Aunt Jan's Bread

Aunt Jan's Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 1/3 level cups of flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 T yeast (11/4 T if it's old)
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 T margarine or butter
• 1 egg

Instructions:

1. Put about 1/2 of the warm water in a mug. Add yeast and one tsp of the sugar. Let it set while you begin mixing the other ingredients.
2. Put the dry ingredients into a bowl. Mix lightly.
3. Make a well in the center and add the egg, rest of the water, and margarine cut into small pieces.
4. When you can see the yeast is growing add it into the well. If it doesn't grow don't even bother making the bread. Mix all ingredients well.
5. Knead for 10 minutes. If dough is a little sticky you can add some flour but it is better to be on the sticky side than the dry side. You know what consistency it should have. After you have kneaded it for 10 minutes it should be elastic and stretch when you pull it, not break.
6. Put it back into the bowl and cover it with a plate sprayed with Pam so it won't stick to it (Not necessary, but nice for clean up). Set it in a warm place until it has doubled. ( I turn my oven on 200 for about 30 seconds and then turn it off to create a warm place. In a window in the sun would be good, too. If you put it in the oven put a pan of hot water in there too it will increase the humidity and make the dough happier. Make sure you would be comfortable if you had to get into the oven. If it's too hot for you it will kill the yeast.)
7. Punch down the dough and knead it once again, for 1 or 2 minutes or until all the big bubbles are out of it.
   
8. Shape it into a loaf. Put it in a loaf pan. Let it rise until it is about 1 inch above the pan. (It will rise some while it bakes. If you like your bread really light and fluffy you could let it rise a little more.)
   
9. My oven is a little cool, so I bake my bread at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. I am thinking 30-33 minutes would be good if your oven is correctly calibrated. Take the pan of water out before you preheat the oven.
   
10. You can check it for doneness when you smell it. It should be brown on top.

Notes:
That is all I can think of as far as tips. Oh, I do let it set in the pan for 10 minutes before I dump it out, but if I am in a hurry I dump it when it comes out. It is just kind of tender and prone to sagging until it cools a bit. I wrap it in a dish towel to tran sport it when it is warm. If it is completely cool you can wrap it in plastice wrap.

Aunt Carole's Crescent Rolls

Aunt Carole's Crescent Rolls

Ingredients

• 2 packages quick-rise yeast
• 2 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 cup potato flakes
• 2/3 c sugar
• 2/3 c butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 6-7 cups all purpose flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix in large bowl 3 cups of flour, yeast, potato flakes, sugar, and salt.
3. In a different bowl/pan, combine water and butter and then heat (in microwave or on stove) until butter is melted. Butter-water combo needs to be 115 degrees (pretty much exactly) before proceeding.
4. Pour entire butter-water mixture into the flour mixture and immediately start blending (use bread hooks rather than regular beaters). Mix with bread hooks for three minutes, then add the two eggs and continue to beat until they are blended in.
5. Add more flour gradually, adding no more than you have to to create a very soft dough.
6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest in a warm place for 20 minutes.
7. Divide in half, rolling out each half (on a lightly floured surface) into a circle about 14" across. Brush the two circles with melted butter, then cut each circle into wedges like a pizza.
8. Roll each wedge up, beginning at the wide end, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
   
9. Allow to rest for 17 minutes.
10. Bake for about 18 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown.

Notes:

Altitude makes a big difference

Lemon Chili Tilapia

From Betty Crocker

Fish

• 1 lb medium-firm textured fish fillets (such as tilapia, cod or haddock), about 3/4 inch thick
• 1 cup Fiber One® original bran cereal
• lemon pepper to taste
  
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup milk

Sauce

• 1/3 cup combination of mayonnaise/sour cream
  
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• Dash ground red pepper (cayenne)
• Dash salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
  

Oven Directions

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Grease 13x9-inch pan. Cut fish crosswise into 2-inch-wide pieces.
2. Finely crush cereal.
3. In shallow bowl, mix cereal, lemon peel, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. In another shallow bowl, place milk. Dip fish pieces into milk; coat with cereal mixture; place in pan. Drizzle oil evenly over fish.
4. Bake uncovered 10-15 mins or until fish flakes easily with fork.
5. Meanwhile, mix all sauce ingredients except cilantro until blended. Stir in cilantro.

