Julia's Bread and Honey Butter

This recipe off of Julia's blog looked so good. I'll be trying it soon!



Recipe for Wheat Bread


1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk PLUS skim milk to equal 2 C total of milk
2/3 C water
1 stick of butter, melted and cooled
1/4 C honey
3 1/2 C whole wheat bread flour
3 C white bread flour
1 T plus 1 t of dry active yeast (or 2 packets)
4 t of salt


Dump can of evap. milk, extra skim milk, and water in a microwaveable bowl. Nuke it until it is warm to the touch (not just lukewarm ... let's not be pansies ... it will lose some heat when it hits your mixing bowl). Add to mixer with melted stick of butter. Add honey and yeast. Start mixer on low and add a cup of flour at a time until you get to 5 total. Once the flour is incorporated enough it's not going to fly all over the place, turn the mixer up to 2 or 3 (Kitchen Aid) and beat for 4 minutes. This is to get the gluten content up, and to avoid kneading. I'm lazy. I do this all with the paddle attachment. It should be like cookie dough consistency.


Then sprinkle salt and mix in. You can switch to your bread hook now, if you'd like. Add the rest of flour in cups, just a bit at a time at the end, until the dough pulls from the sides, forms a ball on the hook but it still stuck to the bottom.


Scrape bowl, forming dough into a ball. You can knead it a bit if you want, but I don't. Place in a greased glass bowl and place in a warm oven (about 100 degrees ... I do this by preheating the oven for about 2 minutes and then turning it off while I'm mixing the dough ... I know, I'm coordinated). This is cheating because it will raise in about 1 hour this way.


Once it's doubled, punch down. Then split into two and shape into loaves by rolling the dough from one side to the other, like a long tube. Then tuck in the ends and place in a greased pan. Let that rise until you have a nice hump above the pan, about an inch. Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes.


Oh, and note, you can use regular flour for the whole thing. Or whatever floats your boat.


World's Second Best Honey Butter
1 stick butter
1/2 c honey
1/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
dash of salt


Beat everything together until fluffy. Enjoy liberally on all sorts of mediums, the best being homemade bread.

Ratatouille

I found a recipe for Ratatouille in my Betty Crocker book, and it made me think of the movie. So, for FHE last week we ate Rataouille while we watched the movie. It's totally vegetarian, so some husbands might appreciate some meat with it; I would suggest a steak or maybe plain grilled chicken. I thought it was plenty filling and satisfying all by itself. Anyway, it was a fun FHE, and I thought I'd put the recipe up.

Ratatouille:

1 med (1.5 lb.) 1/2" cubed eggplant (unpeeled or peeled; I peeled mine)
1 lb. zucchini cut in 1/2" slices
1 med. green bell pepper chopped
1 med onion finely chopped
2 med tomatoes cut into fourths*
1/4 cup olive or veg oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic finely chopped*

cook all ingredients in 12" skillet 10-15 min on med heat (until zucchini is tender).
* I actually suggest cutting the tomatoes in 1/2" chunks and adding it 5 min into cooking. I cut mine into eighths and the pieces were still a pretty big mouthful. And I used 2 heaping tsp. minced garlic from a jar, instead of fresh garlic, and sauteed that with the oil 2 min or so before adding everything else.

Soup Recipes from The Cox

Pureed Carrot Soup with Nutmeg

2 Tbsp butter, extra virgin olive oil, or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, 3 medium shallots, or 1 medium leek(white and light green parts only), chopped
2 Tbsp dry sherry or white wine
1 1/2 pounds (about 8 medium carrots) peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced thin (about 4 cups)
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
ground white pepper
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1-1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 tsps minced fresh tarragon mint, chive or parsley leaves

1. heat butter or oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute until golden (they carmalized the onions), about 5 minutes. Add sherry and carrots; stir-cook until sherry evaporates, about 30 seconds.
2.Add stock, salt, pepper to taste, and nutmeg to saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Ladle carrot mixture into blender. (The Cox used a braun hand mixer type thing and blended it in the pan) Add 1 cup milk; blend until very smooth. Return soup to saucepan; cook over low heat until warmed through. If soup is too thick, stir in additional milk to thin consistency. Adjust seasonings. (soup can be refridgerated for 3 days and reheated just before serving)
4. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with minced herb and serve immediately.

