Homemade White Bread

Auntie's White Bread

4 cups lukewarm water

1/2 cup sugar

3 TBSP yeast

4 3/4 cups flour

2 TBSP salt

1 TBSP butter

5-5 1/2 cups flour

Mix the water and sugar together and then sprinkle on the yeast. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Add the first 4 3/4 cups of flour and the salt and mix thoroughly. Add in the butter and slowly add the flour until it no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for a couple of minutes and then leave to raise for 45 minutes. Punch down and then let raise again til double in size about 1 hour.

Punch down again and then divide the dough into 4 bread pans and let raise for 45 minutes or until double in size. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Omelet night

I always have those nights when I just have a craving for something besides pasta or rice. I just need to have that protein and usually I come up with Omelets. I don't usually make these for breakfast because I think it is just too much food for the morning when I am still trying to wake up my stomach. I DO think that this is the perfect dinner meal when you really don't want to cook too much and don't feel like having a super starchy meal.

To start my omelets I put 2-3 eggs (depending on the person eating it) into my magic bullet. This machine is so amazing and I really REALLY love it. I pretty much use it everyday, whether it be for a smoothie or just to help make scrambled eggs.

I put about 1/2 TBSP oil into the pan to get hot and then I add the egg. I make sure that the egg is spread out evenly in the pan so it will cook evenly and I don't get those really disgusting soggy spots. I usually let this cook 2-3 minutes so it isn't soggy in the middle. Then I add whatever I fancy.

My husband's Omelet-

My husband likes to keep things simple. He doesn't like to add fancy stuff. I used 3 eggs for his omelet because he works hard all day long and he needs the extra protein. In the middle I put cheese, bacon and cherry tomatoes (since I have a million in my garden). Then I garnished with a tomato on top.

My daughter's Omelet-

This 3 year old is really picky so I kept it super simple and just used 2 eggs and cheese and bacon. She loved it because I cut it up like pizza. She will eat anything in the shape of pizza.

My Omelet-

Unlike my husband I like to make things fancy so before I got to cooking all of the omelets I dices some onion, garlic and green peppers and sauteed them all together so they would be slightly cooked when I put them into my omelet. I used 2 eggs for my omelet because I am super picky about the texture of the omelet and I CAN NOT eat soggy omelets. In the middle I put the veggies that I had sauteed beforehand, cheese and bacon. I decided not to do tomatoes this time because I wanted to dip my omelet in my homemade salsa. I really enjoyed mine and the veggies just hit the spot. I also garnished with some green pepper to make it look pretty. Just something fancy.

I just love Omelet night.

Zucchini Bread

The baseball bats are taking over! I have to keep up with my zucchini somehow and I thought that I would shred a bunch of it and put it into my freezer. Then I decided to use some of the zucchini to make a treat for us and zucchini bread sounded perfect. I also needed to make something to take to my neighbor so I set out for the task.

Zucchini Bread

3 beaten eggs

1 cup oil

2 3/4 cup sugar

3 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon

2 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups flour

1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips

In your Kitchenaid mixer combine the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix all dry ingredients in a separate container and then add to the Kitchenaid mixer and mix well. Then add the zucchini again mixing thoroughly. Pour into 3 bread pans ( I did two last time and so my loaves were huge but I suggest using 3 instead. Sprinkle the nuts or the chocolate chips on just before you put it into the oven. Cook at 325 for 70 minutes.

This particular loaf turned out extremely moist. It was delectable and all of the chocolate chips sunk to the bottom to make for a surprise on the bottom. My husband really liked it and surprisingly so did my really picky 3 year old eater.

Happy Baking!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Do you have baseball bat zucchini and don't know what to do with them? I have the perfect sinful recipe for you to use up all that zucchini. Who doesn't like Chocolate cake? I LOVE it. I think this recipe really brings out the amazingness of zucchini! The cake turns out so moist and dense. If you peel the zucchini first, your family will never even notice!

1/4 margarine or butter

1/2 cup oil

1 3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vailla

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cup shredded zucchini

2 1/2 cups flour

4 TBSP cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

In your mixer, whether it be Kitchenaid or Bosch, cream the butter, oil and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time and make sure that the mixture is well blended. It should look nice and creamy. Add the buttermilk slowly to this mixture. Add the zucchini and the dry ingredients all at once and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased/sprayed with PAM 9/13 pan. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips(optional).

TAKING LEMONS AND MAKING LEMONADE-Salsa style

WHAT A WEEK! My garden is really producing so I am trying to keep up with it. I have been drying zucchini like a mad women and trying to save up my black berries so I can make jam. Unfortunately my puppy also really likes blackberries so I don't think I will win that battle. BUT the real kicker are the enormous amounts of tomatoes that I am getting this year!

I decided to buy my plants this year from a neighbor who had a green house in his back yard. I have heard so many good things about him, I was really excited to get my produce plants from him. I got zucchini, bell peppers, cucumbers (or so I thought) and tomatoes. I wanted to get a couple of varieties of tomatoes so I asked for 4 plants of cherry tomatoes, 4 plants of better boy tomatoes, and 4 plants of moscavich (sp) tomatoes. The Moscavich tomatoes are supposed to be an early producing tomato and the better boy were supposed to come in later. Unfortunately I didn't get what I ordered from him. I don't know if he just got them confused while they were in his green house or if he got the seeds mixed up, I am not sure, but I got grape tomatoes instead of better boys. I was not very happy at first when I found out because I had big plans for canning tomatoes this year but I have decided to "Take my lemons and turn them into LEMONADE".

