Artesian Bread

I got this recipe from a friend and it is so surprisingly easy! And it is delicious! (It also makes really good pizza crust.)

3 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. Kosher salt or 1 Tbsp. regular salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
6 1/2 cups flour

Mix in a bowl with spoon until combined. Cover and let rise for 2 hours. Put in the fridge.

Makes 4 loaves or 6 pizzas

To bake: Shape in balls and set on a floured cookies sheet, let rest 40 minutes. and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. If you have a pizza stone heat up the stone inside the oven and when the oven is preheated transfer the loaf from the floured cookie sheet to the pizza stone. Put 1 cup of water in a broiler pan or other pan underneath the pizza stone. The steam from the water actually makes the bread all crusty like the fancy breads you get at the store. Don't worry it's
a lot easier than it sounds.

This is sooo good! We've been having fresh bread almost every day since my friend shared the recipe. (And it makes great baguettes to go along with Sharece's Italian subs.) Hope you like it!

Italian Subs

This is really simple and SOOO tasty!

Pepperoni
Ham
Cheese (I used marbled cheddar, but you can use any kind that you like)
Italian Seasoning (Oregano will work if you don't have this)
Italian Dressing
One Biguette

I just bought a biguette at the grocery store (It just looks like really skinny french bread) and heated it in the oven.
While the bread is toasting you cook the ham and pepperoni in a frying pan/griddle just to heat it up, put the cheese on top and let it melt. Once cheese is melted put inside heated bread.
Then add a little Italian Seasoning and Italian Dressing as the spread...

And ENJOY!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I get requests for these cookies quite often. There are a couple of secrets to getting them to turn out right. One is to make sure the dough texture is right. (You may need to experiment with this a bit.) Two is to HAND mix everything. Do NOT use a blender on them. Enjoy!

Pre-heat oven to 375

Cream together:

2/3 cup butter (real butter tastes better!)

2/3 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla (I use real vanilla)

2 eggs

Add:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3-4 cups flour (you know the texture is right when the dough sticks together but doesn't stick to your hands very much. If the dough is too wet the cookies will be flat. If it is too dry they'll fall apart.)

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (You can use any kind of chips you want and add some nuts too if you want. I have found that milk chocolate makes them too sweet for my taste. Half mint chips and half semi-sweet chips are really good!)

Make into balls slightly larger than a walnut and place on cookie sheet. (Don't handle the dough too much.) They shouldn't stick to the cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-12 minutes. (Cooking time varies by oven. Cook until the tops are slightly brown.)

Cool on cookie sheet on cooling rack for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack to finish cooling.

ENJOY!

White Chili

Yea! I'm contributing to the recipe blog! =) Here is a good & quick one I got from a friend. It feeds Steve and I perfectly with enough to have one leftover meal. So I might say to double it if you're feeding 4-5 ish people.

In frying pan combine:

2 1/2 C cooked chicken - cut up into small pieces

1/2 of a white onion - chopped

1 Tbsp veg. oil

1/2 tsp garlic pwd.

Transfer ingredients to a big pot. Then add:

2 cans great northern beans - rinse

1 can chicken broth

1 can diced green chilies

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

Bring to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 min uncovered.

Then add:

1/2 C whipping cream

1 C sour cream

Enjoy! =)

-Rach

Pumpkin au Gratin

Hi everyone. I thought it would be fun to start a recipe blog. If anyone else wants to join me as a contributor, please let me know! The more recipes, the more fun it will be.

This is a recipe I tried recently that I thought was appropos for the fall season. It was very easy and surprisingly good. Just be sure not to use any more than one pound of pumpkin or the pumpkin will be overpowering! This can be used as a main dish or as a side dish and makes approximately 6 servings.

1 pound of fresh or canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Combine pumpkin, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cloves and butter. Place in a small, lightly buttered cassserole dish. In a separate bowl beat the egg with a fork then mix in the cream and Parmesan cheese. Pour over the pumpkin. Bake at 400 degress for 30 minutes or until the top is puffed and lightly browned.