Peach Pecan Loaf

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Today is all the breads with fruits day. Bread #2 is this pecan peach loaf. It freezes really well. You’ll just want to save the frosting until after it thaws. This bread is great for breakfast, brunch, or even a snack. Adults and kids loved it.

This was the half I thawed on the counter and then dressed in white. So good.

Peach Pecan Loaf

Adapted slightly from Life Love Liz

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup chopped unsalted pecans
  • 2 cups peeled and diced fresh peaches

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a loaf pan and line with parchment paper to easily pull the loaf out of the pan later.

Beat eggs and sugar together until fluffy. Then add eggs, extracts and milk. Mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients. Then fold in the pecans and peaches.

Full loaf pan and bake for 50-60 mins. Check on doneness with a toothpick. It took me much longer than 60 mins but I had to be careful about burning the bottom.

Once done, take out of the oven and let it sit for 10 mins. Then take out of the pan and cool.

Once cooled add frosting of 1/4 powdered sugar and a tsp of milk. Add more milk if you want it thinner or more powdered sugar if you need it to be thicker. Drizzle over loaf and serve.

Enjoy!!

Buttermilk Scones

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Have friends stopping by around breakfast? Have kids complaining they’re starving right when they wake up? Or do you just want to enjoy your morning with a delicious smelling kitchen and a flakey, buttery scone with your favorite filling? Make these and freeze some for when unexpected needs for comfort arise.

Buttermilk Scones (Peach)

Recipe supplied by one of my BFFs

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted cold butter, cut into pea sized chunks
  • 3/4 fresh fruit, dried fruit or combo of fruit and nuts
  • 1 tsp almond extract (if it compliments your fruit and nut combo)
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 TBSP half and half
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon mixed with 2 TBSP sugar for topping
  • Shaved nuts of choice for topping, if desired

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in upper third.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add butter and using a pastry cutter or your fingers, mixed the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like corn meal. Try not to let the butter melt.

Add in your fruit and nuts if using. I used chopped peaches. Make a well and add the buttermilk and almond extract. Mix using a fork until the dough comes away from the bowl.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and mold into a dough ball. Then flatten to about 3/4” tall circle. Cut into 12 pie slices. Move to a parchment lined cookie sheet for those you’re baking playing the “pie slices” about 2” apart. You can also freeze them now.

For the ones you’re baking now, If you’re using soft fresh fruit, you can stuff the scones. To do this, simply cut off the top and reassemble the bottom shape, place thinly sliced fruit on top of the bottom. Reassemble the top and smoosh it on top of the fruit. You can skip this step. Brush with half and half. Add shaved nuts (I used almonds) if you’re using. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 425 for 12-18 mins.

Enjoy warm.

The stuffing step was an experiment that paid off. I highly recommend it.

Lentils = Protein

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It’s hard to get my mostly-fresh-fruit-and-veggie-eating littles to consume protein too. They love eggs and red meat and salmon – sometimes chicken, if it’s fried. But that will cover like 6 of the 4000 meals that need to be made … in a day. (Doesn’t it feel like the meal prep and dishes are just one continuous stream throughout the day right now? Pepper in some laundry and then it’s already time to go to bed.)

Anyway, they love this lentil (kinda) soup recipe. I say kinda because there isn’t a bunch of broth. If you like yours more broth, just add a 1/2 more around 20 min mark in the cooking process. And the kids don’t know about the anchovies!

Lentil (kinda) Soup

  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup black lentils (or any other that you have), rinsed
  • 1/2 large onion, diced super small so kids don’t notice
  • 2 carrots, diced super small because of picky children
  • 4 anchovies in oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced (I’ve started buying the kind in the jar because holy crap this is a lot of cooking we’re doing these days)
  • Cumin to your liking (I used 1/2 tsp)
  • Good amount of salt to your liking
  • Olive oil
  • Pickled jalapeños for the grown ups as a topper

Kid approved.

Start a medium pot with a good amount of olive oil (2-3 TBSP? Sure). Heat on medium/low. Add onions, carrots, garlic and anchovies. Melt down the anchovies so you don’t see them as whole pieces anymore. They should just add color to the veggies. After they cook for a few mins, add a dash of salt and cumin. cook for another 5 mins being sure to not burn.

Add the rinsed lentils and broth. Bring to boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer with the cover on until the lentils are tender. Salt to taste.

Lots of toppings go great with this from fried eggs to pickled jalapeños to avocados and sour cream to all of the above.

Enjoy!

Meatball Soup

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The LO loved this and so did my hubby. My elder daughter was not a fan but it’s not abnormal for her to dislike new foods these days. It was so easy and makes the best leftovers for lunch or dinner.

That garlic chili oil from the other day continues to make everything better.

