Strawberry 'Marvel' Cake

This is something Claire begs for pretty much every week. It's technically a marble cake with strawberries sort of like a strawberry shortcake idea. Claire started calling it strawberry marvel cake, and it stuck. We usually use frozen strawberries, as we can get them cheap. However, I once made this with fresh berries, and the kids are now spoiled.

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 c softened butter
1 1/4 c soy milk
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp flax meal

Beat everything together with a hand mixer on high for about 3 minutes. Scoop out the 1 3/4 c batter for the chocolate part, then pour the rest into a greased 9x13 pan. Make the chocolate 'marvel' part:

1 3/4 c of the above batter
3 Tbsp baking cocoa
2 tsp baking powder

Mix together. Drop by spoonfuls onto the batter already waiting in the cake pan. (In this picture, I had added crushed chocolate chips to the batter. I thought it was pretty tasty, but funnily enough, the kids didn't like it!!!)



Using a butter knife, slice through to make pretty marble designs.



Bake at 350F/180C for 40-45 minutes. If you're using frozen strawberries, just pour the amount you want into a mixing bowl, add some sugar, and let it thaw. Stir it to make sure the sugar isn't all in one place! :) If using fresh, cut up your berries, add a little water and sugar (just for the syrup).

This is what happens when it's all gone...

Wheat Thins

These are SOOO fantastic! They're super easy to make and are a fabulous snack without any added preservatives! Hooray! I make this recipe (makes around 200+ crackers), and it doesn't last more than one day! :) My kids love them!

1 3/4 c Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 c unbleached Flour
3/4 tsp Salt
1 c Water
1/3 c Canola Oil

Sift dry ingredients together. Add liquids, and mix by hand just until you have a fairly smooth dough. Try not to mix too much! Break into two pieces. Place one on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Roll as thin as humanly possible! :) Using a pizza cutter, slice through to make desired cracker size. (I cut all the way through, as it seems to cook better that way, and you don't have to break them all apart afterward.) Prick each cracker with a fork. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350F/180C for about 30-35 minutes until light brown and crisp!

**For variation:

Add flax or other small seeds! Sprinkle with Garlic salt! Add onion or garlic powder to the dough! Or make it a treat, and use cinnamon and sugar! There are all kinds of things you could do with this! :)

Balsamic Vinaigrette

I'm SUPER picky when it comes to salad dressings. I DETEST dressings that are sweet. Can't stand it if there is any sugar in it at all. If I wanted a sweet salad, I'd eat a fruit salad. If I want a green salad, it needs to have a savory dressing. Really, one of the only dressings that I like is Ranch. However, I haven't had it for forever, because it's a US thing. So, I've had to get creative. I found this combination works well for me, so I thought I'd share.

1/2 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 c Balsamic Vinegar
The juice from one Lemon
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp salt
dash white pepper

I put all of this into a glass bottle with a lid. Shake it before you pour it on! :) Keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks. SOOOOO good on fresh tomatoes and cucumbers!!

Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup

I love Chicken Noodle Soup. It's my favorite comfort food. This recipe is SOOOOO yummy!!! Once you've done it, you'll never be able to go back to the canned stuff again! :)

Water (and lots of it!)
Chicken with bones (I actually use the thigh/leg combo. The bones are the key to a fantastic flavor for your broth! You can use chicken breast on the bone, but white meat tends to get a little tougher with more cooking, while dark meat gets more tender!)
1 Bay Leaf
Seasoned Salt/a bit of chicken bouillon (to taste...I like to boil the chicken with salt as it tends to bring out more of the flavor. If you're trying to watch your salt intake, don't add salt at this point!)

*Boil for a few hours! I like to boil it until the meat basically falls right off the bones!

Remove chicken and set aside to cool and debone. Add to broth:

A few carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 celery stalks (with leaves!) finely chopped
A few sprigs of fresh parsley (or 2-3 tsps dried)

While this is boiling, make your noodles!!! I like to make a LOT, so here's my recipe:

2 cups flour (I usually do 1 c white and 1 c wheat)
2 large eggs
1 'eggshell' worth of cold water

Knead together until it is a firm dough. If you have a pasta maker, you can make this into any size noodles you want. I usually do the spaghetti setting. If you don't have a pasta maker, you just roll it really flat with a rolling pin, then cut it to what size you want with either a VERY sharp knife, or a pizza cutter (much faster). Add to boiling water a little at a time to keep it from clumping together. Debone the chicken and add the meat to the soup. Add a little more salt if needed, and some black pepper.