I collected all of my small tomatoes and decided that I would try to make salsa out of them. I did have some big ones since I still have 3 big tomato plants but most of the 5 quarts were small tomatoes. I really didn't know what I was getting myself into when I started this project but maybe I can give you a glimpse into the tedious work involved in making salsa.

The first thing you have to do when canning tomatoes is you have to blanch them and peel off the skin. I don't know what you are picturing but right now I just see the nightmares that haunted me all night last night, PEELING 4 QUARTS OF CHERRY AND GRAPE TOMATOES!!!!! It was a tedious task for sure. I decided to blanch them all at once so I could just sit down and peel them. I put a movie in and sat there and peeled. It took me a whole hour! I am not even exaggerating.

After this tedious task was done (believe me, I was glad it was done), I went forward with chopping veggies. I started with green peppers which was super easy then jalapenos. I learned my lesson from last year and put on gloves. The next veggie to cut were the onions. I had such a hard time last year cutting onions, I was weeping the whole time. This year I found some protective glasses my husband had in the garage and put them on and it worked like a charm, I didn't cry once, woot! Then I did the celery, added all of the seasoning and let it simmer. I got my recipe from "The Ward Cookbook, Mom's Best Recipes". I used this recipe last year and I absolutely loved it so I think it is going to be my go to recipe from now on. In the recipe it said to let the salsa simmer for 1 hour but I got really side tracked...

I decided to take our new puppy for a walk during that hour. This alone is a huge feat not to mention I took my 2 year old with me. My husband was still working so I didn't have the option of making him come or watch the child. Let's just say that I ended up with the child on my shoulders and the puppy in my arms. It was a hot day so the puppy (who is a black lab) was very stubborn and hot and wouldn't move. It was quite an adventure. Needless to say, I didn't make it back in time to get the water bath going and the jars washed and sterilized before the hour was up. The mixture simmered for 2 hours instead. OH WELL.

I got it all done though and while the jars were in the water bath processing for 15 minutes I was able to mow the lawn (also a huge feat with the 2 year old and the puppy) but, I GOT IT ALL DONE! I was exhausted! The rest of the night I just laid on my bed and indulged in watching Friends and folding laundry.

I know what you are thinking...and I AM crazy. I can now feel good about spending time on my blog today. I hope I can get something done today, I am planning on making zucchini chocolate cake for the neighborhood party today. Wish me luck.

Canning Machine!

Canning...seems like an intimidating word but it really easy. It also cuts down on having to buy canned fruit which can get really pricey. I also really love that I can control how much sugar goes into each jar which is more than I can say for the canned stuff.

I started my week by going to my favorite local fruit stand, ALLREDS. I love these guys because their fruit is always good quality and I can get a box of seconds for $6. I know what you are thinking, how is that possible but they are usually the peaches that are bruised and sometimes under ripe, but no matter what the shape the peaches are in they are always juicy and delicious. I have no qualms with canning slightly bruised fruit.

My cute husband has been watching Allreds for the last 2 weeks waiting to tell me when they open and they finally opened so I zipped over there. The only peaches they had available were the which don't really make great canning peaches but I wanted to get a head start this season so I am not doing all of my canning after I have started teaching again. I bought 2 boxes of fruit and then I went to my favorite grocery store BUY LOW and got all of the fixins for salsa (since this was also in my week plan). While I was at BUY LOW they had a great sale on their pears so I

decided to get a bunch of pears to can as well (I know...ambitious!) I got home and got out my big canning pot because it usually takes the longest to get going. I filled it with the correct amount of water and got it on the stove to start boiling.

I then got the other pots boiling, one to blanch the peaches, one for boiling water to add to the peaches in the jars.

Blanching the peaches is an art because you can't leave them in the pot too long because if you do then the fruit starts to cook and goes all m

ushy. I had this problem a while back and I didn't get a very good batch. This time I was very careful. I blanched the peaches and then I peeled them. I then put them into the Jars which I had previously washed and had in the oven at 225 so they could be sanitary and warm (if they aren't warm they will break in the water bath). When the jars were full of peaches I added 1/4 cup of sugar and enough water to fill the jars til they are 1/4 inch from the top. I put on the lids and then put them into the water bath for 25 minutes.

I have had many bad batches where none of the jars seal but I was super happy that this time I was able to get all 21 jars sealed! Yeah!

The same day I decided that the pears needed to be done before they got too ripe. Pears are tricky because you don't want them too green but you don't want them ripe either. If they are too green they aren't sweet enough but if they are too ripe then you just get a mushy mess. The

pears that I got were on the verge of being too ripe so even though I was super tired from doing the peaches I decided to just get the pears done! (It helped the my husband wasn't home from work yet and my daughter fed herself pizza).

I started by blanching the pears. I was very careful that I didn't leave them in too long because pears will go mushy and you can't can them. Then I put them into jars in quarters. I added some fruit fresh so they wouldn't go brown. (I didn't do this last year and my pears went brown, they still tasted good, but just didn't look as pretty in the jar.) I only put 1/8 of a cup of sugar into the pears because I added the fruit fresh powder and just I processed them in the water bath for 25 minutes also.

