Weekend Meals

It's Friday, which means the end of the work week and the beginning of the weekend. Here's offerings for good weekend meals. Enjoy!

BROWN SUGAR & ALMOND COFFEECAKE

This is from Macrina Bakery in Seattle, Washington. If I ever get around to doing a road trip, this is one place I wouldn't mind checking out. The bakery has an emailing list; this is from that list. The email started with, "This coffeecake is a stand-out favorite among our brunch customers. I like to use fresh berries whenever possible, but frozen fruit will also work well in this recipe."

Makes 1 (9-inch square) cake

4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

2-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

10 ounces (2-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1-3/4 cups light brown sugar

5 eggs

1/2 cup whole milk

2 tsp pure almond extract

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1 cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325° F. Oil a 9" square pan

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Toss with your hands and set aside. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 5 to 8 minutes to cream the butter. The mixture should be smooth and pale in color.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, and almond and vanilla extracts. Mix with a whisk. Add a small amount of egg mixture to the bowl of creamed butter and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated. Continue adding small amounts until all of the egg mixture is mixed into the butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix for another 30 seconds.

Remove the bowl from your stand mixer. Alternately add small amounts of the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the bowl, mixing with a wooden spoon just until all the ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the raspberries taking care not to smash the fruit. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle chopped almonds over the top.

Bake on center rack of oven for about 1 hour, or until glolden brown. Test center of cake with a skewer. It will come out clean when the cake is finished. Let cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack, then dust with powdered sugar and cut into pieces. This coffeecake will be fragile until it has completely cooled, so remove the warm pieces carefully, using a pie server to lift the pieces out of the pan.

STATE FAIR CORN DOGS

Not sure where this recipe came from, except that it was in an email from the past.

1 C. flour

3/4 C. yellow cornmeal

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. salt

1 C. milk

1 egg

2 tbsp. shortening

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Add milk and slightlybeaten egg. Mix quickly until nearly smooth. Pour batter into a tall glass for dunking hot dogs. Fry in hot deep fat until golden brown.

PASTA ROMA SOUP

From another long-ago emailing list; again, not sure where it's from, except that the recipe says, "Mimics Olive Garden's soup."

Cook Time: 25 minutes; Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked miniature pasta bow ties

2 cans (approx. 15 ounces each) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

6 slices bacon, cooked, drained, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 cup julienne-cut carrots

1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes, diced

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground rosemary

2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley

Preparation:

Cook bow tie pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Add garbanzo beans to food processor and pulse until beans are well mashed. Scrape down sides of work bowl occasionally. Set aside. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot. Add carrots, onions, celery and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add remaining ingredients except pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Keep warm. Add pasta to finished soup, heat through, and serve immediately.

SLOW-COOK VEGGIE CHILI

From http://www.mydailymoment.com/

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

4 onions, chopped

2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) package firm tofu, drained and cubed

4 (15.5 oz.) cans black beans, drained

2 (15 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. ground cumin

6 tbsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. dried oregano

2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

1 tbsp. liquid hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they start to become soft. Add the green peppers, red peppers, garlic and tofu; cook and stir until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, the whole process should take about 10 minutes.

Pour the black beans into the slow cooker and set to Low. Stir in the sauted vegetables and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, vinegar and hot pepper sauce; Stir gently and cover. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

Additional Tips: Ready in 6 hours 10 min

CREAMY IRISH POTATO SOUP

This recipe comes from Campbell's Kitchen; to view this recipe online, click here. The recipe starts off, "This rich and creamy potato soup is subtly flavored with celery and green onions. It's the kind of soup you'll want to savor slowly...even though it's ready in just 35 minutes."

Prep. time: 15 minutes; Cooking time: 25 minutes; Serves: 5 servings (1 1/4 cups each)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

4 medium green onion, sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 stalk celery, sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth, (Regular, Natural Goodness® or Certified Organic)

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 medium potato, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 3 cups)

1 1/2 cups milk

Directions

Heat the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook until they're tender.

Stir the broth, black pepper and potatoes in the saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Place half of the broth mixture and half of the milk in a blender or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth. Repeat with the remaining broth mixture and remaining milk. Return to the saucepan and heat through.

BEST MAC AND CHEESE

From My Daily Moment. Makes 6 servings; ready in 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups skim milk

1 1/2 cup (6 oz.) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. low-sodium Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. hot sauce

4 cups hot cooked medium elbow macaroni

Directions

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; add flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add cheeses and next 4 ingredients, stirring until cheeses melt. Combine cheese sauce and macaroni in a bowl; stir well. Serve immediately.