Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. nutmet
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Beat together oil and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until creamy.  Beat in sifted dry ingredients.  Fold in grated zucchini and vanilla.  Pour into greased and floured bread pans (2).  Bake at 325 for 50 mins - 1 hour.
 

Easy Homemade Doughnuts

1 large can Pilsbury Grands refrigerated biscuits
1/4 c. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar

Preheat some veg. oil in a saucepan about med/low-medium heat.

Combine milk and vanilla in a saucepan, heat over low until warm.  Stir in sugar, whisk until combined.

Cut holes in the center of each refrigerated biscuit dough.  Drop biscuit dough (and centers to make doughnut holes) in the oil for a few minutes on each side until lightly browned.

Remove and transfer to pan with glaze one at a time.  Then set on a draining rack over a pan.

Easy, fast, yummy, and a fun quick treat with the kids tonight for family night!

Monkey Bread

(picture from google images--we gobbled mine up too fast to take a picture!)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pkg. (25 oz) frozen white dinner yeast rolls, thawed (I made mine from scratch since I was making some dough for a pizza anyway)
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup butterscotch chips, divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.  Tear each roll into 3 pieces.  Dip each piece into melted butter and roll in brown sugar mixture.  Place half of dough pieces on a greased 10 inch fluted tube pan.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup butterscotch chips and 1/4 cup pecans over dough.  Place remaining dough pieces in pan.  Sprinkle remaining butterscotch chips an pecans over dough.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

**Tip: Cover with aluminum foil if bread begins to brown too quickly.

Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Invert bread onto a serving plate.  Serve warm.

Sidenote:  We just got back from 8 days in Cancun.  It sure was fun.  Time to start cooking again, I guess.  I have to admit, as much as I love my kitchen, I enjoyed my break from it!

ADIOS!

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

I got this recipe off of the Sister's Cafe blog.  I have to admit that although it was very, very easy and quick to make, it wasn't really my favorite.  I'm not much of a fan of the bisquick/biscuit tasteand these had that trademark, flour/pasty taste.  But, you can throw them together and have them on the table as a side dish in about 10 minutes, and there's something to be said for that!

Ingredients

2 c Bisquick mix

2/3 c milk
1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 c butter, melted

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp dried parsley

Mix together Bisquick and milk just until moistened. Fold in cheese. Drop by spoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. (I have a convection oven and I baked them at 400 for 8 minutes and they were great.)  Combine melted butter with garlic salt and parsley and brush over each biscuit. Serve immediately. 

Sweet Strawberry Bread

I saw this recipe for strawberry bread on the sisters cafe blog, and think it sounds like such a fun thing to have at a brunch, baby shower, etc.

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs

1 c. canola oil

2 c. fresh strawberries, cut small

Mix flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Add eggs, sugar, oil. Mix until moist, carefully add strawberries. Batter will be thick. Spoon into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Cool in pans 10 minutes then remove. I made 2 small bread loaves, but I think you could probably make 1 regular sized bread loaf with this amount of batter. (It really is more of a batter consistency than a bread dough. It reminded me of making banana bread.)

Either my oven cooks really hot or their cooktime is a little off, because I took mine out at 45 minutes and feel like it was over cooked. I think I'll take mine out at 30 minutes next time.

We just bought a new house a month ago and I'm trying to get used to new ovens. These definitely cook differently than my old one.

Banana Bread for Joey

My middle child, Joey, is about as funny as they come. And he is sharp as a tack--he remembers random things forever. About a year ago, my friend Christiana had made some banana bread and had offered Joey a piece. He loved it, and he still talks about it every time her name comes up. And whenever we see her, he asks her if she has any banana bread.

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So on the first day of school I made sure to have some banana bread waiting for him when he got home. I was worried that I overcooked it, but Joey gobbled up all three pieces, then ate 3 more so I guess it was okay!

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This is the recipe that I used. It will make either 1 larger loaf or 2 small loaves. I made 2. If you make 1 I think you should cook it a little longer.

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Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs--cream together
3 very very ripe bananas
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

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Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Chek if done by putting toothpick in the middle--if it comes out clean it's done.

