Rice and Beans, Beans and Rice

When our food budget is out of control, we go back to [insert sing-songy voice] "rice and beans, beans and rice." I think the first time I did it I made normal rice and heated up some cans of black beans. Then maybe added some cheese. Ate them in cheap tortillas a couple times. So boring. Now, I'm pretty happy with this meal, though it's not as simple as it started out.

Rice in the rice cooker (jasmine or a fancy kind is yummiest, of course, but we do regular and brown too)
3 rice cooker cups (perfect amount for us)
cilantro leaves, chopped
splash of lemon or lime juice
splash of olive oil or butter
chicken/vegetable broth up to the #3 line

Black beans (in all honesty, Hans still prefers them straight out of a can, but not me!)
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil/butter/broth
Add rinsed and drained canned black beans (we need 2 cans for our family)
chicken/vegetable broth or water
Let simmer for a while to make the beans nice and soft(er) and yummy

Homemade tortillas
Let's be honest, I'm such a bad roller-outer that mine are more the thickness of pita bread

Cafe Rio copycat dressing. This has become an obligation--enough that Luke will mix it up himself.

Shredded lettuce, maybe salsa or fresh tomatoes.

No one even asks for cheese.



Oh, and last time I bought cilantro I chopped the whole bunch and then froze what I wasn't using then in ice cubes to use later. Perfect for the salad dressing and rice!


Here's the beef copycat that we used for New Year's 2018 nachos (nacho sauce in #10 can from C*stco). We seared the beef before putting it in the crock pot, and we kept the onions in instead of discarding them. Oh, and then we reduced some of the liquid afterward to make it thicker.

Roasted Garlic Cheddar Soda Bread

2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 TB sugar
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 roasted heads of garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
12 oz. club soda
1-2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3 TB salted Butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease a bread pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and chopped garlic. Using a mixing spoon, stir the soda into the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the shredded cheddar until just combined. (Be careful not to overmix the dough.) Transfer the dough to the pan, and spread it out with a spoon so that it’s roughly level.
Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the pan and brush the melted butter on top of the bread. Return to the oven and bake for 10-15 more minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm.

*Karin made this for Conference Sunday. Yum!

Easy Pan Rolls

Grease or butter a 13x9 pan. Heat oven to 170 degrees.

Heat in microwave until melted:
3/4 c milk
4 TB butter

Proof in mixing bowl:
3/4 c hot water
1/4 c sugar
1 heaping TB yeast

Once foamy add:
1 tsp salt
milk/butter mixture
about 4 - 4 1/2 c flour (add/mix until sides are clean)

Knead 5 min. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 5 min. Divide dough into 12 pieces, form them into rolls and put them in your 13x9 pan.

Put in the 170 degree oven and let rise until the rolls are about an inch above the pan. Leaving the pan in the oven, up the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 15 min or so (to desired brownness).

Brush with butter on the tops if you'd like. If you're not serving them warm, let them sit in the pan for 10 min and then transfer them to a cooling rack and cover with a hand towel. We made BLTs on these and they were perfect!

Cinnamon Roll Cake

This is almost exactly like Dad's coffeecake he used to make on Christmas morning. It makes for a fun birthday breakfast. Next time I'm halving it for my family in a smaller pan to have along with eggs. It's a lot of sugar!

This morning my kids asked first for the corners of this cake. I splurged big time the other day and bought this pan. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'm planning to try making many things in it, and it has so many edges that everyone will be happy.  I can make one run of meatless lasagna and the rest with meat, and make brownies, cakes, rolls, etc. I'm thinking it will be my favorite pan ever, and the large size should be extra awesome for our big family. Fingers crossed.


LINE THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN WITH PARCHMENT PAPER--YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!

Brownies I Can Actually Cut

Claire says these are her favorite brownies. They still don't taste anything like Kne*ders double chocolate brownies (my favorite) but they are a winner at our house (box mixes often being way too sweet) because they hold up so well. Maybe they just need a yummy frosting.

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt 1 cup butter (or half oil, half butter).

Add and then let cool:
1/2 cup cocoa
2 TB honey

In another bowl combine:
2 c sugar
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Add and mix well:
4 eggs
butter/cocoa/honey mixture
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional) for chocolate chunks!

Put in 9x13. Bake for 40 min or so (I bake it until a knife comes out clean in the middle like a cake--my kids don't like gooey brownies).

Karin's Apple Pie

Pie Crust:

• 1.25 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
• 1/4 cup ice water

1. Add ingredients in a blender in the following order: 2 Tbs. ice water, salt, half of the butter, flour, the rest of the butter. Blend until the mixture can be formed into a ball. Add the rest of the water if/as needed. 
2. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for an hour or more. 
3. On a piece of floured parchment paper, roll out the dough into a sheet that is 13 inches in diameter. 
4. Place your 9 inch pie dish upside down on top of the dough sheet and flip it over so the dough is in the dish. Peel off the paper. Fit the dough to the dish.
5. Fold the edges under to create a thicker crust along the lip of the pie dish. Finish off the edges with a fork or spoon for a pretty design. 
6. Refrigerate the pie crust while you make the filling. 

Filling: 

• 8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced.
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 3 Tbs. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon; more to taste
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1. Fix the dry ingredients together and then add the apples. Let these sit 1/2 an hour or so. 

2. With a slotted spoon, scoop the apples into the pie crust. 

3. Boil the rest of the juice/sugar mixture until it becomes a gooey carmel. Pour these over the apples. 

Streusel Topping:

• 4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 4 oz. (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted

Mix the ingredients together and sprinkle over the filling. 

Bake for 25 minutes with tin foil around the edges. Then remove the tin foil and bake for an additional 55 minutes. 

Bean and Corn Salad

• Claire requested this salad after Karin had made it, and we had it with garlic toast made on homemade French bread, watermelon and peaches. Awesome summer meal.
• 
  
• Place in bowl:
  1 cup cherry/grape tomatoes, halved
  Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and let stand 10 min.
  
  
  Toss with 1 TB olive oil and roast/grill:
  3 ears shucked corn or same amount frozen corn
  1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
  1 jalapeño pepper
  Then after they've cooled, cut corn off cob and finely chop jalapeño (discard stem).
  
  
  Combine everything together with the following:
  1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  1/3 cup fresh lime juice (I cheated and used lemon juice I always have)
  1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  2 diced peeled avocados
  
  
  Salt to taste (up to 1/2 tsp).
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