Sweet Potato Soup

http://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-potato-soup-139574

Seriously so good! I only used 1-2 T of peanut butter, and 3 big sweet potatoes.

Simplified Farmhouse Chicken

3-4 carrots, cut in chunks
1 onion, diced
Chicken pieces
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup
1/4-1/2 tsp oregano
2 oz cream cheese

Place vegetables in crockpot. Place chicken on top of veggies and drizzle Italian dressing over the chicken. Spread cream soup over chicken and veggies and sprinkle with oregano. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until done. If using frozen chicken, cook on high for a couple hours, then turn to low for 3-4 hours. When done and while hot, stir in cream cheese until melted. Shred chicken if desired. Serve over rice or noodles.

(inspired by Farmhouse Chicken Dinner)

BBQ Chicken Pasta

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/03/bbq-chicken-pasta.html

Yum! I used cooked shredded pork in place of chicken, and just sauted it a little with the onions first.

Pumpkin Spice Scones

I have been on the hunt to find a scone recipe that has the texture of the scones we used to get from Great Harvest. When I was working at Purdue, Andy and I would stop by every day on the way home to get samples. We miss having our friend working there! Anyways, I've finally found some to compare! This recipe was created by Nicole at Pinch My Salt. I'm excited to try her other scone recipes!

Ingredients:

Scones:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice (I didn't have any)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup raisins (optional, I did not use)
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the butter into small pieces, put it in a small bowl and put it back in the refrigerator. In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk together well. Place bowl in freezer, or refrigerator if no freezer available.

In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together well. Put this bowl in freezer (or refrigerator) and take the other bowl back out. Get the butter pieces out of the fridge and dump them into the bowl with the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs (dough will start to clump together). Stir in the raisins (if using).

Get the liquid mixture out of the freezer and pour into the flour mixture all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is just moistened. The dough will be very crumbly, this is the way it should be. Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push the pile together with your hands. It should stick together fairly well. Knead it just a couple of times until everything is together. Don’t knead it too much or the dough will get too sticky. (I had to add about 2 T extra pumpkin puree here, as it was too powdery still)

Pat the dough out into a rough circle, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut it like a pie into 8 pieces. Place pieces on the baking sheet so that they are not touching. Bake scones for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. They should be light brown on the bottom, the tops will darken as they cool.

While scones are in the oven, mix together icing ingredients. When scones are right out of the oven, apply icing. Place scones on rack to cool, or enjoy when warm!

Icing: For ginger molasses icing, mix together 1 T molasses, 1-2 T milk, 1 C. powdered sugar, 1/4 – 1/2 t. ginger (to taste). Adjust amounts to change consistency. Icing can be brushed on or drizzled.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

2 T canola oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 tsp cumin
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 T chopped cilantro

In soup pot, heat oil and saute onions and cumin 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes. Puree soup with yogurt and cilantro. Delicious!

Recipe from Dannon

Overnight French Toast Casserole

French bread cut in 1 1/2 inch slices, enough to fill a 9x13 pan
2 cups whole milk
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place bread in buttered pan. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, carefully turn over the slices of bread and let soak while the oven heats to 350. Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Remove from oven, turn bread, and bake another 15-20 minutes or until tests done.

(Modified from this recipe)

Brigadeirão

This is a yummy cake-like Brazilian dessert. Recipe from the mother of Andy's Brazilian coworker, Gustavo.

2 T butter

3 eggs
2 T sugar
1 cup cocoa
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can of cream (3/4 cup normal cream)

Blend eggs and butter. Add everything else and blend. Pour into well-greased and sugar-dusted microwave safe bowl. Microwave 8 to 11 minutes or until set and edges begin to pull away. Chill before serving.

You can place a greased cup in the middle to create a bundt-like effect. After cooking, remove the cup and invert the Brigadeirão onto a serving platter.

Brigadeiro

Brigadeiro is a traditional Brazilian birthday treat. It tastes like chocolate caramel. Yum! (not to be confused with Brigadeirão). Recipe from the mother of Andy's Brazilian coworker, Gustavo.

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 T butter
3 T cocoa

Mix everything and put into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes, stir. Repeat until it becomes thick, smooth, and creamy.

Eat with a spoon or form into balls and roll in chocolate sprinkles.

Fresh Blueberry Pie

1 single crust 10-inch pie crust, baked and cooled.
Blueberries (3-4 cups, I didn't measure)
4 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp lemon extract (or less, optional)
1/2 cup blueberries
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 T cornstarch
2 T lemon juice

Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon extract (if using). Spread into pie crust. Arrange berries on top of cheese layer (as many as you want).

