Recipes Reviews and Gadgets

This looks like it takes some work, but I bet they taste good. I was wondering if I could substitute whole wheat flour and make them healthier.

1 lb. All−purpose or bread flour
1 teas. Salt
1 1/2 Tbl. Dry yeast
1 teas. Sugar
1 cup Warm milk
2 oz. Butter, melted
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and leave in a warm place. Dissolve
the yeast and sugar in warm (105 F) milk (M−Waved). Let froth,
then mix in the butter. Stir all the liquid into the warm flour and beat
well until smooth and elastic. Cover and proof in a warm place for 50
minutes or until doubled in bulk. Turn onto a well−floured board and
knead, working a little more flour if necessary to make the dough easier
to shape. Round up the dough, roll into a thick sausage shape and (using
the sharpest knife you have) slice into 8 to 10 portions, each about 1 1/2
to 1 3/4 inch thick. Shape each one into a round with straight sides. Put
onto a greased baking sheet. Cover (use greased plastic wrap) and put
in a warm place to proof for 30−40 minutes or until springy to the touch.
Leave room for expansion and be careful not to over−proof, as the muffins
will get flabby and lose their shape. Warm and grease the bakestone
lightly. Lift the muffins carefully onto the bakestone and cook over very
moderate heat for 8−10 minutes until pale gold underneath. Turn and cook
the other side. Wrap in a cloth and keep warm if cooking in batches. To
serve, insert a knife in the side, pull the top and bottom slightly apart,
and insert slivers of butter.

When my friend gave me this, I thought I may like it until I read the ingredients. It sounds a tad greasy. It sure has quite a bit of bacon grease. You never know I may give it a try. She said it is similar to the one at Bennigans which I have never had.
2 ounces Bacon grease
1/4 pound Red onion, dice fine
2 cups Water
1/2 cup Honey
1/2 cup Red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons Cornstarch
1 tablespoon Tabasco (optional)
Place the bacon grease in a saucepan over medium−high heat.
Add the onions and saute until the onions start to blacken. While
the onions are carmelizing, in a mixing bowl place the water,
honey, pepper sauce, and red wine vinegar. Using a wire whisk,
mix the ingredients well.
Add the cornstarch and whisk well. After the onions have
carmelized, add the Dijon mustard to the onions and stir together
with a rubber spatula. Add the water, vinegar, pepper sauce
honey and cornstarch to the mustard and onions and mix.
Continue stirring until mix thickens and comes to a boil. Remove
from heat and store in refigerator until needed. To reheat use a
double boiler.

OK! My friend dug this up for me. She said it is quick and easy and her boyfriend loves it. I am going to have to take her word for it, as I do not like Cheese Whiz! When we go to Canada to visit my husbands family, I notice it is a staple there. It is served at breakfast just as we serve butter with our toast. I am sure this is a delightful recipe and it makes a nice meal with a sandwich our salad.

1 large can chicken broth
1 medium jar cheese whiz
1 can stale beer
cayenne pepper to taste
Heat broth to boiling, reduce heat, add cheese whiz, stir till melted, add
beer and reheat, but do not boil. Top with bacon bits and green onions

I love cheesecake and when I went to Florida this year I was enjoying everything with Key Limes in it also. I found this recipe and I cannot wait to give it a try.

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
3− 8oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes) If using key limes or juice, use half as much.
3 eggs
whipped cream
Preheat oven to 350*. Combine crumbs, butter and 1 Tbsp. sugar in a bowl.
Stir well to to coat all crumbs. Keep it crumbly. Press the crumbs onto the
bottom and half way up the sides of an 8″ springform pan. Bake crust for 5
mins.and set aside. In large bowl combine cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla.
Mix with electric mixer till smooth. Add the lime juice and eggs and
continue to beat till smooth and creamy. Pour filling into crust. Bake for
60 to 70 mins. If top is turning light brown it’s done. Remove from oven and
allow to cool till room temperature. Put into fridge. When chilled, remove
the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream.

