Thursday, June 30, 2016

BUTTERMILK BREAD


 https://www.facebook.com/EarthToGlassCanning
{ Buttermilk Bread }

Ingredients:
•1 cup water
•3 tbsp butter
•1/2 cup warm water
•1 package active dry yeast
•1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup water and 4 tbsp buttermilk powder
•2 tbsp honey
•1 tbsp sugar
•1 tbsp salt
•1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
•6 cups bread flour

Preparation:
1.In small saucepan, heat 1 cup water and 3 tbsp butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool until warm.

2.In small bowl, add 1/2 cup warm water and the dry yeast. Stir yeast until it is dissolved. Set bowl aside and continue with the next step.

3.In large bowl, mix buttermilk, honey, sugar, salt, and vinegar. When the butter water is warml to the touch, pour into large bowl. Add yeast water.


4.Begin adding bread flour one cup at a time. When the dough is too stiff to mix with the wooden spoon, about 5 cups, turn out onto a floured board.

5.Knead in the remaining flour until the dough is firm and smooth. Put dough in a buttered bowl and flip dough so that the top of it is lightly buttered. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.

6.Punch down dough and turn out onto floured board. Knead bubbles out of dough. Divide dough into to equal halves.

7.Preheat oven 375 degrees F. Form dough into two loaves. Place in buttered bread pans. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.

8.Melt 1 tbsp of butter. Brush butter on to bread tops. Using a sharp knife, make three light slashes across the bread tops. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans and let cool on a rack or dishtowel.

Monday, March 4, 2013

SMOTHERED CHICKEN

Finished dish. Couldn't get the photos to go in the right order. lol
I made this yummy chicken dish smothered in creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms the other night and it was DELICIOUS!  I will most definitely be making it again. The spinach would be a great side dish all by itself. 



Spinach beginning to cook down.
Mushrooms sauteing in butter and white wine with garlic.
Smothered Chicken

Ingredients:

FOR THE CREAMED SPINACH:
1 large bag of spinach leaves
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T red onion, minced
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE SAUTEED MUSHROOMS:
8 ounce package of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 stick butter
2 T olive oil
1/2 C white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE CHICKEN:
4-5 boneless chicken breasts
8-10 slices Mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/8 inch slices
1 T garlic powder
1 T seasoned salt, like Lawry’s
1 T pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper on both sides of the chicken. Bake for 16 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the creamed spinach. Over medium-high heat, melt 2 T olive oil in a skillet. Add in the onions and saute 2-3 minutes. Add in the spinach and garlic. It will shrink ridiculously. When it’s cooked through, stir in the cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Continue cooking and stirring until the cream cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

3. For the mushrooms, melt butter and 2 T olive oil in a skillet. Put the mushrooms in and cook until browned all over. Don’t season with salt until they are browned or they will never brown. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add in the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until most of the wine is cooked out.

4. Flip the chicken pieces over. Divide the spinach and mushrooms over the top of each breast. Lay two slices of cheese over each piece of chicken. Cook another 12-14 minutes or until cheese is browned and chicken is done.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Chocolate Marshmallow Bisquits

                                                                        Before
                                                                        After
The taste combination of chocolate and marshmallow is well known, especially during the summer when it's time to make s'mores!  I saw a recipe the other day for S'more Croissants that looked really good, but I wanted to do my own twist on it. Taking refrigerated biscuit dough (and you could certainly make homemade biscuits for these) I flattened out the dough and placed one large marshmallow and milk chocolate chips in the middle (play with chocolate flavors and be generous!) and then rolled them up in the dough. Be sure to close the seams well. Ask me how I know.  :)  Bake them according to the biscuit dough directions. Mine baked at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes. Sprinke them with powdered sugar and cinnamon while still warm and enjoy!!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Cherry Almond Vanilla Cupcakes With Maraschino Cherry Icing

This isn't a very good picture, but the cake was scrumptious!  I decided to do a layer cake instead of cupcakes because it was quicker, but cupcakes would have been prettier. LOL A cake decorator I'm not.  :)   The icing is really simple. Basically butter and powdered sugar with flavoring. Sweet and very good!   Here's the link to the recipe.    http://debbiesweets.blogspot.com/2012/03/cherry-almond-vanilla-cupcakes-with.html   

Monday, October 29, 2012

FRUIT BASKET UPSET

When I was 12 years old or so my parents bought me 'The Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys and Girls'.  This recipe was one of the first ones I made from it. It's good and fruity, sweet and cold. I still love it! 

