Bread Sticks

The other night I was making spaghetti, the kids favorite food and I wanted some bread but I was getting tired of the same only thing and got thinking garlic bread sticks would be a nice treat.  I figured the kids would love dipping them.  These are good for a change and they took them the next day to school as a snack since this recipe makes a LOT

Garlic Bread Sticks

Ingredients

1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp yeast
3 -3.5 cups flour
2 tbl of butter
2 tbl sugar
1 tbl salt

Garlic Butter Topping
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Directions

1. Mix yeast and water together in your  mixing bowl and let sit for 10 min till frothy
2. Add in butter, sugar, salt and  mix
3. Slowly add flour to the mixture till it forms a nice soft ball, knead with your machine for about 5 minutes
4. Pull off chucks of the dough (smaller then you think you will need) and roll into sticks and place on a lined baking sheet
5. Cover and place in a warm place to rise till doubled in size; about 1 hour
6. Heat oven to 400F and place in oven
7. After 6 minutes take them out of the oven and brush with the melted butter and garlic topping
8. Place back in the oven for an additional  7 minutes (approx)
9. Brush the remaining garlic butter topping onto them as soon as they come out.

ENJOY!

My "new" AMAZING hamburger buns

The hamburger buns I posted originally are good don't get me wron, we used them every time we had burgers for 9 months, however once I made this recipe we will not ever return to our previous recipe.  I will point out that this recipe takes quite a bit longer in order to prepare but they are just that good, sesame seeds and all.  I hope you enjoy these just as much as we do.

AMAZING Hamburger Buns

Ingredients

2.5 tsp Yeast
1 cup of very warm water
3.5 cups Flour
1 egg
3 tbl of butter
2.5 tbls of sugar
1 heaping tsp of salt


Directions

1. Place yeast, water and 1/2 cup flour into your mixing bowl and stir.  Leave for 10 min till frothy
2. Add egg, butter, sugar and salt to the frothy mixture and mix quickly
3. Add flour slowly to the bowl while mixing until it forms a nice ball of dough about 5 min.  This dough should be soft and slightly tacky to touch.  
4. Place the ball of dough in a greased covered bowl (saran wrap) and place in a warm place to rise.  Approx 2 hours or until doubled in size
5. Lightly flour your counter and place the flatten ball of dough on the counter and split into 8-12 depending on how big you would like your buns to be.  If you choose to do 8 buns they will be quite large (4 x 4 inches)
6. Shape into flat 1/2 inch thick discs and place on a silicone line pan about 1 inch apart
7. Sprinkle the buns lightly with flour and place a piece of saran wrap loosely over them
8. Let rise till doubled about 1 hour.
9. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
10. Beat 1 egg and 1 tbl of milk in a bowl and brush very very lightly on the top of the buns
11. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top
12. Bake 15-17  min till golden brown
13. Let cool completely then break apart where they are stuck together and slice for burgers.

* These buns do freeze well however we usually toast them before using them.  If they are fresh you can either toast or eat fresh.

**Modified from a recipe I found online

Heather's Rice Krispie Squares

Heather's Rice Krispie Squares

My mom made these special treats when we went camping or to the cottage and now that I am a mom I also make these when we go on vacation or to the cottage and sometimes just because.
A word of warning they are addicting and amazing.  I always swore I would not pass this recipe on but for you here it is!

Ingredients

28 kraft Caramels
40 marshmellows
1/4 butter or margine
6 C of Rice Krispies

Directions

1. Using a double boiler (if you don't have one, not an issue, just heat on low and constantly stir) add all the ingredients except the rice krispies
2. Once everything is melted add the rice krispies cereal and mix thoroughly
3. Spread in a lightly greased pan, or container depending on how thick you want them is how big of container you would use.
4. Once cooled cut and cover to enjoy

Home Made Butter

Home Made Butter

I bet you read the title of this post and thought...no way....well I will tell you making butter is pretty easy, it really was surprising.  In about 15 minutes you have butter, not only does it taste amazing but it is healthier for you then margarine. Butter is one of those things that cost a lot and our family has always used margarine for this reason, but not anymore. For many months we have not used any margarine but have bought butter on sale or have made from scratch.   I have been making butter since May but have been putting off doing a post for too long so here you go.  Enjoy!  there is nothing better then fresh butter with your warm out of the oven bread.

