Rustic Bread Bowls

3 C Bread flour
1/4 tsp yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C warm water

Mix yeast and water together and let yeast bubble for one minute.  Add flour and then salt.  Mix together in mixer.  (If doing 24 hours in advance, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit).

After rest, remove dough from bowl and form into bowls (makes 2-3 bowls).  Place the dough seam side down in well floured soup bowls to keep the round shape, cover and let rest again for 1-2 hours.

Cook dough in a pan with a lid like corning ware seam side up for 30 minutes at 350 and then an additional 15 minutes with lid off.

Cheddar Corn Chowder

My dear friend Erica made this soup for me a month or so back and it was heavenly!  Though there was a lot of the soup my kids couldn't get enough of it and needless to say there were no leftovers.  It is a rich soup with so many flavors, I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

 

8 oz bacon, chopped

1/4 C olive oil  (yes I know this is bacon and it doesn't need extra grease, but this helps the bacon get very crisp and stay crisp in the soup, even the next day!)

In a large pot on medium-high heat, cook bacon and oil until the bacon is crispy; remove bacon and reserve for later.  Drain off excess oil and reduce the heat to medium and add:

2 C chopped yellow onions

4 Tbsp butter

Cook for 10 minutes until onions are translucent

Stir in:

1/2 C flour

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Cook for 3 minutes

Add

6 C Chicken Stock

4-6 C potatoes (diced)

Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender

Add

2 Cans Corn (drained)

2 C Half & Half

2 C shredded Cheddar Cheese

Cook 5 more minutes until the cheese is melted. Top with bacon.

*This recipe makes enough to serve 12 people

Fiddle Faddle Popcorn

My Aunt Linda does amazing things with Popcorn, I have shared some of her recipes here before, and this one is just like Fiddle Faddle popcorn you can buy in the store.  She is famous for bringing some of it to our Memorial Day gatherings.  It's definitely a family favorite and I hope it becomes the same for you and your family.

1 C. Un-popped Popcorn (air popped)

2 C. Butter

2 C. Sugar

1/2 C. light Karo Syrup

1/2 tsp. Salt

1.2 tsp. Soda

Mixbutter, sugar, Karo and salt in a large pan and boil for 5 minutes stirring frequently so as not to burn. Then remove from heat, and add Soda. Pour over popcorn once it has been popped in an air popper and mix well. Then spread out in a jelly roll pan and bake at 250 for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Turn out onto counter to cool once baking time is complete.  Store in an air tight container if you have any left overs.

Peggys Peanut Butter Bars

This recipe comes from some dear family friends growing up.  It's a hearty bar that tastes like a healty reeses peanut butter cup.  It is delicious!

3 C. Flour
3 C. Oatmeal
1 1/2 tsp. Soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cubes Margarine
1 C. peanut Butter
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
3 eggs
1 package milk chocolate chips

Cream butter and Sugar until smooth, add vanilla eggs and then peanut butter.  Add dry ingredients and mix them well.  Press into a jelly roll pan, bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Melt chocolate chips either in a double boiler or in the microwave in a bowl.  Once they are melted and smooth, spread over the top of the cooked bars.  Once cooled cut into bars and serve.

Crock Pot French Dips

I made these Yummy sandwiches last week for the first time. A recipe I got from a cousin. My family told me we could have them once a week if I would like. I guess you could call them a hit!

Put everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hrs.

1 roast

Beef broth (enough to cover about 1/2 to 3/4 of the beef)

1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup

2 pkg. McCormick Au Jus
(I did not have a package of lipton onion soup, so I minced one small onion and added 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder and 1 beef bullion cube)

After cooking shred the beef and strain the Au jus sauce. I broiled sub rolls, one side buttered the other topped with cheese open faced in the oven till the cheese was melted and bubbly. Add with the shredded meat, then pour a small bowl of the Au Jus sauce for each person to dip their sandwich in. Dip and Enjoy!

