Crusty Overnight Bread

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

The night before:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until all the flour is mixed in. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside (not in the fridge) for 12-18 hours. 

The next day:

Heat oven to 450 degrees. When the oven has reached 450 degrees, place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven* and heat the pot for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape (roughly) into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest while the pot is heating. Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. (I spray my hands with cooking spray first.) Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, depending on how dark you like your crust. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

*You don't have to have a cast iron pot for this. Anything that can take the heat, will hold at least 2.5 quarts, and has a tight-fitting lid will work. I use my Calphalon dutch oven or a round Corningware casserole dish. I've also heard of people successfully using clay pots with lids, a pizza stone with a bowl to cover the bread, the insert of a crock pot (as long as the lid's handle isn't plastic), or an old cast iron dutch oven. You could probably also use a baking dish covered with aluminum foil.

Clone of Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2-1/2 cups Bisquick
4 tablespoons cold butter
1 heaping cup grated Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup cold whole milk
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Brush on Top
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add Cheddar cheese, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

Drop approximately 1/4-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops  of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of the biscuits. Use up all the butter.

Makes a dozen biscuits.

Perfect Honey Wheat Bread

This recipe was shared with me by a woman at church. I think she found it in a RS cookbook. I love that it only has one rise. Choose the size recipe that fits your family.

10-12 cups whole wheat flour (or 8 cups whole wheat flour + 2 to 4 cups white flour)
2 rounded tablespoons dry yeast
500 mg vitamin C, optional
4 cups very warm water (125°)
⅓ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup honey or sugar
1 tablespoon salt

In mixer bowl equipped with kneading arm, combine 6 cups flour, dry yeast, and vitamin C (crush tablet or empty a capsule). Add water, oil, and honey or sugar; mix well. Cover and let batter sponge for 15 minutes; this produces a lighter bread. Add salt and remaining flour, 1 cup at a time (½ cup at a time for smaller batches), until dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl; the amount of the flour needed may vary. Knead 5 to 7 minutes by machine or about 10 minutes by hand, until dough is smooth and elastic. Divide dough into equal portions. Shape into loaves. Place in greased 4" x 8½" loaf pans*. Cover with light cloth and let ruse until almost double. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool on wire racks. Rub a stick of butter on the tops, if desired, for a softer crust.

Yield: 4 to 5 loaves.

6 Loaves: Follow directions above.
12-16 cups whole wheat flour (or 12 cups whole wheat flour + 2 to 4 cups white flour)
3 tablespoons dry yeast
500 mg vitamin C, optional
6 cups very warm water (125°)
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup honey or sugar
1½ tablespoon salt

2 Loaves: Follow directions above.
6-7 cups whole wheat flour (or 5 cups whole wheat flour + 1 to 2 cups white flour)
1 rounded tablespoons dry yeast
500 mg vitamin C, optional
2 cups very warm water (125°)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons honey or sugar
2 scant teaspoons salt

*The recipe also includes the following note about pan size: "Using the right size pan is very important. Too much or too little dough results in a poor loaf of bread, particularly when using whole wheat. Whole wheat dough is heavier than white dough and cannot support itself in a wide pan. For best results, bake whole-grain bread in a 4 x 8½-inch or small bread pan."

Autumn Chopped Salad

also known as The Salad Becca Makes That Denise Loves.
from Espresso & Cream.

6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 medium pears, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans (or candied pecans)
8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
4 to 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Poppy seed salad dressing (I like Brianna's)
Balsamic vinaigrette (I like Ken's Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette)

On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some vinaigrette. (I use about 60 percent poppy seed and 40 percent vinaigrette.) Feel free to experiment with the combination.

Macaroni Grill Penne Rustica

Adapted from Your Home Based Mom

Ingredients:
12 oz. Shredded chicken breast
½ pack thick bacon
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta
2 large red bell peppers- diced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup
1 tsp Dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt

1 tsp chopped rosemary
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add apple juice, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream. Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces. Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number of Servings: Yields one 8×8 and two 9×13 casserole dishes.
Preparation Time: More than an hour

Chico's Chocolate Cheesecake

This cheesecake was one of the best things served at the Mexican restaurant I waitressed at in high school.


Crust:
1½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
½ cup powdered sugar
⅓ cup cocoa
½ cup melted butter

Combine. Pat down bottom and sides of 9-inch Springform pan.

