Baked Spaghetti in Garlic Bread

So, I love carbs. I can admit it. When I saw this on Pinterest, I knew I would love it! I decided to change it up a bit from the original recipe on the Rhodes Rolls website. I used a bread recipe that I love! I use it for pizza crust, bread sticks, garlic bread, and anything else I can think of. Its so easy and delicious! I even make it with half white, half wheat flour so its a bit healthier. I also use whole wheat pasta. Brett doesn't love whole wheat, but he doesn't mind it in this recipe. 

Bread Ingredients:

1 cup luke warm water

1 tbsp Honey

1 envelope Active Dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups white flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Spaghetti Ingredients:

1 box whole wheat pasta

3/4 jar of Spaghetti sauce (I always add brown sugar, oregano and garlic salt to enhance my sauce)

8 oz mozerella cheese

1 egg white

Parsley

shredded parmesan

minced garlic

Combine yeast and warm water and let sit for a few minutes, long enough to be sure yeast is active. Add the honey and salt. I use my Kitchenaid with the bread dough hook. Turn on mixer, but don't turn on higher than a 2 on the Kitchenaid. Slowly add flour, about 1/2 cup at a time. When the bread starts to pull away from the sides and doesn't come off on your finger when you touch it, its done. Leave the mixer on for 5 minutes and let the dough hook do its work. 

After 5 minutes, cover with a towel and let rise about an hour, or until double in size. Roll out into whatever shape you are using the bread for. I roll it out into a rectangle size like in the picture below.

Prepare spaghetti according to your liking. I always use a pound of ground beef with mine. I also use a bit less sauce than normal to avoid the bread getting soggy at all. Combine the sauce, meat, and noodles (again, I use whole wheat pasta) and pour down the middle of the bread. Slice some slits down the edges of the bread, as shown below.
Note: be sure to use parchment paper, rather than wax paper. I've learned the hard way that the bread doesn't come off the wax paper well at all.

 Top the spaghetti with mozerella cheese, either cubed or shredded, about 8 oz. Braid the sliced edges of the bread together by pulling them all up and braiding them together. You can pinch the bread together. Pull up the edges to close up the bread loaf. Baste the bread with the egg white, sprinkle dried parsley, mined garlic and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cool and serve. I warmed some more pasta sauce to dip it in and it was delicious.

The Finished Product!

Delicious dinner!

Enjoy!

~Heather

Lemon Blueberry Scones

Nick and I wanted some dessert the other night but didn't want to run to the store.  Some how we thought to make blueberry scones with the frozen blueberries we get from Costco (I highly recommend them!  We eat them just plain for a healthy snack, in smoothies, oatmeal, cereal, these scones...).  I tried to find a recipe on Pinterest but all the pictures made the scones look really dry so I just used the recipe I did for my Raspberry White Chocolate Scones since I knew it made a light and flaky pastry.  Nick really enjoyed these!  In his words, "These are so freakin good!"  I love that Nick appreciates my cooking!

I am not big on pastries with lemon which is why there is not too much lemon in my glaze.  I thought it had the perfect amount but you can always add more lemon juice and lemon zest if you're a lemon lover.

INGREDIENTS
Scones:
1/2 c milk
1/2 c sour cream
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick cold butter
1 1/2 c frozen or fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp melted butter
2 tsp sugar (to sprinkle on top)

Lemon Glaze:
1 Tbsp butter, softened
1 1/4 powdered sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375.

Mix milk and sour cream in a small bowl and refrigerate.  In a medium bowl mix flours, 1/2 c sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Dice butter and cut into flour mixture with a pastry blender or fork until it is the size of small peas.  Remove milk mixture from fridge and add to flour mixture by folding in with a spatula until just combined.