Meatball Soup

(inspired by Bonappetit recipe)

Meatballs

  • 1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp. fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lb. ground beef

Soup

  • 1 Tbsp. (or more) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
  • 4 stalks kale and/or chard, removed from veins and sliced
  • Handful sugar snap peas, thinly sliced on a diagonal
  • 1/2 cup shelled fresh (or frozen) English peas
  • Lemon wedges

Make meatballs:

  • Mix yogurt, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper in a large bowl just to combine. Add beef and mix with your hands (or a wooden spoon) until well blended but take care not to overmix, or meatballs could be dense.
  • Using your hands, lightly pack meatball mixture into tangerine-size balls (about 1½” in diameter) and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Working in batches and adding more oil if needed, add meatballs to pot, making sure to leave enough space between them so you can move them freely, and cook, turning occasionally to help them keep their shape, until evenly browned on all sides, 5–8 minutes. The trick is to make sure the meatballs don’t fall apart. Let them get sufficiently browned on each side before trying to move them. Once cooked, set aside in a bowl.

Make Soup:

  • Add shallots, garlic, and cabbage and greens to pot (no need to wipe out). Season with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes
  • Add broth and vinegar to pot and bring liquid to a simmer. Cook until cabbage is just tender. Return meatballs to pot along with any juices that have accumulated and simmer long enough to let flavors meld, 6–8 minutes.
  • Just before serving, add sugar snap peas and English peas to broth and cook until no longer raw, just a minute or two (you want them to retain a little bit of bite).
  • Serve with garlic chili oil and lemon wedges.
  • Enjoy!!

Hug Porridge

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We desperately need hugs. Our beloved dog passed away. I made this to help comfort our hearts and it was effective.

Hug Porridge

6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly

1/4 cup veggie oil

2 tsp dried red chili flakes

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2/3 cup uncooked rice

8 cups water

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 bunch of Dino kale, deveined and cut into ribbons

2-4 tsp of salt

1/2 lemon

Fried eggs

In a large pot, add the veggie oil and garlic. Cook on med/low heat until the garlic is golden brown. Remove all but a TBSP of the mixture to a separate bowl.

In the separate bowl with garlic and oil, add the chili flakes. Stir. This is now the coveted chili garlic oil you’ll douse on every including this porridge.

On the pot with garlic oil, add the onion and cook until soft and slightly caramelized. Add water and chicken breasts. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a quick simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 mins. Take out chicken and continue cooking until the porridge becomes slightly thickened, stirring often.

While the porridge continues cooking, shred the chicken.

Once porridge is almost as thick as you’d like it, add in the kale and chicken. Season with salt. Cook for 4 mins.

Squeeze 1/2 lemon and stir.

Top with a fried egg and chili garlic oil (be careful, it’s spicy and a little goes a long way).

Enjoy your hug.

Kimchi Fried Rice

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Remember those miso turnips that I made the other day? Leftovers found their way into this kimchi fried rice and it was perfect. Also, if you’ve got a pork chop or steak or chicken, grill it right quick and add that on the plate too. This can be a main meal or just a side to your protein. It’s tangy and spicy and the perfect amount of probiotics. I ate mine with a fried egg on top because – chickens in my backyard are laying, laying, laying.

Kimchi Fried Rice

  • 2 cups cooked Jasmine rice
  • 1- 2 carrots, cut Julianne
  • 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
  • Precooked veggies of choice, I used miso turnips
  • 2″ knob of ginger, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup kimchi (I love either makin my own or buying from Wise Goat Organics)
  • Canola oil
  • 3 TBSP soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP gochujan (we use it on everything. Make this a staple)
  • 1 TBSP sesame oil
  • 1 TBSP kimchi juice
  • Toppings of choice (fried egg, nori, black sesame seeds, green onion, steak…all of the above)

In a bowl, mix gochujan, soy sauce, sesame oil and kimchi juice. Set aside

Heat a bit of canola oil in a large skillet. Cook onion, carrots, garlic and ginger. Until tender. Add rice and kimchi and pour over gochujan mixture. Fry for 2 mins.

Note: The key is sauce to rice to veggie ratio and everyone has different preferences. I like a slightly sticky rice with lots of veggies. But, you’re the chef. You decide what’s best for you.

Serve as a side or main. Top with whatever you fancy.

Lola Momma’s Picadillo

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My MIL was supposed to come back to the states this month from the Philippines for her annual 3 month stay. But it’s too risky to get on a plane. She’s going to stay home. We miss her so much. So, I made one of my favorite dishes that she makes when she comes. It’s so comforting and sweet. Serve it up over rice and maybe top it with a fried egg. It can be eaten any time of day. Enjoy!

Lola Momma’s Picadillo

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 4-5 baby Yukon potatoes or 1 large Russet, diced into 1/2″ cubes
  • 1/2 orange or red bell pepper, diced slightly smaller than potatoes
  • 2 carrots, diced into littler cubes
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup raisins (I know, trust me)
  • 1,5 – 2 cups water
  • 1 TBSP fish sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar

In a medium pot, begin to brown the ground pork. Add the garlic midway through and cook until pork is no longer pink. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 min. Add potatoes, raisins, carrots and enough water to cover the veggies. Simmer until cooked through adding more water as needed. Add fish sauce and sugar to taste.

Enjoy comfort in a bowl.