In small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup blueberries, water, sugar, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened and bubbly with lots of purple color released from the berries. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before adding lemon juice. Pour over berries, spreading so it covers all of them. Chill until set.

Huevos Rancheros

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 tomato, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• eggs (for number of people you're serving--we had enough sauce for 4)
  
• Corn tortillas
• Shredded cheese
  

In large skillet, heat oil (we used canola oil). Saute onion and green pepper until tender. Add tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, tomato sauce, and water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cook eggs separately. To assemble, place egg on tortilla, pour sauce over and sprinkle with cheese. Enjoy!

(If you want to spice it up you can add jalapeno peppers and hot sauce. see original recipe here)

Oh Mommy! Pork Tenderloin

My friend brought us this after we had our baby, and I finally remembered to get the recipe! Too bad it needs to marinate, I guess I'll have to make it tomorrow instead of today. It was SOO yummy when she brought it to us, and the drippings made great gravy.

• 5 Tbs. soy sauce
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 2 (1 lb) pork tenderloin pieces (or larger piece and adjust cooking time appropriately)

Mix all ingredients in a large ziploc bag. Add the meat.
Marinate in the fridge for as long as possible. Mine was about 4.5 hours
Cook uncovered in a pan sprayed with cooking spray for 25-35 minutes at 425, or until it reaches 160 degrees.
Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serve with the pan drippings (or make gravy like we did).

Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

2 large cans sliced peaces (lite syrup), drained
1 smallish can crushed pineapple
1 cake mix (yellow or white)
Butter
Brown sugar

Line Dutch Oven with tin oil. Pour peaches and pineapple into dutch oven. Sprinkle cake mix on top. Cut squares of butter and dot on top of cake mix. Sprinkle some brown sugar over top.

Cook with 5-6 coals on bottom and cover top with coals. Rotate every 15 minutes.

Best Ever! Peanut Butter Bars

I love any excuse to make these... (I need an excuse b/c they make such a large pan we can't eat them all. Well, we shouldn't. Well, I shouldn't...)

3/4 cup margarine
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup oatmeal

Cream wet ingredients, then mix in dry ingredients. Spread into an 11 x 17 rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 375 or 12-15 minutes. While still hot, spread with about 1 cup peanut butter (I don't measure this). Frost when cool.

Frosting:
1/4 cup margarine
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Powdered sugar to desired consistancy

Slow-Simmered Curried Chicken

1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 med green pepper, chopped
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 cup medium salsa
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (or less powder)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (opt.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp curry powder
3/4 tsp salt

Place onions and green pepper in bottom of crockpot. Top with chicken. Combine salsa, ginger, garlic powder, and pepper flakes in a small bowl; spoon over the chicken. Cook on LOW 5-6 hours or high 2-3 until chicken is done. Shred chicken. Combine cilantro, sugar, curry powder, and salt and stir into crockpot. Cook on HIGH 15 minutes or until hot. Serve with rice.

Easter Ham

1 ham (I like the texture of bone-in the best)
1 can crushed pineapple
1 cup water
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 tsp cloves, opt.

Bake ham according to package instructions. Towards end of baking time, combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. When ham has about 30 minutes cooking time remaining, remove from oven. Discard most of the drippings and trim any fat/skin (if you didn't before cooking). Pour pineapple glaze over ham. Return to oven and finish baking, basting every 5 minutes or so (whatever you have patience for! The more times you do it, the prettier the ham). Serve with the sauce.

We love this ham!

(You could also start the basting process an hour before it's done, and baste less often)

Taco Seasoning

• 2 tablespoons mild chili powder
• 1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2-3 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt (or use 1/2 teaspoon white salt)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional or to taste)
• 1/2 to 1 T cornstarch

Mix and store in an airtight container.

Originally from Recipezaar #76616

Andrea's Enchilada Casser-Ole!

1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups salsa
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
2 T taco seasoning
1/4 tsp ground cumin
6 flour tortillas (8 inch)
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese

Brown beef and onion in large skillet; drain. Stir in salsa, beans, dressing, taco seasoning, and cumin. Place 3 tortillas in greased 2-qt baking dish. Layer with half of the meat mixture, sour cream, and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5-10 minutes or until heated through.

Garnish with chopped lettuce, tomato, and cilantro.

