Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin time! 
recipe found on jessicainsd.blogspot.com

Bread
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Buttered Vanilla Glaze
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through.**** Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.** Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20x12 inch rectangle.*** Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes (mine took 37 exactly) or until top is a very deep golden brown.

To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and powdered sugar.

**Of course I didn't properly read this section of the directions... I was supposed to melt the butter and brush the dough with the butter then adding the sugar on top of the butter (instead of mixing it all together and sprinkling) but it worked my way so that's how I am listing it. It's really your call!

*** If dough is difficult to roll out, cover with a towel and allow to relax for a few minutes then try again.

**** My milk was room temperature. Adding it cold to the butter can result in clumping. Willow Bird Baking called for removing the butter from the pan, then heating the milk, then adding the butter back to the milk. I was lazy which is why I skipped that step. You can also heat the milk separately in the microwave if you'd like. 

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Found at MelsKitchenCafe.com



*Makes a heaping full 9X13 pan*

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound rigatoni
10 ounces frozen baby spinach, thawed and drained well (can substitute 1 9-oz. bag fresh spinach)
12 ounces precooked smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick (I find this in the same section/aisle as the hotdogs next to the precooked kielbasa and chorizo – I use the Jennie-O brand and it is precooked in a U-shape. JoAnn, a commenter said she finds chicken sausage at Super Target)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 4 ounces shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook for another minute.
Stir in tomatoes, oregano and basil; simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. (If using fresh spinach, add it to the pot of boiling pasta right at the end and cook until wilted.) Drain, and return contents to pot.

Add tomato sauce, sausage, spinach and cubed mozzarella to the pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop pasta into lightly greased 9X13-inch pan (or divide evenly between two 8X8-inch pans). Top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

*Freezable Meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes, uncover and bake 30 minutes longer.

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

from melskitchencafe.com

Serves 8-10 as a side dish

2 slices hearty white or wheat sandwich bread, torn into pieces

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

4 tablespoons butter, melted; plus two tablespoons chilled

1 garlic clove, minced

2 pounds broccoli (about 3-4 medium heads of broccoli), florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stems chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 1/4 cups long grain white rice

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/4 cups half-and-half

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Pulse bread, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and melted butter in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add garlic. Set aside.

Microwave broccoli florets (save stems for later), covered, in a large bowl until bright green and tender, 2 to 3 minutes (no need to add water). Be careful not to overcook or they will become soggy and discolored. Melt remaining butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion and broccoli stems until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, half-and-half, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Off the heat, stir in cheddar cheese, cayenne, remaining parmesan and broccoli florets.

Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish and top with bread crumb mixture. Bake until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve.

Add cooked chicken and it becomes a meal!

Better Than Rhodes Rolls

I found this recipe on ourfoodstorage.com.  There is also a post on there how to shape hamburger buns or hot dog buns.

1 cup warm milk – I used prepared powdered milk (or water or soy milk)
2 tsp vinegar
½ cup butter (1 stick) – if you want to try oil, use 1/3 cup
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs OR 1 tbsp egg replacer + 1/4 cup water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup potato flakes
4 cups flour
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

-Add all ingredients to bread machine pan in order suggested by manufacturer and select dough setting.
-When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
-Divide dough into 24 portions and shape into balls.
-Place in a greased 13 inch by 9 inch baking pan or in muffin tins.
-Cover with saran wrap (spray with non-stick spray) and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes (if you are using regular wheat, you can let these rise for an hour or more. Spelt doesn’t tolerate over rising).
-Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (we actually like ours very light on top and just barely done, so we do 15 minutes).

Chicken Carabonara

I found this recipe on Extreme Makeover:  Weight Loss Edition. Looks yummy and its healthly!


Ingredients:
12 oz. spaghetti
2 cups broccoli florets
3 pieces turkey bacon
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups fat free half-and-half
2 egg yolks
2 cups cooked chicken, coarsely shredded
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
Pinch of chili flakes
1/2 tsp. sea salt and fresh pepper

Directions:
1. Microwave broccoli for 3 minutes, until just tender. Set aside.
2. Microwave turkey bacon on a plate lined with a paper towel until crisp, 2-3 minutes. Crumble and set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
4. Beat egg yolks into half-and-half in small bowl. Set aside.
5. In pasta pot over medium-low heat, add olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute for 1 minute.
6. Add bacon, chicken, cooked pasta, broccoli florets, basil, parsley, salt and pepper, walnuts and lemon zest, mix well.
7. Add half-and-half/egg mixture and Parmesan cheese, toss well and heat through for 2 minutes. Serve.

