Variety of Breadsticks

VARIETY OF BREADSTICKS

   

There are so many creative ways to make breadsticks using just a few ingredients. Use the breadstick dough that comes in the can (next to the canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls). Follow the directions on how to pull apart. Try twisting some of them, and leaving a few straight....whatever you like! Once they are cooked, try this variety:

• combine 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 tablespoon honey, and brush over the breadsticks. Then roll them in chopped almonds.
• drizzle melted chocolate and sprinkle with course sea salt

Can't you just imagine the possibilities?? Great for pot-lucks or picnics! 

Fondue Fun: 2 Cheese & Honey Fondue

"Fondue Fun"

from Southern Living's 

"Cooking for Christmas"

Two-Cheese-and-Honey Fondue
Tomato-and-Herb Fondue
Mixed Salad Greens
Mississippi Mud Fondue

For the Introduction to this series of recipes, click HERE

Two-Cheese-and-Honey Fondue

Fondue:
1 cup heavy cream

1 cup chicken broth

1 Tblsp honey

2 cups freshly shredded Jarlsberg cheese

1/2 cup freshly shredded Swiss cheese

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper

Serve with:

Cubed ciabatta bread, sliced pears, sliced apples

• Bring heavy cream, chicken broth, and honey to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce head to medium-low and simmer. Meanwhile, combine cheeses, flour, mustard, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk cheese mixture into simmering brother until melted and smooth. Transfer to fondue pot; keep warm. Serve fondue with desired accompaniments.

Wednesday: Tomato-and-Herb Fondue

Blueberry Cream Cheese Monkey Bread

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE

MONKEY BREAD

2 (11 ounce) packages Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Dough (22 ounces total)
1 cup blueberries
3 tablespoons sugar
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, room temperature

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray 11-inch spring foam pan and set aside.
• Place the blueberries, 1 tablespoon sugar and cream cheese in a food processor, and process until smooth.
• Lightly flour a surface, and roll out both pieces of Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Dough, side by side.
• Spread both dough pieces evenly with the cream cheese mixture, leaving a 2-inch border of dough around the cream cheese.
• Roll up both dough sections into a log -- jelly-roll style.
• Trim off the ends of each roll to make them neat, and then, Cut each roll into 15 1-inch pieces.
• Place each piece of dough into prepared round or bundt pan, placing them side-by-side in concentric circles until entire pan is filled.
• Sprinkle dough with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and bake for 35 minutes or until bread is lightly golden.
• Serve immediately.

Icing:

• Mix a little of the filling left over with 1/4 cup powdered sugar and add a couple drops of milk at a time until you get the right consistency.

recipe from Amazing Moms.com

FBF: Rosemary Ribeye Steak & Bread Salad

FLASH-BACK FRIDAY

ROSEMARY RIBEYE STEAK &BREAD SALAD

click on image to see full post from 8/4/11

Wild Blackberry Bread

Oh yes, you read that right. I was given the pleasure to visit a friend's property and pick all the wild blackberries that I wanted. So at the end, I ended up with a little over 6 pounds. And I just L.O.V.E. it!

WILD BLACKBERRY BREAD

1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 cups fresh blackberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Gently toss in the blackberries.
• In a different medium bowl, combine sugar and next 5 ingredients and mix until all combined.
• Add the sugar mixture to the blackberry mixture and gently stir until evenly blended.
• Pour into a greased loaf pan (8.5"x 4.5"/ normal sized) and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes still in the loaf pan, then remove it from the pan and let cool for about an hour.
• Drizzle icing (recipe below) over top. Slice and serve!

Icing:

In a wire mesh, crush blackberries through the strainer to get the juice without the seeds. You only need about 2 tablespoons of juice, so about 1 cup of blackberries should do the trick. In a small bowl, put about 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Little at a time, add the blackberry juice until its a the right consistency to drizzle over the bread. 

O Clementine Pound Cake

We reached 300 on the Facebook page--so here is what I promised--an amazing recipe that I have been raving about the past few days!

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Oh man, oh man. I thought the salmon was my favorite from these series of recipes for O Olive Oil. That was before I made this. This recipe make 2 loafs, and one of them was practically gone before it had a chance to cool off. I'm just saying, if you are going to make this for a coffee group or bible study, make several batches because it won't last long!

O Clementine Pound Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened
2 tblsp O Clementine Olive Oil
1-1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
1-3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cardamom
zest of 2 clementines (about 1 tablespoon)
juice of 2 clementines (about 4 tablespoons)
1/4 cup milk
for icing:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tablespoon O Clementine Olive Oil
few drops of milk

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 loafs pan, set aside.
• With a mixer, beat butter, oil and sugars until smooth.
• Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until completely blended. Stir in 1 cup of flour, as well as the salt, vanilla, cardamom, zest and clementine juice.
• Add the milk and rest of the flour. Beat until the consistency is smooth and completely blended.
• Pour the batter evenly into the 2 loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out smooth.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• For the Icing: In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and oil. Stir together until the oil is incorporated as much as possible [it will still be powder-y until the milk is added].
• Add the milk, a few drops at a time until the icing is at the desired consistency. [I used about 1 tablespoon, but it will differ from person to person]
• Drizzle over cake and lightly sprinkle some cardamom on top.

Its just DRIPPING with deliciousness!! Have I mentioned the smell? Its divine!

Monkey Bread--Different Version!

Saw this on pinterest.....of course...and OF COURSE I had to try it!! I have my own version of monkey bread, but this version is wonderful! My advice--make 2 batches...they go quick!

Recipe is from Nicole and Hannah with All Things Delicious but images are my own.

MONKEY BREAD

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1/2 C. syrup

1/3 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional

1/4 C. chopped almonds, optional

• Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired).
• Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.
• Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.
• Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.
• Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and serve.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Povitica

The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!

Daring Bakers Challenge 

POVITICA 

(1/2 Batch)

Half Batch Dough Ingredients (Makes two loaves each 1.25 lbs/565 grams)

To activate the Yeast:1 Teaspoon Sugar
½ Teaspoon All-Purpose (Plain) Flour
¼ Cup Warm Water
1 Tablespoon Dry Yeast

Dough:
1 Cup Whole Milk
6 Tablespoons Sugar
1½ Teaspoons Table Salt
2 Large Eggs
¼ Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
4 cups All-Purpose Flour, measure first then sift, divided

Topping:
¼ Cup Cold STRONG Coffee
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
Melted Butter

Half Batch Filling Ingredients
3½ Cups Ground English Walnuts
½ Cup Whole Milk
½ Cup Unsalted Butter
1 Whole Egg, Beaten
½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Sugar
½ Teaspoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

To Activate Yeast:
1. In a small bowl, stir 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon flour, and the yeast into ½ cup warm water and cover with plastic wrap.
2. Allow to stand for 5 minutes

To Make the Dough:3. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below boiling (about 180°F/82°C), stirring constantly so that a film does not form on the top of the milk. You want it hot enough to scald you, but not boiling. Allow to cool slightly, until it is about 110°F/43°C.
4. In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, ¾ cup sugar, and the salt until combined.
5. Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 2 cups of flour.6. Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough starts to clean the bowl.
7. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until smooth and does not stick. Note: I did not use all of flour8. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces
9. Place dough in 4 lightly oiled bowls, cover loosely with a layer of plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and let rise an hour and a half in a warm place, until doubled in size.

To Make the Filling10. In a large bowl mix together the ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.
11. Heat the milk and butter to boiling.
12. Pour the liquid over the nut/sugar mixture.
13. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
14. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough.
15. If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk.

To Roll and Assemble the Dough:16. Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered.
17. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly)
18. Place the dough on the sheet and roll the dough out with a rolling pin, starting in the middle and working your way out, until it measures roughly 10-12 inches in diameter.
19. Spoon 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of melted butter on top.
20. Using the tops of your hands, stretch dough out from the center until the dough is thin and uniformly opaque. You can also use your rolling pin, if you prefer.
21. As you work, continually pick up the dough from the table, not only to help in stretching it out, but also to make sure that it isn’t sticking.
22. When you think it the dough is thin enough, try to get it a little thinner. It should be so thin that you can see the color and perhaps the pattern of the sheet underneath.
23. Spoon filling (see below for recipe) evenly over dough until covered.24. Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll.25. Once the dough is rolled up into a rope, gently lift it up and place it into a greased loaf pan in the shape of a “U”, with the ends meeting in the middle. You want to coil the dough around itself, as this will give the dough its characteristic look when sliced.26. Repeat with remaining three loaves, coiling each rope of dough in its own loaf pan.27. Brush the top of each loaf with a mixture of ½ cup of cold STRONG coffee and 2 tablespoons of sugar. If you prefer, you can also use egg whites in place of this.28. Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.29. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.30. Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.31. Turn down the oven temperature to slow 300°F/150°C/gas mark 2 and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done.32. Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter.33. Check the bread at 30 minutes to ensure that the bread is not getting too brown. You may cover the loaves with a sheet of aluminum foil if you need to.34. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes, still in the bread pan. Remember, the bread weighs about 2.5 and it needs to be able to hold its own weight, which is difficult when still warm and fresh out of the oven. Allowing it to cool in the pan helps the loaf to hold its shape.35. It is recommended that the best way to cut Povitica loaves into slices is by turning the loaf upside down and slicing with a serrated knife.

Zucchini Bread

As the summer vegetables are going out of season and fall ones are coming in, I often look for ways to preserve those delicious veggies to use year around. I've shown ya'll how to freeze parsley already, and now I'll show you how to save your zucchini.

I went to the farmer's market and got about 9 medium sized zucchini for $1. They were a little beat up and not that pretty, so I wouldn't use them for sides that required them to be "pretty." But I've made some zucchini bread that is to die for, seriously, and it used the zucchini bread shredded up. You can also use shredded zucchini in other dishes (if you have a picky eater) to hide the veggie .

Anyway, It comes down to this: shred the zucchini up, and freeze. I got about 16 cups of shredded zucchini from my lot at the farmers market. Most recipes call for 2 or 4 cups shredded zucchini, so freeze them in those amounts. Most of my bags were 2 cup quantities, and 1 of them was a 4-cup quantity. Kinda think about what you want to use it for, and freeze accordingly.

And here is the amazing zucchini recipe I mentioned above. You can also make the bread and then freeze the loafs as well. I don't have a good picture of the bread, mainly because it didn't last long enough to grab my camera. Yup, its that good.

Zucchini Bread
click HERE for printable recipe
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup crisco oil
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven at 325 degrees F.

Slightly beat the eggs. Add sugar and crisco. Beat well. Add shredded zucchini and vanilla.

In a different medium bowl, mix flour baking soda and baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Mix both mixtures together and add the pecans.

Grease 2 loaf pans and evenly divide mixture. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hours. Remove from oven and let them cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and enjoy!

click HERE for printable recipe

Camembert with Lambic-Peach-Cherry Chutney

This is the perfect entertaining plate that goes great with any setting. The cheese can get expensive (it cost me about $11 for the round) so keep that in mind. But its totally worth it!

PLANK-SMOKED CAMEMBERT 

WITH LAMBIC-PEACH-CHERRY CHUTNEY

2/3 cup lambic beer or hard cider
1/2 cup sugar
1 large peach, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup dried (tart or sweet) cherries
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
dash salt
1 piece cherrywood or cedar grill plank
8oz baguette-style french bread, cut diagonally into 1/2-in slices
1 8oz round Camembert cheese

For chutney, in a small saucepan, combine beer and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Stir in peach, dried cherries, ginger, emon peel and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Transfer to a small bowl. cover and chill for at least 4 hours (it will thicken as it chills).

For at least 1 hour before grilling, soak grill plank in enough water to cover. Drain plank before using.

For charcoal grill, place the plank on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 3 to 5 minutes or until it starts to char and pop. while plank is heating, add bread slices to grill. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes or until toasted, turning once halfway through grilling. Turn plank over. Place cheese on charred side of plank. Cover and grill for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is softened and side is starting to droop.

Place cheese on plank; spoon some chutney on top. Serve with the bread and remaining chutney. Makes 6 to 8 appetizer serving.

recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens "grill it" special addition, July 2011

Still time to enter this giveaway!

Rosemary Ribeye Steak & Grilled Bread Salad

ROSEMARY RIBEYE STEAK

This is a wonderful summer-time steak. Fresh rosemary and corn make it meld together and the flavors just pop. Follow the instructions closely to get that perfect steak.

2 ribeye steaks, cut 1 inch thick
1 tblsp olive oil
1 tblsp finely snipped fresh rosemary
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
snipped fresh rosemary (for garnish)

Ready for the grill

Trim the fat from the steaks. Brush with oil. In a small bowl, combine 1 tblsp rosemary, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over both sides of the steaks; rub in with your fingers. Cover and marinate at room temp for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the steaks with a little more salt right before grilling.

Charcoal grill is the best for the steaks, but you can use gas grill if that's all ya got. Get coals to medium heat and grill, uncovered, for 10 to 13 minutes doe med-rae, 12 to 15 for medium. [For gas grill, preheat oven and cook over medium heat, covered, until at the right doneness] Sprinkle steaks with fresh rosemary before serving.

GRILLED BREAD SALAD

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 ears of corn, husks and silks removed
3 1/2-in-thick slices Italian bread
4 cups baby arugula
1 cup cherry tomatoes


For dressing, combine 1/4 cup oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Cover and shake well; set aside.

Brush all sides of corn and bread slices with remaining oil.

Place corn on grill (same time as the steaks) and grill for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Add bread slices at the end, and grill for 3 to 4 minutes, or until toasted. (careful--we burned a few!)

In large bowl, toss together the arugula and tomatoes. Cut corn from cob and add to mix. Cut bread into bite-sized slices and add to mix. Shake dressing and add to the salad; toss to combine.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Recipe adapted from Better Home and Gardens "Grill it" Special Interest Publications, 2011

Banana Nut Bread

I've used this recipe for yeaarrrrrsssss now. My aunt gave it to me in college, and I don't use any other recipe. This one is perfect. Enjoy!

BANANA NUT BREAD

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 -4 really ripe bananas
pinch of salt
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together first 6 ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually mix the flour mixture into the banana mixture. And pecans (optional).

Pour equally into 2 greased glass loaf pans. Metal pans might need different cooking time, I've "perfected" this using glass. So make sure you keep an eye on it while cooking if you do use metal.

Cook for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then invert them on wire rack to cool. Eat. Or freeze--this is excellent for freezing then thawing! But most importantly--ENJOY!

Southern Meal: Fried Catfish, Black-eyed peas and Cornbread

FRIED CATFISH, BLACK-EYED PEAS AND CORNBREAD

On of my favorite meals--grew up on this down in East Texas, so making this brings back so many memories! I do shorten up the recipe though--I actually don't have enough time to cook all day. =) This is also really fun for my kids--they love helping me cook (and clean) and this is a great one for them to lend a hand.

I use any box of fish-fry. This one is Zatarain's Wonderful Fish fry. It creates a wonderful crispy crust! (and you just follow the recipe and directions on the back of the box!)

This is my son helping me--dipping the cat fish nuggets in egg/milk wash, then in the fish fry batter. He then puts in on a plate.

...and I did everything with the hot oil and fryin them up.

 

I made with this the black-eyed peas. Again, get a bag of dried black-eyed peas and follow the instructions. These take about 2 hours--so be prepared ahead of time.

Same with the cornbread. I just used a box of "Jiffy Corn muffin" mix and followed the instructions. This takes about 30 minutes. So be prepared. I also like throwing in a can of corn (drained) and change up the texture every once-in-a-while!

My son enjoying his southern meal!

Need a CHEAP and delicious meal? Try this one!

And I need to brag a little...guess what ELSE he does?