Flour counter and empty dough out.  Sprinkle dough and hands with flour and knead 6-8 times adding flour as needed.  Roll dough into a 12x12 inch square.  Fold dough into thirds like a letter and then roll into a 12x12 square again (flour surface as needed).  Sprinkle dough with blueberries.  Roll dough into a tight log.  Lay seam-side down and press into a 12x4 inch rectangle.  With a sharp floured knife, cut log into four equal squares and then cut each square diagonally to make 2 triangles.  Transfer to a baking sheet and brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 18-22 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

While scones are cooking make the glaze by combining butter, powdered sugar, and lemon juice with an electric mixer until smooth.  Place glaze in a plastic bag.

When the scones come out of the oven transfer to a wire rack.  Cut off the corner tip of the bag with glaze and then drizzle on the tops of the scones.
–Melanie

Bread Bowls

I had all afternoon Sunday to lounge around so I decided to use the time to make dinner a little more fun by making bread bowls (and I still managed to take a 2 hour nap)!  I had never made them before but they turned out pretty well!  I think that the bowls would be better for a cream based soup because it really soaked up the water in the broth based soup but it was still good.  I got the recipe from one of my favorite blogs: MelsKitchenCafe, but I added some sugar to the dough and made it half whole wheat (posted is my version of the recipe).

I think I have only eaten soup from a bread bowl once before.  It is a fun way to eat soup this way but it's a lot of bread (the equivalent of 4-6 slices when one would usually eat 1-2 slices).  Nick managed to eat his whole bowl plus what I pulled out from the middle but my little baby just didn't allow me to fit all that inside.  This little girl is starting to push on my ribs and make me uncomfortable... only 3 more months left though!  I have been eating small meals and snacks about every few hours and have been able to avoid the common and uncomfortable pregnancy symptom: heartburn.  Hopefully I can avoid it in my third trimester too!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 c warm water
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 c whole wheat flour
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp corn meal

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  Mix, cover with a towel, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Mix in salt, oil, and whole wheat flour.  Add the white flour 1/2 cup at a time mixing well between each addition.  Add the white flour until the dough is soft and no longer sticky.

Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead for 6 minutes until smooth and elastic (add flour as needed to prevent sticking to hands or surface).  Lightly grease a large mixing bowl and place dough in it.  Cover with a cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 40 minutes).

Prepare a baking sheet by lightly greasing and sprinkling with corn meal.  Punch dough down and divide into 6-8 equal pieces and then form each into a round ball.  Place on prepared baking sheet and use a sharp knife to make 2 cuts on the top of each ball.  Cover lightly with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until double in bulk.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 16-18 minutes until golden brown.

Let bread cool completely and then cut off the top of each loaf as you would cut the lid of a pumpkin.  Gently pull it apart from the rest of the loaf and then dig out the inside of the loaf leaving a 1/2-1 inch wall remaining.  Fill bread bowl with soup and serve immediately.

–Melanie

Texas Roadhouse Rolls & Cinnamon Honey Butter

Texas Roadhouse has mouth watering rolls and butter!  I am not as big of a steak fan as Nick but I gladly go to this restaurant to indulge in their melt in your mouth rolls.  It is so hard to save room for the actual meal with endless rolls coming but some how we fit it all in.

This recipe comes pretty dang close to having Texas Roadhouse Rolls come right out of your own oven! Leftover Texas Roadhouse Rolls don't keep well but these taste delicious days after (if you have the self-control) if you heat them for 10 seconds in the microwave.  Oh, let me say something about the butter.  It is pretty much halfway between butter and icing which is why it is so tasty.  It is super fast and easy to make so if you make the rolls take a few more minutes to whip the butter ingredients together. You won't regret it!

Rolls

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp yeast
1/4 c warm water
1 c milk (scalded and cooled to lukewarm)
1/2 T melted butter (slightly cooled)
1/4 c sugar
3 1/2 c flour
1 egg
1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Microwave milk for 2 minutes to scald.  Place butter in the hot milk to melt while milk is cooling.

In a small bowl combine  yeast, 2 Tbsp sugar, and water.  Let it stand for 10 minutes until bubbly.

In a large bowl mix together flour, salt, and 2 Tbsp sugar.

Add the yeast mixture, eggs, and milk/butter to the flour mixture.  Mix together and then kneed for 10-15 minutes.

Place dough in a large greased bowl and cover.  Let dough rise until double in size (about 1 hour).

Place dough on a floured surface and roll into a rectangle that is 1/2 inch thick.  Fold the dough in half and lightly roll to press the layers together.  Cut dough into 2 x 2 inch squares using a pizza cutter.  Place on a baking sheet, cover, and let rise until double in size (1-2 hours).

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Baste with cinnamon honey butter once rolls are removed from the oven.

Yield: ~16 rolls


Cinnamon Honey Butter

INGREDIENTS

1 stick butter (room temperature)
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

In a small mixing bowl use a hand mixer to whip honey butter until creamy.  Add powdered sugar, honey, and cinnamon and mix until well combined.  Store in refrigerator but serve at room temperature.
–Melanie

Best Wheat Bread

Ingredients
2 T. active dry yeast
4 T. sugar
2 2/3 c. very warm water
2 tsp. salt
3 cups white flour
3 cups fresh ground white wheat flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water in mixing bowl. Let yeast rise for about 3-5 minutes. Add salt and flour. I use a Kitchenaid to mix/knead my dough. Knead for 5 minutes. dough should pull away from sides and form a ball around the dough hook. Allow to rest 10 minutes in bowl. Shape into two loaves and place in greased bread pans. Allow the dough to rise about 15 minutes more. Place in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove promptly from oven.

*Once I remove the bread from the oven, I take the bread out of the pan. I usually rotate the bread lying on its side so that the bread cools on each side and doesn't sweat onto the bread board. I use glass bread pans so you may have to adjust for metal pans.

*Also, if you want delicious bread for french toast, you can add cinnamon chips to your dough after you have kneaded the dough. You can find cinnamon chips in the baking aisle of your grocery store by the chocolate chips. Not all stores carry the cinnamon chips, Hershey is the only brand I have seen that makes cinnamon chips.

*Also, you can use red wheat or really any combination of wheat and white flour. This combination is my favorite. Beware though, because even the half recipe will affect your bowels. :)

Raspberry Coffee Cake

This recipe is from a neighbor back in St. Louis.  When I made it I replaced half of the flour with whole wheat flour.  I have this memory from more than 10 years ago of my sister Rebecca and I eating this straight from the pan in the kitchen. It's that good... and even better if you use raspberry peach jam!  I am sure it would taste good with strawberry jam too!  So moist and perfectly sweet!

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

½ c. butter softened

1 c. sugar

2 large eggs

¼ c. milk

½ tsp. vanilla

1 ¾ c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ c. raspberry jam

3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat oven to 350°.  Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Add sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla; beat until smooth.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then add to cream cheese mixture.  Beat on low until blended.

Grease and flour a 13"x9" inch pan.  Spread batter into pan.  Dollop preserves on top, then swirl through batter with a knife.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar.  Cut into squares.  Makes 12-15 servings.

–Melanie

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

I love pumpkin anything! And turns out, I'm really liking zucchini too, so this combo intrigued me! I'm embracing fall cooking, despite the fact that its been in the upper 90's the past two weeks and there is no such thing as changing leaves down here. I got the recipe from the Six Sister's Stuff blog but made it with half whole wheat flour and applesauce in the place of oil, trying to make it a bit healthier :) It turned out really moist and tasty!

