Amish White Bread

I don't make a lot of bread, but I wanted to start making bread at home more so I started looking at bread machines (just to do the dough part). Someone at work posted they were getting rid of one for $20! Sweet! So I got a hold of them, and better yet they were just ready to part with it (since they had it posted for a while) and I got it for FREE! So worth it!
I finally made so bread this last weekend and it tastes like home! Growing up around Amish Country you get the taste of sweet amazing variety of home made breads, at least in Holmes County and Berlin, Ohio!
I found an "Amish White Bread" recipe and made the dough in my bread machine and its awesome! If you are wanting yo make bread at home, I want to suggest investing in a bread machine even if its only for doing the dough.

Ingredients:
1 c warm water
1/3 c sugar
3/4 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast (I buy it in a jar, also known as bread machine yeast)
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
3 c flour

Directions:
**Make sure you do this all in the right order (for the bread machine).
1. Dissolve sugar and yeast in the water in the bottom of the pan. Let it sit for about 5-10 mins until it bubbles.
2. Add vegetable oil
3. Add flour and salt
4. Set bread machine on dough cycle.
Mine beeps when its done with cycle 1 (knead and rise), I let it go both cycles so it kneaded and raised 2x.
5. You can make it either in 1 loaf pan and it will get really tall, or cut it in half and make 2 like I did.
6. Cut in half (if doing 2) in a greased loaf pan and Shape into loaf(s). Make a slit down the top (to be more professional looking and help it expand). Let rise in pans for a bit before baking.
7. Bake at 350*F for about 30 mins for 1, about 25 mins for 2 smaller ones.
8. Let cool about 5-10 mins before eating and ENJOY!


IF you don't have a Bread Machine:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans. 
4. Baking is still the same as above. 

Sauteed Red Cabbage

I don't often go crazy on just a side dish, but since we had some Koren Spare Ribs (pre-marinaded from the store which isn't often, but these are good and I haven't figured it out yet) and had half a head of red (purple) cabbage left in our bi-weekly veggie box from Ricky and Lucy's, I decided to try something new.

Ingredients:
1/2 head of red cabbage
2-3 green onions 
2 tbsp of butter
1/2 - 1 tsp Rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 - 1 tsp sugar


Directions:
1.Core and chop the red cabbage and chop the green onions (just the white part)
2. In a pan put the butter on medium high to get it the butter started melting. Then add the cabbage and onion to toss it to coat it all in butter.
3. Add in the rice wine vinegar (about half to start with) mix around, then toss in the salt and toss around, and add in about half the sugar.
4. TASTE IT! If you think its a little bitter, add a little more sugar, if you think its too sweet add more rice wine vinegar. Go with your gut and what you like. I liked it being a little crunchy still, but that's up to you!

**The above measurement of rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt are approximate, I didn't measure it precisely so its an estimate. Just add a little bit, taste and adjust. That's how I cook for the most part (unless its baking).

Cooking isn't a since, Baking is. It's about how the food tastes and how you feel about it. Go with your gut and keep trying new things!

Roasted Chicken in the Crock-pot

So if you like the grocery store roasted chicken you can pick up, you will like this even better! I did a lot of searching for a make in the crock-pot chicken and finally found a combination of spices that just are perfect! And better yet it cooks while you're busy all day at work and you come home to an amazing smelling house! And you won't have to cook then!

So if you're ready for a super easy and "fast" roasted chicken in your crock-pot... here we go! 

Crock-pot Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (Frying or Roasting doesn't matter)
1/2 an onion cut into thirds
4 cloves of garlic peeled and cracked (smashed)

2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper (fresh ground about 12 grinds)
pinch of chili pepper (or 2)

Directions:
1. Take all the 'giblets' out of the chicken and rinse with water. Pat dry.
2. Mix all the spices in a bowl together
3. take 1/2 tsp of the spice mix and toss in the cavity of the chicken and put the onion and garlic in the cavity of the chicken.
4. Take some cooking spray or oil and just wipe the crock-pot with oil, it makes clean up easier. Then put the chicken in the crock-pot.

5. Evenly take the seasoning mix and cover it all over the chicken.
6. Set the crock-pot on Low for 10 hours (I find that compared to the 8 it retains a lot more moisture in the chicken.
7. 10 hours later its DONE! Fall off the bone good!
 

Let me know what you think when you try it!

Banana Bread

 You might have your own recipe for Banana Bread. I am not a fan of the cake like breads, so I found one that said "moist banana bread" and again tweaked it a bit. This one does take more bananas than others, but I believe it takes less flour than the others. I don't but nuts in it, but of course you can. This doesn't last long around the house when I make it. Seeing it just came out of the oven and I've already had 2 pieces. So we should get on with it, I present to you my moist banana bread for your approval... anyone remember "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" 

Banana Bread
Ingredients:
2 c Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
6 medium bananas


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350*F

 2. Peel all the bananas and mash them up. I use a pastry blender to mash them.

3. Cream together butter and brown sugar. I use a hand mixer for this, it just seems quicker than getting a stand mixer out.

4. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt.

