what megan's making...

Recipes

2009-04-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

Breakfast
Black Raspberry Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Cream Scones
Granola
Strata with Asparagus, Sausage and Fontina

Appetizers/Sides
Cheese Straws
Cranberry Spread

Main Dishes
Asian Pork Linguine
Chicken and Chickpea Curry
Chicken Marsala
Gnocchi
Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)
Margarita Pizza
Mexican Lasagna
Penne Salami Bake
Pepperoni Roll
Pork and Sauerkraut
Slow Cooked Puerto Rican Pulled Pork
Sweet and Sour Pork
Vicki's Chicken Casserole

Dessert
Apple Tart
BAKER'S One Bowl Brownies
Best Birthday Cake
Biscotti
Blondies
Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
Blueberry Crumb Cake
Bugs Bunny Bars
Carmelitas
Cranberry Pizza
Double Chocolate Cookies
Fresh Apple Cake
Ginger Chewies
Homemade Oreos
Magic in the Middle Cookies
No-Bakes
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oatmeal Scotchies
Oreo and Fudge Ice Cream Cake
Ronita's Cookies
Strawberry Raspberry Trifle
Strawberry Shortcake
Yellow Cupcakes with Sticky Chocolate Icing

Bread
Banana Bread
Beer Bread
Black Raspberry Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Buttermilk Cornbread
Ciabatta Bread
English Muffin Toasting Bread
Healthier Zucchini Bread
Hearth Bread
Herbs de Provence Bread
Irish Brown Bread
Naan (Indian Bread)
Orange Pecan Zucchini Bread
Overnight Dinner Rolls
Pear Bread
Pita Bread
Whole Wheat Bread

Soup
Baked Potato Soup
Beef Tortellini Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Chipotle Chicken Chowder
Lentil Soup with Sausage and Kale
Moroccan Chickpean Stew
Turkey Chili

Blueberry Muffins

2008-11-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
¼ cup oil
½ cup milk
1 egg, beaten
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Approx. 1 cup blueberries

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 400. Beat egg. Stir in milk and oil. Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened. Batter should be a little lumpy. Add the blueberries gently after the ingredients are mixed.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar after baking

Penne Salami Bake

2008-11-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1/3 pound salami, cubed (*I replaced this with chicken sausage)
10 pitted ripe olives, halved (*I left these out)
Salt and pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender; stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, green and sweet red peppers, salami, olives, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in pasta. Combine cheeses. Spoon half of pasta mixture into a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with 1-1/3 cups cheese. Top with remaining pasta and cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Blondies

2008-11-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Butter an 8×8 pan
Mix melted butter with brown sugar - beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).
Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. I always err on the side of caution with baking times — nobody ever complained about a gooey-middled cookie. Cool on rack before cutting them.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
1/2 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter
Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

Oreo and Fudge Ice Cream Cake

2008-11-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

(from the Kraft Foods website)

1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
8 OREO Cookies, chopped (about 1 cup)
12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches

POUR fudge topping into medium bowl. Whisk in 1 cup COOL WHIP. Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 min. Stir in chopped cookies.
ARRANGE 4 ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on 24-inch-long piece of foil; top with half the COOL WHIP mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sandwiches. Frost top and sides with remaining COOL WHIP. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to loosely seal packet.
FREEZE 4 hours.

Buttermilk Cornbread

2008-11-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick butter, melted

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

Mix together dry ingredients in bowl. Stir in wet ingredients until lumps are gone. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes in greased 8 or 9 inch square pan.

Double Chocolate Cookies

2008-11-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

1c. margarine
1.5 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
2/3c. cocoa
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. chocolate chips

Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at @350 for 8 to 10 minutes.

Turkey Chili

2008-11-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey meat
1 small or ½ large onion chopped
2-3 stalks of celery chopped
2 pablano peppers chopped (I only used one because it looked pretty big)
2 cloves of garlic smashed and minced
1 teaspoon or more dried chipotle pepper (I used 1 tsp and it was still pretty spicy)
1 tablespoon chili powder or to taste
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 packet of chili seasoning mix
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large can (12 oz.) of crushed tomatoes
1 ½ – 2 cups of chicken stock (more for “soupier” chili) (I definitely used more - I like "soupy" chili)
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of corn, drained or about 2 cups of frozen corn

Directions:
Heat a large soup pot to “medium-high.” Add ground meat and a little salt and pepper (add a little oil if using all white meat). Cook, stirring and breaking up, until there are no pink spots left in meat (about 5-8 minutes). Remove meat to a bowl or platter.

In the same pot add the onion, celery, pepper, garlic and a little more salt and pepper. Lower the heat to “medium” and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes).

Add the meat back in. Then add the chili seasoning mix, chili powder, cumin, and the dried chipotle pepper. Stir all ingredients until blended.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes and stir. Add chicken stock to desired consistency. Bring to a simmer; cook about 10 minutes, then taste. Add a few dashes of chili powder and/or salt if needed.

Add the canned beans and corn. For thinner broth rinse the beans first. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve in a bowl or mug with sour cream, cheese, and onions on top and tortilla chips on the side.

Margarita Pizza

2008-11-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 pizza shell *(I used Betty Crocker just add water)
3 Tbsp olive oil *(I used less than this)
1 large Garlic clove, smashed
2 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced *(I used roma tomatoes)
Mozzarella cheese
10 leaves fresh Basil, torn *(I used dried basil this time, but I think it's better with fresh)
Salt and pepper

Directions:Place olive oil and garlic in a microwave safe container and microwave for 30 seconds, then allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Brush pizza shell with garlic oil then layer on first the tomatoes then the cheese and top with basil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over all and bake according to pizza crust package directions.

