Sherrie's White Bread

(Breadmaker)
1& 1/3 C WATER (Luke warm)
2& 1/2 TBLS. BUTTER (Real Butter either salted or non. I use salted)
1/3 C HONEY (Clover)
1&1/2 TSPS. SALT
3 CUPS FLOUR + 1 CUP (SCOOPED & LEVELED)
1/4 C DRY MILK (NOT INSTANT)
1&1/2 TSPS. YEAST (I use Fleischmen's Bread Machine yeast).

Baking Bread Tips & Tricks

Notes on Yeast

·         Bread Machine yeast has a finer texture.

·         Regular Dry yeast has a coarser texture. It is best started in warm water with a pinch of sugar, especially if it is older. Water should be warm to the touch but not burn your finger.

·         Rapid Rise yeast

·         Stores well in freezer

·         “1 package” = 2 ¼ teaspoons (some sources say 2 ½)

Types of Flour

·         All-Purpose:  Use for everyday baking of cookies, cakes, and some breads.

·         Bread Flour:  Has a higher protein content and gives a better rise for yeast breads.

·         Whole Wheat Flour:  Most recipes are best with a combination of whole wheat and white flour but all whole wheat can be used. Grinding your own wheat provides the freshest and most nutritious flour. Whole wheat bread can be dense and need a little help to rise well and have a better texture. Adding lecithin, vital wheat gluten, and/or other dough boosters/enhancers helps.

·         There are many varieties of flour to try such as rye and specialty “artisan” flours.

Kneading Bread Dough

Bread dough must be kneaded to develop the gluten, which allows it to rise. With heavy-duty mixers (e.g., Kitchen Aid, Bosch) and bread machines, not very many of us knead by hand anymore. For those of us who like to handle the dough and form our own loaves, here are a few things to keep in mind:

·         You can use a bread machine set on “dough cycle” to make just about any kind of bread dough.

·         After removing the dough from the bread machine, you will need to knead it to remove the air bubbles and get it ready to form into loaves.

·         Work on a lightly floured surface (wooden board, counter top, canvas cloth or other specialty mat/cloth)

Forming and Baking

A few tips for forming your own loaves and baking in the oven instead of the bread machine:

·         To form a loaf roll the dough out into a rectangle and then roll it up (as if you were making cinnamon rolls but there’s nothing in the middle). Pinch the dough to close the seam and pull some of the dough down and under at each end to make it nice and smooth.

·         Let the formed loaves rise in a warm place until they have about doubled in size.

·         Cover loaves with a clean, damp cloth while they rise to keep them from drying out. 

·         Always preheat the oven. If you are baking the bread on a stone, leave the stone in the oven while it pre-heats.

·         French and other artisan-type loaves can be baked on a stone or in special pans with perforations.

·         Steam is the key to chewy, crunchy crusts. Spritz the oven with water when you put the loaves in, place a pan with a little water in it on the bottom rack for the first several minutes of baking, or bake in a covered cast-iron or ceramic crock.

·         Bread is done if it makes a “hollow” sound when you tap on it. If in doubt, go for a few more minutes. It takes quite a while to really over-bake or burn bread.

Bread samples tonight include Sister Rydalch’s whole wheat, harvest, and rye, as well as her famous white, and Andrea’s French from a starter and oatmeal English muffin. If you would like recipes or information on starters, let us know.  

Oatmeal English Muffin Bread

5 ¼ C flour

1 C oats

2 pkgs yeast (about 4 ½ t)

1 T brown sugar

2 t salt

¼ t baking soda

2 C milk

½ C water

  

In a large bowl, combine 2 ¼ cups flour, oats, yeast, brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Combine the milk and water and heat the mixture until it is very warm but not hot to the touch. Gradually add it to the dry ingredients and beat well. Stir in remaining 3 cups of flour to make a stiff batter. Spoon into two greased loaf pans. You can coat the greased pans with cornmeal if you wish. Cover with a clean, damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately. To serve, slice and toast.

Pain au Levain – French Bread From a Starter

Starter:

½ C bread flour

1/8 t yeast

¼ C warm water

Combine ingredients in a large glass container. Let sit at room temperature for 2-5 days, stirring daily. You can increase the amounts to make more starter, but keep the flour to water ratio the same (2 parts flour to 1 part water).

Sponge:

1 ¼ C bread flour

½ C warm water

¾ C any sourdough starter

Mix ingredients in bread machine on “dough cycle,” which is mixing/kneading and the first rise.

