Baked Pumpkin French Toast

I was looking for something to make for General Conference Sunday breakfast and came accross this recipe. I love anything pumpkin, and the caramel on the bottom of this french toast was too much to pass up! Here's a link to the original recipe (with pictures): http://www.dana-made-it.com/2010/11/baked-pumpkin-french-toast.html. This recipe tastes like pumpkin pie in breakfast form.

Baked Pumpkin French Toast

1 loaf french bread, cut into thick slices
2 1/2 c. milk
1 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. sugar
3/4 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. corn syrup
1/4 c. butter

2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Slice the french bread into thick slices. Combine the next nine ingredients (milk through eggs) with a whisk. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup and butter. Stir continuously until bubbly, about five minutes. Pour into bottom of baking dish.

Arrange the sliced french bread over the caramel. Squeeze as many slices into the pan as you can. Pour the milk mixture over the bread, cover and refrigerate for at least eight hours, or overnight. When ready to bake, uncover and sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let set for five minutes. The french toast will be quite puffy, but will settle as it cools. Enjoy!

Strawberry Country Cake

This recipe is from Ina Garten and it's a perfect dessert for summer. The cake recipe makes two cakes, one to use and one to freeze.

For the Cake:

12 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 c. sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

3/4 c. sour cream, at room temperature

1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp. grated orange zest

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. baking soda

For the filling for each cake:

1 c. (1/2 pint) heavy cream

3 Tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans. Then line with parchment paper and butter and flour the lined pans.

Cream the butter and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, then sour cream, zests and vanilla. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth.

Pour the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake in the center of the oven for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and cool to room temperature. If using one cake, wrap the second well and freeze.

To make the filling for one cake, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with 1/2 the whipped cream and scatter with sliced strawberries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with strawberries.

*Note: The original recipe listed the baking time as 40-45 minutes. Mine were done after about 32 minutes. You don't want to overbake or the cake will dry out.

Ham and Cheese Pot Pie

I am all about simple. For a health fair at Schrieber Cheese (a cheese plant here in Logan) on June 17, I was assigned a booth. We decided that each of our booths would have a movie theme. So I thought and thought and finally remembered the movie Ratatouille where Gusteau tells Ratatouille, "Like I always say, anyone can cook." So I decided on this for my theme, ways to make homemade dinners and keep it simple. So I have been looking for recipes and ways to do this. Some websites that I frequently use are allrecipes.com and kraftfoods.com. So I was search on Kraft something that I could make with ham in it, (because Ben and Heidi gave us some ham steaks from their pig and I had no idea what to do with it!) I happened upon this recipe and it is exactly what I was looking for simple and delicious!

Recipe adapted from kraftfoods.com

(I only used 2x as much broccoli and no cauliflower. Also I just made biscuit dough and rolled it really thin and used that instead of pie crust!)

1 ham steak (6 oz.), chopped

1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup frozen broccoli cuts, thawed, drained

1 cup frozen cauliflower florets, thawed, drained

2 green onions chopped

1/2 cup (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) cream cheese

1 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust (1/2 of 14.1-oz. pkg.)

1 egg

1 Tbsp. water
HEAT oven to 400ºF
COMBINE first 5 ingredients. Microwave cream cheese spreadin microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until completelymelted, stirring every 15 sec. Add to ham mixture; mix well.Spoon into 4 (6-oz.) ramekins.
UNROLL pie crust on lightly floured surface; roll to 12-inchcircle. Cut into 4 circles with 5-inch round cookie cutter. Cutleaves from about 1/4 of the trimmings with small cookie cutteror sharp knife; discard remaining trimmings.
BEAT egg and water until well blended; brush onto top edgeof ramekins. Top with pie crust circles; press gently onto toedges of ramekins to seal. Top with leaf cutouts; brush lightlywith egg wash. Discard any remaining egg wash. Placeramekins on baking sheet. Cut slits in crusts to vent.
BAKE 30 to 32 min. or until golden brown.
Enjoy!!

Peppy's Pita Bread

I have been wanting to make pita bread for a really long time.  Usually when I try it, it doesn't puff up like it is supposed to and turns out to be more like a flat bread.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and it was way easy and tasty.  We had fun watching every single pita puff up perfectly in the oven.  I can't wait to stuff them with something yummy!

