Pepperoni Cheese Bread

1 batch of my favorite pizza dough

1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour

-Dissolve yeast in water and oil. Stir in sugar, salt, and flour.
-Mix until a ball forms. Knead in a little extra flour if dough seems overly sticky. Otherwise no real kneading needed (that was a tongue-twister to type!:))
-Cover and let rest in warm place while you get other ingredients out. (This does not need to rise more than a few minutes...it should raise just fine in the oven!)

1 pkg pepperoni slices (~3.5oz, use as much or as little as you like)
8 oz mozarella cheese shredded (freshly if possible)
butter
parmesan cheese (2 Tb)

-Roll dough out into large rectangle.
-Spread cheese out over dough, leaving approx 1 in space on ends (east/west), little space at top of bread (north), and ~ 1-2 inches space at bottom (south) of rectangle.
-Cover cheese with pepperoni slices.
-Roll dough from top (north) toward you, slowly, back and forth from one end (east) to the other (west).
-Tuck in east/west ends as you get to the bottom to seal off sides. Stop rolling when long seam is at the bottom of loaf and gently seal edges.
-Lift loaf with seam side down onto sprayed 11x15 pan.
-Bake at 375 until nicely browned approx 15-25 minutes.
-Remove from oven.
-Rub butter lightly over top of loaf. (I just use the end of a stick of butter.)
-Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
-Let rest approx 5 minutes before cutting.
-Serve with pizza sauce to dip!

Y: 3 servings (we were hungry!:))

Simple Bag Drying

 

-Wash plastic bags as you do dishes or...

-Open them up widely in the top rack of your dishwasher and press start. ;)

-Hang to dry on a mug rack!

-Store, and reuse, again and again!

In Guinea last year, the missionary family we were with washed their bags out each night in dishtubs outside and hung them to dry on little metal wands attached to the side of their house. Inspired, I decided to commit to washing out ours as well. I was frustrated with them not drying well though in our little rack in the sink. Then, we tried this little mug rack - voila! Works just dandy. Nice for drying bibs out, too. I just leave on the shelf above our washer, so it's not a big deal if they drip a lot.

Hope this helps somebody out there...:)

Check out Tammy's Recipes for great kitchen tips on Tuesdays!

Frozen Bananas & Banana Milkshakes

Oh the yummy possibilities with frozen bananas! I've been blessed to hit our grocery store twice in the last few months when bananas were on sale for 39c/lb...with a whole bunch of bunches on the reduced rack for 29c/lb! That adds up in a hurry with bananas! This time I purchased ~7 large bunches for around $4.50.

I used to just throw whole bananas in the freezer with peels on. My current, favorite way of preserving them is to peel, chunk, throw on a cookie sheet and flash freezer overnight. I first read about trying this on moneysavingmom. Next morning, just throw in a ziploc bag and they'll last a couple months in the freezer.

Here are great things to do with these yummy chunks-o-nana:
-Throw into smoothies - so sweet, we don't add sweetener to our smoothies anymore.
-Thaw and mash as baby food.
-Thaw and use in banana bread.
-Banana Milkshakes: Yumm-o! Our current favorite...




~8 Banana chunks (enough to fill your blender 1/2-2/3 full)
Milk (we use whole)
Vanilla extract (I don't use pure for this)



-Fill blender 1/2-2/3 full by loosely tossing in frozen banana chunks.
-Pour milk in 'til one inch below top of bananas.
-Blend until really thick and smooth. Add more milk if not creamy enough.
-Add vanilla and blend a bit longer.
-Drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Waffles

A recipe with love for Valentine's Day...

5 1/4 C whole wheat flour (freshly ground or frozen if available)
3 Tb baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 C applesauce
1/2 C oil
5 eggs
1 tsp real vanilla
5 1/4 C milk

-Mix dry ingreds. in large bowl (16C+).
-Mix applesauce and oil in large bowl.. Stir in eggs until well blended.
-Add vanilla and milk to wet ingreds. and stir.
-Add wet ingreds to dry ingreds. Mix until blended well. Do not overmix.
-Heat waffle iron and spray. We use a hotel-style waffle iron we got from my parents. It is the type that you have to flip. We LOVE it. Highly recommended if you make a lot of waffles (which obviously we do - ha!).
-Add 2/3 C batter (for our size w.maker).
-Heat 'til nicely browned.
-Serve with maple syrup, fresh/frozen fruit, whipped cream, peanut butter...oh the possibilities!
-Allow extra waffles to cool, then freeze in a bag or tupperware for up to 3-4 months. I like to freeze in quarters rather than big round waffles.
-Thaw in toaster oven.

