Garlic Cheesy Bread

I love it when I can find or come up with a recipe that we normally would have to go out and get. Take these cheese sticks here, there is a well known pizza joint that sells cheese sticks similar, but now I can make a version that we like just as well. If you use my favorite pizza crust you can make it ahead of time and freeze the dough, so its ready when you are!



Garlic Cheesy Bread
Source: Me

1 batch of pizza dough (homemade is better, but you can use store bought if you like)
2 1/2 tbsp of butter
1-2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese blend
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 450°F. If you are cooking on a pizza stone (which I highly recommend) make sure that you heat it in the oven for at least 30 minutes before you bake.

Place the butter in a small skillet or sauce pan and melt on low heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and dried herbs to the mix. Let the butter mixture cook for about 10 minutes or so, the garlic should be very fragrant. While that is cooking, shape your pizza dough. Once the butter mixture is very fragrant, remove the cloves and discard. Spread the butter over the dough and top with the cheeses.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly and the crust browns.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins

I really enjoyed these muffins. I love cinnamon, especially in the morning (hello, cinnamon rolls!) and these hit the spot! They were easy to put together, although they don't use the normal muffin method, but the creaming method in the recipe. This resulted in a light, fluffy texture, almost like a cake. The only thing I would change is the amounts that they have listed for the cinnamon/sugar topping. It is way too much, I think cutting it back by 1/2 would be just fine.




Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Williams-Sonoma

For the muffins
7 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I didn't have nutmeg so I used cinnamon here)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping
2/3 cup sugar
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
6 TBSP (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted


Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 9 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.

To make the muffins, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.

To make the topping, in a small, shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Put the melted butter in another small bowl. Holding the bottom of a muffin, dip the top into the melted butter, turning to coat it evenly. Immediately dip the top in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating it evenly, then tap it to remove excess sugar. Transfer the muffin, right side up, to the rack. Repeat with the remaining muffins. Let cool completely before serving. Makes 9 muffins.

Honey Yeast Rolls

This was my first time attempting homemade rolls. The actual recipe was pretty easy, but it takes a long time to actually make the rolls. I guess this comes as no surprise since they do contain yeast, and yeast = time. I really enjoyed these rolls, but next time I will try to make them smaller.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from A Cookie a Day

2¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115˚ F)
¼ cup honey
3 tbsp. canola oil
1¼ tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups bread flour
Vegetable cooking spray
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. honey


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast and warm water. Add the honey, oil, salt, and egg and mix well. Add 3 cups of the flour and mix until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. Switch to the dough hook and, with the mixer on low speed, incorporate the remaining 1 cup of flour. Continue kneading on low speed for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 30 seconds. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch the dough down and divide into 10-12 equal size pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place into a round, lightly greased 9- or 10-inch round baking dish, spacing evenly. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Mix together the melted butter and honey, and brush the tops of the rolls with the mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the rolls are baked through. Let cool slightly before serving.

Pioneer Woman's Potatoes au Gratin

This is the first Pioneer Woman recipe that I've tried. I don't know why I waited so long! I've read her blog many times, and found so many things that look so super yummy, plus she has a knack for writing, which makes it very enjoyable. This recipe was very easy to throw together and tasted great! The garlic cream sauce is excellent. My only complaint would be that the potatoes were a little undercooked. Next time I will par boil the potatoes before baking to make them more tender.

Potatoes au Gratin
Source: Pioneer Woman

4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
1-½ cup Heavy Cream
½ cups Whole Milk
2 Tablespoons Flour
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

I had never made brownies from scratch before. I don't know why, or what I was afraid of, because they are very easy. I guess it was just me being lazy, using a box mix instead. Well those days are over! I will definitely be making these again, and probably looking for any excuse to do so! They are rich, chocolaty, fudgy everything that a good brownie should be. I've read on many food blogs about the search for the perfect brownie, well I think I've found mine on the first try! Make these, you will not be sorry!

Triple Chocolate Brownies
Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Baking Illustrated

5 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1¼ cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Place an oven rack in lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth (I put my butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heated in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until everything was melted). Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated. Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. (It took me a while to get the flour evenly incorporated and I was worried it would affect the texture of the brownies, but they turned out fabulously – no need to worry.) Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula to make an even layer. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares as desired. Store in an air-tight container.

