My favorite cornbread recipe comes from my husband's awesome mom.  I haven't had any other cornbread that can match it.

Cornbread

1/2 c. melted margarine
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
Mix all ingredients together and pour into a 9x9 baking pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Quick and Easy Sunday Meal

I got this recipe from my sister who got it from.... I don't know where. I made it after church today and it was super quick, easy, AND good (all wrapped into one!) It's not something that packs a punch of flavor but a little salt and pepper will perk it up if you need it. I personally liked it as is.

Quick and Easy Lemon Pepper Chicken and Linguine

3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
1 Tbsp lemon pepper 1 tomato,diced
½ c butter* 1 pkg. linguine noodles,
1 sm onion, chopped cooked

Melt butter in microwave and add lemon pepper. Stir-fry chicken until brown. Add butter and pepper mixture. Add onion and saute. Remove from heat. Add noodles and tomatoes. Toss and serve. (*May want to cut back - high fat!)

I served it with Italian Herb Ciabatta Bread. A friend here recommended a bottle of "Aceto Balsamico Di Modena" (Balsalmic Vinegar of Modena) and Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive oil for dipping the bread in. The vinegar is fantastic! We dip any bread in it with the oil and it is super. It's one of the few items we can get at the commisary here so I can't imagine them not having it in the states.

French Toast and Buttermilk Syrup

Now that our house is sold and we have moved to Germany, I can pay more attention to adding my recipes to this blog. In fact, I NEED to because our household goods (which include ALL my recipe books) will not arrive until possibly October. So, any recipes I get and like during this time, will be posted here so I can reference them later. Also, the great news is I am hoping to learn some great German recipes. So, keep looking back for those.

Firstly though, here is our favorite recipe to make on Sundays for dinner when we usually have invited another family over. Also, this recipe is describes so that you can help your kids make it. I have copied and pasted their exact recipe and added my preferences.

French Toast
Family Fun Magazine

The best French toast is made from the densest bread. Challah is our first choice, then brioche or sourdough. If all else fails, a premium sandwich bread can stand up to the task {We prefer my homemade wheat bread}. Serve with real maple syrup {or buttermilk syrup}.
Ingredients
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter or oil, for pan
8 slices dense bread
Instructions
Break the eggs, one by one, into a cup. (This will make it easy to take out bits of shell if they get into the cup.) Pour the eggs in a soup dish or pie plate, add the milk and vanilla extract, and scramble with a fork. Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.

Cut the slices of bread in half if you wish. Soak the bread in the egg mixture, turning once. They should be saturated but not falling apart.

Brown the bread in the skillet, turning once, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until brown. Serves 4.

Variations:
Maple French Toast
Brown both sides of the French toast, then sprinkle grated maple sugar candy on the top and turn. Cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the other side and turn once more.

Banana French Toast
Cut a pocket in the top crust of a 1 1/2-inch slice of Italian bread and stuff with a few banana slices. Dip in the egg mixture and cook as directed in step 3.

My mother-in-law gave me the following recipe that we absolutely love!

Buttermilk Recipe
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
In a large pan combine sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Boil until sugar dissolves (make sure to not boil too long or it will turn into carmel. Once it comes to a boil it doesn't take much longer to dissolve the sugar). Remove from heat and add soda and vanilla. Make this in a pan that is big enough for it to grow when adding the soda. Keep warm while serving so it remains frothy.

B A N A N A S... Go bananas!!

My favorite Banana Bread recipe comes out of "Nielsen Family Favorites" recipe book. It's all the favorite recipes from my hubbies side of the family. It really should be published for all to enjoy. So many of his Aunts, cousins, and so on, are amazing cooks and have gone to cooking classes. I feel like these recipes are the best of the best (well, there is the occasional "O-kay, not going to do that recipe again." But it doesn't happen too often).

So here is the recipe that was put in by Jake's cousin, Michelle.

Banana Bread

1 C. Sugar
4 T. Butter
1 Egg
1 C. Mashed bananas (4-5 thoroughly ripe bananas)
1 1/2 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
Cream butter, sugar, and egg. Beat in the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Bake in a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes at 350°. (I bake mine at 325° for around 70min. so the outside doesn't get too done before the inside is cooked.)

On the Menu

One of my favorite dinner's is spaghetti and bread sticks. Here is my favorite spaghetti sauce from scratch... first though, have you ever wondered where the phrase "from scratch" came from? Well, I did and just looked it up. Click here to read about it's origins. You learn something new everyday!!

Now, on to the recipes...

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
From the kitchen of Vikki Barnett (I actually don't know this lady personally but she is a friend of my mom-in-law and came to my wedding shower. Everyone brought a recipe and an ingredient. This is the recipe she brought. Thank you Vikki!)

1 lb. ground beef
1 yellow onion diced
1 tsp. salt
1-2 cloves of garlic

Brown and drain above items. Then add:
3 small cans tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1 tsp. oregano leaves
1 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. hot pepper flakes
1 tsp. parsley
1 cup of water (I hold off the water unless I really need it. I like thicker sauce.)

Simmer ingredients, covered, for 1-2 hours (or as long as you can. The spices just need to meld together and season the sauce. I sometimes only have time to simmer it for 1/2 an hour. If you can do 1-2 hours, do it.) Serve over spaghetti and "oh what a night, what a beautiful night,..." (sung as you share a noodle with your dog... I mean loved one....got the movie?)

*I have made this sauce without meat in it as well. It's still good, but the beef gives it a little extra somethin'.

Breadsticks
From chef: Tori Howell (who got it from her mother, who received it from.....)

1 tbsp. yeast (I use SAF instant yeast because all you have to do is just add it. There's no waiting)
1 1/2 c. warm water
3 c. flour (only add enough flour for the dough to be soft but still a little sticky)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
melted butter
garlic salt
Parmesan cheese
Dissolve yeast in water (you don't have to wait for it to dissolve). Add to dry ingredients and knead well (if you have a Bosch mixer, you just run it on the fastest level for 8-10 minutes). Let rise for 20-30 minutes (if you have time and want fluffier bread sticks. Lately, I haven't had time and actually prefer a denser bread stick for lapping up all that fabulous sauce!) Pour melted butter on a cookie sheet (I use about 3-4 tablespoons but you'll have to see what you like) and roll dough on top of it. When I roll it, butter gets on top of the dough too. You do want butter on top as well so your garlic salt will stick AND because we can all use a little more delicious fat in our lives! Cut the dough into strips and cross ways down the middle. Sprinkle with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese. Let it rise to desired height and bake at 350 for 20 min. (I check mine after 15 because of the humidity).

No rinsing your plates tonight! That's the bread sticks job.