French Bread

French Bread (from heart and soul cook book)

If you use rapid-rise yeast, you can add this bread to any meal with only a two-hour head start.

2 Tbsp. rapid rise yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
2 1/2 cups warm water
7-9 cups flour
1 egg white, beaten

In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, sugar and salt. Stir in warm water to dissolve. Add 6 cups of the flour. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on high until well blended. Add as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a smooth and elastic dough, kneading about 5 minutes. I add about 1/4 cup of flour at a time. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double (about 45-60 minutes). Punch down dough and knead lightly. Shape into two long rolls and place each roll on a greased cookie sheet. Cut shallow slits at 1" intervals along top of bread. Brush with egg white and let rise again until double in size (about 20-30 minutes). bake 15 minutes in a preheated 425 oven. Reduce oven to 350 and continue baking 15 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting to serve.

Gourmet Sweet Potato Classic (the one Paul likes)

Gourmet Sweet Potato Classic

5 sweet potatoes

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup white sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

½ cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons flour

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Bake sweet potatoes 35 min. in the preheated oven, or until they begin to soften. Cool slightly, peel and mash. In a large bowl, mix the mashed sweet potatoes, salt, ¼ cup butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar and heavy cream. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup butter, flour, brown sugar and chopped pecans. Mix with a pastry blender or your fingers to the consistency of course meal. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until topping is crisp and lightly browned

Easy Muffins

from all recipes.com best ever muffins is the name of them. I don't think they are the best ever but they are good and so easy!!

2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl or 2 cup measuring cup, beat egg with a fork. Stir in milk and oil. Pour all at once into the well in the flour mixture. Mix quickly and lightly with a for until moistened, but do not beat. The batter will be lumpy. Pour the batter into paper lined muffin pan cups. (I like to sprinkle sugar on top.)

variations: add blueberries, raisins, chopped dates...what ever.

bake for 25 min, or until golden.

Keli's mission farewell salad

This recipe was given to me by Dottie Jones who got it from Robbie's mother in law.
We served it at Kohl and Elizabeth's wedding luncheon.

Salad

6-8 boneless chicken breasts
bottle of Kikkoman roasted garlic marinade
2 pkgs. spring mix salad
2 pkgs. romaine salad
1-2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
1-2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup slivered almonds, roasted (or candied..yum)
1 can olives (we don't add these)
3-4 red apples, peeled &cut into bite sized pieces
Crasins, as many as you like

Dressing
1 cup sugar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup red onions, chopped

Marinate chicken breasts in bottle of Kikkoman for 8 hours or overnight. Also the night before, place dressing ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Place in glass bottle and put in fridge overnight. BBQ chicken, cool & cut into bite-size pieces. Assemble all salad ingredients in very large bowl. Add dressing and toss.

One Hour wheat Bread

One Hour Wheat Bread
makes 2 (8x4 inch) loaves

3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup gluten flour, sifted
1 1/4 Tablespoon instant yeast (or quick rising, I like SAF instant yeast)
2 1/2 cup very warm water
1 Tablespoon salt
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1 1/4 Tablespoon bottled lemon juice
2-2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Mix together first three ingredients in mixer with a dough hook. add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. add salt, oil, honey and lemon juice and beat for 1 minute. Add last flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 6-10 minutes until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl. This makes a very soft dough.

Preheat oven for 1 minute to lukewarm and turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter top; divide, shape into loaves, place in oiled bread pans. Let rise in warm oven for 10-15 minutes, or until dough reaches top of pan. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. remove from pans and cool on racks.

Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef

1 1/4 cups fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 cup warm water

Vegetable oil

Olive oil

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

pinch of sugar

1/2 cup red wine (I used grape juice)

 14 ounce can tomato puree

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

1 1/2 pounds spaghetti noodles

Freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions

1.       To make the meatballs, place the ground meats, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, onion powder, egg, and 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl. Mix lightly with a fork. Use your hands to lightly form the meatballs. Mine were around 2 inches, but you can make them smaller or larger based on your personal preference.

2.      Place meatballs in the refrigerator for at least one hour to rest. Remove from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking to allow them to reach room temperature.

3.      To cook the meatballs, pour equal parts olive oil and vegetable oil in a deep frying pan to a depth of 1/4 inch. Brown the meatballs in batches, turning carefully with a fork or spatula to brown all sides. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. When all of the meatballs are browned, discard the oil but do not clean the pan.

4.      To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Saute the onions until translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more. Turn the heat to high and add the wine, using it to deglaze the pan. Continue cooking the wine on high heat for 3 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the tomato puree, diced tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, and parsley.

5.      Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.

6.      Serve over hot, cooked spaghetti and sprinkle with Parmesan.

7.      (This is delicious right after being made, but the second day it is even better!)

Garlic Feta Cheese Dip

Garlic Feta Cheese Dip

4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (you can add less)
4 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4  tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. dill weed
1/8 tsp dried thyme

Mix all ingredients with a mixer until smooth. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with veggies or crackers.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

3 cups diced tomatoes with juice (you can use 2-14 oz cans)

1 cup finely diced celery 

1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions

1 Tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup flour

1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup finely diced onions

4 Tbsp fresh basil or 1 Tbsp dried

1/2 bay leaf

1/2 cup butter 

2 cups half and half, warmed (if you want you can use whole milk, evaporated milk instead ...or even skim if you want to skinny it up)

1 tsp. salt

1. Heat oil in 4 quart soup pot. Add celery, onions and carrots. Saute 5 minutes Add basil, oregano, bay leaf, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender (15 min)

2. While soup simmers, prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 5-7 min. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add back into soup pot. 

3. Simmer, stirring constantly, until soup begins to thicken. Add Parmesan cheese and whisk to blend. Stir warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Bread Pudding Tony Grandado's recipe

Bread Pudding

5 eggs
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp allspice (I prefer nutmeg)
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. cream
1 c. milk
--butter for greasing pan
Enough bread cut into 1 " cubes to fill a 9x13 pan.

Some people fold the bread into the mixture, I pour the mixture over the bread cubes, to give it more body.
Bake at 350 degrees in a bath of water for 60 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.

Spicy Teriyaki Sauce for rice bowls (Rumbi style)

3/4 cup Yoshidas Teriyaki Sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp chili garlic sauce (in Asian section)
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, grated
pinch of salt
pinch of brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp cold water

Combine Yoshida's, soy sauce, garlic sauce, ginger, salt, and brown sugar in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and water and Slowly add to sauce for the thickening. You want it to be slightly thicker than the Yoshida's sauce. Allow to simmer for about a minute. Cool to room temperature and serve with your rice bowls. (if you find that the sauce is too thick when it cools, just add a little more Yoshida's to it).