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup applesauce
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional, but I used them)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs and sugars. Add pumpkin, oil, and applesauce and vanilla. Combine all dry ingredients together. Add the dried mixture 1/2 cup at a time to the pumpkin mix. Add the zucchini and walnuts. Pour the bread dough into two greased and floured 9.25 x 5.25 pans.  Bake for 40 minutes. Leave loaves in pans for 10 minutes then dry on a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Heather

Chicken Broccoli Stuffed Bread Loaf

I found this idea on Pinterest but changed things up a bit to make it healthier and a bit more "homemade". The original website was foodfamilyfinds.com. First, I used a bread recipe I've been using a lot lately for different things. Its a great recipe for pizza crust, bread sticks, etc.

Bread:
1 cup luke warm water
1 pkg yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour

Combine water, yeast and honey. Wait 5 minutes to assure yeast is active. Stir in salt and flour in 1/2 cup increments until the dough has formed a ball and if you touch it, it won't leave any dough on your finger. I use my kitchenaid with the bread dough hook to mix the dough. When it gets to this point, let the dough mix for 5 minutes. Let the dough rise about an hour or until its double in size. Punch the dough down and roll it out into a rectangular shape, about the length of a jelly roll pan. If you have a silicone baking sheet, this will make the whole thing a lot easier, so roll it out on that if you do. Let it rise another 20 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, start on the rest of your dinner :)

2 cups chopped broccoli, steamed
3 large chicken breasts, diced and cooked
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup light mayo
1 tsp garlic salt
1 egg yolk
dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop up chicken and cook. Steam broccoli. Combine cheese, mayo, chicken and broccoli, and garlic salt. At this point, transfer bread on the pan, place the chicken broccoli combination down the middle of the bread dough leaving about 2 inches all around. Next, slice the dough in 1 inch strips so you can pull up the edges and braid it. Baste the braided loaf with the egg yolk and sprinkle with rosemary. Bake loaf for 25 minutes or until bread is baked through. Let cool 5 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!
Heather

Mom's Rolls

These rolls are probably what my mom is most famous for. She has made them probably over 500 times! You use the same dough to make either dinner rolls or cinnamon roles. Both of which are amazing!  These cinnamon rolls are one of the best parts of Christmas morning!  Warning- These take about 4 hours to make because you have to wait for the dough to rise twice, but it is so worth it!

(Picture taken by Heather Crandall) 

ANITA BANKHEAD’S BUTTER ROLLS OR CINNAMON ROLLS

INGREDIENTS

Rolls:

2 pkg. dry yeast

2 c. lukewarm water

1 c. sugar

1 c. butter, melted

6 beaten eggs

1 ½ tsp. salt

9 c. flour

Glaze:
1/2 c whipping cream
1/4 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 c powdered sugar


DIRECTIONS

Dough: 
Mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 cups lukewarm water. Add melted butter (make sure this is cool enough to add or it will kill the yeast). Next, add the sugar and beaten eggs. Mix well with wire whip of hand mixer. Add 4 cups of flour and salt and mix again with whip or mixer. Add 4 ½ cups flour and mix with the wooden spoon until it is completely mixed together. The remaining half cup of flour is used when you roll out the dough. It will form a huge ball. Now, just cover it over with a lid or plastic wrap and let it rise until it is double in bulk. This should take about 2 hours, depending on the temperature of you house. After it rises, you can either roll it out or punch it down (don’t knead) and place it, covered, in the refrigerator. This dough will be good up to 4 days in the fridge.

Rolling the dough: 
For crescent roll, divide the dough into fourths, rolling each fourth into a circle, leaving the dough ¼ to 1/3 inches thick. Brush circle with melted butter and cut like a pie into 12 pieces. Roll up, starting with wide end to point. Place on a greased cookie sheet with point face down on pan. Cover with a towel and let rise. It will take 2 to 4 hours, depending on whether the dough was refrigerated. Makes 4 dozen dinner rolls.

