Kim's Amazing Bread

My friend Kim makes this bread from scratch every week, and I love it! Super delicious, and pretty easy to make. :) I love making bread--very therapeutic for me. I had to bake it longer than she suggested, so keep that in mind, and enjoy!

2 cups water
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp powdered soy milk (or powdered milk)
1 Tbsp sunflower oil (any oil works)
1 Tbsp honey
2 cups wheat flour
2 cups white flour
3-4 handfuls seeds (I used flax, sunflower, and pumpkin. Cracked wheat is good too.)

Mix all ingredients together-order doesn't really matter. Knead dough for 15-20 minutes until smooth. I ended up adding quite a bit more flour during the kneading process. Put in greased bread pan and let rise in a warm place for about an hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 33 min.

Peanut-Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is delicious! It's especially yummy if you eat it in a bread bowl. :)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups unsalted peanuts
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 ribs celery
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp thyme
6 cups vegetable broth
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (4-6 cups)
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in stock pot over medium heat. When hot, add cumin and peanuts; saute until peanuts begin to brown and cumin is fragrant. Increase heat to medium-high, and add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and seasonings. Cook until vegetables are soft.

Add broth and squash, cooking covered until squash is very soft.

Puree mixture in blender, and return to the pot. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Garliky Butternut Squash

We got this recipe off of FOOD NETWORK and it is SOOOO stinkin' good. There is sooo much butternut squash here in my in-laws garden that we have been researching recipes. This one you don't want to miss!

2 T minced fresh parsley
2 T olive oil
2 T garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/3 C Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine parsley, oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add squash and toss to coat.

Transfer to ungreased 2 qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 50-55 min or until squash is tender.

Soooo yummy!

Cherry Raspberry Pie

I love this recipe! I've made it 7, yes 7 times in the past few months. I admittedly really like making (and eating) pie. Don't worry, I've given all but one of them away. :) The first batch of 4 pies may or may not have had maple instead of vanilla. Ok, they did. It was an accident, but it turned out alright. In fact, I think I might like it better with maple. I would use half a tsp maple and half a tsp vanilla, though, because that maple is sure potent! The second batch of 2 pies I used frozen berries instead of cherries. It was delicious, but I definitely like the cherries better. The last pie was made exactly to order, vanilla and cherries included. It was definitely yummy...the next time I make this, though, I think I'll go back to maple! If you're feeling adventurous, play around!

Crust:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
5-7 Tbsp cold water

Sift flour and salt. Cut in shortening till pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle water overtop, 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing mixture after each addition. Form half the dough into ball, then flatten on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thick from center to edge. Put the crust in the pie tin, fill with the cherry raspberry filling, and follow the same process with the remaining dough to create a top for the pie.

Filling:
1 16-oz bag frozen cherries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 cups fresh red raspberries
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saucepan combine cherries, sugar, flour, and 3 Tbsp water. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until cherries are thawed and juices thicken. (It burns easily, so be sure to stir it!) Gently stir in raspberries and vanilla.

Fill your beautiful masterpiece of a pie crust (9" by the way) with the filling and make your top. You definitely want to leave some space at the top for this baby to breathe, because it's a mess if it boils over! I also recommend cooking it on a cookie sheet so your mess is contained if it does boil over. Anyway...finish up your crust and put the pie in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles in the middle. Then enjoy your delicious pie! Yum.

Rice and Beans

I have been meaning to post this recipe forever! Finally a minute to do it. :) For my family's info, this is the recipe I was eating at the family reunion that everyone tried and liked. Probably my most frequently requested recipe! Ok here it is:

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (I like one yellow and one orange)
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
2-3 tsp safflower oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup mung beans
1 1/3 cups pearled barley
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sliced roasted red pepper
2 Tbsp white vinegar
hot sauce or salsa
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the sweet potatoes, cumin, chili powder, paprika, cayenne, half the oil, and half the salt in a large bowl. Toss to coat the sweet potatoes. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread the potatoes in an even layer on the baking sheet, and bake 20-25 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the beans, barley, water, and remaining salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook 40-45 minutes, or until the rice and beans are tender. Stir in red pepper, vinegar, oregano, and pepper. Stir in the sweet potatoes, and serve immediately. Serve with hot sauce or salsa.

Stuffed Peppers

I have always wanted to make these, but always put it off because I would have to buy so many peppers. BUT since we are house watching Bryan's parents house and garden we have free reign of their vegetable garden! Just this week we have picked at least 2 and a half dozen green bell peppers so Bryan looked up a good recipe and we modified it a little and I have to say . . . pretty dang good!

1 1/2 lbs ground beef or pork
1 small onion, diced
1/2 C green bell pepper, diced1 T minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 Anaheim pepper, diced (optional)
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional)
2 C cooked white rice
1 T crushed red pepper flakes
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 C shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
6-8 medium sized green bell peppers
First cook the rice. While the rice is cooking wash and hollow out the 6-8 green bell peppers so it is like a bowl. Then boil peppers for 2-3 minutes until they are just tender.

Meanwhile, cook diced peppers and onions in butter. Then brown hamburger with veggies. Season meant with garlic, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350. Get casserole dish and fill bottom of dish with water until just BARELY covered, about an 1/8 of an inch. Place cooked bell pepper bowls in dish close side by side.
In large bowl mix meat mixture, rice, pepper flakes, and tomato sauce. (OPTIONAL: I thought about actually stirring in cheddar cheese in the meat mixture but didn't - but it sure sounded good to me!)
Liberally stuff meat mixture in peppers and top with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and peppers are fork tender.
Enjoy!! We served ours with fresh corn on the cob from the garden, cottage cheese, and homemade bread. Yummy!!!!

Peanut Butter Brownies

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

1 C butter

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

-mix

1 C peanut butter

1/2 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 3/4 C flour

2 C oatmeal

- bake at 350 till golden brown (20ish min)

Frosting:

1 cube butter

1/2 C milk

3 Tbsp cocoa

3 C pwd sugar

-boil and stir consistently

-pour over hot brownies