Homemade Sandwich Bread

shared by Patty H. (I have tried other bread recipes and this was by far the easiest and tastiest!)

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 to 2/3 cup hot water, enough to make a soft, smooth dough* (see below)

1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water

*Mix cold milk with hot tap water to make lukewarm liquid before adding to remainder of ingredients

Instructions

1.     To make the dough: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. Or mix and knead the dough using an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine set to the dough or manual cycle.

2.     Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise until puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. If you're using a bread machine, allow the machine to complete its cycle, then leave the dough in the machine until it's doubled in bulk, perhaps an additional 30 minutes or so.

3.     Gently deflate the dough and transfer it to a lightly oiled work surface. Shape the dough into an 8" log.

4.     Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 60 minutes, until it's domed about 1" above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly. Towards the end of the rise, preheat your oven to 350°F.

5.     Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, until it is light golden brown. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow)

6.     Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Yield: 1 loaf.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

shared by Patty H.  (the lemon juice gives these muffins a great flavor)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. grated lemon zest (I didn't use this)
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 T. lemon juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease 12 muffin tins
3. Bake for 20-22 minutes

Apple Raisin Muffins

shared by Patty H. (these were moist and very tasty)

Ingredients

    1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    1/2 cup sugar

    2 teaspoons baking powder

    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1 egg

    1/2 cup fat-free milk

    1/4 cup canola oil

    1 cup chopped peeled tart apple

    1/4 cup raisins

   

CRUMB TOPPING:

    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

    2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats

    2 tablespoons brown sugar

    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    1 tablespoon cold butter

Directions

1.     In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

2.     Combine the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

3.     Fold in the apple and raisins.

4.     Coat muffin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners; fill two-thirds full with batter.

5.     For topping, in a bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.

6.     Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.

(note:  I used 2% milk and a regular apple for the muffins and old-fashioned oats in the topping and they turned out fine)

Pasta for a Crowd

shared by Patty H. (this salad was served at a ladies meeting I recently attended.  It was colorful and delicious and the hostess was kind enough to share the recipe with everyone.)

Instructions:

1 pkg. 14 ½ oz. penne pasta

1 jar 12 oz. roasted sweet red peppers, drained and chopped

1 pkg. 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (needs chopped a little more)

1 bottle 8 oz. Italian salad dressing

1 bottle 8 oz. ranch salad dressing

6 green onions, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1.     Cook pasta according to package directions. 

2.     In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

3.     Drain pasta and rinse in cold water; add to the spinach mixture. 

4.     Toss to coat.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.