Ingredients:

1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions:

1.  Place all ingredients in bread pan of your bread machine, select Dough setting and start.  When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep.  (I made my in my Kitchenaid because I don't have a bread machine, and just mixed it until it formed a soft dough, then let it rise until double in size.)

2.  Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope.  With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces.  Roll each into a smooth ball.  With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle.  Set aside on a lightly floured counter top.  Cover with a towel.  Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.

3.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.  Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack.  Place cake rack directly on oven rack.  Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown.  Remove from oven immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft.  Once pitas are softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas.  They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.

Feta Cheese Foldovers

For one of classes we had to do a presentation on a countries culture and talk about their food habits and etiquette. We did this so that one day if we are counseling this group of people we can know a little bit about them. My group chose to do Greece and I learned a lot. Just a little trivia: Greece was the birth place of the cookbook and the white hats that chefs wear. Pretty cool huh? So these are the food samples that I made and took for our presentation. They are really good as an appetizer and super easy! My class loved them so much they asked me to bring them to our class party that we had a week later! Hope you like them as much as they did!

Recipe Courtesy: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl, blend feta cheese, green onions, and egg. Cut pastry into 12 (3 inch) squares. Place a mounded tablespoon of feta mixture in the center of each square. Moisten edges with water, and fold pastry over filling to form a triangle. Press edges together firmly with a fork to seal. Lightly brush pastries with the egg yolk mixture.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Hot Cross Buns

Every time I hear "Hot Cross Buns" blaring out of my car CD player I wonder what they are. So I looked them up and found that you should make these on Good Friday, which is the Friday before Easter. They were named in 1733 and have a lot of history behind them. My favorite superstition is that if I hang one in the kitchen, it is said to " . . . protect against fires and ensure that all breads turn out perfectly. The hanging bun is replaced each year." (Wikipedia) I wonder how it makes the kitchen smell as the months go by. I recommend eating them instead of hanging them as they are really good.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup lukewarm milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg

1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

3/4 cup raisins or other dried fruit

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons water

cream cheese frosting

Directions:

Put all ingredients except egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water in bread maker pan in order listed. Set to dough setting. Or use a mixer to mix and rise until double. When done mixing and rising, punch down dough on floured surface, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about 35 - 40 minutes. Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Carefully brush on rolls. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. When cooled completely put frosting in a zip lock bag, cut corner and make an X on each bun.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I have been searching for a great peanut butter bar recipe. In college I remember having a few black sharpie fights in order to either confiscate or claim my friend Erica's peanut butter bars. They were usually being held hostage by Dave. I still haven't found a recipe that requires sharpie fighting, but this one is close.

Adapted from Once Upon a Plate

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (regular or old fashioned)

Topping:

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk

5 tablespoons butter

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Position oven rack to center position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 x 15 inch baking pan, set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture; beat until combined. Add flour in 2 additions, mix well but do not over-beat. Stir in oats by hand until evenly distributed.

Spread mixture evenly into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and slightly firm. Remove from oven and quickly place spoonfuls of the 3/4 cup peanut butter on the surface. As the peanut butter melts, spread evenly with a knife. Allow to cool completely. When cool, make the chocolate topping.

Bring sugar, cream and butter to a full rolling boil. Boil for 45 seconds. Remove pan from heat and add the chocolate chips. Whisk gently or stir until chocolate mixture is smooth. As soon as mixture is smooth, pour evenly over the cooled cookie and peanut butter base. Allow chocolate to set up and harden. When set, cut into squares and serve.

Chewy Chocolate Brownies

I'm always a little skeptical of recipes labeled "light" or "healthy," especially when it comes to treats like brownies or cake or cookies. I mean, really? Can they actually be as good as the full-fat version? Well in this case, they are! These brownies turned out delicious, and you'd never know they are lightened up a bit. Chewy Chocolate Brownies
from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking 2009

3 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 c. packed brown sugar
3 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 egg white
2 Tbs. canola oil
4 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt

In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat the brown sugar, applesauce, egg, egg white, oil, corn syrup and vanilla. Beat in chocolate until blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; beat into brown sugar mixture just until blended.

Pour into a 9x13 baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 18 brownies.

*I will admit that I fattened up my batch of brownies a bit with about 1/2 cup of Andes mint baking chips that were left over from Christmas. Yum.

(For those of you interested, each brownie has 125 calories and 4 g of fat. Without the addition of the mint chips, of course.)