5. Mix into the large bowl the butter and brown sugar mixture and use hand mixer to blend together.

6. Beat eggs in a small bowl.

7. Stir in the bananas and the egg and mix well and until moistened.









8. Now there are 2 ways you can go with this. 1 loaf or 2 loafs, so pay attention to which one you choose below. I do 2 loafs because it seems to "last longer" in our house, though it could be an optical illusion.

Grease the pan (or pans).

1 loaf:  Bake for about 60-65 mins.

2 loafs: Divide the batter evenly between 2 loaf pans. Bake for about 40-45 mins.




Make sure to use a toothpick to check the bread when its near done to come out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 mins before letting cool on a cooling rack.

 

And Eat! 

 Let me know what you think when you try it! Feel free to share and adapt! 

Fruit Desert Pizza

A healthy desert that is good any time! We had a short notice guest, which was awesome and we are always willing to give a home cooked meal to an out of town friend! So to my out of town friends... you have a home cooked meal waiting for you here in Nebraska, and maybe even a fruit pizza!

So the only thing I wish is that I had more time and I would have made the sugar cookie dough myself, so next time, but for now an easy simple desert that is fresh and without a lot of sugar!


Cookie bottom:
1 sugar cookie roll of pre packaged refrigerated stuff. 
Roll out on to a cookie sheet or pizza pan for a more round shape. Make sure its on the thinner side because it will puff up as cookies do.

Bake at 350*F for 16-20 mins.
KEY to all of this is to make sure you let it completely cool (30 mins) before putting on the "icing"

Icing: 
1 - 8 oz package cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Blend together and spread on cooled 'crust' / sugar cookie

Topping:
Choose what ever fruit you'd like. I put on Kiwi, Banana, Green Grapes, Strawberries, Blueberries and Raspberries.


Suggestions:
You could make smaller "pizzas" by smaller cookies and individualize everyone's to their liking.


Know what you're eating,  making it yourself and you'll know what's in your food... it really does taste better. Next time, I'm making my own sugar cookie dough!

Baked Dill and Parsley Tilapia with Swiss Chard and Rice

Always looking for a new fish dish, since I love fish, but KC is a bit picky when it comes to fish, so its something I only make once a month. I got the thumbs up tonight, which trust me I've gotten a "please don't make that again" before, no matter if I liked it or not. Rare, but it happens. To tonight was a thumbs up! "It was good, not fishy tasting".... which for KC that's what I go for.

So tonight was in 3 parts, 1 rice, 2 swiss chard (which I have never made before) and the Baked Dill and Parsley Tilapia.
I suggest this order: If you have a rice cooker start the rice first (ours takes about 45 mins or so) or if you have just the quick rice might wait until closer to the end. Then prep the fish and cut up the swiss chard, start the swiss chard 'stems' then get the fish in the oven, then finish the swiss chard. It ended up with the fish finishing about 2 mins after rice and swiss chard was done.

Baked Dill and Parsley Tilapia
Ingredients: 
4 - 8 oz. skinless tilapia fillets
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
3 Tbsp light mayonnaise
~2 Tbsp dried dill weed
~2 Tbsp dried parsley
Half a lemon

Directions:
Pre Heat Over - 375*F
1. On a metal cookie sheet with a lip, place the 4 fillets flat side (back side) down.
2. Salt and Pepper to taste.
3. This will sound crazy, but its good - Spread the mayo with a butter knife on the fillets evenly.
4. I didn't measure out the dill or parsley, but I shook each over each fillet until covered evenly with both.
5. Take half a lemon and squeeze the lemon over each fillet. If you don't have a lemon laying around use some lemon juice in the mayo before spreading it on, like a teaspoon.
6. Bake in oven for 15 mins.

Swiss Chard
Ingredients: 
1 large bunch of swiss chard, rinsed
2 Tbsp butter
1 quarter sweet onion, dinced
1 tsp ground mustard (since I couldn't find mustard seeds, the woes of a small town)
Salt
Rice vinegar (or sub regular vinegar with a pinch of sugar)

Directions:
1. Cut the stems out of the leaves of the swiss chard, and chop into quarter inch pieces. Dice onions up. Toss in pan on medium high and saute until onions are translucent.  Toss in mustard, and throw in a pinch or 2 or salt and toss.
2. Cut the leaves longways in half and then chop into like 1/4" thick pieces.
3. Throw swiss chard leaves in with onion/stem mixture, toss to coat with the mixture. Let cook a few mins, then turn down to low and cover for about 3 mins.
4. Take off the stove and put into a serving bowl and toss with about 2 Tbsp with rice vinegar.

 



Plate:
About 1-1/2 cup rice, with about 3 scoops of swiss chard on the rice and top with a piece of tilapia.

All the flavors melded well together. And if you've never had swiss chard before, KC and I both agreed it tasted like brussels sprouts, but those are well liked in our house, though not in many homes. My friend Rachel says its better than brussels spouts... It's worth the try. We tried it because it came in our veggie box from Ricky and Lucy's (local greenhouse in Sidney, NE) so we had it to try, and I'm glad we did.

I hope you like it, as soon as I posted the dinner picture on facebook, my good friend Cassie posted she needed the recipe, so Cassie, I hope you guys love it!