Cinamon Bread

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Topping:
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp butter (yes, tsp not Tbsp)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x5 loaf pan.
Mix together dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until mixed. Pour half into pan.
Prepare topping. Put half topping in pan and swirl with knife. Add rest of the batter and then topping and swirl with knife again.
Bake for about 50 minutes.

This turned out really good, but I think I will bake it for a little less time next time. The crust turned out really hard. I think our oven bakes faster than I am used to, many things need less time than the recipe says.

Prok Chop Rice Bake

4 pork chops (I used 2 since we don't need 4)
2 1/4 c chicken broth
1/2 c onion
1 c rice
1 tsp salt

Brown chops well. Remove from skillet. Add broth, onion, and salt to skillet. Heat to boiling. Stir in rice. Turn into baking dish. Top with chops and cover. Bake for 1 hour at 350.

The pork chops are okay, I think they need more seasoning. Ian ate a lot of it though. He kept asking for more "chicken." All meat is chicken to him, except hot dogs. The rice is really good though.

Cream Cheese Brownies

Rex made this on Sunday, and they are great!

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 Tbsp butter
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1- 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Line a 13x9 baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Grease foil; set pan aside. In a large heavy saucepan cook and stir the chocolate and butter over low heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat, cool.
In a large mixing bowl, beat 2 eggs with mixer until foamy. Add the 1 1/4 cups sugar, water, and 1 tsp vanilla; beat about 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and lemon colored. Beat in cooled chocolate mixture. Stir in the 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt. Spread half the batter in prepared baking pan; set pan and remaining batter aside.
In a medium mixing bowl beat the remaining 2 eggs, the remaining 1 tsp vanilla, cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, and lemon juice with mixture until smooth. Spread evenly over batter in pan. Spoon remaining batter evenly over cream cheese mixture. Swirl batter with knife to marble. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Frost with chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze:
In a small saucepan cook and stir 1/3 cup whipping cream and 6 oz finely chopped semisweet chocolate (Rex used milk chocolate chips) over low heat until chocolate melts.

Granola

This morning Ian was eating yogurt, and I suddenly thought that granola would go great with it. So I wanted to make granola. I love this recipe. Rex hates it because he hates coconut, so he won't eat it and it is all for me (and a little for Ian).

3 1/2 to 5 cups oats
1 1/2 cups coconut
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix together. Spread in a cookie sheet. Bake at 200 for 30 minutes.

You can add 1/2 cup of nuts if you want, but I don't like nuts, so I leave it out.

Fried Rice

Make 3 cups rice. Heat 3 Tbsp oil. Stir in rice. Add copped green onions, vegetable (I usually use corn), and ham (I use lunch meat, cut up). Make a hole in the middle. Scramble 2 eggs until semi-cooked. Stir rice into eggs. Stir in 1/2 cup chicken broth and 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Fry 1 to 2 minutes.

This is a great and moist fried rice. When we were first married and I made this, I didn't read all the directions and didn't add the chicken broth. Then I had it at my parents' and asked my mom why it was different. She started listing the ingredients and when she got to chicken broth, I was surprised. I went back and looked at the recipe and there it was, chicken broth! It is much better with chicken broth.

Cream Tuna on Toast

This is fast, yummy meal/treat. We used to make this when my dad was gone on business trips growing up, I guess he doesn't like it (he doesn't like lasagna either).

4 Tbsp butter (melted)
4 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk

Stir together in saucepan over medium heat until almost boils and add a can of tuna. Serve over toast.

With just the three of us, I halve the recipe and it still works out great.