Friday Night Pizza

When I was growing up, we almost always had pizza on Friday night.  I know several other families also had this same tradition or one similar.  While we don't always have pizza on Friday night now, pizza has a regular place in our dinner list.  I have a few different pizzas that we rotate through so we don't get tired of eating the same pizza every week or so (although I'm pretty sure Ryan would never tire of cheese and sausage).  The pizza I'm sharing below is probably my favorite.

Pizza Dough

Makes 1 pizza

From Smitten Kitchen

1 cup AP flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1.  Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.

2.  Knead it for just a minute or two. Lightly oil the bowl (a spritz of cooking spray perfectly does the trick) where you had mixed it and dump the dough ball in, spray dough with cooking spray, cover it in plastic wrap and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

3.  Gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape and let it sit under the plastic wrap for 20 more minutes.

4.  Sprinkle a pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like.

 

White Pizza with Arugula

Adapted from Ina Garten's Back to Basics

 

Part 1:  Garlic Oil

1/2 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced

5 sprigs thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

 

1.  Place oil, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.  Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn.  Set aside until ready to use.

 

Part 2:  Vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

 

1.  Whisk together all ingredients and set aside until ready to use.

 

Part 3:  Pizza!

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup shredded fontina

3 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled

baby arugula

 

1.  Once you have your oven preheated to it's highest setting, your pizza sheet dusted with a little cornmeal and your dough rolled out and on the pizza sheet, brush some garlic oil on the pizza dough.  I like to cover the whole pizza.  

2.  Sprinkle the cheeses on top.

3.  Bake for about 8 minutes or until your crust is crisp and the cheeses are beginning to brown.

4.  When the pizza comes out of the oven, top with some baby arugula.  Spoon some of the lemon vinaigrette on top of the arugula.  Slice and serve immediately.

 

Notes on this pizza:  

A.  The garlic oil makes a lot more than you will need for this 1 pizza.  Ina's original recipe is for 6 pizzas.  Instead of reducing the recipe though, I make the whole thing and save the garlic oil for another use - the next time I make this pizza again, in place of oil in any other recipe, garlic bread, etc.  

B.  The same goes for the lemon vinaigrette.  I use the vinaigrette on salads, pasta, vegetables, whatever.  It doesn't go to waste. 

C.  Again, since the original recipe makes 6 pizzas, I have no idea how much cheese I actually use.  The amounts shown above are my best guess at how much I use.  You can change the amounts, adding more or less to any particular cheese as you see fit.  You can also change up the cheeses.  I tend to use whatever cheeses I have on hand, but I really enjoy this mozzarella/fontina/goat cheese combo.

D.  How much arugula and lemon vinaigrette?  Eyeball it.  I do a couple handfulls probably of the arugula and a few spoonfulls of vinaigrette.  Also, I like to use spinach in place of arugula.  Both have similar tastes, but sometimes baby spinach is easier to find in the store.

 

Tonight I served this with a simple white bean salad (cannelini beans, dressed with some of the leftover lemon vinaigrette and some dried oregano).  I've also served this with roasted sweet potatoes when it's cooler outside.

Granola

I've been making this granola for years.  We obviously love it.  It's one that can be easily changed or adjusted to meet your taste requirements at the moment.  Ryan takes this granola and some yogurt to work every morning.  I'd also suggest trying it with a little orange juice - I know it sounds weird, but give it a try.

Granola

adapted from Alton Brown

3 c old-fashioned rolled oats

1 - 2 c nuts

3/4 c shredded sweetened coconut

1/4 c plus 2T dark brown sugar

1/4 c plus 2T maple syrup

1/4 c vegetable oil
3/4t salt
1 c dried fruit

1.  Preheat oven to 250.

2.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except dried fruit.  Pour onto a cookie sheet.

3.  Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve even coloring.  You may not need the entire cooking time which is why it's important to stir the granola.  My oven gets this cooked to the coloring we like in 45 minutes.

4.  Remove from oven and immediately pour back into bowl.   Add dried fruit and mix.

Our notes:  Use whatever dried fruits and nuts (or combination of these things) that you like.  Our favorites are cranberries, cherries, strawberries, apricots, walnuts, almonds, cashews and pecans.  The original recipe calls for 2 cups of nuts, but we found that to be too many so dialed it back to 1 cup.  Do not use quick oats - the granola does not turn out as good.  Use only good maple syrup for this - it's a bit more expensive than the syrup that comes in a bottle shaped like a woman, but worth it for better tasting granola.

