MOCHA CUSTARDS

We really enjoy these simple little mocha custards. Made with every day ingredients and baked for 30 minutes, they are a sweet ending to a week day meal.

2 and 1/4 CUPS MILK
1/3 CUP SUGAR
3 TABLESPOONS UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER
1 TABLESPOON INSTANT COFFEE CRYSTALS
3 EGGS, LIGHTLY BEATEN
1 and 1/2 TEASPOONS VANILLA

WHIPPED CREAM AND COFFEE BEANS FOR DECORATION (optional)

Preheat your oven to 325. In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, mix milk, sugar, cocoa and coffee crystals. Cook and stir just until sugar and coffee are dissolved (don't let it get too hot).
In a medium size bowl, beat the 3 eggs and gradually whisk in the hot mixture into the eggs. Add vanilla and pour into six 6-ounce custard cups. Place the filled custard cups in a 9x13 pan and place the pan on your oven rack. Pour boiling water into the 9x13 pan to a depth of about one inch (being careful not to get any water into the custards).
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean (my oven takes 35 minutes). Carefully remove baked custards and let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Lay plastic wrap right on the surface of the hot custard and put them in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. Decorate with whipped cream and coffee beans.

(FAUX) ENTENMANN'S APPLE COFFEE CAKE which is my 100th post!!

If you like Entenmann's coffee cakes, you will adore this recipe. It is similar, but OH! so much tastier. It is basically a sweet (yeast)dough that is easily mixed in your stand mixer for 3 minutes, then it sits for 20 minutes, is formed and stuffed with apples, then put in the fridge for two hours and finally baked for 30 minutes. It is SO worth the little effort it takes and it makes two nice big coffee cakes. I hope you try it this weekend! (Click on this photo to see the full Yummm factor).

 Make the apple filling first so it can cool. In a large frying pan, melt 1/3 cup of butter and saute five Granny Smith (peeled, cored and sliced) apples over medium heat for about eight minutes or until almost tender. Stir in 3/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cook gently, stirring, until thickened (about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool.

For the dough, put the following in your stand mixer:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon yeast

Whisk the above ingredients together to mix well.

In a small bowl, whisk the following ingredients together and then add them to the dry mixture.

1/3 cup melted (but not hot) butter
1 egg
3/4 cup hot tap water

Knead the dough with your machine, on medium speed, for three minutes. If it seems too dry, add an extra tablespoon of water. After three minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl (dough will be very soft and sticky), cover and let it sit for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, divide dough in half (makes 2 coffee cakes) and roll each half out on floured surface to a 12x14 rectangle. Place each rectangle on its own parchment lined cookie sheet. Put apple filling down the center and then cut the sides like this:Fold the little strips back over the apple filling (no need to pinch it, just lay them over). Cover each coffee cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours. After two hours, take out of fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, top each coffee cake with struesel topping (which is made with 3/4 cup sliced almonds + 6 tablespoons all purpose flour + 1/4 cup powdered sugar + 3 tablespoons butter + 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon - cut butter into dry ingredients until fine crumbs).
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, then turn heat down to 350 for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Drizzle simple vanilla glaze over the top and decorate with more sliced almonds.

This is what the luscious coffee cake looks like inside...Yummmm!

This sounds like a lot of steps, but it really is easy to make. Once you make it, you'll never be happy with Entenmann's again!

PASTA MACHINE UPDATE

I have been trying out various fresh pasta recipes and I thought I would give you a brief report. I have found that, no matter what recipe you use, it is absolutely necessary for the dough to rest after it is kneaded...at least 30 minutes, wrapped in plastic at room temperature. I have also learned that you have to be flexible when it comes to moisture amounts in the recipe. Some flours hold more moisture than others, so when a pasta recipe says xxx tablespoons of oil or xxx eggs, you might have to adjust a little, depending on the stickiness of your dough. If you are rolling by hand, it is not quite as crucial. If you are using a pasta roller/cutter, stickiness is your enemy

This is my latest attempt at making fettuccine with a new flour combo. It was quite good and worked fairly easily. The key is to knead it long enough and then let it rest.
CLICK ON PHOTO
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups semolina flour
1 pinch of salt (see note)
6 extra large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Sift (or whisk) the flours together. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and oil together until smooth. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients in your stand mixer. Here is where you might have to make some moisture adjustments because no two eggs have the same amount of moisture in them. If you mix for a few minutes and the dough still seems sticky, add another tablespoon of flour. If it seems dry and shaggy, add another tablespoon of water (or oil). When the dough starts to come away from the sides of your bowl cleanly, set your timer and knead the dough for about 8 minutes. After it has kneaded, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit, at room temperature, for at least 30 minutes to an hour. This will make the dough much easier to handle.