Dough:

1 t bread machine yeast

1 C warm water

3 C bread flour

1 – 1 ½ t salt  (I use a rounded teaspoon)

Add ingredients to bread machine, stir to make sure flour is mixed in a bit, and run on dough cycle again (mixing/kneading and one rise). When dough cycle is complete, remove the dough from the pan onto a lightly floured surface. Knead to remove air bubbles. Save ¾ - 1 C to be your starter for next time. Add any extras you’d like (rosemary, roasted onions, olives, pepper….) and form the loaves. Cover with a clean damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until about doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Just before baking, slash the tops of the loaves with a sharp knife and brush with a mixture of 1 egg white and 2 T water. Spray the oven with water and then spray it again 4-5 times during the first 10 minutes of baking or put a pan with a little water in the oven on the rack under the bread so you don’t have to keep opening the oven (which lets the heat out and could make the bread fall). Bake until the bread is a deep caramel color and makes a hollow sound when you tap on it. The actual time will vary depending on the size of your loaves (long thin baguettes, a large round, etc.).

Freezer Jam

1 quart of raspberries or blueberries

4 C sugar

2 T lemon juice

1 package CERTO liquid pectin

You can make many varieties of freezer jam (see recipes in the CERTO package for amounts of fruit, sugar, lemon juice and sometimes water needed). All the instructions are included on the insert that comes with every package of CERTO (available at Target, grocery stores, etc. – about $3.50 for a box of two packages), so I am not going to retype them here. Just remember when making freezer jam:

·         You will get a fresher fruit flavor because the fruit is not cooked

·         If you use a food processor, lightly chop the fruit. DO NOT puree it. You want chunks of fruit.

·         Use the exact amounts of crushed fruit and sugar called for or it might not set

·         Do not reduce the sugar or use sugar substitutes; it will not set. Look for Sure-Jell reduced sugar pectin if you want to make reduced sugar jam. It comes in a pink box. I don’t know if it is freezer or cooked…

·         Leave about ½” at the top of your containers when you fill them because the jam will expand in the freezer

·         After filling containers, let the jam sit at room temperature for 24 hours to set. Then keep it in the fridge for several weeks or the freezer for up to a year. 

Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter

4 pounds sweet potatoes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup apple butter
Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until very tender.

2. Peel the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher until creamy, then mash in the butter and apple butter. Season with salt and serve.

Contributed by: Marcia Kiesel viaFood & Wine

Apple Crumb Pie

Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes Ingredients: 9-inch pastry shell, unbaked, chilled 1 cup sifted flour 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup soft butter 6 cups peeled, sliced cooking apples 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Preparation: Combine flour, brown sugar, salt, and butter; blend until crumbly then set aside. Combine apples, granulated sugar, and cinnamon; mix gently to coat apple slices. Pack apple mixture into chilled crust. Sprinkle crumb topping over apples. Bake in 375° oven until apples are tender, about 50 minutes. Serve this apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

Shepherd's Pie

Modeled after the Cheesecake Factory version—clear sauce, ground beef, diced zucchini, etc. I’ve created a couple of light shepherd’s pie recipes over the years, but this is now my favorite.

There was no need for added fat when preparing the beef and vegetables filling: everything sautéed nicely as a mixture. I used condensed beef consommé as the base for the sauce/gravy, which couldn’t have been easier. I purposely used less meat and more vegetables per serving compared to the restaurant, but you probably won’t even notice.

Then I whipped up a batch of mashed potatoes by beating some microwaved baked potatoes with some fat-free half-and-half. In the restaurant, the mashed potato–topped shepherd’s pie has a golden crust made with Parmesan and (I’m guessing) some melted butter. In this version, you can top your mashed potatoes with a healthy spray of canola or olive oil cooking spray, or you can brush lightly with olive oil before sprinkling with shredded Parmesan cheese.

The Cheesecake Factory serving (which is definitely 2 portions) contains 1,875 calories, 61 grams of saturated fat, and 4,108 mg sodium. The restaurant doesn’t provide the total fat grams.

