Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Cinnamon bread is a highly requested food at our house. Everyone loves it, and the kids like to help make it.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
1 loaf of bread dough
1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon

• Mix and knead the dough, let raise for an hour, and punch it down.
• Grease a rectangular bread pan with shortening.
• Spread the dough into a large rectangle, about 9x13 inches, on a lightly floured board.
• Sprinkle the dough with brown sugar and cinnamon.
• Starting on the short end of the rectangle, roll the dough into a log. Pinch the seam together. Fold the two ends under and pinch to stick those seams together as well.
• Place the dough in the pan, brush with oil or butter, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let raise for about an hour.
• Bake at 375* for 30-35 minutes.
• Remove from the pan, brush with oil or butter, and cool on a rack.

Potato Soup

Potato Soup with Baked Potato Toppings

The fall weather has put me in the mood for soup. Potato soup gets a 4 out of 6 "something good" rating. With the toppings, this soup tastes like a loaded baked potato in a cup. Yummy!

Potato Soup
1 lb of bacon, cut into pieces
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup flour
5 cups chicken broth
5 potatoes, peeled and diced
dash Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper (to taste)
Toppings: cheese, sour cream, chives

• Fry the bacon in a pot over medium heat until crispy.
• Remove the bacon and set aside.
• Drain off all but 2-3 Tablespoons of the bacon drippings.
• Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the broth slowly, stirring to avoid clumping.
• Add the potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Simmer until soup is thickened and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Serve with bacon, cheese, sour cream, and chives.

Notes: You could skip the bacon and use butter or oil, but bacon just makes it better.

Grape Bread

Bread that looks like a bunch of grapes

This bread doesn't taste like grapes--it just looks like a bunch of grapes. Grape bread gets a 6 for 6 "something good" rating. It's fun to pick the little grapes and eat them. I've made it a number of times, but it wasn't until today that I managed a picture before all the little hands started reaching for a snack.

Grape Bread
1 loaf of bread dough
Olive oil

• Mix and knead the dough, let it raise for 1 hour, and punch it down.
• Preheat the oven to 400*.
• Pinch off small pieces of bread and shape them into balls by pulling the dough down and pinching it on the bottom. You can add a rectangular piece for the vine if you want.
• As you make the balls, place them on a greased cookie sheet in a triangular pattern to look like a bunch of grapes. Add a few balls on top of the bunch to give more depth.
• Brush the bunch of grapes with oil.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops of the grapes are lightly browned.
• Remove grapes to a cooling rack and brush lightly with oil.
• Serve plain or with grape jelly.

Notes: I use my basic bread recipe for grape bread, but any recipe would work, even thawed frozen dough.

The little guy sneaking a grape

Quince Jam

Quinces

I'm writing while the jam is cooking, so I can't give a something good rating yet. Even if none of us like it, I wanted to post on it because I had never seen a quince until about a week ago when a friend gave me a bag of them. They look a little bit like a pear but shorter. When raw, quinces are very hard and tart, but they soften when cooked. They also are supposed to turn rosy colored when cooked (still waiting to find out if that will happen). Surprisingly, there are a lot of recipes out there using this unusual fruit. I decided to make jam with mine. My friendly fellow kitchen experimenting neighbor, Jen, also received the gift of quinces and also planned on making jam--great for me because she did hers first, so I was able to change my ratios based on how hers turned out. I looked at about five different recipes, and this is what I came up with.

Quince Jam
6 cups chopped quinces
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• Wash the quinces to remove any dirt and the fuzzy layer on the peel.
• Remove the cores, and chop into small pieces (I used the food processor).
• Add the lemon juice as you go to prevent over browning.
• In a large pot, heat the water. 
• Add the chopped quinces, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon, and bring to a boil.
• Simmer until rosy and thickened (mine took over an hour and was sort of orange).
• Puree with a blender to smooth out any large pieces.
• Transfer jam into sterilized jars, wipe the rims, put on the lids and rings, water bath for 10 minutes.

Bread with Quince Jam

 The little guy and I like the quince jam. No one else would give it a try. The whole house smelled like potpourri while it was cooking. Definitely something interesting. :)

Sandwich Bread

White Sandwich Bread

My sandwich bread recipe is similar to my basic bread recipe, just a few minor changes. I like shortening or butter instead of the oil. Using a glass pan gives a softer crust. I also let it raise a little longer.

White Sandwich Bread
2 1/2 cups flour, divided
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter or shortening
7 oz. warm water

• In a medium bowl mix 2 cups of flour, yeast, salt, and sugar.
• Add the butter and water and stir for one minute.
• Stir in 1/2 cups flour or as much as needed form a ball of dough.
• Knead for 5 minutes using more flour to keep from sticking.
• Shape the dough into a ball and let it raise for 1 1/2 hours in an oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap.
• Punch down the dough and spread it into a rectangle about 9x13 inches.
• Starting on the short end of the rectangle, roll the dough into a log. Pinch the seam together. Fold the two ends under and pinch to stick those seams together as well.
• Place the dough log into a greased loaf pan seam side down, cover with plastic, and let raise for 1 hour or until the dough is over the top of the pan.
• Brush with oil and bake for 30-35 minutes at 375*. 
• Remove from the pan, brush with oil or melted butter, and cool on a rack.

Notes: If using salted butter, use a little less salt. You can knead by hand or use a stand mixer. If using a packet of yeast, double the recipe and use the whole packet.

Applesauce

Homemade Applesauce

Our neighbors generously let us pick the apples from the the trees in their backyard. This year was an excellent year for apples, so I made gallons of applesauce. I have used a Foley food mill for applesauce, but a couple years ago I switched to the food strainer attachment on my KitchenAid mixer. It makes quick work of the apples, pouring the sauce into a bowl and pushing the peels and cores out into the garbage, almost like magic. So, yes, this is my magical applesauce. The kids didn't always like homemade applesauce, but now they do. Some like a little raw sugar sprinkled on when serving. Others of us enjoy it straight up.

Applesauce
Apples
Water or apple juice

• Wash the apples.
• Chop the apples (peels, cores, and all) into pieces, removing any bad spots.
• Place chopped apples in a large thick bottomed pot.
• Add water or apple juice (about 2 cups per large pot of apples).
• Cook at medium high heat until the apples are soft, stirring occasionally.
• Process with a Foley food mill or KitchenAid mixer with food grinder/strainer attachment.
• Serve, freeze, or can.

Notes:  Check out www.pickyourown.org for really thorough, step-by-step instructions with great pictures. I use that website frequently for canning, freezing, making jam or salsa or just about anything to do with preserving produce.

Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes get a 3 out of 6 "something good" rating in our house. Matt likes them with maple syrup. The little guy likes them with ketchup. I like them with apple butter.This recipe is a combination my mom's recipe and a recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook.

Potato Pancakes
1/4 cup onion, chopped
4 potatoes, chopped
3 eggs
1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
dash of nutmeg
Vegetable oil

• Add the onion to your food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
• Add the potatoes and pulse until almost pureed (it really depends what kind of texture you like). 
• Transfer potatoes and onions to a medium bowl (I like to use my 4 cup measuring cup).
• Add eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix until combined.
• Heat a cast iron skillet or a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of oil.
• Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and flatten to make a pancake. Repeat to fill your pan (I can fit 3 pancakes comfortably in my cast iron skillet).
• Fry 1.5 to 2 minutes per side, until lightly browned and cooked through.
• Repeat with remaining batter. Be sure to stir the batter before scooping and add 1/2 Tablespoon of oil to your pan before each new batch of pancakes.
• Serve hot with maple syrup, apple butter, or ketchup.

Notes: If you don't have a food processor, you could use a blender or box grater.

White Cutout Cookies

Lego head cookies

White Cutouts

The recipe I use for white cutout cookies was given to my mom by a grade school friend's mom many years ago. The sour cream keeps them soft. So, not dairy-free, but very tasty.

White Cutouts
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups flour

• Cream the shortening and sugar.
• Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix well.
• Add baking soda and salt to the first cup of flour and mix with the other ingredients.
• Then gradually add the last four cups of flour.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• Roll out and bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes.

Notes: I usually use a powdered sugar, vanilla, and water frosting.

Directions for Lego cookies: To make the Lego heads, I used a round cookie cutter, then trimmed the curved edges of the cookies with a bench scraper to make the sides flat but the corners rounded. Next I added a little rectangle on top. After baking, I frosted with yellow, and piped on the black with a zip bag-- (just cut a tiny triangle off the corner of the zip bag to make it into a piping bag).

Click here for Gingerbread Cutouts.

Quesadillas

Ham and Cheddar Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a staple at our house. One of the best things about them is that they can be made to each person's specifications: plain cheese, cheese and ham, cheese and beans, cheese and steak, and, my personal favorite, the pizzadilla with mozzarella and pizza sauce.

