My Changing White Bread

I'm working on this, so far I haven't been able to make a decient loaf of plain white bread. My french bread is fine but not this one yet. I will get it sooner or later though. So here's my base as of this moment, I took it off another recipe and I am not sure I will make it this way again but it's a start.

Makes 3 loaves of white bread.

About 11 cups flour
1.5 Tbl sugar
2 Tbl yeast
1 Tbl salt
4.5 cups very warm water
1/2 cup softened butter

Combine half the flour with everything else. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes. Add flour a cup at a time till not too sticky. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour as necessary.

Place dough in a large buttered bowl, turning to butter top. Cover with a clean towel or buttered lid (don't seal it) and let rise for about 1 hour in a warm place, free of drafts. Punch dough down. Separate into three balls. Roll into loafs. Raise double in size. Bake 350 for 40 min.

Great Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3/4 cup whole milk

Directions

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Add milk and stir with a fork just until a dough forms.
4. Knead 6-8 times. Can roll out to 1/2" thickness and cut into 2 in squares or form into balls.
5. Place on a buttered baking sheet, (or baking stone with a little cornmeal sprinkled on it) about 1 ½ inches apart.
6. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Variations
Add 2 chopped green onions and/or a clove of garlic with the milk.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Yields: 9 cups

2 tablespoons butter (1/4 stick)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 4 oz)
1 cup pepper jack cheese

In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic for the last minute or so. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes (or until it starts to smell nutty, should not be brown but golden is ok), stirring frequently. Gradually whisk in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth (can use a hand wand). Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard, pepper jack cheese, and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese.

Nuts About Berries Salad

Raspberries
Blueberries
Strawberries sliced
Blackberries
1/4 cup Cinnamon Almonds chopped
Romaine lettuce
Poppy Seed Dressing

Top lettuce with berries and then almonds. Drizzle with poppy seed dressing.

Mock Zupas Vermont Maple Blueberry Salad

Ok, I haven't played with these recipes yet but with summer coming I wanted some more salad recipes. These may just be ingredient lists but as I make them I will play with them and add proportions.

1/2 cup Blue Cheese crumbled
1/2 cup Blueberries
2 Granny Smith Apples thinly sliced and cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup Cinnamon crusted Almonds chopped (include crumbs)
Romaine lettuce broken into bite sized pieces
Maple Vinaigrette

You can buy candied nuts with the bagged nuts in most grocery stores, or you can make your own (recipe at the bottom).

Maple Vinaigrette

1/2 large shallot
2 T. apple cider vinegar
3 T. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 C. extra virgin olive oil

Blend together everything but the oil. Then add oil gradually to emulsify.


Toss the dressing with the lettuce, and the nuts with the blue cheese. Layer in a bowl the lettuce, apples, nut mixture, and top with blueberries.

Spinach Mango Salad

Creamy mango dressing

• 1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped (or 1 1/4 cups frozen mango cubes, thawed)
• 4 teaspoons nonfat plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In blender, purée mango, yogurt, and vinegar until silky smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper and set aside. (as a note can add up to 2 tsp honey or sugar and an additional 1/4 tsp salt, can also replace vinegar with lemon juice)

Salad

• 3 cups (3 ounces) baby spinach leaves
• 8 arugula leaves
• 1/4 fresh mango, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons fresh chives, sliced into 1/2-inch lengths
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil (opt)
  
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  

In a small bowl, toss mango, chives and oil together then toss everything.

Homemade Big Hunk

1 larger bottle Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts (lightly salted)

3 smaller jars Kraft Marshmallow Cream

2 1/4 cups light corn syrup

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

6 Tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp salt

Butter a large cookie sheet. Scatter peanuts equally on cookie sheet. Place marshmallow cream in a LARGE bowl, set aside. In a large saucepan, combine corn syrup and sugar. Place over high heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil. Clip on candy thermometer. Cook to 280 degrees F, or to soft crack stage. Remover from heat and let stand 2 minutes undisturbed. Without scraping, pour entire batch into marshmallow cream and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add butter, vanilla, and salt and stir with wooden spoon until butter in incorporated. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly across peanuts. Allow to stand at room temperature until firm, about 3 hours. Cut and wrap in wax paper.