Cream of Peanut Butter Soup

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
8 cups Chicken Broth, homemade, canned or low sodium (with more as needed)
1 medium Sweet Onion, chopped
2 medium Carrots, peeled and grated
Sea Salt or Kosher Salt and White Ground Pepper to taste
½ to ¾ teaspoon ground Red Cayenne
½ cup cooked Brown or White Rice
½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter
Fine chopped salted or dry roasted Peanuts to garnish

In a medium soup pot, heat EVOO over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and sauté about 5 minutes. Stir often so they don’t brown. Pour in chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring often.  Using a blender, food processor or immersion blender puree the onions and carrots.  Return  puree to soup pot and add cooked rice, seasonings to taste and the cayenne powder. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in peanut butter. Ladle into bowls, garnish with chopped nuts. Serve with hearty country style bread.

https://survivalblog.com/recipe_of_the_week_92/

Apple Bread with Brown Sugar Icing

This bread freezes beautifully in a freezer ziploc bag. (It is recommended storing without the icing. Just defrost the bread and make the icing before serving.) 

• 1 cup sugar
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, beat above ingredients on low speed until thoroughly combined.

• 2 cups flour (I use half whole wheat and half bread flour)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients into large mixing bowl, stirring until just combined.

• 1 1/4 cup chopped, peeled apples
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Hand stir apples and pecans into the batter. Pour into greased 9×5” loaf pan. Bake 1- 1 1/2 hours, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool while making icing.

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring very often. Once it boils, reduce heat and let boil gently for one more minute. Add cinnamon and stir thoroughly. Remove bread from baking pan and drizzle the icing on top. Cool, slice, and serve.

https://survivalblog.com/apple_bread_with_brown_sugar_icing_-_anonymous/

Pizza Dough

Total “Flour” component should be about 3-cups, but make sure at least 2-cups are a quality bread-flour, or else you get more of a granola-bar than pizza-dough.

Ingredients:

• Approximately 1.5 cups warm water (100-110 F degree’s; use a thermometer as too hot/cold matters.)
• 2 tsp. Salt
• 1 package dry yeast (live yeast also suitable, vary instructions as needed).
• 2 tsp. Olive Oil
• 2 tsp. Sugar
• 1/4-1/2 stick butter, softened (usually whatever was left out on the counter from breakfast)
• Approximately 2-cups Bread Flour (It’s best to use due to extra gluten protein, but any other type is suitable in the right situation.)
• Approximately 1-cup “extra” flour (This may contain some/any mixture of the following in 1-cup total volume):
  • Whole Wheat Flour/Wheat Germ
  • Flax Seed/Flax Meal
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Almond Flour
  • Sunflower pieces
  • Cornmeal
  • Just about any other nutty, dry, nutritious product you like. Experiment by adding sparingly at first. You can use about a cup worth before the mixture looses its resemblance to pizza dough. Oily products, like seeds and nuts (especially the almond flour), will make crust crispier and more oily (as will adding extra butter!)

For my 1-cup of “extra” flour, I typically add about 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour and 1/2 cup of flaxseed and ground flax meal, with a pinch of some other seed for texture.

Other spices and flavorings worth considering throwing in: dried Oregano, dried/fresh Basil, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Parmesan cheese. Use a Pinch to a Tablespoon; your tastes will guide you. Incorporate it as part of your 1 cup ‘extra flour’.

Pre-heat oven to 425-degrees F., though 400-450 may be more to your liking, depending on dough, elevation, and oven. Experiment as needed. Heavier doughs will need more heat to cook through.

Instructions:

