Every family, every cook has their simple favorites, the recipes that are go-to's for busy nights or times where you just aren't sure what to cook.  They are not fancy, and they're not what you would make for your audition for Master Chef, but they are what you make for your family on, say a Tuesday.  You often don't even need to pull out a cookbook or smart phone to make it- you know how it's done.  What are some of your recipes/dinner ideas like that?  Let me know in the comments :)

My go-to salsa during winter when fresh tomatoes aren't available is the Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa.  It has an impressive flavor and is quick and easy to boot.  I've made it dozens of times, and each time there's just never enough, even though it makes a ton.

I can't remember if this salsa remix was born out of the desire to experiment or just because I didn't have plain tomatoes, but a couple weeks ago I decided to try making the salsa with fire roasted tomatoes instead of plain ones.  This discovery has to rank right up there with sliced bread.  It's more complex- slightly smoky, spicy, and the flavor just feels...deeper.  It's so good!

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• Sugar cookies, rolled out, punched into shapes like bells, trees, stars, mittens, reindeer, and decorated with frosting or sprinkles
• Gingerbread men and houses
• Fruitcake Cookies (I can't believe I've never given the recipe- will try to fix that soon!)
• Those store-bought slice and bake sugar cookies that are dyed in the middle to look like a Christmas tree or Santa's hat
• Those small, pre-made butter cookies that have red or green sprinkles and sometimes look like a wreath

Either way, the cookies are tasty, and the dough can be frozen for later use.  They're addictive, so beware!

Chocolate Sugar Cookies
from Smitten Kitchen

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Whisk dry flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. (It does disappear once baked, though, so don’t overly fret if they go into the oven looking white.) Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

                                 

When they first come out of the oven, they are puffy, but don't worry; they will settle.

Notes

• If you visit the original post site (the link to the original post is the recipe title), you will see that Averie's cookies are a bit thicker.  I used about half the dough she uses for one cookie, so that I'd have more.  This may have affected the candy corn staying in tact.
• I baked mine 9 minutes, just like the recipe suggested.  Some still looked too underdone, and even after about 5 mins. were too soft to pick up from the baking sheet.  After further cooling- maybe 30 minutes- they were fine to pick up.

If you make these for a party, then you will want to start early.  I could only fit about 4 whole tortillas on a baking sheet, and that's only like 1 serving.  So yes, I ate a whole pan.  I'll go be filled with self loathing now.

Baked Corn Tortilla Chips
to make 1-2 servings

4- 6 inch corn tortillas
Canola or other flavorless oil OR cooking spray/spray oil
Salt (I use Kosher but regular would be fine)

Preheat an oven to 350 and center your oven rack.  Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment (optional, but makes for much easier cleanup).

Cut your tortillas into quarters (or whatever size you desire- sixths would be fine too).  Lay them flat in a single layer on your baking sheet, and spray with oil.  You can use a Misto sprayer, a pump sprayer, or even a spray bottle with a nozzle, or even cooking spray- you just want an even, light layer of oil on the chips.  Sprinkle with salt.  Turn over and repeat on the other side.

Bake in preheated oven about 10-15 minutes, flipping about halfway through.  They are done when they've crisped up and are golden with some light browning.

Notes

• Depending on your love of salt, you may want to go easy at first.  Remember you are salting both sides (or just salt one side if you were heavy handed on the first side).  These can tend to be a little salty if you aren't careful.
• Despite their sturdiness, they get soggy more easily than the store bought chips.  Be warned.

• If you melt your chocolate chips/coconut oil in the microwave, place the chocolate and oil into a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 second intervals, taking out to stir at the end of each interval.  Total melt time is around 2- 2.5 minutes.  
• If you melt your chocolate chips on the stove top, you will want to use a double boiler.  To do this, place your chocolate and coconut oil in a small to medium glass or metal bowl.  Put about an inch of water in the bottom of a small-medium saucepan and place the bowl inside.  The bowl should not be so small that it touches the water or the bottom of the pot.  Heat on medium-high until the water starts to boil, and then cut the heat back so that the water is at a simmer.  Stir chocolate and oil as it melts and keep the water heated to maintain consistency. 

