Mom's French Bread

Makes 2 loaves

Mix and let proof:
1 1/2 Tbs yeast
1/2 c. warm water
2 tsp. sugar

Then add 2 Tbs. crisco
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. sugar
2 cups HOT water (tap hot)
6-8 cups flour

Mix together and knead for 10 minutes or so, then let rise to double in size; 1-2 hours. Divide dough into 2 portions. Roll each into a thick rectangle, then roll up jelly roll style, pinch it closed and then pinch and tuck the ends in. Make slits across the loaf and let raise again for 1-2 hours or until it is double in size. Bake at 400 degrees in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Put melted butter or crisco on the top of the warm loaf.

Barbequed Meatballs

Rachel won't let it go, so here's a recipe. I tried her cream sauce meatballs and unfortunately I had these to compare to so... I guess you could say "I've had better!"

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 can evaporated milk (5 ounces)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 lbs grounds beef

Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke, optional
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls; place in a greased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour over meatballs. Bake 10-12 minutes longer.

I serve it on egg noodles.

Crock-Pot Lasagna

4 cups mozz cheese
1 Tbl. Italian seasonings
28 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 onion, chopped (I leave this out of course!)
1 lb. ground beef
9 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 oz. ricotta cheese

Spray inside of crock pot with PAM
Brown ground beef, add garlic, saute slightly
Stir in sauce and Italian seasonings, simmer
Combine Mozz chesse and Parmesan
Layer in crockpot as follows:
1/4 c. meat sauce on bottom
1/4 c. mozz/parm mixture
3 uncooked noodles
1/3 c. ricotta cheese
Repeat until you have three layers
Cook on low for 2-3 hours (I put this in before church and it's just right when we get home)

Meatballs with Cream Sauce

Yep, it's me again. These were great! And relatively easy.

MEATBALLS:

1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 T. ketchup
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
3 T. flour

CREAM SAUCE:
2 T. butter
3 1/2 T. flour
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
14 oz. can chicken broth (If you want your sauce thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup)
2/3 cup milk
2 T. minced fresh parsley

In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients EXCEPT the beef and flour. Add beef and mix well. Shape into balls. Roll in flour, shaking off excess. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet and bake, uncovered, at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs, bake 8-10 minutes longer or until no longer pink. Meanwhile, for the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. If using the full can of chicken broth, the sauce doesn't thicken overly much, but it is delicious that way. If you want it slightly thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup. Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Top with sauce and parsley. Serve over rice or egg noodles (I used egg noodles and loved the result!).

Pizza Rolls and a fun website

My friend Holly sent this link to me for Pizza Rolls, so much fun and yummy. It was a little tedious making them because I did a double batch and next time I would use string cheese cut into chunks, that would be way easier than shredded cheese. I also made the garlic bread seasoning, yummy as well as the dipping sauce. That is a good recipe, I would use only half of the seasonings for it next time, it was a little too garlicky, or just double the tomato paste and water. It tasted very much like the pizza sauce you buy, Loved it.

Then with this link, check out some of the other fun recipes, I really like her section on sandwiches, gonna have to try a few of those.

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/06/stuffed-pizza-rolls.html

So there Rachel, I have posted :)

Sister Traveller's Banana Cookies

{Side note: I'm going to rename this "Rachel's Recipe Corner" because lately, I've been the only one contributing. I know I am not the only one cooking and I know I'm not even the best cook in the family, so get on it! Please. Side note ended.}

I found this on the blog of a girl I went to high school with. Apparently Sister Traveller made these for all the teenage gatherings at her house, which apparently kept all of Jodi's friends on the right path. I don't know if all that's true but I do know they were good. I had a little taste of one (didn't eat a whole cookie because of the no-sweets thing) and I thought it was good. Matt liked them. Hailey LOVED them (especially the frosting) and all the kids/parents at Music and Movement liked them. So, try them out.

Ingredients:
2.5 cups flour
1.5 tsp. bk.pwd.
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. bk.soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
Mix and set aside

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup mashed banana (aprox. 2.5 bananas)
1 pkg. choc. chips

Mix butter and sugar 'til fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Alternate dry ingredients and mashed banana. Stir in choc. chips. 350, 10 mins. (I had to bake mine longer.)

Frosting:
2 tb. butter
1/4 cup mashed banana (aprox. 1/2 banana)
2 cups pwd. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whip until smooth. Frost cooled cookies.

Hamburger Soup

Made this last night for dinner. It was really, really yummy. I seasoned my beef quite a bit, which I think made all the difference. I also added potatoes (not included in the original recipe), which made it a very hearty soup. Try it out.

1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2-3 cups diced potatoes
6 cubes beef bouillon
5 cups water
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn kernels
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons ketchup

In a medium skillet, brown hamburger over medium heat. Be sure to season with salt and pepper. Drain off fat. Combine beef, carrots, celery, onions, bouillon, water, tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, salt, corn, basil, and ketchup in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours.