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Funky Snowflakes Holiday

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Funky Snowflakes Holiday

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Super Easy White Bread

I'm not sure if I am crazy or what, but this last time I went grocery shopping, I decided that I wasn't going to buy bread (I know, crazy right?). So I did some searching on the good ol' internet and found this recipe. This was the first time I had made it and I am happy to say that it turned out and also tasted good. So here is the recipe so that you can try it. I am also happy to say that I didn't have to go to the store to buy anything, I all ready had the ingredients on hand, so it didn't really cost anything to make!

White Bread

(For sandwiches)

2 cups warm water

2/3 cup sugar

1 ½ TBSP. yeast

1 ½ tsp. salt

¼ cup vegetable oil

6 cups bread flour

In bowl of stand mixer, add water and sugar. Let dissolve, then sprinkle with yeast and stir with fork. Let yeast mixture sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast starts to foam.

Add salt and oil to yeast mixture.  Attach dough hook and slowly add in flour 1cup at a time.  Knead with dough hook for 2 minutes or until the dough looks smooth.  Place in a well oiled bowl and cover with a wet cloth or a piece of plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Let raise for 1 hour, or until doubled.

Punch down dough, and knead for 2 minutes and divided dough in half. Place in well oiled 5x9 bread pans. Rise until dough rises 1” above the pan. (I had to wait about another hour)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, and then remove. Let cool 20 -30 minutes before slicing (If you can wait!!).

Mud Pie

Sorry for my absences.  Trying to sell a house and keep crafting/blogging is harder than I though.  I finally remembered to take photos of a recipe I made.  Hopefully you will all enjoy!  It's perfect for warm nights or cool nights wrapped up in a blanket.

Mud Pie

Crust:

2 rows of Oreo cookies

1/4 cup butter melted

Put the Oreos into a food processor and process until it is fine crumbs.  Stir in melted butter and then press into a lightly greased 13x9 inch pan.  Then I like to heat up some Hershey's Hot Fudge and pour over top of the crust.

Ice Cream:

We like Mint Chocolate Chip, but you can use whatever kind you like.  Cookie Dough, Chocolate Chip, Cookies and Cream, whatever.

Let the ice cream sit out for just a little bit so it will be easy to cut.  Cut the packaging off and then with a large knife cut the ice cream into 1/2 - 1 inch thick slices.  Place on top of the crust.

Then cover with foil or a lid if your pan has one.  Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.  To serve cut into squares and top with whip cream and carmel topping.  Yummy!  

I remember helping my mom make this when I was a little kid.  So many memories!  Hope you all like it.

A Birthday Dinner or Breakfast

 Yesterday was my baby's birthday, only he isn't a baby anymore, he turned 5! On my kids' birthday, they get to choose their favorite meal for me to fix. And Sammy chose breakfast. At first he wanted waffles, but then decided that he liked German Pancakes better. Well, this also happens to be my 7 year old's favorite meal as well, so I thought that maybe I should share since the 2 pickiest eaters in my house love these. I was thinking it was just the syrup, but who knows.

German Pancakes

¼ c. butter                                                        1/3 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. milk                                                         3 eggs

¾ c. flour (unsifted)                                          ¼ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put butter in 9 inch pie plate (or 8x8 square pan), and put in preheated oven until butter melts and is bubbling and golden (about 5 min).  Add the rest of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Remove pan from oven and immediately pour in mixture all at once. Return to oven and bake for 20 min at 450. After 20 min, lower heat to 350, and bake for 8-10 minutes more until edges are puffed and browned. A well will form in the middle.

Enjoy with maple syrup and powdered sugar!

What's For Dinner Tonight?

So, the hub-ster is out of town and I wasn't in the mood to make a fancy dinner. But I wanted some good comfort food. So I think...I got plenty of pasta and plenty of cheese. Well, you guessed it...Homemade Mac & Cheese. SO YUMMY!

 Homemade Mac and Cheese

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

1 cup chicken broth

3 cups milk (about, you may need more or less depending on

 how thick you like your sauce)

2-3 cups grated, sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup grated, Swiss or Gruyere cheese

½ tsp. ground mustard powder

¼ tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. chives

½ tsp. tarragon

½ tsp. thyme

1 box elbow macaroni, cooked al dente in chicken broth

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add flour. Add mustard and nutmeg and let cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth and milk; whisk until smooth and thickened. Then add salt, pepper, mustard powder, chives, tarragon, and thyme, let cook for another 1-2 minutes. Then add cheeses, slowly. Make sure the sauce is NOT boiling when you add the cheese or it will lump up and not be good. (Make sure you taste everything together to be sure it has enough seasoning) Add in the cooked macaroni noodles and stir to coat. Then pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish or 9x13 pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

*you can also add a breadcrumb topping to add a little extra flavor and crunch. I use about

 ¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs, 3 TBSP. grated parmesan cheese and 3TBSP. olive oil. Stir together and sprinkle on top of Mac and cheese.

{I will totally admit that I didn’t have chicken broth and used water and chicken bouillon cubes. I also was totally out of breadcrumbs and I used a little extra cheese to top off the dish and baked it until the cheese has melted and the sides were bubbly.}

CHICKEN TAQUITOS

I made these last night for dinner, and they were a winner with my family!! I was totally shocked, because I have 2 really picky eaters. One of my boys can make himself throw up sick if he even thinks he is eating something weird (by his standards). The other morning, I teasingly told him I put raisins in his chocolate chip pancakes, and he wouldn't eat them and was gagging. GEEZ!! So, needless to say even Mr. Uber picky ate these. :)

Chicken Taquitos

1 ½-2 cups shredded chicken

1 8oz. package 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

2/3 c. salsa Verde

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

1 c. grated cheese, any

16 count package fajita sized tortillas

Olive oil spray or regular old Olive oil

Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix together the first 6 ingredients.  Take a tortilla and place 2 or 3 heaping tablespoonful of mixture                 and place off set on tortilla and roll tightly. Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Spray with Olive oil spray or brush lightly with Olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt.  Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the edges are a golden brown.

*We used a ranch dipping sauce for these, but they are good by themselves or would even be good dipped in more Salsa Verde or just regular salsa.