Honey Oat Bread

I'm telling you, we really like homemade bread in my house. I found this recipe on pinterest and it was really good! We enjoyed it warm, plain, toasted, for sandwiches, whatever. It was good. The nice thing is this recipe only makes one loaf. Many bread recipes make multiple, but if you just want one loaf here you go. I haven't tried to double it, but might in the future. 

Doesn't it look good?

It is a little sticky because of the honey and some of the oats fall off as you cut it, but its worth the small mess. 

Honey Oat Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups oats (I used instant; the recipe said old fashinoned work as well)
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk 
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine (I used butter as I have that on hand)
1/4 cup honey 

Topping:1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons honey warmed1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons oats

In a large bowl (I use a kitchenaid mixer) combine the flour, oats, yeast, and salt. In two cup measuring cup, warm the milk so that it’s hot enough to melt the butter, but not boiling. Add the butter, stirring until melted, then stir in the water and honey.Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, mixing with a dough hook until it just comes together to form a dough. Knead in the mixer, with the dough hook attachment, until the dough is smooth and elastic (if you’re making this recipe by hand, the dough will be very sticky at first; flour your hands and work surface generously and be patient). If the dough is still very wet and sticky after 5 minutes of kneading, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is barely tacky. If the dough is too dry, add water, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) at a time, to soften it up.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1/2 to 1 hour.Once doubled, place the dough on a clean, dry work surface. If the dough is too sticky, lightly flour the surface before continuing. With your fingers, flatten the dough into a 9 by 12-inch rectangle-I used a rolling pin. Tightly roll the dough, tucking the ends as needed, into a loaf. Place the shaped dough into a 9×5-inch loaf pan, cover with a clean dry towel, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1/2 to 1  hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place an empty loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven (I used a jelly roll pan as a loaf pan wouldn't fit).When the loaf is doubled again, brush the top with the warmed honey and sprinkle with the oats.

Place the bread in the oven and pour boiling water into the empty loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the bread is deep golden brown and the internal temperature is about 190 degrees.
original recipe http://bakingdom.com/2011/09/homemade-honey-oat-bread.html

BBQ Chicken Dip

Since I'm on a Six Day Slim Down diet, I decided the next best thing to eating all this yummy food is to blog about it.  This dip is perfect for football games, parties, etc.  It's always a hit and is SOOOOO good and simple!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

BBQ Chicken Dip
12 oz. cooked chicken, chopped/shredded
8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
2/4 cup bbq sauce (Sweet baby Rays is our favorite sauce)
1/4 ranch dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 green onion, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl combine the chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing, bbq sauce and 1 cup of cheddar cheese.  Pour mixture into a lightly greased 8x8 in baking dish.  Top the dip with chopped green onion and remaining cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.  Let cool for a minute or two and serve with scoop tortilla chips.

Original recipe found at: http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/09/bbq-chicken-dip-football-friday.html

Grandma Ruth's Marshmallow Surprise Salad

Only a Wilson would try to pass this dish off as a salad. :-)  However, it is very tasty and refreshing.  We all remember Grandma bringing this dish to many dinners growing up.  It is simple and fun, and everyone loves it!

Marshmallow Surprise
1 pint Sour Cream
2 Cups Mini Marshmallows
2 cups Mandarin Oranges, drained
2 cups Pineapple Tidbits, drained
1 cup Coconut flakes (optional)

Mix ingredients together and let sit overnight.  You can also add some food coloring to make it prettier, though if you get colored mini marshmallows, that will color it as well.

Enjoy!

Elmo Cupcakes

My daughter had a birthday this week and she really likes Elmo, so when I saw a picture of an Elmo cupcake on pinterest, my husband and I thought it'd be perfect for her birthday! There weren't any directions, just a picture, but they are pretty easy to figure out.

From the picture I saw it seemed the person made red velvet cupcakes and in one of the comments they mentioned using a peanut m&m for the nose, but here is what I did:

Elmo Cupcakes:

Elmo face:

orange peanut butter M&Ms

1 bag large marshmallows *cute the marshmallows in half

1 package Oreo cookies *pull them apart, scrap off the filling and break in half

black edible frosting gel

frosting bag and tip

Cupcakes:

I had a boxed cake mix I wanted to use up anyway so that's what I used, but you could use whatever kind of cake/cupcake batter you would like. Mine was chocolate:). I used the muffin/cupcake wrappers as well.

