Another beautiful day. It's so wonderful to get both of my decks stained and a light sunburn on the last day of March.
English Muffin Bread
3 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp quick rising active dry yeast
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
cornmeal for dusting pan
Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Heat milk, water and olive oil to 120°. Gradually add in liquids to dry ingredients.
Mix on high for 1 minute and place dough in a well-greased and cornmeal dusted pan.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until dough is level with top of pan.
Bake and brush top with butter when done.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F
This is an easy breakfast item (or dinner like it was for me tonight). I had leftover sausage from my breakfast pizza so this is what I used it for.
1/2 pound sausage, cooked
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk, 2% works fine
salt and pepper to taste
1 package Puff Pastry Shells, baked per package directions
1/4 cup shredded Marble Jack cheese
Brown sausage. When cooked, stir in flour until the sausage is coated. Gradually stir in milk. Let thicken and season to taste.
Put mixture in center of puff pastry shell with center removed. Top with shredded Marble Jack cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.
The sun is out and it's gradually warming. Today's new side dish works well with many meats.
Parmesan Pasta & Peas
2 cups Orzo pasta, uncooked
1 cup peas
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. In large pan, melt butter and lightly sautè garlic. Add pasta back into pan. Stir and add in peas, Parmesan, milk, salt and pepper.
Servings: 8
Good Sunday morning! I started off my day baking an easy meal. It's a chilly morning so having the warmth from the oven was nice.
Crust ~
1 package dry yeast
1/4 tsp sugar
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
Mix together sugar, yeast and add warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Put flour and salt into a medium sized bowl. Add in water mixture and stir or mix by using your hands and turn out onto a floured flat surface. Knead for 3 minutes and roll out onto a pizza pan.
Toppings ~
1 cup pork sausage, cooked and drained
5 pieces Canadian bacon, diced
2 cups hash browns, fried to a nice crispy texture
1 cup shredded Marble Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Pizza cheese mixture
Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F
I had the middle of the week "oh no" what to make for dinner question running through my mind today. I knew I had chicken thawing so that had to be one of the ingredients.
Salsa Chicken Bake
1 Puff Pastry sheet
1 pound chicken breast, cooked and seasoned to taste
10 ounces salsa
1 cup Mexican cheddar jack shredded cheese blend
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Thaw puff pastry dough per package directions. Roll out so it's a rectangle and cut into 3 equal pieces. Spray a loaf pan with cooking oil. Place a layer of dough at bottom. Cover with 1/3 of the cooked chicken cut or shredded into small pieces. Cover with a light layer of salsa and then cheese. Repeat two more times.
Servings: 3
Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F
Unfortunately the wind did not allow me to grill this afternoon but my chicken still turned out quite well in the oven. They are so tender and the seasoning was perfect. I'll be making this over and over.
Marinaded Chicken Breasts
2 large chicken breasts
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup onion, minced
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place oil, lemon juice and spices in a large zip top plastic bag. Add in chicken breasts and seal. Occasionally turn bag in your refrigerator for 8 hours.
Servings: 2
Bake at 350°F
A very windy day and the sun is having trouble with some pesky clouds that keep covering it. I'm going to have fun trying to grill in a little while. Here's a treat I made to take into work tomorrow.
York Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup dark cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup York pieces
Cream together butter and sugar. Add in vanilla and eggs. Gradually add in dry ingredients. Hand fold in York pieces and scoop on to parchment lined baking sheets.
Yield: 5 dozen
