Cinnamon Burst Bread

The Finished Product! YUM!

I am going to try and take a few more "step pictures" I didn't get too many today, but this is the bread about 30 minutes into second rising session!

Cinnamon Burst Bread (like Great Harvest's)
Makes 4 Loaves

3 T. yeast
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs, beaten lightly (1/4 C. Dry Egg Powder +1/2 C. Water)
3 3/4 cup warm water
4 1/2 tsp. salt
3 T. vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups cinnamon bites (I used bites from the Prepared Pantry, but I think Hershey's makes a cinnamon chip)
11-12 cups flour (You can also use Whole Wheat; I am going to try next time! You can do half whole white and half all-purpose also!)

Combine in mixing bowl 4 cups flour, yeast, and sugar. Add water, eggs, and oil. Beat well to "cake batter" stage. Stir in salt and 7 more cups flour to make bread-dough consistency. Let mixer knead it to the right texture (add up to 1 more cup flour if needed).*Add the bites during this stage, but don't add them if your dough is too hot or warm! They will melt! Trust me I know from experience! :) Place dough in greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour. Shape dough into 4 loaves. Let rise for another hour or until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Slice thick and serve warm with butter, or toast slices in the toaster (be careful, the cinnamon bites can burn your fingers), or make slices into French Toast. Yummy!

*I just enjoyed a piece of our freshly made bread and it is absolutely wonderful! We are going to have french toast for dinner and I can't wait! ;)

~Bowtie Pasta~

This is delicious! It is similar to Johnny Carino's Bowtie Festival. I had half and half in my fridge and didn't want to go get cream so I used it! It worked great and was healthier then using heavy cream! I halved the recipe for Spencer and I; it was plenty. I will add a few variations to the side:

1 oz. Melted butter

1 tsp. Chopped fresh garlic

1/8 cup Diced red onion (I used minced onions)

1/8 cup Diced cooked bacon

1/4 cup Diced Roma tomatoes (I used canned tomatoes and they were great!)

3 oz. Sliced cooked chicken

1 oz. Half and Half (I used Reed's Dairy) (Heavy (whipping) cream can be used)

3 oz. Alfredo sauce (recipe follows)

1/8 cup Mozzarella Cheese (If you would like you could use Asiago cheese instead)

1/2 tsp. Salt, pepper, and garlic salt

10 oz. Precooked bowtie pasta

ALFREDO SAUCE

1 quart Half and Half (Reed's Dairy) (Heavy whipping cream can be used)

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. Black pepper

1/4 cup 1% milk(2% or whole will work as well!)

Preparation

In a heated saute pan combine butter, garlic, onions, bacon, tomatoes, chicken, and spice mixture.

When onions begin to turn translucent, add half and half and mozzarella cheese.

Once cheese and half/half have reduced by half, add Alfredo sauce and bowtie pasta. Toss until well combined and remove from fire. Allow to cool for a few minutes so the cheese and sauce thicken. Top with Parmesan or mozzarella cheese! Include bread as a side! :)

To Make Alfredo Sauce:

Saute half/half, milk, and black pepper to a consistent boil. Remove cream mixture from heat and fold in parmesan cheese. Store completed sauce in refrigerator until use.

Reindeer Cupcake!

I am posting this mainly for my records! I made these for a family Christmas party last night for the kids! They enjoyed them! They are super easy!

Caramel Popcorn!

I also have to search for a recipe when I want caramel corn! But I found this one and loved it! We had Caramel corn for our FHE treat! It was great! Sorry, I was to lazy to take a picture!

Caramel Popcorn
1 cube butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 lb. brown sugar
1 can Sweetened condensed milk
3 poppers of popped corn (approx.)

Bring to a boil then cook 3 minutes over reduced heat! Pour over popcorn!
Enjoy!

Ritz Peanut Butter Cookie!

So I wasn't sure about this recipe, but they are good and easy! They are in the upper left side of the picture!

You just need to make a sandwich with the ritz cracker and peanut butter in the middle! Then you melt almond bark and coat the sandwich! I just used milk chocolate almond bark, but one recipe did say you could do half white chocolate bark? I think I will try that next time! Enjoy!

Turtle Candy!

These turtle candies are so good and easy! The girls helped me make them today! They are on the left side of the plate.

What you need:
Pretzels
Rolos
Pecan Halves

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet lined with foil! Then place a rolo on top of each pretzel! Heat no more then 5 minutes, I did mine about 3 1/2 minutes. Immediately press pecan into rolo! Let set up! I put mine in the fridge to store, but you probably don't have to?

Fudge!

Today I made Christmas goodies! I am going to attach a picture with a plateful of goodies because I took the picture really quick before I ran out the door to deliver them! :) I am only posting one recipe per post, with the exception of the oreo truffles which I posted previously, so that are easier to find in the future! And I think I double posted this fudge recipe! Oh, well!

Fudge
4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 lb. butter
1 large can evaporated milk
pinch salt

Mix and boil to soft ball stage(3 minutes) and pour over:
2 -12 oz. pkg. milk chocolate chips (I used Nestle Morsels this time and it was great!) You can also just do one bag of choc chips and 1 LARGE hershey bar in pieces! Either is good!
1 pt. marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla

When melted mix together and pour into greased pan. Score when cool. Makes about 5 pounds and stays fresh for weeks!

Yummy Salad!

Last night I wanted something different and light for dinner! I know that fresh fruit can be kindof hard to find right know, but I found some delicious red raspberries at Albertson's! I decided to do a fruit green salad! It was heavenly!

This is what I added to our salad:
apples, peeled and diced
red raspberries
mozzarella cheese
pecans
lettuce ( I used a 5 lettuce mix)
Brianna's Poppy seed dressing

Sugar Cookie Bars!

These were a hit! Everyone was asking for the recipe! I found the recipe on realmomkitchen.com! I made green frosting and sprinkled crushed candy canes on ours! Yum! Sorry I didn't get a picture, they disappeared to fast! :)

Sugar Cookie Bars
1 cup butter; room temp.
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla & mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt & soda & stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter; room temp
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milkfood coloring (if desired)
For frosting combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency. Spread over cooled cookie.
(This frosting was great! I am going to use in alot in the future!)