Ham and Provolone Braid

This is another fairly easy dinner  or party idea.  Just make your dough and fill it with your choice of meats and cheese.  I used deli have and provolone cheese in this one, I have made some with salami and cheese, meatballs and cheese but I think you choices are endless.

Dough

2 Pkgs rapid rise or instant yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water 115-125
2 TBL sugar
2 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/4 - 4 3/4 cups flour *I used 2 cups bread flour 2 1/2 cups ap flour*
2 TBL vegetable oil
Direction:
In the large bowl of mixer, place yeast, sugar, salt and two cups of flour. (I used 1 cup AP flour 1 cup bread flour) Mix to blend and add the 130 degree F water and oil. Mix on medium speed with regular beater for 3 minutes. Insert dough hook and beat for another 6:30 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep dough from being sticky.
Place dough on a floured board, cover with a cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch down dough and form into two long narrow loaves. Roll out dough to about 15x20 and place meat down the center, then cheese, then another layer of meat.  Cut stripes on each side then criss cross to make a braid. Place loaves on a greased pan or parchment lined, cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.  You can brush you loaves with an eggs wash and put seeds on top if you like.

Above is a picture of how you bread should look.  And this one is when it's braided.

Hope you give these a try.  I would love to hear if you try them.  Thanks for taking time from your busy day to stop by.  Have a wonderful Day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Chocolate Banana Bread with a hint of Apple Jack

I made this back in January as one of the treats for my friend that gets me eggs.  I wanted to try yet another new thing with banana's and happened upon this recipe while searching.   I didn't try this but my friend told me is was really good, very moist and just a hint of the Apple Jack.  So I would say it was a hit.  He and his wife told me I could make that anytime for them.  Think next time I'll try a different type of alcohol.  I would think this would make a great addition to your holiday treats.

 Adapted from Makin' it Mo' Betta

2 cups  all-purpose flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar

2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed (about 3 medium bananas)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons Apple Jack
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup  chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli  block chocolate and roughly chopped it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. (You could also make muffins)
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the mashed banana, lemon juice, and Apple Jack and mix until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 
Stir in the walnuts and chocolate pieces. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread to distribute it evenly. 
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Thanks for taking time to stop by, please leave a comment if you have time, would love to hear from you.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the time to do All the Things You Love.
Donna

Honey Oatmeal Whole Wheat bread

Trying some new bread recipes these days and found this one on pinterest and thought I'd give it a try.  This bread is worth making, it's very tasty, great for breakfast toasted with some butter and your favorite jelly, jam or peanut butter and also it's wonderful as your sandwich bread.  Let's not forget it's also very healthy.  I will be making this bread again.  The changes I made are in red.
Printable

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread
(Adapted from  Sunny Side Up)
1 cup water
1 cup milk  (1/3 cup 1/2 and 1/2 and 2/3 water)
1 heaping TBL active dry yeast
1 TBL honey
2 TBL molasses
2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups  AP flour or bread flour
1 cup rolled oats
4 TBL unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 TBL salt
Additional oats for topping the loaf (optional)
** if you use AP flour add 1 TBL Vital Gluten I forgot to  add this, I used AP flour and it came out great as you can see.

Directions:
Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan by lightly buttering or spraying with non-stick spray.
In a microwave safe measuring cup, heat the  water till lukewarm, about 115˚F.
In your mixer bowl combine the yeast and 1 cup of flour (either one) stir til combined.  With your paddle  add  the water,  and honey, beat on high speed for about 1 minute.  Let stand for about 10 minutes *the mixture will bubble up. In microwave heat the milk and and butter to 115 degrees, then add this the  molasses and salt, change to your dough hook.  Add your flours and the oatmeal 1/2 cup at a time and let the machine knead for about 6 minutes.
 The dough should climb the dough hook and slap around the sides of the bowl without sticking. If the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl add a more flour a tablespoon at a time, if it seems like the dough isn’t coming together (too dry) do the same thing with a tablespoon of water.
Cover the mixing bowl with a clean towel and place in a warm, dry place (an oven with the light turned on is a great place) and let rise for 1 1/2- 2 hours, or until doubled in size. If you poke the dough and the poke stays then you know it’s ready.
To shape the loaf, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 1 or 2 minutes and then let it relax for a minute. Shape the dough into a flat square. Fold one side of the dough into middle, then fold the other side to meet it in the middle. Pinch the seam then roll the dough back and forth a little to form a log. Transfer the dough to the bread pan, seam side down.
Cover the loaf with a towel and let rise for another hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. After the dough has risen lightly mist with water and sprinkle additional oats on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the crust is brown and when you tap on the loaf it sounds hollow. Allow the loaf to cool on a wire rack . Remove from pan when completely cool.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do All the Things YOU love.
Donna

Strawberry Filled Vanilla Cup Cakes

I made these for Valentines Day.  I don't usually do much for this day but this year thought what the HEY!  I also made some white bread rolls which I will share soon.  YUM
These cup cakes have a cream cheese frosting with a bit of strawberry jam for color.

