Spaghetti Sauce (15 of 120+)

A Resch family favorite interpretation of a classic bolognese sauce.

• 1-2 lbs. Ground Beef
  
• 1 lg. yellow onion, small dice
  
• 1 lg can crushed tomatoes
  
• 1-2 cans tomato sauce
  
• 1 can tomato paste
  
• 2 TBS. Olive oil
  
• 1-2 cups red wine
  
• 1 TBS. Italian seasoning
  
• Salt & pepper
  

Sweat onion, olive oil & pinch of salt on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste & Italian seasoning. Add a couple pinches of salt and one pinch of pepper. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low for 30 minutes. Taste and season accordingly.




 

Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine (14 of 120+)

Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine
Such a great winter slow-cooker meal that can be made ahead of time. My interpretation of a Williams Sonoma recipe.

• 3 lb. beef short ribs
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• ½ cup flour
• 5 pieces bacon, small dice
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1½ Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 bottle Full-bodied red wine
• 2 Tbs. beef base
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1-inch piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind

Generously season the short ribs with

S & P. Dredge the ribs in flour and shake off the excess.

In the stovetop-safe insert of a slow cooker over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Working in batches, add the ribs to the insert and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Pour off the fat from the insert. Set the insert over medium heat and warm the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the wine and stir to scrape up the browned bits. Add the remaining wine and the beef base and bring to a simmer. Add the short ribs, rosemary and cheese rind. Set the insert on the slow-cooker base. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Skim the fat off the cooking liquid, and discard the rosemary and cheese rind. Transfer the ribs to a serving bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Pass the vegetables and cooking liquid through a food mill into a fry pan. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings with salt.

Serve the ribs and sauce over mashed potatoes and garnish with bacon bits & fresh grated parmesan.

photo courtesy of Williams Sonoma

CPK Chicken Milanese (13 of 120+)

CPK Chicken Milanese

A revised version of a CPK menu item from Lizzy's time working there.

Panko & Parmesan crusted Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
  
• 2½ cups panko
  
• ¾ cup flour
  
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
  
• salt
  
• pepper
  
• 1 cup Olive oil
  

Arugula Salad

• 4-5 cups Arugula
  
• 1-2 Lemons
  
• 4 Tbs Parmesan cheese, shaved
  
• Pepper
  
• 2 Tbs Premium Olive Oil
  
• this quantity serves 2 or 3
  

Set up standard breading station flour, egg, panko. Make sure to season each section with salt and pepper. Also, split the ½ cup parmesan equally between the flour and panko areas.

Preheat the olive oil in a large sauté pan on a medium heat.

Slice chicken lengthwise super thin and pound thinner if necessary.

Bread the chicken and start pan frying in batches. Chicken takes 5 minutes or so per side and should only be turned when it's a nice dark golden brown. Adjust heat if necessary. Remove chicken from oil let rest on a rack. Season with salt.

Serve with Arugula Salad on top while chicken is still slightly warm. Dress the salad in each bowl/dish so that the chicken gets some of the lemon juice and other ingredients.

Breakfast time! Recipes 9-12

Growing up, and even in our house now, breakfast is a big deal, especially on the weekends. Over the years the importance of meal times has slowly disappeared. Not only do we not have time to sit down and eat, but we sure as heck don't have time in the hustle and bustle in the mornings. These recipes are classics that will never get old, no matter how old you are or how busy your life has become. I grew up eating all of them often enough for them to become family favorites.

Surprise Muffins: Growing up my mom Kitty made these as a side dish to none other than Oriental Chicken Salad. Sounds weird but they actually go quite well. Because I was such a picky eater my mom always made me plain ones, but made the jam & jelly filled ones for my sisters and dad. I remember making the jelly filled ones for Scott the first time and watching them disappear before my eyes. Over the last year or so I have tweaked the recipe to have a little more milk, for moisture, and less flour. I have also gotten in the habit of adding only chocolate chips to the batter herein creating a Chocolate Chip muffin recipe that's AMAZING. Be careful when making this recipe, a second batch could be in the works without you even knowing it!

Pancakes: I, like most of the entire world, has grown up eating pancakes one of two ways: from a mix (bisquick or krusteaz) or at a restaurant. Little did I know that pancakes from scratch or easier, better for you, and tastier. There's a lot to be said about knowing what you're putting in your body, so less packaging the better. This recipe is delicious and tastes just like the ones my grandpa made me as a kid (even if they were from a mix).

Waffles: Aren't waffles the ultimate weekend breakfast food? Even after growing tired of the beloved Eggo waffle I still love a great waffle. I guess that's why I got married, teehee! For the waffle-iron! How on earth was I ever going to buy MYSELF a waffle-iron?! I have recently become somewhat of a waffle aficionado when dining out. All about town I am constantly ordering waffles, I LOVE them!

Puff Pancake: Besides the waffle the puff pancake is by far my favorite homemade breakfast item. This is so unique because you can't get a pancake like this anywhere else except for home. The ultimate version of this recipe is with fresh seasonal fruit (apples were a fave in our house) & the use of a cast iron skillet. Believe me, this recipe will succeed without them. Don't you want to have the tastiest most ultimate version of the puff pancake?!

Puff Pancake (12 of 120+)

Puff Pancake
Perfect for a weekend breakfast treat, especially with a crowd. Yummy!

