Breakfast Cake

1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup brown sugar

1.  Cream butter and sugar
2. Add eggs and beat until creamy.
3. Mix  flour, baking powder, and salt together.
4. Add some of the flour and then some of the milk,  Keep alternating adding the flour mixture and the milk until they are all added.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Spread batter evenly in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
7. Mix 1/4 cup butter, cinnamon and brown sugar together.
8. Sprinkle over the batter as best you can.  Sometimes it is just globs on the batter, that's okay.
9. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. 

Zina's Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 large can stewed tomatoes (I use a quart jar of my bottled tomatoes.) Pour off most of the water.
2 cans of kidney beans
2 cans of red beans
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp Chili powder

1. Brown the ground beef.
2. While there is still some pink in the meat, add the celery and onion.  Continue browning the meat.
3. Add the salt and pepper.  Taste the meat at this time to make sure you have enough seasoning.
4.  Add the chili powder. 
5. Add the tomato sauce and the tomatoes.  Let this cook on low heat for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.
6. Add the beans, both kinds.  Stir them in well and let then simmer on a very low heat for about 10 minutes.  If you like your chili spicier taste it and add more chili or other hot spices.

This should make about 5 quarts of chili.

Navajo Taco Dough

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F.)
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp honey
3+ cups flour
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt

1. Put the yeast in the bottom of a bowl.
2. Add the honey.
3. Slowly pour in the warm water.
4. Let it set for about 5 minutes.
5. Add 2 cups of the flour. Start mixing with a mixer. Add the oil.
6. Mix for about 10 minutes
7. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes
8. Start the mixer again and slowly add the other cup of flour and the salt.  Keep mixing until the dough is no longer sticky.  You will want to stop the mixer and lightly touch the dough.  If it doesn't stick to your finger and it bounces back really well, it is ready.  If not, add a little more flour (about 1/4 cup at a time) until the dough responds well.
9.  Let the dough rise for 10-15 minutes and then you can start making the tacos.

I like to take a gob of dough that is about 1 1/2 inches diameter.  Butter or grease your hands first.  Flatten the ball a little bit and then start from the center and push the dough to the outside.  Keep rotating the dough around, being careful not to put holes in it.  When it is the right thickness (1/4 to 1/3 inch thick)  You can either put if on a cloth while you make the others or start frying them.  Oil should be between 350 -400 F.

Banana Cake

Banana Cake

Mash 3-4 bananas in a small bowl. 
Add 2 teaspoons lemon juice.
Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together.
3/4 cup butter
1 3/4 white sugar

Add:
3 eggs one at a time.  Mixing well after each egg. 

Then stir in:
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add some of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and eggs, alternating it with:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk.

Mix well.

Stir in the banana mixture. 

Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. 
Pour the cake mixture into the pan.

Preheated the oven to 275 degrees F. (135 degrees C.)

Bake for one hour, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool completely before you frost it.

Frosting:
Cream a softened 8 ounce package of cream cheese until smooth.

Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. 
Add 3 cups confectioners sugar until it is combined, then beat on high speed until it is smooth. 
Spread on the cooled cake.

Seth's Healthier Pancakes

Preparation : 15 mins

Cooking : 5 mins
Total : 20 min
Yield : 16-20 pancakes

Ingredients

2 cups milk
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp chia seeds
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup shredded zucchini (optional)
1/3 cup applesauce
3 eggs

2 cups wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Recipe

1.  Add vinegar to milk and let sit for up to 5 mins.
2.  Mix all dry ingredients while it sits.
3.  Add chia seeds, butter, zucchini, applesauce, and eggs to milk mixture.
4.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix. You don't want any dry clumps.
5.  Heat griddle to 350º or medium heat.
6.  Pour batter over griddle.
7.  Cook until edges start to lift off griddle (2-3 mins), then flip over and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until bottom is golden brown.

Attachments area

Seth's Protein Pancakes

One of my son's has a great recipe that he has developed for his family that meets the needs that they have for breakfast.  His children all love theme and they taste really great!  I just thought it would be good to add it to the blog so the rest of the family has access to it if they want it.

Seth’s Pancakes (12 - 14 Pancakes)

Mix and let sit 5 min:

1 2/3 C Milk

¼ C Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix with milk mixture:

2 TBLS Melted Butter

1/3 C Applesauce

2 Eggs

Mix dry ingredients:

(can be done ahead of time, if desired)

1 C White Flour

¼ C Wheat Flour

¼ C Sugar

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Salt

Grind and add to dry mix:

(Do not mix with other dry ingredients when storing)

4 tsp Flaxseed

1 C oats

Beat wet ingredients and mix with dry. Then cook like normal pancakes/waffles.

If you want to add extra protein, add protein powder: either whey, soy or vegetable, your choice.

Seth’s Pancakes (5 - 7 pancakes)

Mix and let sit 5 min:

5/6 C Milk

1/8 C Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix with milk mixture:

1 TBLS Melted Butter

1/6 C Applesauce

1 Egg

Beat wet ingredients and mix with dry. Then cook like normal pancakes/waffles.

Mix dry ingredients:

(can be done ahead of time, if desired)

1/2 C White Flour

1/8 C Wheat Flour

1/8 C Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

Grind and add to dry mix:

(Do not mix with other dry ingredients when storing)

2 tsp Flaxseed

1/2 C oats

Cream Cheese Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Getting ready to leave China, I had 1/2 cup of butter and 8 ounces of cream cheese to use up.  I found a recipe that was similar to this, but I had to make changes for exactly what I had left to use up.  I was pleased with the results.

Cream Cheese Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 c. flour
1 c white sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix these all together in a large bowl.  Make sure it is well blended.

In a small bowl:

2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup softened butter (this must be butter!  no margarine)
1 tsp vanilla
1TBS apple cider vinegar

Blend together and then add to the flour, sugar, cocoa mixture.  Mix until well blended
Fill lined cupcake pan with about 1/2 inch of batter.  You will have a total of 18-20 cupcakes with batter left over for just a minute.

Mix together:

8 oz of cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Mix with a mixer until the sugar is well blended in. 

Add:

1/2 to 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Put a TBS of the cream cheese/chocolate chip mixture in the batter that is in the cupcake tins.  When all the cream cheese mixture has been added to the batter in the cupcake tins, finish putting the rest of the batter over the top, using up all the rest of the batter. 

If you want, you can add chopped walnuts or pecans to the top of the cupcakes.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Test with a toothpick to see if they are done.  No batter will be sticking to the toothpick if they are done.