Perfect Bread

I have never considered myself a baker. Pretty much due to the fact that I've never been able to make that perfect load of bread. You know; the one fresh out of a 1950s housewives kitchen. Beautiful golden crust, soft and tender on the inside, sweet like cream and a hint of salt? Yep. That one. I told a friend I can't bake bread and she gave me this recipe for bread in a jar. I've never been crazy impressed by many anything out of a jar but I had to give this a shot. She says it's no fail. Well I did and this bread is TO DIE FOR! Like you're going to want to eat this for dessert...and probably use it as your pillow too. This will be my go to recipe. I think there's a lot of leeway with it so modify as you like but this is how I love it. Makes one loaf of perfection. 

Put in a jar (if giving away) if not, put in big Pyrex bowl

3 cups flour (I use bread flour and the last 1/4 cup whole wheat)

3 TBSP. Sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. yeast

Add these ingredients to your dry mix:

1 1/8 cup warm water (I added a bit more till it was coming together smoothly ~1/3 cup)

2 TBSP. Oil or 1 1/2 TBSP butter (I used  canola oil)

Preheat oven to 170. When it beeps shut it off. Combine the dry ingredients into a big mixing bowl (I used a big Pyrex). Add the water and oil or butter. I used the dough hooks on my hand kitchen aid and mixed well. About 5-10 minutes or until you get bored. Watch here that it comes together as a nice, smooth ball of dough. Take dough out of bowl and spray bowl. Place dough back in bowl and place in warm oven. Let rise until doubled in size (about an hour). Mix again for 2-5 minutes. Shape into loaf and place into greased loaf pan. Let rise until pan is full. Remove from oven and heat oven to 350. (My oven runs hot so I did 340.) Place in hot oven and bake for about 30 minutes. I took mine out about 6 minutes early and it was perfect. Should be lightly golden on top and make a hollow sound when tapped. Let cool slightly and remove from pan. Slice and enjoy. Yuuuummmmm! 

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

I saw this in Pinterest and was really intrigued. Pizza with less guilt?! Yes! I was discussing this recipe with my mother-in-law last night. I totally thought the recipe was on here but I couldn't find it. So sorry for the delay...its here now and you will be so glad you tried this. As we were talking about the pizza properties of it I realized this really is more of a casserole and not really a pick it up pizza. This has all the really yumminess of pizza without the pick it up quality. So its not really a crusty friend but it does nicely when you want less guilt. The post promises you will want to "eat the whole thing." I really enjoyed her post I think my favorite was holy Zac Efron :).  Where promised this definitely delivered!  We LOVED this recipe. It was pretty easy, though my mil pointed out she used a salad spinner to drain it which is GENIUS! I'm stealing it! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 11/10

I should also note that I created a onion/pepper topping that is YUMMY! I start with one large onion sliced and a small handful of sliced peppers (I have them pre-frozen from when they go on sale). I heat up a little bit of olive oil in a skillet and throw the peppers and onions in there and sauté until they're nice and caramelized. At the very end I add just a smidgen of balsamic vinegar and place them on my pizza. SO good!

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups grated zucchini
1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper, to taste
2 eggs
1-2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used the cheaper stuff)

(or I just use the Kroger brand pizza cheese and go by my preference of how much guilt I want)

3/4 cup pizza sauce
any desired pizza toppings: pepperoni, sausage crumbles, olives, peppers, onions, etc.

DIRECTIONS:

Grate zucchini and measure out 4 cups. Sprinkle salt over zucchini and let sit for 10 minutes. Ring out zucchini to remove any excess water. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9x13 glass dish with non stick cooking spray and set aside. Mix drained zucchini with pepper, eggs, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and spread evenly into prepared baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with pizza sauce, remaining cheeses and any desired pizza toppings. Bake 15 more minutes and remove. Cool 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

via laurenslatest.com

Orange & Cranberry Oatmeal

We tried an oatmeal packet from Target recently that is cranberry orange. It's really tasty but I love the texture of homemade oatmeal. Found this recipe on food.com and was thrilled with how yummy it is. Very yummy, vibrant winter flavors. The mandarins seem like they'd be odd but they are pleasant bursts of orange. And compliment the chewy cranberries and bit of cinnamon. I added extra cranberries and didn't think it needed any more sweetening. 10/10

Ingredients:

2 cups water

4 Tbsp. Orange juice concentrate

1 1/4 cup quick cooking oats

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1 (11 oz) can mandarins drained

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 cup chopped almonds (optional)

Directions:

1. In large saucepan bring water a and orange juice concentrate to a boil.

2. Stir in the oats and return to a low boil for 2 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and add cranberries, mandarins, brown sugar, cinnamon annd chopped nuts.