Spicy Potatoes & Yogurt with Bananas

Last week I made some Indian food for dinner - three quick and easy dishes and some of the "Chipotle" rice that was leftover from our homemade "Chipotle" burritos from Mexican Monday.  While the main dish that I made is not blog worthy yet, we feel like the side dishes are good enough to be eaten anytime.   

Aloo Chaat (Spicy Boiled Potatoes)

Makes 4 - 6 servings

Adapted from Easy Indian Cooking by Suneeta Vaswani

1 lb potatoes (about 3), peeled and cut in to 1/2" cubes

1 T cumin powder

1/2 t coriander powder

1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 t cayenne powder

1 t salt or to taste

1 lime or lemon

2 - 3 T cilantro, chopped

1.  Add potatoes to saucepan and cover with water by about an inch.  Bring water to a boil and cook until tender, probably about 20 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

2.  Mix the cumin, coriander, lemon juice, cayenne and salt in a small bowl.
3.  Pour spice mixture over potatoes and stir gently. 
4.  Right before serving, squeeze the lime or lemon over potatoes, sprinkle with cilantro and give it one last stir.

I thought the potatoes had a little too much cumin powder and Ryan thought they had too much lemon juice.  The original recipe calls for 1/2 t of amchur (mango) powder with 1 T lemon juice being the substitute (or half lemon that I put in).  I am going to buy some amchur powder for the next time we make this recipe and see if it makes much difference.  We think these potatoes could really be a side dish for any type of meal, not just Indian food.


Keleka Raita (Yogurt with Bananas)

Makes 2 servings

Adapted from New Indian Home Cooking

1 c plain nonfat yogurt

1 T sugar

1 ripe banana

1.  Mix the yogurt and sugar together.

2.  Peel and slice banana into circles.  Add to yogurt and gently stir.

3.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

This could not be any easier or tastier.  I've had yogurt with bananas many times, but once we started adding that little bit of magical sugar it really pumped up the taste.  I've made this many times, as an accompaniment to spicy Indian food and as a simple, somewhat healthy dessert.  And let's not forget the baby bonus - Oliver pretty much only ate this for his dinner that night.  Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas Lightcap style

So usually I make a really fast version of enchiladas with a few ingredients.

tortillas (I like Tortilla Factory wheat/corn tortillas)
La Victoria mild enchilada sauce (if its good enough for Rick Bayless, its good enough for me...he used it on his show, i swear)
Chicken (boil up some chicken breasts, use some leftovers, do chicken in a crock pot, or buy a rotisserie chicken
cheese (whatever I have around - extra sharp chedder and jack is really good)
refried beans (I like whatever brand is cheapest that is vegetarian/no lard)

dip the torillas in the sauce, put some beans, chicken and cheese inside, roll them up and put them in a baking dish sprayed with pam. Pour some sauce on top, put some cheese on top of that, bake it for a while till really bubbly.

But today, I decided to be a little CRAZZZZY and switch up my recipe. I went with something slightly more involved but not overly so. It was so good. I will still make the easier version but the bit of extra effort was so worth it because it wasn't so salty and had a really nice flavor. I made it the day before, froze some for my sister, and put the rest in the fridge to cook up today. I didn't break apart the baking time...I just put all the ingredients together, refrigerated for a day and then baked it till bubbly for cinco de mayo. We served it with guac, refrieders, and a veggie mix of zucchnini, squash and mushrooms seasoned with mrs. dash (o how i love her). I would have had a margarita but I didn't think that was the smartest thing to do watching 3 kids by myself...joe claims a margarita is necessary for watching 3 kids but I stuck with the beer.

Chicken Enchiladas from Americas Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
1 tsp. canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. sugar
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Cooking spray

Directions:
Combine the onion, jalapeno and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar, and cook just until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Mix in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through (160˚ F on an instant-read thermometer), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a large mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing down on the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the reserved solids to a large bowl and set aside. Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the onion mixture. Add in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce, ½ cup of each of the shredded cheeses, and the cilantro. Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Oil a 9 x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray. Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 40-60 seconds, until warm and pliable. Spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in the prepared baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce oven the top. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Turkey Burgers

Usually I could do without turkey burgers (too dried out and flavorless for me unless I add a bunch of fatty toppings and then I might as well eat a real burger), but this one is so moist and good that I will be making it again I'm sure. I was really tempted to add some mayo and cheese but I held back (stupid kinda high cholesterol) and I was pleasantly surprised! I garnished it with avacado and tomato and it was really good. We served it with some smashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. I had a leftover burger for lunch today and it stayed moist and delicious in the microwave. I'm amazed.

