Enchilada Sauce

Some of our dear friends own a local taqueria.  They graciously taught me now to make this enchilada sauce that my family loves.  It's so quick and easy.

dried California Chilies
water
chicken bouillon(optional)
salt- to taste

Choose 2 or 3 dried chiles, break them open and discard the seeds and stems.  Then, put them in some water to soak for a few minutes(warmer water if you want them to soak faster).  Finally, throw them in a blender and add some salt to taste, and some "Better than Bouillon" chicken bouillon, if you have it.  Pour over your burritos or your enchilada casserole.

No egg no milk muffins

This is a good recipe to use for muffins if you are out of milk and eggs because it requires none, and they are still tasty.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups water

Mix and cook for 35-40 minutes, less for smaller muffins.

Sour Cream Muffins

This recipe is one of our favorite muffin recipes, maybe because of all the butter and sourcream.  (Although I have used buttermilk if I don't have enough sourcream on hand).  It is from our dear friend Kristy.

5 Tbsp.  butter
1/3- 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup blueberries or apples or...
Bake at 360degrees for 15-18 minutes or less time for smaller muffins

Jamie's Pasta

This recipe David's brother made for us.  It was so good that I had to ask him for the recipe.  He sort of made it up on his own, so there are not exact measurements.  Just make it to taste.

Boil pasta in a pan of salted water according to instructions on box.

Heat up a cast iron skillet and add a little olive oil.  (You can cook chicken in the oil or you can make it without the chicken).  Add:
diced up onions,
rosemary,
basil,
thyme,
garlic,
and salt and pepper to taste.  Then add a can of crushed tomatoes(sometimes I will blend them in a blender first because my kids like the texture better that way).  Add some heavy whipping cream, paremesan cheese, and mozzerella cheese.  When warm, pour over pasta and enjoy.

Roasted Chile Macaroni

(This recipe comes from my sister-in-law Gretel who makes the most wonderful dishes.  Anything she makes will be wonderful).

2 pablano chiles(Put them on some tinfoil on a pan and broil them, turning them every few minutes, until the skin is dark.  After taking them out of the oven, put them in a paper or plastic sack or wrap them up in the tinfoil and let them sit for 5-6 minutes.  This will allow the skin to soften and will be easier to peel off later).

In the meantime:
Boil a pan of water for your pasta and cook pasta according to instructions on box.  I also always add salt to the water while the pasta is cooking.
Then, put 1 cup of sourcream in the blender.  Add some salt and pepper.  Then, peel the skin off of the chilies and discard the skin and the seeds in the middle.  Put the peppers in the blender and blend with the sourcream.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.  After the pasta is done add the sauce to the pasta.  You can also serve this on brown rice.

Light Fuffy Pancakes

(I found this recipe in the Parade section of the newspaper, and we just love it).  The only changes we have made are that we use whole wheat flour instead of white flour, and we sometimes use less sugar.  The recipe listed here has been tripled!

3 cups flour
6 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 cup buttermilk(can make your own by adding 1Tbsp. lemon juice and enough milk to make 1 cup)
3/4 cup milk
3 large eggs
6 Tbsp. butter salted & melted
3 tsp. vanilla
Heat griddle on low while preparing ingredients.  Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.  Mix the rest of the ingredients and then combine them with the dry ingredients.  Turn griddle up to 350 degrees, and make pancakes.