Cinnamon Rolls: 
Divide the dough in half. Roll the dough into rectangle ¼ to 1/3 inch thick. Brush the surface with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar and the amount of cinnamon you desire. (Nuts and raisins may be added at this time.) Roll the dough long end to long end. Seam side down. You are ready to cut the dough using a doubled piece of colored thread. Place the thread under the dough, bringing both ends to the top and crossing the threads. Pull the thread through the dough. I cut the rolls about one inch thick; for bigger rolls, cut them thicker. Place on a greased cookie sheet, allowing space for them to rise. Cover and allow to rise for 2 to 4 hours, depending on dough temperature.

Bake: 
Both the crescent and cinnamon rolls bake a 350 F for 8-10 minutes. After removing from the oven brush the tops of the crescent rolls with melted butter and top cinnamon rolls with glaze.

Glaze: 
Depending on how much glaze you like, you will mix one part of butter to two parts of cream. For one whole recipe of cinnamon roll, I use a half cup of cream to ¼ cup butter. Heat together until butter is melted. Add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla and about 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar to get the consistency you desire.

Yield~ 32 cinnamon roles or 48 dinner roles

–Melanie

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

I like to look at cooking blogs and found this gem on thesisterscafe.com.  A few years ago my sister Meri found a place called The Raspberry Patch in Payson where you can go and pick raspberries and then pay only $2.50/pound!  So basically when I saw this recipe I vowed to go picking this summer and make it.  My friend Aura Maria and I went picking and I got about a pound.  I think we went a little too early in the season, but they were still delicious, just a little harder to find in the bushes.  I had forgotten that although the raspberries are cheep, it takes work to pick them.  You have to push the bushes around, bend over, and reach deep in the bush catching scratches on your hands and arms.  Anyway, enough about the picking, these scones are the best I've had.  Most baked scones are pretty dry but these are quite moist.  This was my first time making scones and my only complaint is that they didn't brown on the tops.  Next time I might but an egg wash on top to brown them without over cooking them.

INGREDIENTS
1 stick cold butter
1 1/2 c fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 c milk
1/2 c sour cream
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c white chocolate chips
1 Tbsp butter, melted
sugar to sprinkle on top

DIRECTIONS
Mix milk and sour cream in a medium bowl and refrigerate.  In another medium bowl mix flour, 1/2 c sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Dice butter and cut into flour mixture with a pastry blender or fork until it is the size of small peas.  Remove milk mixture from fridge and add to flour mixture folding with a spatula until just combined.

Flour counter and empty dough out.  Sprinkle dough and hands with flour and knead 6-8 times adding flour as needed.  Roll dough into a 12x12 inch square.  Fold dough into thirds like a letter and then roll into a 12x12 square again (flour surface as needed).  Sprinkle dough with raspberries and white chocolate.  Roll dough into a tight log.  Lay seam-side down and press into a 12x4 inch rectangle.  With a sharp floured knife, cut log into four equal squares and then cut each square diagonally to make 2 triangles.  Transfer to a baking sheet and brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 18-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown.  Transfer to a rack to let cool.

(prebaked)

–Melanie

Glazed Poppy Seed Bread

I do NOT like lemon desserts or pastries and unfortunately many bakeries ruin poppy seed for me by making it lemon poppy seed.  Eww!  This poppy seed bread has a glaze, is super moist, and contains no lemon making it AMAZING.  I don't know if it should really be called 'bread' with all the sugar though.  The original recipe has more oil and white flour but this time I replaced half the oil with reduced fat sour cream and used whole wheat for 1/3 of the flour.  I took this to a BBQ and no one thought for a second that it was "healthified".  I might try substituting more sour cream and whole wheat flour next time.

INGREDIENTS
Bread:
3 eggs
2 1/3 c sugar
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 c oil
1/2 c reduced fat sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp butter flavoring
1 1/2 tsp almond flavoring
2 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp poppy seed

Glaze:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp butter flavoring
1/2 tsp almond flavoring
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c orange juice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease 2 loaf pans or one bundt pan with shortening and then coat with flour.  In a large bowl mix eggs, sugar, milk, sour cream, and oil.  Add vanilla, butter, and almond flavorings.  Add flour, salt, and baking powder and mix.  Finally, mix in poppy seeds and then pour into pan(s).  Bake for about 1 hour and let stand 3 minutes before removing from pans.  While bread is baking make glaze by mixing together all glaze ingredients.  Pour glaze over warm bread after removing from pan(s).  Let it cool completely before slicing.  Enjoy!

