Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 45 min.                                                        Ingredients 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 to 3 celery ribs, finely chopped 6 tablespoons butter, cubed 3 tablespoons milk                                               2 slices white bread, torn 3 cups mashed potatoes ...

Jewish challah bread is a rich, slightly sweet yeast bread that is typically braided and eaten at the Sabbath evening meal on Friday nights and at ceremonial dinners.  I just wanted a nice sweet egg bread to go with the tuscan pork dish I made from this site for dinner. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Rising time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Ingredients: 2 large eggs (+ 1 large egg white later) 5 ounces warm water 2 1/2 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey) 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar 3 cups bread flour 1 package active dry yeast (1 1/2 tsp) Preparation: Put 2 eggs, water, oil, honey and vanilla into a bowl (I use a bread machine to mix as I over mix)  Add salt, sugar and flour.  Make a well in the flour and add yeast.  Mix until JUST combined, and let rest for 10 min. Knead more and let rest for 10 more min. (or Run br...

2 cup pumpkin (I used the meat from a halloween pumpkin gutting) 4 eggs 2 1/2 cups sugar or sweetener replacement 1/2 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg or allspice 1/2 tsp. salt Blend well then add to: 3 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 cups chocolate chips or pecans 2 tbsp cointreau liqueur or 2 tsp orange peel 1 cup vegetable oil Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake in a greased pan Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Brush top of loaf with melted butter. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar, maple sugar, turbinado sugar or white sugar. Can be eaten plain, buttered, or with cream cheese "Bon Appetit!"

I made these today with my three-year-old daughter.  They turned out really well and we used them to make quesadillas for lunch.  Be sure to roll them out really thinly, though, because they puff up quite a bit when they hit the screamin' hot pan.  I'm thinking one of them will be turned into a pizza crust for C for dinner tonight. Ingredients : 3 cups all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt Pinch of sugar (optional) 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (more for softer tortillas) 1 cup water Instructions : Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and oil. Add water and mix with hands. Divide into 10 small balls. Roll each flat with rolling pin and cook on very hot ungreased griddle until lightly brown on each side. Makes 10 tortillas.

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 eggs, beaten 2-1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9x5" loaf pan.  In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.  In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.  Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.  Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into centre of the load comes out clean.  Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 cup milk 2-1/2 tsp lime or lemon juice 1 egg, beaten 2 tbsp lard, melted Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Mix milk and lime juice, add to dry ingredients along with egg and lard.  Mix well, but do not beat.  Pour into a greased 11 x 7 x 1-1/2 inch baking pan. Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is brown and tests done.  Cool slightly and cut into squares. About 8 servings.

Another cold soup . . . and a fruity one too . . . I've tried so many new things today and this soup, served with Isn't She Loafly? chocolate loaf, was a fabulous finish to our taste-testing lunch. Thanks Cailyn!!!! 4 cups fresh, frozen or canned fruit (strawberries, raspberries, cherries, sliced apricots, peaches, pears) 1 cup fruit juice (orange, apple or cranberry) 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch or quick-cooking tapioca 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 2 cups water 1/4 cup dry white wine In food processor or blender, combine fruit, juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt. Process for about 2 minutes until pureed. Pour into saucepan. Stir in water. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in wine. Cook for 1 minute longer. For extra smooth soup, strain through a sieve. Serve hot or cold. Garnish with dollop of plain yogurt, cream, or sour cream. Isn't She Loafly? 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened c...

Joyce served Gazpacho soup with delicious baking powder biscuits with cheese. Mom thought it would taste even better with vodka . . . LOL. My first time trying a cold soup, and it was really yummy. Gazpacho 1 small onion chopped 1 cup of peeled and diced tomatoes 1/2 cup diced green pepper 1/2 cup diced celery 1/2 cup diced and peeled cucumber 1/2 clove of garlic Mix ingredients in blender with 1 cup of tomato juice. Add 2 cups of tomator juice, 1/3 cup French dressing, 1 tbsp. salt and some cayenne (optional). Refrigerate and serve cold. Baking Powder Biscuits Sift 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 4 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. salt. Cut in 1/3 cup of shortening. Add 3/4 cup milk. Blend to make soft dough. Add 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. Place on lightly floured board and knead 8-10 times. Roll and pat dough to desired thickness and cut with floured cutter. Bake 12-15 minutes at 450 degrees on parchment paper covered baking sheets. Mom said she cooked the biscuits at 350 degrees ...

