Saturday, December 28, 2019

Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks

DOUGH:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 cups flour, about 15-20 ounces (see note)

BUTTER AND TOPPING:
3 tablespoons butter, melted (for the baking sheet)
Dried herbs, garlic salt and grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or in a large bowl by hand), mix together the water, yeast, sugar, salt and one cup of the flour.
2. Continue adding the flour until the dough just clears the sides of the bowl; knead for about three minutes. It should be soft and slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers.
3. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.
4. While the dough rests, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the melted butter onto large, rimmed baking sheet (about 11X17-inches).
5. On a lightly greased countertop, pat the dough into a long rectangle, about 16-inches by 7-inches or so. Cut the dough every 1-inch (more or less) into strips with a pizza cutter.
6. Twist each strip slightly and place about 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with dried herbs of choice, garlic salt and Parmesan cheese.
7. Let rise for 20 minutes (you can cover with greased plastic wrap, if desired, I usually go without). Bake for 15 minutes until golden.

from https://www.melskitchencafe.com/divine-breadsticks-2/

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

No Bake Cookies

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter or margarine
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 cups of granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
  • 3 cups (often I do 3.5 cups) oatmeal (quick oats work better than regular oats)
  • (optional) between 1/2 and 1 cup of peanut butter can be added while mixture boils
  • if you use unsalted butter, add some salt (maybe 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon salt)

Directions:
Add the butter, milk, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla to a pot. Mix and place on stove on medium heat, stirring occasionally. At first sign of boiling, set a timer and allow the mixture to boil for 4 minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat and add the oatmeal to the pot. Stir well and then spoon it onto a greased cookie sheet into the desired size of cookie you like. Allow to cool and dry for 10 or 15 minutes.

Friday, May 31, 2019

White Sauce / Creamy Sauce for Pasta

Heather often simply calls this "white sauce". We often have this sauce over noodles and served with grilled chicken and vegetables.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup milk (or 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup chicken broth)
  • Spices (salt, pepper, garlic) to taste

Directions:
  • Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. 
  • Add flour and wisk together. 
  • Add liquid (milk and/or chicken broth) 
  • Cook over medium heat, stirring / wisking frequently until the sauce thickens (five minutes or so).

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Recipe By: Nancy
"These peanut butter bars taste just like peanut butter cups."
Printed From Allrecipes.com

Quick and Easy Foolproof Pizza Dough

For use in Pizza Pockets

INGREDIENTS
 1 cup warm water
 1 tablespoon honey
 1 tablespoon oil
 1 tablespoon instant yeast
 1 teaspoon salt
 2-3 cups flour (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the water, honey, oil, yeast and salt. Add the flour gradually until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The exact flour amount will vary so go by the touch and feel of the dough versus the exact cup measurements in the recipe. The dough should be soft and smooth (not leaving a residue on your fingers but not super stiff, either).

2. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes (more like 5-6 minutes if kneading by hand or if using whole wheat flour).

3. Let the dough rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Shape the dough into pizza(s), spread with sauce and toppings, and bake at 475 or 500 degrees on a preheated pizza stone or on a lightly greased baking sheet for 8-10 minutes (for an in-depth look at baking methods, here is a great tutorial).

NOTES
I almost always use 1/2 or up to 3/4 whole wheat flour with good results - I let it knead for a few minutes longer.

Also, this recipe doubles, triples and quadruples really well. If doubling, use double the amount for all the ingredients. For triple and quadruple batches, increase all the ingredients accordingly except the yeast - only use 2 tablespoons yeast for a tripled batch and 2 1/2 tablespoons yeast for a quadrupled batch. Keep an eye on the flour if increasing the recipe. You want a soft, smooth dough - not too sticky and definitely not overfloured.

YIELD:  1 LARGE OR 2 MEDIUM PIZZAS
PREP TIME:  10 MINUTES
COOK TIME:  10 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME:  20 MINUTES

From https://www.melskitchencafe.com/quick-and-easy-pizza-dough/

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Peanut Butter Corn Flake Cookies


Ingredients:    
  • 1 cup corn syrup
  • 1 cup granulated sugar      
  • 1 cup peanut butter            
  • 6 cups corn flakes

Mix the corn syrup, sugar, and peanut butter in a pot over medium low heat on the stove. When mixture comes to a boil, take off the stove and stir in the corn flakes.  Form it into cookies on a greased cookie sheet, or spread into a greased cake pan like rice crispy treats and let them cool off for about 5 or 10 minutes.