In total I got 10 jars of pears and 21 jars of peaches. All in all I think it was a productive day!

Buttermilk Biscuits

I just love this recipe. It is so easy! I was so exhausted from my crazy week at Trek that I was super lazy yesterday and didn't want to do a lot in the kitchen, so I decided to take some of my precooked chicken in my freezer and put it into the crock pot with a can of Cranberry sauce. I got some potatoes, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and green pepper from my garden and made roasted veggies in the oven (it sounds like a lot of work but it is really easy to just throw it in and let it bake). I also wanted to make some rolls but I ended up just making these super delicious biscuits instead and they turned out so well. The best part about them is that the next morning we were able to have egg sandwiches!

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flour

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup buttermilk (you can use sour milk also but I just happened to have some buttermilk in my fridge which ultimately is why I chose to do this recipe yesterday)

Combine all dry ingredients into a large bowl. With a pastry cutter, cut the shortening into the dry mix. Add the butter milk and knead for about 5 minutes to make sure they are super fluffy! Roll the dough out and use a cup or a round cutter and cut out the biscuits. Cook at 450 for 8-10 minutes.

I read somewhere that if you put extra buttermilk on the top of the biscuits that they crisp up a little bit better but I didn't try this, maybe next time.

BLD Scones

I love it when you find a recipe that is good for both Breakfast Lunch and Dinner. This is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law. It is really simple and the scones taste really good. We usually like to put fruit and honey butter on our scones but you can put anything on them. You can even put canned tuna if you are having it for a quick lunch. We usually make a big batch and then we have them in our fridge to just take out for lunches or just for a snack.

Scones

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1 TBSP yeast

1/4 cup oil

1 tsp salt

1 egg

5-6 cups flour

In your Kitchenaid mixer mix the water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Add the oil, egg, salt and gradually the flour. When the dough starts to pull off the sides of the bowl you know it is ready. Knead with the dough hook for a couple of minutes. Let the dough raise for 1 hour or until double in size. Punch the dough down and knead a little bit and then let it raise again for 1 more hour.

In a deep but medium sized sauce pan heat about 2 cups of oil. I usually keep it about medium high heat so that it doesn't cook the outside and not the insides of the scones. Tear off about a tennis ball size amount of dough and stretch it out thin. Drop it into the oil and turn it over when it starts to brown. It doesn't take too long so don't walk away!!

The last time we had these for dinner my husband watched the scones in the oil while I stretched the next one out. You could do this with your husband or children (maybe letting them stretch the dough instead of manning the oil). I just really enjoy cooking with my husband and I feel like we have a closer bond when we cook together.

Mickey Mouse Wheat Pancakes

I have a two year old daughter and the only way I can make her eat healthy is to make it fun and interesting. When we were at Disneyland this last time I decided to get a pancake mold in the shape of Mickey Mouse. My sister-in-law later informed me that the mold doesn't work very well but I was determined to try it out anyways and after using it a little bit I have been able to get it seasoned enough so that the pancakes don't stick to the sides. I do make them every other day so that I could get it seasoned enough. The mold works perfectly to get my daughter to eat these healthy pancakes.

This was a recipe handed down from my Grandma. The recipe is to make your own pancake mix and then when you want pancakes you just use 2 cups of it. Just like having a store bought pancake mix except you know what is in it.

Here is the mix recipe:

6 cups whole wheat flour

3 cups white flour

1/2 cup powdered milk

1 TBSP salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup baking powder

You just mix this all together thoroughly and it make about 10 cups of mix. I usually double mine so that we always have plenty on hand. My husband likes to make these before he goes to work because they last longer through the day then a normal bowl of cereal.

Pancake recipe:

2 cups wheat pancake mix

1 egg

1 1/2 cups water (I sometimes use a little bit more because it pours better into the mold)

Mix these ingredient and pour onto a heated griddle. Bake on one side until you see the air bubbles and then flip.

I usually don't use 2 cups if I am just making pancakes for myself, my husband and my daughter. I usually just do 1 cup of mix, still put the whole egg in and then half of the water. It works out perfectly for us and there is usually just the right amount of pancakes.

I also really love this recipe because you have most of the ingredients in your food storage so if you are struggling one month and you don't want to have to eat cereal you can make this mix and have warm breakfasts. Kind of a treat!

Cottage Cheese Rolls

Today my brother-in-law entered the MTC and I had a luncheon for him at my house before so we could all say goodbye. It was super hard because I had two little ones to watch but I pulled it off. I was really grateful for my husband's cousin and my other brother-in-law who came early and helped me out. The menu was super easy but I wanted to share some of it with you. I made chicken salad sandwiches which pretty much just consisted of chicken, cashews, grapes (cut up) and miracle whip (the only kind of spread!). I made some cottage cheese rolls to make the sandwiches with. They are super easy and I am pretty sure I have told lots of peeps about them but now I am going to blog about them.

Cottage Cheese Rolls

1/2 cup warm water

1/4 cup sugar

2 TBSP yeast

Combine the water and sugar in your Kitchenaid mixer and then sprinkle the yeast on top. Leave it for a couple of minutes while you get the next part ready.

1 16 oz tub cottage cheese warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minutes

2 eggs

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Blend these ingredients in your blender so that they cottage cheese is nice and smooth. Add to the yeast mixture. Blend well.

