Everything else is up to you-let your imagination run wild! This is one of my favorite combinations. Feel free to add M&Ms or raisins or whatever else your heart desires. Those new chocolate coated mini-marshmallows would be awesome. You can match it to the holiday by using appropriately colored M&Ms (pink/white/red for Valentines, pastel colored for red/green/white for Christmas, etc).

Although I’m not a big fan of white chocolate by itself, when combined with a salty snack like popcorn or pretzels…..it’s heaven.  I experimented and substituted peanut butter chips instead of white chocolate.   I drizzled melted semi-sweet chocolate over the peanut butter chip covered popcorn. Oh, so good.

Some things just go together- Bert and Ernie, Lavergne and Shirley, Scooby and Shaggy and Homer and Marge. Then there are the perfect food combinations: PB&J, salt and pepper, fish and chips, bacon and eggs. And then there is the ultimate combination- peanut butter and chocolate. I’m not a big chocolate lover. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten an entire Hershey’s bar by myself. It’s just not my favorite thing. But when it’s combined with peanut butter, all bets are off.

These bars are awesome, thick layers of both delicious flavors combine to make the perfect no-bake dessert.

You’ll need:

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup peanut butter + 4 tablespoons (chunky or smooth, your choice)

1 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine butter, crumbs, powdered sugar and 1 cup peanut butter in medium bowl. Mix until well combined. With your hands, press mixture into bottom of ungreased 9X13 baking pan.

In double boiler, melt the chocolate with remaining 4 tablespoons of peanut butter.  Stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Spread over peanut butter/graham cracker mixture. Chill until completely set(about an hour).

Oven baked fries. Those words don’t necessarily make my mouth water. Not like the thought of McDonald’s fries. Oven baked just sounds like it should be healthy and tasteless. Neither of which is true about these tasty spuds. They’re not terribly unhealthy, but there’s enough olive oil to help coat the potatoes, so they’re not fat-free.  They are incredibly tasty.  I think if you are inspired by the recipe and photo and you make them, you will surely agree.

What You’ll Need:

4 cloves of minced garlic

6 tablespoons of olive oil

3 russet potatoes, cut into wedges

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1  1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 440*F.  Combine the olive oil and minced garlic in small bowl and heat for 30-45 seconds, until warmed. Pour all but one tablespoon of the flavored oil into a baking dish, tilting to spread oil, coating it well.

Cut potatoes into wedges, approximately 12 per potato. Using a paper towel, dab potatoes to remove all moisture. Toss in flavored oil. Cover with paper towel and microwave for 3-6  minutes on high, stirring half way through.

Combine cornstarch and seasonings in small bowl.  Sprinkle mixture over hot potatoes, making sure to thoroughly coat all pieces.

Arrange wedges on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning half way through cooking time, until crisp and golden brown.

Why not mix it up and leave the ketchup in the fridge and try a new dipping sauce. This one is delicious!

Mix these ingredients together in small bowl:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon ketchup (ok, the ketchup will need to come out of the fridge for a minute, but then it can go right back in)

2 tablespoons cream-style horseradish

1/3 teaspoon  smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper

The doorbell rings. Who is that? You’re not expecting anyone. You answer the door. It’s one of your friends you haven’t seen forever, just passing through town. They decided to pop in and see you. Of course you want to be a good hostess and offer then some dessert, but you haven’t planned on company. What to do? Strawberry shortcake biscuits are the perfect answer to this dessert dilema. Fast and delicious and no one will ever know that it’s not completely homemade.

You’ll need:

1 pint strawberries, cleaned and sliced

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) of butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar +3 T

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

4 frozen biscuits

1 cup sweetened, whipped cream

Preheat your oven according to the directions on your frozen biscuit package. This week I had precooked, frozen biscuits on hand, so they only needed to cook for 10 minutes. Precooked biscuits are tasty, and quick to bake, but they aren’t my absolute favorite. I’m all about a deal and had a coupon on a sale week, so precooked, frozen biscuits it is! Frozen, unbaked biscuits will taste fantastic, too. They will bake up lighter than the prebaked, but they will take longer to bake.