Butter cream Icing:

*Again you could use whatever frosting you want. We used my sister in laws (Audrey Tiberius) Butter cream Icing

1/4c butter or margarine softened (not melted)

1/4c white shortening

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

dash of salt

4 c powdered sugar

red food coloring

Milk *start with VERY, VERY little milk-like a tablespoon or less. In this situation a little milk goes a long way. If you add too much you can add more powdered sugar but just add a very little at a time to get the consistency you like. 

Mix together all the ingredients except the powdered sugar and milk. Add the powdered sugar and just enough milk to make it the consistency you want. We then added some red food coloring.

Once the cupcakes are cooled you can start your Elmo creations. Use the frosting tip to frost the cupcakes in a way that it looks like fur. Squeeze a little out and then pull up quickly and continue. I have to admit, this takes a while and hurts your hands. I think between my husband and I we did about 8 this way and then the rest I frosted with a knife. The ones with the frosting tip looked better but the other ones were fine too.

Then cut a marshmallow in half, stick the cut side down making sure they are close together. Put some of the edible gel (you could probably melt chocolate and put it on with a toothpick or something) for the pupils.
Add the nose with the m&m side down and then place the oreo cookie below that. Voila! Hello Elmo:)

 Just this morning my daughter went in to the kitchen pointing to the leftover cupcakes saying "Elmo cake, Elmo cake, snack"...the cookie mouths do get a little soft and weird after sitting on the cupcake for a while but guarantee my toddler doesn't care. 

Link to the original picture I saw http://www.flickr.com/photos/60194687@N00/3919878115/

Crescent Rolls

My husband and I both really enjoy fresh homemade bread and rolls right out of the oven. Actually, so does my toddler. Yum. I saw a crescent roll recipe on pinterest and was a little nervous to make them (the last roll recipe I tried from pinterest didn't work out too well) but I'm glad I did. They were really good and straight forward to make.
Don't they look good?

Although best right out of the oven this recipe made a lot so we ate them all week and they were good plain or as ham sandwiches. Next time I make this recipe I might either half it or some of the reviews on the website talked about freezing the dough after you've formed the rolls and before you've baked them, I've never done that with rolls or bread dough before but I might try it. Or I might just  make the whole batch and eat them all again:).

Crescent Rolls

Ingredients:
2 c warm water

2/3 c nonfat dry milk powder

2 Tbsp dry yeast

1/4 c sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 c butter

1 egg

1/2- 5 c all purpose flour

Directions:
In a Kitchenaid mixer stir in warm water and nonfat dry milk powder until it dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups of flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 more cups of flour, mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 1/2 cup flour again, mixing on low speed until wet, then 2 minutes at medium speed.  You can add an additional 1/2 c if your dough is still too wet but make sure you don't add too much flour. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff. Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl and pour about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil around the sides of the bowl so that the bowl is coated, including the top of the bowl.  Spray plastic wrap with non-stick spray and cover the bowl. Allow it to rise in a warm place (I like the top of my refrigerator) until the dough doubles in size and rises to the top of the bowl-probably around 45minutes. 

Once the dough has risen, place your dough on a flat floured surface, then divide the dough in half. Roll out 1/2 the dough into a circle. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 16 even slices. Begin to roll the slice of dough in, starting from the wide end and tuck the small point underneath. Place rolls on parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat steps 10-13 for the 2nd half of the dough and let them rise for 1- 1 1/2 hours, until double in size. I was running out of time and did closer to an hour and it worked out.

 Bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes or until golden-brown. Brush with melted butter while hot.

Recipe from http://nomemade-recipes.blogspot.com/2013/01/best-rolls-ever.html

*The original recipe is called "Best Rolls Ever".

Hawaiian Haystacks

In order to marry Randy, this was one of the recipes I had to learn to make (homemade spaghetti sauce was another one).  I'm glad I did because it's a very filling meal, but not so heavy that you feel like you have to lay on the couch the rest of the evening.  Another plus to this meal is that you can cater to everyone's likes since they choose what toppings they like.  It's a win-win for everyone!

