For the Kids

I have this bread recipe - it is super easy and takes only a very few ingredients. It isn't the tastiest bread - but it is very malleable. We love to make Teddy Bear Bread with it. I was making it this morning to send teddy bear sandwiches with the kids tomorrow and had a little help from my friend Logan (who honestly looks like a real life cabbage patch kid). She ended up eating several noses off of the ones she was taking home to share with Mommy and Daddy - oh well. I made this for Preschool when we talked about "B", too - can't beat "B"ear "B"read.

• 2 cups warm water (or 1 1/2 cup warm milk, 1/2 cup warm water



• 1 T active dry yeast



• 1 T sugar



• 5 1/2 to 6 cups flour



• 2 tsp salt

Add the yeast to the water (or water and milk combination). Add sugar and let bubble.
Measure 2 cups of the flour into the bowl. Stir in salt, then add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time.
Place the ball in a ball greased with vegetable oil and turn to coat.
Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a draft-free area for 1 to 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Make the bears and let them rise again for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven 400 degrees and bake the bread for 20 minutes.

Easy, easy, easy!

These are two of the easiest recipes ever. You literally just stir all the ingredients together and then put them in the oven. I was just going to put in the dessert, but didn't want you to think that's all we eat at my house...

No-Boiling Baked Ziti

▪ 1 jar (26 oz) Ragu

▪ 1 1/2 cup water

▪ 1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese

▪ 2 cups (8 oz) shredded Mozzarella cheese

▪ 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

▪ 8 oz uncooked ziti pasta

1. Preheat oven to 400

2 Combine sauce, water, 1 cup mozzarella, cheeses, uncooked pasta and spread in 13x9 pan.

3. Cover with foil and bake 55 minutes.

4. Remove foil and sprinkle with rest of mozzarella and bake 5 more minutes, uncovered.

5. Let cool for ten minutes before cutting. (It turns out a lot like a meatless lasagna. Soo good.)

Crantastic Nut Dessert

▪ 1 cup all-purpose flour

▪ 1 cup sugar

▪ 1/4 teaspoon salt

▪ 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

▪ 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

▪ 1/2 cup butter, melted

▪ 2 eggs, beaten

▪ 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

▪ Whipped cream or ice cream, optional

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add cranberries and nuts; toss to coat. Stir in the butter, eggs and extract (mixture will be very thick if using frozen berries). Spread into a greased 9-in. pie plate.
Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Bizzie's Blueberry Muffins

I've been taking pictures of yummy recipes as I make them, and am just getting around to putting them on here. This one is from Bizzie's "Tried and True" cookbook.

2 cups flour

1 T. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 1/4 cups sour cream

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

Adjust over rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 F. Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. 

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk the egg in a second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogenous, about 30 seconds; add the melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add the sour cream in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.

Add the frozen berries to the dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine. Add the sour cream mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together and the berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds. (Small spots of flour may remain and batter will be thick. Do not over mix.)

Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop the batter into the greased muffin tins. Bake until light golden brown and a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean--25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time. Invert the muffins onto a wire rack, stand the muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes. Serve as is or use one of the toppings.

Toppings:

Cinnamon-sugar:

While the muffins are cooling, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl and melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. After the baken muffins have cooled 5 minutes, and working one at a time, dip top of each muffin in melted butter and then cinnamon-sugar. Set the muffins upright on a wire rack; serve.

Ginger- or Lemon-glaze:

While the muffins are baking, mix 1 t. grated fresh ginger or grated lemon zest and 1/2 up sugar in a small bowl. Bring 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat; simmer until the mixture is thick and syrupy and reduced to about 4 T. After the baked muffins have cooled 5 minutes, brush the tops with glaze, then, working one at a time, dip the tops in lemon sugar or ginger sugar. Set the muffins upright on a wire rack; serve.

Breaksticks

1 1/2 cups warm water, with 1 T. yeast dissolved.

2 T. sugar

1/2 T. salt

2 T margarine

Add 3 + cups flour. When it is stirred well, knead dough for 3 minutes, adding flour if it gets too sticky. Let rise for 10 minutes.

Melt 1/2 cup margarine (I've tried using real butter, but prefer margarine for this) on cookie sheet. Roll our dough to about 1/2-1" thick. Cut into strips. Put on cookie sheet, then flip so both sides have margarine. Sprinkle with garlic powder, italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Let rise for at least another 10 minutes.

Put in oven at 375 F. for about 20 minutes, or until parmesan cheese turns light brown.

Blonde Brownies

2 eggs

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 box yellow cake mix

1 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips

1 (12 oz) bag milk chocolate chips

Combine all the ingredients. Push into a 9/13 pan. Bake at 350 F. for about 25 minutes or until light brown.

Cocoa Kiss Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 cup finely chopped pecans (I left these out because Nate doesn't like nuts)

1 bag hershey's kisses chocolates

powdered sugar

In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Stir together flour and cocoa; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Add pecans; beat until well blended. Refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Heat oven to 375 F. Remove wrappers from kisses. Mold scant tablespoon of dough around each chocolate piece, covering completely. Shape into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool slightly, about 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Roll in powdered sugar. Roll in sugar again just before serving, if desired.

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies. (I didn't make this many--I must have used too much dough around the kisses, but I didn't mind, because they were still very tasty...)

Scott's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

▪ 3/4 cup shortening
▪ 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
▪ 2 Tbsp milk
▪ 1 Tbsp vanilla
▪ 1 egg
▪ 2 1/2 cups flour
▪ 1 tsp salt
▪ 3/4 tsp baking soda
▪ 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
▪ 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

Heat oven to 375°. Combine shortening, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixture until well blended. Beat egg into creamed mixture. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix into creamed mixture just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecan pieces. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

I was honestly going to post this anyway, Hailey - since I finally remembered to take a picture of food! We made these yesterday. Whenever we make them, the recipe is requested.... I think they are the best I've ever had - it might be the tablespoon of vanilla.