Chunky Style Applesauce

Better than any store bought applesauce.  It's also great as a dessert, warm with vanilla ice cream.  Definitely worth being doubled.

Ingredients
8 large apples (granny smith), peeled, coed and cut into thick slices and chunks
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

1. Combine apples, water and sugar in a saucepan. 
2. Bring to boil, then simmer 40 minutes or until apple as are part sauce and part whole.  Do not overcook.  It should be thick.
3. Turn off heat, and add spices as indicated or to taste.  Freezes well.

Machaca

Another of dad's recipes.  I first learned of Machaca when we would go on to Rosarito, Mexico for thanksgiving.  Half way between Rosarito and Ensenada, there was a restaurant that we called "The Half-way house".  I don't know if that's the real name of the restaurant, or if we just called it that because of it's location, but my dad and I would go there at least once during each Mexico trip.  My dad made this the last time he came up to visit me and I had leftovers for an entire week.  But it's so good that you never get tired of eating it.

Ingredients
2 pounds Flank Steak or Lean Beef Brisket
1/4 cup Canola or vegetable oil.
2 large bell peppers, green and red
2 medium size Spanish/yellow onions
3 Roma tomatoes
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Flour tortillas

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 300*.
2. Place Steak in roasting pan and cook in oven for approx. 2 hours, or until steak is cooked well done like a pot roast
3. Remove steak from oven, let cool, then hand shred beef and set aside (can be prepared the day before and stored in the refrigerator)
4. Remove core and seeds from bell peppers and cut into 1/4 inch strips
5. Cut onions into 1/4 inch strips.
6. Coarsely chop tomatoes.  
7. Scramble eggs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; set aside.
8. Add the shredded beef and mix well with the peppers and onions over low heat, until meat is thoroughly heated.
9. Add eggs and tomatoes; mix well.
10. Cook all ingredients together over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the eggs are fully cooked.
11. Serve with flour tortillas, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, pinto beans, or Spanish rice (recipe in another blog post)
12. In a large non-stick skillet or frying pan, saute the peppers and onions in oil until tender but firm 

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread

Way better than banana bread, zucchini bread, etc.  Whenever I make this, I definitely devour at least half of the loaf on my own.  On a sunny spring morning in Squaw in May 2010, we sliced up this bread, warmed it, put butter and sliced strawberries on top, and drank with mimosa's.  Perfect breakfast for a warm day.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon orange peel, grated
3/4 cup orange juice
1 egg
1 cup cranberries, chopped
1/2 walnuts, chopped

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350*.  Grease bottom of 9x5x3 loaf pan.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking odder, salt, baking soda
3. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly
4. Stir in orange peel, orange juice and egg until flour is moistened
5. Stir in cranberries and walnuts
6. Pour into loaf pan.  Bake 55-65 minutes
7. Loosen sides, remove from pan, cool on wire rack.

Nutrition Facts

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread (4 servings)

Amount per serving

Amount Per Serving
Calories 543.5		Cals from Fat 128
Total Fat		14.24 g
	Saturated Fat	2.88 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	7.9 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	2.52 g
	Trans Fat	0 g
Cholesterol		58.6 mg
Sodium		811.99 mg
	Potassium	294.24 g
Total Carbohydrate		95.97 g
	Dietary Fiber	3.87 g
	Sugars	43.25 g
Protein		10.38 g

Baked French Toast

This breakfast recipe is one of our family favorites.

French Toast Directions
Ingredients:
1 loaf Texas Toast
1 dozen eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
Maple syrup (if desired)

Preparation:

1. Cut Texas Toast into cubes and put in a greased 9x13 baking dish. 
2. Beat together eggs, milk and Maple syrup; then pour over cubed Texas Toast. 
3. Cover with Saran Wrap and put in refrigerator overnight. 
4. The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove Saran Wrap and bake in oven for 1 hour. During the last 5 minutes of baking prepare White Syrup.

White Syrup Directions


Ingredients
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Preparation:

1. In a saucepan on the stove, heat whipping cream, butter and sugar to boiling; then turn down to medium heat. 
2. Cook and stir for 5 minutes (syrup should start to thicken). 
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serve warm over French Toast.

Chorizo and Eggs

If you live in the bay area, try to get the Chorizo from Maria's Mexican Tacos.  It's a restaurant in Auburn, across from Ikeda's, that sells amazingly fresh chorizo and carne asada.  This is a dad specialty, which means it makes a TON.  Make sure you have a big group or hungry people.

Ingredients
12 oz. chorizo
1 small red onion, finely diced
3 medium sized red potatoes (unpeeled), washed and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Flour tortillas

Preparation

1. Whisk eggs in a bowl and set aside in refrigerator.
2. In a large non-stick skillet or frying pan cook the chorizo over medium heat until done, stirring frequently.
3. Add onion and saute with the chorizo for abour 2 minutes
4. Add oil and potatoes to the chorizo and cook until potatoes are tender, stirring and turning frequently.
5. Add eggs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
6. Sreamble-fry all together until eggs are thoroughly cooked.
7. Serve warm with flour (or corn) tortillas.