Quesadillas
Olive oil
Tortillas
Cheese
Any other toppings you'd like to add

• Heat a teaspoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
• Add one tortilla to the pan.
• Sprinkle with cheese and other toppings.
• Top with another tortilla.
• Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until the outside is browned.
• Remove to a cutting board and slice into wedges.
• Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Notes: The amount of cheese depends on the size of the tortillas. More cheese is better, but too much cheese makes the whole thing goo all over the place.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Vodka and Vanilla Beans New Batch/Old Batch

Making your own vanilla extract is very easy and less expensive buying it at the store. It does have a waiting period of about 2 months for the flavor to develop, so make sure to plan ahead. The taste and smell are worth the wait.

For the best deal on vanilla beans, try ebay, although the prices on Amazon are pretty good too. There are many differences in opinion on the bean to alcohol ratio. I go with 3-4 beans per cup of alcohol. I use vodka, but rum, bourbon and brandy can be used as well.

Homemade Vanilla Extract
4 cups vodka
12 grade B vanilla beans

• Cut the vanilla beans in half crosswise and lengthwise.
• Place them in a quart jar.
• Fill the jar with vodka.
• Let the jar sit in a cool, dark place for about 2 months, shaking occasionally.
• After 2 months it's ready to use.
• Pour some of the vanilla into a separate jar to use.
• Then top off your quart jar with more vodka.

Notes: You can reuse the beans, but I only reuse them 2-3 times before starting fresh.

Baking Powder Biscuits

Heart Shaped Biscuits

Matt was making biscuits and gravy last weekend, and it put me the mood for more biscuits. We (and by we I really mean I) seem to have misplaced our biscuit cutters, thus the cookie cutter shapes. The kids liked the shapes better than circles anyway. My baking powder biscuit recipe is a cross between a few different recipes, including Betty Crocker, Mark Bittman, and my grandma.

Baking Powder Biscuits
2 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup shortening (butter is best)
1 cup milk

• Preheat your oven to 450*.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
• Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter or 2 knives.
• Stir in the milk and mix until a sticky dough forms.
• On a well floured board, knead the dough by folding it over on it self 10-12 times. (More flour and a bench scraper are helpful here.)
• Press the dough into a circle about 9 inches in diameter and 3/4 to 1 inch high.
• Cut into 2 1/2 inch circles or shapes. 
• Lightly press the scraps together into a flat circle and cut out a few more biscuits.
• Place biscuits 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 450* for 11 minutes.

Notes: Makes 14  2 1/2 inch hearts, plus a few odds and ends.

Refrigerator Pickles and Peppers

Refrigerator Pickles with Peppers and Onions

We love my mom's easy recipe for refrigerator pickles. I add a few more peppers and onions than she does, but it's pretty much the same as I remember growing up.

Refrigerator Pickles and Peppers
7 cups cucumbers, sliced
2 large peppers (red, green, banana, etc.), sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tablespoons salt
water
2 cups sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed

• In a large bowl, combine cucumbers, peppers, onion, and salt.
• Cover veggies with water and a lid or plastic wrap and store at room temperature (80 degrees) for 24 hours.
• Reserve about 2 cups of the salty cucumber water and transfer cucumbers, peppers, and onion into canning jars or a medium bowl.
• Mix together sugar, vinegar, celery seed, mustard seed, and 1 1/2 cups salty cucumber water.
• Pour the mixture over the cucumbers to cover. Add more salty water if necessary.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours up to one month.

Notes: A mandolin slicer makes quick work of slicing the veggies.

Hungry Caterpillar Bread and Fruit Kabobs

Inspired by Eric Carle

On Gabe's birthday, his class ate through one caterpillar and one stack of fruit kabobs. I've been wanting one of the kids to pick this birthday treat ever since they started school and I started baking lots of bread. Too fun!
When I make caterpillar bread I use my basic bread recipe, but you could use a different dough or probably even frozen dough.

Hungry Caterpillar Bread

• Let the dough rise for one hour, then punch it down.
• Divide the dough into 10-12 similar sized pieces.
• Roll the pieces into balls and set on your cutting board.
• Move the largest ball (this is the head) to one end of an oiled sheet pan.
• Press to flatten the remaining balls into disks.
• Place the disks in a row on the sheet pan next to the head (all the disks should be touching and standing upright).
• Use a kitchen shears to cut eyes and a mouth into the head.
• Brush the caterpillar with oil and bake for 25 minutes at 400'.
• Remove from the oven and brush with oil.
• To serve, pull off pieces like buns.