1 can (8 oz.) fruit cocktail, drained
2 bananas, peeled & sliced
1 sm. apple, cut into sm. pieces
1/2 c. halved seedless green grapes
1/2 c. sliced strawberries, if you like
5 maraschino cherries, cut up
1/4 c. miniature marshmallows
1/2 c. whipping cream
2 tsp. maraschino cherry juice or 1-2 drops red food coloring
Place all ingredients, except last 2 ingredients, in large bowl. In a small bowl, beat with rotary egg beater until stiff whipping cream. Tint whipping cream with last ingredient. Fold whipped cream into fruit. Spoon salad into serving bowl; trim with fresh strawberries and green grapes. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with cinnamon toast. 4-6 servings

Thursday, October 18, 2012

FALL

Fall is in the air.  The leaves on the trees are changing color and littering the ground.  The air is cool and crisp and the rain falls, cold and damp.  This is my favorite time of year.  Time for steaming pots of homemade soup simmering on the stove and cups of hot chocolate in steaming mugs topped with whipped cream. Flavors of apples and pumpkins... YUM!  What are your favorite fall flavors?

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Someone's In The Kitchen...A New Beginning


This song brings back memories!  It was a favorite to sing on car rides when I was a kid.  And, like this song, I think food is a way to share memories and good times. When I'm in the kitchen I'm joined by generations of family cooks. That's what food's all about, after all.  Memories, comfort, family, love...  So, this blog is getting new life. Come on into my kitchen and set awhile!

Monday, December 19, 2011

POPPY SEED SLAW DRESSING

I used to work as grill cook for the VFW in the town I lived in at the time. This is the recipe for the coleslaw dressing we used for the Friday night fish frys.  I love this one because there is NO mayo involved. Kind of sweet and very good!

1 pint of crisco oil
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 lbs sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Dry Mustard
1 1/2 Tablespoons Poppy Seed
1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt
chopped onions
Mix well with mixer.

Just toss it with your slaw mix and you're all set!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Mrs. Schoonover's Bar-B-Q's

This was a recipe my Mom made a lot during my junior high and high school years. I had almost forgotten it when an old friend on Facebook told me that his mom had gotten the recipe from my mom years ago and she still made them and they referred to them to this day as 'Mrs. Schoonover's Bar-B-Q's'. What a nice flood of memories it brought back.


2 lbs. ground beef
2 cans Chicken Gumbo Soup
Salt
Pepper
Small amount of ketchup
1 T instant onion soup mix (optional)

Brown the ground beef. Drain and add remaining ingredients. Heat and serve on hamburger buns.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Homemade Fudge Brownies

In a bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until well mixed. add butter and shortening. Combine flour, cocoa and salt. Stir into egg mixture and mix well. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and pour batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool in pan and enjoy. How many you end up with depends entirely on how big you cut the pieces. :) Bright and yellow. All that butter and eggs and sugar.....mmmmmmmmmmmm Chocolatey! NOW it's looking really good! Cooling in the pan. Earl wanted his with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Yum!!














Sunday, July 11, 2010

Homemade Vanilla Extract


Christmas is almost upon us (ok...not really. I'm just thinking ahead for a change.) and I found this recipe. What a perfect gift idea, yes?? I think so. Little bottles, a custom label and ribbon. How cute would that be? The vanilla beans are a little expensive, but since you can reuse them for at least a year they'd be worth the investment.

Ingredients
10 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
1 liter vodka

Directions
Place the vanilla beans in the bottle of vodka and seal. Store in a cool, dark area such as a kitchen cabinet for 3 weeks, shaking the bottle every week. Three weeks is the minimum, store it 6 months for the best flavor. After using, replace with more vodka. The same beans will continue to flavor the vanilla for up to a year.
Did you know that imitaion vanilla is made with synthetic vanilla from glycoside found in the sapwood of certain conifers and from coal extracts? Ugh! So I'll be making my own from now on. Here's an interesting site about vanilla and where it comes from. http://www.joyofbaking.com/Vanilla.html
And here's another good site. You can buy vanilla beans here, too. http://www.amadeusvanillabeans.com/ Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Easy Biscuits~Really!