4 cups flour

Add the flour and mix with your flat blade attachment. This is a very VERY sticky dough so don't think you need to add more flour. Let it raise on the counter for 45 minutes or in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Take half of the dough after it has been raised and on a floured surface roll it out into a circle. Brush butter on the top and then cut into 8 pieces. I use my pizza cutter to do this and it makes it easier for me. Roll from fat end of the piece to the skinny end so it looks like a cresent roll. Place them on your cookie sheet that you have lined with a silpat. (I sometimes make 16 instead of just 8 because I don't need such HUGE rolls but for sandwiches they are perfect that big). Let these raise for an hour and then bake at 375 F for 10-13 minutes.

This is what the whole thing looks like when you add the chicken mixture. They were super delicious!

St. Patrick's Day!

We made some really cool cookies today for St. Patrick's Day. I got the idea from Utahdealdiva.com. Here are the pictures and then I will give the recipe.

St. Patrick's Day sugar cookies

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

green food coloring

green sprinkles

In your mixer cream the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and food coloring ( I added quite a bit of this to make it really green but you will have to just experiment).

Roll out about a softball sized ball of the dough into a long snake (about 1 inch in diameter). Roll into the sprinkles and then cut about a 1/4 inch piece off for each petal of the clover leaf. Then take a half of a circle and make it into the steam.

Cook for 10 minutes at 350 F.

You can frost them if you like but I think they are so cute without and super tasty.

These were really fun to make and they were pretty easy. I am sure you could make all sorts of holiday cookies this way!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!

Chicken noodle soup

So, today my daughter got sick at the grocery store. We were going to have some sort of crock pot dinner tonight, maybe curry chicken but then I thought it would be better to do some sort of soup. I have made chicken noodle soup in the crock pot before and it is always super yummy.

Crockpot chicken noodle soup

4 stalks of celery

1/2 bag of baby carrots ( I use the baby carrots because I always have them at my house and they are a little bit sweeter.)

1/2 large onion

2 cans chicken broth

1 can water

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 chicken breasts

1/2 bag broad egg noodles

Cut up all the vegetables really small (that is the way I like it, you can cut them up however large you want to). Put the veggies into the crock pot and add the liquid ingredients and the chicken. Let cook on high for 2 1/2 hours. Take out the chicken and shred and put back into the crock pot and cook for an additional 1/2 hour. Add the noodles and cook until al dente (about 10 minutes). Taste it and add salt and pepper as needed.

I love to make bread or something to go along with soup so you can soak it up. That is what we are having for dinner tonight.

Meatloaf night!!

I love making this meatloaf because it is super easy and I can make it while I teach and it is ready when I am done. The 4 ingredients are always in my pantry which I also love. It is just a crowd pleaser, even if you haven't liked meatloaf in the past this will break your prejudice of it.

4 ingredient meatloaf

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg stove top stuffing mix

1 can evaporated milk

1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 F. Thoroughly mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and then put it into a bread pan. Cover with Tinfoil and then cook for 50 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and cook for another 10 minutes.

I really do think this is the best meatloaf recipe I have ever made. I do have to give credit to Aunt Sharla because I got it for her but I make it all the time and it is just a favorite of my family.

I love using this glassware because then I can see if the meatloaf is done, or any loaf for that matter.

Oh Henry Bars

This is my mom's recipe and she would make this for us when we would have swim meets and she would have to make two pans because all the kids on our team would drool over it. I like it because of all the peanuts and I feel like it gives you some energy as well as some quick sugars.

1 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup peanuts

3 cups rice krispies

1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large sauce pan boil the sugar and the corn syrup together until the sugar looks to be dissolved. Remove from heat and then add the peanut butter til it is melted. Then add the peanuts and rice krispies. Press the mixture down into a 9x13 pan and then sprinkle the chocolate chips over top. Let them melt and then spread them evenly with a spatula. Let the chocolate chips cool and then serve.

This is a really easy snack and is really delicious.

I do love my pan with the lid. It helps to keep treats fresher longer.

Tatonuts

Yesterday I thought that I would be crazy and take on my house. I got everything cleaned and did some of the laundry from the weekend. I got finished and thought to myself, this kitchen is clean enough to cook in...so I did! I decided to make tatonuts. My mother-in-law gave all of us girls this cookbook/baking mix book. It has all these recipes to make your own mixes. I found one that was really easy and I happened to have all the ingredients. It was the HOT ROLL MIX. From that mix I found a recipe for tatonuts. My husband has been asking about making doughnuts for a long time, he loves doughnuts. So I set out to do this.

The mix is called the HOT ROLL MIX.

5 lbs all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp salt

1 cup instant nonfat dry milk

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together to distribute evenly. Put in a large airtight container. Label. Store in a cool dry place. Use with in 6 to 8 months. Makes about 22 cups of HOT ROLL MIX.

If you get the book then there are lots of things that you can make with this mix. they have cinnamon rolls. rolls, bread and pretzels. I think I will make the pretzels soon so I can put that recipe on there but just having this mix for doughnuts is good enough for me.

Here is the tatonuts recipe. It was really fun to do and super yummy. We did it for FHE and my husband's brother came over to enjoy them with us. My husband even helped a little!

