***ooh ooh ooh Cornbread***

(Shanda L.)

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in a seperate bowl, then stir the two mixes together with a big spoon just until moistened. Pour into an 8" baking dish at 400˚ for 20-30 minutes, or just until done. Check with toothpicks. It will get fairly browned.

recipe found here

***Strawberry & Banana Crepes***

(inspired by lunch at First Watch)


Crepes (Better Homes and Gardens)
To make crepes ahead, layer cooled crepes with sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container, store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze them for up to 4 months. If frozen , thaw the crepes 1 hour at room temperature before using.
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup all purpose-flour
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine eggs, milk, flour, and oil and salt; beat until well mixed. Heat a lightly greased 6-inch skillet; remove from heat. Spoon in 2 Tablespoons batter; lift and tilt skillet to spread batter. Return to heat; brown on 1 side only. (Or cook on a crepemaker). Invert over paper towels; remove crepe. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet occasionally.

*I used about 1/4 cup batter per crepe, cooked both sides, and made about 12.

Vanilla Dessert Crepes (Crepe Cookery)

3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups milk
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons melted butter

In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs and salt. Gradually beat in flour alternately with milk. Then add sugar and vanilla extract. Beat with electric mixer or whisk until smooth. Beat in melted butter.

Refrigerate about 1 hour (I usually skip this step, they turn out great). Stir batter before cooking. Makes about 32 crepes.

Filling & Topping

Bananas
Strawberries
Yogurt, strawberry or banana
Cinnamon sugar (optional topping)

Fill crepes with fruit, fold, top with yogurt, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

(Martha Stewart)

The perfect topper for almost any dessert.

Makes 1 1/3 cups

2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar; continue whipping on medium speed until the soft peaks return, 2 to 3 minutes. Use immediately.

Recipe found here

Whipped Cream Valentine Cake

(Lion House Recipes)

1 10-inch angel food cake, baked and cooled
1 package (10 ounces) frozen strawberries or raspberries, thawed*
1 Tablespoon (1 envelope), unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream, whipped until stiff
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cut angel food cake into 3 horizontal layers. Drain juice off thawed strawberries or raspberries into a small bowl. Over the juice sprinkle gelatin and allow to stand until softened. Set small bowl into hot water and stir until gelatin dissolves.

Combine the gelatin mixture with berries and barely cool. (If it cools too much the gelatin will set). Add sugar and vanilla to whipped cream. Fold berries into cream. Do not worry if fruit seems too juicy - it will soon set up. Cover the cake layers generously with cream mixture. Adjust the top layer and spread mixture over entire top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until firm. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

*I use a small container of sweetened sliced frozen strawberries (1.5 lbs). There will be a lot of juice. I add an extra cup of whipped cream to make sure it isn't runny.

Angel Food Cake

(Lion House Recipes)

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sifted sugar
1 1/4 cups (10-12) egg whites (at room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Sift flour and 1/2 cup sugar together. Combine egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and flavoring in large bowl. Beat with flat wire whip, sturdy egg beater, or at high speed if electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1 cups sugar gradually, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When beating by hand, beat 25 strokes after each addition. Sift in flour mixture in four additions, folding in with 15 fold-over strokes each time and turning bowl frequently. (Do not stir or beat). After last addition, use 10 to 20 extra folding strokes.

Pour batter into ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 375˚ for 35 to 40 minutes for 9-inch and 30-35 minutes for 10-inch cake, or until cake springs back when pressed lightly. Cool cake in pan, upside down, 1 to 2 hours. Then loosen from sides and center tube with knife and gently pull out cake. An angel food cake pan with a removable bottom is ideal for removing cake in perfect condition.

Cream Puffs

(Better Homes and Gardens)

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs
Whipped cream, pudding, or ice cream
Powdered sugar (optional)

In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Drop dough by 12 heaping Tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Bake in a 400˚ oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Cut tops from puffs, remove soft dough from inside. Fill with whipped cream, pudding, or ice cream. Replace tops. If desired, sift powdered sugar over tops. Makes 12 cream puffs.

***Ratatouille***

(from Smitten Kitchen blog)

½ onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces) (or puree such as Pomi)
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (Italian Eggplants are less than half the size of regular ones; it works perfectly)
1 small zucchini (may need 2 if they are small)
1 small yellow squash (may need 2 if they are small)
2 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme (or dried ground thyme)
Salt and pepper
Few Tablespoons soft Goat Cheese (this makes the dish rich with a creamy taste)
Brown rice or other grain
Parchment paper

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one Tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper. Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube. On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit. Drizzle the remaining Tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish. Or very lightly sprinkle some dried ground thyme (you can always add more later if needed).

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. Bake at 375˚ for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them. Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top (it will melt and add a creamy taste to the sauce), alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, brown rice or your choice of grain.

recipe found here