Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

♦ 3 Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
♦ 1 Jar of Marzetti's Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing
♦ 1/4 C of Hot Sauce/ Buffalo Wing Sauce -as hot as you like
♦ 2- 8 ounce pkg of cream cheese (softened)
♦ 1 1/2 C Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese


~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

Directions:

♦ Mix all ingredients in a mixer for 2 -3 minutes until mixed well.
♦ Put in slow cooker on low for 2-3 hours before serving.
♦ Serve with corn chips, rolls, pretzels or celery sticks.

ENJOY!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients (Salad):

• 9 c. Torn Spinach
• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1/2 c. slivered almonds or pecans; may toast them also for a nice taste

Ingredients (Dressing):

• 1/4 c. Vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Chopped red onion
• 1 tsp. poppy seed
• 1 tsp. sesame seed
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a shaker and mix well, or you can also put them in a blender.

** The blender will create more on a whipped dressing that is fluffy and doesn't separate when it sits like the other method that sits in the shaker.

Notes:

** I usually at least double the dressing recipe.

** I always put more onions than the directions call for, but I like onions.

**Also feel free to try other fruits than just strawberries.

** It is really hard to find strawberries certain times of the year, so try your favorite apple or berry [like raspberries] they do make good substitutes.

Apple Tart

Apple Tart

Ingredients [Cake]:

♦ 1 T Sugar
♦ 1 C Sugar
♦ 2 Lg Eggs
♦ 1/4 C Milk
⇔Mix well and add with dry ingredients below.
♦ 1 C Flour
♦ 1 tsp Baking powder
♦ Pinch of salt

Directions:

⇔Sift together all the dry ingredients before adding to wet ingredients.
⇔Pour cake mix into a greased 8X8 pan or a greased 9X13 pan
⇔Add a can of drained pie apples, carefully placing them on top of batter
⇔ Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown in 350º oven

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Ingredients [Cream]:

♦ 1 C Cream
♦ 1 C Sugar

⇔Simmer on stove for 5-10 minutes or until sugar melts.
⇔On removal of tart from oven,pour sauce over cake, both sauce and cake must be hot.
⇔Leave to cool.

***Great served alone or with a scopp of vanilla ice cream.

ENJOY!!

Gingersnap Pear Tart

Gingersnap Pear Tart

INGREDIENTS :

• 1 cup gingersnap crumbs
  
• 2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
  
• 1 (8 ounce) package reduced fat cream cheese
  
• 1 (8 ounce) package fat-free cream cheese
  
• 1/3 plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided
  
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• 2 large ripe pears, peeled and thinly sliced
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  

DIRECTIONS:

In a bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter.
Press onto the bottom and 1/2 in. up the sides of a 9-in. spring-form pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 5-8 minutes or until set.
Cool on a wire rack.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheeses until smooth.
Beat in 1/3 cup sugar, flour and vanilla.
Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.
Pour into crust.

Combine pears, cinnamon and remaining sugar; arrange pear slices over cream cheese mixture.

Place pan on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until almost set.
Immediately run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

ENJOY!

Egg & Sausage Bake

Sausage & Egg Bake ~


8-10 Servings

Ingredients:
* 1 Lb sausage
* 6 eggs
* 6 slices bread, cubed
* 1 tsp dry mustard
* 2 C milk
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 C grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
* Brown sausage and drain
* Mix eggs, milk, salt and mustard together.
* Add bread, cheese and sausage.
* Pour into rectangle [8X11 or 9X13] glass pan lightly greased.

**NOTES:
May also add chopped onions, peppers, tomatoes, bacon, cooked hash browns or any other item you choose, just add an egg or two to get more liquid into the bake.
For an added personal touch you may also add 1/2 tsp of your favorite spice or herb; such as, basil, parsley, Italian seasoning, or the like.

** REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT **

* Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

* Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!
~Breeze

Serves 8-10

Swiss Vegetable Medley Bake

Swiss Vegetable Medley Bake ~ January 19th 2009

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1 (6 ounce) can French-fried onions
* ground pepper to taste

* I use frozen broccoli/cauliflower without carrots

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Set aside 1/4 cup of cheese, and 1/4 cup of onions.

2. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine thawed vegetables, mushroom soup, 3/4 cup Swiss cheese, sour cream, remaining fried onions, and pepper. Pour ingredients into a 2 quart casserole dish.

3. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle reserved cheese and onions on top of the casserole and bake additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Coffee Milk

Simple & Delicious!

4 ounces of Coffee Syrup to 8-10 ounces of Ice Cold Milk

CoFfeE SyRuP

If you are not lucky enough to be in a region where you can get hold of this liquid gold, you can make you own pretty quickly.....and economically I might add.

It is made by taking equal parts strong coffee to sugar, I use white sugar myself.

3 cups of strong coffee to 3 cups sugar; 5 cups of strong coffee to 5 cups sugar.......you get the picture. :o)

Bring sugar and coffee to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then let cool.