–Melanie

Whole Wheat Bread

I have been attempting to make wheat bread for the past couple months. I absolutely love Great Harvest's Honey Whole Wheat Bread. Unfortunately, there is no Great Harvest where I live. I grind my own red wheat flour. I think the bread rises better with fresh ground wheat because the wheat is warm from the grinder. (If you grind your own wheat you should store wheat flour in the freezer to prevent it from going rancid). I use some white flour because when I have used all wheat, the bread has been too dense. Also, fresh ground wheat is very high in fiber so you may want to ease  into 100% whole wheat. This recipe is a mixture of a lot of other recipes but I think I finally got it right! This recipe makes 2 loaves.

Ingredients
2 T. yeast
2/3 c. honey
2 2/3 c. warm water
1 T. salt
2 T. olive oil
5 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. white flour

Instructions
Mix yeast, honey, and water and let it sit about 5 minutes so that the yeast can foam. Then add salt, oil, and all of the flour. I use a Kitchenaid mixer. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. Let the mixer continue to mix about 5 minutes. Dough should be sticky and barely pull away from the sides. (You may need to add more flour depending on your climate). Once the dough has been thoroughly mixed or kneaded. Let the dough sit in the bowl and rise for 15 minutes. Oil up your hands and punch the dough down to get out all the air bubbles. Then form the dough into two loaves. You can flour or oil a counter and cut the dough in two. I don't want to dirty the cupboard so I divide it in the bowl and then form it into a loaf in my hand. Place each half into a greased bread pan. Let the bread rise for about 30-45 minutes. This changes depending on the heat in your home. I wait until it is the desired height above the bread pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a pan or oven safe bowl with water during the preheat. This creates humidity in the oven which is said to help your bread turn out better. Remove the bowl just before baking and place bread in oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Banana Bread

When I was little my mom used to make banana bread often. You can also use the batter to make muffins which is more kid friendly. I changed the recipe a little by adding fresh ground wheat flour. You can use all white flour but I like the dense texture that the wheat flour adds to the bread. Anytime I have made this for others they always remark that it is the best banana bread they have ever tasted. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. white flour
1 2/3 c. granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/14 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. buttermilk (or mix 2/3 c. milk with 4 tsp. lemon juice and let sit)
2/3 c. oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. mashed bananas (about 2-3 bananas)
walnuts (optional)

Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla, and bananas. Mix with a wire wisp. Pour batter into two cake pans. Sprinkle top with walnuts. If you mix the walnuts into the batter they often sink to the bottom. If you set them on top they sink about half way down.
bake for 350 for 50-60 minutes.

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

This is like corn bread but no extra butter or honey is needed on top because it is built in making it so moist and sweet.  Nick and I loved it!  I found this recipe on ourbestbites.com but I ran out of butter so I substituted half with sour cream.  It also called for masa harina (a Mexican flour) but I didn't have that on hand so I just used regular white flour.  It is still very moist and is lower in fat!  Here is my altered recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1/4 c butter (1/2 stick), softened

1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c water

1/3 c flour

1/4 c corn meal

1/3 c sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp milk

1 1/2 c frozen corn

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Place corn in food processor or blender and pulse until roughly broken up.  In a medium bowl mix butter, flour, and water with a hand mixer until creamy.  Mix in corn meal, sugar, salt, and baking soda.  Add broken corn and milk and gently mix with wooden spoon or spatula.  Place mixture in a 8x8 or 9x9 ungreased pan.  Cover with foil and place it in a 9x13 pan.  Pour water in the 9x13 pan until it come up about an inch.  Place in oven and cook for 55 minutes.  Remove from oven, uncover, and let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Scoop on to plate using a spoon.

pan of corn bread nesting in pan filled with water

–Melanie

Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread

This is a copycat recipe that tastes pretty close to the real thing.