Sesame Steak Rice Bowls with Miso Turnips

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We had a super thick ribeye that needed to be cut. And we were too lazy to fire up the charcoal grill. So, husband filleted the ribeye and marinated it in soy sauce, minced garlic and sesame oil. Tokyo turnips are growing at our local farmers. So I brushed some olive oil and miso paste on them and threw them in the oven. Rice was made and that’s how we collaborated on one of our most delicious SIP meals AND THE KIDS LIKED IT!!

Sesame Steak Rice Bowl and Miso Turnips

  • 4 cups cooked jasmine rice
  • 1 1/4 lb ribeye, 2″ thick, filleted or 2 ribeyes 1″ thick
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 TBSP sesame oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • Bundle of turnips, sliced in half and greens removed.
  • 2 TBSP miso paste (I used red but white would be good too)
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • Kimchi (optional)
  • Nori Furikaki (add this to your kitchen staples)
  • Gochujang (add this to your kitchen staples)
  • 4 fried eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix sesame oil, soy sauce and garlic. Marinate the meat with the sesame/soy mixture for 15-30 mins.

Mix olive oil and miso paste in another bowl. Put turnip bottoms on a baking sheet. Reserve the green tops. Brush half the miso dressing on the turnips. Bake for 12-15 mins.

While turnips are baking, heat pan on medium/high heat and cook steaks (reserve marinade). Remove and let rest under foil for 10 mins. In the same pan, add turnip green tops and miso dressing. Cook until wilted and remove to another plate. In same pan, add steak marinade and cook for 2 mins and drizzle over steak.

If you want to go wild, fry an egg to top your bowls.

Assemble rice bowls with a cup of cooked rice, turnips and steak on top, kimchi and all you other fixings on top.

Enjoy!

SIP Wondrous White Bread

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Ok, ya’ll. This is not the whole wheat, semi-healthy loaf of bread that’s full of fiber and good for … well, you know. No. This is the stuff we used to savor as cinnamon toast or flanking some bologna (the kind with a name). Yep. This is the good stuff with sugar and canola oil. YOLO! This is how I’m using my precious yeast.

Wondrous White Bread

  • 2 TBSP yeast
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 3 1/2 cup flour (maybe less)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg + 1 egg and 1 Tbsp water for egg wash
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Add yeast; let stand for 5 minutes.
  • Mix the canola oil, egg, and salt in a measuring cup. Add to the yeast mixture. Then slowly add enough flour to form a soft dough. I usually add 3 cups then slowly sprinkle more as the dough sticks to my fingers or the bowl. Knead for 5 minutes. Make sure you do this for a full 5 mins.
  • Form dough into a smooth ball. Keeping the dough in the bowl, spray with non-stick spray and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place (70-80 degrees) for 15 minutes.
  • Punch down the dough.  Knead for 1 minute. Take the dough and cut it in two. This can make a full loaf and a mini one. I would do 2/3 and 1/3.
  • Form each into a loaf by rolling it into an oblong shape then tucking and pinching the ends under the loaf.
  • Line loaf pans with parchment. Place each loaf in a pan. Brush thoroughly with egg mixture.
  • Let loaf sit while oven is preheating to 400 degrees F, or about 10 minutes. I arrange the rack to the upper part of the oven because my burner is on the bottom.
  • Carefully put the loaves in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until outside is golden brown and internal temperature of loaf registers 195 degrees. If the top starts to brown too much, lightly place foil over the top to stop browning.
  • Let cool. Slice & enjoy!

Spring In A Bite

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Spring is just around the corner and these are a perfect first bite of the season. I made them for a party and they held up perfectly. The stored ones for lunch got a little dry. I’d recommend making them fresh or try wrapping them with a damp towel if you’re storing them for tomorrow’s lunch. Enjoy!

Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

  • 4-5 rice paper wraps (the circle ones that you have to rehydrate)
  • 1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
  • ½ hothouse cucumber, julienned
  • 2-3 carrots, julienned
  • ¼ head purple cabbage, very thinly sliced
  • 1/4 head napa cabbage, very thinly sliced
  • large handful baby spinach
  • Firm tofu (can be flavored) cut into 1/4″ strips
  • fresh cilantro, mint and basil
  • You could also add lobster or other meats and rice noodles if desired.

Peanut Sauce

  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1½ Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • juice of ½ lime
  1. Put all veggies and herb on a platter for eat assembly.
  2. Whisk together all Peanut Sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
  1. Fill a shallow bowl with warm water.
  1. Working one at a time, dip a rice paper wrap in warm water until it becomes just pliable, about 10 seconds. (You don’t want the wrapper to fully soften while you’re soaking it; it should still have structure when you pull it from the water and will continue to soften while you apply fillings.)
  2. Lay wrapper flat on a large clean surface and arrange a small amount of each topping in the center of the bottom-third, beginning with spinach and striving to keep the pokier ingredients (peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots) last, where they will be more protected within the roll.
  3. Gently bring the bottom of the wrapper up over the ingredients, completing at least one full roll before folding in the left and right sides; continue to roll until fully wrapped. (Roll should be somewhat snug — and yes, it takes a couple of tries to get it right.) Set aside and repeat until all fillings have been used.
  4. Serve rolls whole or sliced in half (for presentation purposes only) with Peanut Sauce on the side.
  5. Enjoy!