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.




 

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.