Hot Cocoa

Wow! After an afternoon in the cold hanging Christmas lights, this hot cocoa was just what the Dr. ordered!
Delicious!

Ingredients
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup white sugar
4 cups milk


Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine the cocoa powder and sugar. Add 1 cup of milk and heat over medium heat. Stirring constantly, slowly add remaining milk. Continue to heat until desired temperature is obtained. Do not allow to boil.

Quick and Easy Brownies

Super yummy served warm under a few scoops of ice cream or served solo! Recipe found on Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup walnut halves

Directions

1. Melt the butter or margarine and mix all ingredients in the order given.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan.

Pierogies

Wow! These were so awesome! We added some cheddar cheese to the insides of some and onion flakes to the others. 
This recipe comes from allrecipes.com.
Yields 48 pierogies

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups cold mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 large onions, chopped

Directions

1. Place the sour cream in a large bowl, and mix in flour to make a dough. Roll the dough out on a floured surface about 1/16 inch thick, and cut rounds about 3 1/2 inches across using a cookie cutter or a glass. Re-roll the unused dough to make more rounds, up to 4 times -- after that, it gets hard to work with.
2. Place about 1 teaspoon of mashed potatoes in the center of each dough round, fold over into a half-moon shape, and press and seal the edges with a fork. Set the filled pierogies aside under a towel to prevent drying.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onions until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the cooked onions and set aside, leaving butter in the skillet.
4. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and carefully drop a few filled pierogies at a time into the boiling water. After they float to the surface, allow them to gently boil for about 4 minutes.
5. Re-heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Gently scoop the pierogies out of the water (they break easily) and place them in the skillet to brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Place the fried pierogies on a buttered baking sheet, sprinkle them with the cooked onions, and keep warm in the oven on low setting until served.

Honey-Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry

We found this one in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Quite tasty and healthy! :)


Ingredients
12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons vinegar
2 Tablespoons orange juice
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
4 cups cut-up vegetables (broccoli, bell pepper, onion, and/or mushrooms)
2 cups hot cooked rice

Directions
1. Cut chicken into bite-size strips; set aside. For sauce, in a small bowl stir together honey, vinegar, orange juice, soy sauce, and corn starch; set aside.

2. Pour oil into a work or large skillet. (If necessary, add more oil during cooking.) Heat over medium high heat. Add vegetables to wok; cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from work. Add chicken cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Push chicken from the center of the wok. Stir sauce; add to center of the wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

3. Return cooked vegetables to wok. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through. Serve over rice.

Zucchini Bread

The day before my birthday party, Matt and I were cooking up a storm. The recipe we were least excited about that night was this Zucchini Bread. It wasn't until we tried it a day later that Matt fell in love with this one and we have made 2 more loaves since. This recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In another medium bowl combine egg, sugar, zucchini, and oil. Add zucchini mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy) Fold in the nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Delightful recipe we found on Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 3Tablespoons of pancake syrup
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then frost the top of the cookies with a knife.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 3 tablespoons of pancake syrup, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Best French Bread

Found this recipe online.....

It is FANTASTIC!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups Water
3 cups Bread (not all-purpose) flour
2 Tbsp Gluten flour
1 1/2 tsp Salt*
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Bread yeast

Corn meal
Cooking oil

* salt is recommended but is optional for those on low-salt diets


DIRECTIONS:

This recipe calls for 3 risings and takes about 3 hours total to complete. If two loaves is too much to use in 24 hours, you can cover the dough and refrigerate half after the first rise.

The dough holds well for up to 12 hours, though it will take about one hour to bring it and the pan back to room temperature before the second rise.

1. Put yeast in 110o (43o C) water for 8 minutes. (Tap water that is hot to the touch – but not scalding – works well). Mix well.

2. Mix gluten flour, sugar and salt, setting it aside until yeast preparation time is done.

3. Add bread flour and gluten flour/sugar/salt mixture to bowl.

4. For the bread machine, mix using the ‘Dough’ setting on bread machine. Scrape down the bowl, if portions of the flour doesn’t absorb. If your flour mixture is having trouble picking up all of the dry ingredients, add 1 Tbsp water.

5. For a stand mixer, mix on lowest until all dry material is blended. You may find yourself scraping down the bowl to get everything mixed. If your flour mixture is having trouble picking up all of the dry ingredients, add 1 Tbsp water. After blending, raise your Kitchen Aid to setting #2 and mix for an additional 7 minutes.

