Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 2-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, shortening, salt, eggs and whole wheat flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into four pieces. Shape each into 12 balls. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes.
• Bake at 375° for 11-15 minutes or until browned. Remove from pans to wire racks. Brush with melted butter. Serve warm. Yield: 4 dozen.

Whoopie Pie

from COOKS.COM

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2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/3 c. shortening or oil
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. milk

Mix all ingredients together. Drop by teaspoon or small tablespoon onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool.

SHORT-CUT METHOD: Use a chocolate cake mix. Prepare according to package but add 3/4 - 1 cup flour. Mix in with cake batter. Follow same baking directions as above.

Favorite FILLING:

3/4 c. Crisco
3/4 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 c. marshmallow fluff
1 tsp vanilla

Mix and add between 2 pieces of Whoopie pies. Wrap individually in Saran Wrap or sandwich bags.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Old Fashioned Stuffed Peppers

4 green peppers

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, minced

3 cups cooked rice

2 eggs

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

8 oz can tomato sauce (opt)

1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (opt)

Heat oven 350*. 

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, remove core from peppers and cut them in half lengthwise.  Remove the white membrane.  Dunk pepper halves in boiling water to soften – about 5 minutes.  Drain well.

Meanwhile, combine ground beef and onion in a skillet and cook over medium heat until the beef is cooked and the onion is soft.  Remove from the heat and mix in rice plus ¼ cup of water (if rice is hot and freshly cooked, you can omit the water).

Beat eggs with salt, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper and add to hamburger mixture.  Use this mixture to fill the pepper halves (about ¼ to ½ cup per half).  Place halves in a lightly greased baking dish and drape loosely with aluminum foil for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

If you like, spoon a Tbsp of tomato sauce over each pepper, and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Breadsticks

When I say easy, I mean easy. This is a must try for any beginner. These were delish, and finger licking good as Shelby demonstrated.

Breadsticks & Pizza DoughRecipe from OurBestBites.com

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour


In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. 

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

 Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life's greatest pleasures!

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with garlic bread seasoning or the powdery Parmesan cheese in a can and garlic salt. Or you could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.

YUMMY IN MY TUMMY :P

Alfredo sauce

Be jealous, be very jealous!

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.
Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Stand above the pan (but not close enough to scald your face) and inhale. Ahhh...butter and garlic. Okay, now get cooking again. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.

Recipe from OurBestBites.com

Sloppy Joes

Or in the words of my girls...Slappyjos. These were delish! Homemade hamburger buns.

French Bread, Hoagies, and Buns

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4-5 1/2 c. flour

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 egg, separated

2 Tbsp. cold water

Combine yeast, water, and sugar in large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly. Add salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolk (set white aside for later) and combine. Add 3 c. flour and mix well until combined. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger. Knead, either by hand or in mixer (my personal and very lazy choice) for another 2-3 minutes. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour 45 minutes.

Punch down dough. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. For a loaf of bread, shape into loaf and place on greased cookie sheet. For buns or hoagies, divide equally into 8-10 (or even 12, if you want smaller buns when you're done, and let's face it, who doesn't want smaller buns??) pieces and shape as desired. Use a scale if you have one to get equal-sized buns.

It's okay if they touch (or will touch after having risen). Cover and allow to rise another 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours or until doubled. Keep an eye on things--if they seem like they're getting so big that they might collapse, hurry and get them into the oven.

Preheat oven to 375. Mix egg white with water and brush over dough. Bake for 10 minutes and repeat brushing the dough with the egg wash.

Bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until bread is golden brown and your house smells like heaven.

Can you say YUM!

Here's the link to where I found this wonderful recipe http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/09/french-bread-hoagies-and-buns.html.