Add to Cold Milk & Enjoy! *

I am certain you can get creative by adding ice, pop in a blender and come up with a frozen drink like your local Starbuck*ets for much less, so have fun with it.

**Also, I think if you add some other flavors to jazz up this already great drink you might surprise yourself.

Flavors to try that come to my mind right away are a couple drops of liquid hazelnut, amaretto, vanilla, cinnamon essence or any other flavor you like.
Maybe try a dash or two of your favorite spices such as cloves, cinnamon, etc to make your own version of it.

Let me know if you try it out and tell me what you think.

Below is some history on the syrup/drink that I pulled from Wikipedia.

-Happy Reading!

~Breeze

History-
Coffee milk was introduced to Rhode Island sometime in the early 1930s. It came about from creative diner and drugstore operators trying to attract new customers with creative drinks. One of these operators, who is lost to history, sweetened leftover coffee grounds with milk and sugar. This created a molasses-like extract that became popular. Coffee milk became a favorite among Rhode Islanders and created a demand for this coffee syrup. The demand was so great, that in 1993, it beat out Del's Lemonade as the official drink of Rhode Island.[2]

Availability-
In southeastern parts of the U.S. region of New England, it can be found in the dairy case of stores right next to other flavored milks such as chocolate and strawberry, and is often found on the beverage menus of diners throughout the state.

One such diner, Friendly's, actually offers free refills on coffee milk. This is very surprising since it is not as inexpensive to produce as most drinks that are granted free refills.

The drink is difficult to find outside of the New England region, however, and travelers requesting it are often mistakenly served coffee with milk. One well-known brand of coffee syrup is "Autocrat". The Autocrat company, which also produces the Eclipse and Coffeetime brands, is based in Lincoln, Rhode Island. It is the official state drink of Rhode Island and a favorite tradition among many Rhode Islanders

Timeline-
* 1930s- Coffee milk was introduced to Rhode Island.
* 1932 - The Silmo Packing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts, began marketing a more refined version called "coffee syrup", under the Silmo name.
* 1938 - Eclipse of Warwick began marketing a more refined version of what was being made and called it "coffee syrup." Their slogan was, "You'll smack your lips if it's Eclipse."
* 1940s- Autocrat of Lincoln begin making their own mixture of corn syrup and coffee extract. Autocrat's slogan is "A swallow will tell you."
* 1991 - Both companies, Autocrat and Eclipse, used to vie for the coffee syrup business. Their rivalry ended in 1991, when Autocrat bought the Eclipse brand name and secret formula. Both labels are now produced by Autocrat and are available in stores.
* 1993 - After much political debate the Rhode Island State Legislature proclaimed Coffee Milk as "The Official State Drink of Rhode Island" on July 29, 1993. The Providence Journal-Bulletin newspaper covered the story.

Roast Beef w/ Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce

We had this last weekend and I can only say Tom out-did himself on this one!
If you're lucky enough, maybe some night you will stop by for dinner with the Sheasby's and we'll be serving this one -only to be topped off with Apple Tart!

Roast Beef with Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes to 1 hour [depending on how well-done you want]
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1 [2-2.5 pound] Sirloin tip or beef chuck roast
3 T Olive Oil
4 Roma Tomatoes, cut in half
2 tsp Herb de Provence
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Spicy Parsley Sauce
1 1/2 C fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes [more or less depending]
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Roast: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Season the beef with salt and pepper. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper and herb de Provence.
Place a medium, heavy roasting pan or dutch oven over high heat. Heat the olive oil. Sear the beef over high heat on ALL sides.
Turn off heat. Place seasoned tomatoes around the seared beef and place the pan in the oven.
Roast until the beef reads 130 degrees F [for medium rare], 30-40 minutes.
Take the roast out of the oven, tent loosely with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes. the internal temperature of meat should rise 5 degrees more and the juices will re-distribute into the roast.

Sauce:
Place the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the red pepper flakes, salt, red wine vinegar and the roasted tomatoes from beef pan and process until pureed. Add the olive oil in a steady stream with the machine running.

To Serve:
Slice the roast and place on a serving platter. Drizzle a little sauce over the meat. Serve the remaining sauce in a small bowl along side.

Recipe Courtesy of Food Network and Giada De Laurentiis -MWUAH!

Enjoy! ~Breeze

Sourdough Starter

This is a re-post from my main blog. ENJOY! ~Michelle



I am going to be using my starter for some pretty awesome looking recipes I found online, as well as some of the Breaking Bread with Father Dominic books I have.

I intend on posting recipes that I make with the starter, and pics when I make them. Everyone in my family loves fresh baked bread and the smell is just the icing on the cake [besides eating] for me.


Here is the recipe for the starter itself, I personally made the one with Yeast, as I don't have the ability to leave the wild yeast starter on a window sill to feed itself, as it is middle of winter in Ohio. I used my crock pot insert without the glass lid, I covered with cheese cloth.

Below, a yeast starter and a starter without added yeast.