6. Let dough rest for five minutes.

7. Flour a cutting board with 1 Tbsp flour – and 1 Tbsp standby, as the dough will be tacky.

8. First, flour your hands to ease handling of the sticky dough. Then pull the dough out of the bowl and onto the cutting board for hand kneading – it should be folded over 75 times to stretch the glutens and cool the dough. If you tire during the process, walk away for five minutes, then return to resume the kneading.

9. Place in rising pan, cover with plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap) for first rise. Allow to double in size – 30 to 40 minutes should be enough but judge by the size of the rise.

10. Prepare your bread pan with a very light oil and powder lightly with corn meal. Spraying the pan with a cooking oil like Pam works well. Set aside on your cooling rack.

11. Remove from dough onto a re-floured cutting board and deflate. Fold it over three or four times until there is strong cohesiveness to the dough. Allow to rise a second time, until it is 2-3 times its original size. This second rise should be about 60 to 75 minutes.

12. Heat oven to 450o (232o C) at least 30 minutes before planning to bake (especially if you have a baking stone, which is recommended).

13. Remove and cut dough into two pieces upon completion of the second rise. Each should be folded lengthwise 3 times, sealed with your finger tips, and rolled out into 2” diameter loaves. Place into bread pans.

14. Give bread a final rise of one hour. Before placing into the oven, slash the top with a single-edge razor blade (a utility knife with a fresh blade is another option).

Toss 1/2 cup (125 ml) water into hot oven as the bread pan and dough goes in. The steam helps form the outer crust of the bread.

Bake bread for seven minutes – then crack oven door to let out steam and heat -- and reduce temperature to 400 o (205o C) for about another five minutes. Remove to cooling rack.

ENJOY!

http://knol.google.com/k/andrew-czernek/baking-french-bread/o4q327ykmzte/12#

Peanut Butter Jelly Time Cookies

A favorite to make with a certain pretty girl! These are also a favorite for a gluten free diet.. Yum! (from the South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook)

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup granular Sugar Substitute
1 Large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Cup creamy trans-fat-free peanut butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 Cup sugar-free jam, any flavor

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix sugar substitute, egg, and vanilla with an electric mixer set on low for 3 minutes. Add peanut butter and baking soda. Mix on medium until dough comes together, about 30 seconds.

3. Form dough into 24 (2-teaspoon) balls and place on baking sheet 1 inch apart. Gently press your thumb into the center of each to make an indentation. Fill each indentation with 1/2 teaspoon jam.

4. Bake until Lightly browned on the bottom, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Split Pea Soup

This tasty soup hits the spot on a brisk autumn evening! (Recipe found on Cooks.com)

Ingredients:
2 Ham Hocks
1 lb. Dry Split peas
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Quarts water
2 Bay leaves
1 lb baby carrots
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup light cream or milk

Directions:
1. Empty package of split peas into a colander. Sort through well, removing foreign matter and imperfect peas. Rinse well. Soak for 2 hours in 2 cups of water.

2. In a large soup pot, saute minced garlic in 1 Tablespoon of Butter and 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil until golden brown. Do not allow to brown completely. Add Ham hocks, water the peas have been soaking in plus 2 extra quarts of water, and bay leaves.

3. Bring to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour. Remove cover and simmer an additional hour or until soup is desired consistency. (If you prefer, a pureed soup, process using a hand blender) Add baby carrots during final 20-30 minutes of cooking.

4. Taste soup one half hour before serving. Add additional garlic or garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in milk or cream 10 minutes before serving. Add any leftover ham at this time. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Rosemary Bread

This was a delicious compliment to my mother-in-law's lasagna! (Found on allrecipes.com entitled, "Jo's Rosemary Bread"

Ingredients:
1 Cup water
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon dried rosemary (we used fresh dried rosemary from our backyard)
2 1/2 cups bread flour (we used all purpose flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Direct liquid ingredients in the pan of a bread machine. Add dry ingredients (except yeast). Using your finger, create a well in the flour where you will pour the yeast. Yeast must never come into contact with a liquid when you are adding ingredients. Measure the yeast and carefully pour into the well. Select the Basic or white bread setting and select start.

ENJOY!