Homemade white bread

Jared and I are poor so we decided one day to make our bread instead of buying it because it is a TON cheaper! I actually just found this recipe online, it's pretty easy.

5-6 c flour
3 T sugar
2 tsp salt
2 packages dry yeast
2 c water
1/4 vegetable oil

Mix together all dry ingredients except half of the flour. Add warm water and oil, blend for 3 min. Add rest of flour, mix well and then knead for about 10 min. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in bowl in a warm place until double in size (about an hour). Punch down, then divide into two balls and let them rise under the bowl for 15 min. Put each ball into a greased loaf pan and shape into bread loaf. Let rise for one more hour, until the dough is about an inch higher than the top of the pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 min. (makes 2 loaves- if you're only making one loaf, I suggest only baking for about 30-35 min) Take bread out of pan and let cool on a cooling rack and brush with butter. YUM! Nothing better than warm bread fresh from the oven topped with butter and apricot jam!

Italian Zucchini and Turkey Casserole

2 small zucchini, sliced thin
4 tomatoes, chopped ( or one 14 oz. can diced tomatoes)
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
1 clove garlic, minced
fresh or dried herbs- such as basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary
1 lb. ground turkey, browned
1 stack Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 cup Swiss Cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Mix together the veggies, meat and seasonings in a 9 x 12 glass pan. Spread cracker crumbs, then the two cheeses on top. Bake at 350 for 40 min.

Brazilian Limeade

I got this recipe from Casha, and it is very addictive!

3 cups cold water
1/2 lime
2 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sugar
a couple handfuls of ice

Blend all together. Yep, just throw the lime in whole. Be sure to use a strainer when pouring into each glass so it catches the big chunks of lime. Serve with lots of ice.
Sorry, no pic for this one.

Chicken veggie pitas

I got this recipe from one of the other recipe blogs we have a link to, but I can't remember which one. I did add chicken to it though because Jared is one of those people that has to have meat in everything

whole wheat pitas
1 can chicken
Use any veggies you want, I used:
1 stock broccoli
baby arulugula with spinach mix
sugar snap peas
yellow pepper
mix in kalamata olives and feta cheese

dressing:
1 small container of plain yogurt
garlic salt and dill to taste

Smear the dressing on the inside of the pita and put all the veggies inside. As you can see in my picture, I accidentally bought the flat bread pitas so I just rolled it up. Still way yummy!

Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling

(I haven't actually tried this yet, but it was on someone else's food blog and it sounded good, so I copied and pasted it.)

3 T Flour
1/2 C milk (whole milk is best, but I used non-fat when it's all I have and it's actually fine)
1/2 C real butter
1/2 C sugar (that's granulated sugar, not powdered sugar)
1 t vanilla extract
Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. I think this is the critical point for any of you who have had problems with this recipe. I have a feeling people are under-cooking this part. Let it cook, while stirring, until it looks like pudding (you should be able to see the bottom of the pan when you stir it). Even though it's thick, you can still it through a mesh strainer (just whisk in the strainer to push the thick stuff through) and then let it cool completely to room temp. or chill it in the fridge. It needs to be cooled completely. If you don't let it cool completely, it will melt the butter and you'll have runny frosting.It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You'll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat for 7 minutes. Yes, 7 whole minutes, maybe even 8. I know that seems like a long time, but that's when the magic happens! It will go from looking like a weird goopy mess to something thick, velvety smooth, and perfectly fluffy- like this:Use it to fill cupcakes or other pastries, or as a frosting on top. You can't go wrong putting this on just about anything :) And you'll want to use it right away. Don't put it in the fridge to use later because strange things happen. Just leave at room temp and eat it fresh.One batch makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes with BIG tops (like the one below, or larger). If you're just spreading a little on top, it will do 24.it in advance.

Baked Halibut

1 to 2 lbs halibut (steaks or fillets)
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 c. mayonaise
1 tsp chopped onion, dill or tarragon
2 cups cruched Ritz crackers

Remove skin and any bones from fish. In a bowl mix the sour cream, mayo and herbs. Then dip each piece of halibut in this mixture and then roll in the cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

NieNie's Mud Cake Magnifique

NieNie's Mud Cake Magnifique
with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse & Ganache Bittercream
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8 oz. unsweetened chocolate (8 squares)¾ c. olive oil2 c. sugar4 eggs1 c. powdered sugar½ tsp. salt½ c. cocoa powder1 c. flour1 c. buttermilk1 tsp. baking powder*½ tsp. baking sodaIn a microwave, melt squares of chocolate with olive oil. Once melted, beat until smooth then add sugars and egg. Beat again until well creamed. Add remaining ingredients. Beat just until all ingredients are incorporated. (If you are baking BELOW 5000 feet altitude, double baking powder). Pour batter into two 9-inch cake pans that have been generously greased & dusted with cocoa powder. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 26-28 minutes, or just until center of cake springs back to the touch. Remove from oven. Allow to cool before inverting on a cooling rack and removing from pan. Before layering cake, use a knife to gently cut away any uneven parts at the top or sides of the cake. You'll want a nice, even surface to begin with in order to have your finished product look amazing.*Mascarpone Mousse1 c. whipping cream¼ c. sugar1 c. 60% Bittersweet cacao chips8 oz. mascarpone
In a large bowl, whip whipping cream until fluffly. Add sugar & mascarpone and whip until smooth. In a small bowl, melt chocolate chips in microwave, stirring every thirty seconds until smooth. Chocolate should not be warm to the touch, if it is, allow it to cool just slightly before spooning the melted chocolate into the whipping cream mixture & beating until light and fluffy. Spoon carefully atop one layer of cake. Spread evenly, then top with the second layer of cake. Refrigerate until ready to frost.Bittercream Frosting1 pint heavy cream11.5 oz. 60% Bittersweet cacao chips½ c. butter4-5 c. powdered sugar
In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate chips and heavy cream until a thick, smooth ganache forms, to keep the mixture from burning, stir constantly. Put in fridge until chilled. Remove from fridgidaire and beat in butter & powdered sugar until frosting is a spreadable consistency. Frost. Chill cake. To serve, remove from fridge 10-15 minutes before serving.