Serves: 6
Calories per serving: 510
Calorie equivalent: 4 oz. protein, 2 carbohydrates, 1 vegetable, 1 fat

Homemade Granola

I found this recipe on HowDoesShe.com.

Ingredients:

-12 C Quick Cooking Oats
-1/2 C Flour
-1 T Cinnamon
-1/2 t Nutmeg
-4 C Random dry ingredients (suggestions: craisins, raisins, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, small chocolate chips, peanut butter chips.)
-1 C Vegetable Oil
-1 C Honey


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients but oil and honey. Mix oil and honey and microwave until hot. Pour oil and honey mixture over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread mix over 3 baking sheets and bake until lightly golden brown on top (appx 20 min). Let cool, then break up into chunks.

Zucchini Pie

This recipe is from realsimple.com.  It had really good reviews.  FYI - Some people substitued mozzerella for the provolone cheese.

Ingredients

• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup grated provolone cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, reserving 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan.
2. Spoon the zucchini mixture into a 10-inch round glass pie plate or metal pie pan that has been coated with vegetable cooking spray.
3. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with the reserved Parmesan. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Cafe Rio Chicken and Salad Dressing

My awesome sister in law sent me these recipes.

Café Rio Salad Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green tobasco for the jalapeno.)

-Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
5 lbs chicken breast

-Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional

Mexican Lasagna

I took a how to can tomatoes class at the Utah State Extension and they served this.  I thought it was good.  They adapted it from:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/.

Serving size:    12 servings

Prep time:        45 minutes

Bake time:       30 minutes + 15 minutes standing time

Ingredients:

            1-2 pounds ground turkey

            1 medium onion, chopped

            1 garlic clove, minced

1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes, undrained or

1 pint jar home canned tomatoes*

            1 can (10 ounce) enchilada sauce

            1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin

            1 egg, beaten

            1 ½ cups (12 ounces) cottage cheese

1 ½ cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend

            8 flour tortillas (8 inches), cut in half

1 ½ cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

·         In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 20 minutes.

·         In a small bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese; set aside. Combine shredded cheeses; set aside.  Spread a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish.  Layer with half of the cheese blend, tortillas, cottage cheese mixture and remaining meat sauce.  Repeat layers.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

·         Cover and bake at 350° F. for 20 minutes.  Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly.  Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins

I got these recipe from one of my friends.  She brought to playgroup one time and they were yummy!


1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
2 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. butter or margarine
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Grease muffin tins.

1. In a bowl combine blueberries and flour; toss to coat well. Set aside.

2. In a bowl combine butter and sugar; cream until light. Add eggs one at a time; beat well.

3. In another bowl sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream; mix well. Add blueberries and vanilla.

4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 min.

Zucchini Cakes

Found this recipe here.

Makes: 8 cakes
You will need:

• 1 large zucchni grated, excess water removed (Note: To do this, after you grate the zucchini, put the grated zucchini into paper towels and squeeze to release the water)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• sprinkle of ground nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon (Note: If you add too much it can quickly take over the taste, less is more)
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a heaping tablespoon form the mixture into 8 patties.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once heated, add patties and cook until golden brown. About 3-4 minutes per side. Serve.

These are great when served with a dollop of  ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Mushroom Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce

Another recipe from closetcooking.com.

Ingredients:
1 package lasagne noodles
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups sliced mushrooms (portabello, shiitake, etc)
2 servings Bechamel Sauce
2 cups parmigiano-reggiano (grated)

Directions:
1. Cook the noodles as directed on the package. (Add a splash of oil to the water to prevent sticking.)
2. Saute the mushrooms in the butter.
3. Preheat the over to 375 degrees F.
4. Spread some of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of an 8 inch by 8 inch baking dish. Place a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then a third of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup of the grated parmigiano-reggiano. Repeat 2 more times. Top the final layer of noodles and sauce, and the remaining parmigiano-reggiano.
5. Bake the lasagna for about 45 minutes. The top should be a bit browned the sauce should be bubbling.
6. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 or so minutes and serve hot.

Bechamel sauce
is the basic French white sauce and it is simple to make.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour*
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat the butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat until melted.
2. Add the flour and stir until smooth.
3. Add the milk and stir until smooth.
4. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
*For a thin sauce use 1 tablespoon of flour and butter.
For a thick sauce use 3 tablespoons of flour and butter