French Peasant Bread

I can't get this picture turned, so just tilt your head to the side. This bread is so super easy even beginning bread makers can easily pull this off. It is so yummy. Crusty on the outside and soft and flaky on the inside. The flavor is wonderful, it is so light and delicious. The bread is a no-knead bread so you just mix it in the bowl and then let it rise. My husband loved this dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but I just loved it plain. Try this out, it is so easy and you can't beat warm bread out of the oven. I even used the second loaf the next day to make French Toast and it was so good!

French Peasant Bread
by Favorites cookbook

1 pkg. dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 Tb. sugar
4 cups flour
oil
corn meal
butter
Place yeast, water, sugar, and salt in a warm bowl and stir until dissolved. Ass flour and stir until blended. Do not knead. Cover and let rise one hour or until doubled in size. Flour hands, remove dough from the bowl and place in 2 rounds on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Let rise an additional hour. Brush the top with melted butter and bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and cook an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush again with butter. Serve warm.

Spanish Rice

This is a great recipe that goes well with any Mexican dish. Burritos, enchiladas, nachos, tacos, etc.  This is not really spicy at all, but very flavorful. Everyone loved this rice. It is also super easy to make.

Spanish Rice
adapted from Betty Crocker cooking basics

1 medium onion
1 small green pepper
 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can tomato sauce (8 ounces)

Heat oil in the skillet on medium heat and saute the onion and the rice, until rice is golden brown. Remove skillet from heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat so mixture boils gently. Cover and cook about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and tomato sauce is absorbed. Sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese over the top if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Lemon Shrimp Pasta

This is such a fast and easy recipe. It tastes so fresh and light. My kids devoured it and my husband loved it too. Now that summer is coming (at least the calendar says that, the weather hasn't gotten the memo), I am really in the mood for LIGHT meals. This fit the bill perfectly. Make sure you do not cook the shrimp too long, as soon as they turn pink, they are done. Take them out of the pan and let the sauce reduce, then add them back and warm them up. Shrimp is excellent when cooked right, it is plump and juicy, cooked too long and its rubbery and gross. Just thought I would give this tip for all you who are intimidated by shrimp. It is so easy, just defrost according to package directions then throw them in the pan until they are pink. Not hard at all. Give this one a try, then let me know what you thought. Thanks to Laura Wolford for another excellent recipe.
Note: I did lemon pepper, but next time I think I will do garlic salt and pepper to add a bit more dimension to this dish.....

Lemon Shrimp Pasta

1 lb any variety pasta

3/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup butter

lemon pepper or garlic salt and pepper

1 lb shrimp of your choice, raw or cooked

            1.  Prepare pasta according to package direction.

            2.  Meanwhile, heat large skillet add lemon juice, butter, seasonings and shrimp.  (If shrimp is cooked, add after the sauce has been reduced) Cook shrimp until pink and cooked through.  This should only take 2-3  minutes.  Ladle shrimp out of skillet and set aside.  Leave pan over heat and reduce sauce to about 1/3 cup.  Return shrimp (if using cooked shrimp, add now) and stir to coat and heat through.  Adjust seasonings.  Serve over pasta.

Balsamic Chicken

This recipe is so quick and easy and delicious. My aunt gave me this recipe. She got if from Laura Wolford who has a wonderful cooking website called  http://quickandeasymeals.tv. This recipe is so light and tasty. I love healthy meals like this: few ingredients, simple preparation and full of flavor. I found this to be even better the next day as the flavors really marinated. This dish comes together so quickly. My kids loved this and I loved that it is low fat. Try this out on your family.


Balsamic Chicken

Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes over Pasta

1 lb. Pasta of choice

4 chicken breast, sliced into 1-inch slices

1 carton of cherry or grape tomatoes

1/2  cup + olive oil

1/2 + cup balsamic vinegar

2 cup minced fresh basil or 2-3 TB. dried

1 tsp minced garlic, optional

1 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

2 Tbl capers, optional

4 oz grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Prepare pasta according to package direction. Set aside.

2.  Meanwhile toss chicken, cherry tomatoes and all other ingredients except Parmesan cheese, in a cake pan or baking sheet that has a one inch lip.

3.  Broil for 7-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Pour entire mixture over pasta.  Use a rubber scraper to get every bit of the yummy seasoning from the baking sheet.   Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.  Serves 4.

Pina Colada Cake

This cake is amazing! It is not too sweet and with the flavors of pineapple and coconut, what more could you ask for? My husband even said this cake was delicious! He has never said the word delicious for anything I have made in the time I have been married to him. He couldn't have said it better. It is a really light dessert with wonderful island flavor. I also love how it kind of transported me to a tropical oasis. I didn't know desserts could do that.  Try this dessert and you won't be sorry!

Pina Colada Cake
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
! can frozen Bacardi pina coloda drink concentrate, thawed
1 container cool whip
sweetened coconut
Bake cake mix according to package directions, in a 13 by 9 inch pan. When you remove the cake from the oven and set it aside, mix together the thawed pina coloda drink concentrate and the can of sweetened condensed milk. Poke holes in the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon. Pour the pina coloda mixture evenly over the top of the cake (it should sink into the holes). Refrigerate. "Frost" with a small container of cool whip. Sprinkle coconut on top.

Refrigerator Roll Dough

If you can't tell by my blog I am a carb lover and I probably post a cinnamon/orange roll recipe once a month, but I can't help it; I love sweet bread. I am addicted to cinnamon rolls. This recipe makes for THE BEST cinnamon rolls. They are so light and fluffy. It also makes great orange rolls, crescent rolls, and hot cross buns. You can just leave it in the fridge then pull it out when you want to make one of the aforementioned items. It will keep in the fridge for about five days. It is a great recipe.

Refrigerator Roll Dough
Hints: you can use this dough without refrigerating, you can also let it rise at room temp and then form rolls and  refrigerate the rolls for the next day.

1 tbsp. dry yeast
1 1/2c. warm water
1 c. unseasoned lukewarm mashed potatoes (i used potato flakes to make the mashed potatoes)
2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. shortening
2 eggs.
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 to 7 c. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in potatoes, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about five minutes. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover bowl tightly; refrigerate at least 8  hours but no longer than 5 days. Roll out 1/4 dough to make cinnamon rolls, orange rolls, crescent rolls, etc. yum yum

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberries are at their best right now so I thought I would share a yummy strawberry recipe. Strawberry shortcake...yum. This is almost like a biscuit stuffed and topped with strawberries and cream. I love this dessert because it is not too sweet. The fresh strawberries can't be beat and everything is better with whipped cream dolloped on top. Try it, you'll like it.

Strawberry Shortcake

6 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup butter softened
1 beaten egg
2/3 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream. whipped

In a small bowl stir together the berries and 1/4 cup sugar, set aside. Stir together remaining sugar, flour, and baking powder. Cut in the butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine the egg and milk, add to dry mixture. Stir just to moisten. DO NOT OVER STIR. Place the batter in greased round cake pan or muffin tins. Bake at 450 oven for 15 to 18 minutes, less for muffins or till wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 min. Remove from pan and split into two layers. Spoon half berries and whipped cream over first layer. Top with second layer and more berries and whipped cream. Serve immediately.