Homemade Chocolate Syrup

1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 dash salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan; boil 2-5 minutes, stirring, until sauce begins to thicken. Store in refrigerator.

NOTES
From Food.com.
So easy to make, so delicious. Much better than store-bought.

Banana Bread

3 - 4 bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugars, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

NOTES
From Simply Recipes.
THE best basic banana bread.

Tzatziki Sauce

8 oz plain yogurt
1 cucumber, shredded
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 - 2 tsp chopped fresh dill, or 1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients; chill before serving. Serve with falafel, pita, fresh veggies, Greek food, meats, whatever you like.

NOTES
Adapted from various online recipes.
To reduce wateriness -- strain yogurt in a paper-towel lined strainer before making, and/or squeeze water out of shredded cucumber. Sometimes I skip these and it's still pretty good.

Falafel

1 can chickpeas, drained
1 onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 egg
2 tsp ground cumin
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

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 or food processor, 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 in a pita with tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach or lettuce, feta or goat cheese, onions, tzatziki sauce, or whatever you like.

NOTES
Adapted from Sean's Falafel on Allrecipes.com.
The best homemade falafel recipe I've tried.
The fresh herbs really make a huge difference in flavor.

Cassoulet

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, chopped (doesn't need to be small)
1 lb sausage
1 lb chicken legs
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
1 quart chicken stock
1 bay leaf
parsley
thyme
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions and sausage; sauté them for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Drain all but 4 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Brown the chicken legs in the skillet; remove from pan and set aside.

Combine the onions, sausage, chicken legs, tomatoes, wine, chicken stock, herbs to taste, garlic, tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper in a large casserole dish. Cover with a lid or foil, and bake the casserole for 25 minutes. Add the carrots to the casserole, cover, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Add the white beans to the hot casserole and gently stir the mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour. Discard the bay leaf and serve the cassoulet hot.

NOTES
Adapted from about.com.
My amounts of some ingredients didn't quite match the recipe but it still turned out tasty anyway.

Marcia's Pancakes

Mix:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Add:

2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted

Stir together, cook over medium heat.

NOTES
From my friend Marcia.
Delicious hearty pancakes.
Plain yogurt works as a substitute for buttermilk.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Combine butter and sugars; beat in eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

Add dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Shape into cookies and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown and outer edges of cookies start to harden -- center may still be soft.

NOTES
Adapted from Annie's Eats.
Everyone who has tried these thinks they're the best chocolate chip cookies EVER.

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

5 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 c chopped spinach
1/2 pint halved cherry tomatoes
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
pizza dough

Shape pizza dough into a large rectangle and place on a baking sheet.

Combine oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Use 3 Tbsp of oil mixture to spread on prepared dough. Toss remaining oil mixture with spinach, tomatoes and artichokes. Sprinkle cheeses over dough and top with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

NOTES
Originally from Rachael Ray.
My favorite pizza, easily customizable. I like to add black olives and red onion, and often use tomato slices or skip tomatoes entirely. Often out of laziness I'll use thin slices of mozzarella instead of shredded.

Roasted Squash Soup with Maple-Glazed Bananas

2 medium butternut squashes
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1 - 2 c apple juice and/or water
3 - 4 Tbsp butter
2 bananas, cut into slices
1/4 c maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds and pulp. Cover the bottom of two baking dishes with water and lay squashes cut-side-down in pans. Bake for 45 min - 1 hr or until you can easily pierce through the skin of the squash with a fork. Let squash cool until you can handle it. Scrape out the flesh. You can either scrape it into a blender, if you want a smoother consistency, or right into the soup pot to mash with a potato masher if you want a chunkier consistency.

In soup pot, combine squash with brown sugar, cinnamon and salt to taste. Add enough apple juice or water (or a combination of the two) to give you the consistency you prefer. Add butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soup bubbles and is cooked through, and butter is melted.

While soup is cooking, in a separate pan, combine bananas and maple syrup and heat through, stirring to coat bananas.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a generous spoonful of bananas. Drizzle any extra maple syrup over the top of soup.

Serves about 6 as a side dish.

NOTES
Adapted from recipe of the same name at culinarycovers.com.

All amounts are approximate. I didn't actually measure anything -- just added a little of this and a little of that until the texture and taste were right.

The bananas really make this soup something special.

Kid ratings: 7-year-old gives it 7/10, 4-year-old gives it 100/39.

Braised Chicken

3 chicken legs
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 large onion, sliced
3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil

Combine garlic, oil, paprika, curry powder, cinnamon and salt; whisk until you have a fragrant marinade.

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1-2 Tbsp oil in a skillet and quickly brown the chicken legs. Transfer them to an oven dish. Brush them with half of the marinade. Spread peppers, onions and tomatoes in the pan, around, on top of, and underneath chicken. Lightly dab the vegetables with the other half of the marinade. Pour in chicken broth, but don't cover chicken.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Halfway through, remove from oven, flip vegetables, and spoon sauce over chicken. Return to oven until cooked through.

NOTES
From Pioneer Woman.
Unexpectedly delicious. Way, way better than I thought it could be.
I used frozen peppers/onions and canned tomatoes.
My kids don't do peppers and onions, but they loved the chicken.