1 TBSP yeast

1/2 cup lukewarm water

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup melted butter

3 TBSP sugar

1/2 cup instant potato flakes

1 cup milk, scalded

4 1/2 -5 cups HOT ROLL MIX

Vegetable oil for frying

Vanilla Glaze

Dissolve the yeast into the water. I usually just do this right in my Kitchenaid mixer to use less dishes. After about 5 minutes add the eggs and melted butter. Mix these together well, I added the melted butter very slowly so as to not cook the egg and boil the yeast. Then add the sugar, potato flakes and milk ( I actually didn't have potato flakes so I ended up using potato pearls that I blended up so they would mix better, I think it worked fine. ) Mix well. Add the HOT ROLL MIX slowly and make sure to mix well. Once mix through put on your dough hook and knead in the Kitchenaid mixer for about 5 minutes. After cover with a wet towel and let it raise for 1 hour. After it has raised double it's size punch down and roll out onto a floured surface about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out doughnut shapes using a doughnut cutter or if you don't have one then you can use a couple of different cups/bowls to make the doughnut shape(this is what I ended up doing). Let the dough raise again for another 40-45 minutes. You can either use a deep fryer or you can heat up some oil in a pan so that the doughnuts are not floating. Cook on one side for about a minute or until they are golden brown. We made the mistake of heating the oil too hot, it said to have your oil to 375 and our was hotter and the insides of the doughnuts didn't cook (some did and some didn't). Next time I would have the oil cooler and the dough was a little bit thick. You live and learn. They were still delicious.

These pictures don't really do them justice but just think about how yummy they taste. I think that we will end up making them again sometime soon. The recipe did make quite a few, these were only a couple of them.

Pizza Calzone

This recipe is a real hit at my house. I love making them because my 2 year old will eat them and my husband loves pizza and these are much easier. I like the dough recipe too because you can use it for breadsticks as well.

Dough:

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP yeast

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 cup flour

Filling:

Pizza sauce

pepperoni

sausage

mushrooms

mozzarella cheese

Pretty much anything you like on your pizza

1egg

In your mixer dissolve the water and the sugar. Sprinkle in the yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the salt and the flour and mix with flat blade mixer. The dough is fairly sticky so don't add any more flour. Let it raise for 30 minutes.

Once raised punch it down and tear off a golf ball sized piece of dough. (I usually just roll the dough out onto my cookie sheet that I lined with a Silpat). Roll it out fairly thin and into a circle. Add onto one half of the dough a little bit of pizza sauce and then any toppings you like, including cheese. Our family's favorite is pepperoni and sausage. Fold the dough over and seal it with a little bit of egg that has been beaten. Then brush the top of the calzone with the egg to get it nice and crispy. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. When you tap the top of the calzone it should sound hollow and then it is done.

To make the dough into yummy breadstick

s you just need to get a 9x13 pan and melt 2 TBSP of butter in the bottom of it. I just do this in my already preheated oven (preheat to 375). Then

stretch the dough out to fit into the pan. Score the top of the dough with a serrated knife and then pour another 2 TBSP melted butter on top. Sprinkle whatever spice you like on top. I usually do garlic, parsley and onion powder but you can do what would match your meal. Then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

As you can tell, I didn't get the one calzone sealed well enough before I put them into the oven so it split open but I looks good and tasted even better.

Homemade English Muffins

I found a recipe for homemade english muffins and I just knew I had to try it. Our family loves egg sandwiches for breakfast and we also LOVE eggs benedict. I wasn't sure if I would have enough time to do them yesterday but I found the time and they turned out amazing!!

English Muffins

1 3/4 cup warmed milk

2 TBSP sugar

2 tsp instant yeast

3 TBSP butter

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1 tsp baking powder

4 to 4 1/4 cups flour (I used whole wheat flour)

Combine warm milk, yeast and sugar. Let this mixture sit a few minutes so the yeast can start to do it's thing. Add the rest of the ingredients ( I let the yeast mixture sit into my Kitchenaid mixer and then I just add the ingredients to it so that I don't have to use so many bowls) and mix with the flat blade mixer. The dough it going to be very sticky but that is how it is supposed to be, DON'T add more flour. Once completely mixed scrape th dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured counter top. Fold dough over a few times, until you make a nice smooth ball. Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise in a warm place for about an hour. (My house is REALLY cold so when I let it raise on the counter top it didn't, so I put it into my oven and set it to warm and left the door slightly open and that did the trick. I ended up raising it for 2 hours HEHE)

Punch down dough and lay out on a surface sprinkled with corn meal( I used corn flour and it work just as well). Roll out to desired thickness. The muffins will rise somewhat, so roll them out about 1/4 " thinner that you want them to be in the end. Cut out circles with a loured

3 inch cutter ( I just used a cup). Re-roll and cut the leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let res for about 20 minutes.

Heat a frying pan or griddle to very low heat (250 if you are using your griddle). Do not grease but sprinkle with cornmeal(or corn flour). Cover pan and cook for 6-7 minutes on each side. ( I was cooking dinner at the same time so I just set the timer and it worked out fine).

Cool on cooling rack. Store muffins in the fridge or freezer.

These are pictures of my finished products. They were so super yummy.

Chicken Croquets

Well tonight we are entertaining and I didn't really feel like making something extravagant but wanted to make something yummy. I decided on Chicken Croquets because they are super super easy! There is also little clean up and that is nice so you don't feel like your kitchen is a disaster when your company is over.

