SissyLoo's

February 11, 2012

Spinach Dip

2 pkg frozen chopped spinach thawed
8 oz water chesnut finely chopped
1 c sour cream (soy for vegan)
1 c plain yogurt (soy for vegan)
1 c chopped green onions
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

make sure spinach is NOT wet!! mix all together & chill 1 hr.

Get round king hawaiian bread bowl - take center out & cut into small pieces. Put spinach dip in center.....YUM!

Sweet Rolls

Mix 2 tsp yeast, 1/2 c. warm water & 2 TB of sugar - set aside

Warm 2 c. milk in saucepan. Add 6 eggs, 6 TB butter, 1 c. sugar, 2 tsp salt & yeast.

Add 7-9 c. flour

Knead & cover

Let rise for 3 hours

Place rolls on greased cookie sheet & let rise for 1 hour

bake at 350 for 12 min

Wheat Bread

6 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. bread flour
1 Tbs & 1 tsp of yeast (sorry - I don't use packets - what is that, 2 packets?)
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. honey
2 c. warm water (about 120 deg)
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. olive oil

dilute the honey in the water & pour the yeast in - do not let it sit more than 5 min!

then, combine all wet & all dry ingred. seperatley
knead & let rise for an hour in a warm place
punch down & fill your pans - I made rolls & bullet bread.
put in the oven for about an hour at 350 deg. - fabulous!

So - bullet bread. My mom used to make bullet bread for us when we were little - it's completely a UT thing to do - but it's only been passed down though some families - it hasn't really "caught on" You get juice in a can - only apple & pineapple really work - the others leave an after taste of the juice in your bread. Dump the juice - really, you don't need over processed, sugary juices & for the cost of the "pan" it's worth it. then let it go through your dishwasher. TaDa! It's ready to be used! roll your loaf, like normal & just slip it in the pan - make sure when you cook it, you are taking out one of the racks in your oven. After it bakes & you take it out, you'll realize why they call it bullet bread :)

Variation - I sprouted wheat & once it had a small "tail" I put them through the processor & added it to my bread - when you add things, add it with the wet ingredients. I used 2/3 c. of wheat (measured when it was dry). Adds to the fiber & healthiness of the bread.

You can also use this recipe for cinnamon rolls! The bread won't need to be sweeter - just make sure when you make your cinnamon rolls you are using brown sugar (dark is best) & cinnamon for the filling on the inside - and also, don't forget - when making cinnamon rolls, butter is always better!

Bread

Grandma Brady's recipe - it's kinda choppy - but this is what I was given - heavenly homemade bread & whole wheat works well!

2 cups water & 2 cups milk in saucepan. When warm add 1 tbs salt & 1/4 c butter & 1/3 - 2/3 sugar. Stir until butter is melted. Pour in mixing bowl & add 4 c. flour & yeast mix (1/4 c warm water & 1/2 tsp sugar with 2 pkg yeast) until smooth. Grad add 6-8 c. flour - or until able to knead. knead & let rise 1 hour - punch down & put in pans - let rise again for 1 hour then bake at 375 degrees for 40 min

To make bullet bread: use a canned juice container. Usually apple & pineapple is the best - do not use grape or tomato juice - you can't get rid of the juice flavor, no matter how hard you try. make sure you grease your pan well before putting the dough in it & bake it with the top side up - you'll have to possibly take out one of the racks in your oven to do this.

Aunt Cindy Pancakes (Norwegian)

In blender mix:

4 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c. flour

cook like crepes.

When ready to eat, THIN layer of granulated sugar, roll & enjoy!

Muffins (w/variations)

1 c. milk
1 c. quick oats
1 egg (prefer medium - but large is ok....)
1/4 c. olive oil
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour (if you don't have ww - only 1 c. of all-purpose)
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

mix milk, egg, oil, and sugar together. Add oats & stir. Add flour & stir. Then add the baking powder & salt & stir --- next add whatever toppings you want.

Some of my favorites:

Sun-dried tomatoes & Basil - about 1/2 cup of chopped (soaked) sun-dried tomatoes & 1 Tbs of basil. (add at the end)

Blueberry muffins - add as many blueberries as you want - I usually add about a cup. I also prefer fresh, rather than frozen. Also - with the wet ingredients - add 1 Tbs. of vanilla.

Almond muffins - with wet ingredients, add 1/2 tsp of almond extract, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, & 1/4 tsp of nutmeg & at the end, add 1/2 c. of chopped almonds

Lemon Poppyseed (you'll need 1 lemon for this) - with wet ingredients, add 1 tsp of lemon juice from the lemon, 2 tsp grated lemon peel, & 1 tsp of poppyseeds (optional 1/4 tsp cinnamon)

Brown Sugar Topping (for any variation) blend 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1 Tbs softened butter, & 1/2 tsp cinnamon with a fork & top the muffins, BEFORE they go into the oven :)

Aunt Cindy's Granola

This recipe can always be halfed - also - It keeps for about 1-2 weeks on the shelf - YUMMY warm!