Chunky Vegetable Stew

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thickly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 1/2 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 c cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 yams, peeled, cut into 2" chunks
3/4 tsp crushed rosemary
1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4" thick slices
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, separating slices; cook 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and juice, beans, yams and rosemary. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. (You may need to add a little water at this point to make sure there is enough liquid to cover the bottom of pan.) Add zucchini and stir. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes or until yams are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste and top each serving with cheese to taste.

NOTES
From Vegetarian Times.
One of our favorites!
We like to add sliced kielbasa to this (add at the same time as yams etc.).
I usually use diced tomatoes instead of stewed.
When we have the time we like to cook this long enough for the yams to mush (a couple of hours). In this case we add the zucchini in the last 15-20 minutes so it doesn't also turn to mush.

Creamy Mac and Cheese

8 oz elbow macaroni
1/4 c butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 c milk
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c bread crumbs
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat; stir in flour and cook 1 minute until smooth and bubbly, stirring occasionally. Mix in milk, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and mustard. Melt cream cheese and cook until thickened.

Add pasta and cheddar; mix well. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish.

Combine bread crumbs, parsley and butter; sprinkle over mac and cheese.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

NOTES
Adapted from allrecipes.com.
Great texture for homemade mac and cheese.
To save time I often skip the crumb topping and the baking, and just serve from the stovetop.

Hawaiian Bread

1 c softened butter
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 c mashed bananas (2-3 bananas)
1 (15 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice
4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 c shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; lightly grease 2 loaf pans.

Cream butter and sugar; add bananas, pineapple and eggs and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; combine with banana mixture and mix well. Fold in coconut.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 50 minutes or until a tester in the middle comes out clean.

NOTES
FRom allrecipes.com.
Good alternative to ordinary banana bread; sweeter and more unusual.

Biscuits

2 c flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1/3 c butter
1 c milk or as needed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Gradually add milk and stir until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. I usually don't need the whole cup of milk.

Knead 15-20 times on a lightly floured surface. (I've forgotten this step and still had them turn out fine.) pat or roll dough to 1" thick. Use a biscuit cutter or drinking glass to cut out biscuits.

Bake on an ungreased baking sheet 13-15 minutes or until edges are brown.

NOTES
Adapted from allrecipes.com.
The only biscuits I ever make. SO. GOOD.

Cheesy Meatloaf

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 c crushed crackers
3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c ketchup
2 Tbsp steak sauce

Mix beef, crackers, cheese and soup mix.

Mix eggs, ketchup and steak sauce.

Combine mixtures. Add water if needed.

Bake in a loaf pan, 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

NOTES
Don't remember where this came from.
Oatmeal makes a good substitute for the cracker crumbs.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

2 medium-large sweet potatoes or yams
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
2 (14-15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14-15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can chopped mild green chilies
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 - 1 tsp chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste

Microwave the sweet potatoes for about 3 or 4 mintes per potato. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 3/4-inch dice. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until golden. Add the bell pepper, beans, tomatoes, chilies, corn, cumin, chili powder, and oregano. (I like to add a dash or two of chipotle seasoning or cayenne pepper; not necessary, but tasty if you've got 'em and don't mind a little heat. You can feel free to add whatever spices you normally like in your chili -- it's easily customizable.)

Bring chili to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season lightly with salt.

At this point you can eat it, or let it sit for an hour or two before eating, to give the flavors a little time to blend. Either way, it's delicious.

You can garnish with all your favorite chili toppings: cheese, sour cream, lime, tortilla chips, avocado, whatever.

NOTES
My recipe, adapted from various others.

Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 c blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Streusel:
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c flour
1/4 c butter
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine dry ingredients. In a one-cup measuring cup, measure 1/3 c oil and crack egg into cup. Pour in enough milk to equal 1 cup. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter into greased muffin cups.

For streusel, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

NOTES
From allrecipes.com.
Yum!

Jackie's Crockpot Chicken

Layer in crock pot:

3 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup (1 family size, 1 regular size)
1 packet onion soup mix
1 chicken bouillon cube
salt potatoes, skin on, quartered
sliced carrots
frozen mixed vegetables

Cook 6 hours on low. Before serving, shred chicken using 2 forks and mix well. Serve over biscuits.

NOTES
From my friend Jackie.
No measurements for the vegetables -- just use whatever looks like a good sized layer.
Haven't made this since I gave up canned soup, so I'd probably look for an alternative if I made it again.
Would perhaps look for a homemade alternative to the onion soup mix as well.

Popovers

2 cold eggs
1 c cold milk
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 c flour
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees; grease 6 custard cups or muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Immediately pour batter into prepared cups, filling each halfway.

Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Cool slightly before removing from cups. Serve with butter, syrup or jam.

NOTES
Can't remember where I got this recipe but popovers are popovers. Very basic.
Fun recipe for kids to help with.

Cowboy Mashed Potatoes

1 lb red potatoes
1 lb yellow potatoes
1/2 can (2 oz) chopped green chiles
12 oz chopped carrots
4 cloves garlic
10 oz frozen corn
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cook potatoes, carrots and garlic in boiling water 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain. Stir in corn, chiles and butter; mash well with potato masher. Stir in cheese; season with salt and pepper to taste.

NOTES
Adapted from allrecipes.com.
A nice twist on ordinary mashed potatoes.
I've been guilty of serving this to my family as an entree, I love it so much.