INGREDIENTS

2 pkg dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water

1 Tbsp sugar

1 c. warm water

1/2 c. dark molasses

1 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp oil

2 c. rye flour (I used whole wheat)

2 1/2 -3 c all-purpose four

1/4 c. cornmeal

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix yeast and 1/2 c warm water in a bowl.  Stir in sugar and let stand for 6 minutes until bubbly.  In a large mixing bowl combine yeast mixture, 1 c warm water, molasses, salt, oil, and rye (or wheat flour).  Mix until smooth.  Add all-purpose flour and mix until smooth and no longer sticky.  Kneed dough a few minutes.  Place dough in a greased bowl to let rise until double in size.  Punch down dough and divide into 4-5 loaves.  Place loaves on greased and cornmeal dusted cookie sheet.  Sprinkle oats or cornmeal on top.  Let loaves rise until double in bulk.  Bake loaves for 20-25 minutes or until crust sounds hollow when tapped.

(Meatloaf, cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, and bushman bread.)

–Melanie

Cranberry Coffee Cake

My mom got this recipe from her hair dresser but she of course made some of her own adjustments for improvement and it is awesome!

INGREDIENTS

2 c. fresh cranberries
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 c. sugar
grated orange peel from one orange
2 eggs (well beaten)
1 1/2 sticks melted butter (lower fat option: 1/2 stick + 1/2 c sour cream)
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease round cake pan and put a circle of waxed paper in the bottom and grease that as well.  Put cranberries in pan and sprinkle with nuts, sugar and grated orange peel.  In a mixing bowl combine eggs, butter, sugar, and flour.  Pour mixture over cranberries.  Bake 35-40 minutes.  Remove cake from pan immediately onto a plate (inverted so cranberries are now on top).  If topping sticks to the pan just spread over the top of the cake.
–Melanie

Dinner Rolls and Cinnamon Rolls

Lately (as in this week) I have been into making new recipes, especially from http://www.ourbestbites.com and http://www.melskitchencafe.com.  The roll recipe is from ourbest bites and I got the butter cream glaze recipe from melskitchen cafe.  The rolls were originally made in a machine but I just did it by hand so that is how I wrote my directions.  For 3 of the cups of flour I used whole wheat flour so these are about 40% whole wheat!  These rolls are very light and fluffy.  So good!

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

2c. whole milk

1/2 c. + 1 Tbsp sugar, divided

1/3c. (5 1/3 Tbsp butter)

2 tsp kosher salt

2 pkgs active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp)

2/3 c. warm water (105-155 degree)

8-9 c. all-purpose flour

3 beaten eggs

Cinnamon Rolls:

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

melted butter

Glaze:

1/4 c. softened butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

dash of salt

dash of cream of tarter

3/4 lb powdered sugar

Milk or cream

DIRECTIONS

Combine milk, 1/2 c. sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan and heat over medium intil butter melts

Remove from heal and allow to cool to lukewarm.  Meanwhile, in a seperate bowl dissolve yest and 1 Tbsp sugar in warm water.  Let stand 10 minutes, until bubbled (if it doesn't bubble you killed the yeast with too hot of water of your water wasn't hot enough- you will need to redo this part)

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 c. flour (use wheat flour here if making half wheat) and milk mixture.  Beat until mixed.  Add yeast mixture and beat for 3 minutes.  Add beaten eggs.  Stir in remaining flour as needed to make soft dough (it will still be a little sticky).  Put bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel.  Let rise for 1 hour.  Punch down dough.  Lightly flour work surface and turn out half of the dough onto the surface.  