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 TBL vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk (I used 1/4 cup half n half and 1/4 cup water)

I used strawberry jam for the filling but you could also use fresh strawberries cook with a bit of sugar and white wine then mashed.

Frosting:
3/4 about 6 oz of soft cream cheese
1/2 cup confectionary sugar
1/2 stick butter, soft
2 TBL milk
1-2 TBL strawberry jam
Cream butter and cheese, add sugar and milk cream til fluffy add strawberry stir to mix.  Guess you could also add red food coloring but hey that doesn't give it any flavor.


Picture with filling, it's not a pretty sight but you cover them so no one has to know.  :)

Preheat oven to 350 and line 12 muffin tins.  In a bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add 1 egg at a time and mix well, add extract.  Combine the flour, salt and baking powder add to the egg mixtures.  Mix well add the milk and combine.  With an ice cream scoop fill cups 2/3 full, I found you could probably get about 15 muffins.  Mine over puffed a bit so I had to do some cutting before I could fill and ice them.  Bake for about 20 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool on rack for about 30 minutes.  Then using a knife or a melon baller scoop out a bit of the center and fill with you jam of choice put the stuff you took out back on then frost.
Thanks for stopping by,  have a wonderful Valentine's Day with your sweety, and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things YOU Love.
Donna

Ham and Swiss Rye Bread rings

The end of January we celebrated my "adopted"  son's birthday.  He's actual day is the 17th but he was in Vegas having a good time and some rest.  His job has been a bit crazy lately and it was great that he could get away for a couple of days.
For birthdays in our family we either go out to eat at a restaurant of their choice or we cook a meal of their choice.  Well this year this is what he wanted.  I also made the New Twist on Hot Dogs found here, those I made at Christmas time and they were a huge hit.  This time for these sandwich treats I made a rye bread and a regular white bread with the fillings.  For dessert I made him Apple Coffee cake found here.  This dessert is another favorite of the family.

Printable
Rye Bread:
2 pkg (4½ tsp) dry yeast
1½ cups warm water (110° to 115°)
2 Tbl sugar
6 Tbl butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp salt
1 cup rye flour
3½ to 4 cups flour
2-3 Tbl caraway seeds
5-6 dill pickles slices cut in half (optional)

Filling:
1/2 lb of deli ham
4-5 slices swiss cheese
2 TBL mustard (I used a sweet mustard with herbs)

Directions: 
In large bowl of mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Sprinkle sugar over yeast, let sit until foamy.  Add butter, egg, salt, rye flour, and 2 cups flour.  Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form soft dough (dough will be sticky).  Knead.  Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Roll out dough to a rectangle approx. 20″x12″.  Spread mustard on dough then,  layer your  filling ingredients  (save about 1/3 cup cheese for top if desired).  Roll up, starting with a long side, pinch seam to seal.
Place seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet, pinch ends together to form a ring.  With kitchen scissors, cut from outside edge to two-thirds toward center of ring at about 1″ intervals. Separate strips slightly, twist to allow filling to show, stuff you pickle in the slot.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.  Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and bread is done.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top for last 5 minutes of baking if desired.

This would make a great party dish.  Thanks for taking time to stop by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things you Love.
Donna

New Way with hotdog and a bun

At Christmas time I spend one year home and the next year I go to visit my son and his family.  This was my year to be home and on Christmas Eve we always have friends over and have a buffet of sorts with snack foods, cookies, cake and candies.  All of which are home made.  It's such a special time and wonderful to be with family and friends.  So I made these for our Christmas Eve snack buffet.  They were a big hit and I will for sure make them again.

I found these   here while searching for new snack ideas.  How great looking are these.  I wanted to try these and thought they would be a great idea for Christmas Eve and New Years snack  instead of the normal pigs in a blanket.  I used Nathans large hot dogs and also Nathans Knockwurst, both have excellent flavor.  They are a little more expensive than regular hotdogs but well worth the extra money.  Sure hope you give them a try.

Dough

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp yeast
1 egg
2/3 cup water
6 large hot dogs
2 green onions
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 egg, for egg wash

Printable

Instructions:

In a small bowl mix the water, yeast and sugar together and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it starts bubbling.
In another larger bowl, mix the flour with the salt.
In a small bowl melt the butter and add the egg and whisk it well.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour, including the yeast mixture and mix. You can use your mixer here, but I just kneaded the dough by hand. Add more flour as needed, I used 2 cups of flour, but if you need more, just add some more. Place the dough in an oiled bowl.
Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it rest until it doubles in size.
Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Roll out each piece into a small rectangle and place a hot dog in the middle of the dough, then just wrap the dough around the hot dog, covering it well.
Cut each covered hot dog, into 1/2 inch pieces, cut the hot dog all the way through, but stop as you reach the dough. Take each piece and roll it out and shape it into a flower as in the picture below.
Repeat with remaining hot dogs. Place rolls on a baking lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Brush each roll with egg wash and top with cheddar cheese, parsley and green onions. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Thanks for taking time to stop by,  have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things You Love.
Donna