Waffles with Raspberry Sauce

Heat waffle iron while preparing batter.

2 eggs
2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp shortening

Beat eggs well. Combine dry ingredients. Beat in eggs, buttermilk, and 6 tbsp shortening until smooth. Pour 1/4 c. batter onto each section of the waffle iron and cook as directed. Remove from waffle iron with a fork and serve warm with the following raspberry sauce.

Raspberry Sauce:
1 pint fresh raspberries
4 tbsp sugar
juice of half an orange
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 c. water

Stir the cornstarch into the water. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into pan and heat over med-high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to med-low and heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Cool for a few minutes, then puree with a blender or if you would like it chunkier, just mash up the large pieces with a fork. Strain through a sieve if desired. Serve warm.


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Peach Coffee Cake

Peel and cut 4 peaches into 1" pieces.

Cream together:
1/4 c shortening
3/4 c. sugar
Add:
1/2 c. milk
1 egg

Combine:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture.

Topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, melted

Pour 3/4 of the batter into a greased 13x9 pan. Top with peaches. Drop the remaining batter on top of peaches. Spread topping mixture over the top. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Cashew Chicken

Chop 2 carrots and 1 celery stalk. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over med-high heat. Add the vegetables and stir-fry until crisp tender.

Stir together:
juice of one orange
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger

Stir sauce and 1/2 c. cashews into the vegetables. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened.

Stir in:
3 c. cooked chicken, diced or shredded

Serve with steamed rice.


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Blueberry Muffins

This is a very basic muffin recipe. They are sweet, but not too sweet. They aren't quite as soft and buttery as the ones at your local coffee shop, but they are better for you, and definitely less expensive. You can substitute the blueberries with any fruit and play around with this recipe to suit your desires. If you find a great alteration, please feel free to share in the comments.

Combine in a large bowl:
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix:
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 c. milk or buttermilk

Stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Gently stir in 1 c. blueberries (I chop the blueberries into smaller pieces first). Grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners. Fill cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake at 375 for 20-22 minutes.


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Sopes

Sopes are these wonderful little breads you can find in a Mexican market, or in the Mexican dairy section of your grocery store. If you have ever had a gordita from Taco Bell, the bread is like that but they are flat and small. You serve them like tostadas. So, go to your local store, find these awesome little breads and top them with the following:

cooked shredded beef, seasoned well (remember that AMAZING beef roast from last weekend? Use that or any leftover cooked beef roast)
sour cream
shredded cheese
diced tomatoes
shredded lettuce
taco sauce
chopped cilantro
whatever else you'd like


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Menu Plan Monday--Smart Seasonal Shopping

A smart menu planner will always take advantage of the season. What's in season right now? For those of us in summer, we have stores and farmers markets abounding in fresh fruits, especially berries. And because they are so abundant right now, they are extremely inexpensive. Stock up when you find a good deal and plan your meals around what you buy. You can also use these items on food prep day and make up a bunch of muffins, breads, sauces, or whatever you can think of to use up the fresh fruit now and be able to enjoy them later. Other things that are a great deal during summer are fresh corn on the cob, ribs, ice cream and popsicles, and bottled drinks. Pay attention to what are the good seasonal sales and use them to your advantage. During the fall, stock up on apples and pumpkin. In winter you can get baking supplies for next to nothing. Spring yields eggs, chocolate, and lemons.

Check out what I am making this week with my summer seasonal finds:

Menu Plan 7/26-8/1

Monday:
breakfast~bagels
lunch~vegetable soup
dinner~roasted chickens, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, cornbread

Tuesday:
breakfast~oatmeal
lunch~McDonalds :)
dinner~shredded beef sopes

Wednesday:
breakfast~blueberry muffins
lunch~grilled ham and cheese, cheese crackers, melons
dinner~ribs, asparagus, baked potatoes, rolls

Thursday:
breakfast~smoothies
lunch~pasta
dinner~cashew chicken, rice

Friday:
breakfast~peach coffee cake
lunch~quesadillas
dinner~meat lovers pizza, salad

Saturday:
breakfast~waffles with fresh raspberry sauce
lunch~leftovers
dinner~spaghetti no knife

Sunday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~go out
dinner~beef enchiladas


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Amazing Beef Roast

I can't decide if it is more amazing because of the taste, or the ease to prepare. What do you think?

Amazing Beef Roast

Slice 4 potatoes and 2 carrots and place at the bottom of a greased crock pot. Cut numerous slits in the top of a 4-5 lb beef roast. Slice a few garlic cloves and place one slice in each of the slits in the roast. The more garlic, the better. Place roast in the crockpot and dump entire contents of a jar of pepperoncini peppers on top. Cover and heat on low for 6 to 10 hours. A-MAZ-ING


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