Pinch off pieces of dough and flatten it just a little in your hands. Dust it with flour before you run it through your pasta roller on the widest setting. Each time you run it through, fold the dough over onto itself, a couple of times and run it through again. Do this about three times before you start to reduce the thickness setting on your roller.

Now that you have run it through the widest setting a few times, reduce the thickness setting and run it through again. It will take about 3-4 thickness reductions to get it to a commercial thickness. Finally, dust it with flour (brush off excess with a pastry brush) and run it through your pasta cutter. Place pasta on a baking rack (or pasta rack) so that air can get to all sides of it.

If you cook it right away, it will take about 3-4 minutes in boiling salted water.
If you dry the pasta, it will take 8 to 10 minutes to boil.
NOTE: This recipe calls for a pinch of salt in the dough; however, my pasta roller (in big bold letters) says never put salt in the dough with this cutter. I'm not sure if it is harmful to the machine or what, but I don't want to take a chance, so I skip the salt and just boil the pasta in salted water, it seems just fine.
NOTE: If you are rolling this dough by hand, flour your counter and roll the dough out with small strokes in one direction...rolling it as thin as you can get it. Cut pasta with a pizza cutter. Use a pastry brush to dust off excess flour before you cut it.

LEMON POUND CAKE ( 5 STAR)

I don't give out 5 stars for a recipe very often and certainly NOT the first time I try a recipe. However, this recipe received my 5 star rating immediately! It is, by far, the best pound cake recipe I've ever tried. It's texture is smooth, moist and velvety, with a hint of lemon. The recipe makes one 10" tube pan or two loaf cakes. I hope you try it.

(1) 8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
6 eggs (room temperature)
1½ cups butter (room temperature)
3 cups white sugar
3 cups CAKE flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 10" tube pan or 2 large loaf pans.

In a stand mixer (using whisk attachment), cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth and silky. Slowly add the sugar while the mixer is running, and beat until very fluffy (it will look like whipped cream and may take as long as 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each egg. Add the extracts and the lemon zest and mix well.

Replace whisk attachment with paddle attachment. Sift the cake flour into a one cup measure and level off with a knife. Add flour to butter mixture, one cup at a time, mixing just long enough for the flour to disappear.

Pour batter into prepared tube pan (or two large prepared loaf pans). Hold the filled pan about 6" above your counter and drop it (this will dislodge any big air pockets). Bake cake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick test. Let the cake cool about 10 minutes then remove from pan.

NOTE: The butter, cream cheese and eggs must be at  room temperature (I leave mine on the counter overnight). If you don't have these ingredients at room temperature, they will not mix correctly and your cake will not bake properly...very important.

NOTE: Don't try this recipe with all purpose flour. Cake flour really makes a difference.

NOTE: You will know you have beaten the butter-cream cheese - sugar mixture enough when your stand mixer bowl is about 2/3 full and is the consistency of whipped cream.

ENJOY !!!

Pay Day Candy Bar (sort of)

If you like Pay Day candy bars, you will love this recipe. It tastes very similar, but it's SO much fresher and better.

This recipe makes a 9" x 13" pan of candy, which is an excellent addition to any party menu! It takes just a few minutes to put together and then an hour or so in the fridge, to "set".

 4 cups honey-roasted peanuts
(1) 10 1/2-ounce bag miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup butter (melted)
(1) 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
(1) 10-ounce bag peanut butter chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

Line a 9" x 13" pan with foil (or parchment) and spray it with cooking spray (I spray my foil with cooking spray then blot it with a paper towel. Scatter HALF of the honey-roasted peanuts into the prepared pan and spread around.

In a large (heavy bottomed) saucepan, mix the marshmallows and melted butter. Heat over medium-low heat until completely melted (you do not want the marshmallows to boil, but you want to see a little bubble now and then). Keep it at this low temperature for about a minute.

Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter chips and peanut butter. Stir until everything is melted and smooth.

Pour this mixture over the peanuts in the pan and spread it out evenly. 

Sprinkle the OTHER HALF of the peanuts on top of the hot mixture and press them nuts gently into the surface. 

Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until firm. Cut into pieces and serve. 

Store covered in fridge. Makes 60 pieces of candy.

ENJOY!!!

CHOCOLATE POPSICLES

This recipe for chocolate popsicles is a "keeper" for those "house full of kids" days. They are not only tasty, but they are inexpensive to make and use every day ingredients from your pantry. If you do not have Popsicle molds, just use 3 ounce waxed paper (bathroom) cups and popsicle sticks (or plastic spoons).

In heavy bottom, medium size saucepan, mix:
3 cups milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn syrup (light)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring to gentle boil on medium high and boil 1 minute (make sure you stir constantly). Remove from heat and add 1 cup of milk chocolate chips, stir to melt.

Pour into Popsicle molds (or 3 ounce waxed paper cups). Freeze overnight.

NOTE: About an hour or so after you put the paper cups into the freezer, insert a Popsicle stick (or plastic spoon) in the center, and return to freezer.

ENJOY !!!

FAMILY STYLE ITALIAN PENNE BAKE

When my children were little, I tried to “invent” recipes but I was not very good at it. One recipe that is embarrassing to admit was a combination of plain tomato sauce, ground beef and Italian seasonings (cooked for about 20 minutes) and then mixed into elbow macaroni; that was it…not even any cheese! It was horrid by today’s standards, but the kids always ate a lot of it and I did not know any better. Hey…that was 30+ years ago! I have learned a few cooking tricks since then.

Today’s family style penne bake is one of our favorites these days. It is rich, filling, very satisfying and leftovers reheat extremely well on day two. Served with a veggie, salad and dinner rolls, it is good enough for company. 1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 cup onion chopped
1 cup celery chopped
1 cup chopped carrot
1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 12 ounce can tomato paste
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dry oregano
2 teaspoons dry sweet basil
½ teaspoon fennel seed
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 pound Barilla mini-penne pasta
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese (grated)
1 tablespoon butter

In large pan, sauté ground beef until no longer pink (drain well). Return meat to pan and add onion, celery, carrot and garlic; sauté until veggies start to wilt. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste, 4 cups of water, salt and pepper, oregano, basil, fennel seed and sugar. Mix well and SIMMER two hours (stirring occasionally). What you want is for the sauce to reduce to a nice thick consistency (do not add any extra water).
After sauce has cooked down, boil the mini-penne (using directions on penne box) and drain. Stir in a tablespoon of butter to coat pasta, then stir in sauce and half of the (grated) cheese into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with other half of cheese and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese has browned a little, like this:NOTE: Once you get this sauce to the simmering stage, you can put it in the crock pot and let it cook in there all day. If you do that…just prop the lid open just a little, so the sauce can reduce and thicken.

VEGGIE RICE

When my carnivorous husband grills, I usually make this for myself instead . It is filling, healthy, spicy and delicious. Topped with cold avocado, sweet cherry tomatoes, a little cheddar, light sour cream and a piece of whole wheat garlic bread, it is my guiltless pleasure!

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

1 cup of chopped onion
1 clove of garlic minced
½ cup celery chopped
1/2 cup carrot chopped
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup raw rice
3 teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 (15 oz) black beans
1 cup fresh corn
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1½ tomato cans of water
(1) 4 ounce Ortega mild green chilies

Sauté onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper in 1-tablespoon canola oil until onion is transparent. Stir in raw rice and let it sauté with veggies until it become opaque. Add the diced tomatoes, water, black beans, corn, carrot and flavorings. Cover the pan and lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes (do not raise the lid). After 20 minutes, rice should be cooked and veggies tender. Stir in mild green chilies. Mix well and serve with cold avocado, cherry tomatoes, cheddar cheese and light sour cream.

NOTE: This reheats very well and is even tastier on day two.
NOTE: I also like to eat this rolled up in a warmed tortilla.

