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.

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

These muffins taste good and they are good for you. Really they are good. Your kids will even eat them. I had to keep my little boy from stealing mine. I asked him if he liked them and he said mmmmmmm. There you have it people. I picky 18 month old said mmmmm while consuming them. You will like these because they are low fat and they are sweetened with honey. I am trying to cut back on my refined sugar consumption. These were a great start.

Blueberry Muffins
*If you don't want to use whole wheat flour you can decrease the amount of milk a little bit since whole wheat absorbs more liquid. Also you can use sugar in place of the honey as well. You can also leave out the cinnamon and use lemon zest to add a little zing.

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1 cup skim milk
2 TB. vegetable oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1/3 cup honey
2 cups whole wheat flour (use white wheat flour it tastes better)
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Grease muffin tins.  Mix the milk, oil, applesauce, honey, vanilla and egg together until well combined. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt all at once until just combined. The batter should be lumpy. Carefully fold in the blueberries. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups, dividing batter evenly. Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are browned.  Transfer immediately to cooling rack.

Really Good Alfredo Sauce

I discovered this recipe when my husband and I were first married. He is super picky about his food. He has an amazingly refined palate. He can tell if something has a particle too much salt or is one second over or under baked....so I was really nervous to try this out on him. Well, he tasted it thought for a moment and said it was really good. It has been a keeper in our family ever since. What I love about this sauce is that is has a low fat variation that tastes every bit as good as the higher fat version. I also love that it is so easy to make. It came be whipped up really fast.  I served this with some cut up chicken that I sauteed in a little oil in a pan with some Montreal chicken seasoning. It was so good. Serve it up with the amazing bread stick recipe I have posted on this blog and a salad and you have a fantastic meal.

Alfredo Sauce
from Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics

*to reduce fat use 1/3 cup margarine or butter and sub evaporated milk for the whipping cream

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
chopped fresh parsley to garnish (opt.)

Heat the butter and whipping cream (or evaporated milk) in the saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until margarine is melted. Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper until the mixture is smooth. Pour sauce over cooked noodles. Enjoy

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup and Dinner Rolls

This is a recipe I found on one of my favorite blogs. It is really easy and so tasty. I had three bowls of this soup in one sitting. This was such a nice comforting dish. One of those dishes that just feels like it is nourishing your body when you eat it. Totally good. No this is not the most attractive dish to look at but once you eat it you will be hooked. Split peas will become your best friends and you may even start a fan club. Just kidding, but seriously I really liked it. I served it with the rolls I posted as well. Paired together these two recipes make for a very good home-cooked meal. Sorry the roll picture is sideways. I don't know how to rotate it. Oh well just tilt your head sideways, its good exercise for your neck.

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup
from Favorite Family Recipes

* I halved the recipe and it made plenty

1 pkg (about 2 1/2 c. or 1 lb.), dried split peas
9 c. chicken broth (if you like it thick, use 8 c.)
4 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 medium potatoes, diced small
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Lb. diced ham (about 2 c. or so)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf

Combine all ingredients in Crock Pot and cook on low for about 7-8 hours (or on high for about 4-5 hours). Remove bay leaf before serving.

 Dinner Rolls
from BH&G cookbook 11th edition
* I prefer instant yeast over the pkg.;  it just seems to turn out better but you can use either just fine. Also I would use a Bosch to mix and knead the dough to make things easier unless you like to waste time and make things hard for yourself, but have you ever mixed bread dough with an electric beater? It is seriously aggravating.

4 1/4 to  4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg. active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter or margarine
3/4 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs

In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of flour and the yeast. In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and salt just till warm and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a  moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl turning once.. Cover and let rise until double. Punch dough down . Divide in half , cover and let rest for ten minutes. Shape into desired shape for rolls. Place on greased baking sheet or in muffin tins. Cover and let rise till nearly double. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes until golden. Remove from pans and allow to cool on wire racks.
*If you wish to make wheat rolls sub one and one fourth cups of the flour for whole wheat flour.

Caramel Apple French Toast

I had some apples I needed to use up and I found this recipe. This french toast is incredibly good. I felt like I was at a fancy Bed &Breakfast when I ate this. It was heaven in my mouth. The apples with the cinnamon topped off this yummy french toast perfectly. You have to make this. You can put a caramel sauce over the french toast to kick it up a notch as shown in the picture, but I think maple syrup drizzled over the top would be great as well. . Try this out and tell me what you think because seriously it was one of the best breakfasts I have ever had.

