Monday, April 28, 2014

Basic No Knead Bread



This bread is the most amazing crusty bread ever! Its great with soup and we love it toasted too!!!

6 Cups Bread Flour or All Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp. Instant Yeast or Active Dry Yeast
2 1/2 Tsp. Salt
2 2/3 Cups Cool Water

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated. The dough should be wet and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest 12-18 hours on the counter at room temp. When the surface of the dough has darkened and smells yeasty and dotted with bubbles, it is ready. Lightly flour your hands and work surface. Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with more flour. Fold dough over on itself once or twice and using floured fingers, tuck the dough underneath to roughly form a ball. 
Generously dust a cotton towel with enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the towel as it rises. Place dough seam side down on the towel and dust with more flour. Cover with the edges or a second towel and let rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
After about 1 1/2 hours pre heat oven to 425 degrees. Place a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot, (such as cast iron dutch oven,) in the oven as it heats. When dough has fully risen carefully remove pot from oven . Remove top towel from dough and slide your hand under bottom towel, flip dough over into pot seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough looks uneven. Cover and bake for 40 mins. Uncover and bake another 10 mins until crust id brown. Internal temp should be 200 degrees ....Remove from pot. Let cool completely.
* I usually only leave my pot in the oven enough to get it hot then put the dough in......

Monday, April 21, 2014

Scalloped Pineapple


This recipe is from my mother. She has been making it for years. We all love it and it goes great with ham! Try it out and let me know what you think!

1 Large Can Crushed Pineapple
4 Cups Fresh Bread, cubed
3 Eggs, beaten
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Sticks Butter

Melt butter. Mix eggs and sugar, add pineapple. Mix bread cubes and butter. Mix ingredients together in 1 1/2 Qt casserole. Cover and bake @ 350 for 30 mins. Uncover bake another 10 mins to brown. 

Homemade No Knead Dinner Rolls

       
These Dinner Rolls are so easy! They are so fluffy in the middle! Give them a try!


        2 cups warm water (105 to 11 degrees)

  • 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for pan and brushing
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 6 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for shaping dough

DIRECTIONS

  1. STEP 1

    Pour warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. STEP 2

    Add sugar, butter, eggs, and salt; whisk to combine. Add flour; mix until incorporated and a sticky dough forms. Brush top of dough with butter; cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
  3. STEP 3

    Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface. With floured hands, roll dough into a thick log. Cut into 18 equal pieces (halve log, cut each half in thirds, then cut each piece into thirds again).
  4. STEP 4

    Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with butter. One at a time, flatten each piece of dough, then fold edges toward the center, pressing to secure, until a smooth ball forms. Place dough balls in prepared baking pan, smooth side up (you should have 3 rows of 6). Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.)
  5. STEP 5

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove plastic wrap; brush rolls with butter. Bake until golden and rolls sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes (tent with aluminum foil if browning too quickly). Pull rolls apart, and serve warm. (Recipe Courtesy Martha Stewart)


Shannon's Favorite Peanut Butter Pie



This is the best recipe for peanut butter pie! The first time I made this was Easter of 2003 and everyone loved it! It very easy. The pie is creamy not crazy sweet or dense. Its light and fluffy! Give it a try!

1 9" Graham Cracker Crust
1 Pkg 8 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1 8 oz. Container Cool Whip
Chopped Peanuts (Optional)
Directions:
Whip cream cheese in mixer until light. Blend in peanut butter and powdered sugar. Add milk gradually, beating constantly. Fold in topping. Spoon into pie shell. Garnish with peanuts if desired. Refrigerate for several hours. Or freeze and remove 1/2 hour before serving
* I have never frozen this pie.....I only refrigerate it and we love it this way.......
Recipe taken from "Recipe Source"

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Red Skinned Potato Salad

I have been making this recipe for my hubby and he loves it! This is my creation and I wanted to share it with all of you! 

