Balsamic Bread Dip

Our wonderful family friend is a whiz in the kitchen. It was always a happy day growing up when she came delivering leftover dinner for the Bailey clan to sample.

This bread dip has become a staple appetizer for family dinners, parties, or any occasion.

Ingredients:
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (or more to taste)
Fresh rosemary, to taste
Olive oil, 2 Tbs
Salt and pepper, to taste

Blend in food processor until smooth.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

 It's that time of the year where, if you're like me, your fridge is stocked full of zucchini! This bread is soo yummy and moist. It will be a family hit. Promise!

Ingredients:
(yields 2 regular loafs or 4 mini loafs)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup  brown sugar
3 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups flour (white or wheat)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
1 pint fresh blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease loaf pans.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add to wet mixture.
Gently fold in the blueberries.

Fill loaf pans with batter.

Optional Crumb Topping:
Mix together-
1/4 cup whole oats
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup softened butter

Sprinkle all over the top of the loaves before baking

Bake 50 min. to an hour and a half, depending on pan size, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Jeff calls these "Potato Boats." Either way, these are such a yummy side, and fun to get creative with!

Ingredients: 
4 large baking potatoes
3 slices bacon
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
5 chopped green onions, divided
Garlic powder to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, cook and crumble bacon into small pieces and set aside.
When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Once cooled, slice them in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Add more milk if the mixture is too thick. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
Bake for another 15 minutes.

Perfect Dinner Rolls

  My go-to, favorite recipe for rolls has to rise overnight, so I don't make them very often.
I was in a hurry the other day, so I made these delicious alternatives, which only take 2 hours of total rising time and are equally as light and fluffy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1 Tbs. (1 pkg) active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups flour

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix the water and milk and microwave for about 45 seconds, or until warm. Add the yeast and set aside for 10 min. (This is called "proofing" the yeast).
Add sugar to the yeast mixture. 
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, egg and butter and beat until combined.
Pour dough onto floured counter top and knead for about 10 minutes; until smooth and elastic.
Place dough in large, greased bowl and cover bowl with a dry towel. Let sit in warm place for 1 hour.

* * *

After the first rising, divide the dough in half and place on a floured counter top. Roll each peice of dough into a 12 inch circle. Cut the dough like a pizza, into 8 "pizza" slices.
Roll each slice starting at the "crust" end (the wide end) rolling all the way over the tip. Roll gently, but tightly. Place point side down on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

Cover with a dry towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
After the second rising, bake the rolls for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Ebelskivers

Ebelskivers ("ay-bell-sk-vers") are Danish, filled pancakes. I've been wanting to make them ever since my friend Heather got an ebelskiver pan at her wedding shower.

Directions:
Pour a small spoonful of your favorite pancake batter into the bottom of each greased hole in the ebelskiver pan.

I used this pancake batter:
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs sugar
dash of salt
1 egg
2 Tbs oil
1 cup milk
 
Then add a dallop of filling your favorite filling. I used raspberry jam, chocolate and peanut butter.

Top them off with another spoonful of pancake batter. Cook until bubbles form at the top of the batter. Gently turn over using a spoon.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with syrup if desired.

Wheat Pizza Crust

After searching and searching for a good wheat pizza dough recipe it was quite simple to take pieces from a few and make my own!  It turned out GREAT!  Although using ALL whole wheat flour would be healthier, I think a half white flour, half wheat flour combo really helped the crust rise better and taste like pizza crust, rather than just bread.

Wheat Pizza Crust
Ingredients:
2 Tbs honey
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbs active dry yeast
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp or each: garlic powder, oregano, Italian seasoning

Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let stand for about 10 minutes, until frothy.

Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture.

Then add the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. Gently mix until the dough starts to come together. Pour dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the dough becomes a smooth, elastic ball (about 10 minutes).

Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

When the dough is doubled it into 2 pieces for 2 thin crusts. Form each piece into a ball and let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Roll out the dough into desired pizza size. Grease the bottom of a pizza pan, and sprinkle corn meal to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. If using a pizza stone, just sprinkle the stone with cornmeal before placing the pizza on top.  Bake crust for 3 minutes.

Remove the crust and lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.  Add pizza toppings. Bake at 425 F for about 8-10 more minutes or until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

Mrs. Fields Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies!

Ingredients:
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 c flour
5 c powderized oats (whole oats powderized in a blender)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 (12 oz.) bag chocolate chips

Directions:
Cream together the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs, mixing one at a time, and then the vanilla.  Beat until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips

Drop cookies onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for  8-9 min. (Don't over bake. Cookies will harden as they cool.)

Chinese Lettuce Wraps

 Lettuce wraps have always been one of my favorites! They are SO delicious and very easy to make.

Marinade:
4-5 chicken tenders, minced into small pieces
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil

Sauce:
2 ½ Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp cornstarch

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 c. water chestnuts, chopped
1 head iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce- divided into 6-8 leaf for the "cups"

Directions:
Combine the minced chicken, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil in a bowl. Set aside.

Mix the sauce ingredients together, making sure to dissolve the cornstarch.

Heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the chicken mixture and stir fry 2-3 minutes.  Push the chicken to the side of the pan and add the red pepper, ginger, green onions, and water chestnuts. Stir fry 1-2 minutes and then mix together with the chicken.

Add the sauce and stir on medium heat until thickened; about 2 minutes.

Place mixture in lettuce "cups," fold like a wrap, and enjoy!

(Traditional lettuce wraps have sauteed, dried rice vermicelli noodles on top.  I didn't have any so I did without!)

*Recipe from William Sonoma Stir-Fry cook book