4 1/2 c. of quick oats

1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c wheat germ

1/4 c. ground flax seed
1/4 c. pysllium husk whole - not the powder
1/2 c. coconut flakes
1 c. sliced almonds

2 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl. Lay out on cookie sheet.

Cook at 325 deg. for 20 min

Steph's German Pancakes

Wow! I can't believe these aren't on here already! I make them once a semester - soooo yummy! (but also, I cut the recipe in 1/2 when I do - I think my pans are a little smaller than Steph's)

1/2 c. salted butter (oil & margarine don't work)
6 eggs
1 c. flour (unbleached or all purpose)
1 c. milk
1 tsp salt

While oven is preheating to 425, melt butter in a rectangle pan in the oven. mix rest of ingredients. Once butter has melted, pour in with remaining ingredients & mix. Pour mixture into pan & cook for about 15 min.

Breakfast Casserole

2 c. hash browns (cubed or shredded)
1 c. frozen broccoli
1/3 c. browned sausage
1/3 c. evaporated milk
2 Tbs flour
8 eggs
1/2 c. shredded cheese
1 tsp. basil
dash of salt & pepper

line casserole dish with the first 3 ingredients. In a separate bowl, wisk the eggs & milk until thoroughly mixed. Add flour, cheese, basil, salt & pepper to the egg mixture & mix well. pour into the casserole dish, over the potato/broccoli/sausage mixture. bake at 350 for about 50 min

Gloss Frosting/Fondant

Use a blowdryer (I would suggest having one JUST for food if you do this - the last thing someone wants is hair in their food) to set (cool air) frosting/fondant & to brighten or get a glossy color by using the heat

Citrus

to get more lemon/lime/orange juice out - roll the fruit a few times, firmly, before cutting open to squeeze.

Hard to Soft Cookies

to soften overbaked/ dry cookies, place in an air-tight container/ baggie with a piece of bread over night

Using Honey

Before measuring honey, spray the measuring utensil with cooking oil, so it easily slides out.

Egg Salad

Quick tip on how to not have all of the fat in Egg salad:

People do egg salad so many different ways - but take your favorite recipe & cut the may by 1/4-1/2 (just depending) & use that amount in applesauce. I use 1/2 of the mayo & 1/2 of applesauce & then I double the mustard - it seems like a lot of mustard - but it usually turns out just right.

W-O-W!! Home-made sweetened condensed milk - EASY!!

I got this recipe from a southern cook - apparently, they put sweetened condensed milk on everything. I wanted to try to make it because I'm not allowed to have anything with lactose until next May (once I've gone a year w/no gluten). I tried this with powdered goat's milk - and It's amazing! Tastes just like the REAL thing! You can make it with normal powdered milk, if you choose....

1 c. powdered milk
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c boiling water
2 Tbs melted butter

put all of the above ingredients in a blender & mix for a few minutes until it's all incorporated. refrigerate overnight & it's ready to use! It's the same amount as one can from the grocery store

Conversion (butter to oil)

I love to cook with butter - but trying to loose weight at the same time can be a little challenging. I found this great butter to olive oil conversion chart & thought I'd like to pass it along - especially for those who want to watch their cholesterol intake.

1 teaspoon butter = 3/4 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter = 2 1/4tsp olive oil
2 tablespoons butter = 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup butter = 3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup butter = 1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup butter = 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup butter = 1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup butter = 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup butter = 3/4 cup olive oil

Dirty Dozen v. Clean Dozen

These are the dirty dozen - please buy organic as much as you can! Also! remember that most local growers do not use pesticides and their produce is about 95% ok to eat. The following will soak up so much of the chemicals major companies use in their pesticides that will harm our bodies. These are also very different tasting when bought organic v. conventional. Be sure to check with your grocery store - many are using local growers - but market their product as "conventional" this means you get a great product for a great price! Don't be afraid to become friends with your produce manager!

Buy organic:

Peaches
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes

Don't forget the GMO veggie/legume! Also important to buy organic are:
corn; and,
soybeans - or anything with soy in it - now, this can be difficult to find - but with all of the "soy" hype out there - they are finding out that non-organic soy is having an adverse affect on us - this is because it is usually genetically modified. Buying organic means that it can not (by FDA standards) be genetically modified.

Similarly, there are also the fruits & veggies that don't absorb the bad chemicals - these are very safe to buy conventional. There's only 10 on this list - sorry if the title was a bit misleading :) :
Eggplant
Broccoli
Cabbage
Bananas
Asparagus
Sweet peas (frozen)
Mango
Pineapples
Avocado
Onions

1c glue

3/4 c water

mix

1 1/4 c. borax

1/4 c water

mix

mix both mixtures together until blended. Knead. discard any leftover water

Flubber

2 c. glue
1 c. water
mix

1 tb borax
1/2 c water
mix

mix both mixtures together until blended. Knead. discard any leftover water