Moist and Delicious White Bread

Makes 2 (9-inch) loaves

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 30 minutes

Resting time 1 hour 40 minutes

Total 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4½ teaspoons instant yeast (two 0.25-ounce packets)
• ¾ cup + 2⅔ cups warm water (divided)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
• 9 to 10 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted, for brushing)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir to dissolve the yeast in ¾ cup warm water. Let sit 5 minutes. Add remaining 2⅔ cups water, sugar, salt, room temperature butter, and 5 cups of the flour and stir to combine.
2. Gradually add enough of remaining flour until a soft dough forms.
3. Lightly grease top and turn it over so it is completely coated. Grease top again. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a draft-free place to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Gently press it all over to remove any air pockets. Divide the dough in two loaves and place into greased loaf pans. Cover loosely and place in a draft-free area until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Position an oven rack on the lowest setting and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Brush the loaves with some of the melted butter. Bake the loaves for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with more melted butter. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove from the pans. Slice and serve bread warm with butter or honey butter. Save the rest in airtight container.

Spaghetti Sauce

1 pound ground lean beef (or 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage & 1/2 pound ground beef)
1 small sweet onion (or 1/2 large), diced
1 T garlic, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 large can tomatoes, diced
2 cans tomato sauce
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1 t thyme
1 T brown sugar, packed
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 cube beef bouillon (or 1 t salt)

Brown ground beef and add remaining ingredients. Cook until flavors and well blended. Add extra of whichever seasonings you think are needed. You can place in a crock pot on low to keep warm while you cook the noodles or wait for company.

Serve with Caesar salad and garlic bread and Parmesan cheese.

How To Bake A Potato

I could go into detail myself, but I found a great site that does it for me, so I'm just going to send you there. It has pics and everything.

Click:

How To Bake A Potato

Royal Icing

This smooth, hard-drying icing is perfect for making decorations that last. It is also useful as a "cement" to fasten decorations together. Royal icing is edible, but not recommended for icing cakes.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Meringue Powder

4 cups (about 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar

6 tablespoons warm water

Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

Instructions:

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer). 

* For stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.

**When using large countertop mixer or for stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.

NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.  Also, while creating your decorations, keep a damp paper towel over the bowl of icing to keep it from hardening too early.  This stuff gets incredibly hard.  It can even be used for other kinds of projects--such as ginger bread houses or even making model parts.  (Great for school or science fair projects!)  However, be aware that drying time will vary depending on amount used.  You may need a couple of days or more if you are using this in conjunction with fondant.

Thinned Royal Icing: To thin for pouring, add 1 teaspoon water per cup of royal icing. Use grease-free spoon or spatula to stir slowly. Add 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until you reach proper consistency.

***I copied this recipe from the Wilton website.  Though I rarely go for brand name products, I have found Wilton products to be very high quality, reasonably priced (and easy to acquire with coupons at Michael's), and amazingly vast.  Anything you can think of, they have a tool/a decoration/or instructions for it.

Quiche

1 whole pie crust

3 eggs, slightly beaten

2 c warm milk

1/2 t salt

pinch pepper

pinch nutmeg (optional)

3/4 c grated swiss cheese

margarine or butter (optional)

Variations:  (To make your quiche extra tasty, add you choice(s) of the following.)

1 tomato, thinly sliced  (layer over top)

1/4 c crispy bacon, crumbled

1/2 c ham, cubed or diced

1 c fresh spinach

1/2 c wild rice

spices (such as basil, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper or italian seasonings)

green bell pepper rings (layered over top)

shredded carrot

sauteed mushrooms

other vegies

Use your imagination!

Tip:  Make sure to drain any and all extra ingredients.  Do not add extra moisture.

Cooking Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Scald milk and let cool.  Combine eggs, milk, salt & pepper. Spread cheese and any other variations on bottom of pan.  Pour milk mixture on top.  Sprinkle top with nutmeg (or other spices and/or pepper or tomato rings).  Dot with margarine (optional). Place pie plate on cookie sheet. Bake 30 minus. or until set (knife inserted comes out clean).  Middle may not be totally firm, but should firm up after setting for 10 mins. before serving.  

Tip: Quiche freezes well, so consider doubling the recipe and saving one for later.

Nana's Slaw Dressing

This is from the kitchen of Edith Fields.

1 1/2 c. mayo
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar (white)
1/2 c. crisco oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Black pepper to taste
1 tsp. celery seed

Blend all together in a blender and use immediately or store in fridge up to two months.
"Always serve with lots of love" -Nana

Baking Powder Biscuits

1/2 c shortening
2 c all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 c milk

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and cut shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender. Add milk and mix thoroughly. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and pat down. Don't knead! Simply pat it down with a bit of flour on top and cut into rounds. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Pecan Pie

Pastry for one pie
2/3 c sugar
1/3 c margarine or butter, melted
1 c corn syrup
1/2 t salt
3 large eggs
1 c pecans, halves or pieces
Whipped Cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare pastry. Beat sugar, margarine, corn syrup, salt & eggs until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate and bake 40-50 minutes or until center is set. Serve cooled or warm with whipped cream, if desired.