Filling: 
12 ounces chocolate chips
3 (8-ounce) boxes cream cheese, softened
1 can (14½-ounces) sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 300.Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in milk until smooth.

Melt chocolate chips on low, stirring constantly. Mix a couple of spoonfuls of cream cheese to the chocolate to temper. Add chocolate, eggs, and vanilla to cream cheese. Mix until combined.

Pour over crust. Bake for about 2 hours. Edges will get lighter. When circle gets smaller, check for doneness. If it jiggles just a little, remove cheesecake from oven and cool.

(This often cracks when I make it, so if you're interested in presentation, I would suggest a water bath. Don't forget to wrap the bottom of the Springform in foil first. I won't make that mistake again.)

Multigrain Bread

from The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook

The original recipe makes 2 9-inch loaves. I have three loaf pans, so I 1½ the recipe. Those amounts are included between slashes.

1¼ cup (6¼ ounces) / 9.5 ounces / seven-grain hot cereal mix

2½ cups / 3¾ cups / boiling water

3 cups (15 ounces) / 22.5 ounces / all-purpose flour (not bread flour)

1½ cups (8¼ ounces) / 12.5 ounces / whole wheat flour

¼ cup / 3 ounces /honey

4 tablespoons / 6 tablespoons / unsalted butter, melted and cooled*

2½ teaspoons / 3¾ teaspoons / instant or rapid-rise yeast (active-dry yeast has worked just fine for me)

1 tablespoon / 1½ tablespoons / salt

Optional (I omit): ¾ cup unsalted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

Optional (I omit): ½ cup (1½ ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats

*If you’re using salted butter, just decrease the additional salt by just a bit.

Place cereal mix in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook and pour boiling water over it; let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture cools to 100 degrees and resembles thick porridge, about 1 hour.  Whisk flours together in separate bowl.

Once grain mixture has cooled, add honey, butter, and yeast and mix on low speed until combined. Add flour mixture,  ½ cup at a time, and knead until cohesive mass starts to form (note: I don't need all of the flour. I suspect it's the high altitude. Go by look and feel and stop adding flour if you need to!) 1½-2 minutes; cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 20 minutes. Add salt and knead on medium-low speed until dough clears sides of bowl, 3-4 minutes. (If it does not clear sides, add 2-3 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour and knead until it does. Don’t add more, unless the dough is still really sticky and you didn't use all your flour already.) Continue to knead dough for 5 more minutes. Add seeds (if using) and knead for another 15 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand until seeds are dispersed evenly and dough forms smooth, round ball. Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl; cover tightly with plastic and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.

Grease two /or three / 9×5 inch loaf pans. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and divide in half / or thirds. Press 1 piece of dough into 9×6 inch rectangle, with short side facing you. Roll dough toward you into firm cylinder, keeping roll taut by tucking it under itself as you go. Turn loaf seam side up and pinch it closed. Repeat with second piece of dough. Spray loaves lightly with water or vegetable oil spray. Roll each loaf in oats to coat evenly and place seam side down in prepared pans, pressing gently into corners. Cover loaves loosely with greased plastic and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size 30-40 minutes. Dough should barely spring back when poked with knuckle.

When rising bread nears the top of the pan, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until loaves register 200 degrees on a quick-read thermometer, 35-40 minutes. Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove loaves from pans, return to rack, and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, before slicing and serving, or storing.

Storage: Bread can be wrapped in double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Wrapped with additional layer of foil, bread can be frozen for up to a month.

Chicken Paprikash

8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
1 each large red and green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, halved widthwise, and cut into ¼-inch strips
3½ tablespoons paprika, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ cup dry white wine
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 4 chicken things, skin side down, and cook without moving until skin is crisp and well-browned, about 5 minutes. using tongs, flip chicken and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer; transfer to large plate. Repeat with remaining 4 thighs and transfer to plate; set aside. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.


Add onion to fat left in Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are browned and peppers are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of paprika, flour, and marjoram and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pit; stir in tomatoes and 1 teaspoon slat. Add chicken and any accumulated juices, submerging them in vegetables; bring to a simmer, then cover and place pot in oven. Cook until chicken is no longer pink when cut into with paring knife, about 30 minutes. Remove pot from oven.


Combine sour cream and remaining ½ tablespoon paprika in small bowl. Place chicken on individual plates. Stir a few tablespoons of hot sauce into sour cream to temper, then stir mixture back into sauce in pot. Spoon sauce and peppers over chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately with buttered egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.