Spinach-Pasta Toss

It tastes like a restaurant dish, but is way easy! Originally from the Spring '09 Food & Family magazine, I adapted it to what I had. I'll post the original and then say what I did.

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 C penne pasta, uncooked
1 C water
1 pkg (9 oz.) baby spinach leaves
1 C Kraft 2% Milk Shredded Italian 3 cheese blend

Boil tomato, pasta, and water in large saucepan. Stir. Cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. Uncover. Simmer 1 min. or just until pasta is tender. Add 1/2 of the spinach. Simmer, covered, 2min. or until wilted. Stir. Repeat with remaining spinach. Served topped with cheese.

*I only had a regular diced tomato can, so I used it and some italian seasoning (maybe 1 T or so). Also, we just put mozzarella and parmesan on it cause I didn't have the blend. It was good! Serve with some garlic bread and you have a meal!

Irish Soda Bread

We tried this for St. Patrick's Day and really liked it! Recipe from simplyrecipes.com. Too bad I didn't take a picture!

4 to 4 1/2 C flour
2 T sugar
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
4 T butter
1 C raisins
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 C buttermilk

Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and soda in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter, work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then stir in raisins. Add egg and buttermilk and mix in with wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Kneed gently, adding more flour if too sticky. Don't overknead! Shape into a round loaf. Put on a cast-iron skillet or baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about 1/2" deep in an X shape. Bake about 35-45 min, at 425, until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped with a knife. Check for doneness by putting a thin and long skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, its done. Transfer bread to a rack to cool briefly. Serve warm, or at room temperature, sliced, and if you want to you can even toast it.

*Don't get burned on your cast iron skillet when you take it out of the oven!

Microwave Popcorn!

No more buying the store-bought kind! We did this last night and it really works! Depending on your preference, you will need to add some butter and salt after its done cooking.

1/4 C popcorn kernels
1 brown lunch bag

Put kernels in the bag and fold the top down 3 little time. Put in microwave and cook for about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Enjoy!

The "listening until it stops popping" trick doesn't work with this, it burns before it gets quiet, so just stop it at 2 minutes or earlier. You can also put a little oil in the bag before you cook it, too.

Orange-Glazed Coffee Cake

This recipe came in the mail from "Great American Home Baking" (they wanted me to subscribe). Years later, we tried it. We've been missing out for a long time! This was way good! It is light and sweet, really good warm and still yummy the next AM for breakfast. My kids wanted this for dinner, after having a few pieces each for breakfast. Next time I'm going to put the dough in muffin tins for a better serving option and then we'll have more glaze on each bite!

Cake
1 pkg active dry yeast (scant T)
1/4 C warm H2O
1/2 C warm milk
1/2 C fresh OJ (I used canned)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese)
1 T grated orange zest
1/2 t salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 1/2-4 C flour

Glaze
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Icing
1 C confectioners' sugar
1 1/2-2 T fresh OJ

Dissolve yeast in warm H2O and let stand until foamy. Mix in milk, OJ, sugar, ricotta, orange zest, salt, and egg. Mix in 2 C flour, then the rest 1/2 C at a time, until a stiff dough forms. Turn onto lightly floured surface and kneed until smooth and elastic, 5-10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. (I just used my kitchenaid with dough attachment.) Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hrs.

Grease a 10-inch springform pan. Punch down the dough, turn onto lightly floured surface, and knead for 1-2 minutes. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces, and roll them into a 20-inch long rope (like a playdough snake). Braid the ropes together. Coil the braided dough into the pan, and tuck ends under. Cover loosely and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 and brush the dough with the glaze. Cook 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool slightly. Spread icing over warm cake. Serve warm.