Caramel Apple French Toast
from Favorite Family Recipes
*i found this too be a little sweet for my liking so next time I will probably cut back the amount of sugar and not sprinkle any over the apples.

1 loaf french bread

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla

6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar to taste

Cut bread into large slices and arrange in a lightly sprayed 9x13 inch pan.  In a large bowl beat together eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla.  Pour mixture over bread slices.  Arrange apples on top of bread.  Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar over the apples.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning bake for 1 hour at 350 until golden brown. 

 Top with your favorite caramel topping.  This is what I like:

1 pkg wrapped caramels

2/3 cup whipping cream

Melt together in microwave.

Fudgy Walnut Brownies

These brownies are SOOOO good. Any will power I have to avoid sweets goes out the door with these yummy goodies. These are by no means low fat or good for you but when you want something to indulge your sweet tooth-dive in to these! Maybe to ease the guilt you could have a nice light salad for dinner before downing these. Once you taste them you will thank me for posting this and making your brownie loving dreams come true. If you aren't a fan of nuts I think that these would be heavenly without the nut layer.  You could even get a little crazy and do marshmallow creme and chocolate glaze on top instead. However you go about it, this recipe will be in your files forever more. Ok enough blabbering, on with the recipe....

Fudgy Walnut Brownies
from The Sister Cafe via Taste of Home

3/4 Cup butter, cubed

4 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

WALNUT CRUNCH TOPPING:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, cubed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 T. all-purpose flour

1 t. vanilla extract

4 cups chopped walnuts

In a microwave, melt butter and chocolate. I like to use 50% power, stirring every 30-60 sec until completely melted. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly.

In a a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar; stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla. (If you need to wait for your chocolate to cool down a little more, you can get started on the topping, if you don't mind multi-tasking) Stir in flour until well blended. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 in. baking pan; set aside.

For topping, combine brown sugar and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over low-medium heat until butter is melted. Stir in the eggs, flour and vanilla until well blended. Stir in nuts.

Spread walnut crunch topping evenly over brownie batter. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. Do not over bake. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

This is a really good, really easy recipe. I have seen this recipe on numerous food blogs, in cookbooks and originally was given this recipe from my mom. The Italian seasoning mix gives the creamy sauce a nice flavor from all the spices. Try this out on your family. I have done this over noodles but I think rice might be even better (brown rice especially). I also used fat free cream cheese and the recipe turned out great.

Italian Crock Pot Chicken
*I used frozen chicken and omitted the water, just added the seasoning packet and a few dollops of butter over the chicken.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package (8oz.) cream cheese softened

Place chicken in crock pot, add enough water to just cover chicken and sprinkle packet of Italian dressing mix on top. Cook for several hours until chicken is cooked through. (about four hours on high). Shred chicken. Mix together cream of chicken soup and cream cheese and then stir into chicken mixture in crock pot and allow to heat through another half hour. You may want to  add milk or cream if the sauce is too thick. Serve over noodles or rice.

Bunny Buns

These cute little bunnies are fun to look at and fun to eat. They are very light and the orange juice in them adds a nice flavor.The glaze is so yummy and not too sugary.  My little girl loved helping me make them. Such a fun idea. Thanks to the Friend magazine for this fun recipe. I couldn't stop eating them. Yum yum

Bunny Buns

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

5 1/2 cups flour, sifted

Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 teaspoon butter

1. Sprinkle yeast in the warm water and set aside.
   
2. In another bowl, blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Cool until lukewarm, then add eggs, water with yeast,
3. Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough. Let stand for 10 minutes.
   
4. Knead dough 5–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover bowl with a clean towel and put it in a warm place. Let dough rise for 2 hours, or until double in size. Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes.
   
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long. Roll between hands into rounded snake shapes. Cut one strip into pieces 1/2 inch long, and roll into balls.
   
6. Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop.
   
7. Cover bunnies and let rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 12–15 minutes.
   
8. For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, water, and butter together. Frost bunnies with the glaze while they are still warm.
   

Blender Whole Wheat Pancakes

These pancakes are super easy, just throw everything in the blender and presto, pancakes. These pancakes probably get you your whole grain allotment for the day or even week. The texture is a lot more gritty than i thought it would be but they are still very good when you want to change up the morning pancake routine a little bit. Try them out for the sake of your family's health if nothing else. :) But really they are good....

