Cheese Bread
This cheese bread is so good. I am certain that you will get hooked on this bread! You can make dinner rolls out of this recipe by simply dividing into smaller pieces.
INGREDIENTS
¾ Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Yeast
3 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 ½ Teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Softened Butter
½ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ Cup Cottage Cheese
4 Tablespoons Grate Parmesan Cheese
Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of lukewarm water. Make sure that the water is NOT hot or it will kill the yeast. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Knead by hand. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes. This is a great workout for your arms! Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise, in a warm place, for 1 hour until doubled. Punch down the dough and form into a 9 inch log. Place it in a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Loosely cover with greased plastic and let it rise until the bread is one inch above the rim of the pan.
If you are making dinner rolls divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into rolls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise, in a warm place, for 30 minutes.
Bake the risen dough in a preheated 350° F oven for 20 minutes for the rolls and 30 minutes for a loaf. Remove from the oven and serve the rolls warm or let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes removing from the pan to cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 rolls or 1 loaf (16 slices).
Lemon Pudding
INGREDIENTS
2/3 Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Cornstarch
1 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Zest
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 ½ Cups Milk
2 Large Egg Yolks
1/3 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
Whipping Cream For Garnish
In a large saucepan stir the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and salt with a wire whisk. Make sure that the ingredients are well blended. Stir in a small amount of milk until smooth and then stir in the remaining milk. Cook over a medium high heat. Wisk constantly until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil for one minute and continue to whisk. Remove from the heat. In a small bowl beat the egg yolks and lemon juice. Into the yolks whisk half of the hot milk mixture and then pour the yolk mixture back into the milk mixture in the saucepan. Stir rapidly to prevent lumping. Cook over a low heat for 2 minutes until very thick. Make sure to stir constantly. You don’t want to end up with scrambled eggs. Remove from the heat and spoon the pudding into shallow bowls or parfait glasses. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming as the pudding cools. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve topped with whipped cream. Makes 6 servings.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
INGREDIENTS
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
½ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
5 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
10 Tablespoons Butter
½ Cup Milk
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 2 inch chunks. In a medium saucepan, heat the sweet potato chunks and enough water to cover to a boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Drain. Place cooked potatoes into a medium bowl and mash well. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 425° F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, light brown sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk and cooled mashed sweet potatoes. Mix just until combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into an 8 inch square. Cut the dough in half. Cut each half into 10 equal pieces. Gently place the biscuits 1 inch apart on two large cookie sheets that are lined with parchment paper. Place the cookie sheet on 2 separate oven racks and bake the biscuits for 14 minutes until golden brown. Make sure not to over bake. Serve warm. Makes 20 biscuits.
Italian Mushroom Risotto
This is such a simple yet elegant dish to make. If you want to impress your friends and family then serve them this Italian Mushroom Risotto dish. Works as a side dish or a main course.
INGREDIENTS
½ Ounce Dried Porcini Mushrooms
14 Ounces Chicken or Vegetable Broth
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Pound Sliced White Mushrooms
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Finely Chopped Small Onion
2 Cups Arborio Rice
½ Cup Dry White Wine
½ Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley
Take the dried porcini mushrooms and combine the mushroom with ½ cup of boiling water in a small bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes. With a spoon remove the mushrooms, dry and chop. Strain the soaking liquid through a sieve. Heat the vegetable or chicken broth, 3 ½ cup water and porcini mushroom liquid to a boiling over a high heat in a medium saucepan. Reduce to a simmer and cover. In a separate medium saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the white mushrooms, pepper, salt and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in the porcini. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl. Set aside. In the same saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the grains are opaque. Add the white wine and cook until absorbed. Add 12 cup of the simmering broth and stir until absorbed. Continue cooking, adding more both ½ cup at a time. Stir after each addition. Cook for 25 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender and creamy but still firm. Stir in the mushroom mixture and Parmesan cheese. Heat through and stir in the parsley. Serves 4 main dishes.
Pumpkin Cake
This cake is so easy to make. It is a nice dessert or can be eaten as a breakfast cake. You can put frosting on this cake if you like, but I don’t think that it needs it.
INGREDIENTS
3 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Olive Oil
5 Eggs
3 1/3 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1 ½ Teaspoons Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Allspice
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2/3 Cup Water
15 Ounces Pumpkin Puree
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a Bundt pan or two 9x5x3 inch cake pans and set aside. In an extra large mixing bowl beat the sugar and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Add the vanilla and set the sugar mixture aside. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Alternately add the flour mixture and the water to the sugar mixture. Beat on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in the pumpkin and then spoon batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake for 1 hour until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan(s) and cool completely on a wire rack. Serves 8
Cranberry Apple Pie
This pie is such a nice holiday pie. Cooking the berries, sugar and orange peel with the flour before pouring it over the apples gives the pie a better texture and flavor. The chopped pecans add a nice crunch as well.
INGREDIENTS
Pie Filling
1 ½ Cups Chopped Cranberries
1 Cup Sugar
½ Teaspoon Grated Orange Peel
1 Tablespoon Unbleached Flour
1/3 Cup Cranberry Juice
6 Tablespoons Chopped Pecans
3 Peeled & Sliced Tart Apples
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Butter
Pie Crust
3 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Sugar
½ Cup Shortening
½ Cup Cold Butter
9 Tablespoons Ice Water
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar. With a pastry blender (or two knives or fingers) cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Dice the butter into cubes and cut in until the largest pieces are the size of a dime. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour & fat mixture. Toss with a fork and continue until the dough is moist enough to hold together. Roll into a ball and cut in half. Flatten with halves into two disks. Wrap the pieces of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate to give them a rest for 30 minutes or more before rolling out.
Preheat your oven to 425° F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate and line with half of the rolled out dough. Put the dough lined pie plate back in the refrigerator while making the filing. In a large saucepan, cook the cranberries with the sugar, orange peel, flour and cranberry juice for 20 minutes until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and cool. Remove pie plate from the fridge and sprinkle half of the pecans in the bottom of the prepared pie plate. Make 2 layers of apples on the top of the nuts. Sprinkle these with cinnamon and dot with butter. Pour the cooled cranberry mixture over the apples and sprinkle on the remaining pecans. Over with the remaining (rolled out) dough and crimp the edges. Bake for 30 minutes until the crust is golden and the berries are bubbly. Remove from the oven and cool before slicing. Serves 6
Penne alla Vodka
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
¼ Pound Diced Pancetta
1/3 Cup Vodka
28 Ounces Whole Tomatoes With Juice
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
¼ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Pound Penne Pasta
½ Cup Freshly Grated Parmigianino Cheese
Italian Parsley For Garnish
Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and stir until lightly colored. Turn the heat down and slowly add the vodka. Stir until most of the vodka has evaporated. Add the tomatoes and cream. Season with the salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 8 minutes until the sauce has become somewhat thick in consistency. In the mean time, cook the penne in boiling salted water according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and place in the skillet with the sauce. Add half of the Parmigianino and mix over a low heat until the pasta and sauce are combined. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with a sprig of Italian Parsley. Serves 4
Steak &Kidney Pie
You don’t have to go to the pub to get great Steak & Kidney Pie. Now you can make it at home.
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 ½ Pounds Diced Chuck Steak
½ Pound Diced Ox Or Lamb Kidney
2 Chopped Onions
2 Diced Carrots
2 Tablespoons Butter
12 Ounces Puff Pastry
3 Chopped Garlic Cloves
2 Diced Celery Stalks
2 Tablespoons Flour
2 Cups Beef Stock
1 Teaspoon Tomato Puree
2 Teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 Bay Leaves
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Beaten Egg
Heat up 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. The pan should be smoking. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté for 8 minutes to brown lightly. Remove from the pan and set aside. Season the beef and kidneys with the salt and pepper. Add the other teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and get the pan very hot again. Brown the meat for 5 minutes turning to ensure that all sides are browned. Make sure that you don’t over crowd the pan and cook in batches if need be. Remove and set aside. Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat and cook the garlic. Stir in the flower and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomato puree, Worcestershire Sauce and bay leaf. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the meat and vegetables back into the pan with the stock mixture. Simmer gently for 2 hours. It is a good idea to partially cover the pan. Transfer to a 2 cup pie dish or casserole dish and allow cooling to lukewarm. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Roll the pastry to ¼ inch thick. Place the pastry on top of the pie or casserole dish. If you want you can line the pie dish/casserole dish with pastry to make a full pie. Crimp the sides for a neat finish. Brush the top with the egg wash (beaten egg) and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot. Serves 6
Drunkin Apple Cake
I created this cake when I had a bunch of apples staring me in the face and were on the brink of going bad. I hate wasting food so put this cake together and it turned out very nice. It is also great to eat for breakfast!
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
½ Cup Butter At Room Temperature
1 ¼ Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
¾ Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
5 Diced Apples
½ Cup Brandy
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
Place peeled and diced apples in a medium sized bowl. Mix the brown sugar and brandy into the diced apples. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the sugar and continue beating until fluffy. Add the butter and continue to mix. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat in the milk and vanilla. Fold in the entire apple mixture. Pour the batter into a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and completely cool. No frosting needed. Serves 10
Dry Rubbed Pork Loin Roast
If you couldn’t tell by now I love rubs. Rubs really spice up the meat and make them much more tender. Here is such an easy recipe for basic pork loin roast. Use Victoria’s Dry Rub for this Pork Loin Roast. This recipe is great for Sunday dinners. Roast some potatoes, make a nice salad and you have a complete meal without a lot of work.
INGREDIENTS
½ Cup Victoria’s Dry Rub
2 Pounds Boneless Center Trimmed Pork Loin Roast
½ Cup Prepared BBQ Sauce
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Coat a wire rack and shallow roasting pan with olive oil. Rub Victoria’s Dry Rub all over the pork to coat. Set the pork on the rack in the roasting pan and roast for 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with the BBQ sauce if you like. Serves 6