CARAMEL PECAN PIE

This sinfully rich and heavenly caramel pecan pie will be a hit at your next potluck, trust me! Baked in a shortbread type piecrust, it is perfection. I like to chop the pecans fairly small so that it is easier to slice (and easier for kids to eat). It is the perfectly sweet ending to any special meal.

36 Kraft caramels (individually wrapped kind) ¼ cup butter ¼ cup milk ½ cup white sugar 3 eggs ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup chopped pecans 9" Shortbread pie crust (recipe below) In a saucepan with a heavy bottom, heat caramels, butter, and milk over low heat (keep stirring) until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. Stir together sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt; add melted caramel mixture gradually. Stir in chopped nuts and pour into unbaked piecrust. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool until filling is firm. 

 SHORTBREAD PIE CRUST: In large electric mixer bowl, mix 1 cup flour (spoon into cup and level off), 1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco, 1 tablespoon sugar + 1/4 teaspoon of salt + 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix until crumbly. While mixer is running, add 2 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon of beaten egg and 3/4 teaspoon white vinegar. Beat until dough forms a ball. Use fingers to press dough into 9” pie plate (and up the sides). I use a two-piece 9” tart pan.

CHICKEN FINGERS

Chicken Fingers are an excellent appetizer for parties (for all age groups). It is also a quick “go to” meal for a weeknight dinner. Simple and delicious, what more can you ask for? If you have any leftovers, this chicken (chopped up) makes a fantastic chicken and grilled cheese sandwich on day two.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Combine the buttermilk, beaten egg and garlic powder and pour it into a large Ziploc bag. Cut the chicken breast into long half inch wide strips and put them in the same Ziploc bag. Refrigerate this until you are ready to cook (or at least 2 hours). In another large Ziploc bag, combine the flour, salt, pepper and onion powder.

When it is time to cook, follow these steps:
1. Drain chicken (saving liquid) and coat chicken in flour mixture.
2. Shake off excess flour mixture and put BACK INTO liquid again.
3. Repeat step one, then THROW AWAY BUTTERMILK LIQUID
Fry chicken fingers in ½” vegetable oil until golden. Keep warm in oven.
photo

BARBEQUE DIPPING SAUCE
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped onion (sautéed)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard
Combine and simmer slowly for about 10 minutes.

We like barbeque flavored Chicken Fingers. To do that, I simply put one half cup of barbeque into a large frying pan, let it heat up.

Then I put the cooked chicken fingers in

the sauce and toss lightly.

 

 NOTE: Personally, we like this recipe best with boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they are so moist. This is also excellent with chicken tenders as well.

ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Have you ever tried an angel food cake made from scratch? They are a little intimidating, at first, but the flavor and texture is extraordinary and you will never be happy with a bakery angel food cake again. They are worth every bit of effort!! It is amazing how tall this cake gets!

Read these instructions at least twice before you start baking…then follow the instructions to a "T". This is one cake you shouldn’t experiment with.

1 cup of cake flour
1 ½ cups white sugar (divided)
12 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375°. Be sure that your 10” (two piece) angel food pan is TOTALLY FREE of any grease or oil and it needs to be an angel food pan that is NOT Teflon coated. Make sure your mixing bowl, beaters and mixing spoons are all totally grease free. Remember, grease is the enemy when making an angel food cake because the cake is mostly egg whites. The cake needs to “grab onto” the sides of the pan in order for it to raise, and if there is grease (or Teflon), it can’t do that.
Do ahead: Sift 1 cup of CAKE flour with ¾ cup of white sugar and set aside.
In a large bowl, whip the egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar and salt with an electric mixer, on high, until you get medium peaks (it takes about five minutes). Continue to whip and SLOWLY add ¾ cup of the sugar into the whites. Continue beating until the whites get to the stiff peak stage.

Next FOLD the flour/sugar combo into the whipped egg whites a tablespoon at a time. Make sure you FOLD, this mixture into the egg whites, DO NOT use mixer to do this and DO NOT stir. Gently fold from top to bottom. This process is necessary so you do not deflate the egg whites.