Honey Peanut Butter Cookies

Oh man, these are some amazing cookies! The texture is so great, very chewy and thick. I wish I knew a little more about food science, so I could know what exactly what it is that makes these cookies so chewy. The addition of honey to the recipe makes it perfectly sweet! I will definitely make this my go to PB cookie recipe. I contemplated putting chocolate chips in these, but I'm glad that I didn't. They are a classic!

Honey Peanut Butter Cookies
Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Taste of Home

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup vegetable shortening
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 large eggs
Sugar, for rolling the cookies


In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the shortening, butter, peanut butter and honey. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Roll the dough into 1½-inch balls, and roll each dough ball in sugar. Place the dough balls on an ungreased baking sheet, a couple inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Today was a miserable, cold, icy day....and of course my day off this week! I was stuck inside with a clean apartment, so what better to do than bake? :) I hadn't had these cookies in SO long and when I saw them on a blog that I frequent, I knew that I had to make them!

I had made these cookies for Christmas, but we were in such a hurry that day, that I totally spaced taking a picture. So today when I made them again, I remembered to take one. I love this recipe, these cookies are so incredibly easy and quick!

Peanut Butter Blossoms
Source: The Novice Chef, adapted from Hershey Kitchens

48 hershey kisses
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
granulated sugar for rolling

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges.

Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Enchiladas

I saw this recipe on The Novice Chef and thought it looked awesome...and they were! My main complaint with homemade enchiladas is that they get too dry. This is not the case here since you coat the tortillas in sauce and then add more sauce to the tops. I did make some changes though, and since my husband is a picky eater, I make two separate batches of filling for the two of us. I will list the recipe as I make it and with everything in it. I make these at least once a month, maybe twice if Jeremy has a say!




Enchiladas

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium red onion chopped
1 bell pepper finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 15oz can of Old El Paso Enchilada sauce
8-10 8 inch tortillas
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded cheese

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil and then cook the onion and bell pepper for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Next, add the meat to the pan and brown. If the meat is too greasy then drain and return to the pan.

Pour 1/2 of the can of sauce onto a plate. Dip each tortilla into the sauce and coat on both sides. Spoon 1/4 cup of the meat mixture onto each tortilla and add cheese and then roll the tortilla around the filling. Place in an ungreased baking dish. Repeat until you've used all of the filling.

Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and then top with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the cheese and sauce is bubbly.

Breakfast Casserole

I was looking for something easy to make for dinner tonight. I knew that I had eggs, cheese, and sausage at home, but the regular scrambled eggs and sausage didn't sound that great to me. I then thought that I could make a breakfast casserole. I didn't use a certain recipe, just what I knew about the ingredients to make this. It turned out pretty good although next time I will use more salt and pepper and cheese.



Ingredients

1 1/2 -2 cups of shredded potatoes (hashbrowns)
6 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 lb sausage
1 cup shredded cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350°. Spray your 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with a non stick spray. Add the potatoes in the bottom. Cook your sausage and drain then add to the top of your potatoes. In a small bowl beat your eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and half of the cheese. Pour the egg mixture into the casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!

Easy Asian Porkchops

I got a new slow cooker for Christmas! It has a retractable cord, lock in lid, digital display and non stick interior! Here it is:



I was pretty excited to try it out, so I've been looking for slow cooker recipes here lately. My parents had given Jeremy and I some pork loins and chops, so I figured I would look for a recipe to use up some of those. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and thought that I'd give it a try. I made a few changes to the original recipe and I will list the modified recipe that I used. I LOVED this pork. It was so tender, it almost melted in your mouth! The sauce is a little sweet, but definitely savory too. This will definitely be put into our regular rotation and since its a slow cooker recipe it is soooo easy!




Easy Asian Porkchops

Ingredients
4 boneless pork chops (I put mine in frozen)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup honey
pepper to taste


Add your chops to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to a bowl and wisk together. Pour the ketchup mixture over the chops and cook on low for 5-6 hours, until the pork is falling apart. Tear the chops apart with two forks into large chunks. Serve pork and sauce over rice.