Turkey Burgers from Annie's Eats
Yield: 8 burgers
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. ground turkey (the turkey from the marianos meat counter is especially good)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. minced fresh sage
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

Directions:
Heat the coals of a grill to medium-high. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 2 minutes longer, until the onion is tender. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl; let cool.

Once the onion mixture has cooled, add the ground turkey, salt, pepper and herbs to the bowl. Mix well so everything is evenly blended. Mix in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Form the mixture into 8 equal sized patties. When you are ready to grill, oil the grates of the grill with additional olive oil or vegetable oil. Cookuntil evenly browned and cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per side. Serve on buns with avacado and tomato.

Smashed Potatoes from Fine Cooking
You should check out the picture at the link above because this is how they should look. Back when we lived in the condo, I made these a lot and they looked just like the picture and they were so good. I usually think its bad form to blame your kitchen...but my oven doesn't really get hot enough to do these justice..and my broiler doesn't work either. So try them at home and then invite me over to have some. I miss them.

12 to 15 baby red or yellow potatoes (about 1-1/2 oz. each; 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter)
2-3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Boil the potatoes:
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan (preferably in one layer) and cover with at least an inch of water. Add 2 tsp. kosher salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can be easily pierced with a metal or wood skewer. Make sure they are cooked through but don’t overcook. The total cooking time will be 30 to 35 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean dishtowels on your countertop. As the potatoes finish cooking, remove them individually from the water, and let them drain and sit for just a minute or two on the dishtowels.

Flatten and cool the potatoes:
Fold another dishtowel into quarters, and using it as a cover, gently press down on one potato with the palm of your hand to flatten it to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Repeat with all the potatoes. Don’t worry if some break apart a bit; you can still use them.

Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; put a sheet of parchment on top of the foil. Transfer the flattened potatoes carefully to the baking sheet and let them cool completely at room temperature.

Roast the potatoes
Remove the pan of potatoes from the refrigerator, if prepared ahead. Heat the oven to 450°F. Alternatively, if you have a convection function, turn it on and set the temperature at 400°F. Sprinkle the potatoes with about 3/4 tsp. salt and pour the olive oil over them. Lift the potatoes gently to make sure some of the oil goes underneath them and that they are well coated on both sides. Roast the potatoes until they’re crispy and deep brown around the edges, about 30 minutes if using a convection oven, 30 to 40 minutes if roasting conventionally, turning over once gently with a spatula or tongs halfway through cooking. Serve hot.

Make Ahead Tips
Do the busy work—boiling and flattening the potatoes—up to 8 hours ahead. Let potatoes cool completely, and store them on the pan, lightly covered, in the fridge. Then all you have to do at the last minute is coat with oil and salt and roast.

Asparagus



I roasted asparagus with some salt, pepper and olive oil on it in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes until they are done but still slightly crunchy.

Grilled Cheddar, Apple & Herb Sandwiches

Looking back at the items that Ryan and I have posted so far, there's a theme - sandwiches.  I guess that's because I love sandwiches.   I try to not make too many sandwich-y things in a week, but sometimes it's hard because I love sandwiches that much.  Good thing there's lots of ways to make sandwiches different, even if you are vegetarian.

Grilled Cheddar, Apple & Herb Sandwiches

A true Kelly creation

Slices of bread, 2 for each sandwich you are making (just in case you didn't know that)
Softened butter
Cheddar cheese slices, 1 1/2 for each sandwich, or more if you like your sandwiches extra cheesy
1/2 apple, sliced very thin (we used Fuji this time and it was very tasty)
Small amount of herb, fresh or dried - I generally use rosemary, but have used chives, thyme and oregano before

1.  Spread the softened butter on one side of each slice of bread.  Place bread, buttered side down, on a hot skillet or grill pan.

2.  Top bread with 1 slice of cheddar, several thin slices of apple, a small amount of herb (you just want a subtle taste of the herb), and the remaining half slice of cheese (this is important because it holds the whole sandwich together).  Finally place the last slice of bread on top, buttered side up.

