Pages

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Baked Apple French Toast

Can anyone say "decadent"?

  • 3 large cooking apples
  • 6 ounces Nuefchatel cheese
  • 10 slices bread
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 egg whites
  • 2 tbsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3-1/2 cup milk
  • Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°.

Core and thinly slice apples. Melt butter in saucepan, add brown sugar and 1 tbsp water. Add apple slices, cook 3 minutes, stirring. Pour into greased 9x13 pan.

Cut cheese into cubes, spread over apples. Cut bread slices diagonally in half, layer over cheese. Beat together egg whites, eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour over bread. Sprinkle cinnamon.

Bake 40-50 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Amish Friendship Bread

Prepare the starter at least ten days before you plan to bake or share. Not the easiest way to make bread, but it's simple!

Starter: Day 1

  • 1 package active dry yeast (.25 ounce)
  • 1/4 cup warm water (110°)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 cup white sugar, divided
  • 1 cup milk

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine flour and sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.

  • Day 2: stir starter with a spoon.
  • Day 3: stir starter with a spoon.
  • Day 4: stir starter with a spoon.
  • Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk.
  • Day 6: stir starter with a spoon.
  • Day 7: stir starter with a spoon.
  • Day 8: stir starter with a spoon.
  • Day 9: stir starter with a spoon.
  • Day 10: follow the directions below.

Stir in 1-1/2 cups flour, 1-1/2 cups sugar and 1-1/2 cups milk. Mix well. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each into four 1-gallon Ziploc® bags. Give three bags to friends, along with a copy of the recipe. Keep one cup of starter for yourself in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).

Yields: 4 servings

Adapted from a recipe submitted by: Ginger McKenney, published by Allrecipes.com 12/15/2007

Amish Friendship Bread

- Mix in glass or plastic bowl...do not use metal. - Use wooden or plastic spoon...do not use metal. - Store at room temperature...do not refrigerate. - If air gets into the bag, let it out. - It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble, and ferment!

Begin with 1 cup starter in a 1-gallon Ziploc® bag:

  • Day 1: do nothing.
  • Day 2: mush the bag.
  • Day 3: mush the bag.
  • Day 4: mush the bag.
  • Day 5: mush the bag.
  • Day 6: add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk and mush the bag.
  • Day 7: mush the bag.
  • Day 8: mush the bag.
  • Day 9: mush the bag.
  • Day 10: mush the bag and follow the directions below.

Pour contents of the bag into a glass or plastic bowl. Add 1-1/2 cups flour, 1-1/2 cups sugar and 1-1/2 cups milk and mix well. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each into four 1-gallon Ziploc® bags. Give three bags to friends, along with a copy of this recipe for Amish Friendship Bread. Keep one cup of starter for yourself in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2). With the remaining batter in your bowl, follow the directions below:

Preheat oven to 325°

Add:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 large instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Grease 2 large pans, dust with mixture of 1/2 cup sugar and 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon. Pour the batter evenly into the pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture over the top. Bake for 45-60 minutes (30 minutes for muffins). Cool until bread loosens from pan.

Enjoy!

Source: Roxanne Berger, November 30, 2007

Almond Crunch Cereal

Good cold cereal for the morning or for "Hi-Energy Bars".

  • 3 cups uncooked, old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup wheat germ or soy grits
  • 1 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1 cup slivered, blanched almonds
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 225°. Combine oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds. Separately combine honey and oil. Add to dry ingredents until well-mixed. Add cold water a little at a time mixing until crumbly. Pour mixture into baking pan lightly brushed with oil. Bake at 225° for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. Add almonds, bake 30 minutes more until thoroughly dry and light brown, feeling crispy to the touch. Add raisins when the cereal is cool.

Hi-Energy Bar

  • 2 cups Almond Crunch Cereal (see above)
  • 2 eggs, well-beaten

Preheat oven to 300°. Combine cereal and eggs. spread on lightly-oiled cookie sheet, about 6" x 8" x 1/4" thick, pressing firmly. Cut into bars 1 1/2" x 2". Bake 20 minutes.

All-In-One Hot Dish

This is a favorite at our house...it seems it never comes out wrong. The epitome of what I aim for in selecting recipes: easy, quick, delicious! The only pre-made ingredient is the soup, and after growing up with canned soup, it's like a staple!

  • 1 lb raw hamburger
  • 1 sliced onion
  • 1/2 green pepper, sliced
  • 3-4 stalks celery, chopped
  • 3-4 carrots, sliced
  • 3-4 potatoes, sliced
  • 1 can (14.5 ounce) tomatoes
  • 1 can (10.5 ounce) creamed mushroom soup

Layer each ingredient in a casserole dish, two-quart or larger. top with tomatoes and creamed mushroom soup. Bake at 350° for 2 hours, or place in crockpot on high 4 hours.

Grilled Pizza with Mozzarella

Grilled pizza appeals to me because it seems easy to cook. This recipe uses a simple tomato sauce, very few spices, relying on the simplicity of the smoke from the grilling for the flavor.

Recipe by Kristine Gasbarre of DuBois, PA

Pomodoro Sauce:

  • 5 Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 teapsooon sea or kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Pizza:

  • 1 (10-ounce) premade thin pizza crust
  • 1 1/2 cups Pomodoro Sauce
  • 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/8-inch slices
  • Coarsely chopped fresh basil
  • 1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Let stand 10 minutes. Place over low heat; simmer until tomatioes are tender and mixture is thick, 20 to 40 minutes.

    2. Prepare grill.

    3. Place pizza crust on grill rack and cook directly over medium flame until lightyl browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Flip. Spread Pomodoro Sauce on crust and top with mozzarella slices. Grill, with lid closed, until the bottom side of the crust is browned and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Scatter with basil.

    4. Carefully remove from grill with two large spatulas. Serves 6.

    Source: "American Profile", December 6-12, 2009

    Welcome to Cooking It Easy!

    Welcome to Cooking It Easy!

    I enjoy easy to read, easy to prepare, and easy to cook recipes. This blog is my collection of recipes, tips, crafts, and thoughts about food.

    My criteria for posting a recipe:

    • Few ingredients (usually no more than five)
    • Requires only basic cooking utensils and equipment
    • Preferably based on easy-to-find ingredients
    • Try to avoid pre-made, pre-mixed enriched foods

    I like food, but I dislike taking lots of time to prepare, cook, and clean-up afterwards.

    Enjoy!