Chicken Croquets:

2-3 chicken breasts (depending on how big they are)

6 oz cream cheese

pinch of salt and pepper

1 can of crescent rolls

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup bread crumbs

Gravy:

3 TBSP butter

4 TBSP flour

1 can of chicken broth

Boil the chicken breasts for 15 minutes. Take two forks and shred the meat into a big bowl. Add the cream cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Roll out the crescent rolls and separate them to individuals triangles. Put 2 TBSP in each triangle and fold them up so they make balls. Dip each ball into the butter and then in the bread crumbs. Cook according to the crescent rolls instructions.

Gravy: Melt the butter into a small pot. Add the flour and let it cook out a little so you don't get that bold flour taste. Add the chicken broth and stir until it thickens. Pour this over your Chicken Croquets.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tonight I decided that I would let my two year old daughter help me with making Chocolate Chip Cookies. It was so much fun. She thought it was so awesome to put all the ingredients into my Kitchenaid mixer. It was funny cause every time we would add a new ingredient she would put the top down and turn on the mixer. I had to unplug it a couple of time to make sure she didn't jump the gun. When it came to adding the flour and other dry ingredients she put the top down and cranked the mixer to full speed. Yup you guessed it, there was a BIG mess and flour went everywhere. It was so hilarious because my daughter just looked at me with a guilty/wonderment look. She couldn't believe what happened. I laughed so hard!!! We had flour everywhere and my daughter started to lick it off of her hands and arms. It definitely made my night. Then when we put the chocolate chips in she thought it was hilarious and just kept asking me to do it again. I let her have a chocolate chip and she kept saying "last time" to me and took another chip out of the dough. I thought it was so funny. I had such a good time and I know that she did too.

Here is the recipe:

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 cups flour

1 bag of chocolate chips (this is a lot of chocolate

so if you don't like really overloaded cookies then just throw in a half a bag)

Cream the butter and sugars together

in your Kitchenaid or Bosch mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add the rest of the ingredients except the chips, in while the mixer is going. Then add the chocolate chips slowly (some people don't like to add it when the mixer is going but I don't care so it is just you discretion). Put 1 TBSP of dough onto your cookie sheet that has been lined with a silpat (my favorite kitchen tool) and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

This batch turned out really good. I am going tonight to play basketball and so I didn't get to test one out. I will definitely do it afterwards though.

Baking Bread

Our family ran out of bread this morning so I got out the wheat grinder and set out to make another three loaves. I like to grind on the day of making bread but I also grind extra wheat so I have extra for other things. I really enjoy this recipe because the bread turns out just like the grocery store bread and my husband will eat it. Other recipes leaves the bread very dense, something that I don't really like.

3 cups warm water

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup honey

1 TBSP yeast

In your Kitchenaid (or whatever mixer you have) combine the warm water, oil and honey together and then sprinkle the yeast on top so it can dissolve. I usually wait 5 minutes.

4 cups of whole wheat flour (I always add a dough enhancer to the flour before I start using it. I think it is 2 TBSP per 6 cups of flour)

1 TBSP salt

Add this to the yeast mixture and then using a flat blade you mix until it is completely combined then switch to the dough hook.

2-3 cups of whole wheat flour

Add the last two to three cups slowly so you can tell if the dough is ready. Let the dough hook incorporate the flour completely before adding more. You can tell it is done when the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. It is a fairly firm dough. In a LARGE bowl spray some pam and then place the dough in there to raise. You can either add a lid to the bowl or just drap a dish towel that you have been using and is somewhat moist over top. Let the dough raise for 1 hour and then punch it down and knead a little bit. Let it raise another hour and then punch it down and again and then split into three pieces. Spray three bread pans with pam and form the dough into loaves, then place into the bread pans to raise another hour. After about 45 of that hour preheat your oven to 375F and then bake for 25 to 30 minutes. I like to use my glass pans so I can see how well they are done.

I usually make one of the loaves a cinnamon loaf but I didn't have any more brown sugar so I will have to post about the cinnamon loaf the next time I make bread. I think these turned out really well and props go to my husband for putting them in the oven for me while I was at the dentist and taking them out at the exact right time. They turned out awesome!!

Turkey Soup

Well, the bug has finally made it to our house and we are all sick. I thought that making soup tonight would be the best idea. I just happen to have a turkey carcass in my freezer from Christmas so I think this is going to be the best time to break it out and make some awesome soup.

1 turkey carcass

3 medium onions, chopped

2 large carrots, diced

2 celery ribs, diced

1 cup butter, cubed

1 cup flour

2 cups half and half cram

1 cup uncooked long grain rice

2 tsp salt

1 tsp chicken bouillon

3/4 tsp pepper

Place turkey carcass in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour. Remove carcass and then set aside 3 qt broth for soup. Remove the turkey from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces.

In the same big pot melt the butter and saute the onions, carrots and celery until tender. Reduce heat and stir in flour until blended. Gradually add 1 qt of the broth and then bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the cream, rice, salt, boullion, pepper, remaining broth and the reserved turkey. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Servings: 6

Calories per serving:513

(I did substitute the half and half for whole milk because it isn't quite as much calories)

Hope this works to make our family better.