Stove Top Directions

1. Cut fish crosswise into 2-inch-wide pieces.
2. Finely crush cereal.
3. In shallow bowl, mix cereal, lemon peel, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. In another shallow bowl, place milk. Dip fish pieces into milk; coat with cereal mixture; place onto hot, liberally sprayed skillet.
   
4. Reduce heat to medium and cook covered for a few minutes to cook fish, then uncovered, turning occasionally, to get the outside crisp.
   
5. Meanwhile, mix all sauce ingredients except cilantro until blended. Stir in cilantro.

Grilled Black Bean and Rice-stuffed Peppers

From Betty Crocker

• 15 oz black beans, drained, rinsed
• 3/4 C cooked rice
• 1/4 C green onions, sliced (4 medium)
• 1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 T lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 large bell peppers
• 1 plum (Roma) tomato, diced
  

1. Cut the stem out of each pepper, creating a whole big enough to stuff the pepper through. Remove the seeds and inner cartilage. That's right, cartilage.
2. Completely immerse the peppers in boiling water for about three minutes. In a green or red pepper, the color will become brighter. Set aside.
3. Mix beans, rice, onions, cilantro, lime juice, garlic and salt.
4. Stuff mixture into peppers. I like to pack it in so each pepper is really full.
5. Place peppers upright in a baking dish. Cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees. They're done when a fork goes easily into the pepper.
6. Sprinkle with chopped tomatos, and add cheese and additional cilantro, if wanted.

Lime Garlic Chicken

From Betty Crocker

Prep Time: 10 min

Total Time: 10 hours 10 min

Makes: 6 servings

1 package (1 pound 4 ounces) bone-in skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1 1/2 cups Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-ounce carton)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired

1. Place chicken in 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except rice and parsley.
2. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours. During last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in rice.
3. Remove chicken from cooker. Place cooked rice on each serving plate. Top with chicken. Spoon any remaining juices over chicken. Garnish with parsley.

The Cinnamon Bread Recipe

From Kelly

This made 3 loaves for me, so you'll probably want to scale it back, unless you want to freeze loaves for later or give some away.

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup warm water (warm on wrist)
2 (.25 ounce) packages (or 2 tsp.) active dry yeast
3 eggs (You could probably do 4 egg whites instead to cut fat,
but don't do that and cut all of the margarine out)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup raisins (optional- I left this out)
8 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon


1. Dissolve yeast in warm water, and set aside until yeast is frothy (if you listen closely, you can actually hear the yeast). Mix in eggs, sugar, butter or margarine, salt, and raisins. Stir in milk. Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough.

2. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes. Place in a large, greased, mixing bowl, and turn to grease the surface of the dough. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled. (I did this in the oven on low)

3. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Moisten dough with 2 tablespoons milk. Mix together 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and sprinkle mixture on top of the moistened dough. Roll up tightly; the roll should be about 3 inches in diameter. Cut into thirds, and tuck under ends. Place loaves into well greased 9 x 5 inch pans. Let rise again for 1 hour (I did 20 or 30 minutes).

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes (less for my oven, I prefer to watch and smell for it to be done), or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when knocked. Remove loaves from pansand let cool before slicing.

Beehive Honey Butter

From Lynn Rowley

1 c. honey

1 c butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine.

Whole Wheat Bread

Courtesy of Lynn Rowley

6 c. whole-wheat flour

2 T. instant yeast

4 c. hot water

2 T. lemon juice

Combine and let stand for 10 minutes. Then add:

3/4 c. sugar or honey

1/3 c. oil

1 T. salt

1 c. white flour

3 c. whole wheat flour

Knead 10 minutes, then put in 4 greased loaf pans. Let rise 1/2 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.