French Bread - 3 loaves

Combine:
3 c. warm water
2 T. sugar
3 tsp. salt
2 T. oil

Sprinkle 2 T. dry yeast (not instant or rapid rise yeast) Dissolve.  Stir in 7- 7 1/2 c. flour (either in mixer or by wooden spoon.  I just use a wooden spoon.  Its easier and cleaner)  Cover and let rise 10 min.  Stir.  Repeat 6 times.  (60 min.)

Divide dough into thirds and roll out 1/2' thick.  Roll up like a jelly roll.  Make sure you pinch the ends closed.  Place on greased cookie sheet.  Slit top 3-4 times.  Brush with beaten egg.  sprinkle with seeds, or garlic, or ??  Let rise 30 min. uncovered.

Bake 375*   25-30 min. 

My favorite Fudge Recipe

In a large metal mixing bowl:

Spray sides of bowl with nonstick spray
18 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 lb. miniature marshmallows
2 cubes butter, sliced
2 tsp. vanilla

In large heavy sauce pan:
Spray sides of pan with cooking spray
1 (12 Oz.) can evaporated milk
4  1/2 c. sugar

Bring to boil stirring constantly.  Turn heat down to medium high and continue boiling until temperature reaches 235*.  Keep it stirred to keep from scalding on the bottom of the pan.  Pour hot mixture in bowl and stir (quickly) until chocolate and marshmallows are blended.

Line a 13 x 9 pan with wax paper and spray with nonstick spray.  Pour mixture into pan.  Let it sit until firm then cover with wax paper to keep it moist.  I dump it out after it cools and wrap in all in plastic wrap and then stack it in my fridge.

Can also add orange oil, peppermint oil, peanut butter or ????? 

Chicken Pot Pie

Filling:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 c. frozen hash browns
1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1 c. carrots, grated
1/2 c. milk
8 green onions, chopped
2 eggs
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper

Place pie crust in pie tin, pour filling in.  Cover with another pie crust.

375*   50-55 min. 

Bread Stuffing - Betty Crocker

3/4 c. onion, minced
1 1/2 c. celery, chopped
1 c. butter
9 c. soft bread cubes
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. crushed sage leaves
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Chicken, cooked and cut up
2 boxes frozen broccoli or cauliflower (I use cooked fresh broccoli)

Combine:
1/2 c. mayo
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 T. lemon juice

1 c. cheese, shredded

Cook veggies.  Line bottom of pan with cooked veggies.  Sprinkle chick over veggies. Pour sauce on top.  Top with cheese.

325*until heated

Garlic Lovers Chicken

Combine in a plastic bag:
1/2 c. breadcrumbs (either Italian or regular is fine)
1/3 c. parmesan cheese, shredded
2 T. fresh minced parsley (I don't care for parsley so I omit this)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. milk
6 boneless chicken breasts

Combine:
1/4 c. melted butter
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. lemon juice

Dip chicken in milk, shake in bread crumbs.  Place on greased 13 x 9 pan.  Drizzle butter mixture over chicken

Bake uncovered 350*   25-30 min. or until chicken is done

Almond-Filled Cookie Cake

            
Crust:
2 2/3 c. flour
1 1/3 c. sugar  
1 1/3 c. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg     

 

Filling:

1 c. sliced almonds, toasted     

1/2 sugar

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

1 egg, beaten

                        

 Heat oven to 325°F. Place cookie sheet in oven to preheat. Grease 10 or 9-inch springform pan. In large bowl, blend all crust ingredients at low speed until dough forms. If desired, refrigerate dough for easier handling. Divide dough in half. Spread half in bottom of greased pan to form crust.

In small bowl, combine all filling ingredients; blend well. Spread over crust to within 1/2 inch of sides of pan.

Between 2 sheets of waxed paper, press remaining dough to 10 or 9-inch round. Remove top sheet of waxed paper; place dough over filling. Remove waxed paper; press dough in place. Top with whole almonds.