• This recipe leaves a lot of room for customizing.  Choose whatever flavor of yogurt you want.  I prefer plain.  You can also choose whatever granola and fruit.  In my case, I only had blueberries, but I bet this would be great with just about any berry, stone fruit, dried fruit, etc.
• I used this recipe of granola sans fruit, but feel free to purchase if you don't want to make it!

They freeze well and can make a nice homemade gift.  It comes together easily and is so good.

Zucchini Bread
Adapted from Southview Bapt. Cookbook/Joyce Riley

3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. chopped pecans
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tb. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1- 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prep either two loaf pans, two muffin tins, or a tube pan by spraying with oil or cooking spray and coating with flour (or in the case of muffin tin, use liners).  In a large bowl, stir or sift together dry ingredients (flour- cinnamon).  In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the eggs, oil, sugar, and extracts.  Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just blended.  Stir in the pecans, zucchini, and pineapple.  Pour the mixture into your pan(s), distributing the batter evenly throughout the chosen pans.  Bake loaf pans for approx 1 hour, muffins 18-20 minutes (or longer, depending on your oven), or a tube pan for around 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Bread is done when lightly browned and a tester comes out clean.

Notes

• The original recipe called for a full cup of oil and 2 cups of sugar.  In an effort to reduce the greasiness of the bread, I decreased the oil, and have found about 3/4 cup to be a good amount.  You may need to go up or down depending on your own tastes and preferences.  Same with the sugar.  
• I added almond extract where it was not previously included in the recipe, and reduced the vanilla extract.  The original recipe calls for 2 Tb. vanilla and no almond.  I think the almond helps increase the sweetness while reducing the overall sugar content.  

• I used chickpeas that I prepared from dried ones.  I soaked them overnight and then cooked them on the stove top, bringing them to a boil and then cutting the heat back to simmer them until softened, around 1- 1.5 hours.  I used those in place of the canned chickpeas, and I used about 1/2 lb.
• I have tossed the chickpeas with various combinations, but my favorite is chili powder and ranch dressing mix.  Paprika/smoked paprika and plain, salted are good too.

I'm not sure why we haven't tried baking cookies as foreign policy yet, but these are apparently the ones to bake if we ever do try.

I made these cookies when I wanted to make an easy, no-fuss dessert and when I didn't want to have to shop for a lot of special ingredients, and these were perfect.  I had heard and read great things about them from a friend and other food bloggers who are big fans of Dorie Greenspan.  I've had the Baking: From My Home To Yours cookbook for several years, and am slowly working my way through the recipes, and this is one you'll be able to come back to and make for numerous occasions.  The cookies are a chocolate sablé, so they're pretty intensely flavored and have a crumbly texture.  The chocolate chips make for a nice, smooth element in the midst of the rest of the cookie.  They're a nice change up from the "normal" cookies, and I loved them.  Oh, and the cookie dough before it was baked?  Fugeddabouit.  Delectable.

I can't remember if I've told you this or not, but I can still remember the first time I had a scone.  It was my freshman year of college, and one morning in our cafeteria there were these triangular, tough biscuits with blueberries.  They were topped with coarse sugar.  I decided to try one and absolutely loved it.  Slightly sweet, dense, and not dry, flecked with blueberries- they were a whole new baking experience.  I had no idea what they were, and I had no idea other people outside the Gardner-Webb cafeteria knew what they were.  Later, on another morning, a friend of mine remarked something about these little triangular biscuits and called them scones.  Oh, so these are somewhat familiar to others.  Hmm.  And so began my love of these little gems.  Those still hold the place of best scone ever in my mind, and I am slowly working to dethrone them.

I know we all have a little bit of a thing for chips and dip, am I right?  Long ago there were plain chips and french onion dip, and then we added in tortillas and salsa.  Now it's a multicultural free-for-all, with pita and tzatziki, hummus, and all sorts of other variations from around the world.  Isn't it great how much variety we have?

