From Scratch Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Mama Moo’s Fudge Squares

A Moo family favorite. A quick, easy, and delicious dessert. Recipe calls for letting the fudge squares cool before adding the topping, but the topping can be added right away for a fudgier texture.

Ingredients:
Fudge squares
2 squares (= 2 oz) baking chocolate
2 sticks (= 1 cup) butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Fudge topping
1 1/3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 1/2 Tbsp. water
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Melt baking chocolate and butter together. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each.
Pour batter into a greased 9x12 pan and bake at 350º for 30 min.
Allow to cool.

In a small saucepan over low heat, mix butter, cocoa, water, and powdered sugar. Pour over cooled squares.

Betty Crocker Lemon Chicken

A family dinner favorite. Can sub honey for corn syrup. Reposted from here.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 egg white
1 tsp water
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground red pepper flakes (optional)
Cooking spray
1/2 lemon, cut into thin slices
1 medium green onion, chopped (1 tablespoon) (optional)

Chinese Lemon Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp grated lemon peel
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp cold water

Directions:

Cut each chicken breast half crosswise in half. Mix egg white and water in medium glass or plastic bowl. Add chicken; turn chicken to coat both sides. Let stand 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 450°. Spray nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray. Remove chicken from egg mixture; discard egg mixture. Mix flour, baking soda and red pepper in resealable plastic bag. Add 1 chicken piece at a time. Seal bag; shake to coat chicken. Place chicken on cookie sheet; spray with cooking spray about 5 seconds or until surface of chicken appears moist.

Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. While chicken is baking, prepare Chinese Lemon Sauce. Let chicken stand 5 minutes; cut each piece crosswise into about 5 slices. Pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with lemon slices and green onion.



For Chinese Lemon Sauce
Heat all ingredients except cornstarch and cold water to boiling in 1-quart saucepan, stirring occasionally. Mix cornstarch and cold water; stir into sauce. Cook and stir about 30 seconds or until thickened. Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Serves 8.

Zucchini Fries

Great side to accompany just about any meal. Original recipe calls for marinara, but we prefer to dip in ranch or blue cheese dressing.

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium zucchini, sliced into sticks

1 large egg white

1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

cooking spray

salt and fresh pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place the breadcrumbs and garlic powder; shake well. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Dip the zucchini sticks into the egg and then place into the bread crumb mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with some marinara sauce for dipping.

Baked Barbecue Ribs

Tender meat, sweet sauce, and a bit of kick in the rub. Delicious! Reposted from here.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless pork loin ribs
3 tsp ​Cajun seasoning (see homemade mix, below)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 medium onion (sliced)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Quick Cajun Seasoning:
Blend 1 tablespoon of salt with 1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less), 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme.

Directions:
Heat the oven to 325 F.
Dry the ribs with paper towels to dry.
Combine the Cajun seasoning blend with the garlic powder and onion powder. Rub the seasoning mixture over all sides of the ribs. Note: If your Cajun seasoning is salt-free, sprinkle the ribs lightly with kosher salt as well.

Line a shallow baking pan with foil; coat the foil with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Arrange the ribs in the prepared baking pan and then top with onion slices.

Cover with another piece of foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the ribs are very tender.

Remove the top piece of foil and brush the ribs with barbecue sauce. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes longer, or broil for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Southwestern Casserole (Emeril’s Cowboy Casserole)

A piquant casserole with southwestern flavorings, made with tortilla chips. Originally posted by Emeril as Cowboy Casserole. Can be frozen.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, smashed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound white button mushrooms, wiped clean and stems trimmed, quartered
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
12 cups tortilla chips
2 cups finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped bell peppers
2 jalapeno peppers, stem and seeds removed, finely chopped, optional
8 ounces grated Pepper Jack
8 ounces grated Cheddar
1 tablespoon Emeril's Southwest Seasoning (see below)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chopped drained canned tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained

Emeril's Southwest Seasoning:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano

Directions

Combine the chicken, chicken stock, wine, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the oregano, and bay leaves in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the poaching liquid for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and tear or cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve the chicken. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over high heat until foamy. Add the mushrooms, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and all the liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour, stir to blend, and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken cooking liquid, stir, and cook until very thick and flavorful, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Place the tortilla chips in the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass casserole. Crush the chips with your hands so they form a thin layer on the bottom of the dish. Pour 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid over the tortilla chips and allow them to soak up the liquid. Scatter the chicken over the top of the tortilla layer. Spread the chopped onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos evenly over the chicken. Top with half of the grated cheeses. Sprinkle with the Southwest Seasoning, chili powder and ground cumin. Spoon the reserved mushroom mixture evenly over the top of the spices, then top with the tomatoes and green chiles. Cover with the remainder of the cheeses. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is heated through. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Falafel & Falafel Dip

So far, we’ve only made the dip, for use with box-mix falafel, which has worked well enough. Eventually, I want to try out the falafel recipe as well. In the meantime, however you make you falafel, this cucumber dip goes great with it! Reposted from here.

Ingredients

For Sauce: 
6 ounces plain yogurt
1/2 cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 tsp dried dill weed salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp mayonnaise (optional)

For Falafel: 
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 dash pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup dry bread crumbs
oil for frying

Directions

Sauce:
In a small bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, salt, pepper and mayonnaise and mix well. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Falafel:
In a large bowl mash chickpeas until thick and pasty; don't use a blender, as the consistency will be too thin. In a blender, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Stir into mashed chickpeas.
In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture along with olive oil. Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together; add more or less bread crumbs, as needed. Form 8 balls and then flatten into patties.

Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties in hot oil until brown on both sides. Serve two falafels in each pita half topped with chopped tomatoes and cucumber sauce.