Zucchini Cake

  
Printable Recipe


I found this recipe on the old Taste of Home message boards. I've actually had it for years, but I just now made it. Using butter rather than oil, gives the cake very nice flavor.


1 (18  1/2 oz) pkg yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup water
1  1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups shrd zucchini

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13" pan.

Combine cake mix, eggs butter, water, cinnamon and vanilla  in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat on low speed for 4 minutes. Stir in the shrd zucchini and pour into prepared pan. Bake 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and frost. Store the cake in the refrigerator.


Cream Cheese Frosting
2 (3-oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
5 tbsp butter, softened
3 cups pwd sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Beat in the pwd sugar and vanilla.

French Bread Pizza

Printable Recipe

This comes from a Cook's Country magazine. Do not use baguette bread.

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp finely chpd fresh basil leaves
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 (24") loaf French bread, halved lengthwise and if desired, cut crosswise into 8 even pieces
(You can also use Hoagie buns, to make individual pizzas - split them lengthwise as directed above.)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425°. Microwave the olive oil, garlic, 2 tbsp of the basil and pepper flakes on high power, in a small microwave-safe bowl until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.

Brush half of oil mixture over crust and edges of bread and arrange cut-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over bread and bake 425° until cheese begins to brown, about 3 minutes.

Whisk pizza sauce, remaining basil, and remaining oil mixture in a bowl*. Spread sauce evenly over bread, then top with Mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, 5-7 minutes longer.

Notes:

The recipe doesn't call for any other toppings, but you could certainly add meat or vegetable toppings along with the Mozzarella.

*I made this with this homemade pizza sauce found here. Since the sauce already had olive oil in it, I did not add the remaining olive oil mixture to it. I actually brushed most of the olive oil mixture on the bread itself.

Pizza Sauce

 
Printable Recipe

3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
1 (29-oz) can tomato puree
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp brown sugar (next time, I would probably just use granulated)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

In large saucepan, saute the garlic in the hot oil until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce temperature and simmer, covered for 45 minutes.

Resist the urge to doctor this up before it has finished simmering, as the longer cooking will bring all the flavors together. So if you feel it needs any doctoring, do so afterwards.

Peanut Butter Fingers

Printable Recipe

It's funny how some recipes get their names. This is one of those long-time, favorite family recipes. They are so very good!

Bars
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup oatmeal

12-oz pkg milk chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Frosting (recipe follows)

Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg, peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well. Add the flour, soda and salt. Beat just until combined. Add the oatmeal and mix well. Spread into a greased 9 x 13" pan. Bake 350 degrees, for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until set and browned.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with the chocolate chips and let sit for a few minutes until chocolate is melted. Spread evenly. Cool completely, and frost.

Peanut Butter Frosting
1 cup pwd sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
4-8 tbsp milk

Combine ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Printable Recipe

This cake is delicious and remains very moist for several days. It is not overly sweet.


Adapted from FoodNetwork.com the original recipe can be found here

For the Streusel:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp brown sugar

1 rounded tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg (I really like nutmeg-even though this is much more than what is originally called for, I don't think it overpowers it, but you can add it to your taste)

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp butter, melted

1 1/3 cups flour

For the Cake:

6 tbsp (3/4 of a stick) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (I usually use a scant 1/2 tsp lemon extract)

2/3 cup sour cream

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking pwd

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt*

1 - 1  1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen ... if using frozen, see my note at the end)

pwd sugar for sprinkling on the baked cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" baking pan.

For the Streusel:

Combine the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the Cake:

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest and sour cream. In a seperate bowl, combine the flour, baking pwd, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Crumble the Streusel evenly over the batter. (At this point, I sprinkle on even a little more additional nutmeg.) Bake 350 for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and sprinkle with pwd sugar. (With my oven, I usually have to bake for around 51 minutes.)

NOTES:

*Kosher salt is not the same as table salt. If you use table salt, reduce it by half.

I have always used frozen blueberries. If you do the same, do not thaw them out first. Add a little bit of the flour mixture, or a little sugar to the blueberries before adding it to the batter. This will help the blueberries not to sink to the bottom of the pan while baking.

Sloppy Joes

Printable Recipe


These are great! Adapted from All Recipes


1 1/2 lbs hamburger
chpd onion  (I use just a small amount)
chpd green pepper  (I use maybe half of a green pepper)
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1 cup water
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp chili pwd
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup ketchup, or to taste

Brown the hamburger and onion, drain. Add the remaining ingredients, except the ketchup. Bring to a boil and add the ketchup to taste. This will cut down on the bbq flavor, which some like, but my family just prefers our sloppy joes a little sweeter. Simmer, covered, for about 10 - 15 minutes. You can add a little more water, if needed. Serve on hamburger buns.