3.  Cover and cook until browned on one side, about 1-2 minutes depending on your heat setting.  Flip sandwich, recover and cook for another 1-2 minutes until both sides of the sandwich are GBD (golden, brown, delicious) and the cheese is melted.  Remove from the pan and enjoy.

We usually enjoy this with a salad and crispy roasted potatoes. 

There's lots of ways you can change this sandwich - different cheeses, herbs, fruit or other add ins.  I just tend to always have cheddar, apples and rosemary on hand though.  I'd love to know if you have any fun grilled cheese variations that you make.

Black Bean Soup

This is Sydney's favorite dinner and really fast to prepare.

Black Bean and Salsa Soup from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 c. vegetable broth
1 c. salsa
1 t. cumin
sour cream, green onion, shredded cheese for garnishing

Directions:
Combine beans, broth, salsa and cumin in a large pot on the stove. Turn on the heat and blend until fairly smooth with an immersion blender. Heat soup in a saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Put soup in bowls and garnish as desired.

Chicken Enchiladas, Refried Beans, and "Chiplote" Rice

I think we can call this meal Mexican Monday Gringo Style but it's still delicioso. If any of you have a long lost Mexican grandma she'd be mortified so please don't tell her...

Chicken Enchiladas:
4 chicken breasts (kelly I guess you could use tofu or drywall or something)
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 bottle of your favorite salsa (we use Pace Medium but whatever)
2 cups cheese (we usually use Sargento 4 Cheese Mexican Blend because it feels more authentic that way)
1 package flour tortillas

Cook the chicken however you like until done (we usually season with S&P or taco seasoning and throw it in the oven) and then let cool and dice it up.
Saute onion for a few minutes until soft and then add garlic and saute for another minute.
Add chicken and 1/2 cup of salsa and cook until most of the liquid is gone.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of cheese.
Spoon evently into about 8 tortillas (sometimes I only get 7) and place seam side down in a baking dish.
Cover with remaining salsa and cheese and cover with foil.
Bake at 375 for 20 mins until cheese is nice and melty.

Ellie's Refried Beans: (pretty sure this was from some chick on the food network)
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 onion diced (see how nicely this works out if you make the enchiladas too?!)
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 - 15oz can of pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
2/3 cups of chicken broth
fresh cilantro as a garnish if you want to get fancy

Saute onion for a few minutes until soft and then add garlic and saute for another minute (sound familiar?)
Add chili powder and saute for another minute
Add beans and saute for another minute
Add chicken stock and a little salt and pepper
Simmer for as long as you like (5+ mins at least) and then mash the hell out of 'em with the back of a spoon/spatula/etc.
These beans will hold for hours if needed, just add a little more chicken stock if they get dried out, no biggie.

"Chipotle" Rice
Have you ever watched them make the rice at Chipotle? I love that rice and it turns out there's a reason. Like everything else worth eating they add a little sugar! Bet your abuela (look it up) never thought of that one!

1 cup rice
1 and 3/4 cups water
pince of salt and a little butter/oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 of a lime (juiced)
1 tablespoon cilantro minced

Make the rice as you normally would. When the rice is done remove from the heat and stir in remaining ingredients and tell me it doesn't taste just like Chipotle's.

Honey Wheat Rolls

These are really easy to make and tasty. They are good rolls for with a salad or for making little sandwiches on for lunch or a snack. Alex really enjoys helping me make them too.

From Weelicious


Honey Wheat Bread (Makes 2 Loaves or 24 Rolls)

2 1/2 Cups Warm Water
1/3 Cup Honey
1 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Package Dry Instant Yeast (you can find it at any grocery)
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
4 Cups Bread Flour (plus 1/2 cup extra to dust your work surface for kneading)

1. Whisk the warm water, honey, butter, salt and instant yeast until the ingredients dissolve.
2. Gradually add the flours into the bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine.
3. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth (it’s done when you poke your finger in it and it bounces back).
4. Place in a large greased or oiled bowl, cover with plastic and place in a warm area (I like to set it on top of my oven) for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. After the dough has risen, place it on a floured work surface. Cut into 2 equal pieces if making loaves or into 24 equal pieces if making rolls.
6. Shape the dough into 2 even loaf shapes and place into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans (or shape the 24 pieces into rolls and place on parchment lined sheet trays).
7. Cover the loaves with greased plastic wrap (so the dough doesn’t stick to it) and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour for loaves, 30 minutes for rolls or until the dough or rolls have doubled in size.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
9. Bake 50 minutes for loaves or 30 minutes for rolls.
10. Serve.