See, even this picky eater likes them, so trust me, if she will eat them, your kids will too.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes
 Blend in blender until like mush:
1 c. milk
3/4 c. raw whole wheat
Turn off.
Add:
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Blend well and cook on hot griddle. Yield 14 pancakes.

Baked Italian Sausage Rotini

I found this dish as well as the bread stick recipe included from the Favorite Family Recipes blog and it truly has become a family favorite. It is not too spicy and it comes together really fast. The breadsticks, my husband declared, were the best I have ever made so far...that really says something people. In other words...they are so good that you won't be able to find anyone who doesn't like them because he is Mr. Picky himself. If you think your little ones might be turned off by the spice in the Rotini dish you could just do a tsp. of red pepper flakes or leave them out entirely. We like a little spice in my family. Also, my husband doesn't love sausage so I usually just use ground beef and fry it or make tiny meatballs, this dish is very versatile.

Baked Italian Sausage Rotini
from Favorite Family Recipes
1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 pkg. uncooked ground Italian sausage

1 pkg. curly, bowtie, or wagonwheel noodles - cooked
1 bottle 4 cheese spaghetti sauce
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups mozzarella cheese (divided)

Roll the ground Italian sausage into small balls.  In a large fry pan, brown the garlic in olive oil.  Then add sausage balls and cook until browned.
In a large bowl toss together the sausage with all the other ingredients reserving 1 cup of cheese.
Pour pasta mixture into a 9x13 inch pan lined with cooking spray.  Bake at 375 for 25 min.  Top with remaining cheese and bake 5 more minutes.

Best Breadsticks Ever

1½ cups warm water

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. yeast

Let that sit for 5 minutes. Then add:

3½ cups flour

1 tsp Salt

Mix until smooth then let raise for 10 minutes. Roll out dough into a large square on a floured surface. Brush with melted (real) butter mixed with garlic and then sprinkle with kosher salt. Fold in half and cut into 1 inch strips. Twist and place on a cooking sheet. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes to raise. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately after baking, brush with more garlic butter and sprinkle with kosher salt and grated Parmesan cheese.

*Dough also makes a great pizza dough, just roll out into a large circle, add your favorite toppings, and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Orange Toast

This takes french toast to a whole new level. The flavor of the orange zest and the orange juice totally brightens up this dish. It is fresh, sweet and super yummy. My kids inhaled this.

 

If you have more than three people for breakfast, definitely double this recipe. I think that Texas Toast or french bread would be best for this recipe but you can use whatever bread you have on hand. Also, to totally take this to another level you could make homemade syrup and substitute orange extract for the maple flavoring or make the coconut syrup from The Sisters Cafe.  Add fresh fruit and powdered sugar and you could be as regal as a Bed and Breakfast. :) Enjoy!! Let me know what you think!

Orange Toast
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. milk
1 T. sugar
1 T. grated orange peel
1/4 c. orange juice
6 slices bread

Mix ingredients and dip 6 slices bread, coating both sides. Heat skillet or griddle and grease. Brown dipped bread on both sides. Serve at once with honey, syrup or place fresh fruit between two layers of toast, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Chicken Stroganoff

This is the yummiest, easiest meal ever! Just throw all the ingredients in the crock pot and five hours later you have tender flaky chicken in a creamy, flavorful gravy.  Your house will smell so good while this cooks, your mouth will be watering. My husband is not the biggest fan of crock pot meals and he loved this, so feed this to your picky eaters! Yum Yum Yummy is all I have to say.

Chicken Stroganoff
courtesy of Macey's Crock Talk Family Meals

4-6 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts
12 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
* if you are using six chicken breasts I would suggest doubling the sauce. I used four chicken breasts and found that there was almost not enough gravy.

Place chicken breasts in greased crock pot. Mix sour cream, cream of mushroom soup and 1 pkg. of dry onion soup mix. Pour mixture over chicken.
Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until chicken is tender.
Serve over cooked rice or egg noodles.

Best Ham Fried Rice

Our Family loves ham fried rice; we are huge fans. For this reason, I have tried just about every recipe out there for ham fried rice. Some were too sweet, some too dry, etc. etc.; but this one is just right. :) I love the peas and carrots in this recipe, it adds a great fresh taste to the dish. The chicken bouillon gives it a lot of flavor. I love how fast it comes together. This is a great go-to when you are short on time and need a quick meal.