I know you could go to the store and buy some jarred gravy to use, but trust me, this version of the gravy taste so much better!  Try it, I know you will like it!  The gravy makes a lot, however it freezes really well so we are able to make several meals from it.  For the gravy, there really isn't a science to it (or the entire recipe for that matter--make enough rice and toppings to feed your family).  I normally start with 3 cans of soup, then add the broth and chicken, and heat the gravy up and see what the consistency is at.  If it looks like it needs to be thicker, I add some more cream of chicken soup until it's at the consistency I like.  We like ours thinner rather than thicker.

Hawaiian Haystacks
4-6 Cooked chicken breast shredded/cut up (boiling the chicken is easy)
32 oz. container of Chicken Broth
3-4 10oz. Cream of Chicken soup
Dash of black pepper
Rice
Chinese noodles
Coconut
Pineapple tidbits
Grated cheese
Diced green pepper
Diced tomatoes
Diced mushrooms
Slivered almonds
Cranberries
Any other toppings that sound good to you!

In a large pot add three cans of cream of chicken soup, the container of chicken broth, and cooked chicken together.  Heat to a boil and check the consistency.  If it seems too thin, add some more cream of chicken soup or vice versa.  Once you have it at the consistency you like, add black pepper, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Serve everything over rice.  Hint: We put the rice on the plate first and put all the topping over it with the gravy on top so that it melts the cheese.  Enjoy!

History:  This recipe was given to me from my mother in law, Cindy

Hawaiian Haystacks topped with the gravy.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whenever I make Nestle chocolate chip cookies, they are greasy and flat.  I just can't do it right.  However, this recipe turns out perfect every single time!

Dad found this article in the Star Tribune in July 2010.  I've been using that print out ever since.  Every time I make this, I'm asked for the recipe.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
1 pkg semisweet (or milk) chocolate chips
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on med-high speed, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, around 4 minutes (I think this is key to the recipe!)  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla and salt, beat until well-combined.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add 1 1/4 cups flour and mix until just combined.  Add baking soda mixture and mix until just combined.  Add remaining 1 cup flour and mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.  Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and adjust rack to upper-third of oven.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Bake cookies for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

The Official Wilson Family Bread

All of us girls make and love this recipe so much!  I don't know where Mom got it from, but it feels like someone is making this every week in the family.  It is a delicious and versatile recipe.

French Bread
2 tbsp dry active yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp oil
2 cups hot water
6 cups flour

Put the yeast in a small bowl and add 1/2 cup warm water (comfortably warm but not hot).  I like to sprinkle a little (1/2 tsp) sugar on top, then mix it together.  Put it in a warm place and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the salt, sugar, oil, hot water and 3 cups of flour in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook.  Mix until completely combined and wet.  Add the yeast mixture and last 3 cups of water.  Mix the dough for several minutes (5-8).  You want the dough to a nice consistency where it is barely sticky anymore.  You may need to add some additional flour to get it to its sweet spot!

Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.  After that, there are endless things you can use it for!

For bread, shape it into loaves for bread pans, or into 2 long French loaves and put them on a cookie sheet.  Let the loaves rise for 30 minutes, then cook for 22 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

This is also a great recipe for scones!!

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

On the weekends I try to make breakfast a little more special than just cereal or toast.  Since this past weekend was General Conference, I normally make cinnamon/caramel rolls, however I was feeling lazy and wanted to make something easier, but still taste as yummy as caramel rolls and these fit the bill.  You can get this in the oven within 5 minutes and on the table 30 minutes later.  It's wonderful and super easy!

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

1.5-2 tubes Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits 

4 Tbsp. melted butter

3/4 cups pancake syrup

2/3 cups packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cups nuts (optional)

Instructions:

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray.  Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired).  Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan and then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.  Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.  Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.  The top might brown quickly but remember you need to get the bottom cook through and not doughy.  Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from: http://stamps4fun.blogspot.com/2011/10/traditions.html

Carrot Cake

I'm motivated so you are getting another recipe today. For Easter my husband made this awesome carrot cake he discovered last June. We hadn't had it since and we were very excited. I'm a chocolate dessert fan, unless its my lemon bars or something pumpkin, or this carrot cake. 

Look at how talented my husband is:

One of the best things about this cake is it gets better with time. My hubby made it Friday night for Sunday Easter dinner. I would suggest making it a day or two before you are going to serve it.

