The Ultimate Bread Recipe

One of my favorite Facebook groups is Homesteading with Patara of Appalachia's Homestead. One of my first experiences making bread was with The Mixer Bible. Now that one took 6 hours of multiple processes. Then I discovered the following recipe and am ecstatic that it only takes 2 hours and "boom!" bread! It's a good thing too because I forgot to buy bread this week and we're likely snowed in this weekend. I couldn't let the teenager go without his grilled cheeses, egg sandwiches and PBJs. :) Seriously though, if you're interested at all in Homesteading even in a small way, this group and this recipe need to be in your life.

http://appalachiashomestead.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-ultimate-bread-recipe.html

Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

This has been a great week of entrees. I tried a new recipe almost every night. Tonight was the "creme-de-la-creme" so to speak. ;) This was a melt-in-your-mouth delight. The only thing I would have changed is to add mushrooms. I also doubled the recipe for our hungry teenager guests. This recipe is a must try!

http://therecipecritic.com/2016/05/creamy-tuscan-garlic-chicken/

Pistachio Pudding Cookies

Ok, I'm convinced. Any cookies I make from now on will have pudding mix in them. In this elevation, they come out chewy and moist. It's amazing! For this recipe, I didn't have pistachios so I added (ice cream) nut topping and white chocolate chips-Yum! Having fun using up my pudding boxes. :)

https://www.sugardishme.com/pistachio-pudding-cookies/

White Chocolate Pudding Cookies

I'm remodeling the kitchen and this week I was tasked with replacing the wall cabinets. As I was putting foods back in the cupboards, I did an inventory and realized I have a lot of pudding mixes that need to be used. Tonight I decided to start with the white chocolate. Pinterest helped me out on this one. However, I didn't make it as a snickerdoodle, I followed the recipe up to the rolling in cinnamon and sugar part. After a taste-test of the dough and the raves from the hubby, I decided this is a new favorite. Very easy to make--similar to regular chocolate chip cookies. Also turned out perfect in high altitude. [A side note, every recipe I've used with a pudding mix here in the mountains has turned out beautifully. I think that is my new secret to beautiful cookie baking. :) ]

http://www.somethingswanky.com/white-chocolate-snickerdoodle-pudding/

Favorite Hamburger Stew

I've had this one set aside for a while, but finally decided to make it. It reminds me of growing up in a rural community in Kansas with mainly just meat, potatoes and salt and pepper. As I've branched out in my kitchen skills, I've since learned to add additional spices. A nice bonus was that the hubby bought heirloom tomatoes that needed to be used up-yum! This recipe is a great example of READ THE REVIEWS before making it. I took the advice of others and added garlic, basil, oregano and beef broth. I love the idea of adding V8 and barley--maybe next time. Can't wait to have a bowl tonight!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/favorite-hamburger-stew

World's Best Lasagna

I'm on a bread-making journey thanks to the hubby buying me a stand mixer and the Mixer Bible . I decided it was time to try the breadsticks. I'll actually post that one separately. It had been a long time since I'd made traditional lasagna so, while browsing the internet, I found a recipe that claimed to be the "World's Best Lasagna". Ok, you have my attention. I decided to give it a go. My only mistake was adding ALL of the noodles. I remembered (after the fact) that I usually only added 1/2 to 2/3 of the box. This recipe was a little sweeter than I would have liked too. Next time I'll taste the sauce and try to decrease the level of sweetness. The breadsticks were not bad for a first try, but I clearly have work to do to perfect that one. ;)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/23600/worlds-best-lasagna/

BIEROCKS (GERMAN STUFFED ROLLS)

I'm in the following (amazing) facebook group: Homesteading with Patara of Appalchia's Homestead
I get a ton of good homesteading tips as well as anecdotal stories to read and share. A few days ago, someone posted that they were able to get cabbages for 15c/lb, so I went to my local grocer and found them for 25c/lb. I was so excited I bought 8 head! I also have been working on my bread-making skills so I decided it was time to make bierocks from scratch.

I'm so glad that I've spent the past week using my Mixer Bible to learn tips and tricks about bread making, such as warming up the mixer bowl in warm water, warming up the stove or microwave as a place to let the dough rise, and making sure the temp of melted butter and milk is at 100 degrees F so it doesn't kill the yeast. I also had made lasagna the night before and had leftover beef/sausage/onion mix. I put the cabbage in a pan and added the meat and was done in a flash. [The sausage also added a nice spice.] Finally, I sprinkled shredded cheese for extra yumminess. The one thing I forgot to do is add egg and/or butter to the tops, but it still was a hit with the family. After watching a couple of YouTube videos, I decided to make it like a pie with 2 pieces of dough, one placed on top and pinch the edges. If you're looking for a short cut, Rhodes rolls are a great alternative.

Next project is homemade sauerkraut and repeat this recipe replacing the cabbage with sauerkraut. :)

https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/bierocks/