Best Ham Fried Rice
adapted from family dinner cookbook
*(rice must be day old, it is not as good with fresh rice, the rice needs to be dried)
2 cups cooked rice (day old)
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 c. ham, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 c. frozen peas and carrots
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
3 tsp, soy sauce

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a large skillet. Scramble eggs. Remove eggs from skillet and heat remaining oil. Stir-fry ham and rice until ham starts to brown. Add green onions, peas, carrots, and stir-fry until vegetables are cooked through. Sprinkle with bouillon and soy sauce. Return scrambled eggs to skillet and mix well. Heat through then serve.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

This recipe is so good! It works great for toast or even better as french toast. The cinnamon swirl is a fun surprise when you cut into the bread. This bread is extremely moist and light. My kids and I devoured it. My poor husband barely got to taste the crumbs.
Two important things to pay attention to while making this bread, do not add too much flour and do let let the dough rise too long once in the bread pans. Otherwise you will end up with tough, heavy bread.

2 1/2  cups warm water
2 Tb. + 2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1/4 c. + 2 Tbs. powdered milk
1 Tb.  salt
1/4 c. vital wheat gluten
2 Tbs. shortening
1/4 c. + 2 Tbs. honey
9 cups bread flour

Place first four ingredients in large mixing bowl with four cups of the bread flour allow to mix for several minutes. Let sit for a few minutes until bubbly and frothy (sponge).  Add salt, wheat gluten, shortening, honey and three more cups of flour, mix until incorporated then add the remaining flour until dough pulls away cleanly from sides of mixing bowl. Knead for five minutes. Place in greased bowl and turn to coat top of dough. Allow to rise until double in size. Divide dough into 2 or 3 loaves and place in greased bread pans. Allow to rise again. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sauce

Hot Fudge...delicious. Peanut Butter Hot Fudge....to die for!! This sauce is so so good!  It has just the right balance of sweet that is complemented by the chocolate and then rounded off with the salty peanut butter. Serve it over brownies and ice cream and you will make many friends. This sauce is also fun to give away to friends or neighbors in a cute little mason jar with the recipe attached. Once you try this you will NEVER go back to that store bought syrup...yuck!  This comes together so fast and so easy I have a feeling it will make a frequent appearance in our home over ice cream. (Which, if you know my husband, will be a daily occurrence).

Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sauce
from the BH&G cookbook 11th Edition
*this reheats just great in the microwave for about 15 to 30 seconds. Keep refrigerated.

3/4 c. semisweet chocolate pieces
1/4 cup butter
 2/3 cup sugar 1 5 ounce can evaporated milk (2/3 Cup)
1/4 cup peanut butter

In a heavy small saucepan melt the chocolate and butter. Add the sugar, gradually stir n the evaporated milk. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. Remove pan from heat. Cool slightly before serving.

Breakfast Potato Skillet

This recipe makes an appearance at least once a week in our home. It is fast, easy and nutritious and most certainly makes a great dinner.  I double this recipe because we all eat so much of it. This is a great go-to when you need a quick meal. It comes together super fast. In my family of picky eaters, there is never a complaint when this meal is served. This meal is also versatile. I have often thrown in chopped red and green peppers with the onion and potatoes. I also substitute sausage for the ham and have even diced up leftover canadian bacon. There are so many possibilities, if you want it spicy you could add pepper-jack cheese instead of cheddar, the options are endless.

* It is VERY important to make sure that the potatoes are well browned and cooked through or this dish will not taste good.

Breakfast Potato Skillet
*I often used frozen southern style hash browns for the potatoes to make this even easier
3/4 cup ham, diced
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Put canola oil in large skillet, add potatoes and onion. Fry until golden brown and tender, about 15 minutes. Beat eggs and add salt and pepper. Add eggs and meat to potato mixture. Stir gently over low heat until eggs are set, sprinkle with cheese.

Beech Street Lemon Chicken

Beech Street Lemon Chicken

This recipe is courtesy of  Jamie Cooks It Up.  A fabulous food blog I recently discovered. The chicken is incredibly moist and the sauce is very flavorful. It has all the elements that please the palate. It is a little sweet, a little spicy, a little garlicky (that probably isn't a word). The lemon in the sauce adds a fresh zing. It is so so good.
It was a crowd pleaser in our little humble home.

Oh and did I mention that it comes together incredibly fast. Yes this is a recipe you will want in your recipe files.
*This recipe requires marinating the chicken for 12-24 hours so plan ahead.