Blueberry Madness!! Part 2

So I went back and got four more pints of blueberries. I know I am crazy but I really do love blueberries. I decided to make some blueberry muffins and they turned out so good.

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg white

1 cup milk

2 TBSP butter, melted

1 tsp grated lemon peel

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup blueberries (you can use frozen)

Topping:

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

2 TBSP brown sugar

1 TBSP butter softened

Preheat oven to 400 F. In your mixer combine egg, egg white, milk, butter, lemon peel and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients but don't over mix. Fold in berries. Coat your muffin tin with a cooking spray or line the muffin tin with paper liners and fill 2/3 full. Combine topping ingredients and then sprinkle over batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Yields 1 dozen.

Serving size: 1 muffin

Calories per serving: 166

I like this muffin tin it is a dark one but works awesome.

My Grandma used to make us these little muffins whenever we were at her house visiting. I loved them so much and always think of her when I eat little muffins.

Blueberry Madness!!

Right now at Sunflower Market they have Blueberries for $1.77 a pint. This is a REALLY good price and so I bought two pints (wish I had bought more, I might go back). I love having blueberries around just to snack on. They are low in calories and they are high in antioxidants. This morning I actually woke up before my husband went to work so I decided to make him a warm breakfast and made blueberry waffles. They were so super delicious! I do cheat and use a mix to start but it is totally worth it. Here's how I did it.

2 cups buttermilk pancake mix

2 TBSP oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups blueberries

1-2 cups water (I just add until it is thin enough for my taste)

Preheat waffle iron. I suggest using a belgium waffle maker because the blueberries cook better in the bigger holes. Then mix the ingredients together in a bowl and then pour into the iron and cook as directed.

I just wanted to share this with you guys especially the local people so they don't miss out in this amazing blueberry deal.

This waffle iron is like the one that we have and I really like it. It is easy to use and it is really inexpensive.

Buttermilk Syrup

Well, my little sister called me for this recipe today so I thought I would just put it on here to share with all of you. It is my favorite and I can't take credit for it since my friend discovered it.

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup karo syrup

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter first and then add all other ingredients. Boil for 7 minutes or until the peaks are a golden color. Take off immediately so you don't burn the syrup. Serve on EVERYTHING!!!

You really have to use a really LARGE pot otherwise the syrup can boil over and it will make a huge mess. I also recommend you use a spatula that can resist high temperatures.

I just wanted to put this out there...I LOVE TUPPERWARE! We have three of these containers and we use them for our syrup and they work beautifully.

Chicken and Rice Soup

I don't know about you, but when it is really cold and snowy like it was today I want SOUP!!! I found this new recipe and it looked awesome. It is a Crockpot meal but it is involved so you make sure that you time it right.

1 Large onion

4 stalks celery

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp sage

20 oz frozen peas

2 1/2 lbs chicken pieces

5 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup rice

Chop the onion and celery. Add to a Crockpot and then add the rest of the ingredients, in order, except the rice. Cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low setting and cook for an additional 8 hours. Take out the chicken after this and shred with forks and then add back into the Crockpot. Add the rice and cook another hour on the high setting.

Servings: 6

Calories per serving: 217

This soup is really delicious and very low calories.

Cousin's Stuffing

Well, this weekend I am off to St. George to visit with my husband's grandparents. When I talked to Grandma she said that she wanted to do a Turkey on Friday night. I thought this was really strange but then I thought about it more and decided that it was AWESOME!! I love turkey and I also love this new recipe that I got from Nate's cousins. It is a stuffing recipe but you don't use dried out bread you just used toasted bread. It is my favorite!! I have been trying to watch what I eat but I think that this Friday is going to be an exception...I am so EXCITED!!

Stuffing

1 stick butter

1 cup chopped onions

4 stalks celery

4 tsp sage

1/2 tsp salt

dash of pepper

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

16 slices toasted bread

1 1/2 lb sausage.

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the onions and celery and cook until veggies are softened. Brown the sausage. Add all the ingredients together except for the bread. After toasting the bread cut each slice into large chunks. Put into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Pour all the ingredients over top of the bread and put into the oven for 30-45 minutes.

My husband and I have a really ghetto toaster and I have had my eyes on a 4 slice toaster for a while. This one looks really nice and I like that it is big enough that you can put in a bagel.

Ham and Noodle Casserole

I had leftover ham in my freezer from New Years and found this recipe and thought it would be perfect to use it up. I really liked this recipe again because it was super easy but my daughter has this thing about meat where she doesn't eat it except for ham so when I can include it into her diet I try.

Ham and Noodle Casserole

6 ounces of linguine or fettuccine noodles

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables (10 oz)

1 cup cubed fully cooked lean ham

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

3 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

2 tsp flour

1 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp salt

Cook the noodles until they are just before el dente (under cooked) because they will cook more in the oven and you don't want soggy noodles. Mix all of the other ingredients together in a bowl and then add the noodles and toss to coat the noodles in the mixture. Put into a 2 qt casserole dish that has been sprayed with a non stick cooking spray. Cover and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 F. Uncover and then cook an additional 5 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serving size: 6 servings

calories per serving: 266 ( this all depends on if you use all of the low fat and non fat cottage cheese, sour cream and milk.)

I hadn't tried this recipe and it was a hit at my house. My daughter LOVES noodles and my husband didn't mind the dill taste. Definitely a big hit in the Savage home.

