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
Another beautiful weekend here in the northern plains and that means it's grilling season. I made these to go along with filet mignon.
Cheesy Grilled Potatoes
8 small red potatoes
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1/4 tsp parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup shredded marble jack cheese
Cut potatoes into 8 pieces each. Place in heavy duty aluminum foil. Add onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook until tender. Open foil packet and add cheese on top. Cook until melted.
Servings: 4
I've seen lots of recipes out there for mug creations and I felt energized today after putting together 2 adirondack chairs and grilling to attempt my own.
Nutella Frangelico Mug Cake
4 tbsp self-rising flour
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp dark cocoa
3 tbsp Nutella
1 tbsp Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
1 pinch salt
Put all the ingredients in a large coffee mug and stir with a fork until it's blended. Place in the microwave (it took a minute and a half in mine)
Servings: 1
Today is the day I chose to create with honey and the results turned out really well. The glaze is only slightly sweet because the garlic and red pepper flakes give it a nice little kick.
Honey Peach Glazed Chicken Breasts
4 chicken breasts, bone-in
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp peach juice
2 tbsp peach preserves
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste
Brown salted chicken breasts in a cast iron pan and finish baking in the oven.
In a small saucepan, combine honey, peach juice and preserves, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until reduced to a glaze consistency.
Servings: 4
The cold weather is finally leaving the area so I'm want to start creating recipes that are good for grilling and summer.
Honey Baked Beans
1 16 oz Great Northern Beans package
6 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup honey
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp molasses
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1/2 cup onion, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Wash and sort beans and soak overnight in 6 cups of water. Rinse. Place in 6 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken broth and cook until soft in crock pot. Drain except for 1 cup of liquid and add in honey, ketchup and molasses.
In a frying pan, lightly cook bacon and before it finishes add in the onions. Add onions and bacon to bean mixture and continue cooking for another hour on low heat.
Another snowy day outside but it did warm up slightly. Good time for the oven to be on to roast a chicken and bake some winter squash.
Sunday Roast Chicken
1 3-4 pound chicken
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
Create a rub with the butter and spices. Place half under the skin of the chicken and rub the other half on top of the chicken.
Bake for 1 hour at 350°F
It's another chilly day here in the northern plains so it was nice to have the oven going.
Stuffed Turkey Tenderloins
1 1/2 pounds turkey tenderloins
2/3 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix crushed
1/4 cup craisens, chopped
6 slices bacon
1 dash sage
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cut slits in turkey breasts to create pockets for stuffing. Mix together herb stuffing, craisens and seasonings. Stuff breast pockets and then wrap with bacon to close. Place in greased pan. Cook covered for 45 minutes and then uncovered for the final 15 or until meat thermometer says the turkey is cooked.
Servings: 6
Bake for 1 hour at 350°F
