Kitchen Refuge Recipes

In my last blog, I explained my system for slipping into my kitchen relatively unnoticed and surprisingly undisturbed to enjoy creative cooking for the dinner hour—in spite of having little kids around.

As promised, here are some recipes to try—from my kids’ first choices to my favorites. I hope you can find some recipes here to entice you back to your kitchen for some restful fun and yummy results:

Sweet Corn Muffins—I serve these with any soup to trick my family into thinking a simple, quick meal is something special. Serve warm with honey.
1 ½ c flour
2/3 c sugar
½ c cornmeal
1 T baking powder
½ t salt
1 ¼ c milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 c vegetable oil
3 T melted butter

Combine flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, eggs, vegetable oil and melted butter in small bowl. Add wet to dry mixture and stir just until blended.
Pour into greased 9” square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. For muffins, pour into prepared muffin pan and bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Curry Soup—When I get a craving for this delicious quick and easy soup, I eat it for days in a row. You can leave it with texture, or put it in the blender for a smooth finish. A sprinkle of cayenne pepper is awesome on top!
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 tsp cooking oil
2 c chicken broth
1 ½ c cooked or canned pumpkin
1 T lemon juice
1 t curry pwd
1 t sugar
½ t salt
Dash pepper
½ c half and half
Chopped fresh parsley, optional

Sauté onion in oil until tender. Add all ingredients but the cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in cream. Heat through. Garnish with parsley and cracked pepper.

Crusty Baked Chicken—If you don’t have seasoned bread crumbs, any kind of crushed crackers or croutons will work too.
¼ c honey
2 T Dijon mustard
½ c seasoned bread crumbs
4 boneless chicken breast halves

Combine honey and mustard in a bowl. Set aside 2 T of this mixture for dipping sauce if desired. Place crumbs in a separate bowl. Dip chicken in sauce, then into crumbs. Place on a greased or foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Mandarin Almond Salad—My pickiest eater LOVES this salad.
Nuts: In a small skillet combine 3 T of sugar and ½ c slivered almonds. On LOW, watch and stir until sugar melts and browns nuts. Remove nuts from pan to piece of foil to cool. Break apart and set aside.

Dressing: Combine ½ c oil, ¼ c sugar, ¼ c red wine vinegar, 1 t salt, dash Tabasco sauce, T minced or dry onions, optional.

Salad: Combine 1 bunch or romaine lettuce, 11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained, small red onion, sliced. Toss with dressing (to taste) Top with candied almonds.

Marinated Flank Steak—This steak was my birthday dinner pick for my growing up years.< br /> Combine:
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c salad oil
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T chopped mango chutney (don’t sub this–it is the most important ingredient.)
1/8 t garlic pwd
1 T minced or dry onion.

Marinate scored flank steak (cut ¼ “ into the meat in a crisscross pattern to allow the marinade to soak in) Grill or broil approx. 5 minutes per side or less, basting with marinade. Slice diagonally.

Coffee Smoothie—This recipe is a bonus. I just thought you might enjoy a smoothie while you cook!
Combine 1 c chilled, double-strength coffee in a blender. Add a banana, 8 oz. of yogurt, a couple spoonfuls of sugar and a handful of ice cubes. Blend on high.

Chard Zucchini Enchiladas with Red Enchilada Sauce—If you read the previous blog, you can now see how much my family puts up with!
2 T canola oil
1 med. onion, chopped
2 med. zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise
1 t oregano
1 bunch chard, coarsely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
8 whole wheat tortillas
1 ½ c shredded jack cheese (6 oz)
2-14 oz cans red enchilada sauce (or ancho chili sauce)

Sauté onion until beginning to brown. Add zucchini and oregano. Sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in chard and sauté until chard wilds, about 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a 13×9 pan, spread ¾ c red enchilada sauce. For each enchilada, place ½ c chard-zucchini mixture and 1 T cheese in the center of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and place 1 in the baking pan, seam side down. Repeat. Top enchiladas with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and golden, about 20 minutes.

-posted by Donna Detweiler who got REALLY hungry while writing this blog and consequently whipped up some Crusty Baked Chicken for dinner.