Hungry Caterpillar Fruit Kabobs
1 large Gala apple
2 green pears
3 black plums
12 strawberries
3 Clementine oranges
12 wooden skewers
1 can lemon lime soda

• Wash apples and pears, core, cut into chunks, and place in a bowl with the soda.
• Wash plums, remove the pit, and cut into chunks.
• Wash strawberries.
• Peel oranges and separate into quarters.
• On each skewer, place one chunk of apple, pear, plum, strawberry, and orange.

Notes: Cut off the ends of the skewers if you are worried the kids might poke themselves or each other.

Mojitos - Guest Blogger Matthew Weidner

Mojitos

Guest post by Matthew Weidner.

The drink that comes to my mind when I think of summer is the mojito. I have always been a fan of anything with lime in it, so when I first touched my lips on this drink in the Dominican I was instantly in love. This drink can easily be tailored to an individual's taste by adjusting the ingredients. I like it with a little extra rum.

Mojitos
10-12 Mint Leaves
1/2 Lime, Cut into 4 Wedges
1 oz Simple Syrup
1 1/2 oz Light Rum
Club Soda
12 oz Glass
Crushed Ice

Muddle the mint leaves and limes in the bottom of the glass, fill glass 1/2 full of crushed ice, add the simple syrup and rum, and then give the mixture a good stir. Add more crushed ice until the glass is about 3/4 full, top with club soda and give another stir. You want to avoid stirring too much or the mint will come to the top and you will be picking mint leaves out of your teeth as you drink it.

Pasta with Garden Vegetables

Fresh from the garden

Only the little guy and I like this one. There are too many veggies in too chunky of a form for everyone else, but it's sooooo good that I had to post it. :)

Pasta with Garden Vegetables
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups zucchini, chopped
2 gloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped
2 cups precooked pasta
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Parmesan cheese, shredded

• Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion and saute for 3 minutes.
• Add zucchini, oregano, salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes and pasta. Cook for 5-10 minutes until tomatoes are juiced out and soft.
• Stir in basil and parsley.
• Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Notes:  Play around with the amounts of veggies depending on what you have available. If you like it more saucy, add more tomatoes. If you have lots of zucchini to use, then add more zucchini.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cereal Bars

Rice Krispies Treats made even better with chocolate and peanut butter

Rice Krispies Treats are a well loved dessert at our house. The kids like when I add in extra goodies such as mini M&Ms or sprinkles. My favorite combo to add is chocolate and peanut butter. All six of us give this a something good rating.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cereal Bars
2 Tablespoons butter
10 oz. marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 cups cereal (Rice Krispies, Chex, Cheerios)
1 cups mini chocolate chips, divided

• Grease a 9x13 pan.
• Place butter and marshmallows in a large bowl and microwave for 90 seconds or until marshmallows are big and puffy.
• Stir in peanut butter until combined.
• Stir in cereal.
• Stir in 2/3 cup chocolate chips.
• Spread in the prepared pan.
• Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup chocolate chips.
• Put a little butter or oil on your hand and press down on the bars until you have an even layer.
• Let the bars cool and set before cutting.

Notes: Feel free to add more peanut butter and chocolate.

Hot Bacon Dressing

Lettuce and Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

This salad brings back memories of my grandma's garden. We got to help pick the leaf lettuce and spinach. Sometimes we'd eat it with supper at grandma's house, and sometimes she'd send a bag of greens home for our supper. Whether eaten at home or with grandma and grandpa, garden lettuce was always served with Hot Bacon Dressing. Each summer I look forward to my garden's fresh lettuce and spinach as a conveyance for the Hot Bacon Dressing and as a spark for those great memories. Three of us call this something good; the other three only eat the bacon.

Hot Bacon Dressing
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons dark corn syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
Leaf lettuce and spinach

• Heat a small pan over medium heat. Fry the bacon until cooked.
• Transfer bacon and grease to a small bowl.
• Add sugar, vinegar, and corn syrup. Whisk to combine.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve tossed with leaf lettuce and spinach.

Notes: This recipe makes about 1/4 cup of dressing, but it's easy to double or triple. Also, make sure to wash the greens really well--I wash them in a tub of water, fish them out, drain the water, and repeat two more times.

Dill Dip

Dill Dip with Veggies

This dill dip is very easy. You can tell it is a big hit when it's almost gone by the time I get out the camera to take a picture.

Dill Dip
1 cup sourcream
1/4 cup mayo
4 teaspoons dried dill weed
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

• Combine all ingredients. Serve with veggies.