Sam's Famous Carrot Cake
3 eggs
3/4c buttermilk
3/4c vegetable oil
11/2 c white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups shredded carrots
1 c flaked coconut 
1c chopped walnuts
1 8oz can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup raisins 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour 8x12 inch cake pan. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. (Using a whisk or fork to sift the ingredients.)  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and mix well.

In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins. Using a large wooden spoon or a very heavy whisk, add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well. Pour into prepared 8x12 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Check with toothpick. Let it cool before frosting. 
recipe from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sams-Famous-Carrot-Cake/Detail.aspx

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened1/2 cup butter, softened2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. (Make sure you've let it sit out and soften.) Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.recipe from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-Cheese-Frosting-II/Detail.aspx


Because of the frosting we keep this cake in the refrigerator. 

Dad's Best Brisket

My mother in law is a really good cook, so when she sends out a recipe I know its worth trying. She sent out this bbq brisket recipe several weeks ago and we finally tried it. It really was good and surprisingly easy. My husband is thrilled to know you don't have to have a grill to make good bbq brisket. 
Now, I'm not sure about your stores, but my walmart only had an 11lb brisket. It was like carrying a small child. I was kind of embarrassed to buy it but glad I did. We cut it in half and froze one half to have later. Yum. 

Not the best picture as we were in a hurry to eat it:) but there you go. I won't tell you how much we had (or didn't have) for leftovers.

Ingredients:
5-7 lbs beef brisket (mine was 5.5)
celery salt
garlic salt
onion salt (I used onion powder instead)
pepper
3 ounces liquid smoke (we used 4 oz; my MIL used mesquite flavor and I used hickory)
1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
salt and pepper
1 (18oz) bottle barbecue sauce (I typically use Walmart brand but with all the meat at stake I decided to follow the recipe and use KC Masterpiece)

Directions:
Center brisket on a large heavy piece of foil (we connected two pieces to make it long enough) in a roaster; sprinkle with liquid smoke. I actually used one of those disposable 9x13 pans you can buy really inexpensively at the store since I had one on hand.  My husband and I decided to put it fat side down. Sprinkle brisket with celery salt, garlic salt, onion salt, and pepper. There aren't exact measurements, make sure you don't skimp! Fold sides of foil over to seal and refrigerate overnight.

6 1/2 hours before serving open foil and season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. We also cut off all the fat at this point, there was a lot. Reseal and cook, covered, at 300 degrees for 5 hours. Uncover and pour bbq sauce over brisket then cook an additional hour, uncovered. Let the meat sit for about 20 minutes before slicing. Although we didn't have to slice it, it fell apart. Enjoy!

original recipe from http://www.food.com/recipe/dads-best-brisket-26337 

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

I was at a friend's house the other week and she made these.  They were utterly divine and since it's conference weekend and food comes hand in hand with listening to the talks, I decided that my family needed to experience them too!  I made them the night before (they are SUPER easy) and I'll admit, they were delicious then, but the following morning they were even better.  They became more moist sitting overnight and after my husband bit into one he said, "These are definitely a keeper" so you can interpret how you like. :)  

This is a pretty straightforward recipe, however there are three things I will mention. 

1. The batter is pretty thick so don't be alarmed that it's not as runny as your classic muffin batter.

2. The recipe calls for 2 cups of blueberries.  I had put in about 1.5 cups and decided that was enough for us and when we ate them, it was definitely the perfect amount for my family.

3.  I cooked them probably 23 minutes instead of 18-20.

Now on to baking...ENJOY!

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

*Makes 12 muffins

Muffin Batter:

7 Tablespoons Butter

1/3 cup Whole Milk

1 large Egg

1 large Egg Yolk

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cup Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

3/4 teaspoon Salt

2 cups Fresh Blueberries

For the Topping:

3 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour

3 1/2 Tablespoons Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line muffin pan with paper liners.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Keep an eye on the butter.  Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan.  The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairlly quickly after that.  Keep a close eye.  Remove from the heat.

Whisk milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add the brown butter and stir to combine.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Add milk and butter mixture all at once and stir gently to combine.  Gently fold in the blueberries.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

To make the topping: Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.

Bake until golden and crisp and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 18-20 mins (I did mine longer).  Cool in a pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

History:  This recipe was found at: http://joythebaker.com/2009/07/browned-butter-blueberry-muffins/