Healthy Bran Muffins

I guess I like to post in twos so here is another...

The kids and I really like these muffins. They aren't really Joe's thing, but he isn't really into breakfast or bran. I like breakfasts/snacks that aren't too sweet and are filling and are easy to put in front of the kids without them whining at me too much. This fits the bill

Adapted from Farm Girl

1 cups (5¾oz / 164g) wheat bran
1 cup (5oz / 141g) white flour
1 cup (6oz / 170g) whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons (12g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (6g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (4g) salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup (5oz by weight / 156g) milk
2/3 cup (5½ oz / 156g) yogurt
1/3 cup (2¼ oz / 65g) canola oil
1/3 cup (3¾ oz / 108g) sweet molasses or cane syrup
1/3 cup (3¾ oz / 108g) honey
1 teaspoon (6g) vanilla extract
For fruit variations see below

Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375°. Grease a standard size muffin pan or line the cups with baking cups

Combine the wheat bran, white flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the eggs, milk, yogurt, canola oil, molasses, and honey in a small bowl and mix well. (Note: you can use all honey or all molasses instead if desired.)

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined.

Generously fill the muffin cups with batter. I use stainless steel scoops, which are also great for portioning out cookie dough.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully remove them and serve warm, or let them cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy your muffins plain, drizzled with a little honey, or spread with peanut butter and a slather of your favorite jam or butter (but then they aren't so healthy I guess) Store muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze. (I think they taste even better the second day.) Defrost muffins at room temperature, or in the microwave if you're in a hurry.

We added frozen rasberries to our muffins this week because they were already in the freezer, but have done banana or blueberry also. I usually just add whatever is on sale at the store or go to the frozen section.

Blueberry Bran Muffins
Makes about 10 large muffins. Follow Basic Bran Muffin recipe, but gently fold 1½ cups (7½ oz/214g) fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter. There is no need to defrost frozen berries, but do quickly rinse off any ice with cold water. Note to blueberry lovers: I made a batch of these yesterday and, using my MoreMoreMore philosophy, crammed 2 cups of big fat blueberries into the batter—yum.

Blueberry Banana Bran Muffins
Makes 12-14 large and very moist muffins. Follow Basic Bran Muffin recipe, but stir mashed very ripe banana (2 small bananas, about about 9 oz/255g including peel) into wet ingredients. Then gently fold 1½ cups (7½ oz/214g) fresh or frozen blueberries into the finished batter. Baking time may need to be increased to 25 to 28 minutes.

Cranberry Orange Bran Muffins
Makes about 10 large muffins. Follow Basic Bran Muffin recipe, but replace the 2/3 cup milk with 2/3 cup orange juice and omit the vanilla extract. Stir 1 cup (4½ oz/127g) orange flavored dried cranberries (I recently discovered these at Trader Joe's and think they're wonderful) or regular dried cranberries to finished batter. For muffins with more orange flavor, stir 1 teaspoon finely chopped or grated orange zest into the wet ingredients.

Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Feta

We all gobbled this up tonight. mmmmm

adapted from Pioneer Woman's recipe

Ingredients
12 ounces, weight whole grain Pasta
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 whole Lemons (more To Taste)
Salt
Penzy's Greek Seasoning
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 whole Zucchini, Cut Into Small Wedges Or Diced
10 ounces, weight Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
6 ounces, weight Crumbled Feta Cheese
Fresh Baby Spinach
Flank Steak

Preparation Instructions
Cook pasta until done. Add olive oil and lemon juice, then add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Add zucchini, tomatoes, greek seasoning, and feta, and toss to combine. Add more of what you think it needs; I like to go heavy on the feta and lemon! Squeeze in a little more lemon juice/drizzle more olive oil if it needs more moisture.

Cook up a flank steak seasoned with salt and pepper (or just leave the steak out) and cut it up in chunks and mix in the pasta. I think we did 1/2 to 3/4 lb of meat. Serve over a bed of baby spinach. **Joe's note: the second helping without the spinach is better than the first helping with it.

Its really good the second day. I don't like this really cold so I reheat in the microwave a bit and cook up the leftover steak separately then combine.