Southwestern Marinara

Printable Recipe


This recipe came from my sister, and it is one of my family's favorite meals.

2 tsp olive oil, more if needed (I always use more - I just eyeball it, according to how much onion I'm using)
1 small onion, chpd
minced garlic, to taste
2 (14-oz) cans tomatoes, undrained and tomatoes cut up
2 tsp sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 -4 large leaves of fresh basil, more if desired - cut up
8 stems of fresh cilantro, more if desired (just the leaves, not the stems)  - cut up

1-lb box pasta of choice, cooked according to package directions
Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling on top


In a large skillet that has a lid, saute the onions and garlic in hot oil, until onions are tender-crisp. Do not overbrown the garlic.

Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 - 40 minutes. You can remove the lid for the last 10 minutes of cooking, to thicken the sauce, if you desire. Meanwhile, prepare pasta of choice.

Cut up the basil leaves by rolling them up tightly, and cutting them into thin strips with either a sharp knife, or a pizza cutter. I then crisscross the pizza cutter, to cut the strips short. To cut up the cilantro leaves, just run a sharp knife or pizza cutter through them, until the are cut up fine. Add the herbs to the sauce the last few minutes of cooking. If you leave them in longer, they can taste a little bitter if cooked too long.

Dish hot pasta in bowl, and cover with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.


Notes:

You can serve this with any sort of pasta, cheese tortellini, or even ravioli. I usually use either bow tie pasta, or rigatoni. I would really like to try ravioli sometime, though. Serve with a nice crusty bread and a green salad.

You can make this as spicy as you like, by adding as much, or as little pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake ~ and ~ Blueberry Monkey Bread

A recipe that after I had gotten started, I thought would turn out wrong; but turned out delicious after all. Plus, and unplanned recipe. 

I found a recipe in the current Pillsbury Spring Brunch magazine for Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake that I really wanted to try. So I got the ingredients together, and realized I had the wrong type of biscuits, and they were too large of cans from what was called for. Plus, I didn't want to follow the recipe exactly. The original recipe calls for raisins (which my kids do no like), and nuts (which I do not like). After putting both pans of Monkey Bread into the oven, I decided I wanted to toss in a few blueberries into the Lemon Monkey Bread, so I quickly added a few into one end of the pan. As they baked, they melted into the biscuits, and were so good! So next time, I'll probably add them to the whole pan.

Printable Recipe

Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake adapted from Pillsbury

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp grated lemon peel
6 tbsp butter, melted
2 cans (16.3-oz) Grands Homestyle Original Refrigerated Biscuits

Spray a 9x13" pan with Pam and line with parchment paper.

Cut each biscuit in quarters (I actually cut them in 6 pieces each.). Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and lemon peel. Dip each biscuit piece in the butter, then roll in the sugar and place in a single layer in the prepared pan.

If desired, toss sprinkle with fresh or frozen blueberries. (I used frozen that I did not thaw out first.) Bake 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. I decided that that these needed a glaze after cooling a little while, so I just made one from pwd sugar and a little milk.

The Verdict: Normally, with Monkey Bread, you roll the biscuit pieces in the sugar first, put them in the pan, then drizzle the butter on top. I found that mixing the butter and sugar together made a sort of "paste" that I found a little difficult to work with. I had to warm the butter up in the microwave before rolling the biscuits in it, so this is where I thought these would not work out. However, I did my best, but ran out of the sugar mixture before I could use up the entire second can of biscuits. I didn't want to just bake them as plain biscuits, and I didn't want to throw them away, either.

The part that turned into an experiment:

Since I had leftover biscuits that I didn't want to go to waste, and I'd been wanting to make this Blueberry Coffee Cake that I found on the Lick the Bowl Good blog,  I decided I would use up the biscuits I couldn't fit into the pan from the Pull-Apart Lemon Coffee Cake. However, I made it a little differently than Monica's recipe.

First, I just sort of guessed at the amounts, because I wasn't sure if I had the equivalent of a 12-oz can of biscuits. But it still worked out just fine.

Blueberry Monkey Bread adapted from Lick The Bowl Good (original recipe can be found here)

Printable Recipe

1 (12-oz) can Grand's Biscuits
1/2 cup butter, melted
6 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 - 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Cut the biscuits in quarters, or sixths. Roll in the melted butter, and toss in the sugar mixture.Place in a greased 9" or 10" pie pan. Roll the blueberries in the sugar mixture and sprinkle with them over the biscuits. Drizzle any remaining butter over the top of the biscuits and blueberries. Bake 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. If desired, drizzle with a glaze made from pwd sugar and milk.