Granary Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbs. yeast

3 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup molasses

1 Tbs. salt

1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats

1 1/2 c. wheat germ

1/2 c. soy flour (I forgot to buy this so I just added an extra halt cup of wheat flour)

4 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

2 c. white flour

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil, honey, molasses, salt, oats, cracked wheat, wheat germ, and soy flour. Beat well. Gradually add whole wheat and white flours to form stiff dough. Knead till smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl; cover and let rise till double in bulk. Punch down, divide into thirds, and mold into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans.

*At this point I had the idea to brush the tops with water and add some oats before I cooked the bread. It made it look pretty, and they toasted in the oven, giving it a nice added flavor.

Let rise till double. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 3 loaves.

From the cookbook Christmas Recipes from the Lion House

EASY Valentine's Pizza

We started by using this basic bread dough recipe .

We rolled out the dough, and laid out string cheese halves around the outside to shape the heart.

Then folded up the dough around the cheese and sealed it tightly.

My beautiful assistant spread out the sauce, conveniently already made for us by the friendly folks at Prego.

Topped with cheese...

And voila! Pizza love!!!

Ham and Cheese Dinner Braid

From my class at Pantry Secrets

Using basic bread recipe, use one of the bread loaf doughs (1/4 of recipe).

Roll the dough out into a rectangle the size of a cookie sheet, place in pan and roll to edges. Cut 1 inch strips all down both sides of the pan. Put filling along center (ham and swiss). I've also made this with turkey. Fold strips over, alternating sides, press ends closed so it is sealed. Spray with Pam or brush with melted butter to keep the lines in the bread. Allow to rise for 25 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

I like to serve it with a cream sauce over the top made of 1/2 cream of chicken soup, 1/2 sour cream.

Cinnamon Twists

From my class at Pantry Secrets

Using 1 of the loaves of dough from basic bread recipe, roll it out into a large rectangle on counter, and brush half of it with melted butter. Cover butter with brown sugar and cinnamon, then fold over and seal edges. Using pizza cutter, cut 1 inch strips, twist, lay on cookie pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Let raise 25 minutes, then bake about 20 minutes.

Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 c. softened butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbs. water

Basic Bread Recipe

From my class at Pantry Secrets

This recipe makes 4 loaves of bread in 1 hour. Amazing. You can use this same recipe for pizza, rolls, braids, breadsticks, etc.

10 1/2 c. white bread flour or wheat flour (do not use all-purpose flour)
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbs. salt
3 heaping tablespoons saf-instant yeast (can buy this cheapest at Maceys)
3 Tbs. liquid lecithin (squeeze 3 quarter sized circles directly into bowl--do not measure)
4 cups hot tap water

Mix dry ingredients. Add lecithin and water. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add more water. If dough is too moist, add more flour. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add water or flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Spray counter and pans with Pam. Shape loaves and cover with a dish towel. Let raise 25 minutes. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

For whole wheat bread, use the same recipe, but add one cup of applesauce as part of the hot tap water. Mix for ten minutes.

Focaccia Bread

Sponge: 1 tsp yeast, 1/2 c. warm water, 1 c. flour. Let rise until it doubles (1/2 hour-1 hour).

Mix 1 tsp. yeast, 1 c. warm water, 1 1/2-2 c. flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. rosemary, 1 T parsley leaves, 1 Tbs. dried minced onion, 1 Tbs. oil. Mix really well, add sponge. Put a little more flour in, let rise until it doubles.

Push out on baking stone, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Punch holes on surface, drizzle with oil, rosemary, salt, parmesan, and asiago cheese. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

When Brian and I were newlyweds, we used to make this all the time on Sundays, or as a late night/TV snack. It tastes great dipped in oil/vinegar/parmesan cheese.

Tonight I made this to go along with my Alfredo Pasta.

Cinna Buns

Dough:
1 Tbsp yeast
1 cup warm milk (105-110 degrees)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted margarine
4 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm milk in large bowl. Add the sugar, margarine, salt, eggs and flour. Mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball using your hands dusted lightly with flour (I just let the kitchen aid do it's thing). Put in bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or till the dough has doubled. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough flat until it's approximately 21 inches long and 16 inches wide. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup softened margarine

For the filling combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread margarine evenly over dough. Then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar evenly over the surface. Working carefully, roll the dough jelly-roll style. Cut the rolled dough into 1 3/4 inch slices and place on lightly greased pan. Bake for 10 minutes or till light brown on top.

