French Bread

This recipe comes from my Better Homes and Garden 11th Edition Cookbook.  I have used this cookbook so much it is falling apart!
French Bread
5 1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast (a package is 2 1/4 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups warm water (120 to 130 degrees F)
Cornmeal
1 slightly beaten egg white
1 Tablespoon water

In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour, the yeast and the salt.  Add the warm water to the dry mixture.  Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl constantly.  Beat on high speed  for 3 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much as the remaining flour as you can.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough taht is smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes)  Shape the dough into a ball.  Place dough in a lightly greased bowl turning once to grease surface of the cough.  cover and let rise in a warm place till double in size (about 1 hr.)

Punch dough down.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide dough in half .  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, lightly grease a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with cornmeal.

Roll each portion of the dough into a 15x10 rectangle.  Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from a long side; seal well.  Pinch ends and pull slightly to taper.  Place seam side down on prepared baking sheet.  In a small mixing bowl stir together egg white and water.  Brush some the egg white mixture over loaves.  Cover and let rise till nearly double in size (for 35 to 45 minutes).  Using a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across the top of each loaf.

Bake in a 375F oven for 20 minutes.  In the first 10 minutes you can use a spray bottle and spray dough with water.  This is important for the french bread's crust texture to come out right.  Continue baking for 15-20 minutes more or till bread sounds hollow when you tap the top with your fingers.  Immediately remove bread from baking sheet.  Cool on wire racks.  Make 2 loaves.

Enjoy!

McCormick Mediterranean Herb Crusted Tilapia

McCormick Mediterranean Herb Crusted Tilapia


1 tsp McCormick Minced Garlic
1 tsp McCormick marjoram leaves
3/4 tsp McCormick ground mustard
3/4 tsp McCormick basil leaves
3/4 tsp McCormick oregano leaves
1/2 tsp McCormick coarse ground black pepper

6 tilapia or flounder filets about 11/2 pounds
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter or olive oil
1 1/2 chopped fresh spinach leaves
3/4 cup Pablo bread crumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
3 T shredded parmesan cheese

1.  Place fish tinfoil-lined shallow baking pan. Sprinkle with salt. Mix butter and all of the spices in medium bowl. Brush fish with one tbsp of seasoned butter.

2.   Stir spinach, Pablo, pepper, and parmesan cheese into remaining butter. Divide mixture evenly among fish fillets, pressing lightly so mixture adheres to top of fish.

3.   Bake in preheated 400 degree F oven 15 min until fish flakes readily with fork.

This is such a tasty recipe. My kids love it! It is from a premature packet from McCormick. I get my tilapia frozen from Winco for a pretty good price.
Enjoy!

Apple-stuffed Acorn Squash

This recipe comes from Winder Farms in Utah:

Apple-stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

*Acorn squash, halved
*1 T margarine
*1/4 cup chopped onion
*1 cup peeled and seeded Granny Smith Apple
*1/3 cup golden raisins (I used craisins)
*1 T brown sugar
*1/4 tsp cinnamon
*1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the squash onto a baking sheet cut side down.  Fill the baking sheet with 1/2 inch of water.  Bake the squash for 40 minutes.  drain off any water remaining.  While the squash is baking, melt the margarine over medium heat.  Cook the onion and apple in the margarine until the onion has softened and turned translucent---10 to 15 minutes.  Scrape the mixture into a bowl and cool until the squash is done baking.  Stir in the raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cheese into the apple mixture.  Turn the squash cut side up on the baking sheet.  Fill the cup and return to the oven.  cook about 15 minutes until hot and cheese is melted.

Hamburger Soup

The other day, I was visiting my sister Emma and her house smelled so wonderful!  She was making Hamburger soup for her neighbor and it just was heavenly!!!  The longer you let this simmer on the stove, the better it tastes but you can also do this recipe in 2 hours if you are in a pinch for time. I started cooking mine at 3 p.m. and we were ready to eat by 6 p.m.but it would've tasted better if I had started it earlier. Anyway, this recipe has a lot of ingredients but I hope that doesn't discourage anyone from making this. It is so good!!!!!