Chicken and Bean Flautas

(original recipe here)

1 cup shredded chicken
1 can black beans (I used my own frozen ones)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp onion powder
Salt to taste (I used at least 1/4 tsp)

Shredded cheddar cheese
8 10-inch flour or whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the chicken, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, onion powder and salt. Let this cook down for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and the chicken is heated through. Most of the water will evaporate and you will be left with a nicely coated saucy chicken. Remove from heat and set aside.

Sprinkle some cheese in a line down the middle of a tortilla. Spread some meat filling on top. Fold bottom and top down a little, then roll up from the side. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the tortillas and filling.

Brush the tops of the flautas with a bit of vegetable oil (or spray with a cooking spray), and place in the oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes, flip them over (I spread more oil on them) and bake another 8-12 minutes. Serve with salsa and sour cream to dip in (guacamole would be yummy, too).

Homemade Yogurt

4 cups milk
1/2 cup powdered milk (this is to thicken it, next time I may try a little less)
2 T honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt (live culture), room temperature


Mix milk, powdered milk, and honey in a saucepan and bring slowly to boiling just around the edges. Remove from heat. Place pan in cool water bath and monitor until it cools to 115 degrees. Whisk 1 cup milk mixture with the plain yogurt, then dump all of it into a crockpot insert and wrap it in towels (I use a crockpot for the extra insulation, you could leave it in the saucepan with a lid and just wrap it more). Let sit 3-8 hours.

Notes: I used my my 2-quart crockpot but I wouldn't use my 6 quart--in that case I would put a lid on the saucepan and use that. I like using my crockpot because I can heat it up on low to warm the milk back to 115 in case it cools too much when I add the yogurt. Then I turn off the crockpot and wrap in 2 or 3 thick towels. I wrapped just the crock part and set it in my oven for 4 hours. Basically, you just want it to stay warm (about 115 degrees) so the yogurt bacteria can grown. The longer you leave it, the thicker it gets but also the tangier it gets. I thought 4 hours was perfect.

The last time I made it, I didn't add the honey and I let it sit for 6 or 8 hours--and it was very, very tangy. This time it was not tangy at all--I loved what the honey did for it, and it was thick, creamy, and even silky. Yum!

Berry Delight Cobbler

• 1 stick of butter
• 1 & 3/4 cups of sugar, divided
  
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 bag (~2 cups) frozen berries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place butter in 9x13 pan in oven until butter melts. Meanwhile, mix 1 cup sugar, flour, and baking powder and stir in milk. Pour into pan with melted butter. Mix berries with 3/4 cup sugar. Spread evenly on top of batter. Bake for about an hour until golden.

Note: Original recipe (found here) said to mix batter in with butter, but we didn't notice and poured it on top and liked how it turned out kind of crispy. Also, to reduce baking time, you could cook the berries with the sugar on the stovetop first.

Better Baked Oatmeal

(from Recipezaar #117969)
I make this all the time for breakfast! I like that it's not soggy like many other baked oatmeal recipes, and the steel cut oats add to the nice texture. My favorite way to eat it is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!

2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/4 cup oat bran (I use half flax meal b/c I have it)
1/4 cup steel cut oats
2 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
2 cups milk
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup oil/melted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups fruit (diced apples are my favorite)

Mix all ingredients except fruit and pour in a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir oatmeal and fold in fruit. Bake uncovered another 20 minutes (you can stir once or twice in here if you want it more crispy--I do) until lightly browned.

Greek Chicken & Potatoes

2	boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in 3/4 inch cubes
2	cups potatoes, cubed
3	cloves garlic, minced
1	chicken bouillon cube, dissolved in
3/8	cup water
1/4	cup olive oil
1/4	cup fresh lemon juice
1	teaspoon dried oregano
	salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place and mix chicken, potatoes, and garlic in a 9 X 13 inch glass baking pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the chicken bouillon over chicken, potatoes, and garlic.

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice and crumbled oregano together. Pour evenly over chicken and potatoes.

Bake approximately 30-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender and golden brown, basting occasionally with pan juices.

Recipezaar

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

We got this delicious recipe from our RS cookbook. The cream adds such a yummy, rich flavor. Andy said it's the best syrup he's ever had!

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c cup whipping cream

Stir sugar, corn syrup, water, and cinnamon together. Stirring constantly, boil 2 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool for just a few minutes, then stir in cream.

(I used whipped cream I had frozen, so I just dumped 4 ice cubes in after boiling and stirred till they were melted)

To-Try

I'll be adding to this post as I find recipes I want to try.