Variations

Pureed Broccoli soup with basil
Follow recipe for Pureed Carrot Soup with Nutmeg, replacing carrots with 2 pounds broccoli, stalks discarded and florets cut into bit-sized pieces to yield 5 cups. Omit nutmeg and cook broccoli until tender, about 10 minutes. Thin with 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk and garnish soup with 2 tbsp minced fresh basil leaves.

Pureed Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger (this is what we sampled on Wed night)
Follow recipe for Pureed Carrot Soup with Nutmeg, replacing carrots with 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), which has been halved, seeded, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes to yield 5 cups. ( The Cox like to roast the squash first; Coat pieces in oil and lay out on cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until fork tender) Substitute 1 tsp ground ginger for nutmeg and cook squash until tender, about 15 minutes. Thin with 3/4 to 1 cup milk and garnish with minced fresh parsley or chives.

Pureed Cauliflower Soup with Coriander
Follow recipe for Pureed Carrot Soup and Nutmeg, replacing carrots with 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), stems discarded and florets cut into bit-sized pieces to yield 5 cups. Replace nutmeg with 1 tsp coriander and cook cauliflower until tender, about 12 minutes. Thin with 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk and garnish with minced chives or parsley.

Creamy Potato Soup with Chives
Follow recipe for Pureed Carrot soup with nutmeg, placing carrots with 2 large russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice to yield 4 cups. omit nutmeg and cook potatoes until very tender, about 20 minutes. This with 1 to 1 1/4 cups milk and garnish with minced chives.

*unsweetened coconut milk can be used as a milk substitute if you want.

We only tried the butternut squash one, which was really good.

Thanksgiving Leftover Shepherds Pie

Need something new to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers? This shepherds pie is super easy and super good. Make it as big or as small as you want!

Combine in casserole dish:

Leftover turkey, shredded

Leftover stuffing
Leftover veggies (or frozen mixed, heated)
Leftover gravy

Top with:
Leftover mashed potatoes

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until heated through. If desired, put it under the broiler for 30 seconds to give the cheese a brown, crispy crust. Serve with salad and/or leftover cranberry sauce.

Barley, Black Bean and Corn Burritos

This is a nice easy crock-pot recipe. We love it because it tastes good and it's a healthy meal in one.

Place all of the following in the crock pot:
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1 c uncooked pearl barley
2 c vegetable broth (Better Than Bullion is my favorite!)
3/4 c frozen corn-kernel corn
1/4 c chopped green onions
1 T fresh lime juice
1 T ground chili powder (I have never added this because I'm not a spice lover)
1/2 t ground red pepper (this either:))
1 garlic clove (But I make up for it with this! I love garlic!)
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro (add this last)

Cook on low for 4-5 hours

Put a 1/4 c or so of the above mixture in each tortilla and add the following:
flour or wheat tortillas
cheddar cheese
lettuce
sour cream

Yummy stir-fry sauce

Prepare whatever veggies and meat you want, saute them in oil then add this sauce to them when they are done:

1 cup pineapple juice (I usually just add whatever juice in left over from the big can of pineapple- I think it's 1 lb. 4 oz and then I use the pineapple in the stir fry)
3 T brown sugar
3/4 c tamari or soy sauce (be sure to use low sodium!)
1/8 t ginger
1 clove garlic-crushed/minced (add this very last)
2 T cornstarch in 1/4 c water (be sure to add the cornstarch to the water before adding the mixture to above of else you will have to start over!)

Heat over med/low until thick.

Roasted Vegetables

Mix any and all of the following:
beats (which I usually add extra)
sweet potatoes
zucchini
red pepper
red onion
yellow pepper
carrots
mushrooms
anise

After chopping vegetables (potatoes and carrots smaller than others), mix all together with olive oil. Bake uncovered at 425 for 30-45 minutes.