Put the batter into the angel food pan and smooth the top a little. Bake for 45 minutes. When the cake is done, the top will spring back just a little when you lightly touch it and the cake top will be dry to the touch. Remove from oven and immediately invert the pan and cool for a couple of hours. To remove the cooled cake from the pan, use a long slender bladed knife (I like my bread knife) and run it around the sides of the pan in small sawing motions. Next do the same around the center tube of the pan. Lift the cake out and run your knife under the cake, it should then life right off of the pan.
NOTE: Separate your egg whites into a small bowl before you add them to your mixing bowl so you don’t get ANY yolks into the batter.
NOTE: Save the yolks in a clean jar in the fridge. They will be good for a couple days at least.
NOTE: I usually run my utensils through the hottest dishwasher setting before I make this recipe, to insure they are totally grease free.

I hope I haven’t scared you away from trying this cake. It is delicious and worth every bit of effort.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

A delicious shortbread cookie that has only six very common ingredients and makes a ton of cookies, what more can you ask for? This recipe has the classic shortbread taste (sort of like a Lorna Doone cookie but so much better) and it is So simple, you just mix and pat it into a pan and bake. 5 cups all purpose flour 1 cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups COLD butter (no substitutes) 1 teaspoon vanilla Mix flour, sugar in large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the dry mixture along with vanilla until it turns into fine crumbs. Pat crumbs into an UNgreased 10” x 15” baking pan. Prick all over with fork tines and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes then cut into small squares. Cool to room temperature. NOTE: I found it way too tiring on the arms to cut the butter into the flour by hand. Instead, I grated it on a cheese grater and mixed it into the flour best I could. Then I transferred the flour butter mixture to my stand mixer and used the whisk attachment on medium high for about 20 seconds…PERFECT crumbs. I am guessing a food processor would work well too. These are SO good. NOTE: I was not able to poke holes in my cookies right away (the crumbs seemed too dry). I put them in the oven for about 15 minutes and then took them out and poked holes all over the dough with a fork and it worked fine.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CUPCAKES

These little pineapple upside-down cupcakes are super rich-gooey-yummy. They are easy enough for every-day eating and pretty enough for ANY holiday table. They are SO tasty (and portable) that they disappear very quickly. Recipe makes two dozen.

Spray your cupcake pans with vegetable spray. Line the bottoms of the cupcake pan with parchment (or wax paper) circles and spray lightly again. Preheat your oven to 350°.TOPPING
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons corn syrup
(1) 14 oz. can crushed pineapple (drained)
maraschino cherries quartered
Drain crushed pineapple completely (squeeze it as dry as you can). In a small saucepan, heat the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and drained pineapple until the sugar is dissolved (stirring constantly). Remove from heat and set aside. Drain and quarter a small jar of maraschino cherries. Put the quartered cherries in the bottoms of the cupcake pan. Pour topping over the cherries (dividing equally between the 24 cupcakes). Set aside.

CAKE
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter extract
2½ cups flour (spoon into cup, level off)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon colored. Beat in oil, sour cream and extracts till smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Fill each cupcake cup 2/3 full. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool pans on rack for 5 minutes. After five minutes, loosen sides of cupcakes with a thin knife and gently turn cupcake pans over onto parchment paper. Let the pan (and cupcakes) stay upside down for a few minutes. Lift pan off (see note).

NOTE: No matter how well you grease the pan, SOME of this fruit-sugar mixture will stick/stay in the pan. Don’t panic, just scoop it out and “frost” the bottom the inverted cupcakes.

 

MUSHROOM & CHEESE STUFFED HAMBURGERS with HOMEMADE BUNS

Spring is here (even here in Alaska) and thoughts turn to outdoor barbeque's and camping. I’m always on the lookout for easy recipes that will “hold up” well in the cooler and Mushroom Stuffed Hamburgers is a good one. You can make the patties ahead of time and freeze them solid (which will help insure food safety while you travel.) Just throw these frozen patties on the grill and pair them with homemade hamburger buns (recipe follows) and you have a delicious cookout!

Can you tell that someone in my house loves mayo? LOL

(makes 4 hamburgers)
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
¼ cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms (sautéed)
favorite cheese

Each of these hamburgers is made out of two thin patties with mushrooms and cheese sandwiched in between. So mix everything (except the mushrooms & cheese) and make 8 thin patties. Top four of the patties with sautéed mushrooms and your favorite cheese and then a 2nd thin patty, pressing to seal the edges well. Repeat for the other three hamburgers.

