Blitz Bread

I wanted a bread for the soup I made the other day and didn't have time to make the divine breadsticks I'v posted before. I remember seeing this on another blog I visit so I decided to give it a try. I could not get two kids to eat it at all. One at the bottom but not the top. Dh and I loved the bread and I can't wait to make it again. I used the Johnny's garlic spread for the herbs. I found the recipe here:

http://realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/09/blitz-bread.html

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) warm water

3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 1/2 cups (14 ¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

3 teaspoons dried herbs

dried herbs for sprinkling

1) Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan ( I used non-stick spray), and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.

2) Combine all of the ingredients, except the dried herbs for sprinkling, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds. (I used my kitchen aid, but didn't use the dough hook. I used the paddle type attachment. The one I use to mix cookie dough)

3) Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it is puffy.

4) While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.

5) Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.

6) Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with the dried herbs of your choice, if desired.

7) Bake the bread till it’s golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

8) Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.To make cheese-stuffed bread: Add 1 cup crumbled feta cheese to the dough after it's been kneaded for 60 seconds.

Semi-Minestrone Soup

I started out thinking I wanted to make minestrone soup but I didn't have any canned kidney beans and I forgot to soak the dried ones plus I had some defrosted sausage to use. So I ended up subbing the sausage for the beans and it turned out pretty good. I started with a recipe that I wanted to try but I was out of almost half the ingredients so I guess you can say this is an original recipe. The adults in the house loved the soup. The kids picked the sausage out and ate only that.

1 medium onion, chopped

5 stalks celery, chopped

5 carrots, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cube chicken bullion

1 cube beef bullion

28 ounces crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup brown rice

half a head of chopped cabbage

1 pound Italian sausage

5 drops tabasco sauce or less depending on your taste

3 cups water

Cook sausage until brown. Halfway through cooking add onions and celery. Add carrots and garlic. Add water and tomatoes, bullions, and salt/pepper. Bring to a boil and then add cabbage and rice. Bring back to boil then let simmer 3-4 hours. Add tabasco sauce to taste. Serve.

Coleslaw

I made coleslaw from scratch. Totally. I shredded a head of cabbage, some carrots, and green onions. It actually tasted really good. Much better than any other attempt at making coleslaw on my own. Even dh commented on how good this attempt was. So I found this recipe here:

http://thespottedapron.wordpress.com/2008/05/24/seans-pulled-pork-my-homemade-coleslaw/

I didn't use the pulled pork recipe they had posted because I really really like my South Carolina pulled pork recipe. I posted the recipe and a picture a few months ago. I'm copying her recipe although I didn't used the bagged stuff. I chopped all of my vegetables, mainly because I had a huge head of cabbage from a CSA pick up.

To cheat and make the chopping go quicker, I used a bag of broccoli slaw and a bag of chopped purple cabbage in addition to the carrots I sliced on the mandoline. The flavor and crunch were great. But if you want to really slice and dice, use ½ head of savoy cabbage and ½ head of purple cabbage. You can also add fresh parsley or green onions. Adjust the recipe to your taste and what you have in your pantry or garden.
1 ½ tablespoon whole-grain mustard or a good quality Dijon mustard
1 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup sour cream 

1/2 lemon, juiced 

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

2 teaspoons sugar 

1 bag of broccoli slaw 

1/2 head purple cabbage, finely sliced 

2 carrots, sliced on mandoline or julienned
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine the mustard, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar and sugar and mix well.
Add the finely sliced cabbage, broccoli slaw, and carrots to the dressing. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow the flavors to marinate.
Serve when you are ready, cold or at room temperature.

Green Bean Soup

This is a pretty simple and easy to make soup. It also doesn't have alot of ingredients or pricey ingredients so you can say its a frugal meal. This is a very basic soup and lends itself to whatever your tastes may be. I'm sure there are endless possibilities for making this soup.

2 lbs fresh green beans with the ends snapped off and snapped into bite size pieces

one onion chopped

3 garlic cloves minced (use less if your not a garlic fan because it does taste like garlic)

ham hock, or diced ham, or bacon bits- as much as you like or one ham hock

Place everything in the crockpot and cover with water. Add salt and pepper to your taste. And add about 1 tablespoon paprika. I also like to add about 2-4 drops of tabasco sauce. Cook on high heat for 6 hours or low heat for 8-10 hours. Serve.

Jalapeno Poppers

I love these at resturants and hate the frozen ones. As such I seldom eat these, although I guess that's a good thing considering how fattening they are. The other day though I received quite a few jalapenos in my csa box plus not knowing I was getting them in the csa bought about 20 from the farmer's market. So I decided to take the challenge and make my own. I searched all over on the web and found several interesting recipes including a no breading but bacon wrapped popper. I settled on the recipe I found here:
http://tinamommyx3.blogspot.com/2008/08/texas-jalapeno-poppers.html

Overall they were very good. I ran out of breadcrumbs so I used about 1/4 cup cornmeal. My only problem with the poppers I made is they were very very spicy. I must have had the hottest jalapeno's in the batch. I even took all the seeds and ribbing out.