Extra-Flaky Pie Crust

One-Crust Pastry

1/3 c plus 1 T shortening
1 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1 T sugar
2-3 T ice cold mixture of water and Vodka*

Two-Crust Pastry

2/3 c plus 2 T shortening
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
2 T sugar
4-5 T ice cold mixture of water and Vodka*

* Vodka completely evaporates while baking, leaving no flavor behind. With no liquid left in the baking process, this will give you the flakiest crust. Also, Vodka can't be frozen, so you can keep it in your freezer indefinitely and it will always be perfectly chilled to use in your pie crust. Too much Vodka may make for a grainy texture; however, so using half water helps.

Pre-Baked Pie Crust

Some pies do not require that the filling be baked. For these, you need a pre-baked pie shell. Preheat oven to 475 degrees and bake empty pie shell for 8-10 minutes.

Apple Pie

Pastry to make two pie crusts
1/3 - 2/3 c sugar
1/4 all-purpose flour
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
Dash salt
8 c thinly slice, peeled apples
2 T margarine or butter
Whipped Cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt in a large bowl. Stir in apples. Turn into pie shell. Dot with margarine. Cover with second pie crust that has slits in it. Seal. Cover the edge with a 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent overcooking. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 40-50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits. Serve warm or cooled with whipped cream.

Homemade Butter

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 baby carrot or a marble or other such object
1 jar with a tight lid
1-3 children

Pour whipping cream into the jar and add the small object (which will simply assist in the agitation process.) Screw lid back on jar securely and give it to the child. Have the child agitate the jar (no, not by pointing at it and calling it names), but by shaking it, rolling it and otherwise mixing up the whipping cream until it begins to separate. If you have several children, let them take turns. In about twenty minutes or so, the cream will begin to separate into butter and whey. When the butter is to the desired thickness, pour off the whey, remove the object and refrigerate. It's absolutley delicious!

Vegetable Gravy

Basic White Sauce
½ c chopped onion
1 t garlic, minced
1 T butter
1 cube or 1 t vegetable bouillon

Sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add white sauce ingredients to onion and garlic mixture and prepare sauce. After white sauce has thickened, add bouillon and mix thoroughly. Add more milk to thin as needed and heat through.

Beef or Chicken Gravy

Basic White Sauce
½ c chopped onion
1 t garlic, minced
1 T butter
1 cube or 1 t beef or chicken bouillon

Sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add white sauce ingredients to onion and garlic mixture and prepare sauce. After white sauce has thickened, add bouillon and mix thoroughly. Add more milk to thin as needed and heat through.

Bisquick

8 c all-purpose flour
1 T salt
4 T baking powder
1 c shortening
1 c powdered milk

Mix 1st 3 ingredients and cut in shortening. Add powdered milk. Good for any recipes that call for Bisquick.

Baking Powder

2 parts cream of tartar
1 part baking soda
1 part cornstarch

Mix. Tastes better for breads and good in a pinch. Regular commercial brands tend to have a metallic taste.

Sour Cream

1 c cottage cheese
1 T lemon juice
2 T oil
2 T mayonnaise
½ t salt
¼ t tarragon
¼ c buttermilk
1 t vinegar
2 T chopped chives (optional)

Mix all ingredients except chives in a blender until smooth and creamy. Add chives. This is low in saturated fat and great on baked potatoes, borscht, potato pancakes or black bread. Makes 1 ½ cups.

Mayonnaise

1 egg
½ t salt
½ t mustard powder
2 T cider vinegar
1 c oil

Put egg, salt, mustard & vinegar in blender with ¼ c oil. Blend on low, uncover and slowly but steadily pour in remaining oil. Atmospheric conditions will occasionally cause mayonnaise to curdle as you’re making it. If this happens, remove it from blender, put another egg in blender, turn it on and slowly pour in curdled mayonnaise.

Southern Sweet Iced Tea

Fill a regular saucepan about half full and add 4 regular-size tea bags. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Allow to sit for about 20 minutes. Pour into a gallon-sized pitcher. Add approximately 1 c sugar and mix well. Fill to the top with cold water and refrigerate.

Cheese Sauce

1 c Basic White Sauce
1/2 c grated sharp cheddar OR 1/2 c grated Swiss cheese plus 1 T Parmesan Cheese

Add cheese to the white sauce just after it thickens. Continue stirring until cheese fully melts. Serve with vegies, chips, crackers, cooked meats, etc.... (This is a great recipe for fondue.)

Basic White Sauce

The basic white sauce is also known as bechemal. This is a basis for many other gravies, sauces and dishes.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
dash salt

PREPARATION:
In heavy saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Stir in flour with a wire whisk. Cook over low heat for three minutes, stirring constantly (This mixture is called a roux). Do not allow the mixture to brown. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly. Cook over low heat for 3-5 more minutes until sauce begins to thicken. Season to taste. Makes 1 cup.