Spanish Rice

Source: Tami Richardson

2 Tbsp. oil

½ chopped onion (I use frozen, pre-chopped)

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup chunky salsa

1 ½ cups uncooked white rice

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix rice into skillet stirring often, until rice begins to lightly brown. Add chicken broth and salsa, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring once half way through, until liquid has been absorbed.

*I know you are not supposed to stir rice while cooking, but this always sticks to the bottom if I don’t. Add chicken or black beans to rice for a complete meal.

Focaccia Bread

Source: Joy of Cooking

5 tsp. yeast

2 2/3 cups warm water

6 cups flour

4 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for topping

1 Tbsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

Mix yeast and water in mixer bowl, let stand for 5 minutes. Mix in olive oil, salt, sugar, and 6 cups of flour, one cup at a time. Add remaining cup if needed. Dough should come together but be sticky. Knead with dough hook for 5 minutes.

Turn dough out into a greased glass 9x13 pan. Spread flat. Let raise 15-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. Dimple the dough with your fingertips, and drizzle evenly with olive oil, about ¼ cup. Top with parmesan cheese, rosemary, or coarse salt.

Bake 25 minutes, until golden. Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

 *My kids call this Special Bread, since they could not pronounce Focaccia when they were little. :)

Pot Roast

Source: Tricia Neilson

One 3-5 lb. chuck roast

1 white onion, quartered

4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks

5 carrots, sliced

3 celery stalks, sliced

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 pkg. onion soup mix

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. Generously salt and pepper all sides of roast. Brown meat on all sides in a Dutch oven, or deep ovenproof pot in vegetable oil. Add onions and let brown for a few more minutes. Add remaining vegetables. In a bowl, mix soup, tomato sauce, and soup mix. Pour over meat and vegetables. Add water, if needed, to cover roast ¾ to top of meat. Bake covered for 3 hours. Let sit 15 minutes before carving.

*Homemade cream of chicken soup:

1 cup chicken stock

½  cup milk

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp dried thyme

Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour. Cook for 1 min. Whisk in milk until smooth, then whisk in chicken broth. Add seasonings, simmer until thickened.

Gingerbread Cake

Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup water

1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap!)

½ tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. nutmeg

3 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup vegetable oil

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour. Bring water and molasses to a boil in a saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature. In mixing bowl, mix eggs and sugars. Mix in oil, then molasses mixture. Sift all dry ingredients, mix into wet ingredients until just combined.

Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with only a few crumbs, about 50 min. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.

*Make sure you do not use blackstrap molasses- it is too bitter. I always use “Bakers Joy” cooking spray instead of buttering and flouring cakes. It has flour in it and cakes come out of the pan perfectly every time. Ashley says to serve this with whipped cream or a glass of milk. It’s one of her favorites!