Everyday Cornbread Recipe taken from online source. http://southernfood.about.com/od/cornbread 2 cups cornmeal 3/4 cup flour 3 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp honey 1 1/2 cups milk 2 eggs 1/4 cup shortening/margarine Blend last 4 ingredients, then add dry ingredients and combine only until blended. OR throw everything in a breadmaker(on mix only). Spoon into a greased pan. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. "Bon Appetit!"

Betty Crocker Quick Bread Recipe 2 cups flour 2 cups cornmeal 1/2 cup sugar 5 tsp baking powder 2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp salt 4 eggs 2 cups milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup shortening/margarine Blend last 4 items together, then add dry ingredients in mixer, or throw everything in the breadmaker(on mix only). beat only until smooth. Place into muffin cups. (Did not turn out well in a loaf!) Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. This made a loaf and 18 muffins. (BTW I added green food colouring to the muffins for St Patricks Day!) "Bon Appetit!"

I decide about a recipe differently than some! If the batter is good enough to eat in a bowl, how can this be a bad recipe? Thank you Susan for sending me this one. This is what "I" did. In a mixing bowl, beat together: 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 end of their life bananas 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup coffee creamer (mocha almond fudge to be exact!) 1/4 cup brick maragrine 1/4 cup shortening 1 tsp vanilla 2 eggs I beat them on low while I got the dry ingredients measured. Now add: 2 1/4 cup flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder I beat this well and the end result was a very thick (and yummy) batter. I double lined some muffin pans ( I always double up the paper cups to give extra protection to the bottom of the muffins or cupcakes )or you can place in a cake pan. Spoon in the batter to almost full. I could make 18 good size even after I "tested" the batter. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, and this was very accurate for me. Cool muffins on rack. I now remove the second paper cup. Caramel Icing 1/2...

Banana Nut Bread Recipe For A Bread Machine (found online and altered) Although this is called bread, it is more of a cake. 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup milk 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2-3 mashed over-ripe bananas 2/3 cups sugar 2 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup walnuts chopped 1. Into baking pan of breadmaker add first 5 items in order. 2. Select"basic dough" setting; press"Start" 3. Allow to mix and then press "stop." 4. Add dry ingredients. 5. Press "start" again. 6. When beep sounds after 5 minutes, add nuts. ***NOTE: I never wait.... 7. The"Complete" light will flash or beep when batter is ready. 8. Place mixture in greased loaf pan or 2 small greased loaf pans. 9. Bake at 350 for 55+ minutes. **note when the knife was inserted into the bread and came out slightly gummy, I turned the oven off but left it in the oven until it was partly cooled. 10. Turn bread out ...

1 1/2 cups water 1/4 cup oil 2 tbsp honey or brown sugar 2 tsp salt 4 cups flour 2 tsp yeast Add in order and turn on machine. Allow dough to finish mixing and rise. Roll dough into balls and arrange on oiled cookie sheet and let rise again (double in size) Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. I have a love hate relationship with yeast! Is it too old? Did I buy the wrong kind........on and on......now I have a trick I found online! Unsure about your yeast? The above recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of water....only add 1 cup at the start. Make the 1/2 cup warm water and soak your yeast in it! Not ovenight, just while you are putting the rest of the ingredients into the breadmaker! If the yeast is still a grain in the water, it is no good. If it is goopy (technical word) the yeast is good. Add the water/yeast combination and wahoo! Press start. This works in any recipe (so far). Don't need 16 buns right now? Here's a tip (again stolen from online!) Place what you will need on th...

Have you ever been pleased you remembered to pull out the breadmaker and make a loaf especially for a meal you are making, and when you opened the lid found a doughy lump of goo or a dried out rock hard mass? ME TOO!! Until I became less scared of the stupid machine's "warnings" of not correctly entering the items etc. So here is a simple bread recipe: 1 1/4 cups of water 2 tbsp powdered milk (I used milk) 2 tbsp oil 1 tsp salt 3 1/4 cups of flour 1 1/4 tsp yeast Simple right? Put the items in the breadmaker in that order and turn it on.....well....not if you are me, and instead of using the 1 cup measuring cup, I used the 1/4 cup and counted out the number I needed....9 right? hmmmmm no! it was suppose to be 13! 13 of the 1/4 cups = 3 1/4 cups NOT 9! Giant error and soup in the breadmaker (thank goodness I only use mine to mix not bake! LOL) Ok so what do you do? If I add the flour I will have to remix (therefore overworking the dough) If I don't I might as well toss...

Hey I am adding a new label today for breadmakers! I am finding more and more people who are disappointed with the outcome of their breadmaker....I have found a couple tricks and hope to learn a few more from people on this blog! Happy baking and "Bon Appetit!"