Holiday Smores



Before baking




Warm out of the oven...YUMMY



Ingredients and directions:
You'll need a clean 1 quart mason jar, 1 sleeve graham crackers, 1 package holiday
marshmallow peeps, one bag of holiday M&Ms candies (regular ones, not the peanut
kind), 1/3 cup of brown sugar, a circle of fabric or paper, and ribbon or raffia to
decorate the lid. Card stock or paper for tag.
1. Reduce 1 sleeve graham crackers to crumbs.
2. Layer 2/3 of the crumbs in a 1 qt jar. Pack down the crumbs a bit.
3. Place about 1/4 cup of M&Ms candies on top of the graham crackers.
4. Arrange 8 to 12 marshmallow holiday peeps standing up, facing out around the
inside of the jar. Press them up against the glass, but don't squash them. Depending on
the type of peeps available you might use either one row (like christmas trees or
bunnies) or 2 rows (like pumpkins or hearts).
5. Carefully spoon remaining cracker crumbs in the center of the jar to support the
peeps, pressing down to keep it snug.
6. On top of this pour 1-1/4 cup M&M's (holiday colors to suit).
7. Spoon 1/3 cup brown sugar into center of M&M's, gently pressing with a spoon. If
you have any room left over, then fill the jar to the top with M&Ms.
Print or handwrite a tag to attach to the jar (use templates below if you like):
Holiday S'MORES
Empty the jar contents into a bowl. Snip the peeps into bits with kitchen shears or
cut up with a knife. Return the bits to the mixture. Mix well.
Melt 1/2 cup butter; add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour this over the dry ingredients,
mixing well. Pat into a greased 8" or 9" square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15
minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Shepherd's Pie

4-5 potatoes cooked and mashed
1 lb ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 can green beans, drained
1 can corn (optional)
cheddar cheese

Brown meat and drain. Add tomato soup, beans, and corn. Pour meat mixture into a casserole dish. Layer potatoes on top and cover with cheese. Bake covered at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Garlic Muffins

These tasty muffins are great with soups and stews. They are quick and easy to make when you want a nice side bread with dinner.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced

Topping
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a small bowl, mix together egg, milk, garlic and onion. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture and melted butter. Mix together using as few strokes as possible. The batter should have small lumps in it. Pour into 12 muffins tins coated with cooking spray, filling about 2/3 full. Bake 20 minutes or until muffins begin to turn golden on top. Test for doneness with a toothpick, which should come out clean. Remove from tins and cool slightly. Brush garlic butter over biscuits while hot.

General Tso's Chicken

You will need:
1 pkg General Tso's Chicken Seasoning (Sunbird Brand)
1/4 cup Flour
1 lb. Chicken, cut into chunks
1/4 cup Sugar
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3/4 cup Water
2 Tbsp Oil

Preparations:
1. Add flour to resealable plastic food bag. Add chicken chunks and seal. Shake bag to coat chicken evenly.
2. Combine seasoning,, sugar, soy sauce, and water; blend and set aside.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add flour coated chicken and cook until evenly browned.
4. Stir sauce mixture and add to skillet with chicken.
5. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until desired consistency.

For HOTTER flavor, add crushed red chiles to taste.

Peach Pie

Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9 inch pie

Ingredients

• 10 fresh peaches, pitted and sliced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Directions

1.    Mix flour, sugar and butter into crumb stage.

2.    Place one crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Line the shell with some sliced peaches. Sprinkle some of the butter mixture on top of the peaches, then put more peaches on top of the crumb mixture. Continue layering until both the peaches and crumbs are gone.

3.    Top with lattice strips of pie crust.

4.    Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden. Allow pie to cool before slicing. Best when eaten fresh.

Jello Dried Apples

Empty the Jello flavoring into a bowl and use a fork or spoon to coat each sliced apple. Place the flovored apples in a dehydrator until dry. 8-12 hours.

We used all different kinds of jello flavoring. Some were made with sugar free.

Chicken and Dumplings

 Original Recipe Yield 8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

Directions

1.     Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.

2.     Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Alternative: you could use bisquick mix recipe for the dumplings.