The Verdict: Since I didn't know if what I had was the equivalent of a 12-oz can of biscuits, I had to guess on the amounts of butter and the sugars. I added a little granulated sugar to the brown sugar, to lighten it up, since it was clumping up. In the end since I guessed on the amount of butter to use, I found they were a little too buttery, so you could use a little less. Nonetheless, they still turned out very tasty and my family gobbled them right up. Also, since I had drizzled a glaze over the lemon monkey bread, I had to do the same to these. Mmmm-Mmmm.

Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

Printable Recipe

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

1  1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking pwd
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp table salt
1  1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks the size of  chocolate chips (about 3/4 cup)*
1  1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) butter, softened, but still cool
1  1/2 cups brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking pwd, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, stir together the oats and the chocolate.

Cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until no sugar lumps remain, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and continue beating on medium-low speed for another 30 seconds. Stir in the flour mixture, then incorporate the oats and chocolate into the creamed mixture.

Roll dough into balls, about 1 - 1  1/2 ", and slightly flatten to about an inch thick. Place 6 - 8 balls of dough on cookie sheet and bake at 35- degrees for 7 minutes, then rotate pan and bake for another 4 - 5 minutes, or until golden. Do not overbake. Total length of baking depends on the size of the ball of dough. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then remove cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

*Use a thin bar of bittersweet chocolate. If it is too thick, you will have difficulty chopping it.

Mississippi Mud Bars

Printable Recipe

Boy, are these ever good!

Adapted from A Passion For Baking

Bars
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1  1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa pwd, measured and then sifted
3/4 tsp baking pwd
pinch baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 (7-oz) jar marshmallow creme

Mississippi Mud Icing
3 cups pwd sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa pwd, measured and then sifted
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray an 11 x 7" pan with non-stick cooking spray and then place the baking pan on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Cream the sugar and butter until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. When you add the last egg, add the vanilla as well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa pwd, baking pwd, baking soda and salt. Blend well. Stir into the creamed mixture, just until blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and blend briefly. Spoon into the prepared pan.

Bake on the baking sheet at 350 degrees until firm to the touch, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the marshmallow creme over the hot bars and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 3 hours.

For the Icing
Cream all of the ingredients together until stiff and glossy. Using an off-set spatula, spread the icing on the chilled, uncut bars. You may need to dip the spatula in hot water, to spread the icing evenly. Chill briefly so the icing can set up. Cut into bars.

Butterscotch Cashew Bars

 
Printable Recipe 

This recipe comes from the cookbook "The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread"

Crust
2  2/3 cups flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1  1/4 cups cold butter
1 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar

Topping
1  2/3 cups butterscotch chips
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp light corn syrup
3  1/2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cups cashews, roasted and salted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12x17" sheet pan lightly with softened butter and line it with aluminum foil, pressing the foil up the sides of the pan and into the corners. Grease the foil with softened butter.


To make the crust: In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Dice the cold butter into 1-inch pieces and place half into the food processor with the flour. Pulse for a few minutes. Add half of the brown sugar and pulse again, then add the remaining butter and brown sugar and process for 20-30 seconds until a coarse meal is formed and the dough is just beginning to gather into a ball.

If you don't have a food processor, follow the same procedure but cut the butter into the flour, alternating with the brown sugar, using a pastry blender to form a coarse meal. The dough will be a little crumbly but will almost form a ball.

Spread the crust evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Pat it gently and evenly into the pan all the way to the corners. Be careful not to pack it down too much or the crust will be tough. Bake it 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, then prick the dough lightly with a fork all over, and return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes. The crust should be slightly browned and soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool for several minutes. Do not turn off the oven.


To Make the Topping: In a medium saucepan, add the butterscotch chips, corn syrup, butter, water, and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the chips have melted completely and the topping has just begun to simmer, about 5 minutes.

Stir the cashew pieces into the hot topping and spread it evenly over the baked crust. Try to spread it out to the corners if possible, but the topping will spread into any bare spots during baking. Bake again for 11-15 minutes, or until the surface is brown and very bubbly
.
 Allow the bars to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting them.

Overnight French Toast

Printable Recipe

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp corn syrup
1 loaf French Bread
5 eggs
1  1/4 cups whole milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together the brown sugar and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the corn syrup. Pour mixture into a greased 9xs13" pan. Slice bread in 3/4-inch slices and nestle into the syrup. Beat together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover and chill overnight. bake uncovered, 350 degrees, for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Baker's Chocolate Cake with Fudge Icing

Printable Recipe

From Baker's Chocolate

2 tsp butter, melted, divided
1  3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg (8 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1  1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with 1 tsp of the melted butter. Cover the bottom of each pan with with waxed paper or parchment paper; and brush evenly with the remaining melted butter. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt: set aside. Place the chocolate and the cut-up butter in a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave on High for 2 minutes or until the butter is melted. Stir until the chocolate is melted; set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and eggs on high speed for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened and pale in color. Add the chocolate mixture: beat until well blended, about 15 seconds. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating on low speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the buttermilk and vanilla; beat on low speed for 15 seconds, then on medium speed an additional 15 seconds. If batter is not completely blended at this point, mix by hand with a rubber spatula until mixture is well blended. Pour the batter evenly into prepared pans; spread with spatula, if necessary, to evenly cover the bottom of each pan.

