Starter Free Friendship Bread

Starter Free Friendship Bread

Have you ever been given one of those yeast starters for friendship bread? I have, and its one of my favorite breads to make and give away as a gift.  I was talking with a friend the other day about getting a starter bag going to give away, but it really is a pain to make, and who wants to wait 10 days to eat this yummy bread?  So I did some research, like any good lawyer would do.  I found a recipe here that is made without the starter.  I decided to give it a try. I made mine in a bunt pan because it calls for 2 loaf pans and I only have one.  The final product, is even better (in my humble opinion) than the one made from the yeast starter.  Make it today (because you don't have to wait 10 days), you wont regret it!

I put brown sugar in the pan before I baked it so it would have a nice crispy sugar crust.

Isn't it pretty?

Chicken Paprika

This is a recipe that my dad used to make for my brother and me a lot when we would stay at his house.  I haven't had it in almost 10 years, but for some reason, I just started craving it last week.  So I texted my dad for his recipe and did some research online and came up with my own version of one of my childhood favorites.

Chicken Paprika

Ingredients: (sorry I forgot to take an ingredients picture)

•  1 whole chicken boiled and shredded.
•  1 box of shells pasta
•  2 cans of cream of chicken soup (I used fat free)
•  1 cup of sour cream (I used fat free)
•  3 tbs of paprika
•  1/2 cup of pasta water

Boil, cool, and shred chicken.

(I boiled mine with garlic, onions, celery,

and carrots and kept the broth for soup later)

Boil pasta according to package instructions.

In a large saute pan, combine the soup and sour cream.

Heat on med heat and stir until smooth and creamy

Add pasta water to the soup mixture

(use more than 1/2 cup if mixture looks really thick)

Add chicken and simmer for 10 mins.

Keep stirring so mixture doesn't burn.

Add paprika.

(it is supposed to have a nice orange color and subtle taste of paprika

so if it still looks pale yellow or you don't think the taste is right,

add more paprika if desired)

Drain pasta.

Return pasta to pot and pour the soup mixture over the pasta.

Stir and serve.

Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and enjoy!

Italian Chicken with "Almost Homemade" Red Sauce

This is one of those recipes that combines several things I LOVE to eat.  Probably my favorite dish in the entire world is chicken Parmesan.  This recipe is sort of a take on that, and another of my favorites pasta stuffed with cheese i.e ravioli or tortellini.  I have developed a super simple and tasty red sauce to serve over the chicken/pasta combination.  I am pretty picky about my tomato sauces.  I don't like sauces made with sugar that have a sweet taste.  I prefer a garlicky (is that a word?) and savory tomato sauce.  I hope you enjoy this combination of two of my favorites.

 

Italian Chicken Served with Cheese Ravioli

Ingredients:

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast ( I used 2)
• Italian Dressing
• Bread Crumbs
• 2 cans of tomato sauce ( I used 1 because I was make a smaller serving and if you like a chunkier sauce use 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can of sauce)
• 1 packet of Zesty Spaghetti Sauce Mix (I only used half because I only used 1 can of sauce)
• 1 tbs of Chopped Garlic
• Slices of provolone or mozzarella cheese (1 for each piece of chicken)
• 1 Bag of Frozen Cheese Ravioli

Dredge chicken in Italian dressing.

Coat chicken in breadcrumbs and place in a greased baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 40 mins for thicker breasts 30 mins for thinner breasts.

Saute garlic and a small drizzle of olive oil in a small sauce pot.

Add tomato sauce and stir in the zesty spaghetti sauce mix.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low heat to simmer while everything else cooks.

The longer it cooks, the thicker the sauce will become.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

When the chicken only has 5 mins left to cook, cover each piece with a slice of cheese.

Remove chicken once the cheese has melted and the chicken is cooked through.

Plate chicken and pasta and cover with sauce.

Serve with a caesar salad and enjoy!

Week 3 Menu

Last week was a bit crazy so I didn't get to make all of my planned out recipes, but I only missed one.  It actually worked out ok because the grocery stores were closed yesterday because of Easter so I am carrying the meal I missed last week over to tonight.  You will notice that I didn't blog about the shredded beef sandwiches from my friend Paige's blog.  I made them on Wednesday night and they were AWESOME.  I am going to do you a favor and put another link to her blog here.  Make them soon, you will not regret it.  Here is this weeks menu: (only 3 recipes this week because its my birthday week)

Monday: Italian Baked Chicken and cheese ravioli in my "almost homemade" red sauce

Tuesday: My Dad's Chicken Paprika

Wednesday: my birthday so no cooking

Thursday: shredded beef tacos from http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2011/06/shredded-beef-soft-tacos.html 

Friday: Date Night no cooking

Extras for the week: strawberry pineapple spa water and that breakfast casserole I have been trying to make for 2 weeks

Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a really wonderful Easter.  Personally, it is my absolute favorite holiday.  I love the music, the flowers, the food, and the true meaning behind the day.  

I started off my Easter weekend by attending a party on Saturday night hosted by my little sister in DZ.  I made lots of yummy food to take to her party.  You can find all those recipes here.  

Sunday morning we went to church and I was moved to tears by all the wonderful music.  This is the first holiday we celebrated since the passing of my great grandmother in February.  She lived to be 94 and celebrated many holidays with us and I miss her everyday, but she was especially missed yesterday.  

This picture is the wire cross at our church that all the members bring flowers to fill on Easter morning. 

I love this tradition. Isn't it beautiful?

After church we all went to my grandparent's house for our weekly Sunday lunch.  We ate off my great grandmother's china in her memory.  Here is a picture of my very full plate of yummy Easter goodness! 

The Menu:

Pork Roast

Potato Salad

Butter Beans

Peas

Broccoli 

Sauteed Squash and Zucchini

Yeast Rolls 

And lots more that wouldn't fit on my plate!

For dessert we had lots of yummy Easter treats,
you can find my contribution (pink lemonade pound cake) here.

Texas Caviar

      This is one of my favorite recipes to make for a party or any fun event.  My little sister in Delta Zeta had a party on Saturday night and she asked us all to bring something.  I brought texas caviar, fruit and my mom's famous fruit dip, and cake batter cheese cake squares.  I have adapted my version of this recipe to include only the parts I like, and I must say I am a big fan! Every time I take it to an event everyone always wants the recipe so it here is:

Texas Caviar a la Brandi

3 Cans of black-eyed peas

1 can of white corn

1 can of yellow corn

1 can of diced green chilies

chopped green onions to taste

1 can of diced tomatoes 

(you can use fresh tomatoes, but I like the canned kind with the jalapenos mixed in)

salt and pepper to taste

1 small bottle of kraft zesty italian dressing

Drain all the canned ingredients and pour into a large bowl.

Add the onions and salt and pepper

Pour in the dressing

Serve with chips (fritos scoops or tostitos) and watch it disappear

Cindy's Crazy Good Fruit Dip

        My mom has been making this recipe for as long as I can remember, and it has become a staple on my go to list for parties and events. It is super easy to make because it only has 3 ingredients, and its so good you will want to eat it with a spoon right out of the bowl instead of dipping your fruit in it.  

Cindy's Crazy Good Fruit Dip

8 oz. of cream cheese

1 small container of marshmallow cream/fluff

1 tsp of vanilla (my addition)

Let your cream cheese soften for 2 hours at least before you make this.

Beat the cream cheese for 2 mins or until all the little clumps are gone.

Fold in the fluff and vanilla.

Serve with strawberries and apples (or whatever fruit you like best).

Try not to eat the whole bowl before the party.