Sweet Cornbread Recipe

This easy cornbread recipe takes only a few minutes to prepare. But the result is a tender, slightly sweet cornbread that goes perfectly with chili, salad or soup. Amazingly, this cornbread recipe has no butter or oil. It gets its tenderness from yogurt and honey.

Ingredients:

2 cups baking mix (such as Bisquick)
6 Tbsp. cornmeal
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup honey
1 cup non-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup skim milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the baking mix, cornmeal, baking powder and baking soda.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, yogurt and skim milk. Pour into the dry ingredients.
Mix gently, until there are no lumps of flour showing, but do not overmix.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake 28-34 minutes, until golden brown.

White Chicken Chili Recipe

This white chicken chili is a hearty, soul-warming dinner or lunch. Tomatillos and fresh cilantro give this chicken chili recipe an authentic Mexican flavor.
If you've never worked with tomatillos before, it's easy. They look like green tomatoes with a papery husk on it. Just remove the husk, wash the tomatillos (they have a sticky layer underneath the paper), and cut off the stem.
Serve this white chicken chili with cornbread or tortilla chips for a healthy, satisfying meal.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno chili peppers, seeded and diced
6-8 fresh tomatillos, husked, washed and trimmed
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper to taste

2 cups shredded cooked rotisserie chicken breast (or any cooked chicken)

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic and jalapeno peppers. Cook until soft, several minutes.

Meanwhile, place tomatillos and cilantro in a food processor. Pulse until chunky -- the texture of salsa. Add to the vegetables in the pot.
Add chicken broth, beans, cumin and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and let simmer 10 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to puree part of the chili. Or transfer about 1/3 of the chili to a blender, cover and hold a kitchen towel over the top, and puree. Return to the pot.
Add the chicken. Cook a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, scallions, and/or black olives. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread.

Spinach and Onion Quiche Recipe

This savory quiche is an incredible timesaver in the kitchen because it can be made without a pastry crust. If you have time for a crust, try making a batch of Pate Brisee a day before preparing the quiche.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients:
6 eggs
8 oz. spinach leaves, chopped
1 cup Cantal cheese (substitute Cheddar)
2/3 cup half and half
� cup chopped white onions
� cup cooked, crumbled bacon or chopped country ham

� teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat an oven to 350F. Whisk all the ingredients together and pour into an 8-inch by 8-inch square pan or a pie dish lined with pate brisee. Cook in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, until it tests done in the center.

Makes 8 servings.

Lemon Squares with Crumb Topping

Lemon Squares Recipe

This lemon squares recipe is a bit different from the usual lemon bars, which have a shortbread crust. Instead, this recipe features a graham cracker crust and a graham cracker streusel topping that just melts in your mouth. Serve with a tall glass of cold milk.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
* 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
* 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
* 1/2 cup butter, melted
* 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
* 1/2 cup lemon juice

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and butter until mixture is moist. Press half of this mixture into the prepared pan. Reserve the rest for the topping of these lemon squares.

3. Beat sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice together. Pour over crust.

4. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over lemon layer. Bake 25-28 minutes.

Makes 16 lemon squares.

Pepper Spice Bread

Pepper spice bread has a sweet, unusual flavor that makes it unique in the world of yeast breads. It tastes delicious fresh out of the oven and makes a great bread for morning toast. This recipe for pepper spice bread makes 2 round loaves.
Prep Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
* 5 cups bread flour, approx.
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tbsp active dry yeast
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup warm water
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, soft
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup molasses
* 2 tsp ground aniseed
* 1 tsp ground black pepper
* 1/2 tsp allspice
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preparation:
1. The first step to making pepper spice bread is to make the sponge. In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, salt, water and milk. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or with a clean kitchen towel and set aside, room temperature, for 2 hours.

