Golden Sesame Braid

Egads! I totally forgot to post a recipe yesterday. After being sick for weeks, I am totally behind. I feel like I am running around like a crazy lady. So it just totally slipped my mind. Sorry!

But hey, did you notice my new blog header? I made it with the help of my hubbie using this tutorial. I like it so much better!

We have been enjoying unseasonably warm weather. It has been heavenly! Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and the winds are blowing in a storm. :( I really do not enjoy cold weather. The only thing I like about it is the baking. We eat a lot of breads during the winter months. I love serving them with soups, so I am always trying new recipes.

This is a basic white bread, just made into braids so it is much prettier. It has lots of eggs in the dough, which makes it a pretty golden color. It is tender and flavorful, and if you have any leftovers, it makes delicious french toast! If your family doesn't like sesame seeds, you can leave them off.

Golden Sesame Braid

1 Tbsp SAF instant yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups warm milk 

1/4 cup melted butter or oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp salt

4 eggs

7-8 cups flour

1 Tbsp water or milk

1-2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Mix yeast, water, milk, oil, and sugar and let sit for a few minutes till bubbly. Add the salt, eggs, and enough flour to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes. Let dough rest for about 5 minutes. Dump dough out onto an oiled countertop. Divide in half.

Divide each half into three equal parts. Shape into ropes that are about 12 inches long. Place the ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid them together, tucking the ends under. Repeat with remaining dough. Let raise for about 45 minutes. Brush with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

-Makes 2 braids

Butterscotch Nut Bars

If you are looking for an ooey gooey treat that is sweet, salty and whips together in a snap, this is the recipe for you. I first tried these last year at a neighbor's house. She had made them with cashews. They were fabulous, so I got the recipe. Then I proceeded to loose it. Imagine my joy when I found it stuck back behind my stack of cookbooks. I had some mixed nuts that needed to be used up, so I threw them in. I think these would be yummy with just about any type of nuts.

After you pour on the topping, it cooks very quickly, so make sure you don't burn it.

Butterscotch Nut Bars

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

11oz can nuts of your choice

1 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup corn syrup

Mix flour, sugar, salt, and butter and press in bottom of a 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Sprinkle nuts over hot crust. Melt chips and corn syrup together and pour over the top. Bake for about 10 more minutes, or till bubbly. Let cool before cutting.

Crock Pot Chicken Roll-Ups

I am feeling almost totally back to normal today. Most of the dizziness is even gone. Hooray!!! 

This is another recipe from a few weeks ago. It is similar to chicken cordon bleu, but it is made in the crock pot. I'd never tried it before, but it looked promising, so I gave it a go. It was so yummy! It is a little tricky browning the chicken with the toothpick sticking out, so don't worry if they aren't perfect. They will still taste fantastic! I served them with noodles and we loved it. Leftovers were awesome the next day. A new family favorite for sure!

 Crock Pot Chicken Roll -Ups

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 thin slices deli ham

6 slices Swiss cheese

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp oil

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup chicken broth

Hot cooked pasta, rice, or potatoes

Flatten chicken to 1/4" thickness. (I place mine in a ziplock before I pound them so it contains the mess.) Top each piece with a slice of ham and cheese. Roll up and secure with a toothpick. Combine flour, cheese, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Carefully roll chicken in the mixture. Lightly brown all sides of the chicken in the oil and place in a 3qt crock pot. Mix the soup and broth and pour over the top. Cook on LOW for 4-5 hours. Discard toothpicks. Serve over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes.

Plum Pie with Crumb Topping

I think I am finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm not totally back to normal yet, I am still really weak and I get dizzy if I stand for too long. But I am feeling much better. I was watching Studio 5 (a local show) yesterday, and guess who was on it. The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond!  Right here in Utah. She is doing a book signing tour. I couldn't believe the bad timing. I am way to dizzy and lightheaded to be driving, so I knew there was no way I could make it to Salt Lake. 