2T dried minced onion (I chopped up fresh onion for mine)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
4 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)
2 stalks celery sliced
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 lb ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes
8 cups water
1 T dried parsley
2 1/2 T Beef Base (this is beef bullion...this is what really gives the flavor. It's the gooey beef base that comes in a little container..you keep it in your fridge after you open it. I think its called better than beef bullion. I got mine at Costco in the spices aisle.)
1 large bay leaf
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup quick cook barley (got this at Sprouts formerly Sunflower market for $1.59 for a box)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients and let simmer on the stove all day. Enjoy this cozy and delicous meal.  My kids all looked at unsure if they would like but after one bite, they all ate up! My 14-year-old daughter said, "Okay, okay...it was better than I thought it would be." that is a ringing endorsment coming from her! Enjoy!

Spaghetti sauce

I made spaghetti last night and I thought I would experiment and it turned out pretty good. So here is the recipe for the spaghetti sauce:

1 lb ground beef
1 minced garlic clove
onion
1 can tomato soup (10 3/4 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)
italian seasoning
oregano
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves

I browned the hamburger with the garlic and onions.  Then I added the soup, tomatoes and seasonings and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Very simple, easy and delicious! Serve over spaghetti noodles. enjoy!

Sloppy Joes, Oven Steak fries and Fry Sauce

So I didn't put the recipe here for the fries because they are from my cookbook our best bites.  You can go to their website ourbestbites.com and look in the index for Oven Steak Fries.  They turned out so good! Basically you mix spices and olive oil together and spread them over potato wedges (one potato cut in 8 pieces)  So yummy!!! Then, I made Crockpot Sloppy Joes from a recipe on Pinterest and put the meat in a yummy Rhodes roll.  The fry sauce is 1/4 cup mayo (not miracle whip) and 1/4 cup ketchup mixed together. Delicious!!!! Wonderful dinner!

Penne Pasta and Chicken in Alfredo Sauce

I got the Alfredo Sauce from the Cookbook "Our Best Bites" and it is the best Alfredo sauce I have ever tasted!
Alfredo Sauce:
2 cups milk (I used 1 1/2 cups whole milk with 1/2 cup water mixed in because they originally call for low-fat milk)
1/3 cup or 3 oz of low fat cream cheese (I used regular)
2 T flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves (I used 2), minced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a blender (I used my magic bullet!) blend the milk, cream cheese, flour and salt and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add garlic. Stir constantly on medium heat so the garlic doesn't burn. Add the milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes or until it comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for about 6-7 min. Once the sauce has thickened remove from heat. Whisk the cheese into the sauce and cover immediately. It is important that you buy a triangle of Parmesan cheese and freshly grate it. If you use already grated parmesan, it will be lumpy. In my opinion, I think the freshly grated cheese made such a difference in the taste!! Allow the sauce to thicken for 10 minutes. I had cooked up some penne noodles before I did the sauce and I added already cooked chicken (in a can...Costco chicken is the best!!) Stirred together, noodles, sauce and chicken...let it sit the 10 minutes and you have a fabulous dinner! We had banana poppy seed muffins with our dinner and should have had a vegetable. Next time, I'll make brown sugared carrot coins to go with it!

Shredded Roast Beef Sandwiches

These are so easy to make and so yummy! The rolls are frozen Rhodes rolls that you thaw for 3-5 hours then bake for 20 minutes. Then you split in two to put in the roast beef filling.

Roast Beef:

(from our best bites)

2 T olive oil

1 Roast (mine was small 2 lb but next time I will do bigger)

Kosher salt (you can use traditional salt)

Freshly ground pepper
2 packages (I used one) dry onion soup mix

2 cups water (I used 1 cup)

2 cans beef broth (I used 1 cup)

Heat olive oil in the pan. While heating the oil, sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. when the oil is hot, sear the roast on all sides---you want to quickly brown the roast to add flavor and seal in the juices. Do not skip this step...this is the key to a tender, yummy roast! Transfer the roast to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the soup mix on the roast and add broth and water. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours. When done, the meat should easily shred with a fork. I shred the meat with 2 forks and then put the meat on the roll. Yum!!!!