I just tried this recipe tonight and it is so easy and so good! They come out a lot like KFC biscuits. The only thing I did different from this recipe is that instead of patting out the dough and cutting it I took balls of the dough and put them in a greased muffin pan. That's how I usually do my biscuits because it's quicker and easier for me than rolling it out and cutting them. And I'm all for quicker and easier!


Ingredients
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk


Directions
Combine and mix ingredients together. Pour out on floured waxed paper. Pat the dough out with your hands until dough is not sticky (add a little flour if necessary). Fold double. Cut biscuits with a biscuit cutter.
Bake on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Zucchini Crisp


I was looking through my recipes on here and couldn't believe I hadn't added this one. It's Earl's favorite and I've been making it for him for more than 8 years. Honestly, if you don't tell anyone it's zucchini they'll swear it's apples. An especially good recipe if you over did zucchini in the garden!


Crisp Mixture:

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 pound butter or margarine (3 sticks)


Filling:

8 cups prepared zucchini (About 3-4 medium,which have been peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced. I sometimes just grate them.)

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup Crisp Mixture (see above)

1 to 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg1 tablespoon cinnamon


To prepare the Crisp Mixture:

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar and salt . Using a pastry
blender, cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly; set aside.


To prepare the Filling:

In a large saucepan, over medium-high heat, cook the zucchini, lemon juice and vinegar together, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is very tender, but still retains its shape. Stir in 1/2 cup of the prepared Crisp Mixture, and the brown sugar, nutmeg and salt. Simmer over low heat several minutes, stirring constantly, to allow the filling to thicken, and the flavors to blend.

Pat half of the remaining crisp mixture into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Spread the zucchini filling over the base. Sprinkle the rest of the crisp mixture evenly over the filling; press lightly. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until bubbly hot throughout, and top is lightly browned.

Serve warm or cold. Very good with vanilla ice cream.


AWESOME BEER BREAD!!

I have to thank my Facebook friend, Brooke for this recipe. She posted it on her forum and it sounded so good I had to try it! It was FABULOUS!! A heavy, dense bread that I was thinking would be perfect with a big bowl of chili. Of course, that's if it lasts until dinner. My Earl ate almost the whole loaf by himself. LOL

3 cups of self-rising flour (or all purpose flour + 1 T baking powder)
1 T sugar
1 egg
1 12-oz can of beer

Mix it all together and dump in a greased bread pan. Bake at 375F for about 46 minutes. Best to have the oven pre-heated.

I added parmesan cheese and garlic powder to my loaf. You could also try dill, rosemary, oregano and shredded cheese. I was thinking about using sharp cheddar or pepperjack next time. Easy Peasy!

Monday, February 2, 2009

STICKY BUNS

Yummy, good and quick.

STICKY BUNS
3 rolls buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
chopped pecans
cinnamon and sugar
Nuts and cinnamon sugar amounts to taste.
Melt butter, ice cream, sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Pour mixture into 8x10 inch glass dish. Add pecans over mixture. Section biscuits into 4's (each single biscuit). Drop into tupperware bowl with cinnamon and sugar. Cover and shake up so all pieces have sugar and cinnamon on them.
Place dough quarters on mixture. Add the leftover cinnamon and sugar on top of biscuits.
Make sure all mixture is covered by biscuits. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes. Flip dish over onto plate.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Greasy Duck

This is a duck.....duhhhhhhh

I have tried duck one time and have come to the conclusion that you will NEVER find a recipe in this blog having to do with duck. I found it tough and greasy and blechhhhh. Anyway...I haven't posted here in awhile and it's about time to come up with something else scrumptious to let you know about. It will NOT, however contain duck.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Brandied Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is, without a doubt, the best tasting cookie I have ever made and eaten.  