Ingredients

Whip cream/heavy cream
pinch of salt (optional)

Directions

1. Place the cream in your mixer, add your salt if you like salted butter.  By adding salt it will help keep your butter longer.
   
2. Turn your mixer full speed (you might want to cover it since mine "spits" all over the place)
   
3. Keep whipping past the whip cream stage you want it to look more like wet scrambled eggs.
   
4. Once your whip cream is looking like scrambled eggs about 8 minutes (this timing really depends on your mixer with my old mixer it took 15 min, but this new mixer is about 5-8 min) you want to stop mixing as soon as it separates.  The liquid will then be seeping out of the mixture, this is butter milk :) 
   
5. Let sit for a few minutes and use a strainer, you will want to strain out as much of the butter milk as you can.  You can freeze this to keep for baking later.
   
6. Once you have gotten as much liquid out as you can, take a handful and start squeezing and you will see tons more butter milk come out.  As you get rid of the butter milk you will notice the ball is turning into butter.  Just a note the colder it is in your house the better and easier it is to make butter. 
   
7. Run under cold water and keep squeezing till the liquid runs clear, once your liquid runs clear you are done, shape it and enjoy  (this process can take quite a few minutes)
8. You can wrap it and freeze it
   

Cookies and Cream Popcorn

Last year a few facebook friends where posting about how they could not stop eating this special popcorn they were making and I just had to make it for a donation I was doing.  I however do not eat sweet popcorn so I have never tried it :)  It smelled great and looked just so cool.  I hope you enjoy it, but I will warn you....my friends say it is VERY addicting.

Cookies and Cream Popcorn

12 cups of popcorn salted
1 box of Oreo's
salt
12 ounces of white chocolate

1. Pop your popcorn season with salt approx 12 cups worth
2. Crush 1 small box of Oreo cookies
3. Combine your crushed Oreo cookies and popcorn and mix thoroughly
4. Melt the white chocolate and pour over the popcorn Oreo mixture 
5. Spread this mixture out on wax paper or cookie sheets till the chocolate hardens
6. I then break it up and put it in ziploc baggies for a quick snack or a treat for a teacher, friend or college.

* image and a portion of the recipe is from an online source (sorry cannot remember where)

"Hard Bars" a hard granola bar

"Hard Bars" got their name from my children, so the name has stuck.  This is one granola bar that I love and I find easy to grab on the run, and that is VERY important since I always seem to be on the run.  This morning brings a baking morning for my eldest and I....

Here is the recipe, it is pretty plain and simple but I think that is what makes these perfect.

Hard Bars (12 single thin bars)

1.5 cups of Large Flake Oats
3/4 cup of Rice Krispies
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Baking soda
3 tbl corn meal (not heaping)
1/4 cup honey
1 tbl oil
1 tbl coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbl brown or white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix Oats, rice krispies, salt, baking soda, corn meal and sugar together
3. Put oil (if you do not have coconut oil just use 2tbs of oil or all coconut oil if you rather) and honey together and warm up for about 1 minute in microwave
4. Mix honey mixture and oats together till well mixed
5. Place in a oiled, lined or I use a silicone 9x9 baking dish and press down HARD.  I use saran wrap and then place it over and press hard or use a dish to help
6. Bake for 20 min or till golden brown, if your mixture appears to be loose press down again once you have taken it out of the oven.  I usually do this 
7. Let cool for 15-20 min and then cut carefully
8. Allow bars to cool completely and then wrap them individually for a quick treat or in a container.  I place mine in the fridge but you do not have too.

HINT:  These are very crumbly and the more you press them down the harder they become, I am still working with it and learning just how much I need to press down.

ENJOY!  These are nut free and great for school

*these were adapted from a few different recipes found online.

So busy..........

As most of you know I am the "coupon queen" or so they have nicknamed me in the media here in Ottawa and therefore life has got a little hectic, even with this craziness I am still not buying bread and we are up to 8 months and going strong.  I promise in the next couple of weeks I will update you all on all these new great recipes I have been baking up.

Stay tuned