Banana Poppy Seed Muffins

Banana Poppy Seed Muffins

These are a modification of a Better Homes and Gardens recipe that I have. My family ate these right up...they turned out so well!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 T poppy seeds

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup mashed banana

Directions:

Grease muffin tin, do not use baking cups with this recipe. Combine dry ingredients flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds together in bowl. Set aside. Combine oil, milk and egg together. Make a well in dry ingredients. Pour milk, oil and egg into dry mixture and stir. Add banana. Stir ingredients together until just moistened. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool on cooling rack for 5 min. Makes 10-12 muffins. Enjoy!

More recipes to come

I have been so awful not posting recipes...my enthusiasm for my cooking blog has fizzed out a little...especially in the last two months when I was recovering from surgery. I have had a loss of appetite and that has contributed to my not really thinking about new recipes. I promise I will do better in the future.

French Toast

4 slices Bread (I used French Bread)
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Slice bread crosswise (i did some both crosswise and down the middle)
In a shallow mixing bowl whisk eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon.
Dip slices into mixture and cook until golden brown. I put them in the oven at 250F to keep the slices warm while I cooked up the rest. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with maple syrup. Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers and Strawberry Limeade

My kids were not very excited about this meal. In fact, we had this Saturday night and on Friday night we told the kids, you have two choices for dinner: Arby's or stuffed peppers. No brainer. We were actually going to Arby's anyway because it was an overdue reward from Spring Break. I told the kids to pick something they wanted to work for the entire week of spring break and they worked really hard. Kael picked to go to cousin's house in Lehi, Aidan picked a bowling trip (that was super fun) and Kalli picked Arby's. It turned out that spring break, she got some kind of flu at the end of the week so we didn't go. But I digress, even though my kids were not impressed with stuffed peppers, my husband and I enjoyed them. I got the original recipe from my Better Homes and Garden recipe book but I changed some ingredients so here is my version:

The recipe called for 2 large green bell peppers. Green Bell Peppers aren't my favorite so I used Yellow, Orange and Red which I love a lot better. I had 2 small red peppers, 2 medium orange and 1 medium yellow. Cut the tops of the peppers and scoop out the seeds. Put in boiling water for 3 minutes and then drain. For the filling you need the following ingredients:

• 1 lb hamburger
• chopped onion
• can of diced tomatoes (I used a 14.5 oz can....recipe called for 7.5 oz)
• 1 cup water (recipe called for 1/2 cup water)
• 2/3 cup rice (recipe called for 1/3 cup rice)
• seasonings basil or oregano (1/2 tsp? I just sprinkled dried basil in the pan)
  
• Worcestershire sauce
• Cheddar cheese, grated (recipe calls for American)

So I changed it to fit my family, you can too! In a large skillet, cook hamburger and onion till meat is brown and onion is tender. Stir in undrained tomatoes, water, uncooked rice, Worcestershire sauce, basil or oregano, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 15-18 minutes or till rice is tender. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese.
Fill peppers with meat mixture. Place in a 2 qt baking dish along with any remaining meat mixture. Bake in a 375F oven about 15 minutes or till heated through. Sprinkle with more cheese and let stand about 2 minutes till cheese is melted. I served cheese covered baguette breads (instead of French bread...it's a little narrower...sunflower market makes the best baguette bread!) I think it tastes great! And we also had Strawberry Limeade for our drink which is so delicious. I got it from Our Best Bites. Basically made with strawberry sauce, fresh limes, ice cubes and Sprite. You cut up 2 cups of strawberries, put in saucepan for a few minutes then put in blender and you have your strawberry sauce. Ice cubes in a glass, squeeze the limes over the ice for juice, pour in Sprite halfway, then add a few tablespoons of strawberry sauce, stir well then add more Sprite and you have a delicious drink! We did it with lemons too and it was tasty for Strawberry Lemonade! We drank it so fast, no chance for pics!!!!