Ingredients
(makes 4 servings)

1 onion, chopped
3/4 pound ground sirloin (8-10% fat)
2 cups sliced mushroom (cut thick slices in half)
2 cups diced zucchini
1 tablespoon chopped or minced garlic
1 teaspoon oregano leaves (dried)
1/2 cup white pepper
1 cup grated or shredded carrot
1/2 cup frozen peas
10½-ounce can beef consommé (condensed)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water or beef broth
Mashed potato topping
4 medium baked potatoes
2/3 cup fat-free half-and-half
Canola or olive oil cooking spray (1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine can be substituted)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 2-quart baking dish (a 9 x 13-inch baking dish can be used) or 4 individual deep serving dishes with canola or olive oil cooking spray.
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork and microwave on HIGH until completely tender inside. Set aside until easier to handle.
3. Meanwhile, begin heating a large nonstick saucepan over high heat. Add onion and ground beef, breaking the beef into smaller pieces with a spatula. Cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the mushroom pieces, diced zucchini, garlic, oregano, and white pepper. Continue to cook on high, stirring often until beef is cooked throughout and the vegetables are lightly browning in spots (about 5 minutes).
4. Reduce heat to low/simmer and stir in the shredded carrot, peas, and condensed consommé. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and wine or beer until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture into the beef mixture and continue to simmer until thickened gravy forms (about 1 to 2 minutes). Spread meat and vegetable mixture into prepared baking dish(s).
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the potato (without the peel) with fat-free half-and-half until a slightly thin mashed potato mixture is formed. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the meat mixture in dish. Generously coat the top with cooking spray (or brush the top with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or melted whipped butter or margarine). Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, uncovered, or until top of mashed potatoes is golden brown and filling is bubbling.

Per serving: 415 calories, 30 g protein, 56 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 4
g saturated fat, 2.5 g monounsaturated fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 58
mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 770 mg sodium. Calories from fat = 17%.
Omega-3 fatty acids = 0.1 g, omega-6 fatty acids = 0.5 gram. Weight
Watchers POINTS = 8.

 Via: http://www.silverplanet.com/lifestyles/silver-gourmet/recipe-week/savory-shepherds-pie/55789

Caramel Crunch Apple Dip

Caramel Crunch Apple Dip
Perfect appetizer for any occasion. It is one of our all time favorites.


8oz Cream Cheese
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3+ Cup Chocolate Chips (or to taste)
1 Cup Toffee Chips (or to taste)

On the stove top melt cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips and toffee chips to taste. Serve with sliced apples.

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

Combine and chill:

1/2 c Red or Cider Vinegar

3/4 c Olive or Canola Oil

1/2 c Sugar

1/4 c Finely Chopped Onion

1/4 tsp mustard

1 1/2 tsp Poppy Seeds

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

This dressing is fabulous with a either a spring mix salad or baby spinach leaves, with blueberries, strawberries, pecans or walnuts, mandarin oranges, and dried cranberries!

Warm Spinach & Artichoke Cups

total time

34 min

prep

20 min

servings

24 servings

What You Need:

24 won ton wrappers

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, finely chopped

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1/3 cup KRAFT Mayo with Olive Oil Reduced Fat Mayonnaise

1/3 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped red peppers

2 cloves garlic, minced

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.

PLACE 1 won ton wrapper in each of 24 mini muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray, with edges of wrapper extending over top of cup. Bake 5 min. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients.

SPOON artichoke mixture into won ton cups.

BAKE 12 to 14 min. or until filling is heated through and edges of cups are golden brown.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Where to Find Won Ton Wrappers

Look for won ton wrappers in the produce section of the supermarket.

Curried Egg Salad Sandwich

Um, yes please! Saw this recipe on Real Simple and HAD to steal it.

Curried Egg Salad Sandwich


Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 10m | Total Time: 20m
Ingredients

8 large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
kosher salt and black pepper
4 slices pumpernickel bread
4 large leaves Bibb lettuce
potato chips, for serving

Directions:

Place the eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 12 minutes. Rinse the eggs under cold water, peel, and coarsely chop.

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise and curry powder. Fold in the eggs and chives; season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Dividing evenly, top each slice of bread with lettuce, then the egg salad. Serve with the chips.

By Dawn Perry, April 2011

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork


Added by Ree on March 22, 2011 in Main Courses, Pork
Prep Time 5 Minutes
Cook Time 6 Hours Servings 18 Difficulty Easy

Ingredients:

1 whole Large Onion
1 whole Pork Shoulder ("pork Butt") - 5 To 7 Pounds
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 can (11 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven.

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.

Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.

Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least six hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it’s not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it’s cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.

Serve on warm flour tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, avocado slices, salsa, and whatever else you’d like.

Chicken Marengo

Hehe! I like the idea of this recipe, because iPhone auto-correct always corrects my name to Marengo the first time someone types it. Kind of a cool nickname too!

Chicken Marengo

Vegetable cooking spray
2 cups frozen, chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (15 ounces) light red kidney beans, rinsed, drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/4 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms, drained
2 stripes orange rind (3 x 1 inch)
3/4 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups cooked rice or noodles, warm

Spray large saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Sauté onion and garlic 5 minutes; stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add chicken and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, except salt, pepper and rice to saucepan; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until onions are tender and chicken is cooked, 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over rice.