I usually make a lot of vegetables so that I can eat them for lunch for the next week. They are good even reheated in the microwave.

Cooking Beans the easy way (in the Crock Pot)

Here's a recipe for cooking beans in the crock pot. I love it because there is no soaking, you can pretty much ignore them while they are cooking, and they are so much cheaper than canned beans! Did I mention it's really easy?

1 (16-oz.) package of dried beans, rinsed and picked over
5 cups very hot tap water

1. In a 3-1/2 quart crock pot, combine the beans and hot water.
2. Cover and cook on the high heat setting 3 to 4 hours (or on low heat for 5 to 7 hours), until the beans are tender but not falling apart.
3. Drain the beans into a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain well before using.

The cooking time can vary depending on the size and age of the beans.

If you don't want to use the cooked beans all at once, you can put them in ziploc bags and store them in the freezer. Then just pull them out and toss them in your soups, salads, whatever!

Calling all Crock Pot Recipes!!!!

Ladies,

If you get a moment, would you please post your favorite crock pot recipe. (or as many as you like) :)

Beatta, I have had a request for your homemade syrup recipe. Could you post that?

Thanks

Roasted Potato Side-dish

Here it is Rena, finally! This dish is fabulously easy. Enjoy!

1 bag mixed potatoes, washed and cubed (red, white, and purple; you can get them at TJ's or the farmers market)
1 bag cubed sweet potatoes (available at TJ's already cut up for you!)
1 each red and yellow onions, cubed (optional)
baby carrots, cut up (optional)

(note: the measurements for the next ingredients are not exact. I usually just throw stuff in until it looks good. You can really add anything here you think might taste good. For example, I've been wanting to try curry powder in place of the chili powder and the cumin. Or maybe cardamom and mint would be good. Be adventurous!)

2 Tbsp. EVOO
1/2 Tbsp. Garlic oil (optional, available at TJ's)
1 heaping Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp. dried Italian herbs (or fresh!)
1 tsp. salt, to taste (more is better than less)
Pepper (freshly ground), to taste

Mix everything together in a large bowl until the potatoes are well coated. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees, stirring once, until the potatoes are tender and brown on the edges, about 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!

Lemon Bars

These lemon bars come from Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa Parties!" cookbook. They are the best lemon bars I've ever had. The recipe calls for 1 cup of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, but I've found that the bottled kind works great too.

For the Crust:

2 sticks butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 t. kosher salt


For the Filling:

6 extra-large eggs
3 cups granulated sugar
2 T. lemon zest (1 large lemon)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
1 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioner's sugar for dusting


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and pressit into a 9x13x2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into squares and dust with confectioner's sugar.

Lenna's Luscious Rolls

I originally got this recipe from Kristen Anselmo, who finagled it out of Brandon Loveridge, her home teacher. Brandon often brings these rolls when he home teaches them, but the recipe actually comes from Lenna's family. The recipe Brandon gave to Kristen wasn't too explicit in terms of directions, but after much practice I think I've mastered the recipe. I guess you could use your kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook attachment, but I just mix it by hand. I've also scaled it down to a more reasonable-sized batch. It makes 24 rolls.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 T. yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 t. salt
5-6 cups flour

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast into the water. Add the sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy. Add the oil and mix. Add 2 cups of flour and then the salt. Mix. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour, stirring after every addition. If you need more flour to make the dough more smooth, add it a little at a time. Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a few times. Wash the bowl and then grease it (I use about 1 T. of oil and spread it around the bowl with a bunched-up paper towel). Place the dough back into the bowl, cover it with a dish towel, and let it rise for 30 minutes.

While the dough is rising, grease a large cookie sheet or jelly-roll pan. When the dough is done rising, dump it back onto the floured surface and knead a few times. Form into 24 balls (the size should be about half-way between the size of a tennis ball and golf ball). Cover them with a dish towel. Turn on your oven to 350 degrees. When your oven is preheated (it should take about 10-15 minutes), remove the dish towel and bake the rolls for 25 minutes. Brush the rolls with melted butter to keep them soft. Yummy!