Place cake on preheated cookie sheet. Bake at 325°F. for 65 to 75 minutes or until top is light golden brown. Cool 15 minutes; remove sides of pan. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.

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Stay-In-Bed Stew

1 lb. trimmed round steak
1 onion, chopped
1-16 oz. can green beans, un-drained
1-4oz. can mushrooms, un-drained  Have used fresh as well
5 potatoes, cut up
4-6 carrots, cut up
 1 T. parsley
1/2 c. instant tapioca
1 lg. can V-8 juice
2 c. water
2 T. beef bouillon

275* (Its low, I know...)
Combine all in LARGE roasting pan.  Replace lid and bake 8 hours.  Add water if needed while cooking.  Stir a couple times during baking. 

Snickerdoodle Cookie

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Roll into balls the toss in:
2 T sugar
2 T. cinnamon

400*   8-10 min. 

Almond Butter Cookies

1 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. almond extract

form into ball (1 ") then roll in sugar

Stamp with a cookie stamp

350*  12-15 min. 

Citrus Shortbread Cookies

1/2 lb. butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 c. plus 2 T. sugar
2 tsp. each: lemon & orange zest, minced
2 tsp. orange flavored liqueur (optional)  I use a couple drops of orange oil to taste
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Roll into cylinder and refrigerate 90 min.
Cut into slices

325*   16-18 min.

Vegatarian Lasagna *****

2 large eggplants
10 oz. mushrooms
1/3 c. onion, chopped
1 egg
1- 28oz.can crushed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 T. chopped parsley
1 T. chopped basil leaves
1 tsp. sugar
1 T. chopped oregano
1 tsp. nutmeg
approx. 9 oz. lasagna noodles
10 oz. ricotta cheese
3/4 c. parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 c. fontina cheese, shredded
1/2 pound. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c. heavy cream

Partially boil noodles
In another pan, sauté onions in olive oil then add garlic

In another pan either sauté or roast eggplant and mushrooms until mostly cooked.  Then add crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, and heavy cream.  Simmer.

While sauce simmers, mix cheeses with egg, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste  (Save some shredded cheeses for the top of the casserole)

Now it's time to make the layers.  Spray pan.  Layer sauce, noodles, eggplant mushroom mix, ricotta cheese mixture.....repeat

For last layer top with the remaining shredded cheese.

Cover with foil and bake 375* for 20-30 min.  Remove foil and continue baking 5-10 min.  Sprinkle chopped parsley on top. 

Apricot Oatmeal Cookie

3/4 c. snipped apricots
3/4 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. flour
2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. walnuts

 Powdered sugar frosting:

1 c. powdered sugar plus enough milk (2-3 tsp.?) to drizzle

Cover apricots with boiling water.  Let soak for 5 min.  Drain. 

Bake 375*

10 min. on ungreased pan

Green Beans with Walnuts, Cranberries and Bleu Cheese

1 3/4 lb. green beans, trimmed
3 T. roasted walnut oil
1 T. sherry vinegar
1 heaping tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. toasted walnuts, chopped
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1 small shallot, thinly sliced into half moons
2 oz. crumbly bleu cheese

Blanch green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender.  Remove from boiling water and run under cold water to stop the cooking, then drain and dry.

Whisk walnut butter, vinegar, Dijon, salt, and pepper in small bowl.

Add the cool green beans to a large bowl and toss in walnuts, cranberries and shallots and drizzle in the vinaigrette.

Place on platter and sprinkle with bleu cheese.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. orange juice (could add some rind as well)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
one 12-oz. bag cranberries
1/2 c. water

Combine everything in saucepan.  Bring up to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 15 minutes.  Let cool completely before serving 

Sweet Potato Souffle

3 lbs. sweet potatoes, baked and still warm
3 T. butter, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3 T. light brown sugar
3 lg. eggs
salt & pepper to taste

Topping:
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. flour
3 T. butter, cold, cubed
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat 375*

Peel sweet potatoes and add flesh to a bowl.  Beat in the butter using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment until combined.  Beat in cream cheese, brown sugar and eggs, adding one at a time.  Taste and add salt & pepper to taste.  Pour into greased pan.