Ingredients:

* Yeast Starter:
* 1 pkg. active dry yeast
* 1/2 cup warm water
* 2 cups warm water
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 tbs. granulated sugar or honey

Preparation:
Sprinkle the yeast over the first amount of warm water and sugar, stir and let set 10 mins. Add second amount of warm water and flour, beat until smooth, cover with a cheesecloth and let set in a warm place for several days ,stirring several times per day. When ready the starter should have a sour smell with small bubbles gently rising to the surface. The whole precess will take from 5 to 10 days depending to some extent on the time of year. Place in a jar and refrigerate.

TO REPLENISH
For each cup of starter used, add 3/4 cup of warm water , 3/4 cup of flour , 1 tsp. of sugar or honey and stir well. Cover loosely and allow to set at room temp. for AT LEAST one day. Refrigerate.

FEEDING: If starter is not used regularly stir in a tsp. of honey or sugar about every 10 days.



Non Yeast (Wild Yeast)

* 2 cups whole milk
* 2 cups flour

Let the milk set in a warm place such as sunny window uncovered to sour. Add the sour milk to the flour (instant potato flakes can be used) preferably in a crock or clay bowl. It is OK to mix the fresh milk and flour but it might take a day or so longer to get a good starter. Cover with cheesecloth and let stand in a warm place stirring occasionally and the rest is similar to the yeast type.

To replenish, add 1 cup of milk and one cup of flour, cover with cloth and let stand until bubbly. Refrigerate if not to be used for some time.

A bit of honey can be added to "feed" it and give a slightly less sour starter but it really is not required for the effectiveness if the starter.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Hope everyone is staying warm and enjoying life to it's fullest.
So go get a nice hot cup of tea, cuddle up with a good book and pamper yourself for an hour, you'll thank yourself!

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Cheers,
~Breeze

~ Chocolate Cinnamon Scones ~

Chocolate Cinnamon Scones
Yields: At least 2 Dozen


Dry Ingredients:
• 3 ½ C Flour, All-Purpose
• ¼ C Sugar
• 3 T Baking Powder
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Additional Ingredients:
• 1 stick Butter, Cold
• 1 ¼ C Milk, Cold
• 1 ½ - 2 C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks/Chips

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), mix the DRY ingredients together.

3. Grab a stick of butter from the fridge and cut into pieces. With the mixer running add butter until course and ‘sandy’. You should still be able to see lumps of butter in the mixture.

4. Grab 1 ¼ C milk from the fridge and let mix until almost combined.

5. Add chocolate chunks (almost a full bag which is equal to 2 C). Mix just to distribute them evenly through the dough. DO NOT over mix.

6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface & knead 10 times to bring it together.

7. Separate into 2 even pieces, and smooth out into circle shapes.


8. Using your hands or a rolling pin, roll or pat out to 1-inch thick.
** You may also roll out and cut with a round biscuit/cookie cutter.


9. Cut each circle in half, & cut into desired amount of pieces like a pie.
**The smaller the pieces, the more you need to watch the bake time.


Note: After transferring each piece to an un-greased cookie sheet, you may also brush an egg wash (1T water with one egg, beaten) over scones and top with sugar for a nice finished touch.

10. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes

I hope you and your company ENJOY these lovely and delicious scones.
They may be served alone for a quick snack or breakfast or with an entire breakfast/brunch spread.

**Project Note:
You can also put all dry ingredients into a wide mouth canning jar, and attach a recipe card with complete instructions for others to complete recipe. [They of course will provide the wet ingredients for recipe] Wrap a nice piece of cloth around lid and tie off with a piece of decorative string and attach recipe card, before giving.

~Breeze

Baking with Breeze

Baking is something I love to do.
So, with everything else I am posting on the other site that is serious, I thought better to just separate this and 'Go To Town' with some down home, full of love cooking, baking and having fun!

I also love to collect cook books and here's a tip for you, should you be looking for some choice books. Some of the best recipes you will find are in books you find at garage sales or thrift stores, the good ole fashioned ones.

I don't usually like to pay more than a couple dollars on older books, but on the odd occasion that it's a one of a kind I will give in.

Not that I am too much of a miser, but I love to spoil family and friends with things, so why should a book, unless it is new come to more than a dollar or two from my pocket? I also buy new ones and you might want to browse them or go to your local library to check out if there is more than one recipe you are gonna use, before you chuck down $30. for a new book.
Online avenues such as amazon.com and ebay are good sources, as long as you don't get stuck paying a ton for S/H.




I will be posting recipes - most of which I will have tried; and pictures for them, as I loooove to look at books with pictures for each recipe I see.

I love Kitchen Tips, Ideas, and Photos of awesome recipes; so anything you want to add, please feel free, because I am going to be posting a ton myself.

Cookies ~ Candy ~ Yeast Bread ~ Bread Machine Recipes ~ Brunch ~ Dinners & More!


Hope Your Home is Warm & Fuzzy.

I hope you enjoy your time here, and please stop back soon!!

With Love From My Home to Yours,
~Breeze