If you are going to freeze these, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and lay them flat on a cookie sheet to freeze. When they are frozen, you can stack them in a freezer Ziploc bag. Whether you are taking these on a camping trip or just leaving them in the freezer for a quick weeknight meal, they taste great.

HAMBURGER BUNS

This recipe will make at least 2 dozen hamburger buns. Once baked, they freeze extremely well. I find myself using them for everything from breakfast sandwiches to peanut butter sandwiches.
5 cups of all purpose flour
2 packets of dry active yeast (I use 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
2 ½ cups very warm water

In an electric stand mixer, place 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, oil and salt (stir to combine dry ingredients) Add 2 ½ cups of very warm water (see note). Stir quickly while you add the water. Let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes.

Add the rest of the flour, about ½ cup at a time, scraping the sides of your bowl and dough hook each time. Every time you stop your mixer, turn all of the dough mass over. Let your machine knead this dough until it CLEANLY comes away from the side of your mixer. If you have added all 5 cups of flour and it has not come cleanly away from your bowl, you need to add just a little more flour.

Once the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of your bowl, let the machine knead it for about five more minutes. Remove the dough and grease the bowl. Return the bread to the greased bowl and grease the top of the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for an hour (it will more than double in volume).

Punch the air out of your dough and let it rest (covered) for 15-20 minutes. This step is important because your dough will “behave” much better while you form it, if you follow this step. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a tangerine. Make each ball as round as you can. Roll each ball into a 5” circle. Resist the temptation to add more dough to make a thicker bun. At this stage, your buns need to be a lot thinner than you think. (about ½” thick). If you add more dough, you are going to end up with a burger bun the size of your face!

Place the formed buns on a greased baking sheet and spritz the top of the dough with just a little cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes. Bake at 400° for 15-16 minutes.

If you are going to freeze these buns, let them cool completely first and freeze as soon as possible. About 4 to 5 minutes in a 350° oven will heat a frozen burger bun and make it taste like it was just baked.

This recipe also makes excellent sandwich bread

CHEESY FOCACCIA

This is the easiest bread I have ever made. It is FULL of flavor and is soft and chewy with a delicious cheesy surface. Whether you use it to sop up a great sauce…or slice it for a sandwich, this recipe is a winner. The smell of it baking will bring your family running to the table.
2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon dry active yeast
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
1 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella shredded
1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Mix first 9 ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix in warm milk and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix well and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (it will take just a couple minutes). Cover with plastic wrap and let this sit in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Punch down and place on a greased baking sheet. Pat dough out into a rectangle about ½” thick. Brush top with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let this sit for about 30 minutes. With 2 fingers, make dents every few inches over surface of focaccia. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove to a rack.

This hearty bread also makes an excellent sandwich.

Make sure you pop over to Tried and True Cooking With Heidi
She is giving away a prize to celebrate her 100th post.

BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP

Your guests will never guess how simple these shrimp are to make and YOU will be amazed how quickly they disappear; they are an absolutely delicious hors d’oeuvre.

(1) 16 ounce bag of frozen 16-20 count RAW shrimp (see note)
1 pound of smoked bacon (not the thick kind)
1 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce

In our Fred Meyer store, these shrimp are sold frozen (near the meat case). The one pound package says they are 16-20 count “Wild Caught” with shell on and heads off. Let them thaw in your fridge overnight. The next day, remove the shell (leave tails on). With a small sharp knife, make a shallow cut down the back of the shrimp and rinse out any “vein” you see there. Drain the shrimp on a paper towel and sit in fridge for a few minutes while you prepare the bacon.

If you use the 16-20 count shrimp (16 to 20 shrimp per pound), it will take a whole slice of bacon per shrimp. Make sure you use regular cut bacon (not thick sliced). Partially cook it, to remove some of the fat, but don’t let it get crispy (drain on paper towels). It should look like this:

 Wrap the partially cooked bacon around the raw shrimp. Starting at the wide end of the shrimp, attach the bacon to the shrimp with a toothpick. Wind the bacon around (in a single thickness) and all the way down to the tail and secure it with another toothpick like this:
 Baste the shrimp on both sides with your favorite barbeque sauce (I recommend Sweet Baby Ray’s barbeque sauce). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.