I like the glass casserole dishes (I got a bunch when I got married) because you can see when your dish is done but also they seem to cook better in the oven. I have to admit too that I like the way it looks, I am not all about presentation but I like to show off my dish sometimes.

HHmmmm...... Now what to have for dinner tonight?

Crockpot Steak

I really like to use my Crock pot, especially on Sunday when I don't really feel like cooking. I hadn't tried this recipe but it turned out so amazing!! I just used some steaks that I had in our freezer, not anything special, you can use any meat you have hanging around with this recipe. It was super super good.

1 1/2 pounds of steak

1 medium onion, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 medium green pepper, but into 1 inch chunks

3 medium potatoes

1 sweet potato

1 can of beef broth (I just used water and it turned out fine)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp pepper

dash crush red pepper flakes ( I don't usually put this in because I don't really like spicy foods but this time I did and I really liked the little kick it gave them meal)

2 TBSP corn starch

2 TBSP water

In a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown beef on both sides. Place all the veggies in a Crock pot and top with the beef.

Combine the broth, Worcestershire sauce, dill, thyme, pepper and red pepper flakes; pour over the beef. Cover and cook on high for 3/4 hours or until the meat reaches desired doneness and the vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove the beef and keep warm

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook about 30 minutes longer until slightly thickened. Return been to the slow cooker; heat through.

Serving size: 6 servings

Calories per serving: 305

I am definitely a meat and potatoes kind of girl and this was an amazing meal. I was worried about the dill taste but it was fantastic. It was so easy to prepare too. I love the no hassle meals on Sunday!!!

Tonight I am going to try doing a Ham and Noodle Casserole. I haven't tried this one before either so I hope it turns out. WISH ME LUCK!

This is the Crockpot that I have and I love it. It is the perfect size. It seems to be extremely cheap right now so click on the link and it will take you to where you can purchase it through amazon.

Pumpkin Pancakes for Sunday Breakfast

I am super in love with this recipe. I love that there is pumpkin in them so I can count that as a vegetable for my daughter. I am sneaky it is true.

Pumpkin Pancakes

8 eggs, separated

1 stick of melted butter, slightly cooled

1 1/2 cups pumpkin, one 15-ounce can

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 2/3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg, ginger and cloves

After separating the eggs whip the whites until they form soft peaks. I like to do this in my Kitchenaid. It makes my life so much easier. Then you set that aside and use your second bowl. Mis the butter, pumpkin, sugar and vanilla in your second Kitchenaid bowl. Add the egg yolks here (if you don't want to add them you don't have to they just make the pancakes a little more moist but they do add more calories and cholesterol). Mix the flour, baking powder, soda and salt and then add to the wet mixture. Then add the seasonings. Cook on a skillet.

Makes 48 pancakes (I usually make the whole batch and save them for the rest of the week)

Serving size:4 pancakes

Calories per serving: 280

We were so excited to make these pancakes because for Christmas my husband got a new pancake dispenser. We eat pancakes a lot and it was something he has wanted for a long time. I really liked using it too because there was definitely less mess in the end. It is pretty cool and we purchased ours through amazon. Check out this link and you can order it through me and you don't have to look for it.

http://www.everydaykitchenaid.com/whats-for-dinner-tonight-wheat-pancackes/

Crockpot Curry Chicken

I LOVE using my Crockpot for meals. I prepare the meal at lunch time and then I don't have to worry about it again until it is dinner time. This recipe doesn't use any dishes except the Crockpot so it is not as much clean up afterwards and if you are anything like me you loathe clean up after a big meal. It is also really low in calories and lately I have been watching our calorie intake to help take off the holiday weight. Hope you like it! ENJOY!!

5 pieces of chicken thighs, skinned

8 oz of chunky salsa

1 TBSP curry powder

1/2 onion chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

Place your chicken in the crockpot. Mix the salsa, curry and onions together and then pour over the chicken. Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 10 hours. After it is done remove the chicken and keep warm. Add the sour cream to the sauce that is left over an serve over the chicken. Serve it all on a bed or rice or steamed vegetables.

This is a great dish to introduce someone to THAI food. I really don't like curry that much but this one have a very mild taste to it and you just can't get enough of it.

Chicken Enchiladas

I have been wanting to switch over to a less expensive blog to let all of you know what I am doing in the kitchen. Here is my first recipe for this year. It is super easy and my husband LOVES it.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cups sour cream

1 large can of chicken

8 tortilla shells

1/2 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine the soup and the sour cream. Take out 1/4 cup and put into another bowl for the sauce. Add the chicken next (I usually take a fork to it so that it isn't in big chunks). Spray a 9x13 pan with pam so the enchiladas don't stick to the bottom. In each tortilla shell put a couple of TBSP of the mixture and roll them up. Place into the pan and then repeat until all of the tortilla shells are used up.

In the other bowl that we have the reserved sour cream and soup pour in the milk and whisk it. It should be fairly thick but not too thick that you can't pour it over the enchiladas. Add the salt and pepper to taste. (I like to add about 1/2 cup of salsa or green chillies to this to make it spicier). Sprinkle the cheese over top and then cover with tin foil. Put it into the oven for 20 minutes and then take off the tin foil and put it into the oven for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is nice and melty.

I love this meal and how simple it is. That is what's for dinner tonight!! ENJOY!