Cheesecake Factory brown bread

For Yeast Mixture

1 1/2 cup or 375ml water 1 tbsp or 12g sugar 1 packet or 7g yeast For Dough 2 cups or 240g bread flour 1 3/4 cups or 210g wheat flour 2 tsp or 12g salt 1 tsp or 2g Postum 2 tsp or 4g cocoa powder 1/4 cup or 85g honey 2 tbsp or 40g molasses 1 tbsp or 14g butter 1 tsp or 5g oil

Method I like to start by preparing the yeast mixture. To make the yeast mixture we’re gonna take about 1 1/2 cup or 375ml of water to which we’re going to add 1 tablespoon or 12g of sugar and one packet or 7g of dry active yeast. Stir everything up nicely and put it to the side for 5-10 mins or until bubbles form. Then we’re gonna take about 2 cups or 240g of bread flour and 1 and 3/4 cups or 210g of wheat flour. By the way, you can use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour and it turns out fine. Next Add, 2 tsp or 12g salt, 1 tsp or 2g instant coffee, 2 tsp or 4g cocoa powder. Mix all of the dry ingredients up then add 1/4 cup or 85g honey, tbsp, or 40g molasses. Start mixing it. You can use a mixer or do it by hand. Knead until dough becomes soft, while kneed add about 1 tbsp or 14g butter. Finally, shape the dough into a ball and cover it with 1 tsp or 5g oil . Let it rest for 1 hour. After one hour you wanna take out your dough and Lightly dust it with some flour. Some people don’t like to use flour you can also wet your hands and work the dough. At this step, you are removing any air remaining in the dough. Doing this will remove any air pockets and help make a finer bread. I cut this dough ball into 4 smaller balls. You can shape them in any way you like I went for small baguettes shaped bread. Next, we will add some oatmeal on a plate. We’re gonna top our bread off with some oatmeal as that’s how this bread served at the Cheesecake Factory. To apply the oatmeal first take some water and apply it on top of your bread then place your dough on the plate. For added measure sprinkle some more oatmeal from the top so it adheres properly. Again we are gonna let dough reset for another hour before baking. Finally, bake it at 350°F or 180°Celciius for about 30 to 35 minutes. Once you take it out from the oven wait for at least 15 minutes before cutting the bread. That's pretty much it. Hope you like and enjoy it!

Susan Hansen's Beef Vegetable Soup

 Susan Hansen made us this delicious soup.  She said it makes a HUGE amount so either cut it down or freeze some or share with someone else.

1/2 cabbage - cut up into small pieces

6 carrots - peeled and sliced

6 celery - cut into small pieces

6 potatoes - peeled and diced

1 large sweet potato (opt) - peeled and diced

1 large onion - peeled and diced

1 T minced dried garlic

1 t. salt

2 pounds browned ground beef

2 - large cans of tomato juice

3 - 16 oz cans of beef broth

Boil all together ntiil veggies are tender - approx 1/2 hour

At the end add:

1 or 2 cans of corn

frozen peas

1 T vinegar

1 T sugar

1 t sweet basil 0 dried

1 more T dried minced garlic

warm through.  Eat and enjoy!

Freezes very well for quick meals.

Pam Barlows Reubens

 For several years we have spent St. Patrick's Day with Pam and Ken Barlow who prepared our whole dinner:  Corned Beef Reuben, Jello Jigglers in green, Shearers Chips, Pickles, Green Koolaid.  2020 was the last day we were together because COVID shut down the world and our times together.  We hope for another St. Paddy's Day celebration in 2022, if we live that long.  But for this year, 2021, we will be celebrating separately.

Corned Beef with the packet of seasoning...place in a pan of water.  Simmer SLOWLY..flip a few times until the beef is fork tender

Remove beef  to a sheet and place a plate, or a pan or a meat press on top til it cools totally

Refrigerate and when ready trim off the fat.  Slice against the grain so it remains tender.

Heat saurkraut and totally drain.

Layer Rye Bread, corned beef, saurkraut, Swiss Cheese.  Butter the outside of the bread and grill.  If not fully warmed, place in the microwave for a short time til cheese becomes soft.  Serve with Thousand Island Dressing and all the sides.

No Knead, No Breadmachine Milk Bread Rolls

        BUT DEFINITELY YOU CAN USE A KITCHEN MACHINE..as the dough rises throughout the course it will become as you would expect it to.

220 g. Lukewarm Milk

2 t dry yeast

30 g sugar

60 g condensed milk

1 t salt

350 bread flour

50 g melted butter

GLAZE--20 g softened butter, 20 g condensed milk

In a bowl place milk and yeast and mix it well to melt the yeast.  Let sit a couple of minutes

Add the condensed milk, salt and sugar.  Mix it well

Put in the bread flour and mix it roughly

Add melted butter and mix until the butter is soaked (40 seconds at least)

Cover it and rest for 20 minutes in warm kitchen

Fold it 10 times and rest it another  30 minutes

Fold it 10 times again and over it and ferment for an hour.

