Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

16 oz. canned unsweetened pumpkin

3½ cups flour

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. cloves

2/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350°.

Butter and flour 2 9 X 5 loaf pans or 16 mini loaf pans.

Stir together sugar and oil. Stir in eggs and pumpkin.

Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients and water into wet mixture, alternating.

Divide batter between pans.

Bake for 60-70 minutes for 9X5 pans or 30 to 40 minutes for mini loaf pans or until cake tester comes out clean.

Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.

*optional - 1 cup toasted walnuts, broken into bits

This recipe can be found here.

Mexican Cinnamon Cookies

2¾ cups flour

2 large eggs

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ cups sugar

½ cup shortening (or unsalted butter)

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. Mexican cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat butter, shortening, and 1½ cups sugar at medium speed until creamy. Beat in vanilla.  Add eggs one at a time.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. Sift into butter mixture and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, stir together cinnamon and 3 Tbsp. of sugar.

Scoop 1 Tbsp. of dough and roll into a ball. Toss in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

This recipe can be found here.

Molten Lava Cakes

Baking spray, for spraying custard cups

1 stick butter

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate

2 oz. semisweet chocolate

1¼ cups powdered sugar

2 whole eggs

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup all-purpose flour

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425°. Spray four custard cups with baking spray and place on a baking sheet.

Microwave the butter, bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate in a large bowl on high until the butter is melted, about 1 minute.

Whisk until the chocolate is also melted. Stir in the sugar until well blended.

Whisk in the eggs and egg yolks, then add the vanilla.

Stir in the flour. Divide the mixture among the custard cups.

Bake until the sides are firm and the centers are soft, about 15 minutes. Let stand 1 minute. Invert on individual plates while warm and serve with vanilla ice cream.

This recipe can be found here.

Banh Mi Tacos

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

1 ½ lbs.  pork tenderloin
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup honey
½ tsp. minced fresh ginger
1½ tsp. minced garlic
3 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

Pickled Vegetables

1 cup each thinly sliced radishes and carrot shreds
2 cups peeled, sliced cucumbers
1 jalapeno pepper (remove the seeds and white membranes for milder flavor)
1 small red onion, halved and sliced
1 cup rice vinegar
½ cup warm water
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper, to taste

Spicy Mayonnaise

½ cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce
½ tsp. garlic

Herb Mix

½ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup fresh chopped mint
4 green onions, chopped

6 (6-inch) whole-wheat tortillas 

Place pork tenderloin in a large zip-top bag. Add marinade ingredients to a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat 30 seconds. Whisk together and reserve ¼ cup of marinade. Pour remaining marinade over pork tenderloin, seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

1.    About an hour before serving, toss the vegetables in a medium bowl. Whisk together vinegar, water, sugar, and salt until salt and sugar are dissolved, then pour over vegetables. Season to taste with black pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2.   Preheat an outdoor grill to high heat. While grill is heating, whisk together spicy mayonnaise ingredients and place in a squeeze container or a small zip-top bag. Set aside.

3.   Toss together the herb mix and set aside.

4.   When the grill is hot, place the pork tenderloin on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 7 minutes. Flip the tenderloin and cook for 6 minutes. Leave the lid closed and turn off the heat. Allow tenderloin to stand for 5 minutes. The tenderloin should measure about 155 degrees F. internally.

5.   Remove pork from grill, place on a plate or plastic cutting board and lightly cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. Allow tenderloin to rest 3 to 4 minutes.

6.   To serve, slice tenderloin into 1/4-inch slices against the grain. Drizzle the reserved marinade over sliced pork. Place 2 ounces of pork in each whole-wheat tortilla, then top with pickled vegetables. Cut the corner off the zip-top bag of spicy mayonnaise and squeeze about ½ Tbsp. onto the taco.

7.   Top with herb mixture and serve immediately.

This recipe can be found here.