For the topping: Mix together brown sugar, pecans, flour, butter and bacon in a separate bowl until it looks crumbly. Sprinkle on top of sweet potato mixture.

 Bake until puffed and golden, 30 min. Let rest 10 min. before serving.  (the soufflé will fall slightly)

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch Dressing (for Cafe Rio style salad)

1 package (1 oz.) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
ignore directions on package
1 c. mayo
1/2 c. milk
juice of 1 lime (2 T.)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 c. roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 c. green salsa*
hot sauce

Place all ingredients in blender.  Add hot sauce to taste.  Allow to set in refrigerator several hours.

*A note about green salsa:
There are several brands of green salsa available and they have various degrees of heat.  Most common is Herdez.  This is quite spicy.  I like La Costena medium. Just the right spice level.  This way you get all the flavor of the tomatillos but can control the level of heat.  Just make sure you sample your salsa for heat before adding the full amount. 

Spicy Honey Chicken (Our Best Bites)

8 boneless thighs (2 lbs.) or can use breast
2 tsp. oil

Rub:
2 tsp. granulated garlic
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder

Glaze:
1/2 c. honey
1 T. cider vinegar

Combine rub spices.
Drizzle chicken with 2 tsp. oil then rub in spice mix.  Grill chicken until cooked.  While chicken is cooking, warm honey in microwave so its not as thick then combine vinegar to honey.  Reserve 2 T. of glaze for later.  Take the rest of the glaze and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.  Drizzle the reserved gaze on top. 

Brownie Candy Cups

1 package Duncan Hines Chocolate Lovers Fudge Brownie mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. water
1/4 c. vegetable oil
30 mini Reece's cups unwrapped-or Rolos, Thin Mint, York Peppermint Pattie,etc....

Preheat 350*
1. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan
2. Combine brownie mix, contents from fudge packet in mix, eggs, water, and oil.
3. Stir until blended (about 50 strokes)
4. Fill liner with 2 T. batter
5. Bake for 10 min. then remove from oven and push Reece's in center of each brownie cake until     even with the surface of the batter
6. Bake 5-7 minutes longer
7. Cool 5-10 minutes in pan, then remove to a cooling rack. 

Creamy Corn Chowder (Our Best Bites)

2 T. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 c. water
2 1/2 c. milk (skim or 1% would work fine)
2 regular sized chicken bouillon cubes, 1 Knorr chicken bouillon cube, or 2 tsp. chicken base
1/2 lb. bacon (optional)  sometimes I use frozen bacon bits
1 small onion, diced
2 red potatoes, diced into small cubes
2-3 cloves garlic. minced
1 can corn, drained or about 1 1/2 c. frozen corn
salt & pepper to taste
A few dashes of hot sauce (like Tabasco or Cholula)

Fry bacon until crisp.  In the meantime, melt butter in soup pot.  Add flour to make a roux and whisk until it comes together in a little ball.  Add water and whisk until completely combined and no lumps.  Add milk and chicken base or bouillon and bring to simmer.  Add potatoes, onions, and garlic, and simmer (don't boil!) stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add crumbled bacon and corn and heat through.  Add a few drops of hot sauce and then salt and pepper to taste. 

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with extra bacon and/or cheese if wanted. 