Crockpot sloppy Joes
Goldfish crackers
Philly Cheesestake Sloppy Joes
Shortbread Slice Cookies
Honey Lemon Olive Oil Muffins
Breakfast Taquitos (freeze ahead of time)
Skillet Apple Cake
Lemon blueberry cream cheese muffins
Chicken Egg Rolls
Fried Rice
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Spicy Molasses Cookies
Hash Brown Quiche
Great Harvest Copy-Cat Scones
Blueberry Cream Cheese Scones
Blueberry Cobbler (Success--March 2 post)
Homemade Hamburger Buns in a Jiffy (made March 13--good)
Banana French Toast

Easy Chicken Curry (sounds like the one we make but w/o cream of chicken soup!)

Butternut Parmesan Pasta Sauce

Coriander Cookie Thins

I haven't tried these yet, since I don't have a mortar and pestle... and I haven't looked to see if you can buy ground coriander--I have such an abundance of the seed every time the cilantro goes to seed!

(Recipe from Wendy Olmstead)

2 c. Flour
1 c. Sugar
2 T Ground Coriander Seed
3/4 c. Butter
1 Egg
1 tsp vanilla

Mix first 3 ingredients in bowl. Add butter and cut in with pastry blender. Blend egg and vanilla and work into mixture with hands to form a smooth dough. Roll in 1/2" balls and put on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with moistened bottom of measuring cup dipped in white or colored sugar.

Bake at 400 degree F for 6 minutes. Makes 7-8 dozen.

Ugali

(Kenyan Beef Stew--“Ugali” actually refers to just the corn flour cake, but since this is the only thing we eat it with, we call the whole dish Ugali)

This is one of my favorite meals! Mmmmm

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium size onion, chopped
2 T oil
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
½ cabbage head, sliced
1-2 lbs beef cut into small 1cm x 1cm cubes
½ - 1 tsp salt (to taste)
1-2 beef boullion cubes

3 to 4 cups corn flour
6 to 8 cups water

Stew: Fry the onions and garlic in the oil for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a gentle boil for 3-5 minutes. Add beef and salt and cook until beef is done. Add cabbage and cook until done (about 7-10 minutes). You can add some water to help the cabbage cook if it's not super juicy (depends on your tomatoes and how many you use). 

Cake: Heat water to boiling in a saucepan. Slowly pour the corn flour into boiling water, stirring constantly to avoid forming lumps. Mash any lumps that do form. Add corn flour until it is thicker than mashed potatoes. Cook for three or four minutes; stirring constantly. Turn corn cake onto serving plate (same technique as with an upside down cake – flip the pot over onto plate). Cover and keep warm until serving.

Serve stew with corn flour cake and eat with your hands – as they do in Kenya!

Chicken Enchiladas

We LOVED this recipe! I didn't have any black beans, so I cheated and used refried beans (so skipped all the bean prep instructions). I also leftover Turkey I had frozen. I'm usually a fan of the sour cream based enchiladas, which Andy hates, so we were happy to find something we both loved.

(Original recipe here)

3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
Pinch or two of cayenne pepper
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 c. grated cheese
6-8 Tortillas

Topping:
1 can green enchilada sauce (or homemade tomatillo sauce)
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

Combine the chicken, garlic, onion, cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper in a skillet and saute with a bit of oil over medium heat until onions have started to tenderize. In a bowl, mash the rinsed beans together with 1 tbsp. olive oil until a thick paste is formed. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

In each tortilla, spread a thin layer of the black bean mixture into the middle; leaving a bit of room on top and bottom areas. Sprinkle with cheese and top with a spoonful of the chicken. Roll the tortilla up and place in a greased baking dish. Spoon all of the tomatillo sauce over the tops of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with roma tomato and cilantro. Bake, covered, at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Melissa's Molasses Cookies

½ c. Crisco shortening
1 c. Blue Bonnet margarine, softened to room temperature
1 c. White sugar
1 c. Packed brown sugar
½ c. Molasses
2 eggs
4 tsp. Baking Soda
4 ½ c. Flour
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 375°. Mix shortening, margarine, and sugars together. Add molasses and eggs and blend together. Add rest of the ingredients and mix until well blended.
Refrigerate dough until firm. Roll dough into 1” balls between palms and then roll and coat in white sugar. Place on cookie sheet 1 ½ to 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Bake shorter for more doughy/chewy cookies and longer for more crispy.