Line a large baking sheet with foil (to help with cleanup) and put a baking rack on the foil (spray the rack with cooking spray). Place the shrimp on the rack and bake in a PREHEATED 450° oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, TURN OFF THE OVEN (do not open the door) and let the shrimp sit in the hot oven for another five minutes. Remove the toothpicks and enjoy!

TACO FILLING

I often look at the packets of dry seasoning and gravy mixes, at the grocery store, and wonder what is in them besides the main ingredient which seems to be salt. I see young cooks buying packets of taco seasoning mix and I have to resist the urge to tell them “save your money…you probably have the necessary ingredients at home already!”

This is a good, basic, kid friendly recipe for beef taco filling because it is more flavorful than spicy; I’ve used this recipe for many years. If you like more “heat”, just add some (seeded and diced) jalapeño peppers. Personally, I like more heat than my husband (who thinks black pepper is too spicy LOL), so instead of bumping up the seasoning in the whole recipe, I just add some pepperjack cheese to MY taco.

1 pound lean ground beef
2/3 cup chopped sweet onion
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon regular paprika (not the hot kind)
pinch garlic powder
pinch of dried red pepper flakes (or to taste)
½ cup water
(1) 4 ounce can of Ortega chopped mild green chiles

Brown the ground beef and onions, then drain well. Return meat to pan and add everything else. Simmer for about 15 minutes, using your spatula to chop the burger into fine pieces as it cooks. The water will help disperse the seasonings and then it will cook away. Turn heat down and keep warm until ready to use.

NOTE: If have an unexpected guest or two, just add some refried beans to the meat and mix well.

MAPLE-WALNUT MINI MUFFINS

The combination of maple and walnut just seem to go together in this sweet, moist mini-muffin. They are perfect with a hot cup of tea or if you are on the go. The muffins have a sweet maple syrup glaze on the top.
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup soft butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon maple extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a mini muffin pan (or spray with a cooking spray that has flour, like Bakers Joy). Mix the wet ingredients in a medium size bowl and then stir in the dry ingredients, its just that simple. Mix long enough to just get the batter smooth. Make sure you use the MINI muffin pans (not cupcake size). Fill cups with one tablespoon batter each (makes 24). Top each one with a piece of walnut. Bake for 17 minutes.
NOTE: Dusting pan with flour is important.
NOTE: My oven cooked these little gems in 16 minutes
NOTE: Let these muffins cool for five minutes, then use a thin bladed knife to help you gently lift the muffins out onto a cooling rack. Don’t let these cool in the pan because they won’t come out.
NOTE: If you keep these muffins covered, they will stay soft. If you like a more chewy cookie type muffin, don’t cover them.
NOTE: Glaze the tops of the cooled muffins with the following mixture: ¼ cup real maple syrup + 1 tablespoon corn syrup boiled together for about 30 seconds.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Do your chocolate chip cookies always turn out THIN? There is a simple “fix” for this problem. All you have to do, is to replace the butter in your chocolate chip cookie recipe with butter flavored Crisco. You will get a light, flavorful cookie that will not look like a flat pancake (and it will taste like you used butter). This “trick” works well with peanut butter cookies too. This photo is my standard chocolate chip cookie recipe (except I used butterscotch chips). 1 cup of butter flavored Crisco (I buy the pre-measured) ¾ cup of white sugar ¾ cup of brown sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons of vanilla Beat the above five ingredients until they are smooth, then add: 2 ¼ cups white flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt Mix everything until it is well blended, then add: 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips 1 cup of chopped pecans Mix until everything is well blended. Roll into balls about the size of a walnut and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 375° oven for 10 to 12 minutes (my oven bakes these cookies in 11 minutes). You will know they are done when they are ever so lightly golden. Cool on rack. This dough, if covered well, will last about a week in your fridge. NOTE: If you like crisp chocolate chip cookies, bake for the full 12 minutes. If you like chewy chocolate chip cookies, bake for 10-11 minutes and as soon as they are cool, seal them in Tupperware.