Ham Jambalaya

This is really easy to make and it's pretty healthy too. Mark and I like it a lot. We like to make it spicy, but you can tone down the cayenne pepper and it won't be too hot.

2c diced ham
1c diced green pepper
1c diced red pepper
1c diced red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
28oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2c water
3/4c long-grain white rice, uncooked
1t paprika
1t basil
1t thyme
1t cayenne pepper

Saute green & red peppers, onion & garlic until soft; about 10 minutes. Mix in ham, tomatoes & spices. Stir in water & rice. Bring to a boil, cook on low for about 25 minutes.

Stuffing

This is the stuffing I made for our Holiday Dinner 2008. The good news is that it is a healified stuffing recipe. You don't have to tell your husbands that though. They will never know. Evidently it is supposed to be better for you because it doesn't use butter and therefore it cuts out 2/3 of the fat.

Stuffing
from www.eatbetteramerica.com

Makes 12 servings (1/2 cup each)

15 slices bread
2 TBS olive oil
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped carrot
2 c. chicken broth
1 tsp. dried sage leaves crushed or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray; set aside.

2. On large cookie sheet, place bread slices. Back 15 to 20 minutes, turning each slice once, until firm & very light golden brown. Remove bread slices from cookie sheet; cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

3. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion & carrot; cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in broth, sage, salt, thyme & pepper; heat to boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in bread cubes until well mixed. Spoon mixture into casserole.

4. Cover; back 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until hot and top is light golden brown.

Nutritional information per serving:
120 Calories (35 from fat)
4g Fat
0g Cholesterol
380mg Sodium
18g Carbohydrates
4g Protein

Pizza Sauce

Did you know you can make pizza sauce out of a small can of tomato paste? I used one of the really small ones from Wal-Mart. They cost something like $.49 each. To make my sauce, I added some olive oil and water until the consistency looked right. Then I just added spice to taste.

We're don't put a lot of sauce on our pizza, so I was able to get 3 large pizzas out of one $.49 can. I froze the sauce in between pizzas.

Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread

After more than one experiment with wheat bread in our bread machine, this one came out the winner. Not crumbly or dense - I think the wheat gluten helped control that.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar ***
1 1/2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
1 1/2 tablespoons margarine
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3-4 tbls Vital Wheat Gluten

***I use 1 1/2 tabls of honey instead of white sugar. This helps keep the bread from getting too dry.

DIRECTIONS
1.)Place ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer.

2.)Select Whole Wheat setting and press start. You may also need to select a crust preference. I choose medium.

3.) When it is finish, let it cool completely. I slice it right away and freeze it in a plastic container. I pull it out as we need it. This helps it last longer and keeps it softer.

Bread Machine Pizza Crust

Here is the bread machine pizza crust recipes I discovered on another website. It's been a HUGE hit in our home.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon dry milk powder
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS
1) Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. With mine, it's wet ingredients on the bottom, top with dry ingredients and make the "well" for your yeast.

2)Select Dough cycle; press Start.

3) When finished, removed dough and place on a floured surface. I usually let it rise for another 5-10 minutes.

4.) Roll out and use with your favorite pizza toppings. I make one large pizza on my Papmered Chef Pizza Stone. You could probably get 2 smaller pizzas out of it. It also makes about 4 calzones.

5.) Bake at 375* for 15-20 minutes. That's what works for my Pizza Stone on a lower rack. I usually just keep an eye on it and pull it when it looks done.

Bread Gluten

A thought...or discovery. Something I wanted to share anyway. I was making whole wheat bread in my bread machine and it kept coming out too dense and crumbly. A friend suggested I try bread gluten, so I added 4 tsp to my most recent loaf. What a difference! It came out fluffy instead of dense ad it wasn't nearly as crumbly. Didn't know if anyone else had a similar experience or frustration.

Along with that - a bread machine is really making home baked bread an attainable goal, even though I'm not home often. I was skeptical, but I'm a believer now.

Apple Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  (or 1 cup all-purpose & 1 cup whole wheat)


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 3 tsp baking powder


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1 tsp cinnamon


• 1 cup of peeled, finely chopped apple


• 3/4 cup of apple juice


• 1/3 cup of oil


• 1 egg

Heat over to 400. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients and apple. Mix well.

In a small bowl whisk together juic, oil, & the egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Divide into muffin cups.

Bake at 400 for 18-22 minutes.

Yields 12-15 muffins

Old Lady Applecrisp

If there is one thing that old ladies have figured out, it's baking. This recipe came with a price. I had to sit thru a Weekenders clothing party. The positive side is that I got a good recipe. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of this. It really isn't your typical apple crisp. Having it warm with ice cream or whip cream is fantastic.

Old Lady Apple Crisp

1/2 c. melted butter
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 c. coconut
2 1/2 pared, sliced apples
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. sour cream
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350. Cut butter into dry cake mix until crumbly. Fold in coconut (don't tell Mark. He doesn't like coconut). Press mixture lightly into 9 x 13 greased pan, building up edges slightly. Bake for 10 minutes. Add apples. Mix sugar & cinnamon and sprinkle on. Blend sour cream & egg. Pour over apples. Bake another 25 minutes. Be careful not to over bake.

Chocolate Spice Biscotti

Hi. This is me trying to take pictures of my food. I'm not the best photographer, but hopefully this at least will give you an idea of what the food looks like when I make it.

I am in love with fall and any cool weather makes me want to make fall dishes. I am so excited for this season which is now upon us. Therefore, I am going to post some recipes that will make me happy because they are fall-like.

These biscotti are super good in my opinion. They take a little bit to make, so you'll need a little bit of time. They're not hard, they just have multiple steps. I freeze my extra pieces and continue to love on them for a few months. They're good fresh or right out of the freezer.

Chocolate Spice Biscotti

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 c. toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. salt

3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs, room temperature *

1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 300. Mix flour, chocolate chips, walnuts, cocoa powder, backing powder, cloves and salt.

2. In a separate bowl mix sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat on high speed with electric mixer for about 10 minutes or until very light and thick. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture until well blended. (Dough will be soft) Shape dough on parchment paper; sprinkle evently with 1 Tbs of sugar. Bake 30 - 35 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven; cool completely (about an hour).

3. Return oven temp to 300. Slice logs on a diagonal into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place slices, cut side down, on bar pan. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; cool completely.

Yield: about 3 dozen

Nutrition info: Serving size is 3 biscotti; Calories 160; Total Fat 5 g; Cholesterol 35 g; Carbohydrate 27 g; Protein 3 g; Sodium 55 mg; Fiber 1 g

*The reason the eggs should be room temp is so that they give good volume. You can quickly get them to room temp by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

1 box of chocolate cake mix

Mix and bake cake as directed and divide into 2 round 8” cake pans.
Let cool for 20 minutes after baking then invert onto wire racks to let cool completely.

To frost the cake place 1 layer flat side up onto a plate or cake stand (what you will serve it on). Spread 1/3 of frosting mixture on top. Repeat with the next layer and then frost the sides of the cake. Once frosted chill in the fridge so the frosting firms up.

To decorate with the chocolate peanut butter glaze, put the cake stand or plate on a couple of paper towels to catch any drips. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refridgerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving.

Peanut Butter Frosting

10 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups of confectioner’s sugar
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (b/c oil doesn’t separate out)

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
½ cup half and half

In the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate, pb, and corn syrup. Cook, stirring often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the half and half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

Pasta Hot! Hot! Hot!

• 1 16oz. Package spaghetti
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  
  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
  In a small saucepan over low heat place olive oil, garlic and peppers and simmer. Pour olive oil mixture over cooked pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.
  
  Yields 4 servings.

Whole Wheat Braided Bread

3 pkgs. active (¼ ounces each) dry yeast

3 cups warm water

½ cup of sugar

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. salt

5 cups whole wheat flour

4 cups all-purpose flour

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, eggs, oil, salt, and whole wheat flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.


2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.


3. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into nine pieces. Shape each piece into a 14 inch rope. Braid 3 ropes together; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Place in three greased 8x4x2 loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.


4. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Yeides 3 loaves

Stovetop Granola

Stovetop Granola
Preheat oven to 350*

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups of rolled oats
2-3 tablespoons of butter or margarine
2-3 tablespoons of honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
Vanilla taste
Cinnamon to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the oats and stir until they start to get brown and crisp. Remove them from the skillet and transfer to a cookie sheet. (I cover my cookie sheet in aluminum foil)

Melt butter in the same skillet. Add honey and brown sugar stirring constantly until bubbly. Add the vanilla. (I don’t measure this…it’s just however much you want)

Return oats to pan. Cook and stir for another 5 minutes or until they are coated. Add the cinnamon while you are stirring. This will smell delicious J

Spread granola onto the cookie sheet and place in pre-heated oven. Let them bake at 350* for 5 minutes and then turn the over off BUT leave the granola in the oven while it cools.

Once the oven is cooled, removed the granola and let it stand until it cools. Store in a Tupperware-esk container.

Testing 1-2-3....