2. After this first rise, stir down the sponge and mix in the butter, eggs, molasses, aniseed, black pepper, allspice, and cinnamon.
3. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough.
4. Turn dough out onto a floured board. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, adding small amounts of flour, as necessary, until dough is soft and not sticky.
5. Put dough in greased bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so that the dough top is also lightly greased. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or clean kitchen cloth and let rise in warm place for 1 hour.
6. Punch down dough.
7. Turn dough out onto board and knead for 5 minutes.
8. Divide dough into two equal parts. Shape each half into round loaf.
9. Put loaves on greased baking sheet. Cut a 1/2-inch X onto the top of each loaf.
10. Cover loaves with clean kitchen towel and let rise for about 45 minutes or until double in size.
11. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes or until brown.
12. Cooled loaves can be bagged and frozen for later use.

Portugese Chicken Burger

The Portuguese chicken burger is my take on Australia's famous Bondi Chicken Burger.
My version consists of pan-fried chicken breasts topped with a chili sauce, romaine lettuce, several slices of provolone cheese and mayonnaise.
The succulent chicken breasts are first marinated in a chili sauce consisting of dried habanero chilis, chili flakes, paprika, lemon juice, garlic, ginger and a little sugar. They are then lightly dredged in flour and then pan-fried.
This mouth-watering burger was born in Bondi but has spread throughout Australia and New Zealand. Follow this simple recipe to find out why!
Ingredients:
* 2-3 free-range chicken breasts
* 2 dried habanero chilis, chopped and seeds discarded
* Juice from 2 lemons
* 2 tsp pf crushed ginger
* 6 Tbsp of vegetable oil
* 2 tsp of paprika
* 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
* 1/2 tsp of white sugar
* 1 tsp of dried chili flakes
* 2-4 hamburger buns
* 6 slices of provolone cheese
* Romaine lettuce
* Mayonnaise
* 1 cup of flour for dredging
* 1 tsp of sea sat

Preparation:
1. Filet the chicken breasts to the desired thickness. I usually like the filets pretty thin.
2. In a metal mixing bowl combine the chopped habanero chilies, lemon juice, crushed ginger, vegetable oil, paprika, garlic, sugar and chili flakes. Stir quickly to bind the oil and lemon juice.
3. Spoon half of the sauce into a separate bowl and set aside for later.

4.Add the chicken breasts to the remaining chili sauce and stir well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Mix together the flour and salt. Remove the chicken breasts from the chili oil and shake off any excess oil. Lightly dredge the breasts one by one.
6. Once you're ready to cook the chicken, heat up a medium-sized non-stick pan with a little vegetable or canola oil. Pan-fry the chicken breasts for several minutes on each side.
7. Spread mayonnaise on the hamburger buns. Line the bottom of the bun with romaine lettuce, add the chicken breast, provolone cheese and then spoon on some of the remaining chili sauce. Serve immediately.

Fish Burger

There's something about fish burgers that transports me to summer, even if it's raining outside!
Let me tell you about it. For this recipe I used halibut but any firm, dense fish will do, such as cod, salmon or even tuna. The fish is coated in a tempura-like batter and then served on a toasted bun with homemade tartar sauce and a side of hand-cut potato chips.
The tartar sauce is a simple mixture of Hellman's mayonnaise, diced cornichons (small gherkins), Spanish onion and capers.
The chips are paper-thin slices of potato fried only for a few seconds. The result -- crispy, salty chips -- the perfect accompaniment!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of Hellman's mayonnaise
6 cornichons or small gherkins, diced
1/4 Spanish onion, dliced
15 capers
Filets of halibut for 2
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of tapioca flour
3/4 cup of cold water
1/2 tsp of baking powder
2 cups of vegetable or sunflower oil for frying
2-4 hamburger buns
A handful of mixed lettuce
1-2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced and dried on paper towels

Sea salt

Preparation:
Pre-heat the grill.
First prepare the tartar sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, cornichons, onion and capers. Set aside.
Thinly slice the potatoes and place them on a paper towel to dry.
Heat the oil on a high heat in a medium saucepan.
Place the potato slices into the oil and fry for about a minute or until golden brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Make sure that you remove all of the chips from the oil before cooking the fish.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and water with a fork. Add the fish filets and coat well. Gently lower the fish into the oil and fry about 3-4 minutes or until the batter is golden. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Meanwhile, pop your buns in the oven and lightly toast them for a minute or so. Assemble the hamburgers, by spreading on a layer of tartar sauce, followed by mixed lettuce, a fish filet, a bit more sauce and then the bun top.