Cornbread

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup masa harina (I use Bob's Red Mill Golden Masa Harina Corn Flour)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and stir well.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt.

Start adding the flour mixture alternately with the milk to the creamed butter.

Stir in the masa harina.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, until beautifully browned.

Pizza Dough

Makes two pizzas.  Cut recipe in half for one pizza.

• 2 cups very warm water
• 4 1/2 tsps yeast
• 2 tsps sugar
• 2 tsps salt
• 4 tablespoons oil
• Flour

Mix all ingredients except flour together in a bowl.

Add flour gradually, stir until a ball forms and is elastic and non-sticky.  

Turn over in a bowl with a little olive oil and let rise for 30-60 minutes or until doubled in bulk.  

Split into two balls and spread out on two greased pans.  Add sauce. 

Now add any toppings of choice, then sprinkle with shredded cheese, and bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 15-18 minutes.

Peanut Butter Honey Oat Bars

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup oats
• Shredded coconut

In a medium sized pan, melt together peanut butter & honey.  Remove from heat and add one cup of oats.  Pour into a square dish. Sprinkle with shredded coconut, then let chill in fridge for 2 hours.  Cut into bars.

Peasant Bread

These loaves are not shaped in the traditional way but are allowed to rise free form on the baking sheet.

• 2 cups warm water
• 3 teaspoons yeast
• 5 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

In a mixing bowl, stir together the yeast and the water.  let this stand for about 5 minutes or until the yeast is dissolved.  

In a larger bowl, combine the 2 cups of flour, salt, yeast mixture, and olive oil.  Stir vigorously for 2 minutes.

Gradually add the remaining flour until you have a kneadable mass of dough.  You may knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, or hardly knead it at all.  Kneading is not essential to this rustic loaf.  Let the dough ball rise, covered, until it reaches double in bulk.  

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, punch down the dough and divide it into 2 equal loaves.  Press each portion into a round disk and loosely shape into a flat loaves.  Place each loaf on a greased pan and let rise, covered, until doubled in size again.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Let cool on a rack until ready to serve.

Sweet Crescent Rolls

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup warm milk

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3 and 3/4 cup flour

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375.

1. Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in warm water.  Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the milk.
3. Stir sugar and butter into milk until melted.  Allow this mixture to cool.
4. In a large bowl, combine yeast-mixture with milk mixture and add egg.
5. Stir in the flour a little at a time and knead lightly for 8 minutes.
6. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
7. Punch down the dough and roll out flat.  Cut the dough into triangular wedges.  Roll each wedge into a crescent.
8. Brush the tops of the rolls with butter

Bake for 13-14 minutes at 375.

Coconut Flour Buttermilk Pancakes & Turkey Bacon

I was specifically searching for a coconut flour buttermilk pancake recipe, and I decided to try this one from The Coconut Mama because it has such few and simple ingredients, unlike others that I saw.

The first step is to mix 1/4 a cup of buttermilk, 3 pastured eggs, and 2 tablespoons of raw honey in either a blender or a bowl.

Just look at those dark orange yolks!!!  These organic, pastured eggs came from a local farm.

After beating the buttermilk, eggs, and honey together, you add 1/4 cup of coconut flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp baking soda.

After letting the batter rest for a few minutes, pour mini-sized pancakes onto a heated griddle (I greased with grass-fed butter) and flip them after they're solid on the bottom.

Meanwhile, I had already cooked some turkey bacon.  We love Applegate!

The pancakes were great!  All the kids ate every bite and asked for more.
I'll have to make a double batch next time. :)

Pasta with Alfredo Sauce and Broccoli with Almonds

Alfredo sauce is a favorite around here, and I have a super simple recipe (only 4 ingredients!) that I have finally mastered so that it consistently turns out well (it took me a few tries to get it right!)

I melt half a cup of butter in two cups of cream and sprinkle generously with garlic powder.  I use a whisk to beat it frequently until it comes to a boil.  Then I turn the heat down until its simmering and toss in grated Parmesan cheese -- anywhere from half a cup to one cup, depending on my mood (in a pinch, I've even used mozzarella cheese -- still tasty!)  I let it simmer and whisk it frequently until it's thick and creamy.

Meanwhile, I get the pasta cooking.  

This time I used TruRoots Organic Ancient Grain Gluten-Free Penne Pasta.

Simply toss the pasta with the sauce.

I typically serve this pasta with broccoli.  This time, I tried broccoli with slivered almonds.

Steam the broccoli slightly, only for about 5 minutes to soften it.  Then transfer to a deep skillet.  Pour in a 1/4 cup of dry white wine, then sprinkle with garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper, and drizzle a little olive oil.  

Cook until the liquid is evaporated and the broccoli is hot.  Remove from heat, then add the almonds and toss.

Mmmmm!  Very simple but so delicious. :)