Wagon wheel pasta with Hamburger

1 1/2 wagon wheel pasta noodles
1 lb hamburger
8 oz tomato sauce
12 oz water (a can and a half)
grated cheese

Fry up hamburger. Add tomato sauce, water and noodles. Cook until noodles are done..about 10 minutes. Then add grated cheese. Enjoy!

Ham Fried Rice

I made a batch without Spinach and a batch with spinach that is why the pics are different. In this recipe, I scrambled up 6 eggs, added a little milk and salt and fried up the eggs. then I took them out of the fry pan, added a couple tablespoons of EVOO and cooked up the carrots and green onions that I chopped up. then I added rice, ham and the eggs and added a little bit of soy sauce. In one batch I added baby spinach leaves. Delicious!!!!

Alfredo Chicken

I saw a picture of an advertisement for Alfredo Chicken and I thought, "I could do that!" So I made an alfredo sauce, cooked the noodles, fried up the vegi's and chicken in EVOO and voila! It tasted so good! So here is the recipe for the Alfredo Sauce:

(From Allrecipes)
1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 minced garlic
1 1/2 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Parsley
(I didn't put in the parsley in mine)

I cooked up 1/2 lb of Penne noodles (maybe 1-2 cups?) separately

In a skillet:
1-2 T EVOO
cut broccoli
lengthwise cut carrots
grilled chicken strips (cooked chicken mine was from Costco)

After vegi's and chicken are ready, add noodles then pour sauce over it and voila and ENJOY!

Berry Vanilla Trifle

Another variation of my trifle I made in December. This one is so easy to make. Make a big box of vanilla pudding with three cups of milk. layer pudding, vanilla wafers and strawberries. I think next time I will top with cool whip cream! Enjoy!

Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

I couldn't get the picture to turn the right way but you get the idea what it looks like. I got this recipe from McCormick's and it turned out pretty good. I thought it was a bit spicy but my husband really liked it. He likes spicy foods though and my kids prefer more bland things. So here is the recipe:

2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp crushed Rosemary Leaves
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
2 T EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 lbs Chicken breast or thighs (the original recipe called for thighs but I had some chicken breast that I cut up raw and put in)
1 1/2 lbs red potatoes

Put oil and spices in a bowl and mix. Then coat the chicken and potatoes evenly. I put it in a 9x13 pan and put in preheated oven 425F for 30 minutes or until chicken is not pink and potatoes are tender. I enjoyed this recipe but my oldest son is allergic to red potatoes so we can't have them often. He actually ate a bowl of cereal for dinner tonight....Well, enjoy!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

I have lost my enthusiasm for cooking and I need to get it back! it has been two weeks since i last posted but that is because I really haven't been cooking that much. I have been feeding my family chicken nuggets and frozen pizza. So today i am renewing my resolve to try better to eat healthier and feed my family better. Today for lunch I had a strawberry banana smoothie so I thought I would share the recipe. I actually wasn't planning on making this but my two-year-old refused to eat the banana I gave him for lunch and I didn't want to waste it so created this:

STRAWBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE

1/4 cup Creamy Vanilla Yoplait yogurt (this is a guess, I just spooned some out into the blender)
2 big frozen strawberries
1 banana
1/8 cup milk (again a guess...I just poured it in)
a splash of orange juice

Blend in the blender and enjoy a very yummy drink for one!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Banana-Chocolate-Chip-Muffins-101020#ixzz1EQzOtn5A

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with foil muffin liners. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and milk in medium bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix). Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 32 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack; cool.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Banana-Chocolate-Chip-Muffins-101020#ixzz1EQzYG7ui
I got this recipe from epicurious and it turned out ohhhhh, so good. I didn't cook them quite for 32 minutes. I put them in for about 25-27 min. They turned out so delicious!

Valentine Trifle

This is a variation on my Chocolate and Fruit Trifle that I made in Dec
2010. I just used raspberries and didn't add strawberries and kiwi. I used chocolate fudge cake instead of devil's food cake and then added Dove chocolates and some candy sprinkles on top to get you in the mood for Valentine's Day!




http://karicookingcorner.blogspot.com/2010/12/chocolate-and-fruit-trifle.html