Voila! It sounds like a LOT of work, but it's really not terrible and SOOOOOOOO worth it! :)

Fresh Pasta Sauce

I can NEVER go back to the bottled/canned pasta sauce. After starting to use this, I'm hooked and just can't look back!

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb hamburger
Garlic Salt (to taste)
8-10 fresh, ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
A handful each of Fresh basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, finely chopped (you CAN use dried, but fresh just tastes so much better!!!)
Fresh mushrooms, finely sliced (if all you have is canned or dehydrated, that works, too. Or, you can omit the mushrooms. Claire would be happy if I did.)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat Olive Oil in large sauce pan. Add onion, and saute for a few minutes. Add garlic and stir. Throw in the hamburger and garlic salt and 'scramble' until browned. Add the mushrooms. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Throw in the tomatoes and herbs and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. This sauce is pretty thin, and if you don't like that, use a slotted spoon to serve. You can put the tomatoes and herbs in the blender before adding to the hamburger if you don't like 'chunky' sauce. It is just SO good and flavorful! I've also done this using mini shrimp instead of hamburger and it's yummy, too! This is good over pasta of any kind.

Dairy Free Beef Stroganoff

This sounds gross, but it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good, that if you didn't know it was dairy free, you wouldn't guess it!

Hamburger OR steak cut into strips
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
garlic salt, to taste
1 cup finely sliced small white mushrooms (you can really use any mushrooms you want!)
1 cup beef broth
1 + cup tofu sour cream
a handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

With hamburger:

Saute onion in olive oil just until transparent (a few minutes) then add garlic. Add hamburger and garlic salt. Brown hamburger. Add mushrooms. Stir until mushrooms are 'wilted'. Add beef broth and simmer until mixture is boiling. Add parsley, then add sour cream and serve! Serve over rice or noodles.

With beef:

First, saute mushrooms in butter and garlic salt. Oh so yummy!! While the mushrooms are cooking, Slice the beef into strips. Coat with flour. (I prepare a bowl with about 1/2 cup flour and about 1/2 tsp seasoned salt.) When the mushrooms are browned. Remove mushrooms, place in a bowl, and set aside. In the same pan, pour in a little olive oil and the onions. Saute for a few minutes. Add the garlic and stir constantly. Add the coated beef and stir until there is no liquid left (a few seconds). Begin adding the beef broth a little at a time. Once all the liquid is added, let simmer until the beef is cooked through. (If you simmer lightly for a longer period of time, the beef is more tender than if you cook on high!!!) Add the mushrooms and parsley and simmer a little longer together. Pour in the sour cream, turn off the heat, and stir until it's warmed through. Serve immediately over rice or noodles!

The BEST Banana Bread!!

I discovered this recipe in Cameroon, where we had banana trees in our backyard...and even with the overabundance and cheapness of bananas, I never got tired of this stuff!! Even Josh will eat it, and he hates bananas!!

3-4 Ripe Bananas, smashed with a wooden spoon
1/3 c. + (75 g) melted butter (yes, I sometimes add more than 1/3 cup... and remember, it MUST be butter!!!!!)
3/4 c Sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp Baking Soda
Pinch of Salt (1/4 tsp, maybe??)
1 ½ c Wheat Flour
1 Tbsp Bean Flour
1 Tbsp Flaxmeal
1/2 c chocolate chips (optional)

With wooden spoon (yes, use a wooden spoon! It just tastes better that way!), mix butter into mashed bananas in a large white mixing bowl. Mix in sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture, then mix in. Add the Flour and chocolate chips last–mix just until it is all moist (about 25 stirs!). Pour mixture into a coated bread pan. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on the top...it's SO yummy that way! Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cool in the pan on the cooling rack for about 10 minutes to let set. Turn over to remove from pan. Let it cool completely, or eat it warm! :)