Recipes by Kimberly

Crock Pot Pizza

1 - 12 oz. package of pasta
1.5 lbs. of ground beef
¼ c. chopped onion
1 - 28 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce
1 - 4.5 oz. jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1½ tsp. Italian seasoning
1 - 3.5 oz. package sliced pepperoni, halved
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook and drain noodles. Cook hamburger and onion and drain. Stir in sauce, mushrooms, seasoning and pepperoni. Add noodles and cheese. Place in greased crock pot. Cook on low until heated and cheese melted. (Says can take 1 hour ... Mine NEVER did.)

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Easy Bake When You Want Bread

If you think bread is too hard, or you've never made bread before, this is a good way to start. It makes a crusty, chewy artisan loaf. There's enough dough made here for 4 loaves, you just keep it in the fridge in a covered container, and when you want a loaf, take some, let it warm and raise, and bake it! I use a mixer to mix this dough, but you can use a spoon or your hands. It's a wet dough, and sticky.

3 cups lukewarm (not hot) water
6½ cups flour (I use unbleached for health reasons, but any all-purpose flour will work) I scoop my flour and level it - If you spoon yours in and level it, you will need about a cup more.
1½ tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt

I put the water in the bowl first, then the yeast, then the flour, then the salt.

Mix all til completely blended. Let the dough sit covered on the counter for 2 hours. (I make mine in a lidded plastic storage container I bought at Walmart - This raises a lot, so you need space for it - But any gallon container works. Cover it with plastic wrap if there's no lid.)

Then refrigerate your dough - It will get tangier the longer it sits, and can be kept for 2 weeks with good results. When the dough is cold (it's easier to handle cold), and you want a loaf of bread, flour your hands and sprinkle a little four over the top of the dough and take out a grapefruit sized hunk.

Put it on a floured surface and shape it into a ball - It doesn't have to be perfect.

Place it on cookie sheet that you've sprinkled with a little cornmeal.

Let it sit for 45-60 minutes. It won't puff up a lot, it will just swell some, most of the raise happens in the oven. During this time pre-heat the oven to 450°.

Sprinkle it with a little flour. Put a shallow pan (metal or cast iron, not glass or ceramic - A pie pan or cake layer pan will work) on the lowest rack in the oven. Heat a cup of water to HOT in the microwave.

When time is up, take a sharp knife or scissors and cut the loaf across 2 or 3 times, ½" deep.

Put the loaf in the oven, pour the hot water in the pan on the lowest rack and shut the oven door.

Bake 25-35 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

If you can, wait 'til it's just warm to cut - I deflated my first loaves until I realized it was me cutting it when the bread was hot.

If you have a stone for the oven, you can slide the loaf onto your preheated stone and bake. You can also bake it on a preheated cast iron pan. Be careful transferring it to the pan.

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Empire State Muffins

The dry ingredients:
2½ cups flour
1½ cups sugar*
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
Measure into bowl, stir and add:

2 cups shredded apple
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
1 cup chopped nuts (I use sliced almonds - pecans or walnuts work well too.)
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil

Stir until well-moistened. This is a thick batter, it doesn't pour. (If it is too dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a thick batter.)

Spoon into sprayed or greased--not oiled - Muffin tins and bake at 400° (375° for dark tins) for 18-22 minutes. A toothpick will come out almost clean.

Eat! These keep best in a zip bag or airtight container. Freeze or refrigerate after 2 days.

Makes 12-24 depending on size.

*I use half this amount because I like less sugar content.

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Jello Pudding Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
¾ light brown sugar
¼ sugar
1 packet Jello pudding mix (any flavour, see below)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
12 oz. chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts (or additional choc chips, white choc chunks, etc.)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2¼ cups flour

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mix together butter, vanilla, sugar, brown sugar and pudding mix until creamy.

Add eggs and mix again.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Add flour and baking soda and mix well.

Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet using a TEASPOON.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

***The original recipe called for butterscotch pudding. That sounds amazing but I didn't have any here. I substituted chocolate pudding mix and used white choc chunks instead of nuts. They were a huge hit! I have since made the recipe with vanilla pudding and white choc and with banana pudding with additional choc chips. Think the variations could be endless.***

***And just in case you need to know ... It is totally possible to make this recipe without the eggs ... If you add a little more butter and some water to make it stick together ... Don't ask me how I know that.

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Lemon Twists

Dough:
2 cups warm milk (No more than 100° - warm to the touch.)
1 pkg. dry yeast, or 2 tsp. instant active yeast, dissolve in ¼ cup lukewarm water
1 egg
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
5-6 cups all purpose or bread flour

This is a soft dough that can be mixed by hand or in a standing mixer. The standing mixer should be able to knead the dough as well.

Place all liquid in your bowl (eggs and melted butter too) and stir til blended.

Add salt and sugar.

Begin to add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well.

When you have a silky, slightly sticky dough, it's time to knead. By hand, scrape dough out onto lightly floured board, sprinkle with flour and work with hands, adding more flour as needed, but not enough to make the dough stiff.

In a stand mixer, it does the work for you ... Set the mixer on medium speed and let the dough mix for 6-8 minutes until the dough leaves the side of the bowl and forms a smooth mass. it should be only very slightly sticky.

Place dough in greased bowl, turn once. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it all over to work out some of the bubbles. Form into a ball, cover and let rest 15 minutes.

The filling:

1½ cups light brown sugar
The zest of one lemon
1 cup chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts
Mix these thoroughly.
You will also need 3 tablespoons melted butter. Do not mix this in, you need it to 'paint' the dough with.

Roll dough to a 14"x 12" rectangle, with the 14" running this way <----->.

'Paint' the rectangle of dough with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter.

Put half of the brown sugar mix right down the middle third of the dough like this:

Fold the top third of the dough over the middle third, finger press the edge to seal, and spread it with the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter on top, and spread the remaining filling on top, like this:

Now take the bottom edge and fold it over the middle. Finger press to seal. Cut the dough into vertical strips-you can cut into 8, 10, or 12, depending on how fat you want your rolls. I try for 10-12. It will look like this:

Now pick up each strip and twist it twice, and lay it on a greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet, 1" apart. They will look like this:

Let them rise, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes while the oven heats to 375°.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let sit just a few minutes (3-4).

Drizzle with the Glaze:

2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar.
Juice of the zested lemon (you may need a smidge more-use bottled).
2 tablespoons melted butter (Really helps the glaze coat better and makes it pretty and shiny.)

Mix well, adding more juice if needed to make a thick but fluid glaze. It should drizzle freely off of a fork. Drizzle the still warm rolls. Eat and enjoy!

   

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Macaroni Casserole

Brown beef and toss in a can of Cream of Mushroom soup, prepare a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese as directed ... Toss in a pan together and serve OR layer in a casserole dish, top with cheese and place in oven.