Brandied Cranberry, White Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of brandy (to soak the cranberries in, then saving 1 1/4 teaspoons of it for later)
  • 1 cup of dried cranberries
  • 1 cup (two sticks) of butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup of lightly packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup of white chocolate chips

Method

1 Put the cranberries in a wide and shallow bowl, pour in a bit of brandy. Enough so they're surrounded by it, but not drowning. Cover and place in the fridge for an hour or more. Afterwards, place a colander over a bowl and pour the cranberries and brandy through, putting the cranberries and the brandy they soaked in aside.
2 Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat again until light, fluffy and well incorporated.
3 Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and add 1 1/4 teaspoons of the brandy that the cranberries soaked in (as for the rest, I suggest popping it in a glass and topping it off a bit for yourself). Beat well until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl midway through to ensure even mixing.
4 Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then add to the mixture a bit at a time, beating until just mixed. Fold in the brandy soaked cranberries and white chocolate chips. Let chill for 15 minutes in the fridge.
5 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (a baker's best friend) and place rounded spoonfuls down on the sheet. Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


I made these for Christmas and EVERYONE loved them. I'm thinking they might be really good with dried cherries in place of the cranberries. And maybe a cherry liquor in place of the brandy??? Or maybe dried apricots/peaches with peach schnapps?? Well, you get the idea. Lots of room with these cookies to experiment and I'd bet they're delicious no matter what your flavor combination preference.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Cheesecake Frosting

This is one of the yummiest frostings I have ever eaten. It goes perfectly on carrot cake or pumpkin bars. I'm planning a desert party sometime in the next few months, and this will definitely be the topping for the carrot cake I 'm making for it. Let me know what you think!

1-8 oz. pkg. of cream cheese

1 T lemon juice

2 T sour cream

2 C whipped cream (not light or fat free)

5 to 6 T confectioners sugar

Let the cream cheese come to room temperature and place in a mixing bowl with the whipped cream. Blend well. Add remaining ingredients. May use more confectioners sugar to taste.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Tequila Lime Chicken

Marinade:

1 cup water
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon tequila

Chicken:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise (low fat ok)
1/4 cup sour cream (low fat ok)
1 tablespoon milk (low fat ok)
2 teaspoons minced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced canned jalapeno peppers
1 teaspoon minced onions
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 dash black pepper
1 dash garlic powder

Additional Ingredients:

1 cup shredded monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend
2 cups corn chips, crumbled

Combine marinade ingredients then chicken in a medium bowl and allow to marinade for 2-3 hours.
Combinine dressing ingredients in a medium bowl, cover, and chill until needed.
Grill the marinated chicken breasts for 3-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
Arrange the cooked chicken in a baking pan, brush with prepared mexi-ranch dressing, and sprinkle with cheese.
Broil the chicken for 2-3 minutes, or just until the cheese has melted.
Serve the chicken over a bed of crumbled chips.
NOTES: Serve with Spanish rice and pico de gallo or salsa.


My son and I had this scrumptious chicken dish at Applebee's and we both loved it. After I got home I decided to find the recipe online and give it a try myself. I discovered this version on Recipeczaar. It has a lot of ingredients, but it is fairly simple to put together. I made mine without the jalapenos, but that's just a matter of taste. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Sausage Gravy


Sausage Gravy

INGREDIENTS
1 pound sage-flavored bulk pork sausage
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Dash hot pepper sauce
Biscuits

DIRECTIONS
Crumble sausage into a large saucepan; cook over medium-low heat. Add onion; cook and stir until transparent. Drain, discarding all but 2 tablespoons of drippings. Stir in flour; cook over medium-low heat about 6 minutes or until mixture bubbles and turns golden. Stir in milk. Add seasonings; cook, stirring, until thickened. To serve, slice biscuits and spoon gravy over halves. Yield: 4-6 servings.


I found this recipe in a "Taste Of Home" magazine several years ago and it quickly became a family favorite. The addition of nutmeg, worcestershire sauce and hot sauce all blend together to make a truly scrumptious gravy. Over fresh, hot bisquits? Nothing better!! A good sausage gravy is worth its weight in gold. I think this one is the whole mine. :)