Lasagna Soup (Our Best Bites)

2 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. Italian sausage (could use turkey sausage)
3 c. chopped onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp. dried oregano
optional: 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 T tomato paste
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken broth
8 oz. fusilli or mafalda pasta (or other pasta of your choice)
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil, or a heaping T. dried basil

8 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Heat oil, add sausage & brown.  Add onions and cook until softened.  Add garlic, oregano, & red pepper flakes.  If you're using dried basil, add at this point. Cook about a minute.  Add tomato paste and stir.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock.  Stir to combine. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 30 min.  You can add the dry pasta to the soup in the last 8-ish minutes of cooking, or as I prefer, and cook the pasta separately and add to individual bowls.  Right before serving, stir in fresh basil and then season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a bowl combine ricotta, parmesan, salt and pepper

To serve, place a generous dollop of the ricotta mixture in each bowl, add pasta if you cooked it separately, and ladle the hot soup over the cheese. 

Baby Bleu Salad

Mixed greens
1 (4 oz.) crumbled bleu cheese
2 oranges, peeled, sliced
1 pt. strawberries, quartered
Sweet & spicy pecans
Balsamic vinaigrette

Sweet & Spicy Pecans:
Soak 10 min. & drain: 
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. warm water
1 c. pecans

Mix soaked and drained pecans with:
2 T sugar
1 T chili powder
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
Bake on greased baking sheet 350* for 10 min.

Vinaigrette:
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
3 T Dijon mustard
3 T honey
2 cloves garlic
2 sm. shallots
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. olive oil

Taco Soup

1 can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 can corn with liquid
1 can red kidney beans with liquid
1 lb. browned hamburger with 1 package taco seasoning
1 small can green chilies with liquid
1 diced onion
salt & pepper to taste

*Garnish with cheese & sour cream

Shauna's Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. butter
2 T. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla

In a sauce pan stir together sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and soda.  Boil for 7 min.  Remove from heat then stir in vanilla.  Serve warm

Stores for a week in the frig.  Microwave 20 seconds, stir, microwave 20 sec. more then stir and serve.

Shauna's Egg Casserole

8 slices of bread (crust off & cubed)
2 c. grated cheese
1 lb. sausage, browned & drained
4-6 eggs, beaten
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Topping:
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup with 1/2 c. of milk


Put cubes in bottom of greased pan. Top with cheese & sausage.  Mix eggs, 2 c. milk & mustard.  Pour over bread cubes.  Refrigerate a couple hours or overnight.

Mix soup and 1/2 c. milk and pour over top.

Bake 1 hour at 350*

Jalapeno Popper Dip *****

6-8 slices bacon, diced and cooked crispy
2-8 oz. packages softened cream cheese
1 c. mayo
4-6 jalapenos, chopped and deseeded (the seeds will make it too hot)
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 c. diced green onion

Topping:
1 c. crushed crackers (like Ritz)
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 c. melted butter

Preheat 350*

Combine all ingredients and sprinkle all over the top of the dip.

Bake the dip for 20-30 min. until bubbly

Chili Con Queso Dip *****

1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
1-10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes
1-4 oz. can of green chiles
2-3 chopped green onions
1-4 chopped jalapeno peppers, to taste
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

Melt cheese together in an container in a microwave.

Stir in other ingredients.

Serve warm with crudités and/or tortilla chips

Apple Steusel Bars

Sweet pastry:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. real butter
1 egg, beaten

Filling:
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 c. apples, peeled & cut (Granny Smith or other tart ones)

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
3 T. milk, cream or half & half
1 tsp. Almond extract

Bake 350*

Crust: mix 1st four ingredients and then cut in the butter until it resembles pea sized crumbles.  Gently mix in egg.

Spray a 13 x 9 pan with non-stick spray then gently pat in 2/3 of the crust mixture. 

Filling: combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, then toss with apples.  Spread over crust.  Sprinkle with remaining pastry over the top evenly. 

Bake 40 min.

When finished baking, drizzle glaze over top.  Eat hot or cooled off.

Best Cornbread

1 stick butter
8 oz. sour cream
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs
2 tsp. sugar
2 Jiffy cornbread mixes

Melt butter in a 13 x 9 pan.  Mix everything else together and pour into pan on top of the melted butter. 
Bake 350*
30-45 min.