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.