I called my husband to share my excitement that the Pioneer Woman was here in Utah. He knows how much I love her blog, so right away he offered to drive me up so I could meet her. Dang I love that man. Unfortunately, the book signing didn't start till 7:00, and he had to coach my son's basketball game. So I couldn't make it. What a bummer! Although, it is probably all for the best. I got lightheaded just thinking about meeting her, so I probably would have passed out with all of the excitement. And that would have been really embarrassing. :)

I have not really started cooking again, so I'm sharing another recipe from a few weeks ago. My cousin Tami, who helped me make a bucketload of jam, left me with some extra plums. She told me I just had to try this recipe for plum pie. I'd never even heard of plum pie, but she recommended it so highly that I just had to give it a try. It was delicious!!! I can't wait to steal borrow some plums from my parent's tree next year so I can make it again.

The plums turn a beautiful purple color as it bakes, and the crumb topping is just perfect. I served it with vanilla ice cream and I highly recommend that. Yum!!!

Plum Pie

9" pie crust, unbaked

Filling:

4 cups sliced plums

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 Tbsp soft butter

Sprinkle lemon juice over sliced plums. Add remaining filling ingredients and stir together till combined. Pour into pie shell. Combine topping ingredients till crumbly and sprinkle over filling. Bake at 375 for about 50 minutes.

Down and Out Again :(

I was barely over the swine flu and starting to feel better. Apparently I did too much too soon and overwhelmed my immune system. Because now I have strep throat and major head congestion. I don't think I have ever been sick for this long my entire life. I don't even remember what it feels like to be normal. Hopefully I will be back soon.

Double Crumb Apple Crisp

Tomorrow is Halloween; are you ready? We have snow here, so the poor little trick-or-or treaters are going to be freezing. My 11 year old son is starting to get a sore throat. He got invited to his first ever Halloween party tonight and he is really hoping he can pull it off. We'll have to see. I don't want him to spread anything around, so I'm watching him closely. I'll feel really bad if he can't go, but we don't want to take chances.

We have been cleaning house and doing laundry all day, so I am starting to feel caught up. I'm not doing a lot of cooking yet, because I don't need any extra messes, so I'm sharing a recipe I made a couple of weeks ago.

We have had an abundance of apples from our apple tree this year. I am not a fan of bottled apple pie filling, so we eat a lot of fresh apples. With the rest of them I like to make pie and apple crisp. There is something so comforting about homemade apple desserts when the weather is turning cooler, don't you think?

This is my very favorite recipe for apple crisp. It has crumbs on the bottom and the top, so it is extra yummy. Everybody knows the best part about apple crisp is the topping, so you know this is gonna be good! I made this back before I was hit with the swine flu. Now I'm hungry just thinking about it. Oh my.

Check out all that yummy topping:

With a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it is the perfect fall treat!

Double Crumb Apple Crisp

2 cups oats

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 cup soft butter or margarine

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

14 apples, peeled and sliced (11 cups)

1/4 cup sugar plus 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine oats, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter till crumbly. Mix in nuts if desired. Press about a third in the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Spread apples over crust and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture evenly over the top. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or till apples are tender. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Notes:

-Tart apples like Granny Smiths work best for this recipe. Golden Delicious are good too. But not Red Delicious, they are not good apples for baking, they turn mushy.

Having Fun with Spiders!

I am finally feeling like a person again! That swine flu is darn nasty stuff. I didn't feel horrible for the last two days, but I had zero energy. So basically I accomplished nothing for five whole days. Wowser!

This morning I went to my son's kindergarten Halloween program. After that I helped with the class party. I was supposed to be in charge of a food craft, but I turned it over to my friend Heather just in case I didn't make it. Thanks Heather!
We had the kids make cookie spiders. They had a great time both making and eating these fun treats. 

Here is a picture of my son putting together his spiders:

Here is the finished product:

Spooky Spiders

1 package Oreos (we used Double Stuff)

1 package pull & peel licorice

Red hots, smarties, or M&M's

a tube of decorating gel or frosting to attach the eyes

Use a pair of clean scissors to cut the licorice into 2" lengths. Pull apart to make 8 legs. (You will have one extra, which of course you must eat.)

Twist open the Oreo and press the legs into the cream filling. Replace the top. Attach the eyes with decorator gel. Have fun eating your spiders!