Hot Dips

Before Dave and I moved to SoCal, I was a substitute teacher in Utah. One of my favorite days of teaching was when I got to sub for a cooking class. Oh, my amazing day of food. I liked some of the recipes so much that I copied them and brought them home. This is one of those recipes. I'm also including Rena Thayer's Artichoke Dip recipe, because it is very similar and super yummy. (I hope that's ok Rena.) I'm pretty sure you can exchange the jack or mozarella depending on which you have. I know you can omit the garlic if you don't like garlic. And I bet, with a little finagling, you could combine these into a spinach artichoke dip.

Hot Spinach dip from Orem High School cooking class

8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 C. mayo
1C. fresh spinach, finely chopped
2 t. green onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic or 1 t. garlic powder (I actually didn't include any garlic last night)
1/2 C. fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 C. monterey jack, grated

Mix thoroughly. Spread into glass baking dish and bake for 20 min. at 375 degrees or until bubbly throughout. Serve warm with crackers or tortilla chips.


Rena's Hot Artichoke dip
(Rena usually halves this and puts it in an 8x8 baking dish)

2 small cans artichoke hearts, drained
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 C. mozerella, grated
1C. mayo
1C. parmesan
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. lemon juice

Mix thoroughly and bake in a 9x13 pan for 15 min. at 350 degrees. Serve warm with crackers or tortilla chips.

More recipes from Emma

Seasoned and Seared Chicken

Seasoning: 1 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper

1 tsp. Garlic powder

½ tsp. Thyme

1 tsp. Pepper

¼ tsp. Paprika

½ tsp. Onion powder

Put these spices in a tiny Tupperware container and keep. Sprinkle as much as you want (save the rest for another time) on both sides of chicken breasts and cook with a tiny bit of margarine or olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Do not cover. Cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Only turn chicken over once.

Garlic Lime Chicken

Seasoning: 1 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper

1 tsp. Garlic powder

½ tsp. Thyme

1 tsp. Pepper

¼ tsp. Paprika

½ tsp. Onion powder

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

2 Tbsp. Butter

½ c. chicken broth (or ½ c. water mixed with ½ tsp. chicken bullion)

4 Tbsp. Lime juice

In a bowl, mix together seasoning. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes on either side or until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

Recipes from Emma

These were posted on the other group website. I am going to eventually move them all over here.

*Crockpot Chicken Parmigiana*

*Emma*

3 Chicken breasts
1 Egg
1 t Salt
1/4 ts Pepper
1 c Dry bread crumbs
1 1/4 c Butter
1 cn Pizza sauce -- 10 1/2 oz
6 slices Mozarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

If using whole chicken breasts, cut in to halves. In bowl beat egg salt and
pepper dip chicken into egg. Then coat with crumbs. In large skillet saute
chicken in butter. Arrange chicken in pot. Pour pizza sauce over chicken.
Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Add mozzarella cheese, sprinkle parmesan
cheese on top. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

I of course altered it a little. I used boneless, skinless breasts and I
used six. Instead of plain bread crumbs, I used Italian. I cut the amount of
butter in half. For the mozzarella cheese, I used Healthy choice garlic
lover's blend. I used fresh grated parmesan and I used a jar of pizza sauce
(14 oz).

* *

*Crockpot Lasagna*

*Emma*

12 lasagna noodles

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup water

1 carton (16 ounces) cottage cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Break noodles in half. Place half of the noodles in bottom of greased
4-quart slow cooker. Sir Italian seasoning into meat and spread half over
the noodles already in slow cooker. Then layer half of the sauce and water,
half of cottage cheese, and half of mozzarella cheese over beef. Repeat
layers. Cover and cook on low heat 4-5 hours. Do not cook more than 5
hours. Makes 6-7 servings.

(Given to me from Ruth Donaldson, from 101 Things to do with a slow cooker
by Stephanie Ashcraft and Janet Eyring)

In need of an Enchilada Recipe?