Makes 6 main dish servings.

Nutrient Information Per serving: Calories 294; Fat 1g; % Calories from Fat 7; Carbohydrate 46g; Folate 16mcg; Sodium 367mg; Protein 22g; Dietary Fiber 4g; Cholesterol 34mg

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 10m | Total Time: 20m



Ingredients

* 1 10-ounce box frozen cut or chopped spinach, thawed
* 1 12-ounce jar artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
* 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
* 3/4 cup sour cream
* 1 cup grated Cheddar (I'm thinking a mozerella/parmesean mix would work better...)
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* pita chips, tortilla chips, or sliced French bread
* 1 lemon, cut into wedges (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Squeeze the spinach between paper towels to remove excess moisture. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sour cream, and Cheddar. Season with the salt and pepper.
3. Scrape the mixture into a small oven-safe baking dish. Bake until lightly golden and heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm with the chips or bread and the lemon wedges, if desired.

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients

1 14-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut (about 5 cups)
4 large egg whites
2/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325° F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut, egg whites, sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla.
3. Drop packed tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
4. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
5. When cool, dip the bottom of each macaroon in the chocolate and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Store the macaroons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.



Thanks Real Simple!

Joanie's Zucchini Bread

Joanie's Zucchini Bread

Cream together:

3 eggs
2C sugar
1C oil
2C peeled and grated zucchini
3tsp. vanilla

Add to that:
1tsp. salt
1T. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
3C flour
1tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cardamom (opt. but sooo worth the add)
1C nuts (opt)
1C choc chips (opt)
(I'd add either the nuts OR the choc chips but not both, also make sure to shake your choc chips in about 1/3 c of flour so that they don't all sink to the bottom of your bread.)

Mix and pour into two well greases loaf pans. Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour. And don't blame me, or Nan, or her mom Joanie if neighbors randomly show up because it smells like you're baking gingerbread..this stuff is YUMMMMY!

Via Miss Ardis.

Malasadas

Malasadas (recipe from KVMH Recipe Book, Barbara Garcia, CDM with a little bit o' su'in su'in)


1 pkg. dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 c. warm water
1 sm. grated potato
6 eggs well beaten
6 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. lemon extract (su'in su'in...hehehe)
1/4c. melted butter
1 c. evaporated milk
1 tsp. salt
1c. warm water


Mix yeast with 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 cup warm water. Add the grated potato. Cover and let rise. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl or pot and add the risen yeast mixture. Mix well and knead dough for several minutes (it's gonna be sticky, but don't throw down too much dough when kneading, you don't want it to be too tough). Cover with a clean, damp dishcloth or tablecloth until double in size (about an hour). form balls with fingers or drop by spoonfuls into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Cool. Roll in sugar (or whatevah you like) and eat em up! Ho da Onolicious!!
Yields approx. 4 to 5 dozen.

via Ardis :)

Jonathan's cookies...

A co-worker brought some amazing cookies to work today, here's the recipe.

He says "I kind of followed one and I kind of made it up on my own, but it went something like this:

I creamed one stick of butter and a cup of brown sugar, then added a heaping spoonful of almond butter and an egg or two.

In a separate container, I mixed a half-cup of white flour, a half-cup of whole wheat flour, a pinch or two of salt, a rounded half-teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch or two each of cinnamon, ground ginger and cayenne.

Then I mixed the butter mixture with the flour mixture, added a half-cup or so of oats, some pecans and some chocolate chunks.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes per sheet. I think that’s it. Oh yeah, I added some vanilla extract along the way, but we were almost out, so I don’t even know if you can taste it anyway."

They tasted amazing!

Peanut Butter Brownies

Peanut Butter Brownies

3/4 c. butter

1/3 c. cocoa powder

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 ½ c. flour

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. peanut butter

Melt butter and cocoa powder together. Cool. Blend in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Combine salt and flour and add to wet ingredients. Pour batter into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Middle of pan should be set.

Straight from the oven, drop peanut butter spoonfuls over the brownies. Allow peanut butter to melt a bit and then spread until brownies are covered.

Icing

½ c. butter

¼ c. cocoa powder

1/3 c. milk

8 large marshmallows

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

3 ½ c. powdered sugar

Melt all ingredients except the powdered sugar. Once melted, stir in powder sugar. Pour over top of peanut butter layer. Tilt and rotate pan until peanut butter is covered with icing. Refrigerate until icing sets, about 1 hour.

Via: Your Life in the Kitchen