Frosting:
1 cube butter or margarine, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

While the rolls bake, combine icing ingredients. Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy. When rolls come out of the oven, smother with frosting.

Bunny Rolls

2 Tbsp. dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter
2 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. dried milk
5 c. flour
1 egg
*brush with butter

Combine yeast and water and let stand until yeast begins to bubble (about 5 minutes). Add two c. of flour and the remaining ingredients adn beat until smooth. Add 1 more cup of flour until it is well mixed in (Don't add it all at once, but rather, little by little.) Knead dough until it is smooth. Place dough into a greased bowl and let rise until 3 times it's original size. Pull dough out and let rest for a few minutes. Roll dough and shape (2 large balls and one small ball-per bunny) as needed using remaining flour as needed. Flatten one of the balls and snip ears into it. Attach another large ball to the small ball for the body and tail. Put all components of the bunny together in a greased baking sheet. Let rise for about an hour to an hour and a half. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 min. until golden.

*It's fun to make big ones for a center piece, and put grass around it for Easter dinner.

Cornbread

Hotmama's Famous Award-Winning Cornbread

1 box yellow cake mix
2 of those tiny Jiffy Mix Cornbread Mixes
and whatever stuff it calls for on the boxes
to make the cornbread and cake
(water, milk, eggs, oil)
Mix them all together in one big bowl.
Bake it at whatever temperature it says on the boxes (if they say different temps, I shoot for somewhere in between),
for whatever time it says is appropriate for your pan
(but I usually check it 5 minutes early with a toothpick)

Amish White Bread

Amish White Bread Recipe (from Kellishouse)

2 cups warm water (110F)
2/3 cups white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups white flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water, add yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam, about 10 minutes.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Work in 6 cups of flour. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in well oiled bowl, and turn once to coat the entire surface of the dough with oil. Cover with a clean damp cotton cloth. Allow dough to rise until double in size. (Mine took about an hour).
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place into well oiled 9x5 loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.
4. Bake in a 350F oven for 30 minutes. When you thump the top of the bread it should sound hollow. For a buttery crust, brush hot loaves with butter. Cool on a rack and enjoy!

Easy Pizza Crust

Pizza Crust-for one pizza (thanks to Bethany)

1/4 packet yeast
1/3 tsp granulated sugar
3/4 cup 110 degree water
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
Add yeast and sugar to the warm water, let rest for 8 minutes. Combine flour and salt. Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture and mix well. Knead for 2 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Roll out in pizza pan, spread on favorite sauce (I just use leftover pasta sauce), cheese and any other toppings. I also drizzle a little olive oil on top. Bake in a 500 degree oven for 8-12 minutes.

**Can add garlic and/or Italian seasoning to flour mixture-I ALWAYS do this, I think it tastes so much better!**

Home Run Garlic Rolls

From Mique

1 16 oz. loaf frozen white or whole wheat bread dough (I used Rhodes rolls), thawed
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Lightly grease at 9x13 pan, set aside. Shape dough into 24 balls, place in prepared pan. Cover, let rise in warm place until nearly double (1 1/2-2 hours)Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, stir together melted butter and garlic. Brush butter mix over rolls. Sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 15-20 mins or until golden. Remove rolls from pans and cool slightly on wire rack. Serve warm. Makes 24 rolls.
Posted by Mique

Citrus-glazed Crullers

CITRUS-GLAZED CRULLERS (from Jackie Brady)

1/4 c. margarine or butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1 can Pillsbury breadsticks

Glaze:
2/3 c. powdered sugar
1/4 t. grated orange peel
1/4 t. lemon peel
1 T. orange juice
1 t. lemon juice

Heat oven to 375°. Grease a cookie sheet. In shallow dish, melt margarine. In another shallow dish, place sugar. Unroll dough; separate into breadsticks. Dip both sides of each breadstick in butter; coat with sugar. Twist each breadstick and place on cookie sheet, pressing ends down firmly. Bake 13 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together all glaze ingredients until smooth.

Remove rolls from oven. Immediately drizzle glaze over rolls. Remove from cookie sheet and serve warm.