Remove the gas and divide into 5 equal parts.

Make each piece round and rest it 15 minutes

Keep one ball as is.  Roll each of the remaining 4 pieces into a elongated oval and roll up from short end, Pinch the sealing.  

Lightly grease a 9" pan (springform pan worked well).  

Take the rolled up ovals and cut into 4 equal pieces and place the 20 sliced standing up around the edge of the pan and the one remaining ball in the middle.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise til it is about the night of the pan

Bake it on a 350 oven for 20 minutes

MIX THE GLAZE TOGETHER AND BRUSH ACROSS THE ROLLS.

PASTEL EGGS!

 

Took me through 3 websites to find it...wow!

Top secret...for Mom!

https://www.smartschoolhouse.com/holidays/colored-deviled-eggs

Easy Holiday Sugar Cookies from ATK

 SERVESMakes about forty 2 1/2-inch cookies

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Our holiday roll-and-cut sugar cookies taste as great as they are easy to make. For a crisp and sturdy texture with no hint of graininess, we made superfine sugar by grinding granulated sugar briefly in the food processor, and we added small amounts of baking powder and baking soda to the dough. We skipped creaming softened butter and sugar in favor of whizzing cold butter with sugar in the food processor, which let the dough come together in just minutes. The just-made dough was cold enough to be rolled out immediately. We then chilled it after rolling. For an even, golden color; minimal browning; and a crisp, crunchy texture from edge to edge, we baked the cookies at a gentle 300 degrees on a rimless cookie sheet on the oven’s lower-middle rack. 

GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS

Cookies

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon 

vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon salt 

¼ teaspoon 

almond extract

2 ½ cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour 

¼ teaspoon 

baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda 

1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar 

16 tablespoons 

unsalted butter,

 cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

Royal Icing

2 ⅔ cups (10 2/3 ounces) confectioners' sugar 

2 large egg whites 

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

For the dough to have the proper consistency when rolling, make sure to use cold butter directly from the refrigerator. In step 3, use a rolling pin and a combination of rolling and a pushing or smearing motion to form the soft dough into an oval. A rimless cookie sheet helps achieve evenly baked cookies; if you do not have one, use an overturned rimmed baking sheet. Dough scraps can be combined and rerolled once, though the cookies will be slightly less tender. If desired, stir 1 or 2 drops of food coloring into the icing. (USE SOME FOR AN OUTLINE THAT HAS THE ICING IN A DECORATOR BAG)  For the pourable icing, whisk in milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.  Using a spoon ladle in the icing and allow to firm up before adding other layers and candies. You can also decorate the shapes with sanding sugar or sprinkles before baking.

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE COOKIES: Whisk egg, vanilla, salt, and almond extract together in small bowl. Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in second bowl.

Process sugar in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add butter and process until uniform mass forms and no large pieces of butter are visible, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add egg mixture and process until smooth and paste-like, about 10 seconds. Add flour mixture and process until no dry flour remains but mixture remains crumbly, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Turn out dough onto counter and knead gently by hand until smooth, about 10 seconds. Divide dough in half. Place 1 piece of dough in center of large sheet of parchment paper and press into 7 by 9-inch oval. Place second large sheet of parchment over dough and roll dough into 10 by 14-inch oval of even 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer dough with parchment to rimmed baking sheet. Repeat pressing and rolling with second piece of dough, then stack on top of first piece on sheet. Refrigerate until dough is firm, at least 1½ hours (or freeze for 30 minutes). (Rolled dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days.)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Line rimless cookie sheet with parchment. Working with 1 piece of rolled dough, gently peel off top layer of parchment. Replace parchment, loosely covering dough. (Peeling off parchment and returning it will make cutting and removing cookies easier.) Turn over dough and parchment and gently peel off and discard second piece of parchment. Using cookie cutter, cut dough into shapes. Transfer shapes to prepared cookie sheet, spacing them about ½ inch apart. Bake until cookies are lightly and evenly browned around edges, 14 to 17 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat cutting and baking with remaining dough. (Dough scraps can be patted together, rerolled, and chilled once before cutting and baking.)

FOR THE ROYAL ICING: Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip all ingredients on medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until glossy, soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.

Spread icing onto cooled cookies. Let icing dry completely, about 1½ hours, before serving.

½ teaspoon 

vanilla extract

⅛ teaspoon salt

Bell Pepper soup

Serves 6...great with Peasant Bread

 2 tablespoons olive oil

4 medium  bell peppers, diced   Green peppers if you want bitter taste

1 large yellow onion, diced 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1 pound ground beef 

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

4 cups low-sodium beef broth  

One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes 

One 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes  

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

1 cup cooked white rice 

Shredded Cheddar, for serving 

Chopped fresh parsley, for serving Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes.

1. 
   
2. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.  
3. Add the garlic, thyme and oregano. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until flavors are blended, about 5 minutes.  
4. Stir in the rice and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Sweet and Sour pork chops

If you're looking for the sweet and sour sauce they serve in Chinese restaurants, no need to buy bottled when our freshly made version tastes a million times better. We bet you'll agree our Sweet and Sour Pork Chops are amazing!

What You'll Need

• 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained, with liquid reserved
• 1 1/4 cups ketchup
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 3 carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 to 6 pork loin chops, 1 inch thick

What to Do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    
2. In a large saucepan, combine reserved pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar; cook 5 minutes, until hot. Add pineapple chunks, carrots, and green pepper; remove from heat.
    
3. In a large skillet, heat oil; add chops and brown.
    
4. In a shallow baking dish, arrange chops; spread pineapple-vegetable mixture over top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 25-35 minutes, until chops are done and vegetables are crisp-tender.
   
    

Notes

For that extra authentic feel, serve this one up over white rice!

Gladys Osborne's SECRET and famous Potato Soup

 When I realized that my mom didn't have a recipe for this, a number of years ago, I stood with her as she made it and measured everything so often I wasn't sure if we were going to ever get the soup made but finally we did.  I kept her secret recipe secret until she died and then I didn't want the wonderful soup lost. I compiled her recipes and this had to be in the cookbook which has been given to her friends and some of mine

25    potatoes, peeled and cubed

6    onions, finely chopped

3     sticks margarine or butter

2 t    salt

2 t    pepper (I'd suggest starting with 1t til you decide how much you want..my mom loved pepper

16 T flour

2qt    milk

1. cook the cubed potatoes in salted water til BARELY soft.  Drain

2.  Use 2 pans using half the ingredients. Put 1-1/2 stick of butter in each pan and melt   Add the onions and cook. Add salt, pepper Turn off heat

3.  Add 8 T. flour per pan and still til thickened

4.  Add 1 qt milk per pan. Stir.  this will be soupy til it thickens,  Turn ON heat. Simmer and watch as it starts to thicken (need to cook the flour).  You will notice steam rising.  Do not allow to burn.

5.  Taste - add salt and pepper as needed.

6.  Add the drained potatoes to the milk roux. See if you need to make more roux. Do this in a separate pan and add to the main soup.

SERVES 10

Chicken Lasagna (white)

 Chicken lasagna

Ingredients

Chicken Lasagna Ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles cooked al dente
• 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken or cooked from 2 lbs chicken breast

Spinach Cream Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups half and half (or equal parts of heavy cream and milk)
• 5 oz fresh spinach coarsely chopped
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves minced

Ricotta Cheese Sauce:

• 15 oz ricotta
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup parsley
  1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 3 cups mozzarella cheese 12 oz by weight, divided (reserve 1 cup for topping)
• Preheat oven to 375˚F. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente according to package instructions then drain hot water and add cold water to the pot to stop the cooking process and prevent noodles from sticking together. Shred 4 cups of chicken.
  

Make the Belachamel (Spinach Sauce):

1. Place a pot or large saucepan over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and saute onions for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add 4 Tbsp butter and whisk in 1/3 cup flour. Continue whisking 3 minutes or until flour mixture is golden.
   
2. Add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups half and half, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Whisk until smooth and simmer 5 minutes until thickened to a light gravy consistency.
3. Add minced garlic and chopped spinach, and stir to combine then remove from heat.

Make the Ricotta Cheese Sauce:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together: ricotta, egg, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan, and 1/4 cup parsley

To Assemble Chicken Lasagna:

1. Add a little bechamel sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish, add 3 noodles, Add 1/2 ricotta sauce, 1/2 shredded chicken then ladle 1/3 of spinach sauce over the chicken.
2. Add 3 noodles, 1/2 ricotta cheese, 1/2 shredded chicken, and 1/3 spinach sauce
3. Add 3 noodles, remaining 1/3 sauce, and sprinkle on reserved 1 cup cheese.
   
4. Cover and Bake: Arrange 10-12 toothpicks over the top to keep the foil from touching the cheese then cover with a large sheet of foil. Bake on the center rack in a preheated oven at 375˚F for 45 minutes then uncover and broil 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese. Rest at least 10 minutes uncovered before slicing.

Palmiers by Ina Garten

 

I have always used a recipe that Jocelyn posted here for Butterfly cookies but needing some quickly for a funeral I opted for this recipe  and they are every bit as good..AND FAST.

Ingredients

Deselect All

2 cups granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Combine the sugar and kosher salt. Pour 1 cup of the sugar/salt mixture on a flat surface such as wooden board or marble. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar and pour 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it's about an even covering of sugar. With a rolling pin, roll the dough until it's 13 by 13-inches square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square towards the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold 1 half over the other half as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.
3. Bake the cookies for 7 minutes until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Ina says you can prepare them up to the baking part and freeze them in a zip lock back and place in the freezer for when company comes unexpectedly.  Take the right out and bake without defrosting them.  I just may have to do this!