3 Lbs of Red Skinned Potatoes
6 Slices of Bacon  (chopped and cooked till crisp)
6 Eggs
3 Green Onions Chopped (I use regular)
3 Stalks Of Celery Chopped
2 Cups Mayo
1-2 Tbs. Mustard 
1 Tbs. Cider Vinegar
1 Tbs. Celery Seed
2 Tbs. Pickle Relish
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add potatoes and cook till fork tender but sill firm, about 10 mins. Drain, set in frig to cool. Cook eggs. In a separate bowl mix mayo, mustard, celery seed, relish, salt and pepper.   Chop the cooled potatoes, leaving skin on, add to large bowl, along with eggs, onion, celery and bacon. Fold dressing carefully into potato mixture. Chill for 2 hours before serving.
* I don't use all of the dressing in mine...I just add to our liking. You may find this is too much...
I hope you enjoy! Come back and comment if you try this recipe!!

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Sugar Cookies

Easter is just around the corner. We are busy menu planning for our family get together. There are some things that certain people always make. For example my mom always makes her sweet potato casserole and my sister in law always makes asparagus casserole. So one thing that I always make for almost every holiday is a dessert. Its these sugar cookies. My niece Shea always requests these so I dedicate this recipe to her as she is studying abroad and cannot be with us this Easter....
This recipe is taken from a very old cookbook

Sugar Cookies
1 Cup Butter
2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
2 Tsp. Baking Powder
4 3/4 Cups Flour
1 Cup Sour Milk
1 Tbs. Vanilla
Colored sugars 

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and beat. Add salt, soda, and baking powder and mix well. Add flour and milk a little at a time till all is added. Add vanilla. Drop on greased cookie sheet with tablespoon. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425- 450 for 10 Mins. 

* For the sour milk mix one cup of milk and 1 Tbs of vinegar and let sit for 10 mins then add to recipe

* I usually add more vanilla to this recipe

These cookies are thick and puffy and they are wonderful with coffee! Let me know if you try them and come back and tell me what you think!!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Tonights Dinner

This was tonight's dinner.... Muffin Tin Eggs, Angel Biscuits, Homemade Pancakes without Milk, and Bacon. My family loves the pancakes with homemade apple butter and sometimes we put cream cheese and homemade strawberry jam on. Scott loves the biscuits with the jam too. So here are the recipes...

Muffin Tin Eggs
1 Egg Per Muffin Tin
1 Tbs. Mayo per 3 Eggs
Any kind of veggies (mushrooms, onions, green pepper etc)
Meat (optional)
Cheese (any flavor)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Spray muffin tins and preheat oven to 350. Sauté veggies or any meat you choose. Whisk eggs in bowl , add mayo(this helps eggs not to fall). Add veggies, cheese, and cooked meats to whisked eggs. Stir. Pour into muffin tins (about 1/3 cup full per tin) Bake 20-25 mins

Angel Biscuits
2 Envelopes Active Dry Yeast
1 Cup Warm Water
2 Cups Buttermilk
3/4 Cups Oil
1/4 Cup Sugar
6 Cups All Purpose Flour
4Tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp. Baking Soda
1-1/2  Tsp. Salt
In a very large bowl, dissolve yeast in very warm water, 110to 115 degrees. Let stand for several minutes, Stir in buttermilk, oil, and sugar. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients; stir into buttermilk mixture. Cover bowl and place in refrig overnight. Remove dough as needed. Roll out on a floured board to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out biscuits with a round cutter or a glass tumbler, place on a ungreased baking sheet. Bake @ 400 for 12 to 15 mins till golden
* If you do not have Buttermilk you can use 1 Cup regular milk and add 1 Tbs. Vinegar and let sit till thick....this works just as well...
*1 pkg yeast = 2 1/4 Tsp. yeast...if you buy in bulk like I do....
Original Recipe taken from Gooseberry Patch

Pancakes Without Milk
1 Cup Flour
1 Tbs. Sugar
2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Egg Beaten
1 Cup Water
1 Tbs. Oil
2 Tsp. Vanilla
In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl, combine egg, water and cooking oil and vanilla. Add to flour mixture all at once. Stir mixture just until blended but still slightly lumpy. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet.
* I always double this recipe. I also add more vanilla.
Original Recipe taken from Group recipes.com
Let me know if you try any of these! Come back and comment!