These poppers were much better than any frozen ones. I think I still prefer the resturant ones over homemade I'll make these at home anytime I get the craving.

12 - oz. cream cheese, softened
1 - 8 oz. package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 -2 T. bacon bits
12 - oz. jalapeno peppers, seeded and halved
1 - cup milk
1 - cup all-purpose flour
1 - cup dry bread crumbs
2 - quarts oil for frying

In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese and bacon bits. Spoon this mixture into the jalapeno pepper halves. Put the milk and flour into two separate small bowls. Dip the stuffed jalapenos first into the milk then into the flour, making sure they are well coated with each. Allow the coated jalapenos to dry for about 10 minutes. Dip the jalapenos in milk again and roll them through the breadcrumbs. Allow them to dry, then repeat to ensure the entire surface of the jalapeno is coated. In a medium skillet or home fryer, heat the oil to 375° F.. Deep fry the coated jalapenos 2 to 3 minutes each, until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a paper towel

16 Bean Soup

This is a recipe that I make up as I go. Depending on what I have on hand and my mood for the day. The soup was really tasty and everyone, including the kids, ate it all up. We had no leftovers.

1 lb 16 bean soup mix (don't use the packet that comes with it if you bought the mix and didn't make your own), soaked overnight and drained

1 ham hock

oil

1 onion chopped

2 green bell peppers chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes

3 bay leaves

6 cups chicken stock

tabasco sauce

salt and pepper

In a stock pot cook onion and peppers in oil until tender. Add garlic, cook until fragrant.

Add can of diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then add beans and ham hock. Cook 2-3 hours on low or until the beans are tender. Add water to keep the beans and ham hock covered if needed.

After beans are tender, remove bay leaves and ham hock. Shred the meat on the ham hock and return to pot. Taste soup and add tabasco sauce, salt and pepper until it reaches the taste you like.

Spaghetti Salad

This is a favorite of my husband and mine. Actually the kids really enjoy it too. Honestly you could serve this as a main dish, and I have at various times, or you can serve it as a salad or side dish. This recipe lends itself to whatever you have on hand and like. I prefer using a salad dressing that I make but I'm posting this recipe using a packet of Italian salad dressing.

1 lb cooked spaghetti noodles- rinse with cold water and drained

1 packet of Italian salad dressing made according to directions

3-4 different vegetables, I used green bell peppers, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes

I threw in some Kalamata olives but you could use black olives or no olives

about 1 tablespoon Salad Supreme seasoning

grated cheese- of your choice I prefer parmesan reggiano cheese, if desired

Mix everything together and put in the fridge for several hours to let the flavors blend. You can skip the fridge if you want.

Red Beans and Rice

I just made this one up as I went along. The dish itself turned out really good.

I'd say that this isn't your typical red beans and rice dish but overall it was liked in this house.

1 lb small red beans-soaked overnight

1 ham hock

1 onion chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

6 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves

hot sauce

salt and pepper

3 cups cooked rice

Cook onion in oil over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the chili powder and stir until combined. Add beans, chicken stock, ham hock, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until beans and ham hock are tender. Add water if needed.

Remove ham hock and pulled meat off. Place the meat back in the pot. Remove bay leaves. Add cooked rice. Add hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Cool Cucumber Pasta

This recipe was in the local newspaper on Tuesday, the Standard Examiner who I believe found the recipe at Taste of Home. I love cucumber and onions together and this sounded very similar to a recipe of mine that I posted last year. Mine called for tomatoes instead of pasta and it had alot less dressing but very similar. Overall we liked the recipe. I used bow tie pasta instead of the penne pasta because that's what I had on hand. Next time I make this though I will omit the dried parsley flakes and used dried or fresh oregano and/or basil. I'll also add a garlic paste since I like the taste of garlic.

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup water

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place pasta in a large bowl; stri in the oil, cucumbers, and onion.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the remaining ingredients; shake well. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Cover and chill for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with a slotted spoon. Refrigerate leftovers. Serves 8-10.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Crunch

I noticed these in the lastest Rachael Ray magazine and I had all the ingredients so I decided to make them. They were easy to make and the kids helped make them. They are very tasty but way sweet. The recipe says it makes sixteen pieces but I think it would be more like 32 pieces since they are quite sweet.

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 sticks (8 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

one 16 ounce jar creamy peanut butter

3 cups crispy rice cereal

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, melt half of the chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter over low heat. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 cup peanut butter, then 2 cups rice cereal. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan; refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Wash out the saucepan.

2. In the saucepan, combine the remaining 2 sticks of butter and the salt; melt over medium heat, stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining peanut butter and the confectioner's sugar. Spread half the peanut butter mixture over the cereal layer. Top with the remaining 1 cup cereal.

3. In a small bowl, microwave the remaining chocolate at medium power until melted, 1 1/2 minutes. Stir into the remaining peanut butter mixture. Spread evenly on the cereal topped peanut butter layer; refrigerate until set, about 45 minutes. Cut into 16 pieces.