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• dash cinnamon
• 1 apple (optional)

Preheat oven to 375
Melt butter until sizzling in a 10 inch oven-proof skillet. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Slowly add eggs and milk. Finish with a dash of cinnamon and chopped apples (optional). Pour batter into the hot skillet and bake for 35 minutes until golden brown.
Serve with butter and syrup.

Waffles (11 of 120+)

Waffles
Another good old fashioned breakfast recipe that was a favorite in the Resch household.

• 1½ cups flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 3 Tbsp. butter (melted)
• dash of cinnamon

Preheat waffle iron.
In two separate bowls mix the dry ingredients and whisk the eggs & milk in the other.
Combine the two and add the melted butter at the very end, making sure not to overmix.
Cook in a greased or nonstick waffle iron until done. Serve with butter and syrup.

Pancakes (10 of 120+)

Pancakes
This is a simple old fashioned pancake recipe. So delish!

• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter (melted)

Sift the dry ingredients into medium sized bowl.
In a smaller separate bowl whisk the eggs and milk.
Combine the wet and the dry ingredients and add the melted butter at the very end.
Cook on griddle to desired size and doneness.
Butter each side of the pancakes immediately after coming off of the griddle.
Serve with syrup or jam.

Surprise Muffins (9 of 115+)

Surprise Muffins

This is a great base muffin mix to be used with any filler or add-in.

• 1 egg
  
• ⅔ cup milk
  
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
  
• 1½ cups flour
  
• ½ cup sugar
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• ½ tsp salt
  

Preheat oven to 350

Mix egg, oil & milk in a large bowl. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, & sugar into the egg mixture and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.

Scoop a little into muffin pans. With a teaspoon drop your favorite jelly or jam into each muffin cup. Add a little more muffin batter on top and bake for 20 minutes.

*Can also be done with ⅔ cup chocolate chips for Chocolate Chip Muffins (no jelly)


 

Groups of Four, huh?!

I don't know how it happened that I have been posting the recipes in groups of four but I intend on following through with it until the end.

Chocolate Cake: I found this recipe online and the only tweaking I did was not frosting this cake. The first time I made it Scott and I literally ate one layer of it in bed while watch Julie & Julia. It couldn't have been more appropriate of a movie and/or cake to eat while watching. Not only was the movie fantastic but it was heightened to a whole new level while eating pure heavenly chocolate cake. I should also mention when making this recipe take caution! At the very end when I added the hot coffee my cake batter ended up soupy and runny. I was super skeptical of the whole thing turning out at all. But no worries, it came out perfect and delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cookies: This was the very first recipe I added to our Tastebook only because I have this recipe recited to memory. I can't tell you how many times I have made this recipe! Honestly, it's the first cookie I remember eating growing up. The greatest part of this recipe is that it can be tweaked in various ways with what gets added at the end. For example: chocolate chips, chocolate chips & walnuts, white chocolate chips & macadamia nuts, the possibilities are endless. Enjoy this as much as our families have!

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffeecake: This recipe is a new addition to the Hastings repertoire. And a phenomenal one I might add. I love the streusel in top of this cake as well as the cake itself is awesome too! Again, when baking, ingredients like sour cream just heighten and add moisture to your baked goods. I was also very kindly complimented by my father in law at the resemblance this cake bore to Grandma Cora's. I typically bake this in a square baking dish like a Le Creuset casserole. I have also experimented by doubling this recipe without any complications.

Zucchini Bread: We love this recipe! I remember making this recipe while standing on a Toys R Us Geoffrey stool at the counter of my parents kitchen. I am sure my Mom loved this recipe as well because it got me to eat zucchini when I normally wouldn't have. There are so many memories associated with this yummy recipe, too many to mention. Most recently this recipe has been modified only by the addition of more ZUCCHINI!! This is a garden-grown favorite. There's even been offers of money for this recipe.

Zucchini Bread (8 of 115+)

Zucchini Bread

• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
  
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  
• 1 cup white sugar
  
• 3 cups zucchini, raw & grated
  
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
  
• ¾ tsp salt
  
• ½ tsp baking powder
  
• 3 cups flour
  
• 1 cup walnuts (optional)
  
• Dash allspice
  
• Dash nutmeg
  
• 3 tsp cinnamon
  

Preheat oven to 350

Combine eggs, oil, zucchini, brown sugar, white sugar, & vanilla in a bowl. Mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl sift together remaining dry ingredients. Once sifted begin mixing the wet & dry ingredients in batches making sure not to over mix.

Once combined pour batter into greased loaf pans approximately ⅔ full. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Remove when a cake tester comes out clean.

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake (7 of 115+)

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

A recipe so close to Grandma Cora's that even Papa Hastings had a second helping.

Cake Ingredients

• 6 Tbs. unsalted butter (at room temp)
  
• ¾ cup sugar
  
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• ½ tsp grated lemon zest
  
• ⅔ cup sour cream
  
• 1¼ cups flour
  
• 1 tsp baking powder
  
• ¼ tsp baking soda
  
• ½ tsp kosher salt
  
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
  

Streusel Top

• ¼ cup sugar
  
• ⅓ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg
  
• ¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  
• 1⅓ cups flour
  

Preheat oven to 350. Butter & flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:

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

For the cake:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer on high speed for 4-5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, & sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,crumble the topping evenly over the batter.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.