Best Ever Banana Bread

2008-11-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

5 overripe bananas

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp wheat germ

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease 2 loaf pans. Cream together the shortening and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor. Add the eggs and bananas; blend until the bananas are thoroughly mashed. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a separate bowl; stir in the wheat germ. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and blend until just mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans, dividing it evenly. Bake for 50 minutes. The bread is done when the top springs back after being pressed in the center with fingertips.

*Note: I only cooked my bread for about 45 minutes, and it was still slightly overdone.

Chipotle Chicken Chowder

2008-11-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

1 chipotle chile canned in adobo sauce, minced, plus 1 tsp of the adobo sauce
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
6 garlic cloves, crushed
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 medium red potatoes (about 12 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup whipping cream (I used skim milk)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I just sprinkled in some dried cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 lime wedges (I left these out)

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped chile, adobo sauce, onion, and next 6 ingredients (through garlic); cook 7 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Remove pan from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Place one-third of broth mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed broth mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure in two more batches with remaining broth mixture. Return pureed broth mixture to pan. Stir in potatoes and chicken; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream and cilantro; simmer 5 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.

Strata with Asparagus, Sausage, and Fontina

2008-11-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

From Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:
10 to 12 slices French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
10 oz. breakfast sausage
16 eggs
6 cups milk
1 bunch green onions, light green portion only, finely chopped
4 roasted red bell peppers, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
1 lb. asparagus, tough ends trimmed, spears cut into 1-inch pieces and cooked until tender
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 cups grated fontina cheese

Directions:
Butter a large buffet pan or baking dish. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate. Let cool, then cut into thin slices and transfer to the bowl with the bread. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and sausage mixture. Add the green onions, bell peppers, asparagus, salt, pepper and 3 cups of the cheese and stir until well blended. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Sprinkle the top of the strata with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake until the strata is golden brown and cooked through, about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 12.

Strawberry Shortcake

2008-11-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

From Smitten Kitchen

Serves 6
1 2/3 cups (224 grams) all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons (50 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon (20 grams) baking powder
2 hard-boiled egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (84 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest (optional) (*We didn't use this)
2/3 cup (168 grams) plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Shortcake assembly
1/2 pound strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice (*We didn't use this)
1 cup whipping cream, beaten to soft peaks (*We used reddi whip)

(*We added ice cream too)

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, egg yolks, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and zest, if using, and pulse until the flour resembles coarse meal. Add 2/3 cup of cream and pulse until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather into a shaggy mass. Knead a couple times to make it into a cohesive mass and then pat it into a rough circle about 6 to 7 inches in diameter, and 3/4 to 1-inch thick.
Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into 6 wedges and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Alternately, you can use a cookie cutter to make shapes of your choice. Chill for 20 minutes (and up to 2 hours).
Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the tops of the shortcakes very lightly with heavy cream and sprinkle lightly with the coarse sugar. Bake until risen and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Turn the pan around halfway through to ensure even cooking.
While the shortcakes are baking, toss the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice together in a bowl. Let stand several minutes. (If the strawberries are extremely firm, do this 30 minutes in advance.)
Split the shortcakes in half horizontally and set the tops aside. Place the bottoms on dessert plates and heap strawberries (and ice cream) :) over them. Spoon whipped cream generously over the strawberries and replace the shortcake tops. Serve immediately with any remaining whipped cream on the side.

Chicken Marsala

2008-11-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp dried marjoram
⅛ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
3 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
⅓ cup chicken broth
⅓ cup marsala wine

Directions:
Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Working from the center to the edges, lightly pound with the flat side of a meat mallet to 1/8" thickness. Remove the plastic wrap.

In a flat dish, combine the flour, marjoram, salt and pepper. Lightly press the chicken pieces into the flour mixture, coating both sides and shaking off any excess flour mixture.

Lightly spray an unheated large skillet with no-stick spray. Add the mushrooms and chives. Cook and stir until tender. Remove the mushroom mixture from the skillet. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over medium high heat for 4 minutes, turning to brown evenly.

Return the mushroom mixture to the skillet. Carefully ad the broth and marsala. Cook, uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mushroom mixture slightly thickens, stirring occasionally.

Jiaozi (Dumplings)

2008-11-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

Skins:
8 cups white flour
2 ½ cups (very) cold water
1 tsp salt

Dissolve salt in water. Add 2 cups water to flour and blend thoroughly. Do not add more water until it is absolutely necessary. Add remaining water as slowly as possible in order to get as hard a dough as you can. If the dough is too soft, add more flour. Knead thoroughly. Chill while you make the filling

Meat:
1 kilo ground pork
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
2 tsp brandy or sherry or other aromatic alcohol
1 tsp sesame oil

Add soy sauce and salt to meat. Stir slowly, always in the same direction. Add remaining ingredients. Let sit while you prepare the vegetables and other additional ingredients. All need to be finely minced. You can use a food processor.

Vegetables:
1 inch ginger
3-4 stalks spring onion
1 small clump fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 very small clump chives
Either 8-10 stalks celery or 1 small head Chinese cabbage
Optional: 3 large carrots, 3-4 chinese black mushrooms (shiitake), 1 fried egg

Stir vegetables slowly into meat mixture. Don’t let the mix get too moist. Form dough into long sausages. Cut sections every 1 cm. Roll into round, flat skins. Take about 1 Tbsp of filling and place in center of skin. Seal thoroughly.

To cook, bring a large pot of water to boil, add some jiaozi, cover. When it boils, add 1 cup cold water. Cover. Repeat. When it comes to a boil for the third time, they are ready to serve. After you boil them, you can fry them (potstickers)

Serve with a sauce of ¼ cup SS, ¼ cup vinegar, 1 tsp sugar. Or plain malt vinegar.