1. Fill Measuring cup with 1.5 cups warm water (around 100-110 degree’s F). Add 1 tsp. of sugar, a dash of bread-flour, a few drops of olive oil, and the dry yeast; mix well with a fork. Live-yeast users can skip this step, and simply add yeast and water to other ingredients at step 3. This will “awaken” the dry yeast. The sugar, flour, and oil supplies their food and gets them turned on to your dough-mix. Within 5-10 minutes, you should see activity (bubbles forming). Lack of activity is a problem; dough will not rise properly. If no bubbles, the yeast is likely inactive/dead. May take up to 20-minutes. Too cold/warm water or old yeast are usually the culprit. Old yeast can revive, but takes longer.
2. While yeast is “waking up”, combine remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. (A stand mixer with dough hook works best.) Mix to homogenize; if hand-kneading, make an indentation in the center to hold liquid.
   I typically like to add about 1/2 Tsp. Dried garlic powder (b/c I like garlic!), and several good shakes of Parmesan cheese to the mixture as well. A good pinch of Oregano is also nice.
3. After about 10-minutes, your yeast should be bubbling along nicely. Add this and all remaining ingredients to the dry, and mix on low-speed for about 6-10 minutes. Hand-kneading will take longer. See instructions for hand-kneading dough elsewhere if unclear. The dough should be slightly sticky on the edges of the bowl, but still pull away cleanly. Add more warm (not hot) water/flour ingredients as needed to get right consistency. (I know, it’s a challenge your first few times). A “wet” yet silky bread-dough consistency is what you’re looking for. Trial and error work best, but it should stick to your hands a little. The extra moisture will work off during the rise process, but don’t make it too wet.
4. After mixing, cover dough with plastic wrap or a moist towel, and place in a warm area to rise. Rubbing some olive oil on exposed surface helps in dry environments; just use your hands and cover liberally, excess will incorporate into the dough. Sunlit window sills work well. Check dough every so often and punch-down when it reaches the edges of the bowl (or about doubles in size). You want the dough to rise at least twice (rise, punch down = once; repeat for second rise.) More is OK, depends how active your yeast is. (Rapid-rise usually not required.) You will need at least four hours to rise. Depending on conditions/temperature, more time may be needed. I typically make dough after breakfast for use at dinnertime. You can make dough at night and store in refrigerator overnight. Remove to the counter-top in the morning and follow same steps. This usually generates an additional rise overnight, and is what most pizza-shops do. (The last kitchen chore before the night’s clean-up is making tomorrow’s batch of dough.)
5. When ready to roll, I typically break up into two balls of equal size. This yields us three pizza’s (one regular crust, two thin crust– I break one of the dough balls into 2 pieces for 2 thin-crust pizzas). Grease or flour your pan (square cookie sheets work well too!), and roll dough on floured kitchen table to uniform thickness about the size of your pan. It should be springy and snap-back, so it may take 5+ minutes to roll. Sometimes it helps to roll for a few minutes, then let dough rest for a few, before rolling some more. Cold dough rolls poorly, as does dough that is too wet (add flour as needed). You will develop a feel after 10 batches of the stuff, so don’t lose hope if the first one doesn’t turn out. Roll dough to about the same size as your pan, making sure it is loose on the rolling surface. (It may tear if it sticks.) Transfer dough from rolling surface to baking pan, use your fingers to pinch an edge that holds it shape; roll some more if it keeps springing back, or stretch by hand. If you want to try for stuffed-crust, roll about 2-inches past edge of pan. Tuck in a pinch of mozzarella cheese and roll it over back to the size of the pan! I like to lightly sprinkle garlic salt, or cracked white pepper around the crust when I’m done putting it on the pan. If you’re real good and the dough has good elasticity, you can see through your thin-crust dough, and it will bake up like a cracker. This takes about 1/4 of a dough-ball. That took me years to learn, however, they don’t last more than 10-minutes out of the oven!
6. For thick/regular crust, I bake dough @ 425 for 8-10 minutes before topping. I like a crunchy-dry crust, not wet and limpy. YMMV.

Top your pizza as desired. 99-cent jars of spaghetti sauce doctored with extra Oregano, Basil, and a dash of sugar are what we use. White/Garlic pizzas are also popular with the non-tomato kids in the house. 1/2 stick butter and a good spoonful of diced garlic (2-3 cloves?) on low in the nuker until melted, spread as you would red-sauce. Cheese as desired, but don’t forget the Parmesan! Back in the oven for another 8-10-minutes, or until cheese/toppings start to brown. Thin-crust pies do not get pre-baked, throw the toppings on and right in the oven.

I have found a few gluten-free dough recipe’s that are decent. Cook your gluten-free pizza’s first, while rolling out the gluten ones, and you shouldn’t cross-contaminate in the oven. We have two diet-restricted people in our house, and get a tub of the Pillsbury Gluten-Free pizza dough from the store on pizza night. It’s a family favorite, healthy, and economical. Kids love helping decorate their pie, and it encourages them to try different toppings.

Tips, tricks, advice:

• Play with the temperature. If the cheese is burned and crust still raw, pre-cook the crust longer, or try rolling it thinner (more flour, less “stuff”, helps too), increasing temp sometimes helps as well. You also may want to alter the water/fat content. However I find using two kinds of fat (oil and butter) produces a better crust than only one of the two (oil alone is better; butter gives it that crunchy crackling texture and lots of flavor).
• Slice toppings thinly. Veggie’s get crispy and crunchy and taste so good. Too much grease can be a problem, too, so use meats sparingly, especially if making homemade sauce. Too many toppings are a moisture problem, too. Remember, it’s a pizza, not a deep-dish pie.
• Adding extra yeast, or using the fresh variety, will help w/ a lighter and more airy crust. Adding up to 1/3rd of the volume in heavier flour-like products really makes things dense. If you find you don’t like it, cut back to 1/2 cup of “extra”, and add 1/2 cup additional bread-flour, for 3-cups total flour.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with favorite herbs and spices, or get creative w/ the sauce ideas; for the dough it’s pretty generic: Olive oil, garlic, and Rosemary with shredded grilled chicken is to die for. Boss-Sauce/Frank’s Red Hot with shredded chicken tastes like Buffalo-Style Wing’s. Taco-pizza is every kid’s favorite (taco-sauce instead of pizza-sauce, add taco-meat instead of pepperoni). Pineapple and many other fruits go surprisingly well with anything (Chopped Ham!), just watch the juices. Dough can also be used for Calzones, and many other ideas as well.

https://survivalblog.com/recipe-of-the-week-pizza-dough-by-k-m/

Crockpot Pumpkin Nut Bread

This recipe is to be made in a 1 pound can in a crock pot.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups flour
• 1¼ tsp soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs soft butter
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Sift flour, soda, salt, and spices.
2. Combine pumpkin, sugar, buttermilk, and egg in a mixing bowl.
3. Add dry ingredients and butter; beat until well blended.
4. Stir in nuts.
5. Spread in a well-greased and floured 4 to 5 cup mold or a 1-lb coffee can; cover with foil.
6. Place your rack in your slow-cooking pot.
7. Pour 2 cups of hot water in the pot.
8. Place covered bread container on the rack.
9. Cover pot and cook on high 3 to 4 hours.
10. Turn out on a cooling rack.

You can serve this warm or cool.

Cranberry-Orange Bread

This bread recipe is great to double and then freeze what you don’t eat right away. The recipe makes two medium loaves of bread, or one tube cake pan.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup butter (or butter flavored shortening)
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 orange, rind grated and then juiced with seeds removed (juice is for optional icing)
• 2 cups frozen cranberries, coursely chopped
• 1 cup pecans or almonds, chopped (optional)
• 1 cup powdered sugar (for optional icing)

Instructions:

1. Grease and flour two medium bread pans or a tube cake pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar; set aside.
3. Cream butter (or shortening) and sugar until fluffy.
4. Stir in eggs, one at a time; beat until fluffy and airy.
5. Gently, add buttermilk, vanilla, and orange rind.
6. Gently stir in flour mixture, just until combined.
7. Fold in cranberries; also fold in nuts, if you want nuts.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
9. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 60-80 minutes, or until done in the middle.
10. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before removing from the pan.
11. Let the bread cool.
12. (Optional) Combine the orange juice and powdered sugar to make an icing. Drizzle over the top of the bread. Serve.

Eggs Ole, from Karol Branine Pykiet

A recipe from a h.s. classmate, Karol Branine Pykiet, who recently died suddenly.
http://www.prairierosefuneralhomes.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=4026371&fh_id=10276

Serves 6

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6 eggs beaten

1 8 ounce carton of sour cream with chives

1/2 pound cubed ham

2 tablespoons chopped green chiles

1/2 pound processed cheese (Velveeta)

1 stick melted butter

Beat eggs and add all the other ingredients. Mix and pour into an 8 by 8 glass baking dish. Bake for 50 minutes.

This recipe can easily be doubled.

The Iowa Housewife: Southwest Cheese Soup

The Iowa Housewife: Southwest Cheese Soup: This nice hot soup is quick and easy – simple enough to prepare while the cornbread is baking.  I used home canned corn and black beans...

This looks really yummy! She recommends using half of the cheese recommended in the recipe.

Southwest Cheese Soup

  1    Pound  Velveeta -- cubed (I used 1/2 pound)

  1    Pint  Corn -- whole kernel, drained (or 15 oz. can)

  1    Pint  Black Beans -- rinsed and drained (or 15 oz. can)

  10  ounces  Rotel Tomatoes -- undrained

  1    Cup  Milk

In a 4 quart Dutch oven, mix all ingredients.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted and soup is hot.  Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Serve with hot cornbread.
4 Servings

  "Betty Crocker Soups and Breads p24"

Chicken Cheese Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chili Sauce

http://recipesovertheworld.blogspot.com/2016/07/chicken-cheese-enchiladas-with-green.html

10 soft taco shells
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies


How to make it :
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9×13 pan.
Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not bring to boil, you don’t want curdled sour cream.
Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese, and if you like diced green onions and black olives.
Bake 22 min covered, remove foil and then high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Rhubarb Strawberry Streusel Pie

http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2016/07/flashback-friday-canada-day-rhubarb.html

Line a pie plate with your favorite recipe for pie crust. 

Mix together : 

• 4 cups rhubarb, chopped
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced

In a separate bowl combine :

• 1 cup sour cream 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup flour

Pour over the Rhubarb and strawberries.

Top with Streusel :

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup hard margarine or butter

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes then turn the temperature down to 350 and continue to bake for another 30-40 minutes until the topping is a golden brown. 

Rice Krispy bars, Scotcheroos

http://www.karosyrup.com/Recipe/Chocolate_Scotcheroos

• 
  

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

Cook corn syrup and sugar together in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter; mix well. Add cereal; sir until evenly coated.

Pour into greased 13 x 9 inch pan and pat into place.

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread over cereal.

Cool at least 45 minutes, or until firm. Cut into bars.

Recipe note: almond butter may be substituted for the peanut butter.

Rice Krispie Treats, original recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40) JET-PUFFED Marshmallows
• OR
• 4 cups  Miniature Marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies

DIRECTIONS

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Notes
-For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
-1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
-Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
-Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container.
-To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

S'mores Rice Crispy Bars

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/s-mores-crispy-bars?trkid=FBPAGE_TOH_20160612_Chocolate_Dessert_DetailPage
 TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. + cooling

MAKES: 24 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 package (10-1/2 ounces) miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies
• 1-1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• FROSTING:
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow 
• creme
• TOPPING:
• 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
• 2 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each)

• Directions

  1. In a 6-qt. stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows; cook and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in cereal and crushed crackers. Fold in chocolate chips. Press into a greased 13 x 9-in. baking pan. Cool to room temperature.
  2. For frosting, in a small bowl, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in marshmallow creme on low speed just until blended. Spread over bars. Sprinkle crushed crackers over frosting. Cut into bars. Break each candy bar into 12 pieces; place a piece on each bar. Yield: 2 dozen.

Chocolate Dump-It Cake

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9404-chocolate-dump-it-cake?utm_source=Facebook_WCA_Paid&utm_medium=CPC&utm_content=Recipe&utm_campaign=General_Retargeting

InGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups Nestle's semisweet-chocolate chips
• 1 ½ cups sour cream, at room temperature

• PREPARATION

   
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a baking sheet on the lowest rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes on the middle rack. In a 2- to 3-quart pot, mix together the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar. Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan (Tip: Be meticulous, and really work the butter and flour into the crevices of the pan. This is a moist cake, so it really needs a well-prepared pan to keep it from sticking).
When the chocolate in the pot has cooled a bit, whisk in the milk mixture and eggs. In several additions, and without overmixing, whisk in the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and whisk once or twice to blend. Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack. (This can be tricky -- if someone is around to help, enlist him.) Let cool completely.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, then let cool to room temperature. Stir in the sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth.
When the cake is cool, you may frost it as is or cut it in half so that you have 2 layers. There will be extra icing whether you have 1 or 2 layers. My mother always uses it to make flowers on top. She makes a small rosette, or button, then uses toasted slices of almond as the petals, pushing them in around the base of the rosette.

COOKING NOTES
Instead of using flour to dust the cake pan, dust with unsweetened cocoa powder. Just adds a bit more chocolate!
Use a bundt or regular cake pan.

Easter Egg Radish Salad

Easter Egg Radish Salad

yield: 1 to 2 servings as a salad or many servings as a garnish

1 bunch Easter Egg radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced

several sprigs of flat leaf parsley, trimmed and chopped

2 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 to 3 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine radishes and parsley in a bowl.

Whisk next five ingredients until smooth.

Pour over radishes and parsley and toss.

When ready to serve, grate Parmesan cheese on top.

http://syrupandbiscuits.com/easter-egg-radish-salad/

Avocado, Cucumber, Tomato Salad

http://natashaskitchen.com/2015/06/01/cucumber-tomato-avocado-salad/

Ingredients for Tomato Avocado Salad:

1 lb Roma tomatoes
1 English cucumber
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
2 avocados, diced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 medium lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
1/4 cup (1/2 bunch) cilantro, chopped*
1 tsp sea salt or 3/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
*Note: if you aren’t keen on cilantro, fresh dill is a good substitute

I have added garlic powder to the salad dressing.

 ****************************************************************************************

That was the original recipe. I usually cook for one person and this is what I use in a recipe for one:

1/2 or 1 smaller tomato, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

1-2 tablespoon red onion, chopped

1/2 avocado, chopped

Dressing: I mix up a batch of this and store it in a bottle in the fridge to use when I want to make this salad..

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 medium lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
1/4 cup (1/2 bunch) cilantro, chopped*
1 tsp sea salt or 3/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder