90 Minute Easy Bread

With about 15 minutes of prep time, two rises of 25 minutes each, and 25 minutes of cooking, this bread is an easy 90 minute recipe! And believe me its delicious!!!! My family won't be buying store bread anymore!! I am going to try it with half and half white and wheat flours, and if that works out, I'll let you know!!!
Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm (hot-ish) water
• 5 cups flour
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 tsp yeast

Directions:

First, put 2 cups almost hot water in a bowl, add 4 teaspoons yeast.
Next add 1 tablespoon of sugar, then give it a good stir.
Set aside for at least 5 minutes.
In your mixing bowl place 5 cups bread flour.
Add 1/4 cup oil.
Next sprinkle in the salt.
Pour the yeast mix in.
Using dough hook, mix on low until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and all ingredients are incorporated.
Dump the dough on the counter.
Next spray the bowl with Pam.
The dough goes back in the oiled bowl then cover it and let it rise for 25 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface
Work it with your hands until you feel it start to relax.
This recipe is for 2 loaves so at this point cut it in half.
Roll the remaining dough out into a rectangle-ish shape.
Then roll it like you would a jelly roll.
Once you have it on you pan cut some slices in the top and cover for another 20 minutes for a second rise.
Bake at 350′ for 25 minutes.

Cheesy Beef Casserole

I'm sure someone has come up with this before, but here is my version of a quick(ish) dinner. 


Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef

• 1 lb elbow macaroni

• 1/8 of a block of Velveeta, sliced thinly

• 1 c cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice) shredded

Directions:
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add pinch of salt and macaroni. Cook until al dente. Meanwhile, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until done through. Drain off grease if desired.
In a large casserole dish, starting with macaroni, alternately layer macaroni, beef, and Velveeta until the layers reach the top edge of the dish. Top with shredded cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. If desired, bake slightly longer until cheese starts to brown.

It's simple. It's relatively quick (the noodles take the longest). And it's sure to be a pleaser with the hubby and kids. 

Homemade Bacon Mac and Cheese

Thanks to Tyler Florence, and the Food Network website, I found this recipe for mac and cheese with bacon. Now, my family loves bacon so I doubled up (which turned out to be a very good thing, because 4 slices would NEVER have been enough). Also, I didn't have the thyme or parsley on hand, so I just used the garlic. And it was amazingly good! Just do not forget the salt and pepper! I did, and we had to add some when we served it up!!!

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 4 cups milk
• 2 or 3 sprigs thyme
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed and divided
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 1/2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• Leaves from 1/4 bunch fresh thyme

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk with the thyme sprigs and 2 garlic cloves. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to keep lumps from forming. Strain the solids out of the milk and whisk it into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk vigorously, and cook until the mixture is nice and smooth. Stir in the 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold together to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Scrape into a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

While that bakes, heat a saute pan. Add the bacon, render the fat and cook until crispy. Add onion, garlic and thyme leaves and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, scatter the bacon mixture over the mac and cheese. Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoking bacon mixture on each spoonful.

***Also try rotini noodles instead of elbow mac. Very good!!!***

Amazing Strawberry-Banana Smoothies

I was craving something fruity, and came across a strawberry smoothie recipe, courtesy of Gojee (again). I made a few tweaks, and made it my own!!


Ingredients:

• 6-8 large strawberries, hulled and quartered 
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 tablespoon sugar (more or less, to taste) 
• 6-7 ice cubes

Directions:

Blend together all ingredients in a blender. If you're craving a little chocolate, add some chocolate syrup!

***For best results, after chopping up your fruits, place them in the freezer. This way, no ice to water down the recipe and you get SO much better flavor!!!***

Pasta with Summer Squash

Lately, I've been on a bit of a squash and zucchini kick. I love just pan searing both up with some butter and garlic, and eating it just like that with nothing else. But today, I wanted to try something different, something that would give me my squash and zucchini and would give me a little more body without going overboard! So, I searched through Gojee (a great tool for finding new recipes) and came across this one. I made mine with spaghetti and dry seasonings, but the recipe calls for bowtie (farfalle) and fresh seasonings. I'm thinking I might try it with chicken too next time!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2-3 summer squash (or zucchini), cut into large matchsticks
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary leaves, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound farfalle or shells (works best with any small pasta, e.g. penne, orichiette, etc, but can also be done with any long pasta, e.g. spaghetti, linguine, angel hair, etc)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salty water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until the foam subsides. Add the summer squash and cook until crisp-tender, then add the garlic, rosemary, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Increase the heat and cook until the flavors come together, but before the squash is too soft.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet (or add the squash mixture to the drained pasta if it won't fit) and toss well. Add some pasta cooking water if necessary to create a glossy sauce over low heat. Add the parsley and most of the Parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.