*I normally cut this recipe in half so that it doesn't take all day

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2008-11-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

From My Kitchen Cafe

1 can chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Pepper to taste (*1/2 tsp?)
2 c. milk (*I used skim and it was fine..maybe a little thin, but I like it like that)
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (*supposedly the sharper the better for flavor - I used sharp cheddar)
1/2 c. shredded swiss cheese (*I questioned this because I don't like swiss, but I dutifully added it in, and I'm glad I did - I think it helped the flavor)
steamed chopped broccoli (*as much or as little as you want - I chopped and steamed about 3 cups of broccoli florets and it was a lot of broccoli. I might cut it down to 2 cups next time)

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken. Next add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and steamed broccoli. Serve immediately.

(*I made this over the weekend and saved it for dinner during the week. It was great re-heated!)

Makes 3-4 servings

Homemade Oreos

2008-11-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

1-¼ cup All-purpose Flour
½ cups Unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ teaspoons Salt
1-½ cup Sugar
1-¼ stick Room Temperature, Unsalted Butter
1 whole Large Egg
¼ cups Room Temperature, Unsalted Butter
¼ cups Vegetable Shortening
2 cups Confectioner's Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with 2 racks in the middle of the oven.
In an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. On low speed, add the butter, then the egg. Mix until dough forms a mass.
Using a mini ice cream scoop, fill the scoop with batter, then place batter on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave approximately 2 inches between cookies. With damp hands, flatten the half balls of dough slightly. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
To make the cream, place butter and shortening in mixer. On low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn mixer on high for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
To make the sandwich cookies, fit a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch round tip and pipe blobs of cream onto the center of one cookie. Place another cookie of similar size on top of the cream. Lightly press together to work the filling to the edges of the cookie. Continue until all cookies have been made.

Fresh Apple Cake

2008-11-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

3 beaten eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups salad oil (*Based on other recipes I've seen, I'm guessing you could replace at least half of this with applesauce)
3 cups chopped apples
1 cup pecans (* I left these out)

Sift together the dry ingredients (1-7); beat the eggs, sugar and salad oil together in a separate bowl. Beat the dry and wet ingredients together with electric mixer until blended.

Add the apples and nuts, folding in just until mixed.

Put in greased tube pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. (*mine was done after and hour and 15 minutes...you should definitely check it early).

Top with powdered sugar or a light glaze (*I made a glaze of powdered sugar and water to put on top)

This is wonderful and makes the whole house smell like cinnamon!

Cream Scones

2008-11-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.

3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in chocolate chips. If using food processor,remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add chocolate chips and pulse one more time. Transfer dough to large bowl.

4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper

6. Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

2008-11-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

From Bake or Break

Cake:

1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups blueberries

Crumb topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9″x 13″baking pan with foil and butter the foil. (*I just sprayed the pan with butter flavored cooking spray - no aluminum foil).
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Using a heavy-duty mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until soft and light (about 5 minutes). Add whole eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
On low speed, add half the flour mixture and mix well. Add yolks, mixing well, then add remaining flour mixture.
Scrape batter into prepared pan. Smooth the top. Scatter blueberries over the batter.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in melted butter and combine with your fingers until the mixture is coarse crumbs. Scatter the crumbs evenly over the berries.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until cake is firm. Cool cake in pan on wire rack.

Lentil Soup with Sausage and Kale

2008-11-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage (I used mild pork sausage because it was cheaper)
1 cup lentils
1 medium onion, chopped
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, grated or chopped
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced (I left these out because I couldn't find the right type of mushroom)
1 baking potato, peeled and diced
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed and chopped (I used dried)
3 to 4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed (I used dried)
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 cups chicken stock (I added extra because the soup was really thick, and I like more "brothy" soups)
1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and discarded, leaves shredded (I didn't use the whole bunch because I was afraid Mike wouldn't eat it. It was good with less kale though)

Preparation

Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Once hot, add the sausage and sauté for 3-4 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a spoon or a potato masher as it cooks and browns.
While the sausage is browning, pour the lentils out onto a light-colored plate and sift through them. Discard any small stones -- sometimes you find them sometimes you don't, but better safe than sorry.

To the browned sausage, add the onion, garlic, mushrooms, potato, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes.

Add the stock and 2 cups of water, turn the heat up to high and bring up to a bubble. Add the lentils and the kale, stir until the kale wilts in then turn the heat down to medium and simmer 30-40 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Serve.

Bugs Bunny Bars

2008-11-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

1 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 pkg. (4-serving size) vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch or butter pecan flavor instant pudding (I always use vanilla)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 pkg. (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups) (I always use mini chocolate chips - they make them much more soft and gooey)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional) (I never include these)

Heat oven to 375. Beat butter, sugars, pudding mix and vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour and baking soda, beating until well blended. Stir in chips and nuts. (Batter will be stiff.) Spread in greased 13 X 9 baking pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack cut into bars.

Herbes de Provence Bread

2008-11-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

From Belle of the Kitchen

1 cup Warm Water
1-½ teaspoon Sugar
1-½ teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
2-½ cups Flour
1-½ teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3-½ teaspoons Herbes De Provence (or Italian Herb Mix, Or Your Own Favorite Herb Mix)
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper

Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, mix the water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes, or until bubbly. Add 1/2 cup flour, the salt, olive oil, herbs and pepper and mix, on medium speed, for a minute or two. Gradually add the rest of the flour, mixing on low speed until all of the flour is incorporated, and the dough starts to pull away from the bowl, about 6 minutes. Grease a clean bowl, and transfer the dough to the greased bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour.
Press the dough down, and transfer to a baking sheet. Form the dough into a loaf shape, cover with saran wrap sprayed with cooking spray, and let the dough rise for another hour. Carefully remove the saran wrap and bake the dough at 375° for about 30 minutes.

Slow Cooked Puerto Rican Pulled Pork

2008-11-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

From TastyKitchen

4 pounds Pork Shoulder/Butt (*I used about a 2.8 lb shoulder roast - all I could find)
6 cloves Garlic, Pressed
¼ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Oregano
1-½ Tablespoon Olive Oil
1-½ Tablespoon White Vinegar
4 teaspoons Salt

Combine garlic, pepper, oregano, olive oil, vinegar and salt. Rub pork with garlic mixture and refrigerate overnight.
When ready drop into the crockpot on low for 8 hrs. (*I also added a little less than 1 cup of water. I don't think it's necessary, but the juice it created was really good.)

(*I am gone for 10 hours during the day, so I set the crockpot for 9 hours, and then it automatically switched from "low" to "warm" for the last hour. That seemed to work great.)

English Muffin Toasting Bread

2008-11-01T13:34:00.001-07:00

5 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups warm milk (120 to 130 degrees)
1/2 cup warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
*Cornmeal

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add warm milk and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour (batter will be stiff). Do not knead. Grease two 8-1/2 in. x 4-1/2 in. x 2-1/2 in. loaf pans. Sprinkle pans with cornmeal. Spoon batter into the pans and sprinkle cornmeal on top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately to cool on wire racks.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-11-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) butter, softened
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips *(I just added the whole bag, but next time I would probably measure them instead because I think I added too many)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional) *(I didn't add these)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.

At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slighly less thick.

The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Magic in the Middle Cookies

2008-11-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

From My Kitchen Cafe and King Arthur Flour

Chocolate Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for rolling)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Peanut butter filling:
3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.

To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.

To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass, and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.

Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Chicken and Chickpea Curry

2008-11-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 inch cube of ginger, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp curry powder
¼ cup flour
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups cooked chick-peas
1-2 tomatoes, diced
3 Tbsp of chopped parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and curry powder. Cook about 3 minutes or until onion is tender.

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Toss in the flour. Shake off any excess. Increase heat slightly and add chicken to the saucepan. Cook until just brown on all sides.

Add garlic, ginger and chicken stock and simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.

Stir in chick-peas and parsley and cook about 25 minutes or until chicken is fork tender. Add salt and pepper, and serve over rice.

Ginger Chewies

2008-11-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cloves
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter at room temp.
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup molasses
about ¼ cup granulated sugar

Directions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg and molasses and mix until blended and an even light brown color, about 1 minute. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate.

Spread the granulated sugar on a large piece of wax or parchment paper. Roll ¼ cup of dough between the palms of your hands into a 2 inch ball, roll the ball in the sugar and place on one of the prepared baking sheets. Continue making cookies, spacing them 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm, but they are still soft in the center and there are several large cracks on top, about 14 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Note: This makes huge cookies. I made them much smaller

Overnight Dinner Rolls

2008-11-01T13:17:00.001-07:00

INGREDIENTS
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, mix together yeast, milk and sugar. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Mix eggs, butter and salt into yeast mixture. Mix in flour, 2 cups at a time. Cover with wax paper. Let dough stand at room temperature overnight.
In the morning, divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 9 inch round circle. Cut each round into 12 pie shaped wedges. Roll up each wedge starting from wide end to the tip. Place on greased cookie sheets. Let stand until ready to bake.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Cranberry Pizza

2008-11-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

Cookie Base:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 cups flour
2 eggs
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor blend thoroughly first seven ingredients. Spread cookie base over 2 greased, 12-inch pizza pans. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if desired, and bake for 12 minutes.

Filling:
4 cups cranberries
1 cup sugar
½ cup orange juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Bring ingredients to a boil. Boil gently and stir until all berries pop and sauce thickens; spread over cooled cookie base.

Topping:
1 cup flour
½ cup oatmeal
½ cup white sugar
4 Tbsp butter, softened
½ cup chopped nuts
½ cup brown sugar
In a food processor on pulse or by hand, blend these six ingredients together until crumbly; sprinkle over filling, and bake an additional 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Baked Potato Soup

2008-11-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
¼ cup butter or margarine
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 (14 ½-ounce) can chicken broth
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 large or 3 medium baking potatoes, baked
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth and evaporated milk.
Scoop potato pulp from one potato; mash. Add pulp to broth mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture just comes to a boil.
Dice remaining potato skin and potato(es); add to soup. Heat though. Add bacon. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with cheese.

Biscotti

2008-11-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
1 Tbsp grated orange peel
2 eggs
3 ½ cups flour

1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
⅓ cup slivered almonds, toasted and chopped

Directions:
Heat oven to 350. Stir together sugar, butter, orange peel and eggs vigorously in large bowl until creamy and well blended. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and almonds. Shape half of the dough at a time into a rectangle, 10x3 inches, on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on cookie sheet 15 minutes. Cut crosswise into ½ inch slices. Turn slices cut sides down on cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until crisp and light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Asian Pork Linguine

2008-11-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
6 ounces uncooked linguine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pound boneless pork loin chops, cubed
3 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, halved and sliced

Directions: Cook linguine according to package directions. For sauce, in a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Whisk in the peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, garlic powder and ginger until blended; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or wok coated with cooking spray, stir-fry pork in 2 teaspoons oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm. Stif-fry carrots and onion in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Stir the sauce and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return pork to the pan. Drain linguine; add to the pan and stir to coat. Yield: 5 servings.

Granola

2008-11-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

5 cups old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
1 cup Grape Nuts cereal
1 cup sliced almonds (I used slivered)
1 cup un-toasted wheat germ (I used toasted)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Mix together the oatmeal, Grape Nuts cereal, almonds and wheat germ in a large bowl. Then mix the brown sugar, honey, apple juice concentrate and vanilla together. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry and stir till all is evenly coated. Spread granola mixture onto 2 cookie sheets and bake in a 250 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Stir the mixture halfway through.

After the granola has cooled add any additional dried fruit.

Oatmeal Scotchies

2008-11-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 package butterscotch flavored morsels

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

Beer Bread

2008-11-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
1 1/2 Cups White Flour *
1 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
4 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Butter (Melted)
12 Oz. Beer (you can use whatever kind you like)

*(Next time I would probably add a tsp of salt in or something since I thought it definitely needed it. Maybe it depends on the type of beer you use though?)

Directions
Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Add beer and mix thoroughly until dough is still.
Place dough in a lightly greased loaf pan.
Drizzle the melted butter over the top
Bake until golden brown (approx. 60 minutes).
Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

*Tip from ZestyCook.com: Sifting flour for bread recipes is a must. Most people just scoop the 1 cup measure in the flour canister and level it off. That compacts the flour and will turn your bread into a “hard biscuit”. If you do not have a sifter, use a spoon to place the flour into the 1 cup measure.

Best Birthday Cake

2008-11-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

(from Smitten Kitchen)

Yield: Two 9-inch round, 2-inch tall cake layers, about 30-32 cupcakes, two 8-inch squares or a 9×13 single-layer cake
(*I cut this recipe in half and made 16 cupcakes)

4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper, then butter parchment. (Alternately, you can use a cooking spray, either with just butter or butter and flour to speed this process up.) (*I just used cupcake papers)

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just Incorporated.
Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.
Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

2008-11-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup diced carrot (about 1 large)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced *(I seeded the pepper first so it wouldn't be too hot)
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato, about 1 large
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
3 cups hot cooked brown rice
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt *(I served it with raita (see below) instead of plain yogurt)

Preparation
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and jalapeño to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in potato and next 7 ingredients (through broth). Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Serve over rice. Top with yogurt.

Raita:

Mix together: 2 cups plain yogurt (low fat is ok, fat free is too runny), ~1 diced cucumber, 1/2 tsp corriander (I substituted cumin) , a few shakes of pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Hearth Bread

2008-11-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

From King Arthur Flour

1 tablespoon (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups warm water (not over 110°F)
5 1/2 to 6 cups All-Purpose Flour (*I used half whole wheat flour)
cornmeal
boiling water

To mix: Mix together the first four ingredients. Let this stand until the yeast, sugar and salt are dissolved. Gradually add the flour to the liquid and mix thoroughly until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead. (This may be a little messy, but don't give up!)

Knead It: Fold the far edge of the dough back over on itself towards you. Press into the dough with the heels of your hands and push away. After each push, rotate the dough 90°. Repeat this process in a rhythmic, rocking motion for 5 minutes, sprinkling only enough flour on your kneading surface to prevent sticking. Let the dough rest while you scrape out and grease the mixing bowl. Knead the dough again for 2 to 3 minutes.

Let It Rise: Return the dough to the bowl and turn it over once to grease the top. Cover with a damp towel and keep warm until the dough doubles in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.Shape it: Punch down the dough with your fist and briefly knead out any air bubbles. Cut the dough in half and shape into two Italian- or French-style loaves. Place the loaves on a cookie sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Let the loaves rest for 5 minutes. (**From this point on I followed the instructions for a lighter, crustier bread...I figured that since I used half whole wheat flour, the bread would need the extra rising time.)

Bake it: Lightly slash the tops of the loaves 3 or more times diagonally and brush them with cold water. Place on rack in a cold oven with a roasting pan full of boiling water on the oven bottom. Bake at 400°F for 35 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and sounds hollow to the touch.

**For a lighter, crustier bread, let your shaped loaves rise for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven and roasting pan with water to 500°F for 15 minutes. Brush the loaves with cold water, place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400°F and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool and devour!

Whole Wheat Bread

2008-11-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water*
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1/2 cup orange juice
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
3/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes
3 3/4 Whole Wheat Flour

*Use 2 tablespoons less water in summer (or in a humid environment), 2 tablespoons more in winter (or in a dry climate).

Directions
1) Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water with a pinch of sugar. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes, till it becomes puffy. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.

2) Combine the yeast/water with the remaining ingredients, and mix and knead—by hand, mixer, or bread machine—until you've made a cohesive dough. If you're using a stand mixer, knead at low speed for about 7 minutes. Note that 100% whole wheat dough will never become smooth and supple like dough made with all-purpose flour; it'll feel more like clay under your hands, and may appear a bit rough.

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow it to rise till it's expanded and looks somewhat puffy, about 60 to 90 minutes. Note that dough kneaded in a bread machine will rise faster and higher than bread kneaded in a mixer, which in turn will rise faster and higher than one kneaded by hand. So if you're kneading by hand, you may want to let the dough rise longer than 90 minutes.

4) Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan. Gently shape the dough into a smooth log, and settle it into the pan, smooth side up.

5) Tent the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the loaf to rise till it's crowned over the rim of the pan by about 3/4", about 75 minutes. Don't let it rise too high; it'll continue to rise as it bakes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

6) Bake the bread for 10 minutes. Lightly tent it with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center registers 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove it from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack.

7) Run a stick of butter over the top of the hot loaf, if desired, for a softer crust. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.

Strawberry Raspberry Trifle

2008-11-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
3 cups cold fat-free milk
2 packages (1 ounce each) sugar-free instant white chocolate pudding mix
1 prepared angel food cake (14 ounces), cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
3 cups fresh raspberries
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed *(I used more like 1 1/2 cartons)
3 whole strawberries, quartered

Directions: In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Place a third of the cake cubes in a trifle bowl or 3-1/2-qt. glass serving bowl. Top with a third of the pudding, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1-1/2 cups raspberries and a third of the whipped topping. Layer with a third of the cake and pudding, 1 cup strawberries and a third of the whipped topping. Top with remaining cake, pudding, strawberries, raspberries and whipped topping. Garnish with quartered strawberries. Serve immediately or cover and chill until serving. Yield: 14 servings.

Cranberry Spread

2008-11-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp grated orange peel
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped dried cranberries

Beat together the cream cheese, orange juice concentrate, cinnamon and sugar until smooth. Fold in grated orange peel, pecans and cranberries. Chill. Serve on crackers.

Yellow Cupcakes with Sticky Chocolate Icing

2008-11-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

From the Pioneer Woman

Cupcakes:
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup, plus a tad more, whole milk

Preheat oven to 350.

First, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Next, in the bowl of an electric mixer, mix butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for a few more seconds. Now add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Mix to combine. Next alternate adding dry ingredients and milk in three batches, mixing for a few seconds after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl then mix one final time.

Fill paper-lined muffin tins 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until poufy but not brown. Cool before icing.

Sticky Chocolate Icing
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter

Mix ingredients together in a small/medium saucepan. Melt ingredients over medium low heat, stirring gently. Icing is ready when all ingredients are melted and combined.
Spoon warm icing over cool cupcakes, stirring icing to smooth after every third cupcake or so.
Allow iced cupcakes to sit at least ten minutes before serving.

Healthier Zucchini Bread

2008-11-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Orange Pecan Zucchini Bread

2008-11-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
4 whole Eggs
1-½ cup Sugar
2 cups Shredded Zucchini, Unpeeled
⅔ cups Orange Juice
¾ cups Canola Oil
3-¼ cups All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
1-½ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2-½ teaspoons Cinnamon
½ teaspoons Ground Cloves
1 whole Grated Peel Of An Orange
¾ cups Chopped Pecans
1 cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Orange Juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease and flour the bottoms of two loaf pans. I use 8″ pans, but 9″ would work as well. In a large bowl or a mixer, beat the eggs until they are a deep lemony yellow. Beat in sugar, and then stir in shredded zucchini, orange juice and the oil. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel. Fold in chopped pecans (or nuts of choice).
Bake at 350ºF for 50 to 55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool slightly.
When bread has been removed from the oven, mix together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Add additional orange juice in 1 teaspoon amounts if it is too thick. Spread glaze over baked loaves while still warm. Allow to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in the fridge.

Sweet and Sour Pork

2008-11-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup ketchup
2 tsp soy sauce
1 lb boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes (could use chicken)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks, drained
Hot cooked rice

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup and soy sauce. Pour half into a large resealable plastic bag; add pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigeratoe for 30 minutes. Set remaining marinade aside.

Drain and discard marinade from pork. In a large skillet, cook pork in oil for 3 minutes. Add the onion, carriots, green pepper, garlic and ginger; saute until pork is no longer pink. Add reserved marinade. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute. Stir in the pineapple. Serve with rice.

*Notes*- I didn't follow this recipe exactly because I used leftover cooked pork. I only made about half the sauce, since I didn't need it to marinate the pork, and I just shredded the pork and added it in at the end with the sauce. I think it was even better this way...I may always use my pork leftovers like this.

Carmelitas

2008-11-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

Crust/Topping
2 c. Quick Oats
2 c. all-purpose flour
1-1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. salt
1-1/4 c. butter (softened)

Filling:
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 jar bottled caramel topping mixed with 3 T. flour

Spray a 9x13 pan and set aside. Mix together the soft butter and vanilla. Add this to all of the other ingredients listed for the crust/topping and mix well (I use my hands). Divide this in half and press one half into the bottom of the sprayed pan: Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, or until light golden brown. Immediately after removing, pour the chocolate chips over the warm crust, spreading them so they are evenly distributed. Pour the caramel (make sure it's mixed with the flour) over the top of the chips and spread evenly. Crumble the rest of the crust/topping mix over the caramel filling:Bake again for about 20 minutes, or until the oatmeal topping is light golden brown. Remove and let cool completely before cutting.

Apple Tart

2008-11-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

From The Pioneer Woman

1 sheet puffed pastry, cut in half (thaw for 20 minutes before carefully unfolding)
3 apples, cored, halved, and thinly sliced (but not peeled)
1 cup brown sugar (*I didn't use this much brown sugar - I maybe used 3/4 cup? and didn't even need all of that. A lot of it pooled at the bottom with the lemon juice, so maybe 1/2 cup?)
juice of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 415 degrees.
Place puffed pastry rectangles onto a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray.
Add lemon juice, sugar and salt to apples. Stir to combine. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Remove from pan immediately and place on a serving platter. Serve plain, with caramel topping, whipped cream, or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Ronita's Cookies

2008-11-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

1/3 cup butter or margarine
6 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 pouch (1 lb, 1.5 oz), Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
1 tsp ground cinnamon
60 Hershey's Hugs chocolate (around Christmas, candy cane kisses are great!)

Heat oven to 350. In large microwaveable bowl, microwave butter and chocolate on high, 1 minute. Stir, microwave on high 1 minute longer or until butter is melted and chocolate can be stirred smooth.

Stir condensed milk into chocolate mixture. Stir in cookie mix and cinnamon until well blended.

Using 1 level tablespoon of dough for each cookie, shape into 60 balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart.

Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until edges lose their shiny look (do not over bake). Immediately press 1 candy into center of each cookie. Cool on cookie sheets 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Tap edge of candy lightly. Cool completely. Store at room temperature.

Vicki's Chicken Casserole

2008-11-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

8 oz kluski noodles, cooked
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 head broccoli, cooked
8 oz shredded cheese (I used colby jack)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used the chicken broth leftover from cooking the chicken).
1 can of onion rings (optional)

If you are using raw chicken, cover with water, add salt and pepper to taste, and cook for 30 minutes, drain and save broth. Mix chicken broth and soup, heat until it bubbles. In buttered 13x9 pan, layer noodles, chicken, broccoli, half of cheese, soup mixture, then rest of cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Add onion rings and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Mexican Lasagna

2008-11-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken breast *(couldn't find this, so we used ground turkey)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 red onion, chopped *(we left out all onions because Laura is allergic to them)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 cup medium heat taco sauce or 1 (14-oz) can stewed or fire roasted tomatoes *(we used taco sauce)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
Salt
8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas *(we used regular tortillas)
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack
2 scallions, finely chopped
*(We also served this with sour cream, which was a great addition)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste. Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

2008-11-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen - raspberry buttermilk cake

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (146 grams) plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional) (*I left this out, but I would add it in next time)
1 large (57 grams) egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk (*I made my own with vinegar and milk)
1 cup fresh blueberries (*original recipe called for raspberries)

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup (146 grams) sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

Makes 1 thin 9-inch cake

Pepperoni Roll

2008-11-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

I didn't really follow a recipe for this one - I just checked the internet for various suggestions for pepperoni rolls, and then did the following:

Thaw a loaf of frozen bread dough in the refrigerator, then let it sit out at room temperature for a little while to warm up and rise a little. Roll it out into a rectangle and brush it with olive oil. Layer with cheese and pepperoni, and sprinkle it with basil and oregano. Roll it up and put it on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Brush the top with a beaten egg and sprinkle Italian seasoning on the top. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let sit for a few minutes, then slice and eat with heated pizza sauce.

Pork and Sauerkraut

2008-11-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

4-6 lb pork roast (we used a little less than 4 lbs)

1 pkg dry onion soup mix

1 bag or jar of sauer kraut, drained (we rinsed ours too)

1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar (we used 1/4 cup and I would use even less next time)

Brown the pork roast if you want. (We didn't). Put it in the bottom of the crock pot. Sprinkle the dry soup mix over the top of the roast. Spread the sauerkraut over the roast. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the sauerkraut. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (we did 8 hours).

No-Bakes

2008-11-01T07:01:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
½ cups Margarine
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
2 cups Sugar
½ cup Milk
3 cups Quick Or Minute Oats (*I used old fashioned oats and it was fine)
½ cups Creamy Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions:
In a large sauce pan, bring margarine, cocoa, sugar, and milk to a hard boil. Boil for one and a half minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add oats, peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix well.
Immediately drop onto waxed paper using teaspoons, as it will begin to set within a few minutes. Let cool.

Ciabatta Bread

2008-11-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

From King Arthur Flour

Overnight starter
1 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup cool water
1/16 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough
all of the starter (from above)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Topping for Garlic Bread

Directions
1) To make the starter: Mix the starter ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Cover the starter and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for up to 15 hours. It will become bubbly.

2) Place all of the dough ingredients, including the starter, into the bowl of your mixer, and beat at medium speed, using the flat beater, for 7 minutes. The dough will be very smooth, soft, shiny, and elastic. Alternatively, knead the dough ingredients in your bread machine using the dough cycle.

3) Transfer the dough to a greased bowl or other rising container, cover it, and let it rise for 2 hours, deflating it midway through. If you're using a bread machine, allow it to rise for an additional hour after the dough cycle has ended.

4) Lightly grease your work surface, and a half-sheet baking pan (18" x 13") or similar large baking sheet. Grease your hands, as well.

5) Very gently turn the dough out of the bowl onto your work surface; you don't want to deflate it. It'll lose a bit of volume, but don't actively punch it down.

6) Using a bowl scraper, bench knife, or your fingers, divide the dough in half. You should have two fat logs, each about 10" long x 4" wide.

7) Handling the dough gently, transfer each piece to the baking sheet, laying them down crosswise on the sheet. Position them about 2 1/2" from the edge of the pan, leaving about 4" between them.

8) Lightly cover the dough with heavily oiled plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise for 60 to 90 minutes. Midway through, gently but firmly dimple the dough with your fingers, making fairly deep pockets. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

9) Spritz the risen loaves with lukewarm water. You'll see that the dimples have filled in somewhat, but haven't entirely disappeared.

10) Bake the loaves till they're golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

BAKER'S One Bowl Brownies

2008-11-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

4 squares BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped Pecans (I left these out)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and pecans; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Gnocchi

2008-11-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 cup Dry Potato Flakes
1 cup Boiling Water
1 whole Egg Beaten
1 teaspoon Salt
⅛ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
1-½ cup All-purpose Flour

Directions:
Place potato flakes in a medium-sized bowl. Pour in boiling water; stir until blended and let cool.
Stir in the beaten egg, salt and pepper. Blend in enough flour to make a fairly stiff dough (you may need extra flour).

Turn dough out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a long thin roll. Cut into bite-sized pieces.

Use 2 fingers to press down on each piece and pull it towards you slightly to sort of “roll” it in a little. This is hard to explain (see pictures), but it gives the gnocchi their traditional shape. This step isn’t completely necessary, however. Use plenty of flour to keep them from sticking.

To cook, place a few gnocchi in boiling water with a little bit of oil to keep them from sticking. As the gnocchi rise to the top of the pot, remove them with a slotted spoon. Repeat until all are cooked.

Serve with mozzarella cheese and spaghetti sauce. Makes 2 servings.

Pear Bread

2008-11-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup butter, softened (may substitute 3/4 cup vegetable oil)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups peeled and finely grated ripe, firm pears
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or two 9″x 5″loaf pans.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of this mixture and combine it with nuts to coat. Stir back into the flour mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine butter, eggs, sugar, pears, and vanilla. Add the pear mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until flour disappears and batter is evenly moistened.

Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until bread is browned and firm on top. A pick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, remove from pan and place top side up on a plate or wire rack to cool completely.

Beef Tortellini Soup

2008-11-01T06:16:00.000-07:00

1 lb beef stew meat
1 large onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 large carrot, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 medium stalk celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (10 1/2 oz each) condensed beef consommé (I used about 32 oz of beef broth plus a couple beef bouillon cubes because I couldn't find this)
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 cups frozen cheese-filled tortellini
1 cup frozen cut green beans (I left these out)

1. In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, add beef, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, sugar, tomatoes and beef consommé in order listed.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours.
3. About 25 minutes before serving, stir in basil, frozen tortellini and green beans. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook about 25 minutes or until beans are tender.

Irish Brown Bread

2008-11-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups whole-wheat flour
¾ cup quick oats
½ cup wheat germ
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1¾ cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp honey

PREPARATION
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix flours, oats, wheat germ, baking soda and salt.
2. Whisk together buttermilk and honey. Add to flour mixture; stir to combine until soft dough forms.
3. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a round loaf. Place loaves 3 in. apart onto prepared baking sheet; Drizzle with honey; bake 10 minutes.
4. Reduce temperature to 400°F. Continue baking 10 minutes longer or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool 15 minutes.

Pita Bread

2008-11-01T05:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/RecipeDisplay?RID=63

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
*2 teaspoons instant yeast
**2 teaspoons King Arthur Easy-Roll Dough Improver
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

*I used regular yeast, but dissolved it in the water (at 105-115 degrees) for 5 minutes first.

**Optional, but it relaxes the doughs gluten, allowing you to roll it into pita shapes much more easily. Also, the bit of baking powder in the Relaxer helps puff up the pitas.

1) Combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough.
2) Knead the dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by mixer (5 minutes) or by bread machine (set on the dough cycle) till it's smooth.
3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rest for 1 hour; it'll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk. If you've used a bread machine, simply let the machine complete its cycle.
4) Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide it into 8 pieces.
5) Roll two to four of the pieces into 6" circles (the number of pieces depends on how many rolled-out pieces at a time can fit on your baking sheet).
6) Place the circles on a lightly greased baking sheet and allow them to rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 500°F. (Keep the unrolled pieces of dough covered. Roll out the next batch while the first batch bakes.)
7) Place the baking sheet on the lowest rack in your oven, and bake the pitas for 5 minutes; they should puff up. (If they haven't puffed up, wait a minute or so longer. If they still haven't puffed, your oven isn't hot enough; raise the heat for the next batch.)
8) Transfer the baking sheet to your oven's middle-to-top rack and bake for an additional 2 minutes, or until the pitas have browned.
9) Remove the pitas from the oven, wrap them in a clean dishtowel (this keeps them soft), and repeat with the remaining dough.
10) Store cooled pitas in an airtight container or plastic bag.

Naan (Indian Bread)

2008-11-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

2 cups King Arthur 100% White Wheat or Traditional Whole Wheat Flour

1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter or ghee, melted

1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk

3/4 cup (6 ounces) plain whole-milk yogurt

1 large egg

Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the butter or ghee, milk, yogurt, and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring to form a shaggy mass of dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it until it's smooth and shiny. Put the dough into a greased bowl, cover, and set it aside to rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it's doubled in bulk. At this point, the dough may be refrigerated, covered, for up to 24 hours, for extra flavor and ease of rolling. Divide the dough into six pieces, and hand-stretch or roll each piece into a thin oval shape. Pull on the front edge of the oval to elongate and create the tear shape. Let the pieces rest, uncovered, while you heat a griddle on high heat. Transfer the naan to the griddle. Grill for approximately 2 to 3 minutes on one side, until the bread puffs and begins to look set around the edges. Flip over and finish cooking.

Black Raspberry Muffins

2008-11-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

(from Joy the Baker)

3/4 stick (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk (*I used skim milk)
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups black raspberries

Put a rack in the upper third of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Generously butter or spray muffin cups. This recipe makes 12 standard muffins. If using paper cupcake liners, you don’t have to grease the muffin pan.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over moderately low heat; remove from heat. Whisk in milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla until well combined.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk mixture and stir until just combined. Gently but thoroughly fold in the berries.

Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly. Sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes Cool in pan of a rack for 15 minutes, then run a knife around edges of muffin tops and carefully remove from cups. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Cheese Straws

2008-11-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

Cheese Straws
From Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces
3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (*I used 1/8 tsp of chipotle seasoning and could have used more)
1 tablespoon half-and-half (*I used skim milk, because that's all I had)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper in five 5-second pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.
3. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife (or a pizza or pastry wheel; both worked great), cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide (dipping the knife in flour after every few inches ensures a clean cut). Gently transfer the strips to an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. The dough may sag or may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t be concerned — just do your best. The straws can be any length, from 2 to 10 inches.
4. Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.
5. Serve at room temperature. Cheese straws will keep in the refrigerator, in a sealed container, for two days.