Y:~18 large round waffles (I honestly don't know! Have to count next time!)

Tuna Casserole from Scratch

3 Tb butter
3 Tb flour
2 C milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp season salt (i.e. Lawry's)
3 C. cooked elbow noodles
2 5-oz cans tuna in water, drained
1 C frozen peas
bread crumbs

-Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat. Sprinkle flour over and whisk together until well blended.
-Slowly pour in milk and add salts.
-Continue to cook on medium, stirring often at first and continually at end until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from heat.
-Taste...if it seems too bland, add in some more salt to taste. I like to start low on salt and then add to taste, so I don't end up with a salt lick by accident!:)
-Mix with noodles, peas and tuna in a greased, ovenproof bowl (2.5-3qt) or pan (8x10).
-Top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for ~25 minutes.

Y: 4 lg servings

I used to be very intimidated by making the idea of making white sauces by scratch. After being in Guinea, coming back and trying it a few times I look back and feel silly! It's very easy and very cheap! Do try it if you never have. No need to have cream of mush/chx soup on hand if you have a lil' bit of flour, butter, salt and milk!:) Spice it up as you like!

Baked Oatmeal

1/2 C oil
1/2 C brown sugar
3 eggs
1 Tb baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 C quick oats
3 C milk (may substitute with milk powder/water or water if unable to have dairy)
cinnamon/sugar

-Mix oil and br sugar.
-Mix eggs in until well blended.
-Sprinkle over bk powder and mix with fork or whisk until no lumps remain.
-Stir in oats, then milk until blended.
-Pour into buttered 9x13 pan.
-Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar.
-Bake at 350 for ~30-35 minutes, til golden, lightly browned.
-Serve warm and top with fruit (canned peaches are sooo yummy) and yogurt (homemade plain is the way we roll) or milk, and sprinkle with a little bit more cinnamon/sugar, honey or maple syrup as desired.

Y: This would depend on your family appetite:)...it usually lasts our family of 3 three breakfasts. Cover and refrigerate between servings.

After much trial and error using three different starter baked oatmeal recipes, I'm sticking with this one. We love it. The base is from my friend Auntie J in Guinea. Interestingly, Africa is where we first had baked oatmeal. It is such a filling, fiber and protein-rich breakfast. I've seen many variations now of sugar/oil content. I appreciate leaving the sugar low. I prefer it less sweet and enjoy just sprinkling a little sugar on top if needed. Hope you enjoy!!

Aunt Kathie's Monster Cookies

Full Size Batch               1/4 Batch (Modified - less sugar)
1 lb butter, softened        (1/2 C)
4 C white sugar               (3/4 C)
5 C brown sugar (2 lb)    (3/4 C)
1 Tb vanilla                     (1 tsp)
1 dozen eggs                   (3 eggs)
8 tsp bk soda                   (2 tsp)
6 C (3lb)natural peanut butter (1 1/2 C) Smooth PB is our pick
~20 C quick oats             (5 C)
M&Ms, raisins, and Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips:
1 lb each                          (1 C or handful each)  This is our favorite combo. If it looks skimpy, add a handful more of your favorite. The mini-chips stretch much further than big chips. Nestle makes good ones.

-Cream butter and sugars and vanilla in very large bowl (standard sized bowls will not work - split recipe in half if you don't have a massive bowl).
-Mix in eggs one at a time.
-Sprinkle in bk soda.
-Mix in peanut butter, then slowly add oats.
-Stir in the "bits," as they say in New Zealand.
-Add more oatmeal if recipe seems too gooey ( I think we added 1-2 more cups last time).
-Drop by tablespoons on cookie sheets and bake at 375 or 170C until golden brown for approx 7-9 min.




Yield: Approx 18-20 dozen / 4-5 dozen
These freeze super well and hardly need any thawing to enjoy out of the freezer.

Homemade Marshmallows

These were really neat to make...science in action! Who would have thought marshmallows can be made at home - neat! Very easy, very messy, and very highly recommended. Check out the recipe at Taste of Home's website. I used just a touch of almond extract, since I didn't have clear vanilla. A little went a long way.