Beech Street Lemon Chicken
Marinade:
3 T olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic minced
1 t Cajun seasoning
1/3 C fresh lemon juice
1/4 minced fresh parsley
7 T brown sugar
4 T soy sauce
5 chicken breasts, sliced


1 lb linguine or Fettuccine
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 C chopped green onion
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, the grated kind


1. Combine the marinade ingredients together. I always taste it before I put the chicken in so I can be sure it's not too spicy. Add a bit more Cajun seasoning if it doesn't have enough kick. When you have it just right, put your chicken in, cover and let it sit in the fridge for 1-12 hours.
2. Cook the chicken with the marinade in a large skillet over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through and the marinade has reduced just a bit.
3. While chicken is cooking, cook the pasta in boiling salted water.
4. Combine the juice and zest of the lemon, green onions, and fresh parsley together in a large bowl.
5. Add the hot pasta and sprinkle with salt an pepper.
6. Add the chicken and marinade, toss everything in the bowl together and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately! 

Overnight Orange Rolls

As promised, here is there fabulous orange roll recipe. These are not your typical orange rolls. They are heavier and buttery, flakey and sweet. They rise in the fridge at night so in the morning you just roll them out and bake, so easy, so yummy, what more can I say?  You can put an orange glaze on them or just leave them their perfect little selves. I personally find them to be plenty sweet without a glaze. What could be a better start to a day than a flaky, buttery orange roll. Try them you won't be disappointed.

Overnight Orange Rolls

4 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 beaten eggs
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. salt
4 1/2 c. flour

Cream sugar and shortening and eggs together. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Dough will be sticky. Cover and place in fridge overnight. When ready to use, roll out half the dough at a time. Spread on Orange Spread. Roll, slice and place in muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.


Orange Spread:
Melt together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cube butter. Allow to cool then add zest of one orange.


*These rolls do not brown much on the top, to check for doneness, lift side of roll and check for browning as pictured below.

Easy Overnight Orange Rolls.......comin soon.

I have been sleep deprived with the kiddos so I have gotten behind posting. I have an excellent orange roll recipe I got from a neighborhood cookbook of my grandma's. They are light, buttery, and of course full of orange yumminess. I love that you just mix them up then put them in the fridge for the night and in the morning roll them out and bake them in muffin tins. So fast for a yummy breakfast....anyhow I will be posting them soon, so be on the lookout! :) You will thank me once you try them.

The BEST cookies or at least real close to the best :)

I originally found this recipe from my very favorite cookbook . I made it when I was expecting my first baby and was craving a treat, this recipe jumped out at me because it has LESS FAT, yes you read less and fat connected to a cookie recipe. I love this because it has the crunch of the oats and the coconut, the sweetness of the chocolate chips and just a hint of butter flavor. I am not a fan of cookies that taste like eating a stick of butter with a few chocolate chips thrown in. Try out this cookie and you will become a fan. Even my ultra picky-should be a food critic-ultra picky palate husband loves these cookies.

p.s. that plate of cookies you see up there would be considered one serving for me...yeah they are addicting.

Ranger Cookies  (adapted from the BH&G cookbook 11th edition)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chocolate chip cookies

Beat butter 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda; beat till combines. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in oats, coconut and chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 oven about 10 minutes or till edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack, let cool. Makes about 54.

The BEST Whole Wheat Bread

Tired of making whole wheat bread that is so hard you could use it as a doorstop or a not so fashionable book end?  I know your pain all too well. After much searching and even more trial and error I have come across the BEST whole wheat bread recipe. It turns out light and fluffy and is fool proof and fast. Sound to good to be true? Try it out and see for yourself.

*tips: freshly ground white wheat flour makes this super yummy.  Also, I turn my oven to the warm setting while I am mixing the bread, after I have mixed the bread, I turn the oven off and put the bread in the loaf pans then into the warm oven. The bread rises in about a half hour. I leave the bread in the oven while it preheats then bake as directed.


Whole Wheat Bread

2 1/2 c. warm water
1 1/2 TB. Instant Yeast
1/3 c. honey
1/3 c. oil
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 TB. Dough Enhancer
6-7 cups whole wheat flour

Combine the warm water, yeast, and two cups of the whole wheat flour in a large mixing bowl. Allow to sponge for 15 minutes. Add the honey, oil, dough enhancer, salt, 4-5 cups flour and mix until the dough begins to clean the sides of the mixing bowl. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Don't add too much flour. Knead bread 7-10 minutes until it is very smooth, and small blisters appear beneath the surface of the dough. Form dough into 2 loaves. Place dough in greased loaf pans. Allow to rise in warm place until doubled in size. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350.