Notes: Make the dip a couple hours ahead of time so the flavors have a chance to blend together.

Lime Sorbet - Guest Blogger Neighbor Jen

Lime Sorbet

Guest post by Neighbor Jen
I love to have Becky as a neighbor, we reap the "extra goodies" aka: leftovers. Trading food back and forth is always fun. I never know what my plate will have on it when it returns. I feel like my family has the better end of this arrangement, Becky is a wonderful and gracious cook.
When I brought over my lime sorbet, and she asked me to blog the recipe, well... I must have done something right!
So, here is my best efforts for you to recreate it. (I tend to use what I have in the house. For me, a recipe is only a loose guide.) The original recipe came from a friend who pulled it off allrecipies.com. (My print out is from 2009. The link is long lost on the website.) It is a lemon sorbet recipe. The store happen to have a great sale on lovely-looking limes. So...lime sorbet it was!

ORIGINAL RECIPE:
3 C. water
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 C. lemon juice
1 T. grated lemon peel

Bring water & sugar to a boil. Cook about 5 min. until sugar is dissolved. Cool.
Add lemon juice and peel. Pour into ice-cream maker & freeze. Let warm on counter about 10 min before serving.

MY VERSION:  my changes are in itlaics
3 C. water
1 1/2 C. sugar - sometimes I will have a steeped sugar around. (Lavender or vanilla infused) I like to use some of that. I like to use about 1/2 cup of the flavored sugar and a cup of regular sugar. For my recipe I used lavender sugar. Just stick a stick of cinnamon or used vanilla bean, or my garden lavender in a jar of sugar and leave it for a while. "Hello, yummy!"
1 1/2 C. lemon juice - Squeeze it fresh. Do not substitute!
1 T. grated lemon peel -always double this. This is where the flavor is. Go for the BIG flavor!
Fresh mint sprig
Vodka- or other alcohol  about 2 T.

Bring water & sugar to a boil. Cook about 5 min. until sugar is dissolved. Add the fresh mint sprig to this. Clap the mint in your hand or crush it first. (Just like you would crumple a used piece of paper.) Cool. Remove the mint.
Add lemon juice and peel. Add a dash of liquor to the mix. We happen to have a lime vodka, so I added that. Just a tablespoon or two. This will help it not to freeze quite solid. I'm sure some chemist can explain why this works scientifically but I'm not sure exactly. It has something to do with the formation of ice crystals. (There is not enough alcohol in the mix for me to worry about feeding it to my kids. They love this sorbet! It is the same as when you add vanilla to your cookies. Vanilla has a VERY high alcohol content.)
Pour into ice-cream maker & freeze. Umm...too putzy for me. Throw it into an 8x8 glass pan & freeze. Then just scrape the top with a fork or spoon before you dish it up.  Let warm on counter about 10 min before serving.

A little goes a long way. It has BIG flavor and everyone finds it refreshing on a hot day. It is also a great recipe that can impress even the toughest of critics. You could make it days or weeks ahead of time and have no prep for company. If you toss some fresh raspberries & an fresh mint sprig on top when serving you too can pull off the "Martha Stewart" look!

Stromboli

Stromboli with pepperoni and mozzarella

Stromboli is bread stuffed with Italian cheese, meat, and veggies. My favorite stromboli recipe comes from Emeril Lagasse. The kids prefer a much simpler version with just pepperoni and cheese. Often I'll make a plain one for the kids and add some peppers, olives, sausage, etc. to the one for the grown-ups. Here's my basic stromboli recipe. Add your favorite pizza toppings and call it something good.

Stromboli
1 loaf of pizza dough or bread dough
Pepperoni, thinly sliced
2 cups mozzarella or other cheese, shredded
Pizza sauce

• Let the dough raise until double, punch it down, and spread or roll it into a large rectangle on a floured board.
• Cover the dough with pepperoni, leaving an inch border around the outside of the dough.
• Add the cheese and any other toppings.
• Roll the dough into a long log.
• Pinch the seam and edges to seal (if it's not sealed up cheese will leak out).
• Transfer loaf to a greased baking sheet.
• Brush with oil and make 1/4 inch deep slices every 2 inches across the top of the loaf.
• Bake at 375* for 25 minutes until the top is browned.
• Remove from the oven, brush with oil, let stand for 10 minutes.
• Cut into slices and serve with pizza sauce.

Notes: Frozen bread dough or refrigerated pizza dough make this recipe even easier.