Pão de Queijo

“Pão de queijo” is typical Brazilian and it’s a delicious snack, which can be found at every bread store in Brazil.

1 cup water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 package tapioca starch (450 g)

3 eggs

200 grams grated parmesan cheese

Bring to boil in a big pan the water, the milk, the oil and the salt. Remove the pan from the heat and add the tapioca starch. Mix well with a wooden spoon and let it cool down.

P ut the mixture in a bowl, add the eggs and knead well. Add the grated cheese and keep kneading until the dough is smooth. Roll 1 tablespoon of mixture into small balls. Tip: Grease your hands with oil before making the balls. Wash your hands once in a while if necessary.

Place the balls on a baking tray greased with oil or lined with baking paper. Bake the cheese rolls in hot oven (350 degrees) for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes:

• This recipe makes about 70 small cheese rolls.
  

• Tapioca starch can be found in Asian grocery stores. It comes in a clear plastic bag, or a white paper bag, and the standard pack has either 400 or 450 grams.

• Brazilians usually knead the dough by hand, but it is easier to use a mixer to knead the dough.

• Formed “Pão de queijo” can be frozen and baked directly from the freezer. Place the cheese rolls on a tray lined with baking paper. Put the tray in the freezer. When the cheese rolls are frozen, put them in a plastic bag and put them back in the freezer. It works great to freeze "pão de queijo", but cooking time will be approximately double.

Feijoada

This is like the Brazilian version of spaghetti in that every cook has their own spin on it. Andy learned how to make this from a lady in one of his areas in Brazil. Feijoada was originally a slave food made from the leftover pieces of pig that the rich didn't want. This is the "light" version without pig ears, etc. :)

1 link mild Italian sausage (can use more)

1 lb pork (tenderloin, shoulder, etc), cubed

some slices of bacon

3-4 cans black beans or 2 cups dried beans

2 T vegetable oil

salt (or Tempero Completo if you have it!)

minced garlic (2-3 cloves), chopped onions (probably about 1 medium onion), bay leaves (2-3) (We don't measure these ingredients...)

Brazilian method (Pressure cooker):
 Heat oil in pressure cooker. Fry onions and garlic in oil, then add bacon, pork, and sausage until browned. Add dry beans, bay leaves, and salt. Add water to 1½ to 2 inches above the rest of the food. Bring to to pressure according to pressure cooker instructions and cook on low or medium low (the pressure cooker should just barely be steaming) for 50-60 minutes or until beans are soft. Serve over rice.


Brazilian Rice: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, fry some chopped onion and garlic in oil in a large pan with lid. Add rice and salt (to taste) and fry rice with garlic and onion until rice turns goldenish. Pour boiling water into pan with rice; cover and cook on low for 15-20 minutes or until rice is done.

Americanized (canned beans) method: (we've actually never made it this way, pressure cooker all the way baby! but go for it, it should work great!)

Add canned black beans to a medium sized pot with oil, salt, garlic, onions, and about 6 bay leaves. Cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat and set aside.

In a separate pan, cook cubes of pork and slices of bacon with salt and garlic. Add the sausage and stir over medium heat until all the water is gone.

Add the cooked meat to the pan with the black beans. Cook for 10 minutes or longer to let the flavors blend. Serve over white rice.

Granola

So I have been meaning to make granola for a long time. Well, I've made it before, but haven't been happy with the results. I liked how this had so much flour in it, so it would be nice and clumpy. I'm pretty happy with the result, but I would definitely add more sugar next time, either replacing some of the water with more syrup, or just adding in some brown sugar. I would also try using all whole wheat, as I'm not sure what the purpose of the white flour is...

Granola
(Original Recipe here)

4 c. whole oats
2 c. wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. wheat germ
1 tsp salt

1/2 c. oil
1 c. honey or maple syrup
1/2 c. applesauce or 1 c. water

Stir together dry ingredients. Add in liquids and mix well. Add nuts and spread onto two large rimmed sheet pans. Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours in a 250* oven stirring every 20 minutes. Since this granola is chunkier than the kind you get in the store I often break up the clumps while stirring to give a variety of sizes in the end. After it is finished baking add in your dried fruits and store in an airtight container. Recipe yields about 1 full gallon size ziplock bag (about 9-10 C).

Things to add:
seeds, nuts, dried fruit, 1T brewers yeast or nutritional yeast, coconut (sweetened or not) Add as much or as little as you want - it is about consistency, not exact measurements.