French Bread

This is an easy French Bread recipe that I got from my friend. I made 12 loaves for a Priesthood Preview dinner and it was a hit. Much, much better than the store-bought stuff.

HOMEMADE FRENCH BREAD
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons Yeast
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
add these ingredients together and let sit until bubbly
1 Tablespoon salt
1/3 cup oil (any kind will do- I used Canola)
6 cups of flour (or a little more if it is too soft). I used 1/2 whole wheat

Put water, yeast, sugar and vinegar in your bowl, mix and let sit until yeast gets foamy. Add the rest of the ingredients and then knead for 2-5 mins.(I use my Bosch) Put dough in a bowl (or keep in the mixing bowl) and put in the oven with a small pot of water that you have already boiled. The water will keep the dough moist. Watch the dough and punch it down when it gets to the top of the mixing bowl. Do this every time it gets to the top of the bowl (I just set a timer and go about my day and check it every 30 mins). You can do this twice or longer if you wish. I opt for the two times!
Put the dough on a greased countertop and divide into 3 sections. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal on the cookie sheet (or use parchment paper). Roll the dough into balls and then rectangle shapes (french bread shapes). Slash tops of bread diagonally 3-5 times and cover with a beaten egg. Let rise 30 mins (or until doubled). Makes three medium size loaves. Recipe can be doubled to make great 6 loaves. Bake at 375 for 30 mins.

Sour Cream Apple Bars

I got this recipe from a friend that got it from a friend :)
It is so good I had to share.

Crust:

1 cup soft butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups oats

1 cup flour

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon
Filling:

1 cup sour cream (I used light)

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 egg

2 cups shredded apples (I used Granny Smith’s)

For the crust: Beat the butter and brown sugar till creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Press half in a lightly greased 9×13″ pan. Bake at 350° for about 8-10 minutes.

While crust is baking, prepare the filling: Grate your apples. Mine were small, so I used three. Stir together all ingredients till well combined. Spread over hot crust. Top with remaining oatmeal mixture. Bake an additional 35-49 minutes, or till center is set. Cool, then cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.

I peeled my apples.

BBQ Ckicken rolls

6 chicken breasts --fillet and pound with a meat mallet to flatten them
Monterey Jack cheese-- 12  1/4 inch thick slices about an inch wide
Black Forest ham--12 slices thin like sandwich meat
Sweet baby ray's BBQ sauce (or what ever sauce you like)--about 1-cup

After you fillet the chicken pound it with a meat mallet to flatten (this makes it easier to roll), place a slice of ham and a piece of cheese on the chicken and roll up.  Poke a toothpick through the chicken to hold it together.  Place the rolls into a 9x13 pan and pour the BBQ sauce over the chicken.  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes on 350. 

Makes 12 rolls

Pizza Factory Bread Twists

Recipe from a friend of mine for yummy breadsticks!


Dough:

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp SAF instant yeast

3 1/2 – 4 cups flour

Glaze:

2-3 Tbsp melted butter

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dill weed

1/8 tsp Italian seasoning

Combine water, sugar, salt, yeast, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 3-4 minutes. On greased counter, break off pieces of dough and roll into thin ropes that are about 1 1/2 times the length of your skewers. Twist the rope around the skewer and place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat till all dough is used. Let twists rise till doubled, about 30 minutes. While they are baking, combine the glaze ingredients so the flavors will blend. Bake twists at 375 for about 12-15 minutes or till golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with the butter glaze. Try not to drool.

Notes:

-You could add some canned parmesan cheese to the glaze if you want. All I had was the fresh stuff and I knew that wouldn’t work as well.

-If you don’t have skewers and are just twisting your dough ropes together, they will need to bake longer because they will be fatter.

-As with all bread recipes, if you don’t have the instant yeast, you must first dissolve your yeast in the warm water, and let the dough rise once before you form your twists.

-I tried brushing the glaze on a few of the twists before baking them, and trust me, it is not as good. Brushing them after really made a difference in the great flavor

Broccoli salad

This is so yummy!!
Thanks for the recipe!!

BROCCOLI SALAD

1 large broccoli head
1 c. chopped celery
2 c. seedless red grapes
1/2 - 1 c. sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
1 c. craisins
12 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 c. red onion, thinly sliced
Dressing:
 1 c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
Combine all salad ingredients.
Mix dressing and combine with salad. Stir well

Bagels

These chewy, ring-shaped white rolls were once the everyday bread of Eastern European Jews, but have since become equally associated with New York City and the classic breakfast of bagels and cream cheese. Before baking, the bagels are poached; this gives them their characteristically shiny, chewy exterior and dense, tender interior.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cups water
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for kneading
1 1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar into 1/2 cup of the water in a bowl. Leave for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the dissolved yeast.

2. Pour about half of the remaining water into the well. Mix in the flour. Stir in the reserved water, as needed, to form a firm, moist dough.

3. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. As you knead the dough, gradually work in as much additional flour as you can comfortably knead- this dough should be very stiff and firm.

(Dough is sufficiently kneaded if you gently press your finger into the top of the dough and it springs back immediately- if it does not, continue to knead)

4. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat, and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down, then let rest for 10 minutes.

(To make sure rising is complete, test the dough by gently pressing it with a fingertip. When rising is complete, the indentation made will spring back gradually. If the dough is under-risen the indentation will spring back at once. If the dough is over-risen the finger will create a permanent mark that will not spring back at all.)

5. Cut the dough into eight equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball (see directions below). Form each ball into a ring by inserting a floured finger into the center of each one.

To form dough into a ball: press gently down on each piece of dough to expel any air bubbles. Cup the palm of your hand over each piece and roll it over a floured work surface until it forms a smooth ball.

6. Work the finger in a circle to stretch and widen the hole. Then twirl the ring around the index finger of one hand and the thumb of the other hand until the hole is about 1/3 of the bagel's diameter.

7. Place the bagels on a lightly oiled baking sheet, then cover with a damp dish towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

8. Bring a large pan of water to a boil (I used a pot), then reduce the heat to allow the water to simmer. Use a perforated skimmer to carefully lower the bagels into the water in batches of two to three at a time. Boil each batch of bagels, uncovered, until they rise to the surface, about 1 minute, turning them once. Remove the bagels from the water using a perforated skimmer, and drain.

9. Transfer the drained bagels to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake in the oven (preheated to 425°) for 20 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Cream of Chicken Soup

Cream of Chicken Soup is expensive in the Netherlands (about $3.00/can), so when I saw that my friend, Tami Barker, made homemade Cream of Chicken Soup, I had to have the recipe. I have tried it, and it is GOOD! So, thank you, Tami for sharing and for saving me money. :)

1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp onion powder (I subbed with 1/4 fresh finely chopped red onion)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour

In a sauce pan bring broth, seasonings and 1/2 cup of milk to a boil.

Ina separate bowl mix flour and 1 cup of milk.

Add flour mix to saucepan, whisking briskly until it boils & thickens. Let cool.

You can also add about a half a chicken breast of cooked and seasoned chicken to the soup.

It is equivalent to 2 cans cream of chicken soup.

If you want cream of mushroom soup, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and saute mushrooms to put in it. And I suppose you would cut out the poultry seasoning and add a little more garlic and onion.