In a small bowl melt the butter. Set aside. Margarine will work, but we’re using frozen, pre-baked biscuits, so using real butter will make it taste even more delicious and home made. Come on, people. Eat salad for dinner, but when it comes to dessert, let’s let the good times roll. Use butter.

In a pie plate, add sugar for coating the biscuits. Simply roll the frozen biscuits into the butter, making sure you roll top, bottom and all around the sides, too. Immediately coat the biscuit in sugar, making sure to coat all sides. Place on baking sheet and bake according to the directions on the package.

While your bisciuts bake, prepare your strawberries. Clean, wash and slice the berries. Add three tablespoons of sugar, one teaspoon fresh lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest over the strawberries and toss to coat. This process of coating fruit with sugar and juice or alcohol is called macerating. It’s like marinating the fruit, infusing a bright, fresh taste.

Freshly whipped cream is always my favorite for desserts. It’s creamy and lucious and rich tasting. If you’ve never made it at home before, what are you waiting for? It’s incredibly easy, especially if you have a stand mixer. Pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into a bowl. If you can chill the bowl and beaters ahead of time, that’s great- to help hasten the thickening process. In the store you’ll see heavy cream and heavy whipping cream. The later is going to have a higher fat content, usually 30-36% fat. If you want to make whipped cream and accidently buy the heavy cream, you’ll definitely be annoyed. It won’t whip into thick. lucious, goodness. You need to buy the heavy whipping cream. Add about 1/4 cup powdered sugar into the cream when it starts to look like it’s thickening, continuing to beat until the cream holds its peaks. Don’t ever walk away from the mixer while making whipped cream or you may inadvertently make home made butter. It only takes a few minutes to make whipped cream, and just one minute longer to turn your cream into butter. In a pinch, if you don’t have heavy cream on hand, canned whipped cream or frozen whipped topping will work just fine.

Allow biscuits to cool on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes. To assemble, split the biscuits.  Add a tablespoon of whipped cream and a spoon of sliced berries. Top with the remainder of the biscuit. Add another spoonful of whipped cream and finish with a couple strawberry slices. Prepare to impress your guests, (and don’t be surprised if they ask you for seconds!)

Chris – Despite what the wife may say, I dig noodles. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a week working in Singapore and discovered Asian noodle heaven. There was a little market of sorts around the block and we would go down for lunch and have a rocking bowl of noodles for a couple of bucks.

Earlier this week I asked her if she would assist me in carb loading for a bike ride event I am participating in this weekend. I suspect this week will be filled of wonderful pasta dishes. I will be eating like a long haired rock star. You might be pulling out a few chunks of the Chef’s finest Boy-ar-dee. I ate Satay Chicken Noodles. Rock. On.

Kelli – I love Thai flavors. This recipe is a concoction that I created to try and get my family to try something that’s familiar-noodles and chicken- with a little different flavor combo than they’re use to.

Satay Chicken Noodles

Satay Sauce
3 T. tahini (sesame paste used in hummus)
1/4 c chunky peanut butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T minced, fresh ginger
5 T soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
2 T brown sugar
hot sauce to taste
warm water

-12 oz. vermicelli, cooked al dente

-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast (or you can use rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken)

chopped peanuts
matchstick carrots
cilantro, chopped
fresh lime

Directions
Fill large pot with water and generously salt. Cook vermicelli as directed on package, until al dente.
Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Season chicken breast with salt and pepper (I also sprinkle on a little Chinese 5-Spice, but that’s optional). In large pan, add 1 T oil and cook chicken breasts until no longer pink in the middle, 4-5 minutes per side. You are also welcome to use rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken. Cut into bite-sized pieces.

In food processor, add peanut butter, tahini, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar (and optional hot sauce). Blend until smooth. The mixture will be fairly thick. Add warm water a tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency of heavy cream.

In large bowl toss cooked vermicelli with satay sauce and chicken until well coated. After plating, top chicken and noodles with peanuts, carrots, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.