Whole Wheat Bread

Found this one on allrecipes.com and tried it out yesterday - so delicious!

Ingredients
3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

1/3 cup honey

5 cups bread flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon salt

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons butter, melted

I also added about 3 TB of flax seed meal and 2 TB of oat bran to my whole wheat flour

Directions

1.In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

2.Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

3.Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

4.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

**I only baked one loaf. I shaped the other two on saran wrap, wrapped them tightly and then put them in a freezer bag to freeze for later. To use from frozen, just put a loaf in the fridge for 24 hours, then put it in greased loaf pan and allow to rise the second time (1 inch above pan) before baking as in recipe.

Monkey Bread

3 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 package of Cook and Serve Butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I used pecans)
1/2 cup raisins (I omitted)
Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9 or 10 inch Bundt® pan (solid bottom).

2. Finely chop pecans/walnuts and sprinkle in bottom of Bundt pan. Shake half of a package of butterscotch pudding mix over the nuts.

3.Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using raisins, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.

4.In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.

5.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for a few minutes, then turn out onto a plate.  The bread just pulls apart with the help of a fork (the nuts make it a bit messy but yummy!).

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I love ourbestbites.com as a place to get yummy recipes:

Here is one of my favorites:











Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Recipe by OurBestBites.com


1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese (it is spicy, so you can use a mixed bag of cheese that has pepperjack cheese in it)

flour tortillas (you can also use corn)
kosher salt
cooking spray


Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge. 

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.  (You won't need to do this with flour tortillas)

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.


You can also freeze these and bake when you want

Fudge

While I LOVE Kristen's Fudge recipe... one day I found myself without the correct ingredients. I scrounged around for a recipe with things I had and came up this this one...it is SOOOO easy and has fantastic results

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter
25 marshmallows, quartered
2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
(frankly just use whatever chocolate you have - I've made it with all milk, all semisweet, a mix - just depends on how you want it to taste and what's in the pantry!)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional_

Directions

Grease 1 - 11x16 inch jelly roll, or cake pan for thicker fudge. Set aside.
Combine sugar, milk, vanilla and butter in large, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add marshmallows, semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in nuts. Mix well.
Pour into prepared pan. Let fudge sit at least 24 hours before cutting into squares (let's be honest... I never do that). Refrigerate for easier cutting.

Easy (and really good!) Beef Stew

Ingredients
1-2 pounds stew beef
2-3 cans sliced potatoes
drained1 lb. bag of baby carrots
1 can green peas, drain and reserve the juice
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can tomato soup

Directions
In a 9 x 13 baking pan, layer the above ingredients in the order listed. Combine reserved pea juice with the cream of celery and cream of tomato soup. Pour soup mixture over the layered ingredients. Cover with foil and bake at 275 for 5 hours or at 325 for 3 hours.

Jon's Peanut Butter Goodies

Our friends Jon and Angel came to visit and Jon brought these... I wouldn't let Jared touch them!

2 C. Graham cracker crumbs
2 C. creamy peanut butter
2 C. powder sugar
1/2 C. butter, melted.
1.5-2lbs chocolate

Blend all ingredients (except chocolate) until paste-like. Roll into balls and chill until hardened. Dip into melted chocolate.

Honey Glazed Chicken

Another new one we had tonight combined these two recipe instructions from here and here.  We all liked it.

Honey Glazed Chicken


1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup butter

4 chicken breasts (I used the 5oz. frozen chicken breasts from Sams Club and cut into chicken tenders)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour, salt and cayenne pepper together in a large ziploc bag. Drop chicken in bag and shake to coat. Melt butter and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place flour coated chicken in baking dish and turn to coat both sides with butter. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Honey Glaze Sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 cup butter, melted (I actually forgot this and it was still good- but with butter sounds pretty yummy!)

Melt in a sauce pan until sugar dissolves. Pour over chicken pieces. Bake for an additional 30-45 minutes. Serve over rice.