Ice cream cake

1 bag Oreo cookies

½ cup butter or margarine

½ gallon ice cream

1 bag chocolate chips

1 bag marshmallow

1 cup milk

Place oreo cookies in food processor and process until they are crumbs.

Melt butter in saucepan, mix butter and cookie crumbs.

Press into 13x9 inch pan.

Freeze completely.

Next, let the ice cream flavor of your choice soften, and spread on top of frozen crumbs.

Freeze.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips, marshmallows, and milk together in one pan.

Mix completely and let cool a little.

Quickly spread on top of ice cream and put back in freezer.

Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

Delicious!

Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp

8 C sliced apples
1 t cinnamon
2/3 C sugar
4 T butter

Mix together and place in an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle topping on top.

Topping:
1 C oats
1 C flour
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C melted butter
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/8 t baking powder

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Cafe Rio Chicken





Cafe Rio Chicken

I love this recipe!! Super easy! This recipe makes a lot so just scale it down to what you need!

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian dressing

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 Tablespoon cumin

3 cloves minced garlic

5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

Put all ingredients in crock-pot on low for 4 hours, shred meat and cook for one hour more.

this is how I scaled it down for just the two of us.

1/2 small bottle dressing

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 clove minced garlic

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

I put it in the crock pot for 2 hours, shredded it and cooked it for 1 hour more.

This is great for crunchy tacos. My tacos include corn tortillas, black beans, the cafe rio chicken, tomatoes, monterey jack cheese, and sour cream. YUMMY!!

Caramel Pecan Rolls aka "Sticky Buns"

After the last bite, you'll still have treasured memories of finger-licking goodness to enjoy. 

My girls discovered these make a great leftover for an after school snack topped with frosting and warmed in the microwave.

 Yield 12 servings

1 pkg dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp oil

1 egg

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups flour

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.

2. Stir in dry milk, suger, oil, egg, and whole wheat flour. Beat until smooth.

3. Add enough flour to make a dough that is easy to handle.

4. Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover tightly. Refrigerate overnight, or up to 4-5 days.

5. Combine following topping ingredients in saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp melted margarine

1 Tbsp corn syrup

2 Tbsp water

6. Pour topping into 13" x 9" pan. sprinkle with:

2/3 cup chopped pecans

7. On floured board, roll dough into 12" x 9" rectangle. Spread with softened margarine and sprinkle with a mixture of the following:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

8. Roll up tightly, beginning at wide side. Seal edge well. Cut into 1" slices and place in prepared pan with cut side up.

9. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 1 1/2 hours.

10. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes.

11. Cool 1-2 minutes. Then invert pan on foil or waxed paper and remove pan.

Variation:

After step #8, cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator. Uncover dough. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature. Proceed with steps #10 & #11, except bake at 375*.

Coconut rice and beans

Coconut rice and beans

¾ cup dried kidney beans

2 large garlic cloves

1 ¼ cup coconut milk

2 cups water

Boil.  Reduce heat to low for 2 hrs, beans should be tender not mushy.

Stir in:

2 ½ cups water

2 ½ cups rice

3 green onions, finely chopped

1 ½ tsp fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

Boil and reduce to low heat.  Cook covered until all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Fluff mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4-6

Beavin Butter Biscuits

Thelma Beavin’s Butter Biscuits

2 cup flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Cut in 1/3 Cup Crisco (or margarine or butter).

Stir in 3/4 cup milk.

In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. Add the milk all at once. Using a fork, stir just till moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead dough by gently folding and pressing dough 10 -12 strokes or till nearly smooth. Pat or lightly roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut dough with a floured biscuit cutter. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or till golden. Remove biscuits from baking sheet and serve hot.

Banana Nut Bread

Banana Nut Bread

1/2 Cup oil
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 Cup nuts (optional)
2 Cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 large bananas

Crush bananas first and let set. Cream oil, sugar, and eggs. Add flour, soda, salt and nuts. Then add bananas. Pour into large greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

**You can double the recipe and make 2 loaves with the same amount of bananas.