Whole Wheat Bread

This is a recipe from the Flake Family Cookbook.  I love having everyday recipes rather than ones that you have to take a special trip to the store and spend hours preparing. This recipe also isn't quite as time consuming as others, which is always nice.

5 c. hot water                                       3/4 c. honey

1 T. salt                                               10-12 c. whole wheat    
1 T. dough enhancer                              2 T. yeast
1/4 c. vegetable oil

*This recipe makes 5 one pound loaves, so I usually half it and make 2 large loafs.

Add the water, salt, dough enhancer, oil, honey and half the flour in bowl or bread mixer. Mix until well blended.

Then add the dry yeast and the rest of the flour.  Knead for 5 minutes in mixer or by hand. 

Remove dough hook, cover and let rise 10-15 minutes. Oil bread pans, cutting boards and hands. Do not over work the dough as you divide and shape into loaves.  Do not use flour on the board.  

Let rise 10 to 15 more minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Then take them out of the oven, cut a large piece and enjoy with some strawberry jam.  Ah-mazing.

Cake Balls

I made these for Ryan's surprise birthday party last week and they turned out delicious.  There are a ton of ways to make these will endless combinations but here is the basic recipe.

1. Cook one cake (I used a red velvet cake). Let it cool for 10-15 minutes and then dish it all into a bowl, crumbling.  

2. Let the cake cool for another half hour or so, the add half of a container of frosting to the cake mixture and stir.

3. Form into balls, about 1 inch in diameter.

4. After you have formed the balls, put them on a cookie sheet and freeze.  If you want to do this step ahead of time, you can place the frozen balls into a tupperware and save, but if you want to make them the same day, freeze for at least half an hour.

5. Melt your chocolate and then dip the balls.  I used white chocolate and tried using a toothpick to dip the balls but they quickly slid off the toothpick so I just dipped them in with a spoon.  If you have an old easter egg dipper around, it would work great.

6. Let the chocolate set and then drizzle milk chocolate over for decoration.

My sister in law make a brownie variation to this recipe that is amazing.

Cook the brownies a little less than normal so they are gooey.  Crumble them and form into balls.

Melt chocolate and mix with peanut butter, and then dip the balls. Delicious! 

Home Made Rolls

This is my mother in law's recipe and she makes them most Sundays are they areamazing. So I was finally brave enough (and had enough time) to try them out.  They were definitely time consuming, but well worth it.

After eating one right out of the oven with some strawberry jam, I called Ryan at work and told him I was bringing him some, I guess I was just that proud of the them :)

2 c. scalding milk                                                    1 c. sugar
1 c. butter or margarine                                          6 eggs (beaten)
1 c. warm water                                                    3/4 T. salt
3 T. yeast

Mix scalding milk with butter.  As that cools mix warm water, yeast and sugar together and let foam.  Mix all wet ingredients together, adding eggs and salt.  Add enough flour to make a sticky dough.  Cover and let rise double (about an hour). Punch down. Then shape your dinner rolls (or you can use this recipe for cinnamon or orange rolls) and place on greased cookie sheet.  Cover and let rise until doubled.  Bake at 350 until light brown, about 15 min.
*This recipe makes 5-6 dozen rolls depending on the size of roll, so I did 1/3 the recipe.. Just adjust accordingly.

Baked Chicken Penne

I based this recipe off of one from Our Best Bites, and after a few alterations, it is a new favorite in our house.  I can't claim to be one of those cooks who looks at a recipe and knows what to change, but these alterations were made purely for convenience.  

3 tablespoons butter

kosher salt and black pepper

1/2 pound penne pasta

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 onion, diced

1/3 cup flour

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

3 cups half and half (I used 2 cups fat free half and half and 1 cup 1% milk)

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained

3/4 cups shredded mozzarella

3/4 Parmesan (about 6 ounces)

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

2. Boil water to cook your penne pasta, cook about 3 min short of al dente, then drain the pasta and set aside.

3. While the pasta is boiling, cook your chicken breasts.  I like to season mine with salt, pepper, onion, and garlic, and add a little water when you get that good browning in your pan to give extra flavor to the chicken.

4. While this is cooking dice your onions and when your chicken is almost done, add the onions and sauté until translucent.

5. In the pan you used to cook your noodles (we like the minimize the number of pans I get dirty) melt the butter over medium heat.  Then add the flour and garlic, whisking, cook for 1 min.  While continuing to whisk, gradually add the milk, then bring to a simmer.  Keep whisking while and cook about 1 more minute. Remove heat and add the red peppers then stir in the cheese.  Add the chicken, onions, and noodles.

6. Divide the pasta into baking dishes. (I cooked one 9 in circle pan and put some in a small dish to freeze)

7. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes, let stand 5 minutes before serving.

The original recipe varies with using mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and a provolone cheese mixture.

Click here for that recipe!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2 1/8 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup (7 ounces) light brown sugar
1/2 (3 1/2 ounces) cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips (use your preference of semisweet, bittersweet, milk, white, peanut butter...the options are endless!)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position.

Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.

Bake at 325 until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Willi's Tortilla Soup

I can't take credit for this soup, but will definitely share it.  It is my friend Willi's recipe and is amazing- because it is so delicious and SO easy.

1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can ranch style beans

1 can creamed corn

1 can rotel tomatoes

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 pkg ranch seasoning

1 cup sour cream

2 cooked and cubed chicken breasts (optional)

I didn't know what Ranch style beans looked like so here's a picture

We like the ones that have jalapeno peppers in them but it does add a little spice

Just pour everything into a pot (don't drain the cans before) and heat until warm.

You can serve it with cheese and tortilla chips or in bread bowls like we did tonight

I used the french bread recipe to make these

Fabulous French Bread

This is one of my new favorite recipes. It's a little time consuming, but simple enough and the results are impressive.

 In a large bowl combine the following:

3 cups (of 6) flour

2 1/2 cups water

3 T sugar

1 T salt

5 T oil

Stir in:

2 T yeast and 3 C flour

Dough should be barely sticky, add more flour if necessary.  Mix well. Let dough rest for 20 min and stir again.  Stir 5 times within 50 min. Turn out dough onto oiled counter, knead once or twice.  Divide into 2. Roll each half into a 9x12 rectangle then roll loosely into loafs. Seal edges and cut 3 times diagonally with a sharp knife. You can brush on a beaten egg white and sprinkle sesame seeds if desired.  Let rise 30 min and then bake at 400 for 25-30 min.  Makes 2 loafs. 

I have also used this recipe to make bread bowls, I halved the recipe and it made 3 bowls.