Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

I hope that everyone had a great holiday season! It has been some time since I posted so it's good to be back. Several months ago I tried a no-knead bread recipe I found on Pinterest. It was great - easy, fast, and delicious! It got me looking at and trying lots of other bread recipes I came across. In fact, I haven't purchased any bread at the store since!

Some recipes, I found, were easier, some were faster, and some had a much better flavor and texture. I'm still trying new recipes and this one, for Rosemary Olive Oil Bread, will definitely be added to my bread rotation. I found this recipe at A Hint of Honey and made a few changes when I made it. For one thing she baked hers on a pizza stone. A pizza stone is on my want list but I don't have one yet so decided to bake mine in a loaf pan. It worked great! Also, she used white wheat flour in her bread but I didn't have any in my pantry so I used all-purpose and bread flour, and again, it worked great. So basically this is a very easy and flexible recipe.

If  you have never made your own bread it is really worth a try. There are recipes out there for bread that can be mixed up in just minutes and that don't require any kneading. Recipes for other breads, like this Rosemary Olive Oil Bread require a little more time but especially if you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, are really very easy. AND the smell of homemade bread baking in your kitchen is one that just can't be beat AND no chemicals (preservatives, flavor enhancers ect - who needs them???)

This is a delicious bread, light and with a great flavor and texture! Don't be intimated by the long list of ingredients, it's not as complicated as it looks and mixes up quickly and easily! I would love to hear your comments about it!

Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

With Christmas just around the corner I start thinking of Christmas cookies. This is a recipe I saw on Pinterest and just had to try. It comes from The Girl Who Ate Everything  and they are really very good. My picture doesn't do the cookies justice, they are much greener than the picture shows and the cranberries are much redder. (No photography definitely isn't my strong point, but I figure any picture to give you an idea of what the recipe looks like is better than none - I'm right - right???) Zip on over to The Girl Who Ate Everything and check out her pictures - now that's how the cookie really looks!! The color makes them a perfect Christmas cookie and the flavor - wow! This is a cookie you can be proud to give as a gift or serve at a holiday get-together.

Homemade Dinner Rolls

I have always loved the smell of bread or rolls baking - takes me back to my Mother's kitchen - there's just nothing like it. Plus, I love making homemade things, without all the added chemicals. I mean really, do bread or rolls need flavor enhancers? Preservatives? Not if they taste like fresh homemade ones. The flavor is great with nothing added but a little butter and when they are this tasty, they sure aren't going to last long enough to need preservatives!!! And if, like me, you don't have a houseful to eat them you can just freeze them and take out one or two whenever you want. If you have never made homemade rolls you really ought to jump right in and give them a try. They aren't difficult, if fact they whip up easily and if you have a mixer with a dough hook they don't even require any hand kneading. Easy Peasy! And once you try them, smell the wonderful aroma, and get a taste of the flavor, you will never want store bought again! If you have any questions or need any additional info about making your own rolls just let me know in the comments below and I'll be glad to help in any way I can! Don't hesitate - jump in and give them a try - I guarantee you'll be glad you did!!!

Snowy Chocolate Cookies

I have been seeing these cookies around the web and since I was craving something chocolate and didn't have a lot of time I decided to give them a try. My rating on them - so so. They were super easy to mix up, since they are made with a cake mix, but basically, to me, just tasted like a very sweet chocolate cookie. I'm sure that's because before they are baked they are rolled in powdered sugar. I guess I expected the powdered sugar to get a little crispier than what it did. It stayed soft and sticky so they were a little messy to eat and as I said, very sweet. So, though they were a good basic, soft, chocolate cookie, they really didn't have anything distinctive about them that made me want to devour them and then make another batch. I have no doubt that kids would love them, sticky and all. I've read good and bad reviews on them and would love to hear your opinion if you have, or do give them a try.

Crunchwrap Similar to Taco Bell

I don't often eat out at fast food restaurants but when I do I like to go to Taco Bell, and Crunchwrap Supremes are one of my favorites. So when I started seeing recipes for copycat Crunchwraps on Pinterest they definitely caught my eye. I tried one, and though it was close to Taco Bells, it wasn't quite the flavor I was looking for so I started making a few changes and this is what I came up with. Though it's close to the recipes I have seen, I did make a few changes. Mostly what I found is that it's easy to adjust it to whatever your tastes are. I like to make mine with chicken, shredded mexican blend cheese and a little salsa verde, but I'm sure it would work just as well with whatever you want in it. So, here's how I make mine.  I'd love to hear your comments on what you have tried and liked. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Halloween

A chill is in the air and Halloween is almost here. I love this picture as it portrays how I feel about all the Halloween candy! Since I no longer have little ones living in the house I don't have to worry about all the candy they bring home. I do have to worry about any candy left over in the big bowl I hand out treats from. I can only hope I have lots of trick or treater this year and the bowl is totally empty at the end of the night. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Happy Halloween to All!!

Homemade Country White Bread

 

Grandma's Country White Bread from Pennies and Pancakes

Can't believe it's been a month since I posted anything. Ok, the reason, I admit it, is that I got sidetracked by Pinterest. My daughter ask me one night on the phone if I had ever checked out Pinterest, and when I said no, I didn't even know what it was, she told me I really needed to look it over as there was so much neat information there. Well, here I am, a month later, finally pulling myself away from Pinterest to do a post on my site. My mind is still in a fog from all the wonderful recipes and crochet patterns I've seen and been trying. SO.....BE WARNED! If you haven't checked out Pinterest yet don't even wander over there if you have anything at all that you need to get done - PEOPLE HAVE DISAPPEARED THERE FOR WEEKS AT A TIME!!!!!!!

I have always loved yeast breads but now that my kids are grown and I live alone I just never make it anymore - guess it just seemed to much effort for one person. But then there was Pinterest, tempting me with all these new recipes I had never seen before - No Knead Bread?? Fast & Easy?? Wow, they sounded really good. First I tried the "No Knead Bread" and I loved it. It made a beautiful round loaf that could be flavored with all types of add ins. I will try to get that recipe posted in a few day because if you haven't tried it you really might want to. Talk about easy, quick and delish!!

I really wanted to try a regular loaf of white bread like I remembered growing up with but I no longer had my Mom's recipe. Then I found this recipe! Not only is it far faster and easier than any I used to make, it raised up beautifully and tastes absolutely wonderful! I will definitely be making this bread again and again!

At the Pennies and Pancakes site Andrea has a wonderful tutorial called "How to Make Homemade Bread (Step by Step) that you might want to check out. Thank you Andrea for the wonderful recipe and the great tutorial!!

To try this great bread stop by Andrea's site or continue reading for the recipe: