Utensils

• Stand Mixer
• Bowl Scraper
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Nut Chopper
• 10 inch tube pan
  -or-
  12 cup bundt pan

Cake ingredients

• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 18 oz yellow cake mix
• 3¾ oz instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup cold water
• ½ cup wesson oil
• ½ cup Bacardi Select dark rum (80 proof)

Glaze Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup Bacardi dark rum (80 proof)
• ¼ cup water
  

Cake Directions
Preheat oven to 325° F.
Grease and flour 10 inch tube or 12 cup bundt pan.
Sprinkle chopped nuts over bottom of pan.
Beat all cake ingredients together until batter is smooth and silky.
Pour cake batter over nuts.
Bake cake for 1 hour.
Cool then invert on a plate.
Prick top and sides with a fork to allow cake to absorb the glaze.
Spoon glaze mixture over the top and sides of the cake until all
of the glaze is absorbed into the cake.
Glaze Directions
Melt butter in a pan and slowly stir in the water and sugar.
Boil sugar and water mixture for 5 minutes stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in rum.

Labels: recipe

Utensils

• measuring cups
• knife
• skillet
• spatula
  

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• pinch kosher salt
  
• 1 cup chopped onions
  
• ⅓ red bell pepper
  ⅓ yellow bell pepper
  ⅓ orange bell pepper
  -or-
  1 large red bell pepper
  
• (optional, to taste) Sliced Jalapeños, pickled or fresh (sweet pickled are great)
  
• 6 ounces Morning Star Farms Griller Recipe Crumbles
• 1 tablespoon chili powder (2 tablespoons if no jalapeños)
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 cup water
  

Directions

1. Heat up skillet to medium-high and add oil and salt. Allow oil to heat thoroughly.
2. Cook onions in hot oil until translucent but don't allow them to caramelize.
3. Add bell peppers and caramelize onions and peppers.
4. Add jalapeños and Morning Star crumbles
5. Thoroughly cook the crumbles.
6. Add chili powder, rice and water.
   
7. Turn temperature down to medium.
   
8. Cover and allow rice to absorb the water (5-10 minutes).
9. Uncover and turn heat up to high and cook until there is no remaining water allowing the rice and other ingredients to brown slightly.
10. Turn off the heat and enjoy!
    

Serving Suggestions
Heat fresh corn tortillas (made from masa harina not cattle feed) in an iron skillet until they just bubble. (This takes practice if you've never done it.) My preference is to then take two cooked tortillas and "glue" them together slightly offset using a bit of queso blanco. Makes for a slightly larger and more robust taco. Fold the tortilla(s) and fill with vegetarian beans (no lard), the filling mix we just made and fresh veggies. You may want to include some shredded cheese.

Labels: recipe

Utensils

• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Small mixing bowl
• Crock pot
  

Basic Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1½ teaspoons minced garlic
• 3lbs skinless chicken (boneless if you prefer)
  

Sauce Ingredients

• ⅔ cup ketchup
• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon hot sauce

Thickener Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons cold water

Directions

1. Basic: place onion and garlic in the bottom of the crock pot and top with chicken.
2. Sauce: combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour over the chicken.
3. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
4. Remove only the chicken from the crock pot.
5. Thickener: Mix corn starch and water until smooth.
   
6. Pour thickener mixture into the crock pot and stir until thoroughly mixed.
   
7. Cook on high for 15 minutes or until thick.
   

Serving Suggestions
Serve chicken over a bed of rice with sauce poured over the top.

Serve chicken with mashed potatoes and corn or beans.

Labels: recipe

Utensils

• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Small mixer with dough hooks
  - or -
  Bread machine
  
• Cooling rack
• Small bowl
  
• Pastry brush

Dough Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons pure honey
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 ¼ cup bread flour (white flour)
• ⅓ cup wheat gluten flour
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet red star)
  

Crust Ingredients

• ⅓ cup melted salted butter
  

Mixing Directions
Place all of the dough ingredients into your mixer or bread machine in the order given. When adding the yeast make a dimple in the center of the flour and pour the yeast into it. This prevents the yeast from contacting the water or salt until mixing begins.

Baking Directions
Oven
Once the dough has been kneaded and allowed to rise for an hour remove the dough from the mixer bowl or bread machine. Place onto a lightly floured surface and gently flatten the dough to a bit less than an inch thick. Shape the dough so it fits your bread pan leaving the top smooth. Cover the pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise for about one hour. The top of the dough should have risen to about 1 inch above the top of the pan.

Bake at 375 F until bread internal temperature reaches 325 F. For darker crust bake at 400 F but watch it closely. This should take 25-30 minutes. If you weren't paying attention and the crust seems burnt don't worry quite yet.

Bread Machine
Select an appropriate whole grain or french bread program, select crust color and press start.

Finishing the crust
While the bread is still hot remove it from the bread pan and place on a wire cooling rack. Melt the salted butter in a small bowl and use the pastry brush to cover the entire loaf of bread in butter. You won't need more than one coating of butter. Allow the bread to cool to just above room temperature and place in an air tight container or sealed bag. After a few hours in a sealed container the crust of the bread will soften. If your crust seemed burnt then you may find the butter has saved it.

Yield
One 2 pound loaf

Tips

• If you are using a full size standing mixer with dough hooks you may need to double or triple the recipe and make 2 or 3 loaves in order for the dough hooks to work properly. Use a bread machine for making single loaves.
• Don't bake the bread in the bread machine unless you are in a hurry. The bread should bake fine but it will likely be lumpy. For a "perfect" loaf bake one or two loaves in a regular bread pan in a conventional oven.
  

Labels: recipe

It occurred to me that every peanut butter cookie I have ever
eaten was really dry and tasted awful.  So I
decided to try and come up with something better.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
2¼ cup cake flour (not all purpose!)
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup butter-flavor shortening
¾ cup sugar
2  eggs
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter

Equipment
Ice cream scoop (or #20 disher)
2 or 3 baking sheets
Mixer

Preparation

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Sift cake flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.
• Combine shortening, sugar, and brown sugar and cream until light and fluffy.
  
• Add 1 egg at a time to creamed mixture.
• Add vanilla to creamed mixture.
• Increase mixer speed until thoroughly incorporated.
• Set mixer to low and slowly add the dry ingredients and combine well.
  
• Add peanut butter to the mixer and mix well.
  
• Chill the dough in freezer for about 10 minutes until it is firm but not frozen.
  
• Scoop onto baking sheets, 6 per sheet, using an ice cream scoop or disher to maintain uniform size. The cookies need to be exactly the same size or some will burn and others will not be done. The size doesn't matter much as long as all the cookies are the same size. You can spray the disher with (butter flavor) cooking spray every few scoops to prevent the dough from sticking.
  
• Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown and the center looks puffy. The cookies will spread out slightly just before they are done. Check the cookies after 5 minutes and rotate the baking sheet for even browning.
  
• Cool the cookies for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the sheet. The center of the cookies will not look nearly as puffy once cool. Store in an airtight-container. If your container isn't completely airtight then place a slice of white bread in the container to keep the cookies moist.
  
• Yield: 24-30 cookies
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cooking Time: 15 minutes.
  

Labels: cookies, food, recipe