Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

2 c. flour
1 c. quick oats
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. milk

Mix dry ingredients, add beaten egg, butter and milk. Mix but don't overmix. Spoon into muffin tins and bake 20 minutes at 375. Makes 1 dozen.


These are not the most exciting in flavour but they are dense and have a hint of cinnamon. Perfect for a quick breakfast!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

3 chicken breasts
salt & pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten

Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 T. ketchup
1/2 c. vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt


Cut up the chicken into 1" cubes and season with salt & pepper. Toss with cornstarch (I guess on the amount of cornstarch; I just use enough until it's coated), then with beaten eggs. Fry chicken in 1/3 cup of oil until golden brown. Place in an 8x11 baking pan. Mix sauce and pour over top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, stirring after 15. Serve over rice.

The original recipe calls for the chicken cubes to be individually coated in cornstarch, dipped in eggs and then placed in the baking dish, but this was far too much work for me and made my fingers completely coated in batter, so I just toss the chicken with those ingredients in a bowl. Much easier and the results are the same!

Focaccia Bread

I have no idea if this recipe is even close to real focaccia bread, but this is how I do it and how my family likes it.

I make a batch of pizza dough and spread it into a round pizza pan. Brush it with margarine or butter and sprinkle with garlic salt and parsley (or whichever spices you like).

Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes. This makes a great fast side dish for lasagna and the like (especially when you've forgotten to make French bread ahead of time and it's half an hour until supper).

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cake

1 1/2 c. boiling water
1 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. whole wheat flour
coconut
chocolate chips
walnut pieces

Pour boiling water over the oats and butter until the butter is melted. Add remaining ingredients and pour into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with coconut, chocolate chips and walnuts. Bake 30 minutes at 350.

Coleslaw

This is a great and easy coleslaw to have on hand in summer.

1 bag pre-mixed coleslaw (this is cheating but it's easier)
3/4 c. mayo
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp salt
2 T. lemon juice
1 tsp prepared mustard

Mix dressing ingredients together and toss with coleslaw mix. Refrigerate. If you use a small bag of coleslaw, reduce the dressing recipe to about 3/4 (1/2 c. mayo, 3 T. sugar, etc.).

For a different flavour, no name creamy coleslaw dressing is also really good and very easy. Add grape tomatoes and sliced cucumbers for fanciness.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

2 T. butter
1/2 c. chopped onions
2 T. flour
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
salt & pepper
1/2 bag frozen broccoli
1/2 c. cream
shredded cheese

Sauté onions in butter. Add flour and mix until smooth. Add chicken broth, broccoli, and salt & pepper. Bring to a boil until broccoli is hot and soup is thickened slightly. Add cheese and cream and serve.

This recipe could easily be modified to make cream of cauliflower soup or cream of mushroom soup (you would just have to sauté the mushrooms with the onions and probably leave out the cheese) or cream of asparagus soup.

Teriyaki Chicken

This is a really easy and fast teriyaki chicken recipe. Can't remember where I got it. You can use pretty much any kind of chicken you want but I generally use chopped up chicken breasts.

2-3 chicken breasts, cut up
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder


Mix the sauce and pour it over the chicken. The original recipe says to bake it in the oven for an hour but after a number of attempts, it always boiled over and made a mess of my oven. So now I just bring it all to a boil on the stovetop and let it simmer covered until the chicken is done, about 30 minutes. It also works really well in the slow cooker. For time saving during prep, you can put whole chicken breasts in the slow cooker with the sauce and just shred the chicken once it's cooked. Serve over rice!

No-Bake Cheesecake

This is how we like cheesecake at our house - the unbaked kind with whipped cream, in a graham crumb crust with toppings. It's so easy and a great way to use up leftover cream cheese.

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup margarine or butter

Melt the butter, mix it with the crumbs and press firmly into an 8x8 square baking dish.

Filling:
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 cups whipped cream

Mix the icing sugar into the cream cheese, then fold in the whipped cream until well blended. Spread onto the graham crumb crust and refrigerate until ready to eat. Top with canned pie filling, fresh fruit or even chocolate or caramel sauce.