2 c. flour
5 T. sugar
4 T. butter, softened
4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. milk

Mix dry ingredients and work butter in with a pastry blender. Add milk and stir. Press into a well-greased 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan, sprinkle top with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until the top begins to (ever so slightly) turn golden brown. Will be the texture of homemade biscuits. Cut into slices and serve warm.

8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

1/4 cup prepared horseradish

2 T. milk

salt

2 T. fresh chopped dill

In a mixing bowl, beat together all ingredients until fluffy.  Salt to taste.  Serve with dippers (veggies, chips, etc.)

2 tomatoes (seeded & diced)

1 sm. yellow bell pepper, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients, salt & pepper to taste and serve with dippers (veggies, chips, etc.).

8 oz ground beef

1/2 cup minced onion

1 pkg frozen spinach (thawed/drained/chopped)

1/2 tsp each salt and ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp pepper

3 oz feta cheese

3 tablespoons fresh dill chopped

1 roll fillo, thawed

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup plain yogurt

Brown hamburger and onion.  Add spinach nutmeg, pepper and 1/4 tsp salt.  Remove from heat, add feta and 1 tablespoon dill, stir until well blended.

Heat oven to 400.  Unfold fillo.  Fold and cut down dough until it is 6″x4″ rectangles.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling along a short side of one rectangle, roll up into tight cylinder.  Place on baking pan, seam side; brush with butter.  Repeat.

Bake 12 minutes or until golden.  Meanwhile, stir remaining 2 tablespoons chopped dill and 1/2 tsp salt with yogurt in small bowl.  Serve cigars with yogurt-dill sauce.

1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, diced

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 green onions, minced

salt & pepper, to taste

Boil potatoes until tender, drain.  Melt butter and oil together in an iron skillet.  Mix in potatoes, onion, and salt & pepper.  Press potatoes into pan, crushing them slightly.  Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until the edges are browned and pulled away from the pan edges slightly. Once cooked, run spatula around edges and underneath as much as necessary to loosen from pan.  Place serving plate over top of skillet and invert to remove cake from pan.  Cut into wedges and serve.

This recipe can easily be transformed using herbs and seasonings.

The original recipe idea is from Everyday Food, issue #1

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Using a bread machine.

1. Dissolve sugar in warm water and stir in yeast. Mixture should stand about 15 minutes (until creamy foam appears).  Put into bread machine pan and add oil. Swish around to mix them together.

2. Add flour & flax seed on top, and salt on top of the flour. Set machine to dough setting and start.

3. When dough is made and has risen the first time (the bread machine should beep to tell you when the dough setting is complete), take it out of the bread machine pan and work it lightly in your hands to get the air bubbles out.  I just cover my hands with flour then pick up the dough and work it lightly on the counter for a few moments.

4. Form into a loaf and put in a greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 30-45 minutes, until almost doubled in size.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until done. If loaf is browning too quickly, cover top loosely with foil. When bread is finished, take it out of the oven and allow it to set for 5 minutes. Remove from pan, place on wire rack, and cover until loaf is cool.

Day 1: Baked potato (with all the fixings), sugar snap peas

Day 2: Italian sausage, peppers, onions over rice, side salad

Day 3: Steak, potato wedges, side salad

Day 4: Chicken wraps, broccoli with cheese

Day 5: Shrimp Newburg, rice, salad

Day 6: Crock-pot roast, potatoes, onion, carrot

Day 7: Tacos

Day 1: Fish stick sandwiches (American cheese, tarter sauce), side salad
Day 2: Chicken Cordon Bleu, tortellini soup, fresh sliced vegetables
Day 3: Hamburgers, fries
Day 4: Pork Chops, rice side dish and small salad
Day 5: Pan-Fried pounded flat, breaded chicken breast, quinoa salad
Day6: Tacos with all the fixings
Day 7: Kielbasa sausage, sauerkraut, potato pancakes (horseradish, sour cream & apple sauce)

1 1/2 cups of sweetened shredded coconut
1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cup of flour (all-purpose)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
20 ounces pineapple (fresh or canned, minced & drained)

Preheat oven to 350.

Toast 1 cup of coconut by spreading it evenly across cookie sheet and bake for about 6 minutes or until golden brown; set aside to cool. Prepare loaf pan using baking spray or butter/flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, salt and baking soda, set aside.

In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add one egg at a time and beat until well incorporated. On a low speed add 1/3 of flour mixture then 1/2 of sour cream then 1/3 flour mixture then 1/2 sour cream and end with last bit of flour mixture.

Fold in pineapple and toasted 1 cup of coconut, spread into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of coconut over the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 65-70 minutes. Cool most of the way in the loaf pan and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. This loaf will remain okay at room temp, wrapped for up to 2 days. I much prefer mine to be refrigerated. It’s tasty cold and lasts a day longer.