Whole Wheat Bread

Whole Wheat Bread
3 c. warm Water (if water is too hot, yeast will not proof and dough will not rise) A simple test is to put your pinky in the water, if slight sting TOO hot.
2 T. yeast
1 T. sugar/honey/sucanat

Let proof about 5- 10 minutes. Should be frothy.

3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
5 c. bread flour
1/2 c. honey or 1/4 c. sugar
4. T. oil
1 T. salt

In large mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, yeast mixture, additional honey, oil, and salt and mix until smooth. Add bread flour One cup at a time. Mixing until smooth. The trick to soft bread is to only add enough flour so as to be slightly tacky, not sticky, to the touch. The quantity of bread flour is based on mixing by hand, flouring the surface. If making by machine, you will not need as much flour.

Place dough into greased bowl and flip to cover both sides of dough. Let rise until double, about 50 minutes n warmed surface. Punch down and divide into loaf pans (2 -3 depending on loaf pan size). Allow loafs to rise until they top the pan by about an inch. About 40 minutes.

Bake 350 degrees 25 – 30 minutes.

Brush with butter.

Marge's Chicken Casserole

Marge’s Chicken Rice Casserole
1 whole or 4 chicken breasts
4 c. water
1 onion, halved
3 chicken bouillon cubes
½ c. salad dressing or mayonnaise
½ onion, chopped
½ c. celery, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
½ c. salad dressing or mayonnaise
1 small can water chestnuts, sliced
2 c. rice, undercooked by 2 minutes *or cooked instant rice
1 ½ c. chicken broth
2 c. corn flakes
½ stick butter, melted
Cook chicken, onion, and spices in water. When chicken is cooked, cool and cut up into bite-sized pieces. Reserve 1 ½ c. for recipe but remainder can be stored for broth; can be frozen.
Sautee ½ c. onion and celery. Remove from heat. Add soups, chicken, salad dressing, chestnuts and 1 ½ c. chicken broth. Add in rice.
Place into 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
Put corn flakes into food processor and add melted butter. Pulse until rough chopped. Or place corn flakes into sandwich bag with melted butter and roughly crush and shake. Sprinkle over casserole.
Bake 350̊ for 35 – 45 minutes.
*Marge uses cooked instant rice

Chicken Paprikash

Chicken Paprikash.
Crockpot version
3 chicken breast halves
1 t. salt
1/2 t. Spike, Season All, OR chicken boullion
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. paprika
4 c. water
1/2 onion (chopped)
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. COLD water
4 T. flour

Place chicken, seasonings, onion and water in crockpot (high) Cook until chicken is tender about 2-3 hours. With fork, tear chicken into small pieces. Mix 1/2 C. cold water with the flour ( I use a fork to mix this completely.) If the gravy isn't thick enough for you, add 1/4 c. COLD water with an additional heaping T. of flour. Put flour/water mixture into crockpot to make gravy. Allow to boil to get rid of flour taste. Add sour cream, mix and serve.
This can be served on rice or traditionally, wide egg noodles.
Large Pot Version
You can also make this in a pot with some minor adjustments to the recipe.
You can use a whole chicken easily in a pot. But feel free to use the three breast halves.
1 whole chicken
5 cups water
1/2 onion chopped or 1 onion cut in half
Boil on medium for about 1 hour. Turn off liquid.
Remove chicken and cool enough to tear the meat off the bones. Put meat back into pot.
Add spices.
Bring to boil.
Mix 1/2 c. cold water with 4 T. flour ( I use a fork to mix this completely.) If the gravy isn't thick enough for you, add 1/4 c. water with an additional heaping T. of additional flour. Bring to boil. This is important so that your gravy doesn't taste floury.
Add sour cream.
Serve with rice or wide egg noodles.

This gravy freezes well.

Magleby's copycat syrup recipe

ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup buttermilk
1 T. vanilla
1 T. corn syrup
½ tsp. baking soda

Bring first five ingredients to a boil.
Add in baking soda.
Boil for 10 seconds then remove from heat immediately to avoid boil over.
Serve over French toast, pancakes, crepes or any other yummy breakfast item.

You can substitute roughly 7/8 c. milk with 1/8 c. lemon juice for buttermilk. Let sit about 3 minutes, until use.

Stuffed Peppers...especially for Amanda

Stuffed bell peppers

6 bell peppers
2 c. raw rice
2 lbs. Ground beef
1 t. salt
1/4 t. basil
1/8 t. paprika
1/4 t. garlic powder

Sauce
1 can 29 oz Tomato Sauce
1 can 14 ½ oz diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano (plain is also fine)
½ t. chopped garlic or ¼ t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
1/8 t. paprika
1 bay leaf

Thickener
1 c. cold water
4 T. flour

Cook rice until just undercooked. Place in large bowl. Add ground beef and spices. Mix until thoroughly combined. Place in bell peppers that have been topped and unseeded, to overflowing. Put bell pepper cap back on.

For sauce, simply combine ingredients in crockpot or roaster.

Put stuffed peppers into crockpot or roaster. Cook covered. For slow cooker, you can start in the morning on low and it will be finished by dinner. If cooking in the oven, 350 degrees for 2 hours. When cooked, add 1 c. water and flour. This will act as a thickener and to knock out some of the strong tomato flavor. Let boil two minutes longer.

Serve with sour cream.

Asparagus stir fry

Asparagus Stir fry
1 T. water
1 t. cornstarch
1 T. soy sauce
Combine the above three ingredients and Set aside until all other ingredients have been cooked.
1 T. olive oil
1 bunch asparagus cut in half once AFTER having cut off woody bottom
½ c. firmly packed chopped green onions
1 T. water
1 t. cornstarch
1 T. soy sauce
1 large tomato
1 c. sliced mushrooms
Pinch salt (if desired)
Add olive oil and asparagus. Cook for 4 - 5 minutes to soften asparagus. If skinny asparagus cut time. Add green onions and mushrooms and cook 1 minute. I prefer a bit to my green onion. If you don’t want the “bite”, add with the asparagus to cook more fully. Add tomato and cornstarch mixture and heat until bubbly.

Dessert Crepes

Crepes
1 c. flour
1 c. water
5 eggs
pinch salt
Mix ingredients until smooth. Let sit in refrigerator 30 minutes.

To make crepes - I find that the crepes are made easiest on a griddle preheated to 325. I am also able to make two at a time on my griddle. I use olive oil cooking spray sparingly on the griddle. I also use a soup ladle to pick up about 3 T. of egg mixture. I pour the mixture turning in a spiral while using the bottom of the ladle to spread the mixture. It may take a couple of tries at first, but you can do this! Heat until the crepe loses it's shine. You do not need to heat the other side. I set aside and immediately fill with chopped strawberries, or other preferred fruit, jelly/jam and then roll. I top with a dusting of powdered sugar using a tea strainer and add whipping cream. Feel free to try other toppings including chocolate syrup or melted chocolate.