I preferred them with chocolate instead of a sugar coating. I melted on low:
-2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
-2 Tb shortening

...stirring frequently til smooth. My favorite were the ones totally covered instead of just a drizzle...but oh was that hard to achieve! I'd like to try using a small paint brush next time and "paint" the marshmallows a lil' bit brown...if you know what I'm saying.:) Mmmm! 10/10!!

Monster Pancake

I struggled to get a decent picture of this! The recipe is one we brought back from Guinea, from Auntie J. So simple, so yummy! A new family favorite...Abraham loves getting to shake on the powdered sugar:)

1/2 stick butter (4 Tb)
1 C flour (can use all whole wheat)
1 C milk
4 eggs
Cinnamon (couple dashes)
Powdered Sugar

-Turn oven on to 375. Place butter in 2 small or 1 large pan (I use a 10x14 pan) in the oven to melt. Check on butter in a few minutes!
-Whisk together flour, cinnamon and milk til smooth.
-Whisk in eggs til well blended.
-Remove pan from oven once butter is melted (try not to let it brown).
-Pour batter over butter in pan. It will mix in with the butter a bit...that's fine!
-Bake at 375 or 170C for 20 min.
-Serve with powdered sugar to top or drizzle with honey and splash with lemon juice!

Gladys's Apple Streusel Muffins

2 C flour
1 Tb bk powder
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 C butter, softened
2 C peeled or unpeeled, chopped apples
1/2 tsp lemon peel (dried)
2/3 C milk
1 egg
2 Tb sugar

-Mix flour, sugar, bk powder, salt and cinnamon.
-Cut in butter until crumbly.
-Reserve 1/2 Cup for topping.
-Mix egg and milk together.
-Add to dry ingreds along with apples and lemon peel until just mixed.
-Spoon into greased muffin tin.
-Sprinke with reserved topping mixed with 2 Tb sugar.
-Bake at 425 until golden brown, approx 20 min

Thought I'd repost this one now that I have a pic - and it's apple season! I tried this with a bit of whole wheat this time, and it was nice. This is from our church cookbook with a few minor changes...yummo 9/10!

Homemade Velveeta Cheese

I really like this recipe. Why?
1. Unique
2. Given to us by Amish friends
3. Never in my life imagined my husband and I would be talking cheese with a local Amish family.
4. GREAT for toasted cheese sandwiches.
5. Supports the dairy industry:)
6. Fast and fun
7. Love using recipes from friends - a lil' bit of fellowship mixing into the food.

1 Gallon Milk
2 tsp Citric Acid*
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4C Butter
~ 1/4C Cheddar Cheese Powder (to taste)**
Salt (to taste)

-Heat 1 Gallon of milk to 140 degrees.
-Add 2 tsp citric acid (*found near canning supplies, **bulk food stores...)
-Stir gently 'til separated.
-Drain off whey (I use a fine metal strainer - don't use one with large holes).
-To curds add 1 tsp soda, 1/4 C butter, salt, cheddar cheese powder and 1/4-1/2C milk
-Heat together, stirring briskly 'til lumps are dissolved.
-Keep in a cool place (we prefer the fridge!:))

The cheddar cheese powder and salt I just added slowly. I found a 1/4 C works and then a little salt for our taste. I've also been using the ccpowder to make mac and cheese. Tastes very similar to Kraft and is cheaper! I have only found it at a bulk food store in our area.

Crisp Carrots

Tried something new with carrots the other day...flash freezing, of course! I think I'm really becoming a flash freezin' nut!:) After peeling a bit haphazardly (just enough to get the strings off mainly), chunking/dicing, and blanching our garden's carrots for 3-4 minutes, I threw them on a couple trays and popped them in the freezer. Tomorrow I'll let them sit out for 10 minutes or so, then toss them into labeled ziploc bags in the freezer.

I've tried freezing carrots twice before and also canning them. Our family is a bit picky...we've learned we don't really care for the extra big carrots at the end of the season. Their flavor just isn't that good! Canned ones are fine, but I didn't feel like washing jars. And freezing them in pint bags does work, but they will freeze as a clump. So, my hope with flash freezing them is that I'll be able to scoop out a cup if that's all we need!

Grab some out of the freezer, cook a few minutes, drain, and toss with a little honey...should be a yummy winter!