Parmesan Ranch Chicken and Ranch Chicken Pizza

Here are two new recipes I tried this week.  Of course they are easy, but we liked them!  I found them both on this website: http://karaskitchencreations.blogspot.com/

Parmesan Ranch Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup crushed corn flakes

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix

2-3 Tbsp melted butter

Rinse chicken breasts and set aside. Combine corn flakes, cheese, and dressing mix in a shallow container. Dip chicken in butter, then in crumb mixture. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or till juices run clear. (Well, I baked mine a lot longer, but they were frozen to begin with, and I had party potatoes in the oven at the same time)
 
And this one:
 
Chicken Ranch Pizza
1 recipe for pizza crust (I used pillsbury)

2-3 chicken breasts

1/2-3/4 cup Ranch dressing

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes

1/4-1/3 cup green onions

1-2 cups cheddar cheese


Cook and shred chicken. Spread dressing over crust. Sprinkle mozzarella, then tomato, green onions, and chicken. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake until crust is lightly browned and cheese is melted (maybe like 15 min). 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this the other night, and it was so easy!

3 uncooked chicken breasts
3 (14.5 ounce) cans of tomatoes with liquid (I use the ones with green chilies mixed in)
10 ounce can enchilada sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
15 ounce can chicken broth
15 ounce can corn, undrained
10 ounce can cream of chicken soup concentrate
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 10 hours. You can also cook on high for 6 hours or some combination, just make sure the chicken breasts are cooked and can be shredded easily with a fork. You can add extra liquid if the soup is too thick and adjust the spices to your liking. The enchilada sauce tends to make it pretty tangy. Serve over tortilla chips and cheese! :)

Fancy Banana Cream Pie

This past New Year's Eve we went to the neighborhood party. I was in charge of a dessert. While I love to cook I can leave baking to a bakery any day so it was a challenge to think of what I wanted to make.

My mother has been raving about a Banana Cream Pie dessert at Chesters lately so I decided I would try to create a fancy martini glass version that I could serve up individually (because really what is more ugly than a gloppy scoop of banana cream pie at a fancy party?!)

So here's what I came up with (Cassi - this may seem like an intimidating amount of steps but they are all simple and SOOOO worth it!):

For the Filling:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in whipping cream and whole milk, then egg yolks. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add vanilla bean. Whisk over medium-high heat until custard thickens and boils, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in unsalted butter and vanilla extract. Discard vanilla bean. Transfer custard to large bowl; cool completely, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour.

For the Crumble:

3 cups walnuts (about 12 ounces)
1 cup whole almonds
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled

Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely chop all nuts with sugar in processor. Add butter and blend until well combined. Spread the mixture on a cookie sheet and cook until lightly browned

For the Chocolate Sauce (this is so good on icecream too!):
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur (recommended: Kahlua) this can also be coffee if you don't want the alcohol or nothing at all for a basic chocolate fudge sauce

Place the chocolate in a mixing bowl.

Combine the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from stove and pour hot milk over chocolate. Allow mixture to sit for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Add coffee liqueur and whisk to combine.


Caramel Sauce (also GREAT on icecream!):
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup whole milk

Place all of the ingredients into a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes then take it out and stir. Continue to microwave for 1 minute at a time until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce reaches your desired consistency(may take awhile).

ASSEMBLY:

Chop up a few bananas

Take your martini glass and spoon some of the crumble into the bottom, top with a scoop of filling some of each (warmed) sauce and some bananas. Repeat each layer one more time for a fantastic parfait!! (Sorry no pictures... we ate them all)

Grown Up Mac and Cheese

I made this tonight after Brandon's mom made it for him and it was delicious. I cooked the bacon in a microwave and didn't use bread crumbs...

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 4 ounces thick-sliced bacon
• Vegetable oil
• Kosher salt
• 2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
• 3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
• 2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes.

Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe

(Recipe may be halved):
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
2 cups sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal**
24 oz. chocolate chips
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

** Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.