Apple Streusel Bread

This bread is absolutely fantastic.  It has just the right amount of apple and the perfect combination of flavors.  We love it.  I love to make bread into mini loaves so I can give some away so I don't eat it all because trust me, I can and will do it.  Be sure if you make smaller loaves to decrease the baking time. 

Apple Bread:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 granny smith apple, peeled and diced

Streusel Topping:
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. To prepare topping, combine flour, granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside.
3. To prepare bread, combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
4. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat in eggs, lemon juice and vanilla.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until moistened. Add apples and stir gently to combine.
6. Spoon half of the batter into a buttered 9-by-5 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with half of the topping. Spoon remaining batter into the pan and sprinkle with remaining topping. Finish by sprinkling evenly with brown sugar.
7. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the pan and set on a rack to cool. Makes 10 servings.

Recipe Source:  The Costco Cookbook

P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe

So I can't say that I have actually eaten this beef at P.F. Chang's, but regardless, this recipe was really good.  Plus, it's so quick and easy to make.  My whole family enjoyed it.  The sauce didn't thicken up for me as much as I would have liked, but the end result was still delicious.  We will definitely be making this again.   

P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
½ cup water
¾ cup dark brown sugar
vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak
¼ cup cornstarch
2 large green onions, chopped

Directions:

Sauce:
Heat 2 tsp. of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don't get the oil too hot.
Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then increase the heat to medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.

Beef:
Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté until brown. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels. Dab excess oil off meat with a paper towel and add to medium saucepan with the sauce in it. Put the pan back on the oven over medium/low heat. Add chopped green onions and let sauce simmer until warm. Serve over rice.

Recipe Source:  Six Sisters' Stuff

Baked Chocolate Cake Donuts (Gluten Free and Dairy Free)

So my sweet sissy and niece are visiting me for the week from Las Vegas.  My sister found out a couple of years ago that she can't eat gluten or dairy along with a few other food items.  So I created this donut recipe exclusively for her.  I have to say, these were really good.  We all really liked them and my sis was overjoyed to have something made especially for her. 

Chocolate Cake Donuts (Gluten Free and Dairy Free)
Makes 6 donuts

Ingredients:
1 cup oats, ground into a fine powder (You can use a food processor or blender.)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 egg
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325. Coat donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, whisk oat powder, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In small bowl, whisk soy milk, sugar, egg, oil and vanilla until smooth. Add soy milk mixture to oat mixture; whisk until blended and smooth.

3.  Batter is more liquidy than firm.  Spoon batter into donut pan, filling until 2/3 full.  Bake at 325 for 13 minutes.  Cool in pan on rack 3 minutes, then carefully turn out directly onto rack to cool.

For chocolate-frosted donuts: Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon cocoa and 2 tablespoons vanilla soy milk. Stir until smooth. Dip cooled donuts into bowl and allow excess frosting to drip back into bowl. Transfer to rack. Top with sprinkles, coconut or mini chips, if desired.
Recipe Source:  Kimmy's Creation