Enchiladas

1 pkg corn tortillas
1 large (29 oz) can red enchilada sauce
shredded chicken or beef
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 small can sliced olives
1 small can green chiles
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
garlic salt

In a large bowl combine meat, jack cheese, green onions, olives, sour cream and a sprinkle of garlic salt. Mix well and set aside. In a sauce pan, heat sauce. Dip tortillas, completely covering both sides of the tortilla until the tortilla becomes soft. Take the tortilla out and place filling down the center of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place in a sprayed baking dish, the seam facing down. Top tortillas with cheddar cheese. Bake 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly.


Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Filling:
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 cup diced chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small can diced green chiles

1 dozen flour tortillas

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 small can diced green chiles
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Combine filling and combine sauce ingredients in separate bowls. Soften tortillas by putting them individually in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Place mixture down the center of each tortilla and roll up. Pour sauce over the top of the tortillas. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Last 5 minutes add cheese on top.

Super Easy Chili Recipe

Alberta said I should post the recipe for some chili I brought to Emma's party. So, here it is:

2 cans 16oz. diced tomatoes (don't drain!)
2 cans 16 oz. red or dark red kidney beans, drained
1/2 lb. - 1lb. browned hamburger (or whatever meat you want, really)
2 tsp. sugar (cuts down the tomatoes acidity)
1+ Tbs. curry
1 tsp. cumin
1+ T. chili powder
salt to taste
pepper (optional)
taco toppings (optional)

Basically, just throw it all (except the toppings) in a big pot or crock pot, stir and cook it until it gets warm and bubbly. If you like to freeze your cooked hamburger, you can throw it in frozen and just cook until the meat is thawed and warm.

Dave and I like shredded cheese, cilantro, sour cream and crumbled tortilla chips on our chili, but that's just us. Hope you all enjoy a super easy meal idea!

Ina Garten's flag cake

Here's the recipe for Ina Garten's (the barefoot contessa)4th of July flag cake. My sister in law Amy is to be thanked for introducing me to this incredibly yummy cake. I would suggest using half of the butter in the frosting, because a pound of butter seems excessive. I make it using remainder of the butter from the cake, so about 2 sticks. Maybe it pipes better if there's more butter. Enjoy!

"Amish" Cinnamon Rolls

I'm not usually a big cinnamon roll fan, but I just can't seem to get enough of these! It does require some "Amish Friendship Bread" starter, and I have two bags available if you want some. One condition, give some starter back to me with you finish with it!

Enjoy!
Alberta

========================

"Amish" Cinnamon Rolls

In a bowl, combine:
2 cups flour (I like whole wheat flour)
1 cup milk
1 cup "Amish" starter batter

Let sit at room temperature overnight or 10-12 hours. Stir down.

In separate bowl, combine:
3 Tbsp. sugar (I think honey would work as well)
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

Stir into dough mixture all at once. Stir in about 2 more cups of flour (whole wheat), then pour dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead in more flour (white this time) until no longer sticky. Roll out to 1/2" thickness in a rectangle shape.

Sprinkle evenly over dough:
1/2 cup butter, cut up
lots of brown sugar
lots of cinnamon, more than you think
lots of nuts, crushed (pecans are my favorite)

Beginning at wide side, roll up and seal seam. Use string to cut 1" to 1 1/2" slices. Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and place rolls inside. Let rise 30 minutes or more. (I've had good success letting them rise overnight!) Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. You can frost them if you want, but they really don't need it!

Sherbet Dessert

Yummy!

This is one of my favorite dessert recipes this time of year. I love it because it is not heavy and it is cold.

Raspberry Sherbet Dessert
Crumble 1 box of macaroon cookies. To do this I put them all in a large plastic zip lock bag and then use a rolling pin to mash them up. You could also use a blender.

Put almost all of the crumbs in the bottom of a 9X12 pan. The remainder will be used for the top and so you just need a little left over.

Combine together:
1/2 gallon of raspberry sherbet (or any other kind you want)
8 0z. container of cool whip (I use the light kind because it doesn't make a difference in the taste)

Spread the sherbet mixture on top of crumbs and then sprinkle the remaining crumbs on top and freeze.

Enjoy!