A friend of mine sent me a PDF book of really neat make your own recipes this week. I am having a great time flipping threw the pages when I have time. Today, I found one for making your own sweetened condensed milk. I don’t know how many times, I have skipped a recipe because I do not have a can of this stuff handy. The only problem is you need powdered milk to make this, and I never have this either. I guess this is a no win situation for me, however it may work out for someone out there. It also sounds like it may be cheaper in the long run than buying those cans all the time.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup water
1 Cup plus 2 Tbls. powdered milk
Combine all ingredients. Heat to boiling.
Cook until thick, this will take 15 to 20
minutes. This equals one can.

That is right - Make those nice cute little treats for yourself. You will not believe how easy they are. I have not made these for myself, but was amazed that they could be made with very few ingredients. The only thing you really need to go buy is a candy mold. I am sure that cannot be too hard to find. Heck, it does not have to be bears, you can make whatever you want for any themed party you are having. This can actually be fun!

This would be a great activity with kids!

1 small box Jello with sugar (any flavor)
7 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup water
Mix in a saucepan until the mixture resembles playdough.
Place pan over low heat and stir until melted.
Once completely melted, pour into plastic candy molds,
and place in the freezer for 5 min.
When very firm, take out of molds and eat! Have fun!

This is my Dads favorite candy bar. My friend just gave me this recipe, and I cannot wait to make them for him. I hope they taste the like real thing.

1 1/3 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup white corn syrup
8 cups oatmeal
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
Melt margarine. Add brown sugar, syrup, peanut butter,
oatmeal and vanilla. Put in 9×13 cake pan.
Bake 350 for about 15 minutes.
Topping:
6 oz. package. chocolate chips
1/2 6 oz. package butterscotch chips
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup chopped nuts/peanuts
Melt together and spread on top. Cut into bars when cool.

If anyone has a Foodsaver this is a new product they have come out with for their sealer. I bought my husband one a couple years ago and he loves it. I have never used it! He uses it for meats mostly, but I have made up cookie dough ahead of time before the holidays and it works great on that, so I am not mixing up dozens of cookies at the last minute.

His favorite thing to use it for is to marinade meat in it. He thinks it works great in that. I am guessing the Freeze N Steam Bags will be best for vegetables especially in the months where we have our own garden.

We have the hand sealer also which is used just for the cylinders to keep items fresh in the fridge longer, and he uses it for marinades also.

Here is the link for the free bags which are available until May 31, 2009 or until supplies last https://secure.foodsaver.com/freegift.aspx

I am trying to figure out exactly what this is exactly. I believe it is a way to organize your recipes. It says you can scan in old recipe cards, print, fax or email recipe, and has free technical support. Perhaps it is a recipe book creator. It also has 10 recipes already included that cannot be deleted. It only works with Windows XP or Vista.  It only holds thirty recipes, but they have an extended version you can buy if you want to hold more. It does not say how much that costs, but it says you can click to upgrade at any time.

I may get it and check out the recipes at least, or see what it is all about. It looks kind of interesting at least for free. Anyone who is interested here is the link http://www.ladybugproducts.com/mlcbhomepage.htm

We love fresh herbs and have a great outdoor herb garden in the summer. This Christmas I bought my husband and mom each a herb AeroGarden for Christmas. My moms did great, but my husbands did not make it very long. The people at AeroGarden were great, they sent us all new kits and suggested we use distilled water from the store instead of tap water or the filtered water from our fridge. So far so good with our second batch.  The only thing that did not grow is the Italian basil, and again the company is sending us new seeds. They guarantgee their product and will continue sending seeds until it grows. We have used fresh basil and dill after four weeks already (above picture). I admit it is a bit expensive, but it is wonderful to have fresh herbs year round! My Mom got so many herbs she had to freeze them, and she is now ready to turn her AeroGarden over to my sister.

We have not decided if we are going to stick with herbs or move on to something else next winter.