Best Bread Recipe

 I did not create this bread recipe. I found in on youtube, and it is absolutely delicious!

Video for Making Bread 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water

• 2 tsp. dry yeast

• 5 ½ cups bread flour

• 1 ½ tsp. salt

• 3 TBSP. soft butter

Directions:

1. Pour water in a glass bowl.

2. Add yeast and whisk until yeast is completely dissolved.

3. Pour all of the bread flour in with the water mixture at one time.

4. Pour salt on top of bread flour.

5. Mix all ingredients with rubber spatula.

6. Once ingredients are mixed, add soft butter and mix the dough until the butter disappears into the dough. (Mixing a buttery dough is much easier than kneading.)

7. If baking it right away, cover the dough (with a loose lid and then a towel on top), and rest it at room temperature for 2 hours.

8. If baking later, rest the dough in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.

9. The dough should be soft, moist, and slightly sticky. 

10. Dust the dough with flour.

11. Gently scrape the dough with a spatula without pressing (pulling from the wall of the bowl).

12. Sprinkle a little flour on a large cutting board and gently dump dough onto the flour.

13. Put flour on finger tips and open the dough gently with your hands.

14. Tri-fold the dough and then roll it. 

15. If you don’t want cracks, seal the seams well.

16. Put parchment paper in an oval bowl/tray to bake. Place dough (seam side down) on the parchment paper.

17. Gently press the top of the bread.

18. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. (Over rested dough won’t rise and may collapse.)

19. For steam, place a bowl of boiling water on the bottom of the oven.

20. Bake at 410° for about 30 minutes. Bread will be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

 These soft, chewy, thick bakery-style cookies are absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (cold, cut into cubes)

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs (I sometimes use extra large)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 - 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

• 1/2 - 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

• 1 heaping cup Mini Unwrapped Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. In a medium size bowl, gently stir together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together cold cubes of butter, brown sugar and sugar for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

4. Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute longer.

5. Fold in flour mixture.

6. Add chocolate chips and peanut butter cups.

7. Depending on the size of cookie you want, you may use a regular size ice cream scoop (makes 24 cookies), measure dough into 4 oz. balls (makes 12-13 cookies) or 6 oz. balls (makes 8-9 cookies). (You may choose to shape them more like a cone if you choose.)

8. Place on a parchment paper lined, light-colored baking sheet.

9. Bake 8-9 minutes for ice cream scoop size cookies. Bake 9-12 minutes for 4 oz. or 6 oz. cookies. ***DO NOT OVERBAKE!!!*** These cookies should be slightly soft in the center.

10. AS SOON AS YOU REMOVE COOKIES FROM THE OVEN, carefully place more chocolate chips, chocolate chunks and/or mini Reeses cups on top of the cookies.

These cookies will last in an air tight container for several days or frozen in freezer bags for up to 2 months. You may choose to freeze the cookie dough and bake cookies as needed/wanted.

Mama's Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef or chuck
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tub or package Bloemer's Chili Meat
• 2 cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 can Brook's Mild Chili Beans
• 1 can light red kidney beans
• 1 small can tomato paste
• Optional: chili powder
• Optional: spaghetti

Directions:

1. Cook ground beef/chuck and diced onions until browned.
2. In pot, mix Bloemer's Chili meat (broken into pieces), tomatoes, chili beans and tomato paste.
3. Once the meat and onions are brown, mix in with the chili.
4. Cook on low to medium for about 30 minutes

*If adding spaghetti, cook the spaghetti while preparing everything else, and then add the spaghetti at the very end.

Taylor's Dressing

• Equal parts olive oil and vinegar (red wine, apple cider or white) 
• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Italian herbs seasoning (any dried herb will be fine)
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• teaspoon or two of Dijon mustard (or any mustard)

Use this dressing to make a salad using cucumber, tomato, sweet Vidalia onion (and avocado, if you like it).

Triple Size Cinnamon Rolls

 Ingredients for Rolls:

• 1 can 8 regular size Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls
• heavy cream (enough to cover bottom of small casserole dish)
• 6 TBSP butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Ingredients for Icing:

• icing that comes with cinnamon rolls
• 1 TBSP softened butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• splash of vanilla extract
• splash of milk

Directions for Rolls:

1. Set oven to 350°.
2. Melt 6 TBSP butter. Add the brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Spray small casserole dish with Pam and lay cinnamon rolls in casserole dish (giving each roll a little space).
4. Pour heavy cream in casserole dish to cover entire bottom. (It's okay if you get a little cream on top of the rolls.)
5. Evenly pour brown sugar mixture on top of rolls.
6. Cover casserole with foil and bake in 350° oven for 35 minutes.

Directions for Icing:

1. With 10 minutes remaining for cinnamon rolls, begin making the icing.
2. Dump icing that comes with cinnamon rolls in small mixing bowl.
3. Add softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla & milk.
4. Mix until smooth and ready to put on cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.

WW Frosty

 This Banana Frosty is only 1 point.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 15 ice cubes
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-2 TBSP. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 banana

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients.
2. ENJOY!

Meltaways

 These cookies are absolutely delicious, and they really do "melt away" when you put them in your mouth. This recipe is from "Aunt" Betty Taylor. She was Beth and Aaron's babysitter, and she is a great cook and baker!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 can creamy-type frosting
• food coloring of your choice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 °.
2. Beat butter (or margarine) with 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until light.
3. Stir in flour, vanilla & nuts ~ blending well to make a stiff dough.
4. Use a small cookie scoop and roll dough into a ball.
5. Place 1 - inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm.
7. Remove carefully while still hot and roll in sugar.
8. Cool on wire racks; roll again in sugar to make a generous white coating.
9. Color the frosting.
10. Spread colored frosting on cookie halves and press 2 cookies together.