Avocado Sauce

I made this sauce to serve with Baked Chicken Taquitos. It would also be really good on burgers, sandwiches and tacos.

Avocado Sauce
from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking 2009
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled
1/2 c. fat-free sour cream
2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro
2 tsp. lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp. salt

In a small bowl, mash avocado with sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, garlic and salt. Refrigerate until serving.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

New Mexico is known for its chilies. The state motto is practically, "Red or Green?" You can get green chilies on practically everything you order around here - pizza, burgers, eggs, sandwiches, and bagels. In the late summer you can smell green chilies growing in the fields south of Albuquerque, and people here buy them by the case at the grocery store. Every store has a roaster out front where they roast the chilies before customers take them home to freeze for later use. I love the smell. At first I didn't really love green chilies, but now I use them in a few dishes I make and I really like them. I don't buy them by the case, however, because I don't want everything else in my freezer to taste like green chilies!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

adapted from ourbestbites.com

2 C. cooked, shredded chicken

3 oz. cream cheese

1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies

1 T. lime juice

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 C. shredded cheese (Monterrey jack or cheddar)

12 corn tortillas

kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook and shred chicken. (I cooked mine on the George Foreman grill after seasoning with salt and pepper.) Combine chicken with remaining ingredients. The best way to work with corn tortillas is to heat them up before trying to roll them. They will crack if you try to work with them while they are cold. Place the stack of tortillas between wet paper towels and microwave for 1-2 minutes, until soft and pliable. Fill each tortilla with 2-3 Tbs. of the chicken mixture and roll tightly. Spray the tops of the taquitos with a little cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until the ends of the tortillas are golden brown. Serve warm with avocado sauce, pico de gallo, sour cream, salsa, or hot sauce.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing

The girls and I made these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing during Spring Break last week. We made a total of 23 miniature cupcakes, which Olivia says the three of us ate in one day. I didn't believe her until all proof was gone, or probably devoured. We were cleaning, we needed chocolate. And besides, doesn't one mini cupcake equal about one bite of a regular sized cupcake? That's what I thought. Exactly.

recipe from Ina Garten

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Morning Glory Muffins

These muffins are what I would consider a "healthy" muffin. But they're still really, really good. They're also a great way to sneak some vegetables in your your kids' diet. (Oh, who am I kidding? I have to sneak vegetables disguised as muffins into my own diet, too.)

Morning Glory Muffins

(from allrecipes.com)

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 Tbs. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. grated carrots

1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 c. raisins (or dried cranberries)

1 egg

2 egg whites

1/2 c. applesauce or apple butter

1/4 c. oil

1 Tbs. vanilla

2 Tbs. chopped walnuts

2 Tbs. toasted wheat germ

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 18 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, applesauce, oil, and vanilla.

3. In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Stir in applesauce mixture until just moistened. The batter will be very thick. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling them about 3/4 full.

4. In a small bowl, combine walnuts and wheat germ. Sprinkle over the muffin tops.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed.

St. Patrick's Day Mini Cakes

I make this super moist almond flavored pistachio pudding bundt cake every year in March. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. It's easy to make and so very green!

Ingredients:

1 package yellow cake mix

1 small package pistachio instant pudding

1/4 cup oil

7 drops green food coloring

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 cup flour

Directions:

Add all ingredients to mixing bowl. Beat for four minutes on medium speed. Pour into a greased and floured mini bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Do not under bake. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and carefully remove. Cool on wire rack and dust with powdered sugar.

*To make in a large bundt pan: Pour batter in greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees on center rack in oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes and invert onto wire rack. Cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Frosted Banana Bars

This is one of my favorite dessert recipes. They're really easy to make and a great way to use over-ripe bananas, which to me is any banana with even a single brown spot.

Frosted Banana Bars
(from Allrecipes.com)

Bars:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream (or plain yogurt)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. mashed ripe bananas (2-3 bananas)

Frosting:
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in sour cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into the batter. Finally, mix in the mashed banana. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow bars to cool completely before frosting.

4. For frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar.

Store bars in the refrigerator.

Lemon Bars

I remember Mom making lemon bars and taking them to Aunt Blodwyn's house when we were little. I must have breathed in while taking a bite, because I got a nose full of powdered sugar. Have you ever done that? I'm sure I nearly died on that occasion, because I can't eat a lemon bar without thinking about it. Anyway, I've been saving this post for Spring. Lemon bars seem like something to make when it's nice and warm outside when we're all gearing up for lemonade stands and lemonade ice cream pie. But it has been in the 80s this week here in Texas. It feels like Spring to me. I love the shortbread crust to lemony goodness ratio in these lemon bars. I cut them a couple hours after making them, so they were still a little gooey. I'd let them set up for at least six hours. They were actually perfect the second day.

Recipe from Ina Garten

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1/2 pound unsalted butter (2 cubes), at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature

3 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup flour

Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 pan, building up a 1/2 inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut and dust with confectioner's sugar.

Truffles

I love truffles but I've always been afraid to try making them myself. Something about the words "double boiler" always scared me. Silly. I made these today for Krynn for Valentine's Day and they were really easy. I found the recipe on one of my favorite blogs: My Baking Addiction. I would love to bake every recipe on that site. Which would be bad because we'd never eat anything but sweets. Yum.

Basic Truffles

12 ounces chocolate, chopped (semisweet or bittersweet)

3 Tbs. unsalted butter

1/3 c. heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. In a double boiler over barely simmering water, combine chocolate, butter and cream. Heat until melted and stir until smooth.

2. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. (Claire started screaming at this point and I forgot this step. They were still good without, but I wish I had put in the vanilla.)

3. Pour into a shallow casserole dish and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about two hours.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small scoop or melon baller (I used my smallest cookie scoop) scoop out chocolate mixture and roll into one-inch balls. Place on prepared baking sheet. Roll balls in your desired coating. I used sprinkles, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: About 30 truffles.

Here is a link to the original recipe: Truffles. The blogger provides some good tips and ideas for making these extra special.

Chocolate Mellow Bars

Colored marshmallows are highly favored in our house by one little girl in particular. I wanted to make these candies during Christmas with her, but I ran out of time so we made them a couple of weeks ago instead. I remember Mom making these when we were little. I tweaked her recipe a little bit. These are also called Cathedral Windows and are meant to resemble the stained glass window panes in a church. I think they'd be really fun for Valentine's Day with pink mini marshmallows. You could pick out all of the pink ones from the package. Or you could have a little preschooler do it for you. They'd love it!

Ingredients:

8 ounces chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg, beaten

3 cups mini marshmallows

1 cup chopped nuts (I used slivered almonds)

1 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips and butter in a saucepan on low heat. Add egg; mix well. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Combine marshmallows and nuts in a large bowl. Pour chocolate mixture over the nuts and marshmallows. Cut two 13 x 9 inch pieces of wax paper. Divide coconut and sprinkle half of it down the length of each piece of wax paper. Divide the chocolate mixture in half and shape each piece into a log on top of the coconut. Sprinkle with the remaining coconut. Roll up like a jelly roll. Freeze one hour. Unroll and slice into 1 1/2 thick pieces.

No Knead Bread

I got this recipe from my teacher (she is my favorite, see below), who brought it to a party we had at the end of last semester. I finally tried and loved it. She said that I couldn't mess this one up, and I didn't! So easy and soooo yummy! I halved the recipe, just to try it and totally wish I would have made the whole recipe!

Courtesy of Tamara Vitale

6C Flour

3C Cold water

1T Salt

1/2 tsp Rapid-rise yeast

Cornmeal for sprinkling

Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in water till the mixture is blended. The dough will be loose and wet. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature 12 to 19 hours– the longer the better.

Flour your hands and sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour. Turn the dough over on itself a couple times. Form the dough into a ball using as little flour as possible. The dough will seem somewhat fluid but it will form a ball. (It's tempting to use a lot of flour here but don't. The dough should stay moist.)

Place the dough on a smooth-surface sprinkled with cornmeal or flour. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour or cornmeal, then cover it with a smooth-textured towel. Let the dough rise until doubled (about 2 or 3 hours).

At least a half hour before the dough has finished rising, place a Dutch oven with a lid in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the pot from the oven and carefully place the dough in the Dutch oven. Shake the pot to distribute the dough evenly. Replace the lid and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 10 minutes or until the top is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool completely before slicing.

Bacon Cheddar Scones

To me,a scones fits in somewhere between a biscuit and a muffin. I actually never knew what a scone was until about ten years ago when I made a recipe for what I thought was a fried scone like you'd find at the fair and it turned out to be this kind of scone, the kind you find at Starbucks. It was a nice surprise and I've been hooked ever since. These scones are surprisingly light and tender, yet very filling.

(Adapted from Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 - 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

4 green onions, thinly sliced

10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces

1 - 1 1/2 cup buttermilk

Egg wash:

1 large egg

2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add butter and cut with pastry blender or two knives until butter is pea-sized. Stir in grated cheese. Mix in the green onions, bacon and 1 cup of buttermilk. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is too dry to come together, mix in the remaining buttermilk a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough can be formed into a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into an 8-inch circle. Slice the dough into 8 wedges.

In a small bowl combine the egg and water and whisk together. Brush each wedge lightly with the egg wash. Place scones on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

New York Cheesecake

During the holidays, my mother-in-law and I made the Famous Borjas Cheesecake. The Borjas cheesecake is very traditional, in fact, it's practically a member of the family. It shows up at important family events and celebrations. It's been around since the early 1950's. And I can't deny it's good, but for me, it's temperamental. I have about a 30% success rate with it. So I decided to find out the the secret of this cheesecake, you know, why it only works sometimes. And I found an interesting tidbit: the difference between the New York cheesecake and other kinds of cheesecake, is the thin layer of sour cream on top. I also found a new recipe fairly similar to the Borjas Cheesecake and some cheesecake cooking tips. The girls and I had to try the new recipe. We made it and felt so rebellious! It worked perfectly and was so good.

(adapted from Joy of Baking.com)

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Spray a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Filling Ingredients:

32 ounces (4 - 8 ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature (do not used reduced fat cream cheese)

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

5 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream (not low fat or fat free)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour in mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth, (about 2 minutes), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat on low until mixed. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake on a cookie sheet and set on the center rack in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.

Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees and continue to back for about another 1 1/2 hours or until firm and only the center of the cheesecake looks a little wet and wobbly. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Spread the topping over the warm cheesecake and return to oven to bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools).

Let cool before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. This tastes best after being refrigerated for at least a day. Serve with fresh fruit or fruit sauces.

To freeze: Place the cooled cheesecake on a baking pan and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. Seal and return to freezer. Can be frozen for several months. Thaw uncovered cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.

Tips: To help prevent the surface of the cheesecake from cracking, do not overbeat the batter, especially when creaming the cheese and sugar. Also, do not overbake. Your cheesecake is down when it is firm but the middle may still look a little wet. Finally, make sure the springfrom an is well greased as cracking can occur if the cheesecake sticks to the sides as it cools.

Rolo Cookies

These are the new favorite cookies at our house. Alayna loves to help me make them, and they are so yummy right when they come out of the oven, when the caramel is still gooey. Also great dunked in milk. I got this recipe from thenerdswife.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 cups cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 pkg Rolos
A bit of sugar for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Unwrap the Rolo candies.
Beat sugars and butter until fluffy.
Add vanilla and eggs to mixture.
beat until combined.
Combine flour, cocoa, and soda.
Add flour mixture to fluffy mixture.
Shape about a teaspoon of dough around each Rolo.
Be sure to cover it completely.
You want it to be about the size of a golf ball.
Optional- Press one side of the dough ball into the leftover sugar. Place sugar-side up on a baking sheet, about two inches apart.
Bake 8-10 minutes.

Cream Cheese Cucumber Spread

Grayson's nurse has been losing weight by eating healthier food in proper portion sizes and exercising. So since it's January and all, and we're in sugar detox mode from the holidays, Olivia and I have decided to give it a try, too. We had salad last night and tonight I made some pita sandwiches -- with whole wheat pita bread, tomatoes, lettuce, green onions, and some left over shredded beef. I am sure we would have immediately died if we were to cut back cold turkey, so I had to make this spread to make sure we would all survive through the night. I would have used plain non-fat yogurt if I would have had it--actually, no I wouldn't have. It just cannot replace the cream cheese without some major bad side effects. Forget it. This is good. Spread it on wraps, bagel sandwiches, pita sandwiches, or a toasted baguette.

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate.

*Dave got a new mini food processor from a coworker for Christmas. I was so elated! I've never had a food processor. I chopped the cucumbers in the processor and then added all the remaining ingredients and wa-lah, it was done. I would recommend your coworker give you one for Christmas next year.