Coconut Curry Chicken

I made this the other night and it was heavenly, my family ate it up, which says a lot when my kids will eat something spicy like this.  It is a great go to curry recipe and fairly simple to make if you are a first time curry maker.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

 

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks or strips
1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2-3 Tbsp. curry powder
1-2 tsp. cayenne  (depending on how spicy you like it.)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 golden potatoes, cut into chunks
2-3 carrots peeled and sliced thickly
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons sugar
Jasmine rice (cooked)

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil, curry powder, and cayenne in a large skillet over medium-high heat for five minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 10 minutes more or until onions are very clear. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear. Add carrots and potatoes, then add coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped cilantro, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes or until sauce thickens. Serve with Jasmine rice and garnish with cilantro.

 adapted from FavFamilyRecipes

Cinnamon Caramel Apples

I tried several times to make Caramel Apples this year and either the caramel didn't set up enough or it got over cooked and hardened too much.  But after numerous attempts I finally got it right.  As I made the last batch of caramel I thought about how much I love apple cider.  I decided to add some cinnamon to the caramel to give it a yummy fall flavor with the apple, and it was heavenly!  I highly recommend trying it.   After having so much trouble with getting the recipe just right I learned a lesson about candy thermometers.  Always test your candy thermometer before each use by bringing water to a boil; the thermometer should read 212°. Adjust your recipe temperature up or down based on your test.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• Dash salt
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 to 12 Popsicle or Apple sticks
• 10 to 12 medium tart apples, washed and dried
• 1-2 tsp. cinnamon
• Toppings (Nuts, Chocolate, Crushed candy bars, coconut, cinnamon/sugar)

Directions

• Scrub all of your apples clean under hot water to get the waxy coating off of the apples so the caramel will stick to it.  Insert Popsicle/apple sticks into the apples and set them in the fridge to chill.  This will help the caramel to set up quickly once the apples are dipped so less caramel drips off onto the paper. *
• In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter; add the brown sugar, corn syrup cinnamon and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 248° (firm-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.  Pour mixture into a deep small bowl, to make dipping the apples easier.
•  Dip each apple into the hot caramel mixture; turn to coat. Place on parchment paper** until set or immediately roll in toppings.  Drizzle with melted Chocolate once the caramel has set slightly.
  

 Yield: 10-12 apples.

 

* There are all sorts of ideas out there for how to decorate/top your caramel apples.  You can melt some chocolate or white chocolate and drizzle it all over your apples.  You can dip the base of the apples in chopped nuts or candy.  The biggest thing to remember is to make sure everything is set up and ready before you start making the caramel.  Once your caramel is done you won't have time to set things up, you will need your apples all prepared and ready to go and the toppings ready to dipped in.

** Only use parchment paper, the caramel will stick to wax paper, and tin foil, but it won't stick to parchment paper.  Save yourself the time and worry of the caramel sticking to your paper.

adapted from Taste of Home.

Spanish Rice

My mom use to make this all the time growing up, and I guess I never realized how easy to make it was until I ran across this recipe.  This a great recipe, my mom use to make it in the oven or also in an electric frying pan.  So you can choose either way to cook yours. 

1/2 lb. bacon
1 chopped onion
1 small green pepper-chopped
2/3 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. tomato juice

Saute onion & pepper. Fry bacon & crumble. Put all ingredients in a 9x13 pan, cover and bake at 350 for 90 minutes. Stir occasionally.  Cook until rice is soft and cooked thru.

Special K Treats

This is another one of my mom's recipes from my childhood.  There is something about the recipes that you grow up.  I love that cooking for me is full of memories, there isn't a time I don't step into the kitchen and either make a memory with my kids, or am reminded of another time in life when I enjoyed a recipe that I'm making.   These are a quick and easy treat and a great go to recipe for those last minute parties or BBQ's when you need something to take.  I hope the become a staple in your family as they are in our family.

2 sticks margarine
1/4 c. brown sugar
3 cups mini marshmallows
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
6 c. Special K
1 c. cashews-chopped

in a large pan over medium heat melt the margarine, then add the marshmallows. Once the marshmallows are melted add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat and add vanilla, cereal & nuts. Press into a greased 9x13 pan, cool and cut into squares to serve.

Vegetable Dip

I can remember growing up and my mom always had veggies in the fridge after school and usually had some of this dip, it was good then, but I appreciate it much more now.  It's a thick and hearty dip that is easy to mix up in the blender.  It keeps in the fridge for quite awhile and would be fabulous for a party of any kind.  

1 pint mayonnaise
1 C. buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 Tbs vinegar)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp accent
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dill

Blend together in a blender.  Store in the fridge in an air tight container.   Makes 1 quart.