So this one is a new spin on the old, classic potato chip and dip concept, and it seems weird at first, but if you like pickles, the more you think about it, the better of an idea it seems.  As my friend Charlotte said, the flavor of this dip is like when you order a sandwich that is served with chips in a deli, and beside the chips is a dill pickle spear, and some of the pickle juice mingles with the chips beside it.  Those are your favorite chips, too, right?

This dip is easy, and makes a small batch, but with dips like this, a little goes a long way.  I found the original on Pinterest and made it for a Super Bowl party, and it was determined to be a success.  I did have to adjust the original recipe, so I'm posting as I made it.

Dill Pickle Dip
adapted from Buns In My Oven blog

1- 8 oz bar cream cheese, softened
1 Tb Worcestershire Sauce
1/2- 1 cup dill pickles, chopped
1 Tb (or more) pickle liquid
1 tsp dried dill

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth with an electric mixer.  Add in Worcestershire and pickle liquid and beat until well incorporated.  Stir in the pickles and dried dill with a rubber spatula or the beater.  At this point, taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.  Chill in refrigerator, preferably overnight.  Garnish with fresh or dried dill and serve with plain or plain ruffled chips.

Notes

• The original recipe didn't have enough flavor to me, so I increased the dried dill.  It really helped the flavor.
• This also benefits from a rest in the fridge to allow the flavors to mingle.  

I sort of get on these quests for the holy grail of whatever recipe.  Please tell me I'm not the only one.  The cinnamon roll holy grail recipe quest is not yet ended, but this one is definitely a top contender.  First I tried out Peter Reinhart's Cinnamon Rolls, and they were very good.  They were a more substantial bread than these were, which is why my quest continued.  The cinnamon roll recipe has to be one of the absolute most popular Pioneer Woman recipes, and PW and others have created a lot of great variations.  This recipe makes a flip ton, and Pioneer Woman was right, if you give these as gifts, the recipients will want you to make them again.  This could be my fault, but they spread out/rose more than I'd expect the Holy Grail Recipe to do, which is why my quest continues.  Still, if I stopped here, I'd likely not be disappointed.

The dough- all rolled into a long rectangle.

 

The mess after.

This recipe is simple, and I halved the recipe because of its magnitude.  I still got something like 4-5 pans of cinnamon rolls.  Sometimes playing with baking ratios, even halving things, can mess with it, so as I said, I could be to blame for the bread to filling ratio not being exactly what I want.  Either way, do try this.  Regardless of my ratio comment, these are wonderful.  Especially the topping.  The topping is oh-so-good and to die for.  One good thing is that you can break the whole project up into stages, making for less to do on the day you want to serve them.  Serve these with a nice cup of coffee.  Or another cinnamon roll.



I am posting the halved recipe, as I made it.  Visit PW's website- the recipe title is the link- for her full recipe, beautiful step-by-step photos, and variations.

PW Cinnamon Rolls (original recipe)
from Pioneer Woman

2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Sugar
1 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets (about 2 tsp yeast)
4 cups (Plus 1/2 Cup Extra, Reserved) All-purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1/2 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
 Plenty Of Melted Butter
1 cup Sugar
 Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
 _____
 MAPLE FROSTING:
1 box (4 cups) Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
1/4 cup Milk
2 Tb Melted Butter
2 Tb Brewed Coffee
Dash teaspoon Salt

For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.
To make the filling, pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar over the butter. Don’t be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar! Gooey is the goal.
Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work; that just means the rolls are going to be divine. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. When you’re finished, you’ll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony, sugary, gooey log.
Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and with a sharp knife, make 1/2-inch slices. One “log “will produce 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a couple of teaspoons of melted butter into disposable foil cake pans and swirl to coat. Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd. (Each pan will hold 7 to 9 rolls.)
Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.
While the rolls are baking, make the maple icing: In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee, and salt. Splash in the maple flavoring. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add in more maple, sugar, butter, or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.
Remove pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor.