Kolach Dough from Dad's Aunt Emily

1 c evaporated milk
1 1/2 c warm milk
6 Tb shortening
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 pkg yeast dissolved in warm water
1 Tb salt
5 1/2 c flour or more

I have this a copy of this recipe in your dad's Aunt Emily's handwriting.  Kathy added the following:

Kolache dough needs 7 cups of flour.
Let dough rise for 70 minutes. Cut into circles, let rise about 5-10 min, cook at 400 F for 18 min.

I don't know if any of you remember eating these; Aunt Emily put a prune filling in some and I can't remember what else she used.  They are quite tasty.  The circles are maybe 2 inches in diameter.

Enjoy and feel your roots!

Banana Blueberry Flax Muffins

Healthy and yummy!

1 3/4 C whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
2/3 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. ground flaxseeds
3/4 C. wheat bran
1 C. mashed over-ripe bananas (2 large)
1 C unsweetened almond (or other) milk + 1 T lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C oil (I used coconut)
1 C blueberries, frozen or fresh

Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl.  In another bowl thoroughly blend eggs and brown sugar.  Add in flax, wheat bran, bananas, milk, vanilla, and oil.  Blend again.  Mix in dry ingredients, just until combined.  Fold in berries.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1  1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour ( I used whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups grated zucchini, I used the smallest side of my grater b/c I like it small.  ( I did not really measure this. I used 1 med zuch.)
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Place grated zucchini in a strainer and drain as much liquid off as you can. Set aside.

Cream together butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Blend well. In a separate bowl, mixdry ingredients together. Mix dry ingredients into the butter mixture well. Add grated zucchini, and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop into muffin pan lined with paper liners or greased well. Bake at 325 degrees F  oven for 18-20 minutes.  Makes 24 muffins.

*I made these last year and they were so rich and moist that I made them again this year.  **WARNING:  They are more like a dessert than a muffin.

Capellini with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

Ingredients

Kosher salt

1/2 c olive oil, plus extra for the pot

2 Tb minced garlic (6 cloves)

4 pts small cherry or grape tomatoes

18 large basil leaves, julienned

2 Tb chopped fresh curly parsley

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

12 oz capellini or angel hair pasta

1 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Extra chopped basil and grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the 1/2 cup of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan. Add the garlic to the oil and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften but don't break up.

 Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.  Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, add the tomatoes and Parmesan and toss well. Add some of the pasta water if the pasta seems too dry. Serve large bowls of pasta with extra basil sprinkled on top and a big bowl of extra Parmesan on the side.

*I made this last night (motivated by a plethora of cherry tomatoes) and it was DELISH!  I didn't add the red pepper flakes, but left them in the recipe for you to decide.  I cooked the tomatoes on low for probably about twice as long as the recipe says, so they would break open more.  Hope you enjoy!
**Tried them with the pepper flakes and it made it much spicier.  I suggest you add a cautious amount and see what you think.  Or leave them out completely like I did when I made them the first time.

Potato Leek Soup

We had this soup a lot while we were in ireland and I loved it every time.  So when we got potatoes and leeks in the same week from our CSA, I had to try to recreate it.  This recipe did not disappoint!

Ingredients

1/2 c. butter
2 leeks, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 qt. chicken broth
1 T cornstarch
4 c. potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 c. heavy cream (I used kefir and I think it made the soup even better)

Directions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper until tender, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.
2. Stir cornstarch into broth and pour broth into pot. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the cream, reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Sassy Steak Marinade and Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound beef sirloin steak (1-1.5 inches thick)

1 Tb olive oil

2/3 c cocktail sauce

1/4 c honey

3 Tb soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, crushed


Mix all ingredients (except the steak) in 9x13 pan.  Put steaks in pan, turning to coat top, bottom, and sides.  Refrigerate fo .5 - 6 hours, turning from time to time.

Remove steaks from the frig 30-60 min before you intend to cook them so that the muscle fibers have time to relax, making for a more tender results.  Salt the steaks generously with salt on both sides as soon as you remove them from the frig; you can pepper them too if you desire.  

Coat bottom of skillet w/ just enough olive oil to barely cover it.  Heat over med. high heat until you smell the oil.  Add steaks to hot skillet, cooking them 5-7 min on each side, without turning or moving them.  Use tongs to turn without puncturing them and letting juices escape.  Remove steaks when they are done to your satisfaction cover with foil, and let them sit at least 10 min.  

Heat 1 Tb oil in pan, pour in reserved marinade, and bring back to boil for 5 min or until thick, serve with steaks.

*I made this a few nights ago and the steaks were so wonderful!  I hope the recipe works for you. 

Deodorant

Okay, so this is not exactly a food recipe.  Although, technically, everything in it is edible.  But not tasty.

I have a bit of a sweating problem and I thought it was just something I was going to have to live with because no deodorant in the store does anything to take care of it.  But then, my friend told me she has the same problem and she told me she makes her own deodorant from coconut oil and that it has solved her woes.

And then her husband piped up from the background that this stuff really works.

And I was sold.

Coconut Oil Deodorant

1/3 C. coconut oil
1/4 C. baking soda
1/4 C. arrowroot powder
4 T cornstarch
Essential oils, optional

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Use a pastry blender, or a fork to incorporate the coconut oil.  I used regular coconut oil which is solid at room temperature, so I had to soften mine a bit in the microwave first.  Apparently, my friend uses extra virgin coconut oil and I think that's a little softer.  Then add in a few drops of essential oil, if you want and mix in.  I used Citrus Bliss.

So, now my underarms smell like an orange julius.

I put mine in a small mason jar, but we keep it in our bathroom which is the coldest place in our house (if you want to know more on this, ask Blake.  He loves to explain to me why this is so.), and so the mixture is really firm.  Pretty much like the consistency of normal deodorant.

So, in hindsight, I wish I'd just emptied out an old deodorant container and put this in it.  I'll do that next time.  Which will probably be in about a year because a little of this stuff goes a long way.  In the meantime, I scrape it off with my pinky nail, soften it between my fingers, and then spread it on.  I'm pretty sure the ladies in the locker room at the gym think I'm quite strange.

I don't care.  At least I am no longer smelly.