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Mango Bread Pudding

4/22/2019

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Ingredients:

2 T. salted butter
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
2 T. + 2 t. Sugar
1 t. Vanilla extract
1 t. Ground cardamom
½ t. Ground ginger
2 eggs
1 - 10-ounce bag of frozen mangoes or 1 large mango
3 slices country white bread, cut into ½” cubes
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter an 8x8 square baking pan
In a medium saucepan combine the butter, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cardamom, and ginger.
Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts and the milk is hot.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly for about 4 - 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and then whisk them steadily into the milk mixture until blended.
Combine the mangoes and bread in a large bowl and mix well.
Transfer to the baking dish and pour the milk mixture evenly over the top.
Make sure all of the bread pieces are soaked with the mixture and let sit for 5 minutes.
Bake 45 - 50 minutes, until bubbly and brown.
Serve warm, but not hot, with ice cream.

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Flank Steak and Feta Salad

4/21/2019

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Ingredients:

2 T. chopped fresh mint
2 t. Lemon zest, plus 3 T. fresh lemon juice, divided
6 T. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 T. chopped fresh oregano, divided
1 - 1# flank steak
½ t. Black pepper
¾ t. Kosher salt, divided
5 oz. baby spinach (about 5 cups)
2 cups sliced unpeeled English cucumber
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil, torn into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

Whisk together the mint, lemon juice, 4 T. of the oil, and 1 T. of the oregano in a small bowl.
Pour into a zip-top bag, add the feta cubes, and seal bag.
Let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes, turning the bag. Remove the feta from marinade, and set aside; reserve marinade in bag.
Season the steak with the pepper, ½ t. salt, and remaining 1 T. oregano.
Heat remaining 2 T. oil in a 10” cast iron skillet.
Add steak to skillet; cook, undisturbed, about 3 minutes per side for medium doneness.
Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing across the grain.
Toss together spinach, cucumber, and basil in a large bowl. With the reserved marinade.
Arrange mixture on a platter; top with feta and steak.
Sprinkle with lemon zest and remaining ¼ t. Salt.

Per serving: 444 calories / 32g fat (8g saturated) / 85mg cholesterol / 3g fiber / 31g protein / 6 carbs / 1g sugar, 725mg sodium / 3mg iron / 203mg calcium

From Health magazine / May 2019

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Roasted Carrot and Chickpea Salad

4/21/2019

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Serves 4

Ingredients:

2# medium carrots halved lengthwise
1 (15.5 ounces) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 T. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¼ t. Black pepper
¼ t. Kosher salt
1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. Sugar
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
¼ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place carrots and chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet.
Drizzle with 2 T. of the oil and toss to coat.
Arrange in an even layer.
Sprinkle with pepper and half of the salt
Road carrot mixture in the oven until mixture is browned and carrots are tender about 20 minutes.
Add peas to the baking sheet and continue roasting for five minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, sugar, 3 tablespoons of the oil, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt in a bowl.
Spread yogurt mixture on each plate, arrange carrot mixture on top.
Sprinkle with olives, sunflower seeds, and parsley.
Drizzle with remaining tablespoon of oil.

Per serving:
529 calories / 32g fat (5g saturated) / 8g cholesterol / 13 g figer / 17g protein / 17g sugar (1g added) / 765mg sodium / 3mg iron / 203mg calcium

Vegetarian / Gluten-Free

Recipe from Health magazine / May 2019

Note: This was way better than I expected! While Tom isn’t a big fan of chickpeas, he liked them in this! He especially enjoyed the carrots!

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Aunt Mary's Best Ever Oatmeal Cookies!

4/7/2019

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My daughter-in-law, Mary, is an amazing baker and has given me permission to share her recipe. This recipe has become a family favorite!

Makes 60 cookies if you use a small melon-baller
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 t. Vanilla
1 t. baking soda
1½ t. Cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 t. salt
3 cups oats

Optional Ingredients:

Raisins, Crasins, white/milk chocolate/butterscotch chips, nuts, etc.

Directions:

Cream butter and sugars
Add eggs and vanilla
Blend well but don’t over mix.
Add flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon
Mix well.
Add oats
Add additional ingredients
Bake for 8 - 10 minutes; allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.

Grandson, Aidan, loves Aunt Mary's recipe. It has become our family's go to oatmeal cookie!

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Baked Chicken Plus

4/1/2019

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Grocery stores have found the perfect gimmick for busy families! Rotisserie chickens! They smell amazing when you walk in the door and it's pretty easy to fix a small salad and toss some veggies on your family's plates and call it dinner. And, it works well. We all need a break sometimes! I used them myself when I want to whip up a chicken chili in a hurry.
But, there is a better way, but it takes a bit of planning. The recipe is easy and takes very little effort.

Ingredients:

2 - organic or at least hormone/preservative-free chicken
1 lemon or 1 onion, halved
2 sprigs of rosemary (everyone should have a rosemary bush in their yard!)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Turn oven to 450 degrees.
Prepare the chickens by removing the giblets (save them!)
Stuff a half lemon or onion in the cavity.
Drizzle some olive oil on the chicken.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Stuff a sprig of rosemary in the cavity.
Pop in the oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, then cover and cook until the leg feel loose when you shake it or when it reaches 160 degrees in the fattest part of the chicken.
Allow to cool until okay to handle.
Remove the skin, set it aside in a large pot.
Remove the meat from the carcass, set aside.
Put the carcass in the large pot with the chicken fat/skin and set aside.
Use the chicken for dinner and then you'll have leftovers for salads, soups, casseroles, or whatever you want.
You can freeze the chicken meat for future use.

Bonus!! Chicken Broth

Take the large pot with the chicken fat/skin and carcass and add some carrot ends, chopped celery including some leaves, a small onion or two, salt, pepper, some fresh sage, if you have some or powdered will do, a couple cloves of garlic.
Cover with water, bring to a boil.
Turn to simmer with the top slightly off to allow steam to escape, allow to simmer all day or at least several hours until the liquid has reduced somewhat.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Using a large slotted spoon, remove everything from the pot leaving the broth behind. You can also put a large colander in a large pot and pour. This will remove all the soup debris and when you lift the colander only broth will remain.
At this point, you can make soup or put in Mason jars for future use.
Refrigerate for about a week or freeze.

Double Bonus! Chicken Soup

Using the broth you just made, add: diced onion and celery, a can of diced tomatoes, and whatever vegetables your family enjoys. I can recommend zucchini and/or yellow squash, peas, carrots, green beans. You can also add brown rice, cooked pasta, diced potatoes, thinly sliced cabbage, etc.

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Mango Bread Pudding

Flank Steak and Feta Salad

Roasted Carrot and Chickpea Salad

Aunt Mary's Best Ever Oatmeal Cookies!

Baked Chicken Plus

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