Bake on the middle rack, 325 degrees, for 30-34 minute s or until toothpick inserted in the centers comes out with fudgy crumbs. Do not overbake. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks; peel away and discard the paper. Cool completely. Fill and frost with the Fudge Icing. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Fudge Icing
2 cups dark brown sugar
1  1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup half-and-half
1 pkg (8 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, coarsely chpd
6 tbsp butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Place all ingredients except butter in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wire whisk to dissolve the sugar and melt the chocolate. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 25 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat. Add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring after each addition until it is completely  melted before adding the next piece. Pour the fudge mixture into a 15x10x1-inch pan and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 1 hour. (If refrigerating for more than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before beating as directed in the next step.)

Place chilled fudge mixture in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed 1 minute; scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Continue beating 30 seconds or until light and fluffy. Immediately frost the cake.

Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Printable Recipe

Store these cookies in an airtight container along with a slice of bread to keep them soft and chewy.

1  1/3 cups butter
1  1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3  3/4 cups flour
1  1/4 tsp table salt
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz pkg semisweet chocolate chips

Cream the butter ans sugars starting on low speed, gradually working your way up to high speed, until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on low speed until blended. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

In another bowl, combine the flour, salt and soda and add to the creamed mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until just blended. The dough will be stiff. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 350 degrees, for 8 - 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for 3 - 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

Oatmeal 'Scotch Bars with Butterscotch Glaze

Printable Recipe

From a Cook's Country magazine.

1  1/4 cups flour
2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Glaze
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp water
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup butterscotch chips

Line a 9x13" pan with foil, leaving overhang on all sides. Mix flour, soda, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until nutty brown in color, about 12 minutes. Pour hot butter over butterscotch chips in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the brown sugar until dissolved, then whisk in vanilla and egg until combined. Stir in the flour mixture in two additions until combined. Spread mixture in prepared pan and bake 350 degrees for 17 - 19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Place pan on a wire rack.

For the glaze, bring brown sugar, water and salt to a simmer in small saucepan. Pour hot sugar mixture over the butterscotch chips in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Drizzle over the warm bars and cool on wire rack until warm to touch, about 1  1/2 hours. Using the overhang, lift bars from pan and cool completely on wire rack, about another 30 minutes. Cut into bars and serve. Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Soft Steak Tacos

Printable Recipe

Adapted from a recipe in a Cook's Country magazine.

1 flank steak (about 1  1/2 pounds), thinly sliced*
1 tbsp chili pwd
1  1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp salt
4 scallions, green parts cut into one-inch lengths, white parts cut in half lengthwise
1-2 jalapenos, minced
4 tsp vegetable oil, divided
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
12 (8-inch) flour tortillas, warmed

Place steak in a large bowl and sprinkle evenly with chili pwd, cumin, coriander and salt. Add scallions and jalapenos and toss to combine. (Steak mixture can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours.)

Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large skillet until just smoking. Add half of the steak mixture and cook, turning slices once, until just browned, about 1 minute per side. Remove and set aside. Repeat with remaining steak mixture in the remaining 2 tsp oil. Put browned meat into a bowl.

Off heat, add tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, and lime juice to skillet, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Meanwhile, use a slotted to transfer browned steak mixture to a wooden cutting board, leaving the juices in the bowl. Chop the meat into rough 1-inch pieces.

Add the reserved juices to the skillet and cook until reduced by half, 6-10 minutes over medium heat. Return steak to skillet and cook until meat is glazed and just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Divide among warmed tortillas** and serve with shredded lettuce, minced jalapenos, and hot sauce or salsa.

*To slice the flank steak, first cut it in half lengthwise. Then working with one half at a time, slice the steak on the bias into 1/4-inch pieces. To make the slicing easier, place the steak in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up.

**Warm up the tortillas by wrapping a stack of them in foil and heating in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. If you keep them wrapped in the foil after removing them from the oven, they will stay hot for 30 minutes.

BBQ Sauce

Printable Recipe

This recipe comes from a Cook's Country magazine. I haven't tried it yet, but it does look good, doesn't it?

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup root beer
1 cup apple-cider vinegar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp brown mustard
1 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp garlic pwd
1/4 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining ingredients, except for liquid smoke, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is thick and has reduced to 4 cups, about 1 hour. Stir in liquid smoke, if using. (Sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.)