Lyla Bread (Braided Bread)

A friend of mine is adopting a little girl from another country. She has done numerous fundraisers to defray the enormous cost of adding this treasure to their family. One way she is raising money is baking. So, once I got my Kitchen Aid, I asked to help (& in the process get a lesson). This bread is DE-LISH!

1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 tsp yeast (or one yeast packet)
1 Tbl sugar

1 cup hot water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbl butter
2 1/2 cup flour
1 egg

1 3/4 - 2 cups MORE flour


In a drinking glass or bowl, stir together the warm water, yeast & sugar. Set aside for about 10 min to rise.

In your mixer, combine the hot water, salt, sugar and butter. Mix well. Once the yeast has risen, add 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 egg and the yeast mixture. Mix all together (using your mixing paddle arm.)

Add 1 3/4 cups more flour and mix until a ball forms.  If the dough is still too soft, add more flour until the dough feels like squishy play-dough. Take the paddle arm off your mixer and put the hook arm on.  Turn mixer on to the number "2" setting (if you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer) and let machine knead the dough for 7 minutes. OR knead the dough by hand for 5-6 minutes on a hard (and slightly floured) surface.

Spray a large clean bowl with cooking spray. Put the dough in the bowl and cover with a cloth to keep from drying out. Place the bowl in a warm place (like the oven with just the light turned on). 

Let the dough rise for a couple of hours.

Punch the dough down and lit it rest for 10 minutes. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Using a knife, divide the dough in half. Divide each half into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 14 inches long.

Pinch the 3 ropes together at the top, braid the ropes, and pinch the ropes together at the end.

Repeat with the other pieces of dough.

Place on sprayed cookie sheet, cover with a cloth, and let rise for about an hour.

Wisk together one egg and 1 T water. Gently brush wash over each braid.

Heat oven to 350. Bake for 14-18 minutes or just till they start turning golden brown. Let the bread sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

For extra yummy-ness, pour melted butter over top of the bread before cutting.

 
 

Mom's French Pot Roast

4-5 lb. beef roast (I prefer Rump Roast)
1 can beef bouillon
1 can tomato sauce

Coat roast with flour and brown on all sides in small amount of oil using heavy dutch oven with cover.

Take off heat and add bouillon and tomato sauce.  May add sliced raw carrot, onions, and potatoes too, if desired.

Cook covered in 325 degree oven. One hour per pound.  More time is even better.

Remove vegetables and thicken sauce for gravy, if desired.

Reminder from my mom (since I call every time I make this to ask): approx. 1/2 lb. meat/person

Great Grandma Huss' Sugar Cookies

4 cups Flour

½ lb. Butter

2 ¼ cups Sugar

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla

(All ingredients at room temperature)

Rub/Cut flour into butter with fork or pastry blender.  Add Sugar.  In separate bowl, mix eggs and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture.  Gather crumbs into baseball size balls.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Roll out thin on floured pastry cloth and cut into shapes.  Sprinkle with colored sugar.

Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes, or until brown around edges.

If you're crazy and want to double the recipe (as it was intentionally written) it's 2 lbs. Flour, 1 lb. Butter, 2 lbs. Sugar, 5 Eggs & 2 tsp. Vanilla.  But beware...it's A LOT of dough!

Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup Melted Butter
1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Dark Molasses
1 Egg
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp. Cloves
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Melt butter and cool.
Add sugar, molasses and egg.
Beat well.
Sift in dry ingredients.
Mix and chill well.
Roll into small balls, then in granulated sugar.

Bake @ 350 for 10-15 minutes.

Cannoli Dip

16 oz. Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Vanilla
8 oz. Cool Whip
1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips

Mix first 4 ingredients well. Gently fold in Cool Whip. Refrigerate. Right before serving, mix in mini chocolate chips (to taste).

Serve with Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips (Stacey's or Trader Joe's)

Choco Cherry Cookies

2 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1-6 oz Package Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Nuts, chopped
1/2 cup Maraschino Cherries, drained and chopped

Combine Flour, Salt, and Baking Soda and set aside.  In separate bowl, beat sugar and butter until creamy. Blend in Vanilla. Add flour mixture.  Stir in Chocolate Chips, Nuts and Cherries. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Makes approximately 7 dozen, unless you eat the dough. :)

Chili and Corn Bread

1 lb. Ground beef or turkey

1 large can diced tomatoes

2 cans (small or 1 large) red beans

1 green pepper

1 onion

1 tbs. Chili powder

1 tsp. Garlic salt

1 box of corn bread mix

Brown meat, onions and pepper. Add seasonings. Heat tomatoes and beans, add meat mixture, simmer for one hour.

Make corn bread as per box instructions. Spread on top of chili and bake 20 minutes @375 or until browned.