Spray a 9x13 and a 9x9 glass pan.  Roll dough into a rectangle and cut into 21 equal-sized pieces (a pizza cutters works really nice to cut the pieces).  Roll each piece into a ball and place in pan.   Cover with a clean cloth and put in a warm area allow rolls to rise for 30-60 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees 15 minutes before the rolls are done rising.  Bake for 12-15 minutes (depends on your oven) until golden-brown.  When done, remove from the oven and brush tops with butter.  

With the other half of the dough empty onto floured surface and roll into a rectangle.  Brush dough with melted butter leaving a 1/2 inch border unbuttered.  In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and then sprinkle over the buttered area of dough.  Starting at the long edge, roll up the dough.  With a dark colored string cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. (technique: Make impressions on top of dough with string to mark where you will cut each roll.  Scoot string under the dough to your first mark.  Pick up the end of string on the right with your left and and the end of string on the left with your right hand so that the sting is crossed.  Pull each end of string so that it cuts the dough.)  Evenly place rolls on greased jelly roll pan.  Bake at 375 degree for 10-14 minutes or until tops are lightly brown and dough does not sink when you lightly press on the middle of the roll (many people cook their cinnamon rolls too long- don't be one of those people).  

While cinnamon rolls are cooking make the glaze.  Mix butter, vanilla, salt, cream of tarter, and sugar together, adding cream a little at a time to reach desired consistency.  Ice rolls once you pull them out of the oven.

–Melanie

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits (Red Lobster Biscuits)

I saw these on pinterest and have been planning to make them for a few days but while preparing to make them I realized I didn't have bisquick like the original recipe called for so I made my own and the buiscuits turned out delicious!

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 c flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 stick butter
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 c milk

Brush on Top:
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and garlic powder.  Cut in butter.  Mix in cheese and milk (dough will by dry).  Scoop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

Combine butter, parsley flakes, garlic powder, and salt and brush on top of biscuits after taking them out of the oven.

–Melanie

30 Minute Dinner rolls

I wanted to make some rolls pretty fast tonight so I found a recipe on thesisterscafe.com that only takes 30 minutes and combined it with another recipe from their website.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/8 c + 2 tsp warm water

1/3 c oil

2 Tbsp yeast

1/4 c sugar or honey

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

3 1/2 c flour (I used 2c white and 1 1/2 wheat)

~2 Tbsp mayonnaise

~2 Tbsp melted butter

~1/2 c grate Parmesan cheese

garlic powder

dried parsley

DIRECTIONS

Mix the first 4 ingredients and let it rest for 15 minutes. Add salt and eggs. Gradually add the flour. Shape into rolls. Place mayonnaise, melted butter, and Parmesan cheese into 3 separate bowls. Dip one end of the roll into mayonnaise, then melted butter, and then Parmesan cheese. Place on cookie sheet and sprinkle with garlic powder and dried parsley. Let rest for 10 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown.

–Melanie

Pita Bread

I love chicken salad and I like to eat it in pita bread but I haven't been able to find good pita bread at the store so I decided to make my own.

INGREDIENTS

1 c warm water

1 Tbsp oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

3 c flour (1 c wheat, 2 c all-purpose)

1 1/2 tsp dry yeast

DIRECTIONS

Combine first 4 ingredients. Add 1 cup of flour with yeast and mix. Add remaining flour and knead to make a soft dough.

Put dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until almost double (about an hour).

punch dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Using a knife, cut dough into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Roll each ball into a 6-7 inch circle.

Set rolled rounds on a lightly floured counter or pan and cover loosely with a towel. Let rise for 25-35 minutes until sightly puffy. (they will still be thin)

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 500. Place 3 rounds on stone and bake for 2minutes. Flip round and cook for 2 minutes until puffy and just slightly browned.

After removing from the oven immediately wrap pita breads in a damp towel to soften. Continue baking the remaining bread and layering them between the damp towels.

–Melanie