1 hour bread

Okay, as you all may have noticed. I make a lot of bread. A carbohydrate full addiction of mine. Nick wishes I made less bread I'm sure, my waist line sure as heck wishes I would put a stop to the bread making. But alas...I cannot. I have spent the better part of my married life trying to figure out the art of bread making, and so I'll pass on my bits of knowledge to you all ;).

1) measure *PERFECTLY*. No guestimating with bread making.

2) the temperature of the water is very very important. Too hot and you'll kill your yeast. Too cold and your yeast won't "grow". The best way to find the right temperature..is obviously with a thermometer. But the SECOND best way is wth your finger ;). Feel the water, if there is a slight sting from the heat, that's what you want, if I burns it's too hott. If you can hold your finger under the water and easily handle the sting, you've found the right temperature. 

And with no further ado, my absolute favorite 1 hour bread :)

Which I had to screen shot, because my stupid phone won't let me paste.

Easy white chicken chili soup

This was so good. I made it more like a soup since we were feeding more people. It is worth making again for sure and it was so easy! Only 5 ingredients.

6 cups chicken broth 

4 cups shredded chicken (I grilled breasts)

2 cans white beans 

1 can kidney beans 

1 can black beans (or pinto if you prefer) 

You really can add any kind of bean you like. They are all very good 

2 cups salsa verde (green) (or homemade yum!)

2 tsp cumin

Optional toppings: diced avocado, fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, crumbled tortilla chips (everyone at my table asked for tortilla chips go figure!)

Directions: 

Stovetop method: add chicken broth, shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cumin to a medium saucepan. Stir to combine. Heat until boiling, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 mins. 

Slow cooker method: add chicken broth, uncooked chicken breast, salsa and cumin to slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork. Shred the meat and serve. Enjoy! 

Waffles from Scratch

Waffles!!

I have never made waffles from scratch before- and this recipe was AWESOME! I added chocolate chips.  So yum.

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 6 servings<3

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• PREP
  5 mins
• COOK
  15 mins
• READY IN
  20 mins

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.
2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

Veggie Mac n Cheese

Guys, I am in LOVE with this mac n cheese recipe that incorporates squash, cauliflower, and carrots.  Sooo yummy!

Ingredients  serves 8-10

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
• 2 cups butternut squash pieces
• 1/2 cup milk 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used half cheddar, half mozzarella- You could even stand to use less, if you wanted.   It is very cheesy!)
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 4 TBS butter  (I halved this and it still turned out great.  I even think you could pull off none)
• 16 oz pasta

Directions

Cook the cauliflower and carrots covered in a saucepan filled about a 1/4 of the way with water for about 5-7 minutes.  Add the squash and cook 2-3 minutes more.  Drain the veggies and let them cool for a minute.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Put the veggies in the blender with about 3/4 cup of water and puree until smooth.  Add the puree to a large sauce pan.  On medium-low heat, add in the milk, salt, cheddar, butter and cream cheese and stir until melted.

Drain the pasta, add to the sauce and stir.

I loved it!  It reheats well, but you might have to add some milk to get it creamy again.  

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

-Nicole

Warm vanilla milk

I don't know if you have tried it (or even if it gets cold enough to want it :p) but this stuff is awesome. Really simple and a break from hot chocolate if you want it.


You'll need:
1 cup Milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1 tablespoon White sugar

Heat up the milk

Add sugar and vanilla

Stir and enjoy!

Homemade Gorditas

These are pretty similar to the Taco Bell gorditas and since I really like those, I decided to try to make them at home. Keep in mind that these take several hours to make. My own notes are in Italics :) Also: they make great leftovers. The recipe makes 8 tacos and we only use 4 in a meal so it's lunch the next day!

INGREDIENTS:

3 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 + 1/4 cups boiling water

1 + 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon instant yeast

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Tacos:

1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)

1 packet taco seasoning or 2 - 3 tablespoons

Your choice of fixin's:

2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

shredded iceberg lettuce

sliced black olives

diced tomatoes

sour cream

salsa

avocado or guacamole

INSTRUCTIONS:

Make the gorditas:
1. Add 2 cups of the flour to a bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir until smooth and cover with saran wrap. Let sit for 30 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining 1 and 1/4 cups of flour with the salt and yeast. Add the oil but don't worry about mixing it in.
3. Add this to the flour and knead by hand 2 - 3 minutes on a lightly oiled surface. Alternately you can use a stand mixer or bread machine for 2 - 3 minutes. The dough should be a little sticky - if it's too sticky knead in a little bit of flour.
4. Lightly grease a bowl, add the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place 1 hour.
5. Then divide the dough into 8 pieces about 3 ounces each. Cover them and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes longer.
6. Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. Roll each piece into a 7"- to 8"-circle or pat them out by hand. (Since I don't have a rolling pin, I use a cup sometimes or else I just flatten it out with my hands. Make sure to get them as wide and thin as you can so they make good tacos. They tend to shrink a little when they cook and too thick means they won't fold well).
7. Cook them in the dry skillet 1 - 2 minutes per side or until they are spotted with brown spots. If you find them sticking lightly grease the pan with oil and adjust the heat as needed if they're browning too quickly or not quickly enough. You can keep them warm in a very low oven on a baking sheet. Cover with foil to keep them from drying out.
8. Meanwhile cook the ground beef with the taco seasoning according to the directions on the package.
9. Fill the warm gorditas with taco meat and your choice of fixin's..

http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/homemade-gorditas/

Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing

This salad lasted us two meals (since there are only two of us) but it was delicious. And pretty easy to make.

Ingredients
Large head of romaine
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large orange bell pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups corn 
5 green onions
Optional: avocado

{For the dressing} 
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 avocado (or 1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt or Greek yogurt)
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime), more to taste
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
Recommended: agave/honey, cumin

Directions
Make the dressing: puree all ingredients in a food processor/blender until smooth. 
Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.

Toss with desired dressing.

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2013/04/southwestern-chopped-salad-with.html